e
next square but one."

With many thanks for his politeness, I here parted from Mr. Clay, to
pursue my way according to his instructions, whilst he passed forward to
join the tall gentleman, who waited for him at some distance near the
public building which he had humorously described him as propping.

An accidental interview of this kind, however brief, will do more to
prejudice the judgment for or against a man, than a much longer and more
ceremonious intercourse. I confess my impressions on this occasion were
all in Mr. Clay's favour; they were confirmatory of the _bonhommie_ and
playful humour ascribed to him by his friends and admirers, who are to
be found throughout every part of the country.

The very day following this little incident I bade adieu to Washington,
after a second prolonged visit. I had here encountered and mixed with
persons from every State of the Union, and became thus in possession of
the means of making comparisons, and drawing conclusions, such as no
other single city, or perhaps any period less generally exciting, could
have supplied.

I quitted it gratefully impressed in favour both of its private society
and of the kind and hospitable character of its citizens generally. I
had, whilst here, without delivering a letter, received unlooked-for
attentions and kindnesses from persons the most distinguished for
character and talent: attentions which I am as hopeless of ever being
able to return, as I am incapable of ever being desirous to forget.

BOSTON.

JOURNEY ACROSS THE ALLEGHANY MOUNTAINS.--PITTSBURG.

The season continued to wear away without any severe demonstration; and
by the 19th of February, the day on which I reached New York on my way
from Washington to Boston, I found the first boat advertised for the
passage, just open, to Providence,--a piece of good luck, by hitting
which I was saved a land journey of two hundred miles.

We were detained by a fog in the Sound for a few hours, but reached
Providence by three o'clock P.M. next day, and were just ten hours going
the forty miles between that place and Boston; one extra bad bit of
about three miles took an excellent team exactly two hours to pull
through it. I could not conceive the possibility of this road, which I
had seen three months before in a very fair condition, being so utterly
washed out; but the heavy snows of these Northern States would penetrate
ways of adamant, and will for ever exclude them from att