accounts from America, it appears that at Mr. Pierce’s last levee a gentleman charged another with picking his pocket:  the latter went next day with a friend to explain the mistake, which the former refusing to accept, he was struck by the accused, and, in return, shot him dead on the spot.  A pleasant state of society for the metropolis of a civilized community!  How changed since the days of Washington and knee-breeches!  It should however be mentioned as highly creditable to the masses, that they rarely take advantage of their rights.  The building is the size of a moderately wealthy country gentleman’s house in England, and has one or two fine reception-rooms; between it and the water a monument is being raised to Washington.  I fear it will be a sad failure; the main shaft or column suggests the idea of a semaphore station, round the base whereof the goodly things of sculpture are to be clustered.  As far as I could glean from conversation with Americans, they seem themselves to anticipate anything but success.

The finest buildings here are the Capitol, Patent-office, and Post-office.  Of these the Patent-office, which is modelled after the Parthenon, is the only one that has any pretensions to architecture.  I fear the Anglo-Saxon of these later days, whether in the old country or here, is destined to leave no solid traces of architectural taste—­vide National Gallery, London, and Post-office, Washington.

Having seen the lions of Washington, and enjoyed the hospitalities of our able and agreeable minister, I again trusted myself to the iron horse, and started for Baltimore.  During my residence in Washington, I had revelled latterly in the comfort of a lodging free from the horrors of American inns.  Profiting by this experience, I had applied to a friend at Baltimore to engage me rooms in some quiet place there; by this precaution I got into Guy’s, in Monument-square.  He keeps a restaurant, but has a few beds for friends or old customers.  I found myself most comfortably housed, and the living of the cleanest and the best; besides which, my kind friends gave me the entree of the Club, which was almost next door.  The hospitalities of which I had enjoyed a foretaste in November last, now thickened upon me, and though the season of Lent had put a stop to large and general parties, enough was still left to make my stay very agreeable.

The town is beautifully situated on undulating ground, commanding a lovely view of the hay; the streets are of a rational breadth, the town is rapidly increasing, the new buildings are all large and airy, and everything indicates prosperity.  The cuisine of Baltimore has a very high, and, as far as I can judge, a very just reputation; not merely Maxwell Point canvas-back ducks, but the famous Terrapin also, lend their aid to the enjoyment of the inner man.  In fact, so famous is the Terrapin, that a wicked wag detailed to me an account of a highly improper scene which