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countries, there is no people concerning whom the great mass of the British public has less pure information, or entertains more numerous prejudices.' And this he explains, in part, by suggesting that It has been the peculiar lot of our country to be visited by the worst kind of English travellers,' &c. [See p. 193, of our No. 1.]

What follows, however, is of infinitely greater importance-and we have the less scruple in borrowing largely from this part of the work before us, that we should otherwise have felt it our duty to endeavour, in our own words, to inculcate the same doctrines,most probably with less authority, at least on our side of the water, and certainly with less elegance and force of writing.

'I shall not, however, dwell on this irksome and hackneyed to'pic; nor should I have adverted to it, but for the undue interest ' apparently taken in it by my countrymen, and certain injurious effects which I apprehended it might produce upon the national 'feeling. We attach too much consequence to these attacks. They cannot do us any essential injury. The tissue of misrepresenta'tions attempted to be woven round us, are like cobwebs woven 'round the limbs of an infant giant. Our country continually outgrows them. One falsehood after another falls off of itself. We 'have but to live on, and every day we live a whole volume of re'futation. All the writers of England united, if we could for a 'moment suppose their great minds stooping to so unworthy a com'bination, could not conceal our rapidly-growing importance and ' matchless prosperity. They could not conceal that these are ow'ing, not merely to physical and local, but also to moral causes. To 'the political liberty, the general diffusion of knowledge, the pre'valence of sound moral and religious principles, which give force ' and sustained energy to the character of a people; and in fact, have been the acknowledged and wonderful supporters of their ' own national power and glory,' &c. [See p. 194, No. 1.]

'Over no nation does the press hold a more absolute control 'than over the people of America; for the universal education of 'the poorest classes makes every individual a reader. There is 'nothing published in England on the subject of our country, that 'does not circulate through every part of it. There is not a ca'lumny dropt from an English pen, nor an unworthy sarcasm ut'tered by an English statesman, that does not go to blight good 'will, and add to the mass of latent resentment. Possessing, then, as England does, the fountain head from whence the literature of 'the language flows, how completely is it in her power, and how truly is it her duty, to make it the medium of amiable and mag'nanimous feeling-a stream where the two nations might meet 'together, and drink in peace and kindness. Should she, however, 'persist in turning it to waters of bitterness, the time may come when she may repent her folly. The present friendship of Ame

'rica may be of but little moment to her; but the future destinies ' of that country do not admit of a doubt; over those of England 'there lower some shadows of uncertainty. Should, then, a day of 'gloom arrive; should those reverses overtake her, from which 'the proudest empires have not been exempt; she may look back 'with regret at her infatuation, in repulsing from her side a nation 'she might have grappled to her bosom, and thus destroying her 'only chance for real friendship beyond the boundaries of her own 'dominions.

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'There is a general impression in England, that the people of 'the United States are inimical to the parent country. It is one of 'the errors which have been diligently propagated by designing 'writers. There is, doubtless, considerable political hostility, and a general soreness at the illiberality of the English press; but, 'collectively speaking, the prepossessions of the people are strongly in favour of England. Indeed, at one time they amounted, in many parts of the Union, to an absurd degree of bigotry. The 'bare name of Englishman was a passport to the confidence and 'hospitality of every family, and too often gave a transient currency to the worthless and the ungrateful. Throughout the coun'try there was something of enthusiasm connected with the idea of 'England. We looked to it with a hallowed feeling of tenderness ' and veneration, as the land of our forefathers-the august reposi'tory of the monuments and antiquities of our race—the birthplace and mausoleum of the sages and heroes of our paternal history. After our own country, there was none in whose glory we more delighted-none whose good opinion we were more anxious 'to possess-none toward which our hearts yearned with such 'throbbings of warm consanguinity. Even during the late war, 'whenever there was the least opportunity for kind feelings to spring forth, it was the delight of the generous spirits of our 'country to show that, in the midst of hostilities, they still kept alive the sparks of future friendship.

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'Is all this to be at an end? Is this golden band of kindred 'sympathies, so rare between nations, to be broken for ever?Perhaps it is for the best-it may dispel an illusion which might 'have kept us in mental vassalage, interfered occasionally with our 'true interests, and prevented the growth of proper national pride. 'But it is hard to give up the kindred tie! and there are feelings 'dearer than interest-closer to the heart than pride-that will 'still make us cast back a look of regret, as we wander farther and farther from the paternal roof, and lament the waywardness ' of the parent, that would repel the affections of the child.

Shortsighted and injudicious, however, as the conduct of Eng'land may be in this system of aspersion, recrimination on our 'part would be equally ill-judged. I speak not of a prompt and spi

' rited vindication of our country, or the keenest castigation of her 'slanderers—but I allude to a disposition to retaliate in kind, to ' retort sarcasm and inspire prejudice, which seems to be spreading widely among our writers. Let us guard particularly against such a temper, for it would double the evil, instead of redressing 'the wrong. Nothing is so easy and inviting as the retort of abuse and sarcasm; but it is a paltry and unprofitable contest. It is 'the alternative of a morbid mind, fretted into petulance, rather ' than warmed into indignation. If England is willing to permit 'the mean jealousies of trade, or the rancorous animosities of poli'tics, to deprave the integrity of her press, and poison the fountain ' of public opinion, let us beware of her example. She may deem it her interest to diffuse error, and engender antipathy, for the 'purpose of checking emigration; we have no purpose of the kind to serve. Neither have we any spirit of national jealousy to ' gratify; for as yet, in all our rivalships with England, we are the 'rising and the gaining party. There can be no end to answer, 'therefore, but the gratification of resentment-a mere spirit of re'taliation, and even that is impotent. Our retorts are never re'published in England; they fall short, therefore, of their aim ;—but they foster a querulous and peevish temper among our writers; they sour the sweet flow of our early literature, and sow thorns and 'brambles among its blossoms. What is still worse, they circulate through our own country, and, as far as they have effect, excite 'virulent national prejudices. This last is the evil most especially to 'be deprecated. Governed, as we are, entirely by public opinion, 'the utmost care should be taken to preserve the purity of the pub'lic mind. Knowledge is power, and truth is knowledge; whoever, therefore, knowingly propagates a prejudice, wilfully saps the foundation of his country's strength.

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But, above all, let us not be influenced by any angry feelings, so far as to shut our eyes to the perception of what is really ex'cellent and amiable in the English character. We are a young 'people, necessarily an imitative one, and must take our examples ' and models, in a great degree, from the existing nations of Europe. There is no country more worthy of our study than England. The spirit of her constitution is most analagous to ours. The manners of her people-their intellectual activity-their 'freedom of opinion-their habits of thinking on those subjects ' which concern the dearest interests and most sacred charities of private life, are all congenial to the American character-and, in 'fact, are all intrinsically excellent; for it is in the moral feeling ' of the people that the deep foundations of British prosperity are laid; and however the superstructure may be time-worn, or over'run by abuses, there must be something solid in the basis, admi'rable in the materials, and stable in the structure of an edifice

'that so long has towered unshaken amidst the tempests of the ' world.

'Let it be the pride of our writers, therefore, discarding all feel'ings of irritation, and disdaining to retaliate the illiberality of 'British authors, to speak of the English nation without prejudice, ' and with determined candour. While they rebuke the indiscrimi'nating bigotry with which some of our countrymen admire and imitate every thing English, merely because it is English, let them frankly point out what is really worthy of approbation. We may thus place England before us as a perpetual volume of ' reference, wherein are recorded sound deductions from ages of ex'perience; and while we avoid the errors and absurdities which 'may have crept into the page, we may draw thence golden max'ims of practical wisdom, wherewith to strengthen and to embellish our national character.' pp. 104–116.

It is consolatory to the genuine friends of mankind-to the friends of peace and liberty and reason-to find such sentiments gaining ground in the world; and, above all, to find them inculcated with so much warmth and ability by a writer of that country which has had the strongest provocation to disown them, and whose support of them is, at the present moment, by far the most important. We have already pledged ourselves to do what in us lies to promote the same good cause ;-and if our labours are only seconded in America with a portion of the zeal and eloquence which is here employed in their behalf, we have little doubt of seeing them ultimately crowned with success. It is impossible, however, in the mean time, to disguise, that much more depends upon the efforts of the American writers, than upon ours; both because they have naturally the most weight with the party who is chiefly to be conciliated, and because their reasonings are not repelled by that outrageous spirit of party which leads no small numbers among us, at the present moment, to reject and vilify whatever is recommended by those who are generally opposed to their plans of domestic policy. The aspect of the times has compelled us to oppose many of the measures of the party now in power in this country-and the consequence has been, that their baser retainers make it a point of conscience to abuse all that we recommend, though no way connected with questions of politics or party; and we have thus acquired the extraordinary power of making our bitterest adversaries say any thing we please-as often as we can bring ourselves to say just the contrary. The number of persons, however, who are above this miserable influence and judge for themselves upon all general questions, is rapidly increasing in our land and we have no doubt that we shall, every quarter, make more and more proselytes to all our doctrines that are right in themselves, and supported with temperance and reason.

In justice to the work before us, however, we should say, that a very small proportion of its contents relates either to politics, or to subjects at all connected with America. There is a Legend of Sleepy Hollow,' which is an excellent pendant to Rip Van Winkle; and there are two or three other papers, the localities of which are Transatlantic. But out of the thirty-five pieces which the book contains, there are not more than six or seven that have this character. The rest relate entirely to England; and consist of sketches of its manners, its scenery, and its characters, drawn with a fine and friendly hand-and remarks on its literature and peculiarities, at which it would be difficult for any rational creature to be offended. As a specimen of the manner in which those Sketches are executed, we add the following account of the author's visit to a country church in an aristocratical part of the country.

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The congregation was composed of the neighbouring people of rank, who sat in pews sumptuously lined and cushioned, furnished with richly-gilded prayer books, and decorated with their arms upon the pew doors; of the villagers and peasantry, who filled 'the back seats, and a small gallery beside the organ; and of the 'poor of the parish, who were ranged on benches in the aisles.

The service was performed by a snuffling, well fed vicar, who had a snug dwelling near the church. He was a privileged guest ' at all the tables of the neighbourhood, and had been the keenest 'fox hunter in the county, until age and good living had disabled 'him from doing any thing more than ride to see the hounds 'throw off, and make one at the hunting dinner.

Under the ministry of such a pastor, I found it impossible to get into the train of thought suitable to the time and place; so having, like many other feeble Christians, compromised with my 'conscience, by laying the sin of my own delinquency at another 'person's threshold, I occupied myself by making observations on my neighbours.

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I was as yet a stranger in England, and curious to notice the manners of its fashionable classes. I found, as usual, that there 'was the least pretension where there was the most acknowledged title to respect. I was particularly struck, for instance, with the family of a nobleman of high rank, consisting of several sons and daughters. Nothing could be more simple and unassuming 'than their appearance. They generally came to church in the 'plainest equipage, and often on foot. The young ladies would stop and converse, in the kindest manner, with the peasantry, caress the children, and listen to the stories of the humble cottagers. Their countenances were open and beautifully fair, with an expression of high refinement, but, at the same time, a frank 'cheerfulness, and an engaging affability. Their brothers were

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