Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-09-04
Mutes uf Trarel Gnrppe.
ENGLAND AS SEEN BY AN AMERICAN
The Extent Of English Dominion.


American Notions of the British Isles--EnG-
lands Importance--EXtent of the British
Isles--Shape and Size of 1rcland--EXtent OF
Ireland and Standardization Isles as Conn
pared with TcXas--COlOnies or Great Brit
ain--Population of the British Isles--Ameri-
can Notions of the People of England-Our
Fathers Errors--Poverty and Wealth OF
Great Observation-Disclosures Sources of Wealth.
Coal--Agriculture.
Wherever the English language, or any
of its kindred dialects are spoken, every
one has heard of the British Isles. Not
withstanding this fact, the mass of Ameri-
can-born persons have formed very incor-
rect notions of these Islands The people
of America, generally, are accustomed to
think of England as much greater in the
extent of its territory than it actually is.
England, in many respects, is the most
wonderful country on which the sun ever
shone. The prevailing feature of modern
civilization is English in all its important
types. American laws and American man.
ners and customs, all find their origin in
England. The rapid growth of the United
States is largely due to the fact that the
first settlers of these States were natives
of the British Isles. England never has
been surpassed in war or in peace, except
by her own colonies. To day, her only RI
val is the United States. Such being the
case, the American is prone to fall into the
error that the British Isles, like the United
States, extend over an almost boundless ex-
tent Of territory, embracing climate OF
every degree of heat and cold, and soil
adapted to productions of endless variety.
Such is not the case.
The British Isles consist of two compara-
lively small islands, England and Scotland,
which are separated by no intervening sea,
being one, and Ireland the other.
In shape, Ireland is kind of irregular
rhomboid, the greatest length of which is
three hundred and two miles, the width
across the centre being about one hundred
and ten miles. Ireland contains 20,S15, ,46O
acres, or 81, ,524 square miles.
England and Scotland embrace territory
| of 89,005 square miles, of which 30,6S5 are
included within the territorial limits of
Scotland.
The whole area of the British Isles in
square miles, is 11O,529. The State of Flor
ida is larger, by $50 square miles, than Eng
miles less than Scotland, and North Carroll
ma is 9,726 square miles greater than Ire
land. The State of Texas is 155, ,251 square
miles larger than England, Ireland and
Scotland together. Texas contains 44,722
square miles, more than twice as much ter
ritory as the British Isles.
The greatness of the British Isles does not
consist in extent of territory. Neither does
it consist in the natural fertility of the soil
or the salubrity of the climate. 1t may be
said of the British Isles, as some one says of
Scotland, that it is "Wee bit country"
The British Isles when compared with the
soil-much of it's poor, and some of it
rocky and barren and the climate, although
pleasant and healthy, is too cold, and there
is too little sunshine for the production of
great variety of crops or for the full devel-
Opment of any except a few. Still, Great
Britain is the first among the nations of the
earth in all that constitutes true national
greatness, This "wee bit country" less by
the State of Tennessee than one-half of the
State of Texas, has planted colonies all over
the world. In the language of one of Amer
ica's greatest statesmen, '"The sun never sets
on England's dominiOns, and the morning
drum of her soldiers is heard round the
world" England sways her sceptre over
one-siXth OF all the people and is the ac-
knoWledged possessor of one-siXth of the
land on the globe. The British Isles, al
though less by one-half than the State of
Texas, contain nearly as many inhabitants
as all the States which constitute the Uni
ted States Of North America, and more than
one-half as many as the whole of North
America.
In the minds of many of the people of the
United States, there is a feeling of dislike
fox nd q raa q
culiar people. The circumstances by which
we have been surrounded, have had the
direct tendency to make us a proud and
naughty people. Our fathers won grand
victory when they Wrested the thirteen
colonies from the hands Of the British gov
ernment. No such event had ever occurred
before, and no such event has occurred since;
nor, judging from present appearances, is it
probable that British commander will
soon again surrender to u Colonial COM
mander Maddened by oppression and
rated fathers taught their offspring to dis
like, if not hate, England. They spoke of
the British soldiers us band of robbers,
and branded the British commanders as
towards Their children believed them,
and continued to repeat the same falsehood
to their children. British soldiers never
were robbers, and British commanders al
ways have been brave. 1t is these two facts
that made the success of the thirteen Amer
ican colonies grand. If Tarleton, Ferguson
and CORVALLIS were towards, and the men
they led only band Of robbers, what great
honor was due to Morgan, Campbell and
Washington? The fact is, three Drawer men
never drew swords than TarletOn, Ferguson
and CORVALLIS; but our revolutionary faith
ers taught us to despise them, and with
them, the whole English people: 1t is read
lily admitted that much oppression has been
practiced by the English government for
centuries past More than this, there is
much that can be called by no other name
but oppression, practiced in England to-day.
Still, the inhabitants of the British Isles
are a great people, and the British Isles
themselves are the marvel of the world.
That there is much squalid poverty in
Great Britain no one dare deny; and there
culable wealth. This is the case in every
section of both islands. Extremes meet in
every neighborhood. In America we speak
of the rich and of the poor; but in the
Southern States we seldom see examples
of either class: What we Of the Southern
States call rich men, would be regarded in
the British Isles us men of but moderate
means; and we cannot, without seeing
it, form an idea Of the abject poverty, of
by no means a small number, of the pOpula-
tion of Great Britain.
The sources of the wealth of Great Britain
consist in its iron, coal, tin, copper and lead.
In addition to this, there are ineXhaustible
quantities Of building stone. 1t is in the
coal beds of England, Ireland and Scotland,
that we are to find the base Of their solid
wealth and political influence. Without
their coal beds, the British Isles would be
comparatively worthless. Their iron could