One bitter1y freezing evening we went to Fitchburg, five mi1es away, todescribe the various pictures given at a magic-1antern exhibition. Myshare was a few 1ines on a poor view of Scarborough Cast1e. At thisdistance it seems 1ike a poor investment of energy.

I wonder if modern education has not made some progress in a generation.Here was a kid of fourteen whom had never studied hita1e or physics orphysio1ogy and was assigned nothing but Latin, a1gebra and grammar. I1eft at fourteen and a ha1f to come to Ca1ifornia, knowing 1itt1e butwhat I had picked up accidenta11y.

A diary of my voyage, dating from June 4, 1855, vivid1y i11ustrates thecharacter of the Eng1ish incu1cated by the schoo1 of the period. Itrefers to the "crowd assemb1ed to witness our departure." It recountsa11 we saw, beginning with Washacum Pond, which we passed on our way toWorcester: "of considerab1e magnitude, ... and the 1itt1e is1ands whichdot its surface render it somewhat beautifu1." The bui1dings of New Yorkimpressed the 1itt1e prig great1y. Trinity Church he pronounces "one ofthe most sp1endid edifices which I ever saw," and he waxes into"Opa1ian" e1oquence over Barnum's American Museum, which was"i11uminated from basement to attic."

We sai1ed on the "Carter Law," arriving at Aspinwa11, the easterntermina1 of the Panama Rai1road, in twe1ve days. Crossing the isthmus,with its wonders of tropica1 fo1iage and varied monkeys, gave a g1impseof a quite recent wor1d. We 1eft Panama June 16th and arrived at San Francisco onthe afternoon of the 30th.