The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-31


amid this noise, amid this busy and ambitious
route Of all the nations of the universe, IL GER
tainly the most glorious enterprise that can DO
adventured upon by any high-minded gentle
man in love with the din and tumult Of civil
lied nations when they abandon themselves
freely To the spirit. to the genius, to the inspI-
ration of labor. Behold, at last popular tu-
mutt worthy at once Of the contemplation OF
the earth and Of smiles from on high. Here be
excellent revolutions which deserve our SYM
pathies and command our respect. War Is
waged with the most courteous weapons.
Men oppose each other behind barricades built
up of master pieces there resounds from amid
these nations in the heat Of labor nothing but
the din of the hammer descending upon the
anvil, and the signs Of the steam-engine har-
messed to it's fiery car Listen to the sound a.
Of cannon batteriug in the walls of beleaguered
cities-it 10 the banging of looms which is
heard from one end Of the earth to the other;
it ia the generous struggle Of great nations
unwilling to be vanqushed in this immeasurs-
Bile strife Of industry Behold far in the dis
lance, swarming on every road, encumberIng
every path, ath wart seas and oceans, from the
North to the South, from the rising to the set
ting sun, over mountain peak, through shadowy
vale, from sunburnt plains and frozen regions,
from the bosom Of free charters and from the
steps OF absolute thrones, from the sweat of
white SKINS and from the sweat OF black from
the ploughsiare and from the light gossam
spun by the sik worm in his last hour, there
arises armies of toilers, whose occupation is to
feed, to clothe, to defend, to protect, to ag-
grandize, and render illustrious this world 1e-
voted to contentious, this world delivered up
prey to chance, this world, abandoned for so
long a space to bastard theories, to frebrand
gospels, to lazy evangelsts, to vagrant preach
ers, to caiiffs who would transmute these tools
to poinards, these industrious fires to devouring
torches, these workmen to rebels Cowardly
panderers to the vilest passions of benighted
men, let them do they willconvert these hopes,
these glories, these several contentments into as
many calumnies, blasphemies, perjuries, and
conspiracies.
Yes, Sir when one has past, as we have pas
sed, through these threats, and one lives as we
live in the midst of these parodoxes, and when
one witnesses the subterraneous working of
falsehood, monarch of the overturned and degra-
ded universe, it is an immense source of delight
to find oneself transported suddenly, and as
though by enchantment into this palace, this
bazaar, this garden, this factory, this forge. In
the palace rises throne; in the garden the an
Gent elms boldly lift up their heads towards
those resplendent arches, and touch them not.
In this bazaar are spread out with the profusion
of the nations themselves to which they be-
long, all the richness Of nature, mingled with
the wealth of the fine arts; in this factory, and
in this forge every sound is heard and every
movement traced of human industry. What
masses of iron, of copper and steel what cir
cling of wheels and wheelwork what maze of
untiring engines and invisible horses How
many events-how many miracles What
prophetic announcements of a wOnderous
future are here set forth
Let us endeavor, nevertheless, to nstil little
order and sequence into our narrative. The
confusion which the human mind embraces ut a
glance is certainly beautiful, but the French
mind loves order, and will not long put up with
mere enthusiasm it loves explanations, and in
the midst of the most justifable admiration de-
sires to look about itself and find out where it
is.
Well, then, we started from Paris on Sunday,
the 9th of April, at half-past 7 in the evening,
with rain and fog of sufficiently ll-omen. We
sped rapidly and arrived at Calais 80 late that
we could say we had never seen so decided
case of morning. Here, you have anyidea, how
ever slight, of getting into the steamboat imme-
dately friend traveller, apprise you of twofold
danger: you lose 20 minutes in obtaining pass
by the aid of your passport; you lose 20 min
utes in recovering your luggage, lost ia the con-
fusion of your arrival and if, after all, you are
favored by fortune, make haste-ruu-at the
end Of the jettey-and the distance is not small
"a little boat waits to convey you to the packet,
from which volumes Of smoke silently arise and
float away towards England.
When ! say that this inhospitable boat awaits
you, I am incorrect--it waits for no one at this
hour of cloud-veiled skies and growing pillows !;
from these threatening shores the Grand Of this
little boat is not to fetch away a score or so Of
travellers, but the din, the tumult, the despair
of France from day to day. Whether you ar
rive in time. or whether you do not, matters lit
tie to this English vessel, as it counts each pre-.
cious minute passed in these waters Of France /;
it is despatched, by people greedy Of news
waited from Paris, that it may bring back with
the utmost speed what Paris said and what Paris
thought that very morning. And this is why,
having duly obtained its dispatches this English
vessel starts off taking scarce one or two Of US,
and leaving the rest of the caravan behind with
ore leg in the water.
Can you not see from here the impotence and
rage Of my companions in misfortune! Can
you not hear their excamations--their interjec-
tions-their maledictions upon England, and
HeH dppfhi 10 tue TTcuC1 RUNcTHtueuts-tCI
in al matters we call upon the government for
assistance, as a child upon its purse for help.
The wisest had already made up their minds
to endure the result of this hasty departure of
the London courier Seated upon the shore
they listened, as did the priest of Apollo, to the
signing Of the deep sea, and bethought them of
all the events Ill the thunder claps which this
courier had already borne away over the CON-
pairing wave.
II rained; we entered Calais by long wood
paved path, of a picturesque appearance. The
Hotel de Paris, which is accustomed to these
accidents, and complains not thcreat, had pre-
pared everything for the due accommodation of
these innocent travellers, who thought to have
started in despite of the wind, of the tide, and
Of the London courier. Little by little, our
several Anglers have abated. we recognized each
other, and made up our minds that the best and
simplest plan was to wait patiently for the ocean
and the boat of the morrow. We sat down to
table, and fell into conversation. All these
travellers were attracted to London by the uni
versal exposition, and the greater number even
consisted Of manufacturers and workmen bent on