Star.
London, England, 1830-08-13 00:00:00

WINDSOR TERRACE.

LWITII IX • 11011NIWII PAPER.
" Within ten minutes, some individuals cut their initials on the
stone-work of the Terrace."— Windsor Express. And this is the
mark of respect the visitors showed his Majesty for his kindness he
admitting them to share the pleasure of the finest terrace in Europe:
As I have long wished for an opportunity to expose this ridiculous
propensity of my countrymen, with your leave, Sir, I will not Ist
this pass.
The English accuse the French of vanity—l grant it; but went
are the French vain of ?—Their nation, their public colleetieue,
their statues, their pictures, their gardens, their battles, their helM.
fogs, their cemeteries. The vanity of the French is national sod
public the vanity of the English individual, selfish, domestic, es.
tree. The French are content, and feel pride in sharing the fame
of a national action, or a national treasure. The English are not ;
they must have it over their own fire-places and book-cases ; they
must secrete it in their own drawers. An Englishman has mom
pleasure at any time in showing to a select Cbrius party a bit of
the dome of St. Paul's than in belonging to the nation which ha*
the dome. lie has infinitely MOM delight in bringing feels, with
wondering mystery, a bit of the great Pyramids of Egypt, than in
adding fame to his country by travelling to see them. Admit the
English to your Gallery of Statues, they will cut " Jack Smith"
on the calves of their legs;—leave them alone in a collection of pia
tures, they will poke a hole with their sticks in the sky of a Claude t
show them into your garden, they will fill their pockets with bits of
all your trees, eat your fruits, pick your roses, and cut their neon us
your garden chairs. There never was such a nation. then the day
of the review in the Park, they put a pipe into the noble mmosh of
the statue of Achilles, an oak branch in his hand, and plied him
with stones. And yet this statue was erected by the haw fa
honour of Wellington, who destroyed Napoleon, and aping dot
road to the present liberty of France. I have often redsussd ea this
singular propensity, and I cannot help thinking it prom* from
hatred of all superiority, or of every thing which confers rash, as.
potation, or distinction.
They pick your trees, because why should not they have a his a
a tree when you have got a whole one ? They cut their mass
the legs of your statues, because why should not they share your es .
potation in possessing them ? They hate the Pyramids for their
immortality, and curse St. Paul's dome for its height. iVhatsww
is of sufficient importance to oblige an Englishman to look up m
look at, whether poet, painter, minister, admiral, or general animals
or inanimate,—statue in one park, or great bomb in r—ho
must share the importance of, by purloining a portion of it,
his name on it, or pelting it to express his contempt if be lilt
neither. I cannot account for it on any other principle. In am of
the pyramids of Egypt there was a white 10T011: the French had es.
copied Cairo a long time, and were content to admire the twee end
let it alone, for others to share the pleasure. The English had use
been in Cairo ten days before an order was hued hem has&
quarters, prohibiting the soldiers from breaking of any mere bite of
the soros ! I once bought an old edition of Waller : in the bleat
leaf, preceding the title-page, was a torn bit of black pa/waist:l
and underneath was written, " This is a bit of one of the
cartoons at Hampton•court." The very first month visions gime
admitted to the print-room of the British Museum, as they are IN
the Bibliotheque du Rol at Faris, all the Retnbrants were stolen,
and copies substituted 1 and would any man believe that the Wel.
lington-tree on the field of Waterloo,—a tree which should haw
been let grow and flourish till it was as old as the solitary incest
'spleen trunk amidst the ruins of Babylon —would any man Wien
duo this tree was purchased by an Englishman, cut down, Wog*
to England, and then cut up to be Aide into chairs, saaff.boaes,
tooth-picks, spoons and ladles, to gratify Mrs. Jenkins and Mt.
Smith, the particular friends of Mr. Thompson, who has thus shows
his utter selfishness in not being content with a portion of the feel.
Inge which did animate, and would have continued to animate, all
whiten, se long as it grew and nourished ?
It is high time that my countrymen should be told of this weak.
nese—a weakness which residers them the laughing-stock of Europe,
and is evidence that in taste they are yet infants. Let them look at
a beautiful picture, but not with their fingers; admire a lovely eta.
tue, but not cut their names on its shoulders ; let them walk in en.
chanting gardens, without disfiguring the trees, rating the fruit, or
plucking the flowers; and, last of all, let them be content with the
honour conferred on them in being permitted to share with their
Sovereign the luxuries of his plea, and not disgrace his pod am.
ture, or show their own vulgar ignorance, by cutting their unheard.
of names on his seats. A CONSTANT READER.

THE ARMY.