Polynesian., 1851-11-22

a new impulse to their efforts, and hasten the
time when The bri eht star that has risen in the
east, shall pass over all the other States, and 10,
wnnr till its cheering light and influence are seen
and felt upon the shores of the Pacific.
LIQUORS IN FRANCE.
My highly respectable and much esteemed
friend Mr.. Castle, in a communication to the
Polynesian No is of the S0rh of August last,
stntes: "H is probably true that France is a more
temperate country, than England Scotland or
Ireland" advanced that same opinion in my nd
adressto the Legislature of last June But L. at the
same time, shewed that it was faIIacy to con-
found the measures of drunkenness in individu-
ais, with the measure of the consumption of in
toxicating liquors, in nations. established on
The high authority of Mr.. G. r. Porter, that il
hy no means followed that an aDsnlute, and en-
great increase in The general consumption of
ardent spirits, afforded certain evidence of in
creased intemperance; nay, that it might even le
that The quantity consumed throughout the coun-
try might he doubled, while The general charac-
ter for solriety would he improved. This dis
tinction is easily drawn by all who have mixed
in genteel society and marked its progress in the
three United Kingdoms since the year 1915. After
The general peace, there arose a much larger in
tercOurse with the Continent, and it became
fashionable to ape the manners Of foreigners, " no
while they used wines and spirits, with their
daily food, much more generally than the Eng
lisb, were vastly more moderate in their social
entertainments. This Improvement, in The tone Of
society increased from year-the immodrrate
drinkers became moderate owing TO :he influence
of fashion alone, and for many years, il has pre-
vailed throughout the United kingdoms, to that
extent, that no man given 10 excess, or observed
to rise from table, in a state disabling him from
brhaving like a gentleman, can keep his place in
"good' sociriy. During eleven years residence
in London, and of a very free intercourse with
society, both at public and private entertainments
can only charge my memory, with two or three
of such cases. That reform, through the mere
influence of fashion, seems TO have been well
proved before the Committee Of the house of
Commons instituted in 1884, for, among other
resolutions, in their report, quoted by Mr. Castle,
was this, which, in fact, was the first "That il
appears to your Committee from the evidence
taken before them that the vice Of inrOxication
has for some years-past been on The decline in
The higher and middle ranks; but has increased
within the same period Of time among the labo-
ring classes and exists, at present, to a very
great extent in the population of England Scot
land and Ireland, and in the pc rts and manu-
featuring towns, including in its victims men, wo-
men and children"
According to the usages Of society in the three
the fashion of the higher and middle
classes, cannot easily extend to the working
rlasses, and hence, they have not learned bv imi-
tntion, tn he moderate in their potaiions. They
cannot initiate what they are debarred seeing nor
can those teefotallprs who have never belong ed
to this class, or who have never mixed " ith the
h ieher and middle classes believe how easy il
is for well bred gentlemen and ladies to be mode
rate in their Iibaiions. full consciousness of
this will make them for ever spurn the adoption
Of the teetOial pledge, security, against their
falling into the gross habits uf The vicious vulgar
As for the assertion fthe teet6tallers that mode
ration in the use Of inebrafing liquors, is only
the first stage of excess, it may he with the
latter class, hut that il is wholly untrue, in its
general application the higher and middle
classes, every man who has had some experience
Of the world will maintain. speak as to the
general rule, without denying that il has its ex-
ceptions, in individual cases, of men of tastes
naturally low and groveIling.
With these preliminary remarks, proceed TO
give the statistics of IntenIperance ia France ns
prepared by X. NJ. Hartley Esq. of N. Y. From
his tabular statement. "it appears that the annual
consumption If wine in France is (or rather was in
lS4s) 746.47l ,429 gallons-of brandy more than
90, ,OO0 0O0s Of salIons-of cider 22l ,000, 900 Of
gallons, AMI of beer IA, ,0OO, 900 Of gallons. This
tinate, would amount to more than 260 900 900
of dollars (f54, ,I66, ,666 sterling j hut when it is
considered that great proportion of il ~ drunk
and paid for, by the small measure, the expend-
ture for strong drink by the consumers, must
equal dollar per gallon, or over ,000, ,000, 900
"f d"IIars, (f20s ,SSs, ,3ss sterline) annually
Suppose the soil now used in France to raise
grain and fruit to make Intoxicating drinks,
-hnuId he cultivated 10 raise food for man aud
beast, or materials 10 ieiier the population what
change there wouhi he. The naiinn could
double its present population and its comfort
But while the people are drinking. not Al gallons
nf intoxicating liquors, but Al gallons Of naked
unaduIteraied alcohol, we have great confidence
in her sustaining herself under Republican rule.
A Republic must he entirely temperate 10 stand.
Had inremperance gone on increasing in this
country, the last twenty years, rs il bad the pre-
vious twenty years, il is doubtful whether any
Republic could have. continued TO this time. !"
(Er"n the sNew York Organ"
Although Mr.. Harley profesresi TO have pre-
pared his statistics from official returns and other
documents, am disposed tS consider that like
the stories ,f there being 100000 drunksrds IN
the British Islands, and 500 900 in the q. States
aud 5000 900 teelolaliers in Ireland such ac-
conuis partake Of no small exageerafiou. fthe
French do consume per head, SO much intoxica-
ting qunr then, in that respect, they beat MI the
nations Of the earth, and prove in the most un-
anssserahie manner that the measure Of the
Irankenness, povrrsy and crime in nations u not
to be found in the degree. in which they ronsnms
snrh Intoxicating liquors. "Verum Prses hevo
eyre, pod salde eTpefss."
] am not sure that il is Mr. Harley Or the New
position Of the nco,npasihilisy of Republican In
sttutins,s with the use of insoxicatinR squnrs u
we admit that position, the Opposite will follow
thar Monarchy cannot sulisst with teetQtnl sorie-