p to our arrival at Boston, but I
have not yet described to you our delightful journey there.

We left Newport with our friends, Mr. and Miss Morgan, at two o'clock on
the 13th, and embarked in a small steamer, which took us up the
Narragansett Bay to the interesting manufacturing town of Providence. We
were about two hours on the steamer, and kept pace with the railway cars
which were running on the shores parallel to us, and also going to
Providence. The shores were very pretty, green and sloping, and dotted
with bright and clean white wooden houses and churches. We passed the
pretty-looking town of Bristol on our right. The day was lovely,
brilliant and cool, with a delightfully bracing wind caused by our own
speed through the water.

The boat brought us to Providence in time only to walk quickly to the
railway, but we had an opportunity of getting a glance at the place. It
is one of the oldest towns in America, dating as far back as 1635; but
its original importance is much gone off, Boston, which is in some
respects more conveniently situated, having carried off much of its
trade. It is most beautifully situated on the Narragansett Bay, the
upper end of which is quite encircled by the town, the city rising
beyond it on a rather abrupt hill. Among the manufactories which still
exist here, those for jewellery are very numerous.

We were now to try the railway for the second time in America, and
having been told that the noise of the Hudson River line was caused by
the reverberation of the rocks, and was peculiar to that railway, we
hoped for better things on this, our second journey. We found, however,
to our disappointment, that there was scarcely any improvement as to
quiet; and as papa _would_ eat a dinner instead of a luncheon at
Newport, this and the noise together soon worried his poor head into a
headache. We were confirmed in our dislike of the cars and railways,
which have many serious faults. The one window over which papa and I
(sitting together) were able to exercise entire control, opened like all
others by pushing it _up_. A consequence of this arrangement is that the
shoulder next to it is in danger of many a rheumatic twinge, being so
exposed to cold; whereas, if the window opened the reverse way, air
could be let in without the shoulder being thus exposed. I forgot in my
description of the cars, to tell you that the seats are all reversible,
enabling four persons to sit in pairs facing each other,