England, with the Lord Mayor's Show at the head of them;
and I concluded that the Yankee attempt would be still more trashy.
Let us see how it turned out. I send you a newspaper for the details;
but _here_ you must be a spectator, with the whole picture dashing,
mass by mass, upon your sensorium.

As the first requisite for enjoyment, it was a glorious day even for
this climate. Nothing shews off a pageant like fine weather. I left
home shortly after daybreak, and went to the Common, as it is
called--a Park about as large as St James's, handsomely laid out, with
long alleys, some parallel, others crossing at various angles, and all
shaded by fine trees. The scene presented by this Park reminded me of
Camacho's wedding in _Don Quixote_, on a large scale. There stood the
tent for the banquet, constructed to dine 3000 persons, and decorated
with the flags of America and England streaming from the top, with the
flags of other nations below. Close by, were large tents for the
preparation of viands, surrounded with all the paraphernalia of a
feast. In various places, booths had been erected by the city, for the
gratuitous supply of all comers with pure iced water, and these were
thronged throughout the day, especially with children. The pedestrian
portion of the procession assembled in the Park, while the vehicles
crowded all the adjacent streets. And now might be observed the
various societies, with their bands of music; volunteer companies
marching here and there, getting into step, arranging their order and
practising their tunes. I was chatting with a raw Vermonter, who was
as much a stranger as myself. 'In the name of creation,' he suddenly
exclaimed, 'what tarnal screeching is that yonder?' 'That,' I said,
'is the bagpipes, the national music of Scotland.' 'That?' said he:
'it would clear a State of racoons in no time!' But the Scots had
determined to shine, and they advanced: a tall Highlander first, in
full costume, and blowing the pipes at his loudest; after him ten
others, in full Highland costume, with a banner--the Scottish Friends;
and about 200 with silk sashes, and walking three abreast. The
Catholic Irishmen followed, with a banner displaying a portrait of the
Pope and other Catholic emblems; and directly after came the
Protestant Irishmen, with their banners and music. Why will they not
associate thus in their own land? A very interesting portion of the
assembling was a party of about a thousand fine-looking