The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-12-05
or THE UNITED STATES.

time since and after accomplishing his pur
pose and being received here, and treated
during his sojourn in the most cordial and
generous manner, returned to the place from
| whence he came and wrote a book about
| America. BY extracts given from this vol
ume, we should judge II to contain more false
hoods and blsckguardism than either Dick
ems or Mrs. Trollope's account of US.
We have never been able to comprehend
this cockney .human nature" 1t seems ola
different character from human nature in
general. Mankind in general reciprocate
civility and arc grateful for kindness. The
most obdurate hearts which would hold out
against fire. sword and cannon, are easily
melted by kindness and affection. Even the
most feroeious of the brute creation may be
conquered by exhibitions of good will and
tenderness. The lion and the tiger can be
rendered gentle as the lamb by the omnipo.
tent power Of Love
The stranger in q strange community and
especially in a strange land is peculiarly ser
sitiye to exhibitions of Kindness and hos
pitality. He is far from his home, and its ia
miliar faces and scenes. An insupportable
loneliness would Cypress his spirit, but for the
new associations and warm sympathies with
which he is greeted by a hospitable and gen
erous community. But for these, he would
feel as if banished from the companionshp
of his species. OF all solitudes there is none
so intolerable as that of n great crowd of
strange and cold faces. We would rather be
in the heart of an immense forest, communipg
with trees ard birds, than in the throng of &
metropolitan avenue. where we had no friend
or acquaintance. Every American, who has
realized how delightful it is to be relieved
from this oppressive sense OF loneliness, and
almost desolation, would despise himself could
he ever cease to remember with gratitude
those whose genial hospitality had cheered
his spirits and warmed his heart.
But this sentiment of gratitude, so common
to man, and even to the brute creation, is not
universal. There is marked, singular and
almost unaccOuntable exception to it in land
accounted humane and generous as well as
enlightened 1t is land too, allied to our
own by by the ties of common blood and
language ties recognized on our part by the
most cordial welcome of visitors from the old
home of our forefathers, and repudiated on
theirs by the most studied and persevering ef-
forts to bring our country and our people in
to general odium and contempt. Scarcely an
English traveller of any note in this country,
but, upon his return, has published volume
of obloquy and abuse upon the hearts and
| hands which had received him with a hospi-
table glow and with open arms. Hamilton,
Marryatt. Dickens, and host of petty scrib-
blers, all differed in their intellectual calibre
but all agreed in their efforts to depreciate
our character and hold Us up to ridicule.-
Why is this If our country is worth jour
ney of three thousand miles by the magnates
OF English literature, to visit, explore and
examine, is it not worth q grave aud dispas
sionate description 1.-THE hospitality of our
people is worth accepting, is it not worth re-
outing with common civility? 1t is 3 re-
markable fact that, in the host of English
visitors to this country, of every grade of
talent and title, from Hamilton to Fiddler.
and from Morpeth to Bum, we have never
ical and elevated labors Of De Tocquevillei
or to impart valuable information in regard
to our institutions and progress, or TO do any
thing but sheer at and libel us.
Such conduct presents an anomaly in hu-
man nature We do not expect monarchists
10 admire repubhcanism, nor inhabitants Of
an old country to be blind to ali that is IN
couth and unpublished in the manners and ha-
bits OF a new people, the majority of whom,
however, IN both manners and intelligence,
are far superior to the majority of the coun-
try from which our critics come. But we
may at least ask common courtesy in return
for our ciyilities and dignified censure of or
faults instead of malevolent satire We do
not hesitate to say that the individual who
receives hospitality and Kindness such as
most English tourists in this country have re-
ceiyed, and requites it by seeking TO excite
the hatred and contempt of mankind against
his entertainers, either does violence from
some selfish and sordid motive, to the better
feelings of his nature, or has no good feelings
OF any kind in his composition. Such man
ers for, while he makes the world laugh at
their unpublished manners he rouses a secret
but deeper scorn for his own ungrateful
heart
There is no explanation of the un;forin
abuse and ribaldry heaped by British travel
lers upon the American people, but upon the
supposition that only books of that kind suit
the palate of the mass of the British nation,
No others will pay. Then ii Is clear, notwith-
standing the honeyed cloquence which finds
rs inspiration in the champagne bottles Of
i'uiwer dinners, that they love us not. Were
we plotted tomorrow from, the roll OF ma
tioIis' they would not break their hearts nor
even shed many tears over our sepulehre.-
They cannot forget the American Revolution
sny more than the French can forget Water !
loo. They cannot blind their eyes to the
growing power Of their commercial rival
Hanan looks not with affection upon Mor,io. |
cal sitting at the kings gate, Yet there are
Americans who would silence every coron,sin.
ing mouth among Their countryneu. who hid
them lie still and receive the chastisemant of
\