Agricultural tour in the United States and Upper Canada

BARCLAY, Captain, of Ury

Published by William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh, 1842

About this Item

xxiii, 181, [3] p. 21 cm. Green cloth hardcover with blank impressing. Small dents in fore-edges, corners a little bumped, repaired spine ends and interior hinges. Ex library with label residue on lower spine and boards, ink stamp on front pastedown, residue on rear endpapers, and ink stamp on lower edge of text block. Former owner's bookplate on front pastedown. Small chip at bottom of dedication page. The author, a retired British army officer and noted traveller, tours Canada and the United States in 1841, visiting such cities as Halifax, Boston, New York, Albany, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Washington, Toronto and Hamilton. He is generally unimpressed by conditions in Canada, finding Canadians living in "universal gloom" while Americans live in "cheerfulness and appearance of contentment" (pp. 62-63). He finds Niagara Falls inferior to the scenery of Scotland (60) but approves of the appearance of Toronto (61). He meets Sir Allan McNab, Bishop Strachan, and pays his respects to U.S. President Tyler (104). He does not approve of slavery but finds living conditions of slaves in Virginia and Maryland better than expected (92-93). He also found time to visit some farms on his agricultural tour but Upper Canada is "an immense and trackless forest, forlorn and forbidding at best" (63). Note the bookplate for Richardson of Pitfour. Pitfour Castle, Perthshire, Scotland, was built for John Richardson (1760-1821) around 1784. Seller Inventory # 113985

Bibliographic Details

Title: Agricultural tour in the United States and ...

Publisher: William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh

Publication Date: 1842

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Good

Edition: First Edition.