The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-08-29
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor Of the National Era
A meeting Of American citizens was held. last
Friday, to adopt some resolutions in honor Of the
late General Taylor. Our excellent and respect
ed Secretary of Legation, Henry s. Sanford,
Esq, was called to the chair, and our late consul
at Paris, Mr.. Walsh, was among those who took
part in the proceedings The attendance would
have been very large, had general notice been
given, for the sterling and manly qualities OF
General Taylor make his sudden decease a mat
ter of universal regret to his countrymen A
copy of the resolutions passed will be sent to the
New York papers
The political thermometer now stands at tenn
perate heat only. The horrid wars Of newspaper
paragraphs on one side, and COMBINATIONS ON
the other, waged between the President and the
National Assembly, disturb US no more with their
alarms Everything is quiet, except when some
ambitious young member or some ardent journal
ist cracks off his pocket pistol and calls the peo
pie to the windows for moment. The President
is on the point of starting on his electoneering
tour, after changing his route half dozen times,
and the Assembly is about to dispense to the
country and to the Springs, with the exception of
the vigilant Twenty five, who mount guard over
the Republic in the absence of its constitutional
i,sgStSk7zeo EE-crySS2y bg. them runs off TIE
President the Ministers, the Assembly, the chef
army officers, the chiefs of bureaux in the differ
emf departments, everybody, in short, except the
porters of the different ministerial palaces; and
they will govern France quite as well as the gen.
tlemen who abandon her during the hot weather.
The ambassadors all went some time ego. For
two months there will be no one in Paris, except
poor correspondents racking their brains for items
despairing journalists inventing all sorts of acct
dents eoups dta, Socialist conspiracies and other
similar pleasantries, to pass away the three long
months Of the parliamentary vacation For one,
hail them, as schoolboy does a holyday, and
propose to escape from the dry fields of politics
and fact to the green and inviting ones of biogra
ply, manners, and customs. Your readers shall
have series of letters, designed to be so many
mirrors, in which the French nation may see its
face or might see, if it choose to look. But it
will never look; for. Of all the nations under
the broad blue canopy, the French cares feast
about what people say and think of it, 1t forms,
in this most striking contrast to the irritable
brother Jonathan, who will have all people adj
mire him. Oftener than | choose to avow, have
seen an honest hearted American explaining to
a polite Frsnchman the greatness of the Gland
of the freen A conversation of this sort on the
deck of steamboat amused me at the time, and
must give you a part of it. The American
had the tall and rsw-boned figure which denotes
so often the hardy son of the Green Mountains
He touches his hat gravely, and the Frenchman
answers by taking his entirely of, and making an
easy bow.
american, lin broken French.) Well, sir, we
are not making much Roadway.
Fenchman The boat is 80 small.
Amer All! you should see our boats on the
do you think of that2
F. Ours are not so fast, certainly. Yours are
perfectly safe, presume
Amer o yes. Now and then blow up But
nothing, when the immense number of our boats
is considered Four hundred steamboats, on the
those on forty other rivers, and half dozen in
land seas, which we call lakes.
F.. You must have great facilities for travel
ling in America.
diner. There you are right Everybody trav-
els knowledge is diffused. And we should
travel, for how could we know each other, if we
didn't, our territory is so large. 1t is twenty
times as large as France
F., wishing to change the conversation, and
pointing out fine apricot tree loaded with fruit)
That's fine tree, sir; do you like the fruit2
Amsr. We have it, too, in America we have
all kinds of fruit. Immigrants bring US seed and
slips from every part Of the world. And then,
we have every variety of climate. ------.-.------.
F., taking up newspaperl You have plen-
ty of these, too, suppose.
An,er Plenty as the leaves on the trees, and as
unstamped Our literary men are without num-
Der.
F. Your novelists write for the papers do
they? Novelists, mean, Of the grade of Dick
ems
Amey. Dickens, sir ranks very low with us
He has literary talent, but 10 heart. lie abused
our Acknowledgements q book against us after we
had treated him like prince. A man who would
do that should not be received into good society
Your De Tocqueville appreciated US.
beg pardon Of my enthusiastic countryman
for the indiscretion of revealing his private con-
versation; but have seized on him as a type of
q numerous class-as naturalist seizes on q
specimen butterfly, and pins him to piece of
paper for scientific examination Because he is the
one of large class Of sensitive Americans who
are 80 little assured of the position of their coun-
try, that they cannot bear to have it questioned;
it is dangerous and disagreeable business for
foreigner to tell US frankly what he thinks of us
But as this class does not exist in France, shall
feel free to write you just what think of the
French people, their foiblcs, vanties, bad habits,
and their numerous excellent institutions and
good qualities.
Having given you my programme for the long
vacation, and told you why it shall be executed
fearlessly, GOODNESS is easy where there is no
danger) it is time to turn to the news of the
week.
The opposition has attempted to make capital
against the Government out Of the suppression
by the Minister of the Marseies Board of
Health. This Board had established forty
days quarantine in the port--a measure which
appeared to the Minister, NJ Dumas, injurious to
commerce, and in disaccord with the present
lights Of the medical profession. He therefore
abolished the Board. This vigorous step gave
great dissatisfaction at Marseilles for three days
a mob was feared. But the excitement has SUBJ |
sided, the doctors of the Board having received
an intimation that if il Continued they chould be |
arrested, and put into some strong fortress, there
10 remain until their nrofessinnal zeal for the |