Forests  have  been  cleared  away,  swamps  drained,  canals
dug,  and  flourishing  settlements  established.  From  the
shores  of  the  Atlantic  an  immense  column  of  knowledge
has  rolled  into  the  interior.  The  Mississippi,  the  Ohio,
the  Missouri,  and  their  tributary  streams,  have  been
wonderfully  benefited  by  it.  It  now  seems  as  if  it
were  advancing  towards  the  Stony  Mountains  ;  and,
probably,  will  not  become  stationary  till  it  reaches  the
Pacific  Ocean.  This  almost  immeasurable  territory
affords  a  shelter  and  a  home  to  mankind  in  general :
Jew  or  Gentile,  king's-man  or  republican,  he  meets
with  a  friendly  reception  in  the  United  States.  His
opinions,  his  persecutions,  his  errors,  or  mistakes,  how-
ever they  may  have  injured  him  in  other  countries,  are
dead,  and  of  no  avail  on  his  arrival  here.  Provided  he
keeps  the  peace,  he  is  sure  to  be  at  rest.
FOURTH   JOURNEY.  237

Politicians  of  other  countries  imagine  that  intestine
feuds  will  cause  a  division  in  this  commonwealth ;  at
present  there  certainly  appears  to  be  no  reason  for  such
a  conjecture.  Heaven  forbid  that  it  should  happen.
The  world  at  large  would  suffer  by  it.  For  ages  yet  to
come,  may  this  great  commonwealth  continue  to  be  the
United  States  of  North  America  !

The  sun  was  now  within  a  week  or  two  of  passing
into  the  southern  hemisphere,  and  the  mornings  and
evenings  were  too  cold  to  be  comfortable.     I  embarked
for  the  island  of  Antigua,  with  the  intention
°^  calling  a*   the  different  islands  in   the
Caribbean  sea,  on  my  way  once  more  towards
the  wilds  of  Guiana.
