The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-07-27
Our Britain CYatlcs,


1t is an old story that our friends across the
water know less Of THE country and its inhabi-
tants than we do Of the interior Of China The
English laugh heartily at the blunders which the
French make in writing Of them, on the strength
of a couple of weeks residence in Leicester
square; but no French caricature of an English
milor, in great coat and cape, with top boots,
and perpetual craving for bi(teck Oporto, and
porterre, is so truly laughable as many Of the &C.
r;ous articles which appear in the English
journals about the United States. An American
school boy would be disgraced were he half as
ignorant Of any European country as these Bri-
fish newspaper writer's appear to be of the ma
ton with which they are most closely connected,
and whose language and general political thee
ries are derived from their own
We have before us q bundle of newspapers
published in London, England, and containing
articles on the late municipal imbroglio in this.
city. The London Morning Chroaiole,a newspa-
per near a century old, and the organ of the
French Emperor in London, informs its readers
that New York is in state of revolution. The
revolution began by "street barbados composed
Of mud instead of paving stones" this took
place early in the byegone spring and "was
one of the most serious coups d'eta which
the United States have undergone since the
war of Independence" After this terrible allu
sion to the playful dirt monuments which were
raised to the Street Commissioner, the writer
goes on to say that New York has Mayor Of
highly democratic predictions, who canvassed
zealously on the Fremont ticket" This littlecon-
fusion Of ideas is further developed by the an
nouncement that "the majority of the citizens Of
New York belong to the same party, and viewed
with complacency the strong measures adopted by
the Mayor to defeat the Buchananites." The lat
ter, treated with disdain by the Mayor" fell
back for refuge to the Legislature Of the State, in
which Mr.. Buchanan's friends hold large pre-
ponderance." Here, new confusion enters into
our critics mind. The Governor, being a re-
publican" selected only Republican Commits
eioners.' and they only =" stauochly republican
Policemen On the death of the Street Com
s.missisaer. republican named Conover was
7" elected but was "repudiated by the demo-
crats;'' and in consequence the streets were left
unclaimed; but the sturdy democrats trudged
through the mud in the came jubilant spirit as
the Inhabitants Of Boston must have felt when
they went without their tea in the ever famous
December, 1888
The London Le1ds, an organ of the radicals,
and paper representing very high grade of
intellectual advancement, makes nearly as many
bluuders iu an attempt to moralize on the
Plug Ugly invasion OF Washington, in conjuuc
ton with the democratic troubles of New York
The intricate machinery of our city, State and
federal jurisdictions, seems to be beyond the mas
terry of the British mind Nor is our geography
less Of a puzzle. A sporting paper talks of
shooting excursion 'to Baltimore and the praries:"
ard pompous daily informs its readers that
monument to Henry Clay has been erected at
Lexington the site of the first of the revolution
airy battles
As for the French, of course, they cannot be
expected to understand this country, ignorant
as they are of everything outside Of their own;
no one was surprised to hear that a leading Pa
risian journal had reprobated the bad taste
which induced the Americans to Get up statues
of Monsieur Daniel Webster, whose only claim to
celebrity was his murder Of le docteur Pakman,
professional imbroglio.
All well, these foreigners will learn some
day We must make their ignorance Of US as
disgraceful as our ignorance Of European affairs
would be- Our faces are ever set thitherward-
very few of theirs ever cast glance in our di.
rection; they are part Of our world, we form no
part of the world Of their ignorant classes.
There live many men Of average education and
common sense in every country Of Europe, who
do not know whether we are white or red and
who are no better acquainted with the geogra
ply Of America than an average dry goods
salesman with us is with that Of Madagascar or
Bolneo; nor indeed in practical point Of view,
do they need to know more This, however, is
no excuse for the leading minds which are sup
posed to be engaged on the press: their igno-
rance is indeed utterly dsgraceful TO themselves
and their profession.
Our CoIIEGEs.-We have already recorded the
annual proceedings OF the Harvard. Union, HamiL
ton, St. Newer St John and Columbia Colleges,
and New York University; ard today we publish
some Interesting preliminaries respecting the
commencement exercises OF various other educa-