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Un des symboles suivants apparaftra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ^ signifia "A SUIVRE", ie symbols V signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmte A des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reproduit en un seul ciich*, II est f iim« A partir de i'angle supArleur gauche, de gauche A droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 H REVIEW Of CAPTAIN BASIt HAI.I.'8 i.,; TRAVELS t!f NORTH AMERICA, IN THE YEARS 1827 and 1898. BY AN AMERICAN LONDON: R. J. KENNETT, 59, GREAT QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S-INN-FIELDS. MDGCCXXX. \4 : !s LONDON: T. KENMETT, 9, SWAN STREET, MINORIES. REVIEW, Ssc The following Remarks were, in substance, prepared, not ong after the appearance of the work to which they refer, for he inspection of a gentleman in this country, to whose kindness the writer had been largely indebted. In the midst, indeed, of mutual and Tery sincere congratulation on the cordiality which seemed so happily to prevail between the two nations, Captain Hall came hastily to inform us, that there existed, on the con- 17: -;P'"t of "mutual animosity"-and while he pledged a whole hfes observation as to its general prevalence in Great Britain referred to his late trip to the United States as having satisfied him that a corresponding temper was to be found in that country. The intelligence was no less painful than unexpected, P rticularly when followed up by a stern declaration that an^ attempt o soften these "unkindly feelings "was not "either practicabk or desirable." It was natural, under such circum- stances, that his bookshould be closely looked into, for the purpose of ascertaining the temper and qualifications with which he had entered on his task and been led to conclusions believed to be a. erroneous as they are lamentable. The following pages disclose the result of that examination. They are now published on ^ suggestion-perhaps a rash one-tbat they exhibit greater anxzety and care than have been elsewhere displayed in reference all those who have at heart the continuance of peace and of . H.utual good understanding. The writer has had the aid of tht \ judgment of olhers in believing thai, allliough Ihey eihibit no temper of adulation towards this country, there will be found nothing which should, in fairneaa, defeat his ^ rpoae of calmly appealing to reason, and of endeavouring to dissipate what he deems an unhappy delusion. The Quarterly Review has boasted that its strictures, odious oS they may be, are yet read and reprinted on the other side of the Atlantic. Undoubtedly no harm, but the contrary, is likely to result from what may sometimes serve to check that inordinate •elf-complacency and consequent arrogance, which it is, unfor- tunately, in every nation, the interest of domestic writers to flatter rather than to rebuke. Even when told, as in the Number for April last, that •* the memory of IVashington will probublji he nearly extinct before the present century expires" (p. 368) ; the people of the United States, while they are quite incredulous, yet listen with patience to all that can be urged in derogation of their institutions, and of thpir great men, in the hope that, amidst a great deal of angry assertion, there may, perhaps, be found some useful, though unpalatable, truth. The writer has no wish to try any such severe experiment on the good temper of the British Public. He will make no invidious predictions as to the personages most likely to be remembered at the close of this cen- tury, because he can see no advantage likely to result from such puerility, and because it really looks a little like taking an unfair advantage— since a writer, now of mature age, cannot expect, in the course of nature, to be alive at the period fixed, to answer to the Public for misleading them on such a point. Nor, if jealousy must be roused where so many reasons exist for kindness and affection, is he at all ambitious to b& recognized, hereafter, as one of those who struggled for ihe infamoua distinction of being the lago of the tragedy. Leaving, then, posterity quite untram- melled to its election, the writer is content, despite of the sup- posed national foible of anticipation, to meddle only with topics In reference to which falsehood may at once be detected and exposed. It must be obvious that ,.athing can well be more difficult than to give a conclusive answer to this allegation of hostility of feeling. To disclaim it is of little avail, for this is said to be the way w th aU prejudiced people. Were it, indeed, po,.ible lo Bubject to a ng,d cross-examination. i„ the presence of the two nations all those who have taken on themselves the responsibility of spreadrng abroad these exasperating representations, it might be ro difficult task to succeed, as in private life, in trans- fernng to the vulgar, mischief-making go-between, the odium which he has attempted to excite in kindred families. Though it «, unfortunately, out of our power thus to pursue and expose to shame all who have fabricated or diffused the malignant tale, yet Captam Hall has, in this respect-whatever may be other- wise his merits-unquestionably rendered a valuable service to both countries, since he has, unconnciously, furnished as striking an example as could be desired, of the perfect facility with which all such statements may be resolved, into the folly, the ignorance, the prejudices, the rude and insolent misconduct of the amiable personages, who take such pains to convince two nations that they cordially detest each other. He undoubtedly s.ands amongst the toremost of those who insist upon it, that Great Britain and America do and shali cherish towards each other •« unkindly feelings"; and were it not for the melancholy conclusion at which he arrives it would be impossible not to smile at the completeness of the self-delusion under which he shows himself to have laboured from beginning to end. He reminds one of the som/iam- ' buie of the stage holding up a light to his own countenance, and enabling those who watch his movements to see how completely his eyes are closed. But a preliminary question may be asked-Cui Bono? Why this morbid anxiety about what is thought or said of you in England ? Why not wrap yourselves up in the indifference and disdain which the tourist has recommended, and laugh to scorn, or return with interest, those « unkindly feelings " of which he speaks ? «< Do we worry and fret ourselves about what is said of us in America? certainly not." «I must say, that I have always thought this sort of soreness on their part a little unreasonable, and that our friends over the water gave themselves needless mortijication about a matter which it would be far more dignified to disregard altogether." Without stopping to remark that the temper here recommended to America, is precisely (hat which she has been mm (I heretofortt accuied of dieriahing'^-ancl without caring in reply to such coarse suggestions, to refer to those sympathies from which the descendants of Britons cannot readily disengage themselves — the writer may suggest that it is scarcely possible for this mutual hatred to remain long in the system in a dormant state. There are many— very many — ^points of discussion which will instantly spring up between the two countries in the event of a war in Europe, and a spark struck out from such a collision will never be wanting to kindle whatever it may light on of an inflammable nature. To indulge in the language of menace^ on such a 8ubject> to Great Britain, would defeat the writer's purpose, because she would instantly meet it with defiance. Yet it may not be unworthy even of •» brave, and very powerful, people to reflect, that they seem to be approaching, gradually but inevitably, towards a great struggle, which is likely to task all iheir powers, and to render it at least unwise to multiply, unnecessarily, the number of their enemies. Montesquieu, in his profoundestw ork, has said of the Turkish Empire, "Siquelque Prince que ce fut me//atY ce< Empire en peril en poursuivant ses conquetes les trois puissances commercantes de I'Europe connaissent trop letlrs affaires pour n'en pas prendre la defense sur le champ.''* True, the course of policy thus marked out has not been exactly followed. The Turk has been prostrated, and, when lifted from the ground by his late foe, will probably rise, according to the usual couttte of human passions, with a new and ardent desire for revenge on those whose magnificent phrases of friendship, as he alleges, led him to expect that timely aid which, in his hour of peril, he looked round for in vain. Unless all history and the workings of the human heart be belied, this must be the present feeling of the humiliated infidel ; and, at the next turn of affairs, he may be found the willing and exasperated auxiliary of a power, which, at least, he cannot pretend to charge with having violated that Good Faith which it is his own great boast to hare always most scrupulously observed. England must feel that the steelyards by which she has heretofore sought to adjust the balance of Europe, are at this moment rendered useless by the weight of the Autocrat j and she is sufficiently disposed to cast her ^word, like Brennus, into the .cale. The lafe overstrained cirllity of the Turk i. a c.rcum..a„ce which, at least amongst all the tribe, of the Abori g.ne. of America, has been invariably found the surest .nclicatiou of a deadly and well concerted saheme of hostility. When it ba« r !r'""''/''^"' *^"* '^"^•'^y ••« now a mere masked for En' ? ?r" "•!, ^^^''^-"-' i' -" P-bably be di«-.cult for England to avo.d adopting some decisive measure.. Come eerned, be carried on by her Navy, and in sixty days after it. commen , the United States will be in a' flame, in con- ^quence of that practice of Impressment which authorises every sea! f "■■ '° *''' '""'''y '^^^ ^--'-» «»"P« -eU eamen as-m h.s anx.ety to complete his crew-he may choose to pronounce British subjects. U it not worth a struggle, deprecate a temper wh.eh will render the calm discussion of such a subject qu.te hopeless? What possible advantage can resultfrom the vulgar and stupid invective which, in a work of tl«, standing St. t! . Z ' '"^' " '=''"^"'*'y P'^"'-^^ °" '^- United states ? The very same number which condemns General Wash- ington to speedy oblivion, uses the following language with regard to another favourite of the American people T "General Jackson is no. at the top of the tree; how long he may main- f u ^7^«/'°«"««'» 'talesman is but born to die and be forgotten. The Monroes, and Madison., and Jefiernons. are sunk into the common herd. We do know that General Jack- sons conduct at New Orleans was not such as in the English army would Lave promoted the captain of a company to a majority." Surely, this kind of language is calculated to answer no ffo«rf purpose whatever; whilst its most obvious effect is to excite a deep feeling of resentment towards the only people from whom .t,s heard. Whither are our repelled affections L turn ? Ihe offer by the late Emperor Alexander of his mediation bo- ween Great Britain and the United States was promptly accepted by us. and the contemptuous rejection of it by the other nartv was heard of only after the American Commissioners had arriveJ .tSt.Petersburgb, and been received with the utmost warmth ot kmdness. The uniform courtesy-the friendly interest on all wmmmti ocoMions-the wlid acU of iervlce of lb»t illuitriouB peMon«g«, have made a deep linpre«iion on Uio niindt of ihe Amerioani, who are grateful even for kind worda. It ia louroely neceisHrjr to add, that the memorable declaration of Ruasia on the aabjeot of Neutral Righta in 1780,* ia to the last degree acceptable to the United States. The Abbe de Pradt, referring to the commercial advantages of Sweden, anticipate! the time when her aailora, " reunis avec leg marina dea autrea puiwancea de I'Earope for- eeront pent etre quelque jour I'Angleterrt a temperer par la justice Vexercise de sa superiority maritime." Why compel America to look forward with pleasure to such a period as bearing upon the fortunes of a spiteful, libellous, and malignant enemy ? But it ia high time to revert to Captain Hall's Travels. The whole of the work, except what relates to the personal movements of the Captain and his family, consists of a comparison between the institutions, character, and manners of the Americans, com- pared with those of Great Britain, always to the disadvantage of the former, and generally convey i;d in terms bitterly sarcastic and contemptuous. It will puzzle the reader to understand how ho could express, on the one hand, more of eulogium, or. on the other, of reprobation; and yet there is found, at page 14 of his first volume, the following extraordinary declaration :— " Every word I now publish to the world, I have repeatedly and openly spoken in company in all parts of the United States ; or, if there be any difference between the language I there used in conversa- tion and that in which I now write, I am sure it wUl not be found to consist iu overstatement, but rather the contrary." And again, " I repeated openly, and in all companies, every thing I have written in these volumes, and a great deal more than, upon cool reflection, I choose to say again." " I never yet saw an American out of temper : I fear I cannot say half so much for myself" &c. The additional bitterness imparted to bis oral commn- cations could not have been in substance, but must have been in manner ; and this idea is strengthened by another paragraph. " The Lady's suspicious, however, instantly took fire on seeing the expression of my countenance." That his own deportment * S«« Annual Rejisttr for th«* y««r, p. 347. wai nniformly offentivc, may b« inferred from hi. complaining Willi an amu.Ing nnivct^, " Tliey were cicTnally on the c/./e/.,fre." Another favourite topic, ondonr ^hich he. good-naturedly, urged upon the Americans on all occa.ions. was their utter ini.ignifl. cance in the .calo of nations. •• I will now ask. «, ,/ / have often usked, any candid American, how it would hare hen possible for uMo look across the murky tempest of such da>«. in order to take a disLnct view, or w,jf view at all. of a country lying so far from us a. America." "They cannot, or when brought to close quarters, they seldom deuf, that they have done scarcely any- thing," &c. ' ^ The females seem to have been the peculiar objects of his sar- caslio "tone," and "oxpresHion of countenance." Tlius, on viHiting the High-school for girls, at New York. Captain Hull requested that the poom of llohenlinden might be recited This hanng been done, „nd his opinion given, •• I suppose." says ho. " there was something in mjj tone which did not quite satisfy the good schoolmistress;" and she asked him to state his objections. He complamed, accordingly, that " in England, the word combat was pronounced as if (he o, in the first syllable, was written u, cnmbat, and that instead of saying shivalry, the ch, with us, was sounded hard, as in the word chin." It is not so much with his cnt.cism we have at present to do, as with the sneering question Milh which he represents himself to have prefaced it. «< Pray " said I '« is it intended that the girls should pronounce the words according to the received usage in England, or according to some ylmencan variation in tone or emphasis V The universal hospitality with which Captain Hall was received, seems to have excited his suspicion. " Every one, as usual, more kind than another, and all so anxious to bo useful." He ate, it is true, of the "goodly suppers of oyster soup, ham, salads, lobsters, ices, and jelhes, to say nothing of the champaigne. rich old Ma- cJeira, fruits, and sweetmeats, and various other good things;" yet he mused over all this. It wore an air of concert. " Foregad Ibey are in a tale," says the sagacious and wary Dogberry, on hearing Jo//, prisoners protest their innocence. What could the ^.alty Yankees mean by thus fattening him up ? What ulterior objects had they ? At length, with his accustomed ingenuitv. ho y c ^ ' 10 con*rivo(I lo frame an h^'potltosis wliiuh sottlcd (he dilTicnlty. Tlii« hospilMlity has it& origin in u kiiu) v( suporstitions fuoling nbont tlioir tlotidly 'lolrcd uC Eiiglami, and is dosignod, like the giving ot' uhiiH ui- fumidiug a church iu uhl times, as a sort of cumpromise with ootuciouco, for hnrbouring the most unchriMlianhko propen- sities. Au American, according to Captain Halt, is " /rluU of any opportiiuily to make up, by bin attention to individiiuls. for tlio hubiluul hoilihiy which, us n sort of duty, they appear collc'ivtly to cherish against Kugland us a nation." Lord CbeuterncUl, writing to his son, has the following remarks tts to the Pai'isiuns : ♦• In Paris they ure particularly kind to all strangers who will be civil lo (hem, and shew a desire of pleasing. Hut (hey must; bo flaUorod u little ; not only by wo."ds, but by a sooming prefer- ence given (o their country, their manners, and (heir customs ; which is but a very smidl price lo pay for u very good reception. Were I in Alruii, 1 would pay it to a negro." Le Sage, too, in making a hit at what ho found the univeisal human natu»e of his day, represents poor Gil Hlus as turned olf by the ArcIibi*hop of Granada, for gently hinling the truth, after having been expressly orderm to nutice and report thelcast failure of intellectual vigour. Hut the Americans, according to Captain Hull, manifested nothing of this silly weakness. They did not make their hovspitality at all cor.utJgc.it on bis ".illiogness lo humour their prepossessions, llo said to their faces all the contemptuous things which we find iu liis work, «ud »» greai deal more. Ther«i was nothing about him of *'■ (hat gentleness and urbanity" which, in (he iaiiguage of Sir "Walter Scott, when sketching his favourite character, "almost universally attract corrcspomliiig kindness." Yet these people were proof against all provocation. Caplaiu Hall says, he went the length of Jeckring, thut it was "characteristic" of Ameri- cans to retain that animosity wliich, with ihe more generous liiiglishman, hud passed olF with the Hash of the guns. Tliey did uot thrust him on» of doors, as the ArchbishOfj di^l Santillane, wishing him u great deal of happiiu'cis, uith a Utile moic taste. WXitnx he returned from Canada to New York, aHer bis philippic at Jirockville, he thus describes his reception : " We were soon, indeed, made still moie sensible of our j^vmpalliv with it by \\ia 11 renewed aftenlions ami kind ofDr,.- „p part of friends, who wom^T !i " , , "'"^ ""'■'^'*°"' °" "'« "turn from ,,, ^^^ . V/^' n° "',""""' '"''■"'" "■» West " «5n„„i.- r "^"""P^ ^'^ '•«*' been exposed to in the .'o :l t" :i: . '::;';l7:""°°' ": """'"'- - ' »•"« CP.L. or™, q":::, uLt:::;::v7"C' ':r,T '.^• tl.»l ever, ol,il I ,va, f,„I ' "l ° ""■""'»'»°» '" ""-«.. lowevar. oj our j/oung, are not only JeCt wiihnnt ««„ went to sneak nr il,ini. ,.*•_.,.. .. . ' """"' «"J' enconraKe- ■ "* '""^ '"'"»« ^'"■^A i'/^'«.«r., at this hour m Pi I of Ibe day, but in times past, have been deterred by every motive of national and personal pride acting in concert from such in* quiries." " We, who were then either not in being, or mere children, conld have no agreeable motive, as we grew np, to tempt US to investigate such a subject for ourselves, or to listen to the tale told us by our seniors in the bitterness of their spirit. Even if we did bear it spoken of by them, it was always in terms which never encouraged us to push our inquiries farther, or disposed us to think very kindly of the new countries which had gained their point, in spite of all our efforts to the contrary." " If I were asked to give my countrymen an example of the extent of the ignorance which prevails in America with respect to England, I might instance the erroneous, but almost universal opinion in that country, that the want of cordiality, with which the English look ppon them, has its origin in the old recollections alluded to ; and I could never convince them that such vindictive retrospections, ^hich it is the avowed pride and delight of America to keep alive iu their pristine asperity, were entirely foreign to the national character of the English, and inconsistent witli that hearty John Bull spirit, which teaches them to forget all about a quarrel, great or small, the moment the fight is over, and they have shaken hands with their enemy in token of such a compact. At the same time I cannot, and never did deny, that there existed amongst us a considerable degree of unkindly feeling towards America; but this I contended was ascribable not by any means to past squab- bles, recent or remote, but exclusively to causes actually in opera- tion, in their full force at the present moment, and lying far deeper than the memory of these by-gonu wars." •* There is this very material, and I take the liberty of saying characteristic difference between the two cases. We have long ago forgotten and forgiven —out and out— all that passed," &c. " Over the speaker's head, was, of course, the '^rge well known picture of General Washing- ton, with his hand stretched out, in the same unvaried attitude in which we had already seen him represented in many hundreds, / may say thousands, of places, from the Capital at Albany to the embellishments on the coarsest blue China plate in the country." Is not this very puerile? The anxiety, moreover, to multiply -»..<.». «.icbmen ! yet forgive me, God, That I do brag thus. This yoar air of France Hath blown that vice in me !" and the youthful king is heard to cheer his followers with the hope of that very reward, which Captain Hall assures us American gratitude has bestowed on the heroes of the Revolution — " This story shall the good man teach his son." " Onr names Familiar in their mouths as hoasehold words." " Be he ne'er so vile This day shall gentle his condition.'' Would not an Englishman be inclined to smile at hearing his visitor from the other side of the Channel complain that wherever he went in London — amongst the living or the dead— he found sonieihing to force on his attention the recollection of the contests of the two nations ? The monuments at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's embody the strife of ages : If he walk about the town ho finds himself in Waterloo Place : If he wish to cross the river 15 lie is rocommeuded to Waterloo Rr{^«« . i . «.= P.i.e «f Achilles, „i,l. lag. a„d .™ .! '"*'°°' """" fro«.i.g defiance .. l,i™, f™„' . , J™" J'"""-'^. «'»°'l'''.- ttc.. mailer,. "„„,.„., „„i ...,,' .''' f'*"''™ "" «'>''« •corDed l„ relain .ri„,J,„ , , . ''''""''•°)» Frenchman «e a„ man, ^ °'ZI: ''"1;' tt-'r.'?'" " Conqneror of Napoleon," „n .^'Z,! Z^K ' °'" ^'" and pocke. handlercWeft. 11.'^;.'°'""' "°^"-''°"' Spaniard ,o a.k iL.i ihe lape,, " " , ' ^'^"f' ' V' ° '«' "" -aken down a, c„mme„,orali,e 1:°" ,?',''°''^' ""■"'-""■ having r„rni.l,ed ,o man v irri L/»„ ^"^ ° . ''°=""'^' ""'' » B„l „.e mosl alarmi ^ 1°„', ' ",7"; '^ °" ^■■j -""y- ;o ..-e following c„nf..iol ^'-Ihrd': :„X"t 3" •" the connlry : " I acknowledge f.iWv thai »f,. " in .he embar, asking acienco of Jit I h! T "T"""' -chonlofhnmonr wUh Ihe pe: 1 X^J:;;'" ■"-■■ '" denng. ihat I ha™ met pervcel/dorived plaar„rel "' """■ Ihmga to lln.1 fanl, wilh, and ver, Lfu" 1 IT ^ , """""^ »-;- a,ki„g for information, ZTZLZ^TTJi!: "^' >«-■«." '*"' ' '•'" ""'"""'^ ""- '*« W///n. -t:arpi:::.:':'rrT ■•''"'■• ''°' « ™ ■«- «•« run m to 1 / ''°'"'°« '°'""' '° •""" l-een hastily th...f ^P""°^ ''^^^' ^'i« season was over and windows of iL •''''''' '" ^^•^ «'«''«J ««« «f the to idl 17' :: -^. --^-Po-s, nor even any bolt or button Land and v) "*' ''°^''''"' '' "«"^'' ^^^i « resource at P acing ,t m the window seat, alloweu :. 3ash to rest TJie poor people must hav^ i.u-i » ».o>.i upon time, with a guest. IS u who, in the bame breath, damns them because thej? shower apologies on him, and because they do not offer an apology for complying, as far as could bo done, with his wishes. Again : "When the chambermaid was wanted, the only resource was to proceed to the top of the stair, and there pull a bell-rope, common to the whole range of p,r>artments.*' It is not until near the close of the book that we are let into a secret as to the bodily condition of Captain Hall, which may, perhaps, serve as a clue to many of his irregularities of temper. Certain expressions occur, which lead us, charitably, to frame for him the apology which has been made for his countryman and prototype as a traveller- Smelfungus. Thus he speaks of a tourist being " so entirely out of conceit, as it is called, with the whole journey, and every thing connected with it, that he may wonder why he ever undertook the expedition, and heartily wish it over. At such times all things are seen through a bilious medium;' (vol. 3, pp. 306, 7.) With an amiable frankness he lets us into all the litlle personal peculiarities, which self-examination or the close observation of others had delected. Thus : " I have not much title, they tell me, to the name of gourmand or epicure." Yet in the very same page he is seen heedlessly running into an excess, which any body could tell him would bring on his com- plaint. The only expression of enthusiasm in his book is about his meals. *' A thousand years would not wipe out the recol- lection of our first breakfast at New York" and again he speaks of " the glorious breakfast" and finally declares it was " as lively a picture of Mahomet's sensual paradise, as could be imagined ; nothing but shame, I suspect, prevented me from exhausting the patience of llie panting waiters, by further demands for toast, rolls, and fish" (the very worst things he could take). Of course after such a piece of indiscretion he is as heavy, miserable, and peevish, as that Sophy whom Byron commemorates, and whose savage cruelty of temper is referred to the like derange- ment of the digestive organs. We may advert to another of the topics of conversation by a perpetual introduction, of which Captain Hall sought to render himself agreeable. " The practical difficulty which men who become wealthy havo to encounter in America, is the total absence of a permaiwnt money-spending class in the society, ready not only to svitipa. thise with them, but to serve as models in this difficult art." " A merchant, or any other professed man of business, in England, has always before his eyes a large and permanent money-spending class to adjust his habits by. He is also, to a certain extent, in the way of communicating familiarly with those, who, having derived tbeir riches by inheritance, are exempted from all that personal experience, in the science of accumulation, which has a tendency to augment the diflicnity of spending it well." If the reader has had the patience to follow this exposition of Captam Hall's temper and course of conduct, it will scarcely be deemed a matter of surprise, that, in these discussions, his antago- nists did not deem it their part to pay extravagant compliments to the mstitulions cast up to them in the way of disparaging contrast. He represents himself as uttering, on all occasions, and in every company, the severe things he has hero printed, and worse. Surely, then, a gentleman or a lady, forced to bo '• always on the defensive^ might well leave the other side to a champion whose voice, gestures, and " expression of countenance." were all en- listed. It appears that Captain HalUs a Scotchman. Lotus suppose that he were to travel over England in the same temper, and holdmg pretty much the same language as that in which Lis countryman. Sir Archy Mac Sarcasm, makes love : " •^«> ^rchy. Why. madam, in Scotland, aw our nobeelilv are sprung frai monarchs, warriors, heroes, and glorious achieve- ments; now. here, i' th' South, ye are aw sprang frai sugar hogs- heads, rum puncheons, wool packs, hop sacks, iron bars, and tar jackets; .„ short, ye are a composition of Jews, Turks, and Kelugees. and of aw the commercial vagrants of the land and sea —a sort of amphibious breed ye are." '• Charlolte. Ha, ha, ha I we are a strange mixture, indeed nothing like so pure and noble as you are in the North." " ^'^ '^'"^^y- ^' naithing like it. madam ; naithing like it— we areofanailherkeedney. Now. madam, as yee yoursel are nai weel propagated, as yee hai the misfortune to be a cheeld o' com- njerce. yee should endeavour lo mack yeer espousals intul yean 18 \ of oor aancient noble famalies of llio North ; for yee mnn ken, madam, that sic an alliance will purify ycer blood, and gi yee a ronk and consequence in the world that aw your palf, were it as muckle as the Bank of Edinburgh, conld not purcliaso for you." The nature ofhisqvarrol with the Irish Sir Callaghan, about a matter so far by-gone as the mode in which Scotland was peopled, n.ay be gathered from his denunciation, " Though yeer ignorance and vanetif would make conquerors, and ravishers of ycer auuces- tors," &c.; and these are his parting words of advice, •' But now, Sir Callaghan. let me tell yc, ass a friend, yee shon^d never enter intul a dispute about leeterature, history, or the anteeqoity of fameelies, frai ye ha' gotten sick a wecked, aukard, cursed jargon upon your tongue, that yee are never inteclegeble in yeer lan- guage." Imagine a Scotchman, in this temper, protruding on every com- pany in England, into which he might gain admittance, a loud and veherapMt preference of the institutions, society, and manners of his part of the Island, over those of the Sister Kingdom. Such conduct would, in the first instance, be gently parried, as only silly and ill-bred ; but if his letters of introduction were such as to cause his frequent reappearance in society, and he were found there perpetually indulging in the language of disparagement- putting on a harsh and contemptuous "expression of countenance" towards the lady next to him at table, who might venture to ques- tion his opinions, it is scarcely possible to believe that he could escape rebuke. Had he lived in the days of Dr. Johnson, and found his way to the Club, what a glorious day for Bos well I Writing to his Biographer (aet. 66), the great Lexicographer says, " My d°ear Boswell, I am surprised that knowing as you do, the disposition of your countrymen to tell lies in favour of each other, you can be at all affected by any reports that circulate among them." Boswell adds, in a shy, timid note, «' My friend has. in his letter, relied upon my testimony, with a confidence of which the ground has escapL-d my recollection." Even from gentler spirits he would be very apt to hear of some of those matters of sarcasm which Junius, and Macklin. and Wilkes, and others, so abundantly supply as to their effrontery -their pushing temper— their meanness -their " booiug" sycophancy -their abi-ard preja- 19 dicea.^c.: and as Captain Hall tells as of Lis " much acquaintance" Willi "all classes of society io England," he would certainly have been assailed amongst the lower orders with all sorts of scurrilous allusions to their beggarly disposition, their want of cleanliness, wilh more than one unpleasant consequence which may not bo named. Goldsmith speaks of a Scotchman, iu London, who refused to take remedies for a cutaneous eruption, declaring that so far from being an annoyance, the constant necessity for friction tended to make him " unco thoughtful" of the wife and b.lrns ho had left at home. Last, though not least, of the vulgar ciiarges, would be the origin of Burkeing. Unquestionably such a traveller would return from his finished tour, grown ten times more prejudiced than he started. IIq would assure his friends that it was high time to dissolve tho Union-that ho had not heard, during his whole journey, a word of compliment to his native country, but that every allusion to it was in a sneering, disparaging temper. And why was this the case ? Simply because, with a person so utterly rude and ill- bred as to advert to such topics, merely for the purpose of making insolent comparisons, there was neither necessity nor inclination to enlarge on the many admirable qualities of Scotchmen— their bravery, thc'r energy of purpose, their intelligence, their honour, their patriotism. Just so it must be in America, and in every other country, visited by a traveller in the same absurd temper. Captain Hall certainly did not behave thus amongst the savages of Loo-Choo, whom he represents to us as so amiable and senti- mental; but having been egregiously duped by them, he really seems to have settled down into the melancholy conclusion of Sir Peter Teazle, when his sentimental friend stood exposed :" " It's a d d bad world we live in, and the fewer we praise the better." Probably tho great matter of surprise to the reader will be, that amidst all these heats, he never got into a downright quarrel But he declares, " I must do the Americans the justice to say, that they invariably took my remarks in good part." Even in Kentucky, whence the English reader would scarcely expect such a traveller to escape without, at least, the loss of an eye, hii 90 viRion was not only uninjnroJ, bnt opcuwd fully npon llifl oiBgnifl- cent features of that beautiful rcijke to and recognise each other. But nn insurmountable ' arrier is raised up beween people of a diBTerent language, who cannot utter a word without recollecting that they do not belong to the same country ; betwixt whom every transmission of thought is an irksome labour, and not an enjoyment; wbo never come to understand each other thoroughly ; and witb whom tbe rosult of conversation, after tbe fatigue of unavailing efforts, is to find themselves mutually ridi- culous. " Nor should one be astonished to find tbis assimilation to- wards England ina country, tbedistinguishing features of whose form of Government, whether in the Federal Union, or in tbe separate States are impressed with so strong a resemblance to tbe great lineaments of the English Constitution. Upon what docs in- dividual liberty rest at this day in America ? Upon the same fuundutiou as English Liberty, upon (be Habeas Corpus and tbe Trial by Jury. Assist at tbe Sittings of Congress, and of those of the Legislatures of the separate Slates. Whence are taken their quotations, their analogies, their examples ? From tbe Eng- lish Laws — from the customs of Great Britain— from the rules of Parliament. Enter into tbe Courts of Justice, what authorities do they rile 7 The Statutes, the Judgments, the Decisions, of tbe English Courls. Doubtless, if such men have not an inclination towards Great Britain, we must renounce all knowledge of the %l Inflaence of laws upon man, and deny the modifications which be rccnives from all (liat surrounds him." Wo will consent to use, on such a subject, the testimony of Lieutt,nant Do lloos ; •• Nothing can be more unfounded than the notion which is generally entertained, that a feeling of rancour and animosity against England and Englishmen, pervades the United States." '• Though vilified in our Journals, and ridiculfld upon our Stage, they will be found, upon nearer inspection, to be brave, intelligent, kind-hearted, and unprejudiced ; though im- pressed with an ardent, perhaps an exaggerated, admiration of their own country, they speak of others without envy, malignity, or detraction." •' One introduction is sufllcieut to secure to an Englishman a general and cordial welcome." " At New York the character of an Englishman is a passport, and it was to this circumstance that we owed the facility of our entrance and the kmdness of our rtception.'' At a table d'hdte, " We were, how- ever, treated with the greatest civility by the promiscuous party who drank the King's health, out of compliment to our nation." Mr. Stanley, a Member of Parliament, who recently travelled in the United States, held in the House of Commons, the follow- ing language. " So strong were the ties of a common origin that an English gentleman travelling in that Great Republic is sure to meet with the most hospitable reception, as he well knew by per- sonal experience. That great country was proud to acknowledge its relationship to England, and to recognise the love and attach- ment ^ it yet felt to the mother country, and would feel for ages. Would it not, indeed, be most extraordinary, if any such dig- paraging sentiment, as Captain Hall represents, should be found generally to prevail amongst a grave and thoughtful people, when all the forms and institutions which concern them most nearly, are on their very face of a purely derivative character ? Not a con- troversy, in any part of the Union, about an acre of land or a barrel of cod-fish, can be settled without ssking what has been said at Westminster Hall, on the principles involved iu it. Even as to matters touching personal liberty and security, we lately saw, that when an English fugitive was violently taken from Savan- n>iK *« KT ¥r f ... , nab to Naw Vnrlr ari/l *l.o..» UM I. -I.I -c ■ • •• , -..« .uviv laiu uuiu ui oy Civil process lie was m .(■ 99 disolinrged, because by tbo Common Law of England wbich is equally in force in Now York, the process was tainted by tijo impurity of tlie proceeding, which brought bim within its reach. Lord Holt had so decided. Captain Hull was surprised to see • bust of Lord EJdon over a bookseller's shop in Now York; and on going into the Supremo Court, ho says, it was " crrious to hear one of (ho lawyer's quote a recent English decision." Now does bo think it possible, that persons who as jurymen, parties, or spectators, have this daily before their eyes— who And their own property, or that of their neighbours, passing on prin- ciples illustrated by Lord Coke, or Lord Raymond, or Lonl Eldon, or Lord Tenterden— who recently saw Professors for a University anxiously sought for in England, even by the proud Slate of Virginia — are not prono to exaggerate, rather than to undervalue the advantages derived by tho Mother Country, from her greater wealth and hor maturer cge? Before we proceed to notice the remarks which Captain Hall lias offered on the subject of the American Government, it may bo well to adv( rt, for a moment, to the qualificaiions which he brought with him to tho task of criticism. The object of the more ambitious part of bis book, is to institute a comparison be- tween the political and judicial establishments of Great Britain, and those of the United States. The extent of his acquaintance with the former becomes, of course, an important preliminary enquiry. It would seem, from what is dropped in various parts of tl»e work, that ho was sent to sea at a very early age; so early, in- deed, that he represents himself, it is presumed by a 6gure of speech, to have been at no time stationary. " 1 have been all mil life at sea, or have been knocking about, in various parts of tho globe, without ever having had leisure to read books writttu professedly on those topics, or even to take steps for makir.;!; myself acquainted with what is the orthodox philosophy conceiu- ing them." He speaks, it is true, of '• a little classical know- ledge," picked up in his "juvenile days," but his fear of having lost it is expressed in su«h a way, that we are reminded of Dr. Johnson's welt k. w«n reply to the young gentleman, who com- plained of a : St.?' -il 'i< ft of the same description. Often as he w 33 Tannl. in I.I. conversation., of tho nec.,.liy |„ EngM of . certain ..nount o. cla«ic«l knowlodgo." a, the " i.lpens.ble mark of a gentleman." ha forthwith eva.ie. ,„y further p«..„it of dclin'!; '.!; " '"^ '"•'"''^ ^""'l'-'-'" "f -'-. by hastily art-t„king thc.c circumstance, n onnection w.th a reference which i. made to the .eJucive unuenc. o Uo...„,on Crusoe, in " luring incorrigible runnagate. o .ea -,t I, p,..b.ble that the exprcion which he uaes. a« to »io ruly commencement of his rambles, i, not very far from bemg aoraU. !..«. i„ „« ^.t^^ way i, it possible to account for t».r utter ignorance which he betray, of some of the most familiar pmcple. of the British Constitution, an ignorance of which any landsman would surely be ashamed. Thus with regard to iZ King ,t .. aaid by Blackstone. (vol. 1. p. 248.) •• The Kin* can do no wrong. Which ancient and fundamental maxil *o. And agam (vol. 3. p. 255.) " That the King can do no 'J^rong 1. a necessary and fundamental principle of the English ConstUution:' But n.ark the truly .a.lor-Iiko style in which Captam Hall refers to this " necessary and fundamental principle of the English Constitution." and the foundation on which he sup. poses It to rest 1 " 1„ England there i. a rcell knorcn saving. Ibe King can do no wrong ;» thus re.ting this great principle on the same footing a. " a Cat may look at a King.'- or any other equally " well known saying," touching the regal office. Would Captain Hall declare it - a well known saying" in England, that a member of Parliament cannot be questioned elsewhere for what he utters in the House ? Surely not. And the strange ignorance be has betrayed, however, it may bo palliated by his roving ilobinson Crusoe habits, cannot well be excused in one who ha. reached a n ^pectable rank in the British Navy. IVilh regard to the Judicial establishments of 'the two countries be .8 perpetually referring, in the language of taunt, to the superior firmness of the tenure of office in England. It is plain from every word he utters, that he is under a coniplcte delusion as to the real state of the fact. In England, the Judges can be removed by a bare majority of the legislature, withont any form of trial, or even an allegation of their havinir eommififlil nn« «fr. t.-i ,^ h' ! H this wilh ^is usual correclncss, (Principles of Moral and Poiitical Philosophy). •' As protection against every -Megal attack upon the rights of the subject by the servants of the Crown is to be sought for from these tribunals, the Judges of the Land become not uu- frequently the arbitrators between the King and the People, on which account they ought to be independent of either; or what is the same thing, equally dependent on botli; that is, if they be appointed by the one, they should be removable only by the other. This was the policy which dictated that memorable in rrovement in our Constitution by which the Judges, who before the Revo- lution held their offices during the pleasure of the King, can now be deprived of them only by an address from both Houses of Parliament; as the most regular, solemn and authentic way by which the dissatisfaction of the People can be expressed. Mr. Hallam in his Constitutional History, (vol 1. p. 245.) remarks " No Judge can bo dismissed from office, except in consequence of a conviction for some offence, or the address of both Houses of Parliament, which is, tantamount to an act of Legislature." And thus the matter rests at the present day. The same casting vote which suffices to pass a law may dismiss the Judge whose inter- pretation of it is not acceptable. This is not the case in any part of the United States. The Judges of the National Courts cannot be reached by address at all. They may defy the President and both Houses of Congress, In the States where this English pro- vision has been copied, it has been rendered comparatively harm- less by requiring the concurrence of two-thirds of each branch of the Legislature iu order to effect the removal. Let us suppose, for the sake of illustration, a question to arise on the Emancipation Bill, as it is called of last Session. The most strenuous supporters of that Bill, admitted it to be a violation of what they designated as the Constitution of 1088. In Mr. Peel's speech, less than a year before, he declared " If the Constitution was to be considered to be the King, Lords, and Commons, it would be subverting that Constitution to admit Roman Catholics to the privileges they sought; it would be an important change in the State of the Constitution as established at the Revolution." (Speech in May, 18'2».) Lord Tenterden, the Chief Justice of «li.» r'.oiirt of Kintr's Bench, in resislins; in the House of Lords, 2.5 the Bill subsequenlljr introduced by Mr. Peel Lim.elf, declared tliat " .,e looked upon the proposed measure as leading by a broad and direct road to the overthrow of the Protestant Church." (Tm,es 6 April. 1829.) Suppose the Serjeant at Arms should thrust back Mr. O'Connell on his attempting to enter the House of Commons or any other cause arise bringing up the Act. Were Lord fentcrden, as a Judge, to use any language of an uu- sausfactory kind, he might be hurled from his seat by that very Legislature, which was induced to pass the Law. In the United Mates, the people have denied themselves this power. Mr. Chief Ju8t,ce Marshall might move intrepidly on. where Lord Chief Justice lenterdenmust yield or be sacrificed. Congress /«;W,/ and equally represents the whole country, yet it has not the power oU British Parliament to bring to bear on Judges what Paley calls " the displeasure of the people." It is a subject of curious reflection that until the Constitution of ICm.. or rather until the 13th year of Will. III. Judges were, as I aley remarks, the creatures of the Crown. The actual power ot judicial appointment at present resides in Mr. Peel the Homo Secretary. He has said that the Constitution of 1688. would be subverted by measures which he has since urged through Parlia- raent; ,t so, the King has an unlimited 'power of making and un- making Judge.. Put that Constitution out of view, and Lord Tenterden may be dismissed in the same way as his predecessor Lord Coke was, in the time of James the First. Captain Hall has sad misgivings, he tells us as to what will be our fate, ,f the Supreme Court should at any time falter in its duty, and consent to execute an unconstitutional law Now there is, of course, no end to the hypotheses which an ingenious nurul may frame as to the effect of derelictions of duty, by any department of a Government. The House of Commons may, as 1 aley remarks, " put to death the Constitution, by a refusal of the annual grants of money to the support of the necessary functions of Government." So may the Judiciary commit some suicidal act. We have given to our Judges every motive to a high and fearless execution of their trust. The oath to support the Consti- tution.-absoluteimmunity.-and on the other hand, the infamy of judicial cowardice. Human precaution can go no farther. But 26 where are we if all these gecurities prove ineffectual ? Just where other coantriesare, which do not entrust to the Judge, the power of canvassing a Legislative Act. What was the history of our Revo- lulion » Whilst we were a part of the British Empire an attempt was made to tax us in defiance of a Common Law principle. As the Courts stood ready to enforce these odious measures we were driven to arms. Lord Chatham declared us to be in the right. Mr. Fox has subsequently placed on record his opinion that our resistance preserved the integrity .f the English Constitution, and Parliament itself has recognised Ihe justice of our course by a definition of the true colonial principle. Our present position is thi8:-We have placed our Judges in a situation far more mde- pendent than the same functionaries enjoy in England. We are a patient quiet people, and will submit to a great deal even of what we deem injustice, rather than put all these blessings in peril by violence : But finally, we hold in reserve for intolerable grievances what Blackstone describes, even in England, as the last resort. It is the more to be regretted that Captain Hall should have exhibited an absurd ignorance on this subject, as he has thereby diminished materially the chance of our profiting by his criticism, even when better founded. A foreigner is often struck by errors to which the people, amongst whom they exist, are rendered insen- sible, and his candid and temperate exposure of them may lead to a reformation, which might have been struggled for in vain, by those whose motives were more liable to suspicion. Thus he very justly denounces the practice, in a few of the States, of rendering the Judges periodically elective-thinking that they are thereby exposed to, at least, a suspicion of servility to the Government. He thinks that they ought to be placed on the same footing with the Judges of the United States, and of the larger States. But unfortunately he has thrown away all his influence as an auxiliary by seriously pretending to refer these misguided people, in the most triumphant manner, to the case of Emjlaud, when they are too well aware that an evil of the same character exists in that country, in a form infinitely more odious and alarming, and on a scale altogether stupendous. The allusion is, of course, to the High Court of Chancery. There is a sum at slake in the litigation of that Court-nay, actually r<\. 27 locked up awaiting its decisions-eqaal to the value of the fee, simple of the States in question, and all their moveables into the barga.n-a sun. more than sufficient to pay off the whole National Debt of the United States several times over. Its jurisdiction is of the n,o.t diffusive character, and it may be said k> reach in some way either directly or indirectly, the interests or the sym- pathies of every individual in the community. As no Court presents so many temptations to indirect practices, so there is no one m which they may be so readily veiled. A year's delay, to obtain which, might be an object of sufficient importance to war- rant an enormous bribe, would scarcely excite even suspicion in a Court whose procrastinating temper is proverbial. There is no jury to participate in its labours, or to check an improper bias • nor do us proceedings possess that kind of popular interest which attracts to them the supervision even of the readers of the news- papers. What is the tenure by which this almost boundless power over the anxieties and the interests of the Community is held ? The will of the Minister of the day. His breath can make or un- make the Lord Chancellor. A Premier would instantly resign If his declared wish for the removal of .this officer should be dis- regarded. Such a refusal would be considered as depriving him of an authority essential to the discipline of the Cabinet, and to that concert and cordiality on which the success of its measures must so greatly depend. When it is recollected that within the brief space of nine months, there stood at the head of affairs in Great Britain, four different individuals in succession. (Lord Liverpool Mr. Canning, Lord Goderich. the Duke of Wellington.) it will readily be conceded that the Chancellor can never consider him- self as altogether safe, since he is liable to be sacrificed, not merely to any particular scheme of policy, which he is accused of thwart- ing, but even to those impulses of temper, on the one side or the other, through which Mr. Huskisson ceased to be a Minister It seems to be universally agreed that Lord Lyndhurst must have gone out, as the AttornerGeneral did, had he not voted for the Relief Bill of Last Session. If we look back to the history of this Court we shall see plainly what has been the practical consequence of this state of things. Ihe miiid involuntarily turns to Lord «n.nn . ii,« ,. ^-^J^ . Ilf«l It §11 !i 98 wisest" of mankind, he became Lord Chancellor only to Ttirniiih to the poet a sad antithesis to these epithets. There is no where to be found a more iriortifying rebuke to the pride of human nature than is furnished Ja witnessing the influence of circumstances over a mind so wholly without a parallel in modern times, whether wo refer to original power and compass, or to extent of acquirement. His appointment, as appears by his own letters, wns brought about by Buckingham, the favourite of King James. The abject snbr jection in which he was held is thus stated by his biographer Mallet. " Daring the King's absence in Scotland, there hap- pened an affair, otherwise of small importance, but as it lets us into the true genius of those times, and serves to shew in what miserable subjection the Favourite held all those who were in public employments. He was on the point of mining Sir Francis Bacon, the person he had just contributed to raise ; not for any error or negligence in their Master's service, but meioly for an opinion given in a thing that only regarded his own family. Indeed such was his levity, such the insolence of his novver, that the capricious removal of men from their places became the prime distinction of his thirteen years favour, which, as Bishop Hacket observes, was like a sweeping flood that at every spring-tide takes from one laud to cast what it has taken upon another." And again, *• Nor even thus did he presently regain his credit with Bucking- ham ; the family continued to load him with reproaches : and he remained long under that agony of heart which an aspiring man must feelj wb«»n his power and dignity are at the mercy of a king's minion, young and giddy with his elevation. They were, however, reconciled at last, and their friendship, if obsequionsness in one, to all the humours of the other, deserves the name of friendship, con- tinued without interruption for some years; while Buckingham went on daily to place and displace the great Officers of the Crown, as wantonness of fancy, or anger, or interest led him; to recommend or discountenance every private person, who had a suit depending in any court just as he was influenced ; to authorise and protect every illegal project that could serve most speedily to enrich himself or his kindred," &o. At length his bribeiy and venality became so flagrant and noloiious, that it was found necessary to put him aside. f-K 99 .. J!l",''™»*'"/''°°' "" '"•"""*' '' ^"' C'«""''°" from th. ..raok . very .„pl...i„g .„ („,„ . ,„„^, ' f^Zt »/7"».»™, n,.da .uoh imprc»,o„, „p„„ ,,,e King, Jt i^^ ^'', Brit ; I "' '" ""' ^'"» "^-"y «'i'<«l by Lord Br,,broak., .„ ,h. ..„„ eraosaction. " This day, Mr. Pierce «l.amber and tbat »hen lie went from lb« Kin. on Monda„ .« m b,r .moek into ber .viar,. looking i„,<, Wbitahall Gard.? .nd ,b„Uer ber w.„a„ brongb. ber bar nigb..go«n .„d t:| WaMing bersolf al tba ol J „an'» going awa, " wa?i!"aTw ^"'"'V"""' ""' ■" "'""-"•• «»■"•« proved weak as Lore! Bacon, be ivould bava been dravn inin tl.. »re.cbc„ ,bra,d„„ .o .ba n,a,e cr f..„.,e f,':: a oH a bcT In uanca, .bcravar lodged, would bave been an objaa. of dra.d ! ^od Iba power of alarming U.e anxietie. of lb. Ch.nc.llor h!.-' prcrad.babcs.per,ni.,to of .be King. n,i..re.a Tm ".rl „a debased would ,uiakl, ao«. .o nndarsUnd Iba. ha J^'Z ^.. n,uch offence b, an bon... dacrea a. by ,h, graviifof hi! depor.™cn,. and even should an exposure ulU„.,el/Z pll would ba .n,possiUa ,o ,raca U,a .,in. of corrupuL .b ougMb" vas, nd eomp ,ca.ad business cf .ha Cour., „Jb las, .o adr ^ the nuscbief which had been done. Coming into ibo next ceniurv wa nj l„.j integrity has made him once more a poor and a private man ; lie was disniisHod lor tho vote ho gave in fnvour of the ri^ht of ehclion in tho subject." In the same volunio pngo 141, will be found •• Tho Utunblo Address, Kcmonstranco und Petition of tho Electors of tho City and Liberty of Wom'minstcr, assenibled in Wostniinslcr Ilnll, tho 2Hlh Miircli, 1770," in which they sny, *• Jiy tho satno secret and unhappy influence to which all our grievances have been originally owing, the rod ress of those grievances liB8 boon now prevented; and the grievances themselves have been rcptsatcdly confirnied with this additional circumstance of oggrnvnlion, that while the invaders of our rights remain tho Direc- tors of your Majesty's Counsels, tho defenders of those rights huvo boon dismissed from your Majesty's service, Your Majesty having been advised by your Ministers, to remove from his cmploynieot for his volo in Parliament tho highest officer of tho law, because bis principles suited ill with theirs, and his pure distribution of justice with their corrujii administratiou of it in the House of Commons." Tho readers' attention will not fail to be arrested by the circum- •itancc, that Lord Chatham deemed it necessary to fortify the Chancellor by a pension, on which he might honourably retire. The present inountbont is not thus sustained in the fearless dis- charge of his '- ■■• -' cow palro,,, of,],. J, 1 '""" "'° "'""""o »f » fo"- lonnill- »...o of Z' V ,, Tm '''• " "'"""""^ co,„pa„,a„d b, a «W«.„„ce. Cap jrij,!? r ^°"°"''''''' "«' '"''"Po-I™! .1.0 me,„„„- of Dr L„" T "'" " '''•"""^ "' '«-'■«»- I-"'- ■•" 11.0 ^oa, r,;^ ''"'"^ '■■ » '""'' '» Graanlla Slarp iJ' Ji *«"^°f rour opinion, .,,1, ro.poc. ,„ .L„ salu.ary out A,„„ . " !; "7,; '' '7 "' «■»» "« -'"Wilted ,l„„„g|,! a.o divided , a ,1 tf °. T, ?• ""' ''■"''' °' "■"""'« roaaon ,!,»„ ir2„° , u """' '" "''''''' ' «« -o raoro 34 oomes, or lo pay iho high prices gircn in Europe for pninting*, statues, and the other works of art." Now it unfortunately happens, that Captain Hall, though he is found, at one place, quoting with seeming cnthuRiasm, '* Sweet Auburn," yet appears to have looked round with disgust, because he discovered none of tlioso appearances which the post regards m symptoms of a decaying land. " But verging to decline its splendours rise Its vistas strike its palarcs surprise, White scourged by Famine from the smiling land. The mournful peasant loads Ins humble band." •* the man of wealth and pride Takes up a space that many poor supplied ; Space for his lake, his parks extended bounds. Space for his houses, equipage, and bounds." It is for tbsse things that Captain Hall is heard to sigh, and he turns with contempt from the substantial blessings which he saw erery where around hini. •• The lands," he says, " on the left bank of the Hudson, for a considerable distance above New York, were formerly held by great proprietors, and chiefly by the Livingstone family ; but the abolition of entails, and the repeal of the law of primogen Jure, has already broken it down into small portions. Our host, at the time of our visit, possessed only a third of the property held by his immediate predecessor, while the Manor of Livingstone, an extensive and fertile district farther up the river, formerly owned by one person, is now diuded into forty or fifty parcels, belonging to as many diDerent proprietors ; so that where half a dozen laud- lords once lived, as many hundreds may now be counted. And as these now possessors clear away and cultivate the soil at a great rate, the population goes on swelling rapidly, though we were told not by any means so fast as it does in the wild regions of the west. This comparative tardiness may possibly be caused by some lingerings of the old aristocratical feeling ; though it is mixed up curiously enough with the modern ideas of the equal division of properly, the universality of electoral suffrage, equality of popular rights and privileges, aiJ all the other trans-atluntic devices for the improvemcut of society. i " r.pWly redaci-g ,h., portion of ,h„!' ''''°'"'' "'"''''■ I.."!., kn«,v„ ,vX n r f r^r": '''" ^"'"' "■" •" mutation of Jar™ „r„„„„i„. i° u ' ™""" ""> "'">' •ha. Stato wUoX LTr" ,r "° '""'"' <•"""'"''• -" ■« ".. Jiiaclistoiio in Iiu Commentaries fvol a « a. % "A pregnant proof ,,,., .^ese libertica o^ Z™ f '^""' fragments of Saxon Litertv Vh. . T °'''' """' GaveUind afford. „. a sliS-nge^lLt? 1. 'i ' ' •'""° „"' "u.«-a what strnggies U.e KenU.h mfnTl "ZT;? =rt: rnif r -t -r - •'=- --"- "« ^1 I r 30 other parlH of the kingdom), we nm_y fuirly concUido Uiat thia wiim u pnrt oT tliDxo liberties; n}i;reoul)l)' lo Mr. Suldon'ti o|iinion, ihnt Uiivolkind l)rforo tlio Norman Coinincst w as the gencrnl viiHtora of llie realm," Seldun'rt words arc, " Cnntiania solum inlcgra ct inviolata romansit," lUnckstono further remurks, p. 214. " The (J rucks, thu Homnns, tho Jiritons, thn Siixons, and ovon originally tho foudists divided Iho lunds equally ; some among nil tho chiU drcn ut largo, snmo among tho males only." For military pur< poses primogeniture was introduced, *' And in this condition tho feudal Coust'tution was ustahlishod in England, by William tho Conqueror." (ib.) One of tho oldest and most cstocmcd writers on tho Laws of I'ngland, Lambarde, in a work called " A Pcrnnibulation of Kent, containing the Description, ITystorie and CuHtonis of that Shyro, written in tho year 1070," after deHoribing the division into Shires, by Alfred tho Great, remarks, " In this plight, there- fore, both this Shyro of Kent, and all tho residue of the Shyres of this Realm wcro found, when William the Duke of Nonnandio invaded this llealmo; at whose hands tho Commonality of Kent obtained, with great honour, tho continuation of their ancient usages, notwithstanding that tho whole llealmo besides sulTered alteration aud change." Ho adds, " I gather from Cornelius Tacitus and others, that the Ancient Germans, (whoso odspring wo be), suflcrod their lands to desccnde not to tho eldest Sonne alone, but to tho whole number of their malo children, and I find in tho 57th chapter of Canutus* lawo (a King of tho lioalniu before tho Conquest,) that after the death of tho lather, his heirs should divide both his goods and his lands amongst tlieni." Itc- fcrring more particularly to Kent, ho says, " Neither bo they lieero so much bounden to tho Gentrio by Copyhold, or custamnrio tenures as tho inhabitants of the Western counties of tho Uealnio bo, nor at all indangercd by tho feeble holde of tenant-right, (which is but a discent of a tenancie at will,) as tho common people in tho Northern parts be ; for copyhold tenure is rare in Kent, and tenant-right not heard of at all : but in place of these the custom of Gavelkind prevailing every where, in manner, every man is a Freeholder, and hath some part of his own to live upon. And in this their estate thoy please themselves and joy exceed- It 37 ii'Kly. i„»o„,„ci, „. „ „„„ „, „„,„ Iml .,11 „„,,.„, ,„,. „|| „,„, ,^|„„ ,1^^,.^ ^^^ J «r.l.. ,un or of „,i,.„„i„, „f ,„„ ^„,„„ ,„„„,, J ■• " 'l'« ""i«r ' »f i".«re,„ uLe„ .1,™, :, "t. « to.l. o„o „„d ,„. other ,„ ,„„,„„, ol,li,a.i„,„ „„| ,,; " ' ""'' "'•"el""'"'"' '■■ !•■> .eon a,„o„g., ,l,e p„„r. a, ,l,er J ...an, par., of Eo^lan.!. ,„.,ea,, „f .„„. „ ;,„„,r„ ,; „ .s.e,,o„ and eheerfo, e„n,„„. i, f„„„j ;„ „,„.. „,. .„„ ^^^^^^ '••^_ On Iho aubjee. of Enl«ih. we „,„„ ref„r „„, ,„„„.,, , second volume of HIaekaione, p. no „Li,r r' "T'; ''"' ;''° """"■" "' '="'""' !'""• '"» -tablkhn,™. of wliiell /omi/j, law (a. It i, properly sivled l,v Pi,..„\ . i..li..ilo difflenUio, and dispel <■ ^1 ^ f '' °™"""«-' .1.0, knew .he, oonhl b '. „,n /"" "°" '"""'■■"' ''''"" ^ J' uuiii uoi DO sot asiil« ; fjirmers were ousted of ilw.S "r:'"d ",'°"°"" '" ''"■■ '■""f ™"'' <.-o.h. e : a , :xi::her:::r:r:;--r;:i-;^ ' A.C. i>o Hut they were jnsfly branded as the H I ■i ! 38 I source of now contcnd'ons, and mischiefs unknown to the Common Law ; an«l almost universally considered as the common grievance of the realm. But as tiio nobility were always fond of this statute because it preserved their family estates from forfeiture, there was little hope of procuring a repeal by the legislature ; and, therefore, by the contrivance of an active and politic prince, a method was devised to evade it." As the Captain's rambling habits have probably kept him in ignorance of what is going on in his own country, we would in- vito his attention to the first and second Reports of the Select Cominittee of the House of Commons " on the subject of Scotch Entails," published in 1828. If these very admirable productions should be too volumnious for his perusal, he may be obliged to us for the following extract, from a review of them and other pabli- cations, on the same subject, in the Scot's Law Chronicle, for May 1829, page xi. " Since the Act 1685, intituled, ' An Act con- cerning tailzies,' was passed there never was a measure of greater importance to the people of Scotland brought under tUe considera- tion of Parliament, and from the titles of the publications pre- lixed to this article, it will bo observed, the subject has occupied much attention, and been very generally considered in ScotlamL To Mr. Kennedy and the Select Committee of the House of Com- mons, the people of Scotland owe a debt of gratitude. The two Reports contain such a body of evidence, that it cannot be shaken hy iynorance, prejudice, or the ill digested views or apprehensions unfounded, as we have no doubt, of interested individuals. "The evils of entails being now completely proved, it is impossi- ble to doubt that the legislature nmst provide a speedy remedy, both for the interest of heirs of entail, and the public at large. In the bill originally introduced into Parliament, by xMr. Kennedy, it was proposed to allow the nobility of England and Scotland to continue to entail to a certain extent. This, if we recollect right, Mr. Kennedy stated in his place, was meant as a matter of expe- monwealth he was particularly shocked at '?r 43 a discovery in reference to judicial proceedings, wUch he «- nounces in tLe following terms :- "The law renders it imperative on the Judge to charge the Jury on ;r:;;rii^ ^'t :t ^^"'^ ™"^ ^^-'^ ^-e!;:'::;: Z r T, "'" " '"'"*-' ''"'•«'"S ^''^ J"'-^"P«" t-enty or thirty r "L a^ r;rrr" "° ^"""^^ '""°'^' ^-^ '^-^^ - -^'- -ur j or (JeJay and fresh litigation is opened up." He might have learned, by consulting any English lawyer, or looking .nto Blackstone, that the right of excepting 'to tie exists .n England, j„st as it does in Pennsylvania. Such a right In f "r", "' -dispensable to enable a party to take L opinion o a higher tribunal. To say that counsel have a right to demand the opinion uf the Court on " any" point, is pLinly abstrr.1, as a defendant, anxious for delay, might require the whole of Lackstone 8 Commentaries to be gone through. The limit is the obvious one of questions pertinent to the issue, and it is not only the nght, but the duty of the judge, to refuse to notice what- ever ,s irrevalent-the ground of such refusal, being, however open to review. The multiplication of »,a/cr,Vi/ points must always depend on the learning and ingenuity of the counsel. The only difference in this respect, in the two countries, is the following. By the law of Pennsylvania, a party may either resort to a bill of exceptions, on particular points, or he may require that the opinion of the Court shall be reduced to wrilin/ and filed of record. Where it is apprehended that the judge may' on more mature reflection, be inclined to Joubt the accuracy of what' Las fallen from him. and to soften or disguise its force, this power m the hands of counsel is a very useful one. It happens, iadeed, singularly enough, that the very first proceed- ings which we witnessed at Westminster Hall, placed in a very strong pomt of view, the advantage of enablingeounsel thus to ruard the interests of their clients. It was a motion for a new trial in a case which had been tried before the Chief Justice of the Court o Common Pleas, relative to two barges, of no great value. There is a report of what took place, in the Times, of 22nd No- vcmbcr. 182S. The Court had intimated an opinion that the rule li. \\ li 1 1 ^1 ■ ij 44 should be umde absolute, or as Ihc reporter, more eorrcclly, rr pro- sontH (ho seerio " emleavourcdto persmuk ibn learned Serjeant lo lorbcar from opposing tlio rule." What subsequcntlv occurred is thus taken, verbatim, from the Times, and we can vouch for the ucourao_y of tlio report. "Jtfr.ScrJeaut Wil,le repcatc.i his wisl. to go on with the case now, but added, Ibut.f their Lordships hud road the evidence of the witnesses, and had already come to a conclusion upon the case ■vh:ch tl-" »».o„cht could not be altered b, argument, he would o: xtK ,■ ^bst'ain from cnternig into any, but at the same time he confer ...t he thought i/ the court would listen to what he re-My fill it is duty to urge \njusti<^ to his cbent, they would be of opinion that the verdict was correct, and ought not to be disturbed. Mr. Justice Park. After what you have now said, I for one, desire that you will go on. The other Judges. Go on. The Learned Serjeant then proceeded in his argument, in the course of winch be ^tis frequently interrupted hj, the court, who appeared dissatisfied by hj, apparent obstinacy. Before be concluded, he stated, that the Lord Chief Justice had left the case to the jury as a fraudulent pre- ference. The Lord Chief Justice. Brother Wilde, be correct in your statement. You have already said several times, that it was left as a fraudulent pro* lerence ; J have, as often said, that I left it as a fraudulent transfer Mr. Serjeant Wildf. My Lord I must repeat that it was left as a frau- dulent preference. The Lord Chief Justice. I have already stated to you, what my recol- Icct.on is upon the subject, and as that recollection is confirmed by the .tatemont on the other side, /.,r/3,;,/«,«/j,, when you assert that it was left as a fraudulent preference, I don't believe it, Mr. Scjeant Wilde. That is undoubtedly a strong expression, my Lord; and as your Lordship has been pleased to state your recollection of what occurred so decidedly, I, of course, am hound to vield to it • but I challenge any one of the learned gentlemen, to state, either from note or their own memory, that the case zoas left as a fraudulent transfer. Let them say that it was so if tl.ey dare, and take the disgrace that would fall uj)on (hem for the assertion. The other Judges here interfered to conciliate, and expressed an opinion that the learned Serjeant yyus acting and spealdng with greater wannth tli;ui became him. . 4i''. Serjeant Wilde. My lords, I should be very .orry lo conduct I 45 inysfir Willi such vvamuli •.« f,. l>« /r ■ bench. >"tt:rpreiea into thsrcspfct to the 1 licir Lordships, Ijowever u-pp/. «r (tl.e Chief Justice „ , sdt Tf "^ ''^ "'"' '"' '' ''"" '"^"'' ^''"^ ''« nble to his client, and t at f. H ^T""''^'"^'' "''''^'' ^^^ '"— tl.e defendant. T i he 1 eJc .'""r ^ ^'""^ -"^ents in favour of as it convened J ' ZT )- '^^ ''^"^^^*-«''-^ ''•^-«- to hi.nself, lie wished that theTr„e7 ' ""' --—'"- against a Judge to hin.. sitting on tha be ch Zr\7:'' ''''''' '''' -™^ '-^"^e .cnUanan in a private rol ' olJ " ""' *^"^'^^" ^"'''-"" ""'^ language to hij^wh h n IL ne , T "^' '" '"' ^'"'^ '"^ ""''--^ ^/-jc./^ - -fuck he (the Chief Justice) moTd ' """" '" p""Xr;.jr:i::;:;:r:-Ti^^^ rfe Io«i Oia- J„«i e! ' ; , ? ° '"■■ "* •" """diet. &c. &c. preference was fully p„e to the jury ^ "" "l""^''"" "^ 37/.l,<>„ ;ll.r" '"*^"'"-'" «°«»°». ""> Oo„,m«.io„er. bef.,. p.oru.ar.!u:x: t'''"Mc::rr -^ °"" ■• - critic, iB He »r.l niac, ,1 „7 .' ' '"'^°™ """^ ''«""»'« Ji.ies" of U.e ? Ti '"' '"'"''■' ""> -^ <"» "' "'» " teotaica- i» I-«"n.,Iva„ia. L to Ti ; al^tirj '" IT!" """ * '" - far true, .|,a. i„ case, of coZ« '„;'"• ' *=' " '' °"'' no« pre.cril,cu Iv "r'" ''"""° -1"«<«of.lis,i„ct- r ^eribW l,j, la„, ,„.u,„|„, „ ,^_,^__._^^j declaration and H 50 n' the defendant may, in that caic, answer it hy n oountor nditrmenf* It is not computsnry to do this, and, where Iho ugeiuy of a lawyer intervenes, it is not usual. The truth of the clinrgo ogninsl Pennsvivnnin, tliat " scarcely any one is so poor that'ho cunnot go to law," ii* ndiiiiltcd : and we •Ten doubt whether there can be found that favoured and happj elass to which the slight qualification seems to refer. Hut nothing can be more ridiculous or unfounded than such assertions (and ho gives us nothing more) as •• Tlie life of poisons in cany circum- 4tance»(J)\n thus rendered mimable." " No person, bo his situa- tion or condnot in life what it may, is free from the never-ending pest of law suits," &c. While we concede that there is nothing to render it impossible for Ihe humblest individual to pursue a claim in a court of justice— nothing to drive him into an unfair compromise — yet this evil has alway" appeared to us sufficiently compensated, not only by the speedy redress of actual injustice, but by the effect which (his very facility of access to the Courts has in removing the temptation offered by a different state of things to the rapacity of tbe e-mployer. Captain Hall thinks it a blessing that the poor should bare no redress against knavery and fraud, for such is the amount of his argument, when properly run out. What Substitute does he propose for the Courts to that no- merous class, to which he would render the latter inaccessible ? A reformation in Pennsylvania must be effected in one of two ways— either by requiring a Freehold qualification, or the posses- ■ion of a certain bum of money to enter the Courts— or by ren- dering tbe costs so onerous that one of the parties must yield from exhaustion, at an early stage of the proceedings. Captain HaM seems to point to tbe latter expedient. His suggestions, we Arak, are not likely to be acted on. The present costs are sufR-' eiently heavy to punish a vexations litigant, and they can always be thrown upon him by a tender of what is honestly due. La- bourers from abroad are, it is true, occasionally touched with the ambition of being in law, for once in their lives — jpxat to know how it feels— hut the expense is soon found to bo more than the mo*- mentary bustle and excitement, and talk of the neighbours, are worth, anl ■ji the money Qct(ia1I)r disbursed, is rcpreBonted by a mngninccnt and prodiirtive public work. The Governor io bis message of Novem- ber 4tb, says, " Tbc: 3 are now 177 miles of the Canal in aclual operation. The works have been found to be of such solidity as to produce no other delay than is incident to the best executed works of like magnitude. It is confidently hoped that early next summer, there will bo not loss than 400 miles of the Pennsylvania Canal in full operation. To this extent of navigation is to be added, that of the Schuylkill and Lehigh Canals, and of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal." Captain Hall traversed the State in the direction of this Canai, and was at points where the work was vigoroasly proceeding; and it is a fact, that toll was received from it, prior to the publication of his book. He had said, after speaking of tlie New York Ciinal, " It would be invidious and perhaps -rather tiresome to describe the numerous abortive schemes for Canals, and Rail roads, which the success of (his great work has set on foot, particularly as opportunities of touching npon them will occur as we go on." Of such an opportunity he does not choose to avail himself in the case of the Pennsylvania Canal, even when exhibiting the prodigal disbursements of the State* Had he carried his Statistics a little further onward, he would have found a yet larger expenditure of money by Pennsylvania, on this great work. He has dwelt at much length on the Welland Canal of Canada, not yet completed. That work when finished, will owe its existence not to the eflbrts and resources of the Provinces, but to an inoor[iorated company, the shares of which are, it is believed, owned principally in Great Britain, particularly by the Canada Land Company, one of those joint stock concerns which sprung up in London in 1 82&. At all events, it is a project the merit of which cannot go beyond the share- holders. With regard to tho Pennsylvania Canal, the dis- bursement of the State, of which every citizen bears a part, during a single year (Report of the Treasurer of the Canal Board, to the Senate, Hazard's Pennsylvania Register, vol. iii. p. 272,) is four times greater than tlie whole amount of the Stock subscribed of tho Welland Cannl. ('• Three Years in Canada, by John M'Taggart, Civil Engineer," vol. ii. As to the Rid vau \ja ua], COiiiploiion uf vvliich 53 C ptain Hall urgos «o strongly on the Uritish Govcrnmont. Mr. M l;Wm (vol. ,. p. 166). thinks i., actual cost will treble tbat or,gn.ally contemplated: yet assuming hi, estimate to be correct It will appear that the single year's expenditure of Pennsylvania lor^l r '" '"'" "•"* P««"«>Jvania derives no aid from the general Government, which draws so large a portion of its revenue rom her great seaport. Canada, on the contrary, is not to render .nyassistancetowardstheRideau Canal, though its Custom House H..t.es are placed at the disposal of the Provincial Government, (C^ ta.n H. , vol. i. p. 41«.) and our tourist justly remark, were they to become members of the American Confederacy a I sj,ch dut.es would be subjected to the control of the Congres at Washmoton." Those observations are made in no inX temper, but they seem to heighten the unfairness of. not o^; r f ho objecs of expenditure, actually turning into matter of reproach tl- truly hbera, and enlightened policy by which her councl a « w h regard to Pennsylvania, is equally applicable to New York -hose pnn.,ai eanal cost (Captain Hall. vol. i. p. ,73.) Jre' The Customs ot the seaport of that State, also, flow to the general Government, and lent no assistance to the enterprise. Our tounst discovered that in each of the twenty-four States of he Union there .s a separate judicial establishment, not amenable to any common head, but passing finally on every point of law ^ Inch may arise before it. lie infers that such a circu.nstanc! hmst greatly contuse the a« First of England, and Sixth of Scotland, the ministry, and particularly Lord Bacon, then Solicitor General of England, made some efforts in Parliament, and other- wise, to assimilate the laws and practice of England and Scotland; but the prejudices which existed on both sides of the Tweed pre- vented any material progress being at that period effected. Since that lime, notwithstanding the union of the Crowns of both king- doms, and the legislature of each, the laws of England and Scof. land have been kept separate, and administered in different form?. The English system is distinguished by the preference given to the common law in opposition to the civil law. The Scots system hat b- taken from the civil law and the laws and customs of the i^.^ntinental nations, particularly France, between which and Scotland an alliance and intimate intercourse existed many cen- turies. For example, the Act of the Scots Parliament of King James the Si*lh (afterwards James the First of England,) 1603, c. 180, is in the following terms— CWe give only the concluding words of the statute, " According to the lovable form of judgment used in all gude towns of France and Flanders, quhair burses are erected, and constituted and speciallie in Paris, Roan, Bourdeaux, Rochelle/'; " Foreign laws and authorities were then, and still are, permitted to be quoted in the ScoU CourU, without any other limitation than the discretion of the advocate. English lawyers are, in general, profoundly ignorant of the Scots laws, customs and practice, and strongly prejudiced against them. Of this a remarkable instance occurred on the occasion of Wakefield's trial lor the abduction of Miss Turner, in which a Scots barrister was examined as to the Scots law of marriage. Mr. Brougham, and an army of En^lish barristers, annnated by the amor patties of John Dull, thought they had caught the Caledonian in their own coils, from which he could not escape without exposing the igno- ).». lea. mere ,b.„ »d fcre. r! t ° •°"' " '" "^ *" potato™, of . Scot, ".;:;;„ l' rT 'T"™' °° "■" ■"- Hop., Mr. Bro„.bam in h!'l '^^' " "" "^"P" «' «°'><» i» held .„ bt rrd :„ ' d ";'."t""""°"^ ''pp*- «-' »"■«« """k "P. 10 the exigendes! a will a. ' ^.Tl'"^ "-=oommod.,ing it»If people. What ;,! «,. " ' "'""' '"'' P"'J"''i<»». »f "' " ''°'°P="«<' '» »«-» in th. ..eld a^eint of r'^^: ,,;;.: Z^ it'l^ T '°°* '"•■' •very morning', newsoan-r („. • 1 T- ' ""' "P*'''' '» »..-.a.i.nLer,.;.rHer;:L r.; ' :r ^°"°'" °' that there will b« fnnn/- '^^'^ °" "*« presumption principle: i^^£rtr;:'^t t:^''"-' «""•■ proteoted, abonid he nnrortCel^f inll ed i i«X' "'" ■" pea?Ca«::":„d '" "'" t' ""' ' ""' "•"' of ^8 .'ch Ap. I i ' ' t: I 56 casoB FCtile only points of Scots Law. 1 hey bring into no gmater conformity with iliat of England. In the same manner, on the Ist of December last, there came before the Privy Council the case ot Siupsoj. v. Forrester, an appeal from the Island of Dimarara, (See Morning II<3rald of December 2d.) It was curi- ous, in the middle of the proceidinj^s, to see The Paymaster of the Forces come in and take his seat at the Board. The controversy turned on the principles of the Dutch Civil Law, and was argued accordingly ; but we feel persuaded that the pains-taking and h»borious fathers of that system would have been very little edified by the discussion. M'ithout going to India, or Canada, or the Cape of Good Hope, we may note that the outskirts of the Mother Island itself are governed by systems of law essentially different from each other. Thus '• the Isle of Man, is a distinct territory from England, and is not governed by our laws ;" (Blackstone.) " The islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Sark, Alderney, and their appendages, were parcel of the Duchy of Normandy, and were united to the crown of England, by the first Princes of the Norman line. They are governed by their own laws, which are for the most part the ducal customs of Normandy, being collected in an ancient book of veiry great authority, entitled le grand costumier. The King's writ or process from the Courts of Westminster, is there of no force."— (ib.) Thus, then, we have the comfort to know that the various parts of this great commercial empire—nay, portions of the same island,— are under the dominion of laws radically dicsimilar in their prin- ciples, their forms of proceeding, and even in their language ; and yet, none of those " moral convulsions" have resulted with which Captain Hall so seriously threatens the unhappy people of the United States. But it happen^ to be our singular good fortane to enjoy a degree of similarity in the laws throughout the United States, unprecedented' elsewhere. The Common Law prevails, with a trifling exception, over the whole of the Union. There is scarcely a patois in its dialect. The lawyer of Pennsylva- nia can advise as to a case depending in New York, so far as ii turns on common law principles. The books resorted to are precisely the same. And sp of the other States, from Maine St niml 1, ,„cumbeot over lh» ,am» principle,. England and SooU«,d off., n„ s„oI, co-operation. Tbe, Z "ita a sneer, Wiio reads an American Book ?» We may ».l ZT7\" '^'■° ?"' ° *'=°'""' ^- '" "" '•orce-.he 1" : .rro!";::^^''"""'^'''"™'"""''-^^^^^^^ .ntelleetaal power, iavo been lost ,„ „, ;„ Law and thafTi,. " Barbarus hie sum quia non intelligor ulli." It is said with an air of great alarm, that Reports are published of dec.s.ons m .he different State Courts, and that this ™ultip,iei^ books must lead to confusion. Let it be recollected, howev ^ hat the decision made in each State, whether right or wronT umshes a conclusive rule in that State. It is not the less unifo m and unvarying m its application, because a different rule may WhvTen", irr " *'^ "^"^^ administration of justice. It they had remamed, be it observed, in manuscript or in the memory, noboJy would be perplexed, and the v would into- rest no one beyond the limits of the particula'r S^ate The enejlt to be derived from their publication is manifet K a Jawyer m Pennsvlvania be anxious to learn how the law stands on a particular point in New York, he assumes, that Chitty or Sugdcn. will fnrnicK „ -!.._ ... • ' v/uiuy ©r stead M on. will furnish a clue, but it is all the better if he lo i>ew ioik (or inlbrniation, refer can, m- to an Index 58 of decisioM, and ascerfain, in a moment, whether the qoegtion hai actually engaged the attention of the Judges of that State. It vill not be denied that the practitioner as well as the citizen of the State, in which the decisions form a binding rale, is greatly interested in having them placed within his reach through the press. But the complaint is that, elsewhere, each volume pub- lished forms a distressing addition to the Law Catalogues. Accordini? to this, it would lead to great confusion in England, if the Scots Reports were intelligible to the English barrister;' and it would be much better for us, if the systems of law, in the .several States, were so discrepant that no one of them* could borrow illustration from the other. Suppose our neighbour Mexico, were to adopt the Common Law -ought we to regret the circumstance ? Captain Hall says, ye»-becauso here would bo a twenty.fifth " co-ordinate" tribunal on the same continent, deciding points of law, and, by and by, volumes of reports will come out to annoy and perplex us. It might, with quite as much force, be urged, that the multiplicity of reports published in the United States, is calculated to confuse the English Courts. These books profess to illustrate the Common Law, and, if possessed of merit, there is no reason why they should not be sought for, and read, whereever that law prevails. They are no more binding on the Courts of the other States, than on the King's Bench. Their weight, out of the particular State, is derived not from the official character of the person who has pronounced the decision, but from the degree of talent, which is supposed to hava been brought to its composition. An Essay by Mr. Kent, or Mr. Spencer, will carry greater influence than a judicial opinion of the Court over which they recently presided. In short, supposing, what is not the fact, that each State had its reporter, the resuU would be nothing more, than if twenty.four gentlemen of professional respectability were employed in pubiisJiing so many editions of Blacksfone, or any other elementary writer, with comments. Whoever will take the trouble to glance over these reports, or even to look over a digest of them will be surprised to find how little of discrepancy there is amongst the different tribunals. They reach the same conclusion with u greater or less display of learn- ing and ingenuity. This fact will be very apparent on looking 4 " n.or.1 co„,„,.i„„ .;„;•,: '.''°;; » f -P'-n Hall .„pp„..., . ^^H.„™e„, .„a „;,• J:," ZSr J: "- ™.> Vine.. Erskine, " a man wer« in h« • . "^^nces f « if, . ga^-s Lord ^. wo».;e .p.a":r s: - :: - -- -* aelden's day, «< The mai» ii.- • °"* ^^^^ »n ciple of .election „„f,, „, "„ ™' " '"= ^ °[ ''»°'" '««. prin- .>o.b..d„. ., .Ha. 0, «.oir;:Ve ;:r:tr'' "'°.'"''' -■ «J.lem. The late Mr PinlL ° , ^ '""■ 'P'"" »f "■• ■Vevery other. ..„d.„.. „„ dr.> 1^ t ™^^^ ^" * ' '-■"='• " -t " „„|,a,» b„. .. ,„„U„„./ To. Jo f "' " °' """"^ ^>.e,.,„„ of .l,i. kind, and decided .dj.;iv,t>r, '"*' i-nder eilher of thom, may be carried lo Z. , • ? "' '" °P it originate i„ a State Court. '"''°°'' """ "■""gl' In exposing the mistake., ,•„,„ „,,i„j . whenever hi, critici.m „.„me. a 11^ " "'■'' '° ''" "■»"«'. a bind ,,1. ? '""'' "' °"'°"" "•"•'■ "'" •"" ""PO'-a ..." h!7 * "■ r- '^ "" "" " -='-"" ••"«■»»"' •' Z '■ I". " '° ""■«'°'' " P"""''''' """ "■» ••'-P'ioo .f II. «« :;::""""■;"•, '°""°"- ''°''"°- '='"■■'>«'*'■•. ■■""«° : «"".llrj. lb, „„i,„„, ,1,,., i, „, H jj ^ Ro™,„ „.„„., ,„ „, ,„„,„ „^„^ ,^^^^ ___ J .ow™: :«:::,:. c^urZa^r-^^^ •"- .pp^ph'ci' fa g »,„od, e„j„,.d „ ,o„ .„„„„, „f f„.j,„, ° «• tb.„ tb.,r mod.™ „.„,e..k„. . i,„, „,,. , ... , " •"«^» . •« ia«/, It Holds fifteen hundred inhabitanu ha. 1 I h 64 nearly all luy clauioal rocollootions awrpt awajf by the oontact. Nuw, Itierefure, whenever I meet with the name of a Iloniao city, or an author, or a general, inatcud of having tny thooghia carried back, na heretofore, to the rcgioua of antiquity, I am transported forthwith, in unagination, to the poat-road on my way 4o I.Mko Erie, and my jointa and bonea turn aore at the bare recollection of joltinga, and othei nameleaa vulgar annoyancea by day and by night, which, I much fear, will outlive all the littie classical knowledge of my juvenile daya." When we remember (hat the earli/ emigrant$ to Rome were tliicvea and cut-throats — that ita cornerstone waa stained by the blood of the founder's brother — that wivea were procured from the Sabinea by a proccsa of courtship, for which, in modern timoa, the wooers would be all hanged or tranaported— and that the very site of the infant town waa choaen from some absurd superstition about a flight of birds — when all theae things are conaidered, the prenumption of adopting even that proud name, may not, perhaps, be deemed altogether nnpardonable. These towns have growu up with a rapidity greater than that of Rome. They were founded by men, who brought with them virtuous wives and daughters, and whose earliest object, in the case referred to by the tourist, waa to build " two large churches" for the purpose of worshipping God according to the dictates of that religion for which Captain Hall professes a very sincere Laal. He might well ask, then, whether the origin of any heathen town of antiquity presents a spectacle half so interesting to the philanthropist or the christian. But the reason which he assigns for his ultimate decision is the most singular part of the whole matter. After having confuted his anonymous friend in the argument, as he generally contrives to do on all these occasions, he seems anxious to shew that he can " confute, change sides, and itill confute." He decides that the Americans are all wrong, because he, a passing traveller, instead of bearing away with him a thousand circumstances which might kindle admiration and enthusiasm, perversely chooses to remember nothing except that he met, somewhere in the neighbourhood, a piece of bad road 1 This is the whole of his argument. Is it, to use his favourite epithet, a very "philosophical" one? Gibbon, 6J ••• a loiior from London. i„ 1703. -peaking of iho Lifilmay a hw rl: n-T.^ ;r'' '''^"" "'^ approach of «« Indian to thi ' . r?. '^ "°' ''^' " '''"^K"-' «i"-r to London. or to the re..dcnc« of h.s friend. Lord Sheffield. Even Captain I all pro.essea to revert with infinite pleasure to the seenes ho witness d n Canada, notwithstanding all tho horror, of his ox-cart." Over hose hornhle wooden causeways, technically called corduroy roads 't would bo nusory to travel in any description of carriage, but in' ' a waggon or cart, with nothing but wooden springs, it is „,o,t trymg to every joint in one's body. A boar-skin. it is true, is generally la.d on the seat, but this slip, down or slips up. in short, «on,ehow or other, the poor voyager's bones pay for al). notwith' standing the tender mercies of the bear. The rcco/fcc/,„„ of such annoyances however, tvere they tu,enly time, greater, would va- r York" r ''°'""*^ '°"^'' °^ '^'■''"'''' '°"'"*^- ^° *•«««''- We are occasionally led. in.leed. to suspect, not a little, the integrity of the Captain, in his assumption of a sort of bluff, down- right, temper, which compcUhim to make offensive remarks " I «.*. say this." " Truth oMioc, me."&c. Thus on quitU^g th Ca^tal Upper Canada, the party found " close choky woods • he horrible corduroy roads again made their appearance in a more' .ormidable shape, by the addition of deep inky holes, which almost swallowed up the forewheels of the waggon, and bathed Its hinder axle tree. The jogging and plunging to which we were now exposed, and the occasional bang when the vehicle reached the ho torn one of these abysses, were so nen, and remarkaUle in the m tory of our travels, that we tried to make a good joke of them, and felt rather «««,ed than otherwise on discovering, by actua experiment what ground might on a pinch, as it is called, be tra- veiled overl',, » "«^ "« When so much good humour is manifested in Canada-when he IS found offering the most nauseous flattery to the people there, to their faces, a out the " tone" of their " manners," and the blessing^ the rr 1 7, '""•""' "'' '*'' *° ''''^'''' *'"^' "- peevishness fn the United States, as to chambermaids. &c.. is merely used as a I i lin \t !ii^- 66 conrenient pretext for venting ill-natnrotl remarks. We haro heard of one, Who, having been praised for bhintness, doth alTcct A saucy rouj;hness, and constrains the garb Quito from his nature. He cannot flatter— lie f An honest mind and plain — he must speak trut!i An they will take it— so — if not — he's plain. These kind of knaves I know, which, in this plainncsi^ Harbour more craft, and more corrupter ends, Than twenty silly, clucking observants^ That stretch tijeir duties nicely. The part of Captain Hall's book which wears, perhaps, the most disingeaac-o* air, is that relating to Slavery. There is no topic, as is well known, which has furnislied so many sarcasms against the United States, as the existence of a practise so utterly at war with that universal freedom, which their popular institutions are supposed to guarantee. Under tlie pressure of these re- proaches Americans have taken the trouble to trace with great care the history of the rise and progress of this evil, and have established, by the clearest evidence, that k was planted there against the earnest remonstrances of the colonists— that it was fixed on us at a period when we formed a component part of the BriUsh Empire, and that the earliest efforts of the States, BO soon as they became independent, were directed to mitigate, and in some of them actually to extirpate it. The infamous traflSc ^as first opened, and pursued, by Sir John Hawkins. So late as the year 1713, England engaged to supply Spain with 4R00 negroes annually, and it was only by the treaty of Madrid, concluded on 6th October, 1760, that she yielded " the right to the enjoyment of the Assicnto of negroes, and of the annual ship,** during the four unexpired years. We would seem, therefore, sufficiently secured against any sarcasm from that quarter. That Captain Hall was aware of all tiiis, and had found our defence one which it was easier to evade tban to answer, may be inferred from the following remark with whitli he prefaces the discussion, '* The Americans are perpetually twitting England with having entailed slavery upon their country. The charge indeed may be true, and there is no denying that it was every way disgraceful in har« 67 a nbt ," r " '""'^ "P°" ^'^''^ descendants." HeL„ J Lttr ""''*'"^"'*'^- ''This scornful bandying o national recnmrnations. however, is. to say the least of Lerv t2 ::?'"**r ^'' ^^^^ ^•^^^ "-•-' - ^^ *-<^« *' iz^ wo countnes who have no cause of quarrel." Speaking of the anxious efforts every where made to render the condition of this dass of beings more tolerable, ha says, « It is useless, then, for foreigners to hold the language of reproach or of appeal to America, thereby implying a belief in the existence of such legis- lative power. It is mischievous to suppose that such interference can bo of use, because this vain belief turns men's thoughts from those genume ameliorations, which are possible int. channels where philantrophy as weU as patriotism either run completely to waste or tend." &c. r j That a sudden emancipation is impossible, he concedes. It cannot be expected that men, « who like their fathers before them have derived their whole substance from this source, and who look to It as a provision for their descendants." can be ex- pected at once to surrender their property. Were the British West Indies to become independent, and to adopt a form of Government, having especial reference to popular rights, they could only say. as we do. that it was an evil belonging to other days from all the effects of which it is impossible now to escape. Yet. with this air of candour. Captain Hall takes care that his book shall not want the piquancy so acceptable to the palate of those who cherish the " unkind feelings." which he attributes to this country. No work on America has furnished to malignity, so many delightful, choice, paragraphs as these very Travels. Ho well knows that, in the temper which he describes, there'are many who take up every such book, with a view to score deeply, for extract, just so much as will serve to gratify the vitiated appetites for which they daily cater. We have, therefore, a great deal about - inconsistency with the principles so much cried up in that rcpwWic. He gives a long account of tho sale of a Slave at Washington, and throws in with dramatic effect, " The fla«s were just hoiiitml on iFif <«" -r*!-^ • •• .. .... " - on luc lOi, ui die buiidiDg, wliich intimate that the r m Senate, and the House of Representatives had nssonibled, to discuss the affairs of this free na/ton— Slavery amongst the rest," He tells us that during the sale he exclaimed, " with more asperity than good breeding, thank God! we don't do such things in my country.'" If ashamed of this out break of vulgarity, why put it into his book to minister to the self-complacency of the one side, and the mortiGcatiou of the other "i Captain Hall declines to argue the question, whether the parent country did not fasten on us this evil in spite of our remonstrances ; he deprecates an allusion to her supplying Spain with negroes, under the accursed Assiento contract. Surely, then, it is worse than pharasaical, for Great Britain, to stand afar off and thank God, that she is not like America, in this particular. May we not be re» minded of the triumph of a motlter, who, having administered poison to her infant child, blesses herself, in aftsr life, that she is not racked by the lingering pains it has left behind, and who mocks at the occasional convulsive twitch of her offspring's uiusoles ? He works up, very happily, what he saw at New Orleans. It may be readily conceived that one of the arguments urged in ex- tenuation of slavery, is the impossibillity, in some of the States, of employing any other description of labour. Thus Louisiana, as Captain Hall remarks, " must bo worked by slaves, or not at all." Hence it was not unnatural to take advantage of any opportunity of transferring them to a climate more congenial to the constitution of the negro, and where this argument might have its full alleviating force. Many gentlemen of Virginia and Maryland, have purchased plantations in Louisiana and Mississippi, and taken their slaves thither. Captain Hull witnessed such a transfer, in a brig at New Orleans from Ualtimore, and it gives rise to the following remark : — •• Her decks presented a scene which forcibly reminded me of Rio Janerio. In the one case, however, the slaves were brought from ihe savage regions of Africa : in tho other, from the vcr^ heart of a free country" It is curious to look over the English newspapers, and notice with what avidity such passages have been seized on by those who, like the leech, eagerly fasten where the skilful operator has al- lured by the sliKhtcst punoture. Yet this is the Dhilosonher who 69 deprecates « twilling.' on snch a subject, as it « tends to irritate two countries who have no cause of quarrel I" In the same sneering temper. Captain Hall has remarked, " It IS laid down hy the Americans, as an admitted maxim, to doubt the flohdity of which, never enters into any man's head for an in- stant, that « rapid increase of population is, to all intents, tanta- mount to an increase of national greatness and power, as well as of individual happiness and prosperity. Consequently, «ay they, such increase ought to be forwarded by ever^ possible nieans, as the greatest blessing to the country." (vol. i. p. 153.) Captam Hall never heard an American utter such a senti- nient, and he is desired to point to any effort thus to force popu- lation. If such were the prevalent theory, why not olfer our imohc lands gratuitously to the foreigner, or even add a bounty of sixty pounds sterling to every family agreeing to accept a hun- dred acres, as has been done in Canada? We have again to regret that Captain Hall, instead of offering a mawkish eulogium on Dr. Franklin (the " Socrates of modern times") had not taken the trouble to read the works of that sage and patriot. In tho Remarks to Emigrants, written in the year 1784, will be found the following expressions :-•« Strangers are welcome, because there is room enough for them all, and, therefore, the old inhabi- tants are not jealous of them; the laws protect them sufficiently so that they have no need of the patronage of great men; and every one will enjoy securely the profits of his industry. But if ho does not bring a fortune withlnm, he must work and be indus- trious to live." The same/eeling exists at the present day. We do not consi- der as Captain Hall pretends, an increase of population to be the « greatest blessing." We hold the diffusion of sound morals, of attachment to our institutions, and of education, to be the para- mount objects of solicitude. We believe that those who come amongst us, and find themselves in the midst of a tranquil, indus- tnous, and happy people, where the laws secure to every man the fruits of h.s industry, and where the opportunity of exercising that industry ,s readily found, may be expected to fall into those habits ^h.cl. will render them quiet, useful, citizens, and to become atlacxied to ih. iaBtiiutioiis which anxiously consult their safety and i' i \ ', r) ) 1 I 70 LappinesB. If (be stranger bo wealtby, he majr gelect bis plan of life, without danger of molestation ; if needy, the implemenU of labour are speedily placed in bis hands. Captain Hall visited, on the banks of the Delaware, one of the brothers of Napoleon, the Ex-King of Spain, and remarks, " I trust I am taking no unwar- rantable liberty, by mentioning that he has gained the conBdence and esteem, not only of all his neighbours, but of every one in America, who has the honour of his acquaintance— a distinction which he owes partly to the discretion with which he has uniformly avoided all interference with the exciting topics that distract the country of his adoption, and partly to the suavity of his personal address, and the generous hospitality of his princely establish- ment." Another member of the same family, but not in the same affluent circumstances, is endeavouring to make himself useful in Florida, and was recently a candidate for a seat in the council of that territory. If ho possess any portion of the talent of his great relative, be may be destined to aid in the formation of its code of laws, when it shall have a sufficient population to become a member of the Union. We have no apprehension of strangers. The stream is too broad, and deep, and strong, to be discoloured or rendered turbid. The idle and the profligate quickly find that America is not their proper home. The mere schemer is soon rebuked by the good sense and steadiness of the people, and aban- ions them in despair. Captain Hall's deistical or theistical coun- tryman, Mr. Owen, he may take back and welcome. We do not think it the " greatest blessing" to have amongst us men like him, who, failing in every thing else, at length make a desperate snatch at our souls. These blasphemous visionaries are forthwith ex« posed, and laughed at. As a singular proof of Captain Hall's wish to misrepresent, or of absurd misconception, we may refer to his account of our impatience at being obliged to use the English language. " It ig curious enough," he says, '« by the way, to see the discomfort that some scrvpulous Americans shew to the mere name of our commoa tongue." That any such silly expression of " discomfort" reached his ears, is rather improbable ; but we can readily believe that he may ha*e heard from Americans, a speculative suggestion on tho I 71 ."ei;' :"':.'■" "^" '"""'°^' - ^'""" - ««• fehcuou., reference ,o iu eo«diUo„, pfcy.ie.,L J, ,' ^'^ '"'; s:r.tx:; -™.-a„o.o, . ™;Le r:: I ake tor example the worH " I olr« »» rk j caoma. .f^aj. appendage .o plea.™ ,„.»,,. w. U.int .f Go,;:";;:: » Space for lii, lake, hU park', extended bound.." Md it u not nntil an American linda himself on „„. of our.aat eternal a..a, .Lich bear ,be aame name, that L. feel, tbe ab^ pover.y„ftheepi,be.. He La. read and .hoog!,. f aJX' .ature tbrongh ,h. n,cdi„m ef a .ranahtion. Tbe .ord h To f^ 'rLz::7f ""r"^"'' '"" "' "'' " "■-'■s's- ""-" f-« measured by square ,nehes, .ha. must be measured by sn„.ro « .les. So of.be word " Fdia," „hieh is equally applied .oTl" o K.agara-,„.hoseof.heClyde-and .. U.ose of iL„„renr of .he M,ss,ss,pp,. .. There was soo,e.hiug peculiarly sWkmg „ ,"^ casual sU-eam-a mere drop from .be Great Mississippi, leht many o,her eounWes migb. almost ba™ claimed the^'ame of " Z:-J,:\l: "" °° """ "-'-'^^^"''U.isnWfromtle When Sir William Jones went to India, h. did no. think of r ci T. ''TV '"" "*'°" =-"°°8'' «■= S"s'.°h rSdt;' " If »e allow Me ncaural ohjccO with which the Arabs are step must be to confess, that tlmJr rnm.,o5.:„-_ . It ii ». «.. r-f f^ m: 7» allegories arc su likewise, for an allegory is a string of metaphors, a mctnplior is a short similo, and the finest similes are drawn from natural objects." (Essay on the Poetryof the Eastern Nations.) •' These comparisons, many of which, would seem forced in our idioms, have undoubtedly a great delicacy in theirs, (ib.) " li is not sufficient thai a nation have a genius for poetri/, unless they have the advantage of a rich and beautiful language, that their expressions may be worthy of their sentiments ; the Arabians have this advantage also, in a high degree; their language is ex- pressive strong, sonorous, and the most copious, perhaps, in the world ; for, as almost every tribe, had many words appropriate to itself, the poets for the convenience of their measures, or sometimes for their singular beauty, made use of them all, and as the poems hecanie popular, tit .re words were by degrees incorporated with the zcholc language." (ib.) " We are apt to censure the oriental style, for being so full of metaphors, taken from the sun and moon ; this is ascribed by some to the bad taste of the Asiatics ; hut they do not reflect, that every nation has a set of images, and expressions peculiar to itself, which arise from the difference of its climate, manners, and history." (ib.) It is idle for foreigners to ask, good naturedly, why we do not naturalize such Indian words, as suem most capable of civilization. Even supposing a vocabulary to have existed, and to be prC" served, sufficiently copious, yet it is evident that, in order to be at all effective in composition, the language employed must promptly awaken ideas previously existing in the mind. A French poet would be laughed at, were he to introduce the words *• comfort,'* •• home," &c., and inform his readers, in a note, that Englishmen attach a peculiar and untranslatable meaning to them. People read to be pleasurably excited, and not to be told that the language used — whether Greek, or Latin, or Iroquois — ought to make a vivid impression. Such is the invincible difficulty on the subject, that even the words, " Ohio," " Mississippi," &C., do not recall to us the happily descriptive meaning, which they are said to convey in the original. No language but their native one, can with the mass of readers command that rapid and unbroken in- terest, on which the success of every work of the imaginatic'ti so essentially depends. 73 •ny par. of ,h, di«o„«, b^g^, Jj ""' ''"' ' »''»'•; :'»» of those groat dmnos ^l.™!. i. 7 """"^ '° """" ..yaomoLJpeZ; h '""«"" '""Mnn got «.ed, and eo™., antipatb, to ,be" ' Z7J' 7 °'"°"' "" "- Ho found L aJ,z:z:izzz^"''"' • charge asainst Ihom f„, i . '"""""-'alhor a novel ftoroad/byiiiroT;i:ir;""\'°. ""-""^ « '° K-. -a* o„ ...0.0 ,zr e irtrib,*''- °' ▼eyances— " Their thi^at e • r . ®* '" "'e public con- a P^oa dispotTtX Ltr° "f ''"""•'"'■'''• "-^ "Pon impertinence »r mi", ,^ "° '"1"''""«°«' bo'-lcAg .BHsi-sL o::i„^xZt',^trni::i?.f """.'T'" persons, who gave ns mn.fe JnV T . ^ '"''•^ "itelhgent 5 , ae says, ,t was '• my pleasure aswnllr.- «,., i..,.: .. — «„ ,,,^ ^fUOJ* t i if ,y; 74 : I ■H DCM to gt* aoqnaintcd with as manj of the inhabilaDtB as I oonld. This was an easy task, as they were uoivorsally as kind and obliging as I had foand their country men elsewhere.'* He declares, to be sure, with a sneer, as to these same people, that he found none of that " high^mindedness" which had been " rung in his ears," but as he has omitted to inform us how he expected this quality to be manifested we can give his remark nr> deGaito answer. The circumstance from which he infers a taci- turn disposition is, that people, at the common table of the hotels, despatched their meals very hastily, and seemed not inclined to outer into " chat" witli each other. If Captain Hall ever tra- velled in England in a stage coach, or a steam boat, or a packet, let him recollect whether be found his companions disposed to fall, promptly, into easy conversation. Even at the Grst baiting place did he discover a communicative temper whilst awaiting tho gummons to return to the coach ? Now the busy people whom he saw at these tables, meet each other under precisely the same circumstances, exaopt that they have not previously been shut np in a coach together, and are not to resume their places at the conclusion of the meal. We venture to say, if Captain Hall were travelling from Edinburgh to London, and whilst snatching his hasty breakfast, some inqubitive American were to try to " draw him out" — to request him to talk, and laugh, and exhibit himself — tliat a very brief, and not a very good humoured, reply would be given. In England, instead of meeting at a common table, each individual has his apartment or his box in the coffee-house. Take down the partitions, or throw open the folding doors, and there would not 1)6 a whit more sociability amongst the parties. At the hotel in New York, " those persons who chose to incur the addi- tional expense of a private parlour, might have their meals sepa- rately." He chose to go to the common breuKfast table, in order to " get acquainted with some of the natives," but " our familiar designs" were frustrated by the silence of the company. Again, at Catskill, be was present at a militia training, and " the light company of one of the regiments" being dismissed to take some refreshment, he " joined the parly, in hopes of being able to get some chat with their citizen soldiers— but one and all, pflicers ftgg l J j' HI.J W K "' rlT' "**"'""' "P '^'*' ^^""'" ^" "'"'^ » ''""y. that ia le.. n fifteen. .nnto« I fonnd .,so,e with only one 'p^r.on ^ Z room. Th, gentleman, perceiving mo to be a stranger, and I rig'of r:' '" ^^^^^^"^"^ "-^"^ *''^^' ^^^^^ ^ -'<^ -^« From sach data Captain Hall ha, drawn his conclasion.t been "LdTo"" r^''' *^'*' ^°"« ''•'■°''« "««'"« ^^ «>ook. we had been led to seek for some reason to acconnl for what seemed to « the greater degree of reserve in England than in the United States, amongst those who are casaally thrown together. We had Ztrrd ' T ;^ '"^r "'^ ^''"""''""-' ^'^^ - ^^ ^-m- country, the d.sUnct,ons of rank are well defined, and are oftea Prrxim;?:;' ""f ' "'^"^'' ^ '^-gcH.app;ehend tm sredTT "'•'; *'* ^'"* '*'^^"^«-^'' --» — . it is pre. Zrl '"'' *''" '^°'" "^^ apprehension ofenco J^- ing coldness, or an actual repulse. contnid t' "*t' I'^'^'""'"' '° *^* ^"•'''•^ «»«»«»• *• tourist ha. hmts, to which It .s; of course, quite impossible to off-er any reply AU ar,„..„, „po .„,h a subject is necessarily idle. Le i r\ ;. r. r'*""' ""'' •^ ^^^'^'-terforrefinemen isnottl be estabhshed by clamorous pretension, to it So far as he h^ furmshed a ghmpse at facts, they seem to indicate the generd d^.onof aspintof genUeness-of kindnes,-of a wish to'^bl^e air I?r'r^"°'P"'"*' conveyance, he was particulariy s^uck wuh the absence of any stifl', brutal, selfishness, and ^Z ^e ; armeis, to accommodate the ladies by changing places, or makmg any arrangements that were possible." This is no I trivial circumstance, when it is so universal and remarkable, a. to be deemed, by a foreigner, characterisUc. People may be pro. fusely hospitable from vanity, or from a mere love of c'ompaly, bat a quik cheerful waiver of personal convenience is a very differcn matter. Following Captain Hall amongst another description of persons-into the social circle, which were opened >-. I' io bim— he lias, without intending so to do, paid a oomph'ment, the value of v Lich will not fail to be appreciated, by all thoM who are truly well-bred. We never saw or heard of the American Chesterfield, wl . ,.. . il in these volumes, but we well remember, that, in iLe ov!;,.' A work, hia lordship lays it down, Qs the fundamental maxim of good breeding, that there u no medium between perfect politeness and a duel. Now, while Captain Hall represenU himself as perpetually traversing the intormedioto space, vibrating between the two points, uttering rude remarks, soute of which are giv j wiuist others are sup- pressed, as too gross for the press ; he admits, that he never saw a citizen of the republic shew by word, lone, or expression of countenance, fowarJj either sex, that he had lost that self-possession which is, every whore, the great and indispensable characleiistio of a Gentleman. So far, therefore. Captain Hall has established the decided superiority of the American over himself, and over any society of which he may bo considered the repretea-^ tative. There is an air of extreme puerility, of which he will himself he ashamed "on cool reflection," in the introduction of extracts from this allcdged American volume. If the existence of a book reprobaUng certain vulgar practices, be deemed sufficient proof of their ger.eral prevalence, amongst persons having claims to re- spectability, then America might draw Uie same inference as to England, from the publication of the original work : and even the Decalogue or Whole Duty of Man, be deemed evidence of universal depravity. In every nobleman's library in the kingdom, will be found his I^ordship's Letters, anxiously depre- cating practices infinitely more revolting than any which the American writer has subjected to his criticism. It would, be very rash, however, to conclude that every Englishman, " eats with his knife, to the great danger of his mouth, picks hia teeth with his fork, and puts his spoon, which has been in his throat twenty limes into tbe dishes again," or that he, " has strange tricks and geslnres, such as snuffing up the nose, ms^king face's, putting his fingers iu bis nose, or blowing it, and looking after- IV^s }sx his handkerchief, so as to make the company" sicjt," ' i W^ .fa B WUWW M urarerncKi, IS grapliically do«or ptiv« of tLo >l>i. „f _ «" U.. UoiW St..... Nouo .„..t „f llVt? ^ TT •noo,„d b, such pracUco. u Boston "• ^itl, ^' "^ rrr --."^'" •"»«■"'-. « :i .^rtrrrr: i -.•«., *• .1 . ^•"'""""o '''ces t)i behaviour; and the nerp*. «Hy lor the writer's labours was sujr^esled to .im V ! what arii.ull., f u 1 . . "ujSoesieu lo him, ho savs, by wuai actually fell under 13 own observaiiftn t. ^ ., 08. Be ortliodoj i„ poliUo. „ mU .. in religion T.II .- •t him as bard .,',„„ c.^; ^'" "' " "^ ""^ " ""• ^J""-- S"". ^WwCnr'vo * •"" ■'" ■°*'^' °"' " ^™»«.-n.i.do, wnd and on« automatons disarm,! m™.i.... ,„_ , . . ?* i I 78 botrding wLooK report hor • ba, bleu lo joar mole aoqudntwooi. •ud warn Lor own mx to tbun ho/. 00 Wi,«n jrou diae at a public dinner, alwayi take your .eat oppo.110 a favourite di.h. Carve il yoursolf. and select tl.o choiceat bus, then leave it to your right-hand neighbour to help the reit of the compaoy. "^ W. Always stick your napkin in your bulton-hole at the dinner- table. If you admit such French supernuitiea at all. Eat with the ■harp edge of your knife towarda your mouth ; forks won't lake up gravy. 00. When seated at dinner, between two agreeable ladies, direct your conversation solely to the gentleman opposite you. at the other side of the table. / . ujo 0». Always be posiUve when you have a lurking oonsciousneia of being wrong; it will give you the reputation of firmness. 100. Never leave a dispute to be settled by arbitration ; if you are rich always appeal to law, especially if your opponent be poor. The lawyers will manage for you long before the case gets np to the Lords, and perhaps secure your rival in banco-regi, for expenses. In m arbitration, the case may be decided against you m a twinkling. It is a capital thing that justice and a long purse are sworn brothers; besides monied men should have some advantage in society. 163. If you cannot get left out from the list of jurymen under Mr. Peel, late Act. by a bribe to the officer, who makes up the papers, and you are obliged to sit, always do as the Judge teUs you, especially in cases of libel. 105. Though you do net care about religion yourself, it is fitting to have a decent external zeal for it, and not to allow others to attack It. Imitate a learned judge, who upon a man being tried before him for blasphemy, and, in defence, abusing the clergy, exclaimed to a friend sitUng on the bench with him, « I'U be d-d if I wiU sit and hear the Chri.Uan Religion reviled in this manner." 178. When your daughters can translate " Comment vous portez vous," and interlard their conversation after the mode of governesses, with interjccUons in that tongue-when they can smg the words of an Italian song, the meaning of which they do 70 not oomprohend, and itram a tune oul of «im. u i Win »o. i„p,i„i,„ z:,:::'^ •"""•""■•»•■• •»•' «« .« w^o If you rid. down BoT.. T ' ""' *" •'"■™''''" '" """'• 0.0.0 .o jpriMa.-';: :,*:r .:r " ""-^ fm en and . ,.c.„, pij ,„ J„, 07. ' ^ *" . c*/wci» ^u .b..«.i.im.i.bo„.,o,.„e..,..d ..u„; ;*";:,;„" 7"'"' w..r .n «n,br.ll..b„„ne, .. . p„b|i„ „Lu„g" oxbibitfon V. ae.or muid annoying oUior., if ,„„ „„ kJ„ ° '°°; '" "''°"- youreolf. ' "° "■ >w"oy«no« »..noc„. ,wo i. .on.o,,.i„g\t; i^.o r7.:g:;^^\:: "■"'»"«- '■".ty, r.pid, .on of di,r.g.rd of IbeZln " I .iooa of „,b.„. Would bo .0. in Judo;, b/ '- " JJ,'" .olf 10 ba,„ don. i„ ,b. u„i„j s, „,„.,i "rro2 .; Wa.„,g bi.»Kupi„,oo,r„„.iv. r.n,ark,. .bdo'a, "Z^- *.f u:'"''rfr:'";'r •■""■"'""»" '"« — p^*™ 1 .«r. If not, h.r. i, iho n.o,l doAi.o proof of vulgaritv for no gen len.a„ .pproacbos a„j .ooi.„ „i,b ,„., „f .„„ ,IJ^J^I^^ Lo doe,. ,,ba. 4. .W„„ .bo v.r, bigb.... O.b.rwise. .1^1.00^1 preserved « .ho reaul,. no. of principle, b„, „f aw. J. pr „" no. n™ a con..a„. ..„s. of „b.. i. duo .0 ono..lf, b TZl / 80 o&lQuIatioo iliftt it is nol poUtio or Bafo to Indulge native pctolaaco.* He had no more right to be rude to an Amerioan lady than to the King. In his speech, at Brockville in Upper Canada, (vol. i, p. 380), he snjt, "For example, if I vrere to take it into my head, like Tom Thamo, to swear I wouhl be a rebel, and decline his Majesty's further employment, I don't conceive the King would bo quite so ill off, as I should be, were his Majesty, on the other hand, to signify that he had no further ^occasion for my services." It is very Irue ahal an Amcricon lady had no power of dismiss- Bg him from the service, yet it was not the less unjustifiable to put on townrds her •* an expression of countenance" at which she •♦ \ook fire," on account of a remark as to the dexterity and in- telligonco of American stage drivers, and tl'n docility of their horses, and this too, when she seems merely to hnvo echoed bis own language. These circumstances, will vndoubtodly, make a ▼ery unfavourable impression in the United States, amongst those who looked on with amazement at this sort of exhibition, and were reminded of the scene at the clachan of Aberfoil, when the young English gentleman, Francis Osbaldistone, was so much astonished at seeing the Highlanders " snorting and snuffing up the air, after the manner of their countrymen when working themselves into a passion." It will require all Uicir rocolloction of Sir Charles Bagot, and of his amiable successor, Mr.Vaughan, not to frame a general hypothesis that the idea conveyed by the word " chivalry," is as dilTeront in the two countries, as Captain Hall supposes its pronunciation to be. It is curious how mere trifles illustrate the tonipor and charac- ter. Tuke, for example, the altercation wiih tho schoolmistress at Now York. We all remember tho story of the visit of the late King to one of the public schools in England, when tho pedo- • The sort of nnderbred, oonnjont. air of nwurnnce referred to, pervades th« Tolamos. It iB diincalt to Rire examples of what consists rather in a gonorai flippancy prompting to expressions such as that at Boston, whither many letter, of introdpoiion were taken, ■' So wo merely wrote oar address upon each letter lent oat Ih, ,choh batch (doubtless throngh the Post Office, for ho travelled without a serrant) and sat still to watch the result," 81 l.e.e Hoy, .hough. ,h„r. „.. . gr„.../„,.„ ,„.„*'™ , .^^^ our Cap a,„ noloulj, beard, .h. ■• good .chool„.i..rs„»"h „, t> ..eroal " oh...r,;. b„. chuckle. „. .h. „„.„, h. fc^" .- Ja.>.1: III/ " ;; "rr ""■ "• "»"'■■• •■ «» •• Be fruitful and .epieni.h the earth and »ubdue it. " Nor is it onwholesomo to subdue the land Bj- orten exercise, and where before You broke the earth ngoin to plow." He is surprised that what ho considered a " in " I $hrut;ged my shoulders, and said no more of course, but was much amused afterwards, hy observing that when one of tbe girls in the class in question, a little sprightly, wicked-looking, red-haired lassie, came in turn to read the Poem, she gave to both the words their true interdicted pronunciation. She herself did not dare to look up, while guilty of this piece of insubordination ; but I could see each of the other girls peeping archly out of the corners of their eyes in the direction of the mistress, anticipating probably » a double dose of good counsel afterwards for tiieir pains.'^ Every one but Captain Hall feels that this is very silly and vulgar. Indeed, throughout theeo volumes, there is an unpleasant feel- ing, that we travel •' i a man who would, in real life, make a ▼ery disagreeable .111^ u.Jon. Ho cares not "a fig" (to use his own term at Brockvilie) for any body ; he is opiniative, conceited, eloquent. Then, I warrant, such a fuss about his place, and his baggage, and eternal jars with the chambermaids. One passage in reference to this last matter has been already cited ; but there is another so characteristic that it must not be omitted. It occurs at page 142 of his first volume. He is far away in the western part of the State of New York. " One day," ((his is ever- more the prologue to his talcs of distress,) " One day, 1 was rather late for breakfast, and as there was no water in my jug, or pitcher, as they call it, I set ofF post haste, half-shaved, half- dressed, and more than half-vexed, (i. e. in a great passion,) in quest of water, like a seaman on short allowance, hunling for rivulets, on some unknown coast. I went up stairs and down stairs, and, in the course of my researches into half-a-dozen different apartments, might have stumb!:' on some ladi/'s chamber as the £ong says, which, considering the plight I was in, would* ho propesed to do with those words which were generally pronounced difTerently in the two countries." But it is impossible not .o see that the very word which forth- with makes its appearance was of the Captain's suggestion. We can almost hear onr kind hearted old gentleman exclaim, ''Good Heavens !— Is it possible that yon, a naral oflTtoer, and a man of the world, can have had time to dive thus into Dictionaries !" The whole affair irresistibly reminds ns of the man in the Vicar of Wakefield, with his single scrap of learning about cosmogony; and at New Haven it i» diffioolt to avoid saying aloaJ, with the good Vicar, " I beg pardon for inlerrapliug so mnoh learning, but I think I have heard this before. Fttiy is Dot your name Ephraim Jenkin»on»" BS Lre l,ec» „k„ard e«„„gl.» Now, „„ bohalf of U,.t vorv re- ,n K. 7 . " " *'"''*"*• *^*» Captain Hall was himself to blame, for l^ing in bed until she was called off to waTt on ha breakfast table. That he is rather indolent and 11:11 ^ babas. ho has obligingly informed us. Thus, on a subseln occas.o„. ho sa,s. with a pleasant wit. " there is certainlymore sat.staot.on m taking one's morning nap before sotting tin „ .-Ia.lad..Lnit:^.X^^^ of the New York chambermaid. Captain Hall sa,s. ho wa! • ..^-shaved." How was this? without water? Scarcel, wl did he commence? Above all. why go over the house in a cond.t.on to offend any female he might meet? Why not 'nut Hail v:ould probably have found in these chambers, kdies he scarce!, behove without referring to the volume, that we are serious, .u statmg, that this disgusting trash is to be found in it Ihe truth, as usual, is to bo gathered from attending to ihe context. The ma-'d referred to. was probably such J lit descnbes. at page 121 of the same volume. " a pretty youn« >voman apparently the daughter of the master of the house '' At Jhe next page but ono, and whilst in the same region of country iie says. " By the way of Ice ; this greaf luxury we found eve.^' >vhere ,n profusion, even in the cotiag.s ; and an ice-pit near the Louse, appears to be a matter of course. The miscMefK., that one ,s temvted, in consequence, to drink too much toater, and Ibis to a stranger, enteriny a limesfone country, is not a harmless indulgence by any means.- Thus, then, th- whole matter is explamed. The poor girl put in his room, over night, as much of the hquid as she had found sufficient for any former traveller • but the Captain, allured by its coolness, guzzles away all night al the limestone water, and no wonder he was not ready, betime. Iii If » 84 for kU breakfast. This explanation, is duo to a young woman who has been slandered behind her bark, in a strange country. Did Captain Hall suppose, that this " pretty young woman, ap- parently the daughter of the master of the house," was to jog him by the shoulder " Do you want more water V Would it havo been decent or becoming on her part? Nay, the girl was per- fectly right, in even keeping out of the way of this thirsty soul, when, according to his own shewing, his appearance would have shocked a modest female. Here, then, we iind a gentleman, going about the rooms of a house, expecting every moment to meet females, and conscious that his person was indecently exposed. Yet this refined personage is perpetually hinting, that ho has some ominous disclodures to make, about what he saw in America. " I might easily describe in what the difference consists, betwcan American and European manners. But there is always, I think, more or less, a breach of confidence in such descriptions, however generally, or however delicately expressed." We confess, that the delicacy of this course of conduct is quite lost on us. Surely it would be both mora useful, and more respectful to speak out plainly, so as to give us a chance of refor- mation, than to indulge in general contemptuous hints which ope- rate abroad much more successfully in the way of disparagement, while to ourselves they are more galling. Ho tells us, in another place, that " the rules of behaviour are not yet settled." As he has thus wrapt up himself in mystery, it is necessary to grope after the truth as well as we can^ and assuming Captain Hall himself to be the representative ^ what he calls European man- ners, to glean from his book, what he probably deems the disad- vantageous points of comparison. Thus, for example, we have already seen that the loading distinction between his own manner, and that of the Aniericans, is, found in their habitual courtesy, gentleness, and self-possession. So much for the drawing-room, and the dinner-table. As to their deportment in country inna, he will certainly find few American gentleman disposed to be his imitators. It is not their way to run about a house, half-naked, into the sleeping apartments of females, on the flimsy pretence of looking fur iced water. In their simple code this would bet held altegfilher ungcntcel, A 85 It scorns that the gentlemen in Canada, carry this indecent exposure of the person to an extent, which it would b^ .uincinK ...alters to call merely barefaced. We are indebted to Captain Hall for the following anecdote. (Vol. i. p. 240.) " At this critical St. e of our progress, when. I suspect, we only wanted a good excuse for turning back, but were deterred from aaying so by the mere fact of it, being hazardous to a.lvance. we observed a portly-lookmg horseman approaching us from the marsh, la roply to our interrogatories, as to the stale of the roads further on, he shook his head, and assured us. they were much worse than any we had yet seen. ' The truth is/ added he. chuckhng at his own prowess ' I had myself some considerable distance to ride, through a place where it was so deep that the M^ater came far above my knees.' On hearing this assertion, our eye. naturally glanced, incredulously, to Lis nether garments. wh.ch were perfectly sleek, clean, and dry. • Ohl' cried he, guessmg our thoughts, and smacking his thigh with his hand, ' I was obliged to take off these articles (naming them), and by hung, .ny them over my shoulders I did very well, as you perceive." Cap a.n Hall seems to have struck up an intimacy at once with this gentleman, whom he familiarly designates afterwards, (p. 247 ) as «' our fat friend." the well known phrase of Brummcl. A little further on (p. 265,) he is led into the remark, •' In every part of Canada we found the inhabitants speaking . English, and «c^/„^ and looking like Englishmen, without any discernible dilTerenc... At the other extremity of the continent he was equally taken with the Creek Indians. He regrets (vol iii. p. 290) not having exe- cuted sketches of tl.cm with the Camera Lucida, " but until it was all over this never once occurred to me, and thu. I let slip the onW opportunity which the whole journey, I may say. my whole life presented, of drawing these interesting savages in a leisurely way." Iheir dress was that of the naked Pict, having noLhing about the body, but '• a small, square, dark coloured cloth, about one quarter aa big as a pocket handkerchief, lied by a slender cord round tue middle. ' P-t ..ugh of this. We have not the shghtest fear that CapC dn fairs evil example 4 the State of New lork will have aa, elfect on the sober decencies of the inhabitants of that nioral Commonwealth, nor will they ever be. i w , lievo that tlie people in the mother country are arrayed, as Cap- tain Hall wouJd lead them to infer, altogether after the fashion of our Jirit parents in the old family Bibles. One complaint is preferred against the society of the United States, of rather a singular character. He says, " Positiveljf I never once, during the whole period I was in that country, saw any thing approaching within many degrees to what we should call a FHrlation." It scarce befits our gravity to enter on a vindication of the young people from satii a charge, and we must refer him to what has been said by one of his brother-officers, the Hon. Mr. De Roos. " In American 30oiety, there is far less formality and restraint, than is found in that of Europe; but 1 must observe, that, not- withstanding the freedom of littercourse which is allowed, the Btriclest propriety, prevails both m conversaUon and demeanour." *• I had an opportunity of witnessing an instance of the cordial and unreserved comriuuication which exists," &c. " The manners of the v cmen are so easj/ and natural," &c. The difference between lUetwo witnesses is, probably.'explained by the circumstance, that ore, from his birth, has had access to the society of a Metropolis, whilst Captain Hall tells us that he has " been all his lije at sea, or knocking about," ^c. (vol 3, p. 431.) One whose existence has thus been spent, either on board a man-of-war. or in "knocking," or being knocked " about," cannot have spent much time, we would fain hope with the softer sex. Of course he has had his frolics like other young men, but they have been at Sheerness or Spithead, and as these places live on the seafaring classes, it is probably no difli- cult matter for a brisk young fellow to get introduced, and to find, even in reputable families, young people well inclined to a fine game at romps. In Rees's Cyclopaedia, under the head Portland, we find an account of what is called, in that part of England,' " Portland citsiotn," which must afford rare sport to the young middies; and it accounts, by the way, for a similar practice said to prevail in some parts of the backwoods of America, having, doubtless, been carried thither by some emigrants from this very quarter. To one dwelling on such free and easy reminiscences, it is quite natural that there should appear, in the United States' / 87 auemion paid to one person above alJ others " Tf .= .., in«>n'^ " >.nf .■» « L . . ° ail oiuers. it is «o/ " attach- ment, bat It " borders c ose y npou it" '« if !<.=„• • • • comtngent. Truly, at the present dav in T-n^i i . seaports, one of these insinuatinrBillv T . ' , ' "'" '" "*^ of •' discovering his mind" wild h ' ^ ' "^"' '" ""' '«*'' by the heels bofn « . f '''^ 'P' '"'^"'^ '""'«^Jf J=»d uy me neejs, before a court and jury. It is IipK? » ..."gMer,.and.,a,:hf™f„g': ,::"!:':' " "T";: '° "^ an exhibition „c„ld bo deemeTon,-,! , "^"' """ '"'='' New Yort B. , M ' ' '■"'*»'• '° iM-lon as in JNowlToit. Bywayof Illustration, we ma.. u...... fr,,i;, ;i wttnessed any .„oh soeoe, he woWd 'p,.obabi; haT et U in" ™s.ve and „„U„d, to solicit an introduction to the vo„„r,l perhaps che most interestincr npr.«» • ., ^ ^ lady— according ,0 ,ho sa lor IL "thr " ""./"'""-"-"■■S "■»'. Ihe ingenuit, of ,„o'c^„ i ' jr'VnT''""^ ' . . ■narkabl, ntanifestod ., St ckbrit^J He at e„,M .'^ ", "" at that nlarp h,,i ii, i """»"• Ue attended a cattle-show mat place, but the day was a most unfavourable one- " all »,. «/r«j,.rf, and all their amusements marred. The ^«^ flags,, iL '4 m stead of waving over tlio heads of the lads and lasses of the neigli- bourhood, huug dripping down to the very mud," &c " Shortly after the ploughing match was ended, the day cleared up, and I expected to see some of that merriment set a going which I had been taught (o consider as the appropriate, and almost necessary accompaniment to such a meeting. In particular, I hoped to see the women tripping out," &c. So far from this being the case, " the women trudged home." After a hasty dinner, to which they sat down at one o'clock, they proceeded to the church to hear an oration, and he describes, minutely, the process employed to secure him a good seat. " It was obvious, from a hundred things, that they wished to treat strangers with all distinction." The females had previously been provided with places in the church. From these simple facts, Captain Hall draws two inferences— 1st. That there is a sombre gloomy temper in the country ; an indisposition to merriment; the people won't laugh; " they appear woefully igno- rant of the difficult art of being gracefully idle." 2nd. That the women are sedulously set apart from the men on all public occa- sions. " At Stockbridge, it is true, a considerable number of women were present at the oration, but they were carefully placed on one side of the church." Now we humbly conceive that the facts stated by Captain Hall, furnish us with the true explanation of both the circum- stances which appeared so inexplicable, and he knows the fun- damental rule of philosophy, that no more causes are to be sought for than will sufficiently explain the phenomena. Wilh regard to the first, it strike us, that as the poor women had had all their finery " destroyed," and themselves draggle-tailed in the mud, while Captain Hall was gazing from the window, it was quite a sufficient reason why they should make their way home in order to dry themselves, particularly as they had to take their places, at one o'clock, to hear the oration. 2nd. As to the arrange- ment at the church, there seems to be an equally obvious ex- planation. If precautions were necessary to secure places for strangers, it is quite natural that some arrangement should be made to provide for the convenience of the ladies. Indeed Captain Hall tells us, " It is a rule we saw universallj/ observed in Ame- rica, never to think how the men shall fare till every female Ic provision in niu(b) for the acronimoda- tionof ludifs who con u.nlly attend, without any ridiciilouH, and aoniewbiit (b^rogatury, effort at concottJmout. Tho tamo in tho ease iu all tho Slate legisbtturci. Aa to the eourtB of justice, ho sun ly doos not mean to nsiiorf. that it is cu8l(.uiary, in London, for bdies to attend tboni. Such is not tho fact, and few who take up Ibo newspaper accounts uf jury trials will wish, that their wives, dauglilors, or sisters, hud been present to join in tbo •• laugh" with which the report is usuaUy iutorlanled, or to have been deuirod to withdraw on account of apprehended indolieaey. It certainly is not fashionablo for ladies in America to bo present on such occasions, uul.ss tho nature of tbo case bo well known; but in tho Supremo Court of the United States, sitting as a Court of Error, he must havo daily scon tbo gay throng in attendance, and the careful provision made for their acconnnodation. If by •• a certain and most influential portion of female interest" being '« mixed" with (bo " duties" of a court of justice, bo refer to that kind of influence which brought about the difimisaal of Lord Chan- cellor Clarendon, it is very certain we know nothing of it. Any other meaning be may havo, wo have not succeeded in catching. As to Electiont, wo plead guilty, to being of the number of those who rejoice that they abstain from any active interference. Surely Captain Hall, after deprecating the prevalence of po.itical discus- sions amongst us, cannot be serious in regretting that tho better half of our population should keep aloof from the irritating con- test. One would think he ought rather to rejoice that tho fireside 18 sacred, and that it affords something to relieve and soften the bilteruess of party spirit. Wo wore certainly not much edified, during the last session of Parliunent, at Petitions from femaloi .<^, rta^ .n-e.I wh«„ Mr. Wo,..er a.uroc. ...e t Jro were not r.;! cert. uulj, not bo.n able to collect nearly that nu.aber. llo tol.1 mo. ,00. what I models" he deprocutes, we suppose them to have been, the one that of Col. Barre, and the other. Lord Chatham's. The'phrases quoted. '< Gratitude ! Gratitude to England.'\tc.. are Col. Barr6's With an addition, we suspect, from Captain Hull, The American gentlemen who accompanied him were " disconcerted" at the cir- 1 IJ I 1^ lOal cnniMtanco. Tlio Cnptaiii manireslod Ih'h nana] good breeding liy loud and aarcaiilic iiicrriuienl. " We wore anmacd to the top of our bent, and t!ie j'oung oralora seeing ua talo more than com- mon interest ia (beir deolamationa, elevated their Toicea/' &o. Strange that Captain If all cannot aoo the wretchodl)r vulgar ta«to of all this ! If, aa we are inclined to auppoBe,tho apeech which ho heard waa that of Lord Chatham, uaualljr aaaociated with Barrd'a, we can readily underataiid that it might not have been very accept- able to him. The following ia au extract :— *' Tbeae Coloniata are now, my Lorda, called rebela ; they are stigmatised with every base and abnaive epithet in the English language. Yet, my Lordn, Ire- member when this country waa waging war with the united powora of France and Spain ; when there was a rebellion, • Scotch rebel' hou, within thia land ; / remember when our fleets were useless-* our armies ansuocessful — that thete men, now deacribed as the blackoat aud baaest of all rebels, nay more, that very Colony which haa been reprcacuted as the hot- bed of aeditioii and treason— that colony against which the Ireenest lightnings of government are denounced and directed ; I remember, I nay, my Lords, thi$ very Cv/onjr, sending forth four regiments of undisciplined militia, which gave the first cheok to France in her proud career, and erected the standard of conquest on the walls of Louisbonrgh. But, my Lords, we need not point out particular facts in proof of the bra- very, the zeal, the duty and afFectionof the people ; the nnnals of the last war (that which ended in 1763), will tell such of your Lordships ns are not old enough to remember, how they fought, and bow they bled ; they will tell yon how generously they con- tributed, how like loving brothers they shared the common burden ■nd the common danger. Your system, my Lords, has been erected tn the ruins of the Constitution, and founded in conquest, aud you hare swept all Germany of its refuse as its means. There is not a petty, insignificant, prince, whom you have not solicited for aid." (Centleman's Magazine for 1777, p. 251-2.) Our tourist cannot seriously think that an American school- master is bound to prohibit tlie use of Lord Chatham's speeches. True, Captain Hall has a peculiar theory of his own on the subject of public speaking, and insists on a sort of quiet, snug, colloquial manner, little suited to the vehement aud masculine spirit of the 103 great orator, or indce.! of Fox. Burke, or Canning. He oannot ab.do, lie .a>«, that *• loud oratorical (one wliioh J. the banc of goml dtbating." With regard to Col. Barre. if Joniua did not diadain to borrow a aarcaim from Lim, Burely iw may be per- nutted to refer to one who was the most atrenaoas asaerter of th« great conatitutional principle on whioh the revolution waa fought and with regard to which both countrioa now e.itertain the same' opinion. That our admiration of Lord Chatham'a oratory is not liltogothor connected with his conduct in reference to the revolu- tionary struggle may he inferred from the circumstance that the ipeech on the difficulties with Spain is equally well known, and a* great a favourite in our schools. We remember to have recited it with due emphasis and discretion, from •• Select Speeches, Foren- sic and Parliamentary," whioh is the standard American collec- tion, and in the following passage we find that our memory cor- responds exactly with the report in the Gentleman'. Maguxioe f«r the year 1770, (p. 671.) ' " My Lords, the English are a candid, an ingenuous people ; tha Spaniards are as mean and crafty as they are proud and insolent. Ihe integrity of the English merchant, the generous spirit of our naval and military officers would be degraded by a comparisoa with their merchants or officers. \^'ith their ministers 1 have oft*, oeen obliged to negociate, and after long experience of their wairt of candour and good faith, I found my^di compelled." &c. The Quarterly Review in quoting this part of Captain Hall'. book, expresses infinite horror, that such a temper " could b« introduced into the recitatior, of their inflated compositions in their seminaries for education." Wo have given what is snppo^ to be the true explnnalion, though the tourist has so veiled his de- scription that nothing but conjecture can be hazarded. We may ask, whilst on the subject, for an explanation of a circumstance which has attracted some attention in the United States. In the Gen- tleman's Magazine, for April, 1815, (p. 352,) will be found not merely the adoption of a model, but an original composition pre- pared for the most distinguished •« seminary for education," ia Groat Britain-that of Westminster. It was here, that Loitl Mansfield was educated, and his biographer remarks. " His Lordship having paid every grateful tribute to Westminater i! i 104 Scliool in his life lime, wlero lie received his education, his pro- found respect Tor alma mater dictated the direction in his WiH» that his remains should be deposited there." The coraposilion alluded to is a virulent attack on the United States; and the purity and force oi the Latin »hew it to he no school-hoy pro- duction. It is thrown into tlie foiMU of a dissuasive against emigra- tion to the United States, and, of course, was written after the ler'uinatiun of the war. Tl;c following are specim is of its vitu- peration. It is said, to be, there, accounted a good joke to gouge, to scalp, to bite oil' the nose, and to take human life. oculos cxscalpere, polUce frontera Scalpcre, nasuin omnein mordicus abripere Alque necare hoirluem jocus est lepidissinius. To lie, is the great boast of an American merchant. " Mcntiri est mercatorih laus summa." Of the Chief Justice of the United States, it is said, " Optimus ct Judex inaximuo est ncbulo." and of the various meanings of the word, whether " rascal," " scoundrel," " hector," " cowardly bully," &c., the reader is promp led to select the most odious. Did Captain Hall hear any thing of this «i0»-t in the United States ? It is not designed, be it observed, lo cherish a generous recollection of national prowess, but consists of mere cold-ldooded defamation. The same per- sonage hab filled the office alluded to for more than a quarter of a century, and Captaii? Hall speaks of '• the pre-eminent talents and high character of the present venerable Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States." May not the learned authorities of this Institution reHect, with pain, how far they have contributed, to foster that " uukituUy feeling," and that, " animo- sity," which, we are told, prevail in Great Britain towards America? TLe young gentlemen who were tutored tc utter these falsehoods are now in tiie House of Lords, or the House of Commons. Can the shade of Lord Mansfield .'inger with com- placency round a fcucnc dcoecrated by the slander of one whom he would not have disdained as an associate in the Sacred wmisirv vi .;usiice ; \03 Captain Hall is at a loss to understand what moHvet he can possibly have for giving an unfavourable account of the United States. Without imputing to him either the guilt, or the steadi- ness of purpose, implied in a settled determination to misrepre- sent, we can readily imagine a variety of considerations which ^ave, perhaps insensibly to himself, given a tone to his book. We are willing to believe that he reached the threshold of publi- cation irresolute. A confused mass of materials lay oefore him j a great deal prepared, while he saw every thing « through a bilious medium," and the rest in a more complacent mood ; time was hastening to take from the interest and freshness of his state- ments ; a decision must be made ; and it was essential to the dignity of the work to give to the whole, some prevailing character, 80 that even grave Statesmen might not disdain to draw from it importar.t political reflections. This is the trying crisis when anxious thoughts throng upon a weak, and a vain, man, looking over his discordant notes and Calculating the chances of success ; and it is to this period that our remarks apply. A manufacturer of books, like' the manufacturer of any other article, must study the taste, aud even ihe caprice, of the market. Those •' china plates," as Captain Hall calls them, w'.fich he saw bearing the image of General Washington, came from Eng- land ; and nothing, certainly, can exceed the good nature with which the amiable people at the Potteries have waived their pre- judices, and ministered to our self-complat-ency. particularly in reference to the naval con.baU. Now as to the American market, Cai-tain Hall ascertained that in order to take out a copyright, he must be a resident of the United States, and this not exactly cuiting his views, he declares, that he writes exclusively for his own countrymen. What, then, did he believe would be the most acceptable strain ? He has characterised the prevalent temper towards America, by the epithets « ilUwill," " animosity," " unkindly feelings." It was, therefore, not likely that a book got up in a temper utterly rebuking these sentiments would be a very popular, or a very saleable, one. Captain Hall had the benefit of his own experience to guide him. He knew how much more gratifying it was to find " his original and pre- judiced conceptions right, than to discover that injustice hjid 106 i M ^ ' W ii previously been done to the people." (vol. i. p. 167.) Precon- ceived opinions are not, as he justly remarks, to be « got rid of without a certain degree of inconsistency generally painful, and sometimes ridiculous." (ib ) If he experienced, this feeling amidst the kindness and hospitaliry of the country, he might well anticipate its existence on the part of those who, with like pre- judices, have no such reason for thinking their indulgence ungra- cious or unkind. It is undoubted, that the Judgment is piqued by perpetual contradiction and efforts to set us right, and, besides, more labour is involved in the process than one chooses to expend on volumes classed with the lighter literature of the day. It is another advantage, and sometimes an important one, of a tone of assentation, that we require nothing to corroborate what fulls, quietly, in with our own previous belief, whilst he who opposes it becomes at once the adversary's witness, and half our thoughts are employed in preparing a cross-examination, and considering how hio testimony may be assailed. In the next place, it is evident, that Captain Hall, if not himself a partisan, has, at least, been, habitually, in associiition, and the warmest sympathy, with the party described in the following passagd* of the Edinburgh Review, (Vol. xxxiii. page 399.) « It is a fact which can require no proof even in America, that there is a party in this country not friendly to political liberty, and deci- dedly hostile to all extension.^f popular rights, which, if it does not grudge to its own people the powers and privileges which are bestowed on them by the Constitution is, at least, for confining their exercise within the narrowest limits — which thinks the peace and well being of society in no danger from any thing but popular encroachments, and holds the only safe or desirable government to be that of a pretty pure and unincumbered monarchy, sup- ported by a vast revenue and a powerful army, and obeyed by a people just enlightened enough to be orderly and industrious, but no way curious as to questions of right, and never presuming to judge of the conduct of their superiors. Now, it is quite true that this party dislikes America^ and is apt enough to decry and insult her. Its adherents never have forgiven the success of her War of Independence — the loss of a nominal sovereignty, or perhaps, of a real power of vexing and oppressing her supposed 107 rivalry in trade, and. above all. the Lappioess and tranquillity which she enjoys under a republican form of government. Such a spectacle of democratical prosperity is uuspeakably mortifving to the,r principles, and is easily imagined to be dangerous to their secunty. Their Orst wish, and for a tUne their darling hope, was ti^at the .nfant States would quarrel among themselves, and be inankful to be again received under our protection as a refuge from military despotism. Since that hope was lost, it would have atisfied them to find that their republican institutions had made them poor, and turbulent, and depraved, incapable of civil wisdom, regardless of national honour, and as intractable to their own elected rulers as they had been to their hereditary sovereign. To those who were capable of such wishes, and such expectations, ins easy to conceive that the happiness and good order of the United Stales-the wisdom and authority of their government- and the unparalleled rapidity of their progress in wealth, popula- tion, and refinement, must have been but an ungrateful spectacle; ' and most especially, that the splendid and steady success of the freest and most popular form of government that ever was esta- blished in the world, must have struck the most lively alarm into the hearts of all those who were anxious to have it believed that he people could never interfere in politics, but to their ruin, and tha the smallest addiUon to the democratical influence recognised in the theory, at least, of the British Constitution, must lead to the immediate destruction of peace and prosperity, morality and ehgion. I hat there are journals in this country, and journals, too of great and deserved reputation in other respects, who have spoken the language of the party we have now described, and that in a tone of singular intemperance and ofi-enee. we mJst readily admit," &c. It is curious to note how soon after the Revolution Uus temper was displayed. *^ Dr. Franklin in the year 1786. writing from America to M. Lo VeiUard, uses the following language. (Memoirs. &c.. London TV Tu ^' ^"-^ " ^' '"'"'^^•^ '^'' ^" '^^ «^«"«« spread in' the English papers of our distresses and confusions, and dis- contents with our new government, are as chimerical as the history of my being in chains at Algiers. They exist only in th« ioe WJsfies of our enemies/' "All this is in answer to that part of >our letter, in which yoa seem to have been too mach impressed with some of the ideas which those lyiag English papers endeavour to incnicate concerning as." And again, in a letter to David Hartley, £sq., he says, (vol. ii. p. 136.) " Yoor Newspapers are iilled with acconnts of distresses and miseries, that these States are plunged into, since their separation from Britain. Yon may believe me when I tell you, that there is no truth in these accounts." In a letter, dated London, 22nd April, 178G, Mr. Jefferson isays, (See Memoir, Correspondence, &c., London, 1829, 2 vol, p. 2.) " 1 dined the other day in a company of the Ministerial jparty. A General Clark, a Scotchman and ministerialist, sat next to me. He introduced the subject of American affairs, auJ in the course of Iho conversation, told me that were America to petition Parliament to be again received on their former footing, the petition would be very generally rejected." The same disposition is manifested, at the present day, by those Nvho think it important to decry the influence of popular sentiment in every country, and under every form of government. The continued tranquillity and happiness of America they regard as an affront to their sagacity, and as having, for fifty years, kept them out of a good argument. Fortunately, a new topic has of late years started up to vary the themes current in Dr. Franklin's day. The difficulty experienced by the people of Mexico, &c., in suddenly turning to the best advantage their escape from Despotism ; the awkwardness of their first attempts at self-government without the least previous training or preparation, have been turned to excellent account. The omission, also, to pay dividends, has given a shock to the credit of Republicanism on Change, and the panic spreading, thence, amongst the holders of the public securities, people start at the very word Reform, as if it must laad to something shifty, and insecure, besides involving an unworthy imitation of a parcel of Republics, who, if caught in England, would be every onu of them in the Kings Bench before night. It is a matter ofcourse, that We arc destined to the same evils; Iho whole ucing treated as one great partnership concern for lbs V ~i 109 auu , propagation of republicanism, anJ we, as senior members of tlio Firm, liable for the errors of the others, and, perhaps, in honour* if the matter were duly oonsidered, for their debts. The Quarterly Review assures its readers, that it is " only by maintaining peace thai they (the United States,) have any chance of preventing their country from exhibiting the same scenes of misery, as are now dis- playing themselves in the sister democracies of Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and La Plata (No. for November 1820.) The Review, has, indeed, ventured on a very bold experiment To the Article on Captain HalPs Travels, is appended a Letter purporting to come from the United States, of which the object is to prove the folly of attempting to remedy the grossest abuses in Govern- ment or the Laws. The writer is made, mysteriously, to say, " nature will sometimes effect changes, but art cannot," and be ** honours" the Spaniard who " boasts" of the tranquillizing etFects of the Inquisition. The whole, in short, is not merely a rebuke of those who achieved the American Revolution, but of all who were active in 1608, or even in bringing about the late measure of relief to the Catholics. It is introduced as confirmatory of a hope thnt Captain HalPs book may do good in America. Now, unfortunately for any such connection, the whole object of his profound work, is to prove that America never can be happy without a complete change in her form of government. Even Dram- drinking, Captain Hall declares, must go oh increasing, so long as we continue to bo republicans. " The habit, according to my view of the matter, is interwoven in the very structure of that political society which the Americans not only defend, but uphold, as the very wisest that has ever been devised, or ever put in practice for the good of mankind," (vol. ii. p. 85). So far, then, from incul- cating the principle of stare decisis. Captain Hall assures us that evon our vows of sobriety, for the time to come, will be utterly unavailing, unless we lay the a\e to the root of the evil, and strike out all the more popular features of our Constitution— including, perhaps, the provision as to the Libeily of the Press. Doubtless his suggestion will have due weight with those who are endeavouring to discover a remedy for an evil which is now so severely scourging England, and which shortsighted \ -(tie have attributed to a very J iior The Organ cf the Party to which allngioti has been made is, ■nUouUtedly, the Quarterly Review ; and Captain Hall cannot be ignorant of iu influence with thfl class of persons irao whose hand» tis book was likely to fall. Jn the Number for January 1828, of tliat work, is an Essay on the subject of America, written by some one connected with t/us English Admiralty, and enjoying iamiliar access to its archives. It is in ibis article that the ex- pression is used. •• Wo need hardly say there is not a Captain ia the British JSavy, who would not, in the event of a contest, bo delighted to meet with the Pennsylvania while in command of the Caledoaia." It is remarkable that in this same article, a " zoiah" is expressed tl,al the kindness shewn to Captain IJall in the United Siates, miyht not have the effect of " caushig our agreeable Cap. tain to see things couleur de rose." (No. for January, I829. p.26l.) This was eighteen months before the appearance of the Travels, anil >^e submit that it was hardly fair. Its tendency was, in the tirst place, to disincline Americans to extend to a traveller, /A«* cau- tioued, the kindness and the facilities for obtaining information «hich any other stranger would have enjoyed, lest the mere im- pulse of hospitality might beconstniod into a wish to purchase from the '• agreeable Captain" golden opinions of themselves and their country. Nor would it seem to be less calculated to have an influence on the agreeable gentleman himself. The air of the several articles referred to, and of another of the same s'.amp, in the No. for January 1829. is altogether official and authoritative. Thus we are told, and the information ia now for the first time given to the world, that the conflagration at Washington, «' was in reality a measure of the Cabinet, and not of the Camp," (tso. for March 1028, p. 613); and in the more recent article referred to, it is said, " with conjidence as regards the Government— with fall conviction as far as regards the more intelligent part of the community, we can affirm," &c. &c. (No. for January 1820, p. 241.) Slight hints from such a quarter always mean rather more than meets the ear. It can require no great sagacity on the part of the officer to whom advice is thus addressed, to understand that his chance of continuing to merit the title of " agreeable," will depend not a little on his consenting to afford some degree of countenance to the tirades of his counsellor. Care, indeed i» Ill taken in these Articles to give very clear warning of the treatment which an author mnst expect, who, however accommodating hit gen(*al temper may be, yet ventures, on any occasion, to express a sentiment inconsistent with the pnrposes of the critic. Thus Ibo author of the •• Narrative of the Campaigns at Washington, hy the anthor of The Subaltern," though a landsman, and scarcely subject to Admiralty jurisdiction, and speaking of what on- curred before his oxh eyes, is thus sharply rebuked for having the weakness to deplore the extent of mischief committed at Washington. «' We are sorry that a writer possessed of our au- thor's seme and judgment, should h»ve incotwidwatety joined in such an outcry as this. He ought to have paused and reflected teell, ere ho thus ventured to give additional currency to the disin- genuous suppressions and exaggerations of our enemy, and to echo the unscrupulous flourishes of republican rhetoric." (QuarCerlj Review for March 1828, p. 512.) Another example of denunciation could hardly fail to rest on the memory of Captain Hall, for his own name is introduced into it. 'J'hus in the review of Faux's Travels, tlie following expressions occur (vol. 29, p. 339,)—" From such a man, and with such objects in view, one practical page is worth all the radical trash of the Halls, the Wrights, and the Tell Harris's, in enabling us to form a just estimate," «!tc. The assault on Miss Wright is thus followed np, '« Author of Views of Society and Manners in America. W« flattered ourselves that nothing so base and degenerate in the shape of an Englishwoman could b« found, but the sad reality has since appeared ; a Mii;8 Wright, an adopted daughter (as she says), of Jeremy Bentham, having prefixed hrr name to it." The Hall referred to, is an Officer of the British Army, who published a volume of Travels in the United States which, though dis- playing all the feelings of an Englishman, did not indulge in that blind and indiscriminate abuse of the country which had been looked for. On this account it was condemned to be burnt bj the hands of that common hangman of the Review, who docs the articles on America. , But there was deep cunning in the hint given to Captain Hall.*" It sliewed him exactly the turn which wouldbe given to any favour- able representation he mijjhl make of the United States, He saw 112 U . ^ the ridioule prepared for Iiim, as one whose palate, and whose vaDit)r, had been tickled by good dinners and civil speeches. He saw in anticipation, " it will be remembered that eighteen months ago, we took occasion to point out the danger to which onr agrees able Captain was exposed, and really we cannot find it in our hearts to ruarrel with the amiable weakness which has not been proof against the temptation to which we feared it would be na- equal." What a mortifying reception this, compared with the full, earnest, unqualiOud burst of gratitude with which he has beca greeted ! " If we may penetrate the motives of an author from his work, we should judge his design has been [to describe the United States?— No — but] to render sundry topics intelligible and popular which are not generally understood or relished by the bulk of the people, but to whom right views on these subjects are likely to bo practically benclioial. He evidently wishes to show the advan- tages which flow from the distinctions of rank, &c. &c. We are quite sure his book must do good hero. It may furnish many tcell disposed persons with arguments by which to defend the blessings they enjoy ; it may decide ihe wavering, and confuse, if not silence, the turbulent and the revolutionary, of whom, we sup- pose, no free country will ever be entirely devoid, though we cer- tainly do not remember the period at which one heard less of then) in England than at present.**! One reflection is unavoidable. If Captain Hall's denunciationg are deemed of such vital importance, it follows that a correspond- ing degree of mischief must have resulted from his speaking in favourable terms of the popular ingtitutions of the United Slates. An object so important justiBed, perhaps, a language of caution tp him which seems, on its face, strangely illiberal. No one who reads the Article can well doubt its having been drawn up by a person conversant with the documents at Whilehall. It has, by some, been attributed to Mr. Croker, the Secretary of the Admi- ralty, and by others, to the Under Secretary. Captain Hall, however, knows better than we can pretend to inform him who Was his significant prompter. But we are good natiiredly disposed, instead of drawing harsh inferences of our own, to give the tourist an opportunity of 113 speaking for himself. It ii proposed, therefore, to follow his morei- ments until we have reached a pretty decisive manifestation of his actual feelings towards the Republic. He tells us, that his first impressions of that country were formed "two or three and twenty years ago," whilst a mid- shipman of the «' Leander, flag-ship of the Halifax station." They were not of a favourable kind. " I confess I was not very well disposed to the Americans, a feeling shared with all my companions on board, and probably, also, with most of mjf su- periors." In order to understand how a midshipman on the Halifax station could pretend to form an opinion of the character of the people of the United Slates, it is necessary to gather from other quarters a history of the conduct of the British cruisers along our coast. In the London «• New Monthly Magazine" for August 1829, a gentleman who had been in America many years ago, in the public service of Great Britain, and who has recently made another visit, thus describes theur operations :— " You will allow it admits of doubt, whether any coasting skipper, snugly in his birth, and his schooner at anchor, should think it very pleasant to be ordered on deck, in linen, at the dead hour of a cold night, by a voice such as is much affected by naval officers, particularly by that important class, the midshipmen, and before he had time to ascertain if the sound was not that of bis vessel rubbing on the ground, to hear the rigging riddled by a platoon of marine mus- quetry. Nor was it calculated to obtain a good report amongst the Yankees to drag their ships to leeward, bows under, because they could not answer signals with quite as much alacrity as a high-in- order man-of-war, although it might be done with the kind intention of teaching them to be more adroit. Moreover it was not, obviously, very funny, in a frigate honestly cruizing for prizes, when she happened to find herself short of junk, politely to tak^' a slow American in tow, an«i having got her hawser on board, to draw it in till there was no more to pay out, and then order her to cut and be damned." It is clear that the opinion which a Briiish officer could form of the Americans, under such circumstances, must have been derived from the temper which (hey evinced in reference to so galling a species of annoyance. Doubtless, Midsliipman Hall, and Q ■ 1* Pi If lU the other jouogaters, hia " companions/' coald not forbear to tbiiik how their own proud and hauglity Island would have acted under similar provocatiuu. Suppose a French, or American, frigate in tho Tliames or the Mersey, maltreating the " coasting ' skipper"! Tho Americans wcro probiibl^' regarded on board the Loandcr witli a sort of sportive contempt. Yet nn incident oc- curred which could hardly fail to inspire a graver feeling, lly a •hot from this very Leantlcr poor Pearce was kill«d. The circum- stance is thus noticed in tho British Annual Register for in06, p. 240, " Tlie third ground of complaint on tho part of the Ame- ricans was of infinitely less importance than tho others, and their demand to have their maritime jurisdiction defined and respected Avas so just and reason tbie, that nu objection could be made to it. An uofortunato accident, in which an American seaman happened to be killed within sight of Nezo Vork, by a shot from the Ikitisk armed vessel, the Lcunder, had drawn attenu^a to this subject, and rendered some rcgulHtions indispensable; but no difht ulty could occur in settling a point which was already settled by the law of natii^ms. The affair of tho Leander having takau place during the elections at New York, great use was made of it by the federal party to excite odium against the President, and bring discredit upon bis adm«uistration, on pretence that foreigners were encouraged to commit such outrages by their knowledge of the toeakiiess and timidity of his government.*' Such an incident could hardly fail to sober the levity which before prevailed ; and if there be truth in the remark of Taoilus, that it is natural to hate those whom we have injured — " Proprium humnni ingenii est odisse qunm laseris," we can readily imagine that a sentiment of dislike might mingle with the unpleasant reminiscences of service on our coast. Yet Contempt must have sometimes struggled for tho ascendancy when they recollected what would have been done, if a British life had been lost by a shot from an American frigate into a Newcastle collier, within sight of London. Then, again, offence was probably taken at our asking that the Captain of tho Leander should bo tried, as ho was, by a naval court-mari.a]. Ho was acquitted and We accjuicsccd. Next year, our frigate, Chesapeake, was attacked brbear to are acted imerican, " coasting board the ident oo- g. iiy » e circiim- for inoe, the Ame- aud their respected lade to it. happened lie Ikitish is subject, diffitulty (ed btf the ksu place I of it by and bring ners were Ige of the 'ity which f Taoilufl, ;ht mingle last. Yet incy when \\ life had N'ewcasllo i probably should bo uilted and s atlaciicd by order of the Commnnder-in-Cbi«f of the Halifax station who were kdlod nnd „o„,ulero,-,lamation. An «poI<,..y was •t length made; but Admiral Herkeley. the otfenHing Officer, «, far from being punished, was appointed to the Li.bon station, •gamst the earnest remonstrances of our Minister at Lon.lon, Mr. Pinckuey. Then came the Orders in Council, but it was not until Nme hundred and seventeen of our Vessels,with their Cargoen, had been engulphed in the British Prize Courts that our patience gave way. AH this time, too, the practice of Impressment was going on from such AmL-rican vessels as were spared to us. Unquestionably, ibis sort of tameness must have b,d tho effect very much to lower us in the estimation of a dashing yotmg midshipman. Yet Captain Hall represents his temper as havmg nothing implacable about it. He was willing to for-^et and forgive. Time and distance did a great deal. •• As tho duties," he says, « of a varied service in after years, threw me far from the source at which tliese national antipathies had been imbibed, they appeared gradually to dissipate themselves in proportion as my acqnamtance with other countries was extended, and I had learned to think belter of mankind in generaC He had written books and become a member of several learned societies, and thus a bland, philosophical, spirit gradually soothed the asperity of the young reefer. 11 o became amongst his late thoughtless •• compa- nions," a sort of Orator of the Human Race -a naval Anacharsig Cloots. He reasoned, unceasingly, with them about their prej i- dices. « I came to view with regret the prevalence in others, of those hostile sentiments I had myself relinquished. My next anxiety naturally was to persuade others," &c. If the savages of Loo Choo were so amiable, why might not there be some good points about the Americans? Let them answer that plain ques- tion. These Yankees, ho would say, are made (in a loose way) after God's image, and may have soi Is like yourselves. Tho zeal with which he devoted himself to the propagation of this new theory is amazing, when we consider that he was yet in the hey- day of life, and was surrounded by all the temptations to frivolous " '""'''^ oesei the sauor on siiore. At length these I t ; ( !|\ lit ierioui thonglHa no exercised kit mind that he resolved on thati great step wliicb hat made him linown to oa— his oelebralod Mis* aion to the West. It must be admitted, on all sides, that there was nothing narrow in his views. Ho wished to carry out, as well as to bring bacic, healing in his wings. But there was a difficulty. Ho represents the prejudice on this side of the Atlantic as strong and nniversal. It ia a very remarlcable oiroumstanco that he does not pretend to have made a single convert in the whole course of his labours. No one's wrath was tamed away by his soft words, and oven his old companions, of the Loander, seem to have given his eloquence to the winds. Yet it was nefcessary to have some civil things to say to the Americans, and the object in view being a laudable one, he deemed it justifiable, for a great good, to stretch his con* science a little. He, accordingly, set himself to work to frama a particular form of expression ; and surely no Jesuit could have devised one better calculated to entrap, by seemingly magnificent promises, without in the least committing his own countrymen. He determined to represent to the Americans— «' That the Engliih mre-zoilling'-to Ihink-fVell-ot them-If" they coald-onlif see-juit-gtonnda for-a CAa»^e"of sentiment." Now let it be asked, whether a British oBicer was very chary of his honour in holding out these promises ? Who authorized Cap- tain Hall to give any pledge on the subject, much less to the ex- tent to which he proceeded? He left behind him, in England bitter, uncompromising, prejudice. He does not profess to have had the slightest authority, verbal or written, even from the sea- faring classes with whose sentiments he might be presumed to bo best acquainted. And what right had ho to suppose that tluj kouM quietly resign so cherished a portion ol their ideas as tliese ea- tional •• antipathies?" Captain Hall linows, as wellaa ai^ Ijody, that these gentlemen are the very persons, who, liico Goldsmith's Croaker, are quite willing to listen to reason, after they have made up tbeir minds, for " then it can do no harm." What I why after 8 wbii" i; )} would have nothing left to damn but their own souls. Mar>i ! 'o tnrihiy; of the language prepared for the United States! Fair si. iLa -promise is to the ear when rnpidly uttered, it vanishes 117 w, leji yoa do not alur the //, and the concluding word*. Il Wndf ' nobody. Should Uio American, come into any arr«i)g|.inont with him as to an armi.tico, and agree to lay down iheir prejadicM, he might laugh in their faces th next moment. The Treaty would be so much waste paper without the asscn. of all the indii iduaU of the Bnlisli Empire, including the vast body of naval olTicers. marmes, seamen, ordinary seamen, and boys, scattered all over the world, the Lord knows where. Yet into this sort of one-.ided comp.otwa. Captain Hall's language artfully intended to lead; and a piulu-spokcn seaman, who was not put on his guard, would re;iUy i«<.o it for granted that he had a regular Power of Attorney. It is, now, our serious business to watch closely the movements, languagc,:and even looks of a Witness, who finally comes forward to establish the enmity of the two nations, and who, perpetually, attempts to fortify his testimony by asseverations of candour and fairness. In six weeks aOer landing at Now York, Captain Hall found Lmisclf in Canada. It is proper to notice, here, the inaccuracy of the Quarterly Review, in staling, (November 1820, p. 420,) that he "ftrst visited the Northern and Eastern States, then passed into Canada." This is not so. Captain Hall proceeded up the Hudson in a steam boat to Albany, and travelled thence to Niagara, never quitting the direct route through the State of Neir York, except that, from Albany, he went thirty-eight miles to a small, secluded town, in the western part of Massachusetts. Be- fore we permit him to cross into Canada, let us interrogate him as to the materials which he had collected for forming an opinion of the United States. And to begin, as Bacon would advise, by negatives. He had not witnessed the proceedings of Congress ; he had not been present at a meeting of a State legislature. These he, subsequently, represents as the scenes whence bin reflections were principally drawn, and as having decided his opinions as to ^e practical working and tendency of our system of government. He had not seen a Slave. In short, he had encountered none of those circumstances which he would fain make us believe, gra- dually, threw a cloud over his fair anticipations. On the other haad, on quilting Ntw York, he says, it was difficult to " dis- entangle ourselves from the ' fascinalions of th« .rr«,t .w. - ■ £3 —V f -• .;■ It V'' :'i r til f I JlH 118 had been no leiis deligbted with " the kind friendB*' he met there, thac with the institnttons of every description of these " energetic people," and with the '* hospitable and liberal style/' which uni- versally prevailed. The endearing recollection, too, of that " glorious breakfast," which he declares shall brave, these thousand years, the battle and the breeze, was thou but a month old — a little monthi On the bosom of the Ilndson, he missed nothing but Pri- mogeniture^ He visited the Penitentiaries ; and the great New YorV; Canal could not fail to make a suitable .tnpression on him. Other scene.'/ which he witnessed are thus described : " As the windings of the Canal brought u in sight of fresh ▼istas, new cnltivatiou, new villages, now bridges, new aqueducts, rose at eyery moment, mingled up with scattered dwelling.:;, mills, churches, all span new. The scene looked really one of enchant- ment.'* " On the 19lh of June, we reached Syracuse, through the ▼ery centre of which tlie ]£rie Canal passes. During the drive, we had opportunities of seeing the land in various stages of its progress, from the dense, black, tangled, native, forest, up to the highest stages of cultivation, wilh wheat and barley waving over it; or from that melancholy, and very hopeless looking state of things, when the trees are laid prostrate upon tho earth, one upon top of another, and a miserable log-hut is tho only symptom of man's residence, to such gay and thriving places as Syracuse, with iine broad streets, large and commodious houses, gay shops, and stage coaches, waggons, and gigs, flying past, all in a bustle. In the centre of the village, we could see from our windows the canal thickly covered with freight boati and packets, glancing silently past, and shooting like arrows through the bridges, some of which were stone, and some of painted wood/' " Every now and then, we came to villages, consisting of several hundred houses ; and in the middle, I observed there were always several Churches." •• The village of TJtica, stands a s*ep higher in this progressive scale of civilization ; for it has several Church Spires rising over it, and at no great distance an institution, called Hamilton College, intended, I was told, for the higher branches of science. We also visited Syracuse, a village with extensive salt* works close io 119 U: and bad numerous opportunities of examining the Erie Canal, and the great Ligh-road to Buflalo; so that what with towns and J cu.es. Indians, forests, cleared and cultivated lands, girdled trees, log-houses, painted ohurcb.s. villas, canals, and manufactories, and hundreds of thousands of human beings, starting into life, a 1 w,tUm the ken of one da/s rapid journey, there was plenty of stulJ tor the imagination to work upon." " Often, too, without nmch warning, we came Jn sight of busy vdlagcs, ornamented with tall white Spires, topping above towers, •n which the taste of the villagers had placed green Venetian binds; and at the summit of all. handsome gilt weather-cocks ghttenng and crowing, as it seemed, in triumph over the poor " Our next halt was at the end of an extremely pretty lake not quite so large as the two last we had visited, but still an ex- tensive piece of water. This lake, and the village which stands at the northern extremity, are called Canandaigua. I may re- mark, that the term village, conveys a different idea to us from what It docs to an American. The word town would seem more appropriate, as these villages are not composed of cotta-es clus- tered together, but of fine houses, divided by wide streets, and embellished by groves of trees, and flower gardens. At certain corners of all these villages, or towns, blacksmiths, coopers, and her artisans are to be found; but, generally .peaking, the houses at Canandaigua, for instance, have more the appearance of sepa- rate country houses, than of mere component parts of a villa-e In the centre there is always left an open space or market place' with showy hotels on one side; the cou. chouse on the other • and perhaps a Church, and a Meeting-House, to complete the Square." *^ " Canandaigua lies nearly in the centre of Ontario county, a large tract of which was purchased many years ago, I believe in 1700, by some English gentlemen, who paid about five cents an acre for ,t, or about two-pence halfpenny. Great part of it has since been sold at prices varying from one and two dollars, to ten. and even twenty dollars." " In the meantime, we had abundant ocular demonstration of m } 120 ttie fefipiBct paid to the subject of Religion ; for scarcely a single village, however small, was without a Church." *' On the 26th of June, 1827, we strolled through the village of Rochester, under the guidance of a most obliging and intelligent friend, a native of this part of the country. Every thing in this bustling place appeared to be in motion. The very streets seemed to be starting up of their own accord, ready made, and looking as fresh and new, as if they uad been turned out of the workmen's Lands but an hour before ; or that a great boxful of new houses had been sent by steam from New York, and tumbled out on the half cleared laud. The canal banks were at some places still un- turfed : the lime seemed hardly dry in the masonry of the aque- duct, in the bridges, in the numberless great saw-mills and manu- factories. In many of these buildings, the people were at work below stairs, while at top the carpenters were busy nailing on the planks of the roof." *' Some dwellings were half painted, while the foundations of others, within five yards distance, were only beginning. I cannot say howmany Churches, Court-Houses, Jails, and Hotels,! counted, all in motion, creeping upwards. Several streets were nearly- finished, but had not yet received their names ; and many others were in the reverse predicament, being named, but not com- menced, their local habitations being merely signified by lines of stakes. Here and there we saw great warehouses, without window sashes, but half filled with goods, and furnished with hoisting cranes, ready to fish up the huge pyramids of flour barrels, bales, and boxes lying in the streets. In the centre of the town, the spire of a Presbyterian Church rose to a great height, and, on each side of the supporting tower, was to be seen the dial plate of a clock, of which the machinery, in the hurry-skurry, had been left at New York. I need not say, that these half finished, whole finished, and embryo streets were crowded with people, carts, stages, cattle, pigs, far beyond the reach of numbers ; and as all these werb lifting up their voices together, in keeping with the clatter of hammers, the ringing of axes, and the cracking of machinery, there was a fine concert I assure you !" ** But it struck us, tliat the interest of the town, for ii seems 121 Idle to call it a village, was subordinate to that of tbe snbnrbft. A few years ago, the whole of that part of the country was covered with a dark, silent, forest, and eren as it was, we coold not pro- ceed a mile in any direction, except that of the high road, without coming full-butt against the woods of time immemorial." *^Lockport, is celebrated over the United States as the site of a double set of canal locks, admirably executed, side by side, five in each, one for boats going up, the other for those coming down the canal. The original level of the rocky table land about Lock- port 13 somewhat, though not much, higher than the surface of Lake Erie, from which it is distant, by the line of the canal, about thirty miles. In order to obtain the advantage of having soch an inexhaustible reservoir as Lake Erie, for a feeder to the canal, it became necessary to cut down the top of the ridge on which Lockport stands, to bring the canal level somewhat below that of the lake. For this purpose, a magnificent excavation, called the Deep Cutting, several miles in length, with an average depth of twenty-five feet, was made through a compact, horizontal, lime- stone stratum, a work of great expense and labour, and highl/ creditable to all parties concerned." " The Erie Canal is 363 miles in length, 40 feet wide at tho surface, 28 at bottom, and four feet deep. There are 83 locks of masonry, each 90 feet long, by 15 wide. The elevation of Lake Erie above the Hudson, at Albany, is about 555 feet; but the lockage up and down on the whole voyage is 6«2 feet." Ifet, amidst all these scenes the only reflection which escapes from Captain Hall is a denunciation of the " blighting tempest of democracy," for having done away with Primogeniture and Entails. At this early period, too, he detects «• a wish, when asking for information, to prove my original and prejudiced con- ceptions right, [forgetting, we presume, bis efforts, in England, to " persuade others," to abandon prejudices" I had myself relin- quished,"] rather than to discover that I had previously done the people injustice." He here introduces, also, a sort of Elegy on a dead tree, evidently for the mere purpose of venting his spleen at what he deems the hearllessness of Improvement. " An American settler, can hardly conceive the horror with which a foreis'ner h(>linlr]s cnni. >i..n.k<.>. ^t .-c * .-_ R II II" tir firii .,; ii mi ftandi'ug round him, with their throats cut, the very Banquos of the murdered forest. The process of girdling is this : a circular cut or ring, ' wo or three inches deep, is made with an axe quite round the tree, at about five feet from the ground. This, of course, puts an end to vegetable life ; and the destruction of the tree being accelerated by the action of^re, these wretched trunks in a year or two, ivresent the most miserable ofyjects of decrepitude that can be conceived. The purpose, however, of the farmer is gained, and that is all he can be expected to look to. His corn crop is no longer orershaded by the leaves of these unhappi; trees, which in process of time are cut down and split into railings, or sawed into billets of firewood, and their miseri/ is at an end." Surely, however natural, and even laudable, it may be to culti- vate an almost superstitious reverence for large trees in Scotland, where their scarcity induced Dr. .lohnson to despair of recovering " so valuable a piece of timber," as his lost cudgel, yet Captain Hall ought to have gone to America better prepared to command his feelings. Even in England, Gray,— the most sensitive of poets,- thought this " cutting of throats," a not unpleasing rural image. •* How bowed the woods, beneath their sturdy stroke.'* Viewing the above as a specimen of the tourist's more ambitiouv style,— on which he has evidently put forth his whole strength,— we mny remark, that it falls far shoirt of the celebrated passage •which he evidently had in his eye when penning it. The transi- tion is too abrupt from the cutting down to the termination of the misery, without noticing the intermediate stages of pain and degredation. Swift has managed the matter much better and de- duced a fine moral lesson. •* This single stick which yon now behold inglorioiisTy lying in that neglected corner, I once knew in a flourishing state in a forest ; it was full of sap, full of leaves, and full of boughs, but now, &c." " at length worn to the stumps in the service of the maids, it is either thrown out of doors, or condemned to the last one of kindling a fire. When I beheld this, I sighed, and ftaid within myself, surely man it a broomstick. Nature seni 123 liim into the world strong and Instj, in a thriving condition, wearing iiis own Lair on bis head, the proper branches of thia reasoning vegetable, until the axe of intemperance, &c. (Medita- tions on a Broomstick.) But Captain Hall begins to snuff the air of Canada, and can- not be longer detained. •' We found ourselves once more in hia Majestj^'a dominions, after having passed six weeks in the United States." His ioy is tuninltuous. •« The air we breathed stomed different— the sky, the land, the whole scenery appeared to bo altered." It is impossible to avoid some misgivings at the burst of delight with which he thus hails his escape. It seems fo bo of evil omen as to the feeling with which we may expect him to re-enter the close air of the republic. At Niagara, he expresses, in terms adequately inflated, his admi- ration of the Falls. We feel more interested, and alarmed, at his very minute advice to the proprietor of Goat Island, which almost impends terrifically over the cataract, viz ;— " To make a gravel walk all round the island, broad enough for three persons to walk abreast ; to open little paths in the direction of the best situations for seeing the Falls, and having put down half-a-dozen commodi- ous seats at the said points, to leave all the rest to tho choice of the aBor%iouriEt8 themselves." (vol. i. p. 192.) Should the pro- prietor ever ^11 one item of this upholstering order, we sincerely hope he may be thrown over the cataract by an indignant com- munity. Doubtless Captain Hall wouW make these •'commodi- ous" seats out of the great fallen black oak ! He witnessed, also, the operations at the proposed Welland Canal, and finding " all the locks constructed of wood," remarks, '• It always struck me that the locks on the Erie or New York Canal, might have been advantageouslv made, in like manner, of timber." Much caution, we fear, is necdssary in listening to our tourist's advice, whether it relate to primogeniture, entails, or wooden locks. Mr. M'Taggarf, civil engineer, inspected these works three raontha before Captain Hall was there, and in his recent work, remarks, (vol. ii. p. 162.) "This report was not very well received by the shareholders, but they were quite unable to deny any of its state- ments ; thei/ would work away as they had done, reganJless of my remarks, and had the felicity of observing some of their wooden \- 124 locHcM float down before the fresbets, like targe bird caget, into Lake Outario." On the Ifllh July, 1827, Ibey left tbe Falls, and proceeded by land tbrongh Canada, as far as Kingston on Ibo St. Lawrence. The equipage is thus described:— " For went o/" a better con- veyance we were obliged to travel in a vehicle, diguiGed by the name of a waggon, but which, in fact, was neither more nor less than a good, honest, rattling, open cart." On tbe third day, •' the axletree gave way, and down we came on our broadside. A dwelling was near at hand, but upon trying the doors they were found all locked." He adds, pathetically, "There we were left in the middle of a Canadian forest, at night-fall, sarrounded by swamps, sonorons with innumerable bull frogs, and by an atmos- phere clogged with noxious vapours, and clouded with mosquitoes." At length they got " again in motion, though in a still less magni- ficent conveyance, literally a common two-wheeled farm cart, with nothing but a bunch of straw to break the violence of the jolts." He speaks thus of the road from Credit River to York :— '< Be'mg formed of the trunks of trees, laid cross ways, without any coating of earth or stones, it was more abominably jolty than any thing a European imagination can conceive. Over these hor- rible wooden causeways, technically called corduroy roads, it would be misery to travel ia any description of carriage ; but in a waggon or cart, with nothing but wooden springs, it is most trying to every joint in one's body," In the ox-cart, and over such roads, they entered York the capital of Upper Canada. As they left this place next morning, tbe 10th, we presume that after tbe joltings of the corduroy roads, beside a " minute" examination of an Indian village, through which they had passed, they could have had little time or spirits for a survey of tbe Capital. We are con- strained, therefore, from the Caplaiii's total silence, to pause for a moment in order to introduce to the reader information from another quarter, which will be deemed, at least, equally trust- worthy, viz. Mr. Talbot's " Five Year's Residence in Canada," published in London in 1824, a work to which we shall again have occasion to refer. He will scarcely be excepted to on the ground of any hostile political bias, for he informs us that he chose 135 Canada as a residence in preference to lie United States, became he was unwilling to " become a subject of a country avowedly hostile to that in which his family had for many centuries flourished in the sunshine of British protection— to separate himself for ever from British institutions, and British laws, and to be compelled to teach his little children the political creed of a republic, for which he could himself never feel a sentiment of attachment;" and ha professes to be well satisfied with his selection. This gentleman states the number of souls in York to be 1330, and adds, " Ho who first fixed upon this spot bs the site of the capital of Upper Canada, whatever predilection he may have had for the roaring of frogs, or for the effluvia arising from stagnated waters and putrid vegetables, can certainly have had no very great regard for pre- serving Ihe lives of his Majesty's subjects." On the l»ih, they visited a place called Holland's Landin* "to witness the annual distribution of presents, as they are called, made by Government to the Indians." Here they stayed all night, and the Captain, though we cannot divine his motive, aerms to have inventoried the Furniture of the house in which he slept with all that minuteness which would be so commendable had he been seizing it, as a sworn officer, under a landlord's warrant. There was, in brief, «* plenty" of it ; it was " comfortable" and ** handsome," and •' chiefly of the birds-oye maple." The house may be recognised hereafter, by any future traveller, as " a most agreeable" one, and as being '* surrounded by a large flower gar- den, intersected in all directions by well-shaded gravel and turf walks." His next sentence " spindles into longitude immense," well corresponding with its excursive character, for its object is to state that from one of the i.partments, " a single step placed us in a verandah, as wide as the room itself, bounded in front, and at both ends by trellis work, so thickly twined with hop vines, that the sun, and that still more troublesome intruder, the blazing glare of a red hot sky, had no chance for admission while the breeze from the garden easily made its way, perfumed and fern- pered like the sultry icinds of Hindostan, after pasnirj those ingenious artijicial mattings, called tatties, formed of sweet scented grass, and suspended dripping wet before the doors and windows' during the heat of ike duif, in the hotter parts'j^' India." On 1^ ' n tS i2e llio SOlli, wo preNnnie they ninde oat to gel hack to York, ■■ on tliu 2liit, tUvy Btiirl tlunicn for Kingston. On qniltirig tho Copital thoy wcro ilinponod to laugh at (ho «\vful uocoiintH giv«u of the rotuls, " HU|)|>imiiig lliat tli« protinud journey hctwfluti thu Cnidit Hivor and York, hud broken us in (or Hoy liighwiiy* und hy-WKyi wo were liktd^ lu oncountcr iigtun. In prooeinot' travidling, how- ovor, *.H Iho dxyliglit f'Mdcd, our hopvH Nubitided. 'J'ho clcur and iiiry cmtntry won vxcliangiul for vh)Hu choky woods ; tho horrible coidiaoy roitdft itgitin niudu (hnir nppearitiioo in a moro rorniiduble vhnpo, by the Hthlitiuu of duup inky holm, wliich ahnoxt nwal- lowed lip," ^'0. " 1 Bhali not couipiiro this evenitig'ii drive to trotting up or ^ Mie 23rd July, 10-27, they proceeded to visit the Settlement, by the I, ish Emigrants, sent to Canada, by the British ** ^t, in 1025. The distance, thirty miles, was got over hi BIX . -:- . hours and a half, and they reached the newly erected vilhigo of Peterborough, " more dead than alive with fatigue." His ever active mind this day suggests a valuable idea on tho «u!»jecl of harness. " When wo had got half way, the waggon broke down ; but fortunately it was in our power to repair the mischief, by knotting a couple of silk hamlkei'chiefs together, which, by the by, on such occasions, make a very good rope." He dwells much on the Settlement, and considers the experiment to have proved very uucccssful. «• There were 2024 lettkrt II \i , ! 198 ■ n III tent by (fovornment, in 18*25, at tbe total cost of 2ll. &a. iii,per head, vddi r Choo deserve little credit for having quizzed our tourist so egregiously as it teems to be now admitted they did. Human felicity is, at best, imperfect. Thus, it leaks out with regard to these Settlors, " if there had been any thing injudicious, it consisted in giving people, accustomed to very scanty fare, too ample an allowance of food. This over indulgence, not only hurt the health of llie people, but tended in some degree to slacken the individual exertions of the settlers to maintain themselves.^* One of Captain Hall's correspondents says, (vol. i. p. 336.) " From observation, I think the Government did too much for those already out, and still the conimitteo propose to do too much for any that may be sent out ; thej/ are not left to find resource from their own industry and energy. While the rations last, many of the emigrants make little exertion, and dispose of food they have not been used to, such as pork, for lahiskry, thereby injuring their constitutions and morals, and fixing for a time habits of idleness." Another, speaking of the Irish generally, remarks, *' Doui settlers are, at present, all Irish, and though doing very well, yet from their former indolent habits they have not exerted themselves as much as they might, being addicted to taking a little too much whiskey, and, by doing so lose a great deal of time. A thousand arguments might be produced in favour of mixing English and Scots settlers, with the Irish here, not so much for their mode of farming, as from the good example they would give of sobriety, regularity, morality, and steadiness ; not fond of visiting, card playing, carousing, or party spirit. Great benefits would arise from a number of Scots emigrants being iu> S ;^ ii J fMH lao troHucad amongal tbe Irish. Tbey aro prorerbial for good con- duot," &e. Tbe benentd conferred by tbis Sottlomnnt npon tbo " gentle- men in tbe neigibboiirbood," on whoso toHtiinony Coptnin Hall greatly relies, niuy bu jndged of by a passage in a lotivr from one of tbeni, (vol. i. p. :)li),) in wbicli be dorlarea, that be was about to abandon tbo neigbbourbood, wben " Mr. P. Robinson oanio to my house, and mentioned to mo his intention of bringing up tlie eniigraata, to tbeso back townships. At once wo gavu up every idon of removing, the clouds dispersed, all our diJficuUios seemed to be over." Tbo account which the samo person gives of his previous troubles is sudicicntty pitinblo. Some kind friends had, it secni!), prepared tbo •' new abode" of himself and family, in the woods, but " there was no partition put up ; even on the floors, tbo boards were scarcely sullicient to prevent tbe ebildrcn's feet from going through. When wo set about to prepare our beds wo found the floor covered obovo an inch thick with ice, of which wo re- moved as much as we could with axes and spades, and then put a layer of chips and shavings npon w hich wo spread our mattresses and blankets ; then having hung up some blankets at the doors and a>ro fur partitions we lay down to rest being pretty well fatigued ; and upon looking upwards from our beds, we saw tbe sky throu[;h tbo roof, and have often during the time wo lay in that manner, amused ourselves watching tho stars passing, nnd others re- appearing." The snow, at this period of stargazing, wus, he asserts, " nearly knee deep." Ho was on the point of being burnt out in consequence of the fashion of building chimneys with cross sticks, plastered with clay ; " but this had been built in severe frost, so that the clay did not adhere, and the sticks caught fire." For food they ** were glad to gather any wild plants which we were told could be safely used as greens." " We have often used tea made of the young shoots of tbe hemlock pine." "I have gone out with my ox-team, and a man io forage, (vol. i. p, 317,) and after travelling an entire day, returned with a couple of sheep that had not a pound of fat upon them, a Utile pork, and a few fowls, and * when crossing the river just near my house, have been near losing the whole cargo, by the strong current." '' My wife was con- fined, and I had to send fifteen miles for a nurse-tender, who reached us nith much difficulty, as eho was obliged to walk 131 through woods where no road had ever been out, and to bo carried sometiiiiea across swainps, and tifled over large logs." No wonder the poor man was rejoiced, whou Mr. rclcr Uobiupon camo at last to deliver (he whole iamily. , We nro very far from wishing to go into the history of ihia Irish Settloniont as disclosed in tho Parliumcnlary Documents, Our object has, moroly, been to exhibit Captain Hall's powers in the weighing cf tostiniouy, and tho eagerness with which ho listened to clamorous professions of •• loyally," on tho part of those, who, from his own shewing, were ready to go into tho other extreme, had they discovered ii wish that matters should be " un- derstated." The interest of the Agont and tho other Otiicers, who have charge of these out-pcnsiouers of Great Britain, in repre- senting the project as successful, and as claiming tho further countenance of tho government, is obvious. The Settler to whom the Agent referred Captain Hall for information ntado rather an Irish blunder, it is true, but what do wo understand by his tolling that officer to his face, that ho " know very well," what was meant by asking for a cuo as to overstating or understating? Wo need not, surely, remark on the motives of tho people in tiie neighbour- hood for wishing to keep up an establishment, which not only had brought settlers amongst them, and caused an enormous dis- bursement of public money, but whoso continuance led every day to an increase of these comfortable incidents. Yet on such testi- mony, our tourist makes this flourishing assertion, "Tho universal satisfaction expressed by these people is creditable to the States- man, I believe Mr. Wilmot Norton, who devised the experiment, to Mr. Peter Kobinson, by whoso skill and patience it was carried through its many difficulties, and, also, to the good sense, modera- tion, and industry, of tho poor Emigrants themselves." Captain Hall's opportunities of forming an opinion may be judged of from the length of his stay, — a fact, by the way, which it requires us to look very closely into his book to ascertain. If, indeed, wq could believe him capable of a paltry artifice, there would seem an anxiety that this fact should not be readily discoverable. He abandons, suddenly, the form of journalizing, and the day of the month disappears for sixty pages. He says, " I went during my ti It 133 1^1 V Vi is stay as .much as pobsiblc amongst the settlers, frequently a1one« sometimes with the agent, and several times with the clergjnian. I bad, also, many opportunities of conversing with gentlemen, &C.'' In speaking oF his conversation with " Cornelius," he prefaces it by saying, (p. 286. vol. i.) " The Agent happened one day to meet aa old man in the village, and knowing him to be a shrewd person," &c. Further on, (p. 290,) he sajs, " On the 24th July, I took a long ride," &c. Now it would scarcely occur to the reader after what had gone before, unless ho watched narrowly, that this very 24th July, was in fact, the only day that the Captain had aa opportunity of seeing the Settlement, Yet such is the fact. Ke reaches the place on the night of the 23rd, " more dead than alive," (p. 280-281 .) On the 24th, he takes a long ride, (p. 290.) On the nest day 25th, he " intended to have resumed these researches, but, it rained so violently, that we were confined most of the morning within doors. About noon it cleared up ; but the paths cut by the settlers through the forest, were now mostly covered with water, and rendered so slippery and clammy, that walking was scarcely possible. Every bough that was touched, sent down such a shower of drops that I got soundly ducked, before reaching a shanty in the thicket, where I found a hardy fellow," &c. This hardy fellow is the one on whose premises " Captain Hall's oak," stands, and it is apparent, that his examination was not further pursued, but that he returned to guard against the consequences of his sound ducking. Then occurs a lung and deceiving space filled with letters, &c. until we reach p. 347. He arrived at Kingston on the t^8th, (p. 349.) His intermediate movements are thus traced. It had occupied the 'whole of the 23rd, starling early and r.r'iving late, to reach the settlement from Cobourg. The return journey must have been on the 26th, and it took at least as much time, for the vehicle broke down twice, (p. 347,) and they had to walk six miles, (ib.) " In the course of the next morning," 27th, (ib.) they meet with a disaster whilst travelling by land. At the Bay of Quints, they took the water, and on the 28th, reached Kingston, (p. 349.) Thus, as we have said. Captain Hall enjoyed but a single day's observation, and yet a cursory reader could hardly fail to be mis- led by the confusing circumstances to which we have referred, ^V,--. ~ I 133 « i I and, in particular, by the leisnrely, lounging, way, in which he speaks of meeting, «• one day," a very shrewd settler. The qnes- tion then, becomes one of Hours. We must bear in mind tbat Iho Captain is a very late riser (vol. i. p. 399) ; Le Las no idea of getting up with « the stupid cocks whq have nothing else to do but crow." (ib.) He must take his breakfast before starting, (p. 400,) and that meal with him is a " long desultory sort of" one (p. 401). After breakfast he must be allowed lime to " tbinfc of shaving" (ib.) before he can make up his mind to that important operation. He defends his system on epicurean principles, and is of opinion that *• We leisurely travellers who despise and abhor the idea of getting over tlie stage before breahfast, in the end i\o just as much as your early stirring folks ; with this dilTerence, that we make the journey a pleasure — they, a toil.'' (p. 399.) It must be recollected also, that he had reached the Irjsh settlement, the night before, " more dead than alive with fatigue," (p. 281) — an apology for even unusual indulgence. Supposing, however, our Capiian fairly in the field on the 24th, a great deal of time is to be deducted before we can arrive at any thing like a true estimate of the portion of it devoted to the Irish settlers. Thus, on the same day, he visited *' several older establishments," (p. 290), at one of which he found " an old Scotchman, from IJanCF, with a jolly red nose, in shape and colour like the sweat polatoe of that country, a prosing old body, who brightened up, however, amazingly, when t told him where I came from, an' quite natural that under tlio influence of such a f ,. m should bo disposed to Hatter up the Canadians as to the gv < lessings they enjoy, and the state of their manners; and to represent the United States lo them in the most odious point of view, politically and socially. But wo do conifdain that whilst from the beginning to the end of his book, he is seen under the unlimited influence of this miserable, peevish jealousy, he should put on the air of a philosopher— a citizen of tlie world— and represent himself as actuated throughout by an anxious wish to exhibit every thing in the United Stales in the most favour- able light. After employing such language as we have quoted in the Canada part of his book, there is to us something very contemp- tible in his introducing such a declaration as the following.into that allotted to the United States :— " For my own part, I see no limits to this, and should re/oice wt/A all my heart, if America were as far advanced in literature, in science, in military and naval know- ledge, in taste, in the fine arts, in manufactures, i» commerce— in short, in every thing, as any part of Europe." It is presumed that the English reader must have expected to find in these volumes some information with rea;ard to the com- plaints which have been heard from Canada. Mv. Huskisson, the Secretary for the Colonial Department, in the Debate of 1028 declares that the Canadas were " under a system of civil govern- ment not adapted to their wants, well being, nor happiness, nor to maintain their allegiance, nor preserve their aflectiou and good understanding with the mother country." He also refers to the circumstance of the Governor " having appropriated the revenue, without the sanction of an act of the legislature, as required by law." In the same Debate, Sir James Macintosh, said, that ho had presented " a petition signed by eighty-seven thousand of the inhabitants of Canada, comprehending among its numbers, nine- tenths of the heads of families in the i'rovincc, and more thim- 139 ar hands lendituroa id by the ■ directly )aval and me power c natural disposed njoy, and States to ally. Kut : bis book, ?, peevish sen of tlie II anxious St favour- itod in the contemp- ;,into that no limits I were as val know- nerce—in pectcd to the coni- isson, the ; of 1028 il govern- !ss, nor to and good srs to the ! revenue, pired by I, that bo md of the ers, nine- aorc than two-lbirds of its landed proprietors," and sbews, that '• the petf- tioners bad the gravest causes of complaint against tbo adminis- tration of the government of the colony.*' Sir James further says, " The Government of Quebec, despising these considerations, has been long engaged in a scunJo with the people, and has thought hard words, and bard blows, not inconsistent with its dignity. I observe that twenty-one bills were passed by the Lower House of Assembly, 1827, most oj them reformatory. Of these, not one teas approved of bjf the Upper House. Is the Governor respon- sible for this? I answer bo is. The Council is nothing better than the tool of the government. It is not a fair ^nd constitutional check between tlic popular assembly and the governor; but it is the governor's council. The counsellors are all creatures of the governor ; and they sit in council, not to examine the bills sent to them, but to concur in the acts of the governor. Of these coun- sellors, consisting of twenty-seven gentlemen— seventeen bold places under the government at pleasure. These seventeen divide amongst them, fifteen thousand pounds of the public money, which is not a small sum, in a country where one thousand pounds a year is a largo income for a country gentleman. I omit the bishop, who is perhaps rather inclined to authority, but of a pacific cha- racter. The nine remaining counsellors were worn out by op- posing the seventeen, and at present have withdrawn from attends ing its deliberations." The tourist has forborne, for a very curious reason, to give us any account of these disturbances in Canada, and of the parlies which have long distracted it. The Falls of Niagara made a great impression on him :~" I felt, as it were, staggered and con- fused, and at times experienced a sensation bordering on alarm, I did not well know at what -a strong, mysterious, sort of impres- sion that something dreadful might happen." It " produced a, kind of dizzy reverie, more or less akin to sleep," This feeling he declares he could not shake off, True, he was sufficiently col- lected, a day or two after, for bis Brockville speech ; but in order to account for " t: indifference which I struggled in vain to throw off as to the politics of Lower Canada, although the topic was then swallowing up every other consideration," he gravely declares that he was yci under the stunning influence of the Falls. I i! "I Ml' I 140 " Onr recent intercourie wiih Niagara nnti, tho many wild and curiout BGoaos," &o. When we ask hitn tho meaning of all the noise and clamour he answers, like Mrs. Sullen in the Beaax Slratagom, that it is only the singing in his ears. Bnt mark the gentleman's consistency with his own story, " It was my intention, however, notwithstanding the appearance of this Report and Evi- dence, to have inserted, at this place, a sketch of the discussions alluded to, but 1 thought it ;'ight to SUPPRESS it, in conse- quence of recent changes in that quarter, and the disposition which really appears to exist on both sides to start afresh, to turn over a new leaf, and to join cordially in advancing the prosperity of a country so highly gfifted by nature and by fortune l" He therefore contents himself w ith referring his readers to documents ordered to be printed on tho 22d July, 182B, and, escaping from facts, adopts the more congenial language of assorlion. " The founda- tions of those powers which preserve social order are certainly njore stable and belter organized in the Provinces than in the United Stales. Their rulers do not derive ihcir authority from those over xchom their pozocr is to be exercised; they look up, and not dotcn, for approbation, and can thcrolore use that authority with more genuine independence." It is for Captain Hall's countrymen, rather than for us to com- plain of this •• suppression." He leaves home for tho purpose of seeing things with his own eyes, " I confess I was somewhat incredulous of the Jlaming accounts given in England," *c. Yet after he has made observations on a point of such vital importance as that of the popular sentiment in Canada, he thinks it politic to *• suppress" tlicm, and to refer his readers to a mass of documents, which fow of thera will ever think of looking into, and which Captain Hall it is to be hoped never did examine, since they exhibit a picture directly the reverse of that which he has drawn* He does not hesitate to recommend to Great Britain the comple- tion of vast and expensive works, cost zchat they may, and yet withholds information, which might enable Parliament to decide how far such an expenditure is likely lo prove of ultimate benefit. Did he find any thing in the United States to " suppress?" With regard to that people, heavily ta\ed as he represents them, the only complaint wc hear, is of their enthusiastic attachment to 141 wild and jf all the le Beaax mark tlio intention, and £vi- iscuBsions in conse- ion which irn over a erity of a therefore ts ordered rom facts, le foanda- certiiinly lan in the mttffiOM )k up, and authority IS to corn- purpose of somewhat *c. Yet niportance it politic to locutnents, nnd which since they lias drawn* lie comple- /j/, and yet t to decide ate benefit. is?" With i them, the chmcnt to thu Government. For the public land there, a stipulated price is received, and yet it is eagerly ^ongllt for and improved. In Canada the people arc exempt from taxation, because the pinch of it is felt in Great Britain. The Government, instead of receiving a compensation for its land rent, not only gives it away, but has incurred an expense of sixty pounds sterling, for each family of Irish paupers, agreeing to accept a hundred acres ; and yet tho temper is such, that Captain Hall thinks it unwise publicly to Repeat tho language of disaflfuction which reached his ear. Although the roar of Niagara, hud so deafened him, that lio could not hoar tho dissensions of Canada, he expresses, without hesitation an opinion as to matters, which would seem to demand rather more of patient investigation. Thus ho says, " The Laios, which are in fact, those of England, are out of all sight more steady, and, from that circumstance, besiJes many others, bolter administered than in the United States." Where ho picked up this ini'ormation, ho does not deign to inform us. Mr. Talbot furnishes tho following information : " So complicated aro the laws, so indifferently understood, and so ill deiloed, that law- suits aro as numerous in every part of the country as excommuni- outious and indulgencies were in England, in the early days of Henry the Eiglilh." " The Laws by which Lower Canada is governed, are the Costume do Paris, or, ' Tho Custom of Paris,' as it existed in Franco, in tho year lOGO, tho Civil or Roman Law in cases where the Custom of Paris is silent, the edicts^ declarations, and ordinances, of tho French Governors of Canada, tho Acts of tlio British Parliament passed concerning Canada, and by the English Criminal Law." " Tho most grievous restriction Under which the Canadians lubnur, with respect to the tenure ot their lands, is that which compels them to pay, to the Seignenr, \vhat are tenneni, lodes et ventcs, or Ones of alienation on alj muta- tions of property, en rotiire. By this law, if an estate changes its proprietors half a dozen times in a year, the Seigneur is entitled, on every mutation, to receive onc-twclflh of the wholo purchase money ; which one-twelfth, be it remembered, must be paid by the new purchaser, and is exclusive of the sum agreed to be given (o the actual proprietor." " Rcliff is the revenue of ono year due to tho Lord fur certain mutaliouh." Sue also, his explanation of S M t 11 t ......aagg'; i 142 " Fief,'* '* quiiile" " rcbat," &c. " It is very unsafe to purobase property ia Canada, unlosa the sale is eflecteJ by the aguncy of a Sheriff." In the Parliamentary discussion of 1828, on the subject of Canada, Mr. Huskisson the Secretary for the Colonial Depart- ment, uses the following language : " There is no possibility of suing or being sued, except in the French Courts, and according to the French form and practice ; no mode of transacting commercial business, except under French customs now obsolete in France. In Lower Canada, they go upon the law and system of feudal tenure, and the law is more incapable of ever being improved or modified, by the progress of information or knowledge, than if it still remained tbe system of France, and the model of her dependencies." Certainly, this not only beats our Laws " out of sight," accord- ing to the Captain's singular expression, but is a fair match for those of Caligula himself, which were " hung up on pillars so high that nobody could read them." (Blackstone.) As to the administration of justice, Mr. Talbot gives us the fol- lowing information : " Tbe District Judges, unfavourable as public opinion is to their integrity, possess, I dare say, as much honesty as their most conscientious neighbours, are equally intelligent and just as deeply read in British Jurisprudence. Many of them in fact, to use plain language, are as ignorant of the laws of the country, as they are of the Code of Napoleon; and the Jurors, who are not the most enlightened men in the world, are said not to be over burlhened with scrupidous consciences. But they aro remarkable for a noble independence which causes them to pay as little attention to the charge of a Judge as to the evidence of a witness. The former, they are confident, knows little more than themselves ; and as to the latter be might as well tell his tale to the midnight breeze, for they generally enter the box determined respecting the decision which they intend to give. Predilection for a friend, or malice against an enemj', too often influence them in their verdicts. Indeed, they seem to know little, and to care less, about the moral ol)ligalion of an oath ; and an honest, unprejudiced, decision, the result of mature deliberation and calm conviction, is BClCiuiis lu DC ri'iiuczscO, vO]. i. y. 'lix-x— . xl is all t^Aua- 143 ordinary circamslanoe, tlial there are some few person*, in almost every districC, whose appointment to a Commission of the Peace, would add rcspoctability to the magistracy of the country ; and yet they arc allowed to continue private characters notwitlistand- mg the great necessity there is, for appointing such men to oflicos under Government. In the London district in which 1 have resided for several years, I know many highly respectable indivi-" duals, some of whom are half-pay Captains in the British Army, whose names wore left out of the Commission of the Peace, or rather not included in it, while many of their neighbours were appointed, who would not add to the respectability of a gang of pig-jobbers. The fact is, the members of the Executive Govern- ment scam determined to place in every department, civil as well as military, such men only, as, they are confident will at any time lie down, and allow their superiors to walk over them," ib. p. 410. " If a magistrate, or a military officer, were pi:"i,Iicly known to disapprove of any of the measures of the Executive Govern- ment, no matter how subversive those measures might be of the people's riijhts, he would very soon be deprived of his little share of ' brief authority,' and allowed to remain the rest of his life a cashiered officer, or broken down esquire," ib. p 416. " When Mr. Gourlay was banished from the country, in a very unconstitutional manner, his Jcquainfance, most of whom Mere officers in the Militia, or Justices of the Peace, were, to a man, deprived of their Commissions, for the simple crime of having associated with him. Oppressive treatment will alienate even the affections of a child from its parent, and the arbitrary measures of a Government professing to be free, especially when such measures are directed against innocent and unoffending indivi- duals, must infallibly weaken the loyalty of a spirited and inde- pendent subject. // another War were to break out between Great Britain and the United States, I greatly fear, that these discarded officers, zoith man:; thousands of the people in Upper Canada, would warmly resent the indignity which they have suf- fered by ' shewing a pair of fair heels' to the British Government and enlisting under the banners of the hostik pozserJ" 144 Captain Hall tecmi to havo rightly thonght that this port of tUo picluro waa so baro aa to require a duuhio portion of viiriiish. One of hia odd suggestions is, that the terms, " Parent Slate," •• Mother Country," *kc. arc inopproprialo to the rclationsliip of England to Canada, and he gravely proposes, (vol. i. p. 414,) though with a gruutdual uf uukailorlike circutnlocution, to substituto •• Husband and Wife." It is not for us to say how far this is con- nected with his evident wish to fix on England a perpetual liabi- lity for the debts and maintenance of the Colony. Every body knows that, in law, u man becomes thus liable, to tliird persons, by holding out a woman as his wife, even though no wedding may havo taken place. We have nothiiig to do with tliia, and only refer to the passage, for the purpose of remarking that whenever he uses the term " Cana*'^," both provinces are included. It would involve a breach of law, as well as of decency, were the proposal of intermarriage to refer to the two, in the dis- junctive. Now, amongst the assertions which he makes, with rcgord to the country thus designated, is the following : " In every part of Canada, we found the inhabitants speaking Eng- lish." (Vol. i. p. 205.) This universal prevalence of the English language is happily illustrated, when we find ourselves (vol. i. p. 302,) in a boat, which had brought up British Government Blorea, and in which all the boatmen spoke, " a corrupted or per- haps antiquated sort of French, of which I understood very few words." At page 307, we are introduced to a settlement, where *• they spoke French exclusively," and we hear (p. 393,) of " the French peasantry, who form the mass of the population in Lower Canada." Mr. Talbot speaking of his perambulation of Quebec,, says, " Not a word of English did I hear; not a face that was English did I see, until, to my great satisfaction, I found myself in a British mercantile warehouse, where, on looking around me, and reflecting on the short excursion I had taken, I was reminded, that instead of having been engaged in placing the kst stona in the Tower of Babel, I had only concluded my fiist v u.k in the city of Quebec." Such, then, as we have exhibited it, was the spirit in wLich Captain Hall commenced his serious examination of the United 14.5 Statea, Full of prejudices, lie conreiaes « " wish" that they sliould bo conflrmed, rather than removed 5 and he stood pub- licly plcd|{cd to his Canadian friends, and to Consistency, to prove that our escape from a Colonial condition had thrown us back, instead of advancing us, in prosperity, happiness, and strength. The influence of this temper in leading to the most absurd and determined misconception has already been exposed, It is, per- haps, most ridiculously displayed shortly after recrossing the line, but about matters too trivial to justify our pausing on them. At Albany, however, he found the legislature in session. It ■ceme, that the object of the meeting was, " not to transact the ordinary business of the State, but to revise the laws, a favourite emploj/ment all over the country." The method of proceeding is thus described : " After prayers had been said, and a certain portion of the ordinary formal business gone through, the regular proceed- ings were commenced by a consideration of Chapter IV. of the Kevised Laws. It appeared that a joint committee of the two houses had been appointed to attend to this subject, and to report the result of their deliberations. The gentlemen nominated had no trifling task to perform, as I became sensible upon a further acquaintance with the subject. All the existing Laws of the State which were very voluminous, were to be compared and adjusted, so as to be consistent with one another, after which the result was printed, and laid before the legislature, so that each chapter, Boction, and clause, might be discussed separately, when of course the Members of the Council of Revision, had to explain their proceedings." On the first day of Captain Hall's attendance, the following section came under consideration. " A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms cannot be infringed." One gentle- man made a speech, widi which the Captain was particularly dis- gusted, aud we have the following glimpse at it. •• During this excursion amongst the clouds, he referred frequently lo the History of England, gave us an account of the manner in which Magna Charta was wrested from, ' that monster,' King John, and detailed the whole history of the Bill of Rights." Now we re- spectfuiiy submit, that however superfluous all this may have V 146 l^en, [t wu certainly not ia the temper which Captaia Hall Won|d faiD ib^.e ua believe, is prevalent in all these assemblies. |t is, asPQredly,very differoQt,from, " For eighteen hundred years the world Itad slumbered in ignorance of liberty, and of the true rights of freemen," which he considers a characteristic piece of l|>ombast. Here was a man willing to render a, deserved tribute tq the brave spirits of the olden time. He, it seems, was not fifraid to express his gratitude to the Barons of England, assem- bled a| Runnemede, and he referred to that English Bill of l^ights, which has furnished to us an invaluable model. Is there any thing here of the " habit" of " depreciating every thing Eng- lish," which Captain Hall has undertaken to record on the same page ? But these remarks have diffused themselves over a wide space, and the reader will doubtless think it more than time that they should be brought to a close. We hope that their primary object has not been lost sight of. It is to us, comparatively?, unimportant, whether Captain Hall's book may supply materials for " confusing" those who, in Great Britain, regard the present state of things as susceptible of im- provement. We are little annoyed at sneers about unbrushed hats, ynpolished shoes, and pantaloons of not an exact fit. Still less do we dread its exciting disaffection in the United States, by the array of miseries which the tourist, not Onding just at hand, is compelled to seek in anticipation. We are likely to remain content with our cheap government, cheap justice, and cheap food. But a more painful feeling is excited by the declaration of an OflBcer in the service of Great Britain, that the United States are, in this country, an object of odium, and that it is not worth while to attempt, or even to desire, a change of sentiment. We regret the use which may, be made of what he has thus put on record. Such statements often pass, at the moment, without exciting active resent- ment, but recur, with a decisive influence, at periods of great ex- citement for alledged wrongs or indignities. They may rush from tlie Memory into the Passions on the first petition of an impressed seaman — rendering irresistible the appeal of a citizen forced from beneath the national flag to fight the battles of a country which holds his own in abhorrence, against a friendly power, and under ^1 147 ptaia Hall usemblies. idred years of the truo io piece of ved tribute IS, was not md, assem- ish Bill of . Is there thing £ng- in the same ipide space, ) that the; st sight of. ttain Hall's ), in Great ible of im- ushed hats, Still less do jy the array IS compelled !nt with our But a more Officer in are, in this th while to e regret the cord. Such ctive resent- )f great ex- ly rush from n impressed forced from uitry which , and under the orders, porb«j>«, oi (he very individual who has mixed np this annunciaUon of natietud di*like, with pointless but insolent sarcasm m the country, Its. imilitqtions, and iU people. Those who are, hereafter, destined, on either side of the Atlantic, to look put on the gloom of ocean for dismal tidings of bloody and unna- twal strife, and to await iu speechless agony the dreaded lists of destruction, may well remember with execration the eSorU which seem to be making to prepare tlie way for a fierce and uncompro- mising struggle. It is the object of these pages to expostulate with this spirit of wanton mischief. We will be amply satisBed if they induce an examination of the trifling, but pernicious, volumes to which they refer, in a mood different from that which the author assumes to exist and has laboured to gratify. We venture to assert, that if thus viewed, the very phrases which Captain Hall has put into the mouths of Americans, to convey an idea of their lofty and sanguine pretensions, and their dislike of England, do, in fact, indicate, with the greatest clearness, the exist- ence of that deep-sealed feeling of deference, from which it is so difficult for a derivative people to disengage themselves. Thus he gives us, in derision, an enquiry made of him, by an American friend, whether we were not *• treading close on the heels of the mother country;" and again at Albany, after witnessing the pro- ceedings of the legislature, he was asked, " Do we not resemble the mother country much more than you expected ?" Can it be seriously thought that such language would And its way to the lips of persons who habitually delighted to place their institutions in odious contrast with those of " the t other country ?" Would a Protestant in England enquire of a Catholic from the Continent, with an expression of hope, whether his principles and form of worship did not greatly resemble those of the Church of Rome ? Alas for the temper of a man like Captain Hall, who, in the sort at filial questions put to him, can see nothing but a spirit of vanity and intolerance ! " In no other country'," he says, " does there exist such an ex- cessive and universal sensitiveness as to the opinions entertained of them by the Eiiglisb. It may be remarked in passing that they appear to care less for what is said of them by other foreigners ; 148 but it Tras not until J had studied this curious featare in the Amo- ricans long and attentively, and in all parts of the country, that 1 came to a satisfactory explanation of it." In another place, he says, " I remember, one evening, being a good dr ' struck with ihe driver singing, in a very plaintive stylo, * Should auld acquaintance be forgot.^ 1 afterwards led him into conversation about our common country, as I thought, but to my surprise 1 found lie had never been out of North Carolina, though his feelings appeared nearly as true to the land of his forefathers as if they had nerer left it." Y^t Captain Hall is obliged to resort to au invidious hypothesis to explain why the Americans should take a p( ^.uHar interest in the opinions entertained of them in " the land of their forefathers " I Let us try if we can reach his heart, by supposing, for a moment, that the amiable little personage who has so large a share in these volumes, should be destiue4< amidst the chances of fortune, to ter- ntinato her days in that country. Does he suppose that she could speedily furgcl all that she had seen, and heard, and felt in the parent laud — and has he yet to learn how those feelings pass from mother to mother, and from nurse to nurse ? Does he believe that through a long course of years she would not thrill with en- thusiasm, when " auld lang syne," recalled the recollection of that— " Land of brown heath nnd shaggy wood, Land of the mountiiiu and the flood ;" or that, she could over ccaso to exclaim — " Land of my sires what mortal hand, C^n e'dv untie the filial band, That binds me to thy rugged strand ? " And if a future Scotch tourist should find, amongst her de- scendants, this feeling yet alive — displaying itself in the warmth of his welcome, and in anxiety for his good opinion — how must Cap- tain Hall's indignation kindle at imagining him engaged in framing some stupid and malignant hypothesis to account for all this, and actually converting its existence ii to a subject of ridicule and dis- paragement I 149 The " unkimlness** of which he speaks, "may do mnch;" but it has much to overcome— *• Naturam expellas/urco tamcn usque recurrct." Let us hope that juster, and more generous sentiments, may be cultivated. It was a custom of the States of Ancient Greece, which conveyed a beautiful moral, that the memorials of their strife should be of perishable materials, and the Thebans were justly rebuked in the A mphictyonic Council, for having commemorated in brass their contest with the Lacedaemonians (Cicero de Invent. Lib. 2.) 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