Maumee City express. [volume] (Maumee City, Ohio) 1838-184?, 1839-08-31


necks. Heaven in its nscrulabIe DEGREES
only knows.
AS an evidence Of Englands parental
care, a field piece, with its accompanying
instruments of death is placed upon the
wharf, and red coated sentinel, with his
gun and bayonet parades by its side, and,
after all, there is nothing that marks more
atrongly than this the difference between
British and American freedom.
A ride of some ten miles from Port STAN
ley, though a fine, but somewhat broken
and uneven country brought us to st.
Thomas, town of some Importance, and
military post The town contains, as near
as we could Judge from Its size, about a
thousand inhabitants, and like all the Cana
dian towns that we have seen, is poorly
built, and presents the appearance of pre-
mature decay and stagnant lifenessness.
The country around appears well settled,
and the land good, but alas the spirit, he
life is wanting, the enterprisng part of the
population are fast leaving the country and
seeking homes in the States; and when
the homo government shall succeed in its
endeavor to fix an aristocracy in the Can
adas, there will be none left but those best
fitted for serfs and slaves, too mean for self
government, and too worthless TO pay for
the trouble Of governing.
The detachment of troops at st. Thom-
as, consists of three companies of the 85th
regiment of regulars, under the command
of Col. MaunselI, and numbers about four
hundred. They are mostly veterans in the
service, and picked men, and are as amiable
looking food for villalnous salt-petre, as we
have seen this many day.
But, after all, what look there is about
this business of collecting together such
great bodies of men; rigging them up in
toggery that makes them look more like
monkes than men; teaching them to walk
like automatons, setting aside the easy gait
of nature; and when they are taught, put
ting muskets in their hands, and setting
them to killing other folks who have been
trained to the same business in another ma
zion. 1t is wonderful that anything but
negro or monkey should be proud of red
coat, and yet it is perfectly evident that it
is the bump of red-t oat- -ativeness that keeps
these poor devils of soldiers together,
slaves and the tools used by tyrants to en-
slave others. | was about to call them aCti-
ling slaves, but they are not. That even
the gaud and trickery with which the pro-
fession of arms is spurposely surrounded, has
lost much of it's charms to the common SOL
dier, is evident from the daily desertions
that are taking place; over two hundred ha-
wing taken French leave of their officers at
this post alone. And the success in most
cases attending these desertons, proves
something more--it proves that the people
of the Canadas are not the most loyel in the
world, as 4 whole, for of the whole number
of the runawuys, only four have been ta-
ken. Only three or four days since, two of
the most valuable members of the band
men whose duty is the most easy, and who
are the most admired of the whole army,
left the post, for the States. They were
pursued, and finally, by mere accident,
taken, and will most likely be let go, as
their services cannot well be spared, by the
oflicers-a fine band being potent engine
in the business of ensaving the people.
But In spite of the armies of Britain, in
spite of the corruption which its money,
lavishly scattered, is calculated to produce,
there is still a strong, and not the less strong
because smothered, feeling of opposition to
its government, and determination to shake
it off at the first favorable opportunity.
The visitor of day, If he comes from the
States, can see it. though all signs are care
fully suppressed before the mnions of pow
or. The people see that England is anxious
to pursue her favorte theory of govern
ment in the Canadas, by building up an ar
that shall be attached both by birth,
interest and prejudice to the crown. They
are fully aware too that such thing is inn
from the fact that the blood of
the real aristocracy of the realm cannot be
imported, while the creation of new lords
like Sir Allan McNabb, and others of his
kidney, will have no effect but to excite
their contempt and rldicule. The importa-
ton of free principles from the States will
much faster than the fabrication of
an aristocracy, and in the race, 1t is no diff
ficult matter to see which will eventually
be beaten. In the mean time Canada suf-
is stagnated, the best of the
population are seeking homes in the land Of
freedom on this side the lake, and the rest
nre debased and degraded by the presence
Of military power of foreign mercenaries
sent over to enslave their persons, and to
Implant the seeds of still more ablect ser
of vipe in thnir eouls