Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-03-12
Daily a'ir9iniau.
from the Philadelphia Enquirer
Tho Old World and the Now.

l he marNcls ana changes that have occurred du-
ring the last sixty years, especially in NIL ciyilz
ed nations whether IN Invention, science, manu-
tncturcs. or human wealth, industry, comfort, and
luxury, hnyc ut least equaled, nay. oven surpass-
od tho progress OF many preceding centnries-
Our attention has been invited to the modern i'm
rrovcments and n retrospective comparison with
our social condition at tho present days by n very
able and anal ytica article in n recent number Of
the London NelcS ofHe World, handed to us by
mn intelligent friend who has himself seen and
marked all the mutations referred to, and
many others that aro not therein mentioned. The
article in question is entitled "rhe Manhood Of
England. aud. as will be seen below, tho writer
lwcs chiefly on tho magical influences of pro-
srcss in the 'old Country But here we beg to
observe that in tho nited Siocs the effects. tan
glide, practical. visible. and increasing. oven
greater in eur Republican nearly all things. cx-
rept distant colonization. With us. Instead of
colonies, We rfiacc the boundary lines Of conter-
mlnons countries l'y treaty, and absorb tho now
regions into tie Federal Family thereby eonsoli-
dating whenever WI extend. our national dnmnin
aud power. Thus at tho period of tho revolution
eur population did not exceed 3nOO.tUo. pnd now
il l. nearly 3OnOo.NOo. In this important par.
tirular. NJ leasi, WI have rSccllcdhy uridit, Of
inrtrisr. all nations, whether nncirnt or modern;
NJ the revolution We found only thirteen States;
hut HOW we have thirty three States and seven
Territories. Did mankind ever before witness
such magical enlargement M thsP Our coin
merce in l19l was valued nj so 1000 600 imports,
and rlG 600 600 CrluHs. Last ycnr tlAaS) it II.
mounted to the rnormuus sum OF S2S2.6lS ljo in
,mloris aud So i.6li III IN trpdlfs lspere nclu-
dcll 1t will also interest our readers to know
that our exports ct cotton nlonc-a product
tirrly new since the revolution -rcnrhrd last yenr
the unprecedented value of Isl ,3sd, ,56l aud of to-
hacco Sl1 ,oo2 90. But we hn,cmorrt to sny pre-
,ently on this subject, aud ,rrhap- the matter of
l.,l ,1.ra
our readera, after perusnl of tho article already
referred t1 IN thu Aews ~ Tie UoHd. The writer
thus discuur>cth
Even those who have not yet seen their grand
clmactctirc have passed through m totally
ulroualled bv the sum at events IN many previous
centuries. The man Of slxly--what retrospect |!
10 thnk that men aud women when they
were boys and girls. saw the dynastcs ofa thous-
and years knocked over like nincpins the grcnt-
ct -tmonarrhs in Europe mnlc shorter hy tho head
or fugitive, an ndveuiurer of Yesterday making
himself the great Emperor "i the world, that the
power loom nnI the spinning jcuiy were not yot,
thn, the servant with "lahorsome petition wrung
the low leave" ol flint and steel Ia strike n light
in tindcr box t. kindlc tho morning fire; that the
dim strcrlp gimmcred in tho doubtful darkness
visible" Of train-oil lamps; that the theatres were
illuminated with wax candies that the lancet was
never out Of the surgeons hand, nnl calomel and
starvation were the nhyAicinn's specifies. 1t then
took six months to 20 to lndin, six weeks To Amer
nn sixty hours to Edinburgh. Mt the switrst-
There WAS steamboat on the sea- no engine in
the factory, no stocking loom, no lace weaving. no
stereotype or steam press, no railways. no tcc-
graphs, no cheap books, no penny postage. There
was no Melbourne. no Sydney; or Adelaide, or
Auckland Hobart Town. or Cnpe Town. Upper
Canada was the place OF the bison and red men :
there was scarcely II white man IN the Western
States, and not four millions Of Americans any
where. Now. 1t takes ones breath nearly to
think OF what we have come to- The discovery of
Amcricn--the coniscation of the Church lands,
and the kcformat ion-thc mariners compnss the
ART Of printing. the Baconlnn philosophy the reye-
la,ions of Newton--all these were vast Mc0rettrdI
conuucss of the human mind; mere seeds, howev-
er. for slow future germnaton, painful CESSATION,
and elaborate development. But our modern nc
questions those which the last hnli Il century
has revealed all of immediate practical use.
reduced to instant requisition. The luciier match
the spinning Jenny, the powcr-loom, the steam
engine the steamboat, the telegraph, and railway
train, the hydraulic ram. steam hammer, the law
If storms the science AMI instruments OF naviga-
ton that have oven oven to the old means Of the
mariner treble the efficiency by raisins the speed
Of smiling ships II that extent; the dagncrrotypc,
stcrcsrnpe and we know not how many Of the tri-
umphs Of this nineteenth century have all become
instantly available on the wides. scale, in the
most practical shape and up to the very highest
point of efficiency aud usefulness mt once. You
can 70 to India in IL month"; America in IL week
Edinburgh in eleven hours get well bound new
Bible for lOi converse with people two thousand
miles of in minute, get lace at n penny yard
and II handsome gown for IS. You can kill with
n rifle ut half ii nile and with ordnance Mt four:
take your likeness hy the sun in one second; sail
against wind md tide, nnd make the midnight
city like midday hy means of air through pipes.
! Nay, we import as much gold from our own colo
MES to this country in single year. as was re-
cei,cd by all Europe in the preceding quarter OF
II century: our imports and exports have doubled
within ten years. and in place of system of re-
! strrton, preferential duties protection and mon
on6ly we find that are great gamers by open
inr our doors wide to the commerce of the world,
and totally disrcsardng all claims to reciprocity,
1t is at this point of view that we gnze with won
der and cxultaton ut the prospects Of this country
aud the fortunes of our rising generation. No such
day ever dawncd upon the way of life Of any other
people on the face of the earth. 1t seems as il
mankind were only yet Mt the threshold of the
world. We seem as if till now we knew nothing
of the globe of the available treasures of this car
of ours Our commerce doubling in ten years.
Twenty millions Of gold flowing in upon annu
ally. The spec! Of conveyance and communication
practically diminishing the cost onc-half and in
crcasing the profit of trade two fold. The monop
olios of1the East India Company, of guides, of col
onics of shipowners, of farmers, entirely abrogat
ed aud trade free tho winds. Canada alone
would have been II magnificent possession for us
but to that succeeded South Afrlca-the West In
| dia Isands-Ncw South Wales, with its recently
developed resources thereafter the provinces Of
Australia, followed by the various districts OF
New Zealand-any one of these would have made
the fortune of any other Statc-was rich enough
| and large enough to have employed the activity
of all the adventurous spirits OF the mother coun-
try.
The discovery of America but opened region
to ~ of unproductvc snvages of the compass gave
us but the means of safer nayi CATION hut not its
benefits its products and resources; OF the print