Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1845-01-16
NJ Z s. q d u u a 81 = o
A GLIMPSE AT 'MERRIE ENGLAND

Professor E. WRIGHT, known as the able
and ingenious translator Of La Fontaine's
Fables,) in his Letters TO the Boston Chron-
icle, makes the following shrewd observations
upon the state of affairs in England:
Time, which iarries not for mor,als. has
brought me 10 the close of my look at Eng
land. II is very awkward to sum up and
generalze when one has only begun to OBJ
serve; therefore understand me as giving gen.
civilizations OF things as they seem 10 me
what fly that lights upon England for a
twinklng and is of, thinks of it,
As TO the bouniies of Providence. substan-
tial blessings and beauties, cannot conceive
how more could have been granted in the
same space than is the lot of this, so far as
nature has made it, 'merrie England After
seeing the golden harvests of The rich eastern
counties and Y Yorkshire. the meadows of the
Thames, above ALL the garden valley of the
Tweed; the mines of Derbyshire, and anoth-
er region 10 which the wise do not carry
Goals the bens and lochs Of Scotland; the
pixies and lels, and tlales and meres of
Wesiti'oreland the springs Of Malvern the
valleys Of the Severn and the Wye-even
taking anap on The brow of the WvndecIines-
surely ] have right 10 say, @Avaunt, all
geography, this island is the very spot where
the human race ought 10 Gevelope itself in
all It's power and glory" But truly, the
race, as mass, is far and painfully below
what nurseing Of repubIicanism, aligbline
on 'ne Wyndeclifs, and drinking in the beau
lies OF the wide landscape, and knowing Moth
ing more Of England, would expect TO find it.
There is ignorance and coarse brutality. and
suilen hopelessness and haggard wretcied-
ness, far beyond what there ought TO be in
the midst of such beauties and BLESSINGS =
Yet there is not little, Blu. great deal a.
mong the human inhabitants, that is, like the
landscape, noble, and lovely, and glorious
and that, not in one class, but in all classes,
from the highest to the lowest And a peep
at history will convince one, too, that The
race is here making progress that is truly
encouraging and sublime. Indeed, history
writes this upon the landscape.-The ole.
leudal castles, now possessed by ivy and
owls the ruinous abbeys. the dimy, remem-
bered battle fields aud Smithlields," are way
marks that show how the face has gone for
ward. The Alfreds, the Shakspeares, the
flampdens, the Newtons5 tie Millions, The
Towards, the Wesleys, the lfogarths, have II 10,
lived IN vain. Their manes are worn worth
ny by men whom il might be invidious to men
uon now; but who will shine as the stars by
and by ; men who are doing what Cromwell
niu; IN wiser way. They have approached
/ IN iaci, nearer than in form, TO the desired
goal. In enumeratiDg the governing powers
OF England, you have not done when you
have mentioned king. lords and commons
The press is TO be named, and that not at the
tail OF the list: The press has oulgrown the
power Of what is called the government, 10
control 1t either by fear or favor. Look al
the Times newspaper with net revenue equal
70 that OF third rate European potenae
Ministers have bribed it ill il is beyond the
reacli Of their bribery. They look up 10 il
with FEAR and trembling, and a degree of hum
ole obedience: II is the voice Of the most vi
gorous intellect Of England saying what will
oe most likely 10 find am echo in the breasts
OF one hundred thousand Independent English
men as they swallow their but:ered toast and
boiled egg Look a, Punch, too, with wi,