We had two very pleasant and communicative fellow-travellers, one
a coal merchant, who resides at Wilmington, the capital of Delaware, the
other a Quaker, a retired merchant from Philadelphia, who gave us a good
deal of information about some of the institutions and charities of that
place. He stood up much for the Girard College, and justified the
enormous cost of the building, by saying it was meant as a monument to
the founder. He made a very good defence of the solitary system, which I
mentioned in my last as existing in the penitentiary, and we were
beginning to think him a very wise "Friend," when he broke out on the
merits of Phonography, which, by his account, seems to have made much
progress in America, and he has asked us to call on Mr. Pitman, their
great authority on that subject, at Cincinnati. The old gentleman's name
was Sharpless, and it deserves to be recorded in this journal, he being
the only American we have heard take anything like a high tone upon the
subject of slavery. He gave us the names of some books upon the subject,
which we, in the innocence of our hearts, have been asking for in
Baltimore and here, forgetting that we are now in those states where it
forms a happy (?) feature in their domestic institutions.
As we were about to part, the old gentleman addressed us both, and
turning to me, said, "I must tell thee how well it was in thee to come
out to this country with thy husband, and not to let him come alone.
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