The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-14


! The right judging portion Of our countssuisn 4
home and abroad, who chance to see the Had
vised and ipjudicious article which we append
Our countrymen abroad care little for Thu
civilities, or The intended sights Of any tentl
transmitter of foolish face who, according Y
one of their own poets
81 op at the toilet--Aatterer at the board,
| Now trips ady--and now struts lord ~
for every American citizen feels himself soy
/ eign in his own right--and we should be lott
to believe that the entire English people hat
degenerated into a set of blackguards.
| While, therefore, far from maintaining ths
converse of the proposition, that John Bull /
the victim Of aan unfortunate attachment fol-
Brother Jonathan, and that our conntrymen al
the Worlds Fair run the risk, each and every
one Of them, of dying of a plethora, induced by
the .roast beef and plum-pudding hospitalities
of their host;" or Of being more smothered in
kisses from the buxom damsels of "psrfdt
| Albion" than our own great omni-busser ON
visit North We yet believe that policy, as
well as proper feeling, would prompt the peo'
pie Of Great Britain to treat with civility, il
not with Kindness, those whom it is theirinterest
| to conciliate.
4 Our CouNTRYMEN AT THE WoRLps FAIR
One of the good effects that were propheced
and promised by the projectors OF the "Great
| Exhibition" ia London. was the friendly and
peaceful relations it would produce among the
nations of the earth by bringing their represen-
| tatives together, with olive branches in their
hands. at a grand reunion on new cloth of gold.
| All the world were invited by Britannia to as
semble in palace erected expressly for their
convenience in one of her greenest parks; there
they were to engage ina new tourney, and see
which had done the most for the elevation and
| happiness of mankind. The idea was most
happy one, and most generously was the invita-
ton responded to. But, to drop metaphor,
which we fear, in this case, might lead to some
misconstruction of our feelings, we must say, in
all seriousness, that we have been mortified, and
at times indignant, at the disposition evinced by
our cousins on the other side OF the water, to-
wards us in every thing that relates to the Great
Exhibition. There has been an undenlahle and
unmistakable disposition on their part to annoy
and exasperate our countrymen, and excite III
NO1'SS'
allude to any official conduct, but to the general
tone of the English press and English speakers.
The first mark of dsrespect was that shown by
one of the military clubs of London towards the
officers of the 81. Laurence, of which We have
before spoken No sooner was the Exhibition
opened to the public than the London papers
teemed with sneering remarks and inuandoes
respecting the meagreness of our part of the
Great Exhibition, while the articles we had sent
were hardly alluded to, and TIE peculiarly OF
our position was not taken into the account.
The writer's for the London papers appear TO
have expected as grand display OF trinkets
from this side of the Atlantic as were sent from
the other side of the channel. Butw should never
think of complaining at any criticism OF this
kind if we cannot compete with the other ma
tons of the earth in show of gew-gaws, we
are quite willing to take the consequences and
bide our time But there are other things
which we feel bound to notice. and here is one
of them.
The Leader, very able weekly newspaper
published in London, of which a son of Leigh
Hunt, the poet is editor, in the number for the
oath of last month gives an account of meet
! ing held at the Freemasons Tavern, where
| speeches were made by several distinguished
! persons, and among the rest Mr.. Peto men,
Der of Parliment. Mr. Peto, who is gen.
tleman of great wealth, and distinguished
as a civil engineer, is reported to have said
There were three ways by which they could
aid the total liberation of their African brethren
| the first was, in the present year, when so many
| shareholders from the United States were in
England, to receive into fellowship, with a
hearty good will, those Of their black brethren
who were in England, but steadily and firmly
refuse 10 receive into fellowship such American
visitors as icere shareholders, and who carried on
traffic in their fellow creatures. The second
was, by throwing open the pulpits of this coun-
try TO students who were men Of color and by
receiving them freely and Familiarity at their
tables The third way was, 10 agiiate the ques-
i ,i0n 10 he peyy utmost, WHEN THERE WERE so
MANY AMEErcAss IN THIS COUNTRY"
We wish we could avoid thinking that this
member Of Parliament has LET the cat out of the
/, bag, and given us clue TO the otherwise rather
unaccountable disposition which has been mani
tested towards US ever since the Great Exhibit
ton opened. MIR. Peto, it must be borne in
mind, is a gentleman of considerable import
ance and we remember having seen a state
ment in the Times that, while the Crystal
Palace was in process Of erection, and there
were doubts expressed of its proving paving
speculation, he guaranteed to the Bank of Eng
land 100000 sterling for advances, more than
all the peerage put together had contributed
Il appears therefore, that be had peculiar in
terest in the Exhibition, and his leading mo-
tive seems TO have been TO attract as many
Americans with their industrial specimens as
he could, on purpose 10 insult them by throw.
ing in their teeth what he chooses to con.
slider their national foible. When a member
i of Parliament publicly avows such design and
such feelings, what have we to expect from
irresponsible reporters and orators. What
strikes us as most singular in this unanimous
attempt to make the United States the scape-
goat for the pharisaic wrath Of Britannia, Is
that we are not only more nearly related TO hel
than any other people, but she is under greater
obligations 10 us for assistance in time of neeC
than my other nation. Why should not Mr.
Peto, and ether pharsaicaI members Of Plria-
ment who show such an anxiety about u.s. be
stow a little of their thoughts upon some Of thu
: other nations who have sent wares and repre-
sentatives to the Great Exhibition There arr
Spain and Portugal, for instance, and Denmark
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