John Fowler

Touring New York State in 1830 John Fowlcr, a British traveler, was especially impressed by the social and cultural institutions and traits of the people. His journal includes much detailed information and is, in many respects, of more than ordinary interest:

[August 24th, 1830] As an object of first attraction [at Auburn] I proceeded to visit the State Prison, situated here, and considered one of the first in the Union. "It was commenced in 1816, and is constructed upon the plan of a hollow square, inclosed by a wall 2000 feet in extent, being 500 feet on each side. The front of the prison, including the keeper's dwelling, is about 300 feet, and the two wings, extending west, are 240 feet each. The north wing contains the solitary cells and hospital, and the south wing is divided principally into two large rooms. Between the two wings is a grass plat with gravel walks; to the west of which is the interior yard, covered with gravel, containing reservoirs of water, and surrounded with workshops. These shops, besides the paint shop, form a continued range of 900 feet, and are well lighted by windows in the sides and from the roof. They are built of brick, and are well secured against fire. The outer walls, against which the shops are built, are thirty-five feet high in the inside, and the other walls about twenty. They are four feet thick, and the walls of the prison three feet thick. The expense of the whole, without including the labour of convicts employed, was above 300,000 dollars. The prison being erected on the bank of the Owasco, waterpower is applied, in many cases to great advantage, in propelling machinery."

About six o'clock I applied at the door for admittance, which was granted on my paying twenty-five cents, and one of the keepers commissioned to conduct me over the establishment. We first visited the cells, which the convicts leave at half-past five in the morning. These gloomy abodes are about seven or eight feet long, by four feet wide, and perhaps about seven feet in height. They are lighted from windows in the roof of the passage into which they open through ponderous iron doors. All the furniture they contain is a hammock, which is let down in the day-time, a stool, and a Bible upon a shelf in one of the corners. - From these we passed on to the workshops, where the convicts were busily employed in their different avocations; tailoring, shoemaking, weaving; machine, button, cabinet making, &c; coopering, and smiths' work in general. These various manufactures, besides what are requisite for the prison, are furnished to all the principal stores in Auburn,

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and sent to different parts of the State. My guide afterwards conducted me to the cooking apartment, where some of the convicts were engaged in preparing the morning's repast for the rest, and which I presently saw arranged with great neatness in the general eating-room; it consisted of coffee, Indian corn bread, and boiled fish. At half-past six they were summoned by a bell to partake of it, upon which occasion I had a good opportunity of observing some of the most striking characteristics of the system. The convicts were arranged in separate corps, "moving in single file, with a slow lock step, and erect posture, keeping exact time, with their faces inclined towards their keepers, (that they may detect conversation, of which none is ever permitted,) all giving to the spectator somewhat similar feelings to those excited by a military funeral." In a short time all were seated at the different tables, in the most orderly and regular manner, and, upon a signal being given by the keepers, with one simultaneous movement commenced their meal. Had I not witnessed the scene, I should have supposed it morally impossible for such a number of individuals [635 at the time of this visit, 22 of whom were women] to be assembled together, for such a pur- pose, with so little noise and confusion. It was a very interesting, though at the same time a very painful and humiliating spectacle; and various were the reflections which hurried across my mind whilst looking round upon these imprisoned victims of crime, of almost every grade and malignancy. Some appeared calm and resigned, or sensible of the guilt and degradation of their situation; others displayed an entire indifference to their fate; whilst in a few I noticed the black expressions of obdurate cruelty, ferocity, and revenge, demonstrating but too plainly the justice of the doom which had overtaken them.

Breakfast concluded (and there did not appear, on the part of the keepers, the smallest disposition to hurry over the ceremony; all were allowed sufficient time, and materials too, even for a hearty repast,) the prisoners rose again in like order, and were forthwith marched back to their different workshops and employments ;Ähere, the guide informed me, they were kept until twelve o'clock, when they were again summoned to dinner, after which they resume their labour till six, when their daily toil is done: they are then marched off to their separate cells, each carrying his supper with him, and eating alone, if not in darkness, his last cheerless meal. There is a chapel within the prison, which the prisoners attend regularly every sabbath; a Sunday school has also been established; and in the hospital every attention is paid to such as require it. The severity of the punishment here exercised consists in preventing every kind of intercourse of one convict with another: whether at their work, or at their meals, they are compelled to observe the most abso-

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lute and uniform silence; not the slightest attempt at communication would escape notice; and every offender against this tenacious and positive requirement is punished by flogging,Äan alternative, however, rarely needed. I observed the young and the old, and every description of character mixed indiscriminately together, but from which, with the restriction imposed, no evil consequence can possibly arise. A decided majority, upon leaving the prison, have become reformed and useful members of society. It is altogether conducted upon an admirable principle, and reflects the highest credit upon the projectors and the country; affording, at the same time, an exalted contrast, when compared with our [English] miserable receptacles for this class of society: in them, if reformation take place, it is by miracle; here, frequent, and the end and object of the institution. ...

Leaving Auburn, we next came to Cayuga, (eight miles,) a small

village standing on the eastern side, and near the extremity of the lake of that name, and over which we passed by a wooden bridge, one mile and eight rods in length,-a most barbarous structure, built upon piles, and conveying the idea, if not the reality, of great insecurity; as the planks, or logs, upon which you pass, uncovered with gravel, soil, or other material, are of all shapes and sizes, heedlessly laid across from side to side, without nails or any kind of fastening whatever. In many instances I observed them scarcely resting upon the supports on each side, and the waters of the lake every where visible below: of course, as they were acted upon by the weight and motion of the coach and horses, they were perpetually jolting up and down, so that it was a matter of astonishment to me how the animals could pass over at the rate they did, a good brisk trot, without getting their feet between them; the accompanying noise and clatter, too, was any thing but agreeable. An English traveller, however, must leave all his fears and prejudices at home, and be here content to dash on, over, under, or through whatever it may please the driver and his steeds to convey him. ...

[August 26th] From Rochester, instead of proceeding direct to Buffalo, I took the stage to Geneseo, (31 miles S.) wishing to see the country along the banks of the Genesee nver. Two miles out of the town I noticed a thrashing machine in operation, a wooden one to be sure; but still a thrashing machine. It is the first I have seen in the country, was worked by two horses, and appeared to be rather an object of curiosity in its neighbourhood. . .

[August 28th] A little before entering the village [of Batavia], I was pleased to observe a pretty extensive brewing establishment, which, I was informed, was answering well to the proprietors. Great good has been effected in various parts of the State, and I believe I may say

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States, though much still remains to be done, by the very laudable exertions of what are called Temperance Societies, notwithstanding the unmeaning ridicule and ill-judged sarcasm which some have been disposed to direct towards them. They have been expressly formed to correct what had become a serious and even alarming national evil and disgrace; more or less pervading all ranks, and sapping the moral as well as the civil usefulness and respectability of thousands,-the too free use of ardent spirits. Since they were first established, the consumption of these deleterious articles, which, from their extreme cheapness, are within the reach of almost everyone wishing to purchase them, has been greatly diminished. One or two respectable innkeepers have assured me that they have found it less by one half, and almost in an inverse ratio has the demand for malt liquor increased, and I trust there is fair reason to hope that this more natural and wholesome beverage, with cider and light wines, will so far supersede the use of the other as to become the common drink of the country...

Before arriving at Buffalo, travelling became, indeed, no sinecure, it being our hard destiny to pass over what the Americans call a "corduroy road," than which nothing can be conceived more direfully hostile to the comfort of either man or beast, or the safety of the vehicle. It is, in fact, a road of logs, of trees felled on the spot, and placed in contact with each other from side to side. .

But after all, sad as the confession, if the road is to be passed, I know not how it could be otherwise accomplished. The soil of these woods has no consistency beyond that of decomposed, or half decomposed, "egetable matter, wholly inadequate to sustain the weight of carriages at any time, and, in the wet season, mere bog. Still you are strangely tempted to think, or, at least, to wish that these said logs had some earthly covering or other upon them; but then again, you are told of a newly settled country, and the value of labour...

The day was fast wearing away when we entered the village of Buffalo. It had been remarkably fine, and the wind happening to meet, instead of to follow us, rendered agreeable what would, otherwise, have proved a choking affair indeed. Throughout nearly the whole of the way, the log road excepted, whenever we were in motion, there was nothing to be discerned in our rear but one dense cloud of dust; trees, houses, and even villages, as soon as we had passed them, were lost to our view, and woe betide those who chanced on this day to be shaping their course in an opposite direction: it would require very familiar acquaintance to pronounce upon their identity with any thing like certainty, when landed at their respective destinations. . .

We were driven up to a splendid hotel at the south end of the village [Buffalo], called the Buffalo House, kept by E. Powell, jun.: it is less

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than a mile from the Lake, which in twenty minutes after my quitting the stage I had found my way into, and enjoyed the luxury of a moon-light dip in its refreshing waters. On returning to the inn I learnt that the last general meal of the day had been long ago despatched, and I had, therefore, hard fate, to put up with a quiet repast by myself. In the few instances of my delinquency in this way, I have thought my hosts, for the time being, would have been quite as well pleased had I omitted to give them so much additional trouble.

I amused myself for some time afterwards in a reading-room belonging to the establishment, and on retiring was shown into an apartment which for neatness, and even elegance, I have not seen surpassed on my route, only equalled at Auburn.

August 29th. - After such fair promise it is almost needless to say that I have arisen this morning free from a vermin visitation, or other nightly annoyance; and, as if by contrast to the solitude attendant upon my last evening's meal, have breakfasted with some thirty or forty sitting down to the table, and mine host and hostess presiding.

By this time I have seen something more of the routine of affairs at inns, &c., than at the close of my first day's stage travelling, which has but tended to confirm the observations I was then about to have made. They are not the comfortable, do-as-you-like public or private sort of places which the English hotels are; and though the fare may be quite as good, oftentimes in greater profusion, few Englishmen, with the system pursued, would relish it half so well. - Suppose a roomy bar, as heretofore described, full of strangers, and residents of the town, who half live at the hotels, standing about, ten minutes before dinner, as impatient as a throng at a theatre, until the ringing of a bell announces the repast ready to be pounced upon. Forthwith one simultaneous rush takes place to the dining, or general, or only eating room, and each, as near as may be, seating himself in the vicinity of his favourite dish, the dire attack commences. A novice would be apt to conclude that all had a heavy bet depending upon the quantity devoured in a given space of time; 'tis an affair in which each one is concerned exclusively for himself, carving, or cutting, and cramming down whatever he pleases, leaving his neighbour at liberty to do the same, or to do nothing at all,- all alike to him,- except, as I am pleased to do the Americans the justice to say upon these, as all other occasions the utmost deference and most respectful attention is ever paid to the ladies. But few words, perhaps, are spoken by the whole company; as each individual clears, or rather dismisses his plate, for it is rarely half cleared, "another, and another, and another" succeeds, until he has gone the whole round of soup, fish, flesh, pudding, pastry, and dessert, - all frequently upon the table together,- and brought the performance to

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a close; which is no sooner effected than up he starts, as if some contagion were spreading round the table, or there were a greater merit in bolting than in properly masticating a meal; in devouring with precipitancy than in eating with decent deliberation; and, hurrying off to the bar, addresses himself to smoking, chewing, & spitting everywhere, of course, with most perfect freedom Äwho would suffer restraint in a land of liberty! In the intervals between meals there is usually as much taken in the way of drains, tossed down with equal expedition, as would serve an Englishman, at his meals, twice over. The difference is, that the one enjoys it, relishes it; the other takes it because it is habitual to him; and, without a moment's reflection in any way about it, is satisfied, for the time if the act be only performed. I do not give this merely as a specimen of coach travelling; there haste and helter-skelter are often unavoidable; but I consider it a fair outline of these proceedings at hotels, in any part of the country where I have been, as much upon one occasion as another. At private houses, and in good society, there is no want of courtesy, and the most genuine good-breeding and hospitality; but even here I think I have noticed a system of despatch neither necessary nor quite agreeab]e; a confusing and intermixing of courses, &c., for instance; ever understanding that it is heresy itself not to vanish with the cloth, and what to an Englishman would very much give the idea of hurrying over a meal to start a journey....

I may be asked whether at an hotel a gentleman would not be furnished with a private room and table, if he desired it? With the first no doubt he might; but as to the latter, if it were not refused altogether, it would be esteemed a most out-of-the-way request, and in all probability be made so unpleasant to him that he would be most easy, in a short time, to dispense with it, and take his chance, pell-mell, with the rest.

What is done with the parlours, I know not. At every good inn there are mostly several, and those on the first floor are to be seen carpeted, about half furnished, the door standing wide open, and no one in them. The drawing-rooms above are often elegant, and these I have occasionally seen occupied, but more commonly empty. As to lodging, when not intruded upon by company of one sort or other, it is all that can be wished: - you are generally waited upon by black servants, who are civil and attentive, and expect not money, but fair wards. ...

[August 30th] I was diverted in passing along Main-street [Buffalo] at observing the extreme singularity of the names over the shop doors, a circumstance, indeed, I have often noticed elsewhere; and, in addition, you will mostly see portrayed upon a sign suspended over, or at the side of the door, some touch of the profession practised with-

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in; for instance, at a doctor's, I saw a mortar and pestle; at a book-seller's, two large folio volumes; at a Miss Jeremiah's, a most exquisitely trimmed bonnet; and at a fancy dyer's, a board, upon which was announced the character of their establishment, had every letter painted with different coloured paint; --so much for customs.

[August 31 st] After a few hours' repose [at Lewiston], which restored me to all the transporting scenes of the day, at half-past three o'clock this morning, I was in, or on the stage for Rochester....

As to the Alluvial Way, I am any thing but pleased with it, to travel along, and so far from recommending it to tourists, as some have done, I recommend all but the mere geologist, to keep off it; I consider it beyond comparison the most uninteresting eighty miles of ground I have passed over in the country, and whatever thanks may be due to nature for the effort she has made to open a pathway through a wilderness, her handmaiden art must at all events be excluded from the least possible participation therein. For the first thirty or forty miles it is pretty closely wooded on each side, occasionally, perhaps, relieved by a rib of corduroy; of which distinguished mention has been previously made; and now and then a hut or two, and a few acres of half-cleared land, will be observed....

As we neared Rochester, the road became leveller, and the country more cleared and cultivated; but the land appeared of indifferent quality, and agricultural affairs at a very low ebb. The dust was all but insupportable, and much as I have had occasion to complain of it elsewhere, it has been nothing like so bad as on this road. I have had to ride with my handkerchief tied over my head the greater part of the way; but notwithstanding that, and every other experiment, at times I was half suffocated.

John Fowler, Journal of a Tour in the State of New York in the Year 1830 (London, 1831), pp. 90-94, 95, 107, 115-123, 130, 150-152.

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