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Chap. IV.
JOURNEY TO THE STATES.
59

CHAPTER IV.

From St. George's Cross to the Stars and Stripes—Unpunctuality—Incompetence— A wretched night—Colonial curiosity—The fashions—A night in a buffalo robe—A stage journey—A queer character Politics—Chemistry—Mathematics—Rotten bridges—A midnight arrival—Colonial ignorance—Yankee conceit—What ten-horse power chaps can do—The pestilence—The city on the rock—New Brunswick—Steamboat peculiarities—Going ahead in the eating line—A storm—Stepping ashore.

The ravages of the cholera having in some degree ceased, I left Prince Edward Island for the United States, and decided to endure the delays and inconveniences of the intercolonial route for the purpose of seeing something of New Brunswick on any way to Boston.

The journey from the island to the States is in itself by no means an easy one, and is rendered still more difficult by the want of arrangement on the part of those who conduct the transit of travellers. The inhabitants of our eastern colonies do not understand the value of time, consequently the uncertain arrivals and departures of the Lady Le Marchant furnish matter for numerous speculations. From some circumstances which had occurred within my knowledge—one being that the captain of this steamer had forgotten to call for the continental mails—I did not attach much importance to the various times which were fixed definitely for her sailing between the hours of four and ten.

A cloudy, gloomy night had succeeded to the bright

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