[[1]]
Cincinnati, Ohio
July 15th [18]77
Dearest Hyacinth *9
We left Boston three days ago, on Thursday evening, Dr. H[ayden], *1 Mrs Gray, *2
General *3 & Mrs Strachey *4 & self first by rail to Providence, where we took berths
in a gigantic steamer for New York which we reached by 6 on the following morning.
These steamers which at a pinch can accommodate 1000 passengers, & sail steam 20
miles an hour on smooth water are both for construction & comfort quite unlike
anything we have at home. They are provided with gigantic paddles, 40ft. diam[ater] &
have comparatively a small hull with decks in two tiers that project far over the side,
giving space for dec superposed immense central saloons with sleeping berths off
them all round
[[2]] besides galleries for walking outside. The cleanliness & comfort of these is quite
delightful, & the people are as throughout the U[nited] States most civil & obliging to
one another & to strangers. We had only two hours in New York for walking about
accompanied by a Dr. Thurber *5 a botanist & friend of D[r] Gray *6 & [a] very agreeable
& intelligent man. We went partly in omnibus, partly in cars like the Glasgow over
ones. In the buses the passengers are trusted to slip the fare into a box for the
purpose, there being no attendant. I was not so much struck with the buildings of
New York as I expected to be, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow & others back home
are rivalling it in public buildings, though the use of white marble gives N[ew] Y[ork]
[[3]] a great advantage as does the burning of anthracite coal, which is smokeless.
Crossing the Hudson by a steam ferry we took [the] rail at Jersey town for Cincinnati,
via Philadelphia. Throughout this immense passage one never loses sight of
cultivation, and in no part would any one who did not know the trees recognize that
one was out of England, except perhaps for the absence of gentlemen's seats, which
abound within a few miles of the towns only, and these are very humdrum, with
terraces, flowers & fruit gardens exactly as with us. After a while we got into the hilly
country of the Alleghanies & wound by the Susquehanna (have you read Gertrude of
Wyoming?) which are very lovely. The scenery entirely reminding one of the tamer
part of Wales; rich wooded steep slopes
[[4]] & glens alternating with meadows. At night we crossed the chain of the Alleghenies
by zigzags & descended the western slopes into the bituminous coal region, passing
huge furnaces for steel & iron rail--way plant &c. We are now in the feeders of the
Mississipi[sic] or rather of the Ohio branch of it. had We reached this city at noon,
yesterday, in a pretty dirty state owing to the dirt of the coal district through which we
passed at night in the last part of the journey. The Railway accommodation is far
superior to ours, the cars are like the S[outhern] continental some about 60ft. long with
transverse seats of 2 persons each, & a central passage. They are nearly 10ft. high
inside, beautifully fitted& furnished & the attendants coloured men who are most civil,
dust the seats, bring you iced water gratis, books for sale, fruit &c. &c. throughout
[[5]] the journey. All the ordinary public attendants in these parrts parts of America are
far more civil & better dressed & conducted than ours. & indeed the air[,] look &
conduct of thorough respectability that prevails amongst the lower orders here is a
most striking character of the population.
The domestic servants are usually dark, half castes, & so forth, rarely wholly black,
more so in the South probably, they take a great pride in their waiting, & their good
manners. I was down to breakfast here very early this morning & whilst waiting for my
breakfast in the larg vast coffee room the waiters some 50, I suppose, were mustered
by the head one, a portly black, & marched 2 & 2 down the centre of the room, later
they branched off right & left & took their places at the tables. They like this sort of
show & looked so pleased at being noticed. Many
[[6]] make good men of business.
At night in the Pullman cars the attendant arranged each pair of seats as a bed, & let
down from the roof on each side over this another frame for a bed, so that there are
two tiers of beds all the way down, & a private washing & dressing cabin at each end
of the of the car all I one for gentlemen the other for ladies. Thick curtains hang
before each bed, & these are so broad that you have plenty of room to undress as
much or as little as you like on your bed, quite concealed, & turn in between snowy sheets &
blankets. The trains go as swiftly as with us, & the cars being much broader than the
rails, there is far more motion than with us when going fast. Twenty minutes is
allowed at stations for breakfast, dinner or supper at. This is arranged on tables for
12, before each person are in a dozen or so small messes, to
[[7]] take as much or little of as you like of each or all beef stake[sic], Kutlets[sic], fish,
potatoes, peas, beans, fowl -- tomatoes, tarts & so forth. Bread of all sorts abounds.
Ice milk is often given in large tumblers. Iced water & ice cream are standards. On
leaving you pay at the counter 75 cents about 3/--. The waiters bef get no gratuities.
There are functions[?] men, or women, or both, & often stand behind the chair to flap
flies off with feather brushes. Which also fan you.
The heat has been uncomfortable but not excessive. That we hear is to come on the
2nd part of our journey which begins this evening at 7 when we leave for Louisville St.
Louis on the Mississipi[sic] & shall stay 24 hours to see some Botanists & then go on
to Pueblo in S[outhern] Colorado.
Cincinnati is a dirty place full of coal smoke, but the environs are beautiful hilly,
wooded & clothed with an immense variety of beautiful trees. The On arrival which
was announced
[[8]] by telegraph to the Cincinnati papers we were waited on by three strangers who
provided carriages to show us the views of the place, which are not nice[?]. They
drove us to a Mr. Prebascos *7, a wealthy man with a beautiful house, & grounds full
of rare trees &c. from England. His home, which is quite like a first class country
gentleman's in England, is full of good pictures of English French & Belgian masters,
Japanese Chinese French & English articles of vertue[?sic], & he had a splendid
library of rare books. He invited a large party of Cincinnati folks to meet us in the
evening, very intelligent people. Today we are to be driven to another who has also
a picture gallery & collection of native trees. This morning we were invited to inspect
a snag boat, used to uplift the river timber trees that get stuck on the river bed & wreck
steamers:-- it is a most curious thing. Strachey are is greatly taken with it, as he is
with all the public works of this wonderful country. Now I must close with much love
to all. I am wearying for news from home which I do not expect till we reach Pueblo
3[?] days hence. Ever your affectionate husband | J D Hooker [signature ]*8
ENDNOTES
1. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1829 -- 1887), American geologist noted for his
surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th Century. He issued
the Geological and Geographical Atlas of Colorado in 1877.
2. Jane Lathrop Loring Gray 1821 -- 1909), daughter of Charles Greely Loring, a
prominent Boston lawyer. Wife of Asa Gray.
3. Lieutenant--General Sir Richard Strachey GCSI, FRS (1817--1908). British soldier
and administrator in British India. He spent most of his life in India chiefly employed
with public works. Accompanied Joseph Hooker and Asa Gray on their botanising
tour of the USA in 1877.
4. Jane, Lady Strachey (1840 -- 1928), wife of Sir Richard, a well known author and
supporter of women's suffrage.
5. George Thurber (1821 -- 1890), a self taught botanist. He was botanist on the US
Boundary Commission surveying the border with Mexico. He taught at the College
of Pharmacy in New York and was editor of the American Agriculturist for 22 years.
6. Asa Gray (1810 --1888), is considered the most important American botanist of
the 19th century. He was instrumental in unifying the taxonomic knowledge of the
plants of North America. Gray, Hooker and Darwin were lifelong friends and
colleagues. Hooker and Gray conducted research for Darwin while on this
expedition.
7. Henry Probasco (1820 --1902), an American hardware magnate. He had an
interest in Art and rare books and was an original member of the Cincinnati Society
of Natural History.
8. The conclusion to the letter from, "to all. I am wearying______ " to the end of the
signature, is found up the left hand margin of page 5.
9. Lady Hyacinth Hooker, née Symonds then Jardine (1842--1921). Joseph Hooker's
second wife, they married in 1876.
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