Rivers, Roads, and Rails [pp. 374-376]

THE LADIES' REPOSITORY.
we ate, or drank, or slept, is of no consequence. If
you can draw the picture of three sober men, who
make it a point to keep still in company, sitting in a
huge vehicle with their faces fronting two to one, mixing themselves up in a most unceremonious manner,
knocking the sides of their heads against the sides of
the carriage, and the tops of them against the tops of
said vehicle, and their foreheads against each other's
foreheads, as if each man were crazy, chinking up the
interstices of these outright jumps with a perpetual succession of smaller thumpings, and closing up a whole
series, every now and then, with a regular smash of
heads, hats, canes, coats, and umbrellas, you will then
have some slight conception of our two days' ride to
Logan!
LOOANSPORT.
The village of Logansport is very beautiful, lying on
the northern bank of the Wabash. On the morning after
our arrival, I sallied out alone, and surveyed nearly the
whole town before the opening of conference. I was
particularly impressed, among other things, with the
substantial character of many of the buildings, the elegance of most of the new% dwelling-houses, and the
resources of the place for every sort of business. The
highest rewards of agricultural labor are guarantied in
the proverbial fertility of the soil all around it; the canal
furnishes a fine channel for its rising trade; and the
waste-water of the canal, added to the falls and rapids
of the river, all of them most abundant, have made
for it a good beginning in works requiring machinery,
and will make it, in future years, one of the first places
in the west for manufactures.
With the good people of the village I became but
moderately acquainted. My host, Dr. Fitch, is a very
intelligent gentleman, and representative elect to the
next Conses. His lady is a lady, in the true sense of
that abusevord. Of the citizens I had most conversation with Judge Biddle, who, in addition to his reputation on the bench, is a musical and poetical genius. He
would have been a star among the artistical and belleslettres gentry, had he not anchored his mind-though
his heart is yet free-to the quiddities and quoddities of
Blackstone. It was here, also, that I had the good fortune to make the acquaintance of George Winter, the
celebrated "Indian painter," to whom I literally emptied
my pockets, to furnish myself with some of his admirable productions.
THEll CON FF.RENOh:.
There is generally nothing of very great public value
in the proceedings of an annual conference, beyond
those business matters which usually find their way to the
newspapers. I can only say, that the Bishop presided
with his customary dignity, decision, and patience; that
the proceedings went off with harmony without dullness; and that the ministers seemed to be full of the
great work to which they have nobly devoted their energies. It is a conference of young men; and their
appearance, when assembled together for deliberation,
indicates, I think, more than an ordinary amount of
mind, of ministerial character, and of moral purpose.
A few venerable heads, like those of Rev. Messrs.
Cooper and Thompson, are sparsely sprinkled among
the ruddy faces and lively locks of the younger members; and each of these younger members seems to
stand on tiptoe, with the trumpet of salvation in his
hand, ready to go anywhere and to make any sacrifices
to call sinners to repentance. I will say no more, for
fear the public may suspect me of partiality to this
body; but I am not unwilling to declare, that, though
comparatively a stranger in my present associations, I
am fully satisfied with my home. So long as the family
contains such members as I have already mentioned,
together with such as Aaron Wood, S. T. Gillett, J. C.
Smith, J. L. Smith, H. B. Beers, and four or five scores
more, no one could ever get discontented.
ROADS AND RAILROADS.
From Logansport to Niles, in Michigan, Mr. Swormstedt and myself went alone. The road improved continually as we advanced. We had a spirited team, and
the driver was vain of showing us their speed. Nothing could have suited us better, as we were in haste.
We reached Niles the second day at five, ready to take
the cars at twelve. Niles is a thriving, bustling, beautiful little town. I walked all over it, and around it, and
through it half-a-dozen times, before going to bed; and
I can say with emphasis, of all I have seen of that section of the west, give me Niles. At twelve o'clock we
were off. At five we reached Marshall, where Mr.
Swormstedt had the kindness to wake me up, or I
should have gone on to the end of the road; for I was
not only sleeping soundly, but in the midst of a queer
dream that seemed to have neither beginning, middle,
nor end. From Marshall we crossed the country to Hillsdale, through a splendid farming region, where every
thing looked as if it were alive. At HillUsdale my "partner in travel" slept one night and I two, when we met
again at the village of Adrian, one of the spunkiest cityettes-if I may make a word-anywhere to be found.
In passing from Hillsdale to Adrian we had a specimen
of speed worthy of a record; for, "true's I live and
breathe," when we were in full motion, a troop of
blackberry boys, who had hailed the engineer without
success-as that functionary was in a hurry to make his
time-they took to their heels, with their baskets on their
arms, and catching us jumped aboard!
AINOTHZR O0NFERES03.
Long as I had desired to see the Michigan conference,
and have a fair shake of the right hand with it, and far
as I had traveled to enjoy the privilege, no sooner had
we arrived at the seat of its annual session, than a relapse of sickness threw me upon my back. I had only
time, before this affliction, to hear a single discourse, a
sermon by Rev. Mr. Symonds, of Detroit; and the ability of this sermon gave me a still keener appetite for a
general acquaintance. All my wishes were frustrated.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I was laid aside; but,
through the kindness of the members, I was permitted
to see a large part of them at my lodgings, to revive old
memories, and to form new attachments, which, though
suddenly begun, will be lasting. Among those thus
seen were my esteemed friends, Professor Whedou and
Elijah H. Pilcher, whose faces it did a sick man good to
look at; nor can I soon forget the kind attentions of Rev.
Messrs. Watson, Symonds, M'Clure, Smith, Chatfield,
and many others, whose visits were as welcome as they
were frequent. On Monday morning, just before leaving for home, Mr. Swormstedt and myself walked into
conference, and saw the members in the midst of a
pleasant session. In order to get a good view of the
body in the shortest time possible, I took a seat for a
few minutes in the pulpit, where there was a supply of
writing apparatus, apparently for strangers. In throwing an eye, now and then by stealth, over the assembly,
I was struck with the large size, manly forms, fine
375