o go to market at Cincinnati; the
smartest men in the place, and those of the 'highest standing' do not
scruple to leave their beds with the sun, six days in the week, and,
prepared with a mighty basket, to sally forth in search of meat, butter,
eggs, and vegetables. I have continually seen them returning, with their
weighty basket on one arm and an enormous ham depending from the other."
_Moving Houses_.
"One of the sights to stare at in America is that of houses moving from
place to place. We were often amused by watching this exhibition of
mechanical skill in the streets. They make no difficulty of moving
dwellings from one part of the town to another. Those I saw travelling
were all of them frame-houses, that is, built wholly of wood, except the
chimneys; but it is said that brick buildings are sometimes treated in the
same manner. The largest dwelling that I saw in motion was one containing
two stories of four rooms each; forty oxen were yoked to it. The first few
yards brought down the two stacks of chimneys, but it afterwards went on
well. The great difficulties were the first getting it in motion and the
stopping exactly in the right place. This locomotive power was extremely
convenient at Cincinnati, as the constant improvements going on there made
it often desirable to change a wooden dwelling for one of brick; and
whenever this happened, we were sure to see the ex No. 100 of Main-street
or the ex No. 55 of Second-street creeping quietly out of town, to take
possession of a humble suburban station on the common above it."
_Social distinctions_.
"My general appellation amongst my neighbours was 'the English old woman,'
but in mentioning each other they constantly employed the term 'lady;' and
they evidently had a pleasure in using it, for I repeatedly observed, that
in speaking of a neighbour, instead of saying Mrs. Such-a-one, they
described her as 'the lady over the way what takes in washing,' or as
'that there lady, out by the Gulley, what is making dip-candles.' Mr.
Trollope was as constantly called 'the old man,' while dray-men, butchers'
boys, and the labourers on the canal were invariably denominated 'them
gentlemen;' nay, we once saw one of the most gentlemanlike men in
Cincinnati introduce a fellow in dirty shirt sleeves, and all sorts of
detestable et cetera, to one of his friends, with this formula, 'D---- let
me introduce this gentleman to you.'"
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