The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-03-18

oCdICell seen, except ny hmOliS"'o NhVhocNcs'
and, unfortunately, the travelling species Of our
race have a taste which prefers the rigmaroe
OF the Herald to any other kind Of reading
What is TO be obtained from such sources, you
know sufficiently well.
Americans fall into great mistake US to
the sensation they make in Europe The dis
torted and meager items OF American intelli-
gence given in the Old World prints, scarcely
Justify the stereotypcd Fourth OF July phrase
that the eyes of the world are upon us "
Many of those eyes do not see us at all ;
and of the others that do, many are most aw-
fully awry ConndiSas rouS, monsieur" said
a most intelligent lady in high fashionable 80
ciety, ON learning the other night that was an
American, COnndisSes UouS une negresw qui
s'dppelle Mdthiidei" replied that did not,
and she was evidently astonished that ! was
unacquanted with fellOw-countrywOman
whom she described as " tres charmdnte et jOh.'
Do not however, suppose me to inslnuate that
all Europeans, like this lady, imagine that the
Americans are mostly negroes. give the in
cident as a specimen of the order of knowledge
that obtains among certain OF the higher
classes, as they are called, who have been
taught by Mr.. Clay's "slent influence of ex-
ample"
Nor do mean TO say thatthere is no repub-
licanism in Europe On the other hand, bless
God that there is great deal OF 1t here. and
nowhere more than there is in France. But it
is republicanism taught the masses of the
people, by the expressions and failures of mon
archv, by their own instincts and sense of right
10y their aspirations for better future, by the
concealed agencies of societies and books, by
the general inspirations of Providence, and not
by the silent influence of an example which
has to come across the Atlantic, and rs not ad-
United even 10 quarantine when it arrives. As
TO the pract cal living examples Of Americanism,
which they do get in the shape OF travellers,
may the Lord help them to better under
standing That's all on that head.
Why, my dear friends setting aside the
manly deeds of our earlier history, General
Jackson's message OH the French debt, and Mr..
Webster's letter to Hulsemann, have done more
to open the eyes of European statesmen, than
all the silent influences that have been at
work for twenty-five years; and, if we are sim
cere in our republicaniSm, and wish that con-
vction to be felt, we must assert il, not in holy
day orations but in active, positive, unhnch-
ing deeds Our diplomacy, and our diplomatic
representatives, are comparatively emascuate
affairs. : 40 --,'''o n2)icy on the part Of
,..4 ..1.-ltt in reterSlS0 .o ,.ss 1aYDpeS1
dLesefons ia WHICH nc aro 0nsoresCed VIZ
emancipate and enlighten the world My in
formation and belief is, that if during the
great movements of 1889, we had had here
true representatives of American principles,
willing and able to assure the struggling ma
tons of the efficient sympathy of the richest
and nearly the most populous nation of Chris
tandop, tho rovolntion uonl1 NOT bo M Co Lad
If, at Rome, there had been a man TO guaranty
the Republic from the jump if in Hungary
there had been another, the mighty Despot-
isms would have quailed and fallen But we
had no such men. The people were without
aid and direction, and the consequence was,
that as soon as the allied monarchies recovered
from their fright, they combined to restore the
subjugation and paralysis Of the masses On
the contrary, we had at Rome puny fellow,
son of General Cass | believe who was
afraid to utter word ON the great constituent
principles of our political existence. And we
sent to Hungary an agent to spy out the land,
instead of an ambassador, accredited to recog-
Mise and sustain the noble efforts of that most
wronged and insulted country.
Here in France, too, when tool of Russia.
in the night season, made his soldiers drunk,
and then despatched them to butcher unoffend-
ing citizens and dispense the legally-chosen
representatives of the people, setting aside at
his own will Constitution deliberately formed
by the legal Convention of the nation, and
then afterwards getting up a mock election, to
Justify his usurpation, where was the American
Envoy? Demanding his passports, protesting
against the wrong even holding himself alooi
from the Court of the tyrantl No! but dan
cling attendance in his saloons and assemblies
and crowdihg his balls with solcitous Ameri-
cans do not blame these Americans fol
going to the balls; because these, like the othel
sights of Paris, like the opera the picture-ga
leries the BGuf Gros and the casinoes, ar
legitimate objects of a strangers curiosity. Blu
| do blame official personages who make them
selves oficious in swelling the number of al
tendants.
There ought to be a reform of our entire d
plomatic code, and if the system of accreditin
gold-ace ambassadors Mt the rate of SO, 900
year is not abolished, Supplying their place
| by mere commercial agents. men Of sef-respeci
of personal dignity of Democratic convictions
should be sent to foreign courts, instead of mer
lick-spttles and toad-eaters of aristocracy. II
the days of old Ben Franklin, an American wa
not ashamed to appear on state occasions il
the plain garb of an honest Quaker citizen
but now, American representatives must hav
their coats bedzcned and gilt, like those of Eng
lsh funkies and beef-eaters But what is wors,
than this. they not only fall into the manner
and dresses of the so-called nobility but il
many cases they affect their tone of opinion
and sentiment. When they return to the Uni
ted States, it is true, they Out-herOd Herod, OF
Gen Cass, in their objurgations of Democracy
thus pursuing the comfortable morality of st
Paul-of being all things to all men.
A truce however, to politics Just now. The
carnival has just closed in Paris, amid the usual
madness of merriment on tho part of the peo-
pie Seeing their indifference to all subunary
things but pleasure, as they whirled along the
BOulevards in their fantastic dresses the bray
ing of cow-horns and shouts of laughter, you
would think that France Was the safest and
.joyousest nation on earth. Yet you could not
fail to notice, at every turn, large detachments
of armed guard, ready at moment to rush
with their bayonets on the frantic multitude.
The fact gives somewhat of q CHASTITY signif-
canoe to the fun.
To morrow and the two following days are
the anniversaries of the days of the revolution
Thousands will repair to the Column of July,
to cast upon it's base their withered immo,tels
but it is doubtful whether they will sing the
Marseilles, as in former years, or provoke any
encounter with the Government The poor
people do not yet feel that their time is come
1t seems As if they had no one to speak tho
right word for them Their chiefs are dis
persed their comrades in prison their methods
of communication stopped and they may say,
with Shelley, snow is the winter of the world"
Let them not despar--<he seeds cf truth are
in the earth, and soon the more genial sun
shine Of the spring will waken them to life
and vigor. G.
LETTERS FROM THE NORTHwHsT
Winter in Minnesota. Lumber Busines-Ra-
pidity of Settlement for more.