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

civilites, or the intended sights OF any tenth
transmtter of a foolish face" who, according to
one Of their own poets
"Fop at the toiet--fatterer at the board,
Now trips lady--and now struts lord
for every American citizen feels himself SOW
eign in his own rght-and we should be 10th
to believe that the entire English people had
degenerated into set of blackguards.
While, therefore, far from maintaining the
converse of the proposition, that John Bull Is
the victim Of Gan unfortunate attachment for
Brother Jonathan, and that sour conntrymen at
the Worlds Fair" run the risk, each and every
one of them, of dying of plethora, induced by
the roast beef and plum-pudding Inequalities
Of their host !" or of being more smothered in
kisses from the buxom damsels Of psyGde
Albion" than our own great omni- basser ON
a visit North We yet believe that policy, ~
well as proper feeling, would prompt the pso-
pie of Great Britain to treat with civiity, ~
not with kindness, those whom it is their interest
to concate.
Our CoUSrRYMEN ar THE WoaLD's FAIR
|
and promised by the projectors OF tho "Great
Exhibition" 10 London, was the friendly and
peaceful relations it would produce among the
nations Of the earth by bringing their represent
tatives together, with olive branches in their
hands, at grand reunion on q new cloth OF gold.
| All the world were invited BY Britannia to
semble in a palace erected expressly for their
convenience in one Of her greenest parks; there
they were to engage in new tournay, and see
which had done the most for the elevation and
happiness of mankind The idea was u 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 eyinced 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 undeniable and
unmistakable disposition on their part to annoy
and exasperate our c0untrymen, and excite i'll
feelings on both sides. We do not, of course,
aude to any official conduct, but to the general
tone Of the English press and English speakers.
The first mark of disrespect was that shown by
one of the military clubs Of London towards the
officers ofthe st. La,orence of which we have
before spoken. No sooner was the Exhibition
opened to the public than the London papers
teemed with sneerng remarks and inuendoes
respecting the meagreness Of our part OF the
Great Exhibition, while the. articles we had sent
were hardly alluded to, and the peculiarly of
our position was not taken into the account.
The writers 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 But we 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, a very able weekly newspaper
published in London, of which 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 Pertinent. Mr.. Peto, who is gen.
tleman of great wealth, and distinguished
as 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 receipe into fellowship such American
psitors as ,cere 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, TO agitate the ques-
ton to the pery utmost, WHEN THERE WERE so
MANY AMERICANS 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 a clue to the otherwise rather
unaccountable disposition which has been mani
tested towards us ever since the Great Exhibit
, ton opened. Mr.. Peto it must be borne in
mind is gentleman Of considerable import
ance and we remember having seen state
ment in the Times that, while the Crystal
! Palace was in process Of erection, and there
| were doubts expressed of its proving paying
speculation, he guaranteed to the Bank of Eng
land E5OOOO sterling for advances, more than
: all the peerage put together had contributed
II appears, therefore, that he 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 to insult them by throw
ing in their teeth what he chooses to con-
, slider their national foible When member
of Parliament publicly avows such design and
such feelings, what have we to expect from
irresponsible reporters and orators. What
strikes us most singular in this unanimous
attempt to make the United States the scape-
goat for the pharisac wrath Of Britannia, is
that we are not only more nearly related to her
than any other people, but she is under greater
obligations to us for assistance in time of need
than any other nation. Why should not Mr..
Peto, and ether pharisacal members of Paria-
ment who show such an anxiety about u.s. be-
stow little of their thoughts upon some of the
other nations who have sent wares and repre-
sentatives to the Great Exhibition There are
Spain and Portugal, for instance, and Denmark,
all of them large shareholders, to say nothing
of Turkey, and Egypt, and Brazil. Why not
" firmly refuse to receive into fellowship" the
representatives of those countries !! There is
Russia, too, with more white slaves than we
have black ones why let her off! Then, again,