The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-03-26
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
Wednesday Morning, March 26, 1855.
AN ENGLIsHMAN IN AMERICA.

| lu tue iSohuou Shippiub SAu NcaSoushc 0A-
| zette:
| SIR I'll have now made tour Of the States Of
| North America, and think it probable can give
your readers some useful information. landed
at New York city ten months ago and have spent
| my time in studying the character and customs of
| these people, and must confess that If remained
! ten years tho result would be the same and
know very little about them. But upon one point
national pride-men, women and children are
all alike and the idea of any nation of Europe, or
the whole of them put together, conquering this
country, is perfectly absurd to them. Every body
| reads the papers, and q good humored urchin of
twelve years used to rate me soundly at Phiadel
phia for our fsilureB at Sebastopol Tho best
| version OK American sympathy was given me q
! few days since. When the war commenced the
ti ,arSs were the weaker power, and our sympa'
| thies were with her After the alliance it was
! three against one, and sympathies went for
Russia; but, should France, join Russia tomorrow
| against England, our government could not pre-
vent It's citizens from not only sympathiaing with
England, but assisting her with material aid. This
| heard from very intelligent man. who do not
| think, Suspected my nationality, and Hrmiy be-
| iieve It. In the South spent some time Upon the
| plantations, and many times held long converse.
tions with the siaTes, and always with the same
| result. They are much better satisfied than sus
| pected, aud when spoke of the probability of
war was answered that, white folks would mt let
| nigga fight" But" said l, "the blacks from the
| West Indies will come here and help YOU to gain
| your freedom" What black Soger come here ::
| let EN- cum, den, massa let's fight de nigga,
know and Gar Almighty, we give em goshl" If
not expressed In the same language, the same feel
| ing was ever expressed
| have visited all their national armories and al.
though the country is at peace the greatest activi
| ty prevails; all the old arms are condemned and
by next spring nearly l5000 000 Mimic rifles will be
! ready for distribution, besides Colts Clarks and
| others. A Mr.. Alger, at Boston, is now engaged
| on new kind OF gun for the navy. The range
| with solid shot, is nearly five miles, with shell
! somewhat shorter, and the explosion of the shell
| renders conflagration certain to a great distance
| These are called by those at work on them, the
| secret gun But what the secret is could not as
| certain Since the war rumors / have been OBJ
servant of all and every thing that could give me
clue to the feelings OF the people. This is rot diff
hcult to come at, for the feeling Is general, and
their confidence is so great In their own strength
| that the most dtfdent speak only of the conse-
| quenees and the result In company with party
| of merchants most of whom were engaged in
| trade with England, broached the war subject,
I and was astonished to find them SO Indifferent
| about the consequences. One of them, largely in
terested in clipper ships in answer to a remark of
mine, that he would have to lay up his clippers
Not bit of it." said he, they will make capital
| privateers; the Government will furnish guns of
| long range no British manof.war can catch them
except steamer, and ttey cannot in good breeze
so we must take chances" But where will you
| get your menf Where We have "a 900 en-
| rolled fishermen who will food our sea-ports and
will tell you canddiy that in less than six months
after war is declared there will be 501 of the fast
est vessels in the world ahoat privateers, and
an English merchantmen will not be able to
show herself at sea. What if we lose few we
will make it up in the end. Two steamers were
launched few days since. each about 1000 tons,
built in eight months, and is just easy to build
fifty in the same time or less"
But your coasts are not defended. Remember
you have no Sebastopol nor Cronstadt" Nor do
we want any. We have few very pretty forts,
but should any nation attempt an invasion. we
will meet them with hands and hearts equal to
any, superior to most and we concentrate
100000 men at any point on our coasts 10 a few
days. Let the alarm be sounded at this moment,
and in few hours near so 900 men will make their
appearance armed and equipped"
This sounds like Dragging, but it is fact This
city New York; has near that number enrolled
and equipped; every man keeps his rifle at home
or in the private armory of the company to which
he belongs and find it the same throughout the
country have frequently met with boys of II
and H. with guns and game.bags, starting at early
dawn for the woods for here they can shoot game
wherever found War is argued against by every
body as something to be avoided, but the idea of
backing out to avoid it does not appear 10 enter
the mind of anybody. Some of the papers speak
of the Presidents message disparagingly, but3the
people are with him. and l candidly believe he
would be elected if the election came off to-day
| And regret | cannot defend my country at this
| time as would wish The Bulwer Clayton treaty
| Is plain and explicit and these people don't and
wont understand double meaning in treaties
1hey say the man with the white hat does not re-
| fer to the individual in the white cap and my
| Lord John Russell acknowledges the American in
| depreciation. There are thousands of men here
tnat the Americans would be glad to get clear of,
but that does not Justify England in breaking their
| laws by enlistng them and my Lord Palmerston's
| instructions were something like telling man to
stab bis neighbor but not hurt him.
II the treaty Clayton and Bulwer) is adhered
to, we have the States pledged never to occupy it.
| Central America) for, say what we will thew
wi q arAi l.
ed; abrogate it, and in less than ten wears it vii,
| be one of the States of the Union. The Canadians
| are very loyal set, and think they could take
| possession of the States at a moments warming
They have caught the habit of Dragging from their
neighbors without having the wherewith to braR
on. A trip up the lake is the most convincing
proof we can have of the difference in the two
people. In the American are we'll finished cities
and towns, saw mills, railroads running in every
direction-in fact you seldom loose sight of the
locomotiye-and there are innumerable steamers
at every landing. On the Canadian, where there
are settlements, you see the well kept comfortable
dwellings the smooth-sheared lawns and every
thing wears an air of comfort, but little bus
ness except the great railroad. However, they
are rapidly improving, but should there be war,
the largest and best portions of Canada are lost to
us Quebec, Halifax, and other points would both
er them But to sum up my own observations at
ter every opportunity that one man could have af
forded him, the result would be as follows: MeXi.
co, Cuba, and the whole of Central America would
be annexed IN the Soatn, ana nave nllle dOuUt OF
Canada, in the North; millions Of treasure and
Thousand of lives lost in England forever; our
commerce crippled In every sea, and some fight
ing that will gladden. the hearts of our tried sol
diery.
Now, what can we gain? A foe. of territory
We don't want It; and If we did, six feet for the
majority of our brave fellows fear, would be the
extent. Naval or military glory we don't want,
snd for the sand beach Of the Mosquito king, it
Is decided humbug. What would be the result
to this country7 I. would put her back in pros
perity for half century It would ruin thousands
who now in afl1uence, bu. would enrich thou
sands who are now poor But the great advans-
age the Americans have Is that they can produce
and manufacture everything they want; the diff
ferent climates afford this. They would get ac-
customed 10 their own goods and discard ours for
ever But the greatest injury TO all parties, and
may say to the world, would be the making of this
nation Of 5000, 900 a warlike people, and, once
instllcd with the love of war. the propagandists
of Europe would have a fearful ally. The last
years crop of wheat Is officially given at l700Oo-
600 Of bushels and everything else in proportion,
so that we cannot starve them out; and, from my
own observation, would rather see England con-
tending with the whole of Europe than against
this country. am no croaker, nor have any
doubt of the mower and wealth of my beloved