Year: 1871

of those marble records Of great his


tory in arts and arms which Westmin-
ster Abbey contains. 1t is something
for people to be able to remember that


it has lived thousand years.


C.-Yet the belief in the encouraging
influences Of such a recollection is
growing somewhat out Of fashion in the
England of to-day.


E.-Perhaps so. Indeed / remember
to have been struck, on leaving the
Abby, with the absolute difference be-
tween the scene without and the scene
within; the majestic repose Of the one
the feverish tumult of the other. The
English seem TO be always in hurry;
each man goes about his business in a
kind of walking-run, and with his glance
set straight before him, as though he
were Fastening to repair some great ma
tional or individual disaster. This is
peculiarly the characteristic Of the bour-
geois class, TO whom leisure seems to be
almost unknown. The very poor and
the aristocracy have more repose. In
deed, they all work, but with the higher
classes labor seems to be resorted TO
rather as another kind of recreation.
The scene in the two chambers of the
Legislature offers another Illustration of
my meaning. In the House of Com
mons the debate invariably appears to
take an acrid, not to say a vehement
tone, and the mere moving of members
in and out is at first bewildering by its
frequency. In the House of Lords you
seem to be listening to racy conversa-
ton among well-bred men on matters of
great though not absorbing interest.


C,-Your Majesty has yet to take note
of another social element in England
the lowest and poorest classes-but it is
not easy for visitor of rank to study
their condition for himself.


E.-The poverty of which | hear so
constantly in this country interests me
greatly from the fact of its juxtapostion
with so much wealth But there is more
in that problem than visitor like myself
can hope to solve. have not, however,
neglected to obtain some information on
this point. For, as you know, in my
search after the sights of London / have
seen enough to convince me that there
are social anomalies in England which
we must take care not to import along
with its manufactures and its inventions.
1t is a common remark that the poor
here seemed to be uncared for, and my
own observation would lead me to that
conclusion. do not know in what re-
lationship the church stands toward the
lowest classes in this country. One. of
the gentlemen of my suite, who had
pushed his inquiries further in this direc-
ton than myself, gave me a really start
ling account of meeting which he had
attended in the eastern districts on
particular Sunday evening. He found
a hall filed to overfowing with an assem-
blage whose faces were like those seen
in nightmares, and who were moved rs
with one impulse by the eloquence Of a
man who avowed himself an Atheist and
determined foe of the throne, the ars-
tocracy, and the capitalists. And this
man, who makes defamation against
the established order of things, the busi-
ness of his life, has, / learn, the field al
most to himself. If the poor do not lis
ten to him they listen to no one, for no
one else cares to make any equally
pressing claim on their attention. | am
really somewhat at loss to understand
the attitude of the English government
and society toward the social misery
which seeks its solace in these subversive
doctrines But stranger may easily
fall into error in attempting to general
ize on such subject. 1t is unfortunate
for me that have come to Europe at
time when it is not easy to compare the
social life of England with that Of
France, which believe offers a striking
contrast to it in many respects.


My conversation with his Majesty
lasted some time longer, but the forego-
ing are its main points. | was deeply
impressed with the sagacity and pene-
tration of my august interlocutor, and
l cannot but believe that his visit, as it
has been deliberately undertaken with
view to promote the interests of his sub
jects rather than his own pleasure, will
be found in its results to have a most
important bearing on the future of Bra
zil II. IANDOR.