Southern telegraph., 1838-09-05
THE A ACHIEVEMENTS OF STEAM.

olution Of the world-the mighty PropogaR-
dist of the age,-and daily, and hourly, it is
linking civilized nations into a COMMUNITY
OF OPINION. What that community of opin-
ion, when decidedly formed, is to be-nOt
Mr.. Canning's War Of OpiniOn-by sword,
and bayonet, and cannon-but civil war
Of opinion; peaceable and powerful reyo-
luton, wrought out by it, we have not
doubt.
In looking at all parts Of Europe, we now
see a sudden awakening to the Power Of
Steam. Russia, Prussia, Austria, Piedmont,
all of Italy, the Powers and Principalities Of
Germany, and France more particularly,
looking at the amazing progress Of the loco
motive engine in the Western World, and at
what England is doing, are aroused to the
fitting peculiarly of their own region for this
new developement Of mans locomotive fac
ulty Of running rapidly over the geography
of the Earth. France but two years ago
had but one short rail road-tb Pays BGs
of Belgium and Holland but one--Gemany
none of importance-th plains of LOmbar-
dy not one-but there are now lines in con-
temptation that will soon link even sunny
Naples with the frozen regions Of the Auto
crat. Moscow is to be nelghbor to Rome.
Berlin and Paris are to be but visiting dis
tances. Trieste and Venice are TO be in
the vicinage Of Havre. The Pillars ofHer-
cules are no longer to be rounded by steam
power in the steam ship alone, but the day
is rapidly coming when the Dalmatian even
can fly athwart the domain Of Austria, and
through the passes of the Alps to Havre, in
the train ofthe locomotive engine, when the
steamship will bring him in few days to
the empire city of the New World. Old
Greece and young America are thus to be
neig hbors. Asia and America are thus, as
it were, to shake hands. England, Old
England,
"Whose march 10 o'er the mountain wave,
Whose home is on the deep"
holding the Trident of Neptune--with steam
ships, and her navy and wealth, and her
colonies, is to be but aggrandized the more
by this power OF steam. HindOstan, and The
Indies--her provinces in the Eastern aud
the New World, she has brought home to
England. The space and distance of Que
bee, and New South Wales and OF Bombay,
IS annIhilated at once. The Sirius and the
Great Western success has demonstrated
all this--and England is now in the mama
of an intoxication Of joy from this new DIS
covery of her power
What clash Of OPINION there is now TO
be! What a ringing Of CONFLICTING
THOUGHT! How truth and right can now
stretch their gigantic strides,-with the
whole earth thrown open to them by steam;
the locomotive annihilating the Gordon Of
thought, and the steam ship bringing togeth-
er disjointed continents. Sir Francis Head,
man of much thought, (not very useful to
him though as a sta:esman) is reported to
have said when in this city, that two such
governments, as the colonial government of
the Canadas, and the government of the u
nited States, could not co-exist as neighbors; /;
the one or the other must fall, or one must
accommodate itself to the other. In this re-
mark, it strikes US there is great deal of
philosophy. Governments are contagious,
as opinions are. This is philosophy we'll
understood on the Continent of Europe, il
not in America. When France revolution
ICES, Belgium follows the example, and Hol-
land, and Germany, and Italy are in fer
ment-all Europe shakes the sensation-
and sympathy runs through nations in con-
tiguity as electricity, OF the earthquake.
Now this sympathy is 10 be made closer and
closer by the numerous rail roads Of the Old
| World. What is now remarkable Of Euro
pean society, is its ignorance fthe thoughts
and feelings, parts of one, of parts Of the
other. Nations are there in dismembered
state. Newspapers on the Comment, ou
of France, are but mere records of the
Court. Men never think out loud, IN print
The power Of communicating opinion is con
fined to the numbering DiIigences, or the
lazy Vetturinos. What Naples is thinking
Of, ST. Petersburg knows nothing Of. The
only bodies of men moving in masses are
the armies, under military discipline. The
locomotive is to change all this. Masses o
men, as we'll as soldiers, will then move.
The nations Of the Continent will become
travellers as the Americans and English are
Society, intercourse, and travelling will as
simulate opinion. Old ideas and new ideai
will knock together. Thus the steam shiI
is to bring the Old World and the New al
near together as is Paris and Naples, OF Par
is and Copenhagen. Opinions must theI
clash and then assimilate.
We are not quite sure that the RePubli
can opinions are going to prevail when thu
clashing is over. 1t is very easy to chea
ourselves into this belief,-but the assimlla
lion is almost as likely to make US European
as to transform Europeans into Americans
Undoubtedly European ideas will be TEN
pered,--b this very steam power Is
bring food Of Europeans upon our chores
MatGnt coeltm non Gnimunu, qUi trans mar
cmTunt is a truth not to be got over, and on
confirmed by daily observations. Agar
monarchy has its charms, and its argument
too. The all-absorbing, despotIc and abs
lutte power over opinion and property, an
| .,,.t boor, ovarQIQlu