Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-07-20
lCORREsrOSDEvCE or TUE FREE rREss. |
Letters from England.
No. XNXNI
No. XXXVl.


nv. ANNNl
LoNDoN, June 20, 1855.
Although Americans cannot but be in
terestcd in the events which are now tran
spring in England, they enjoy the privilege
Of watching them from a position of neutra-
lily 1t is not to be expected that here,
where every one has stake in the issue,
either moderation or truth can be always
claimed for any party in the conflict. But
you are not pariisdnS in theAe-Atrifes Of |
Europe, nor in these intShal dissensions
fore expect from you a deliberate and fair
commentary on the events and movements
which are here discussed with the rancor Of
party feeling, and the exaggeration of preju
dice
DO we find that You really bring this
candor and fairness to the survey We can
not doubt that if the matter was set honestly
before the American people, they would
make up their minds impartially, and give
their generous SYM athies where they are
deserved Now, more in sorrow than in
anger, charge II considerable portion of the
press Of the United States with either igno-
rantly or designedly distorting their accounts
Of events in England. You should know that
Of late the agitations against taxes on
knowledge have disposed Englishmen to
scrutinizc with unusual curiosity the issues
of our Press in America, and Of course we
who are Jealous to vndicate its character,
look on with the interest which attaches to
an affair Of national honor greve to say
| it, but in 50 far az the affairs Of England
come under its notice, the conduct of our
Press is very often such to vex and humi-
late us in the extreme. Claiming to be an
unbiased student of the times, and making
1t point to read on all sides, am convinced
that in these matters the american public are
| not supplied eithor NTH nth correct facts or
wih fair commentaries By the American
Press. Not to speak of the he, aid and
papers of that stamp, what must we think
when we read in the n. Y. Tribune that
1" England is the chief opponent with which
civilization and freedom have TO contend =
Why, without now replying to 50 absurd an
assertion is it not Avident that there is Turk
ing under it feeling as angry and bitter, as
much incapacitnting the writer to give a
fair and honest judgment in the case, as
though he too was writing under the in
tuence Of irritated partisan feelings And
when he says again, d" 1t may be that Eng
land has been the great civilizer Of the
world, but If SO, the facts are recorded in
some book that has not fallen under our no.
tico, may we not retort in the same hippant
tone that that book must be the History Of
England-a book which the writer evidently
has not read have met many Americans
in England, but none who were willing to
admit that the Heraid, Tribune, or Times re-
Elected IN any degree the sentiments of intel
ligent Americans on the present aspect OF
England. Not many days ago was amused
and pleased with the enthusiasm of an honest
Yankee just arrived in England. lie de
clared his apprehension lost he should " ge
mad and knock down three or four people
and get sent to the lookup, for he couldn' 7
stand all this talk about Americans ill-wil
towards England lie also repeated an old
and doubtless ill-natured charge against GER
tain New York papers alleging certain good
reasons for the course they are taking
charge which it would not be amiabe, and
perhaps not just, to press. One statement
make deliberately and advisedly that by {
critical review of all the numbers of tn,
above papers which have reached England
during the past six months, could point
UuL ia almost o,vly nutubuI, facts falsely 81
inadequately stated, and conclusions from
those garbled facts which are removed still
one step further from the truth. As t.
those prophetic announcements in which the,
so largely abound, they read like the obso
letc prophecies Of Millerites, by the tim,
they reach us. Save that their impudence il
rather provocative of undue mrth, thos'
premonitions are quite harmless. The Pal
merston Ministry will live out its natural
life in spite of their weekly announcement
of its instant dissolution England has been
going on quite IN the same old way, in spite
OF their prophesying, for many months past
that we were within few days journey of a
frightful revolution. Only it is too evident
that bad wishes were fathers to these presen
timents of evil
Let us try to estimate the true significance
of the events now in progress in this country
| think it is plain that they all look towards
the attainment of two most righteous ends
namely, the extension of those public trust
and honors heretofore too much monoplzeC
by the aristocracy to merit, whether plebeiar
or aristocratic and the abolition Of all thai
absurd system which has been recently i'm
mortalized under the name of routine. You
are told by some that the people are rising
against the aristocracy, threatening then
with violation of popular violence, and ST
forth, This is not true. There is not a
this moment anything like a general feeling
of hostility to the aristocracy among the PEG
pie Even the most Jealous agents of Reform
steudiously disclaim all design Of attacking
the arstocracy as a body. In American
odium attaches itself to the name and persor
of titled nobleman, which it would Ut
wrong to suppose is prevalent in anything
like the same degree here Indeed | ventur,
to say that large portion of the the hum
bier classes look upon the nobility and gentry
of the land AS their best friends, their protec-
tors against the rapucity of a graspinG middle
class OF traders and employers, the promo
tiers of their humble attempts at improve
ment and the patrons aud encUuragers Of
their sports. On the other hand the better
informed classes acknowledge the historic
claims Of the aristocracy as an established in
stitution, They find that it originated in
the earliest ages of their country's history
constitution, and that its glory is indenti
fed with that Of England in many of her
proudest eras. And though they acknowl-