The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1852-08-26
An Englishman's Opinion of Yam.
kee Ingenuity.-.Iiis Visit to Mill
Waukee. &c

An Enslishman's Opinion of Yam,
kee Ingcnuity.-.His Visit to Mil.
waukee, &c.
The "Hampshire Independent ua English
newspaper, contains lecture on yankee lngi-
nuily," delivered by Captain Mackinnon. of the
British Navy, at Hampshire, England. We clip
some extracts from the lecture, as Illustrative OF
American character, in the eyes of an English
man. The Captain travelled through portion
Of the United States, during the past year, (he
renamed some time IN Wisconsin) aud tells his
story in very clever manner, indeed:
ale though, there was something very orig ina
IN The American mind, and that as for as iuvet-
ton went, they were the FIRST in the world
lhIs was to be attributed to various ca uses: and
they were n.orc inventive than the Eng lsh for
The following reasons If Il man invented any
thing In ihls country, he was looked upon IL
protector, and his efforts did not meet with en-
couragement; bu there, if he invented any thing
ever little, he was considered Il great man,
taken in hand by intlueniiai people, and made "A
fortune. He knew several who bad anasseJ
large sums. from fi 900. to f20,0y0. He
should like 10 see an EnslIshnan do that lie
would be laughed at if he expected ii (applause }
"The Grst invention he Should speak OF was
one he had seen soon after he landed and which,
which was coming TO Europe with wheat, aud
alongside Of her curious thing hike mad
machine, and several harges full of gran lie
was very much asionlshed, aud went ON board 10
examine the machlne, which he found 10 be ii
gram elevator, which was intended to pump the
grain from ihe barses mi" the big ship. III. al
first laughed at il, aud thought it YanNee inven-
ton aud a hb, hui when Ie gnI on boIru. he
found that it pumped the grain in al such an
awful pace that 1t almost drowned hin, before
he got up the ,tchway {lau ,hler and applause J
He found ii delivered two thousand bushels per
h,ur. Suppose, SAID ,he speaker, pointing TO the
ceiling, tnrre was great bole up there. Il
would send ih, grain ia a, such an nv fuI pace,
that we shouldn't all ge out We sunuiL he
dtowned-Inite ha { o' Us (srca, iaush,ef.)
- he next thing thai suuck him. rs an in
genou. matter, at Cincinnati, wier, the
.gs Killed IN the Western SIAt.~ las' y-.r for
expora alton, were $3.50 'ih-rr vs. n,an
here. who hid discovered method 81 it..,ins
gis out Of hog lard, (greai iaughlrr) II seemed
IA funav thing, but # WAS Il fact The Manor ot
Milwaukee city, Wiscon-in, who va. Il great
friend of his, aci.a.ly told him thai he was max
in. bargain with the u,dn, la light ihr iowa
with gas OUT of hogs lard. lie certainly did n1t
live there long enougH To see il There hin'-rf, hui
was told 1t was sde, and H. bei,eved !, tcheer-.
"Anolher inveul,on was zinc paint. which
he described as being mos, beautiful and worth
4 trial hy al present. Another very ingenious
thing, he had wrae .sed Il the Patent Office at
Washington Ii was pointed ont 10 BIN ly Is
gen, enlln. but he could no, describe it. /, had
:, large handle 10 il, and he asked him what it
was when he sAld 1t WAS sewing machine,
(sreai iaughtcr) Which could make ,enleen
pairs OF p'naloous day, hut IL WAS then out Of
order, and would no! work; and he dil not see
Il hiln>e f. and he could not, therefore. souch for
- accuracy. bui he believed IT tn be true. An
other iiveniion was told bin by m.n who had
large dairy. containing upward Of one hundred
COWS, but finding il very expensive 10 get them
milNed, he set his wis 10 work, and, h, Jove !
he invented milking machine, consisting OF
Iudrl rubber, gutta peEcha, and springs, and he
miIhed hem all out as dry possible" (MUcb
luu Ihier.)
The Captain amused his audience by relating
the effects Of be milking III .chlnc upon the cows,
and declared that the down East Yankees were
the most inventive people possible, and were
monstrcusly clevc, fellows. They had a story
there which too good TO be lost, and i, was
an astonishing matter. The Yankee babies,
when not aing sleeping, were still doing
Something, and this was what they were thinking
about-the Yankees asserted thar the baby was
rolling irs eve, round and round, and thinking
how to improve It's cradle .ontrOiiable iaugh-
ter) He thought that was sufficient Of Yankee
inrenui,, for the present, bnt he would give them
more ape imens, bye and bye; (cheers.)
The fol owing statement with regar. to our ex-
travagance is nscf slightly "exi'avagant" He
is speaking OF the American ladies.
''They wore the most eXtrayagani dresses IN
the world, and the cos of their silk dresses was
,nmenae We couidn't stand 1t here; we do not
r. hair ia MIA
toe. were most magnificent, and nothing, either
IN England or France, could be compared TO it,
Their dresses were so expensive, that there was
4 silk mandatory near Lyons, where they made
silks expressly for America --they were too ex-
pensiye for any one else He was at an enter
taa,aent in New York, and the supper itself. cost
f6O1, and, on making inquiry. lie found thai one
dish alone cost Sl2. about Is los. The dish
consisted of English pheasants.
Here il another tribute TO the "calcuatng'
enterprise of,he Yankees:
..He had become pretty well known in Ameri
ca. wherever he went, and the people used tc
call hun "Clrtain." Frequently he went oni
shooting, and wherever he went, and mel any
f,rner. he WAS sure to ask him 10 his house, FOR
he knew who ne was. He would Try TO give
,hem a conversation he had with tall Yankee
N onc Of the Western States. Ii was about the
last of Oc;ober: he went out with gun on his
shoulder. u I'd an Old pointer by his side. to shoot
grouse, nd he marched along for some time " il
n litierent sport, unt he observed about quar-.
,.r fla mile ahrad Of him. II tall rIare fankee
tandins looking at him. Now, they might haye
pesa induced 10 saw. ''What. can thai fellow
wa u( to rob me ," But be knew that they were
civil and kind, and did not care. but waIket