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My Dear Sir,—As you were so kind as to express
a wish that I should write for you a series of traveling
letters on my route South, and during my sojourn in the
land of “mocking-birds and sunny skies,” I commence
then my first letter, which like all “first letters” and
prefaces, I fear will be wofully dull. It having been
decided at the Park, some weeks ago, in full council assembled
in the colonel's library, that we should all go to
New Orleans, preparations were forthwith set on foot.

You must know, that the colonel takes a trip every
year to this great Southern emporium to look after the
sales of his cotton and tobacco, which generally precedes
him some days, but he usually goes alone. On this occasion,
however, there was to be an attraction in New
Orleans, such as it or any other city could have but once
in an age. Jenny Lind was to be there in February!
Therefore, Isabel won her father's consent by dint of
coaxing and pretty teazing, and, as I am never left out
of any party of pleasure, “Kate must go too.”

It was a propitious morning when the family coach
drove up to the portico of the mansion to receive us,
and, I was going to add, “our baggage.” But that was
so enormous in magnitude, the baggage of two girls,
that old black Peter with two mules harnessed into his

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red wagon, took it to town in advance of us—having
started at the peep of day. All the house servants came
out and gathered round the carriage to see us off. The
colonel shook hands with all the old ones, and Isabel
kissed Aunt Nannie, her old African nurse, and also her
mother's nurse before her, while tears filled the beautiful
eyes of the maiden, at the genuine grief of the old woman
at parting with her.

“Take good keer o' your dear blessed self, Miss
Bella,” she said, sobbing as if her ebony heart would
break in two, “an' don't forget old aunty what lub you
better dan she lub de life in her own ol' body. Don't
fall into de ribber, and may de Lord bring you and
massa and Missy Katy all back to us safe an' sound!”

There was an interesting parting aside, between
Charles, the colonel's body servant, who was mounted
on a fine horse to follow up, and his young wife Mary;
and also a tender leave-taking between Isabel's dressing
maid, Clara, and a dark Romeo, to whom she was betrothed,
and for her marriage with whom Isabel had promised
to purchase her a wedding dress in New Orleans.

After the parting with the servants was over, George,
the coachman, at a signal from his master, flourished his
long lash over his horses' ears, and away we went rolling
rapidly from the door along the smoothly-graveled
avenue. The very birds seemed to sing us “good bye”
as we trotted down the glades of old trees which were
vocal with their notes. The last thing I caught sight
of was my pet-deer thrusting her meek face over the paddock,
looking wistfully after the carriage, and evidently
having an intelligent understanding of the whole matter,
that I was going away to leave her for a long time.

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Perhaps, however, I had fully made her to comprehend
this before I got into the carriage; for the first thing in
the morning I went round and took a ceremonious and
touching leave, (don't you be so hard-hearted as to smile,
Mr. —), of all my pets. I said a few kind words to
my squirrels, fed and patted my rabbits, embraced the
shaggy neck of, and almost kissed, old Bruin, a famous
large black dog, with an eye and a gravity like Daniel
Webster, and a voice like a lion; and the pony I did kiss,
and I do believe that the poor, gentle-hearted animal's
large brown eyes filled with tears at the farewell tones
of my voice. He seemed to comprehend as clearly as
if he had been a human being, that I came to say good-bye.
He rubbed his white face against my shoulder, and
followed me to the gate, and when I shut it against him,
there was a look of sorrow in his eyes that deeply moved
me.

What a mystery a brute creature is! Have you not
seen a horse, or a deer, or a dog, act as if a human soul
were within its body, and all that was wanted was the
gift of speech to express its love, and hands to embrace
you with all the tenderness of friendship?—nay, only a
human form to be your faithful, true, and loving friend
and companion. I cannot believe that the souls of brutes
perish forever! God must doubtless have for them a
paradise fitted for their enjoyment, and adapted to their
highest capability of happiness. The Bible has certainly
said, “God shall save both man and beast.”

Are there not among the countless worlds of stars, and
in the boundless space of the illimitable universe, place
and space for all God's creatures to live and be happy
in? Shall not the noble horse, doomed to the lash and

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dray all his life, have compensation in a universe ruled
by a God of equity? Wise men say that this earth,
and all things thereon, from man down to the lowest
form of life, is a type of Heaven. If, then, in the world
to come, there are “spirits of men,” there must be “souls
of brutes,” and a spiritual form of everything material.
But this is too profound a theme for a young woman's
pen, Mr. —; but if my words here written will only
cause some to look more kindly upon brutes, I shall be
glad that I have given my ideas “shapes and sentences.”

I have already written of the beautiful scenery which
spreads away, on either hand, from the turnpike that
conducts to the city; of the pleasant villas, noble, natural
parks in all their aboriginal grandeur, and sweet
cottages here and there embowered in foliage by the road-side.
I have, also, in a former letter, spoken of Nashville,
of its architectural elegance, of the beauty of its
females, the bevies of lovely school-misses that throng
the streets, the chivalry of the gentlemen, and the hospitality
of all. I shall, therefore, not detain you there,
Mr. —, but drive you at once to the superb steamer
“America,” which, on our arrival in town, was lying at
the upper landing, awaiting her passengers. If you have
never seen a Western boat, you have yet to behold the
most majestic and comfortable river-steamer afloat.
They are constructed and arranged on a plan entirely
different from the boats on the Eastern waters. They
are all, also, high pressure; and our steamer was, at intervals,
bellowing and roaring from her escape pipe with
a muttering and condensed power, which showed how
terrible is the strength of pent up steam. Having

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reached the quay, which was covered with enormous hogs-heads
of tobacco and cotton-bales, which the negroes, in
getting them on board, handled with great dexterity by
means of iron hooks,—making our way through this uproar
of commerce, for commerce is very noisy, all the
world over, with its thundering wheels and “heave-o-yeo!”
we gained the stage which led on board. We were
met at the landing by a polite and handsome clerk,
who, with the utmost courtesy, escorted our party to the
cabin. This was the first large steamer I had been
on board of, and my surprise at its vastness and splendor
was no doubt visible in my face. We first entered
the boat, not as in the East, near the stern, but at the
bows!

We were then conducted up a broad flight of stairs to
the upper deck, which was a spacious portico or vestibule
to the forward saloon. This portico, or “forward guard,”
as it is called, is a fine spacious promenade, and has,
withal, room enough in the centre of it to accommodate
a parapet of trunks, which rose like a wall, dividing it
in halves. We thence entered the saloon, and passed a
glittering “bar” on one side, and a range of state-rooms
for the captain and his clerks, on the other, all fitted
up with elegance and taste. Beyond this, for a vast distance,
extended the main cabin, which, as we traversed
it, seemed to be endless. On either side were handsome
doors, placed at regular intervals, leading into state-rooms.
The whole was richly carpeted, hung with superb chandeliers,
and adorned with the most costly furniture.
After we had walked about a hundred feet, as I should
guess, we, at length, through a suit of lofty folding doors,
reached the ladies cabin, which was full one-third the

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length of the main cabin, and more tastefully adorned.
Sofas, a piano, lounges, rocking-chairs, marble tables,
chandeliers, and candelabras, made up the several details
of the whole. Still farther beyond were doors opening
upon a noble verandah, the breadth of the whole stern of
the boat, and overhanging the water.

This verandah, as I afterwards saw, extended quite
around the boat, on both sides, and uniting with the portico
on the bow, made a continuous and delightful promenade,
broad and roomy, for several hundred feet,
entirely around the whole extent of the boat. It is these
verandahs which add such comfort to the Western boats,
and make traveling on them so delightful. In descending
the rivers, one can sit or lounge on them all day,
watching the scenery, instead of being enclosed in the
cabins.

There is another agreeable peculiarity of these boats,
which, as we are to travel together some days on one, I
wish you to understand: it is that the cabins are all
above the main deck, raised on double rows of columns
high above all the freight, and all the “disagreeables”
of those parts of the boat where the hands and the emigrants
stay.

There are properly on this upper deck three distinct
cabins, all on the same floor, opening one into the other
by folding doors; the forward one, “the Social Hall,”
or smoking cabin, where the card-playing, wine-drinking,
and politics, go on. The next is the main cabin.
used as a drawing-room and dining-room; and the third
is the Ladies' cabin. In the day time, these three cabins
are thrown into one, by rolling back the broad leaves of
the suits of doors, and the coup d' œil from one end to

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the other is very fine; and so distant is the view, that
one can hardly recognize an acquaintance who is at the
romote extremity.

The interior of our cabin is painted white, enamelled,
and polished as marble. The sides are ornamented by
rows of pilasters with gilded capitals, between every two
of which is a richly ornamented door, leading into a
state-room. Every state-room has a door, not only from
the cabin into it, but a door that opens out upon the
broad verandah, or guard, that environs the boat. This
arrangement is very convenient, both for comfort and in
case of danger. At evening it was pleasant, as one
walked up and down the long verandah, to see the occupants
of the state-rooms sitting in their doors, conversing
or looking at the scenery, like dwellers on a fashionable
street.

Besides this extensive walk, there are stairs that give
access to the “hurricane deck,” which is the roof of the
whole boat, and as it is but very slightly convex, and
wholly unobstructed by freight, and covered with a
water-proof composition, which is sanded, it forms one
of the most desirable and charming twilight promenades
one can well imagine; and what is more, a promenade in
full motion, and under weigh, passing every moment new
features in the landscape.

You will thus perceive that, so far as accommodations
and comforts, to say nothing of luxury, is concerned,
one of these first class Western steamers affords the
very perfection of interior voyaging. I have not yet
spoken of our state-rooms, which were not so much state-rooms
as superb apartments with broad-curtained beds,

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and marble and mahogany furniture, and as complete as
rooms in a “first rate” hotel.

It was on board this floating palace that our party
took passage for New Orleans, usually a six or seven
days' voyage, the distance being about fifteen hundred
miles. it was late in the day when the last passenger,
the last bell, the last clerk, and the last plank, came on
board, and the dashing of the monster wheels, as they
revolved in starting, took the place of the muttering
thunder of the suppressed steam, and the signal tolling
of the heavy bell, which for an hour had risen above, yet
mingling with all the other sounds and uproars of the
quay. We are now fairly under weigh, and I bid you
“good night.”