A True Picture of Emigration; or Fourteen Years in the Interior of North America; Being a Full and Impartial Account of the Difficulties and Ultimate Success oof an English Family…

Pamphlet, original pronted wrappers, 62 pp.Normal aging and browning, a few chips to spine ; overall a nice copy. This is a first edition of an important account of an English family that emigrated to America in 1831. The Burlend family, which included a husband and five children, originally landed in New Orleans, but then went up the Mississippi and settled in Pike County, Illinois. In this work, Burlend describes her trip to America, and gives a first hand account of what it was like to be a pioneer in a new country. Upon arriving in New Orleans she was surprised at how little attention was paid to the Sabbath; shops were busy and open. She also reveals her shock about slavery, which she felt was tolerated in hars terms. "I observed several groups of slaves linked together in chains, and driven about the street like oxen under the yoke." She informs the reader about the the differences between American and English flowers, what it's like to experience thunder storms in the west, and challenges the notion that all uncultivated land in America are forests. She reports that like the prairies, thousands of acres of land in Illinois have only wild grasses growing on them. She also shares some of the basic aspects of life, ranging from how Americans make soap, to how expensive things are. Howes B 992.