The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-11-22

| interests are dependent upon the preservation of
peace and ORDER and general confidence in social
| security and stability. Yet through all Of the mid
| die and lower classes of society, who concern
themselves at all about political matters, 'there
| reigns great amount of political discomfort The
limited extent of the elective franchise, the extreme
ly unequal apportlonment OF representation, the
Injustice of the present system Of taxation, which
falls with the greatest weight upon those who are
least able TO bear it, and the expenditures of gov
| ernment are evils almost universally complained
Of Yet il is the general feeling that these are not
grievances of such character as to call for any
thing like general reorganization of the political
system. If there is any Of the established nstitu-
tons of the country in danger, it is the established
| church. The feeling against it is strong, and is
/ daily becoming stronger. Already the number of
dissenters in England and Wales nearly, if not
| quite, equals that of churchmen. Yet, from my
own observation, believe it to be true that the
| Queen has no more loyal subjects in the realm
than the dissenters as a body Their sober, and if
you please methodistcal habits, wholly opposed
| to that fanaticsm which breaches sedition and to
| that reeklessness which instigates revolt. 1t is
undeniabe that English chartism is strongly imbued
with that radical, destructive spirit, that cannot
be content with opposing particular laws rsystems,
but attacks soeiey ITSELF Its natural and avOwed
system is with the red-republicans of France. The
principles that maintained and the aims that are
set forth by Fergus O'Connor and his organ, " The
Northern Star, are not one whit better than the
principles and aims of Ledru Rollin and La
Reforn.e." They are in fact identical, inspired by
the same hooking fend in different shapes-COnl-
HuaiSH.
In both city and country took no little pains to
ascertain the feeling Of the people generally towards
America, and to me the result was most gratifying.
The great mass of the people, the middle class espe-
cially, regard our country with the most decided
favor. They acknowledge and take pride in our
greatness and prosperity pride i'll the ties Of blood
which unite England and America, and deprecate
war between the two nations fratricidal crime
which scarcely any combination of circumstances
justify. Infinitely less prejudice and ilwill is
entertained towards us, than the treatment we have
received from the British press and from British
travellers would Indicate The people generally
disposed TO forget past differences and to rub out
old sores The common sentiment is, that the two
greatest nations of the earth have, in these event
full times, too sacred mission to perform, to indulge
in heart burnings and jealouses; and that, while
each moves in its own appropriate sphere, both
should be strengthened by mutual confidence and
reciprocal moral support
Having alluded to The detraction of British trav-
elers, will add that it requires actual travel in
England to estimate the effronery which 1t cost to
compose il. Not caricature of American modes
Of speech or habits of behaviour has been drawn
in the pages of TrollOpe, Hamilton, Dickens, et I'd
omne genus, that might not have been produced at
home with greater ease, and with far broader and
more ludlcrous features. Laugh Englishmen
may at our Amercanisms " of expression, the
Queens English is nowhere spoken with the cor
is on your side of the Atlantic. Take Englishmen
as they run, not one of them in five can cope his
mouth but out their flies " cockneyism a pro-
vincalism. Stop the first person you meet in the
Strand, and ask him the locality of Westminster
Hall, and the chance is ten TO one that you will be
told that The all is directly hogpoSite to the Hab
bsy" This abuse Of the aspirate is by no means
confined to the ignorant part THE community.
1t is about as likely TO happen in the drawing-room
as on the pavement; and have even frequently
RI 4 ehadd d.
vines in the pulpit The country abounds in different
dialects. In travelling through district, could
scarcely recognize in the patoiS of the peo
pie any thing like my own vernacular. 1t required
the closest attention, and constant stretch Of the
imagination, to understand the heathenish lingo.
Many of these various dialects have the smallest
family resemblance between them. The Yorkshire,
the Norfolk and Suffolk and the West of England,
in which last Fielding wrote his broadcast scenes,
are as nearly unlike each other as High and Low
Dutch. 1t would become Englishmen to reduce
their own language to something like proper and
common standard before hooting quite so loudly at
our Yankee phraseology. Draw pictures, too, of
republican rudeness and i'll breeding / have
journeyed some ten thousand miles over the length
and breadth ofmy native land, and have never seen
SO many instances of coarseness and vulgarity as /
have observed in travelling one-twentieth OF that
distance in England. On railways and in steam
boats / have repeatedly heard, in the presence of
respectable females indecencies of language that
rican conveyance, and perhaps have occasioned the
immediate expulsion OF its authors. Yet here, if
noticed at all, they were only treated " food for
laughter" Were | a book maker, it would be the
easiest thing in the world to trick these cases out
with all needful rhetorical embellishments, and at
tempt to palm them off as veritable specimens of
English manners. The truth is, that vulgarity is
common enough everywhere and those who like
to work ON such material, can always find it at
hand. But in neither England nor America is it
Oreva tn form nOnular characteristics
At all events, and | can vOuch for it, America has
no reason to be ashamed of her republican breed
ing when compared with that of her proud mother
over the water, notwithstanding the latter has had
the advantage of royal and aristocrahc models from
time immemOria
In few things do Americans and Englishmen diff
fer more, than in the extraordinary fondness of the
latter for sport All classes of Englishmen seem TO
make amusement one of the ends Of life This
passion for diversion partakes little of the gleeful
frivoty Of the French. 1t is far manler, or at
least far more masculine in lis character. Its play
ground is not the sale nor the jdrdin /; but the
winter and the turf. Horse racing, fox hunting,
rabbit eoursing, pigeon shooting, hurdle eaping,
cricket playing, walking, running, rowing, wrest-
ling, sparrng and fighting, according to the differ
ranks and tastes of the people, IFS favorite
modes Of qualification. The man would hardly be
a Briton who did not at times indulge in some of
these. The race of fox hunting persons is not, as
YOU may have imagined, altogether extinct. Scores
II nOl nuuuIeus Oh cleFgyiLeh even HOW dLhudtly
take out their game certificates. Love of gymnas-
tic exercises is almost universal among the country
people. Every parish, and town, and county, has
its favorite bully and at this season Of the year
particularly, gatherings are had every week or two
in different parts Of each county for the trial Of
athletic abilities These gatherings are arranged
and publicly advertised weeks before hand, are
kept up one, two and sometimes three days, and to
those who particularly distinguish themselves,
prizes Of considerable sums Of money are awarded.
They are attended by people from the whole coun-
try around, including many who move IN the MD
die and upper walks Of life Taverns upon such
occasions crowded from cellar to garnet and IN
travelling through the country, was more than
once put to no little inconvenience by an absolute
inability to obtain lodgings at any public house for
either love or money.
passion for horse-racing pervades all classes.
This IS the darling sport of the peope-patricians
and plebeians alike flock to the exciting spectacle,