CHAPTER VI.

Composition of the Population as to National Origin-Societies-Institutions —“Americans ”—Publications-Idea of Washington-Convicts-Effects of Climate on White Men-Victuals-Cookery-Lager Beer-Hint to Teetotalers-How to Travel-Social Amusements-"Jogging Along "— Complexion-The Church.

WE are still standing in front of that Greek building, the Virginia State Capitol, amidst grassy slopes, winding and straight walks, and shady avenues of trees; the city lying all around, and rather below us, prettily adorned with numerous turrets and spires. Some one who loved the old far-away Richmond, famed for its luxuriously verdant beauty, has given this then infant city its name, and there are many places more unlike each other. The leading features, indeed, are very similar; but it will be many years before American scenery can be beautified with the rich masses of foliage common in those parts of England where trees have been cherished as they should be. With regard to the Virginia Richmond, I tried to find out who gave it that name, but in vain. There remains now only a tradition that it was given on account of its resemblance to its namesake on the Thames. Richmond, Va. was founded only about two hundred years ago; and in the interval the Americans have not improved in their mode of naming places. There must be now nearly forty Richmonds in the United States,

about a dozen Londons, as many Dublins, as many Edinburghs, rather a larger number of Berlins, about twenty Waterloos, nearly as many Parises, two Austerlitzes, one Wagram, some thirty Washingtons, one Uncle Sam; and of Unions-Union Cities, Union Towns, Union Villages and Villes, Unities, &c. &c.,-upwards of one hundred. "What's in a name?"

Well, there is much in names worthy of the traveller's attention. They yield useful information. In this very city we are looking at, the names over the shops, stores, and offices help to inform you of the origin and proportions of the populations-a very important matter. To understand, to reason about, to know what to expect from any given community, you must learn the race or races of which it is composed, and especially those which are redominant. Hence, I think it is to be regretted that the negroes have not retained their native African names. In one neighbourhood you will see written or painted up, Allberger, Bachrach, Emmenhauser, Fleischer, Guggenheimer, Schleischer, and so on: you know at once that they or their progenitors came from some part of the Fatherland. Examining the directory of this city of Richmond, I found (in 1856) that about five-sixths of the names were decidedly English or Scotch-that is AngloSaxon: English, lowland Scotch, and Scotch or AngloIrish.

In this little city there are about thirty churches. The largest, handsomest, and most fashionable is St. Paul's, episcopalian—that is, as near as possible in America to the Church of England; the service substituting president for queen in the liturgy. It is frequented by the "big

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bugs;" it is built of stone, the body Greek, surmounted with an incongruous spire-something like St. Martin's, Charing Cross, but about half the bulk. Many other spires and towers you may see, but the greater part of the places of worship don't show themselves, and only make themselves heard by an unmusical single bell.

There are in the city a Young Men's Christian Association, an American Tract Society, a Bible Society of Virginia, a Board of Foreign Missions, Southern Baptist's Convention, that italic word already indicates the commencement of disunion,-and other religious societies; and there are three orphan asylums. There is an Athenæum, with a good library, but not much used—the Americans like cheap and light literature; and a Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society, which has "done the State some service," by preserving historical facts, records, &c. There are several good schools and colleges, but not sufficient means of education for the "lower classes [a want now supplied]. There are three banks, capital about 2,000,000 dollars each-discount 6 per cent. per annumrespectable, reliable institutions; several small savings' banks; two or three insurance companies, with a capital each of say 200,000 dollars or 300,000 dollars; a dozen Masonic lodges; nearly as many of Odd Fellows; severál divisions of Sons of Temperance; a council of "United American Mechanics"—a germ of a remarkable political movement to take place in a few years, and sweep the country; several German Societies; no Irish, English, or Scotch. No building societies yet. No gas company. A few oil lamps are lit on dark nights.

Nearly twenty newspapers and periodicals are published

in Richmond! But only three of these are political-one, Whig, and the Enquirer and the Examiner, both democratic. The last, a leading paper of the democratic party, was in 1848 conducted by the son of the father of democratic editors, Mr. Ritchie, editor of the Washington Union.

It requires considerable thinking to understand how a population containing only some 5,000 adult males, can carry on such a variety of schemes, societies, companies, institutions, churches, &c.

At a side entrance to the capitol (the noble flight of steps that should lead up to the pillared front has been forgotten) I observed on guard a soldier in a uniform of blue, red, and yellow. He belonged to the Virginia State Guard, a company of perhaps sixty or seventy men, kept up by the State. It is almost a solitary instance of the maintenance of any military force by a State, and in this case it is retained only from the force of habit. It is a well-drilled and disciplined body; but the great difficulty, despite the excellent pay and treatment, is to supply the ranks suitably; for the English prejudice against the profession of arms, so far as the "common soldier" is concerned, is inherited in increased strength by Americans. We walked up the 'side steps into the building. A plain, exact, correct, unpoetical figure of Washington stands in the hall, on a pedestal. I suppose it is the fault of American literature; but, however that may be (and possibly the fault is in myself), I never felt any great pleasure or fervour of admiration in the idea recalled by the name of Washington. To me he is a To me he is a plain, sensible, thoroughly honest, good, brave, but unenthusiastic man. In this I am by no means alone; and I think an impression so

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inadequate of that good and great man, must be owing to a deficiency in the Yankee literature, through which chiefly he is known to the world.

We went where we pleased: into the Senate Chamber, into the Hall of the Representatives, very fitting apparently for their purposes; into committee-rooms, and into a considerable library. There was no policeman to stop us, no porter or other hanger-on to accept a sixpence. There were portraits of Washington and other worthies, and one of Judge Marshall, I think, a great lawyer, of whom old residents are fond of telling an anecdote. He used to do his own marketing, as it is still not uncommon for men to do; and one morning, having his basket on his arm, he heard a young fellow wish for some boy or servant to take home for him a turkey he had just bought, offering a shilling as pay; whereupon the greatest lawyer in the State offered to do the job for the money, and took the turkey to the young man's dwelling, leaving the by-standers to tell him who it was he had employed. The moral of the story is, that a genteel young man need not be ashamed to carry a parcel for himself through the streets.

On reaching the entrance at the other side of the building, I noticed a party of men, some of them white, others black, in parti-coloured clothes, working on the grounds, while a soldier kept guard near them. I was informed it was a gang from the penitentiary, employed on public work. The men seemed to labour neither excessively nor cheerfully, but were much better off than confined in cells or silent workshops. By a recent law of Virginia a man sentenced to the penitentiary is regarded as legally defunct, and his wife may marry again; the law indeed