and his audience generally, would have left the room if he had allowed a man of colour to remain. Nothing can be more disgraceful to the people of the United States, nor more inconsistent with their professed principles of equality, than their treatment of the free people of colour. They constantly subject them to indignities of every kind, and refuse altogether to eat or drink with them. If you have black servants and white servants in the same house, they never upon any occasion eat together; and this circumstance very often obliges people to have servants of colour altogether.

Not far from New Rochelle is the property which the government of the United States presented to Thomas Paine after his return to the United States, subsequent to the French revolution. The author of Common Sense,—a pamphlet of no ordinary ability, and which contributed essentially to make the people of the United States of one mind at the period of the de-. claration of independence, was well entitled to this mark of gratitude from Congress. We frequently. passed his tomb on the road-side, inclosed within a bit of circular stone wall. The surface of the interior. looks very much as if Mr Cobbett had actually carried off Mr Paine's bones; for it is in an uneven and disordered state, though now producing very beautiful wild flowers. It happens strangely, that, on the part of the high road immediately opposite to this buryingground, there is a Methodist meeting-house. The first time that we passed the burying-ground on the 27th October, we went within the inclosure to look at it.

When we came out of it again, we were accosted by Mr Bonnel, a neighbouring proprietor, who had been out with his gun. He presumed, from his having seen us make so close an inspection of the burying-ground, that we were admirers of Mr Paine's religious sentiments, for he immediately spoke of them, and told us, that he rather inclined to approve of them himself. He afterwards asked us to dine with him, which, however, it was not in my power to do.

Paine was first known by the celebrated song which he composed after Wolfe's fall before Quebec, beginning, "In a mouldering cave, where the wretched retreat," &c.; but it was not until about the year 1775 or 1776 that he became celebrated. It does not appear that he ever received in money from the United States more than L. 500, the gift of the State of Pennsylvania, and 5000 dollars from Congress. Congress also presented him with the land near New Rochelle, which was the confiscated estate of Frederick Davoe, a loyalist, consisting of above 300 acres of well-cultivated soil, with a good stone house. He was seventytwo years old when he died, on the 8th June 1809.

It is a singular fact, that a person of the same name, Thomas Paine, to whom a prize had been adjudged, about the beginning of this century, for writing a prologue at the opening of the Boston Theatre, afterwards obtained an act of the legislature of Massachusetts, authorizing him to change his name to Robert Treat Paine, "because he was unwilling any longer to bear that of a certain noted infidel, and reviler of religion,"

HUNTER'S ISLAND.

19

While the weather continued fine, and when the roads were good, we took very long walks. When the roads were wet, owing to much rain having fallen, Mr Weed insisted on our driving out in one of his open carriages free of expence; and he always sent it to church with us when it rained, or when the road was wet. One of the finest walks at New Rochelle, is from thence along the shore to Hunter's Island, situated at a distance of two or three miles, close to the shore, to which it is joined by a bridge. There is a great variety of ground in this island, which consists of about 300 acres, and is well laid out in meadow-land and wood, handsomely disposed. The house is in a beautiful situation, commanding fine views of the lawn, and of the indented shores of Long Island, and the Frith or sound dividing it from Hunter's Island. The house is a large stone building, of heavy architecture, but containing a great deal of good accommodation. The office-houses and garden are good, and in good order. In short, this is not only a fine country seat, in the English sense of the word, but a place well worth a visit, on account of its peculiar and attractive beauties. Mr Hunter is a man of large fortune in various parts of the state. I was told that 30,000 acres of the Catskill mountains belonged to him. Joseph Buonaparte has been frequently here. Before he made his purchase on the Delaware, he was very anxious to acquire Mr Hunter's Island; and showed his good taste, as I think, in offering a very large price for it. It is in all respects superior to the acquisition he afterwards made

on the Delaware. But Mr Hunter was quite right to decline, on any terms, to part with such a gem as this.

The second time that I had gone to this island to enjoy its scenes, we were accompanied by a friend from New York. Mr Hunter had by this time heard of our being in the neighbourhood, and, having noticed us when going away, he followed, and begged us to return to his house and take some refreshment. It was getting late in the evening at the time, and we were therefore obliged to decline to accept his hospitality on this occasion; but we promised to take an early opportunity of paying him a visit, which we accordingly did on the 16th November. Mr Hunter was long a member of Congress, seems a very gentlemanly person, of mild manners,―very anxious that a good understanding should subsist between the people of the United States and of England, and therefore regretting much the views which Captain Hall has given of the United States. He expressed great approbation of the system of farming practised by several Scotch farmers whom he knew in various parts of this neighbourhood, especially by a Judge Somerville. Mr Hunter has had a collection of pictures lately made for him in Italy by, I think he said, his brother, at present in that country. I saw part of those pictures, and among them some of considerable merit by Poussin, and Watteau, &c.; but it would have been far more for Mr Hunter's interest, I suspect, to have purchased half a dozen fine pictures by the best masters. A choice collection might have no inconsiderable effect in forming the taste of the people

LANGUAGE OF AMERICANS.

21

in this part of the United States,-far more than the acquisition of so large a number of pictures of the middling class. Chaste works of art are much wanting in the United States. Few persons comparatively are yet acquainted with them. The collections of pictures, and of works of art in the great towns, show great want of information and skill.

I have never been able to observe either here, or in other parts of the United States where we have yet been, any ground for an observation which I have heard again and again made by British writers, viz. that it is difficult to understand the language which the Americans use, and that an American does not at once understand what an Englishman says. On the contrary, I think it much more difficult, in travelling in Britain, to comprehend the various dialects that are used by the lower classes in different parts of the country. Even in the city of London, the language is very different in the city and in the west end of the town. The style of speaking is very much the same all over this country. The only difference seems to me to consist in the different signification which is given to a few words in America, such as the following :-A lady calling on us when there was some melons on the table, we asked her to partake of it as soon as the servant brought a plate. She was in a hurry, and took up a little bit in her hand, saying, allow me to take it "friendly,”—meaning unceremoniously. Of such words as this there is a considerable number, but there is generally no difficulty in finding out the sense in which they are used.