The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register. (Wilmington, Del.) 1824-1825, 1824-12-30

From The National hteHgencer
THE "EXCURSION" OF AN ENG.
IISHMAN.

From the volume by this title, which has
been recently published in England, we
continue our extracts. Ii we meet in them
with little unpalatable truth, or even mis-
apprehension, we are satisfied, from the gen.
eral tone and character of the work, that
there is no intention to misrepresent us.
The writer's object has evidently been, to
paint objects exactly as they represented
themselves to him. On reading his views of
our country, we experience the mingled SEN
sation of pain and pleasure with which, indi-
yidually, one would pursue the revealed SEN
timents of his dearest friend concerning HIM
self. The instances of friendship are rare,
that would bear single days cohabition in
the Castle of Truth.
The author of the Excursion" with y
laudabe curiosity, penetrated and traversed
the remotest bounds of our Western States.
He is speaking OF that part Of his journey
when he uses the following language:
"In these thnly settled countries, if a
traveller be detained, or if he wish to stop a
day or two to rest his horse, he can, il either
sportsman or a naturalist. find abundant a
musement. Go to what house might, the
people were always ready to lend me a rile
and were in general glad to accompany me
when went out hunting. Hence in aIdi~
tion to the pleasure OF the chase, | had 1t
the time, an opportunity of becoming better
acquainted with the manners of the Back
woodsmen, and with the difficulties and hard
ships which are undergone by all the new
country. / found 1 had imbibed the most
erroneous ideas, from seeing none Of the in
habtants, bu. those who living by the road
side were accustomed to receive money from
travellers, and sometimes to charge as much
+l,a,,, ,DI
dations, as would be paid in the Eastern
states for the utmost comfort tavern can af
ford / Therefore considered all the people
sordd and imposing set. But when | be-
gan TO enter into the company of the Back
woodsmcn, quite off the roads, and where a
taveller was seldom or never seen, | found
the character of the settlers quite different
from what had supposed. In general they
were openhearted and hospitable, giving
freely whatever they had often refusing a.
ny recompense. 1t is true they always treat
ed me as their equal but at the same time,
there was a sort Of real civility in their be-
havior, which have often looked for in vain
elsewhere.
"In the Backwoods, pork, or, as they call
it, hogs flesh, together with vcnison and
homony, (boilcd Indian corn, twas my usu-
al fare, and blanket or two, on the fioor os
the cabin, my bed but was amply oonpen-
stated for this want of Injuries by degree Of
openness and hospitality, which indeed the
most fastideous could not but have admired.
Thus, OH going away, my host has sometimes
accompanied me four or five miles in order
TO put me in the track leading to the road.
"But, notwithstanding the instances Of
goodheartedncss and simplicity of manners,
which one meets with inthese wild countries,
g., will tf1f 1,o
more frequentcd districts and it is to this
want of self-denial, that should be dispos-
ed to attribute the erroneous accounts Of the
American character which have been given
us. Some of onr travellers, moreover are
in the practice of detailing all the disagree
able scenes of low life, which they have
witnessed at the taverns, and hence lead
their readers to form very incorrect idea
Of the whole people. If IN American tray
eller in England we're to do the same, he
would have no difficulty in proving us the
most prohigate, immoral and, cheating ma
ton on the face of the EARTH
In the course of his tour, he visited the
English settlement in Illinois, Of which he
Gives some account. We were somewhat
surprized to meet with the following, which
we hope is rather an eXaggcration OF the
fact, but for which there was no donbt some
foundation
"What appeared to me to be one Of the
great drawbacks to settling at Albion, was
that there were two parties who were in o.
pen hostility with one another and whose e
ternal prosecutions enabled two lawyers, O.
ven in this small settlement, to thrive upon
the dissensions of the community, Mr.. Flow
ers was the person, against whom the great
est Indignation OF the opposite party wa.
pointed but, although was at the time i'll
formed of their mutual grievances, yet
have since so entirely forgotten them, that
cannot take upon me to say which party
was in the right. ! must confess however
| was greatly mortified at seeing these fool
ish people, after having left their country
crossed the Atlantic, and travelled 1G0
miles into the wilderness, quarreling witt
one another, and making each others situa
ton as disagreeable as possible. The hos
tile parties do not even speak and thus tn
respectable inhabitants, who might consti
tute very pleasant little society, are entire
ly kept apart from one another"
The following paragraphs embrace som
views of the inducements to emigrants from
old to new countries, as much too sombre, il
some particulars, rs the views of other wri
tiers may, in others, be too attractive. w
entirely agree with the writer in one thing
that Londoner, bachelor or married, goin
to seek his fortune in the forests of the Yves
would make very poor hand OF it:
ga bachelor has no business in the Back