The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-09-20

| italian Commission, md other gentlemen
connected with the department, spoke very
freely about the Americans and their pecu-
iiarities. So To achieyewhat you have done,'
said one, "you have had to make god
the dollar-and a machine Of your country,
| money-making apparatus. You lnck SEM
timent and principles. have noticed the
absence OF all aesthetic principles in the
purchases OF some OF your people. But
your women puzzle me most. ask
myself concerning them: Is it inno-
cence, virtue, ingenuousness, or what
| They are the most impertinent creatures
ever saw. They go up to u foreigner with
the most perfect sangirold, stare him out OF
countenance, ask him il he is married, how
many children he has, where he comes from,
and know not what. Their excessive free
dom Of manner to our hot blooded people
seems what hope 1t Is not. But they take
the most extraordinary liberties. Fancy a
pretty girl Of eighteen laying her little,
dimpied hand on your arm and asking you,
naively or boldly, know not which, how
you like the American ladies. What the
deuce can one think? I am an old man,
and, knowing how / feel, I can imagine the
sentiments OF my younger countrymen.
Z
we are flesh and blood, or they are horribly
Indifferent to the feelings of their fellow.
creatures
| In regard to the American mode OF living
Signor Dassi said "The cost Of living is
about one third less in Italy than here. Meat
is more expensive in comparison with sala-
F,es, but. in fact, it is about the same. You
need thorough reformation OF your cui.
sine; you have little or no variety in food,
and, oh ! you lack good wines. II you only
had our wines you would have less public
drunkenness. Our fruits and vegetables
are much cheaper than yours, and our shoes
and clothes cost about half what yours do.
By-the-by, one Of your American ladies,
innocently enough, asked me the other day,
showing me a great, coarse peach, Have
you got any Of these in your country
The idea! America is great country, but
Italy is the land OF fruits and flowers"
In conclusion, Signor Dassi spoke Of the
customs, regulations, and the management
of the custom-house here. He said: "I
shall remember your custom-house and GUS
toms laws as we in Italy remember the acts
OF some royal despot. The officers here are
worse than stupid. For example, I want
to send statue over to the photograph gal
lery to be photographed and brought back
|
puts all possible difficulties in the way, and,
though the United States Commission knows
all about it, I am required to make oaths and
applications without number. Your GUS
toms officers are the pest Of our lives"
SWISS MISS THEIR AFTER-DINNER COFFEE.
The representative OF the Swiss house OF
J. Flueck, of Birentz, engaged in wood.
carving, was equally severe upon the Gus.
tom-house and the customs laws. " 1t is i'm.
possible" he said, "to do business under
your customs laws as at present enforced
They seemed to have been framed with
special view to prevent the introduction OF
foreign goods" The same gentleman and
his countrymen expressed the opinion that
living in America is much more expensive
than in Switzerland. Clothing is less SO
than any other necessary Of life. The peo-
pie they think pleasant and polite; and the
public amusements agreeable and reasona'
BILE; "but," said one, "we do miss our
after-dinner Coffee"
GERMANS AND DOMESTIC LIFE.
The Germans seem to be the best satisfied
of all our visitors. They regard America
as a sort of promised land, and think it
especially paradise for workingmen. They
say that meat, bread, and butter are cheaper
here than in their country. Life in private
houses they think cheap, but life in hotels
they find expensive and comfortable.
Clothing, with the exception gof shoes, is
more expensive than it is in the Fatherland,
but, on the whole, German workingmen can
They regard America as backward in the
arts and sciences, and they deplore the aboli.
ton of that family life always so general
and priced q feature OF German society.
AN AUSTRIAN ON AMERICAN IGNORANCE.
An Austrian exhibitor says living here is
twice as dear as in Vienna, and not quite
half as good. The people are pleasant
enough, but they do not know the use oI
the words "please" and thank you," and
seem to imagine that for the admission
price of fifty cents they purchase the ser.
vices, as guides, instructors, and playthings
of ali the exhibitors. "Most of them," he
added, edo not know the difference be-
tween Austria and Australia, and ask me
how I like living in the bush. One ole
lady,n he continued, "asked me just now
eWhere is the Belgian and Brazilian
stands? You know, the place where they
make bug jewelry-jewelry out OF bugs;
and that is only one instance from among
hundreds"
DANISH CRITICISMS.
The representative Of P. Ipsen's Copen'
hagen terra Gotta mandatory said to me
s.America is good, you know, but Amerlca
is dear.'' He finds that 81 (American) j:
worth Just about one crown (Danish), and
he is surprised thereat. Our restaurants anc
hotels, he said, are not as good as chose on
the Continent, and where we charge 30
Danes are accustomed to pay ten crowns
(S2.5O). "Your people OF high rank" he
said, "are intelligent and afable, but your
middle classes are not as well educated as
ours.'' Another Dane said: @I miss oul
cafes and our theatres; II had them ano
was back in Denmark, should like Amerl
ca very much."'
BELGIANs ON AMERICAN COOKING.
The Belgians think our stomachs must bt
out Of order-we eat too much meat. They
| also find that Americans are most interested
in firearms, and that while they are very
sociable they have no cafes and drink toe
often and too quickly. AS to the compare
tive cost Of living here and in Belgium
they find that provisions cost about the same
in the two countries, though they taste bet
ter in Belgium, because there they are cook.
ed properly, and here everything is baked
THE DUTCH DO NOT LIKE OUR WOMEN.
The Dutch find that dollar in Americs
is only equal to gulden in Holland, bu!
that one earns enough money here to make
things equal. Meat, groceries, and proVi'
sions generally are cheaper than in Holland
Clothes and rents are dearer, and theatre
nrices about the same. They take great
| -s1kxv che on