The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1858-12-29
Lord Carlisle on American Institu-
1iOns.


The other evening the Right Hon. the
Earl of Carlisle read his pfinted lecture on
his Travels in America" before the mem
bers of the Hull Literary and Philosophical
Society. In acknowledging the vote of
thanks which was accorded him at,the close,
his Lordship said With respect to the
subject of the lecture that have had the
honor and qualification of reading to you, !,
in the outset of the evening, intimated that
| thought it would be more consistent, both
with fairness and strict historical accuracy,
that | should not mix the impressions which
| had derived en- the spot, and at the time,
with any further ones which | might have
imbibed from anything that has reached me
in the succeeding interval. Now, however,
that am not speaking from the book or
from the printed page, bat to living men
and women, and in reference to the actual
hour, | must permit myself to say that al
most every thing that | have heard or read
concerning the United States, since the pc
riod of my visit, has net, on the whole,
tended to an increase of my admiration of
their public proceedings, or to more favora-
bic and sanguine anticipations of their COM
ing destiny. On the contrary, | cannot but
feel that many of the failures and draw backs
at which / venture to hint have come out
as time wears on, with greater frequency
and deeper shade. The pickering animosity
of classes the jealousy and hatred of the
respective geographical divisions; the spirit
of political self-seeking and corruption :;
the looseness and dishonesty Of. commercial
operations; tho high-handed ruffianism of
the outlying districts; the lust of territorial
aggrandizement; the disinclination of the
more polished, refined and upright portion
of the citizens to take any prominent part
in public affairs; the absence of fair play
in the deliberations of Congress, and of dig
nifty and independence on the judicial bench :;
but above all, the intensity and ferocty
which gather round every face on the por-
tentious question of slavery, appear 10 me
to have assumed more terrifying, increasing
and menacing proportions.
In such state of things certainly cannot
feel more inclined to see nay own country
mer exchange the form of Government, the
institutions, or the frame of society which
they possess for those ofthe great American
Republic. (Cheers.) l say nothing of the
reform or removal of abuses which undoubt-
edly must still attach to our form of policy.
/ cannot question that there are many things
which we might copy advantageously from
America-there are things even that we
might copy advantageously from France
but till the respective character and condi-
ton and conduct Of the two nations are i'm
menseIy changed, do earnestly hope that
the people of this country will remain Eng
lish-not American. (Chcers) am aware
that what | have just taken the liberty to
say may be subject to some suspicion, be-
cause it is not TO be concealed that it comes
from one of the terrible aristocracy to whose
account we have heard, from high authority,
are to be laid all the wars in which this
country has been engaged since the Revolu-
ton of 1858. (Applause.) Now ! fairly
say, if believed that to be the case, I should
at once be a democrat; but | believe that
the truth is very nearly the reverse. When
I was in the United States l came to the
conclusion that the American people were
far more inclined to war than the English;
and of the English people, believe that the
class least likely to be hurried by their own
inclinations into war, is what is termed the
aristocratic class. ! believe this was the
case with most of them with respect to the
late Russian war. ! am sure it was the case
with me; and | believe even the town of
Hull, which you would think was so inter
ested in having the navigation with the Bal
tic kept open, was in a far more bcligerent
humor than the English House of Lords
(Cheers.)