Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-11-15
"AMEnrcAN NOTES FOR GENERAL CIRCULATION"

from reading the extracts which had been s'rewn
through the newspapers-but had idrn OF the
true character of the production, until we had copy
of the whole before US. Copies enough have indeed
been scattered from the Northern presses-and u we
may believe any thing of the avdity with which they
ha We been denouvrcd their Cities and the multitude
which has been poured from their presses, they must al
have been numerous as the leaves OF Fahamoro
sa "Nles Register states, thnt"the copy OF the ~ofk
was received by the Great Western amer at NJ York
at 6oclock Sunday evening. In nineteen hon's alter
its reception the whole work was reprinted ana senP
by thousands upon thousands of copies at ia cents
each from the office of the New World, IN PamPh
let of 4S pages large octave Fifteen hundred copies oil
that went on in the first train Of cars to- Philadelphia,
were disposed of fast as they could be hanceo 10
purchasers, and SO al Baltimore, and we presume al
other paces The work criticized at considerable
length by the Baltimore editors in their papers oil lhus
day. The publishers, it is probable, did not lake ume
TO correct their proof sheets, or there was competition
whether there could not be many typogfaPhica as
other in the work Besides the edoh i'o," ''e
above press we find the work already advertised from
the presses of the Brother Jonathan Boston: The Har.
pers New York; Lea * Blanchard Philadelphia
all the newspapers making long extracts from Ills
pages.
New York. within as hours of it's publication Others
boast that leo 900 have been one OF The
great champions of the Copy Right system finds himself
wounded in his own house-and every cent OF remuhe'
ration snatched from him, By the steam OF the american
in the short space Of few hours, and at the low price
of I2j cen,s-incuding even the Harper Edition,
s.sereo ped pressed, bound, and oil effected IN "a
hours" We confess, that if We Ind The power, we
would send back this whole immense mass OF ingltVe
sheets back to the from which they emanated-
and bury them forever With The waters OF Lsthe Such
a course would the same time consult the reputation
of Mr. Charles Dickens, and the character OF our own
country.
We have read the work with disappointment, regret
4 and nusl
eroected from Mr. Dickens's talents and the profess
snns of gratitude he evinced much better production
more Just lis views of American Society, more IL
beral in its temper-more worthy of hun and OF our.
selves We had admired many OF his works-and we
confess, liked the But the present production
will lose him friends in America IL VIII crcumscrioe
the range ct his future productions IL VIII nearly cut
off tho whole region of the South once ms most ardent
admirers from the circle of his readers will weaken
The moral force of all his opinions, fright, and all
He has been kind enough 10 give us some good ad-
vice in relation in spi,ting and TO the
defects of our press-hough he has mace carcature
of both-yet his advice will lose It's influence,
from the IN which it IS presented ana from the
bitter feelings which he has produced on other subjects
We agree with "Nlless Reg ser, that "the work will
sadly lower the estimate in which the author was held
both MS a writer and II man-although there are many
we'll written and wholesome paragraphs IN IT, =
There are some spirited sketches in it, OF persons and OF
scanery-a cw strokes of humor that are worthy of the
infinitely below the standard of his other productions
IL is trashy and frivolous in its general contents There
is nothing profound in his vews-noshing philosophical
about the Constitution phe oil ms new ltepuo
lic There is lhtle solid information which he impars
10 the stranger about the character of our institutions,
except our charitable establishments N boston ana
Phudel pha for which he is very much indebted 10 the
documents already before the public tie fiIes from
city 10 city, without giving any interesting account
of their literature their science their general man.
ners the causes Of their prosperity. he visits Wash
inp,on during the SESSION of Congress, and no man
could have exhibited more meagre ana frivolous
account Of their leading men or measures lie visits
The Legislatures of Massachusetts, Virginia, and Penn
sylyana II is all blank He passes through our
country and presents satisfactory statistics OF our
agriculture. 1t part OF his scheme to portray the
portraits of our distinguished men. we DO not blame
him for making "no reference TO his reception though
there was an immense field beyond 1t, for de.
scription of those distinguished minds, which en-.
lipbten and embell,sh our county lie has no
wan, of space to complin Of He had time enough
for larger observation al least of The great elements
of cur Society lie had leisure and bad taste enough
TO witness n negro dance at the Fire Points. He has
condescended 10 rive full and silly account OF IT.
He can sioop to the low and prot!acted dialogue
with a negro stage driver who drove him from the
Potomac 10 Frederic ksburg. He has found time to
describe con n,aorc the hogs OF New York and OF
onisv,lle-he coarser manners Of his fellow passen
r.rs on canal boats and steamers And yet he had no
taste for describing the distinguished men whom he
saw at Washington and IN The North Let any one
read his whole Western Tour, from his leaving hlch'
mond TO his arrival at Niagara, Icing one fourth OF his
book and then say how many grains OF wheat he can
collect in all this busfe OF chef Excerpt very few acs
which he has given us III his account oil Cihc'nhahah
ST. Louis almost the whole passage might be spared,
without the slightest loss to the beauty or the value OF
his Notes
He has paid us now and thea q few compliments by
way of swcee ming the dose-bn The bers he has scat
tered through the whole work are more Than suihc'snl
to make il disgusting carrl:ature lie has cone no
sort Of Justice 10 the great character oil our institutions
I'm what other country but Ills under the auspices OF
our young Republic the inspirations OF Liberty
herself where the very form of our Government sets
rs loose from the expressions King, an Arsncfacy,
aud an established Church-has 80 much enterprise
b, en- DISPLAYED ("eagle enterprise, MIR. Dickens was
be. eff cted in very direc,n its population augment
ed IN lille more than 30 years from 3or to II millions
our States increased from l3 10 $50 many splendid
cities rising in the far West-so many canals exca
vaied-so many miles Of railroad effected from 1870
when we had but the Maucf Chunk and the iittle gum
CIV once pleased TO call -and such vast improvements
Granite Ralroads) 10 The $500 miles IN length
so many arts cherished, and so much improvement
achieved in agriculture And yet mol one OF these iea
lures the moral physical spectacle OF our country
The effect great degree OF our Tree lnslltot'ohs
could Mr. Dickens find time 10 draw-with oil his good
feelings for Amerlca-whs, he could give his mind TO
negro dances and stage dalogues-the gTunlng oil CITY
pigs and the excuses Of tobaccospltters.
But Mr. Dickens could also find time I" make "a
sorry acknowledgment, compared with what (he) bears
within his breast toward those partial readers OF ms
former books who him with an open iiand ana mol
with one that closed upon an iron muzzle Az easi,
he could make no such nowledgment 10 the South
ern people Little did any of US dream OF the smith
field fires of faratcisn, that ragged within his bosom
Little wot we of Of tie strong reasons which prompt
ed him to become personally acquainted WIN III. onnh.
ning-"ihe bold philanthropy with winch he mas ever
opposed himself to that most hideous blot and foul DIS
grace-sIuvery" But when came across this EN-
pac passage in the 9th page of his Notes. on his arr
val al Boston, We afraid OF the developments
which might be found in the progress oil ms 'our n'n.s
enoupb are dropt afterwards But on travelling iron
fredericksburg to Richmond, the fever breaks out :
And what must we think Of that "hear which he says
was made 'glad" by the sight of our "withered
grounds" because they gave proof that zone oil 'he
curses OF this horrible Institution had fallen upon US
For his greater comfort we may tell him, that the ra''
- 20 80 nf the worst land in the