Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1831-12-02

yer scruped to pay the most liberal hospitanty
by the bascst violation of confidence, man WIN
out delicacy, without shame, without sense
enough to know when he was hurting the ieei,
ings Of others, or when he was exposing hmse''
TO derision; and because he Vas all this, he has
in an important department OF literature l"'
measurably surpassed such writers as lac''us'
Clarendon. Alferi, and his own idol Johnson.
The New Monthly and London Magazine Ior
October.-We are not about to examine critical
" the contents Of this No. Of popular English
Miscellany, as it-ioes not come exactly withih
the scope of these notices. In the one before U.S.
however, whichis embellished with portrait OF
Miss milford, there is an articeupon this coun-
try, entitled, g America" by citizen oil the
United States, which IS too clever to pass by IN
silence. L, purports to be written in reply to
certain queries proposed by the editor OF the perl
odical; and, if not by the same hand, IS very
good co.ollary to the demonstration given by all
American gentleman in London OF Capt Hairs
literary propositions relating to tins Country
The London Morning Chronicle attributes II to
Mr.. Cooper the novelist The writer in making
allowances for the distorted views of travellers
among US. says very we'll know how diff
cult it is for an European to get even an approach
to right knowledge of our institutions, or OF The
nature Of our s. cial organizaton.'' lie then adds
as fullows:-N. y. finer.
of all the foreigners that have met in Amer
lea. do not remember one who appeared to me
to understand the first principles OF tie Govern
men,; and all have betrayed such 4 confusion OF
thought, in reference to society, that | have al
ways been more disposed to laugh at their COM
ments than to get angry One comes among US
with crude notions OF the simplicity OF young
republican nation, and OF the extraordinary de-
gree of virtue, that is necessary to what is called
self government and because he finds rosues
in the prisons and prostitutes in the streets, he
shruss hls shoulders, and exclaims with French
friend of mine, who actual used the expression,
VOLTA un peuple pourri, avant d'etre mur"-
Another thinks we are all sages, so many DIoSe-
mes lii their tubs; and because we laugh, and that
too Nth no very light vivacity, he is ready to
swear we are no philosophers at all. A third,
who has been educated in contrary ideas, expects
to see sans cuiottes i'll every draw,ng-room; la
dies going to balls in x-carts; and citizen Tom,
the Tinker, squirting his saliva into the face OF
citizen Peter, the rich proprietor; and because
ne sees society going on much as 1t does 10 other
civilized countries, he lays finger on his nose,
and runs back with the mare s-nest, that the Yam
KEGS are leaning TO aristocracy, and have alrea-
DIV secret emissaries IN Europe looking out tor
spare Leopold | do assure you there is no very
great carricature in this statement Were | to
write what have actually hear1 and witnessed
of this nature. do not think the different speak
ers and actors would recognize their own folly;
for it is when such opinions are laid plain before
US on paper, that we beg most senslby to see and
feel their absurdty.
The writer next proceeds, after a just but
too slight, rebuke upon the political cant OF his
coun,rymen, and the effect Of sour own abuse Of
terms in leading the rest of the world into their
egregious errors"--to correct aud explain the va
riuus misnomers in speaking Of the different ope-
rations oil our government He then, after some
cursory remarks upon other causes of msconoep'
ton between Europe and America, enumerates,
in the following passage, some OF those which
arise from the habit of referring all estimates to
amiiar scale:-
Europe is tolerably familiar with its own pecu-
liarities. but it knows little OF ours and BY con-
| sequence, whenever it becomes necessarN 10 gra-
L
European standard if possible; and If impossi,
BILE it is ncontnently set down as American in
yenton. Eng land is good deal addicted to
accusing us of nventiRs untruthe, while she de-
MES our faculty of inv ntins the puwer-oom, the
cloth dresser, the steel reed cutter, and fifty
other machines now in use IN that country, and
which believe we dld, in good truth, invent
The existence of the -ea-Serpen' is denied on a
reason no better, IT examined, than that there
never has been one in the Bny Of Biscay or the
English Channel. A striking instance Of this
indispusition to believe no more of America than
happens in Europe occurred lately in Paris un,
der my immediate observation. An application
was made to the American legation, for inform.
alton on the subject Of public instruction in the
United States, in behalf OF society devoted ia
subjects of this nature. An American obtained
the official reports of the Common Schools of the
State Of New York. and transmitted them to the
proper person Soon after this, the Minister OF
Pubic instruction. to whom these reports were
given. made speech on the French schools, in
the Chamber of Deputies, in which he quoted
particulars from the above-namcd report. The
average of the population of New York for the