The Express.
London, England, 1848-09-01 00:00:00

LIFE IN THE UNITED STATES.

The state of American society is particularly exem-
plified by the fast that during the warm weather of our
nom ra but little general hugeness is transacted. As I have
before anutioned all our watering pints are crowded to ez.
etas. The disposition to seek the sea shore, or the inland
spas, is not confined to the wealthy. It affects all darer.
The wives of our barbers and oordwainers visit Cony Island,
es
well as the coteries Gif the SOKIPMIX riches. Indeed, it is
quite a blot upon the reputation of our cockneys, it they
have remained in town all summer. Nearly all the paper
of the city, within • few days, have been publishing tall re-
ps.:a of a fancy hall at Saratoga, just as the Court Journal
would of the Queen's levee.
Saratoga sad Balaion are two very pretty villages, eon.
netted by railweys with Albany, and about forte milts dia.
tent. Tarty abound in sparkling eitalybestes of the most
1 delicious taste—at least, to those who are accustomed to their
' flavour. They wen known more than a hundred years ago
to the whites, and it is recorded of the early English who
were resident ta the colony of New York before the revolu-
tion that they frequently visited these sprines, an I remained
near them in tents while they were drinking the waters. dir
William Johnson was constantly in the habit of doing so.
As year. rolled on hotels were erected, and now fl teat )ga
has its full complement of them, with cottages and Wing
1 houses. Here the Americans resort from ad puts of the
' union, and you see them in their holiday dress. Of tonne
the picture is highly coloured, but it is amusing.
Among the thousands at then places there are to be
found the ride of the land, many who are rich and have no
other merit, many beautiful women, of whom we flatter our-
eaves we have our full share, and many prettndrn of mune.
Oar females adopt the French style of drew, regarding the
English as staff and formal, sad we believe thot a New
York mantras-maker has far more talent, if act tote, than
even her counterpart of Peril. Our belles, who bays wintered
in the " capital of the world," insist upon it that no este but
an American can fit a dress elegantly. Perhaps to the choice
of colours or of trimming; the Parisian would excel. Sara-
toga is the place where the splendour of costume is 'aerially
studied, and is constantly visible. Whe her this display be
in conformity with good tans is another question I will not
now raise.
I have been in the habit of visiting Saratiga with the rest
of the Americans, and my attachment to it Is sincere. No-
thing can be more delightful than to be there with attendant
friends. The air, the drives, this wants, the scenery, are
lovely. Mazy of the frost pigmies reeolltctions of say life
are connected with Saratoga.
thie of the modern assessments now n to
make the semen at Suatoga fashioaable is that of •
ball. The gentlemen limn" at the large-t h0..1 call a meet-
ing, a fh/Aillilan sad seu.:Ary are apirotated, speeches are

seeder_and nankin' ibises. Cestandore am ant kir from
New Tech, sad the men announce the suers iii at whirl
the ball is to one et An additional Wong et visitors is
mcm en Its " win • way." The Ira' tam plater. This is
nethiag. The real is to reed the amounts of I: in
the newspapers afterwards. Rat erten are despatched fr
the city, and every on who wishes to be in print takes care
to have hie paragraph prepared. Even setae editors und.r.
take this job la perms, and miff Unix own familiarised family
minaniesse, or permit it to be deem in dm it own coalman&
The reports Sr. lanekshle *sough. Thee we are gravely
informal that the Rae. Mr. 80.snd So appeared m • Grand
Cross Templar, ea order now in exhumes in Scotland,
founded In the time of Richard Cesar de Lion, cad in which
the of the centime is permed of high reek 1 Tie
absurd mixture of freemasonry with an extinct order, with
which Scotland had nothing particalar to do, shows the con-
summate ignorance of these reporters, and the wall of oda-
maim even anent our editors. Ai.d here we may °been:
that this is the Isiah of the American prose. We do not at
11 this mantas remember, except in the mom of the Coaster
widEersirer, a sines editor in this city who Is 'thoroughly
educated and prtsonally a .consplished man. As pofiticiaus.
practical observers, and men of shrtednese and besinees ha-
bits, they have no superiors; but as scholars or itiatOrial3
they are soap.
A fancy ball at Santee* has proved quits a godsend
to the press, now that the Nexicen war is over and the
Irish war is not begun. There is no particular dig: resift
pereeptible in the amusements of our fashiouable people and
' those of other countries, but there is much is the mode. The
peruse who ae.ire notoriety in an American newspaper are
but the reflection of those who send their guinea and their
parsgrapt to the newt Gazette in Linden aitzr having been
presented. On the subject of American society I shall have
same to say hereafter. I have noticed the surprise of f, reign
en at what they have observed here, and have diseweed very
tictuently the topics inside ntal to coutrasts of manners. A
Mae of an English ctrl told me once at Saratoga thst she
WWI utterly amazed at the sums of aunty the Americans
there would pay tur the use of a carriage tor a short driv..
She equally surprised her listener by assuring him that her
sant wee in the hahit us keeping her hoesehehl accounts en
titan rolls of paper, and of luokirg personally alter tn. ca-
p. int s of her kitchen I
Toe fine-t sp. cozens cf English gentlemen we ever had
in the innate, together were the " thee month. re of parlia-
ment " as they were call. d, and whose quiet, yet pleasing,
manners, shining through even the caution of a retest
tact, gave universal pleasure to those Americans who made
their ecepiaio• ante, accidentally or otherwise. When they
reached the summit of the Catskills, one pleasant morning,
they rushed to the cliff and gave a is, erty hung as they
gas d on the landscape three theasand feet below.
New Turk, Aug. 16. Axsalcre.