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perfect health & happiness - The portrait of the benevolent foundress of these institutions is placed in both houses, and there her name & memory are indeed hallowed - We purchased two beautiful pair of stockings for little Marcellus knit by the orphans, as a memorial of them - In the evening we accompanied Mrs. Astley to a party at Dr. Beasley's, to which we were invited as their friends - I felt no desire to attend, being a stranger, but Mrs. Astley seemed very desirous that we should go, and we certainly did not regret it - The ladies are very social, polite and refined, and most of them extremely handsome. I never saw so much beauty as in the Streets of Philadelphia - We passed the next day at Mrs. Lawrence's - *Louisa's friend - very pleasant; she does not see any company now; on account of the death of her mother, and invited us without ceremony; she has lost much of her vivacity, but is still a very pleasing woman; the next day was the last of our stay -, and we employed it in packing - Mr. H. as well as myself were much pleased in meeting Mr. Walker here, whom you, my dear Sophia, knew with us in Northhampton; he expresses unbounded gratitude to Mr. H. for introducing him here as his prospects are very flattering, and he has been introduced through him to men, whose assistance is of good assistance to him.
Mr. H. carried me to see all the curiosities of the city, and I wish I had time to describe some of them as they deserve the most admirable was the splendid picture
*Louisa -- his Sister in law -- wife to her brother Fabius.
of the coronation by David, which Henry & Eliza saw at Baltimore. It gives you at once a perfect idea of the magnificence of a court; the figures of Bonaparte and Josephine are inimitable; it seems as if you could see the down of the crimson velvet robes move, and the ermine lining move as you look upon them. I could not help starting every few minutes to see some new figure present itself to the eye, with so much of life as to make you forget you were only gazing at a picture. We went to see the picture of Christ healing the sick by West. It is very fine, but far inferior to David's - I was most disappointed in the face of the Savior -; but perhaps no human pencil can do it justice. I felt what Mr. Hentz said, that he was sorry to feel so much more enthusiasm in gazing upon the destroyer than the Savior of men -; the face of St. John is, however divine; it exemplifies the character that Jesus loved. The blind girl is charming, and on the group that contained the palsied man he seems to have exhausted the strength of his genius.
We went to the gallery of the fine arts, which contains innumerable fine pictures; amongst other Allston painting, representing the dead man resusicated by touching the dry bones of Elijah; it is a superb picture, but a revolting subject. We also visited the Museum, which is said to be the finest in the U.S.; a thousand curiositie there greet the eyes, but the most stupendous monument was the skeleton of the mammoth. It is a most awful spectacle, it gives you
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a terrible idea of Almighty power. We did not see the celebrated Water Works at Fairmount. Mrs. Astley called to carry us there, but as Mr. H. was absent, she postponed it till another day, and other engagements prevented.
And where, you will ask, was the darling Marcellus all this time? Sometimes with us, but generally asleep at home, where he was watched by the most faithful nurse; a daughter of a most respectable mother; employed herself as nurse in the best families of the city; well recommended by others, but most by her own good conduct, has consented to accompany us; nay, was earnest herself, to do so, and is now with us; 280 miles from her own home. This is what I call a blessing, great as it was unexpected. She is extravagantly fond of the child, and devoted to him -- She is about twenty; a well bred, pretty looking girl, named Elizabeth Thomas; she says she does not doubt she will be happy with us -- has no fear of being discontented, as she does not care about company; has been brought up in the country, and has only lived in the city about half a year. I know you will all congratulate me upon this, and feel as grateful to my husband as I do, for his solicitude to obtain me this indulgence.
Well, on Wednesday, the 1st of Nov. we left the beautiful city of Philadelphia, which I shall always remember with feelings of pleasure, and "under the weeping canopy of Heaven" entered the boat which was bound for Norfolk; Mr. H. preferring that line to the Baltimore one, as being cheaper & more
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expeditious. The storm did not incommode us, sheltered in a warm and splendid cabin; you cannot imagine how elegantly the cabins are finished; polished mahogany with ingraved maple -- damask curtains with elegant fringes, and everything in corresponding style; if it were not for the infernal noise of the machinery, I should imagine myself in some fine mansion on shore. About midnight the boat stopped; the night was so dark, and the fog so dense that the pilot could not see to steer, and came very near running against a shallop. The next morning when they again set sail the fog was so thick that the vessel ran aground, and this, with the stopping so long in the night caused a detention of 8 or 10 hours. This was a very unpleasant circumstance, as it would cause us to ride late at night, and might make us too late for the other boat, which was from Seaford to Norfolk. About half past 2 o'clock, we arrived at Dover the hour we should have been at Seaford; we entered the stage; there were five carriages full, and we all went along in a line, from the reedy banks of the Delaware. Dover is an old, ancient looking place; looks as if it were coeval with the deluge; the whole population of the place I believe, came out to see us pass; the doors & windows swarmed as if a second Gilpin was riding by -- we had fifty miles yet to ride before reaching the other boat, and the great rain that had fallen had made the roads very heavy; the horses were fine, and for a while drivers were fine, but as it grew dark, the drivers grew drunk; and the
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and the rest of the journey was rendered extremely disagreeable by the horrid, drunken oaths they exchanged whenever they stopped, which was every few miles. Little Marcellus however, slept serenely through all this turbulent scene, and we all arrived, without broken necks, about eleven o'clock, at the other steamboat, which was to carry us to Norfolk. We found the passengers there as weary as ourselves, fretted by the long delay; they having been obliged to return on the Sunday before, owing to a tempestuous gale, and had been lying at Seaford Port two days; the ugliest little place you can imagine -, after such a day of fatigue, we could have slept on the ridge pole of a barn; and we welcomed our berths with rapture, and slept soundly till morning; a bright sun and a clear gale cheered us as we went on deck, and watched the beautiful boat ploughing the foaming waves -- The baby was enchanted with the sight, and loudly expressed his admiration. The passage was delightful up Nanticoke River, but after we had entered Chesapeake Bay, the boat began to rock, and jar, and the terrors of seasickness began to threaten -- Marcellus was just falling asleep. I felt myself growing sick, and called to Elizabeth to take the baby. Scarcely had she taken him, when she too was in the same horrid predicament. I asked Miss Blackey, who was running to & fro, to see if Mr Hentz could take the child as we were both sick -- It was really a ludicrously distressing time -- He came -said he felt very sick, but would take care of him; the boat