sippi are very fertile and good, and there is a large population; but in the central part of the State, where the railways run, the land is inferior, and the population scattered. In Louisiana the good sugar-cane lands are in the extreme south, and outside of the swamp and forest beltapparently in a tract corresponding in situation to the Sea Islands of the Atlantic coast. Mr. OMr. O is very enthusiastic, and determined to make the railway connecting North and South, in the Valley of the Mississippi pay. Ile has great faith in the necessity of a North and South traffic. Food-stuffs must necessarily come from North to South, and sugar, fruit, and other things, from South to North. Below Cairo the traffic is principally by river, but then it is an enormous traffic; they would be content if they got onetenth of it on the railway.

How

The next day I visited some of the sights of New York with Mr. O- We went to the Fulton' market, one of the principal markets in New York, where the supply of game, poultry, &c., for Thanksgiving Day,' which is to come off to-morrow, is enormous, and the variety exceedingly great. The 'Thanksgiving Day' was a New England institution, to commemorate the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers. It gradually extended to the neighbouring States, and to those of the North-West; and after the war President Lincoln made it a national holiday, though I daresay the Southerners heartily wish that the Pilgrim Fathers had gone to the bottom of the sea before they ever landed at all. ever, now‘Thanksgiving Day' seems to be the great family feast of the year. In the market there was a very great quantity of American game. Wild turkeys are quite common, and immense, large, fine birds they are. The quail (whether they are quail or partridge) are in immense profusion. I also found in this market English pheasants, grouse, and hares, imported from Europe. They also import here the common white European grapes which we see on our fruit-stalls. We lunched at a famous restaurant in the market. Ladies frequently go there alone. That is not contrary to custom here. A dish of rabbit was specially recommended, and I tried the American rabbit. There is generally a prejudice against eating it. Most people of the higher class will not eat rabbit, though they eat squirrels. Rabbits, however, are for sale everywhere. I did not think my rabbit particu

larly good. It is not very like one of our own. seemed to be darker and softer.

The flesh

In the evening I dined with Mr. P, and met some pleasant people. We had a good deal of talk about New York politics. Mr. Cooper, a man of the highest position and character, whose acquaintance I had the pleasure of making, is Mayor-elect of New York. It is a very great step in advance to have a man of his character in the place. He is a bright and clever man, of large independent means, and above all suspicion of jobbery and corruption. The taxation of New York is certainly heavy. At present the tax for city and county purposes is two dollars and seventy cents upon capital value. The port charges are also heavy. Heavy taxation and charges do a great deal to drive trade to other ports. Real property is said to be fully assessed; in fact, they say that since the shrinkage of values it is more than fully assessed. The heavy taxation is the cause of the high rents. Rents are higher here than in London, but then the owner pays the taxes, not the occupier. Personal property is taxed; nominally at any rate; but I have not yet been able to get anything reliable regarding the assessment of personal property; how it is really made and how far it is evaded. I understand a man is not required to make a return of his personal property unless he chooses. Ile is assessed at the amount at which he is estimated by the assessor, and if he objects he has to prove that the assessment is wrong. I gather that in truth a comparatively small amount of personal property is assessed in New York. I understand that practically a man with more houses or offices than one may elect where he will be taxed upon property which is not local. For instance, a man with a large property in foreign Funds might keep his securities in a place where taxation is light, and be taxed upon them there, supposing that in reality he is taxed upon them at all. It might, in fact, be economical to keep a country house for the deposit of his securities. Perhaps, however, there is not much personal property of this kind. United States bonds are exempt from taxation, and railways are taxed before the dividends are paid.

In New York politics it is the Catholic element which causes most of the difficulties-that is felt more in New York City than anywhere else. The bad pavement of the streets and many other evils are attributed to the excessive corruption

which has distinguished the Administration of the city. Here also there seem to be quite as many complaints against the prisons as with us. They say that many rogues spend most of their lives in prison. The New York papers seem to be now very generally writing against the liquor laws of 1857, which were, in fact, imposed upon the city by the three million country people of the State, and are much more restrictive than the city people like. There is a Sunday-closing law, and an attempt to confine the sale of liquor to bona fide hotels with a certain number of beds, and so on. But in this respect the law is quite evaded-two or three beds are set up in public-houses as a mere make-believe.

I have not had time to see anything of New York winter society or of the fashionable people. I do not see so many signs of wealth as I had expected to see in this famous city, nor do I observe so many smart and elegantly dressed ladies in the streets as I had rather expected to find, after all one has heard of the dressy elegance of the American ladies. But then the weather is unfavourable, and perhaps American ladies are not so much given to walking as ours are. However, as New England remains to be seen another day, so also I hope to see something more of New York and Philadelphia, and the country parts of these States, if I return to America. Meantime, before I turned back I had completed the object for which I was so anxious-to see something of the relations between whites and blacks in the Southern States; and having done that and completed a visit which I have much enjoyed, I am now content to conclude it, and to trust to the chance of seeing more another day.

In the morning I embarked early in the Republic, a steamer of the White Star line, not so large as the Germanic, but still a fine vessel. While the steamer was hauling out for the start I was interviewed by a reporter of the 'New York Herald' regarding Afghanistan. We soon got off and were fairly on the homeward voyage. There are few passengers at this season of the year, and scarcely one of these American. This is not the season when Americans visit Europe.

I have been talking with some gentlemen on board about the beef trade. It seems that, dead or living, it costs about a penny a pound to send beef to England. The live cattle are as yet almost all brought over on deck. They are nailed up in tight narrow pens, in which they stand and cannot lie

down They are said to gain flesh on board if the weather is good, but in bad weather they are sometimes almost all lost. They are knocked about, and it becomes necessary to throw them over. Vessels are now being constructed to carry cattle under cover. As regards dead-meat they can carry about sixty tons of meat in a 300-ton chamber, specially fitted for the purpose. They bring over whole sides, hung up in the chamber-not the choice pieces only. They seal up this chamber and refrigerate it. On the return voyage the chamber is opened and the space used for any other cargo.

On the voyage home the vessels go south of the Newfoundland Banks, running due east for the first thousand miles, after which they turn north-east. The first four days. we had good weather, and we should have had it all the way at this season. It is commonly said that at this season of the year the voyage home is 'down hill;' but as ill luck would have it we had to encounter a strong easterly gale, which much retarded us, and caused the loss of a whole day. The voyage to Queenstown occupied upwards of nine days.

25

STATE CONSTITUTIONS.

I HAVE been looking over some of the past and present Constitutions of some of the States, as set forth in the 'Charters and Constitutions of the United States,' by Poor, in two large volumes.

MASSACHUSETTS.

Under the original Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 there was to be complete religious toleration; but all townships were bound to keep up Protestant ministers of religion. There was equality among Protestant sects; for though every man was bound to pay a church-tax, he might pay to the minister of his own sect, if there were any in the township; if not, then to the common minister. People were bound to attend church, and in some of the New England States church membership was necessary to the exercise of the franchise. The original franchise-law in Massachusetts required a property qualification of 37. per annum. The select men' of towns and all representatives and officials were bound to make oath of belief in the Christian religion.

By an amendment passed in 1822 the suffrage was given to all adult males who have resided and paid taxes, and the oath of office was altered so as to exclude the declaration of religious belief.

In 1833 the obligation to support Protestant ministers was abolished, and henceforth every Christian sect was at liberty to elect their own ministers, and to do as they like.

By an amendment passed in 1857 the franchise is restricted to those who can read in the English language and write their names, and that is the still existing rule.

The Constitution of Massachusetts has not been materially