north america-1-第9节

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　Chamber　was　gone；　but　Jeffreys　had　not　yet　reigned。　　What　earthly　aspirations　were　ever　higher　than　these；　or　more　manly？　And　what　earthly　efforts　ever　led　to　grander　results？　We　determined　to　go　to　Portland；　in　Maine；　from　thence　to　the　White　Mountains　in　New　Hampshirethe　American　Alps；　as　they　love　to　call　themand　then　on　to　Quebec；　and　up　through　the　two　Canadas　to　Niagara；　and　this　route　we　followed。　　From　Boston　to　Portland　we　traveled　by　railroadthe　carriages　on　which　are　in　America　always　called　cars。　　And　here　I　beg；　once　for　all；　to　enter　my　protest　loudly　against　the　manner　in　which　these　conveyances　are　conducted。　The　one　grand　faultthere　are　other　smaller　faultsbut　the　one　grand　fault　is　that　they　admit　but　one　class。　　Two　reasons　for　this　are　given。　　The　first　is　that　the　finances　of　the　companies　will　not　admit　of　a　divided　accommodation；　and　the　second　is　that　the　republican　nature　of　the　people　will　not　brook　a　superior　or　aristocratic　classification　of　traveling。　　As　regards　the　first；　I　do　not　in　the　least　believe　in　it。　　If　a　more　expensive　manner　of　railway　traveling　will　pay　in　England；　it　would　surely　do　so　here。　Were　a　better　class　of　carriages　organized；　as　large　a　portion　of　the　population　would　use　them　in　the　United　States　as　in　any　country　in　Europe。　　And　it　seems　to　be　evident　that　in　arranging　that　there　shall　be　only　one　rate　of　traveling；　the　price　is　enhanced　on　poor　travelers　exactly　in　proportion　as　it　is　made　cheap　to　those　who　are　not　poor。　　For　the　poorer　classes；　traveling　in　America　is　by　no　means　cheap；　the　average　rate　being；　as　far　as　I　can　judge；　fully　three　halfpence　a　mile。　　It　is　manifest　that　dearer　rates　for　one　class　would　allow　of　cheaper　rates　for　the　other；　and　that　in　this　manner　general　traveling　would　be　encouraged　and　increased。　But　I　do　not　believe　that　the　question　of　expenditure　has　had　anything　to　do　with　it。　　I　conceive　it　to　be　true　that　the　railways　are　afraid　to　put　themselves　at　variance　with　the　general　feeling　of　the　people。　　If　so；　the　railways　may　be　right。　　But　then；　on　the　other　band；　the　general　feeling　of　the　people　must　in　such　case　be　wrong。　　Such　a　feeling　argues　a　total　mistake　as　to　the　nature　of　that　liberty　and　equality　for　the　security　of　which　the　people　are　so　anxious；　and　that　mistake　the　very　one　which　has　made　shipwreck　so　many　attempts　at　freedom　in　other　countries。　　It　argues　that　confusion　between　social　and　political　equality　which　has　led　astray　multitudes　who　have　longed　for　liberty　fervently；　but　who　have　not　thought　of　it　carefully。　　If　a　first…class　railway　carriage　should　be　held　as　offensive；　so　should　a　first…class　house；　or　a　first…class　horse；　or　a　first…class　dinner。　　But　first…　class　houses；　first…class　horses；　and　first…class　dinners　are　very　rife　in　America。　　Of　course　it　may　be　said　that　the　expenditure　shown　in　these　last…named　objects　is　private　expenditure；　and　cannot　be　controlled；　and　that　railway　traveling　is　of　a　public　nature；　and　can　be　made　subject　to　public　opinion。　　But　the　fault　is　in　that　public　opinion　which　desires　to　control　matters　of　this　nature。　　Such　an　arrangement　partakes　of　all　the　vice　of　a　sumptuary　law；　and　sumptuary　laws　are　in　their　very　essence　mistakes。　　It　is　well　that　a　man　should　always　have　all　for　which　he　is　willing　to　pay。　　If　he　desires　and　obtains　more　than　is　good　for　him；　the　punishment；　and　thus　also　the　preventive；　will　come　from　other　sources。　It　will　be　said　that　the　American　cars　are　good　enough　for　all　purposes。　　The　seats　are　not　very　hard；　and　the　room　for　sitting　is　sufficient。　　Nevertheless　I　deny　that　they　are　good　enough　for　all　purposes。　　They　are　very　long；　and　to　enter　them　and　find　a　place　often　requires　a　struggle　and　almost　a　fight。　　There　is　rarely　any　person　to　tell　a　stranger　which　car　he　should　enter。　　One　never　meets　an　uncivil　or　unruly　man；　but　the　women　of　the　lower　ranks　are　not　courteous。　　American　ladies　love　to　lie　at　ease　in　their　carriages；　as　thoroughly　as　do　our　women　in　Hyde　Park；　and　to　those　who　are　used　to　such　luxury；　traveling　by　railroad　in　their　own　country　must　be　grievous。　　I　would　not　wish　to　be　thought　a　Sybarite　myself；　or　to　be　held　as　complaining　because　I　have　been　compelled　to　give　up　my　seat　to　women　with　babies　and　bandboxes　who　have　accepted　the　courtesy　with　very　scanty　grace。　　I　have　borne　worse　things　than　these；　and　have　roughed　it　much　in　my　days；　from　want　of　means　and　other　reasons。　　Nor　am　I　yet　so　old　but　what　I　can　rough　it　still。　　Nevertheless　I　like　to　see　things　as　well　done　as　is　practicable；　and　railway　traveling　in　the　States　is　not　well　done。　　I　feel　bound　to　say　as　much　as　this；　and　now　I　have　said　it；　once　for　all。　Few　cities；　or　localities　for　cities；　have　fairer　natural　advantages　than　Portland　and　I　am　bound　to　say　that　the　people　of　Portland　have　done　much　in　turning　them　to　account。　　This　town　is　not　the　capital　of　the　State　in　a　political　point　of　view。　Augusta；　which　is　farther　to　the　north；　on　the　Kennebec　River；　is　the　seat　of　the　State　government　for　Maine。　　It　is　very　generally　the　case　that　the　States　do　not　hold　their　legislatures　and　carry　on　their　government　at　their　chief　towns。　　Augusta　and　not　Portland　is　the　capital　of　Maine。　　Of　the　State　of　New　York；　Albany　is　the　capital；　and　not　the　city　which　bears　the　State's　name。　　And　of　Pennsylvania；　Harrisburg　and　not　Philadelphia　is　the　capital。　　I　think　the　idea　has　been　that　old…fashioned　notions　were　bad　in　that　they　were　old　fashioned；　and　that　a　new　people；　bound　by　no　prejudices；　might　certainly　make　improvement　by　choosing　for　themselves　new　ways。　　If　so；　the　American　politicians　have　not　been　the　first　in　the　world　who　have　thought　that　any　change　must　be　a　change　for　the　better。　　The　assigned　reason　is　the　centrical　position　of　the　selected　political　capitals；　but　I　have　generally　found　the　real　commercial　capital　to　be　easier　of　access　than　the　smaller　town　in　which　the　two　legislative　houses　are　obliged　to　collect　themselves。　What　must　be　the　natural　excellence　of　the　harbor　of　Portland；　will　be　understood　when　it　is　borne　in　mind　that　the　Great　Eastern　can　enter　it　at　all　times；　and　that　it　can　lay　along　the　wharves　at　any　hour　of　the　tide。　　The　wharves　which　have　been　prepared　for　her　and　of　which　I　will　say　a　word　further　by…and…byare　joined　to；　and　in　fact；　are　a　portion　of；　the　station　of　the　Grand　Trunk　Railway；　which　runs　from　Portland　up　to　Canada。　　So　that　passengers　landing　at　Portland　out　of　a　vessel　so　large　even　as　the　Great　Eastern　can　walk　at　once　on　shore；　and　goods　can　be　passed　on　to　the　railway　without　any　of　the　cost　of　removal。　　I　will　not　say　that　there　is　no　other　harbor　in　the　world　that　would　allow　of　this；　but　I　do　not　know　any　other　that　would　do　so。　From　Portland　a　line　of　railway；　called　as　a　whole　by　the　name　of　the　Canada　Grand　Trunk　Line；　runs　across　the　State　of　Maine；　through　the　northern　parts　of　New　Hampshire　and　Vermont；　to　Montreal；　a　branch　striking　from　Richmond；　a　little　within　the　limits　of　Canada；　to　Quebec；　and　down　the　St。　Lawrence　to　Riviere　du　Loup。　　The　main　line　is　continued　from　Montreal；　through　Upper　Canada　to　Toronto；　and　from　thence　to　Detroit　in　the　State　of　Michigan。　　The　total　distance　thus　traversed　is；　in　a　direct　line；　about　900　miles。　　From　Detroit　there　is　railway　communications　through　the　immense　Northwestern　States　of　Michigan；　Wisconsin；　and　Illinois；　than　which　perhaps　the　surface　of　the　globe　affords　no　finer　districts　for　purposes　of　agriculture。　　The　produce　of　the　two　Canadas　must　be　poured　forth　to　the　Eastern　world；　and　the　men　of　the　Eastern　world　must　throng　into　these　lands　by　means　of　this　railroad；　and；　as　at　present　arranged；　through　the　harbor　of　Portland。　　At　present　the　line　has　been　opened；　and　they　who　have　opened　are　sorely　suffering　in　pocket　for　what　they　have　done。　　The　question　of　the　railway　is　rather　one　applying　to　Canada　than　to　the　State　of　Maine；　and　I　will　therefore　leave　it　for　the　present。　But　the　Great　Eastern　has　never　been　to　Portland；　and　as　far　as　I　know　has　no　intention　of　going　there。　　She　was；　I　believe；　built　with　that　object。　　At　any　rate；　it　was　proclaimed　during　her　building　that　such　was　her　destiny；　and　the　Portlanders　believed　it　with　a　perfect　faith。　　They　went　to　work　and　built　wharves　expressly　for　her；　two　wharves　prepared　to　fit　her　two　gangways；　or　ways　of　exit　and　entrance。　　They　built　a　huge　hotel　to　receive　her　passengers。　　They　prepared　for　her　advent　with　a　full　conviction　that　a　millennium　of　trade　was　about　to　be　wafted　to　their　happy　port。　　〃Sir；　the　town　has　expended　two　hundred　thousand　dollars　in　expectation　of　that　ship；　and　that　ship　has　deceived　us。〃　　So　was　the　matter　spoken　of　to　me　by　an　intelligent　Portlander。　　I　explained　to　that　intelligent　gentleman　that　two　hundred　thousand　dollars　would　go　a　very　little　way　toward　making　up　the　loss　which　the　ill…fortuned　vessel　had　occasioned　on　the　other　side　of　the　water。　　He　did　not　in　words　express　gratification　at　this　information；　but　he　looked　it。　　The　matter　was　as　it　were　a　partnership　without　deed　of　contract　between　the　Portlanders　and　the　shareholders　of　the　vessel；　and　the　Portlanders；　though　they　also　have　suffered　their　losses；　have　not　had　the　worst　of　it。　B