Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-09-16
Americans Abroad,


rotary of States late circular instructions
will tell upon the class of 'snobs" from
this side of the ocean, who, of late years,
have made up considerable portion of
those known as Americans residing
abroad" We refer to the men who have
left us, in part because our country does not
supply theiuxuries their newly created ap-
petites require. As general thing, they
are men and women who come into the
possession oflarge estates without having
gone through the process of honestly la
boring for it with brains or hands, and
who fail to get consideration at home,
because they lack some element or ele-
ments of character or attachments neces-
sary to entitle them to the respect of those
among whom they were born and bred.
They go abroad, because they fancy that
their money will procure for them there
the position in society which it fails to
secure for them here, though, Heaven
knows, even America is far too prone to
overlook any shortcomings in the pos
SCISSOR of wealth. Hundreds of such per-
sons live in Paris, hailing from the United
States. They are always recognized by
well-bred persons there, by the eager
ness they display to outstripal the aris-
tccrats from England and the Continent
there assembled, in the magnifcence of
their style Of living, of their equipages,
&c. We have often heard ofone of them,
formerly carpenter in Richmond, Vir-
glnia, who having inherited an immense
French fortune, now splurges there lin
Paris with more gorgeous magnifcence
OF display, than any other man, of any
nation, in France. He has taken the lib
erty to have the arms of the United States
emblazoned on his carriage in very
glarinS manner, simply to deceive stran-
gers into the belief that he is actually the
American Minister, and thus to obtain
precedence for his coach in crowds: it
being customary in France to grant prece-
dence to theequipages of diplomatists over
those of the public at large. Not only
this man, out many other nominal Amer
leans in Paris are distinguishable as
American Snobs, by the depth Of the gold
and silver lace on the trappings of their
menials; always, by-the-by, an inch or
two deeper, anu I.L h heavier than is
customary Ill tie liveries of persons whose
characters embrace clements which en-
title them TO public respect. For years
past, these people have been so many
stalking lies or conrad lions of our in
stitutions. Their airs and assumptions
have been Is inc ~ n the nostrils of
TIE encm.sS Of civil liberty IN Europe, be-
cause they lead to the conclusion that the
habits Of Americans are, in all respects,
like thosS, class with class, of Europeans:
wealth and apparent rank being entitled
here to exclusive privileges, such as they
enjoy there. Weresret that we have no
space in which to explain, at length, the
many points in which these toadies end
lmitators of the titled of Europe manage
to intiict injuries upon the European rep
utatlon and interests Of their native land.
and we rejoice greatly that the Secretary
of State has issued orders which will
hereafter keep before the eyes of the trans
atlantic world, constant plain proof that
they are as surely counterleits of Ameri-
cans, as they are known to be of the aris-
tocracy of the Old World.
Mr.. Sanford. our acting charge at Paris,
until % brought up by round turn" by
the circular instructions on which we are
commenting, did more than his share in
encouraging the folly of these people, by
himself putting on more airs than any
other He has been famed during his
residence at rams as I. >. Secretary of
Legation, for the zeal with which he sought
to be punctilious on matters of etiquette;
going so far as only to receive the pass
ports of American gentlemen from off
the silver platter or salver in the hands
of his own servant. Indeed, in Paris he
was famed for being more ambitious to earn
the reputation of being finished cour-
tier, than any other man of his age in
Europe. Having considerable means in
addition to his pay from the government,
up to his receipt of this circular, of course
he kept his clerk, at cost of some $500
per annum, to discharge the actual duties
Tor which he himself received $500 per