Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-01-12
A Travelling Scotchman's Book on the
 United States

A Scotchman, by name James Sterling has just published book comprising the results of his travel and observation through the United States in 1856. The author after visiting Ca nada, took journey embracing almost all The important localities in the United States. east of the Rocky Mountains, and in the meantime was Tn the habit of writing home to a friend, remarks upon the people ahd country he was visiting The social and political condition of the soutb. ern States, however, particul rly interested him, and It IS principally the portion of his correspon dehce relating to them, which, at the request of hlS friends, he has submitted to the public.
 We give the following extract from this in- tereStlng gossping work, which possesses local interest to our readers:
 ExTRAvAGANcE OF AMERICAN WoMEN.- The ladies of New Orleans, like their sisters of New York, are great dressers; indeed the dres- ses ol American women generally, at least of the new-rch class are something fabulous in expense, taking into consideration the rank and fortune of the wearers and their husbands The dresses of ladies in New Orleans, am told, (and by New Orleans, peopse,) often eqnal in richness and expense those of our crowned heads in Eu- rope What doyou think of a creole lady's dress powdered over with diamonds?-her husband probably cotton broker! Ladies here think nothing of expending lage proportion of the prohts Of years trade in few dresses. Of course we must suppose that this is, in most cases, done with the knowledge and approval of the husband. He works, or specuiates, and his wife wears the ,poiia opima
 There Is some excuse, or, at least explanation of this, to us astounding extravaganza, in the circumstances explained above of American housekeeping. As a rule the nhabant of an American city does not keep house. He has no opportunity, thereiQye, of displaying his wealth, as our parUenue merchants and manufacturers do Tn flne houses, plate and equipages. Neither is there the same passion for landed estates in Amerca as with Us. With land at five shillings an acre, Its possession connot confer social dis tnctlon The New York stock -jobber does not lay out fl00O00 on land at two per cent. to give him the entree to the houses of a half dozen neighbors, who drink his claret and laugh at him. He is making probably fifty, perhaps one hundred per csnt. per annum on his capital and all his fast-gotten gain he can only display to the public in one way by clapping it on his wife's back An Americans wife is the peg on which he hangs out his fortune; he dresses her up that men may see his wealth; she is walk ing advertisement of his importance, the sand wich" announcing to Broadway or Canal street that her husband Is man of money and station. All this Is very sorry work, but do not see that it involves any greater absurdty than those displays of plate and upholstery, by which our rich vulgarianS announce their wealth, and hide their want of real refinement. If sham gen. tity Is to be set forth, it matters little whether it be done through the instrumentality of the upholster the milliner. The Englishmau loves his house and he decks it out when he makes money; the American loves his wife, and decks her out for want of a house. Neither have much to boast of over the other; it is the same vulgar ostentation in different forms.