Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-09-25

TRANSATLANTIC SKETcHEs,CoMp SCENES
IN NORTH AND SouTH AMERICA AND The WEST
INDIES, BY Captain E. ALEXANDER Philadel-
phia, KEY and BIDoLE the author OF this
thick royal octave has certainly shown himself
a very active. industrious parsonage to travel
through hemisphere and write such book in
treiven,onih His researches, may be readily
believed, are not very deep; but he is good
humored rafting, cosmopolitan character, who
whisks over half our little planet as unceremo.
oiously as if, instead of voyagns among ma
items, states and empires, he we're taking an al
ternoon trot on the third avenue.
We have marked few extracts relating to
that inexhaus'IBle subject. about which, in what
Captain Hamilton calls our greedy and mex
haustlbIe national vanity, Americans never tire
of hearinc-nurselves. The first relates to our
aemy, a post Of which near New Orleans, was
visited BY Capt. Alexander:
The officers wete very sensible and gentle.
manly, but their manner was more reserved
than Is usual among our people; and though we
were near a scene Of Ito them great exutatiop,
the defeat Of some thousands OF our PeDinsular
heroes BY entrenched American rlfemen.y yet they
made not the slightest allusiOn To 1t. and there
was no vain Boosting on their part, but delicate
reserve. when | introduced the subject, and
expressed wish to visit the unfortunate field.
The uniform of the officers and men was a
blue coatee with white buttons, lace on the coli
and coar. and wings on the shoulders; the men
on duty Te,e mol particularly tceH set up. 6W The
americans in general haze a iounging air about
and Tho
kits neatly arranged; but was surprised to see
that, in the hot climate Of Louisiana, the Amerl
can soldiers slept two in a bed. Their bed
stands were wooden frames, which could easily
be taken to pieces. and had upper and lower
berths There are no iron bedsteads yet in the
States. and consequently their men are far from
being so comfortable as ours in this respect In
the barrack. square l observed the punishme mt
Of hard labor with clog and cham attached to
the foot of the culprit; and | understand that
Hosging and solitary confinement were often re.
sorted to, though free aud independent AmerI.
can soldiers being logged seemed rather strange,
but there are few genuine americans in the army.
Speaking elsewhere Of the army, the Captain
comments upon the inadequate pay Of non.com.
missoned officers, on whom he insists the eff.
cheney Of corps chiefly depends.
Speaking Of the backwards, he says:
Let the youth who is foil Of himself, who is
concerted with the aattery Of female friends, up
lifted IN his own estimation, make a tour in the
back woods of America, it will soon cure him Of
his empty pretensions. Alteration is unknown
there, and he will soon acquire natural man.
ner Of acting aud thinking.
The Yankees proper are dealt with most Sc.
verely when the Captain first sets foot on the
deck Of an eastern craft; but he afterwards
makes amends by telling the following good ma.
tured anecdote Of New Highlander:
A drunken fellow Of blacksmith commenced a
series Of abuse Of Old England, "a land Of slaves,
with despite government" let him run on
without interruption for wished to hear the notions
of the lower classes Of Americans regarding our
noble country; but when an eastern passenger,
in the usual course Of guessing and asking ques.
tons, learned to what country belonged, he, as
we'll as the other passengers, insisted on Vulcans
making an apology, which he did, whilst the
others hoped that would not take offence at
what had happened, or conceive a bad impress.
sion of their country from the ignorance and bad
manners of one man. was highly grati6ed