The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-08-15

Russia: but this one cause OF difference or suspicion
s lost sight OF in cousideration of the many places
and occasions in which American and English in
eress may appear TO jostle one another The social
resemblance between us and them IL indeed great;
but so also is it between not few Of the citizens Of
the States and OF the subjects of the Gear. There
are more free citizens in the United States and In
the British islands, but 60 also are there more slaves
in these States and in Russia than in all the rest Of
the world. The member Of Congress compares him
self with the member of the British Parliament, the
judges OF America appeal to English presidents, her
authors draw their inspirations from English sources,
her citizens in the fuhlment Of their political duties,
endeavor to initiate or to improve upon Englsh
customs; but in like manner, ALSO may the Virginian
planter compare himself with the Russian noble
would that his slave could as justly compare himself
In many respects the descriptions by travellers in
Russia and in the slave States agree almost word
for word; they find the same relation Of the propre
tors Of the soil to its tlers they hear Of similar pre-
cautions taken by both planter and noble against
servile outbreak; they meet with cases of fearful
abuse OF power-exceptional, we believe, in both
countries; and on the other hand, with instances
also, we fear, exceptonalof devoted attachment OF
slaves or serfs TO their masters. When the Marquis
de Cuisine holds up to opprobrium the public fog
gipg-house at Moscow, to which serfs may be sent
the similar Institutions which disgrace New Orleans
and Charleston; and when Mr.. Everest tells us how
any white man knocks abont any black man without
care or cause, we are reminded Of the manner In
patient travellers though no traveller in Russia tells
as OF the slave-h0unds which Mr.. Everest met with
in Mississippi and Carolina. True, the slave ia
worked harder than the serf, masmucn % ms ~
ed as often is the seff, TO work for himself and
to buy his own freedom; nor is there over his mas
ter an all powerful Gar, whose will it generally
and therefore inscparable from his family. Never
theees inferior as is the condition Of the great body
of the aborers in the slave States to what it is in
Russia and in Poland, there remains this fact-that
the siaveholders-or in other words, the most infu
entail body Of men in the repubtic-may search In
vain through Europe for any persons with whom they
have III the most important Of their social relations
so much reason to syInpathize as with the Russian
mobiles.
Add to all these antagonishc influences the rank
ling memories of old injuries of British oppression
and injustice and Of the barbarian foray upon Wash
ington, and there Is little wonder that the sympa-
thies of America on the balance while the for
tunes of England remain in the ascendant and while,
therefore, little real injury can be done by carpng
criticism. Should our ruin ever become as immi-
nent as it is now improbable, we repeat our con.
victi0h that the feeling Of race and the union OF
interests would outweigh every other considera-
tion and bring our kinsmen to our aid. After
ALL we can afford to lose their sympathy our
courage needs no cheering from without their un-
friendly criticisms may even he of service to us.
Had they allowed the Russians to issue letters Of
marque to their privateers,. they might indeed
servency to despotism they have reiused partly, OF
course IRON Consideration of the extent to which
their commerce must sympathize with ours, partly
have replied to such covert warfare but very much
also from true progress in civilization, for which
let them receive due honor.
In addition to the special resemblances between
the republican and the Russian Shareholders there
two other circumstances of these two countries,
curiously alike; the inhabitants of both have an
enormous amount Of undcveloped land, and yet
more than any other nations they possessed with
fha dneiro Of Od1i IN n
the place to enter into the religious or social or po
litical motives which induce the Russians to back
their Gar In his aggressions; but we may well ask
how comes it that 80 many OF the Americans rival
them in their aggressive tendencies, though they
have no Greek church or autocrat whose rule they
wish to extend2 With vast realms Of fertile soil
tricts Of rich but uncutivated land in such old
States as New York and Pennsylvania; with room for
the surplus population Of Europe for centuries TO
come, their youth are yet as eager to throw them
though they were denizens Of the Old World Cities
flying from Malthusan theories. There can be no
doubt that many an ardent republican looks for
ward to the annexation Of the whole OF North Anne
RIGA; indeed the aspirations Of some of them
thus limited. 81 am no supporter Of the principles
advocated by Young America said member Of
Congress, speaking on the Nebraska bill, in Mr..
Robertsons hearing; "but still, am persuaded that
in few years the flag of the Union win wave over
the whole continent from the Atlantic to the Pac
ic, and from Cape Horn to the coast of Labrador"
and descending from such generaties to details We
find these annexers talking about the civilization Of
Central America and the valley Of the Amazon;
looking upon Cuba and the Sandwich Islands al
ready almost their own, and indeed upon all the
about the manifest destiny" Of the Anglo Ameri-
can race and republic may be much Of il mere bonn
hast; certainly II based upon no faith were the
conquests OF the Anlbs; not even upon an idea, as
were those of the Romans; perhaps it does not de-
serve 10 be called more than notion but even as
notion it il not to he despised. The wisest men in
the States, the men Of business and thought, even
almost al the sn q ss;sld a1Swn this
country; md yet there are few Of them in whose
minds we should not gnd lurking either the desire
Or the dread Of it. The very name, americans
which the Estates men" have aiTogated to them
selves until it il allowed to them by Others betrays
their instructive expectations. Push them hard, in
deed, and they turn round upon lis and soy, well,
Of conquests and colonies encircling the globe
What are our annexations in America compared
with your aggrcssions in Asia!" True enough,
there never was people more possessed with this
the English laDguoges-call them Anglo-Saxons. or
by what name you please; and it would be hard to
say whether monarchical or republican institutions
have tended more to deyclope this tendency. We
will 20 farther, and mt once acknowledge that with
out it, we AlgloSaxons could not be the men we are
nor do what seems our especial work in the world.
Our business Is to make incessaDt aggressons upon
nature, to turn the sea into highway, and TO
make the earth yield its increase; hence our
enterprises OF commerce and colonization.
Our traders or Our emigrants plant themselves
down amongst barbarous or balf-civilized people;
the newcomers with habits Of sclf-governwent aud
With highly developed social organization, find
themselves In intimate relations with savage Afri
cans servile Asatcs with lazy, lawless super
stitious IndoSpanards; these relations are so init.
mate that the newcomers cannot but suffer loss from
the bad habits Institutions OF the old dcnizens;
they win not submit to this loss hence struggle
and the triumph OF tho newcomers, who, in order to
be allowed to conquer nature they best can, con
quer men. Tins, we believe much more than from
any lust of conquest, it understood in classic
or in feudsl ages, though certainly not without
sad admixture of personal and selfth motives, has
arisen our Indian empire; and thus also have the
ed, Texas and New Mexico. II il Impossible to deny
that the flbusterng plans of the Americans have
been based quite as much upon the lawlessness and
anarchy-in a word, upon the utter social incompe-