SENATORIAL CORRUPTION.

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as are thus operated upon, in a very unfavourable point of view, it must not be forgotten, that in the history of the East India Company, the South Sea Company, and other public corporations in England, the wholesale bribery practised by them to secure the votes of members in the British parliament, peers as well as commoners, and sometimes even royalty itself, was as flagrantly corrupt as anything that the annals of any country could produce. The whole business of the old parliament, in the boroughinfluence times, was conducted mainly by bribery, on the part of ministers, to their adherents, in places, contracts, and benefits of one kind or another. And in the bubble-year of 1825, when speculating companies started up in every corner, and Parliament was applied to for legislative sanction to their undertakings, it is well known that the chairman of the committee of ways and means in the British House of Commons, and several other members, were detected in acts of the grossest corruption, by receiving shares in companies without payment, on condition of their giving their parliamentary support to bills for their incorporation.

Similar practices, better concealed, no doubt, exist in the British Parliament to the present day, where, in the various rail-roads, harbours, canals, and other public undertakings requiring parliamentary sanction by bills or acts of incorporation, the prices paid for property to members, or friends of members, through whose estates such works are to pass, as well as the sale of shares to members acting on committees, and advocating the measures, are so shaped as to be in reality bribes or premiums given for services thus

rendered. Add to this, that the whole system of our political and municipal election, in the older cities and boroughs, is one of the grossest bribery and corruption throughout; and we shall not be entitled to hold up the American State-legislatures to odium for this practice of "lobbying," without coupling England in the same sentence of condemnation for her bribery and corruption on a much larger scale. To this joint sentence of reprobation for both, I most willingly consent, as what is wrong in the one cannot possibly be right in the other.

After passing a most agreeable fortnight at Mr. Delavan's, his family accompanied us in our visit to Saratoga Springs, for which we set out on Saturday, the 28th of July. On our way we passed through Ballston Spa, a pretty village seated in a valley, with picturesque irregularity of hill and dale, and watered by a river with the fine sonorous Indian name of Kyaderosseras. Like Saratoga, Ballston is celebrated for its mineral springs, and was once much frequented by invalids and people of fashion in the season. But it has of late been deserted for Saratoga; for as not more than a tenth of the visitors to either, need any mineral waters, but come chiefly for recreation and amusement, they follow the stream of fashion, and where the greatest number at any time congregate, there the majority of visitors flock after them, till the one place absorbs the whole, and leaves the other deserted.

Ballston is an incorporated village, under a board of trustees, elected annually by the inhabitants, who are about 1,200 in number. The court

house for the county of Saratoga is also here; and there are three churches, several large hotels, and a weekly newspaper published in the village. There are several springs; the principal of which are the original Ballston Spa, the Washington spring, the Sans Souci spring, Louis spring, and the Park spring. The waters of all these do not differ much from each other, their principal ingredients being muriate of soda, carbonate of soda, carbonate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, and carbonate of iron. The two principal hotels will accommodate about 400 persons, and there are many private boarding-houses for

From Ballston to Saratoga springs, is a distance of about seven miles, through a generally level country, with the second growth of wood thickly bordering the sandy roads, but with occasional fine views of the hills and mountains in the distance.

CHAP. XXIII.

Arrival and stay at Saratoga springs-History of the first settlement of the spot-Conveyance of lands by Indian chiefsProgressive increase of the settlement-Origin of the popularity of the springs-Building of the principal hotels-Situation and appearance of Saratoga-Characteristics of the principal houses -Interesting spots in the environs-Chemical analysis of the waters-Chief attraction to visitors at Saratoga-Great variety of character for observation-Elegance of the men and beauty of the women-Deficiency of females in expression and passionDifference of youth and age in the men-American authority for degeneracy of manners-Freedom of intercourse with the young of both sexes—) -Routine of a day at Saratoga-Order and succession of meals and intervals-American sketch of the American character-Evening amusements-Hops, balls, and concerts-Specimen of two American popular discourses" Imitations of the " Diary of a Physician"-Discourse on the nursery tale of "Cock Robin"-General opinions expressed on this performance.

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We arrived at Saratoga about one o'clock, and having previously engaged apartments at the Union Hall, we soon found ourselves amidst the bustle of a large party of more than 200 persons, promenading the drawing-rooms and piazzas of the hotel, waiting for the approaching hour of dinner, which was two o'clock; and taking our seats at the table, we were soon recognized by many whom we had met in different parts of the Union, and found ourselves more at home than we had anticipated.

We remained at Saratoga about ten days, and during that period, the weather being fine, though very warm, we made visits to each of the large hotels