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r- 1

t: 2

32X

SECOND SERIES

OF A

DIAIIY IN AMERICA.

WITH

HEAFARKS ON ITS INSTITUTIONS.

Bif

CAPT. MARRY AT, C.B.,

r;i:.

< (I

AUTHOR OF

"PETER SIMPLE" JACOB FAITHFUL"
"FRANK MILDMA Y,» &c.

COMPLETE IN ONE VOLUME.

PHILADELPHIA:

T. K. & P. G. COLLINS.

li:

i i.

•I

'I •

•I

y, 1

1840.

n y/6

I BE

own, 1(
out sor
who w
be nati
to was
from a
we nat
theless
conscic
interest
never s
always
seeing
this de(
left the

That
my wo
tions q
be fals
prehen(
from a
althouj
paths,
eye or
what I
The in
who pi
ing in
and cu

The
bad of
pigtail
"I ne\

VOL.

MARRYAT'S DIARY.

CHAPTER I.

TRAVELLING.

I BELIEVE that the remarks of a traveller in any country not liis
own, let his work be ever so trifling or badly written, will point
out some peculiarity which will have escaped the notice of those
who were born and reside in that country, unless thoy happen to
be natives of that portion of it in which the circumstance alluded
to was observed. It is a fact that no one knows his own country;
from assuetude and, perhaps, from the feelings of regard which
we naturally have for our native land, we pass over wliat never-
theless does not escape the eye of a foreigner. Indeed, from the
consciousness that we can always see such and such objects of
interest whenever we please, we very often procrastinate until we
never see them at all. I knew an old gentleman who having
always resided in London, every year declared his intention of
seeing the Tower of London with its curiosities. He renewed
this declaration every year, put it off until the next, and has since
left the world without having ever put his intention into execution.

That the Americans would cavil at portions of the first part of
my work, I was fully convinced, and as there are many observa-
tions quite new to most of them, they are by them considered to
be false; but the United States, as I have before observed, com-
prehend an immense extent of territory, with a population running
from a state of refinement down to one of positive barbarism; and
although the Americans travel much, they travel the well beaten
paths, in which that which is peculiar is not so likely to meet the
eye or even the ear. It does not, therefore, follow that because
what I remark is new to many of them, that therefore it is false.
The inhabitants of the cities in the United States, (and it is those
who principally visit this country,) know as little of what is pass-
ing in Arkansas and Alabama as a cockney does of the manners
and customs of Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.

The other day, one American lady observed that "it was too
bad of Captain Marryat to assert that ladies in America carried
pigtail in their work-boxes to present to the gentlemen;" adding,
"I never heard or saw such a thing in all my life." Very pog-

VOL. I. — 1

:1
i)

MARBYAT'S DIARY.

sible; and had I stated that at New York, Philadelphia, Boston,
or Charleston, such was the practice, she then might have been
justifiably indignant. But 1 have been very particular in my
localities, both injustice to myself and the Americans, and if they
will be content to confine their animadversions to the observations
upon the State to which they belong, or my general observations
upon the country and government, 1 shall then be content; if, on
the contrary, their natural vanity will not allow any remarks to be
made upon the peculiarities of one portion of society without con-
sidering them as a reflection upon the whole of the Union, all I
can say is that they must, and will be annoyed.

The answer made to the lady who was "wrathy" about the
pigtail was, '^Captain M. has stated it to be a custom in one
►State. Have you ever been in that State?"

"No, I have not," replied the lady, "but I have never heard of
it." So then, on a vast continent, extending almost from the Poles
to the Equator, because one individual, one mere mite of creation
among the millions (who are but a fraction of the population which
the country will support,) has not heard of what passes thousands
of miles from her abode, therefore it cannot be true] Instead of
cavilling, let the American read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
all that I have already said, and all that I intend to say in these
volumes; and although the work was not written for them, but for
my own countrymen, they will find that I have done them friend-
ly service.

There is much comprehended in the simple word "travelling"
which heads this chapter, and it is by no means an unimportant
subject, as the degree of civilization of a country, and many im-
portant peculiarities, bearing strongly upon the state of society,
are to be gathered from the high road, and the variety of entertain-
ment for man and horse; and I think that my remarks on this sub-
ject will throw as much light upon American society as will be
found in any chapter which I have written.

In a country abounding as America does with rivers and rail-
roads, and where locomotion by steam, wherever it can be applied,
supersedes every other means of conveyance, it is not to be ex-
pected that the roads will be remarkably good; they are, howev-
er, in consequence of the excellent arrangements of the townships
and counties, in the Eastern States, as good, and much better,
than could be expected. The great objection to them is that they
are not levelled, but follow the undulations of the country, so that
you have a variety of short, steep ascents and descents which are
very trying to the carriage-springs and very fatiguing to the tra-
veller. Of course in a new country you must expect to fall in
with the delightful varieties of Corduroy^ &c., but wherever the
country is settled and the population sufficient to pay the expense,
the roads in America may be said to be as good as under circum-
stances could possibly be expected. There are one or two roads,
I believe, not more, which are government roads; but, in general,
the expense of the roads is defrayed by the States.

But, 1

iravellir
the hors
appear t
in Engl
quence <
wards w
are ahno
The dist
without

Thei^
refer to
behind,
horse th;
the Tliir
once we
sidered t
ed a mil
miles pe
Gate; nt
again,
could pe
here ligl
seat in tl
and in tl
trotting t
twelve n
did not a
bent for\
The g
horses;
In a coui
value \\\
years ol
omnibus
Talkii
cities in
Paris; tl
busses, 1
London;
the forni
females,
without
The .
out to b(
ridden ii
ing of f
somethi

* Mis:

MARRY AT 9 DIARY.

But, before I enter into any remarks upon the various modes of
travelling in America, it may be as well to say a few words upon
the horses, which are remarkably good in the United States: they
appear to be mori* hardy, and have much better hoofs, than ours
in Enffland; throwint; a shoe therefore is not of the same conse-
quence as it is with us, for a horse will go twenty mil«;s after-
wards with little injury. In Virginia and Kentucky the horses
are almost all thorough-bred, and from the best Knglish stock. —
The distances run in racing are much longer than ours, and speed
without bottom is useless.

The Americans are very fond of fast trotting horses; I do not
refer to rackors, as they term horses that trot befor(* and galloj>
behind, but fair trotters, and they certainly have a description of
horse that we could not easily match in England. At New York,
the Tliird Avenue, as they term it, is the general rrndezvoiis. I
once went out there mounted upon Paul Pry, who was once con-
sidered the fastest horse in America; at his full sjired ho perform-
ed a mile in two minutes and thirty seconds, ecjual to twenty-four
miles per hour. He look me at this devil of a pace as far as Hell
Gate; not wishing "to intrude," I pulled up there, and wenthonu?
again. A pair of horses in harness were pointed out to me who
could perform the mile in two minutes fifty seconds. They use
here light four-wheeled vehicles which they call wagons, with a
seat in the front for two persons and room for your luggage behind;
and in these wagons, with a pair of horses, they think nothing of
trotting them seventy or eighty miles in a day, at the speed of
twelve miles an hour; I have seen the horses come in, and they
did not appear to suffer from the fatigue. You seldom see a horse
bent forward, but they are all daisy cutters.

The gentlemen of New York give very high prices for fast
horses; 1,000 dollars is not by any means an uncommon price.
In a country where time is every Ihing, they put a proportionate
value upon speed. Paul Pry is a tall grey horse (now thirteen
years old); to look at, he would not fetch £10, — the English
omnibusses would refuse him.

Talking about omnibusses, those of New Y'ork, and the iner
cities in America, are as good and as well regulated as those of
Paris; the larger ones have four horses. Not only their omni-
busses, but their hackney coaches are very superior to those in
London; the latter are as clean as private carriages; and with
the former there is no swearing, no dislocating the arms of poor
females, hauling them from one omnibus to the other, — but civility
without servility.

The American stage-coaches are such as experience has found
out to be most suitable to the American roads, and you have not
ridden in them five miles before you long for the delightful spring-
ing of four horses upon the level roads of England. They are
something between an English stage* and a French diligence.

.f!

'•r

' >

t:i.

* Miss Martineau in her work speaks of that most delighlfxtl of all

4 MAItRYAT .S DIARV.

I)uilt willi all the panels open, on account of the excessive heat
of the summer months. In wet weather these panels are covered
with leatlu r aprons, which are fixed on with huttons, a very in-
snlliciont protection in the winter, as the wind blows throujrli iho
intornujdiatc spaces, whistlin|r into your ears, and rendering it
more picrcinjr than if all was open. Moreover, they are no pro-
tection a;i;;iinst the rain or snow, both of which find their way in
to you. The couch has three seats, to receive nine passengers;
those on the middle scat leaninir hack upon a stron<»' and hroad
leather brace, which runs across. This is very disanreeahlc, as
the centre passengers, when the panels are closed, dejjrivo the
others of the light and air from the windows. JJut the most dis-
agreeable feeling arises from the body of the coach not being upon
si)rings, but hung upon leather braces running under it and sup-
j)Qrling it on each side; and when the roads are bad, or you ascend
or rapidly descend the pitches (a" they term short hills) the motion
is very siujilar to that of being tossed in a blanket, often throwing
you up to the top of the coach, so as to flatten your hat — if not
your head.

The drivers are very skilful, .although they are generally
young men — indeed often mere boys — for they soon better them-
selves as they advance in life. Very often they drive six in
irand; and if you are upset, it is generally more the fault of
the road than of the driver. I was upset twice in one half
hour when I was travelling in the winter time; but the snow
was very deep at the time, and no one thinks anything of

conveyances — an American stage-coach; but Miss M. is so very pe-
culiar in her ideas, that 1 am surprised at nothing llial she says. I
will, liowevcr, quote the Reverend Mr. Ileid against her: —

"1 had no sooner begun to enter the coach than splash went my
iuot in jnud and water. I exclaimed with surprise. 'Soon be dry,
sir,' was the reply; while he withdrew the light, that I might not ex-
plore the cause of complaint. The iact was, that the vehicle, like
the liotel and steam-buat, was not water-tight, and the rain had found
an entrance. There was, indeed, in this coach, as in most others, a
iirovision in the bottom, of holes, to let off both water and dirt; but
here the dirt had become mud, and thickened about the orifices, so
as to prevent escape. I found I was the only passenger; the morn-
ing was damp and chilly; the state of the coacli added to the sensa-
tion; and I eagerly looked about for some means of protection. I
drew up the wooden windows; out of five small panes of glass in the
sashes three were broken. I endeavoured to secure the curtains;
two of them had most of the ties broken, and flapped in one's face.
ThL've was no help in the coach, so I looked to myself. I made the
best use I could of my garments, and put myself as snugly as I could
in the coiner of a stage meant to accommodate nine persons. My
situation just then was not among the most cheerful. I could see
nothing; every where I could feel the wind drawn in upon me; and
as for soiuids I had the calls of the driver, the screeching of the
wheels, and the song of the bull-frog for my entertainment." — Rev.
Mr. Reid's Tour, vol. i. p. 100. — Very delightful, indeed!

an up<
someti
glectet
passeuj
»Some
sued tl
must
public I
themse
lion
propria
the pas
])roprie
the pu
The
much
travelle

sivc lieat
e covered
1 very in-
•oiiah tho
ideriiig it
re no pro-
ir way in
ssenjjjers;
rui I) road
oabic, as
j)rivo tliu
most dis-
?iii{j upon
and sup-
3U ascend
le motion
throwingp
t — if not

[generally
ter thern-
e six in
fault of
one half
he snow
thinjj of

very pe-
say's. I

ivent my
n be dry,
t not ex-
icle, like
ad found
others, a
dirt; but
ifices, so
le morn-
e sensa-
3tion. I
ss in the
nirtains;
e's face,
lade the
I could
IS, My
)uld see
ne; and
■ of the
"—Rev.

MARRVAT'S OIARV. 5

an upset in America. More serious accidents do, iiowever,
sometimes happen. When I ^-as in New Hampshire, a ne-
glected bridge broke down, and precipitated coach, iiorses, and
passengers into a torrent which liowed into tho Connecticut river.
»Some of the passengers were drowned. Those who were saved,
sued the township and recovered damages; but these mischances
must be expected in a new country. The great annoyance of these
public conveyances is, that neither the proprietor or driver consider
themselves the servants of the public; a stage-coach is a specula-
tion by which as much money is to be made as possible by tho
proprietors; and as the driver never expects or demands a foe from
the passengers, they or their comforts are no concern of his. The
])roprietors do not consider that they are bound to keep faith with
the public, nor do they care about any complaints.

The stages which run from Cincinnati to the eastward are very
much interfered with when the Ohio river is full of water, as the
travellers prefer the steam-boats; but the very moment that the
water is so low on the Ohio that the steam-boats cannot ascend
the river up to Wheeling, double the price is demanded by the
proprietors of the coaches. They are quite regardless as to the
opinion or good-will of the public; they do not care for either, all
they want is their money, and they are perfectly indifferent whether
you break your neck or not. The great evil arising from this state
of hostility, as you may almost call it, is the disregard of life which
renders travelling so dangerous in America. You are completely
at the mercy of the drivers, who are, generally speaking, very
good-tempered, but sometimes (juite the contrary; and I have often
been amused with the scenes which have taken place between them
and the passengers. As for myself, when the weather permitted
it, I invariably went outside, which the Americans seldom do, and
was always very good friends with the drivers. They are full of
local information, and often very amusing. There is, however, a
great difference in the behaviour of the drivers of the mails, and
coaches which are timed by the post-office, and others which are
not. If beyond his time, the driver is mulcted by the proprietors;
and when dollars are in the question, there is an end to all urbanity
and civility.

A gentleman of my acquaintance was in a mail which was be-
hind time, and the driver was proceeding at such a furious pace
that one jerk threw a lady to the top of the coach, and the teeth of
her comb entering her head, she fainted with pain. The passen-
gers called out to the driver to stop. "What for]*' "That last
jerk has struck the lady, and she has fainted." "Oh, that's all!
Well, I reckon I'll give her another jerk, which will bring her to
again." Strange to say, he prophecied right; the next jerk was
very violent, and t' e lady recovered her senses.

Mr.E., an employe of the American government, was travelling
in the state of Indiana — the passengers had slept at an inn, and the
coach was ready at the door, but Mr. E. had not quite finished his
1*

ri[

'IV

MAnnVAT 8 DIARV.

toilet; llio driver dispatched the bar-keeper for him, and Mr, E.
Hoiit word ho would bi> down iininediatuly.

"What is he about]" said thu driver impatiently to the bar-
keeper when he cauio down again.

♦•Cleaning his leoih."

"(.7t«;i/«if his U'clh!^^ roared the driver, indi^rnantly; "by the
," and away went the horses at a gallop, leaving Mr. E. be-
hind.

Tht* other passengers remonstrated, but without avail; they told
him that Mr. E. was charged with government despatches — he
didn't care; at last, one of them oll'ered him a dollar if he would
go back. They had proceeded more than a mile before the offer
was made; the man immediately wheeled his horses round, and
returned to the inn.

The liev. Mr. Keid gives an anecdote very characteristic of
Amorieau stage-coach travelling, and proving how little the con-
venience of the public is cared tor.

"When we stopped at Lowell to change horses, a female wished
to secure a place onward. We were already, as the phrase is,
more than full; we had nine persons, and two children, which are
made to go for nothing, except in the way-bill. Our saucy driver
oj)cned the door, and .♦.ddressing two men, who, with us, would
have been outside passengers — 'Now, I say, I want one of you to
ride with me, and let a lady have your seat.' The men felt they
were addressed by a superior, but kept their places. 'Come, 1 say,'
he continued, 'you shall have a good buffalo and umbreU and no-
thing will hurt you.' Still they kept their places, and refused
him^ His lordship was offended, and ready to lay hands on one
of them; but, checking himself, exclaimed, »Well, if I can't get
you out, hang it if I'll take you on till one of you gets out.' And
there we stood for some time; and he gained his point at last, and
in civiller terms, by persuading the persons on the middle seat to
receive the lady; so that we had now twelve inside."

I once myself was in a stage-coach, and found that the window
glasses had been taken out; I mentioned this to the driver, as it
rained in very fast — "Well, now," replied he, "I reckon you'd
better ax the proprietors; my business is to drive the coach."
And that was all the comfort I could procure. As for speaking to
them about stopping, or driving slow, it is considered as an un-
warrantable interference.

I recollect an Englishman at New York telling me, that when
in the Eastern States, he had expressed a wish to go a little faster
— "Oh," said the driver, "you do, do you; well, wait a moment,
and I'll go faster than you like." The fellow drove very slow
where the road was good; but as soon as he came to a bad piece,
he put his horses to the gallop, and, as my friend said, they were
so tossed and tumbled about, that they hardly knew where they
were. "Is that fast enough, Mister/' said the driver, leering in
at the coach window.

As for stopping, they will stop to talk to any one on the road

MARRYAT 8 DIAHV.

id Mr. E.
) the bar>

"by the
Ir. E. be-

thoy told
ches — he
he would

the offer
lund, and

pristic of
the con-

wished
hrase is,
v'hich are
cy driver
s, would
)f you to
felt they
;, I say,'
and no<

refused
3 on one
an't get

■ And
ast, and

seat to

window
3r, as it
n you'd
coach."
iking to
an un-

when
e faster
oment,
y slow

piece,
y were
re they
ring in

B road

about the price of the markets, the news, or any thing else; and
the same aecoininudation is cheertully given to any paHseiigerwho
has any business tu transact on the way. 'IMie Americans are ac<
customed to it, and tlie passengers never raise any nbjections.
There is a spirit of accommodation, arising from their natural
good temper.*

I was once in a coucli when the driver pulled up, and entered
a small house on the road side; after he had been there some time,
as it was not an inn, I expressed my wonder wliat he was about.
**I guess 1 can tell you," said a man who was standing by the
coach, and overheard me; "there's a pretty yirl in that house, and
he's doing a bit of courting, I expect." ►Such was the fact: the
passengers laughed, and waited for him very patiently. Ho re-
mained about three-quarters of an hour, and then came out. The
time was no doubt to him very short; but to us it appeared rather
tedious.

Mrs. Jarnieson, in her last work, says: "One dark niijht, I re-
member, as the sleet and rain were falling fast, and our Kxtra was
slowly dragged by wretched brutes of horses through what seem-
ed to me 'Slouyhs of Despond,' some package ill stowed on the
roof, which in the American stages presents no resting-place for
man or box, fell otl". The driver aliglited to fish it out of the mud.
As there was some delay, a gentleman seated opposite to mo put
his head out of window to in(|uire the cause; to whom the driver's
voice replied, in an angry tone, 'I say, you mister, don't you sit
jabbering there; but lend a hand to heave these things aboard!'
To my surprise, the gentleman did not appear struck by the in-
solence of this summons, but immediately jumped out and render-
ed his assistance. This is merely the manner of the people. The
driver intended no insolence, nor was it taken as such; and my
fellow-travellers could not help laughing at my surprise."

I have mentioned these little anecdotes, as they may amuse the
reader; but it must be understood that, generally speaking, the
drivers are very good-natured and obliging, and tlie passengers
very accommodating to each other, and submitting with a good
grace to what cannot be ameliorated.

CHAPTER II.

TRAVELLING.

In making my observations upon the rail-road and steam-boat

* This spirit of accommodation produces what would at first ap-
pear to be rudeness, but is not intended for it. When you travel, or
indeed when walking the streets in the Western country, if you
have a cigar in your mouth, a man will come up — "Beg pardon,
stranger," and whips your cigar out of your moutn, lights his own,
and then returns your's. I thought it rather cool at first, but as I
found it was the practice, I invariably did the same whenever I
needed a light.

MARRY AT'S DIARY.

travelling in the United States, I shall point out some facts with
which the reader must be made acquainted. The Americans are
a restless, locomotive people: whether for business or pleasure,
they are ever on the move in their own country, and they move in
masses. There is but one conveyance, it may be said, for every
class of people, the coach, rail-road, or steam-boat, as well as
most of the hotels, being open to all; the consequence is that the
society is very much mixed — the millionaire, the well-educated
woman of the highest rank, the senator, the member of Congress,
the farmer, the emigrant, the swindler, and the pick-pocket, are
all liable to meet together in the same vehicle of conveyance.
Some conventional rules were therefore necessary, and those rules
have been made by public opinion — a power to which all must
submit in America. The one most important, and without which
it would be impossible to travel in such a gregarious way, is an
universal deference and civility shewn to the women, who may in
consequence travel without protection all over the United States
without the least chance of annoyance or insult. This deference
paid to the sex is highly creditable to the Americans; it exists
from one end of the Union to the other; indeed, in the Southern
and more lawless States, it is even more chivalric than in the more
settled. Let a female be ever so indifferently clad, whatever her
appea'ance may be, still it is sufficient that she is a female; she
has the first accommodation, and until she has it, no man will
think of himself. But this deference is not only shewn in travel-
ling, but in every instance. An English lady told me, that wish-
ing to be present at the inauguration of Mr. Van Buren, by some
mistake, she and her daughters alighted from the carriage at the
wrong entrance, and in attempting to force their way through a
dense crowd were nearly crushed to death. This was perceived,
and the word was given — 'Make room for the ladies.' The whole
crowd, as if by one simultaneous effort, compressed itself to the
right and left, locking themselves together to meet the enormous
pressure, and made a wide lane, through which they passed with
ease and comfort. "It reminded me of the Israelites passing
through the Red Sea with the wall of waters on each side of
them," observed the lady. "In any other country we must have
been crushed to death."

When I was on board one of the steam-boats, an American
asked one of the ladies to what she would like to be helped. She
replied, to some turkey, which was within reach, and off of which
a pasnenger had just cut the wing and transferred it to his own
plate. The American who had received the lady's wishes, im-
mediately pounced with his fork upon the wing of the turkey and
carried it off to the young lady's plate; the only explanation given,
*^For a lady, Sir!^^ was immediately admitted as sutficient.

The authority of the captain of a steam-boat is never disputed;
if it were, the offender would be landed on the beach. I was on
board of a steam-boat when, at tea time, a young man sat down
with his hat on.

MARRY AT's diary.

facts with
iricans are
r pleasure,
iy move in
i for every
as well as
s that the
1-educated
Congress,
tocket, are
nveyance.
hose rules

all must
out which
i^ay, is aa
ho may in
ted States
deference

it exists
Southern
I the more
itever her
nale; she
man will
in travel-
lat wish-
by some
e at tiie
trough a
erceived,
be whole
If to the
normous
3ed with

passing
I side of
list have

merican
!d. She
if which
bis own
les, im-
key and
n given,

sputed;
was on
t down

((

You are in the company of ladi'^s, Sir," observed the captain
very civilly, "and I must request you to take your hat off."

"Are you the captain of the boat?" observed the young man, in
a sulky tone.

"Yes, Sir, I am."

"Well, then, I suppose I miret," growled the passenger, as he
obeyed.

But if the stewards, who are men of colour, were to attempt to
enforce the order, they would meet with such a rebuff as I have
myself heard given.

"If it's the captain's orders, let the captain come and give them.
I'm not going to obey a JVigger like you."

Perhaps it is owing to this deference to the sex that you will
observe that the Americans almost invariably put on their best
clothes when they travel; such is the case whatever may be the
cause; and the ladies in America, travelling or not, are always
well, if not expensively dressed. They don't all swap bonnets
as the two young ladies did in the stage-coach in Vermont.

But, notwithstanding the decorum so well preserved as I have
mentioned, there are some annoyances to be met with from gre-
garious travelling. One is, that occasionally a family of interest-
ing young citizens who are suffering from the hooping-oongh,
small-pox, or any other complaint, are brought on board, in con-
sequence of the medical gentlemen having recommended change
of air. Of course the other children, or even adults, may take the
infection, but they are not refused admittance upon such trifling
grounds; the profits of the steam boat must not be interfered with.

Of all travelling, I think that by railroad the most fatiguing,
especially in America. After a certain time the constant coughing
of the locomotive, the dazzling of the vision from the rapidity with
which objects are passed, the sparks and ashes which fly in your
face and on your clothes become very annoying; your only conso-
lation is the speed with which you are passing over the ground.

The railroads in America are not so well made as in England,
and are therefore more dangerous; but it must be remembered that
at present nothing is made in America but to last a certain time;
they go to the exact expense considered necessary and no further;
they know that in twenty years they will be better able to spend
twenty dollars than one now. The great object is to obtain quick
returns for the outlay, and, except in few instances, durability or
permanency is not thought of. One great cause of disasters is,
that the railroads are not fenced on the sides, so as to keep the
cattle off them, and it appears as if the cattle who range the woods
are very partial to take their naps on the roads, probably from
their being drier than the other portions of the soil. It is impos-
sible to say how many cows have been cut into atoms by the
trains in America, but the frequent accidents arising from these
causes hos occasioned the Americans to invent a sort of shovei,
attached to the front of the locomotive, which takes up a cow,
tossing her off right or left. At every fifteen miles of the rail-

i ! -■

!if;

ML.*'

('••i

MARRYAT^S DIARY.

roads there are refreshment rooms; the cars stop, all the doors are
thrown open, and out rush the passengers like boys out of school,
and crowd round the tables to solace themselves with pies, patties,
cakes, hard-boiled eggs, ham, custards, and a variety of railroad
luxuries, too numerous to mention. The bell rings for departure,
in ihey all hurry with their hands and mouths full, and olf they
go again, until the next stopping place induces them to relieve
the monotony of the journey by masticating without being hungry.

The Utica railroad is the best in the United States. The
general average of speed is from fourteen to sixteen miles an
hour; but on the Utica they go much faster.* A gentleman nar-
rated to me a singular specimen of the ruling passion which he
witnessed on an occasion when the rail-cars were thrown off the
road, and nearly one hundred people killed, or injured in a greater
or less degree.

On the side of the road lay a man with his leg so severely frac-
tured, that the bone had been forced through the skin, and project-
ed outside his trowsers. Over him hung his wife, with the utmost
solicitude, the blood running down from a severe cut received on
her head, and kneeling by his side was his sister, who was also
much injured. The poor women were lamenting over him, and
thinking nothing of their own hurts; and he, it appears, was also
thinking nothing about his injury, but only lamenting the delay
which would be occasioned by it.

*'0h! my dear, dear Isaac, what can be done with your leg?"
exclaimed the wife in the deepest distress.

"What will become of my leg!" cried the man. "What's to
become of my business, I should like to knowl"

"Oh! dear brother," said the other female, "don't think about
your business now; think of getting cured."

"Think of getting cured — I must think how the bills are to be
met, and I not there to take them up. They will be presented as
sure as I lie here."

"Oh! never mind the bills, dear husband — think of your precious
leg."

"Not mind the bills! but I must mind the bills — my credit will
be ruined."

"Not when they know what has happened, brother. Oh! dear,
dear — that leg, that leg."

"D — n the leg; what's to become of my business," groaned the
man, falling on his back from excess of pain.

Now this was a specimen of true commercial spirit. If this
man had not been nailed to the desk, he might have been a hero.

I shall conclude this chapter with an extract from an American
author, which will give some idea of the indifference as to loss of
life in the United States.

*The railroads finished in America in 1835 amounted in length to
1,600 miles; those in progress, and not yet complete, to 1,270 miles
more. The canals completed were in length 2,687 miles; unfinished,
500 miles.

"Evel
of the
running!
bones;
head, lil
writing 1
clined
two leg|
carried
replied
waiting I

The

the sam
steam b(
extent o
of the p

Missour

Do.
Mississi]

Do.

Arkansa

St. Lawi

Platte R

Red Riv

Ohio Ri

Columbi

Kanzas

Yellows

Tenness

Alabam

Cumber

Susquel

Illinois

Appala(

St. Johr

Connec

Wabasl

Delawa

James 1

Roanoh

Great I

San tee

Potoms

Hudsoi

Altamt

Savani

MARRYAT^S DIART.

doors are
of school,
s, patties,
Qf railroad
departure,
I off they
to relieve
g hungry,
les. The
miles an
?man nar-
ivhich he
^n off the
a greater

rely frac-
1 project-
le utmost
;eived on
was also
him, and
was also
;he delay

ar leg?"

/^hat's to

ik about

\te to be
ented as

precious

idit will

h! dear,

ned the

If this

a hero.

nerican

loss of

ngth to
miles
nished,

"Every now and then is a tale of railroad disaster in some part
of the country, at inclined planes, or intersecting points, or by
running off the track, making splinters of the cars, and of men's
bones; and locomotives have been known to encounter, head to
head, like two rams fighting. A little while previous to the
writing of these lines, a locomotive and tender shot down the in-
clined plain at Philadelphia, like a falling star. A woman, with
two legs broken by this accident, was put into an omnibus, to be
carried to the hospital, but the driver, m his speculations, coolly
replied to a man, who asked why he did not go onl — that he was
waiting for a full load.'*''*

CHAPTER III.

TRAVELLING.

The most general, the most rapid, the most agreeable, and, at
the same time, the most dangerous, of American travelling is by
steam boats. It will be as well to give the reader an idea of the
extent of this navigation by putting before him the lengths of some
of the principal rivers in the United States.

MILES.

Missouri and Mississippi 4490

Do. to its junction with the Mississippi 3181

Mississippi proper, to its junction with the Missouri - - - 1600

Do. to the Gulf of Mexico 2910

Arkansas River, a branch of the Mississippi 2170

St. Lawrence River, including the Lakes 2075

Platte River, a branch of the Missouri 1600

- - 1500

- - 1372

- - 1315

- - 1200

- - 1100

- - 756

- - 575

Red River, a branch of the Mississippi - - - -

Ohio River, Do. - - - Do.

Columbia River, empties into the Pacific Ocean
Kan zas River, a branch of the Missouri - - - -
Yellowstone Do. ----- Do. - - - - -
Tennessee Do, - - - - Ohio - - - - -
Alabama River, empties into the Gulf of Mexico -

Cumberland River, a branch of the Ohio 570

Susquehanna River, empties into Chesapeake Bay - - - 460
Illinois River, a branch of the Mississippi .---.. 430
Appalachicola River, empties into the Gulf of Mexico - - 425
St. John's River, New Brunswick, rises in Maine - - - - 415
Connecticut River, empties into Long Island Sound - ■• - 410

Wabash River, a branch of the Ohio 360

Delaware River, empties into the Atlantic Ocean - - - - 355
James River, empties into Chesapeake Bay 350

Roanoke River,
Great Pedee River,
Santee River,
Potomac River, -
Hudson River, -
Altamaha River,
Savannah River,

Albemarle Sound ----- 350

- Atlantic Ocean ------ 350

Do. 340

- Chesapeake Bay 335

- Atlantic Ocean 320

Do. 300

Do. 290

♦Voice from America.

\'-:t\

l\ J.

It.

I!" I

III

'■■\

l:i

MARRY AT's diary.

Many of the largest of these rivers are at present running
through deserts — others possess but a scanty population on their
banks; but, as the west fills up, they will be teeming with life,
and the harvest of industry will freight many more hundreds of
vessels than those which at present disturb their waters.

The Americans have an idea that they are very far a-head of us
in steam navigation, a great error which I could not persuade
them of. In the first place, their machinery is not by any means
equal to ours; in the next, they have no sea-going steam vessels,
which after all is the great desideratum of steam navigation.
Even in the number and tonnage of their mercantile steam vessels
they are not equal to us, as I shall presently show, nor have they
yet arrived to that security in steam navigation which we have.

The return of vessels belonging to the Mercantile Steam Marine
of Great Britain, made by the Commissioners on the Report of
steam-vessel accidents in 1839, is, number of vessels, 810; ton-
nage, 157,840; horse power, 63,250.

Mr. Levi Woodbury's Report to Congress in December, 1838,
states the number of American steam vessels to be 800, and the
tonnage to be 155,473; horse power, 57,019.

It is but fair to state, that the Americans have the credit of
having sent the first steam vessel across the Atlantic. In 1819,
a steam vessel, built at New York, crossed from Savannah to
Liverpool in twenty-six days.

The number of sea-going steam vessels in England is hvo hun-
dred and eighty-iwOf while in the United States they have not
more than ten at the outside calculation. In the size of our ves-
sels also we are far superior to them. I here insert a table, shew-
ing the dimensions of our largest vessels, as given in the Report
to the House of Commons, and another of the largest American
vessels collected from the Report of Mr. Levi Woodbury to Con-
gress.

Table — Shcwim^ some of the Dimensions, of (he Hull and Machinery
of ike Five iarecst Ships yet built or building.

Dimensions.

Great

Liverpool.

British

"resident.

United

Western.

(iueen.

Kingdom.

Extreme lengtli - - • feet

236

223

275

265

Do. under deck „

212

216

245

238

206

Do. keel „

205

209 Sin.

225

220

198

Breadth within the paddle-boxes

35 4 in.

30 10 in.

36 6 in.

Do. including do. „

69 Sin.

56 Sin.

—

Depth of hold at midshipi „

23 2 in.

19 8 In.

27 6 in.

23 6 in.

Tom of space ■ • • „

679 1-2

5591-2

1,053

—

Tonnage of engine-room „

6111-2

581

9(i3

—

Total tonnage - - - tons

l,32t

1,140 1-2

2,016

1,S40

1,400

Power of engines - horsa

450

468

500

640

450

Diameter of cylinders inches

77 1-2

Length of stroke - - fed

7 1-2

Diameter of paddle-wheels „

28 9 in.

28 Sin.

30 6 in.

Total weight of engines, >,^.
boilen.ihdwater, - - j'"^

480

450

500

450

Total weight of coals, 20 }

days' consumption, - . j »
"iotal weight of cargo, - - „

600
250

600
200

750
500

750
750

—

Dnugbt of water, with *)

tbe above weight of )■ fttt

16 Sin.

18 Tin.

stores J

Natcl

Illino
Madi
Butia

Ma.ssi

Uncle

Mogu
Med it
Nort
St. Lo

Butth
cans, is
4Jnited I
a list oft
their tonr

Acheron

Adder

Advice

African

Alban

Ariel

Asp

Avon

Beaver

Blazer

Boxer

Carron

Charon

Columbia

Comet

Confiance

Cuckoo

Cyclops

Dasher

Dee

Doterel

Echo

Alecto

Ardent

Dover

I trust
we are a
their isol
countries.

VOL. I.'

MARRY AT's diary.

t running
1 on their
with life,
jndreds of

lead of us
; persuade
ny means
n vessels,
avigation.
m vessels
have they
B have,
m Marine
Report of
810; ton-

ler, 1838,
I, and the

credit of
In 1819,
annah to

hvo hun-

have not

our ves-

le, shew-

Report

imerican

to Con-

^achincry

I'nited
Kineclom.

206
198
36 6 in.

400

450

Tons.

Horse
Power.

Natchez . . .

800

300

C Between New Yorii
\ and Mis;»i.ssippi.

Illinois . . .

75.5

Lake Erie.

Madison . .

700

Buffalo . . .

G13

Ma.ssachusetts

G2G

Sound.

Uncle Sam

447

t Mississippi and Ohio
\ Rivers.

Mogul . . .

414

Mediterranean

41)0

))

North America

445

St. Louis . .

550

But the point on which we are so vastly superior to the Ameri-
cans, is in our steam vessels of war. They have but one in the
4Jnited States, named the Fulton the Second. The following is
a list of those belonging to the Government of Great Britain, with
their tonnajje: —

Acheron

Adder

Advice

African

Alban

Ariel

Asp

Avon

Beaver

Blazer

Boxer

Carron

Charon

Columbia

Comet

Confiance

Cuciioo

Cyclops

Dasher

Dee

Doterel

Echo

Alecto
Ardent
Dover

Ton.s,
722
237
175
295
294
149
112
361
128
527
159
294
125
360
238
295
234
1190

. 260
704
723
298

Fearless

Firebrand

Fire Fly

Flamer

Fury

Gleaner

Gar go n

Hecate

Hecla

Hermes

Hydra

Jasper

Kite

Lightning

Lucifer

Medea

Medusa

Megaera

Merlin

Messenger

Meteor

Monkey

Tons.

165 Myrtle

495 Otter
550 Pha'nix

496 Pigmy

166 Piife
306 Pluto

1111 Prospero

815 Redwing

815 Radamanthus

716 Salamander
818 Shearwater
230 Spitfire
300 Sprightly
296 Strombolo
387 Swallow
835 Tartarus
889 Urgent

717 Vesuvius
889 Volcano
733 Widgeon
296 Wildfire
211 Zephyr

Tons.
116
237
809
230
112
365
244
139
813
818
343
553
234
966
133
523

Government Steam Vessels Building.
799 Lizard * 282 Polyphemus

799 Locust 282 Prometheus

Iron Medina 889

966
720
164

237

799
799

I trust that the above statements will satisfy the Americans that
we are ahead of them in steam navigation. In consequence of
their isolation, and having no means of comparison with other
countries, the Americans see only their own progress, and seem

VOL. 1. — 2

I '.■;

■'■> (>(
If n'

marrtat's diary.

to have forgotten that other nations advance as well as themselves.
They appear to imagine that while they are going ahead all others
are standing still: forgetting that England with her immense re-
sources is much more likely to surpass them than to be left behind.
We must now examine the question of the proportionate security
in steam boat travelling in the two countries. The following
table, extracted from the Report of the Commissioners on Steam
boat Accidents, will show the casualties which have occurred in
this country in ten years.

Vessels.

40
23
17
12

Abstract of Winety-two Accidents.

Ascertained
Number of
Lives lost.

Wrecked, foundered, or in imminent peril - - -

Explosion of boilers

Fires from various causes

Collisions

Computed number of persons lost on board the Erin,
Frolic, and Superb

From watermens' and coroners' lists in the Thames,
exclusive of the above, during the last three years

From a list obtained in Scotland, exclusive of the
above, being accidents in the Clyde during the
last ten years

308

453

120

634

The greatest ascertained number of lives lost at any one time occurred by
the wreck of the Rothsay Castle, when .... 119 persons perished.
The greatest number at any one time from collision 62 Do.

The greatest number at any one time from explosion 24 Do.

The greatest number at any one time from fire 2 Do.

The principal portion of this loss of life has been occasioned by
vessels having been built for sale, and not sea-worthy; an occur-
rence too common, I am afraid, in both countries.

The author of "A Voice from America" states the list of steam-
boat disasters. On the waters of the United States, for twelve
months out of the years 1837-38, by bursting of boilers, burning,
wrecks, &c., besides numerous others of less consequence, com-
prehends the total loss of eight vessels and one thousand and eighty
lives.

So that we have in England, >po* ^_^ „„„„ /.q

loss in ten years . . IJ^-^^ one year, 63.

In America, . one year, 1,080

The report of Mr. Woodbury to Congress is imperfect, which
is not to be wondered at, as it is almost impossible to arrive at
the truth; there is, however, much to be gleaned from it. He
states, that since the employment of steam vessels in the United
States, 1,300 have been built, and of them two hundred and sixty
have been lost by accidents.

The g
Monmou
Oronoka
lives we
hundred

Thegi
on the CO
the grea
hundred

The t
America,
wreck;
details o
nesses,
serve the
in Mr. \
were pres
the more

"On Sj

Sherrod,!

to leave i

sengers.

was bus)

they all 1

their jour

and wou]

tine lang

that drew

that boat

musingly

trunks, a

passage

and certa

"The

narrow ii

called a '

cotton b<

up from

reach ab

gers to

*Indiai

♦The,

deck on (

for stowi

MXmtYkTB DIARY.

smselves.
all others
nense re-
ft behind.
5 security
following
)n Steam
!curred in

certained
umber of
ives lost.

308

453

120

634
;curred by
? perished.
)o.
)o.
)o.

ioned by
n occur-

)f steam-
)r twelve
burning,
ce, com-
td eighty

ir, C3.
ir, 1,080

The greatest loss of life by collision and sinking, was in the
Monmouth,* in 1837, by which three hundred lives were lost;
Oronoka, by explosion, by which one hundred and thirty or more
lives were lost; and Moselle, at Cincinnati, by which from one
hundred to one hundred and twenty lives were lost.

The greatest loss by shipwreck was in the case of the Home,
on the coast of South Carolina, when one hundred lives were lost;
the greatest by fire, the Ben Sherrod, in 1837, by which one
hundred and thirty perished.

The three great casualties which occurred during my stay in
America, were those of the Ben Sherrod, by fire; the Home, by
wreck; and the Moselle, by explosion: and as I have authentic
details of them, by Americans who were on board, or eye-wit-
nesses, 1 shall lay them before my readers. The reader will ob-
serve that there is a great difference in the loss of life mentioned
in Mr. Woodbury's report and in the statements of those who
were present. I shall hereafter state why I consider the latter as
the more correct.

LOSS OF THE BEN SHERROD,

BY A PASSENGER.

"On Sunday morning, the 6th of May 1837, the steam-boat Ben
Sherrod, under the command of Captain Castleman, was preparing
to leave the levee at New Orleans. She was thronged with pas-
sengers. Many a beautiful and interesting woman that morning
was busy in arranging the little things incident to travelling, and
they all looked forward with high and certain hope to the end of
their journey. Little innocent children played about in the cabin,
and would run to the guards* now and then, to wonder, in infan-
tine language, at the next boat, or the water, or something else
that drew their attention. "Oh, look here, Henry — I don't like
that boat Lexington." — "I wish I was going by her," said Henry,
musingly. The men too were urgent in their arrangements of the
trunks, and getting on board sundry articles which a ten days'
passage rendered necessary. In fine all seemed hope, and joy,
and certainty.

"The cabin of the Ben Sherrod was on the upper deck, but
narrow in proportion to her build, for she was what is technically
called a Tennessee cotton boat. To those who have never seen a
cotton boat loaded, it is a wondrous sight. The bales are piled
up from the lower guards wherever there is a cranny until they
reach above the second deck, room being merely left for passen-
gers to walk outside the cabin. You have regular alleys left

•Indians transporting to the West.

♦The guards of an American steam-boat are an extension of the
deck on each side, beyond the paddle boxes; which gives great width
for stowage.

MARRYAT'S DIARV.

amid the cotton in order to pass about on the first deck. Such is
a cotton boat carrying from 1,500 to 2,000 bales.

"The Ben's finish and accommodation of the cabin was by no
means such as would begin to compare with the regular passenger
boats. It being late in the season, and but few large steamers
being in port in consequence of the severity of the times, the Ben
Sherrod got an undue number of passengers, otherwise she would
have been avoided, for her accommodations were not enticing.
She had a heavy freight on board, and several horses and carriages
on the forecastle. The build of the Ben Sherrod was heavy, her
timbers being of the largest size.

"The morning was clear and sultry — so much so, that umbrellas
were necessary to ward off the sun. It was a curious sight to see
the hundreds of citizens hurrying on board to leave letters, and to
see them coming away. When a steam-boat is going off on the
Southern and Western waters, the excitement is fully equal to
that attendant upon the departure of a Liverpool packet. — About
ten o'clock a. m. the ill-fated steamer pushed off upon the turbid
current of the Mississippi, as a swan upon the waters. In a few
minutes she was under way, tossing high in air, bright and snowy
clouds of steam at every half revolution of her engine. Talk not
of your northern steam-boats! A Mississippi steamer of seven
hundred tons burthen, with adequate machinery, is one of the
sublimities of poetry. For thousands of miles that great body
forces its way through a desolate country, against an almost re-
sistless current, and all the evidence you have of the immense
power exerted, is brought home to your senses by the everlasting
and majestic burst of exertion from her escapement pipe, and the
ceaseless stroke of the paddle wheels. In the dead of night,
when amid the swamps on either side, your noble vessel winds
her upward way — when not a soul is seen on board but the officer
on deck — when nought is heard but the clang of the fire-doors
amid the hoarse coughing of the engine, imagination yields to the
vastness of the ideas thus excited in your mind, and if you have a
soul that makes yon a man, you cannot help feeling strongly alive
to the mightiness of art in contrast with the mightiness of nature.
Such a scene, and hundreds such have I realised, with an inten-
sity that cannot be described, always made me a better man than
before. I never could tire of the steam-boat navigation of the
Mississippi.

"On Tuesday evening, the 9th of May 1837, the steam-boat
Prairie, on her way to St. Louis, bore hard upon the Sherrod. It
was necessary for the latter to stop at Fort Adams, during which
the Prairie passed her. Great vexation was manifested by some
of the passengers, that the Prairie should get to Natchez first.
This subject formed the theme of conversation for two or three
hours, the captain assuring them that he would beat her any how.
The Prairie is a very fast boat, and under equal chances could
have beaten the Sherrod. So soon as the business was transacted

Such is

vas by no
passenger

steamers
I, the Ben
ihe would

enticing,
carriages
eavy, her

jmbrellas
Tht to see
rs, and to
)ff on the
equal to
. — About
he turbid
In a few
id snowy
Talk not
of seven
ie of the
eat body
Imost re-
immense
erlasting
, and the
Df night,
q\ winds
le officer
ire-doors
ds to the
u have a
gly alive
■ nature,
jn inten-
lan than
1 of the

am-boat
rod. It
2[ which
jy some
ez first,
or three
ny how.
3S could
nsacted

UARRTAT^S DIARY.

at Fort Adams, for which she stopped, orders were given to the
men to keep up their fires to the extent. It was now a little after
11 P.M. The captain retired to his berth, with his clothes on, and
left the deck in charge of an oflUcer. During the evening a barrel
' of whisky had been turned out, and permission given to the hands
to do as they pleased. As may be supposed, they drew upon the
barrel quite liberally. It is the custom on all boats to furnish the
firemen with liquor, though a ditference exists as to the mode.
But it is due to the many worthy captains now on the Mississippi,
to state that the practice of furnishing spirits is gradually dying
away, and where they are given, it is only done in moderation.

"As the Sherrod passed on above Fort Adams towards the
mouth of the Homochitta, the wood pil^d up in the front of the
furnaces several times caught fire, and was once or twice imper-
fectly extinguished by the drunken hands. It must be understood
by those of my readers who have never seen a western steam-
boat, that the boilers are entirely above the first deck, and that
when the fires are well kept up for any length of time, the heat is
almost insupportable. "Were it not for the draft occasioned by the
speed of the boat it would be very difficult to attend the fires. As
the boat was booming along through the water close in-shore, for,
in ascending the river, boats go as close as they can to avoid the
current, a negro on the beach called out to the fireman that the
wood was on fire. The reply was, "Go to h — 1, and mind your
own business," from some half intoxicated hand. "Oh, massa,"
answered ths negro, "if you don't take care, you will be in h — 1
before I will." On, on, on went the boat at a tremendous rate,
quivering and trembling in all her length at every revolution of
the wheels. The steam was created so fast, that it continued to
escape through the safety-valve, and by its sharp singing, told a
tale that every prudent captain would have understood. As the
vessel rounded the bar that makes off from the Homochitta, being
compelled to stand out into the middle of the river in consequence,
the fire was discovered. It was about one o'clock in the morning.
A passenger had got up previously, and was standing on the boiler
deck, when to his astonishment, the fire broke out from the pile
of wood. A little presence of mind, and a set of men unintoxicated,
could have saved the boat. The passenger seized a bucket, and
was about to plunge it overboard for water, when he found it
locked. An instant more, and the fire increased in volumes. The
captain was now awaked. He saw that the fire had seized the
deck. He ran aft, and announced the ill-tidings. No sooner were
the words out of his mouth, than the shrieks of mothers, sisters,
and babes, resounded through the hitherto silent cabin in the
wildest confusion. Men were aroused from their dreaming cots
to experience the hot air of the approaching fire. The pilot, being
elevated on the hurricane deck, at the instant of perceiving the
flames, put the head of the boat shoreward. She had scarcely
got under good way in that direction, than the tiller ropes were
8*

■I)

I I

r \

MARRY AT 8 DIARY.

burnt asunder. Two miles at least, from the land, the vessel took
a sheer, and, borne upon by the current, made several revolutions,
until she struck oil across the river. A bar brought her up for
the moment.

"The tlames had now extended fore and aft. At the first alarm
several deck passengers had got in the yaul that hung suspended
by the davits. A cabin passenger, endowed with sonje degree of
courage and presence of mind, expostulated with them, and did all
be could to save the boats for the ladies. 'Tvvas useless. One
took out his knife and cut away the forward tackle. The next
instant and they were all, to the number of twenty or more, launch-
ed into the angry waters. They were seen no more.

"The boat being lowered from the other end. Ailed and was
useless. Now came the trying moment. Hundreds leaped from
the burning wreck into the waters. Mothers were seen standing
on the guards with hair dishevelled, praying for help. The dear
little innocents clung to the side of their mothers and with their
tiny hands beat away the burning llames. {Sisters calling out to
their brothers in uneartlily voices — sSave me, oh save me, brother!'
— wives crying to their husbands to save their cinldren, in total
forgetfulness of themselves, — every second or two a desperate
plunge of some poor victim falling on the appalled ear, — the dash-
ing to and fro of the horses on the forecastle, groaning audibly
from pain of the devouring element — the continued pulling of the
engine, for it still continued to go, — the screaming inotlier who
had leaped overboard in the desperation of the moment with her
only child, — the flames mounting to the sky with the rapidity of
lightning, — shall I ever forget that scene — that hour of horror and
alarm] Never, were I to live till the memory should forget all
else that ever came to the senses. The short half hour that sepa-
rated and plunged into eternity two hundred human beings has
been so burnt into the memory that even now I think of it more
than half the day.

"I was swimming to the shore with all my might, endeavoured
to sustain a mother and her child. She sank twice, and yet I
bore her on. My strength failed me. The babe was nothing — a
mere cork. 'Go, go,' said the brave mother, *save my child, save
my ' and she sunk to rise no more. Nerved by the resolu-
tion of that woman, I reached the shore in safety. The babe I
saved. Ere I had reached the beach, the Sherrod had swung off
the bar, and was floating down, the engine having ceased running.
In every direction heads dotted the surface of the river. The
burning wreck now wore a new, and still more awful appearance.
Mothers were seen clinging, with the last hope to the blazing
timbers, and dropping off one by one. The screams had ceased.
A sullen silence rested over the devoted vessel. The flames be-
came tired of their destructive work. ?

"While 1 sat dripping and overcome upon the beach, a steam
boat, the Columbus, came in sight, and bore for the wreck. It

seemed
of that I
the Stat
"A m
the cin(
another
come,
tain cor
sank wi
mortal t
was th
member
"My
pain,
brother,
heart,
babe at
"Aga
sullenly
her svva
efforts
to save 1
"Cap
argue,
lives of
he was
bodies o
father of
it. His
"I cm
of a stoi
to excite
occurren
thy had
my bed
relief, ai
than ev(
"In tl
But wh(
christiai
may In
"I sb
of build
been jei
and rog
Itwil
was occ
the Mis
strange

essel took
volutions^
ler up for

Irst alarm
suspended
dejrree of
uiddid all
.^ss. One
The next
e, launch-

and was
ped from

standing
The dear
A'ilh their
ng out to
, brother!'
1, in total
desperate
•thedash-
T audibly
nj; of tiie
itlicr who
with her
ipidity of
orror and
forget all
rat sepa-

igs has

it more

avoured
nd yet I
thing — a
ild,save
resolu-
e babe I
vung off
running,
r. The
earance.
blazing
ceased,
mes be-

a steam
;ck. It

MARRVAT S mARV.

seemed like one last ray of hope gloaming across the dead gloom
of that night. Several wretclif s were saved. And still another,
the Statesman, came in sight. More, more were saved.

"A moment to vie had only elapsed, when high in the heavens
the cinders flew, and the country was lighted all round. Still
another boat came booming on. 1 was happy that more help had
come. After an exchange of words with the (.'olumbus, the cap-
tain contiiuied on his way under full steam. Oh, how my lujart
sank within me! The waves created by his boat sent many a poor
mortal to his long, long home. A being by the name of Dougherty
was the captain of that merciless boat. — Long may he be re-
membered!

"My hands were burnt, and now I began to experience severe
pain. Tiu! scene before me — the loss of my two sisters and
brother, whom 1 had missed in the confusion, all had steeled my
heart. I could not wecj) — I could not sigh. The cries of the
babe at my side were nothing to me.

"Again — another explosion! and the waters closed slowly and
sullenly over the scene of disaster and death. Darkness resumed
her sway, and the stillness was only interrupted by the distant
efforts of the Columbus and Statesman in their laudable exertions
to save human life.

"Captain Caslleman lost, I believe, a father and child. Some
argue, this is punishment enouoh. No, it is not. He had the
lives of hundreds under his eharjie. lie was careless of his trust;
he was guilty of a crime that nothing will ever wipe out. The
bodies of two hundred victims are crying out from the depth of the
father of waters for vengeance. Neither society nor law will give
it. His punishment is yet to come. May 1 never meet him!

"I could tell of scenes of horror that would rouse the indignation
of a stoic; but I have done. As to myself, I could tell you much
to excite your interest. It was more than three weeks after the
occurrence before I ever shed a tear. All the fountains of sympa-
thy had been dried up, and my heart was as stone. As I lay on
my bed the twenty-fourth day after, tears, salt tears, came to my
relief, and I felt the loss of my sisters and brother more deeply
than ever. Peace be to their spirits! they found a watery grave.

"In the course of all human events, scenes of misery will occur.
But where they rise from sheer carelessness, it requires more than
christian fortitude to forgive the being who is in fault. I repeat,
may I never meet Captain Castleman or Captain Dougherty!

"I shall follow this tale of woe by some strictures on the mode
of building steam-boats in the west, and show that human life has
been jeopardized by the demoniac spirit of speculation, cheating
and roguery. The fate of the Ben Sherrod shall be my text."

It will be seen from this narrative, that the loss of the vessel
was occasioned by racing with another boat, a frequent practice on
the Mississippi. That people should run such risk, will appear
strange; but if any of my readers had ever been on board of si steam

1/ 1'\

?<'

MARRY AT^8 DURV.

n-;

Teasel in a race, they would not be surprised; the excitement pro-
duced by it is the most powerful that can be conceived-- 1 have
myself experienced it, and can answer for the truth of it. At first,
the feeling of danger predominates, and many of the passengers
beff the captain tu desist: but he cannot bear to bo passed by and
leii astern. As the race continues, so do they all warm up, until
even those who, most aware of the danger, were at first most afraid,
are to be seen standing over the very boilers, shouting, huzzaing,

and stimulating the fireman to blow them up; the very danger

gives an unwonted interest to the scene; and females, as well as
men, would never be persuaded to cry out "Hold, enough!"

Anotherproof of the disregard of human life is here given in the
fact of one steam-boat passing by and rendering no assistance to
the drowning wretches; nay, it was positively related to me by
one who was in the water, that the blows of the paddles of this
steam-boat sent down many who otherwise might have been saved.

When I was on the Lakes, the wood which was piled close to
the fire-place caught fire. It was of no consequence, as it hap-
pened, for it being a well-regulated boat, the firo was soon extin-
guished; but 1 mention it to show the indilTerence of one of the
men on board. About half an hour afterwards, one of his com-
panions roused him from his berth, shaking liim by the shoulder
to wake him, saying, "Get up, the wood's a-firc — quick." "Well,
I knew that 'fore I turn'd in," replied the man, yawning.

The loss of the Home occasioned many of the first families in
the states to go into deep mourning, for the major portion of the pas-
sengers were highly respectable. I was at New York when she
started. I had had an hour's conversation with Professor Nott and
his amiable wife, and had made arrangements with them to meet
them in South Carolina. We never met again, for they were in
the list of those who perished.

LOSS OF THE HOME.

"The steam-packet Home, commanded by Capt. White, left
New York, for Charleston, S. C, at four o'clock, p. m., on Satur-
day, the 7ih Oct. 1837, having on board between eighty and nine-
ty passengers, and forty-three of the boat's crew, including otii-
cers, making in all about one hundred and thirty persons. The
weather at this time was very pleasant, and all on board appeared
to enjoy, in anticipation, a delightful and prosperous passage. On
leaving the wharf, cheerfulness appeared to fill the hearts and
enliven the countenances of this floating community. Already had
conjectures been hazarded, as to the time of their arrival at the
destined port, and high hopes were entertained of an expeditious
and pleasant voyage. Before six o'clock, a check to these delu-
sive expectations was experienced, by the boat being run aground
on the Romer Shoal, near Sandy Hook. It being ebb tide, it was
found impossible to get off before the next flood; consequently, the

fires were I
flood tide
at night.
As the we|

posed that
ibis accidc
no other n)
side. Th{
day,) a m\
were sprc;
rapid, was
noon, whel
At sunset,!
ing the niJ
During th<
into the b(
passengers
"Vhe sc
caused a g
appeared i
cers, — sup
for the pre
ed to those
day, land ^
posed to \y
after this
southerly 1
the day, tl
the boat w
by a sea, r
ceiling we
hinges, w;
the day, tl
could be (]
"It has
was, durii
called the
Late in th
fathoms o
terly. S(
changed,
that the
cause for
suspense;
called on
mediatelj
standing
eluding e
and gave

MARRY AT 8 DIARY.

fires were allowed to burn out, and the boat remained until the
flood tide took her oflf, wbirh was between ten and rlrven o'clock
at night, making the time ot d- ••^ntion about four or five hours.—
As the weather was pj^rfcctly culm, it cannot, reasonably, be sup-
posed that the boat could huve received "ny material injury from
this accident; for, during the limf that it reJi/ m«>(l aground, it had
no other motion than an < "nsional roll on thu lo v\ from side to
side. Tlio night continued pip 'sant. The next morning, (Sun-
day,) a moderate breeze prevailed from the norlh-tast. The sails
were spread beforo the wind, and tlu; "ipeed of the boat, ilready
rapid, was much accelerated. All went on pleasantly till about
noon, when the wind had increased, and the sea lircaine rough.—
At sunset, the wind blew heavily, and continued to iik n ise dur-
ing the night; at daylight, on Monday, it had become a gale.—
During the night, much complaint was made that the water came
into the berths, and before the usual time of rising, some of the
passengers had abandoned them on that account.

"The sea, from the violence of the gale, raged frightfully, and
caused a general anxiety amongst the passengers; but still, they
appeared to rely on the skill and judgment of the captain and ofll-
cers, — supposing, that every exertion would be used, on their part,
for the preservation of so many valuable lives as were then entrust-
ed to those who had the charge of this frail boat. Karly on Mon-
day, land was discovered, nearly ahead, which, by many, was sup-
posed to be False Cape, on the northern part of Ifatteras. Soon
after this discovery, the course of the boat was changed fronni
southerly to south-easterly, which was the general course through
the day, though with some occasional changes. The condition of
the boat was now truly alarming; it bent and twisted, when struck
by a sea, as if the next would rend it asunder: the panels of the
ceiling were falling from their places; and the hull, as if united by
hinges, was bending against the feet of the braces. 'J'hroughout
the day, the rolling and pitching were so great, that no cooking
could be done on board.

"It has already been stated, that the general course of the boat
was, during the day, south-easterly, and consequently in what is
called the trough of the sea, — as the wind was from the north-east.
Late in the afternoon, the boat was reported to be in twenty-three
fathoms of water, when the course was changed to a south-wes-
terly. Soon after this, it was observed that the course was again
changed, to north-westerly; when the awful truth burst upon us,
that the boat must be filling; for we could imagine no other
cause for this sudden change. This was but a momentary
suspense; for within a few minutes, all the passengers were
called on to bale, in order to prevent the boat from sinking. Im-
mediately, all were employed, but with little effect; for, notwith-
standing the greatest exertion on the part of the passengers, in-
cluding even many of the ladies, the water was rapidly increasing,
and gave most conclusive evidence, that, unless we reached the

■ f

''", I.

■ il

If '

W MABRYAT'S DIARIT.

shore within a few hours, the boat must sink at sea* and probably
not a soul be left to communicate the heart-rending intelligence to
bereaved and disconsolate friends. Soon after the boat was headed
towardis the land, the water had increased so much, as to reach
the fire under the boilers, which was soon extinguished. Gloomy
indeed was the prospect before us. With one hundred and thirty
persons in a sinking boat, far out at sea, in a dark and tempestuous
night, with no other dependence for reaching the shore than a few
small and tattered sails, our condition might be considered truly
awful. But, with all these disheartening circumstances, hope,
delusive hope, still supported us. Although it was evident that
we must soon sink, and our progress towards the land was very
slow, still we cherished the expectation that the boat would finally
be run on shore, and thus most of us be delivered from a watery
grave. Early in the afternoon, the ladies had been provided with
strips of blankets, that they might be lashed to such parts of the
boat as would afford the greatest probability of safety.

"In this condition, and with these expectations, we gradually,
but with a motion nearly imperceptible, approached, what to many
of us was an untried, and almost an unknown shore. At about eleven
o'clock, those who had been employed in baleing were compelled
to leave the cabin, as the boat had sunk until the deck was nearly
level with the water, and it appeared too probable that all would
soon be swallowed up by the foaming waves. The heaving of the
lead indicated an approach to the shore. Soon was the cheering
intelligence of 'Land! land!' announced by those on the look-out.
This, for a mowi.i, aroused the sinking energies of all, when a
general bustle ensued, in the hasty, but trifling, preparations that
could be made for safety, as soon as the boat should strike. But
what were the feelings of an anxious multitude, when, instead of
land, a range of angry breakers were visible just ahead; and land,
if it could be seen at all, was but half perceptible in the distance
far beyond.

"As every particular is a matter of interest, — especially to those
who had friends and relatives on board, — it may not be improper
to state, that one individual urged the propriety of lowering the
email boats, and putting the ladies and children into them for safety,
with suitable persons to manage them, before we struck the break-
ers. By this arrangement, had it been effected, it is believed that
the boats might have rode out the gale during the night, and have
been rescued in the morning by passing vessels,, and thus all, or
nearly all, have been saved. But few supported this proposition,
and it could not be done without the prompt interference of those
who had authority to command, and who would be obeyed.

"Immediately before we struck, one or two passengers, by the
aid of some of the spr.nen, attempted to seek safety in one of the
boats at the quarter, v hen a breaker struck it, swept it from the
davits, and carried with it a seaman, who was instantly lost. A
similar attempt was mad<? to launch the long-boat from the upper
deck, by the chief mate Mr. Mathews, and others. It was filled

with se
alread]
of the

"Noi
ing to
without
awaitif
life or
time, hj
there a|
slight
Some fd
a place!
the mell
calm ot

"The
bar of
death s
work
crash, s
the dee
wards
Anothei

'li'

•'! t

MARRTAT'S DIARY.

and probably
itelligence to
i was headed
as to reach
ed. Gloomy
3d and thirty
tennpestuous
e than a few
lidered truly
mces, hope,
evident that
nd was very
^ould finally
>m a watery
•ovided with
parts of the

6 gradually,
irhat to many
about eleven
e compelled
: was nearly
at all would
laving of the
[he cheering
ie look-out.
all, when a
rations that
trike. But
I, instead of
i; and land,
he distance

illy to those
le improper
wering the
I for safety,
: the break-
slieved that

and have
hus all, or
roposition,
e of those
yed.

3rs, by the
one of the

from the

r lost. A

the upper
was filled

with several passengers, and some of the crew; but, as we were
already within the verge of the breakers, this boat shared the fate
of the other, and all on board (about ten in number) perished.

"Now commenced tb j most heart-rending scene Wives cling-
ing to husbands,— children to parents, — and women who were
without protectors, seeking aid from the arm of the stranger; all
awaiting the results of a moment, which would bring with it either
life or death. Though an intense feeling of anxiety must, at this
time, have filled every breast, yet not a shriek was heard, nor was
there any extraordinary exclamation of excitement or alarm. A
slight agitation was, however, apparent in the general circle.
Some few hurried from one part of the boat to another, as if seeking
a place of greater safety; yet most, and particularly those who had
the melancholy charge of wives and children, remained quiet and
calm observers of the scene before them.

"The boat, at length, strikes, — it stops, — as motionless as a
bar of lead. A momentary pause follows, — as if the angel of
death shrunk from so dreadful a work of slaughter. But soon the
work of destruction commenced. A breaker with a deafening
crash, swept over the boat, carrying its unfortunate victims into
the deep. Al the same time, a simultaneous rush was made to-
wards the bows of the boat. The forward deck was covered.
Another breaker came, with irresistible force, — and all within its
sweep disappeared. Our numbers were now frightfully reduced.
The roaring of the waters, together with the dreadful crash of
breaking timbers, surpasses the power of description. Some of
the remaining passengers sought shelter from the encroaching dan-
gers, by retreating to the passage, on the lee side of the boat, that
leads from the after to the forward deck, as if to be as far as pos-
sible from the grasp of death. It may not be improper here to re-
mark, that the destruction of the boat, and loss of life, was, doubt-
less, much more rapid than it otherwise would have been, from
the circumstauce of the boat heeling to windward, and the deck,
which was nearly level with the water, forming, in consequence,
an inclined plane, upon which the waves broke with their full
force.

"A large proportion of those who rushed into this passage, were
ladies and children, with a few gentlemen who had charge of
them. The crov/d was so dense, that many were in danger of
being crushed by the irresistible pressure. Here were perhaps
some of the most painful sights ever beheld. Before introducing
any of the closing scenes of individuals, which the writer witness-
ed, or which he has gathered from his fellow passengers, he would
beg to be understood, that it is not for the gratification of the idle
curiosity of the careless and indifferent reader, or to pierce afresh
the bleeding wounds of surviving friends, but to furnish such
facts as may be interesting, and which, perhaps, might never be'
obtained through any other channel.

"As the immediate connections of the writer are already inform-
ed of the particulars relating to his own unhappy bereavement,

i I

MARRY AT*S DIARY.

1':

there is no necessity for entering in a minute detiiil of this melan-
choly event.

"This passage contained perhaps thirty or more persons, con-
sisting of men, women and children, with no apparent possibility
of escape; enclosed within a narrow aperture, over which was the
deck, and both ends of which were completely closed by the frag-
ments of the boat and the rushing of the waves. While thus shut
up, death appeared inevitable. Already were both decks swept of
every thing tbat was on them. The dining cabin was entirely
gone, and every thing belonging to the quarter-deck was com-
pletely stripped off, leaving not even a stanchion or particle of the
bulwarks; and all this was the work of about five minutes.

"The starboard wheel-house, and every thing about it, was soon
entirely demolished. As much of the ceiling forward of the star-
board wheel had, during the day, fallen from its place, the waves
soon found their way through all that remained to oppose them,
and were in a few minutes' time forcing into the last retreat of
those who had taken shelter in the passage already mentioned.

"Every wave made a frightful encroachment on our narrow
limits, and seemed to threaten us with immediate death. Hope-
less as was the condition of those thus hemmed in, yet not a shriek
was heard from them. One lady, unknown to the writer, begged
earnestly for some one to save her. In a time of such alarm, it is
not strange that a helpless female should plead with earnestness
for assistance from those who were about her, or even offer them
money for that aid which the least reflection would have convinced
her it was not possible to render. Another scene, witnessed at
this trying hour, was still more painful. A little boy was plead-
ing with his father to save him. 'Father,' said the boy, 'you will
save me, won't youl you can swim ashore with me, can't you,
father?' But the unhappy father was too deeply absorbed in the
other charges that leant on him, even to notice the imploring ac-
cents of his helpless child. For at that time, as near as the wri-
ter can judge, from the darkness of the place they were in, his
wife hung upon one arm, and his daughter of seventeen upon the
other. He had one daughter besides, near the age of this little
boy, but whether she was at that time living or not, is uncertain.

"After remaining here some minutes, the deck overhead was
split open by the violence of the waves, which allowed the writer
an opportunity of climbing out. This he instantly did, and
assisted his wife through the same opening. As he had aow left
those below, he is unable to say how they were finally lost; but,
as that part of the boat was very soon completely destroyed, their
further sufferings could not have been much prolonged. We were
now in a situation which, from the time the boat struck, we had
considered as the most safe, and had endeavoured to attain.
Here we resolved to await our uncertain fate. From this place
we could see the encroachment of the devouring waves, every
one of which reduced our thinned numbers, and swept with
it parts of our crumbling boat. For several hours previous,
the gale had been sensibly abating; and, for a moment, the pale

moon br(
of terroi
tims the
many w
moon y(
the stert
tlie dock
liis form
to reach
him, — ar
heads of
appearet
violence
They su

"Duri
ring the
ed, indee
before, p
in this s
prepared
the appc
abaft the
the deck
perilous i
have fall(
who had
to raise h
and, with
to a larg(
maining
(Mrs, Sh
the two
lady the
pi(?ce of
was alm(
wiiich ini
water,
to cling 1
washed 1
he came
seemed \
an exhai
boat, the
Shrocdei
bia ; and

"On I
but after
proved l(
of the ph
island, g

this melan*

arsons, con-
possibility
ich was the
by thefrag-
le thus shut
ks swept of
as entirely
was com-
ticle of the
[tes.

t, was soon
of the star-
the waves
pose them,
I retreat of
ntioned.
»ur narrow
h. Hope-
ot a shriek
er, begged
ilarm, it is
arnestness
offer them
convinced
tnessed at
^as plead-
'you will
can't you,
)ed in the
oring ac-
the wri-
re in, his
upon the
this little
incertain.
lead was
he writer
did, and
aow left
oat; but,
red, their
We were
, we had
attain,
lis place
s, every
;pt with
trevious,
the pale

marryat's diary.

moon broke through the dispersing clouds, as if to witness this scene
of terror and destruction, and to show to the horror-stricken vic-
tims the fate that awaited them. How few were now left, of the
many who, but a little before, inhabited our bark ! While the
moon yet shone, three men were seen to rush from the middle to
the stern of the boat. A wave came rushing on. It passed over
the deck. One only, of the three, was left. He attempted to gain
his former position. Another wave came. He had barely timo
to reach a large timber, to which he clung, when this wave struck
him, — and he too was missing. As the wave passed away, tho
heads of two of these men were seen above the water; but they
appeared to make no effort to swim. The probability is, tiiat tho
violence with which they were hurled into the sea disabled them.
They sunk to rise no more.

"During this time, Mr. Lovegreen, of Charleston, continued to
ring the boat's bell, which added if possible to the glootn. It sound-
ed, indeed, like the funeral knell over the departed drad. Never
before, perhaps, was a bell tolled at such a funeral as this. While
in this situation, and reflecting on the necessity of being alvvay?
prepared for the realities of eternity', our attention was arrested by
the appearance of a lady, climbing upon the outside of the boat,
abaft the wheel near where we were. Her head was barely above
the deck on which we stood, and she was holding to it, in a most
perilous manner. She implored help, without which she inust soon
have fallen into the deep beneath, and shared the fate of llio many
who had already gone. Tho wr'.t(>r ran to her aid, hut wfis uiinblo
to raise her to the deck. Mr. VVoodburn, of New York, now came,
and, with his assistance, the lady was rescued; sho was then lashed
to a large piece of timber, by the side of another lady, tho only re-
maining place that afforded any prospect of saft.'ty. Tho former lady
(Mrs. Shroeder) was washed ashore on this piece of wreck, one of
the two who survived. The writer having rclinquislied to this
lady the place he had occupied, was cofnpelled to net upon a largo
pi(>co of the boat, that lay near, under the lee of the wheel; this
was almost immediately driven from its place into the breakers,
which instantly swept him from it, and plunged him deep into the
water. With some difficulty he regained his raft, llo continued
to cling to this fragment, as well as he could, but was repeatedly
washed from it. Sometimes when plunged deep into the water,
he came up under it. After encountering all the difficulties that
seemed possible to be borne, he was at length thrown on shore, in
an exhausted state. At the time the writer was drivee from the
boat, there were but few left. Of these, four survived, liz. Mrs.
Shroeder and Mr. Lovegreen, of Charleston; Mr. Cohen, of Colum-
bia ; and Mr. Vanderzee, of New York.

" On reaching the beach, there was no appearance of inhabitants;
but after wandering some distance, a light was discovered, which
proved to be from Ocracoke lighthouse, about six miles south-west
of the place where the boat was wrecked. The inhabitants of tho
island, generally, treated us with great kindness, and, so far a&
3

( r

! '

Hi ,M

f\ '■

I ilu r

gr ■'

iii;

li-

Hi '!

HARRYAT'S DIARY.

their circumstances, would allow, assisted in properly disposing
the numerous bodies thrown upon the shore.

" The survivors, after remaining on the island till Thursday af^
ternoon, separated, some returning to New York, others proceeding
on to Charleston. Acknowledgment is due to the inhabitants of
Washington, Newborn, and Wilmington, as well as of other places
through which we passed, for the kind hospitality we received, and
the generous offers made to us. Long will these favours bo grate-
fully remembered by the survivors of the unfortunate Home."

Even if the captain of the Home was intoxicated, it is certain that
the loss of the vepsol was not occasioned by that circumstance, but
by the vessel not having been built sea-v/orthy.

The narrative of the loss of the Moselle is the last which I shall
give to the reader. It is written by Judge Ilall, one of tlie best of
tiie American writers.

LOSS OF TIIE MOSELLE.

"The recent explosion of tlie steam-boat Moselle, at Cincinnati,
affords a most awful illustration of t'.ie danger of steam navigation,
when conducted by ignorant or carclei-:r>iiien: and fully sustains the
remark made in the precodinir paijes, that, 'the accidents arc al-
iuost wholly confined to insiifacient or hi;l!y managed boats.'

" The Moselle wa:^ a new boat, intended to ply regularly between
Cincinnati and St. Lonis. Slie had inado but two or three trips,
lint had already established a hi:',h rc^pntalion for speed; and, as is
usual in sucli cases, tlio^c by whom she was owned and command-
<!d, became ambitions to have her rated asa 'crack boat,' and ppared
no pains to exalt fior c li:>racter. 'J'lie newspapers noticed the
i/nick trips of the l^iosel'e, and jmspongers chose to embark in this
boat in preference to otiior.^-. Iter capiain was an enterprising
yonng man, without much e.\perience, bent upon gaining tor his
lioat, at all liazards, the distinction of being tiio fasle.-^t upon the
river, and not I'ully aware, porha])s, of the inevitable danger which
attended this rash experiment.

" On Wednesday the 2.jtli of April, between four and five o'clock
in the afternoon, this shocking catastrophe occurred. Tlie boat
was crowded with passengers; and, as is usually the case on our
western rivers, in regard to ves^sels passing westerly, the largest
proportion were emigrants. They were mostly deck passengers,
many of whom were poor Germans, ignorant of any language but
Iheir own, and the larger portion consisted of families, comprising
])ersons of all ages. Although not a large boat, there were eighty-
live passengers in the cabin, which was a much larger number than
could be comfortably accommodated ; the number of deck passen-
gers is not exactly known, but, as is estimated, at between one hun-
dred and twenty and one hundred and fifty, and the officers and crew
umounted to thirty, making in all about two hundred and sixty souls.

" It was a pleasant afternoon, and the boat, with steam raised,
delayed at the wharf, to increase the number — already too great —

of her pa
nies, ail
passage
tions — tl
of his r
seeking
indigent
in purse
tier.

*'On 1
to take
chore foi
course d(
a suburb
stopped
the pecu
usual he
Mosel le-
thal the
wliich hi
eclat to
"The
the shore
forepart
were un
particula
spectator
past the
was unpi
of a mir
eimultan
human 1
Fragmer
to the K
latter, s(
quarter
found dr
with sue
roof of £
Of then
before, i
water,
by the e
saw eixt
reached
"The
city, the
prompt!
as were
had pen
"Th(
hood of

JttARHYAT S PIARV,

disposing

Thursday af^
rs proceeding-
nhabitants of
f other places
received, and
iirs ha irrate-

IJOME."

s certain that
imstance, but

which I shall
jf the best of

Lt Cincinnati;
n naviijation,
/ sustains the
dnnts arc al-
boats.'

'iY]y between
r tliree trips,
d; and, as is
lil command-
,' and ppared
noticed the
nhark in this
entcrprisini:
:ninnf tor his
!r^t npon the
ani,rcr which

Jfiveo'cloci;
The boar
case on our
, the largest
passengers^
nguagc but
comprising
.vere eighty-
number than
lock passen-
len one hun-
rs and crew
I sixty souls.
;eam raised,
too great-—

■;l

of her passengers, who continued to crowd in, singly or in compa-
nies, all anxious to hurry onwards in the first boat, or eager to take
passage in the fust-running Moselle. They were of all condi-
tions — the military officer hastening to Florida to take command of
of his regiment — the merchant bound to St. Louis — the youth
seeking a field on which to commence the career of life — and the
indigent emigrant with his wife and children, already exhausted
in purse and spirits, but still pushing onward to the distant fron-
tier.

"On leaving the wharf, the boat ran up the river about a mile,
to take in some families and freight, and having touched at tue
chore for that purpose, for a few minutes, was about to lay her
course down the river. The spot at which she thus landed was at
a suburb of the city, called Fulton, and a number of persons had
Flopped to witness her departure, several of whom remarked, from
the peculiar sound of the steam, that it had been raised to an un-
usual height. The crowd thus attracted — the high repute of the
Moselle — and certain vague rumours which began to circulate,
that the captain had determined, at every risk, to beat another boat
which had just departed — all these circumstances gave an unusual
tclat to the departure of this ill-fated vessel.

"The landing completed, the bow of the boat was shoved from
the shore, whiin an explosion took place, by which the whole of the
forepart of the vessel was literally blown up. The passengers
were unhappily in the most exposed positions — on the deck, and
particularly on the forward part, sharing the excitement of the
spectators on shore, and anticipating the pleasure of darting rapidly
past the city in the swift Moselle. The power of the explosion
was unprecedented in the history of steam; its effect was like that
of a mine of gunpowder. All the boilers, four in number, were
simultaneously burst; the deck was blown into the air, and the
human beings who crowded it hurried into instant destruction.
Fragments of the boilers, and of human bodies, were thrown both
to the Kentucky and the Ohio shore; and as the boat lay near the
latter, some of these helpless victims must have been thrown a
quarter of a mile. The body of Captain Perry, the master, was
found dreadfully mangled, on the nearest shore. A man was hurled
with such force, that his head, with half his body, penetrated the
roof of a house, distant more than a hundred yards from the boat.
Of the number who had crowded this beautifurboat, a few minutes
before, nearly all were hurled into the air, or plunged into the
water. A few, in the after part of the vessel, who were uninjured
by the explosion, jumped overboard. An eye-witness says that he
saw sixty or seventy in the water at one time, of whom not a dozen
reached the shore. hro

" The news of this awful catastrophe spread rapidly t ugh the
city, thousands rushed to the spot, and the most benevolent aid was
promptly extended to the sufferers — to such, we should rather say,
as were within the reach of human assistance — for the majority
had perished.

" The writer was among those who hastened to the neighbour-
hood of the wreck, and witnessed a scene so sad that no languagQ

■'<

MARRYAT S DIARY.

can dopict it with fidelity. On the shore lay twenty or thirty
inangled and still bleeding corpses, while others were in the act of
beinsr drafrfrod from the wreck or the water. There were men
carrying: away the woundod, and others gathering the trunks, and
articles of wearing apparel, that strewed the beach.

" The survivors of this awful tragedy presented the most touch-
ing objects of distress. Death had torn asunder the most tender
lies; but the rupture had been so sudden and violent, that as yet
none knew c rtainly who had been taken, nor who had been
spared. Fathers wore inquiring for children, children for parents,
husbands and wives for each other. One man had saved a son, but
lost a wife and five chiltir mi. A father, partially deranged, lay
with a wounded child on one side, a dead daughter on the other,
and his wife, wounded, at his feet. One gentleman sought his
wife and children, who were as eagerly seeking him in the same
crowd — they met, and were re-united.

" A female deck passenger, that had been saved, seemed incon-
solable for the loss of her relations. To every question put to her,
she would exclaim, ' Oh my father ! my mother! my sisters!' A
little boy, about four or five years of age, whose head was much
bruised, appeared lo be regardless of his wounds, but cried continu-
ally for a lost father; while another lad, a little older, was weeping
for his whole family.

"One venerable looking man wept a wife and five children;
another was bereft of nine members of his family. A touching dis-
play of maternal afl^ection was evinced by a lady who, on being
brought to the shore, clasped her hands and exclaimed, 'Thank
God, I am safe !' but instantly recollecting herself, ejaculated in a
voice of piercing agony, ' where is njy child I' The infant, which
had been saved, was brought to her, and she fainted at the sight
of it.

*' A public meeting was called in Cincinnati, at which the mayor
presided, when the facts of this melancholy occurrence were dis-
cussed, and among other resolutions passed, was one deprecating
' the great and increasing carelessness in the navigation of steam
vessels,' and urging this subject upon the consideration of Congress.
No one denied that this sad event, which had filled our city with
consternation, sympathy, and sorrow, was the result of a reckless
and criminal inattention to their duty, on the part of those having
the care of the Moselle, nor did any one attempt to palliuiie their
conduct. Committees were appointed to seek out the sufferers, and
perform the various duties which humanity dictated. Through the
exertions of the gentlemen appointed on this occasion, lists were
obtained and published, showing the names of the passengers as far
as could be obtained, and giving the following result: —

Killed Si •

Badly wounded 13

Missing 55

Saved . . 117

MARRYAT S DIARY.

r or thirty
I the act of
were men
ruiiks, and

K)3t tonch-
u)st tender
that as yet

had been
ir parents,

a son, but
mofed, lay
the other,
ioujrht his

the same

ned incon-
put to her,
sters!' A
was much
d coritinu-
s weeping

children ;
ching dis-
on being-
'Thank
lated in a
nt, which
the sight

he mayor
were dia-
precating
of steam
Congress,
city with
I reckless
se having
Idle their
jrers, and
■ough the
ists were
ers asfar

"As many strangers entered the boat but a few minutes before
hs departure, whoso names were not registered, it is probable that
the whole number of souls on board was not less than two hundred
find c'ishty. Of the missing, many dead bodies have since been
found, but very few have boon added to the list o^ saved. The ac-
tual number nf lives lost, therefore, docs not vary much from one
hundred undfiftyy

The fallowing observations are made in the Report of the Com-
miltee, relative to the tremendous force of the steam :

"Of the inmiense fcjrce exerted in this explosion, there is abun-
dant evidence; still in this extraordinary occurrence in the iiistory
of steam, I deem it important to be particular in noting the facts,
JuiJ fur that purpo-se I Jiave m:ule some measurements and calcula-
tions. The boat was one hundred and sixteen feet ti'onj the waters
edge, one hundred and ninety-two from the top of the bank, which
was forty-three feet in perpendicular height above the water. The
Hiluations of projoctcJ bodies ascertained were as follows: Part of
tlie body of a man, throv.'n nearly horizontally into a skitT at the
v.ater's gA^^g^ on;; hundred and sixteen feet. The body of the cap-
tain thrown nearly to the top of the bank, two hundred feet. Tiie
hody of a mati thrown through the roof of a house, at the distance
of one hundred ami twelve feet, and fifty-nine feet above the wa-
ter's {2i\f^Q. A portion of the boiler, containing about sixty square
feet, and weighing about four hundred and fifty pounds, thrown one
hundred and seventy feet, and about two-thirds of the way up the
hank. A second portion of the boiler, of about thirty-five square
feet, and v.'oi^himr about tv.'o hundred and forty-five pounds, thrown
four huntired and fifty feet on the hill side, and seventy feet in alti-
tude. A third portion of the boiler, twenty-one square feet, one
iiundred and forty-seven pounds, tiirown three hundred and thirty
I'eet into a tan yard. A fourth portion, of forty-eight square feet,
and weifihing throe hundred and thirty-six pounds, thrown four
hundred and eighty feet into the garret of a back-shop of a tan-
yard; having broken down the nxjf and driven out the gable-end.
The last portion must have been thrown to a very great lieight, as
it had entered the roof of an angle of at least sixty degrees. A fifih
portion, weighing two hunilred and thirty-six pounds, went oblique-
ly up the river eight hundred feet, and passing over the houses,
landed on the side walk, the bricks of which had been broken and
driven deeply into the ground by it. This portion had encountered
some individual in its course as it came stained with blood. Such was
the situation of the houses that it must have fallen at an angle as
high as forty-five degrees. It has been stated, that bodies of per-
sons were projected quite across the river into Kentucky. I can
find no evidence of the truth of this: on the contrary, Mr. Kerr in-
forms i«e, that he made inquiries of the people on the opposite shore,
and 'could not learn that any thing was seen to fall farther than
half way acrosg the river,' which is at that place about sixteen
hundred feet wide."

I was at Cincinnati some time after the explosion, and examined

I > 'I

i i\

' 3

MARRYAT S DIARY.

*"* 1

.(Hi!.

the wreck which still lay on the Ohio shore. After the report was
drawft up it was discovtred that the force of the explosion had bcert
even greater than was supposed, and that portions of the engine
and boilers had been thrown to a much greater distance. It is to
bo remarked, that Mr. Woodbury's report to Congress states from
one hundred to one hundred and twenty persons as having been
killed. Judge Hall, in the report of the committee, estinmtes it
atone hundred and fifty; but there is reason to believe that the
loss on this occasion, as well as in many others, was greater thar.
even in the report of the committee. The fact is, it is almost im-
possible to state the loss on these occasions; the only data to go
upon are tho books in which the passengers' names are taken down
wfien the fiire is paid, and this is destroyed. In a country like
America, there are thousands of people unknown to any body, mi*
grating here and there, seeking the far west to settle in; tiicy como
jind go, and nobody knows any thing of them; there might have
been one hundred more of them on board the Moselle nt the time
that she exploded ; and as I heard from Captain Pcarce, liie harbour-
master, aiui others, it is believed that such was the case, and that
many more were destroyed than was at first supposed.

The American steam-boats are very different from our's in ap-
pearance, in consequence of the engines being invariably on deck.
The docks also are carried out many feet wider on each side than
the hull of the vessel, to give space; these additions to the deck
are called guards. The engine being on the first deck, there is a
second deck for the passengers, state-rooms, and saloons; and above
this deck there is another, covered with a white awning. They
have something the appearance of two-deckers, and when filled with
company, the variety of colours worn by the ladies have a very
novel and pleasing effect. The boats v/hich run from New York
to Boston, and up the Hudson river to Albany, are very splendid
vessels; they have low-pressure engines, arc well commanded, and
I never heard of any accident of any importance taking place ; their
engines are also ve'v superior — one on board of the Narangassett,
with a horizontal stroke, was one of the finest I ever saw. On the
Mississippi, Ohio, and their tributary rivers, the high-pressure en-
gine is invariably used ; they have tried the low-pressure, but have
r<)und that it will not answer, in consequence of the great quantity
(yf mud contained in solution on the waters of the Mississippi, which
destroys all the valves and leathers; and this is the principal cause
of the many accidents which take place. At the same time it must
be remembered, that there is a recklessness — an indifference to
life — shown throughout all America ; which is rather a singular
feature, inusmuch as it extends East as well as West, It can only
be accounted for by the insatiate pursuit of gain among a people
who consider that time is money, and who are blinded by their ea-
gerness in the race for it, added to that venturous spirit so naturally
imbibed in a new country at the commencement of its occupation.
It is communicai l.to the other sex« who appear equally indifferent.
The Moselle had not been blown up two hours, before the other
^steamboats were qr^wded with women, who followed their rqlations

on bu>i
the mo
go a-h(;

I wa;
a steair
to jumj)
recklcs
re Fitly
leapt o\

The
reeled
iHli-^, a
pa^st'iii:
as the
rods foi
be the
be prov;
ropes,
could C(
rapid t.i
170, R<
out. iuiy
.board.

It 13

act of t
to Irave
limes,
boats, n
I read ii

liii

MARRYAT S PIAUY.

report was
) hud been
lie engine
It is to
itates from
\\ng been
5ti mates iK
a that the
sater than
ilmost im-
data to go
iken down
Lintry like
body, mi*
they come
light liavc
L tiie time
c harbour-
3, and that

ur's in ap-

f on deck.

I side than

) the deck

there is a

and above

g. They

filled with

ve a very

^ew York

splendid

ndcd, and

ice; their

mgassett,

On the

esiire en-

but have

quantity

ipi, which

pal cause

le it must

jrence to

singular

can only

a people

their ea-

naturally

cupation.

different.

the other

riQiat^ons

on business or pleasure, up and down the river. " Go a-head," is
the rnotto of the country; both sexes join in the cry; and they do
go a-h(.';i(l — thnCs a fact
I

ltl(

wari aiiiusou with a story told me by an American gfiiiieman
a steairihoat caught tire on the Mississippi, and the passcnirors had
to jiim|) overboard and e^ave themselves by swimming. OMcot'lho.se
reckless characters, a gambler, who, was on board, havuiL,' appa-
rently a V(!ry good idea ot* his own merits, went all, and b-'lbre he
leapt overboard, cried out, " Now, gallows, claim your own!"

The attention of the American legislature has at longtii bsen di-
rected to the want of t^ocurity in steam navigation; and in July,
183S, an act was passed to provide for the better socnrity <f the
pa^s^.•ng«'rs. Many of the claunes are judicious, especially as far
as the irii'pecting of them is regulated; but that of iron chains or
rods fir tilliir ropon is not practicable on a winding river, and will
be the occasion of matiy disasters. Had they ordered ihf; boats to
be provided with iron chains or rotls, to be used as preventive wheel-
ropes, it would have answered the purpose. In case of fire tiiey
could easily be hooked on; but to steer with them in tido-waysaud
rapid turns is almost impossible. The last clause, No. \'.\, (page
170, Report) is too harsh, as a Hue may collapse at any tinio, with-
out, any want of career skill on the part of the builders or those on
■board.

It is to bo hoped that some good effects will bo produced by this
act of the legislature. At present, it certainly is more dangerous
to Iravel one wcjek in America than to cross the Atlantic a dozen
limes. The number of lives lost in one year by accidents in steam-
boats, r&il-roads, and coaches, was estimated, in a periodical which
I read iii America, ato;«? thousand seven hundred andjifty!

CHAPTER IV.

TRAVELLING.

To one vvlift tia^ been accustomed to the extortion of the inns
and hotels in England, and the old continent, nothing at first is more
remarkable than to find that there are more remains of the former
AmencHii purity of manners and primitive simplicity to be observed
in their eslabliehraeats \ot the entertainment of man and horse,

* When the water in tWcf rivers is low, the large steam vessels very
often run aground, and are<jbligcd to discharge their cargoes and pas.
sengcfs. At these times, the .smaller steam boats ply up and down the
rivers to take advantage of these misfortunes, by picking up passenger.s,
and making most exorbitant charges for taking them or the goods out,
because you must pay th^m, or jeniain wiiere you are. 'fhia species
of cruizing they themselves designate as ^^^oing a pirating.*^ I will
say this for the Americans, that, if a person, who considcra^thait he is
fipt doinj^ wrong, does not dp yr.runc^ tbej arc it very honc£t' people.

ili

■j I

'il

MARRYAT S DIARY.

jiil

I. I i

w •'

J I 5

li I

1;'

than in any portion of public or private life. Such is the case, and
Iho causes of the anomaly arc to be explained.

I |)rcsumc that the ori^'in of hotels and inns lias been much the
hatno in all countries. At first the solitary traveller is received,
welcomed, and hospitably entertained ; but as the wayfarers multi-
ply, what was at first a pleasure becomes a tax. For instance, let
us take Western Vir^jinia, throujrh which the first irruption to the
Far VVost may be said to have taken i)lacc. At first everyone was
received and accommodated by those wtjo had settled there; but as
this n^radually became inconvenient, not only from interferinT^ with
their domestic privacy, but from their not beinn; j)rcpared to meet
the wants of the travellers, the inhabitants of any small settlement
met tofjether and aj^recd upon one of them keepin^»'llie house of re-
ception; — this was not done with a view of prolit, the travellers
beinjr only charged the actual value of the articles consumed.
jSiich is still the case in many places in the Fur West; a friend of
mine iM me that he put uj) at the house of a widow woman; ho
t-upped, 8lei)t, had his breakfast, and his horse was also wi;!! sup-
plied. When he was le;ivinnr, ho inquired what he liad to p;iy! the
woman replied — " Well, ifl don't charijfesomethin/r, 1 sii))pune you
will be affronted. Give me a shilling;" a sum not sufficicjit to pay
fur the horse's corn.

The American innkeeper, therefore, is still ]of)l:ed upon in the
light of your host; he and his wife sit at the head of the tablc-d'hotc
lit meal times; v.'hcn you arrive he greets you with a welcome,
sliaking your liand; if you arrive in company witii those who know
him, you are introduced to him; he is considered on a level with
you; you meet him in the most respectable companies, and it is
\)Ul justice to say that, in most instances, th( y '^re a very respecta-
ble portion of society. Of course, his autlwiily, like that of the
captains of the steam-boats, is undisputed; indeed the captains of
these boats may be partly considered as classed under the same
h-ad.

'i'his is one of the most pleasing features in American society^
and I think it is likely to las^t longer tlian most others in this land
of change, because it is upheld by jiublic opinion, which is so des-
potic. Tlie mania for travelling, among the people of the United
{States, renders it most important that every thing connected with
locomotion should be v/ell arranged; society demands it, public
opinion enforces it, and therefore, with few exceptions, it is so.
The respect shown to the master of a hotel induces people of th«
highest character to embark in the profession; the continual stream
of travellers which pours through the country, gives sufTiGient sup-
port by moderate profits, to enable the iimkeeper to abstain from
excessive charges; the price of every thing is known by all, and
no more is charged to the President of the United States than to
other people. Every one knows his expenses; there is no sur-
charge, and fees to waiters are voluntary, and never asked for. At
first, I used to examine the bill when presented, but latterly I
looked only at the sum total at the bottom and paid it at once, re-
serving the examination of it for my leisure, and I never in one
instance foirad that I had been imposed upon. This is very rj-

markablo
can proih
world, an
Of courst
chiefly c<
and at th(
to point (
terior arr

The bu
that in th
three huii
stories co
opening
and arran
for marrii
tlie bdildi
ccive the
minutes h
to break fii
room, to \
considerai
connexioi:
to retire
some of 1 1
Jf a genti
these lar"
join toget
quently (U
himself «
his mind t
will give j
as serious
was in Fr

The lar
York ; Tn
hotels at ^
fnerate tin
which wa
the Mansi
Considero(
was, a gei
cause he i
men are i
else I can
in Americ
his sons, o
in New Y
I always f
rateur's (1

•The A
Utj, as we

MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

case, and

much the
received,
ers multi-
stance, let
ion to the
y one was
re; but as
rij);T with
d to meet
letllemenl
use of rc-
travellcrs
;oi)suincd.
I friend ot
jman; lie
wi;!! Hup-
) \r.iy] the
i)I)u.so you
-ijt to pay

on m the
bk-(Vh()te
welcome,
}\\0 kiTow
jvel with
and it is
respocta-
at of tiiG
plains of
the same

1 society,
this land
is so des-
G United
:ted with
it, public
it is so.
e of tlio
1 stream
lent sup-
ain from
all, and
than to
no Bur-
br. At
itterly I
mce, re-
in one
irery ra-

I',

markablc, nnd f^hows the force of public opinion in America ; for it
can priMluce, when re(piir(Ml, a very scarce article all over tho
world, and slill more scarce in the protession referred to, — llnnesty.
Of course there will be exceptions, but they are very few, and
chiefly contined to tho cities. I shall refer to them afterwards,
and at the same time to some peculiarities, which I must not omit
to point out, as they afK'ct society. Let me first describe tho in-
terior arraufTiMiients of a tirst-rnle American hotel.

The buildint; is very spacious, as may be imatjined when I state
that in the busy times, from one hundred and fifty to two, or even
three lumdred, generally sit down at the dirmer-table. The upper
stories contain an immense number of bed-rooms, with their doors
openingr upon lon^ corridors, with little variety in their furniture
and arranirement, except that some are provided with larire beds
lor married people, and others with sinjjie bods. The basement of
tlie biiildmn- contains the dinner-room, of ample dimensions, to re-
ceive the {Tuests, who at the sound of a gon^ rush in, and in a (qw
minutes have fmished their repast. The same room is appropriated
to breakfast and 6U[)per. In most hotels there is but one dining-
room, to which ladies and ijentlemen both repair, but in the more
considerable, there is a smaller dininjy-room for the ladies and their
connexions who escort them. The ladies have also a large parlour
to retire to; tho {gentlemen have the rcadinn[-room, containinrj
someof tlie principal newspapers, and the Zirtr, of which hereailcr.
If a jrentleman wants to grive a dinner to a private party in any of
these larfje hotels, he can do it; or if a certain number of families
join tog^ether, they may also eat in a separate room (this is fre-
quently done at VVashinfjton;) but if a traveller wishes to seclude
himself a /' Anglalse^ and dine in his own room, he must make up
his mind to fare very badly, and, moreover, if he is a forei3;ner, ho
will give great offence, and be pointed out as an aristocrat — almost
9S serious a charge with the majority in the United States, as it
was in France during the Revolution,

The largest hotels in the United States are Astor House, New
York; Tremont House, Boston; Mansion House, Philadelphia; tho
hotels at West Point, and at Buffalo; but it is unnecessary to enu-
merate them all. The two pleasantest, are the one at W»'st Point,
which wiis kept by Mr. Cozens, and that belonging to Mr. Head,
the Mansion House at Philadelphia; but the latter can scarcoly be
consideroi! as a hotel, not only because Mr. Head is, and always
was, a gentleman with whom it is a pleasure to associate, but be*
cause he is very particular in whom he receives, and only gentle-
men are admitted. It is more like a private club than any thing
else I can compare it to, and I passed some of my pleasantosl time
in America at his establishment, and never bid farewell to him or
his sons, or the company, without regret. There are some hotels
in New York upon the English system : the Globe is the best, and
I always frequented it;* and there ia an excellent li'rench restaur
rateur's (Delnaonico's.)

* The Americans are apt to boast that they have not to pay for civk
Utj, as we do in England, by feeing waitersj coachmen, &c. In somQ

MARRYAT S DIAUY.

Of course, where the population and trnflic are prcat, nnd tlio
truvellciH who pass throu|i,'h numerous, the hotels are lupfro and
{jood; where, on the contrary, the ro.id is lesB and less frequented,
bo d*^' they decrease in importance, sizo, nnd r«.>8pectability, until
you .rive at the farni-liouso entertainment of Virf,Mnia and Ken-
tucky; the grocery, or mere ffrog:-shop, ( r the loff-liDUse of tho
Far West. The way-side inns are remarkable for their uniformity;
the furniture of the bar-room is invariably the same: a wooden
ch)ck, map of the United States, map of the State, the Declaration
of Independence, a lookinfj-jjlass, with a hair-bruah and comb hanf»-
ing" to it by etrinfjs, pro bono publico;*' sometimtis with the extra
embellishment of one or two miserable pictures, such as General
Jackson scramblinjr upon a horse, with fire or steam cominjif out of
his nostrils, goingr to the battle of New Orleans, «fcc. &.C.

lie wlio is of the silver-fork school, will not fmd much comfort
out of the American cities and largo towns. There are no neat,
quiet little inns, as in Enj^land. It is all the "rough and tumble"
tjystcm, and when you stop at humble inna you must expect to eat
peas with a two-pronged fork, and to sit down to meals with people
whose exterior is any thing but agreeable, to attend upon yourself,
and to sleep in a room in which there are three or four other beds ;
(I have slept in one with nearly twenty,) most of I'.iem carrying
double, even if you do not have a companion in your own.

A New York friend of mine travelling in an Extra with his fa-
mily, told me that at a western inn he iiad particularly requested
that he might not have a bcd-fellow, and was promised that he
should not. On his retiring, he found his bed already occupied, and
he went down to the landlady, and expostulated. " Well," replied

ehc, "
him!"

Anot
Snake's
chen-flr
scvenioi
togcthe
is a sou

I muf
of eat in;
country

respects this is true, but in the cities the custom has V)ccomc very pre-
valent, A man who attends a larffc dinner-table, will of course pay
more attention to tiiosc who jjivo liim something', than to those who
do not; one gives him sninclhing, and another, if he wishes for attcn-
lion and civility, is obliged to do the same thing'. In some of the
hotels at New York, and in the principal cities, you not only must
fee, but you must fee much higher than you do in England, if you
want to be comfortable.

*If I am rigiitly informed, there are very unpleasant cutaneous dis-
eases to wiiieli the Americans are subject, from the continual use of
the same brush and comb, and from sleeping together, &,c., but it is a
general custom. At Philadelphia, a large ball was given, (called, I
think, the Fireman's Ball,) and at which about 1,500 people were pre-
sent, all the fashion of rhiladelphia; yet even here there were six
combs, and six brushes, placed in a room with six looking-glasses for
the use of aW the gentlemen. An American has come into my room in
New York, an sans ctrimonie taken up my hair-brush, and amused
himself with brushing his head. They are certainly very unrefined in
the toilet as yet. When I was travelling, on my arrival at a city I
ojMined my dressing case, and a man passing by my room when tho
door was open, attracted by the glitter, I presume, came in and looked
at the apparatus which is usually contained in such articles — " Pray,
Sir," said he, " are you a dentist?"

Vcrmicc
iJoilcd C

Do.

MARRYAT S DIARY.

t, and tlio
lur^rc and
rc(|ucnlt'(i,
ility, until
luul Ken-
use of iho
nilurtnity;
a wooden
cclarution
t)rnl) hanjT-
llie extra
8 General
liiifj out of

:lj comtort
3 no neat,
J tumble"
►ect to eat
ith people
n yourself,
Iher beds ;
I carrying
I.

ith his fa-
requested
d that he
|upicd, and
1," replied

very pre-
ourse pay
tliosc who

for attcn-
me of the
only must
nd, if you

ncous die-

ual use of

but it is a

(called, I

were pre-

were six

glasses for

ly room in

d amused

refined in

t a city I

when the

nd looked

-" Pray,

Bho, " it's only your own driver ; I thought you wouldn't mind
him !"

Another {jcntleman told mc, that havinjf arrived nt n place called
Snake's Hollow, on fbo MissisHippi, the hetl waH niach? on the kit-
chen-floor, and the w olo family and travellers, ainountin;; in oil to
Hcvcfiloen, of all nfjcs and both sexes, turned into the Hurno bod nl-
to;jctlinr. Of course this must be expected in a new country, and
is a source of amusrrnnnt, rather thnn of annoyance.

I must now enter into a very important ([ucstion, which is tint
ofeatiufjand drinK f. Mr. ('oopor, in his rt'iiiarks upon lii.>; own
countrymen, says, very ill-naturedly — "The Americans are the
ijropscst feeders of any civilized nation known. Ah a nation, tI»oir
food is heavy, course, and imli;;ostibIe, while it is taken in the least
artificial forms that cookery will allow. The; predominance of
fjrease in the American kitchen, coupled with the habits of hearty
eating-, and of constant expectoration, are the causes of the diseases
of the stotnacli which are so common in America."

This is not correct. The cookery in the United States is exact-
ly what it is and must he every where else — in a ratio witlitliede-
prce of relinement of the population. In the principal cities, you
will meet with as fjfood cuokery in private houses as you will in
London, or even I'aris; indeed, considering the i^rcat ditlicnlty
which the Americans have to contend with, from the almost impos-
tiibility of ohtainiiif'' f;ood servants, I have often bc^en surfirised that
it is so 200(1 as it is. At Delmonico's, and the (Jlobo Hotel at Xew
York, where you dine from the Carte, you have excellent Freiicli
cookery; so you have at Astor IIouho, ])articularly at private par-
tics; and, irrnerally spcukinq', the cookinij at all the larixe hotids
may bo t-aid to he f^ood ; indeed, when it is Cf)nsi(ler(Ml that the Ame-
rican tabIe-(l'liot(^ lias to provide for tn> many people, it is (juite siir-
prisiniT how well it is done, 'i'he daily dinner, at these larijo ho-
tels, is infinitely superior to any I have ever sat down to at \hv. j»th-
lic entertainments p-iven at the Free-Masons' Tavern, and oiber,-^
in London, and the eompany \a usually more numerous. Tlie bill
of thro of the table-d'hole oftlie Astor House is printed rvcnj d<nj,
I have one with me which I shall here insert, to prove that the eat-
ing is not so bad in America as described by Mr. Cooper.

AsToa IToL'SE, Wednesday, March 21, 1838.
Tailed' HiAc.

Vcrniicplli Soup

iJoilcd Cot! Fish and Oysters

Do. Corn\l Bcof

Do. llatn

Do. Tonp;uc

Do. Turkey and Oysters

Do. Chickens and Pork

Do. Leg of Mutton
Oyster Pie

Caisse dc Poulct Sauce Tomate
Poitrinc do Vcau au Blanc

Saladc dc Volaille
Ballon dc Mouton an Tomate
TCte dc Vcau en Marinade
Casscrollc dc Pomme dc Torre

jjarnic
Compote dc Pigeon
Rollcau dc Vcau a la Jardiniere
Cotellettes dc Vcau Saute
Filet dc Moonton Pique aux Og-

nons
Rondc dc Bceuf

I'fl

ill

111'

MARRY AT 8 DIARY.

Fricandeau de Vcau aux Epi-

nards
Cotclcttcs dc Mouton Panee
JVIacarnni au Parnicean
Koast Beef

Do. Piff

Do. Veul

t)o. Leu of Mutton
Roast Goose

Do. Turkey

Roast Chickens
Do. Wild Ducks
Do. Wild Goose
Do. (iuiiiea Fowl

Roast Brandt

Queen Pudding

Mince Pie

Cream Putfs

De3si;rt.

' '■

i|.r:

I 'I! ''

ll (•'

There are some trifling points relative to eating whicli I shali
not remark upon until I speak of Guciety, as they will there he bet-
ter placed. Of course, as you advance into the country, and po-
pulation recedes, you run tiirou^rh all the scale of cookery until
you come to the ^^corn bread, and common doiniis,^'' (i. e. bread
made of Indian meal, and fat pork,) in the far West. In a new
•country, pork is more easily raised than any other meat, and the
Americans eat a great deal of pork, which renders the cooking in
•the small taverns very greasy; witii the excepti(jn of the Virginian
farm taverns, where they fry chickens without grease in a way
which would be admired by Ude hiniself; but this is a State receipt,
handed down from generation to generation, and called chicken
fixings. The meat in America istqual to the best in En;;land ;
JMiss Martineau does indeed say that she never ate good beef during
the whole time she was in this country; but she also says that an
American stage-coach is the most dei'.oiitful of all conveyanccp,
and a great rnr.ny other things, whicli I may lierealbr quote, to
prove tiie idiosyncracy of the lady's dit^position; so we will let that
pass, W'ilh the observati(jn that there is no accounting l()r taste.
The American markets in the cities are well supplied. I have
been in the game market, at New York, and seen at (.ne time near-
ly three hundred head of doer, with quantities of bear, rackoons,
wild turkies, geese, ducks, and every variety of bird in countless
pruiijsion. Ber.r I abominate ; rackoon is pretty good. The wild
turkey is excellent; but the great delicacies in America are the
terrapin, and the canvas-back ducks. To like the fir.^t I consider as
rather an acquired taste. I decidedly prefer the turtle, which are
to be had in plenty, all the year round; but tlie canvas-back duck
is certainly well worthy of its reputation. Fish is well supplied.
They have the sheep's head, shad, and one or tw^o others, which we
have not. Their f^almon is not equal to ours, and they have no tur-
bot. Pine-apples, and almost all the tropical fruits, are hawked
about in carts in the Eastern cities; but I consider the fruit of the
temperate zone, such as grapes, peaches, &.c., inferior to the Eng-
Jish. Oysters are very plentiful, very large, and, to an English pa-
late, rather insipid. As the Americans assert that the English and
French oysters taste of copper, and that therefore they cannot eat
them, I presume they do; and that's the reason why we do not like
the American oysters, copper being better than no flavour at all.

I think, after this statement, that the English will agree with me
that there are plenty of good things for the table in America; but
the old proverb says, "God sends meat, and the devil sends cooks;"

moup, and
that man}
imported.

The sm
American
juice, mi.\
drink, a v
dollars a (
fills up, if
to the pop

Claret,
but, where
ra, which
land. Th
which r'\\.
tastvjd goc
price of w
a trifling t
There are
be certain
even fortj
House, to
serted. E
best Made
[ curious fro

MARRYAT's DkARVk

■ -m

licli I shall

lere he bet-

Iry, and po-

)<)kt ry until

(i. c. bread

In a new

at, and the

cookinnf in

e Virginian

I in a way

Late receipt,

ed chicken

1 Eii;:land ;

bctf iJuring-

ays tfiat an

•nvcyanccp,

r quote, to

I'il! let that

fj lor taste.

d. I have

lime near-

, rackoonf!,

1 countless

The wild

ca are the

coMsider as

which are

Kick duck

supplied.

which we

ive no tur-

e hawked

ruit of the

the Eng-

njrlish pa-

nglish and

;annot eat

o not like

• at all.

J with me

rica; but

Is cooks;"

and such is, and unfortunately must be the case for a long while,
in ii?oat of the houses in America, owing to the difficulty of obtain-
ing, or kee,.ing servants. But I must quit the subject of eating,
for one of much more importance in America, which is that of
drinking.

I always did consider that the English and the Swiss were the
two nations who most indulged in potations; but on my arrival in
the United States, I found that our descendants, in this point most
assuredly, as they fain would be thought to do in all others, sur-
passed us altogether.

I-npartiality compels me to acknowledge the truth ; we must, in
this instance, submit to a national defeat. There are many causes
for this: first, the heat of the climate, next the coldness of the cli-
mate, then the changeableness of the climate; add to these, the
cheapness of liquor in general, the early disfranchisement of the
youth from all j^aroiital control, the temptation arising from the bar
and association, and, lastly, the pleasantness, amenity, and variety
of the potations.

Reasons, therefore, arc as plentiful as blackberries, and habit be-
comes second nature.

To run up the whole catalogue of the indigenous compounds in
America, from " iced water" to a " stone fence," or "streak of
lightning," would fill a volume; Ishall first speak of foreign impor-
tations.

The Port in America is seldom good ; the climate appears not to
agree with the wine. The quantity of Champagne drunk is enor-
mous, and would absorb all the vintage of France, were it noi
that many hundred thousand bottles are consumed more than are
imported.

The small state of New Jersey has the credit of supplying the
American Champagne, which is said to be concocted out of turnip
juice, mi.xed with brandv -Mid honey. It is a pleosant and harmless
drink, a very good imitation, and may be purchased at six or seven
dollars a dozen. I do not know what we shall do when America
fills up, if the demand for Champagne should increase in proportion
to the population ; we had better drink all we can now.

Claret, and the other French wines, do very well in America,
but, where the Americans beat us out of the field is in their Madei-
ra, which certainly is of a quality which we cannot procure in Eng-
land, rhis is owing to the extreme heat and cold of the climate,
which ripens this wine; indeed, I may almost say, that I never
tastjd good Madeira, until I arrived in the United States. The
price of wines, generally speaking, is very high, considering what
a trifling duty is paid, but the price of good Madeira is surprising.
There are certain brands, which if exposed ''.o public auction, will
be certain to fetch from twelve to twenty, .md I have been told
even forty dollars a bottle. I insert a list of the wines at Astor
House, to prove that there is no exaggeration in what I have as-
serted. Even in this list of a tavern, the reader will find that the
best Madeira is as high as twelve dollars a bottle, and the list is
curious from the variety which it offers.

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MARRYAT'S DIARY.

But the Americans do not confine themselves to foreign wines
or liquors; they have every variety at home, in the shape of com-
pounds, such as mint-julep and its varieties; slings in all their va-
rieties; cock-tails, — but I really cannot remember, or if I couW, it
would occupy too much time to mention the whole battle array
against one's brains. I must, however, descant a little upon the
mint-julep; as it is, with the tliormomctor at 100°, one of the most
delightful and insinuating potations that ever was invented, and
may be drank with equal satisfaction when the thermometer is as
low as 70". There are many varieties, such us those composed of
Claret, Madeira, &c. ; but the ingredients of the real mint-julep
are as follows. I learnt how to make them, and succeeded pretty
well. Put into a tumbler about a dozen sprigs of the tender shoots
of mint, upon them put a spoonful of white sugar, and squal pro
portions of peach and common brandy, so as to fill it up one third,
or perhaps a little les-s. Then take rasped or pounded ice, and fill
up the tumbler. Epicures rub the lips of the tumbler with a piece
of fresh pine-apple, and the tumbler itself is very often incrustcd
outside with stalactites of ice. As the ice melts, you drink. I
once overheard two ladies talking in the next room to me, and one
of them said, " Well, if I liave a weakness for any one thing, it is
lor a mint-julep — '' a vt;ry amiable weakness, and proving iier good
sense and good taste. They are, in fact, like tlie American ladies,
irresistible.

The Virginians claim the merit of having invented this su-
perb compound, but 1 must disjinte it f()r my own country, although
it has been forgotten of bite. In tiie tinief; of Charles i. and If. it
must have been known, fur Milton expressly rei'ers to it in his Co-
rn us: —

09
O

" ]3cliold the cordiii] julep here
AV'iiich iluints and dunces in its crj'stal bounds
Willi spirits o\' iulni und frafrra7)t si/rups mixed.
Not that NciK'ntlies, wliicii the wile ol'Tlioac
In Egypt gave to Jove-born Helena
Is of such power to stir vip joy like this,
To life so iriendly, or so cud to ^•.i/■s<."

Sir

I ^j ^H

■s

I—,

If that don't mean mint-julep, I don't know the English language.

The following lincy, however, which I found in an American
newspaper, dates its origin very lar back, even to the period when
the heathen gods were not at a discount as tliey are now.

ORIGIN OF MINT.JULEP.

" 'Tis said that the gods, on Olympus of old,

(And who, the bri§;lit legend profanes, with a doubt,)
One night, 'mid their revels, by Bacchus were told
That his last butt of nectar had somewhat run out!

r r ■

But determined to send round the goblet once more^
They sued to the fairer immortals for aid

marryat's diary.

U<'\

In composing a draught which, till drinking were o'er,
Should cast every wine ever drank in the shade.

Grave Ceres liersclf blithely yielded her corn,

And the spirit that lives in each ambcr-hued grain,

And which first had its birth from the dews of the morn,
Was tauglit to steal out in bright dew drops again.

Pomonn, whose choicest of fruits on the board,
Were scattered profusely in every one's reach.

When called on a tribute to cull from the board.
Expressed the mild juice of the delicate peach.

The liquids were mingled while Venus looked on
With glances so fraught with sweet magical power,

Tiiat the honey of Ilybia, e'eu when they were gone.
Has never been missed in the draught from that hour.

Flora, then, from her bo:?om of fragrancy shook,
And wilii roseate fingers pressed down in the bow

All dripping and fresh as it came from the brook,
Tiic iicrb who:-'e aroma should flavour the whole.

The draught was delicious, each god did exclaim,
Tliough something yet wanting tliry all did bewail,

Cut Ji'i.F.rs the drink of immortals beeaiue,
When Jove himself added a handful of hail."

I have nipntionod the principal causes to which must bo assiirncd
the propensity to drink, so universal in America. This is an unde-
niable fact, asserted by every other writer, acknowledged by the
Americans themselves in print, and proved by the labours of their
Temperance Societies. It is not confined to the lower classes, but
pervades the whole mass: of course, where there is most refinement,
there is less intoxication, and in the Southern and Western States,
it is that the custom of drinking^ is most prevalent.

I have eaid that in the American hotels there is a parlour for the
ladies to retire to: there is not one for the gentlemen, who have
only the reading-room, where they stand and read tiie papers, which
are laid out on desks, or the bar.

Tlie bar of an American hotel is generally a very large room on
the basement, fitted up very much like our gin palaces in London,
not so elegant in its decorations indeed, but on the same system.
A long counter runs across it, behind which stand two or three bar-
keepers to wait upon the customers, and distribute the various
potations, compounded from the contents of several rows of bottles
behind them. Here the eye reposes on masses of pure crystal ice,
large bunches of mint, decanters of every sort of wine, every variety
of spirits, lemons, sugar, bitters, segars and tobacco; it really makes
one feel thirsty, even the going into a bar.* Here you meet every
body and every body meets you. Here the senator, the member of
Congress, the merchant, the store-keeper, travellers from the Far

• Erery steam-boat has its bar. The theatres, all places of public
amusement, and even the capitol itself, as I have observed in my Diarj.

West, ar
chase g(

Most
business
confiden
politics,
occasioni
Mansion
is no dri
would a
to retire
the most

Thee
that thci
cohol, an
drink wi
with a St
acquaint

Mr. A,
you r'— '
"Well,]
Touch g
sling, am
you r—'
— what
tail."— '•
down on

Then ]
my frienc
the acqui
somethin
a julep.
Mr. A. y
— drink.

Now, ]
fair samp

They s
a dinner.
If you m
ance, yoi
tlieirdrir
is hot; th
drink am
early in
early in 1
To use 1
caution.'
long to tl
"it's vei

So mu

» Itw

low-spiril

rii,

10 assiirncn
s an iinde-
red l)y the
rs of their
lasses, but
efinernont,
3rn States,

Dur f(.)r the
who liave
ers, which

e room on
n London,
le eystem.
three bar-
He various
of bottles
rystal ice,
ry variety
illy makes
leet every
tiember of
n the Far

s of public
my Diary.

MARRY AT B DIART.

West, and every other part of the country, who have come to pur-
chase goods, all congregate.

Most of them have a eegar in their mouth, some are transacting
business, others conversing, some sitting down together whispering
confidentially. Hcreyouobtain all the news, all the scandal, all the
^olitics, and all the tim; it is this dangerous propinquity, which
occasions so much intemperance. Mr. Head has no bur at the
Mansion-House in Philadelphia, and the consequence is, that thero
is no drinking, except wine at dinner; but in all the other hotels, it
would appear as if they purposely allowed the frequenters no room
to retire to, so that they must be driven to the bar, which is by far
the most profitable part of the concern.

The consequence of the bar being the place of general resort, is,
that there is an unceasing pouring out, and amulgamation of al-
cohol, and other compounds, from morning, to late at night. To
drink with a friend when you moot him is good follovvship, to drink
with a stranger is politeness, and a proof of wishing to be better
acquainted.

Mr. A. is standing at the bar, enter B. " My dear B, how are
you?"— "Quite well, and you ]"—" Well, what shall it bo ]"—
" Well, I don't care — a gin sling." — " Two gin slings, Bar-keepor."
Touch glasses, and drink. Mr. A. has hardly swallowed his gin
slino", and replaced his segar, when, in comes Mr. D. *' A. how are
you?" — ''Ah! D, how goes it on with you ?" — " Well, I thankey
— what shall we have J" — Well, I don't care ; I say brandy cock-
tail." — "Give me another," both drink, and the shilling is thrown
down on the counter.

Then B. comes up again. "A. you must allow me to introduce
my friend C." — " Mr. A."— shake hands — "Most happy to make
the acquaintance. J trust I shall have the pleasure of drinking
something with you ?" — " With great pleasure, Mr. A., I will take
a julep. Two juleps, bar-keeper." — " Mr. C. your good health —
Mr. A. yours; if you should come our way, most happy to see you,"
—drink.

Now, I will appeal to the Americans themselves, if this is not a
fairsaniple of a bar-room.

They say that the English cannot settle anything properly, without
a dinner. I am sure the Americans can fix nothing, without a drink
If you meet, you drink; if you part, you drink; if you make acquaint-
ance, you drink ; if you close a bargain you drink ; they quarrel in
tlieir drink, and they make it up with a drink. They drink, because it
is hot; they drink because it is cold; If successful in elections, they
drink and rejoice; if not, they drink and swear; — they begin to drink
early in the morning, they leave oflTlate at night; they commence it
early in life, and tiiey continue it, until they soon drop mto the grave.
To use their own expression, the way they drink, is "quite a
caution."* As for water, what the man said, when asked to be-
long to the Temperance Society, appears to be the general opinion,
" it's very good for navigation."

So much has it become the habit to cement all friendship, and

* It was not a bad idea of a man who,.genera>]]y speaking, was very
bw-Bpirited,,on. being asked th& cause,, regliedvthat he did not knovr,,

- f ;

:J^

MARRYAT S DfARV.

commence acquaintance by drinking, that it is a cause of serious of-
fenco to refuse, especially in a foreigner, as the Americans like to call
the English. I was always willing to accommodate the Americans
in this jyarticular, as tiir as I could; (there at least, they will do me
justice;) that at tunes I drank much more than I wished is certain,
yet still I gave mo^t serious offence, especially in the West, be-
cause I would not drink early in the morning, or before dinner,
which is a general custom in the States, although much more pre-
valent in the South and West, where it is literally, "Stranger,
will you drink or fight 1" This refusal on my part, or rather ex-
cusing myself from drinking with all tjjose who were introduced to
n»e, was eventually the occasion of much disturbance and of great
animosity towards me — certainly, most unreasonably, as I was in-
troduced to at least twenty every forenoon ; and had I drunk with
them all, I should have been in the same state as many of them
were — that is, not really sober for three or four weeks at a time.

That the constitutions of the Americans must suffer from this
habit is certain ; they do not, however, appear to suffer ^so much
as we should. They say that you may always know the grave
of a Virginian; as fnim the quantity of juleps he has drunk, mint
invariably springs up where ho has been buried. Ijut the Vir-
ginians are not the greatest drinkers, by any means. 1 was once
looking for an Aniorican, and asked a friend of his, where I should
find i)im. " Why," replied he, poin'ing to an hotel opposite, " thai
is his li('/ihii>- place, (a term borrowed from deer roi^orling to lick
the salt:) we will rcc if he is there." lie was not; the bar-keep-
er said ho Iind Icfi about trn minutes. " Well, then, you had bet-
ter remain hero, ho is certain to be bock in ten more — if not sooner."
The American judged his friend rightly ; in five minutes he was
back again, and we had a drink together, of course.

I did not see it myseli", but I was told that somewhere in Mis-
souri, or thereabouts, west of the Mis-^sissippi, all the bars have what
they term a kichiug-boanU it being the custom with the people
who live there, instead of touching glasses when they drink to-
gether, to kick sharply with the side of the foot against the board,
and that after this coremony you are sworn friends. I have had it
mentioned to me by more than one person, therefore I presume it is
the case. What the origin of it is I know not, unless it intends to
imply, "I'm your's to the last kick.''''*

i3efore I finish this article on hotels, I may as well observe here
that there is a custom in the United States, which I consider very
demoralizing to the women, which is that of taking up permanent
residence in large hotels.

but he thought "that he had been born with three drinlis too little in
hwn."

* In a chapter which follows this, I have said that the women of
America are physically superior to the men. This may appear contra-
dictory, as of course they could not be born so; nor are they, for I have
often remarked how very fine the American male children are, especi-
ally those lads who have grown up to the age of fourteen or sixteen.
Que could hardly belifve it possible that tt\e men are the same youths^

There
very earl
dant exp(
than to k
taining s(
have the
cstablisht
ciety, arij
ding at tl
you will
that the
I could i
blishment
marked ;
who are
comments

"The I
economy c
provided t
wondered
tion provic
come acqi:
pose his d(
saw the el
mon drawi
house afle

" I have
which gen
and domes
wives, ami
for the ge
noisv hous
sence of a
taste, are 1
and cares (
their wivei
refinement
from the i
keeping."

advanced ii
pose that it
thrown ofl
young mer
mulusof dr
I Americans,

serious or-
likctocall
\mcricana
^vill du inc
is certain,
West, be-
>re dinner,
more pre-
Slranger,
rather ex-
rod uccd to
1 of jjreat
I was in-
runk witli
y of tliern
at a time,
from this
' ,so much
tlio jirave
link, mint
; the Vir-
wiis once
e I should
site, " that
niT to lick
bar- keep-
had bel-
li sooner."
s he was

in Mis-
uvo what
10 people
drink to-
le board,
ve had it
;ume it is
ntends to

rve here
ider very
irmanent

> Utile in

omen of
\r contra-
br I have
?, especi-
[* sixteen,
le youtb&<.

MARRTAT^S DIARY.

There are gcveral reasons for this: one is, that people marry so
very early that they cannot afford to take a house with the atten-
dant expenses, for in America it is cheaper to live in a large hotel
than to keep a house of your own ; another is, the difficulty of ob-
taininjr servants, and, perhaps, the unwillinnrness of the women to
have the fatigue and annoyance which is really occasioned by an
establishment in that country : added to which is the want of so-
ciety, arising from their husbands being from morning to night plod-
ding at their various avocations. At some of the principal hotels
you will find the apartments of the lodgers so permanently taken,
that the plate with their name engraved on it is fixed on the door.
I could almost tell whether a lady in America kept her own esta-
blishment or lived at an hotel, the difference of manners was so
marked ; and, what is worse, it is chiefly the young married couples
who are to be found there. jVIiss Martineau makes some very just
comments upon this practice : —

•' The uncertainty about domestic service is so great, and the
economy of boarding-house life so tempting to people w!io have not
provided themselves.with house and furniture, that it is not to be
wondered at that many young married people use the accommoda-
tion provided. But no sensible husband, who could beforehand be-
come acquainted with the liabilities incurred, would willingly ex-
j pose his domestic peace to the fearful risk. 1 saw enough when I
" saw the elegantly dressed ladies repair to the windows of the com-
mon drawing-room, on their husbands' departure to the counting-
house afler breakfast.

*' I have been assured that there is no end to the difficulties in

which gentlemen have been involved, both as to their commercial

■ and domestic affairs, by the indiscretion of their thoughtless young

wives, amidst the idleness and levities of boarding-house life. As

for the gentlemen, they arc much to be pitied. Public meals, a

noisy house, confinement to one or two private rooms, with the ab-

\ sence of all gratifications of their own peculiar convenience and

taste, are but a poor solace to the man of business, after the toils

and cares of the day. When to these are added the snares to which

their wives are exposed, it may be imagined that men of sense and

refinement would rather bear with any domestic inconvenience

from the uncertainty and bad quality of help, than give up house-

* keeping."

advanced in Vifb. How is this to be accounted for? I can only sup-
pose that it is fVom their plunging* too early into life as men, having
thrown off parental control, and commencing the usual excesses of
young men in every country at too tender an age. The constant sti-
mulus of drink must, of course, be another powerful cause; not that the
Americans often become intoxicated, on the contrary, you will see
many more in this condition every day in this country than you will in
America. But occasional intoxication is not so injurious to the consti-
tution as that continual application of spirits, which must enfeeble the
, stomach, and, with the assistance of tobacco, destroy its energies. The
I Americans are a drinking but not a drunken nation, and, as I have be-
jfcse observed, the climate operates upon tliemvety powerfully.

it,

ti'J

t ■

'i ^ 'I

'I! I

MARRYAT S DIARY.

tv,

;'.■, - J

i<i' ''

i«i 1':

If such is the case in boardings liousos, what must it be in hotels,
where the male company is ever changinnr. It is one constant lile
of scandal, flirting', eating, drinkinnr, and living in public; the senae
of delicacy is destroyed, and the women remind you of the flowers
that have been breathed upon till they have lost their perfume.

Miss M. observes : —

"I can only say, that I unavoidably knew of more cases of lapse
in highly respectable families in one State than ever came to my
knowledge at home; and that they were got over with a disgrace
far more temporary and superficial than they could have been visi-
ted with in Knglond."

If this observation is correct, it must, in my opinion, be consider-
ed as referring to that portion of the sex who live in holelSf cer-
tainly not to the mass, for reasons which I shall hereafter point
out.

Indeed, what I have seen at pome of the large hotels fully bears
out her assertion. Miii^s M. talks of young ladies being token to
the piano in a promiscuous company. I have seen them go to the
piano without being taken there, sit down and sing with all the
energy of peacocks, before total strangers, and very often without
accompaniment. In the hotels, the private apartments of the
boarders seldom consivSt of more than a large bed-room, and although
company are admitted into it, still it is natural that the major por-
tion of the women's time should be passed down below in the ge-
neral receiving room. In the evening, especially in the large
western cities, they have balls almost every night; indeed it is a
life 01 idleness and vacuity of outward pretence, but of no real good
feeling.

Scandal rages — every one is busy with watching her neighbour's
affairs ; those who have boarded there longest take the lead, and
every new comer or stranger is canvassed with the most severe
scrutiny ; their histories are ascertained, and they are very often
cent to Coventry, for little better reason tlian the will of those who,
as residents, lay down the law.

Indeed, I never witnessed a more ridiculous compound of pre-
tended modesty, and real want of delicacy, than is to be found with
this class of sojourners on the highway. Should any of their own
sex arrive, of whom some little scandal has been afloat, they are up
in arms and down they plump in their rocking-chairs; and although
the hotel may cover nearly an acre of ground, so afraid are they of
contamination, that they declare they will not go down to dinner,
or eat another meal in the hotel, until the obnoxious parties "clear
out." The proprietors are summoned, husbands are bullied, and,
rather than indignant virtue should starve in her rocking-chair, a
committee is formed, and the libelled parties, guilty or not guilty,
ore requested to leave the hotel. As soon as this purification is an-
nounced, virtue, appeased, recovers her appetite, and they all eat
drink, talk scandal, flirt, and sing without invitation as before.

I have been severe upon this class of society in America, not only
because I consider that it deserves it, but because I wish to point
out that Miss Martineau^s observations must be considered as re-
ferring to it, and not to the general character of the American womeok

In this
United S
colony,
and must

What
United
solves ca
nadag.
Cicrman ;
land, and
to the Ui

It ougl
found the
foctcd an
stitulions
like and
dercd at;
mostly di
tunes, oft
tlie true c
they liav(
bcrty and
that thoy
turn to tl
behind,
they becc
fool the c

I have
United S
not confe
of this is
irig they
cipled, pi
contact.

* I wo
with the
ffoguc, w
" Captair
tion of d(
are a pac
Americai
not suffic
it."_u Y
right"

marryat'8 diary.

I * V.

ic in hotels,
;on8tant life
; ; the senile
the flowers
Qrt'ume.

8CS of lapse
came to my
I a djpfjfrace
e been visi-

)e considcr-
hotds, cer-
eal'ler point

fully bears
ig lakcn to
in go to the
/ith all the
ten without
;nt8 of the
id although

major por-
f in the ge-
1 the large
(deed it is a
o real good

eighbour's

lead, and

lost severe

very often

those who,

md of pre-
bund with

their own
hey are up
d although
are they of

to dinner,
ties "clear
Lillied, and,
ng-chair, a
not guilty,
ition is an-
ley all eat
efore.
a, not only
sh to point
jred as re-
an womeik

CHAPTER V.
EMIGRATION AND MIGRATION.

In this chapter I shall confine myself to the omigrntion to tlio
United States, reserving that to Canada until I remark upon that
colony. In discussing this (lucstion I have no statistics to refer to,
and must, therefore, confine myself to general observations.

What the amount of emigration from the Old Continent to Uio
United States may be at present I tlo not think the Atnericans Ihem-
fiolves can tell, as many who arrive at New York go on to the Ca-
nadas. The emigrants arc, however, principally English, Irish, and
Cicrman ; latterly, the emigration to New South Wales, Now Zea-
land, and particularly Texas, has reduced the inllux of emigrants
to the United Slates.

It ought to be pointed out, that among the emigrants arc to bo
found the portion of the people in the United States the most disat-
focted and the most violent against England and itsmonarchic.il in-
stitutions; and who as-sist very much to keep up the feelings of dis-
like and ill-will which exist towards us. Nor is this to be won-
dered at; the linppy and the wealthy do not go into exile; they are
mostly disap|)ointe(l and unhappy men, who attribute their misfor-
tunes, otlen occasioned by their own imprudence, to any cause but
the true one, and hate their own country and its in.stitutions because
they have been unfortunate in it. They form Utopian ideas of li-
berty and prosperity to bo obtained by emigration; they discover
that they have been deceived, and would willingly, if possible, re-
turn to the country they have abjured, and the friends they have left
behind. This produces an increase of irritation and ill-will, and
they become the more violent vituperative in proportion as they
feel the change.""

I have had many conversations with English emigrants in the
United States, and I never yet found one at all respectable, who did
not confess to me that he repented of emigration. One great cause
of this is honourable to them; they feel that in common plain-deal-
ing they are no match for the keen-witted, and I must add unprin-
cipled, portion of the population with which they are thrown in
contact. They must either sacrifice their principle or not succeed.

* I was once conversing with one who was fiM'nicrly very popular
with the dcmoorats, but who was likely to be outset by anotiicr dema-
gogue, who " went the whole hog," down to the Agrarian system.
"Captain," said he, witli his fist clenched, " I'm the very personifica-
tion of democracy, but I'm out-Herodcd by this fellow. The emigrants
are a pack of visionaries, who don't know what they want. The born
Americans I can deal with, but witli these new comers democracy is
not sufficient; they want a mobocracy, and I suppose we must have
it."— "You have it now," replied I. — "Well, captain, I believe you're
right."

■ARRYAT^S DIARY.

Nit y

■A-

1 i
1 ,

Many have used the samo expression to mo. "It is no u^e, sir,
you must cither turn regular Yankee and do as they do, or yuu have
no chance offsetting on in this country."

These people are much to bo pitied ; I used to listen to them with
feelings of deep compassion. Having torn thcnisclvos away from
old ascjooiatioiis, and broken the links which should have bound tlicoi
to their native soil, with the expectation of finding librirty, cciuali-
ty, and competence in a new country, they have discovered when
too late that they have not a fraction of the liberty which is en-
joyed in the country which they have left; that they have severed
themselves from their friends to live amongst those with whom tliey
do not like to agaociate; that they must now labour with tiicir own
hand.s instead of employing others; and tiiat the comptitoiico they
expected, if it is to be obtained, must bo so by a sncnlice of those
principles of honesty and fair-dealing imbibed in their youth, ad-
hered to in their manhood, but which now that they have trans-
planted themselves, are gradually, although unwillingly, yielded up
to the circumstances t)f llieir position.

I was once conversing with an Irishman ; he was not very well
pleased with his change; I laughed r.t him, and said, " IJiit here
you arc free, Paddy." — "Free!" replied lie, "and pray who the
devil was to buy or sell me when I was in Ireland .' Free! uch !
that's all talk; you're free to work ns hard as a lior=c, and get but
little for so doing."

The (ierman emigrants are by far the nost contented and well-
behaved. They trouble themselves less about politics, associate
with one another as much as possible, and when they take a farm,
always, if they possibly can, get it in the neighbourliood of their
own countrymen.

The emigrants most troublesome, but, at the same time, the most
valuable to tlio United States, are the Irish. Without this class of
people the Americans wou'd not have been able to complete tlie
canals and rail-roads, and many other important works. Tliey are,
in fact, the principal labourers of the country, tor the poor Germans
who come out prefer being employed in any other way than in agricul-
ture, until they amass sufficient to obtain farms of their own. As
for the Irish, there are not many of them who possess land in the
United Stales, the major portion of them remain labourt rs, and die
very little better off than when they went out. Some v)f them set
up groceries (these are the most calculating and intelligent,) and
by allowing their countrymen to run in debt for liquor, &c. they
obtain control over them, and make contracts with the government
agents, or other speculators (very advantageous to themselves,) to
supply so many men for public works; by these means a tew ac-
quire a great deal of money, while the many remain in compara-
tive indigence.

We have been accustomed to ascribe the turbulence of the Irish
lower classes to ill-treatment and a sense of their wrongs, but this
disposition appears to follow them every where. It would be sup-
posed that, having emigrated to America and ol tained the rights
of citizens, they would have amalgamated and fraternized to a cer-
tain degree with the people: but such is not the case; they hold

'thomscl^

in the m

and citHti

of the Ui

fact is, ll

himself

leaders ii

ful as a p

(if I rec

their viol

farther, b

force, by

one ward

election I

An An

United S

The Nev

York elec

oflen can

ence upor

New Yor

The Iri

— they be

money.

put in the

names.

A capta
relative to
are more (
nesty.

He con?
if they wc
that they I
to produce
fight their
clared thai
seized his
The Irishr
sumed, thi
captain jei
boat," cri(
All my mc
fore it san
up in it, u
captain na
about one
ment, com
bludgeons;
prepared i

• Idon'i
caaelteti<N

MARRYAT « DIARY.

10 UjiO, sir,
r you liavo

Ihctn vvilli
away from
loiuul tlicm
•ty, C(iu:i.i-
crcd when
hicli 13 cn-
vc severed
^vliorn they
1 tiicir own
tonco they
ce of tlioso
youth, ad-
lave trans-
yielded up

r very well
'' But here
ly w!io the
[■'roe 1 och !
iid <ret but

I and wel'-
f, tissociatc
lUo a farm,
od of their

', the most
lis class of
nplcto the
'J'hoy are,
r (ierinans
ina^ricul-
dwu. As

nd in the
rs, and die

them set
gent,) and
, &c. they
)vernment
selves,) to
a tew ac-

compara-

' the Irish
, but this
id be sup-
Ihe rights
* to a cer-
they hold

'thcmscUes completely apart and distinct, livincf with their families
in the same (juartcr of the city, and adherm;; to their own inanncra
and cuHtom.H. Thoy are Just as little pleased with the institutions
of the rjnitcd States as they are with the {»overnment at home; the
tact is, that they would prefer no fjovcrnmcnt at all, if (as l*addy
himself would say) they knew where to find it. They are the
? leaders in all the political rows and commotions, and very powcr-
H ful as a party in all elections, not only on account of their numbcra
(if I recollect ritjhtly, they muster 4(),(KH) at New Vork,) hut by
their violence preventinjr other people from coming to the poll ; and,
farther, by multiplying themselves, so as greatly to increase their
force, by voting several times over, whicli they do by going from
one ward to another. I was told by one of them that, on the last
election he had voted seven times.*

An American once said to me that the lower Irish ruled the
United States, and he attempted to prove his assertion as follows:
The New York election is carried by the Irish ; now the New
York election has great influence upon the other elections, and
otlen carries the State. The State of New York has great influ-
ence up(m the elections of other Statcp, and therefore the Irish of
New York govern the country. — Q. E. 1).

The Irish, in one point, appear to improve in the United States

— they become much more provident, and many of them hoard their

■ money. They put it into the Savings Banks, and when they have

y put in the sum allowed by law to one person, they deposite in other

names.

A captain of one of the steam-boats told me an anecdote or two
relative to the Irish emigrants, by which it would appear that they
are more saving of their money than is quite consistent with tio-
nesty.

He constantly received them on board, and said that sometimes,
if they were very few, they would declare at the end of the trip
that they had no money, although when detained they never failed
to produce it; if they were very numerous they would attempt to
tight their way without paying. In one instance, an Irishman de-
clared that he had no money, when the captain, to punish him.
seized his old jacket, and insisted upon retaining it tor payment.
The Irishman suffered it to be taken olf, expecting, it is to be pre-
sumed, that it would be returned to him as valueless, when the
captain jerked it overboard. " Oh ! murder ! — captain, drop th»
boat," cried Paddy; "pick my jacket up, or I'm a ruined man.
All my money's in it" The jacket was fortunately picked up be->
fore it sank, and, on ripping it up, it was found to contain, sewedi
up in it, upwards of fitly sovereigns and gold eagles. The same
captain narrated to me the particulars of one instance in which
^ about one hundred Irish were on board, who when asked for pay-
^ ment, commenced an attack upon the captain and crew with< their
bludgeons; but, having before experienced such attempts, he was
prepared for them, and receiving assistance from the thote^ the

* I donH know why, but there b no scrutiny of th^iwtes in Ameri-
can elections, or if there be, I never heard of one bejor made..
5

* ul

! -

■ f

¥'■' I

ii 111

MARRYAT S DIARY.

Irishmen were worsted, and then every man paid his fare. Th6
truth is that they are very turbulent, and the lower orders of the
Americans are very much enraged against them. On the 4th of
July there were several bodies of Americans, who were out on the
look'Out for the Irish, atler dark, and many of the latter were severe-
ly beaten, if not murdered ; the Irish, however, have to thank them*
selves for it.

The spirit of the institutions of the States is so opposed to ser-
vitude, that it is chiefly from the emigrants that the Americans
obtain their supply of domestics; the men servants in the private
houses may be said to be, with few exceptions, either emigrants of
free people of colour. Amongst other points upon which the Ame-
ricans are to be pitied, and for which the most perfect of theoreti-
cal governments could never compensate, is the misery and annoy-*
ance to which they ere exposed from their domestics. They are
absolutely slaves to them, especially in the western free States;
there are no regulations to control them. At any fancied affront
they leave the house without a moment's warning, putting on their
hats or bonnets, and walking out of the street-door, leaving their
masters and mistresses to get on how they can. I remember when
I was staying with a gentleman in the west, that, on the first day
of my arrival, he apologized to me for not having a man servant,
the lellow having then been drunk for a week ; a woman had been
hired to help for a portion of the day, but most of the iaoour fell
upon his wife, whom I found one morning cleaning my room.
The fellow remained ten days drunk, and then (all his money be-
ing spent) sent to his master to say that he would come back on
condition that he would give him a lirtle more liquor. To this
proposition the gentleman was compelled to assent, and the man
returned as if he had conferred a favour. The next day, at dinner^
there being no porter up, the lady said to her husband, " Don't
send ■ ' " ■ for it, but go yourself, my dear; lie is so very cross
again that I fear he will leave the house." A lady of my acquaint-
ance in New York told her coachman that she should give him
warning; the reply from the box was — '♦ I reckon I have been too
long in the woods to be scared with an owl." Had she noticed
this insolence, he would probably have got down from the box, and
have left her to drive her own cattle. The coloured servants are,
generally speaking, the most civil; after thern the Germans; the
Irish and English arc very bad. At the hotels, &c. you very often
find Annericans in subordinate situations, and it is remarkable that
when they are so, they are much more civil than the imported
servants. Few of the American servants, even in the large cities,
understeiifi their business, but it must be remembered that few of
them have ever learnt it, and, moreover, tljey are expected to do
three times as mivcb as a servant would do in an English house.
The American ihouses are much too large ^)r the nutWber of ser-
vant s.Cimployed) iwhich is aQotlier cau«e for service* bciiig' so much

It ts,tMii|;uiar that I have not found in any one book, written by
English, French, or German travellers, any remarks made upon a
cust;^ \vh]ic^iibe:kAnNeNCliA8rl)ave offlhnoatfCiDtirdyrlieviiii^' I roaf
£ay, in the ^MKmcoA of niheiri houses^ r«niI.-wbich'^T0QcMn»n«d4^

MARRYAT^S DIART.

their difficulties in housekeeping with their insufficient domestic
establishments. I say custom nf the Americans, as it is the case
in nine houses out of ten; only the more wealthy travelled, and
refined portion of the community in their cities deviating from the
general practice.

I have before observed that, from the wish of display, the Ame-
rican houses are generally speaking, too larjre for the proprietors
and for the domestics which are employed. Vying with each other
in appearance, their recei""j;i; ''~)ms are splendidly furnished, but
they do not live in them.

The basement in the front area, which with us is usually appro-
priated to the housekeeper'g-room and offices, is in most of their
houses fitted up as a dining-room; by no means a bad plan, as it is
cool in summer, warm in winter, and saves much trouble to the
servants. The dinner is served up in it, direct from the kitchen,
with which it communicates. The master of the house, unless he
dines late, which is seldom the case in American cities, does not
oflen come home to dinner, and the preparations for the family are of
course not very troublesome. But although they go on very well
in their daily routine, to give a dinner is to the majority of the
Americans really an effort, not from the disinclination to give one,
but from the indifference and ignorance of the servants ; and they
may be excused without being taxed with want of hospitality. It
is a very common custom, therefore, for the Americans to invite
you to come and *' take wine " with them, that is to come afler din-
ner, when you will find cakes, ices, wine, and company, already
prepared. But there is something unpleasant in this arrangement;
it is too much like the bar of the tavern in the west, with — " Stran-
ger, will you drink 1" It must, however, be recollected that there
are many exceptions to what I have above stated as the general
practice. There are houses in the principal cities of the States
where you will sit down to as well-arranged and elegant a dinner
as you will find in the best circles of London and Paris; but the
proprietors are men of wealth, who have in all probability been on
the old continent, and have imbibed a taste for luxury and refine-
ment generally unknown and unfelt in the new hemisphere.

I once had an instance of what has been repeatedly observed by
other travellers of the dislike to be considered as servants in this
land of equality.

I was on board of a steam-boat from Detroit to Buffalo, and en-
tered into conversation with a young woman who was leaning over
the taffrail. She had been in service, and was returning home.

"You say you lived with Mr. VV."

♦'No, I didn't," replied she, rather tartly; "I said I lived witli
Mrs. W."

*' Oh ! I understand. In what situation did you live 1"

"I lived in the house."

"Of course you did, but what asl"

" What as] As a gal should live.'*

"I mean what did you do?"

" F helped Mrs. VV."

"And now you are tired of helping others T"

" Guess I am."

MARRYAT S DIARY.

••Who is your father]"

" He's a doctor."

"A doctor 1 and he allows you to go out?"

"He said I might please myself."

" Will he be pleased at your coming home again 1"

" I went out to please myself, and I come home to please nr.yself.
Cost him nothing fur four months; that's more tlian all gals can say.

*' And now you're going home to spend your money ]"

" Don't want to go home for that, it's all gone."

I have been much amused with the awkwardness and noncha-
lant manners of the servants in America. Two American ladies
who had just returned from Europe, told me that shortly after their
arrival at Boston, a young man had been sent to them from Vermont
to do the duty of footman. He had been a day or two in the house,
when they rang the bell and ordered him to bring up two glasses
of lemonade. He made his appearance with the lemonade, which
had been prepared and given to him on a tray by a female servant,
but the ladies, who were sitting one at each end of a sofa and con-
versing, not being ready for it just then, said to him — "We'll take
it presently, John." — "Guess I can wait," replied the man, delibe-
rately taking liis seat on the sofa between them, and placing the
tray on his knees.

When I was at Tremont House, I was very intimate with a fa-
mily who were staying there. One morning we had been pasting
something, and the bell was rung by one of the daughters, a very
fair girl with flaxen hair, who wanted some water to wash her
hands. An Irish waiter answered the bell. " Did you ring, ma'am 1"
— " Yes, Peter, I want a little warm water." "Is it to shave with,
miss]" inquired Paddy, very gravely.

But the emigration from the old continent is of little importance
compared to the migration which takes place in the country itself

As I have before observed, all America is working west. In the
north, the emigration by the lakes is calculated at 100,000 per an-
num, of which about 30,000, are foreigners; the others are the na-
tives of New England and tlie other eastern States, who are ex-
changing from a sterile soil to ono "flowing with milk and honey."
But those who migrate are not all of them agriculturalists; *he
western States are supplied from the north-eastern with their mer-
chants, doctors, schoolmasters, lawyers, and, I may add, with their
members of congress, senators, and governors. New England is a
school^ a sort of manufactory of various professions, fitted tor all pur-
)K)ses — a talent bazaar, where you have every thing at choice; in
fact, what Mr. Tocquevillo says is very true, and the Stales fully
deserve the compliment : —

" The civilization of New England has been like a beacon lit
upon a hill, which, after it has difliised its warmth around, tinges
the distant horizon with its glory."

From the great extent of this emigration to the west, it is said
that the female population in the New England states is greater
than the male. In the last returns of Massachusetts the total popu-
lation was given, but males and females were not given separately,
an omission which induces one to believe that such was the truth."^

« it

The young men of New England migrate in large numbers to

But it

place ;

specula

nesa of

tied in

States,

suppose

since th

takes pi

while

of black

the mas

As tl

Mississi

and unc

and that

80 long '

nies, rer

derness

ritance.

Here

my opini

Soutberr

that whi

much ini

their bat

and whic

eion of tl;

TheS

of slaver

fore: but

become,

control tl

are fast v

first mari

ihe Quee

will com

must be c

Western

This may

sidcred b;

that ten )

pros per it)

may soon

States wi

the populi

are draini

increase i

tixc west, 1
of which I
credible th
than men i

marryat^s diary.

ease ir.yself.
?als can say.

and noncha-
;rican ladies
y after their
Qm Vermont
n the house,
two glasses
nade, which
lale servant,
ofa and con-
' We'll take
man, delibe-
placing the

e with a fa-
leen pasting
ters, a very
wash her
ig, ma'am 1"
shave with,

importance
untry itself,
est. In the

000 per an-
are the na-

Nho are ex-
and honey."
ralists; *he

1 their mer-
with their

Ingland is a
for all pur-
choice; in

States fully

beacon lit
und, tinges

it, it is said

is greater

total popu-

separately,

the truth.*

numbers to

But it is not only from the above States that the migration takes
place; the fondness for ** shifting right away," the eagerness for
speculation, and the by no means exaggerated reports of the rich-
ness of the western country, induce many who are really well set-
tled in the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and other fertilo
States, to sell all and turn to the west. The State of Ohio alone is
supposed to have added many more than a million to her population
since the last census. An extensive migration of white population
takes place from North and South Carolina and the adjacent States,
while fiom the eastern Slave States, there is one continual stream
of black population pouring in, frequently the cavalcade headed by
the masters of their families.

As the numerous tributary streams pour their watery into the
Mississippi, so do rivers of men from every direction continually
and unceasingly How into the west. It is indeed the promised land,
and that the whites should have been detainf'd in the eastern States
so long without a knowledge of the fertile soil beyond the AUegha-
nies, reminds you of the tarrying of the Jewish nation in the wil-
derness before they were permitted to take possession of their inhe-
ritance.

Here there is matter for deep reflection. I have already given
my opinion upon the chances of the sepantion of the northern and
Soutbern.States upon the question of slavery; but it appears to me,
that while the eyes of their legislators have been directn.! with so
much interest to the prospects arising from the above question, that
their backs have been turned to a danger much more imminent,,
and which may bo attended by no less consequences than a convul-
sion of the whole Union.

The Soutiiern and Northern States may separate on the question
of slavery, and yet be in reality better friends than ihey were be-
fore : but what will be the consequence, when the Western States
become, as they assuredly will, so populous and pov/erful, as to
control the Union; for not only population, but power and wealth,,
are fust working their way to the west. New Orleans will be the
first maritime port in the universe, and Cincinnati will not only bo
the Queen of the West, but Queen of the Western World. Then
will come the real clashing of interests, and the Eastern States
must be content to succumb and resign their present power, or tl»e
Western will throw thenn off, as an useless appendage to her might.
This may at present appear chimerical to some, and would be con-
sidered by many others as too far distant; but be it remembered,
that ten years in America, is as a century; and even allowing the
prosperity of the United States to be checked, as very probably it
may soon be, by any quarrel with a foreign nation, the Western
Slates will not be those who will suffer. Far remavcd from strife,
the population hardly interfered with, when the Eastern resources
are draining, Mey will continue to advance in population, and to
increase in wealth. I refer not to the Slave States bordering oa

tlie west, leaving an over proportion of female population, . the amount
of which I ne\^cr cculd learn. Statements were made to me, but so iur
credible that I withhold Uxcm. Suffice it, that there were more womeu
than men in from six to nine Slates in the Union.^" — Mii». Mortineav^

if ' il

irii:

If 'r

II ^'i

MA:iRTATVDrART.

the Mississippi, although I consider that they would suffer little
from a war, as neither England, nor any other nation, will ever be
80 unwise in future as to attack in a quarter, where she would
have extended the olive branch, even if it were not immediately
accepted. Whether America is engaged in war, therefore, or re-
mains in peace, the Western States must, and will soon be the arbi-
ters, and dictate as they please to the Eastern.

At present, they may be considered as infants, not yet of age,
and the Eastern States are their guardians; the profits of their pro-
duce are divided between them and the merchants of the Eastern
cities, who receive at least thirty per cent, as their share. This
must be the case at present, when the advances of the Eastern
capitalists are required by the cotton growers, who are precisely in
the same position with the Eastern States, as the West India plant-
ters used to be with the merchants of London and Liverpool, to
whom they consigned their cargoes for advances received. But the
Western States (to follow up the metaphor) will soon be of age,
and no longer under control : even last year, vessels were freighted
direct from England to Vicksburg, on the Mississippi; in a few
years, there will be large importing houses in the far West, who
will have their goods direct from England at one half the price
which they now pay for them, when forwarded from New York, by
canal, and other conveyances.* Indeed, a very little inquiry will
prove, that the prosperity of the Eastern free States depends in a
great measure upon the Western and Southern. The Eastern
States are the receivers and transporters of goods, and the carriers
of most of the produce of the Union* They advance money on the
crops, and charge high interest, commissions, &c. The transport
and travelling between the Eastern, Southern, and Western
States, are one great source of this prosperity, from the employ-
ment on the canals, rail roads, and steam boats.

All these are heavy charges to the Western States, and can be
avoided by shipping direct from, and sending their produce direct
to, the Old Continent. As the Western States advance in wealth,
so will they advance in power, and in proportion as they so do, will
the Eastern States recede, until they will be lefl in a small mino-
rity, and will eventually have little voice in the Union.

Here, then, is a risk of convulsion ; for the clashing of interests,
next to a war, is the greatest danger to which a democracy can be
exposed. In a democracy, every one legislates, and every one legis-
lates for his own interests. The Eastern States will still be
wealthy and formidable, from their population ; but the commerce
of the principal Eastern cities will decrease, and they will have
little or no staple produce to return to England, or elsewhere ;
whereas the Western States can produce every thing that the
heart of man can desire, and can be wholly independent of them.
They have, in the West, every variety of coal and mineral, to a
boundless extent; a rich alluvial soil, hardly to> be exhausted by
bad cultivation, and wonderful facilities of transport; independent |

* To give the reader some idea of the price of European articles in
the Western country, I will mention cloth. A coat which costs jC4
in England, is chb-'ed £1. IQs. at New York; and at Cincinnati, iu
the West» upwards oif JCIO.

'•'^■■-

MARRY AT S DIARY.

yet of age,
)f their pro-
the Eastern
liare. This
he Eastern
precisely in
India plant-
liverpool, to
ed. But the
be of age,,
re freighted
; in u few
West, who
If the price
;w York, by
inq^uiry will
spends in a
'he Eastern
the carriers
bney on the
le transport
d Western
he ennploy-

and can be
iduce direct
} in wealth,
r so do, will
small mino-

)f interests,

racy can be

^ one legis-

ill still be

commerce

' will have

jlsewhere ;

ig that the

It of them.

ncral, to a

lausted by

idependent

articles in
h costs jC4
neinnati, ia

of the staple produce of cotton, they might supply the whole world
with grain; sugar they already cultivate; the olive flourishes;
wine is already produced on the banks of the Ohio, and the prospect
of raising silk is beyond calculation. In % few days, the manufac-
tures of the Old World can find their way from the mouth of the
Mississippi by ita thousand tributary streams, which run like veins
through every portion of the country, to the confines of Arkansas
and Missouri, to the head of navigation at St. Peter's, on again to
Wisconsin, Michigan, and to the northern lakes, at a much cheaper
rate than they are supplied at present.

One really is lost in admiration when one surveys this great and
glorious Western country, and contemplates the splendour and
riches to which it must ultimately arrive.

As soon as the Eastern States are no longer permitted to remain
the factors of the Western, they must be content to become manu-
facturing states, and probably will compete with England. The
Western States, providentially, I may say, are not likely to be ma-
nufacturers to any great extent, for they have not water powers;
the valley of the Mississippi is an alluvial flat, and although the
Missouri and Mississippi are ewift streams, in general the rivers are
sluggish, and, at all events, they have not the precipitate falls of
water necessary for machinery, and which abound in the North-
eastern States; indeed, if the Western States were to attempt to
manufacture^ as well as to produce, they would spoil the market
for their own produce. Whatever may be the result, whether the
Eastern States submit quietly to be shorn of their greatness, (a
change which must take place,) or to contest the point until it ends
in a separation, this is certain, that the focus of American wealth
and power will eventually be firmly established in the Free States
on the other side of the Alleghany mountains

CHAPTER VI.

NEWSPAPER PRESS.

Ma. TocQUKViLLE observes, " that not a single individual of the
twelve millions who inhabit the territory of the United States has
as yet dared to propose any restrictions upon the liberty of the
press." This is true, and all the respectable Americans acknow-
ledge that this liberty has degenerated into a licentiousness which
threatens the most alarming results; as it has assumed a power,
which awes not only individuals, but the government itself. A due
liberty allowed to the press, may force a government to do right,
but a licentiousness may compel it into error. The American au-
thor, Mr. Cooper, very justly remarks : " It may be taken as a rule,
that without the liberty of the press there can be no popular liber-
ty in a nation, and without its licentiousness, neither public hones-
ty, justice^ or a proper regard for character. Of the two, perhaps,
that people is the happiest which is deprived altogether of a free
press, as private honesty and a healthful tone of the public miad

! li

. I I i

"ii

5»

HARRTAT^S DIAUT.

■1'1

h I'

i I'!

•J J!

^'1

arc not incompatible with narrow institutions, though neither can
exist under the corrupting action of a licentiousness press."
And again —

•• As the press of this country now exists, it would seem to be c.:
pressly devised by the great agent of mischief, to depress and de<
«troy all that is good, and to elevate and advance all that is evil in
the nation. The little truth which is urged, is usually urged
coarsely, weakened and rendered vicious by personalities, while
those who live by falsehoods, fallacies, enmities, partialities, and the
Cichemes of the designing, find the press the very instrument that
devils would invent to effect their designs."

A witty, but unprincipled statesman of our own times, has said,
that "speech was bestowed on man to conceal his thoughts;"
judging from its present condition, he might have added — " tho
press, in America, to pervert truth,^^

But were I to quote the volumes of authority from American and
English writers, they would tire the reader. Tho above are for
the present quite sufficient to establish the fact, that the press in
the United States is licentious to the highest possible degree, and
defies control; my object is to point out the effect of tlii? despotism
upon society, and to show how injurious it is in every way to tho
cause of morality and virtue.

Of course, the newspaper press is the most mischievous, in con-
sequence of its daily circulation, the violence of political animosity,
and the want of respectability in a large proportion of the editors.
The number of papers published and circulated in Great Britain,
among a population of twenty-six millions, is calculated at about
three bundrec' and seventy. The nu'nber published in tlie United
States, among thirteen millions, are supposed to vary between nine
and ten thousand. Now the value of newspapers may be fairly
calculated by the capital expended upon them; and not only is not
one-quarter of the sum expended in England, npon three hundred
and seventy newspapers, expended upon the nine or ten thousand
in America; but I really believe that the expense of the 'Times'
newspaper alone, is equal to at least^j;e</to?/««n/iof the minor pa-
pers in the United States, which are edited by people of no literary '
pretension, and at an expense so trifling as would appear to us not
only ridiculous, but impossible. As to the capabilities of the ma-
jority of the editors, let the Americans speak for themselves.

" Every wretch who can write an English paragraph (and many
who cannot,) every pettifogger without practice, every one whose
poverty or crimes have just left him cash or credit enough to pro-
cure a press and types, sets up a newspaper."
Again —

" If you be puzzled what to do with your son, if he be a born
dunce, if reading and writing be all the accomplishments he can
acquire, if he be horribly ignoraiit and depraved, if he be indolent
and an incorrigible liar, lost to all shame and decency, and incurably
dishonest, make a newspaper editor of him. Look around you, and
see a thousand successful proofs that no excellence or acquirement,,
moral or intellectual, is requisite to conduct a press. The mens
defective an editor is, the better he succeeds. We could give a
thousand instances." — Boston News,

Thes(
in man}

80 cheqi
also asst
editors ir
very we
and Enqi
by Doct(
are too
papers,
its sarca
Prentice
speaking
leans Pi(

amusinsr
mention,
jority arc
odious pi
norance
tract or i
lous cour
thus cone

"I'm
the top,
nations—
with iror
blow I s
is a torn
flash — wi
in circur
Anoth(
"On
gatherin<
cloud th
south-eas
forced th
outrageo
age, and
just abru
made ric
noon full

"1 CO

" Yes,
pusculou
the dark
those m^
have ffci
Again
» Man
world, b
the learr
King a
the tradi

MARRYAT*S DIARY.

neither can
ess."

em to be cj
ress and de*
at is evil in
ually urged
lities, while
ties, and the
uincnt that

SB, has said,

thoughts;"

Ided— " the

lerican and
•ove are for
le press in
legreo, and
? fkspotism
way to the

)us, in con-
animosity,
the editors,
tat Britain,
}d at about
ho United
ween nine
y be fairly
)nly is not
hundred
thousand
Times'
minor pa-
10 literary '
to us not
f the ma-
es.

md many
ne whose
h to pro-

)e a born
s he can
indolent
ncurably
you, anil
lirement^
he morn
d give a

> (

These are the assertions of the Americans, not my own ; that
in many instances they are true, I have no doubt. In a country
so chequered as the United States, such must be expected; but I can
also assert, that there are many very highly respectable and clever
editors in the United Slates. The New York papers are mostof them
very well conducted, and very well written. The New York Courier
and Enquirer, Colonel Webb; the Evening Star, by Noah; the Albion,
by Doctor Bartlett; Spirit of the Times, and many others, which
are too numerous to quote, are equal to many of the English news-
papers. The best written paper in the States, and the happiest in
its sarcasm and wit, is the Louisville Gazette, conducted by Mr.
Prentice of Kentucky; indeed, the western papers, are, generally
speaking, more amusing and witty than the eastern; the New Or-
leans Picayune, by Kendall, is perhaps, after Prentice's, the most
amusing; but there are many more, which are too numerous to
mention, which do great credit to American talent. Still the ma-

I jority are disgraceful not only from their vulgarity, but from their

1 odious personalities and disregard to truth. The bombast and ig-
norance shown in some of these is very amusing. Here is an ex-

. tract or two from the small newspapers published in the less popu-

I lous countries. An editor down East, speaking of his own merits,

! thus concludes —

" Pm a real catastrophe — a small creation ; Mount Vesuvius at
the top, with red hot lava pouring out of the crater, and routing
nations — my fists are rocky mountains — arms, whig liberty poles,
with iron springs. Every step I take is an earthquake — every
blow I strike is a clap of thunder — and every breath I breathe
is a tornado. My disposition is Dupont's best, and goes off at a
flash — when I blast there'll be nothing left but a hole three feet
in circumference and no end to its depth."
Another writes the account of a storm as follows : —
"On Monday afternoon, while the haymakers were all out
gathering in the hay, in anticipation of a shower from the small
cloud that was seen hanging over the hilly regions towards the

.;• south-east, a tremendous storm suddenly burst upon them, and
# forced them to seek shelter from its violence. The wind whistled

' outrageously through the old elms, scattering the beautiful foli-
age, and then going down into the meadow, where the men had
just abruptly \eft their work unfinished, and overturning the half-
made ricks, whisked them into the air, and filled the whole after-
noon full of hay."

" 1 copied the following from a western paper:
*' Yes, my countrymen, a dawn begins to open upon us; the cre-
pusculous rays of returning republicanism are fast extending over
the darkness of our political horizon, and before their brightness,
those myrmidons shall slink away to the abode of the demons who
have generated them, in the hollow caves of darkness."
Again —

"Many who have acquired great fame and celebrity in the
world, began their career as printers. Sir William Blackstone,
the learned English commentator of laws, was a printer by trade.
King Charles III. was a printer, and not unfrequently worked at
the trade after he ascended the throne of England."

- ii-

• n

! 1

MARRY AT^S DIARY.

1^;:'

'i .

Who

Charles III. of England was I do not know,'as he is not yet
mentioned in any of our histories.

The most remarkable newspaper for its obscenity, and total dis-
regard for all decency and truth in its personal attacks, is tho
Morning Herald of New York, published by a person of the nam
of Bennett, and being published in so largo a city, it affords a con-
vincing proof with what impunity the most licentious attacks upon
private characters are permitted. But Mr. Bennett is suigenerh
and demands particular notice. He is indeed a remarkable man.
a species of philosopher, who acts up to his tenets with a mora
courage not often to be met with in the United States. His maxim
appears to be this — -" Money will find me every thing in this world,
and money I will have, at any risk, except that of my life, as, if 1
lost that, the money would be useless." Acting upon this creed.
he has lent his paper to the basest and most malignant purposes, to
the hatred of all that is respectable and good, defaming and invent-
ing lies against every honest man, attacking the peace and happi-
ness of private families by the most injurious and base calumny.
As may be supposed, he has been horse-whipped, kicked, trodden
under foot, and spat upon, and degraded in every possible way; but
all this he courts, because it brings money. Horse-whip him, and
he will bend his back to the lash, and thank you, as every blow is
worth so many dollars. Kick him, and he will remove his coat
tails, that you may have a better mark, and he courts the applica-
tion of the toe, while he counts the total of the damages which he
may obtain. Spit upon him, and he prizes it aa precious ointment,
for it brings him the sovereign remedy for his disease, a fever for
specie.

The day after the punishment, he publishes a full and particular
account of how many kicks, tweaks of the nose, or lashes he may
have received. He prostitutes his pen, his talent, every thing for
money. His glory is, that he has passed the rubicon of shame; and
all he regrets is, that the public is at last coming to the unanimous
opinion, that he is too contemptible, too degraded, to be even
touched. The other, and more respectable editors of newspapers,
avoid him, on account of the filth which he pours forth ; like a pole-
cat, he may be hunted down ; but no dog will ever attempt to worry
him, as soon as he pours out the contents of his foetid bag.

It is a convincing proof of the ardent love of defamation in this
country, that this modern Thersites, who throws the former of that
name so immeasurably into the back ground, has still great sway
over men in office; everyone almost, who has a character is afraid
of him, and will purchase his silence, if they cannot his good
will.

During the crash at New York, when even the suspicion of in-
solvency was fatal, this miscreant published some of the most re*
spectable persons of New York as bankrupts, and yet received no
punishment. His paper is clever, that is certain; but I very much
doubt if Bennett is the clever man — and my reason is this, Bennett
was for some time in England, and during that time the paper, so
far from falling oflT, was better written than before. I myself, be-

fore I had
'^wretch, ai
email note
/Btopped "■
Captain
.Bays —
I " In ore
|j)ors from
|tible, in pc
|cite a fee
Ipublic wl)i
} know nc
people mu
circuinstai

In the
, "Our n
Rgainst pr(
But its vio
*jcities are
gracious
iliigland, e
|A hint — a
>— such thi
met by pre
but in Air
Aveapons.
requisition
. It may L
«8' permit
are vendee
Bupport of
and lower
find hardly
ing to gov
the string
worst feeli
too apt to
when the
opinions, t
with these
before obs
and but tc
might lia\
The other
^^end, I obs
4]>robably t
~a cheap p
try called

• Some
luntry.
uUtion^ ]
hc^eail

MARRYAT S DIARY.

( n

3 he is not yet

and total (lis-
ttacks, is the
1 of the name
afTords a con-
I attacks upon
s sui generis
larkable man.
with a moral
His maxim
in this world,
y life, as, if i
)n this creed,
t purposes, to
g and invent-
ze and happi-
)ase calumny.
;ked, trodden
ible way; but
I'hip him, and
every blow is
love his coat
8 the applica-
ges which he
3us ointment,
ie, a fever for

nd particular
shes he may
ery thing for
f shame; and
e unanimous

to be even
newspapers,

like a pole-
npt to worry

bag.

lation in this
rmer of that

great sway
Iter is afraid
ot his good

)icion of in-
he most re-
received no

very much
his, Bennett
ie paper, so

myself, be-

ore I had been six weeks in the country, was attacked by this

retch, and, at the same time, the paper was sent to me with this
mall note on the margin : — " Send twenty dollars, and it shall be
topped " — " I only wish you may get it," said I to myself.*

Captain Hamilton, speaking of the newspaper press in Amcricai
ays —

" In order to form a fair estimate of their merit, I read newspa-
ers frum all parts of the union, and found them utterly contemp-
iblc, in point of talent, and dealing in abuse so virulent, as to ex-
cite a feeling of disgust, not only with the writers, but with the
ubiic which afforded them support. Tried by this standard — and

know not how it can be objected to — the moral feeling of this
people must be estimated lower than in any deductions from other
circumstances I have ventured to rate it."

In the following remarks, also, I most cordially agree with him.

" Our newspaper and periodical press is bad enough. Its sins
figainst propriety cannot be justified, and ought not to be defended.
}3ut its violence is meekness, its liberty restraint, and even its atro-
ijcities are virtues, when compared with that system of brutal and
ferocious outrage which distinguishes the press in America. In
%Ingland, even an insinuation against personal honour is intolerable.
jA hint — a breath — the contemplation even of a possibility of tarnish
•—such things are sufficient to poison the tranquillity, and, unless
met by prompt vindication, to ruin the character of a public man;
but in America, it is thought necessary to have recourse to other
Aveapons. The strongest epithets of a ruffian vocabulary are put in
requisition."

It may be asked, how is it possible that an " enlightened nation "
ca* permit such atrocity. It must be remembered, that newspapers
are vended at a very low price throughout the States, and that the
support of the major portion of them is derived from the ignorant
and lower classes. Every man in America reads his newspaper^
and hardly any thing else; and while he considers that he is assist-
ing to govern the nation, he is in fact, the dupe of those who pull
the strings in secret, and by flattering his vanity, and exciting his
worst feelings, make him a poor tool in their hands. People are
too apt to imagine that the newspapers echo their own feelings;
when the fact is, that by taking in a paper, which upholds cerlair>
opinions, the readers are, by daily repetition, become so impressed
with these opinions, that they have become slaves to them. I have
before observed, that learning to read and write is not education*
and but too often is the occasion of the demoralization of those, who
might have been more virtuous and more happy in tlieir ignorance.
|The other day when I was in a steam-vessel, going down to Graves-
end, I observed a foot-boy sitting on one of the benches — he was
,])robably ten or eleven years old, and was deeply engaged in reading
|a cheap periodical, mostly confined to the lower orders of this coan-
'|try called the Penny Paul Pry. Surely it had been a blessing to

* Some of the invented caluinniea against me found their way to this
juntry. I consider the contents (tf this chapter to be a stifficientre.
'utationt not only of what has been, but of what will in all probability
~ hereafter asserted against me by the American press.

-]'

((

^H <l

MARRYAT^S DIARY.

'i^i^

. i

■ : Jii

the lad, if he had never learnt to read or write, if he confined his
studies, as probably too many do, from want of farther leisure, to such
an immoral and disgusting publication.

In a country where every man is a politician, and flatters himself
that he is assisting to govern the country, political animosities must
of course bo carried to the greatest lengths, and the press is the
vehicle for party violence; but Captain Hamilton's remarks are so
forcible, and so correct, that I prefer them to any I could make my-
self.

" The opponents of a candidate for office, are generally not con-
tent with denouncing his principles, or deducing from the tenor of
his political life, grounds for questioning the purity of his motives.
They accuse him boldly of burglary or arson, or at the very least,
of petty larceny. Time, place ana circumstances, are all stated.
The candidate for Congress or the Presidency, is broadly asserted to
have picked pockets, or pocketed silver spoons, or to have been guil-
ty of something equally mean and contemptible. Two instances of
this, occur at this moment to my memory. In one newspaper, a
member of Congress was denounced as having feloniously broken
open a scrutoire, and having thence stolen certain bills and bank-
notes; another was charged with selling franks at twopence a
piece, and thus coppering his pockets at the expense of the public."
But let me add the authority of Americans. Mr. Webster, in his
celebrated speech on the public lands, observes in that powerful
and nervous language for which he is so celebrated: — "It is one
of the thousand calumnies with which the press teemed, during an
excited political canvass. It was a charge, of which there wae
not only no proof or probability, but which was, in itself, wholly im-
possible to be true. No man of common information ever believed
a syllable of it. Yet it was of that class of falsehoods, which by
continued repetition, through all the organs of detraction and abuse,
are capable of misleading those who are already far misled, and of
farther fanning passion, already kindled into flame. Doubtless, it
served in its day, and, in greater or less degree, the end designed
by it. Having done that, it has sunk into the general mass of stale
and loathed calumnies. It is the very cast-off slough of a polluted
and shameless press." And Mr. Cooper observes—" Every honest
man appears to admit that the press in America is fast getting to be
intolerable. In escaping from the tyranny of foreign aristocrats,
we have created in our bosoms a tyranny of a character so insup-
portable^ that a change of some sort is getting indispensable to
peace."

Indeed, the spirit of de&mation, so rife in America, is so inti-
mately connected with its principal channel, the press, that it ia
impossible to mention one, without the other, and I shall, therefore,
at once enter into the question.

Defamation is the greatest curse in the United States, and
its effects upon society I shall presently point out It appears
to be inseparable from a democratic form of government, and
must continue to flourish ia it, until it pleases the Supreme
to change the hearts of men. When Aristides inquired of the
CQUQtrynwn, who requested him to write down hie own name oa

MARHYAT S DIARY.

rs himself
ilies must
ess is the
ks are so
nake my-

r not con-
I tenor of

motives,
ery least,
tU stated,
sscrted to
been guil-
stances of
/spa per, a
ly broken
md bank-
opence a
e public."
iter, in his

powerful
' It is one
luring an
hero was
rbolly im-
' believed
which by
ind abuse,
d, and of
ubtless, it

designed
ss of stale
I polluted
ry honest
ting to be
ristocrats,
so iTtsup-
snsable to

i SO inti-
that it is
therefore,

Ktes, and
; appears
lent, and
Supreme
i of the
nameoa

Cnn oysler-tthell, what cause of complaint he had ajTainsl Aris-
lides; the reply pivcn was, " I have none; except, tlr.it I do not
like to hear him always called the Just.*^ So it is with the free
und enlightened citizens of America. Let any man rise above
his fellows by superior talent, lot him hold a consistent, honest
career, and he is exalted only into a pillory, to be pelted at, and be
defiled with ordure. False accusations, the basest insinuations,
are industriously (Mrculated, his public and private character
are equally aspersed, truth is wholly disregarded : even those
who have assisted to rnise him to his pedestal, as soon as they
perceive that he has risen too high above tliem, are equally in-
tlustrious and eajrer to drnjr him down again. Defamation exists
ull over the world, but it is incredible to what an extent this
vice is carried in America. It is a disease which pervades the
land ; which renders every man suspicious and cautious of his
neighbour, creates eye-service and hypocrisy, fosters the bitterest
and most malignant passions, and unceasingly irritates the
morbid sensibility, so remarkable among all classes of ilie
American people.

Captain Hamilton, speaking of the political conti'^sts, says,
" From one extremity of the Union to the other, the political
war slogan is sounded. No quarter is given on either side ;
every printing press in the United States is engaged in the
eondict. Iteason, justice, and charity ; the claims of age and
of past services, of high talents and unspotted integrity, are for-
gotten. No lie is too malignant to be employed in this unhal-
lowed contest, if it can but serve the purpose of deluding, even
for a moment, the most ignorant of mankind. No insinuation
is too base, no equii^ocation too mean, no artifice too paltry.
The world affords no parallel to the scene of political depravity
exhibited periodically in this free country."

(lovernor Clinton, in his address to the legislature in 1828,
says, — "Party spirit has entered the recesses of retirement,
violated the sanctity of female character, invaded the tranquillity
of private life, and visited with severe inflictions the peace of
tamilies. Neither elevation nor humility has been spared, nor
the charities of life, nor distinguished public services, nor the
fire-side, nor the altar, been left free from attack ; but a licentious
and destroying spirit has gone forth, regardless of everything,
hut the gratification of malignant feelings and unworthy aspira-
tions." And in the New York Annual Register, quoted by
(^aptain Hamilton, we have the following remarks : '* In con-
ducting the political discussions which followed ihe adjourn-
ment of Congress, both truth and propriety were set at defiance.
The decencies of private life were disregarded; conversations
nnd correspondence which should have been confidential, were
brought before the public eye; the ruthless warfare was carried
into the bosom of private life; neither age nor sex were spared,
the daily press teemed with ribaldry and falsehood ; and even

111

1 1

H I

.!*

i* I

MARRYAT 8 DIARY

the tomb was not held sacred from the rancorous hostility
which distinguished the presidential election of 1828."

I have considered it necessary thus to heap authority upon
authority, as the subject is one of the most vital importance;
and I must first provt; the extent of this vice, without the chance
of the shadow of contradiction, before I point out its fatal con-
sen uences.

That the political animosities arising from a free and enlight-
ened people governing themselves, have principally engendered
and fostered this vice, is most certain ; and it would be aonio
satisfaction, if, after iho hostile feelings had subsided, the hydra
also sank to repose.

But this cannot bo the case. A vice, like detraction, so con-
genial to our imperfect natures, is not to be confined to one
channel, and only resorted to, as a political weapon, when re-
quired. It is a vice which when once called into action, and
unchecked by the fear of punishment or shame, must exist and
be fed. It becomes a confirmed habit, and the effect upon society
is dreadful. If it cannot aim its shafts at those who are in high
places, if there is no noble quarry for its weapons, it will seek
Its food amongst smaller game, for it never tires. The conse-
quence is, that it pervades and feeds upon society — private life
is embittered ; and, as Mr. Cooper most justly observes, " ren-
dering men indifferent to character, and indeed rendering character
of little avaiiy

Indeed, from the prevalence of this vice, society in America
appears to be in a state of constant warfare — Indian warfare, as
every one is crouched, concealed, watching for an opportunity
to scalp the reputation of his neighbour! They exist in fear
and trembling, afraid to speak, afraid to act, or follow their own
will, for in America there is no free will. When I have asked
why they do not this or that, the reply has invariably been, that
they dare not. In fact, to keep their station in society, they
must be slaves — not merely slaves, for we are all so far slaves,
that if we do that which is not right, we must be expelled from
it; but abject and cowardly slaves, who dare not do that which
is innocent, lest they should be misrepresented. This is the
cause why there is such an attention to the outward forms of
religion in the United States, and which has induced some
travellers to suppose them a religious people, as if it were possi-
ble that any real religion could exist, where morality is at so
low an ebb. When I first went to Boston, I did not go to church
on the following day. An elderly gentleman called upon and
pointed out to me that I had omitted this duty ; " but," continued
he, '* I have had it put into one of the newspapers that you
attended divine service at such a church, so all is right." All
was right; yes, all was right, according to the American's ideas
of *' all was right." But I thought at the time, that my sin of
omission was much more venial than his of commission.

Whrn at
turned a fev
waH juftili*'
^orsliip (!xe

The pre^
society in o
knowing w
intimacy w
cifily, who
general, wl
by one part
another tha
be on their
cause, it is
son's real c
rated, so tli
credited
with.

Almost a
may add al
principally
there is no
ties to acco
against his

Inadverte
will immed
be industrio
est wretch i
due cautior
occurred wi
ceived greal
dined at his
end, at a <
what passec
whose nam(
Louisville,
Clay at his
lated agains
very good o
State, and i
not be a mo
most friendl
I had forme
high was tl
circulated, 1
the subject,
quitting me
and they w(
it might be

MARRYAT S DIART.

Wlu'n at Detroit, I was attacked in the papers because I re-
lumed a few calls on a Sunday. I mention this, not because I
was jui<titicd in so doin^r, but because 1 wish to show the ccn-
:sorship (jxercised in this very moral counlry.

'I'he prevalence of this evil acts most unfortunately upon
society in other ways. It is the occasion of your hardly ever
kiiowinir whom you may, or whom you may not be on terms of
intimacy with, and of the introduction of many people into so-
ciety, who ou<jht to be wholly excluded. Where slander is so
general, when in the space of five minutes you will be itiformcd
by one party, that Mr. So and So is an excellent person, and by
another that he is a ^reat scoundrel, just as he may happen to
be on their side or the opposite, in politics, or from any other
cause, it is certain that you must be embarrassed as to tiie per-
son's real character; and as a really good man may be vitupe-
rated, so the reports against one who is unworthy, are as little
credited : the fact is, you never know who you are in company
with.

Almost all the duels which are so frequent in America, and I
may add all the assassinations in the western country, arise
principally from defamation. The law gives no redress, and
there is no other way of checking slander, than calling the par-
ties to account for it. Every man is therefore ready and armed
against his fellow.

Inadvertently affront any party, wound his self-love, and he
will immediately coin some malignant report, which is sure to
be industriously circulated. You are at the mercy of the mean-
est wretch in the country ; for although praise is received with
due caution, slander is everywhere welcomed. An instance
occurred with respect to myself. I was at Lexington, and re-
ceived great kindness and civility from Mr. Clay. One day I
dined at his table ; there was a large party, and at the further
end, at a distance where he could not possibly have heard
what passed between Mr. Clay and me, there sat a young man,
whose name is not worth mentioning. When he returned to
Louisville, he spread a report that 1 had grossly insulted Mr.
Clay at his own table. Now the catalogue of enormities circu-
lated against roe was already so extensive, that I was not in
very good odour; but Mr. Clay is so deservedly the idol of this
State, and indeed of almost the whole Union, that there could
not be a more serious charge against me — even those who were
most friendly avoided me, saying, they could forgive me what
I had formerly done, but to insult Mr. Clay was too bad. So
high was the feeling, and so industriously was the calumny
circulated, that at last I was compelled to write to Mr. Clay on
the subject, and I received in return a most handsome letter, ac-
quitting me of the malicious charge. This I showed to some,
and they were satisfied ; and they advised me to print it, that
it might be better known. This was a compliment I did not

I >,

! I

M' I

li.

MARRYAT S DIARY.

*,
1.'^'

choose to pay them ; and tl»e impression of the majority sti/I isj
tliat 1 insulted Mr. Clay. The affair being one of the many
connected with myself, I should not have mentioned it, excepJ
to prove how lijrhtly such a practice is estimated.

VVhatever society permits, people will do, and moreover, will
not think that tliey are wrong in so doing. In England, had a
person been guilty of a deliberate and odious lie, he would have
been .scouted from society, his best friends would have cut him ;
but how was this person treated for his conduct ? When I
showed INIr. ('lay's letter, one said, " Well now, that was rery
wrong of A." — Another, " 1 did not believe that A. would have
done so" — A third, " that A. ought to be ashamed of himself;'*
but they did not one of them, on account of this falsehood, think
it necessary to avoid him. On the contrary, he was walking
arm-in-arm with the men, dancing and flirting with the women
just as before, although his slander, and the refutation of it, were
both well known.

The reader will now perceive the great moral evil arising
from this vice, which is, that it habituates people to falsehood.
'I'he lie of slander, is the basest of all lies ; wini the practice of
it, the most demoralizing to the human heart. Those who will
descend to snch deliberate and malignant falsehood, will not
scruple at any other description. The consequence is, that what
the Americans have been so often taxed with, is but too preva-
lent, "a disregard to truth.'*''

To what must we ascribe the great prevalence of this demo-
ralizing habit in the United States 1 That the licentiousness of
the press feeds it, it is true; but I am rather inclined to imagine
that the real source of it is to be found in the peculiarity of their
institutions. Under a democracy, there are but two means by
which a man can rise above his fellows — wealth and character;
and when all are equal, and each is struggling to rise above the
other, it is to the principle that if you cannot rise above another
by your own merit, you can at least so far equalize your condi-
tion by pulling him down to your own level, that this inordinate
appetite for defamation must be ascribed. It is a state of un-
generous warfare, arising from there being no gradation, no
scale, no discipline, if I may use the term, in society. Every one
asserts his equality, and at the same time wishes to rise above
his fellows : and society is in a stale of perpetual and disgrace-
ful scullle. Mr. Tocqueville says, "There exists in the hu-
man heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak
to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level, and induces
men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom."

In po! itics, especial ly, character becomes of much more import-
ance than wealth, and if a man in public life can once be ren-
dered odious, or be made suspected, he loses his supporters, and
there is one antagonist reirioved in the race for pre-eminence.
iSuch is one of the lamentable defects arising from a dem.ocrati-

marrtat's diary.

I f

hu-

cal form of Government. How different from Ennrland, and the
settled nations of the old world, where it may be said that
everything and everybody is comparatively speaking in his
place !

Althouorh many will, and may justifiably, attempt to rise
beyond his circumstances and birth, still there is orderand regu-
larity ; each party knows the precise round in the ladder on
which he stands, and the majority are content with their
position.

It is lamentable to observe how many bad feelings, how many
evil passions, are constantly in a state of activity from this
unfortunate chaotical want of gradation and discipline, where all
would be tirst, and every one considers himself as good as his
neighbour.

The abtre-mentioned author observes —

•' The surface of American society is, if I may use the expres-
sion, covered with a layer of democracy, from beneath which
the aristocratic colours sometimes peep."

In a moral sense, this is also t/ue, the nobler virtues which
are chiefly produced in the fertile field of aristocracy do occa-
sionally appear; but the whole surface is covered with a layer
of democracy, which like the lava which the volcano continually
belches forth, has gradually poured down, and reduced the
country round it to barrenness and sterility.*

* This chapter was in the press, when a paragraph, cut out of the
Baltimore Chronicle, was received from an anonymous hand at New
York. Whether with a friendly intention or otherwise, I am equally
oliJiGTcd to the party, as it enables me to further prove, if it were
necessary, the vituperation of the American press.

" Many persons in our country had an opportunity of becominj^
acquainted with the Captain. The fast-anchored isle never gave
birtii to a more unmitigated blackguard. His awkward, unwieldly
misshapen body, was but a fair lodging for a low, depraved, licentious
soul. Although liberally educated, he seemed insensible to any other
enjoyments iiian those of sense. No human being could in his de-
sires or habits approach more near to the animal than him. No
gentleman ever sat down with him an hour without a sensation of
loathing and disgust. 'What kind of man is Captain Marryat?'
was once asked in our presence of a distinguished member of Con-
•Tfess, who had sojourned with him at the White Sulphur Springs.
' He is no man at all,' was the reply, ' he is a beast.' "

This is really " going the whole hog" himself, and making me go
it too. Now, if I reerivc such abuao for my first three volumes, in
which I went into little or no analysis, what am I to expect for those
which are about to appear 1 To the editor of the Baltimore Chroni-
cle / feel indebted : but I suspect that the respectable portion of tho
American community will be very much annoyed at my thus giving
his remarks more extensive circulation than he anticipated.

6»

• -M

' f

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i '

4 .

t. ►

marryat's diary.

:f^

CHAPTKR VII.

AUTHORS, ETC.

The best specimens of American writintj are to be found in
their polilicul articles, which are, jjenerally speaking, clear,
argumentative, and well arranged. The President's annual mes-
sage is always masterly in composition, although disgraced by
its servile adulation of the majority. If we vvere to judge of the
de<rrees of enlightment of the tivo countries, America and Enjj-
lind, by the President's message and the King's speech, we
should be left immeiisurably in the back-ground — the message,
generally speaking, being a model of composition, while the
speech is but loo often a farrago of bad English. This is very
strange, as those who concoct the speech are of usually mucli
higher classical attainments than those who write the message.
The only way to account for it, is, that in the attempt to con-
dense the speech, they pare and pare away till the sense of it is al-
most gone ; his Majesty's ministers perfectly understanding what
they mean themselves, but forgetting that it is necessary that
others should do the same. But in almost all branches of liter-
ature the Americans have no cause to be displeased with the
labours of their writers, c« .isidering that they have the disad-
vantage of America look;ng almost entirely to the teeming press
of England for their regular supply, ami howfew in thatcountrj"
can be said at present to be men of leisure and able to devote
themselves to the pursuit. An author by profession would gain
but a sorry livelihood in the United States, unless he happened
to be as deservedly successl'ul as Washington Irving or Cooper.
He not only has to compete against the best English authors,
but as almost all the English works are published without any
sum being paid for the copyright, it is evident that he must sell
his work at a higher price if he is to obtain any profit. An
English work of fiction, for instance, is soM at a dollar and a
quarter, while an American one costs two dollars.

This circumstance would alone break down the American
literature if it were not for the generosity of England in granting
their authors a copyright in this country ; indeed, the American
public pay that tacit compliment to us that they will hardly look
at a work by one of their own citizens, until it has first been
published in England, and received the stamp of approbaUoii.
Those American authors who have obtained a reputation look,
therefore, chiefly to the English copyright for remuneration; and
if it were not for this liberality on our part, the American litera-
ture would not receive sufficient support from its own country
to make it worth the while of any one to engage in it. Thn
number of English works republished in America is very great.

marrvat's diary.

ly look
t been
batioii.
look,
ami
litora-
jouutrv

great.

b.it the number of each work sold is inucii emaller than people
here imagined.

The periodical literature of the United States is hirrbly crcdi-
tible. Tiie American Quarterly Review; the New York Mir-
ror, by George I'. Morris; the Knickerbocker, by Clarke; and
the Monthly Magazine; all published at New York, are very
good; so, indeed, are the magazines published at I'hilndelphia,
and many others. It may be said that, upon the whole, the
periodical press of America is pretty well on a par with that of
this country. Periodical literature suits the genius of the
Americans, and it is better supported by them tlian any other
description.

The Americans are jealous of our literature, as they are.
indeed, of everything coimectod with this country; but thev
do themselves injustice in this respect, as I consider that they have
a very fair proportion of gocxl writers. In history, and the heavier
branches of literature, they have the names of Sparks, Prescott, Ban-
croft, Schoolcraft, IJutler, Carey, Pitkin, &c. In general litera-
ture, they have Washington Irving, Fay, Hall, Willis, Sanderson.
Sedgwick, Leslie, Stephens, Child and Neal. In fiction, they
have Cooper, Paulding, Bird, Kennedy, Thomas, Ingrahain, and
many others. They, notwithstanding the musquitoes, have pro-
duced some very good poets: Bryant, Ilalleck, Sigourney,
Drake, &:c. ; and have thoy not, with a host of polemical writers.
Dr. Channing, one of their greatest men, and from his moral
courage in pointing out their errors, the best friend to his country
that America has ever priMluced ! Indeed, to these names we
might fairly add their legal writers — C'hancellor Kent and Judge
Story, as well as Webster, Ckiy, Everett, Cass, and otheiv, who
are better known from their great political reputations than from
their writings. Considering that they have but half our popula-
tion, and not a quarter of the time to spare that we have in this
country, the Americans have no want of good writers, although
there arc few of them well known to the British public. It must
be pointed out that the American writers are under another dis-
advantage; which we are not subject to in this country, which is.
that freedom of opinion is not permitted to them ; the majority
will not allow it, except on points of religion, and in them they
may speculate as much as they please, and publish their opinions,
whether Deistical, Atheistical, or worse, if they can find worse
out. It is true than an author may, and some will, publish what
they please, but if he does not wish to lose his popularity, and
thereby lose his profits, he must not only not offend, but he must
conciliate and flatter tlie nation: and such is the practice with
the majority of American authors. Whether it be a work of
fiction or one of history his countrymen must be praised, and, it
It be possible to introduce it, there must be some abuse of Eng-
land. This fact will account for the waning popularity of Mr.
Cooper ; ha has ventured to tell his countrymea the truth in

:t '

MARRYAT S DIARY.

lifr

1 1

more than of his later works, and now the majority are against
him. The work, which I have often quoted in these pages,
called "The Democrat," fell dead from the press. I think it
fortunate for Mr. Cooper that it did, as people have been lynched
who have not said half so much as he did in that work. His
" Naval History" will reinstate him, and I suspect it has been
taken up with that view, for, although Mr. Cooper has shown a
good deal of moral courage, he has not remained consistent. At
one moment he publishes " The Democrat," and gives his coun-
trymen a good whipping, and then he publishes his "Naval His-
tory," and soft sawders them. But, with the exception of Dr.
Channing, he almost stands alone in this particular.

One ot the best authors of America is Judge Hall ; he proves
himself by his writings to be a shrewd, intelligent man, and
yet in his " Statistics of the West " I was surprised to find the
following paragraph, the substance of which was more than once
repealed in the work. Speaking of the Indian hostilities, he
says : —

"The mother country (England) never ceased to indulge in
the hope of reuniting the colonies (that is the United States) to
her empire, until the war of eighteen hundred and twelve crushed
the last vestige of her delusive anticipations."

Such is his preposterous assertion, the absurdity of which
will make an Englishmati laugh ; but thecorolJaries drawn from
it are sr.ious, as they are intended to feed the hostile feeling
still existing against this country ; for he attempts to prove that
from the time the Independence was ratified by George HI. that
we have ever been trying to reduce America again to our sway ;
and that all the hostile attempts of the various Indian tribes, all
the murders of women and children, and scalping, since that
date, were wholly to be ascribed to the agency and bribes of
England, who hoped by such means to drive the Americans
back to the sea coast, where they could be assailed by her
navy.

A little reflection might satisfy any reasonable American,
that when they wrestled by main force, and without regard to
justice, those lands from the Indians which they had hunted
over for so many generations, and which were their own pro-
perty, it was very natural that the Indians should not surrender
them without a struggle. But the wish of Judge Hall was to
satisfy his countrymen that their exterminating wars against
the Indians have been thoseofse/fdejhice, and not o^ unpardon-
able ag!>;ression. At that period there were many white men
who had either joined, or, having Iieen captured, had been
adopted into, the Indian tribes. All these Judge Hall would
make out to be English emissaries, especially one whom he
very correctly designates as the " infamous Girty.^^ Unfortu-
nately for Judge Hall the infamous Girty was an American, and
born in Philadelphia, as is proved by American authority.

(

This
Ihem alo
in Enyl
offensive
not print
narrows
the penp
up to tilt
thus the

The rd
as all h
Where i
certain it
America

" It is
arrive in
cliques i
the medi
presental
opinions
estimatec
their owt
the grate

"This
found in
sions as t
women.

" She (
does our I
publicatic
best wor
('ooper '1
unwarrar
the reput

Such \
termed t
oracles \
America,
More is I

She sa
has neve
be. In J
and she
too Iwld 1
best socii
rooms on
the table

Siie SJ

MARRYAT S DIARY.

This obliiration to wrifn for their own countrymrn, anrl for
them alone, has very mu("h injured the sale of American works
in Kn^land, for publishers having read them find no many
otiensive and untrue remarks upon this country, that they will
not print ihrm. Uut it does more harm, as it cramps t^enius,
narrows their idear,, and instead of leadinjj in the advance, and
the people lookinnr up to them, they follow in the rear, and look
up to the people, whom they Hatter to obtain popularity; and
thus the pen in America, as a moral weapon, is at present *'nit/-

The remarks of Miss Martineau on American literature are,
as all her other remarks, to be received with great caution.
Where she obtained her information I know very well, and
certain it is that she has been most egregiously deceived. An
American critic observes very truly : —

" It is the misfortune of professed book writers, when they
arrive in the United States, to fall into the hands of certain
cli(|ues in our principal cities and town, who make themselves
the medium of interpretation — their own modes of life, the re-
presentation of those of the. elite of the country ; their own
opinions, the infallible criterion by which all others must be
estimated. They surround the traveller with an atmosphere of
their ow n, and hope to shine through it on the future pages of
the grateful guest.

"This accounts satisfactorily for many things which are to be
found in Miss Martineau's work, for her numerous misapprehen-
sions as to the character, taste, and occupations of the American
women.

" She evidently mistakes the character of our merchants, and
does our literature but meagre jsistice. To hold up some obscure
publications from the pens of mere literary adventurers as the
beat works she has seen, and at the same time pronounce Mr.
('ooper 'a much regretted failure,' is a stretch of boldness, quite
unwarranted by anything Miss Martineau has yet achieved in
the republic of letters."

Such was really the case; Miss Martineau fell into what was
termed the Slockbridge clique, and pinned her faith upon the
oracles which they poured into her ears. She says that in
America, Hannah More is best known; on the contrary, Ilunnah
More is hardly known in the United States.

Sjic says that Wordsworth is much read. Mr. Wordsworth
has never even in this country been appreciated as lie ought to
bo. In America it may almost be said that he has not been read ;
and she adds to this, that Byron is little known ; this is really
too l)old an assertion. Miss Martineau was everywhere in the
best society in America; and I believe that in nine drawing-
rooms out often, she must have seen a copy of Byron lying on
the table.

She says Mr. Cooper is a failure. With the exception of

Mi'^

' \r%

marryat's diary.

•H

!■

■i
,1

•1 !

■?i i

Washington Irving, there never was an American writer so
justly popular in America as ('ooper. It is true that latterly'hp
has displeased the majority, by pointing out to them their taultB,
and that he is not always in a good humour when he wrilej*
about England. But to state the author of such works as the
Pilot, the Last of the Mohicans, and the Prairie, a failure, is
really too absurd. The cause of this remark is said to be thai
had a quarrel with Miss Martineau's particular
There is only one remark in the whole of
whicli is in itself true. She says Bulwer is

Mr. Cooper
friend Mr. S

her observations

much read. Here she is correct : but the cause which she gives
for his being so much read, is not the real one. She asserts it is
on account of his liberal opinions; it is not on that account, it is
from the interest of his stories, and the beauty of his writing.

But the assertion that seemed to me the most strange in Miss
Martineau's work, was, that Mr. Carlisle, the author of Sartor
Resartus, was the most read of any English autlior. Without
intending to depreciate the works of Mr. Carlisle, I felt con-
vinced from my own knowledge, that this could not be a fact,
for Mr. Carlisle's works are not suited to the Americans. 1,
therefore, determined to ascertain how far it was correct. I
went to the publishers, and inquired how many of Mr. Carlisle's
works had been printed. They replied that they had printed
one edition of six hundred copies, which they had nearly sold ;
and were considering whether it would be worth their while to
print a second ; and in consequence of Miss Martineau's asser-
tion, that Byron was little known, 1 applied to the largest pub-
lishers in New York and Philadelphia, to ascertain, if I could,
how many copies of Byron had been published. Tfie reply was,
that it was impossible to say exactly, as there had been so many
editions issued, by so many different publishers, but that they
considered that irom one hundred and fifty to two hundred
thousand copies, must have been sold ! so much tor the accu-
racy of Miss Martineau.*

I am afraid, that notwithstanding the eloquent and energetic
exertions of the author of " Ion," we shall never be able to make
the public believe that the creations of a man's brain are his own
property, or effect any arrangement with foreign countries, so as
to secure a copyright to the English author. As on my arrival
in America it was reported in the newspapers that I had come

* Miss Martineau talks of Dr. Follett as one of the greatest men
in America. I was surpiscd at this, as I never heard of his name,
so I inquired—" Who is Dr. Follett 1" •' I don't know."—" Do you
know Dr. Follett ?" " Never heard of him."—" Do you ?" " No."
I asked so many people that at last I became quite tired ; at last I
found a man who knew him, his answer was — " Oh, yes ; he's an
Abolitionist .'" As the American critic justly observes, " He shines
in the future pages of his grateful guest."

out to a
up the
fore, cof
an inter
the saim
The {
espouse!
thing w
of w hie
it, and
was broi

marryat's diary.

vriter so
tterly'he
:ir faults,
le writes
ks as the
iiilure, is
be that
larticular
whole of
Julwer is
slie gives
iserts it is
)unt, it is
•iting'.
3 in Miss
of Sartor
Without
felt con-
be a fact,
cans. I,
irrect. I
Carlisle's
d printed
irly sold ;
while to
u's asser-
gest pub-
f I could,
eply was,
so many
hat they
hundred
16 accu-

inergetic
to make
his own
es, so as
y arrival
ad come

test men
IS name,
* Do you
"i\o."
at last I
he's an
e shines

out to ascertain what could be done in that respect, and to follow
up the petition of the ?]nglish authors. The subject was, there-
fore, constantly introduced and canvassed ; and I naturally took
an interest in it. Every one almost was for granting it; but, at
the same time, every one told mo that wo should not obtain it.

ThepetJion of the English authors to Congreys was warmly
espoused by Mr. Clay, who invariably leads the van in every-
thing which is liberal and gentlemanlike. A select committee,
of which Mr. Clay was chairman, was formed to consider upon
it, and the following was the result of their inquiry, and a bill
was brought in, upon the report of the committee : —

" In Senate of the United Sta'es, Feb. 16, 1887.
•* Mr. Clay made the following report-

** The select committee to whom « ^s referred the address of
certain British and the petition of c. Miin Amcican authors,
have, according to order, had the same under consideration, and
beg leave now to report :

" That, by the act of Congress of 185^1, being the law now in
force regulating copyrights, the benefits of the act are restricted
to citizens or residents of the United Slates ; sc that no foreigner,
residing abroad, can secure a copyright in the United States for
any work of which he is the author, however important or valu-
able it may be. The object of the address and petition, there-
fore, is to remove this re.stricti(m as to British authors, and to
allow them to enjoy the benefits of our law.

" That authors and inventors have, according to the practice
among civilized nations, a property in the respective productions
of their genius is incontcstible; and that this property should he
protected as cficctually as any other property is, by law, follows
as a legitimate consequence. Authors and inventors are among
llic greatest benefactors of mankind. They are otlen dependent,
exclusively, upon their own mental labours for the means of
subsistence ; and are frequently, from the nature of their pur-
suits, or the constitutions of their minds, incapable of applying
that provident care to worldly affairs which other classes of
society are in the habit <if bestowing. These considerations
ffivo additional strength to their just title to the protection of the
law.

" It being established that literary property is entitled to legal
protection, it results that this protection ought to be afibrded
wiierever the property is situated. A British merchant brings
or transmits to the United States a bale of merchandize, and the
moment it comes within the jurisdiction of our laws they throwr
around it efTectual .security. But if the work of a British author
IS brought to the United States, it may be appropriated by any
resident here, and republished, without any compensation what-
ever being made to the author. We should be all shocked if
the law tolerated the least invasion of the rights of property, in
the case of the merchandize, whilst those which justly belong to

i • f

; fl

7'>

marryat's DIARir.

,«p.

v\.

the works of authors are exposed to daily violation, without the
possibility of their invokinir the aid of the lawH.

"'J'he cointnittee think that this distinction in the condition of
the two descriptions of property is not just ; and that it oujifht to
be remedied by some s;itt) and cautious amendment of the law.
Already the principle has been adopted in the patent laws, of
extondinjr their benefits to forcig-n inventions and improvements,
it is but carrying out the same principle to extend the benefit
of our copyriorht laws to foreirrn authors. In relation to the
siibjfjct of Great Britain and France, it will bo but a measure of
reciprocal justice; for, in bolh of those countries, our authors
may enjoy that proteotion of their laws for literary property
which is denied to their subjects here.

♦* Entertaining these views, the committee have been anxious
to devise some measure which, without too ftreat a disturbance
of interests or alTectinjr too seriously arrangements which have
grown out of the present state of thintrs, niay, without hazard,
be subjected to the test of practical experience. Of the works
which have heretofore issued from the foreiijn press, many have
already been republished in the United Stales; others are in a
progress of republication, and some probably have been stereo-
typed. A copyright law which should embrace any of these
works, might injuriously alfeci American publishers, and lead
to collision and litigation between them and foreign authors.

"Acting, then, on the principles of prudence and caution, by
which the committee have thought it best to be governed, the
bill which the committee intend proposing provides that the
protection which it secures shall extend to those works only
which shall be published after its passage. It is also limited
to the subjects of Great Britain and France; among other
reasons, because the committee have information that, by their
laws, American authors can obtain there protection for their
productions; but they have no information that such is the case
in any other foreign country. But, in principle, the committee
perceive tio objection to considering the republic of letters as
one great community, and adopting a system of protection for
literary property which shoula be common to all parts of it.
The bill also provides that an American edition of the foreign
work for which an American copyright has been obtained,
shall be published within reasonable time.

"If the bill should pass, its operation in this country would
be to leave the public, without any charge for copyright, in the
undisturbed possession of all scientific and literary works pub-
lished pr'jr to its passage — in other words, the great mass of
the scirr.ce and literature of the world ; and to entitle the British
or French author only to the benefit of every copyright in re-
spect to works which may be published subsequent to the pas-
sage of the law.

"The committee cannot anticipate any reasonable or just ob-

jection to
deed, he c
chargpil w
into the \\<
would be i
no means
when thi^
fully an
exlranrdin
hurried pu
compptilio
cheaply a?
prove to b
pay a few
by which
itself? II
tinn, of ini
into existe
mittee ihi
would not
lions, to a
tion being
the bale ol
It; and he
when it sc
book now
preservatif

" With
posed bill,
before sta
Congress
by securin
elusive riu
is no limi
country,
object of t
progress o
lar country
that the s
genius, in
and the ai
offers to tl

"Thec(
which ace

Let it n
ported hy
of it espoii
manner, ir
of more a(

MARRY AT S DIARY.

jpction to a mpasure thus jjunrded and r»'stricted. Ft may, in-
deed, lie onnfpnd(Ml, and it is possible that a nrw work, when
charjfed with the expense incident ti) the enpyrii;ht, may come
into thp hiinds of the piirehaser at a small afivance beyond what
wonid be its price, it' there were no such charixe; but this is by
no means certain. It is, on the contrary, hiiihly probable that,
when the American pii!)lisber has adc(iuafe time to issue care-
fnlly an edition of the forei^-n work, without inciirrinjr the
extraordinary expense which he , o\v has to sustain to make a
hurried publication of it, and toijiiiird himself'a^rainst dangerous
oompetiiion. he wi'l be able to bring it into the market as
cheaply as if the I)ill were not to pass. Miit, if that should not
prove to be the case, and if the American reader should have to
pay a few cents to corni)ensat<' the author for composiiifT a work
by which he is iristructed and profited, would it not be just in
itself? Mas any r-^ader a ri<4hl to the use, without remunera-
tion, of iniellectu II productions which have not yet hern brouo[ht
into existence, but lie buried in the mind of genius'? The com-
mittee think not; and they believi; that n) American citizen
would not feel it quite as unjust, in reference to futurt; publica-
tions, to a|)prcipriate to bitnself their use, without any considera-
tion beinnr |)aid to ll.?ir foreijrn proprietor?, as he would to take
the bale of mercbnulise, in th(^ case stated, without payinij for
it ; and he would the r>iore readily make this IriMinfj contribution,
when it secured to him, instead of the injperfect and slovenly
l>ook now often issued, a neat and valuable work, worthy of
preservation.

" With respect to the constitutional power to pass the pro-
posed bill, 'he committee entertain no doubt, and Compress, as
before stated, has acttid on it. 'J'he constitution authorizes
Conjrress ' to promote the progress of science and useful arts,
by securing, f)r limited times, to authors and inventors, the ex-
clusive riijhl to their respective writings and discoveries.' There
is na limitation of the power to natives or residents of this
country. Such a limitation would hav.^ been hostile to the
object of the power granted. That object was to promote the
progress of science and useful arts. They belong to no particu-
lar country, but to mankind generally, And it cannot be doubted
that the stimulus which it w'as intended to give; to mind and
genius, in other wor(U, the promotion of the pronress of science
and the arts, will be increased by the motives which the bill
offers to the inhabitants of Great Britain and France.

*' The com'.'ittee (!on(!lude by asking leave to introduce the Wll
which accompanies this report."

Let it no«, however, be supposed that Mr. Clay was unsup-
ported by the American press; on the contrary, a lar:je portion
of it espoused the cause of the Knijlisb author in the most liberal
manner, indeed the boon itself, if granted, would in reality be
of more advantage to America than to us; as many of then^

r '

JMi

f: i

maruyat's DiAur.

'h '

if>

h: ii

argued. The New York Daily F^xprcss observes, ♦' But another
great evil rcsultintj from the present law is, that most of the
writers of our own country aro ult«'rly preclucied from advancing
our native lileriiture, since they can derive no emolument or
eomfiensnliot) lor their labours; and it is idle to urge that the
Jevoiees of literature, any more than the ingenious artizan or
mechanic, can he indilferent to llie ultimate advantages which
should result alike to both from the diligent use and studious
application of their mental energies. V\ e patronize and read
the works of foreign writers, but it is at the exjiense of our own,
— the books of the English author being procured free of all
cost, supersede those wliich would otherwise be produced by
our own countrymen, — thus the forc^igneris wronged, while the
same wrong acts again as a tariff upon our American author: —
and nil this manifest injury is perpetuated without its being
qualified by the most remote advantage to any of the parties
concerned."

The [Joston Atlas re&pondcd to this observation i<n almost th
same lannuase.

"This systematic, legalized depredation on Knglish authors,
is perfectly ruinous to all native literature. What writer can
devote hitnself to a literary work, which he must offer on its
oomph tion, in competition with a work of the same description,
perhaps, furnishing />r//</fr/ co/ri/ to the compositors, and to be
had for the expense of a single Lon<lon copy. What publisher
would give its worth for a novel, in manuscript, supposing it to
be equal to Hulwer's best, when he would gel a novel of Bulwer
himself, for a few shillings — with an Knglish reputation at the
back of it? 'i'his is the great reason that we have so few works
illustrative of our own history — whether of fact or fiction. Ou
booksellers are supplied for nothing."

I extract the following from a very excellent article on the
subject, in the North American Review.

" Another bad consequence of the existing state fif things is,
that the choice of books, which shall be offered us, is in the
wrong hands. Our publishers have, to no small extent, the di-
rection of our reading, inasmuch as they make the selection o
books for reprinting. They, of course, will choose thf)se works
which will command the readiest and most extensive sale; bu
it nmst be remembered, that in so doing, while they answer the
demand of the most numerous class of readers, they neglect the
wants of the more cultivated and intelligent class. Besides
his, there are many admirable works, which might come into
general use if they were presented to our reading public, but
which are left unnoticed by the publishers, because their suc-
ress is doubtful. Supposing Abbott's * Young Christian,' for
irtstancc, a book which lias had a more extensive circulation than
any work of the present times, had been first published in Eng-
land, at the same moment that a good novel appeared, ihe Ameri'

canpubli
of the n
book, till
then, if .s
to sril 1)1
" Nor
angmeiiti
retneuihi
into the
if Engl
I)egin to
become
standan
, raised,.
\ sotnevolu
, than to pa
^ be worth t;
i finally, th
1 will, wo I
persons a
Neveri.
side of iht
have inseri

is
I w

♦ " Thk
most itnftori
for some tju
critical, acct
upon. Qui
and derisiut
author has i
ductions of
gross absurd
upon the pu
' airy vision
that (mincn
annihnated
shameful as
worst paid n
by every pri
to, and in I
imbued witi
his conduct,
from such a

" We ava
holdings the
the publish i
despoiled lal
scanty crust
inaws.

"This m

M AUK VAT S DIART.

another
, of the
rancing
isent or
hat the
izan or
i which
tiidioiis
nd read
ur own,
e of all
iced hy
hile the
ilhor: —
;s being
parties

nost th

authors,
filer can
;r on its
cription,
iid to be
lublisher
;iiifi it m
Bulwer
DP at the
w Wdfks
III. Ou

e on the

lings is,
s in the
, the di-
ction
se works
ale; bu
swer the
gleet the
Besides
me into
blic, but
leir suc-
ian,' for
ion than
in Eng-
e Ameri-

can publishers would have given ua iminoiliatcly ajtorrid reprint
of tlie novel ; but we slimild have licird ni)tliiii«r nt" Ablioll';*
book, till its' succrss had been abiiiidiiiitly tried ,il)r<>,id ; iii»reven
then, if .soiiUM'pluMueral novel had started ii|) whi'di jirouiised
to sell b( Iter.

" N'lr i-. it corliin that the price of bonk'? would be seriously
aiigineiiled by the passage ol' the eopyrigbl law. It iniisl be
refneiiiliered. that a great minibfr of writers would thus beealled
into the field at once, Hiitjiisb as well as Aiiieriean writers; for.
if Kiiglisli authors could enjoy this beiielit, tliey would soon
liegio to write e.\[)r(>ssly for Ainericni; and the coinpeiiiion would
become so great, as to reifulate the prices of boidis to a proper
standard. But, even supposing the prict; to be ecnsiderably
raised, it would certainly be better to |)ay two dollars for a hand-
some volume, which is worth keeping, and worth reading ajjaiii,
tbaii to pay only one dollar for a book, wbi(di in five years will
be worth no more than the same amount of brown paper. And,
finally, there is the consideration of a native literature, which
will, we presume, be placed by all reasonable and inlelligeni
persons above that of cheap books."

Nevertheless, a large portion of the press took up the other
side of the (pieslion, as may be inferred frcfn a rejily which I
have inserted in the note beneath.*

* " Thk Intkuxationai- Coi'viuniiT Qikstiox. — One of the
most imftortant tjucstions, upon principle, that ever was mooted, has
for some time placed in juxtaposition the various editors of the corps
critical, accordinj^ly as their interests or feelings have been worked
upon. Uur ebief object in these remarks ie to hold up to the scorn
and derision that it riebly merits the assumption of an editor, that an
author has no right to the emanations of his own mind — to the pro-
ductions of Ills own pen. We do not mean to answer the many and
gross absurdities whii-li this talented jjfentleman's sophi.'.try has palmed
upon the public, it would l)c a work of supererogation, inasmuch as his
• airy vision' has already been completely ' dissolved' by the breath of
that eminent gentleman, well known to us, who has so completely
annihilated the wrong which he is so anxious to continue. But the
shameful assumption that a writer, universally allowed to be the
worst paid artist in creation, should not have — is not eiitiiled to have,
by every principle of courtesy and honour, a sole and undivided right
to, and in his own productions is so monstrous, that every editor
imbued with those feelings, which through life, should be the rule of
his conduct, is iti duty bound to come forward and express bis dissent
from such a doctrine, and his abhorrence of a principle so flagitious.

" We avail ourselves of the opportunity this numlwr affords of up-
holding the poor author's right, of censuring the greedy spoliation of
the publishing tribe, who would live, batten, and fatten upon the
despoiled labours of those whom their piracy starves — snatching the
scanty crust from their needy mouths to pamper their own insatiate
maws.

" This matter lies between the publisher aod the author. Tb«

1 •!■

MAUUVAT 5 DIA ur.

I • I

1- I

Tlio bill lirouprht in wiinlost. Strnnjo tosny, the Soiithcrncrii
votpd iij,'fiinst, tin tlip <,'r()iiniJs iliut llu-y would n<»l ^ivo a copy-
right to Mi.vs .MurtitKMiii, to propajrato her nliolition doctrines in
that coutitr\ — ror:,a'lliny, lliiit. as a copyriiilil would increase the
price ot'u work, it wouiil he the means of ciuckinj^ its circulation,
rather tlnn ofrxtendifitj it.

Wlicn I iirriveil at \V!isliiii;rton, I thought it would he worth
wiiilt? t(» iisccrluin tin; opinion of any of the MKMnhersorConfjresH
I niiLjht meet; and one line niornini;, I put. the(pieslion tooneof
the i,()Co loco dele-fates; when the li)llowinj; conversation took
plaen : —

" Why, t.'aptain, there is much to hr said on thi.s subject.
Vonr authors have petitioned our Congress, I perceive. The
petition was read last session."

(.Many of the Americans appeared to bo hi<.Mily jrratified at
the idea ot'an Finy;lish peiilion having,' been sent to (.'onjjress.)

" I believe it was."

" Well, now, you see. (.\iptaiii — you will ask ns to let you have
yotu' copyriijht in this country, as you allow our authors their
eopyriL^lit in yours; and I suppose you mean to say that if wo
do not, that our authors shall have no eo[)yriirlit in your country.
We'll allow that, but still I eonsich-r you ask loo much, as the
balance is on our ^i»le most consi<lerablv. Vo'.ir authors are very
numerous — ours are not. It is very true, that y(ju can steal our
ropy rights, as well as we can yours. liut if you steal ten, we
steal a hundred. Don't you perceive that you ask us to give up

the ndvanta;xt' ■

*'Oli, certainly," replied I, "I have nothing more to say on
the subject. I'ni only glad of one thing."

i'.utbor claims a risfbt to bis own productiotip, wherever ihoy may be.
The publishers, like the Cornwall wrcckeis, say no. the moment
your labours touch our fatal shore they arc ours; you have no right
to tlu'Mj, no title in them. (Jond heavens ! shall sucl» a cruel dospeila-
tion be permitted ! 'J'bc publishors, with eonsuiamate cuimimr, turn
to the public, and virtually say, ' support us iti our theft, iuid we will
share the s[)()il with you; we will give you standard works at a price
immeasurably below their value.' As well M)igbt a thief, brought
before the honest anil worthy recorder say : If your lionour will wink
at the criuie, you will make me a public benefictor, lor whilst I rob
one man of an hundred watches, I can sell them to an hundred per-
sons for one-third of their prime cost ; and thus injure one and benefit
a hundred, you shall have one very cheap. What would this recorder
say ? He would say, the crime is apparent, and I spurn with indig-
nation and contempt your ofler to part with to me that which la noi
your own. And should not this be the re[)ly of the public to the
publishers? V'es, and it will be too. And the vampires who have so
long lived upon the spirita of authors, will have to tax their own to
yield themselves support,'*

"And
" Tha
" \o,

isurprisei
'I'o th

reply; u

iJUbjeci

Americii
real nn;r
authors
and as h

Tiieir
follows :-

•• It is
that wo
us to ta.v
so essent
thors I J
sacrifico(
be shake
few fore
adtnit, bii
such seri

Now,
always pi
cnlighter
the truth,
lions rec(
out ; and
authors, i
such worl
novels ot
nearly th
enlighten
an Arner
competitii
amused, h

Accord
the grant
few autho
admission
the Unite
ed by this
perceived
of the Anr
works put
when colli

MARRYAT S DIARY.

worth

.1 price

brought

^ill wink

St I rob

rcil pcr-

bcnefit
recorder
!i indig-
'h is noi
c to the
I have so

own to

•♦And what may thiit h«», Cftptnin?"

••That I did not si^rn thr petition."

'• No, w(! oLserved that your iiamo was not down, which rather
isurprisod us."

'I'o this co^ont nrfjuinnnt of the honoiirnhh' nH'tnbrr, I had no
reply; and this was th(.> tirst and last tiiiio thai 1 broached the
subjtjci when at Wasliiii^flon ; but at\or many conversations with
Aniorician <^ciitl(Mnan on the Mibject, and examination into the
real merits of the case, I came to the conclusion, that the Knplixh
authors never would obtain a copyri;,'lit in tin; United fcJtatoy,
and aH lon<,' as the present |)arty arc; in power.

Their principal ar^miiient rai.scd a«,'ain8l the copyright, is ai
follows: —

*' It is only by the onli;;hteninp and education of the people,
that we can expect our institutions to hold to<rt'lher. ^"ou ask
us to tax ourselves, to ch(x;k tlu; circulation of cheap literature,
so essential to our welfare for the br'iietitofa few Kuj^lish au-
thors! Arc the interests of ihirtecMi millions of |)e(»[)h' to be
sacriticcd ! the foundation of our government and iiiHtitutious to
be shaken tor such trivial advantagcjs as would be derived by a
few foreign authors. Your claim has the show of justice we
admit, but when the sacrifice to justice must be attended with
such serious conseciuenccis must we not adhere to expediency?"

Now, it so happens that the very reverse of this argument has
always proved to be the case from Uie denial of copyright. 'I'he
cnlightfming of a people can only be pnKluced by ilicir hearing
the truth, wliicli they cannot aiid <lo iwl under existing regula-
tions receive from their own authors, as I have already jMjinted
out ; and the ettectsi of their refusal of the copyright to English
authors, is, that the American publishers will only send tbrth
such works as are likely to have an immediate sjile, such as the
novels of the day, which may be said at present to comprise
nearly the whole of American reading. Such works as might
enlighten the Americans are not so rapidly sjileable as to induce
an American publisher to risk publishing when there is such
competition. What is the conse<iuence that the Americans are
amused, but not instructed or enl ghtened?

According to the present systeui of publication in America,
the grant of copyright would prove to be of advantage only to a
few authors — of course, I refer to the most popular. I had free
aduiission to the books of one of the largest publishing houses in
the United States, and I extracted from them the prolits receiv-
ed by this house for works of a certain reputation. It will be
perceived, that the editions published are not large. The proHti
of the American houses chiefly resulting from the number oj
works published, each of them yielding a moderate profit, which,
when collected together, swell into a large sum total.

V.ll I

i* •

■'I
4:

% "

MARRYAT S DIART.

!*]''>

";; ■ ■%

ll,'H

C'dpica printed. Trade price.

Fielding 2,50() i04 cents, many left unsold

Prior's Life of Gold-

smitli 7')0 200 " sold.

Arethusa 1,250 70 " all sold.

Abel Alluut .... 1,200 52 " almost all sold.

Fellow Coiiimuner 2,(>00 70 " many on Imnd.

Ritlo Brio^ade . . . 2,000 HI " many on hand.

Sharpe's Essays . . 1,000 54 " one halt' sold.

Now, as there are one hundred cents to a dollar, and the
expenses of printing, paper, and advertisinfj have to he deducted,,
as well as the copies left on hand, it will he evident, that the
profit on cacli of the above works, would bo too small to allow
the publishers in America to give even £20 lor the copyright;
tlie consequence of a co|)yright would therefore be, that the
major portion of the works printed would not be published at all,
and better works would be substituted. Of course, such authors
as Walter Scott, Byron, Bulwer, &c., have a most e>;tensive
sale ; and tiie profits are in pro[)ortion, but then it must be re-
membered that a great many booksellers publish editions, and
the profits are divided accordingly. Could Sir Walter Scott
have obtained a copyright in the United States, it would have
been worth to him by this time at least £100,000.

The Americans talk so much about their being the most
enlightened nation in the world, that it has been generally re-
ceived to bo the case. 1 have already stated my ideas on thi?
subject, and I think that the small editions usually published, of
works not standard or elementary, prove, that with the exception
of newspapers, they are not a reuding nation. The fact is, they
have no time to read; they are all at work; and if they get
through their daily newt^paper, is quite as much as most of
them can ellect. Previous to my arrival in the United States,
and even for some t me allerwards, I had an idea that there
v/as a much larger circulation of every class of writing in
America, than there really is. it is only the most popular
English authors, as Waller Scott, or the most fashionable, as
Byron, which have any extensive circulation; the works which
at present the Americans like best, are tliosc of fiction in which
there is anythi.Mglo excite or amuse them, which is very natural,
considering how actively they are employed during the major
portion of their existence, and the consccjuent necessity ot
occasional relaxation. When wo consider the extreme cheap-
ness of books in the United Staff^s, and tLo enormous price of
them in this country, the facilities of reading them there, and
the difficulty attending it here from the above causes, I have no
hesitation in saying, that as a reading nation, the United States
canHot enter into coniparison with us.

As I am upon this subject, I cannot refrain from making a
few remarks upon it, as connected with tliis country. The price
of a book now published is enormous, when '^e prime cost o(

Tradt

, {

:: i

mahryat's diary.

Linrr a

paper and printing is ronsidered ; the actual value of each three
▼oluines of a mod. rate edition, which are sold at a guinea and a
half, being about /oi/rA/i/Z/i/zifs and sixpence^ and wiion the edition
is large, as the outlay lor putting up the type is the same in both,
of course it is even less; hut the author must be paid, and upon
the present smulleditions he hddscoiisiderablytothe price charged
upoji every volume; then ctmes theeX|)ense ofadvertising, which
is very heavy; the profits of the publisher, and the profits of the
trade in general ; for every book for w hich the public pay a guinea
and a half, is delivered by the publisher to the trade, that is, to the
booksellers, at dt'l \s. lUf. 'I'lje allowance to the trade, there-
fore, is the heaviest tax of all; but it is impossible for book-
sellers to keep establirhmoiits, clerks, &c., v\i:hout having in-
demnification. In all the abcjvc items, which so swells up the
price of the hook, there taimot well be any deduction made.

Let us examine into the division of profits. I am only
making an approximalion, but it is (juite near enough for tho
purpose.

An edition of 1,000 copies at JCI ll.s. Gd. will give i;l,575.
Posiliic Exjnriscs lu Publisher,
Trade allowance of lO.s. ;}</. per"^ £. s.

copy . . jCoI'J lO.s. \

Kxtru allowance 25 for 24— 4() {
copies . . . XO'U
Printing and papor,4.v. 0(/, per copy
Adverti>ing, etiual to 2.s. per copy
I'resontations to Universities and

Reviewers, say i^O copies
The author if he is well known,
may be said to receive 7s. per

copy

Leaving for the publisher . .

575

225
100

47 5

250

277

Total jL' 1,575

All the first expenses being p<*sitive, it follows that the strug-
gle is between the publisher nrul the author, as to what division
shall be made of the remainder. The publishc points out tho
risk he incurs, and the author his time and necessities ; and when
it is considered that many autlwrs take more than a year to write
u hook, it must be acknowledged that the sum paid to them, us I
have put it down, is not too great. Tiie risk, however, is with
the publisher, and the great profits with the trade, which is per-
haps the reason why booksellers often make Ibrtunes, and pub-
lishers as often become bankrupts. Cienerally speaking, however,
the two are combined, the sure gain of the bookseller being as a
set off'against the speculation of the publisher.

Bu* one thing is certain, the price of books in this country is
much too high, and what are the consequences I First, tliat in-
stead of purchasing books, and putting tliem into their libraries,
people have now formed themselves into societies and book*

1 t I

i: ;:

{

II ;

fio

marhyat's diary.

clubs, or trust entirely to obtaining tliem from circulating libra-
ries. VViiliout a book is very ixjpiilar, it is known by the pub*
lisher what the sule is likely to be, within perhaps ht'ty copies;
for the lKX)k-clubsan(l libraries will, and must have it, and hardly
anybody else will ; lor who will |)ay a truinea and a half for a
oook wJiich may, after all, prove not worth reading ! Secondly,
it has the etfecl of the works being reprinted abroad, and sent
over to this country, which, of course, decreases the sale of the
English edition. At the <Justom-l louse, they now admit English
works printed in Paris, at a small duty, when brought over in a
person's luggage for private reading; and these toreign editions
are smuggled, and are to be openly purchased at most of the
towns along the coast. This cannot he prevented — and as for
any inteniulional copyright being granted byFranceor Belgium,
I do not think that it ever will be; and if it were, it would bo of
no avail, tor the pirating would then bo carried on a little further
off in the small (jiermau States ; and if you drove it to China, it
would take place there. We are running after a VVill-o'-the-
Wisp in that expectation. The fault lies in ourselves ; the books
are too dear, and the question now is, cannot they be made
cheaper .'

There is a luxury in printing, to which the English have
been so long accustomed, thai ii would not do to deprive them
of it. Besides, bad paper and bad type would make but little
difference in the expense of the book, as my calculation will
show; hul if a three volume work*" could be delivered to the
public alien shillings, instead of a guinea and a half, it would
not only put a slop to piracy abroad, hut the reduced price
would induce many hundreds to put it into their library, and be
indepeiideiilof the hurried readiiiji against lime, and often figainst
incliiialioii, to which they are subject by book-ehibs and circu-
lating libraries ; and that this is not the case, is the fault of the
public itself, and not of the author, ()ul)lislier, or any other party.

Il is evident that the oiily way by wliich books may be made
cheap, is by an extended sale — and Nicholas Nickleby, and
other works of that description, hav(! proved that a cheap work
will have an extended sale — always provided it is a really gooJ
one.

Hut it is imfios^ihiP It break through the present arrange-

♦ I ou:^hl bore t^i riMiark. that the authors are much injured by the
present Kystem. It having been satisfactorily proved, that a threc-
vohimo work is tlie only one that can he puhlished at the minimum
of cx[)cnse, ami the magnum of protits, no piiolisher likes to publish
any ulher. 'I'hcrc is the siinc expense in advertising, &c., a two
volume, or a one oclavo beok, as a three. 'J'he author, therefore,
has to 8pin out to three volumes, whether he has matter or not; and
this islhu reason why the second voluiiie, like the fourth act of a five
act play, is, generally Kpe:iking, so very heavy. Publishers, now-a-
daya, inoji^uro workd with a (ooK rule, as the critic did in Slerne.

£57;

w< f.

MARRVAT*S DIARY.

' • )

nienis which confine the sale of books, unless the public ibem-

ill taki

hiind — if th(

to exert ihemst^lve?,

I — il they chodse

Jhe low prices may be firmly estni)lislir(l with equril benefit to
all parties, and with an iin'tiense increase in the cnnsntnption
of pa[)er. To prove that any attempt on the part of an amhor
or publisher will not succeed nnaided, it was but a few monlh«
njro, that Mr. Hent'ey nrade the trial, and publislied the three
volumes at one nrtiinra ; hut he did lut sell oni' copy more — the
flubs and libraries toed; the usual number, and ho was c(im[ielled
lo raise his price. The ra[)id sale of the Standard Novels,
whiidi have been read over and over ajrain, when published at
the price of five shilliniis, is another proof thai the public has
no objection to purchase when the price is within its me.ins.

I can see but one way by w hich this jrre.il desideratum is to
be eHected ; which is, by the public insurinor by subscription
atiy publisher or bookseller I'rnni loss, provided he (bdivers the
works at the reduced price. At present, one co[)y of a bonk
may be s;iid to serve for thirty people at least; but say 'h.it it
serves for ten, or rather say thai you could obtain five thousand,
or even a less number, of people to put down their nimes as
subscribers to all new works written by certain named anibors,
which should bo published ,ii the reduced price often shillings
per C(i|iy. I,et. us see the result.

A ten shilling work under such auspices would be delivered
to the trade at ei'rhi sliillin«rs.

The value of the five thousand copies to the pub-
lisher would be

£.
2,000

The expenses of printirifr and paper would be re-
duced to about ?,s. a copy, which would be jL'7.')0
Advertisintr, as before . . . . ItK)

Extra Is. JJd., Is., 5s., about . . . IG — 8()G

i,i:u

i]-21 5

rm] 15

Ijcavinnr a profit for iiutlmr and publisher of
Whereas, in the priiiiinrr of a thousand copies, the
profits of autlior .L'^iaO, and of publisher iJ"J77 5s.,
e(|u,ille(l only ......

Kx'ra profit lo author and publisher

Here the pni>lic would (jain, the author would {jain, and the
publisher would tiain : nor would any party lose; the profits of
the trade would not b(» (piite so fjreat, beiiiL'" C.')00. instead of
£575 ; but it musl be remembered, that there are many who, not
heintr subscril)ers, would [)urchase the book as soon as they found
that it was approved ol' — indeed, there is no saying to what
extent the sale mi<jht prove to be.

If any one puldisher sold books at this price, the efTect would
be of reducinir the price of all publications, for either the authors
must apply to the cheap publisher, or the other publishers sell at
tlic same rate, or they would not sell at all. Uook-club») and

' I

!*i'ri

»' ■ If

|,t

!i I

m '^'

i'J

MARRYAT S DIARY.

It',': lii

^^4

"»f

circulating libraries would then rapidly break up, and we should
obtain the great desideratum of cheap literature.

And now that 1 have made my statement, what will be the
consequence? Why, people will say, " that's all very well,
all very true" — and nobody will take the trouble — the conse-
qaence is, that the publin will go on, paying through the nose as
before — and if so, let it not grumble; as it has no one to thank
but itself for it.*

The paper and printing in America is, generally speaking, so
very inferior, that the books are really not worth bindmjj, and are
torn up or thrown away aftiT they are rea<l — not that they cannot
print H'ell ; for at Boston particularly they turn out very excel-
lent workmanship. Mr. Prcscott's Ferdinand and Isabella, is a
very good specimen, and so are many of tiie Bibles and Prayer
books. In consequence of their own bad printing, and the tax
upon English books, there are very few libraries in America:
and in this point, the American government should make some
alteration, as it will be beneticial to both countries. The En-
glish editions, if sent over, would not interfere with the sale of
their cheap editions, and it would enable the American gentle-
men to collect libraries. 'J'he duty, at present, is twenty-six
cents per pound, on books in boards and thiity cents upon bound
books.

Now, with the exception of school books, upon which the duty
should he retained, this duty should be very much reduced.

At present, all books published prior to 1775, are admitted
upon a reduced duty of five cents. This date should be extended
to 1810, or 1815, and illustrated works should also be admitted
upon the reduced duty. It would be a bonus to the Americans
who wish to have libraries, and some advantage to the English
booksellers.

I cannot dismiss this subject without pointing out a most dis-
honest practice, which has latterly been resorted to in the United
States, and which a copyright only, I am afraid, can prevent the
continuance of. Works which have become standard authority
in England, on acount of the purity of their Christian principles,
are republished in America with whole pages altered, advantage
being taken of the great reputation of the orthodox writers, to
disseminate Unitarian and Socinian principles. A friend of mine,
residing in Haliflix, Nova Scotia, sent to a religious book society
at New York for a number of works, as presents to the children
attending the Sunday school. He did not examine them, having
before read the works in England, and well knowing what ought
to have been the contents of each.

♦ Thf mcmljers of the peerage and baronetage of Gieat Britain —
the members of the untitled aristocracy — the staff officers of the srmy
and navy — the mi-nhers of the different clubs — are each of thera suf-
ficiently nunierou.s to effect thisobjec-t; and if any subscription was
opened, it could not fait of being filled up.

MARRYAT S DIAHY.

34 to
line^
:iety
dren

in —
rmy
suf-
was

To his surprise, the parents came to him a few days after-
wards to return the books, staiinjr that they presumed that he
eould not be aware of the nature of their corjtenls; and on ex-
amiiiaiion, he found that he had been circMilatinir Unitarian prin-
ciples amonjr the children, instead of those which he had wished
to inculcate.*

'Die [)re.>-s of America, as 1 have described it, is all powerful ;
but still it must be borne in mind, tliat it is but the slave of the
majority ; which, in its turn, it dare not oppose.

Sucli is its tyranny, that it is the dread of the whole commu-
nity. No one can — no oiie dare ojipose it; whosoever falls
under its displeasure, be he as innocent and as pure as man can
be, his doom is sealed. Hut this power is only delegated by
the will of the majfirity, lor let any author in America oppose
that will, and he is denounced. Yon must drink, you must
write, liot according to your own opinions, or your own tlioughts,
but as the majority will.]-

Mr. 'roc(]U(,'ville observes, "I know no country in which there
is so little true independence of n»ind, and freedom of discussion,
as in America."

CHAPTER VIII.

THE MI.-SSISSllTI.

1 H.WE headed this chapter with the name of the river which
llows between the princi|)al Stales in which the society I am
about to depict is to be found ; but, at the same time, there are
other southern States, such a.^^ Alabama and (Jeorgia, which
must be included. I shall attempt to draw the line as clearly
as I can. for allhoiicfh the territory comprehended is enormous,
the population is not one-third of that of the United States, and
it would be a great injustice if the description of the society I
am about to enter into should be supposed to refer to that of the
States in general. It is indeed most peculiar, and arising fronn
circunist-.mces which will induce me to reler back, that the
causes may he exj)lained to the reader. Never, perhaps, in the

* One of those works was Abbott's Young Christian, or some other
work by author.

i indeed, one cannot help beincf reminded of what Beaumarchais
makes Figaro say upon the liberty of the press in another country.
" On me dit que pendant ma relraitc econoniique il scsst etabli dans
Madrid un systenie de liberie sur la vente dcs pioductions, qui s'^tend
meme a celles de le presse; et que, jiourvu que je ne parie en me«
ecrits, ni v. i'autoritc, ni du culte, ni de la politique, ni de la Fnorale,
ni des gens en place, ni des corps en credit, ni de {'opera, ni des autrce
spectacles, ni de personne qui tienne a quelque chose, je puis tout
ifuprimer Ubrement sous i'inspection de deux on Iroia censeurt.^^

i I !l

'I I

■'}■

MARRVAT S DIARV.

1:1

records of nnlions was thpro an instanre of a rrntury of such
unvaryinjj and unmili<;;Upd crimo as is to I>p rolloctrd from ihr
history of the tiirhr.lpiit and hlood-strtincd Mississippi. The
stream iisolf appears as if appropriate for the deeds which have
been fnmmittrd. Ft is tint like most rivers, heaiitifiil to the
sight, ht'^tdwiiijr ftTtiliiy in iis course; not one that the eye
loves to «Iwell \ipon as it sweeps alonty, nor ran yon wander on
its hank, or trust yourself without d iiitjcr to its stream. It is a
furious, rapid, desolatinjj torrent, loaded with alluvial soil ; and
few of those who are received inti its waters ever rise ■ijrain,or
can support themselves lonjr on it3 surface without assistance
from some friendly lojr. Ji contains the coarsest and most
nneatal)!e of fish, such as the cat-fish and such genus, and as
yon descend its hanks are occupied with the fetid alligator,
while the panther basks at its edge in the cane-hrakes, almost
impervious to man. Pouring its impetuous waters through
wild tracks, covered with trees of little value except for fire-
wood, it sweeps down whole forests in its course, which dis-
appear in tuniuliueus confusion, whirled away hy the stream
now l.t;i(|c(| with the masses of soil which nourished their roots,
often hidcking up and changing for a time the <'harMiel of the
river, which, as if in anger at its being opposed, inundates and
devastates tlin whole country round ; and ;is soon us it forces its
way throiiirii its former channel, plants in every direct iuii the
uprooted monarchs of the forest (upon whose hranchrs the bird
will never again perch, or the racoon, the opossum, or tlie
squirrel, climli) as traps to the adventurous iiavitjatorr. of its
waters liv steam, wh?, home down upon these concealed dan-
gers which pierce through the planks, very often have not time
to steer for rod gain the shore before they sink to the bottom.
There are no pleasing assoj-iations connccied with the great
common sewer of the western Americr., which [loiirs nut its mud
into the .M( .\ican (iulpii, polluting the clear hlne sea for many
miles beyond its mouth. It is a river of desolation ; and in-
stead of reminding you, like other beautiful rivers, of an angel
which has descended tor the benefit of man, you imagine it a
devil, who>(> energies has been only overcome by the wonderful
power of ste.im.

Tii(i early hi.storyof the Mississippi is ono of piracy and bucca-
neerinir; its moutiis were frecp.eiited by thej-f; ninraiulers, as in
the bayous and creeks they found protection and concealment
for themselves and their ill-gotten wealth. Even imti! after the
war of 1^14 tliesf^ ?(^a-robbers still to a certain extent Houru-hed.
and the name of liufitte, the last of their leaders, is deservedly
renowned for conrai'-e and tor crime; his vessels were usually
secreted in the land-locked bay of Haritaria, to the westward of
llie mouth of the river. They w<re, howevcT, soon extirpatj'il by
the American government. The language of the tw'jacent
States is still adnltered with the slang, of those scoundrels
provin;^ how short a period it is since they disappeared, and hovr

--'^•Mi^ -.

MARRYAT S DIARY.

Ihey must have mixed up with the reckless population, whoso
iiend-qiiartcrs were then ut the mouth of the river.

But as t^ic huntino;.(rroun(ls of Western Virginia, Kcniucky,
and the northern hunks of the Ohio, were gradually wrested
from the Shawnee Indians, the population became more dense,
and the Mississippi itself hecanie the means of communication
anJ of barter with the more northern tribes. Then another race
of men made their appearance, and flourished for lialf a century,
varying indeed in employment, but in other respects little better
than the buccaneers and pirates, iii whose ranks they were pro-
bably first enlisted. These were the boatmen of the Mississippi,
who with incredible fatigue forced their " keels" with poles
against ilie current, working against the stream with the
cargoes entrusted to their care by the merchants of New
Orleans, labouring for many months before they arrive at
their destinaiion, and returning with the rapid current in
as many days as it required weeks for them to ascend.
This was a service of great danger and difficulty, requiring
men of iron frame and undaurUed resolution: they had
to contend not only with the stream, but when they ascended
the Ohio with the Indians, who, taking up the most favour-
able |)ositions, either poured down the contents of their rifles
into ihe boat as she passed, or, taking advantage of the
dense fog, boarded, them in their canoes, indiscriminate slaughter
being the invariable result of the boatmen having allowed them-
selves to be surprised. In these men was to be found, as there
often is in the most unprincipled, one redeeming quality (inde-
j)eiident of courage and perseverance), which was, that they
were, generally speaking, unscrupulously honest to their em-
ployers, although they made little ceremony of appropriating to
their own use the property, or, if necessary, of taking the life
of any other parlies. Wild, indeed, are the stories which are
still remembered of the deeds of coaratje, and also of the fearful
crimes committed by these men, on a river which never gives
up its dead. I say still remembered, for in a new country they
r(^adily forget the past, and only look forward to the future,
whereas in an old country the case is nearly the reverse — we love
to recur to iraditjoii, and luxuriate in the dim records of history.

The following descri|)tion of the employment of this elass of
people is from the pen of an anonymous American author: —

"There is someching inexplicable in the fact, tliere could be
men found, for ordinary wages, who would abandon the syste-
matic but not laborious pursuits of agriculture to follow a life,
of all others except that of the soldier, distinguished by the
greatest exposure and privation. The occupation of a boatman
was more lalculated to destroy the constitution and to shorten
life than any other business, In ascending the river it was a
continued series of toil, rendered moreirksonif by the snail-like
rate at which they moved. The boat was propelled by poles,
against which the shoulder was placed, and the whole strenoth
and skill of the individual were applied in this manner. As

ll t <?

hakryat'8 diart.

|:|

the boatmen moved along the running board, with their head!*
nearly touching the plank on which they walked, the effect
produced on the mind of an observer was similar to that on be-
holding the ox rocking before an overloaded cart. Their bodies,
naked to their waist for the porpose of moving with greater
ease and of enjoying the breeze of the river, were exposed to
the burning suns of summer and to the rains of autumn. After
a hard day's push they would take their 'fillee,' or ration of
whisky, and, having swallowed a miserable supper of moat
half burnt, and of bread half baked, stretched themselves,
without covering, on the deck, and slumber till the steersman's
call invited them to the morning 'fillee.' Notwithstanding this,
ilu' boatman's life had charms as irresistible as those presented
by the splendid illusions of the stage. Sons abandoned the
ronifortable farms of their fathers, and apprentices fled from the
servifp of their masters. There was a captivation in the idea
of » jrniiig down tlie river,' and the youthful boatman who had
' pushed u keel' from New Orleans felt all the pride of a young
n.erchant after his tirst voyage to an English sea-port. From
an exchisivo association together ihey had formed a kind ot
slang peculiar to themselves; and from the constant exercise of
wit with ' the s(|uatters' on shore, and crews of other boats, they
acquired a (juicknoss ami smartness of vulgar retort that was
(]uite anuising. The frequent battles they were engaged in with
the boatineii of tlifl'erenl ));irts of the river, and with the less
civilized inhabitants of the lower Oliioaiul Mississippi, invested
them wiili that furious reputation which has made them spoken
of ihroiighoui Euro|)e.

" On board of the boats thus navigated our merchants entrust-
ed valuable cargoot:, without insurance, awd with no other
guarantee than the receipt of the stcersmari, who poe^scsf^ed no
property but his bout ; and the confidence so reposed was seldom
abused."

Every class of men has its hero, as those always will Le who,
from ent^rgy ef character and natural endowment, arc superior
to their fellows. The most remarkable person among thesrC peo-
ple was one Mike Fink, who was their acknowledged leader
for many years. His fame was established frctn New Orlean.s
to Pittsburg. He was endowixl with gigantic strength, courage,
and i)resenco of mind — his rille was unerring, and his conscience
never troubled his repose. Everyone was afraid of him; every
one was anxious to bo on good terms with him, for he was a
regular freebooter; and although he spared his friends, he gave
lio quarter to the lives or properties of others. Mike Fink was
not originally a boatmen : at an early age ho had enlisted in the
company of scouts, another variety of employment protluced by
circumstjinces — a species of solitary rangers employed by the
An»encan government, and acting as spies, lo watch the mo-
tions of the Indians on the frontiers. This peculiar service is
thus described by the author I have before quoted: —

" At that time, Pittsburg was on the extreme verge of while

\iopulati(
illy extt
west of
iiian, an(
taste, an
border w
worthy t
ther, II
parched
— and si

In thi.-
ness anrl
with tilt
white m;
than the
which th
coverinif
twigs, la
he is \er
riHe, he
their boa
mid-strei
live |)igs
to Alike
esting to

" As h
tread of
the edge
temptatic
to have a
his flint.
At the II
take his ;
object, ac
own. A)
and keep
patience,
paces, an
Mike pre
moment t
of Fink I
yell, and
re-loaded
lo ascerla
then ste)]
himself t
buck, and
cess of je

As the
of scouts
woods, U

MARRTAT S DIARY.

\)opulation, and tlic spies, who wore cons^tnntiy employeil, gcner-
illy extended their rrconnoissunce forty or fifty inilos to the
west of this post. 'J'hoy went out sinjjly, lived as did the In-
dian, and in every respect hecanie perfectly assimilated in habits,
taste, and feelinj,', with the red men of the desert A kind of
l)order warfare was kept up, and the scout thoui,'ht it as praise-
worthy to hriijfj in the scalp of a Shawnee, as the skin of a pan-
ther. He wouhl remain in the woods tor weeks lofjether, using
parched corn for bread, and dependin<r on iiis riHe for his meat
— and slept at ni<(ht in perfect comfort, rolled in his Idanket."

In this service Alike Fink acquired a irreat reputation t()r cool-
ness and counifjc, and many arc the stories told of his ad ventures
with the Indians. It has been inconlestably proved, that the
white man, when accust(jmed to the woods, is much more acute
tlian the Indian himself in that woodcraft of every species, in
which the Indian is supposed to be such an adept; suoli as dis-
coverinif a trail by the prmt of a Mocassin, l)y the breakinij of
twjnrg, jayinix of the grass, &.c. ; and in the practice <jf the ritle
he is very superior. As a proof of Fink's dexterity witii his
riHe, he is said one day, as they were descending the Ohio in
their boat, to have laid a wager, and won it, that he would from
mid-stream with his riHe halls cut olfat the .-tumps the tails of
five pif^s which were feeding on the banks. One story relative
to Mike Fink, when he was employed as a scout, will be inter-
esting to the reader.

"As he was creeping along one morning, with the stealthy
tread of a cat, his eye fell upon a beautiful buck browsing on
the edge of a barren spot, three hundred yards disidiit. The
temptation was loo stroug for the woodsman, and he resolved
to have a shot at every hazard. Ilepriming his gun, and picking
his flint, he made his approaches in the usual noiseless maaner.
At the moment he reached the spot from which he meant lo
take his aim, he observed a large savage, intent upon the same
object, advancing from a direction a little different from his
own. Mike shrunk behind a tree with the quickness of thought,
and keeping his eye fixed on the hunter, waited the result with
patience. In a fevv moments the Indian halted within fifty
paces, and levelled his piece at the deer. In the meanwhile
Mike presented his riHe at the body of the savage, and at the
moment the smoke issued from the gun of the latter, the bull et
of Fink passed through the red man's breast. He uttered a
yell, and fell dead at the same instant with the deer. Mike
re-loaded his rifle, and remained in his covert for some minutes
to ascertain whether there were more enemies at hand. He
then stepped up to the prostrate savage, and having satisfied
himself that life was extinguished, turned his attention to th«
buck, and look from the carcase those pieces r^uiled to the pro-
cess of jerking."

As the country filled up the Indians retreated, and the corps
of scouts was abolished : but after a life of excitement in the
woods, they w«re unfitted for a settled occupation. iSotne of

^ ;

'■fl

marryat's dtarv

'• A*

■v!

*^l'

them joined the the Indians, others, and amnn^them Mike F'infr.
enrolled themselves amoiiy the fraternity of hoatmen on the Mis-
sissippi.

The death of Mike Fink was hefittinfr hi- life. One of his
very common exploits with liis rilte was hittinj; for a waitf-r, at
thirty yards distance, a small tin pot, nscd hy the hoatmen,
which was put on the head of annth(.>r man. JSimh was his repu-
tation, that no one hardly objected to heiiifr phiccfl in this pre-
carious situation. It is even said that his wile, that is, his Missi/i-
s!ppi wife, was accustomed to stand the fire ; this (cat was always
performed for a wiger of a quart of spirits, made hy some stran-
jrer, and was a source of ohtaininfr the necessary .-.iippli< s. One
day the wajjer was made as usual, and a man with v/hou) Mik(
had at one time heen at variance (althoni,'h the feud was now
supposed to have hern forppotton) was the party who consented
that the pot should he placed on his hc^ad. Whether it was
that Mike was not quite sober, or that ho retained his ill-will
towar<ls the man,certaiti it is, that in thi^ instance, instead ot
his hiltingthe mark, his biillet went below it and throujih the brain
of the man, who instantly fell dead ; but his brother, who was
standinnr by, and probably suspecting treachery, had his loaded
rrfle in liis hand, levelled, fired, and in a second the soul of Mike
was despatched after that of his victim.

Here endeth the history of Mike Fink, Esq.

The invention of the steam-enjfine, and its application to
nautical purposes, deprived the boatmen of employment; they
were again thrown upon their own resources, and as it may
he supposed, did not much assist in the amelioration of Mis-
sissippi society. The country gradually increasd its popula-
tion, but as a majority of those who migrated were of the
worst description, being composed of these who had fled from
the more settled States to escape the punishment due to their
crimes, it may be said, that so far from improving, the morals of
the Mississippi became worse, as the mean and paltry knave,
the swindler, and the forger were now mingled up with the more
daring spirits, producing a more complicated and varied class of
crime than before. The steam-boats were soon crowded hy a
description of people who were termed gamblers, as such was
their ostensible profession, although they were ready for any
crime which night offer an advantage to them,* and tue increase
of commerce and constant inpouring cf population daily offer to

* " Jack/ton, JMi a si SSI ppi, Oct. 13.
" PosTscniPT. — Btf yesterday eveving^s northern mail, we learn
from the Argus of 9th inst., that during the last week the gamblers
in (yolumbus, Mississippi, have kept the town in great excitement.
Armed men paraded the streets, and were stationed at corners, with
double-barrelled guns, Bowie knives, &c. ; and every day a general
fight was anticipated. The gamblers put law and public indignation
at defiance. The militia were called out to aid the civil authority in
preserving peace." — Sun^

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ibem soTTic new dupe fur llieir villiny. Tlifi slato of society
was much worse than before — the knife was sulisiiiiiied for the
rifle, and lite riv( r Ixiricd many a secret of atrocious murder. To

1)T0ve the extent to which these deeds of horror were; |)er[»eiraled,
shall jjive to the Knijlish reader, in as sin-cinct a form as I
can, the hi.story of John Murel, the land piralo, as he was termed.
There is an octavo volume, published in the I nited Stales,
givinn; a whole statement of the all'air; it was not until the
year 1833 that il was exposed and Mure! sent to the I'eniientiary.
Murel was at the head of a iartje b.uid, who iiad joined under
his directions, for the purposes of steaiinfr horses and n(^<iroes
in the southern Ntates, and of passini; eountfrlfit money, lie
appears to have been a most dexterous as well as consummate
villain. When he travelled, his usual disfjuise was that of an
itinerant preacher; and it is said that his discourses were very
''soul moviiiff" — intorestin": the hearers so much ihut thev lorijol
to look aller their horses, which were carried away by his con-
fedorutes while ho was preachinj''. Hut the stealing'- of horses iji
one State, and sellinjj; them in another, was but n small portion
of their business; the most lucrative was the cnticinir slaves to
run away from their masters, that they miirht sell them in some
other quarter. This was arranjjred as follows; they would tell a
nco-ro that if he would run away from his master, and allow
them to sell him, he should receive a portion of the money paid
tor him, and that upon his return to them a second time they
would send him to a free State, where he would be safe. The
poor wretches complied with this recjuest, hoping to obtain money
and fteodom; they would be sold to another master, and run
away aijain to their employers ; sometimes they would bo sold in
this manner three or four times until they had realized three or
four thousand dollars by them; but us, afl<;r this, there was fear
of detection, the usual custom was to g'et rid of the only witness
that could be produced airaiiist them, which was the nen;ro liim-
self, by mudoriiig him, and throwiiiLT his body into the Mississippi,
tjven if it was established that they had st('»len a neg-ro betbre Ijo
was murdered, th(3y were always prepared to evade punishment,
tor they concealed the neofro who had run away until he was ad-
vertised, and a reward offered to any man who would catch him.
An advertisement of this kind warrants the person to take the
property, if found, and then the nej^ro becomes a property in trust.
VV^hen, therefore, they sold the nci^ro, it only became a breach of
trust, not stealing ; and for a breach of trust, the owner of
the property can only have redress by* a civil action, which
was useless, as the damages were never paid. It may be
inquired, how it was that Murel escaped Lynch law under
such circumstances'! This will be easily understood when it
is stated that he had more tiian a thousand sworn con-
federates, all ready at a moment's notice to support any of the
gang who might be in trouble. The names of all the principal
confederates of Murel were obtained from himself, in a manner
which 1 shall presently explain. The gang was composed of

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two classes: the heads or council, as they were called, who
planned and concerted but seldom acted ; they amounted to about
four hundred. The other class were the active agents, and
were termed Strikers, and amounted to about six hundred and
fifty. These were the tools in the hands of the others ; they ran
all the risk, and received but a small proportion of the money ;
they were in the power of the leaders of the gang-, who would
sacrifice them at any time by handing them over to justice, or
sinking their bodies in the Mississippi. The general rendezvous
of this gang of miscreants was on the Arkansaw side of the
river, where they concealed their negroes in the morasses and
cane-brakes.

The depredations of this extensive combination were severely
felt: but so well were their plans arranged, that although
Murel, who was always active, was everywhere suspected, there
was no proof to be obtained. It so happened, however, that a
young man of the name of Stewart, who was looking after two
slaves which Murel had decoyed away, fell in with him and ob-
tained his confidence, took the oath, and was admitted into the
gang as one of the general council. By this means all was dis-
covered ,- for Stewart turned traitor, although he had taken the
oath, and having obtained every information, exposed the whole
concern, the names of all the parties, and finally succeeded in
bringing home sufficient evidence against Murel, to procure his
conviction and sentence to the Penitentiary ; where he now is.
(Murel was sentenced to fourteen years' imprisonment; butas he
will, upon the expiration of his time, be immediately prosecuted
and sentenced again for similar deeds in other States, he will
remain imprisoned for life). So many people who were supposed
to be honest, and bore a respectable name in the different States,
were found to be among the list of the Grnnd Council as pub-
lished by Stewart, that every attempt was made to throw dis-
credit upon his assertions — his character was vilified, and more
than one attempt was made to assassinate him. He was obliired
to quit the Southern States in consequence. It is however
well ascertained to have been all true ; and although
blame Mr. Stewart for having violated his oath, they no
attempt to deny that his revelations were not correct. To un-
derstand, to the full amount, the enormities committed by this
miscreant and his gang, the reader must read the whole account
published at New York ; I will however just quote one or two
portions of Murel's confessions to Mr. Stewart, made to him
when they were journeying together. I ought to have observed,
that the ultimate intentions of Murel and his associates were by
his own account on a very extended scale; having no less an
object in view than raising the blacks against the whtes, taking
possession of, and plundering New Orleans, and making them-
selves possessors of the territory. The following are a few ex-
tracts from the published work : —

" I collected all my friends about New Orleans at one of our
friend's hoftses in that place, and v\ e sat in council three days

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MARRYAT'S DIARY.

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before we got all our plans to our notion ; we then determined
to undertake the rebellion at every hazard, and make as many-
friends as we could for that [purpose. Every man's business
being assigned him, I started to Naichez on foot, iiaving sold my
horse in New Orleans, with the intention of stealing another
after I started: I walked four days, and no opportunity offered
for me to get a horse. The fifth day, about twelve, 1 had become
tired, and stopped at a creek to get some water and rest a little.
While I was sitting on a log, looking down the road the
way that I had come, a man came in sight riding on a
good-looking horse. The very moment I saw him, I was
determined to have his horse, if he was in the garb of a
traveller. He rode up, and I saw from his equipage that he
was a traveller. 1 arose from a seat, and drew an elegant
rifle pistol on him and ordered him to dismount. He did so, and
I took his horse by the bridle and pointed down the creek, and
ordered him to walk before me. He went a few hundred yards
and stopped. I hitched his horse, and then made him undress
himseltj all to his shirt and drawers, and ordered him to turn his
back to me. He said, "If you are determined to kill me, let me
have time to pray before I die." I told him I had no time to
hear him pray. He turned round and dropped on his knees, and
I shot him through the back of the head. I ripped open his belly
and took out his entrails, and sunk him in the creek. I then
searched his pockets, and found four hundred dollars and thirty-
seven cents, and a number of papers that I did not take time to
examine. I sunk the pocket-book and papers, and his hat, in the
creek. His boots were brand new, and fitted me genteelly ; and
I put them on and sunk my old shoes in the creek, to atone for
them. I rolled up his clothes and put them into his portmanteau,
as they were brand new cloth of the best quality. I mounted as
fine a horse as ever I straddled, and directed my course for
Natchez in much better style than I had been for the last five
days.

"Myself and a fellow by the name of Crenshaw gathered four
good horses and started for Georgia. We got in company with
a young South Carolina just before we got to Cumberland moun-
tain, and Crenshaw soon knew all about his business. He had
been to Tennessee to buy a drove of hogs, but when he got there
pork was dearer than he had calculated, and he declined pur-
chasing. We concluded he was a prize. Crenshaw winked at
me, I understood his idea. Crenshaw had travelled the road be-
fore, but I never had j we had travelled several miles on the
mountain, when he passed near a great precipice ; just before we
passed it Crenshaw asked me for my whip, whicli had a pound
of lead in the butt; I handed it to him, and he rode up by the
side of the South Carolinian, and gave him a blow on the side of
the head and tumbled him from his horse ; we lit from our horses
and fingered his pockets; we got twelve hundred and sixty-two
dollars. Crenshaw said he knew of a place to hide him, and he
gathered him under his arms, and I by his feet, and conveyed

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marryat's diary.

I' i

him to a deep crevice in the brow of the precipice, and tumbled
him into it, he went out of sight; we then tumbled in his sad-
dle, and took his horse with us, whicii was worth two hundred
dollars.

" We were detained a few days, and during that time our
friend went to a little village in the neighbourhood and saw the
negro advertised, and a description of the two men of whom he had
been purchased, and giving his suspicions of the men. It was
rather squally limes, but any port in a storm : we took the negro
that night on the bank of a creek which runs by the farm of our
friend, and Crenshaw shot him through the head. We took out
his entrails and sunk him in the creek.

'* He sold him the third time on Arkansaw river for five hun-
dred dollars ; and then stole him and delivered him into the hand
of his friend, who conducted him to a swamp, and veiled the
tragic scene and got the last gleanings and sacred pledge of
secresy, as agame of that kind will not do unless it ends in a mys-
tery to all but the fraternity. He sold that negro for two thou-
sand dollars, and then put him for ever out of the reach of all
pursuers; and they can never graze him unless they can find
the negro; and that they cannot do, for his carcass has fed many
a tortoise and cat-fish before this time, and the frogs have sung
this many a long day to the silent repose of his skeleton."

It will be observed that in the account of his murders, by the
cold-blooded villain, whenever he conceals hisvictim in thewater,
he takes out the entrails. This is because when the entrails
are removed, the body will not rise again to the surface from the
generation of gas, occasioned by putrefaction.

As it is but five years since the conviction of Murel, it may
be supposed that society cannot be much improved in so short
a period. But five years is a long period, as I have before
observed in American history ; and some improvement has
already taken place, as I shall hereafter show; still the state of
things at present is most lamentable, as the reader will acknow-
ledge, when he has heard the facts which I have collected.

The two great causes of the present lawless state of society
in the South are a mistaken notion of physical courage, and a
total want of moral courage. Fiery and choleric in his dispo-
sition, intemperate in his habits, and worked upon by the pe-
culiarity of the climate, the Southerner is always ready to enter
into a quarrel, and prepared with pistol and bowie-knife to
defend himself. For the latter he cannot well be blamed, for
in the present state of things, it is only being prepared in self-
defence ; but at the same time, the weapons being at hand, is
one great cause of such frequent bloodshed. To give the lie,
or to use opprobious language, is considered sufficient justifica-
tion for using the knife ; and as public opinion is on the side of
the party who thus retaliates on an aff'ront, thefe is no appeal to
law, as if there was, the majority would never permit the law
to be put in force: the consequence is, that if a man is occa-
sionally tiied for murder, if any witness will come forward to
prove that the party murdered made use of an offensive epithet

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to the prisoner, (and there are always to be found plenty of
people to do this act of kindness,) he is invariably acquitted.
The law therefore being impotent, is hardly ever resorted to;
every man takes the law into his own hands, and upon the least
affront, blood is certain to be shed. Strange to say, I have heard
the system of the South defended by very respectable indi-
viduals. They say that, taking summary measures at the time
that the blood is up, is much preferable to the general custom
of fighting a duel the next day, which is murder in cold blood ;
that this idea is supported by the laws of England is certain,
as it resolves murder into manslaughter. But, unfortunately,
the argument is not borne out, from the simple fact, that the
quarrels do not with the cooling down of the blood, and if not
settled on the spot, they remain as feuds between the parties,
and revenge takes the place of anger ; years will sometimes
pass away, and the insult or injury is never forgotten; and de-
liberate, cold-blooded murder is the result; for there is no
warning given.

When I was in Kentucky, a man walked up to Mr. Prentice,
the talented editor of the Louisville Journal, and without a word
passing, fired a pistol at his head. Fortunately the ball missed
him ; no notice was taken of this attempt to murder. But I
have had many other examples of this kind, for if you quarrel
with a person and the affair is not decided at once, it is consid-
ered perfectly justifiable to take your revenge whenever you
meet him, and in any way you can. An American gentleman
told me that he happened to arrive at a town in Georgia with a
friend of his, who went with him to the post-office for letters.
This person had had a quarrel with another who resided in the
town ; but they had not met with each other for seven years.
The town resident was looking out of his window, when they
went to the post-office on the opposite side of the street ; he
recognised his enemy, and closing his shutters that he might
not be seen, passed the muzzle of his rifie between them, and
shot him dead, as he was with his back to him paying for his
letters.

But a more curious instance of this custom was narrated to
me by an eye-witness ; a certain general had a feud with another
person, and it was perfectly understood that they were to fight
when they met. It so happened, that the general had agreed to
dine at the public table of the principal hotel in the town with
some friends. When the gong sounded, and they all hastened
in, as they do, to take their places, he found his antagonist
seated with a party of his own friends directly opposite to him.
Both their pistols were out in a moment, and were presented.
"Would you prefer dining first?" said the general, who was
remarkable for coolness and presence of mind. " I have no ob-
jection," replied the other, and the pistols were withdrawn.
Some observation, however, occasioned the pistols to be again
produced before the dinner was over ; and then the friends inter-

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MARRY AT 'd DIARY.

fered, each party removing so many feet above and below, so as
to separate them.

A day or two afterwards they again met at the corner of a
street, and the weapons were produced ; but the general, who
had some important business to transact, said, " 1 believe, sir, I
can, and you know I can, cock a pistol as soon as any man. I
give you your choice; shall it be now, or at some future meet-
ing?" " At some future meeting'then," replied his antagonist,
"for, to confess the truth, general, I should like to have you at
an advantage ,' that is to say, 1 should like to shoot you, when
your back is turned."

I have observed that there is a total want of moral courage on
the part of the more respectable population, who will quietly
express their horror and disgust at such scenes, but who will
never interfere, if the most barbarous murder is committed close
to where they are standing. I spoke to many gentlemen on this
subject, expressing my surprise; ihe invariable answer was,
*' If we interfered we should only hurt ourselves, and do no
good ; in all probability we should have the quarrel fixed upon
ourselves, and risk our own lives, for a man whom we neither
know nor care about."

In one case only, the Southerners hang together, which is if
the quarrel is with a stranger. Should the stranger have the
best of it, all the worse for him; for, by their own understand-
ing, the stranger must be whipped. (Whipping is the term for
beingconquered, whether the contest is with or without weapons.)
No stranger can therefore escape, if he gets into a quarrel ; al-
though they fight with each other, on this point the Southerners
are all agreed, and there is no chance of escape.

A striking proof of indifference to human life shown by the
authorities took place when I was in the West. Colonel C.
returning with his regiment from Florida, passed through a town
in the State of Tennessee. In a quarrel, one of his soldiers
murdered a citizen ; and the colonel, who respected the laws,
immediately sent the soldier as a prisoner, with a corporal's
guard, to be handed over to the authorities. The authorities
returned their thanks to the colonel for his kind attention, were
very much obliged to him : but as for the man, they did not want
him^ — so the soldier marched off with the rest of the detachment.

It must not be supposed that in this representation of society,
I chiefly refer to the humbler classes. I refer to those who are
considered as, and who, if wealth, and public employment may
be said to constitute gentility, are the gentlemen of the States
bordering on the Mississippi. My readers may perhaps recol-
lect a circumstance which occurred but a short time ago, when
a member of the House of Legislature in the State of Arkansas,
who had a feud with the Speaker of the House, upon his enter-
ing the hall, was rushed upon by the Speaker, and stabbed to
the heart with a bowie-knife. What was the result 1 What
steps were taken on the committal of such a foul murder in the
very hall of legislature ! such a precedent of example shown to

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marryat's diary.

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at

the State, by one of its most important members ? The follow-
ing American account, will show what law, what justice, and
what a jury is to be found in this region of unprecedented
barbarism !

" Jl most Disgraceful Affair,
" Our readers will perhaps recollect the circumstance which
occurred in the legislature of Arkansas, when a member was
killed by the Speaker. The Little Rock Gazette gives the
following picture of the state of public feeling in that most
civilized country : —

"Three (lays had elapsed before the constituted authorities
took any notice of this terrible, this murderous deed, and not
even then until a relation of the murdered Anthony had de-
manded a warrant for the apprehension of Wilson. Several
days then elapsed before he was brought before an examining
court; he then, in a carriage and four, came to the place ap-
pointed for his trial. Four or five days were employed in the
examination of witnesses, and never was a clearer case of
murder proved than on that occasion. Notwithstanding, the
court (Justice Brown dissenting) admitted Wilson to bail, and
positively refused that the prosecuting attorney for the State
should introduce the law, to show that it was not a bailable
case, or even to hear an argument from him, and the counsel
associated with him to prosecute Wilson for the murder.

" At the time appointed for the session of the Circuit Court,
Wilson appeared agreeably to his recognizance ; a motion was
made by Wilson's counsel for a change of ue/iue, founded on the
affidavits of Wilson and two other men. One staled in his
affidavit, that ' nine-tenths of the people of Pulaski had made
up and expressed their opinions, and that therefore it would be
unsafe for Wilson to be tried in Pulaski ;' and the other, that,
♦ from the repeated occurrence of similar acts within the last
four or five years in this country, the people w?re disposed to
act rigidly, and that it would be unsafe for Wilson to be tried
in Pulaski,' Tl;e court thereupon removed Wilson to Saline
county, and ordered the sheriff to take Wilson into custody, and
deliver him over to the sheriff of Saline county.

"The sheriff of Pulaski never confined Wilson one minute,
but permitted him to go where he pleased, without a guard or
any restraint imposed upon him whatever. On his way to
Saline he entertained him freely at his own house, and the next
day delivered him over to the sheriff of that county, who con-
ducted the prisoner to the debtors' room in the jail and gave him
the key, so that everybody else had free egress and ingress at
all times. Wilson invited everybody to call on him, and he
wished to see his friends, and his room was crowded with
visitors, who called to drink grog and laugh and talk with him.
But this theatre was not sufficiently large for this purpose; he
afterwards visited the dram-shops, where he freely treated all
that would partake with him, and went fishing and hunting
with others at pleasure, and entirely without restraint; he also
ate at the same table with the judge while on trial.

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" When the court met at Saline, Wilson was pnt on his trial.
Several days were occupied in examining witnesses in the case;
after the examination was closed, while Colonel Taylor was
engaged in a very able, lucid, and argumentative speech on the
part of the prosecution, some man collected a parcel of the rab-
ble, and came within a few yards of the court-house door, and
bawled, in a loud voice, ' Pan them — part them !' Everybody
supposed there was an affray, and ran to the door and windows
to see, and behold there was nothing more than the man and the
rabble he had collected round him for the purpose of annoying
Colonel Taylor while speaking. A few minutes afterwards this
same person brought a horse near the court-house door, and
commenced crying the horse, as though he were for sale, and
continued for ten or fifteen minutes to ride before the court-house
door, crying the horse in a loud and boisterous tone of voice.
The judge sat as a silent listener to the indignity thus offered
the court and counsel by this man, without interposing his
authority

'* To show the depravity of the times and the people, after
the verdict had been delivered by the jury, and the court in-
formed Wilson thai he was discharged, there was a rush to-
wards him ; some seized him by the hand, some by the arm, and
there was great and loud rejoicing and exultation directly in the
presence of the court, and Wilson told the sheriff to take the
jury to a grocery that he might treat them, and invited every
body that chose to go. The house was soon filled to overflow-
ing, and it is much to be regretted that some men who have
held a good standing in society followed the crowd to the gro-
cery and partook of Wilson's treat. The rejoicing was kept up
till near supper time; but, to cap the climax, soon after supper
was over a majority of the jury, together with many others,
went to the room ihat had been occupied for several days by the
friend and relation of the murdered Anthony, and commenced a
scene of the most ridiculous dancing (as it is believed) in tri-
umph for Wilson, and as a triumph over the feelings of the re-
lation of the dei)arted Anthony. The scene did not end here.
The party retired .o a dram-shop, and continued their rejoicings
until about half-after ten o'clock. They then collected a parcel
of horns, trumpets, &c., and marched through the streets blow-
ing them till near day, when one of the company rode his horse
into the porch adjoining the room which was occupied by the
relation of the deceased.

" These are some of the facts that took place during the pro-
gress of the trial, and after its close. The whole proceedings
have been conducted more like a farce than anything else, and
it is a disgrace to the country in which this fatal, this horrible
massacre has happened, that there should be in it men so lost to
every virtue, of feeling and humanity, to sanction and give
countenance to such a bloody deed. Wilson's hand is now
stained with the blood of a worthy and unoffending man.
The seal of disapprobation must for ever rest upon him in

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MARRYAT'S DIARY.

ihe estimation of the honest, well-meaning portion of the com
munity. Humanity shudders at the bloody deed, and ages can-
not wipe away the stain which he has brouofht upon his country.
Arkansas, therefore, the mock of the other States on account of
the frequent murders and assassinations which iiave marked her
character, has now to be branded with the stain of this horrible,
this murderous deed, rendered still more odious from the circum-
stance that a jury of twelve men should h«ive rendered a verdict
of acquittal contrary to law and evidence."

To quote the numerous instances of violation of all law and
justice in these new States would require volumes. I will, how-
ever, support my evidence with tiiat of Miss Martineau, who,
h^peakincr of the State of Alabama, says —

" It is certainly the place to become rich in, but the state of
society is fearful. One of my hosts, a man of jrreat gocxl-nature,
as he shows in the treatment of his slaves and in his family rela-
tions, had been stabbed in the back, in the reading-room of the
town, two years before, and no prosecution was instituted. An-
otlier of my hosts carried loaded pistols for a fortnight, just before
I arrived, knowing that he was lam in wait for by persons against
whose illegal practices he had given information to a magistrate,
whose carriage was therefore broken in pieces and thrown into
the river. A lawyer, with whom we were in company one after-
noon, was sent to take the deposition of a dying inun, who had
been sitting with his family in the shade, when he received three
balls in the hack from three men who took aim at him from be-
hind trees. The tales of jail-breaking and rescue were number-
less; and a lady of Montgomery told me, that she had lived
there four years, during which time no day, she believed, had
passed without some one's life having been attempted either by
duelling or assassination."

The rapid increase of population in the far West, and the
many respectable people who have lately migrated there, to-
gether with the Texas having now become ''^e refuge of those
whose presence even the Southern States ■ no longer toler-
ate, promise very soon to produce a change The cities have
already set the example by purifying themselves. Natchez, the
lower town of which was a Pandemonium, lias cleansed herself
to a very great extent. Vicksburg has by its salutary Lynch
law relieved herself of the infamous gamblers, and New Orleans,
in whose streets murders were daily occurring, is now one of the
safest towns in the Union.

This regeneration in New Orleans was principally brought
about by the exertions of the English and American merchants
from the Eastern States, who established an effectual police, and
having been promised support by the State legislature, deter-
mined to make an example of the very first party who should
commit a murder. It so happened, that the first person who
was guilty, was a Colonel or Mr. Whittaker of Louisiana, a per-
son well connected, and of a wealthy family. In a state of in-
toxication he entered the bar of an hotel, and affronted at the
bar-keeper not paying immediate attention to his wishes, be

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rushed upon the unfortunate man, and literally cut him to piece*
witli his heavy Bowie knife.

He was put in prison, tried and condemued. Every efTort
was made to save him, both by force and perseverance, but in
vain. Finding that he must really suffer the penalty of the law,
his friends to avoid the disgrace of a public execution, provided
him with the means, andhe destroyed himself in the prison the
night before his execution. So unexpected was this act of jus-
tice, that it created the greatest sensation ; it was looked upon
as a legal murder ; his body being made over to his relations,
was eecorted to his home with great parade; the militia were

turned out to receive it with military honours, and General ,

who set up tor the governorship of Louisiana, pronounced the
funeral eulogy !!!

But this decided and judicious step was attended with the best
results; and now that tliere is an active police, and it is known
' that a irmrderer will be executed, you may safely walk the streets
of New Orleans on the darkest nights.

To show, however, how difficult it is to eradicate bad habits, a
gentleman told me ihat it being the custom when the Quadroon
balls were given at New Orleans, for the police to search every
person on entering, and taking away his bowie-knife, the young
man would resort to the following contrivance. The knives of a
dozen perhaps were confided to one, who remained outside ; the
others entered, and being searched were passed ; they then
opened one of the ball-room windows, and let down a string, to
which the party left outside fastened all their knives as well as
his own ; they were hauled up, he then entered himself, and each
person regained his knite. The reason for these precautions
being taken by the police was, that the women being all of
colour, their evidence was not admissible in a court of justice ;
and no evidence could be obtained from the young men, should
a murder have been committed.

But although some of the towns have, as I have pointed out,
effected a great reformation, the state of society in general in
these States is still most lamentable ; and there is little or no
security for life and property ; and what is to be much deplored,
the evil extends to other States which otherwise would much
sooner become civilized.

This arises from the Southern habits of migrating to the other
States during the unhealthy months. During the rest of the year
tney remain on their properties, living perhaps in a miserable
log-house, and almost in a state of nature, laying up dollars and
attending carefully to their business. But as soon as the autumn
comes, it is the time for holiday, they dress themselves in their
best clothes, and setoff to amuse themselves; spend their money
and pass off for gentlemen. Their resorts are chiefly the States
of Virginia, Kentucky, and Ohio; where the springs, Cincinnati,
Louisville, and other towns are crowded with them ; they pass
their time in constant revelling, many of them being seldom free
from the effects of liquor ; aad I must say, that I never in my
life heard such awful swearing as many of them are guilty of.
Every sentence is commenced with some tremendous oaih, wfiich

MARRTAT'S DIAUY.

rcnlly liorrifieB you ; in fact, although in tire dress of gentlemen,
m no other point can they lay any pretensions to the title. Of
co'irse, I am now speaking of the mass; there are many excep-
tions, but even these go with the stream, and make no efforts to
resist it. Content with not practieing these vices themselves,
tliey have not the courage to protest against thorn in (»ther«.

In the Raslern States the »i8b of the knilift was opposed to
general feeling, as it is, or as 1 regrfi to say* as it usui to he in
this country. I was passing down IlroadwHy in New York,
when a scoundrel of a carman flogged with his whip a young
Southern who had a lady under his protection. Justly irritated,
and no match for the sturdy ruffian in physical strength, the
■young man was so imprudent as to draw his knife, and throw it
Indian fashion ; and for so doing, he was with difficulty saved
from the indignation of the people.

Ohio is chiefly populated by Eastern people; yet to my sur-
prise when at Cincinnati, a row took place in the theatre, bowie-
knives were drawn by several. I never had an idea that there
was such a weapon worn there ; but as 1 afterwards discovered,
they were worn in self defence, because the Southe»ners carried
them. The same may be said of the States of Virginia and
Kentucky, which are really now in many portions of them civil-
ized States; but the regular inroad of the Southerners every
year keeps up a system, which would before this have very
probably become obsolete; but as it is, the duel at sight, and
the knife, is resorted to in these States, as well as in the Missis-
sippi. This lamentable state of society must exist for some
time yet, as civilization progresses but slowly in some of the
slave States. Some improvement has of late been made, as I
have pointed out ; but it is chiefly the lower class of miscreants
who have been rooted out, not the gentleman assassins ; for I can
give them no other title.

The women of the South appear to have their passions eqtiai-
ly violent with the men. When I was at Louisville, a married
lady for some fancied aff'ront insisted upon her husband whipping
another gentlemen. The husband not wishing to get a broken
head, expostulated, upon which she replied, that if he did not
she would find some othe gentleman to do it for her. The hus-
band who probably was aware that these services are not with-
out their reward, went accordingly, and had a turn-up in obe-
dience to the lady's wishes.

It appears to me, that it is the Southern ladies, and the ladies
alone, who can affect any reformation in these points. They have
great sway, and if they were to form an association, and declare
that they would not marry or admit into their company any
n an who carried a bowie-knife or other weapons, that they would
■prevail, when nothing else will. This would be a glorious
achievement, and I am convinced from the chivalry towards
women shown by the Southerners on every occasion, that they
might be prevailed upon by them to leave off customs so disgrace-
ful, so demoralizing, and so incompatible with the true princi-
ples of hojaour aad Christianity.

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CHAPTKR IX.

SOCIETY. — WOMEN.

The women of America are unqiipstionably. physically, a»
far as beauty is eoncorneil, ami morally, of a hisiher standanl
than the men ; nevoriheless Ihey have not that itifliience which
they oufrht to possess. In my former remarks upon the women
of Amenca I Ir.ive said, that they are ihe prelliesl in the world,
and I have put the word prrtHest in italics, as I considered it a
term peculiarly appropriate to the American women. In many
points the Americans have, to a certain dejjrree, arrived at that
equality which they profess to covet; and in no one, perhaps,
more than in the fair distribution of jrood looks among the
women. 'I'his is easily accounted for: there is not to be found,
on the one hand, that squalid wretciiedness, that half-starved
growing up, that disease and misery, nor on the other, that
hereditary refinement, that inoculation of the beautiful, from the
constant association with the fine arts, that careful nurture; and
constant attention to health and exercise, which exist in the
dense population of the cities of the Old World ; and occasion
those variations from extreme plainness to the perfection of
beauty which are to be seen, particularly in the metropolis of
England. In the United States, where neither the excess of
misery nor of luxury and refinement are known, you have,
therefore, a more equal distribution of good looks, and, although
you often meet with beatiful women, it is but rarely that you
find one that may be termed ill-favoured. The coup-d'ail is,
therefore, more pleasing in America — enter society, and turn
your eyes in any direction, you will everywhere find cause for
pleasure, although seldom any of annoyance. The climate is
not, however, favourable to beauty, which, compared to tho
English, is very transitory, especially in the Eastern States;
and when a female arrives at the age of thirty, its reign is,
generally speaking, over.

The climate of the Western States appears, Iwwever, more
favourable to it, and I think I saw more handsome women at
Cincinnati than in any other city of the Union ; their figures
were more perfect, and they were finer grown, not receiving the
sudden checks to which the Eastern women are exposed.

Generally speaking, but a small interval elapses between the
period of American girls leaving school and their entering upon
their duties as wives ; but during that period, whetever it may
be, they are allowed more liberty than the young people in our
country ; walkingout wiihoutc/zo/jcn/ws, and visiting their friends
as they please. There is a reason for this: the matrons are
compelled, from the insuflUciency of their domestics, to attend
personally to all the various duties of housekeeping; their fathers
and brothers are all employed in their respective money-making
transactions, and a servant cannot be spared from American
establishments ; if, therefore, they are to walk out and take exer-
cise, it must be alone, and this can be done in the United States

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with more (lAcurity than elsewhere, from the circumstance of
everybody being actively employed, and there being no people
at leisure who are strolling or idling about. 1 think that the

f)ortion of time which elapses between the period uf a young girl
eaving school and being married, is the happiest of her exist-
ence. I have already remarked upon the attention and gallantry
shown by the Americans to the women, especially to the un-
married. This is carried to an extent which, in England, would
be considered by our young women as no compliment; to a
certain degree it pervades every class, and even the sable dam-
sels have no reason to complain of not being treated with the
express of politeness ; but in my opinion, (and I believe the ma-
jority of the American women will admit the correctness of it,)
they do notconf^ider themselves flattered by a species of homage
which is paying no compliment to their good sense, and after
which the usual attentions of an Englishman to the sex are by
some considered as amounting to hauteur and neglect.

Be it as it may, the American women are not spoiled by this
universal adulation which thoy receive previous to their mar-
riage. It is not that one is selected for her wealth or extreme
beauty to the exception of all others; in such a case it might
prove dangerous; but it is a flattery paid to the whole sex, given
to all, and received as a matter of course by all, and therefore it
does no mischief. It does, however, prove what I have said at
the commencement of this chapter, which is, that the women
have not that influence which they are entitled to, and which,
for the sake of morality, it is to be lamented that they have not;
when men respect women they do not attempt to make fools of
them, but treat them as rational and immortal beings, and thiti
general adulation is cheating them with the shadow, while they
withhold from them the substance.

I have said that the period between her emancipation from
school and her marriage is the happiest portion of an American
woman's existence; indeed it has remindexl me of the fetes and
amusements given in a Catholic country to a young girl previ-
ous to her taking the veil, and being immured from the world ;
for the duties of a wife in America aie from circumstances very
onerous, and I consider her existence afler that period as but one
of negative enjoyment. And yet she appears anxious to abridge
even this small portion of freedom and happiness, for n)arriage is
considered almost as a business, or, I should say, a duty, an idea
probably handed down by the first settlers, to whom an
increase of population was of such vital importance."" How-
ever much the Americans may wish tq deny it, I am in-

* Bigamy is not uncommon in the United States from the wo-
men being in too great a hurry to marry, and not obtaining suffi.
cient information relative to their suitors. The punishment is chip-
ping stone in Sing Sing for a few years. It must, however, be ad-
mitted, that when a foreigner is the party, it is rather difficult to as-
certain whether the gentlemen has or has not left an old wife or two
in the Old World.

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clined to think that there are more marriages of convenance in the
United States than in most other countries. The men begin to
calculate long before they are of an age to marry, and it is not
very likely that they would calculate so well upon all other
points, and not upon the value of a dowry ; moreover, the old
people "calculate some," and the girls accept an offer without
their hearts being seriously compromised. Of course there are,
exceptions: but I do not think that there are many love matches
made in America, and one reason for my holding this opinion is,
my having discovered how quietly matches are broken off and
new engagements entered into ; and it is, perhaps, fron a know-
ledge of this fact, arising from the calculating spirit of the gen-
tlemen, who are apt to consider 20,000 dollars as preferable to
10,000, that the American girls are not too hasty in surrender-
ing their hearts.

I knew a young lady who was engaged to an acquaintance of
mine ; on my return to their city a short time afterwards, I found
that the match was broken off, and that she was engaged to an-
other, and nothing was thought of it. 1 do not argue from this
simple instance, but because I found, on talking about it, that it
was a very common circumstance, and because, where scandal
is so rife, no remarks were made. If a young lady behaves in
a way so as to give offence to the gentleman she is engaged to,
and sufficiently indecorous to warrant his breaking off the match,
he is gallant to the very last, for he writes to her, and begs that
she will dismiss him. This I knew to be done by a party I was
acquainted with; he told me that it was considered good taste,
and I agreed with him. On the whole, I hold it very fortunate
that in American marriages there is, generally S|)eaking, more
prudence than love on both sides, for from the peculiar habits
and customs of the country, a woman who loved without pru-
dence would not feel very happy as a wife.

Let us enter into an examination of the married life in the
United States.

All the men in America are busy; their whole time is en-
grossed by their accumulation of money; they breakfast early
and repair to their stores or counting-houses; the majority of them
do not go home to dinner, but eat at the nearest tavern or oyster-
cellar, for they arenerally live at a considerable distance from the
business part of the town, and time is too precious to be thrown
away. It would be supposed that they would be home to an early
tea; many are, hut the majority are not. After fagging, they
require recreation, and the recreations of most Americans are
politics and news, besides the chance of doing a little more busi-
ness, all of which, with drink, are to be obtained at the bars of
the principal commercial hotels in the city". The consequence
it, that the major portion of them come home late, tired, and go
to bed; early the next morning they are off to their busmess
again. Here it is evident that the women do not have much of
their husband's society ; nor do I consider this arising from any
want of inclination on the part of the husbands, as there is an
absolute necessity that they should work as hard as others if
tliey wish to do well, and what one does, the other must do.

MARRYAt's DIARi'.

103

Even frequenting the bar is almost a necessity, for it is there
that they obtain an the information of the day. But the result
is that the married women are left alone ; their husbands are not
their companions, and if they could be, still the majority of the
husbands would not be suitable companions for th« following
reasons. An American starts into life at so early an age that
what he has gained at school, with the exception of that portion
brought into use from his business, is lost. He has no time for
reading, except the rfewspaper ; all his thoughts and ideas are
centred in his employment; he becomes perfect in that, acquires a
gr .'at deal of practical knowledge useful for making money, but for
little else. This he must do if he would succeed, and the major
portion confine themselves to such k nowledge alone. But with the
momen it is different; their education is much more extended
than that of the men, because they are more docile, and easier to
control in their youth ; and when they are married, although
their duties are much more onerous than with us, still, during
the long days and evenings, during which they wait for the
return of their husbands, they have time to finish, I may say,
their own educations and improve their minds by reading. The
consequence of this with other adjuncts, is that their minds
become, and reslly are, much more cultivated and refined than
those of their husbands; and when the universal practice of using
tobacco and drinkinor amongf the latter is borne in mind, it will
be readily admitted that they are also much more refined in
their persons.

These are the causes why the American women are so uni-
versally admired by the English and other nations, while they
do not consider the men as equal to them either i'l manners or
personal appearance. Let it be borne in mind that I am now
speaking of the majority, and that the exceptions are very nu-
merous ; for instance, you may except one whole profession,
that of the lawyers, among whom you will find no want of gen-
tlemen or men oi" highly cnltivated minds; indeed, the same
may be said with respect to most of the liberal professions, but
only so because their profession allows that time for improving
themselves which the American in general, in his struggle on
the race for wealth, carmot atFord to spare.

As 1 have before observed, the ambition of the American is
from circumstances mostly directed to but one object — that of
rapidly raising himself above his fellows by the accumulation
of a fortune; to this one great desideratum all his energies are
directed, all his thoughts are bent, and by it all his ideas are en
grossed. When I first arrived in America, as I walked down
Broadway, it appeared strange to me that there should be such a
remarkable family likeness among the people. Every man I
met seemed to me by his features to be a brother or a connec-
tion of the last man who had passed me; I could not at first
comprehend this, but the mystery was soon revealed. It was
that they were all intent and engrossed with the same object ;
all were, as they passed, calculating and reflecting; this pro-
duced a similar contraction of the brow, knitting of the eye-
brows, and compression of th3 lips — a similarity of feeling had

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produced a similarity of expression, from the same muscles be-
ing called into action. Even their hurried walk assisted the
error: it is a saying in ihe United States, " that a New York
merchant always walks as if he had a good dinner before him,
and a bailiff behind him," and the metaphor is not inapt.

Now, a man so wholly engrossed in business cannot be a
very good companion if he were at home ; his thoughts would
be elsewhere, and therefore perhaps it is better that things should
remain as they are. But the great evil arising from this is, that
the children are left wholly to the management of their mothers,
and the want of paternal control I have already commcitted
upon. The Americans have reason to be proud of their women,
for they are really good wives — much toogood for them ; I have
no hesitation in asserting this, and should there be any unfortu-
nate difference between any married couple in America, all the
lady has to say is, "The fact is. Sir, I'm much too good for you,
and Captain Marryat says so." (I flatter myself there's a little
mischief in that last sentence.)

It appears, then, that the American woman has little of her
husband's society, and that in education and refinement she is
much his superior, notwithstanding which she is a domestic
slave. For this the Americans are not to blame, as it is the
effect of circumstances, over which they cannot be said to have
any control. But the Americans are to blame in one point, which
is, that they do not properly appreciate or value their wives,
who have not half the iniluence which wives have in England,
or one quarter that legitimate influence to which they are entitled.
That they are proud of them, flatter them, and are kind to them
after their own fashion, I grant, but female influence extends no
farther. Some authors have said, that by the morals of the wo-
men you can judge of the morals of a country ; generally speak-
ing, this is true, but America is an exception, for the women
are more moral, more educated, and more refined than the men,
and yet have at present no influence whatever in society.

What is the cause of this ] It can only be ascribed to the one
great ruling passion which is so strong that it will admit of no
check, or obstacles being thrown in its way, and will listen to no
argument or entreaty ; and because, in a country when every-
thing is decided by public opinion, the women are as great slaves
to it as the men. Their position at present appears to be that
the men will not raise themselves to the standard of the women,
and the women will not lower themselves to the standard of the
men ; they apparently move in difierent spheres, although they
repo.se on the same bed.

It is, therefore, as I have before observed, fortunate that the
marriages in America are more decided by prudence than by
affection; for nothing could be more mortifying to a woman of
sense and feeling, than to awake from her dream of love, and dis-
cover that the object upon which she has bestowed her affection,
is indifferent to the sacrifice which she hns made.

If the American women had their due influence, it would be
fortunate ; they might save their country, by checking the tide

MARRTAT S DIARY.

105

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of vice and immorality, and raising the men to their own standard*
Whether they ever will effect this, or whether they will con-
tinue as at present, to keep up the line of demarcation, or gra-
dually sink down to the level of the other sex, is a question which
remains to be solved.

That the American women have their peculiarities, and in
some respects they might be improved, is certain. Their priiici-
pal fault in society is, that they do not sufficiently modulate,
their voices. Those, faults arising from association, and to
which both sexes are equally prone, are a total indifference to
or rather a love of change, " shiftingr ritjht away," without the
least regret, from one portion of the Union to another; a remark-
able apathy as to the sufferings of others, an indifference to loss
of life, a fondness for politics, all of which are tinfeminine; and
lastly, a passion for dress carried to too great an extent; butthis
latter is easily accounted for, and is inseparable from a society
where all would be equal. But, on the other hand, the American
women have a virtue which the tnen have not, which is moral
courage, and one also which is not common with the sex, physi-
cal courage. The independence and spirit of an American
woman, if left a widow without resources, is immediately shown;
she does not sit and lament, but applies herself to some employ-
ment, so that she may maintain herself and her children, and
seldom fails in so doing. Here are faults and virtues, both
proceeding from the same origin.

I have already in my Diary referred to another great error in
a portion of the American women. Lady Blessington, in one of
her delightful works, very truly observes, "I turn with disgust
from that affected prudery, arising, if not from a participation, at
least from a knowledge of evil, which induces certain ladies to
cast down their eyes, look grave, and show the extent of their
knowledge, or the pruriency of their imaginations, by discover-
ing in a harmless jest notliing to alarm their experienced feel-
ings, I resnect that woman whose innate purity prevents those
around her from uttering aught that can arouse it, much more
than her whose sensitive prudery continually reminds one, that
she is au fait of every possible interpretation which a word of
doubtful meaning admits."

The remarks of Miss Martineau upon the women of America
are all very ungracious, and some of them very unjust. That
she met with affectation and folly in America, is very pro-
bable— where do you not? There is no occasion to go to the
United States to witness it. As for the charge of carrying in
their hands seventy-dollar pocket-handkerchiefs, I am afraid it is
but too true ; but when there is little distinction, except by dress,
ladies will be very expensive. I do not know why, but the
American ladies have a custom of carrying their pocket-hand-
kerchiefs in their hands, either in a rootn, or walking out, or
travelling; and moreover, they have a custom of marking their
names in the corner, at full length, and when in a steamboat
or rail-car, I have, by a little watching, obtained the names of

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ladies sitting near me, in consequence of this custom, which of
course will be ascribed by Miss Martineau to a wish to give infor-
mation to strangers.

The remark np(ui tlie Washington belles,* I am afraid is too
true, as I have already pointed out that the indifference to human
life in America extends to the softer sex; and 1 perfectly well
remember, upon my coming into a room at New York with the
first intelligence of the wreck of the ' Home,' and the dreadful
loss of life attending it, that my news was received with "'adear
rae !" from two or three of the ladies, and there the matter
dropped. There is, however, much truth in what Miss Martineau
says, relative to the manner in which the women are treated by
their lords and masters, in this new country. The following
quotation from the work is highly deserving of attention: —

" If a test of civilization be sought, none can be so snre as
the condition of that half of society over which the other half
has power, — from the exercise of the right of the strongest.
Tried by this test, the American civilization appears to be of a
lower order than might have been expected from some other
symptoms of its social state. The Americans have, in the
treatment of women, fallen below, not only their own demo-
cratic principles, but the practice of some parts of the Old
World.

" The unconsciousness of both parties as ta the injuries suffered
by women at the hands of those who hold the power, is a suffi-
cient proof of the low degree of civilization in this important par-
ticular at which they rest While woman's intellect is confined,
her morals crushed, her health ruined, her weakness encouraged,
and her strength punished, she is told that her lot is cast in the
paradise of women: and there is no country in the world where
there is so much boasting of the 'chivalrous' treatment she en-
joys. That is to say, — she has the best place in stage-coaches :
when there are not chairs enough for every body, the gentle-
men stand : she hears oratorical flourishes on public occasions
about wives and home, and apostrophes to woman : her husband's
hair stands on end at the idea of her working, and he toils to in-
dulge her with money : she has liberty to get her brain turned
by religious excitements, that her attention may be diverted
from morals, politics, and philosophy ; and, especially, her morals
are guarded by the strictest observance of propriety in her pre-
sence. Jn short, indulgence is given her as a substitute for
justice."

If Mis^ Martineau had stopped here, she had done well ; but
she follows this up by claiming for her sex all the privileges of
our own, and seems to be highly indignant, that" they are not

♦ " A Washington belle related to me the sad story of the death of
a young man who fell from a small boat into the Potomac in the
night, — it is supposed in his sleep. She told me where and how his
body was found ; and what relation she had left ; and finished with <* he
will be much missed at parties."

marryat's diart.

107

permitted to take their due share of the government of the coun-
try, and hold the most important situations. To follow up her
ideas, we should have a "teeming" prime minister, and the
Ijord Chancellor obliged to leave the wool-sack to nurse his
baby; Miss M. forgets that her prayer has been half granted
already, for we never yet had a ministry without a certain pro-
portion of old women in it; and we can, therefore, dispense with
her services.

There is, however, one remark of Miss Martineau's which I
cannot pass over without expressing indignation ; I will quote
the passage.

f " It is no secret on the spot, that the habit of intempera^jjce

is not unfrequent among women of station and education in the
most enlightened parts of the country. I witnessed some in-
stances, and heard of more. It does not seem to me to be re-
garded with all the dismay which such a symptom ought to ex-
rite. To the stranger, a novelty so horrible, a spectacle so
fearful, suggests wide and deep subjects of investigation. If
women, in a region professing religion more strenuously than
any other, living in the deepest external peace, surrounded by
prosperity, and outwardly honoured more conspicuously than in
any other country, can ever so far cast off self-restraint,
shame, domestic affection, and the deep prejudices of education,
as to plunge into the living hell of intemperance there must be
something fearfully wrong in their position."

Miss Martineau is a lady ; and, therefore, it is difTicult to use
the language which I would, if a man had made such an asser-
tion. 1 shall only state, that it is one of the greatest libels
that ever was put into print: for Miss Martineau implies that
it is general habit, among the American women j so far from it,
the American women are so abstemious that they do not drink
sufficient for their health. They can take very little exercise,
and did they take a Httle more wine, they would not suffer from
dyspepsia^ as they now do, as wine would assist their digestion.
The origin of this slander I know well, and the only ground for
it is, that there are twoor three ladies of a certain city, who having
been worked upon by some of the Evangelical Revival Ministers,
have had their rninds crushed by the continual excitement lo
which they have been subjected. The mind affects the body,
and they have required, and have applied to, stimulus, and if
you will inquire into the moral state of any woman among the
higher classes, either in America or England, who has fallen
into the vice alluded to, nine times out often you will find that
it has been brought about by religious excitement. Fanaticism
and gin are remarkable good friends all over the world. It ie
surprising to me that, when Miss Martineau claims for her sex
, the same privilege as ours, she should have overlooked one sim-
ple fact which ought to convince her that they are the weaker
vessels. I refer to what she acknowledges to be true, which is,
that the evangelical preachers invariably apply to women for
proselytes, instead of men ; not only in America but everywhere
else ; and that for one male, they may reckon at least twenty
females among their flocks. According to Miss Martineau's

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published opinions, there can be no greater weakness than the
above.

In the United States, divorces are obtained without expense,
and without it being necessary to commit crime, as in England.
The party pleads in forma pauperis, to the State Legislation,
and a divorce is granted upon any grounds which may be con-
sidered as just and reasonable.

Miss Martineau mentions a divorce having been granted to a
wife, upon the plea of her husband being a gambler; and I was
myself told of an instance in which a divorce was granted upon
the plea of the husband being such an " awful swearer ;" and
really, if any one heard the swearing in some parts of the West-
ern country, he would not be surprised at a religious woman
requesting to be separated. I was once on board of a steam-
boat on the Mississippi, when a man let off such a volley of
execrations, that it was quite painful to hear him. An Ameri-
can who stood by mc, as soon as the man had finished, observed,
" Well, I'm glad that fit^llow has nothing to do with the engines:
[ reckon he'd burst the biler.''^

Miss Martineau observes, " In no country I believe are the
marriage laws so iniquitous as in England, and the conjugal re-
lation, in consequence, so impaired. Whatever may be thought
of the principles which are to enter into laws of divorce, whether
it be held that pleas for divorce should be one, (as narrow inter-
preters of the New Testament would have it;) or two, (as the law
of England has it;) or several, (as the Continental and U. Stales'
laws in many instances allow,) nobody defends the arrange-
ment by which, in England, divorce is obtainable only by the very
rich. The barbarism of trranting that as a privilege to the ex-
tremely wealthy, to which money bears no relation whatever,
and in which uU married persons whatever have an equal in-
terest, needs no exposure beyond the mere statement of the fact.
It will be seen at a glance how such an arrangement tends to
vitiate marriage : how it offers impunity to adventurers, and en-
couragement to every kind of mercenary marriages; how abso-
lute is its oppression of the injured party, and how, by vitiating
marriage, it originates and aggravates licentiousness to an incal-
culable extent. To England alone belongs the disgrace of such
a method of legislation. I believe that, while there is little to
be said for the legislation of any part of the world on this head,
it is no where so vicious as in England."

I am afraid that these remarks are but too true; and it is the
more singular, as not only in the United States, but in every
other Protestant community that I have ever heard of," divorce
can be obtained upon what are considered just and legitimate
grounds. It has been supposed, that should "the marriage tie be
loosened, that divorces without number would take place.

It was considered so, and so argued, at the time that Zurich
(the only Protestant canton in Switzerland that did not
permit divorce, except for adultery alone,) passed laWs
similar to those of the other cantons; but oo far from
such being the case, only one divorce took place, with-
in a year afler the laws were amended. What is

MARRYAT's DIARr.

109

Ihe reason of thisi It can, in my opinion, only be ascribed to
the chain being worn more lightly, when you know that if it
oppresses you, it may be removed. Men are naturally tyrants,
and they bear down upon the woman who cannot escape from
their thraldom; but, with the knowledge that she can appeal
against them, they soften their rigor. On the other hand, the
woman, when unable to escape, frets with the feeling that she
must submit, and that there is no help or hope in prospect; but
once aware that she has her rights, and an appeal, she bears with
more, and feels less than otherwise she would. You may bind,
and from assiietude and time, (putting the better feelings out of
the question,) the lies are worn without complaint, but if you
bind too tight, you cut into the flesh, and after a time the pain
becomes insupportable. In Switzerland, Germany, and, I be-
lieve, all the protestant communities of the old world, the
grounds upon which divorce is admissible are as follows: —
adultery, condemnation of either party to punishment considered
as infamous, madness, contagious chronic diseases, desertion
and incompatibility of temper.

The last will be considered by most people as no ground for
divorce. Whether it is or not, I shall not pretend to decide,
but this is certain, that it is the cause of the most unhappiness,
and, ultimately, of the most crime.

All the great errors, all the various schisms in the Christian
church, have arisen from not taking the holy writings as a great
moral code, (as I should imagine they were intended to be,)
which legislates upon broad principles, but selecting particular
passages from them upon which to pin your faith. And it cer-
tainly appears to me to be reasonable to suppose that those laws
by which the imperfection of our natures were fairly met, and
which tended to dimirnsh the aggregate of crime, must be more
acceptable to our Divine Master than any which, however they
might be in spirit more rigidly conformable to his precepts,
were found in their working not to succeed. And here I cannot
help observing, that the heads of the church of England appear
not to have duly weighed this matter, when an attempt was lately
made to legislate upon it. Do the English bishops mean to
assert that they know better than the heads of all the other pro-
testant communities in the world — that they are more accurate
expounders of the gospel, and have a more intimate knowledge
of God's will? Did it never occur to them, that when so many
good and virtuous ecclesiastics of the same persuasion in other
countries have decided upon the propriety of divorce, so as to
leave them in a very small minority, that it might be possible
that they might be wrong, or do they intend to set up and claim
the infallibility of the papistical hierarchy?

Any legislation to prevent crime, which produces more crime,
must be bad and unsound, whatever may be its basis: witness
the bastardy clause in the New Poor Law Bill. That the
former arrangements were defective is undeniable, for by them
there was a premium for illegitimate children. This required
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amendment: but the remedy has proved infinitely worse than
the disease. For what has been the result] That there have
been many thousands fewer ille^r'nimate children Wn, it is true;
but has the progress of immorality been checked? On the
contrary, crime has increased, for to the former crime has been
added one much greater, that of infanticide, or producing abor-
tion. Such has been the effect of attempting to legislate for the
affections; for in most cases a woman falls a sacrifice to her bet-
ter feelings, not to her appetite.

In every point connected with marriage, has this injurious
plan been persevered in; the marriage ceremony is a remarkable
instance of this, for, beautiful as it is as a service, it is certainly
liable to this objection, that of making" people vow before God
that which it is not in human nature to control. The woman
vows to love, and to honor, and to cherish; the man to love and
(jherish until death doth them part.

Is it right that this vow should be madeT A man deserts his
wife for another, treats her cruelly, separates her from her chil-
dren, (^an a woman love, or honor, or cherish such a mani —
nevertheless, she has vowed before God that she will. Take
the reverse of the picture when the fault is on the woman's side,
and the evil is the same; can either party control their affec-
tions? surely not, and therefore it would be better that such
yows should not be demanded.

There is another evil arising from one crime being the only
allowable cause of divorce, whi»h is that the possession of one
negative virtue on the part of the woman, is occasionally made
an excuse for the practice of vice, and a total disregard of her
duties as a wife. I say negative virtue, for chastity very often
proceeds from temperament, and as often from not being tempted,

A woman may neglect her duties of every kind — but she is
chaste; she may make her husband miserable by indulgence of
her ill-temper — but she is chaste; she may squander his money,
ruin him by expense— but she is chaste; she may, in short, drive
him to drunkenness and suicide— but still she is chaste; and
chastity, like charity, covers the whole multitude of sins, and is
the scape-goat for every other crime, and violation of the mar-
riage vow.

It must, however, be admitted, that although the faults may
occasionally be found on the side of the women, in nine times
out often it is the reverse; and that the defects of our marriage
laws have rendered English women liable to treatment which
ought not to be shown towards the veriest slaves in existence.

I must now enter into a question, which I should have had
more pleasure in passing over lightly, had it not been for the
constant attacks of the Americans upon this subject, during the
time that I was in the country, and the remarks of Mr. Carey in
his work, in which he claims for the Americans pre-eminence
in this point, as well as upon all others.

Miss Martineau says, "The ultimate and very strong impres-
Mon on the mind of a stranger, pondering on the morals of so-

MARRTAT^S DIARY.

Ill

[I *

cirty in America, is that human nature is much the same every
where " Surely Miss Martiiieau need not have crossed the At-
lantic to make this discovery; however I quote it, as it will
serve as a text to what is to follow.

The Americans claim excessive purity for their women, and
taunt us with the exposees occasionally made in our newspapers.
In the first place — which shows the highest regard for morality,
a country where any deviation from virtue is immediately made
known, and held up to public indignation? or one which, from
national vanity, and a wish that all should appear to be correct,
instead of publishing, conceals the facts, and permits the guilty
parties to escape without censure, for what they consider the
honor of the nation?

To suppose there is no conjugal infidelity in the United States
is to suppose that human nature is not the same every where.
That it never, to my knowledge, was made public, but invaria-
bly hushed up when discovered, I believe; so is suicide. But
one instance came to my knowledge, during the time that I was
in the States, which will give a very fair idea of American feel-
ing on this subject. It was supposed that an intrigue had been
discovered, or, it had actually been discovered, I cannot say
which, between a foreigner and the wife of an English gentle-
man. It was immediately seized upon with ecstacy, circulated
in all the papers with every American embellishment, and was
really the subject of congratulation among them, as if they had
gained some victory over this country. It so happened that an
American called upon the lady, and among other questions put
to her, inquired in what part of England she was born? She
replied, "that she was not an English-woman, but was born in
the States, and brought up in an American city."

It is impossible to imagine how this mere trifling fact affected
the Americans. She was then an American — they were aghast
—and I am convinced that they would have made any sacrifice,
to have been able to have recalled all that they had done, and
have hushed up the matter.

The fact is, that human nature is the same every where, and I
cannot help observing, that if their community is so much more
moral, as they pretend that it is, why is it that they have consi-
dered it necessary to form societies on such an extensive scale,
for the prevention of a crime from which they declare themselves
(comparatively with us and other nations) to be exempt? I once
had an argument on this subject with an elderly American gen-
tleman, and as I took down the minutes of it after we parted, I
think it will be as well to give it to my readers, as it will show
the American feeling upon it.

'* Why, Captain M., you must bear in mind that we are not
so vicious and contaminated here, as you are in the old country.
You don't see our newspapers filled, as yours are, with crim.
cons, in high life. No, sir, our institutions are favourable to
virtue and morality, and our women are as virtuous as our men
arc brave."

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MARRY AT'S DIART.

I !

"I have no reason to deny either one assertion or the other^
as far as I am acquainted with your men and women; but still
I do not judge from the surface, as many have done who have
visited you. Because there are no crim. cons, in your papers,
it does not prove that conjugal infidelity does not exist. There
are no suicides of people of any station in society ever published
in your newspapers, and yet there is no country where suicide is
more common."

" 1 grant that, occasionally, the coroner does bring in a verdict
80 as to save the feelings of the family."

" That is more than a coroner would venture to do in England,
let the rank of the party be of the highest. But if you hush up
suicides, may you not also hush up other oftences, to save the
feelings of families'? I have already made up my mind upon
one point, which is, that you are content to substitute the appear-
ance for the reality in your moral code — the fact is, you fear one
another — you fear society, but you do not fear God."

" I should imagine, captain, that when you have conversed,
and mixed up with us a little more, you will be inclined to re-
tract, and acknowledge what I have said to be correct. I have
lived all my life in the States, and I have no hesitation in saying
that we are a very moral people. Recollect that you have prin-
cipally confined yourself to our cities, during your stay with us;
yet even there we may proudly challenge comparison."

" My opinion is, that unless you can show just cause why you
should be more moral than other nations, you are, whether in
cities or in the country, much the same as we are. I do not
require to examine on this point, as I consider it to be a rule-of-
three calculation. Give me the extent of the population, and I
can estimate the degree of purity. Mankind demoralize each
other by collision; and the larger the numbers crowded together,
the greater will be the demoralization, and this rule will hold
good, whether in England or the United States, the Old World
or the New."

" That argument would hold good if it were not for our insti-
tutions, which are favourable to morality and virtue."

" I consider them quite the contrary. Your institutions are
beautiful in theory, but in practice do not work well. I suspect
that your society has a very similar defect."

"Am I then to understand, captain, that you consider the
American ladies as not virtuous]"

" I have already said that I have had no proofs to the contra-
ry; all I wish is to defend my own country, and I say that I
consider the English women at all events quite as moral as the
Americans."

" I reckon that's no compliment, captain. Now, then, do
you mean to say that you think there is as much conjugal infi-
delity in New York, in proportion to the population, as there is
in London] Now, captain, if you please, we will stick to that
point."

MARRY AT's DIART.

113

" I answer you at once. No, I do not believe that there is;

but "

" That's all I want, captain — never mind the 6m/s."
*^ Hut you must have the buls. Itecollect, I did not say that
your society was more moral, although 1 said that there was in
my opinion less infidelity."
" vVell, how can that bel"

" Because, in the (irst place, conjugal infidelity is not the only
crime which exists in society; and, secondly, because there are
causes which prevent its being common. That this vice should
be common, two things are requisite — time and opportunity;
neither of which is to be found in a society like yours. You have
no men of leisure, every man is occupied the whole day with his
business. Now, suppose one man was to stay away from his
business for merely one day, would he not be missed, and inqui-
ries made after him; and if it were proved that he stayed away
to pass his time with his neighbour s wife, would not the scan-
dal be circulated all over the city before nightl I recollect a
very plain woinau accusing a very pretty one of indiscretion; the
reply of the latter, when the former vaunted her own purity, was,
' Were you ever asked]' Thus it is in America; there is neither
time nor opportunity, and your women are in consequence sel-
dom or never tempted. I do not mean to say that if they were
tempted they would fall; all I say is, that no parallel can in this
instance be drawn between the women of the two countries, as
their situations are so very different. I am ready to do every
justice to your women; but I will not suffer you to remain in the
error, that you are more moral than -..'e are."

" Why, you have admitted that we are from circumstances, if
not from principle."

*' In one point only, and in that you appear to be, and I have
given you a reason why you really should be so; but we can
draw no inference of any value from what we know relative to
your better classes of society. If we would examine and calcu-
late the standard of morality in a country, we must look else-
where?"
" Where?"

" To the lower class of society, and not to the highest. I pre-
sume you are aware that ther^ is a greater proportion of unfortu-
nate females in New York, taking the extent of the populations,
than in London or Paris? I have it from American authority,
and I have every reason to believe that it is true."

" I am surprised that any American should have made such
an admission, captain; but for the sake of argument let it be so.
But first recollect that we have a constant influx of people from
the Old Country, from all the other States in America, and that
we are a seaport town, with our wharves crowded with ship-
ping,"

" I admit it all, and that is the reason why you have so many.
The supply in all countries is usually commensurate with the

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MARRYAT'S DIARY.

demand; but the numbers have nothing to do with the argu-
ment."

"Then T cannot si^e what you aro driving at; for allow me to
say that, admitting the clasH to ho as numerous as you state
from American authority, still tht'y are vvry ordi-rly and well
behaved. You nevor see them drunk in the streets; you never
hear swearing or abusive languagr; and you do in London and
your sea-ports. There is a decorum and sense of propriety about
them which, you must admit, speaks well, even for those unfor-
tunate persons, and shows some sense of morality and decency
even in our most abandoned."

" You have brought forward the very facts which I was about
to state, and it is from these facts that I draw quite contrary con-
clusions. If your argument is good, it must follow that the
women of Paris are much more virtuous than the women of
London. Now, I consider that these facts prove that the stand-
ard of morality is lower in America and France than it is in
England. A French woman who has fallen never drinks, or
uses bad language; she follows her profession, and seldom sinks,
but rises in it. The grisette eventually keeps her carriage, and
retires with sufficient to support her in her old age, if she does
not marry. The American women of this class appear to me to
be precisely the same description of people; whereas, in Eng-
land, a woman who falls, falls never to rise again— sinking down
by degrees from bad to worse, until she ends her days in rags
and misery. But why sol because, as you say, they become
reckless and intemperate — they do feel their degradation, and
cannot bear up against it — they attempt to drown conscience,
and die from the vain attempt. Now, the French and the
American women of this class apparently do not feel this, and,
therefore, they behave and do better. This is one reason why
I argue that the standard of morality is not so high in your
country as with us, although from circumstances, conjugal infi-
delity may be less frequent."

" Then, captain, you mean to say that cursing, swearing, and
drinking, is a proof of morality in your country T*

" It is a proof, not of the mora! iiy of the party, but of the high
estimation in which virtue is held, shown by the indifference
and disregard to every thing else after virtue is once lost."

This is a specimen of many arguments held with the Ameri-
cans upon that question, and when examining into it, it should
be borne in mind that there is much less excuse for vice in
America than in the Old Countries. Poverty is" but too often
the mother of crime, and in America it may be said that there is
no poverty to offer up in extenuation.

Mr. Carey appears to have lost sight of this fact when he so
triumphantly points at tlie difference between the working classes
of both nations, and quotes the Report of our Poor Law Com-
missioners to prove the wreichedness and misery of ours. I
cannot, however, allow his assertions to pass without observa-

MARKY\T^8 DIARY.

115

tion, rsppclally as Engliali nnd Vrciioh travellers linvo hern
equally content to admit witliout due exaniin.ition the claims of
the Americans; 1 refer more particularly to the larj^e manufac-
tory at Lowell, in Massachusetts, which from its assj-rled purity
has heen one of the boasts of Anterica. Mr. (.arey says —

♦'The fi»n "wing passage from a statement, furnished hy the
manager of ouf* of the principal establishments in Lowell, shows
a very gratifying staiv of things; — 'There have only occurred
three instances in whu h iv apparently improper connection or
intimacy had tak«'n plnce, and in all those cases the parties were
married on the discovery, and several months prior to the birth
of their childrc"; so that, in ii legal point of view, no illegiti-
mate birth has tak^n place among tip females employed in the
mills under my direction. Nor have I known of but one case
among all the females engaged in Lowell. I have said known
— 1 should say heard of one case. 1 am just informed, that that
was a case where the female had been employed but a few days
in any mill, and was forthwith rejected from the corporation, and
sent to her friends. In point of female chastity, 1 believe that
Lowell is as free from reproach as any place of an equal popula-
lation in the United States or the world.' "

And he winds up his chapter with the following remark: —

"The eflect upon morals of this state of things, is of the most
gratifying charactrer. The number of illegitimate children born
in the United States is small; so small, that we should suppose
one in fifty to be a high estimate. In the great factories of the east-
ern states there prevails a high degree of morality, presenting a
most extraordinary contrast to the immorality represented to ex-
ist in a large portion of those of England."

Next follows Miss Martineau, who says—

"The morals of the female factory population may be expected
to be good when it is considered of what class it is composed.
Many of the girls are in the factories because they have too
much pride for domestic service. Girls who are too proud for
domestic service as it is in America, can hardly be low enough
for any gross immorality, or to need watching, or not to he
trusted to avoid the contagion of evil example. To a stranger,
their pride seems to have taken a mistaken direction, and they
appear to deprive themselves of a respectable home and station,
and many benefits, by their dislike of service; but this is alto-
gether their own affair, they must choose for themselves their
way of life. But the reasons of their choice indicate a state of
mind superior to the grossest dangers of their position."

And the Rev. Mr, Reid also echoes the praise of the factory
girls given by others, although he admits that their dress was
above their state and condition, and that he was surprised to see
them appear " in silks^ with scarf s^ veils^ and parasols.''^

Here is a mass of evidence opposed to me, but the American evi-
dence must be received with all due caution; and as for the Eng-
lish, I consider it rather favorable to my side of the question than
otherwise. Miss Martineau says that " the girls have too much

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pride for domestic service," and therefore, argues that they will
not he immoral; now, (he two great causes of women falling off
from virtue, are poverty and false pride. What difference there
is between receiving money for watching a spinning-jenny, and
doing household work, I do not see; in either case it is sevitude,
although the former may be preferred, as being less under con-
trol, and leaving more time at your own disposal. I consider the
pride, therefore, which Miss Martineau upholds, to he false pride,
which will actuate them in other points; and when we find the
factory girls vying with each other in silks and laces, it be-
comes a query whether the passion for dress, so universal in
America, may not have its effect there as well as elsewhere. I
must confess that I went to Lowell doubting all I had heard — it
was so contrary to human nature that five hundred girls should
live among a population of fifteen hundred, or more, all pure and
virtuous, and all dressed in silks and satin.

When I went to Lowell I travelled with an American gentle-
man, who will, 1 have no doubt, corroborate my statement, and
I must say that, however pure Lowell may have been at the time
when the encomiums were passed upon it, I have every reason
to believe, from American authority as well as my own observa-
tion, that a great alteration has taken place, and that the manu-
factories have retrograded with the whole mass of American
society. In the first place, 1 never heard a move accomplished
swearer, east of the Alleghanies, than one young lady who ad-
dressed me and my Amejican friend, and as it was the only instance
of swearing on the part of a female that I ever met wi4h in the
United States, it was the more remarkable. I shall only observe,
that two days at Lowell convinced me that " human nature was
the same every where," and thus I dismiss the subject.

Mr. Carey compels me to make a remark which I would
gladly have avoided, but as he brings forward his comparative
statements of the number of illegitimate children born in the two
countries as a proof of the superior morality of America, I must
point out to him what I suspect he is not aware of. Public
opinion acts as law in America; appearances are there substi-
tuted for the reality, and provided appearances are kept up,
whether it be in religion or morality, it is sufficient; but should
an exposure take place, there is no mercy for the offender. As
those who have really the least virtue in themselves are always
the loudest to cry out at any lapse which may be discovered in
others, so does society in America pour out its anathemas in the
inverse ratio of its real purity. Now, although the authority I
speak from is undoubted, at the same time I wish to say as little
as possible. That there are fewer illegitimate children born in
the United States is very true. But why so? because public
opinion there acts as the bastardy clause in the new poor law
bill has done in this country; and if Mr. Carey will only inquire
in his own city, he will find that I should be justified if 1 said
twice as much, as I have been compelled in defence of my own
country to say, upon so mpleasant a subject.

MARRY AT*S DIARY.

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CHAPTER X.

PUBLIC OPINION, OR THE MAJORITY.

The majority are always in the ri{i;ht, so says Miss Mar-
tineau, and so have said greater people than even Miss Mar-
tineau; to be sure Miss Martineau qualifies her expression after-
wards, when she declares that they always will be right in the
end. What she means by that I do not exactly comprehend;
the end of a majority is its subsiding into a minority, and a mi-
nority is generally right. But I rather think that she would
imply that they will repent and see their folly when the conse-
quences fall heavily upon them. The great question is, what is
a majority? must it be a whole nation, or a portion of a nation,
or a portion of the population of a city; or, in fact, any plus
against any minus, be they small or be they large. For instance,
two against one are a majority, and, if so, any two scoundrels
may murder an honest man and be in the right; or it may be the
majority in any city, as in Baltimore, where they rose and mur-
dered an unfortunate minority;* or it may be a majority on the
Canada frontier, when a set of miscreants defied their own go-
vernment, and invaded the colony of a nation with whom they
were at peace — all of which is of course right. But there are
other opinions on this question besides those of Miss Martineau,
and we shall quote them as occasion serves.

* A striking instance of the excesses which may be occasioned by
the despotism of the majority, occurred at Baltimore in 1812. At that
time the war was very popular in Baltimore. A journal, which had
taken the other side of the quqslion, excited the indignation of the in-
habitants by its opposition. The populace assembled, broke the printing,
presses, and attacked tfte houses of the ncws|)aper editors. The militia
was called out, but no one obeyed the call, and the only means of
saving the i>oor wretches, who were threatened by the frenzy of the
mr)b, were to throw them into prison as common malefactors. But
even this precaution was ineffectual; the moh collected again during
the night, the magistrates again made a vain attempt to call out the
militia, the prison was forced, one of the newspaper editors was killed
upon the spot, and the others were leflt for dead; when the guilty par-
tics were brought to trial, they were acquitted by the jury.

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1 have before observed, that Washingfton left America a re-
public; and that in the short space of fifty years it has sunk into
a democracy.

The barrier intended to be raised aofainst the encroachmerits
of the people has been swept away; the senate (which was in-
tended, by the arrangements for its election, to have served as
the aristocracy of the lejrislature, as a deliberative check to the
impetus of the majority, like our House of Lords) having latterly
become virtually nothing more than a second congress, receiving
instructions, and submissive to them, like a pledged representa-
tive. This is what Washington did not foresee.

Washington was himself an aristocrat; he slwwed it in every
way. He was difficult of access, except to the higher classes.
He carried state in his outward show, always wearing his uni-
form as general of the forces, and attended by a guard of honor.
Indeed, one letter of Washington's proves that he was rather
doubtful as to the working of the new government shortly after
it had been constituted. He says —

"Among men of reflection few will be found, I believe, who
are not beginning to think that our system is better in tlieory
than in practice^ and that notwithstanding the boasted virtue of
America, it is more than probable we shall exhibit the /as/ melaiir
choly proif^ that mankind are incompetent to their own govern-
ment without the means of coercion in the sovereign.^^*

This is a pretty fair admission from such high authority; and
fifty years has proved the wisdom and foresight of the observa-
tion. Gradually as the aristocracy of the country wore out, (for
there was an aristocracy at that time in America,) and the peo-
ple became less and less enlightened, so did they encroach upon
the constitution. President after president gradually laid down
the insignia and outward appearance of rank, the senate became
less and less respectable, and the people more and more autho-
Titative.

M. Tocqueville says, " When the American revolution broke
out, distinguished political characters arose in great numbers;
for public opinion then served, not to tyrannise over, but to di-
rect the exertions of individuals. Those celebrated men took a
full part in the general agitation of mind common at that period,
and they attained a high degree of personal fame, which was
reflected back upon the nation, but which was by no means bor-
rowed from it."

It was not, however, until the presidency of General Jackson,
that the democratic party may be said to have made any serious
inroads upon the constitution. Their previous advances were
indeed sure, but they were, comparatively speaking, slow"; but
raised as he was to the office of President bv the mob, the de-
magogues who led the mob obtained the offices under govern-

» Washington's letter to Chief Justice Jay, 10th March, 1787.

marryat's diary.

119

ment, to the total exclusion of the aristocratic party, whose doom
was then seal-ed. Within the last ten years the uHvance of the
people has been like a torrent, sweeping and levelllnof all before
It, and the will of the majority has become not only absolute
with the government, but it defies the government itself, which
is too weak to oppose it.

Is it not strange, and even ridiculous, that under a govern-
ment established little more than fifty years, a government which
was to be a lesson to the whole world, we should find political
writers making use of language such as this: " We are for re-
form^ sound pro If ressive reform^ not subversion and destruction."
Yet such is an extract from one of the best written American
periodicals of the day- This is the language that may be ex-

ftected to be used in a country like England, which still legis-
ates under a government of eight hundred years old; but what
a failure must that government be, which in fifty years calls forth
even from its advocates such an admission!!

M. Tocqueville says, "Custom, however, has done even more
than laws. A proceeding which will in the end set all the
guarantees of representative government at nought, is becoming
more and more general in the United States: it frequently hap-
pens that the electors who choose u delegate, point out a certain
line of conduct to him, and impose upon him a certain number
of positive obligations, which he is pledged to fulfil. With the
exception of the tumult, this comes to the same thing as if the
majority of the populace held its deliberations in the market-
place."

Speaking of the majority as the popular will, he says, "no
obstacles exist which can impede, or so much as retard its pro-
gress, or which can induce it to heed the complaints of those
whom it crushes upon its path. This state of things is fatal in
itself, and dangerous for the future."

My object in this chapter is to inquire what effect has been
produced upon the morals of the American people by this ac-
knowledged dominion of the majority!

1st. As to the mass of the people themselves. It is elear, if
the people not only legislate, but, when in a state of irritation or
excitement, they defy even legislation, that they are not to be
compared to restricted sovereigns, but to despots, whose will
and caprice are law. The vices of the court of a despot are,
therefore, practised upon the people; for the people become, as
it were, the court, to whom those, in authority, or those who
would be in authority, submissively bend the knee. A despot
is not likely ever to hear the truth, for moral courage fails where
there is no law to protect it, and where honest advice may be
rewarded by summary punishment. The people, therefore, like
the despot are never told the truth; on the contrary, they receive
and expect the most abject submission from their courtiers, to
wit, those in office, or expectants.
Now, the President of the United States may be considered

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the Prime Minister of an enlightened puhlic, who govern them-
selves, and liis communication with them is in his annual mes-
sage.

Let us examine what Mr. Van Buren says in his last mes-
sage.

First, hehnmhly acknowledges their power.

*'A national hank," he tells them, *' would impair the rightful
supremacy of the popular wiliy

And this he follows up with that most delicate species of flat-
tery, that of praising them for the very virtue which they are
most deficient in; telling them they are "A people to whom the
truths however unpromising, can alwiiys he told with safety.''^

At the very time when they were defying all law and all
government, he says, " It was reserved for the American Union
to test the advantage of a government entirely dependent on the
continual exercise of the popular will, and our experience has
shown that it is as beneficent in practice, as well as it is just in
theory.'''*

At the very time when nearly the whole Union were assisting
the insurrection in Canada with men and money, he tells them
"That temptations to interfere in the intestine commotions of
neighboring countries have been thus far successfully resisted."

This is quite enough; Mr. Van Buren's motives are to be re-
elected as president. That is very natural on his part; but how
can you expect a people to improve who never hear the truth?

Mr. Cooper observes, " Monarchs have incurred more hazards
from follies of their own that have grown up under the adulation
of parasites, than from the machinations of their enemies; and
in a democracy, the delusion that still would elsewhere be poured
into the ears of the prince, is poured into those of the people.

The same system is pursued by all those who would arrive at
or remain in place and power; and what must be the conse-
quence] That the straight-forward, honorable upright man is
rejected by the people, while the parasite, the adulator, the de-
magogue, who flatters their opinion, asserts theii supremacy,
and yields to their arbitrary demands, is the one selected by
them for place and power. Thus do they demoralize each other;
and it is not until a man has, by his abject submission to their
will, in contradiction to his own judgment and knowledge,
proved that he is unworthy of the selection which he courts, that
he is peimitted to obtain it. Thus it is that the most able and
conscientious men in the States are almost unanimously rejected.

M. Tocqueville says, " It is a well-authenticated fact, that at
the present day the most talented men in the United States are
very rarely placed at the head of affairs; and it must be acknow-
ledged that such has been the result in proportion as democracy
has outstepped all its former limits; the race of American states-
men has evidently dwindled most remarkably in the course of
the last fifty years."

Indeed, no high-minded consistent man will now offer himself,
and this is one cause among many why Englishmen and fo-

roigne
States
The
retiree
rathei
M.

Marry at's diary.

121

rmgners have not done real justice to the people of the United
States. The scum is uppermost, and they do not see below it.
The prudent, the enlightened, the wise, and the good, have all
retired into the shade, preferring to pass a life of quiet retirement,
rather than submit to the insolence and dictation of a mob.

M. Tocqueville says, "Whilst the natural propensities of de-
mocracy induce the people to reject the most distinguished citi-
zens as its rulers, these individuals are no less apt to retire from
a political career, in which it is almost impossible to retain their
independence, or to advance without degrading themselves."

Again, " At the present day the most affluent classes of society
are so entirely removed from the direction of political affairs in
the United States, that wealth, far from conferring a right to the
exercise of power, is rather an obstacle than a means of attaining
to it. The wealthy members of the community abandon the
lists, through unwillingness to contend, and frequently to con-
tend in vain, against the poorest classes of their fellow-citizens.
They concentrate all their enjoyments in the privacy of their
homes, where they occupy a rank which cannot be assumed in
public, and they constitute a private society in the state which
has its own tastes and its own pleasures. They submit to this
state of things as an irremediable evil, but they are careful not
to show that they are galled by its continuance. It is even not
uncommon to hear them laud the delights of a republican go-
vernment, and the advantages of democratic institutions, when
they are in public. Next to hating their enemies, men are most
inclined to flatter them. But beneath this artificial enthusiasm,
and these obsequious attentions to the preponderating power, it
is easy to perceive that the wealthy members of the community
entertain a hearty distaste to the democratic institutions of their
country. The populace is at once the object of their scorn and
of their fears. If the maladministration of the democracy ever
brings about a revolutionary crisis, and if monarchical constitu-
tions ever become practicable in the United States, the truth of
what I advance will become obvious/'

It appears, then, that the more respectable portion of its citi-
zens have retired, leaving the arena open to those who are least
worthy: that the majority dictate, and scarcely any one ventures
to oppose them; if any one does, he is immediately sacrificed;
the press, obedient to its masters, pours out its virulence, and it
is incredible how rapidly a man, unless he be of a superior mind,
falls into nothingness in the United States, when once he has
dared to oppose the popular will. He is morally bemired, be-
spattered, and trod under foot, until he remains a lifeless carcase.
He falls, never to rise again, unhonored and unremembered.

Captain Hamilton, speaking to one of the federalist, or aristo*
cratical party, received the following reply. I have received
similar ones in more than fifty instances. " My opinions, and I
believe those of the party to which I belonged, are unchanged;
and the course of events in this country has been such as to im-
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press only a deeper and more thoroug-h' conviction of their wis-
dom; but, in the present state of public feeling, we dare nut
express them. An individual professirigr such opinions would
not only find himself excluded from every office of public trust
wiihin the scope of his reasonable ambition, but he would be
regarded by his neighbors and fellow-citizens with an evil eye.
His words and actions would become the objects of jealous and
malignant scrutiny, and he would have to sustain the unceasing
attacks of a host of unscrupulous and ferocious assailants."

Mr. Cooper says, " The besetting, the degrading vice of Ame-
rica, is the njoral cowardice by which men are led to truckle to
■what is called public opinion, though nine times in ten these
opinions are mere engines set in motion by the most corrupt and
least respectable portion of the community, for the most unwor-
thy purposes. The English are a more respectable and constant
[unconstanti] nation than the Americans, as relates to this
peculiarity."

To be popular with the majority in America, to be a favourite
with the people, you must first divest yourself of all freedom of
opinion; you must throw off all dignity; you must shake hands
and drink with every man you meet; you must be, in fact, slo-
venly and dirty in your appearance, or you will be put down as
an aristocrat. 1 recollect once an American candidate asked me if
I would walk out with him? I agreed ; but he requested leave
to change his coat, which was a decent one, for one very shabby;
" for," says he, " I intend to look in upon some of my constitu-
ents, and if they ever saw me in that other coat, I should lose
my election." This cannot but remind the reader of the custom
of candidates in former democracies — standing up in the market-
place as suppliants in tattered garments, to solicit the " voices"
of the people.

That the morals of the nation have retrograded from the total
destruction of the aristocracy, both in the government and in
society, which has taken place withm the last ten years, is most
certain.

The power has fallen into the hands of the lower orders, the of-
fices under government have been chiefly filled up by their favor-
ites, either being poor and needy men from their own class, or
base and dishonest men, who have sacrificed their principles and
consciences for place. I shall enter more fully into this subject
hereafter; it is quite sufficient at present to say, that during Mr.
Adams' presidency, a Mr. Benjamin Walker was a defaulter to
tlie amouftt of ^18,000, and was in consequence incarcerated for
two years. Since the democratic party have come into power,
the quantity of defaulters, and the sums which have been em-
bezzled of government money, are enormous, an.-^ no punishment
of any kind has been attempted. They s^.v n is only a breach
of trust, and that a breach of trust is not punishable, except by
a civil action; which certainly in the United States is of little
avail, as the payment of the money can always be evaded. The

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123

ronseqiience is that you meet with defaulters in, I will not say
the very best society grenerally, but in the very best society of
some portions of the United States. I have myself sat down to
a dinner party to which I had been invited, with a defaulter to
<rovernment on each side of me. I knew one that was setting
up for Connrress, and, strange to say, his delinquency was not
considered by the people as an objection. An American author*
states, '• On the 17th June, 1838, the United States treasurer
reported to Congress sixfy-fhree defaulters; the total sums
embezzled amounting to one million twenty thousand and odd
dollars."

The tyranny of the majority has completely destroyed the
moral courage of the American people, and without moral cour-
age what chance is there of any fixed standard of morality?

M. Tocqueville observes, " Democratic republics extend the
practice of currying favour with the many, and they introduce it
into a greater number of classes at once; this is one of the most
serious reproaches that can be addressed to them. In democra-
tic States organized on the principles of the American republics
this is more especially the case, where the authority of the ma-
jority is so absolute and irresistible, that a man must give up his
rights as a citizen, and almost abjure his quality as a human
being, if he intends to stray from the track which it lays down.

" In that immense crowd which throngs the avenues to power
in the United States, I found very few men who displayed any
of that manly candor, and that masculine independence of
opinion, which frequently distinguished the Americans in former
times, and which constitutes the leading feature in distinguished
characters wheresoever they may be found. It seems, at first
sight, as if all the minds of the Americans were formed upon one
model, so accurately do they correspond in their manner of
judging. A stranger does, indeed, sometimes meet with Ameri-
cans who dissent from these rigorous formularies; v/ith men who
deplore the defects of the laws; the mutability and the ignorance
of democracy; who even go so far as to observe the evil ten-
dencies which impair the national character, and to point out
such remedies as it might be possible to apply; but no one is
there to hear these things beside yourself, and you, to whom
these secret reflections are confided, are a stranger and a bird of
passage. They are very ready to communicate truths which are
useless to you, but they continue to hold a different lauguage in
public."*

* Voice from America.

t Mr, Carey in his introduction says: *^ Freedom of discussion is
highly promotive of the power of protection. The free expressions of
opinion in relation to matters of public inicrest is indispensable to
security."

He denies that wc have it in England, and would prove that this
ox'isia in America; and how?

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Mill '

There are a few exceptions — Clay and Webster are men of
such power as to be able, to a certain degree, to hold their inde-
pendence. Dr. C banning has proved himself an honour to his
country and to the world. Mr. Cooper has also great merit in
this point: and no man has certainly shown more moral courage,
let his case be good or not, than Garrison, the leader of the
abolition party.

But with these few and remarkable exceptions, moral courage
is almost prostrate in the United States. The most decided
specimen I met with to the contrary was at Cincinnati, when a
large portion of the principal inhabitants ventured to express
their opinion, contrary to the will of the majority, in my defence,
and boldly proclaimed their opinions by inviting me to a public
dinner. I told them my opinion of their behaviour, and I gave
them my thanks. I repeat my opinion and my thanks now;
they had much to contend with; but they resisted boldly; and
not only from that remarkakle instance of daring to oppose pub-
lic opinion when all others quailed, but from many other circum-
stances, I have an idea that Cincinnati will one day take an im-
portant lead, as much from the spirit and courage of her citizens,
as from her peculiarly fortunate position. I had a striking in-
stance to the contrary at St. Louis, when they paraded me in
effigy through the streets. Certain young Bostonians, who
would have been glad enough to have seized my hand when in
the Eastern States, before I had happened to affront the majority,
kept aloof, or shuffled away, so as not to be obliged to recog-
nize me. Such have been the demoralizing effects of the tyranny
of public opinion in the short space of fifty years, and I will now
wind up this chapter by submitting to the reader extracts from
the two French authors, one of whom describes America in 17&2,
and the other in 1835.

America in 1782.

" Je vais, disais-je, mettre a la voile aujourd'hui; je m'eloigne
avec un regret infini d'un pays ou I'on est, sans obstacle et sans
inconvenient, ce qu*on devrait etre partout, sincere^ libre."—
" On y pense, on y dit, on y fait ce q'on veut. Rien ne vous
oblige d'y etre ni faux, ni has, ni flatteur. Personne ne se
cheque de la singularite de vos manieres ni de vos gouts."-—
Memoires ou Souvenirs de M. de Segur^ vol. i. p. 409.

America in 1835.

" L'Amerique est doi.c un pays de liberte, oii pour ne blesser
personne, on ne doit parlor librement, ni des gouverans, ni des

Ist. By the permission of every man to be of any religion ho
pleap's!!
2d. By the freedom of the press in tlie United States! !

MARRYAT'S DIART.

125

gouvern^s, ni des entreprises publiques, ni des entreprises pri-
vees; de rien, enfin, de ce qu'on y rencontre ri nonpeut-etre dii
climat et du sol; encore trouve-t-on des Ameicains prets a de-
fendre I'un et I'autre, comme s'ils avaient concouru a les for-
mer."— ilf. de Tocqueville aur la Demoeratie aux Etats Unis de
P^meriquCf vol. ii. p. 118.

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CHAPTER XI.

PATRIOTISM.

m' I

This is a word of very doubtful meaning; and until we have
the power to analyze the secret springs of action, it is impossi-
ble to say who is or who is not a patriot. The Chartist, the
White Boy, may really be patriots in their hearts, although they
are attempting revolution, and are looked upon as the enemies of
good order. Joseph Hume may be a patrici, so may O'Connell,

so may ; but never mind; I consider thnt if, in most cases,

in all countries, the word egotism were substituted it would be
more correct, and particularly so in America.

M. Tocqueville says, " The inhabitants of the United States
talk a great deal of their attachment to their country; but I con
fess that I do not rely upon that calculating patriotism which is
founded upon interest, and which a change in the interests at
stake may obliterate."

The fact is, that the American is aware that what affects the
general prosperity must affect the individual, and he therefore
is anxious for the general prosperity; ho also considers that ho
assists to legislate for the country, and is therefore equally in-
terested in such legislature being prosperous; if, therefore, you
attack his country, you attack him personally—you wound his
vanity and self-love.

In America, it is not our rulers who have done wrong or right:
it is we (or rather I) who have done wron^ or right, and the
consequence is, that the American is rather irritable on the sub-
ject, as every attack is taken as personal. It is quite ridiculous
to observe how some of the very best of the Americans are
tickled when you praise their country and institutions; how
they will wince at any qualification in your praise, and actually
writhe under auy positive disparagement. They will put ques-
tions, even if they anticipate an unfavorable answer; they can-
not help it. What is the reason of thisl Simply their better
sense wrestling with the errors of education and long-cherished
fallacies. They feel that their institutions do not work as they
would wish; that the theory is not borne out by the practice,
and they want support against their own convictions. They

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cannot bear to eradicate deep-rooted pr* 'dices, wl >-h have been
from their earliest days a source of prid > and vain ^Mory; and to
acknowledge that what they have considered as most pc'ect,
what they have boasted of as a lesson to other nations, wha' ley
have suffered so much to uphold, in surrendering their 1 erty
of speech, of action, and of opinion, has after all proved U, e a
miserable failure, and instead of a lesson to other natioub^a

warnmg.

Yet such are the doubts, the misgivings which fluctuate in,
and irritate the minds of a very large proportion of the Ameri-
cans; and such is the decided conviction of a portion who retire
into obscurity and are silent; and every year adds to the number
of both these parties. They remind one of a husband who,
having married for love, and supposed his wife to be perfection,
gradually finds out she is full of Aiults, and renders him any
thing but happy; but his pride will not allow him to acknow-
ledge that he has committed an error in his choice, and he con-
tinues before the world to descant upon her virtues, and to conceal
her errors, while he feels that his home is miserable.

It is because it is more egotistical that the patriotism of the
American is more easily roused and more easily affronted. He
has been educated to despise all other countries, and to look
upon his own as the first in the world; he has been taught that
all other nations are slaves to despots, and that the American
citizen only is free, and this is never contradicted. For although
thousands may in their own hearts feel the falsehood of their
assertions, there is not one who will venture to express his
opinion. The government sets the example, the press follows
it, and the people receive the incense of flattery, which in other
countries is offered to the court alone, and if it were not for the
occasional compun'itions and doubts, which his real good sense
will sometimes visit him with, the more enlightened American
would be happy in his own delusions, as the majority most cer-
tainly may be said to be.

M. Tocqueville says, " For the last fifty years no pains have
been spared to convince the inhabitants of the United States that
they constitute the only religious, enlightened, and free people.
They perceive that, for the present, their own democratic insti-
tutions succeed, while those of other countries fall; hence they
conceive an overweening opinion of their superiority, and they
are not very remote from believing themselves to belong to a
distinct race of mankind."

There are, however, other causes which assist this delusion
on the part of the majority of the Americans; the principal of
which is the want of comparison. The Americans are too far
removed from the old continent, and are too much occupied even
if they were not, to have time to visit it, and make the com-
parison between the settled countries and their own. America
is so vast, that if they travel in it, their ideas of their own im-
portance become magnified. The only comparisons they are able

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MAHRYAT 9 PIARY.

to make are only as to the quantity of Hqiraro acres in each coan-
try, which, of course, is vastly in thoir favor.

Mr. Sanderson, the American, in his clever Sketches of Paris,
observes, '* It is certainly of much value in the life of an Ameri-
enn gentleman to visit these oM countries, if it were only to form
a just estimate of his own, which he is continually liable to mis-
take, and always to overrate without objects of comparison;
* nimium sc ststimet nercsse cs/, quise ncinini cumparat.^ He will
always think himself wise who sees nobody wiser; and to know
the customs and institutions of foreign countries, which ono
cannot know well without residing there, is certainly the com-
plement of a good education."

After all, is there not a happiness in this delusion on the part
of the American majority, and is not the feeling of admiration
of their own country borrowed from ourselves] The feeling may
be more strong with the Americans, because it is more egotistical;
but it certainly is the En<rlish feeling transplanted, and growing
in a ranker soil. We may accuse the Americans of conceit, of
wilful blindness, of obstinacy; but there is after all a great good
in being contented with yourself and yours. The English show
it differently; but the English are not so good tempered as the
Americans. They grumble at every thing; they know the faults
of their institutions, but at the same time they will allow of no
interference. Grumbling is a luxury so great, ihat an English-
man will permit it only to himself. The Englishman grumbles
at his government, under which he enjoys more rational liberty
than the individual of any other nation in the world. The
American, ruled by the despotism of the majority, and with-
out liberty of opinion or speech, praises his institutions to the
skies. The Englishman grumbles at his climate, which, if we
were to judge from the vigor and perfection of the inhabitants,
is, notwithstanding its humidity, one of the best in the world.
The American vaunts his above all others, and even thinks it
necessary to apologise for a bad day, although the climate, from
its sudden extremes, withers up beauty, and destroys the nervous
system. In every thing connected with, and relating to America,
the American has the same feeling. Calculating, wholly mat-
ter-of-fact and utilitarian in his ideas, without a poetic sense of
his own, he is annoyed if a stranger does not express that rap-
ture at their rivers, waterfalls, and woodland scenery, which he
himself does not feel. As far as America is concerned, every-
thing is for the best in this best of all possible countries. It is
laughable, yet praiseworthy, to observe how the whole nation
will stoop down to fan the slightest spark which is elicited of
native genius — like the London cit., who is enraptured with his
own stunted cucumbers, which he has raised at ten times the
expense which would have purchased fine ones in the market.
It were almost a pity that the American should be awakened
from his dream, if it were not that the arrogance and conceit
arising from it may eventually plunge him into difficulty.

MAF.IIYAT H niAHV.

l-Jl>

But Id us 1)0 fair; America is tluj country of enthuniusm and
Ijcpe, and wo must not bo too sovero upon what from a virgin
«< il has sprunfT up too luxuriantly. It it) but the Kngliah amor
vatn'iL' carried to to») sr<'i»t an excosH. The Americans arc great
l)oa8ters; but are wo far behind thcnil One of our most popular
songs runs as follows:—

•' Wo ne'er see our foes, but wo wish them to stay;
They never see us, but tiiey wi«h us awuy."

What can bo more bragging, or more untrue, than tho words
«»f these lines'? In tho same way in Kngland tho common people
hold it as a proverb, that "one Englishman can beat three
Frenchmen," but there are not many Englishmen who would
succeed in the attempt. Nor is it altogether wrong to encourage
these feelings; although arrogance is a fault in an intlividnal, in
a national point of view, it often becomes tho incentive to great
actions, and, if not excessive, insures the success inspired by
confidence. As by giving people credit for a virtue which they
have not, you very often produce that virtue in them, 1 think it
not unwise to implant this feeling in the hearts of the lower
classes, who, if they firmly believe that they can beat three
Frenchmen, will at all events attempt to do it. That too groat
success is dangerous, and that the feeling of arrogance produced
by it may lead us into the error of despising our enemy, we our-
selves showed an example of in our first contest with America
during the last war. In that point America and England have
now changed positions, and from false education, want of com-
parison, and unexpected success in their struggle with us, they
are now much more arroirant than we were when most flushed
with victory. They are blind to their own faults and to the
merits of others, and while they are so, it is clear that they will
oflfend strangers, and never improve themselves. 1 have often
laughed at the false estimate held by the Hiajority in America as
to England. One told me, with a patronizing air, that "in a
short time, England would only be known as having been tho
mother of America."

" When you go into our interior, captain," said a New York
gentleman to me, " you will see plants, such as rhododendrons,
magnolias, and hundreds of others, such as they have no con-
ception of in your own country."

One of Jim Crow's verses in America is a fair copy from us:

" Englishman he beat
Two French or Portugee;
Yankec-doodle come down,
Whip them all three.'*

But an excellent specimen of the effect of American education
was given the other day in this country, by an American lad of

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fonrteen or fifteen years old. He was at a dinner party, and
after dinner the conversation turned upon the merits of the Dnke
of Wellinorton. After liearing the just eneomiums for some tiroe
with fidtretty impatience, the lad rose from his chair, " You
talk ahout your Duke of Wellinnrton, what do you say to Wash-
inopton: do you pretend to compare Wellington to Washington?
-Now, I'll just tell you, if Washington could he standing hero
now, and the Duke of Wellington was only to look him in the

face; why, Sir, W^^llington woiild drop down dead in an

instant." This I was told by the gentleman at whoso table it
occurred.

Even when they can use their eyes, they will not. I ovc-
heard a conversation on the (h>ck of a steam-boat between a man
who had just arrived from England and another. "* Have they
much trade at Liverpool?" inquired the latter. " Yes, they've
some." "And at London?" " Not much there, I reckon. New
\rr\{, Sir, is the emporium of the whole world."

This national vanity is fed in every possible way. At one of
the museums, I asked the subject of a picture representing a
naval engagement; the man (supposing I was an American, I
presume) replied, " that ship there," pointing to one twice as big
as the other, "is the Macedonian English frigate, and that other
frigate," pointing to the small one, "is the Constitution Ameri-
can frigate, which captured her in less than five minutes." In-
deed, so great has this feeling become from indulgence, that
they will not allow any thing to stand in its w^ay, and will sa-
crifice any body or any thing to support it. It was not until I
arrived in the United States that I was informed by sever?!
people that Captain Lawrence, who commanded the Chesapeake,
was drunk when he went into action. Speaking of the action,
one man shook his head, and said, "Pity poor Lawrence had
his failing; he was otherwise a good officer." I was often told
the same thing, and a greater libel was never uttered; but thus
was a gallant officer's character sacrificed to sooth the national
vanity. I hardly need observe, that the American naval officers
are as mucii disgusted with the assertion as I was myself. That
Lawrence fought under disadvantages — that many of his ship's
company, hastily collected together from leave, were not sober,
and that there was a want of organisation from just coming out
of harbor — is true, and quite sufficient to account for his defeat;
hut I have the evidence of those who walked with him down to
his boat, that he was perfectly sober, cool, and collected, as he
always had proved himself to be. i3ut there is no gratitude
in a democracy, and to be unfortunate is to be guilty.

There is a great deal of patriotism of one sort or the other in
the American women. I recollect once, when conversing with
a highly-cultivated and beautiful American woman, I inquired
if she knew a lady who had been sometime in England, and
who was a great favourite of mine. She replied, "Yes."
"Don't you like her?" "To confess the truth, I do not," re-

pllC(

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MARRY AT's diary.

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re-

pliod she; " she is loo English for me." "That is to say, shr
likes England and the Knglish." "That is what 1 mean." [
replied, that "had she been in Enjrland, she would probably
have become loo English also; for, with her cultivated and ele-
gant ideas, she must naturally have been pleased with the re-
finement, luxury, and established grades in f?oci(>ty, which it had
taken eight hundred years to produce." " If that is to be the
case, I hope 1 may never go to England."

Now, this was true patriotism, and there is much true patriotism
among the higher classes of the American women; with them
there is no alloy of egotism.

Indeed, all the women in America are very patriotic; but I do
not give them all the same credit. In the first place, they are
controlled by public opinion as much as the men are; and with-
out assumed patriotism they would have no chance of getting
husbands. As you descend in the scale, so are they the more
noisy; and, I imagine, for that very reason the less sincere.

Among what may be termed the middling classes, I have
been very much amused with the compound of vanity and igno-
rance which I have met with. Among this class tliey can read
and write, but almost all their knowledge is confined to their
own country, especially in geography, which I soon discovered.
It was hard to beat them on American ground, but as soon as
you got them off that they were defeated. I wish the reader to
understand particularly, that I am not speaking now of the well-
bred Americans, but of that portion which would with us b«
considered as on a par with the middle class of shop-keepers; for
I had a very extensive acquaintance. My amusement was, to
make some comparison between the two countries, which I knew
would immediately bring on the conflict 1 desired; and not with-
out danger, for I sometimes expected, in the ardor of their pa-
triotism, to meet with the fate of Orpheus.

I soon found that the more I granted, the more they demanded:
z\A tnat the best way was never to grant any thing. I was once
in a room full of the softer sex, chiefly girls, of all ages; whe«
the mamma of a portion of them, who was sitting on the sofa, as
we mentioned steam, said, " Well now, captain, you will allow
that we are a-head of you there."

" No," replied I, " quite the contrary. Our steam-boats go all
over the world— your's are afraid to leave the rivers."

"Well now, captain, I suppose you'll allow America is a bit
bigger country than England 1"

" It's rather broader — but, if I recollect right, it's not quite so
long."

"Why, captain!"

" Well, only look at the map."

" Why, isn't the Mississippi a bigger river than you have in
England 1"

" Bigger % Pooh ! haven't we got the Thames 1" ,

" The Thames 1 why that's no river at all."

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marrvat's niARV.

"Isn't it? Just look at the map, and mcasaro them."

" Well now, captain, I tell you what, you call your Britain

the mistress of the seas, yet we whipped you well, and you

know that."
"Oh! yes — you refer to the Shannon and Chesapeake, don't

you

" No ! not that time, because Lawrence was drunk, they say;
but didn't we whip you well at New Orleans]"

"No, you didn't."

" No ] oh, captain !"

"I say you did not. If your people had come out from behind
their cotton bales and sugar casks, we'd have knocked you all
into a cocked hat; but they wouldn't come, so we walked away
in disgust."

" Now, captain, that's romancinjr — that won't do." Here the
little ones joined in the cry, "We did beat you, and you know
it." And hauling me into the centre of the room, they joined
hands in a circle, and danced round me, singing,

" Yankee doodle is a tnne,
Which is nnlion handy,
Ml the British ran nway
At Yankee doodle dandy."

I shall conclude by stating that this feeling, call it patriotism,
or what you please, is so strongly implanted in the bosom of the
American by education and association, that wherever, or when-
ever, the national honor or character is called into question, there
is no sacrifice which they will not make to keep up appearances.
It is this which induces them to acquit murderers, to hush up
suicides, or any other offence which may reflect upon their as-
serted morality. I would put no confidence even in an official
document from the government, for I have already ascertained
how they will invariably be twisted, so as to give no offence to
the majority; and the base adulation of the government to the
people is such, that it dare not tell them the truth, or publish
any thing which might wound its self-esteem.

I shall conclude with two extracts from a work of Mr. Cooper*
the American: —

" We are almost entirely wanting in national pride, though
abundantly supplied with an irritable vanity^ which might rise
to pride had we greater confidence in our facts."

" We have t'le t,onsitiveness of provincials, increased by the
consciousness of having our spurs to earn on all matters of glory
and renown, and our jealousy expends even to the reputations of the
cats and dogs.^^'

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133

CHAPTER XII.

ENGLAND AND THE UNITED STATES.

Captain Hamilton has, in his work, expressed his opinion
that the, Americans have no feeling of ill-will against this coun-
try. If Captain Hamilton had stated that the gentlemen and
more respectahle portion of the Americans, such as the New
York merchants, &c., had no feelinj^ acrainst this country, and
were most anxious to keep on good terms with us, he would
have been much more correct. You will find ail the respecta-
ble portion of the daily press using their best endeavours to re-
concile any animosities, and there is nothing which an Ameri-
can gentleman is more eloquent upon, when he falls in with an
Englishman, than in trying to convince him that there is no hos-
tile feeling against this country.* I had not been a week at
New York before I had this assurance given me at least twenty
times, and I felt inclined at first to believe it: but I soon dis-
covered that this feeling was only confined to a small minority,
and that the feelings towards England of the majority, or demo-
cratic party, were of (kep irreconcilable hatred. I ain sorry to
assert this; but it is better that it should be known, that we may
not be misled by any pretended good-will on the part of the gov-
ernment, or the partial good will of a few enlightened individ-
uals. Even those who have a feeling of regard and admiration
for our country do not venture to make it known, and it would
place them in so very unpleasant a situation, that they can
scarcely be blamed for keeping their opinions to themselves.
With the 'English they express it warmly, and I believe them to
be sincere; but not being openly avowed by a few, it is not com-
municated or spread by kindling similar warmth in the hearts of
others. Indeed it is not surprising, when we consider the na-
tional character, that there should be an ill-feeling towards Eng-

* Soon after I arriwcl at New York, the nrival officers very kindly
sent me adijilorna as honorarj- member of their [iVcenni, over at Brook-
lyn. I went over to visit the Lyceum, and auioiio^ dther portrait-?,
in the most connpicuous part of the room, was that ot VViihim IV.,
with the "Sailor King" written undcrnrath it in larjrc cn|)it;il«. As
for the present Queen, her health has hccn repeatedly dran!; in my
prepcnco ; indeed her accession to our throne appeared to have put a
large portion of the Americans in good hnmnnr with monarchy. Up
to the present siic has been quite a pet of theirs, and they are con-
tinually a^'king questions concerning her. Tlin fact is, that the Ameri-
cans show such outward delerencc to the other sex, that I do not
think they wouid have any objox'ition themselves to be governed by it;
and if ever a monarchy were attempted in the United States, the fir»5t
reigning sovereign ought to be a very pretty woman.
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134

MARRY AT S DIARV.

land; it would be much more strange if the feelin«r did not ex-
ist. That the Americans should, after their strugofle for inde-
pendence, have felt irritated against the mother country, is natu-
ral; they had been oppressed — they had successfully resented
the oppression, and emancipated themselves. But still the feel-
ing at that time was different from the one which at present ex-
ists. Then it might be compared to the feeling in the heart of a
younger son of an ancient house, who had been compelled by
harsh treatment to disunite from the head of the family, and pro-
vide for himself— Ptill proud of his origin, yet resentful at the
remembrance of injury — at times vindictive, at others full of ten-
derness and respect. The aristocratical and the democratical
impulses by turns gaining the ascendant it was then a manly,
fine feelingf. The war of 1814, the most fatal event in the short
American history, would not have been attended with any in-
crease of ill-will, as the Americans were satisfied with their suc-
cessful repulse of our attempts to invade the country, and their
unexpected good fortune in their naval conflicts. Tliey felt that
they had consideration and respect in the eyes of other nations,
and, what was to them still more gratifying, the respect of En-
gland herself. In every point they were fortunate, for a peace
was concluded upon honourable terms just as they were begin-
ning to feel the bitter consetpiences of the war. But tlie efl'cct
of this war was to imbue the peoj)le with a strong idea of their
military prowess, and the national glory became their f^ivourite
theme. Their hero. General Jackson, was raised to the presi-
dency by the democratical party, and ever since the Americans
have been ready to bully or quarrel vvith anybody and about
everything.

This feeling becomes stronger every day. They want to whip
the whole worhL The wise and prudent perceive the folly of
this, and try all they can to produce a better feeling; but the ma-
jority are now irresistible, and their fiat will decide upon war or
peace. The government is powerless in opposition to it; all it
can do is to give a legal appearance to any act of violence.

This idea of their own prowess will be one cause of danger
to their institutions, for war must ever be fatal to democracy.
In this country, during peace, we become more and more demo-
cratic; but whenever we are again forced into war, the reins will
be again tightened from necessity, and thus war must ever in-
terfere with free institutions. A convincing proof of the idea
the Americans have of their own prowess was when General
Jackson made the claim for compensation from the French.
Through the intermediation of England the claim was adjusted,
and peace preserved; and the Americans are little aware what a
debt of gratitude they owe to this country for its interference.
They were totally ignorant of the power and resources of France.
They had an idea, and I was told so fifty times, that France paid
the money from /ear, and that if she had not, they m ould have
** whipped her into the little end of nothing."
I do not doubt that ilie Americans would have tried their best;

MARRY AT^8 DIARY.

135

but lam of opinion^ (notwithstanding the Americans would haro
been partially, from their acknowledged bravery, successful,)
that in two years Trance, with her means, which are well known
to, and appreciated by, the Ennrlish, would (to use their own
terms again,) have made "an everlasting smash" of the United
States, and the Americans would have had to couclude an igno-
minious peace. I am aware that this idea will be scouted in
America as absurd; but still 1 am well persuaded that any pro-
tracted war would not only be their ruin in a pecuniary point of
view, but fatal lo their institutions. But to return.

There are many reasons why the Americans have an invete-
rate dislike to this country. In the first place, they are educated
to dislike us and our monarchical institutions; their short history
points out to them that we have been their only oppressor in the
lirst instance, and their opponent ever since. Their annual cele-
bration of the independence is an opportunity for vituperation of
this country which is never lost sight of. Their national vanity
is hurt by feeling what they would fam believe, that they are
not the "greatest nation on earth;" that they are indebted to us,
and the credit we give them, for their prosperity and rapid ad-
vance; that they must still look to us for their literature and the
fme arts, and that, in short, they are still dependent upon Eng-
land. I have before observed, that this hostile spirit against us
is fanned by discontented emigrants, and by those authors who,
to become popular with the majority, laud their own country and
defame England; but the great cause of this increase of hostility
against us is the democratic party having come into power, and
who consider it necessary to excite animosity against this coun-
try. Whenever it is requisite to throw a tub to the whale, the
press is immediately full of abuse; everything is attributed to
England, and the machinations of England; she is, by their ac-
counts, here, there, and everywhere, plotting mischief and injury,
from the Gulf of Florida to the Rocky Mountains. If we are
to believe the democratic press, England is the cause of every-
tliing offensive to the majority — if money is scarce, it is England
that has occasioned, it — if credii is bad, it is England— if eggs
are not fresh or beef is tough, it is, it must be, England. They
remind you of the parody upon Fitzgerald in Smitli's humorous
and witty "Rejected Address," when he is supposed to write
against Buonaparte: —

" Who made the quartern loaf and Luddites ri>e,
Who fills the butchers' shops with larc^e bhie files;
With a foul earthquake ravaged the ('arraccas,
And raised the price of dry goods and tobaccos?"

Why, England. And all this the majority do steadfastly be-
lieve, because they wish to believe it.

How, then, is it possible that tb*: lower classes in the United
States, (and the lower and unenlightened principally compose
the majority,) can have other than feelings of ill-will towards
this country? and of what avail is it to us that the high-minded
and sensible portion think otherwise, when they are in such a

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MARRVAT'S DIARY.

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trifling minority, and afraid to express their sentiments'? When
we talk about a nation, we look to the mass, and that the mass
are hostile, and inveterately hostile to this country, is a most
undeniable fact.

There is another cause of hostility which I have not adverted
to, the remarks upon them by travellers in their country, such
as I am now makiiiy; but ?.s the Americans never hear the truth
from their own countrymen, it is only from forei<]fners* that they
can. Of course, after haviji<r been accustomed to flattery from
their earliest days, the truih, vvben it does? come, lalls more
heavily, and the injury and insult which they consider they have
received are never forgotten.

Among" the American authors who have increased the ill-will
of his countrymen towards this country, Mr. (voopcr stands pre-
eunncnt. Mr. Uulwer has obsorved that the character and
opinions of an author may be prelty fairly estimated by his wri-
tings. This is true, but tliey may bo much better estimated by
one species of writing than by anolhe;-. In works of invention
or imagination, it is but now and then, by an incidental remark,
that we can obtain a clue to the author's feelintrs. Carried
away by tbe interest of the story, and the vivid scene presented
to the imagination, we are apt to foru) a better opinion of tha
author than he deserves, because we feel kindly and grateful to
him for the amusement which he has afforded us; but when a
writer puts off the holiday dress of fiction, and appears before
us in his every day costume, giving us his thoughts and feelings
upon matters of fact, then it is that we can appreciate the real
character of "he author. Mr. Coo])er's character is not to be
gained by reading his " Pilot," but it may be fairly estimated by
reading his "Travels in Switzerland," and his remarks upon
England. If, then, we are to judge of Mr. Cooper by the above
works, 1 have no hesitation in asserting that he appears to be
a disappointed democrat, with a determined hostility to England
and the English. This hostility on the part of Mr. Cooper can-
not proceed from any want of attention shown him in this
country, or want of acknowledgment of his merits as an author.
It must be sought for elsewhere. The attacks upon the English
in a work professed to be written upon Switzerland, prove how
rancorous this feeling is on his part; and not all the works pub-
lished by English travellers upon America have added so much
to the hostile feeling against us, as Mr. Cooper has done by his
writings alone. Mr. Cooper would appear to wish to detach
his countrymen, not only from us, but from the whole European
Continent. He tells them in his work on Sw iizerland, that they
arc not liked or esteemed anywhere, and that to acknowledge
yourself an American is quite sufficient to make those recoil v^-ho
were intending to advance. Mr. Cooper is, in my opinion, very

* A proof that the feeling against England is increasing, is the
singular fact llmt latterly they insist on calling the English foreign-
ers, a term which they formerly applied tQ other nations, but not to
ourMlvea.

MARRY AT's DIART.

137

much mistaken in this point; the people of the Continent do not as
yet know enough of the Americans to decide upon their national
character. He observes very truly, that no one appears to think
any thing about the twelve millions; why sol because in Swit-
zerland, Germany, and other nations in the heart of the Continent,
they have no interest about a nation so widely separated from
them, and from intercourse with which they receive neither
profit nor loss. Neither do they think about the millions ia
South America, and not caring or hearing about them they can
have formed no ideas of their character as a nation. If, then,
the Americans are shunned, (which I do not believe they are,
for they are generally supposed to be a variety of Englishmen,)
it must be from the conduct of those individuals of the American
nation who have travelled there, and not because, as Mr. Cooper
would imply, they have a democratic form of government. Have
not the Swiss something simil ir, and are they shunned] Who
cares what may be the form of government of a country divided
from them by three or four thousand miles of water, and of
whom they have only read? Every nation, as well as every in-
dividual, makes its own character; but Mr. Cooper would prove
tliat dislike shown to the Americans al)road is owing to the
slander of them by the English, and he points out that in the
hooks containing the namesof travellers, he no loss than twenty-
five times observed offensive remarks written beneath the names
of those who acknowledged themselves Americans. These
books were at ditferent places, places to which all tourists in
Switzerland naturally repair. JJid it never occur to Mr. Cooper
that one young fool of an Englishman, during his tour, might
iiave been the author of all these obnoxious remarks, and is the
folly of one insignificant individual to be gravely commented
upon in a widely disseminated work, so as to occasion or in-
crease the national ill-will? Sun^y there is little wisdom and
much captiousness in this feeling.

How blinded by his ill-will must Mr. Cooper be, to enter into
a long discussion in the work I refer to, to prove that England
deserves the title, among other national characteristics, of a
black-guarding nation! founding his assertion upon the language
of our daily press. If the English, judged by the prcss^ are a
black-guarding nation, what are the Americans, if they are to be
judged by the same standard? we must be indebted to the
Americans themselves for an epithet. To wind op, he moie
than once pronounced the English to be parvenus. There is an
old proverb which says, "A man whose house is built of glass
should not be the first to throw stones;" and that these last two
charges should be brought against us by an American, is cer-
tainly somewhat singular and unfortunate.

That there should be a hostile feeling when Englishmen go
over to America to compete with them in business or in any
profession, is natural; it would be the same every where; this
feeling, however, in the United States is usually shown by an
attack upon the character of the party, so as to influence the

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public against him. There was an American practising phre-
nology, when a phrenologist arrived from England. As this
opposition was not agreeable, the American immediately circu-
lated a report that the English phrenologist had asserted that he
had examined the skulls of many Americans, and that he had
never fallen in with such thick-headefi fellows in his life. This
was quite sufficient — the English operator was obliged to clear
out as fast as he could, and try his fortune elsewhere.

The two following placards were given me; they were pasted
all over the city. Whvit the offence was I never heard, but they
are very amusing documents. It is the first time, I believe, that
public singers were described as aristocrats and Englishmen of
the jftrst stamp.

"Americans:

" It remains with you to say whether or not you will be im-
j)osed upon by these base aristocrats, who come from England
to America in order to gain a livelihood, and despise the land
that gives them bread.

" 8ome few years since there came to this country three
' gentlemen players,' \a ho were received with open arms by the
Americans, and treated more as brothers than strangers ; when
their pockets were full, in requital to our best endeavours to
raise liiem to their rjicrit, the ungrateful dogs turned round and
abused us. It is useless, at present, to give the names of two
of those gentlemen, ns they are not now candidates for public
favour; but there is one. Air. Hodges, who is at present engaged
at the Pavilion Tiieatue. This tliini/; has said publicly that
the Americans were all 'a parcel of ignoramuses,' and that ' the
yankee players' were ' perfect fools, not possessing the least
particle of talent,' &c. We must be brief — should we repeat all
we have heard, it would hll a page of the News.

*' fvill the Americans be abused in tliis way without retalia-
tion? We are always willing to bestow that respect which is
due to strangers ; but when our kindness is treated with con-
tompt, and in return receive base epithets and abuse, let us
" block the game.'

" Once for all — will you permit this thing in pantaloons and
whiskers, this brainless, unideaed cub, whoui a thousand years
will not suffice to lick into a bear, longer to impose upon your
good natures] If so, we shall conclude you have lost all of that
spirit so characteristic of true born Americans.

"A word to Mr. (]) Hodges. — When these meet your eye, a
lUgnificd contempt will most opportunely swell your breast — such
is ever the case with the coward! In aflected scorn you will
seek a shelter from the danger you dare not brave, but we warn
you that one day must overtake you.

" Several Americans."

"AMERICANS ATTEND!

"Americans: — If there is a spark of that spirit in your blood
with which your forefathers bequeathed you, I hope you will

MARRY AT*3 DIARY.

139

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show it when men come amonor us from a foreigTrj shore to grjt a
living-, and while here to speaii in terms towards our country
and ourselves, derogatory to the feeiintrs of an American to listen
to. These men that I speak of are Mr. Hodges and Mr. Corri,
Kiif^Hshmen of the first stamp, who declare that the Yankees,
(as we are all termed, and proud of the name I dare say,) * are
a parcel of ignoramuses — cannibals — don't know how to appre-
ciate talent' — they possess very little I am certain. However,
the thing stands thus: they have slandered our country — they
iiave slandered MS; and if they are pennitled to play upon the
boards of the Eagle Theatre, I shall conclude that we have lost
all that spunk so chaiacieristic in a true horn American."

There certainly is no good feeling in the majnrit// towards
England, and this is continually shown in a variety of instances,
particularly if there is any excitement from distress or other
rauses. At the time that the great commercial distress took
place, the abuse of England was beyond all bounds; and in a
jniblic meeting of democrats at Philvulclpiiia, the first resolution
j)assed was "that they did not owe Enghind one farthing," and
this is the general outcry of the lower orders when any thing
was wrong. I have often argued with them on tiiis subject, and
never could convince them. This country has now J\fly-five
viilUons .Hterlhiu; invested in American securities, which is u large
sum, and the majority consider that a war will Sj)unge out this
debt. Their argument which they constantly urged against me,
Iras more soundness in it than would i)e supposed:— " If you
declare war with us, what is the first thing you dol You seize
all American vessels and all American property that you can lay
hold of, which have entered into your ports on the faith of peace
between the two countries. Now, why have we not an equal
right to snze all English property whenever we can find it in
this country]" But this, as 1 have observed, is the language of
the democrats and locofocos. There are thousands of honorable
men in America, not only as merchants, but in every other class,
who are most anxious to kee}) on good terms with us, and have
the kindest feelings towards England. Unfortunately they are
but few compared to the majority, and much as they may regret
the hostile feelings towards us, 1 am afraid that it is wiiolly out
of their power to prevent their increase, which will be in exact
proj>orlion with the increase of the popular sway.

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CHAPTER xnr.

SOCIETY. — GENERAL CHARACTER, &C.

The character of the Americans is that of a restless, uneasy
people — they cannot sit still, they cannot listen attentively, un-

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less the theme be politics or dollars— they must do something',
and, like children, if they cannot do any thing else, they will do
mischief — their curiosity is unbounded, and they are very ca-
pricious. Acting upon impulse, they are very generous at one
moment, and without a spark of charity the next. They are
gfood-tempered, and possess «rreat energy, ingenuity, bravery,
and presence of mind. Such is the estimate I have formed of
their general character, independent of the demoralising effects
of their institutions, which renders it so anomalous.

The American author, Mr. Sanderson, very truly observes of
his countrymen, that *' they have grown vici«us without the
refinements and distractions of the fine arts and liberal amuse-
ments." The Americans have few amusements; they are too
busy. Athletic sports they are indifferent to; they look only to
those entertainments which feed their passion for excitement.
The theatre is almost their only resort, and even that is not so
well attended as it mipht be, considering their means. There
are some very good and well-conducted tlioatrcs in America: the
l)GSt are the Park and National at New York, the Tremont at
IJoston, and the Chcsnut Street Theatre at Philadelphia. The
American s/orA actors, as they term those who are not considered
as sfars, are belter than our own; but were the theatres to depend
upon stock actors they would he deserted — the love of novelty
is the chief indhcenient of the Americans to frequent the theatru,
and they look for importations of star actors from tliis country
as regularly as they do for our manufactured goods, or the
fashions from Paris. In most of the large cities they have two
theatres, one fur legitimate drama, and the other for mclo-drama,
Ace; as the Bowery Theatre at New York, and the Walnut
Street Theatre in Philadelphia; these latter are seldom visited
by tlie aristocraiical portion of tlie citizens.

The National Theatre at New Yoek was originally built as an
opera house, and the company procured from tlie Havannah; but
the opera, from want of support, was a failure. It has since
been taken by Mr. .Tames Wallack, in opposition to the Park
'J'heatre. The first two seasons its success was indifferent; the
Park having the advantarre in situation, as well as of a long-
standing rcj)utation. But latterly, from the well-known talent
and superior management of Mr. Wallack, and from his unwea-
ried exertions in providing novelties for the American public,
it has been very successful; so nmch so, that it is said this
last year to have decidedly obtained the superiority over its
rival. 1 have seen some splendid representations in the National
Theatre, with a propriet}^ in scenery and costume which is sel-
dom exceeded even in our jjreat theatres.

Indeed, in three seasons, Mr. Wallack has done much to im-
prove the national taste; and from his exertions, the theatres in
general in America may be said to have been much benefitted.
But there is one objection to this rivalry between the Park and
National; which is, that the stars go out too fast, and they will
soon be all expended. Formerly things went on very regularly;
Mr, Price sent out to Mr, Simpson, duly inToiced, a certain

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portion of talent for every season; and Mr. SinipMon, who is u
very clever nianafjor, first worked it up at New Yorlv, and then
despatched it to Boston, Phi'.adelphi'.i, and the other theatres in
the (Inion. Rut, now, if Mr. Simpson has two starH sent to
him, .lames Walhick conies home, and takes out three; w liere-
iip )ii, Mr. Price sends out a hi;T(jrer star; and yo tht-y iio on;
workiii}^ up the stars so fast, that the supj)ly will never eciual
thi^ demand, 'riierc; an; not more? than two or three actors of
iiniiience in Eujjiand, who have not already made their iippear-
anee on the American lioards; and next season will pruhahly usu
ilum up. It is true, that some actors can reinrn there aoain and
aq^ain; as Power, who is most deservedly a l'avourit(> with tlu-m,
and hillen Tree, who is equally so. ('(dcstc has realised a l.irne
fortune. Mrs. Wood, an<l the Iveeleys, were also very '_;reat
favourites; but there are not many actors who can venture there
a second time; at least, not until a certain interval has ehipsed
for the Americans to fortjet them. When there are no Iciiocr
any stars, the theatres will not he, so well atten(h.'d; a?;, indeeil,
is the case every where. To prove how fond the Americms are
uf any thing that excites them, 1 will mention a repreS(>iilation
which I one day went to S(>e — that of the " Infernal Retiions."
There were two or three of these shown in the different cities in
the States. I saw the remnants of another, myself; hut, as the
inuseuin-lceeper very appropriately observed to me, " It was a
fine thintr once, but now it had all ijone to h — 11" You entered
a dark room; where, railed olf with iron railinjL]rs, you beheld a
lontr perspective of caverns in the interior of the earth, and a
molten lake in the distance. In the forejrround were the niost
liorrible monsters that could be invented — l)ears with men's heads,
;j^rovvlin<r — snakes darting in and out hissino- — here a man lyinjy
murdered, with a knife in his heart; there a suicide, hanjiing by
the neck — skeletons lying about in all directions, and some
Wdlkinrr up and down in muslin shrouds. The machinery was
very perfect. At one side was the figure of a man sitting down,
with a horrible face; boar's tusks protruding from his mouth,
his eyes rolling, and horns on his head; I thought it was me-
chanism as well as the rest; and was not a little surprised when
it addressed me in a hollow voice: " We've been waiting some
time for you, captain." As I found he had a tongue, I entered
into conversation with him. The representation wound up with
showers of fire, rattling of hones, thunder, screams, and a regu-
lar cascade of the d— d, pouring into the molten lake. When it
was first shown, they had an electric battery communicating
with the iron railing; and whoever put his hand on it, or went
too near, received a smart electric shock. But the alarm created
by this addition was found to be attended with serious conse-
quences, and it had been discontinued.

The love of excitement must of course produce a love of gam-
bling, which may be considered as one of the American amuse-
ments: it is, however, carried on very quietly in the cities. In
the south, and on the Mississippi, it is as open as the noon day;
and the gamblers may be said to have there become a profeSf>

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sional people. I have already mentioned them, and liio attempts
which have been made to get rid of them. Indeed, they nre not
only gamesters who practise on the unwary, hut they combine
with ganibliiicr the professions of fortrery, and uttering of base
money. If they lose, they only lose forjrcjl notes. Thrre is no
part of the world where forgery is carried on to such an extent
us it is in the United States; chiefly in the western country. The
American banks are particularly careful to guard airainst this
evil, but the ingenuity of these miscreants is surprising, and
they will imitate; so closely as almost to escape detection at the
banks tbenisclvcs. Hank-note eiigraviiijj is cfrtainly carrifd to
the highest state of perlcMUion in tin; IJiiittul Stales, but almost
in vain. 1 have myself read a notice, posted up at iJoston,
which may appcr strange to us. " Hank notes made h(>r(^ to any
pattern." Hut the eastern banks are seldom forgrnl upon. Coun-
terfeit money is also very |)lentiful. When I was in the west, I
bad occasiju to pay a few dollars to a frieiul: when 1 saw liiui a
(lay or two afterwards, be said to nie, " Do you know that three
dollars you gave me were eouiiterfeits'?" 1 apoloyised, and
olfered to replace them. " Ob ! no," replied be; "it's of no eon-
sequence. 1 gave tiuMn in payiniuit to my poo|)le, who told me
that they were counterfeit; but tbey said it was of no conseiiuenee,
as tbey could easily |)ass them." In sonu; of ibe states lotteries
have been abolished, in others tbey are still permitted. 'I'bey aru
upon the French principle, and arc very popular.

There is one very remarkable point in the Aniericaii character,
which is, that tliey constantly change their professions. 1 know
not whether it j)roceeds simply from their love of change, or
Irom their eujbracing professions at so early a period, that tbey
have not discovered the line in which from natural talents tbey
are best calculated to succeed. I have beard it said, that it is
seldom that an American succeeds in the profession which he
had first taken up at the commencement of bis career. An Ame-
rican will set up as a lawyer;' quit, and go to sea for a year or
two; come back, set up in another profession; get tired again, go
as clerk or steward in a steam boat, merely because he wishes
to travel; then apply himself to something else, and begin to
amass money. It is of very little consequence what he does,
the American is really a jack of all trades, and master of an}'
to which he feels at last inclined to apply himself.

In Mrs. Butler's clever journal there is one remark which
really surprised me. She says, "The absolute absence of im-
agination is of course the absolute absence of humor. An
American can no more understand a fanciful jest than a poetical
idea; and in society and conversation tlie strictest matter of fact
prevails," &c.

If there was nothing but " matter (fjact^^ in society and con-
versation in America or elsewhere, 1 imagine that there would
not be many words used; but I refer to the passage, because she
says that the Americans are not im aginative; whereas, I think
that there is not a more imaginative people existing. It is true
that they prefer broad humor, and delight in the hyperbole, bat

MARRTAT^fl DIARV.

this is to he exprctpd in a young nation; rspocially as their
fducalion is, pronerally sprakinjT, not of a kind to make thorn
pcnsiblc to very rrfincd wit, whioh, I acknowlcdcrc, is thrown
away upon tht; majority. What is tnrmrd tho nndor ciirrpnt of
humor, as dedicate raillery, for instanee, is eertnirdy not under-
stood. When they rend Snm Sliek, they did not perceive tliat
the author was hniirhinjr at them: and the letters of Mnjnr Jnek
Downing arc mueli more appreeiated in this country than they
are in America. Hut as for saying that they are not imaginji-
tive, is a great error, and I have no doubt that Mrs. iJ. has dis-
covered it hy this time.

Mi.^s Mnrtineau says, and very truly, "The Americans appear
to me an eminently imngiuative people." Indeed, it is only ne-
C(>ssary to read the newspnpers to 1)0 convinced it is the case.
'I'he hyperholo is their jnincipal forte, hut what is lying hut
imnginalion'? and why do you find that a child of promising
talent is so prone to lyingl JJccauso it is the first eflbrt of a
strong imagination. V\*ii requires refinement, which the Ame-
ricans have not: hut they have excessive humor, although it is!,
generally speaking, coarse.

An American, talking of an ugly woman with a very large
mouth, stiid to me, " Why, sir, when slu; yawns, you can sco
right down to her garters;" and another, speaking of his being
very sea-siek, d(\.Iared "That he threw (very thing uj), down tu
his knee-pans."

If there required any proof of the dishonest feeling so preva-
lent in the United States arising from the desire of gain, it would
be in the fact, that almost every good story whieh you hear ol
an American is an instance of gnat ingenuity and very little
principle. So many have been told alri^adv, that I hesitate to
illustrate my observation, from fear of being accused of uttering
stale jokes. Nevertheless I will venture upon one or two.

"An American' (down east, of course,) when his father died,
found his patrimony to consist of several hundred dozen ot'
boxes of ointment for the cure of a certain complaint, said (by
us) to be more common in the North than in England. He
made up his pack, and took a round of nearly op.e hundred miles,
going from town to town and from village to village, ofl'ering
his remedy for sale. But unfortunately for him no one was
afflicted with the complaint, and they would not purchase on the
chance of any future occasion for it. lie returned back to his
inn, and having reflected a little, he went out, inquired where he
could find the disease, and having succeeded, inoculated himself
with it. When he was convinced that he had it with sufiicient
virulence, he again set forth, making the same round, and taking
advantage of the American custom, which is so prevalent, he
shook hands with every body whom he had spoken to on his
former visit, declaring lie was ♦ 'tarnal glad to see them again.'
Thus he went on till his circuit was completed, when he repair-
ed to the first town again, and found tiiat his ointment, as h'?
expected, was now in great request; and he continued his rout«
as before, selling every box that he possessed."

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MARRY AT S DIARY.

There is a story of a Yankee clock-maker's ingenuity, that I
have not seen in print. He also " made a circuit, having a hun-
dred clocks when he started; they were all very bad, which he
well knew; but by ' soft sawder and humfm natur,' as Sarn Slick
says, he contrived to sell nincty-nino of them, and reserve the
last for his intended 'ru.se.' lie went to the house where he had
sold the first clock, and said, ' WdH, now, how does your clock
gol very well, I guess.' The answer was as he anticipated,
* No, very bad.' ' Indeed! Well, now, I've found it out at last.
You see, 1 had one clock which was I know a bad one, and I
said to my boy, 'you'll put that '"lock aside, for it won't do to
sell such an article.' W(!ll, the boy didn't mind, and left the
clock with the others; and I found out afterwards that it had
been sold somowlierc. Mighty uiikI I was, I can tell you, for
I'm not a little particular about uiy credit; so I have asked here
and there, everywhere almost, how my clocks went, and they all
said that 'they actually regulated the sun.' But I was del. r-
mined to find out who had the bad clock, and I am most partic-
ular glad that I have done it at last. Now, you see I have but
one clock left, a very superior article, worth a matter often dol-
lars more than the others, and 1 must (jive it you in change,
and rU only charge you five dollar^i uillerence, as you have been
annoyed with the bad article.' The man who iiad the bad clock
thought it better to pay five dollars more to have a good one; so
the exchange was made, and then t!io Y.^nkee, proceeding with
the clock, returned to the next house. 'Well, now, how does
your clock go] very well, I guess.' The same answer — the
same story repeated — and another five dollars received in ex-
change. And thus did he go round, exchanointj clock for clock,
until ho had recaived an extra five dollars for every one which
he had sold."

Logic. — "A Yankee went into the bar of an inn in a country
town: ' Pray wliat's the price of a pint of shrub]' 'Haifa dol-
lar,' was the reply of the man at the bar. 'Well, then, give it
me.' The shrub was poured out, v»hen the bell rang for dinner.
' Is that your dinner-bell]' ' Yes.' ' What may you charge for
dinner]' ' Half a dollar.' ' Well, then, I think I had better not
take the shrub, but have some diimer instead.' 'j'his was con-
sented to. The Yankee went in, sat down to his dinner, and
when it was ovTr, was going out of the door without paying.
'Massa,' said the negro waiter, 'you not paid for your dinner.'
'I know tliat; I took the dimicr instead of the shrub.' 'But,
massa, you not pay for the shrub.' ' Well, I did not have the
shrub, did I, you nigger]' said the Yankee, walking away. The
negro scratched his head; he knew that something was wrong,
as he had got no money; but he could not make it out till the
Yankee was out of sight."

I do not think that democracy is marked upon the features of
the lower classes in the United States; there is no arrogant bear-
ing in them, as might be supposed from the despotism of the
majority; on the contrary, I should say that their lower classes
are nnuch more civil than our own. 1 had a slqp of equality on

MARRYAT's DIART.

145

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my first landing at New York. I had hired a truckman to take
up my luggage from the wharf; I went a-head, and missed him
when I came to the corner of the street where I had engaged
apartments, and was looking round for him in one direction,
when I was saluted with a slap on the shoulder, which was cer-
tainly given with good-will. I turned, and beheld my carman,
who had taken the liberty to draw my attention in this forcible
manner. He was a man of few words; he pointed to his truck
where it stood with the baggage, and then went on.

This civil bearing is peculiar, as when they are excited by
politics, c other causes, they are most insolent and overbearing.
In his ur.v:>\x " meanour, the citizen born is quiet and obliging.
The insolence you meet with is chiefly from the emigrant class-
es. I have before observed, that the Americans are a good-
tempered people; and to this good temper I ascribe their civil
bearing. But why are they good-tempered? It appears to me
to be one of the few virtues springing from democracy. When
the grades of society are distinct, as they are in the older insti-
tutions, when difference of rank is acknowledged and submitted
to without murmur, it is evident that if people are obliged to
control their tempers in presence of their superiors or equals,
they can also yield to them with their inferiors; and it is this
yielding to our tempers which enables them to master us. But
under institutions where all are equal, where no one admits the
superiority of another, even if he really be so, where the man
with the spade in his hand will beard the millionaire, and where
you are compelled to submit to the caprice and insolence of a
domestic, or lose his services, it is evident that every man must
from boyhood have learnt to control his temper, as no ebullition
will be submitted to, or unfoUowed by its consjequences. I con-
sider that it is this habitual control, forced upon the Americans
by the nature of their institutions, which occasions them to be so
good-tempered, when not in a state of excitement. The Ameri-
cans are in one point, as a mob, very much like the English;
make them laugh, and they forget all their animosity immediately.

One of the most singular points about the lower classes in
America is, that they will call themselves ladies and gentlemen,
and yet refuse their titles to their superiors. Miss Martineau
mentions one circumstance, of which I very often met with simi-
lar instances. " I once was with a gentleman who was build-
ing a large house; he went to see how the men were getting on;
but they had all disappeared but one. * Where are the people?'
inquired he. ' The gentlemen be all gone to liquor^' was the re-
ply."

I bought one of the small newspapers just as I was setting off
in a steamboat from New York to Albany. The boy had no
change, and went to fetch it. He did not come back himself,
but another party made his appearance. " Are you the r/mn who
bought the newspaper?" " Yes," replied I. " The young gen-
tleman who sold it to you has sent me to pay you four cents."

A gentleman was travelling with his wife, they had stopped
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at an inn, and during the gentleman s momentary absence the
lady was taken ill. The lady wishing for her husband, a man
Tcxy good-naturedly went to find him, and when he had succeed-
ed he addressed him, " I say, Mister, your woman wants you;
but I telled the young lady of the house to fetch her a glass of
water."

There was no insolence intended in this; it is a peculiarity to
be accounted for by their love of title and distinction.

It is singular to observe human nature peeping out in the
Americans, and how tacitly they acknowledge by their conduct
how uncomfortable a feeling there is in perfect equality. The
respect they pay to a title is much greater than that which is
paid to it in England; and naturally so; we set a higher value
upon that which we cannot obtain. I have been often amused at
the variance on this point between their words and their feelings,
which is shown in their eagerness for rank of some sort among
themselves. Every man who has served in the militia carries
his title until the day of his death. There is no end to gene-
rals, and colonels, and judges; they keep taverns and grog shops,
especially in the Western States; indeed, there are very few who
have not brevet rank of some kind; and I being only a captain,
was looked upon as a very small personage, so far as rank went.
An Englishman, who was living in the State of New York, had
sent to have the chimney of his house raised. The morning
afterwards he saw a labourer mixing mortar before the door.
" Well," said the Englishman, •' when is the chimney to be
finished?" " I'm sure I don't know, you had better ask the
colonel." "The colonel? What colonel?" " Why, I reckon
that's the colonel upon the top of the house, working away at
the chimney."

After all, this fondness for rank, even in a democracy, is very
natural, and the Americans have a precedent for it. His Satanic
Majesty was the first democrat in heaven, but as soon as he was
dismissed to his abode below, if Milton be correct, he assumed
his title.

CHAPTER XIV.

ARISTOCRACY.

If the Americans should imagine that I have any pleasure in
writing the contents of this chapter, they will be mistaken; I
have considered well the duty of and pondered over it. I would
not libel an individual, much less a whole nation; but I must
speak the truth, and upon due examination, and calling to my
mind all that I have collected from observation and otherwise, I
consider that at this present time the standard of morality is
newer in America than in any other portion of the civilised globe.

MARRTAT^S DIART.

147

I say at this present time, for it was not so even twenty years
ago, and possibly may not be so twenty years hence. There is
a change constantly going on in every thing below, and 1 believe,
for many reasons, that a change for the better will soon take place
in America. There are even now many thousands of virtuous,
honourable, and enlightened people in the United States, but at
present virtue is passive, while vice is active.

The Americans possess courage, presence of mind, perse-
verance, and energy, but these may be considered rather as en-
dowments than as virtues. They are propelling powers which
will advance them as a people, and, were they regulated and
tempered by religious and moral feeling, would make them great
i and good, but without these adjuncts they can only become great

and vicious.

I have observed in my preface that the virtues and vices of a
nation are to be traced to the form of government, the climate,
and circumstances, and it will be easy to show that to the above
may be ascribed much of the merit as well as the demerits of the
people of the United States.

In the first place, I consider the example set by the govern-
ment as most injurious: as I shall hereafter prove, it is insatiable
in its ambition, regardless of its faith, and corrupt to the highest
degree. This example I consider as the first cause of the de-
moralization of the Americans. The errors incident to the volun-
tary system of religion are the second: the power of the clergy
is destroyed, and the tyranny of the laiiy has produced the effect
of the outward form having been substituted for the real feeling,
and hypocrisy has been but too often substituted for religion.

To the evil of bad example from the government is superadded
the natural tendency of a democratic form of government, to
excite ambition without having the power to gratify it morally
or virtuously; and the debasing influence of the pursuit of gain
is every where apparent. It'shows itself in the fact that money
is in America every thing, and every thing else nothing; it is
the only sure possession, for character can at any time be taken
from you, and therefore becomes less valuable than in other
countries, except so far as mercantile transactions are concerned.
Mr. Cooper says — not once, but many times — that in America
all the local affections, indeed every thing, is sacrificed to the
spirit of gain. Dr. Channing constantly laments it, and he very
truly asserts, "A people that deems the possession of riches its
highest source of distinction, admits one of the most degrading
of all influences to preside over its opinions. At no time should
money be ever ranked as more than a means, and he who lives
as if the acquisition of property were the sole end of his exist-
ence, betrays the dominion of the most sordid, base, and grovel-
ling motive that life offers;" and ascribing it to the institutions,
he says, " In one respect our institutions have disappointed us
all: they have not wrought out for us that elevation of character
which is the most precious, and, in truth, the only substantial
blessing of liberty."

I have before observed, that whatever society permits, men

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will do and not consider to be wrong, and if the government con-
siders a breach of trust towards it as not of any importance, and
defaulters are permitted to escape, it will of course become no
crime in the eyes of the majority. Mr. Cooper observes, " An
evident dishonesty of sentiment pervades the public itself, which is
beginning to regard acts of private delinquency with a dangerous
indifference; acts too that are inseparably connected with the
character, security, and right administration of the state."

Such is unfortunately the case at present; it may be said to
have commenced with the Jackson dynasty, and it is but a few
years since this dreadful demoralisation has become so appa-
rent and so shamelessly avowed. In another work the American
author above quoted observes:

" We see the effects of this baneful influence in the openness
and audacity with which men avow improper motives and im-
proper acts, trusting to find support in a popular feeling, for
while vicious influences are perhaps more admitted in other
countries than in America, in none are they so openly avowed."

Surely there is sufficient of American authority to satisfy any
reader that I am not guilty of exaggeration in my remarks.
Nor am 1 the only traveller who has observed upon what is in-
deed most evident and palpable. Captain Hamilton says: " I
have heard conduct praised in conversation at a public table,
which, in England, would be attended, if not with a voyage to
Botany Bay, at least with total loss of character. It is impossi-
ble to pass an hour in the bar of the hotel, without being struck
with the tone of callous selfishness which pervades the conver-
sation, and the absence of all pretensions to pure and lofty prin-
ciple."

It may indeed be fairly said, that nothing is disgraceful with
the majority in America, which the? law cannot lay hold of.*

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* English Capital Invested. — It is but fair to give the English
who have invested their money in American securities, some idea of
what their chance of receiving their principal or receiving their inte-
rest may be. As long as it depends upon the faith of those who have
contracted the debt, their money is safe, but as soon as the power is
taken out of their hands, and vested in the majority, they may consider
their money as gone. I will explain this — at present the English have
vested their capital in canals, rail-roads, and other public improve-
ments. The returns of these undertakings are at present honorably
employed in payinsr interest to the lenders of the capital, and if the
returns are not sufficient, more money is borrowed to meet the de-
mands of the creditor; but there is a certain point at which credit fails,
and at which no more money can be borrowed; if then no more mo-
ney can be borrowed, and the returns of their rail-roads, canals, and
other securities fall off, where is the deficiency to be made good?
In this country it would be made good by a tax being imposed upon
the population to meet the deficiency, and support) he credit of the
nation. Here is the qnestion: — Will the majority in America consent
to be taxed? I say, no — if they do, I shail be surprised, and be most
happy to recant, but it is my opinion that they will not, and if so the
English capital will be lost ; and if the reader will call to mind what

MARR7AT*8 DIARY.

149

1 ill

You are either in or out of the penitentiary; if once in, you are
lost for ever, but keep out and you are as good as your neijjh-
bor. Now one thing is certain, that where honesty is absolutely
necessary, honesty is to be found, as for example, among the
New York merchants, who are, as a body, highly honorable
men. When, therefore, the Americans will have moral courage
sufficient to drive away vice, and not allow virtue to be in bond-
age, as she at present is, the morals of society will be instantly
restored— and how and when will this be effected ] I have said
that the people of the United States, at the time of the declara-
tion of independence, were perhaps the most moral people exist-
ing, and I now assert that they are the least so; to what cause
can this change be ascribed? Certainly not wholly to the spirit
of gain, for it exists every where, although perhaps nowhere so
strongly developed as it is under a form of government which
admits of no other claim to superiority. I consider that it arises
from the total extinction, or if not extinction, absolute bondage,
of the aristocracy of the country, both politically as veil as so-
cially. There was an aristocracy at the time of the independence
— not an aristocracy of title, but a much superior one; an aristo-
cracy of great, powerful, and leading men, who were looked up
to and imitated; there was, politically speaking, an aristocracy
in the senate which was elected by those who were then inde-
pendent of the popular will; but although a portion of it remains,
it may be said to have been almost altogether smothered, and in
society it no longer exists. It is the want of this aristocracy
that has so lowered the standard of morals in America, and it is
the revival of it that must restore to the people of the United
States the morality they have lost. The loss of the aristocracy
has sunk the Republic into a democracy — the renewal of it will
again restore them to their former condition. Let not the Ame-
ricans start at this idea. An aristocracy is not only not incom-
patible, but absolutely necessary for the duration of a democratic
form of government. It is the third estate, so necessary to pre-
serve the balance of power between the executive and the people,
and which has unfortunately disappeared. An aristocracy is as
necessary for the morals as for the government of a nation.
Society must have a head to lead it, and without that head there
will be no fixed standard of morality, and things must remain in
the chaotic state in which they are at present.

Some author has described the English nation as resembling
their own beer — froth at the top, dregs at the bottom, and in the
middle excellent. There is point in this observation, and it has
been received without criticism, and quoted without contradic-

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I have peintcd out as to the probable efTect of the power of America
working to the westward, and the direct importation which in a few
years must take place, he will see that there is every prospect of a
rapid decrease in the value of all their securities, and that the only
ultimate chance of their recovering the money is by this country com-
pelling payment of it by the federal government.

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tion : but it is in itself false; it may be said that the facts are
directly the reverse, there being more morality among the lower
class than in the middling, and still more in the higher than in
the lower. Wc have been designated as a nation of shopkeepers,
a term certainly more applicable to the Americans, ./here all are
engaged in commerce and the pursuit of gain, and who have no
distinctions or hereditary titles. Trade demoralizes ; there are
so many petty arts and frauds necessary to be resorted to by
every class in trade, to enable them to compete with each other;
so many lies told, as a matter of business, to tempt a purchaser,
that almost insensibly and by degrees the shopkeeper becomes
dishonest. These demoralizing practices must be resorted to,
even by those who would fain avoid them, or they have no
chance of competing with their rivals in business. It is not the
honest tradesman who makes a rapid fortune; indeed, it is
doubtful whether he could carry on his business; and yet, from
assuetude and not being taxed with dishonesty, the shopkeeper
scarcely ever feels that he is dishonest. Now, this is the worst
state of demoralization, where you are blind to your errors and
conscience is never awakened, and in this state may be consi-
dered, with few exceptions, every class of traders, whether in
England, America, or elsewhere.

Among the lower classes, the morals of the manufacturing
districts and of the frequenters of cities, will naturally be at a
low ebb, for men when closely packed demoralize each other;
but if we examine the agricultural classes, which are by far the
most numerous, we shall find that there is much virtue and good-
ness in the humble cottage; we shall there find piety and resig-
nation, honesty, industry and content more universal than would
be imagined, and the Bible pored over, instead of the day-book
or ledger.

» But it is by the higher classes cf the English nation, by the
nobility and gentry of England, that the high tone of virtue and
morality is upheld. Foreigners, especially Americans, are too
continually pointing out, and with evident satisfaction, the scan-
dal arising from the conduct of some few individuals in these
classes as a proof of the conduct of the whole; but they mistake
the exceptions for the rule. If they were to pay attention, they
would perceive that these accusations are only confined to some
few out of a class comprehending many, many thousands in our
wealthy isle, and that the very circumstance of their rank being
no shield against the attacks made upon them, is a proof that
they are exceptions, whose conduct is universally held up to
public ridicule or indignation. A crim. con. in English high life
is exulted over Hy the Americans ; they point to it and exclaim,
*' See what your aristocracy are!" forgetting that the crime is
committed by one out of thousands, and that it meets with the
disgrace which it deserves, and that this crime is, to a certain
degree, encouraged by our laws relative to divorce. Do the
Americans imagine that there is no crim. con. perpetrated in the
United States ] Many instances of suspicion, and some of actual
discovery, came to my knowledge even during my short resi-

MARRY AT'S DIARY.

151

acts are
le lower
than in
ieepers,
e all are
have no
lere are
?d to by
h other;
rchaser,
becomes
)rted to,
have no
! not the
ed, it is
^et, from
)pkeeper
he worst
rors and
»e consi-
lether in

'acturing
be at a
h other;
y far the
nd good-
nd resior-
an would
day-hook

1, by the
irtue and
I, are too
the scan-
in these
r mistake
ion, they
I to some
ds in our
nk being
roof that
jld up to
high life
exclaim,
crime is
with the
a certain
Do the
ed in the
of actual
iiort resi-

dence there, but they were invariably, and perhaps judiciously,
hushed up, for the sake of the families and the national credit.
I do not wish, nor would it be possible, to draw any parallel
between the two nations on this point; I shall only observe that
in England we have not considered the vice to have become so
prevalent as to think it necessary to form societies for the pre-
vention of it, as they have done in the United States.

It has been acknowledged by other nations, and I believe it to
be true, that the nobility and gentry of England are the most
moral, most religious, and most honorable classes that can be
found not only in our country, but in any other country in the
world, and such they certainly ought from circumstances to be.

Possessed of competence, they have no incentives to behave
dishonestly. They are well educated, the finest race of men
and women that can be produced, and the men are brought up to
athletic and healthy amusements. They have to support the
honor of an ancient family, and to hand down the name untar-
nished to their posterity. They have every inducement to noble
deeds, and are, generally speaking, above the necessities which
induce men to go wrong. If the Americans would assert that
luxury produces vice, I can only say that luxury infers idleness
and inactivity, and on this point the women of the aristocracy in
this country have the advantage over the American women, who
cannot, from the peculiarity of the climate, take the exercise so
universally resorted to by our higher classes. I admit that some
go wrong, but is error confined to the nobility alone; are there
no spendthrifts, no dissolute young men, or ill brought up young
women, among other classes? Are there none in America! More-
over, there are some descriptions of vice which are meaner than
others and more debasing to the mind, and it is among the mid-
dling and lower classes that these vices are principally to be found.

The higher classes invariably take the lead, and give the tone
to society. If the court be moral, so are the morals of the nation
improved by example, as in the time of George III. If the court
be dissolute, as in the time of Charles II., the nation will plunge
into vice. Now, in America, there is no one to take the lead;
morals, like religion, are the concern of nobody, and therefore it
is that the standard of morality is so low. I have heard it argued
that allowing one party to have a very low standard of morality
and to act up to that standard, and another to have a high standard
of morality and not to act up to it, that the former is the really
moral man, as he does act up to his principles such as they are.
This may hold good when we examine into the virtues and vices
of nations: that the American Indian who acts up to his own
code and belief, both in morality and religion, may be more
worthy than a Christian who neglects his duty, maybe true; but
the question now is upon the respective morality of two enlight-
ened nations, both Christian, and having the Bible as their guide
—between those who have neither of them any pretence to lower
the standard of morality, as they both know better. M. Tocque*
ville observes, speaking of the difiference between aristocratical
and democratical governme'Us—

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" In aristocratic governments, the individuals who are placed
at the head of affairs are rich nmen, who are solely desirous of
power. In democracies statesmen are poor, and they have their
fortunes to make. The consequence is, that in aristocratic states
the rulers are rarely accessible to corruption, and have very little
craving for money; whilst the reverse is the case in democratic
nations."

This is true, and may be fairly applied to the American de-
mocracy: as long as you will not allow the good and enlightened
to rule, yoa will be governed by those who will flatter and cheat
you, and demoralise society. When you allow your aristocracy
to take the reins, you will be better governed, and your morals
will improve by example. What is the situation of*^ America at

E resent] the aristocracy of the country are either in retirement or
ave migrated, and if the power of the majority should continue
as it now does its despotic rule, you will have still further emi-
gration. At present there are many hundreds of Americans who
have retired to the old continent, that they may receive that re-
turn for their wealth which they cannot in their own country;
and if not flattered, they are at least not insulted and degraded.

M. Sanderson, in his " Sketches from Paris," says —

"The American society at Paris, taken altogether, is of a good
composition. It consis ^ of several hundred persons, of families
of fortune, and young men of liberal instruction. Here are lords
of cotton from Carolina, and of sugar-cane from the Missis-
sippi, millionaires from all the Canadas, and pursers from all the
navies; and their social qualities, from a sense of mutual de-
pendence or partnership in absence, or some such causes, are
more active abroad than at home.

"They form a little republic apart, and when a stranger ar-
rives he finds himself at home; he finds himself also under the
censorial inspection of a public opinion, a salutary restraint not
always the luck of those who travel into foreign countries. One
thing only is to be blamed: it becomes every day more the fashion
for the elite of our cities to settle themselves here permanently.
We cannot but deplore this exportation of the precious metals,
since our country is drained of what the supply is not too abund-
ant. They who have resided here a few years, having fortune
and leisure, do not choose, as I perceive, to reside any where
else."

This is the fact; and the wealth of America increases every
day, so will those who possess it swarm off as fast as they can
to other countries, if there is not a change in the present society,
and a return to something like order and rank. Who would re-
main in a country where there is no freedom of thought or ac-
tion, and where you cannot even spend your money as you
pleasel Mr. fiutler the other day built a house at Philadelphia
with a porte-cochere, and the consequence was that they called
him an aristocrat, and would not vote for him. In short, will
enlightened and refined people live to be dictated to by a savage
and ignorant majority, who will neither allow your character nor
your domestic privacy to be safel

MARRY AT a DIARY.

153

The Americans, in their fear of their institutions giving way,
and their careful guard against any encroaciimcnts upon the lib-
erty of the people, have fallen into the error of sacrificing the
most virtuous portion of the community, and driving a large por-
tion of them out of the country. This will eventually be found
to be a serious evil; absenteeism will daily increase, and will be
as sorely felt as it is in Ireland at the present hour. The Ameri-
cans used to tell me with exultation, that they never could have
an aristocracy in their country, from the law of entail having been
abolished. They often asserted, and with some truth, that in
that country property never accumulated beyond two generations,
and that the grandson of a miUionaire was invariably a pauper.
This they ascribe to the working of their institutions, and argue
that it will always be impossible foranyfamily to be raised above
the mass by a descent of property. Now the very circumstance
of this having been invariably the case, induces me to look for
the real cause of it, as there is none to be found in their institu-
tions why all the grandsons of millionaires should be paupers.
It is not owing to their institutions, but to moral causes, which,
although they have existed until now, will not exist for ever. In
the principal and wealthiest cities in the Union, it is difficult to
spend more than twelve or fifteen thousand dollars per annum,
as with such an expenditure you are on a pai with tlie highest,
and you can be no more. What is the consequence? a young
American succeeds to fifty or sixty thousand dollars a year, the
surplus is useless to him; there is no one to vie with — no one who
can reciprocate— he must stand alone. He naturally feels care-
less about what he finds to be of no use to him. Again, all his
friends and acquaintances are actively employed during the
whole of the day in their several occupations; he is a man of
leisure, and must either remain aloneor associate with other men
of leisure; and who are the majority of men of leisure in the
towns of the United States'? Blacklegs of genteel exterior and
fashionable appearance, with whom he associates, into whose
snares he falls, and to whom he eventually loses property about
which he is indifferent. To be an idle man when every body
else is busy, is not only a great unhappiness, but a situation of
great peril. Had the sons of millionaires^ who remained in the
States and left their children paupers, come over to the old Con-
tinent, as many have done, they would have stood a better
chance of retaining their property.

All I can say is, that if they cannot have an aristocracy, the
worse for them; I am not of the opfnion, that they will not have
one, although they are supported by the strong authority of M.
Tocqueville, who says:

" I do not think a single people can be quoted, since human
society began to exist, which has, by its own free will and by
its own exertions, created an aristocracy within its own bosom.
All the aristocracies of the Middle Ages were founded by mili-
tary conquest: the conqueror was the noble, the vanquished be-
came the serf. Inequality was then imposed by force; and after
it had been introduced into the manners of the country, it main-

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tained its own authority, and was sanctionnd by the legialation.
Communities have existed which were aristocatric from their
earliest oritjin, owing to circumstances anterior to that event, and
which became more democratic in each succeeding age. Such
was the destiny of the Ronrans, and of the barbarians after them.
But a people, having taken its rise in civilisation and democracy,
which should greatly establish an inequality of conditions, until
it arrived at inviolable privileges and exclusive castes, would be
a novelty in the world; and nothing intimates that America is
likely to furnish so singular an example."

I grant that no single people has by its own free will created
an aristocracy, but circumstances will make one in spite of the
people; and if there is no aristocracy who have a power to check,
a despotism may be the evil arising from the want of it. At
present America is thinly peopled, but let them look forward to
the time when the population shall become denser; what will
then be the effect? why a division between the rich and the poor
will naturally take place; and what is that but the foundation if
not the formation of an aristocracy. An American cannot entail
his estate, but he can leave the whole of it to his eldest son if he
pleases; and, in a few years, the lands which have been pur-
chased for a trifle, will become the foundation of noble fortunes;*

* "At the time of the first settlement of the English in Virginia,
when land was to be had for little or nothing, some provident persons
having obtained large grants of it, and being desirous of maintaining
the splendor of their families, entailed tlieir property on their descend-
ants. The transmission of these estates from generation to generation,
to men who bore the same name, had the effect of raising up a distinct
class of families, who, possessing by law the privilege of perpetuating
their wealth, formed by these means a sort of patrician order, distin-
guished by the grandeur and luxury of their establishments. From
this order it was that the king usually chose his councillors of state.

"In the United States, the principal clauses of the English law re.
specting descent have been universally rejected. Tiie first rule that
we follow, says Mr. Kent, touching inheritance is the following:— If
a man dies intestate, his property goes to his heirs in a direct line. If
he has but one heir or heiress, he or she succeeds to the whole. If
there are several heirs of the same degree, they divide the inheritance
equally amongst them, without distinction of sex.

"This rule was prescribed for the first time in the State of New
York, by a statute of the 23d of February, 1786. {See Revised Sta-
tuteSf vol. iii,* Appendix, p. 48.) It has since been adopted in the
revised statutes of tiie same State. At the present day this law holds
good throughout the whole of the United States, with the exception of
the State of Vermont, where the male heir inherits a double portion.
Kent's Commentaries, vol. iv. p. 370. Mr. Kent, in the same work,
vol. iv. p. 1 — 22, gives an historical account of American legislation
on the subject of entail; by this we learn that previous to the revolu-
tion the colonies followed the English law of entail. Estates tail were
abolished in Virginia in 1776, on motion of Mr. Jefferson. They were
suppressed in New York in 1786; and have since been abolished in
North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri. In
Vermont, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina and Louisiana, entail was

MARRY AT's DIARV.

155

hut even now their law of non-entail does not work as they would
wish.

M: Tocquevillo says —

"The laws of the United States are extremely favorahle to
the division of property; hut a cause which is more powerful
than the laws, prevents property from heing divided to excess.*
This is very perceptihle in the States which are bejrinninjj to he
thickly peopled. Massachusetts is the most populous part of the
Union, but it contains only eighty inhabitants to the square mile,
which is much less than in France, where a hundred and sixty-
two are reckoned to the same extent of country. But in Massa-
chusetts estates are very rarely divided; the eldest son takes the
land, and the others go to seek their fortune in the desert. The
law has abolished the rightsofprimogenittire, but circumstances
have concurred to re-establish it under a form of which none can
complain, and by which no just rights are impaired."

And Chancellor Kent, in his "Treatise upon American Law,"
observes —

" It cannot be doubted that the division of landed estates must
produce great evils when it is carried to such excess as that
each parcel of land is insufficient to support a family; but these
disadvantages have never been felt in the United States, and
many generations must elapse before they can be felt. The extent
of our inhabited territory, the abundance of adjacent land, and
the continual stream of emigration flowing from the shores of the
Atlantic towards the interior of the country, suffice as yet, and
will long suffice, to prevent the parcelling out of estates."

never introduced. Those States which thought proper to preserve the
Enghsh law of entail, modified it in such a way as tu deprive it of its
most aristocratic tendencies. ' Our general principles on the subject
of government,* says Mr. Kent, ' tend to favor the free circulation of
property.

•' It cannot fail to strike the French reader who studies the law of
inheritance, that m tlicsc questions, the French legislation is infinitely
more democratic even than the American.

"The American law makes an equal division of the father's pro-
perty, but only in the case of his will not being known, • For every
man,' says the law, • in the State of New York, {Revised Statutes, vol.
iii., Appendix, p. 51,) has entire liberty, power and authority, to dis-
pose of his property by will, to leave it entire, or divided in favor of
any persons he chooses as his heirs, provided he do not leave it to a
political body or any corporation.' The French law obliges the tes-
tator to divide his properly equally, or nearly so, among his heirs.

" Most of the American republics still admit of entails, under cer-
tain restrictions; but the French law prohibits entail in all cases.

" If the social condition of the Americans is more democratic than
that of the French, llie laws of the latter are the most democratic of
the two. This may be explained more easily than at first appears to
be the case. In France, democracy is still occupied in the work of
destruction; in America, it reigns quietly over the ruins it has made.'*
— Democracy in America, by A. De Tocqueville,

* In New England the estates are exceedingly small, but they are
rarely subjected to further division.

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Thorn is, tliorororo, no want of prppanition for an aristopracv
in America, and, altlioiijrii at prcncnt llir rich arc so tniicli in tlio
minority that tlioy cannot coalesce, such will not he the cane,
perhaps, in twenty or thirty years; they Jiave hut to rally and
make a stand when lliey heconie more uutneroiis and powerful,
and they have (;very chance of aiicctiss. 'i'iio f.jct is, that an aris-
tocracy is ahsolntcdy necessary for America* both politically and
morally, if the Americans wish their instilu tions to hold tofrether,
for if some stop is not nut to the rapidly advancing power of tho
people, anarchy must be the result. 1 do not mean an aristo-
cracy of title; I mean such an aristocracy of talent and power
which wealth will tfive — an aristocracy which shall lead society
and purify it. How is this to he obtained in a democracy] —
simply by purchase. In a country where the suflrage is con-
fined to certain classes, as in Kngland, such purchase is not to
be obrained, as the people who have the right of suffrage are not
poor enough to be bought; but in a country like America, where
the suffrage is universal, the people will eventually sell their
birth-right; and if by such means an aristocratical government
is elected, it will be able to amend the constitution, and pass
what laws it pleases. This may appear visionary, but it has
been proved already that it can be done, and if it can be done
now, how much more easily will it be accomplished when tho
population has quadrupled, and the division commences between
the rich and the poor. I say it has been done already, for it was
done at the last New York election. The democratic party
made sure of success: but a large sum of money was brought
into play, and the whole of ihe committees of the democratic party
were bought over, and the Whigs carried the day.

The greatest security for the duration of the present institu-
tions of the United States is the establishment of an aristocracy.
It is the third power which was intended to act, but which has
been destroyed and is now wanting. Let the senate be aristo-
cratical — let the congress be partially so, and then what would
be the American government of president, senate, and congress,
but mutato nomine^ kings, lords, and commons?

I cannot, perhaps, find a better opportunity than of pointing
out what ought to be made known to the English, as it has done
more harm to the American aristocracy than may be imagined
I refer to the carelessness and facility with which letters of in-
troduction to this country are given, and particularly by the
American authorities. I have drawn the character of Bennett,
the editor of the Morning Herald of New York, and there is not
a respectable American but will acknowledge that my sketch of
him is correct; will it not surprise the English readers when I
inform them that this man obtained admittance to Westminster
Hall at the coronation, and was seated among the proudest and
purest of our nobility! ! Such was the fact. Bui it will be as
well to revert back a little to what has passed.

During the time that England was at war with nearly the
whole of Europe, the Americans were to a great degree iso-
lated and unknown, except as carriers of merhcandize under the

MARRY AT S DIARY.

157

nciutral f\»ff', but tlxy wcro rnpidly advanriiifr in iinportdiirc and
wealth. At tlio cdiiclijsidn ot' the luKt Aiiuricari wiir, durinjf which,
by tlicir rosnhilo aiitJ occasionally nuccr8sful hifriig'fifirs, tlii'v had drawn
tJH! fycs of Kuropj towards IIkmii, and hid advanccHJ many (!('})r(!(:8 in
the jTfMicral c'&tiin ition of thoir iinpurtunco as a nation, the* Americans
occnHionally mado their a|)|»carance as travellers, both on thet'ontincnt
and in Mnyland ; but they found thai they were not ho well received
as their own ideas of their iinporlance induced thcni to imagine they
were entitled to be; especially on Ihe Continent.

The first {rreat personage who shewed liberality in tins respect, was
(ieorge the Fourth. Hearing that sonic American ladies of good
tiimily had eoniplaincd that, having no titles, no standing in society
they did not meet with that civility to which, from descent and educu
tioii, they were entitled, he received them at Court most graciously
and those very ladies arc new classed anmng the peeresses of (ireat
Britain. Still the ditUculty remained, as it was almost impossible for
the aristocracy, abroad or at home, to ascertain the justness of the
claims which were made by those of a nation who professed theequali-
ty of all classes, and of whom many of the pretenders to be well re-
ceived did not by their appearance warrant the supposition that their
claims were valid. It being impossible to give any other rank but that
of office, tlw! American Government hit upon a plan which was at-
tended with very evil consequences. They granted supernumerary
a ttac he -Hh\\ia to those Americans who wished to travel ; and as, on the
Old Continent, the very circumstance of being an attache to a foreign
minister warranted the respectability of the party, those who obtained
this distinction were well received, and, unfortunately, sometimes did
no credit to their appointments. 'I'he fact was that these favours were
granted without discrimination, and all who received them being put
down a« specimens of American gentlemen, thecharacter of the Ameri-
cans lost ground by the very eflbrts made to establish it. The true
American gentlemen who travelled (and there is no lack of them)
were supposed to be English, while the spurious were put down as
samples of the gentility of the United States.

That the principles of equality were one great cause of the indis-
criminate distribution of those marks of distinction by the highest
(juarters in the Union, and of the ficility of obtaining letters of recom-
mendation from them there is no doubt; but the principal and still ex-
isting causes, are the extended and domineering power of the press,
and the high state of excitement of the political parties. Those in
power are positively afraid to refuse literary men, or those who have
assisted them in their political career ; they have not the moral cou-
rage to do so, however undeserving the parties may really be. But,
as is generally the case, they really do not knov\r the parties ; it is suf-
ficient that the favour, considered trifling, is demanded, and it is in«

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MARRYAT S DIARY.

'h'-:!

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stantly granted. Now, as at the ncccs^sion of General Jackson, and
the subsequent raising of Mr. Van Buren to t!io prcsideney, the demo-
cratical, or Loco Foco party came into power, it is to their friends and
Bupporters the least respectable portion of the American community,
to whom these favours have been granted ; whicli of course has not
assisted the claims of the Americans to respectability. An instance
of this sort occurred to me after I had been a <ew months in America.
One of the most gentleman-like and well-informed men in New York,
requested that I would give a letter of introduction to a friend of his
who was going to England. Taking it for granted that such a request
would not be made without the party deserving the recommendation,
I immediately assented. The party who obtained my letters (an editor
of a paper, as I afterwards discovered), on his arrival in England,
considering that he was not treated with that attention to which, in
his own vain-gloriousncss, he thought himself entitled, actually sent u
hostile letter to one of the gentlemen to whom he had been introduced,
and otherwise proved himself by his conduct to be a most improper
person. I was informed of this by letters from England; and imme-
diately went to the gentleman who had rc<jiiested the introduction from
me, and stated the conduct of the party. " I really am very sorry,"
said he, " but /knew nothing of hiu)." " Knew nothing of him '/"
replied I. " No, indeed ; but my friend Mr. C, of Philadelphia,
introduced him by letter, and requested me to ask for introductions
for him." " Tnen you will oblige me by writing to your
friend Mr. C. and ask him why he did so, as I find myself
very much compromised by this affair." He wrote to Mr. C,
of Philadelj-hia, who replied that he was very sorry, but that really he
knew nothing of him. He had been introduced to him by letter, by
Mr. O., and that he was a staunch supporter of their party. Now, how
many grades this person had climbed up by letters of introduction it is
impossible to say, bi* this is sufficient to prove that letters of introduc-
tion which are, you may say, demanded, and not refused from the fear
of offending a political agent or penny-a-liner, must ever be received
with due caution ; and it is equally certain, that those from the Presi-
dent himself are the most easy to be obtained.

I have entered freely into this question, as it is important that it
should be known, not only to the English, but tlic Americans them-
selves. A letter of introduction from a gentleman of Carolina, Vir-
ginia, or Boston, I should be infinitely more induced to take notice of
than from the President of the United States, unless the President stated
that he was personally acquainted with the party who delivered it; and
I make this statement in justice to the American gentlemen, and not
with the slightest wish to check that intercourse which will every day
increase, and, I trust, to the advantage of both nations.*

^ • It may also be here obs-irveil, that the Americans have Ihtle opportunity of

31). f M .

kson, and
the demo,
lends and
ntmunity,
B has not
1 instance
I America,
ew York,
;nd of his
I a request
icndation,
(an editor

England,
which, in
lly sent u
titroduced,

improper
nd inmic-
ction from
•y sorry,"
of him :■"'
iladelphia,
reductions

to your
d myself
J Mr. C,
t really he

letter, by
^ow, how
tction it is

introduc-
n the fear
received
he Presi-

nt that it
Eins them-
olina, Vir-
3 notice of
ent stated
;d it; and
, and not
every day

MARRYAT S DIARY.

159

Indeed, now that snch rapid communication has taken place between
the two countries, since the Atlantic has been traversed by steam, it be-
comes more imperative that these facts should be known. Every fort-
night a hundred and sixty passengers will arrive by the Great Western,
or some other steamer. Mostofihem are American citizens, armed
with their letters of recommendation, and the situation of the Ameri-
can minister has become one of peculiar difficulty.

By one steam-packet alone he has had seventy-five people, or families,
with letters of introduction to him, mostly obtained by the means which
I have described ; and there is not one of these parties who docs not
expect as much attention as if the American minister had nothing
else to do but to be at his command. They leave their cards with
him ; if the cards are not returned in two or three days, they send a
\ol\cr to know why he has not called upon them? and if the visit is
returned, send a letter to know whether the minister called in persoUy
or not? With a stipend from his own government, quite inadequate
to the purpose, he is expected, to the great detriment of his private for-
tune, to receive and entertain all these people. I have it from the best
authority, that some of these parties have called and inquired whether
the minister was at home ; being answered in the negative, they have
gone intD^ room, taken a chair, and declared their determination not
to leave the house until they had seen bini. Most of them expect him
to obtain admittance for them into the Houses of Lords and Commons,
and to present them at Court. In some instances, when the minister
has stated the necessity of a Court dresa^ they have remonstrated,
thinking it an expense wholly unnecessary. "They were American
citizens^ and would be introduced as such ; they had nothing to do
with Court dresses, and all that nonsense." And thus, since the steam-
vessels have increased the communication between the two countries,
has the American minister been in a state of annoyance, to which it is
impossible that he, or any other who may be appointed in his place,
can possibly submit.

Let the Americans understand, that those only go to Court in this
country who have claims, as the nobility, the oldest commoners, people
in otfice, the army and navy, and other liberal professions. There are
thousands of families in England, by descent, fortune, and education,
very superior to those of America, who never think of going to Court,
being aware that such is not their sphere ; and yet every American
who comes over here witii four or five introductions in his pocket

judging favourably of the English by the usual importations to their country.
They all call themselves English gentlemen, and are too often supposed to be,
»U(I are received as such. 1 have often been told that I should meet with an
Enelishman or an tCnglish merchant, and the parlies mostly proved to be
nothing but travellers, bagsmen, or even worse. If the sterling American^ slay
at home, and send the bad ones to uts, and we do the same, neither parly will
bi) likely to form a very favourable oplnioa olthe other lor some time to come.

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MARRY AT S DIARY.

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must, forsooth, be presented. If the minister refuses, why then there
is an attack upon liiin in the American prints, and his name and his
supposed misdemeanors are bandied about from one end of the Union
to the other. It is hardly credible to what a state of slavery they
would reduce the American representative. One man says, " I under-
stand I can have a Court dress at a cloathes shop." " Yes, you can,
I believe." " Well, now, sup|K)se we step down togctlicr ; you may
cheapen it a bit for me, may be." These facts are known to the re-
spectable and g'entlemim-likc Americans, who, after the samples which
have come over, and have obtained admission into society and gone tu
Court, will not shew themselves, but prefer to stay at home.

All this is wrong, and a renicdy must soon be found, as the evil in-
creases every day. 'J'he Amcrienns cannot take the English (■oiirt by
storm, or torce us to acknowledge their eqiality in this country.
There are but certain classes in this country who Ijavo any i)refension
to be received at Court ; and unless the Americans can |)rove that they
are by their situation, or descent, of a suftieient rank to qualify them
to be admitted, they must be content to be excluded, as the major por-
tion of our countrymcm are. Even an American being a member of
Congress docs not qualify him, altiiough being a member of the Senate
certainly should. The members of the American Congress are not in
the mass equal by any means in respectability to the members of the
English House of Commons ; and there have been many members of
the English Ho jse of Commons, since the passing of the Reform Jiill,
who could not, and cannot, gain admittance into society.

If the harmony and good feeling between the two countries is to
continue uninterrupted, and our intercourse to be extended, as there is
every probability that it will be, it appears to me that there is more
importance to be attached to this question than ai the first view of it
might be supposed. The Americans are more ambitious of birth and
aristocracy ttian any other nation, vhich is vtry natural, if it were only
from the simple fact that we always most desire what is out of our
reach. Since the Americans have come over in such numbers to this
country, our Herald's OHiee has actually been Itesie^edhy them, in their
anxiety to take out the arms and achievments of their presumed forefii-
thers ; this is also very natural and proper, although it may be at variance
with their institutions. 'I'he determination to have an aristocracy in
America gains head every day : a conflict nmst ensue, when the increase
rf wealth in the country adds sufficiently to the strength of the parly.
But some line must be drawn in this country, as to the admission of
Americans to the English Court, or, if not drawn, it will end in a total,
and therefore unjust exclusion. As but iavf of the Americans can
claim any right to aristocracy in their own country from acknow-
ledged descent, I should not be suprised if in a few years, now that the
two countries are becoming so intimately connected, a reception at the

MARRTAT S DIARY.

161

Enerlish Court of this country be considered as an establishment of
their claim. If so, it will be a curious anomaly in the history of a
republic, that, fifty years after it was established, the republicans should
apply to the mother country whose institutions they had abjured, to
obtain from her a patent of superiority, so as to raise themselves above
that hated equality which, by their own institutions, they {»ofess.

(CHAPTER XV.

GOVERNMENT.

It is not my intention to enter into a lengthened examination of the
American form of government. I have said that, as a government»
"with all its imperfections, it is tlie best suited to the present condition
of America, in so far as it is the one under which the country has made,
and will continue to make, the most rapid strides ;" but I have not said
that it was a tetter form of government than others. Its very weakness
is favourable to the advance of the country ; it may be compared to a
vessel which, from her masts not being wedged, and her timbers being
loose, sails faster than one more securely fastened. Considered merely as
governments for the preservation of order and the equalization of
pressure upon the people, I believe that few governments are bad, as
there are always some correcting influences, moral or otherwise, which
strengthen those portions which are the weakest. A despot, for in-
f^tancc, although his power is acknowledged and submitted to, will not
exercise tyranny to » fir, from the fear of assassination.

I have inserted in an Appendix the Form of the American Consti-
tution, and if my readers wish to examine more closely into it, I must
refer them to M. Tocqueville's excellent work. The first point
which mast strike the reader who exaniines into it is, that it is ex-
ircmely complicated. It is, and it is not. It is so far complicated
that a variety of wheels are at work ; but it is not complicated, from
the circumstance tliat the same principle prevails throughout, from the
Township to the Federal Head, and that it is put in motion by one
great aiul universal propelling power. It may be compared to a cot-
ton-thread manufactcry, in which thousands and thousands of reels and
spindles are all at work, the labour of so many smaller reels turned
over to larger, which in their turn yield up their ^>^oduce, until the
whole is collected into one mass. The principle of the American Gov-
ernment is good; the p iwer that puts it in motion is enormous, and

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MARRYAT S DIARY.

\M-

therefore, like the complicated machinery I have compared rt to, it re-
quires constant attention, and proper regulation of the propelling pow-
er, that it may not become out of order. The propelling power is the
sovereignty of the people, otherwise the will of the majority. The
motion of all propelling powers must be regulated by a fly-wheel, or
corrective check, if not, the motion will gradually accelerate, until tlie
machinery is destroyed by the increase of friction. But there are
other causes by which the machinery n)ay be deranged ; as, although
the smaller portions of the macliine, if defective, may at any time be
taken out and repaired without its being necessary for the machine to
stop ; yet if the larger wheels arc by chance thrown out of their equi-
librium, the machinery may be destroyed just as it would be by a loo
rapid motion, occasioned by the excess of propelling power. Further,
there are external causes which may endanger it : and the machine may
be thrown out of its level by a convulsion, or shock, which will cause
it to cease working, if even it does not break it into fragments.

Now, the dangers which threaten the United States are, the Federal
Government being still weaker than it is at present, or its becoming,
as it may from circumstances, too powerful.

The present situation of the American Government is that the fly-
wheel, or regulator of the propellinji;' power (that is to say the aristoc-
racy, or power of the senate,) has been nearly destroyed, and tlie con-
sequences are that the motion is at this moment too much accelerated,
and threatens in a few years to increase its rapidity, at the risk of the
destruction of the whole machinery.

But, although it will be necessary t(» point out the weakness of the
Federal Government, when opposed to the States or the majority, inas-
much as the morality of the people is seriously affected by this weak-
ness, my object is not to enter into the merits of the government of
the United States as a working government, but to enquire how far tlie
Americans are correct in their boast of its being a model for other
countries.

Let us considir what is the best form of government.. Certainly
that which most contribut(\s to security of life and property, and ren-
ders those happy and moral who are submitted to it. This 1 believe
will be generally acknowledged, and it is upon these grounds tlmt the
government of the United States must be tested. They abjured our
monarchy, and left their country for a distant land, to obtain freedom.
They railed at tlie vices and imperfections of continental rule, and pro-
posed to themselves a government which should be perfect, under
which every mun should have his due weight in the representation,
and prove to the world that a people could govern themselves. Dis-
gusted with the immorality of the age and the disregard to religion,
they anticipated an amendment in the state of society. This new,
and supposed perfect, machinery has been working for upwards of

■f

MARRY AT S DIARY.

163

sixty years, and let us now examine Iiovv far the theory has been sup-
ported and borne out by the practical result.

I must first remind the reader Ihut I have already shewn the weak-
ness of the Federal Government upon one most important point, wfiich
is, that there is not sutVieient security fur person and property. \\ hen
such is the case, thi.re caimot be that adequate punishment for vice so
ne.-essary to uphold the morals of a people. I will now proceed to
prove tlie weakness of the Federal Government whenever it has to
combat with the several States, or with the will of the majority.

It will be ])erceived, by an examination into the C^onstitution of the
Ignited States, that the States have reserved for themselves all the real
power, and that the Federal Union exists but upon their surt'erance. —
Eiieli State still insists iipon its riirht to witlidr.iw itsell' *ioin the Union
whenever it pleases, and the consequence of this riirht is, that in every
eontliet with a State, Ihe Fideriil Governnient has invariably to suc-
comb. i\l. Tofqneville observes, " If the sovereijrnty of the Union
were to en^a(;e in a strup^'le vvitli that of the States, at its present day,
itfl (k'ieat may be confidently i)redieted ; and it is not probable that
HUf'li a strngtrle would be serio\isIy undertaken. As often as a steady
resistance is offered to the Federal (jrovernment, it will be lound to
yield. Kxperienee has hitherto shuvvn that whenever a State has de-
miiiided ;in^ thin;if willi per3<;veranee and resolution, it has invariably
sueeteucd ; and that if a separate trovernment has distinctly refused to
act, it was left to do as it thoujlit tit.*

" ihit even it" the ifovermnent of the Union had any strength inhe-
rent ill ilsi It" the physical situation r)f the country would render the
exercise of that strength very ditficult.t The United States cover an
immense territory ; they are separated from each other by great dis-
tances: and the population is disseminated over the surface of a coun-
try which is still half a wilderness. If the I 'nion were to undertake
to enforce the allegiance of the confederate States by military means,
it would be in a position very analagous to that ot England at the time
of the War of liidependen;H\"

The Federal (ioveniment never displayed more weakness than in
the ([uestion of the tariff put upon JOnglish goods to support the manu-
facturers of the Northern States. The Southern States, as producers
and exporters, complained of tlii;5 as prejudicial to their interests.
South Carolina, one of the smallest States, led the van, and the storm

i .

k\.l

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* Soe 'he conduct of itie Nnrtliern Slates in the war of lsi-2. " Diirin? that
war." siiys Jetlbrson in a lotter to General l^iifiyi'tic, "fmir of tlie Kaslern
Slates were only alliicUtd to tiic Union, like sj many inaniniaic bodies to living
men."

t The prof uind peace of the Union aHorils no pretext for a standinir army ;
and whhoul a staiulins army a covernnmet is not prepared lo profit by a fa-
vouratile opportunity to comiuer resistance, and lake the sovereign power by
surprise.

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MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

rose. This State passed an act by convention, annvUing the Federal
Act of the tariff, armed her mihtia, and prepared for war. The consc.
qucnce was that tiie Federal Government abandoned tiie principle of
the tariff, but at the same time, to save the diHgracc of its defeat, it
passed an act warrantinj^ the President to put dourn resistance Inj force,
or, in other words, making the Union compulsory. South Carolina
annulled this law of the Federal Government, but as the State gained
its point by the Federal Government having abandoned the princi])lc of
the tarifl", the matter ended.

Another instance in which the Federal Government showed its
weakness when opposed to a State, was in its conflict with Georgia.
The Federal Government had entered into a solemn, und what ought
to have been an inviolable treaty, with the Cherokee Indi ms, securing
to them the remnant of their lands in the State of Georgia. The
seventh Article of lli.it treaty says, " The United Stales solemnly
guarantee to the Cherokee nation all their lands not hitherto ceded."'
The State of Georgia, when its population increased, did not like the
Indians to remain, and insisted upon their removal. What was the
result ? — that the Federal (Jovcrnment, in violation of a solemn treaty
and the national honour, submitted to the dictation of Georgia, and the
Indians were removed to the other side of the Mississippi.

These instances are sufficient to prove the weakness of the Federal
Government wl.en opposed to the Slates; it is still weaker wlicn op-
posed to the will of the majority. 1 have already quoted many in-
stances of the exercise of this uncontrolled wi.l. I do not refer to
Lynch law, or the reckless nmrders in the Southern States, but to the
riots in the most civilized cities, such as Boston, New York, and Balti.
more, in which outrages and murders have been committed without
the Government ever presuming to punish the perpetrators ; but the
strongest evidence of the helplessness of the Government, when opposed
to the majority, has been in liie late Canadian troubhs, which, 1 fear,
have only for the season subsided. If many have doubts of the sin-
cerity of the President of the United States in his attempts to prevent
the interference of the Amorieans, there can be no doubt but that
General Scott, Major Worth, and the other American officers sent to
the frontiers, did their utmost to prevent the excesses which were com-
rnittcd, and to allay the excilcnwnt ; and every one is aware how un-
availing were their efi'orts. The magazines were broken open, the
field-pieces and muskets taken possession of; large subscriptions of
money poured in from every (piartcr ; farmers sent waggon-loads of
pigs, corn, and buffalos, to support the insurgents. No one would, in-
deed no one could, act against the will of the majority, and these offi-
cers found themselves lefl to their individual and useless exertions.

The militia at Detroit were ordered out : they could not refuse to
obey the summons, as they were individually liable to fine and imprir-

MARRYAT S DIARY.

165

sonment; but as they said, very truly, "You may cnll ua out, but
when we come into action we will point our muskets in which fiirec-
tion we piciise," Indeed, they did assist the insurgents and fire at our
people; and when the insurgents were delcated, one of tiie drums
wliich they had with thorn, and which was captured by our troops, was
marked with the name of the militia corps which had been called out
to repel them.

When the people are thus above the law, it is of very little conse-
quence whether the law is more or less weak; at present the FtdjTul
Government is a mere cypher wlien o|>posc(i by tl)e majority. Have,
then, the Americans iuiproved upon us in tliis point .' It is generally
admitted that a strong and vigorous government, which can act when
it is necessary to restrain the passions of men under excitement, is
most favourable to social order and happiness; but, on the ctnifrury,
when the dormant power of the executive should be brought into ac-
tion, all that the Federal Govemmfnt can do is to become a passive
spectator or a disregarded suppliant.

■■ I

CHAPTER XVI.

The next question to be examined into is, has this government of
the United Slates set an example of honour, good, faith and moral
principle, to those who are subjected to it ? — has it, by sfj behaving,
acted favourably upon the morals of the people, and corrected the vices
and errors of the monarchical institations wliich the Americans hold
up to such detestation .'

The Americans may be said ta have had, till within the last twenty
years, little or no relation with other countries. They have had lew
treaties to make, and very little diplomatic arrangements willj the old
Continent. But even if they had had, they nmst not be judged by
them ; a certain degree of national honour is necessary to every nation,
if they would have the respect of others, and a dread of the conseciuences
would always compel them to adhere to any treaty made with great
and powerful countries. The question is, has the Federal Govern-
ment adhered to its treaties and promises made with and to those
who have been loo weak to defend themselves? Has it not repeat-
edly, in the short period of their existence as a nation, violated
the national honour whenever without being in fear of retaliation
or exposure it has been able to do so. Let this question be an-
swered by an examination into their conduct towards the unhappy In-
dians, who, to use their own expression, are "now melting away like
suow before the white men." We arc not to estimate the morality of

1.ii

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MARKYAT 8 DIARY.

a guvernmcnt by \U strict adherence to its compacts with tho powerful,
but by its strict moral setise ot justice towards the weak and defence-
Icsh; and it should be borne in mind, thut one example ofa breach of
fuith on the part of a democratic government, is more injurious to the
morals of the people under that government than a thouaand instances of
breach of fuilh which may occur in soci'ty ; for a people who have no
ari»tocracy to set the example, must naturally look to the conduct of their
rulers and to their decisions, as a standard fur their guidance- To
enumerate the nuiltiplied breaches of tiiith towards the Indians would
swell out thiii work to an extra volume. It was a bitter sarcasm of the
Scminule chief, who, referring to the terms used in the treaties, told
the Indian agents that the white man^a *^for ever'* did not last long
(Tiough. Even in its payment of the trifling sums for the lands sold
by the Indians and re-suld at an enormous profit, the American Go*
vernment has not been willing to adhere to its agreement ; and two
years ago, when the Indians came for their money, the American Go-
vernment told then), like an Israelite dealer, that they must take half
money and half goods. The Indians remonstrated ; the chiefs rephed,
" Our young men have purchased upon credit, as they are wont to do ;
they require the dollars, to pay honestly what they owe."

" Is our great father so |K)or ?** said one chief to the Indian egent ;
" I will lend him some money ;" and he ordered several thousand dol-
lars to be brought, and oflered them to the agent.

In the Florida war, to which I shall again refer, the same want of
faith has been excrci.sed. Unable to drive the Indians out of their
swamps and morasses, they have persuaded them to come into a coun-
cil, under a flag of truce. This Hag of truce has been violated, and
the Indians have been thrown into prison until they could be sent away
to the Far West, that is, if they survived their captivity, which the gal-
lant O.scenla could not. Let it not be supposed Uiat the officers employed
are the parties to blame in these acts; it is, generally speaking, the In-
dian agents, who are employed in these nefarious transactions. Among
these iigents there are Many honourable men, but a corrupt govern-
ment will always find people corrupt enough to do anything it may
wish. But any language that I can use as to the conduct of the
American Government towards the Indians would be light, compared
to the comments made in my presence by the officer* and other Ame-
rican gentlemen u|)on this subject. Indeed, the indignation expressed
is so general, that it proves there is less morality in the Government
than there is in the na*.ion.

With the exception ot' the Florida war, which still continues, the
last euntest whieh the Americjin Government had with the Indians wus
with the Sacs and Foxes, commanded by the celebrated chief, Black
Hawk. The Socs and Foxes at that period held a large tract of land
on Rock river, in the U-ritory of loway, on the east side of the Missis-
sippi, which the Government wished, perforce, to take from them.

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MARRYAT S DIARY.

167

Mwcrful,
defence-
>rcach of
18 to the
tances of
I have no
;t of their
ice- To
ins would
)in of the
jties, told
last long
ands sold
ican Go'
and two
rican Go-
take half
fs replied,
)nt to do ;

an agent ;
isand dol-

B want of
t of their
to a coun-
ilated, and
sent away
h the gal-
\ employed
ng, the In-
Among
pt govern-
ng it may
ict of the

compared
ither Ame-

expressed
ovcrnment

tinues, the
iidians was
hief, Black
ict of land
the Missis-
rom them.

The following is Black Hawk's account of the mean?, by which this
land was obtained. The war was occasioned by Black Hawk disown-
ing the treaty and attempting to rcpot)snss the territory.

"Some moons after this young chief (Lit-Hlcnant Pike) descended the
Mississippi, one of our people killed un Acnerican, and w&s confined in
the prison at St. Louis for the offence. We held a council at our vil-
lage to see >vhat could be done for him, which determined that Quash-
qua-me, Pa-shc-paho, Ou-che-qua-ha, and Hu-she-quar-hi-qua, should go
down to St. Louis, and see our American father, and do all they could
to have uur friend released ; by paying lor the person killed, thus
covering the bloud and satisfying the relations of the man murdered !
This being the only means with us of saving u person who had killed
another, and we then thought it was the same way with the whites.

" The party started with the good wishes of the whole nation, hop-
ing they would accomplish the object of their mission. I'lie relations
of the prisoner blacked their faces and fasted, hoping the Great Spirit
would take pity on them, and return the husband and the father to his
wife and children.

" Quash-qua-me and party remained a long time absent. They at
length returned, and encamped a short distance below the village, but
d<d not come up that day, nor did any person approach their camp.
They appeared to be dressed in fine coats and had medals. Front
these circumstances, we were in hopes Ihey had brought us good news.
Early the next morning, the council lodge was crowded; Quash-qua-
me and party came up, and gave us the following account of their
mission : —

" On their arrival at St. Louis, they met their American father, and
explained to him their business, and urged the release of their friend.
The American chief told them he wanted land, and they agreed to give
him some on the west side of the Mississippi, and some on the Illinois
side, opposite the JefTreon. When the business was all arranged, they
expected to have their friend released to come home with them. But
about the time they were ready to start, their friend, who was led out
of prison, ran a short distance, and was shot dead. This is all they
could recollect of what was said and done. They had been drunk the
greater part of the time they were in St. Louis.

"This is all myself or nation knew of the treaty of 1804. It has
been explained to me since. I find by that treaty, all our country
east of the Mississippi, and south of the JefTreon, was ceded to the
United States for one thousand dollars a year ! I will leave it to the
people of the United States to say, whether our nation was properly
represented in this treaty ? or whether we received a fair compensation
for the extent of country ceded by those four individuals. I could say
much more about this treaty, but I will not at this time. It has been
the origin of all our difficulties."

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r
,1'

Indeed, 1 have rensoti to believe lliat tho major portion of tlic Itind
nblaiiied rr«)in the Iiitliiiii^, has Imcii ceded by |»ar(ies who bad tio power
to sell it, and tiic tri'iities witli tiicse partik;*) iiavc been enlbrced by the
Federal ( Joveriiineiit.

In II licport lor tlic protection of tlic Western Frontier, wubniilted to
Conijress by iIk; Secri tary of War, we have a very liiir expose ot" tlie
cundiicl und intentions ol'llie Ainericnn (liovernnient towarriM the In.
dians. Aillion^jli llio Indians conlinnu to style tbe President of tlic
T'nited States as llieir (ireat Father, yet, in this report, llie Indian feci-
iii^ which really exists towards the American people is honestly avowed;
it says in ils preand)le —

''As yet no connnnnily of feeling', except of deep ami hiRtinfr hatred
to the while man, and particularly to the Anfrlo-Aiiinirans, exists
anions them, and, unless they eoa!e^ce, no seriouH ditHcidty need be
apprehended from them. Not so, however, shoidd ihey be induced to
uuite for purposes olfensive and delensive ; their strenylh would tlien
become apparent, create confidence, and in all probability induce them
to jrive vent to their long-suppressed ih-sirc to revenge jmst wrovgif,
which is restrained, as they o[)etdy and freely conless, by fear alotie."

And speaking of the feuds between the tribes, as in the case of the
Sioux and Chippewaysi, which, as I have observed in my Journal, the
American Go\ernfui:ui pretended to be anxious to make up; it appears
that this anxiety is not so very great, for the Report says —

" Should it however prove otherwise, the United States will, whenever
they choose, be able to bring the whole of the Sioux force (tho hereditary
and irreclaimable enemy to every other Indian) to bear against the
Jiostiles; or vice versa, should our ditliculty be with the Sioux nation.
And the suggestion is made, whether prudence does not require, that
those hereditary feelings should not rather he maintained than destroyed
by efforts to cultivate u closer reunion between them."

This Report also very delicately points out, when speaking of the
necessity of a larger force on the frontier, that " it is merely adverted
to in connexion with the heavy obligations which rest upon tiiJ? Go-
vernment, and which have been probably contracted from time to '.imp,
without any very nice calculation of the means which would be neces-
sary to a faithful discharge of them."

I doubt whether this Report would have been presented by Congress
had there been any idea of its finding its way to the Old Country. By-
and-by I shall refer to it again. I have made these few extracts merely
to shew that expediency, and not moral feeling, is the principle alone
which guides the Federal Government of the IJnited States.

The next instance which I shall bring forward to prove the want
of principle of the I'ederal Government is its permitting, and it may be
said tacitly acquiescing, in the seizure of the province of Texas, and
allowing it to be ravished from the Mexican Government, with whom

,,»

MARUYAT S OURY.

1G9

r the IiukI
I tio pnwcr
;cd by llic

bmilUd to
f»8t) ol" the
(Is tlu! Iii-
k'lit. ol' the
lulian i'ccl-
:ly uvuwcd;

'i)>rr fifltird
utiSy fxist.s
ty need be
iiidueed to
would tbtii
iduce llicin
St icro?'^!*,
bar uloiie."
sase of tlic
fourpal, the
; it appears

1, whenever
! hereditary
against the
oux nation,
eqnire, that
ri destroyed

king of the
jIv adverted
)on tiiJ^ t»o-
ime to -iine,
Id be neces-

iy Congress
ountry. By-
■acts merely
nciple alone

(ve the want

id it may he

Texas, and

with whom

ihcy were on termu of amity, but who was unfortunately too weak to
bel]> herself. In this instance the Am«'ric»n (Joverniufnt had no ex-
cuse, as it actually had an army on the irontier, and could have oom.
[•ellcd the insurgents to go Imck ; but no; it perceived that the 'IVxas,
if in its hands, or if in(ie|)cndent of Mexico, would bcconjc a murt for
their extra nlave population, that it was the finest country in the world
tur producing cotton, and that it would be an immense addition of
valuable territory. Dr. Channing's letter to Mr. Clay is so forcible on
this ()ueslioii, enters so fully into the merits of the case, and poinlH out
so clearly the nefariousness of the transaction, that I shall now quote
I few passages fiom this best of American authority. Indeed, I con-
jiider that this letter of Dr. Channing is the principal cause why the
Xiiicrican (Government have not as yet admitted Texas into the I'nion.
The eiforis of the Northern States would not have prevented it, but it
has actually been shamed by Dr. Chaiming, who says —

"The United States have not been just to Mexico, Our citizens did
iH)t steal singly, silently, in disguise into that land. Their purpose of
dismembering Mexico, and attaching her distant province to this coun-
try, was not wrapt in mystery. It was proelaiiiied in our [)ublic prints.
I'lxpcditions were openly fitted out within our borders tor the Texan
war. Troops were organized, ((luipped, and mareiied for the scene of
action. Advertisements for volimteen-i, to be enrolled and conducted to
Texas at the expense of that territory, were inserte<l in our n(!wspapers.
The (Government, indeed, issued its proclamation, forbidding these
hostile pre^)arations; but this \\ as a dead letter. Military companies,
with olliccrs and standards, in defiance ot' proclamations, and in the
liicc of day, directed their steps to the revolted province. We had,
indeed, an army near the frontiers of Mexico. Did it turn back these
invaders of a land with which we were at peace ? On the contrary,
did not its presence give confidence to the revolters ? At\er this, what
construction of our conduct shall we force on the world, if we proceed,
especially at this mi)ii;eiit, to receive into our Union the territory, which
through our neglect, has fallen a prey to lawless invasion f Are we
willing to take our place among robber-states .' As a i)coplc have we
no selfrespect ? Have we no reverence lor national morality ' Have
wc no feeling of responsibility to other nations, and to llini by whom
the fates of nations arc disposed ?"

Dr. Channing then proceeds : —

" Some crimes by their magnitude have a touch of the sublime; and
to this dignity the seizure of Texas by our citizens is entitled. Modern
times furnish no example of individual rapine on so grand a scale. It
is nothing less than the robbery of a realm. The pirate seizes a ship.
The colonists and their coadjutors can satisfy thenisclves with nothing
sliort of an empire. They have lefl their Anglo-Saxon ancestors behind
tliem. Those barbarians conformed to Uie imixims of their age, to the

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marryat's diary*

'/ "ij

k:<;

rudo code of nations in tirno of thickest honthen darknoM. They
invaded Kni^land under tlieir Hovcreitfnn, and willi the minction of the
floomy rchgion of the North. But it w in a civilized nji^c, and amidst
refinementH of innnnerH; it is auiidst the lights of scienee and the
tcachin|;N of OhriHtiaiiity : nniidst cx|H)siti()iirt of the law of nution.s and
enfurcenients of the law of universal love; iiinidsl institntioiiH of re.
liginn, learning, and humanity, that the rohhory of Texas has found
its instruuienlH. It h from a free, well ordered, enlightened Christian
country, that hordes have gnno forth, in u|)on day, to |N;r|)elratc Mw
miefily wronff.^^

I shall conclude my remarks upon this point with one more extract
from the same writer.

" A nation, provokiticr wor hy cupidity, by encroachment, and, above
all, by efforts to propagate tlu! curse of slavery, is alike false to itself,
to God, ond to the human race."

Having now shewn how far the Federal Oovernment may be con-
sidered as upholding tlie purity of its institutions hy the example of its
conduct towards others, let us examine whether in its lomcstie manage-
incnt it sets a proper example to the nation. It cries out against th«
bribery and corruption of England. Is it itself free from this imputa-
tion.

The author of a ' Voice from America' observes, " In such an un-
authorized, unconstitutional, and loose stale of things, milliong of the
public money may be appropriated to e'ectionering and party purposes,
and to buy up friemls of the administration, without being ojien to
pioof or liable to account. It is a simple mailer of fact, that all the
public funds lost in this way. have actually go:\c to buy up friends to
the government, whether the defilcations wi;re matters of understand-
ing between the powers at Washington and these parties, or not.
The money is gone, and is going; and it goes to friends. So much
is true, whatever else is filse. And what has already been used up in
this way, according to otficial report, is sutfieient to buy the votes of a
large fraction of the population of the United States, — that is to say,
sufficient to produce an influence adequate to seeure them. On the
17th of January, 18.38, the United States treasurer reiwrted to Con-
gress sixty-three defalcators (individuals), in all to the amount of up-
wards of a million of dollars, without touching the vast amounts lost
in the local banks, — a mere beginning of the end."

As I have before observed, when Mr. Adams was Presidsnt, a Mr.
B. Walker was thrown into prison fur benig a defaulter to the extent of
eighteen thousand dollars. Why are none of these defaulters to the
amount of upwards of a million of dollars punished ? If the govern-
ment thinks proper to allow them to remain at liberty, does it not.
virtually wink at their dishonesty. Neither the defaulters nor their
■securities arc touched. It would appear as if it were an understood

li '

MARKYAT 8 DIARY.

171

arrarijrcmcnt ; the jfovrrnmrnt tcllinp thc?c parties, who linvc arniiitcd
thein, ** we cuimot iictuully pay yoii money down lor your siTvirr.M ; but
wo will |i(il iiioix'y iiii'liT your Control, ati>i you iiiuy, if yon [tlnise,
help ynurHclf." Wliut has l)ccn the result of this coiiiliict u|K)n
•ocicty / — that ns the ^ovcrniiii'tit (Ioi-h not consider a br< ach of f.iilh an
dcittrviti},^ of piiniNhiiicnt, Hoeit'ty dot's not Ihiuk so ci'hir; und thutt
are the |hm)|>1(; dcniorulizcd, not only hy tin ('Xiiiii|)le of irovcminont in
its foreign relations, but by its leniency towards those individuals who
arc regardlesH of I'uilb a^ the jjovernnuiit has piovcd to he it>i'll'.

Indeed, it may be boldly asserted, that in every nieasiire taUcu bj
the Federal (iovernmcnl, the nu)ral etl'eet of that measure upon the
people has never been thought worthy of n uiuuicul'ti cuusidcrution.

CHAPTER XVII.

I !

We must now examine into one or two other points. The Ameri-
cans Cf)nsitjer that thuy an^ the only people on earth who govern thtm-
selves; they assert that ic« have not a tree juic perfect representation.
We will luA dispute that point; the ([ucslion is, not what the case in
England nuiy be, but what America may have trained. This is certain,
that if they have not a free impartial reproentalion, they do not, an
they suppose, govern themselves. Have they, with universal sutlVagc,
ttbtiiined a repreaentation free from brilury a'sd corruption? If they
have, they certainly have gained their point ; if they have not th«y
have Hicrificed much, and have obtained nothing.

By a calculation which I nuide at the time I was in the United
States of all the various elections which took place atmually, bienni-
ally, and at longer dates, including those l()r the Federal (jovernnient,
the separate governments of each State, and many other elective of-
fices, there are about two thou.-iaiid five hutidnd elections of different
descriptions every year ; and if I were to add the civic elections, which
are equally political, 1 do not know what amoimt they would arrive at.
In this country we have on an average about two hundred elections
per annum, so that, in America, for thirieen millions, they have two
thousand ilve hundred elections, and in England for twenty-seven mil-
lions, two hundred, on the average, during the year.

It must, however, be admitted, that the major portion of these
elections in the United States pass off quietly, prot)ably from the com-
paritive want of interest excited by them, and the continual repetition
which takes place ; but when the important elections are in progress
the case is very different ; the excitjismeot tlien becomes universal ; the

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172

MARRY AT S DIARY.

coming election is the theme of every tonirue, tlic all-engrossing' topic,
and nothing else is listened or paid attention to.

It must be remembered, that the slriigglc in America is tor place, not
for principle; for vvliiehever party obtains power, their principle of ac-
ting is much the same. Occasion il!y a (juestion of moment will come
forward and nearly convulse the Union, but thi^ is very rare ; tl)e ge-
neral course of k'gi^liiliiti is in a veiy narrow compass, and is seldom
more than a mere routine of business, VVith the majority, who lead
a party, (parlicidarly the one at present in power), Ihe contest is not.
tlicr fore, lor |)iinciplc, but, it may almost be said, for bread ; and this
is one great cause of the virulence accouipanyrng their election strug-
gles. 'J'hc election of the ['resident is of course the most important.
M. Toe»iuevil!e has well desfribed it, " For a long while before the ap-
point! d time is at hand, the election becomes the most important and
the all-eu2'roseing topic of discussion. The iirdour of faction is re-
doubled ; and all the artificial j):issio:!S which the imnginalion can
create i.i llie bosom of a happy and peaceful land are agitati-d an(i
brought to light, Tlie President, on Ihe other hand, is absorlx d l>ytlic
cares of selfldi'i'enee. Me no lofiger governs for the inten st of the
State, but for that of his re-cleclioji ; he does homage to the majority,
and instead of clicekinif its passions, as his duty commands him to do,
lie frequently courts its worst caprices. As the election draws near,
the activity of intrigue and the agitation of the populace increase ; thc
citizens arc divided into hostile camps, <'ach of which assumes the
name ot" its fivmirite caiidiilate ; ihc whole nation glows with llnerisli-
excitemeiit ; the election is the daily theme of the public pa|M'ps, the
subject of private conversalion, the end of every thought and everj
action, the sole int( rest of tfie prc'^ent.''

Of course the elc^'tifins in llej larijc cities are those which next oc-
cupy the public attention. I havi; before stated, that at the lastelcctioM
in New York the coinmillees of the opp((sif(,> paitv were brought over
by the W'iiigs, and th n by tliis brib(!ry the election was gained ; but I
will now (piote from (lie Ameiicans ihemselves, and let the reader then
decide in which country, England or Amt;riea, there is most purity of
election.

"On the I'llli, lOfh, and 1 1th irstaiit, a local election for tnayor and
v-hi'fter-ofriccrs was held in this city. It resulted in th(! dei'eat of the
Whig party. The Loco-tbeos had a majority of about one thousand
and fifty for their mayor. Last April the Wliigs had a majority of
about five hundred. 'I'liere are seventeen wards, and seventeen polls
were opened. The out, or sub.'rb, wards presented the most disgraceful
scenes of riot, fraud, corruption, and pe,jury, that were ever witnessed
in this or any other country on a similar occasion. The whole num-
ber of votes polled was ff)rty-one thousand three hundred. It is a no-
toripus fact, that there are not forty thousand legal voters residing i/>

Ill '

MARRY at' S DIARY.

173

the cily. In the abstract this election is but of little importance. Iti
moral influence on other sections of the country remains to be seen.
Generally, the effect of such a triunDph is unfavuiirable to the defeated
party in other places; and it would be so in the present instance, if the
conttst had been an ordinary contest, but the circuinslances to which I
have relerrcd of fraud, corruption, and perjury, may, or may not, re-
act upon the alleged authors of these shamt less proceedings."

Again, "The moderate and thinking men of both parties — indeed,
we n)ay say every honourable man who has been a sjiectator of recent
events — (eel shocked at the frauds, perjury, and corruption, which too
evidently enabled the administration party to poll so powerful a vote.
What are we coming to in this country ? A peaceable contest at the
polls in a peaceable test of party — it is to ascertain the opinions'and
views of citizens entitled to vote — it is a fair and honourable party ap-
peal to the ballot-box. We are all Americans — living under the same
constitution and laws ; each boasting of his freedom and equal rights —
our political differences are, after all, the differences between members
of the same national family. What, therefore, is to become of our free-
dom and rights, our morals, safety, and religion, if the administration
of our government is permitted to embark in such open, avowed, pal-
pable schemes of fraud and corruption as those recpntly exhibited in
this city ? More than fine thousand strangers, having no inferest and
no domicil, are introduced by the partisans of the administration into
the city, and brf»ught up to the polls to decide who shall make our
municipal laws More tiia*? four himdrtd votes over and above the
ascertained votes of a warH, are polled in such ward. Men moved
from ward to ward to sleep one night as an evasive qualification. More
than two hundred sailors, from United States' vessels of war, brought
over to the city to vote — sloops and small craf\, trading down the north
and east rivers, each known never to have more than three hands,
turning out thirty or forty voters from each vessel. Men turned from
the polls for want of legal qualifications, broujilit back by administra-
tion partisans and made to swear in their vote. Hundreds with the
red clay of New Jersey adhering to their thick-soled shoes, presenting
themselves to vote as citizens of New York, and all this fraud and per-
jury set on loot and justified to enable Mr. Van Buren to say, ' I have
recovered the city.' But he h:s been signally defeated, as he ought to
be, notwithstanding all his mighty efforts. 'I'here is this day a clearly
ascertained Whig majority in this city offive thousand.

" It is, therefore, a mockery to call a contest with persons from other
States, hired for the occasion, an election. We must have a registry of
mtes, in order to sweep away this vast system of perjury andfrtud;
and every man who has an interest at stake in his person, his children,
or his property, must demand it of the legislature, as the only means
of coining to a fair decision on all such matters. This charter election

15*

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174

MARRYAT S DIARY.

should open the eyes of tin; honourable of all parties to the dangers that
menace us, and a rcdicss |ir(n'idc'd in time."

Afjain, " Tfic Alias, Moiiddij Moniimr, April 16, 1838 — (Triu7nphant
Result of the Election in i\(w York). — We have rarely known un elec-
tion wljicii, during ils continuance, has excited so lively a deg^ree of" in-
terest as h;is been i'clt in regard to the contest just terminated in New
York. From numerous ([iiartcrs we have received letters requesting
us to transmit the carlicsl Mitclligcncc of the result, and an anxiety has
been evinced among the Whigs of the country, which wc have hardlj'
seen surpassed. Tlie trcmen(!ous onset of the Loco-fbcos upon the
first day increased this anxiety, ;ind tears began to be entertained thai
the miparalk'Ied and unscru[iuIons etrorls of our opponepts — their
shameless resort to every sixcies of fraud, violence, and corruption —
their imp<jrtation of forci<rii, perjured voters, and the lavish distiihvlioii
of the ]iublic monei/ might possibly overpower the legitimate voi:;e of the
majority of the citizens of New York. liut gloriously have these fears
been dispelled. Nobly have the Whigs of the great metropolis done
tlieir duly. Gladly does old Massachusetts respond to their pieans ol
triumph I

" We learn from the New York papers that there was considerable
uneasiness in that city on Friday among the Whigs with regard to the
result. Never was the struggle of the administration party so despe
rate and convulsive. Hordes of aliens and illegal voters were driven
into the city —

' In mulliliiiles like which ihe populace NortU
Pourc'il iii:vcr Hmiii iinrfiozuii loins, to pass
KhiiiL' or thu Diiimbu '

"The most reasonable calculation adnwts that there must have bocH
at least four thousand Hlegal votes |)oll( d at the different wards. Squat-
ters and loafers from the Crotofi Water-Works, from lir<x)klyn and
Long Island, and from Troy to Sing Sing, took up tlieir line of march
for the doniitlid wards, (o dragoon the eily int(» submission to Mr. Van
Buren. Som(! of the wards thr(;w from ff)ur hundred (o six hundred
more votes than there were known to be residents in them. Donblr
voting was practised to a great extent. The Express says, the whole
spirit of the naturalization laws was di lied, and an utter mockery wa?
made of the sacred right of suffrage. What party is likely to be most
guilty of the.ie things, may be judged from the fact, that the Loco-foco
party resist e eery proposition for a registry law, or any other law thai
will give the people a fair and honest and constitutional system of voting."

When I was one day with one of the most influential of the Whig
party at New York, he was talking about their success in the con-
test — " We beat them, sir, literally with their own weapons." " How
so," replied I. " Why, sir, we bought over all their bludgeon men at

IS^

MARRYAT S DIARY.

175

SO ninny dollars a head, and the very sticks intended to be used to keep
us f'loiii tlie , oil were employed upon the lieads of the Loco-locos I''
So nincli for purity of election.

AiioUicr point which is worthy of inquiry is, how far is the rrovern-
nient of the L'liiu d Slates a cheap governmeni ; that is, not as to the
amount ot money ex;it nded in that country as cotnpared to the amount
of money paid in Enghmd or France, but cheap as to the work done
for the money paid ? And, viewing it in this light, I rather think it
will he lf)urid a very expensive one. Jt is true that the salaries arc
low, and the highest ofliecrs are (he worst paid, but it sliould be re-
collected that every body is paid.* The expcnsis of the Federal
Governmeni, shown np to the w orld as a prooi of cheap goven.nicnf,
is but a portion of the real expens-es wliich are paid by the several
States, Thus the government will promulgate to the world that they
have a surplus revenue of so many millions, but at the same time it
will be found that the States themselves are borrowing monev and are
deeply in debt. The money that disappears is enormous; 1 never
could understand what has become of the boast'?d surplus revenue
which was lodged in the pet banks, as they were termed. The paid
ofiicers in the several States are very numerous ; take, for instance the
State of New York alone. An American newspaper has the following
tirticle : —

" The Standing Army.

"The following is given in the Madisonian as the rank and file of the
executive standing army of office-holders in the State of New York,
How hardly can the freedom of elections be maintained against the
natural enemies of that freedom, when their efforts arc seconded by the
assaults of such an army of placemen, whc.se daily bread, under the
rule and reign of the spoilers, is dependent on their parlizan exer-
tions !

" 1880 Postmasters.
^217 Mail Contractors.
59 C'erks in the New York Post-oflicc-
Jif) Ijighthousc Keepers.
.'iOO Custom-House Officeis.
"These," says the Madisonian, " constitute a regiment of the King'?

* T cannot here refrain from making an extract from M. ToccnievillL's clevirr
work, well worthy llie atleniion uf itmsc vvlio rule in (Ins country, as probably
ihey may not be aware of wimt they are doing:- " When a dcniocrulic re[iub-
lic reniiers ottices which had firmerly lieen reniuntiiitcd ^ratvilous, il may
safely be believed thai ihe Stale is uilvanci u; l ' tiio?ian/iuiil insliluii.ins ; and
when a nn)narchy begins to remunerate such ofiicers as iiad hillurtu been un-
paid, il is a sure si^n ll)al il is approach ne towards a despotic or a republican
form of governmeni. The subsiiiuliun of paid for unpaid f-nnionaricB, is u<
itself, in my opinion, sutiicienl lo cong'.ituu a seriuus revolution''

Jil

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176

MARRY AT S DIARY.

own, well drilled in the system of terrorism and seduction, and of dra-
gooning voters !"

And it should be remarked, that in the United States, upon any one
party losinir an eketion, the whole of that party in otfiee, even down
to the lainplitrliters, arc tiiriifd nut, anil replaced hy parlizans of the
succcss'ul party ; capabilitij for office is iicvrr considc red, tlie only object
is to reward political services. That the work cannot be well carried
on when there are such coiisfartt changes, attended wilh i'lioranceof
the duties imposed, is most certain, 'I'ho loiijr list of detiuilters proves
that the parly at present in power is supported by needy and un-
principled men ; indeed, there is a waste of money iti almost every de-
partment which would be considered monstrous in this country. Thr*
expenses of the Florida war arc a proof of this. 'I'he best written ac-
counts from America u'e those written by a party who signs himself
"A Genevese Traveller," and whose letters very often appear in ilie
Times newspaper. 1 have invariably observed the correctness not
only of his statements of facts, but of the opinions drawn from them.
Speakinij of tin; Florida war, he has the following observations: —

"As to the expenditure, it is yet more astounding. Not less than
90,000,000 dollars have already been lavished upon favourites, or
plundered from the treasury by marauders, whose profligacy and in-
justice caused the war. Army contractors, government agents, &c.
arc wallowing in wealth obtained by the worst means; and these are
the men that condemn a peace, and will do all in their power to pro-
duce and keep up an excitement. But unless they can reach the
treasury of the Utiited States, their sympathy tor the murdered inhabi-
tants will soon evaporate. I hope, however, and believe that the war
for the present is at an end. But the peace will only be temporary,
for the rapacity of the avaricious land spoculat r will not be satisfied
until the red nian is deprived of every acre of land."

To enter into any estimate of expense would be impossible ; all I
assert is, that there is a nmch greater waste of public money in the
United Stales than in other countries, and that for the work done tiiey
pay very dearly. I shall therefore conclude with an extract from M.
Tocqueville, who attempts in vain to come to any approximation.

"Wherever the poor direct public affairs, and dispose of the national
resources, it apfwars certain, that as they profit by the exi)enditure of"
the State, they are apt to augment that expenditure.

"I conclude, therefore, without having recourse to inaccurate com-
putations, and without hazarding a comparison which might prove in-
correct, that the democratic government of the Americans is not c
cheap government, as is sometimes a> serted ; and I have no hesitation
in predicting, that if tlie people of the United States are ever involved in
serious difficulties, its taxation will speedily be increased to the rate of
that which prevails in the greater pp.rt of the aristocracioff and the
monarchies ot Europe."

MARRYAT S DIARY.

177

id of dru'

any one
en down
IIS of the
nly object
carried
oranct! of
■rs proves

and un-
every do-
ry. ThvT

ritten ac-
i himself
ar in ilie
tness not
oiii them.
18 : —
less than
urites, or
y and in-
dents, &.C.
tliese are
2r to pro-
reach the
ed inhabi-
t the war
emporary,
c satisfied

blc; all I
ney in the
done they
:t from M.
ion.

ic national
nditure of

irate coin-
t prove in-
3 is not u
tiesitation
nvolved in
the rate of
» and the

CHAPTER XVIII.

TiiK Americans, and with justice, hold up Wasliiiicfion as one of the
first otiMf'ii, ifso,\vliy will they not pay attention to his opinions ' because
lli('_//;.s7 of men must not interfere with their prejudices, or, ii"lie(!oes,
iie iiiiiiic(li;it('lv ill tlieir eyes becomes the last. Nevertheless, Wash-
injrt'U proved his ability when he made the followiri^r observation, in
his letttr to Chief . Justice Jay, dated iOth of March, ! 167 ; even at
that early period he pereeived that the institutions of Americ;;, alt!ioui^''h
!it the time much less democratical than at present, would not stand.
Hear the words of Wasbinijtou, for they were a prnphrcy —

" Amnnjr men of retleetion, tew will be found, I believe, who are
no* 1 L'iimiiijr to think that our system is belter in flifon/ than In prar-
lice ; and that, iiotwithstandinjr the boasted virtue of America, it is more
than prubalile that we shall exhibit the last melancholy proof, that
Mianl^ind are incompetent to their own government initlioiit the means
(if fiU'rciim 111 the Koniriori.^^

Mow, if you were to put this extract into the hands of an American,
his admiration of VVasliin^ton would immediately full down below
Zero, and in all prob ibility he would say, as tlioy do of jioor Captain
Lawrem t — "Why, sir, W'ashinjrton was a great man, but threat men
have their fliilings. I (ruess he wrote that letter tiftrr dinnri y

But Wa-liintrton has been supported in this opinion by a modern
Anieiieau patriot, Dr. ('banning;, who, ass»'rtin{j that " (lur institutions
liave (lisiippointed us all," has pointed out the real etfeetsof democracy
upon the morals of the nation; and tKerc arc many other tfood and
lionist m<'n in America who will occasionally tell the truth, although
tlicy s( Idom venture to put their natnes to what they write. lu a
raaiiittsto, published when I was in the States, the following bitter [lills
for the deiuncrats were inserted, S()eakiiig ot' depei. deuce on the vir-
tue and intelligrnce of the people, the manifesto says: —

" A form of government which has no belter corrective of public
disorders than this, is a i)urles(pjeon the reason and intelligence of men ;
it is as inc(;uipatible with wisdom as it is with public prosperity and
ha])piness.

" 'J"he i)eo[)le arc, by principle and the Constitution, guarded against
the tyranny uf kings, but not against their own passions, and ignorance,
fiud delusions."

/ < ■

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ill

%.
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I r

178

MARRY AT S DIARY.

The necessity of relying^ on some other power than tho people is
therefore enforced :

" Such facts have induced nations to abandon the practice of elec-
ting' their (thief m.ijristrate ; prcferrinj* to receive that officer by here,
ditary succession. Men have found that tlie chances of havinsf a good
chief iniifjistrate by birtbj are about equal to tlic chances of obtaining
one by popular election. And, boast as we will, that the superior intel-
ligence of our citizens may render this jjoverninent an exception, time
will show that tills is a inistiikc. No nation can be an exception, till
the Ahniirhty sfiall chanirc tlio whole character of in;m.

" It is a solemn truth, that when exuculive officers are dependent
for their offices on annntil or frequent elections^ there will be no impar-
tial or efficient admitiis(r.itif)ii of the laws.

" It is in vaiu that nicn attempt to disfjnise the truth ; the fact, be-
yond all debate, is that tlio disorders in our political aff.iirs are the
genuine and natural conse(]ntnces of defects in the Cunstilutinn, and of
the false and visionary opinions which Mr. JctTurson and his disciples
have been procliiiinic.jr fir lorty years.

" The mass of the people seem not to consider that the affairs of a
great cornnierei.il nation require for their correct matugoment talents
of the first order.

•'Of all lliis, the 7nass of our pop'ilation appear to know little or
nothinof.

" The mass of the people, seduced and disciplined by their leaders,
are still firUier deceived, by bei;itr taug^lit that, our piiiilic di-iorders are
to be ascribed to other causes tlian the ignorance and pervt-rsity of
their party.

*' And yet onr citizens ;, re constantly boastina of the intellirrence oj
the people ! Iiitelliufi iice ! The hi-tory of'n ilions cannot present an
example of such total vjant of iriteUiircnc.c ?.» onr country now exhibits:
and what is more, a icaiil of ii;tcpit<i is equi'llv sur| risiiifj."

Tills is strong la-igua-re to use in u republic, btit let us examine a
little.

The fjfreat desideratum to be attended to in the formation of a
governmt'nl is to ijuard a'jainsl man peeving upon his fellow-creature.
Call a government by any name you will, prescribe what forms you
may, the one great point to be adhered to, is such a code of laws as
will put it out of the power of any one individind, or any one party,
from oppressing anotlier. The despot may trille with the lives of his
people; an aristocracy may crusii tlie poorer class(;s into a state of
bondage, and the poorer classes being invariably the most ntioKrous,
may resort to their physical force to control tlu s«; who are wealthy, and
despoil them of their possessions. Correctly speaking, the struggle is
between the plebeian and the patrician, the poor and the rich, and <t i*
therefore that a third povyer has, by long experience, be^u considered a$

1 1I

I ■:!'

-*^

le people is

lice of dec-
er l)y here-
vinw a }jood
if nbiuining
ip(!rior intel-
eption, time
(cuptiuri, till

dependent
•2 no impar-

ihe fact, be.
'lirs are the
ilinn, and of
liis disciples

; affairs of a
nciit talents

low little or

Ihoir Icadcrg,

(li-^orderg are

perversity of

.ntelliffeme of
ot present an
low exhibits:

us examine a

mation of a
low-creatore.
it forinsi you
de of laws as
riy one party,
le livi's of his
to a state of
ist numerous,
I wealthy, and
lie struijglo is
ri'-h, and it :«
considered a$

marryat's diary.

171)

necessary (an apex, or head to the pyramid of society), to prevent and
check the disorders which may arise from struggles of ambition
unong the upper classes.

Wherever this apex has been wanting, there has been a continual
■ttenipt to possess it ; whenever it lias been elective, troubles have in-
variably ensued ; experience has, therelbre, shown that, for the benefit
of all eliisses, and the maintenance of order, the wis^est plan was to
make it hereditary. It is not to be denied ihat despotism, when it falls
into good hands, has rendered a nation flourishing and happy, that an
oligarchy has occasionally, but more rarely, governed with mildness
and a regard to justice ; but there never yet was a case of a people
having seized upon the power, but the result has been one of rapacity
and violence, until a master-spirit has sprung up and controlled them
by despotic rule. But, although one despot, or one oligarchy may
govern well, they are exceptions to the general rule; and, tliereforo, in
framing a government, the rule by which yon must be guided, is on
the supposition that each class will encroach, and the laws must be so
constituted as to guard against the vices and passions of mankind.

To suppose that a people can govern themselves, that is to say
directly, is absurd. History has disproved it. They may govern
themselves indirectly by selecting from the mass the more enlightened
and intelligent, binding themselves to adhere to their decisions, and, at
the same time, putting that due and necessary check to the power in-
vested in their delegates, which shall prevent their making an improper
use of it. The great point to arrive at, is the exact measure and weight
of their controlling influences, so as to arrive at the just equipoise; nor
can these proportions be always the same, but must be continually
added to or reduced, according to the invcriable progressions or reces-
sions which must ever take place in this world, where nothing stands
still.

The history of nations will shew, that although the just balance has
often been lost, that if either the aristocracy or the ruling power gained
iiny advantage, the evil, if too oppressive, was capable of being cor-
rected ; but any advance gained by the democratic party, has never
been retraced, and that it has been by the preponderance of power
being til! own into its h;;nds that nations have fallen. Of all the at-
tempts at republics, that of the Spartan, perhaps, is the mrst worthy
of examination, as I.^curgus went to work radically, and his laws
were such as to obtain that equality so much extolled. How fiir the
term republic was applicable to the Spartan form of government I will
not pretend to say, but when Lycurgus was called upon to reconstruct
its legislation, his first act was to make the necessary third power, and
iie appointed a senate.

But Lycurgus was wise enough to perceive that Ire must amend the

I ■

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i- t

I," '■!

.'■ i' '

•, • 1 , '

ti ' : ;

■'iii

■ •

1
(

180

MARRY AT S DIARY.

morals of his countrymen, and that to preserve an equality of condition
he must take away all incentives to ambition, or to the accjuisition of
wealth. He first divided the lands into er,'jal jwrlions, conipellcd all
classes, from the kings downwards, to cat at the same table, brought
up nil the children in the same hardy manner, and obli|fed every citizen
after a certain age to carry arms. But more sacrifices were necessary;
Lycurgus well new,

Quid leges sine moribus vano? proficiunt.

Horace, Ode 24, lib. .3.

To guard against the contagion of corruption, he prohibited navi-
S^ntioTi and commerce ; lie permitted no inlercourse v:\th fore iirners; he
abolished the gold and silver coin as current money, that every strinulus
to any one individual to exalt himself above his neighbour should br;
removed. If ever there was a system calcul;ittd to produce eciuulily,
it was that planned by the wisdom of Lycuryus; but I doubt if the
Americans would like to follow in his footsteps.

What occasioned the breaking up and the downfal of this republic ?
An increase of power given to the democratic party, by the creation
out of their ranks of the magistrates, termed L]|>liora, which threw ati
undue weight and preponderance into the hands of the people. \iy this
breach in the constittition, faction and corruption were let in and
fomented. IMutareh, indeed, denies this, but both Polybius and Aris-
totle are of a ditierent opinion: the latter says, that the power of tlm
Ephori was so great as to amount to a perfect tyranny ; the kings
themselves were neeesssiated to court their favour by such methods us
greatly to hurl the constitution, which troni an aristocracy degenerated
into absolute denioeracy. Sulon was called in to re-model the consti-
tion of ihe Athenian repulilic. Ho had a more difficult task than
Lycurgus, and did not so well succeed. He left too much power in
the hands of the decnocracy, the decisions of the superior courts being
liable to appeal, and to be rescinded by the nriss of the people. Ana-
chasis, the Scythian philosopher, when he heard some points first
debated in the Senate, and afterwards debated in the Assembly of IIk;
people, very properly observed, that at Athens "Wise men debated, but
fools decided." Tiie whole history of the Athenian republic is, there-
fore, one of outrageous bribe ry and corruption among the higher class ;
tyranny, despotism, and injustice on the part of the lower, or majority.
The downfal of tiic Roman empire uiay equally be traced to the
undue weight obtained by tlie people by the appointment of the tribunes,
and so it vvdl be proved in almost every instance : the reason why the e.r-
oess of power is more destructive wlien in ihe hands of the people is, that
either they, by retaining the power in tlieir own hands, exercise a demo-

MARRY AT ? DIARY.

181

of condition
:(|uisitinn of
mipellud all
lie, brought
jvcry citizen
! necessary ;

24, lib. 3.

jibiteil navi-
reiirners; lie
try str-aiulus
jr should be
lice njuiility,
doubt if the

lis republic !
tiic creation
icli threw an
)pIo, Hy this
i lot in and
us and Aris-
)o\vcr of the
y ; the kings
methods us
degenerated
L'l the consti-
It task than
:h power in
courts being
?ople. Ana-
points firi-l
nd)ly of till!
debated, but
ilic is, there-
lighcr class,
or majority,
raced to the
the tribune?,
why the c.x-
(cople is, that
cisc a demo-

ralisiutT despotism, or if they have becomo siilKt'iont vorift!, they
sell tlR'in.^elve.s to be lyraiiniyed over in their turn.

I have made these reniarks, because I wish to corroborntc fnv
opinion, that '* power once gained hy the people is never to be
recovered, except by bribery and corruption, and that until then,
every grant is only the Ibrerunner of an extension ; and that ai-
thoujrh the undue balance of power of the higher classes occa-
sionally inay hv, that in the hands of the people is invariably at-
tended by tlie downfall of the institution.

At the same time, I do not intend to deny the right of the
people to claim an extension of their privileges, in proportion us
they rise by education to the right of governing themselves;
untbrtunately these privileges have been given, or taken, pre-
vious to their being qualified. A republic is certainly, in theory,
the most just form of government, but, up to the present day,
Jiistory has proved that no people have been prepared to receive
it.

That there is something very imposing in the present rapid
advance of the United States, I grant, but this grandeur is not
ascribed by the Americans to its true source : it is the magnifi-
oentand extended country, not their government and institutions,
which has been the cause of their prosperity. The Americans
think otherwise, and, as I have before observed, they are happy
in their own delusions — they do not make a distinction between
what they have gained by their country, and what they have
gained by their institutions. Every thing is on a vast and ma<T-
nificent scale, which at first startles you ; but if you examine
••-losely and reflect, you are convinced that there is at present
more sliow than substance, and that the Americans are actually
"xisting (and until they have sufficient labourers to sow and
reap, and gather up the riches of the land, must continue to
exist) upon the credit and capital of England.

The American republic was commenced very differently from
any other, and with what were real advantages, if she had not
been too ambitious and too precipitate in seizing upon them. A
republic has generally been considered the most primitive form
of rule ; it is, on the contrary, the very last pitch of refinement
in government, and the cause of its failure up to the present has
been, that no people have as yet been sufficiently enlightened
to govern themselves. Republics, generally speaking, have at
+heir commencement been confined to small portions of territory
having been formed by the extension of townships af\er the in-
habitants liad become wealthy and ambitious. In America, on
the contrary, the republic commenced with unbounded territory
— a vast field for ambition and enterprise, that has acted as a
rmfety-valve to carry off* the excess of disappointed ambition,
which, like steam, is continually generating under such a form
of government. And, certainly, if ever a people were in a situ-
ation, as far as education, knowledge, precepts and lessons for

VOL. II. 16

>-\\

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182

MARBYVl' H DIAKY.

•Wl^

: i'i

guUhncf* and purity of mtinnera could onnblc tlicm ff* povprn
thernsclvos, thoae wuro rio wiiu lirst estubliBlied the Amencttn
independence.

Fitly years have passed away, and the present state of Ame-
rica I have already shown. From purity ot'mnnners, h , moral
co<le has sunk below that of mnst other nations. She has at-
tempted to jjovern herselt— she is dictated to by the worst of
Ivrunnics. She has planted tin? tree of liberty ; instead of its
nourishintT, she has neither freedom of speech nor of action. She
has railed ajjainst the vices of monun liical forms of government,
and every vice u^jainst which she has raised up her voice, is still
more prevalent under her own. She has cried out against cor-
ruption — she is still more corrupt: against bribery — ^lier people
are to be bought and sold : agaiuht tyraimy — she is in fetters.
She has proved to the world that, with every advantage on her
Bide, the attempt at a rejniblic has been a miserable failure, and
that the time is not yet come when mankind can govern them-
ijelves. Will it ever come? In my opinion, never!

Although the horizon may be clear at present, yet I consider
that the proj^pect of the United States is any thing but cheering.
It is true that tor a time the States may hold together, that they
may each year rapidly increase in prosperity and power, but
each year will also add to their demorilisation and to their
danger. It is impossible to say from what quarter of the com-
pass the clouds may first rise, or which of the several dangers
that threaten lllicm they will iiave first to meet and oppose by
their energies. At present, the people, or majority, have an un-
due power, which will yearly increase, and their despotism will
be more severe in proportion. If they sell their birthright (which
they will not do until the population is much increased, and the
higher classes are sufficiently wealthy to purchase, although
their freedom will be lost) they vrill have a better chance of
happiness and social order. But a protracted war would be the
most fatal to their institutions, as it would, in al! probability,
end in the dismemberment of the Union, and the wresting of
their power from the people by the bayonets of a dictator.

The removal of the power and population to the West, the
rapid increase of the coloured population, are other causes of
alarms and dread ; but, allowing that all these dangers are steer-
ed clear of, there is one (a more remote one indeed, but more
certain), from which it has no escape —that is, the period when,
from the increase of population, the division shall take place be-
tween the poor and the rich, which no law against entail will
ever prevent, and which must be fatal to a democracy.
Mr. Sanderson, in his "Sketches of Paris," observes —
" If we can retain our democracy when our back woodlands
are filled up; when New York and Philadelphia have become
a lx)ndon and Paris : when the land shall be covered with its
multitudes, struggling for a scanty living, or with passions ez-

m 1

MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

iHa

citod by luxurious ImbitH am! appetitos. If wc can then main-
tttin our universal Hullini^o and our liberty, it will bn fair and
reasonublo oni)Ui,'h in uh to set ourselves up for the nnitation of
others. I^iherty, as tiir as we yet know her, is not lifted to the
condition of these populous and luxurious countries. Her house-
hold pods are of clay, and her dwellmjj where the icy gales of
Allecrlmny sinij lhrou<,'h the crevices ot her Init."

I have observed, in niy introduction to the first two volumes
of this worl(, that our virtues and our vices are nminly to be
traced to the form of j^overrunent, climate, and circumstances,
and I think I can show that the vices of the Americans are
chiefly to bo attributed to their present form of government.

Tlie example of the Executive is most injurious. It is insa-
tiable in its ambition, regardless of its faith, corrupt in the
highest degree ; never legislating for morality, but always for
expediency. This is the first cause of the low standard of
morals; the second is the want of an aristocracy, to set an exam-
ple and give the tone to society. These are followed by the
errors incident to the voluntary system of religion, and a demo-
cratical education. To these must be superadded the want of
n)oral couraoe, arising from the dread of public opinion, and the
natural tendency of a deniocratic form of government to excite
the spirit of gain, as the mainspring of action, and the summum
bonum of existence.

Dr. Channing observes —

" Our present civilization is characterized and tainted by a
devouring greediness of wealth ; and a cause which asserts
right against wealth, nnist stir up bitter opposition, especially

in cities where this divinity is most adored."

" The {)assion for gain is every where sapping pure and generous
feeling, and everywhere raises up bitter foes against any reform
which may threaten to turn aside a stream of wealth. I some-
times feel as if a groat social revolution were necessary to break
up our present mercenary civilisation, in order that Christianity,
now repelled by the almost universal worldliness, may come into
new contact with the soul, and may reconstruct society atler its
own pure and disinterested principles."*

All the above evils may be traced to the nature of their insti-
tutions ; and I hold it as an axiom, that the chief end of govern-
ment is the happiness, social order, and morality of the people ;
that no government, however perfect in theory, can be good
which in practice demoralises those who are subjected to it.
Never was there a nation which commenced with brighter pros-
pects ; the experiment has been made and it has failed ; this is
not their fault. They still retain all the qualities to constitute
a great nation, and a great nation, or assemblage of nations, they
will eventually become. At present, all is hidden in a futurity

* Cbanning'8 letter to Birney, 1837.

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MARRYAT S DIARY.

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much too deep for any human eye to penetrate ; they progress
fast in wealth and power, and as their weight increases, so will
their speed be accelerated, until their own rapid motion will
occasion them to split into fragments, each fragment sufficiently
large to compose a nation of itself. What may be the eventual
result of this convulsion, what may be the destruction, the loss
of life, the chaotic scenes of strife and contention, before the
portions may again be restored to order under new institutions,
it is as impossible to foresee as it is to decide upon the period at
which it may take place ; but one thing is certain, that come it
will, and that every hour of increase of greatness and prosperity
only adds to the more rapid approach of the danger, and to the
important lesson which the world will receive.

I have not written this book for the Americans ; they have
hardly entered my thoughts during the whole time that I have
been employed upon it, and I am perfectly indifferent either to
their censure or their praise. I went over to America well-in-
clined towards the people, and anxious to ascertain the truth
among so many conflicting opinions. I did expect to find them a
people mo-re virtuous and moral than our own, but I confess on
other points I had formed no opinions ; the results of my obser-
vations I have now laid before the English public, for whom only
they have been written down. Within these last few years,
that is, since the passing of the Reform Bill, we have made
rapid strides towards democracy, and the cry of the multitude iy
still for more power, which our present rulers appear but too
willing to give them. I consider that the people of England
have already as much power as is consistent with their happi-
ness and with true liberty, and that any increase of privilege
would be detrimental to both. My object in writing these pages
is, to point out the effects of a democracy upon the morals, the
happiness, and the due apportionment of liberty to all classes ; to
show that if, in the balance of rights and privileges, the scale
should turn on one side or the other, as it invariably must in this
world, how much safer it is, how much more equitable I may
add, it is that it should preponderate in favour of the intelligent
and enlightened portion of the nation. I wish that the contents
of these pages may render those who are led away by generous
feelings, and abstract ideas of right, to pause before they con-
sent to grant to those below them what may appear to be a boon,
but will in reality prove a source of misery and danger to all
parties — that they may confirm the opinions of those who are
wavering, and support those who have true ideas as to the na-
ture of government. If I have succeeded in the most trifling
degree in effecting these ends, which I consider vitally import-
ant to the welfare of this country — if I have any way assisted
the cause of Conservatism — I am content, ard shall consider
that my time and labour have not been thrown away.

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185

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CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.

We, the people of the Unitefl States, in order to form a more
perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, pro-
vide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our pofrterity, do
ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of
America.

Article 1. — Section 1.

1. All legislative powers herein granted, shall be vested in a
Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate
and a House of Representatives.

Section 2.

1. The House of Representatives shall be composed of mem-
bers chosen every second year by the people of the several
States; and the electors in each State shall have the qualifica-
tions requi.site for electors of the most numerous branch of the
State legislature.

2. No person shall be a representative who shall not have at-
tained to the age of twenty-five years, and been seven yeairs a
citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected,
be an inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

3. Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned
among the several States which may be included within this
Union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be
determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, in-
cluding those bound to service for a term of years, and excludinff
Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons. The actual
enumeration shall be made within three years after the first
meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every
subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by
law direct. The number of representatives shall not exceed
one for every thirty thousand, but each State shall have at least
one representative; and until such enumeration shall be made,
the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three ;
Massachusetts eight; Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
one ; Connecticut five ; New York six ; New Jersey four ; Penn-
sylvania eight ; Delaware one ; Maryland six ; Virginia ten ;
North Carolina five ; South Carolina five ; and Georgia three.

4. When vacancies happen in the representation of any State,
the executive authority thereof shall issue writs of election to
fill up such vacancies.

5. The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker
and other oflicers, and shall have the sole power of impeachment

Section 3.

1. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two

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Henators from eacli State, chosen by the legislature thereof, for
six years ; and each senator shall have one vote.

2. Immediately after thoy shall be first assembled, in conse-
qiionco of the first election, they shall be divided, as equally as
may be, into three clanses. The scats of the senators of the first
class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year ; of
the second class, at the expiration of the fourth year; and of the
third class, at the expiration of the sixth year ; so that one-third
may be chosen every second year ; and if vacancies happen, by
resifjnation or otherwise, durini^ the recess of the legisJJature of
any State, the executive thereof may make temporary appoint-
ment until the next meeting of the legislature, which shall then
fill such vacancies.

3. No person shall be a senator who shall not have attained
to the age of thirty years, and been nine years a citizen of the
United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an inhabitant
of that State for which he shall be chosen.

4. The Vice-President of the United States shall be President
of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless they be equally di-
vided.

5. The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a
president, pro tempore, in the absence of the vice-president, or
when he shall exercise the office of President of the United
States,

6. The senate shall have the sole power to try all impeach-
ments. When sitting for that purpose, they shall be on oath or
affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried,
the chief justice shall preside ; and no person shall be convicted
without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members present.

7. Judgment in case of impeachment, shall not extend further
than to removal from office, and disqualification to hold and en-
joy any office of honour, trust, or profit, under the United States ;
but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject
to indictment, trial, judgment, and punishment according to
law.

Section 4.

1. The times, places, and manners of holding elections for
senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each State
by the legislature thereof, but the Congress may, at any time, by
law, make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of
choosing senators. '

2. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year,
and such meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, un-
less they shall by law appoint a different day.

Section 5.

1. Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns,
and qualifications of its own members ; and a majority of each

MARRYAT S DIARY.

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year,
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shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a smaller number
may adjourn from day to day, and may bo authoritcd to compel
the attendance of absent member^^ in such manner and under
such penalties as each House may provide.

2. Each House may determine the rules of its proceedinrrg,
punish its members for disorderly behaviour, and, with the con-
currence of two-thirds, expel a member.

3. Each House shall keep a journal of its prQceedint^s, and
from time to time publish the same, exceptinjr such parts as
may in their judgment require secrecy; and the yeas and nays
of the members of either House, on any question, shall, at the
desire of ona-tifth of those present, be entered on the journal.

4. Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, with-
out the consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days,
nor to any other place than that in which the two Houses shall
be sitting.

Section 6.

1. The senators and representatives shall receive a compen-
sation for their services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out
of the treasury of the United States. They shall, in all cases,
except treason, felony, and breach of the peace, be privileged
from arrest during their attendance at the session of their re-
spective houses, and in going to or returning from the same ;
and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall not be
questioned in any other place.

2. No senator or representative shall, during the time for
which he was elected, be appointed to any civil office under the
authority of the United States which shall have been created,
or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased, during
such time ; and no person holding any office under the United
States shall be a member of either House during his continu-
ance in office.

Section 7.

1. All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House
of Representatives ; but the Senate may proje-ose or concur with
amendments, as on other bills.

2. Every bill which shall have passed the House of Repre-
sentatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a law, be pre-
sented to the President of the United States ; if he approve,
he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objec-
tions, to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall
enter the objection at large on their journal, and proceed to re-
consider it. If, after such re-consideration, two-thirds of that
House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with
the objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise
be re-considered, and if approved by two-thirds of that House,
it shall become a law. But in all such cases, the votes of both
Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of

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the persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on
the journal of each House respectively. If any bill shall not be
returned by the President within ten days (Sundays excepted)
after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a
law in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress,
by their adjournment, prevent its return, in which cases it shall
not be a law.

3. Every order, resolution, or vote, to which the concurrence
of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary,
(except on a (jueslion of adjournment,) shall be presented to the
President of ihe United States ; and before the same shall take
effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him,
shall be repassed by two-thirds of the Senate and House of Re-
presentatives, according to the rules and limitations prescribed
in the case of a bill.

Section 8.

The Congress shall have power —

1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises; to
pay the debts and provide for the common defence and general
welfare of the United States; but all duties, imposts, and ex-
cises, shall be uniform throughout the United States.

2. To borrow money on the credit of the United States.

3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the
several States, and with the Indian tribes.

4. To establish a uniform rule of naturalisation, and uni-
form laws on the subject of bankruptcies throughout the United
States.

5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign
coin, and fix the standard of weights and measures.

6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the secu-
rities and current coin of the United States.

7. To establish post-offices and post-roads.

8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by se-
curing, for limited times, to authors and inventors, the exclusive
right to their respective writings and discoveries.

9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme court: to
define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high
seas, and offences against the law of nations.

10. To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and
make rules concerning captures on land and water.

11. To raise and support armies; but no appropriation of
money to that Use shall be for a longer term than two years.

12. To provide and maintain a navy.

13. To make rules for the government and regulation of the
land and naval forces.

14. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws
of the Union, suppress insurrections, and repel invasions.

15. To provide for organising, arming, and disciplining the

MARUYAT t) DIARY.

189

secu-

rnilitia, and for governing- such part of tliem aa may be em-
ployed in the service of the United States, reserving to the
Suites respectively the appointment of the officers, and the
authority of training the militia according to the discipline pre-
scribed by Congress.

16. To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever
over such district (not exceeding ten miles square,) as may, by
cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, be-
come the seat of government of the United States, and to exer-
cise like authority over all places purchased, by the consent of
the legislature of the State in which the same shall be, for the
erection of forts, magazines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other
needful buildings ; and,

17. To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for
carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other
powers vested by this constitution in the Government of the
United States, or in any department or officer thereof.

Section 9.

1. The migration or importation of such persons as any of the
States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be pro-
hibited by the Congress prior to the year one thousand eight hun-
dred and eight; but a tax or duty may be imposed on such im-
portation not exceeding ten dollars for each person.

2. The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be
suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the
public safety may require it.

3. No bill of attainder, or ex post facto law, shall be passed.

4. No capitation or other direct tax shall be laid, unless in
proportion to the census or enumeration hereinbefore directed to
be taken.

5. No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any
State. No preference shall be given to any regulation of com-
merce or revenue to the ports of one State over those of another :
nor shall vessels bound to or from one State, be obliged to enter,
clear, or pay duties in another.

6. No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in con-
sequence of appropriations made by law ; and a regular state-
ment and account of the receipts and expenditure of all public
money shall be published from time to time.

7. No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States,
and no person holding any office of profit or trust under them,
shall, without the consent of the Congress, accept of any present,
emolument, office, or title of any kind whatever, tirom any king,
prince, or foreign state.

Section 10.

1. No State shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confedera-
tion grant letters of marque or reprisal ; coin money ; emit

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MARRTAT^S DIART.

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bills of credit; make any thing but jroltl and silver coin a tender
in ptiyment of debts; ^pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto
law, or law impairing the obligation of contracts ; or grant any
title of nobility.

2. No State shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay
any imposts or duties on imports or exports, except what may b*
absolutely necessary for executing its inspecting laws ; and the
neat produce of all duties and imposts laid by any state on im-
ports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the
United States, and all such laws shall be subject to the revision
and control of ihe Congress. No state shall, without the con-
sent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships
of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact
with another Stale, or with a foreign power, or engage in war,
unless actually invaded, or in such imminent danger as will not
admit of delay.

Article 2. — Section 1.

1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the
United States of America. He shall hold his office during the
term of four years, and together with the Vice-President, cho-
sen for the same term, be elected as follows :

2. Each State shall appoint, in such manner as the legisla-
ture thereof may direct, a number of electors equal to the whole
number of senators and representatives to which the State may
be entitled in the Congress; but no senator or representative, or
person holding any office of trust or profit under the United
States, shall be appointed an elector.

3. The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote
by ballot for two persons, of whom one at least shall not be an
inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall
make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of
votes for each ; which list they shall sign and certify, and trans-
mit sealed to the seat of the Government of the United States,
directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the
Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Re-
presentatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then
be counted. The person having the greatest number of votes
shall be President, if such number be a majority of the whole
number of electors appointed ; and if there be more than one
who have such a majority, and have an equal number of
votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately
choose, by ballot, one of them for President ; and if no person
have a majority, then, from the five highest on the list, the said
House shall, in like manner, choose the President. But, in
choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the
representation from each State having one vote ; a quorum for
this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-
thirds of the States, and a majority of all the States shall be

MARRYAT S DURT.

191

necessary to a choice. In every case, after the choice of the
President, the person having the greatest nuinher of votes of the
electors, shall be the Vice-Presiilent. But if tl«.ere should re-
main two or more who have equal votes', the Senate shall
choose from them, by ballot, the Vice-President.

4. The Congress may determine the time of choosing the
electors, and the day on which they shall give their votes ;
which day shall be the same throughout the United States.

5. No person, except a natural-born citizen, or a citizen of
the United States at the time of the adoption of this Constitu-
tion, shall be eligible to the office of President: neither shall
any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained
to the age of thirty-five years, and been fourteen years a resident
within the United Stales.

6. In case of the removal of the President from office, or of
his death, resignation, or inability to discharge the powers and
duties of the said office, the same shall devolve on the Vice-
President, and the Congress may, by law, provide for the case
of removal, death, resignation, or inability, both of the President
and Vice-President, declaring what officer shall then act as
President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until the disa-
bility be removed, or a President shall be elected.

7. The President shall, at stated times, receive for his ser-
vices a compensation, which shall neither be increased nor di-
minished during the period for which he shall have been elected,
and he shall not receive with'n that period any other emolument
from th^e United Slates, or any of them.

8. Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall
take the following oath or affirmation : —

9. •' 1 do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully exe-
cute the office of President of the United States, and will to the
best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution
of the United States."

Section 2.

1. The President shall be coi^ i-inder-in-chief of the army
and navy of the United States, an«' iS the militia of the several
States, when called into the actual service of the United States;
he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer
in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating
to the duties of their respective offices; and he shall have power
to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United
States, except in cases of impeachment.

2. He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent
of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two-thirds of the sena-
tors present concur: and he shall nominate, and by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors,
other public ministers and consuls, judges of the supreme court,
and all other officors of the United States, whose appointments

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MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

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are not heroin otherwise provided for, and which shall he es-
tahlished by law. But the Congresti may, by law, vest the ap-
pointment of such inferior officers as they think proper, in the
President alone, in the courts of law, or in the heads of de-
partments.

3. The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies
that may happen during tlie recess of the Senate, by granting^
commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session.

Section 3.

1. He shall, from time to time, give to the Congress informa-
tion of the state of the Union, and recommend to their considera-
tion such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient ;
he may on extraordinary occasions convene both Houses, or
either of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with
respect to the time of adjournment, he may adjourn them to such
time as he shall think proper; he sliall receive amba^-sadors and
other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be faith-
fully executed ; and shall commission all the officers of the
United States.

Section 4.

1. The President, Vice-President, and all civil officers of the
United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for,
and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other crimes and mis-
demeanours.

Article 3. — Section 1.
1. The judicial power of the United States shall be vested in
one supreme court, and in such inferior courts, as the Congress
may from time to time ordain and establish. The judges, both
of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during
good behaviour; and shall at stated times receive for their ser-
vices a compensation, which shall not be diminished during their
continuance in office.

Section 2.

1. The judicial power shall extend to all cases in law and
equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United
States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their
authority ; to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public mi-
nisters and consuls; to all cases of admiralty and maritime juris-
diction ; to controversies to which the United States shall be a
party; to controversies between two or more States; between a
State and citizens of another State; between citizens of different
States ; between citizens of the same State claiming lands under
grants of different States; and between a State or the citizens
thereof, and foreign States, citizens or subjects.

2. In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers
and consuls, and those in which a State shall be a party, the

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MARRVAT 8 DURY.

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»»iprcnic court shall have original jurisdiction. In all tho other
cnsos before mentioned, the hupreinc conrt whall have iippelliite
jiirisdictioi., both na to law and fact, with such <\xceptions, and
under such regulations, an the Confrrcss shall niako.

3. Tho trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment,
shall be by jury, and such trial bhall be held in the State where
the said crimes shall have been coirunitted ; but wIumi not com-
mitted within any State, tho trial shall be at such places as the
Connrress may by law have directed.

Section 3.

1. Treason ajOfainst the United States shall consist only in
levying" war against them, or in adhering to their enemieo,
giving theui aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of
treason, unless on tho testimony of two witnesses to the same
overt act, or on confession in open court.

2. The Congress shall have power to declare the punishmenl
of treason ; but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of
blood, or forfeiture, except during the life of the person attainted.

Article 4. — Section 1.

1. Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the
public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other
State. And the Congress may, by general laws, prescribe the
manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings, shall be
proved, and the effect thereof.

Section 2.

1. The citizens of each State shall be entitled to all privileges
and immunities of citizens in the several States.

2. A person charged in any State with treason, felony, or
other crime, who shall flee from justice, and be found in another
State, shall, on demand of the executive authority of the State
from which he has fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the
Stale having jurisdiction of the crime.

3. No person held to service or labour in one State under the
laws thereof, escaping to another, shall, in consequence of
any law or regulation therein, be discharged from such service
or labour; but shall be delivered upon the claim of the party to
whom such service or labour may be due.

Section 3.

1. New States may be admitted by the Congress into this
union but no new State shall be formed or erected within the
jurisdiction of any other State, nor any State be formed by the
junction of two or more States, or parts of States, without the
consent of the legislatures of the States concerned, as well as of
the Congress.

2. The Congress shall have power to dispose of, and make all

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MARRVAT8 DIARY.

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needful rules and regulations rcsnortinjnr, the territory or other
property belonginj? to the United Stiites; and nothin|( in this
Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of
the United States, or of any particular State.

Section 4.

1. The United States shall guarantee to every State in this
Union a republican tbrm of Govertunent, and shall protect each
of them aguiubt invasion; and, on application of the legislature,
or of the executive, (when the legislature cannot be convened)
against domestic violence.

Article 5.

1. The Congress, whenever two-thirds of both Houses shall
deem it necessary, shall propose amendments to this Constitu-
tion; or, on the application of the legislatures of two-thirds of
the several States, shall call a convention for proposing amend-
ments, which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and
purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legis-
latures of three-fourths of the several States, or by conventions
of three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of ratifica-
tion may be proposed by the Congress; provided, that no amend-
ment which may be made prior to the year one thousand eight
hundred and eight, shall in any manner affect the first and fourth
clauses in the ninth section of the first article: that and no
State, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage
in the Senate.

Article 6.

1. All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before
the adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the
United States under this Constitution, as under the Confedera-
tion.

2. This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which
shall be made in pursuance thereof, and all treaties made, or
which shall be made, under the authority of the United States,
shall be the supreme law of the land ; and the judges in every
State shall be bound thereby, any thing in the Constitution or
laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

3. The senators and representatives before mentioned, and
the members of the several State legislatures, and all executive
and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the seve-
ral States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support this
Constitution ; but no religious test shall ever be required as a
qualification to any office or public trust under the United
States.

Article 7.

1. The ratifications of the conventions of nine States shall be

MARRYAT8 DIARY.

195

Hiifficinnt for the rstnblislimont of this Constitution between the
ytutca 80 ratifyiiijr the same.

Done in Convention, by the unnniniouH consent of the States
present, the Hcventccnth day of September, in the year of our
Ijonl one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, and of
the Indopendencc of the United States of America, the
twelfth. In witncas whereof we have liereunto subscribed
our names.

GEORGE WASHINGTON,
President and Deputy from Virginia.

NEW HAMPSHIRE.

John Lanjrdon,
Nifiholas Gilman.

MASSACHUSETTS.

Nathaniel Gorman,
Rufu.s King.

CONNECTICUT.

William Samuel Johnson,
Roger Sherman.

NEW YORK.

Alexander Hamilton.

NEW JERSEY.

William Livingston,
David Nearly,
William Paterson,
Jonathan Dayton.

PENNSYLVANIA.

Benjamin Franklin,
Thomas Mifflin,
Robert Morris,
George Clymer,
Thomas Fitzsimons,
Jared IngersoU,
James Wilson,
Governeur Morris.

DELAWARE.

Gcorjje Read,
Gunning Bedford, jun.
John Dickenson,
Richard Btissett,
Jacob Broom.

MARYLAND.

James M'Henry,

Daniel of St. Tho. Jenifer,

Daniel Carrol.

VIRGINIA.

John Blair,

James Madison, jun.

NORTH CAROLINA.

William Blount,
Richard Dobbs Spaight,
Hugh Williamson.

SOUTH CAROLINA.

John Rutledge,
Chas. Cotesworth Pinckney,
Charles Pinckney,
Pierce Butler.

OEOROIA.

William Few,
Abrahnm Baldwin.

Attest, WILLIAM JACKSON,

Secretary,

AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.

Art. 1. Congress shall make no law respecting an establish-
ment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech or of the press ; or of the right
of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Govern-
ment for a redress of grievances.

Art. 2. A well regulated militia being necessary to the secu-
rity of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear
arms shall not be infringed.

Art. 3. No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any

,'\

V f III II

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196

HARRYAT 8 DIARY.

house without the consent of the owner; nor in time of warr
but in a manner prescribed by law.

Art. 4. The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue but
upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and par-
ticularly describing the place to be se-irched, and the persons or
things to be seized

Art. 5. No person shall be held to answer for a capital or
otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indict-
ment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or
naval forces, or in the militia, v.'hen in actual scv'ce, in time
of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the
same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life and limb ; nor
shall be compelled, in any criminal case, to be a witness against
himself; nor be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due
process of law ; nor shall private property be taken for public
use, xvithout just compensation.

Art. 6. In all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy
the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury of the
State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed,
which district shall have been previously ascertained by law,
and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation ;
to be confronted with the witnesses against him ; to have com-
pulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favour, "and to
have the assistance of counsel for his defence.

Art. 7. In suits at common law, where the value in contro-
versy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall
be preserved ; and no fact tried by a jury shall be otherwise re-
examined in any court of the United States, than according to
the rules of common law.

Art. 8. Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive
fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Art, 9. The enumeration in the Constitution of certain rights
shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by
the people.

Art. 10. The powers not delegated to the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved
to the States respectively, or to the people.

Art. 11. The judicial power of the United States shall not be
construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or
prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of ano-
ther State, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign State.

Art. 12. 1. The electors shall meet in their respective States,
and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of
whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with
themselves ; they irhall name in their ballots the person voted for
as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-
President; and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted

MARRY AT*8 DIARY..

197

of war,

persons,
les and
ssne but
nd par-
rsons or

pital or

• indict-

land or

in time

for the

nb; nor
against

loiit due

«• public

iH enjoy
■y of the
nmittcd,
by law,
usation ;
ve com-
,°and to

I contro*
ury shall
■wise re-
rding to

xcessive
ted.

in rights
lined by

Jtates by
reserved

II not be
)nced or
3 of ana-
te.

B States,
;, one of
ate with
voted for
as Vice-
ms voted

for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President,
and of the np nber of votes for each, which lists they shall sign
and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the Government
of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate ;
the President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate
and House of Representatives, open all the certificates, and the
votes shall then be counted ; the person having the greatest
number of votes for President shall be President, if such of the
number be n majority of the whole number of electors appointed :
and if no person have such a majority, then from ihe persons
having the highest numbers, not exceeding three, on the list of
those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall
choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But, in choosing
the President, the votes shall be taken by States, the represen-
tation from each State having one vote; a quorum for this pur-
pose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of
the States, and a majority of all the States shall be necessary to
a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose
a President whenever the light of choice shall devolve upon
them, before the fourth day of March next following, the Vice-
President shall act as President, as in the case of the death, or
constitutional disability of the President.

2. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-
President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a ma-
jority of the whole number of electors appointed ; and if no per-
son have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the
list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President : a quorum for
the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of
senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary
to a choice.

3. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of
President, shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the
United States.

17*

11 f

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• V I:'

CANADA.

!!i!

;• !

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m- >.:

CHAPTER I.

Of what advantage are the Canadas to England 1

This question has been put to me, at least one hundred times
since my return from America. It is argued that the Canadas
produce and export nothing except timber, and that the protect-
ing duty given to Canada timber is not only very severely felt
by the mother-country, but very injurious to her foreign relations.
These observations are undeniable ; and I admit that, as a mere
colony compelled to add to the wealth of England, (sending to her
all her produce, and receiving from her all her supplies), Canada
has been worth less than nothing. But, admitting this for the
present, we will now examine whether there are no other
grounds for the retention of the Canadas under our control.

Colonies are of value to the mother-country in two ways.
The first is already mentioned, and in that way, the present ad-
vantage of the Canadas as colonies is abandoned. The other
great importance of colonies is, that they may be considered as
outports, as stepping-stones, as it were, over the whole world ;
and for the present I shall examine into the value of these pos-
sessions merely in this point of view. We have many islands
or colonies under our subjection which are in themselvcK not
only valueless, but, moreover, extremely expensive to us; and if
every colony or island is to be valued merely according to the
produce derived from it by the mother-country, we must abandon
Heliogoland, Ascension, St. Helena, Malta, and even Gibraltar
itself. All these, and some others, are, in point of commerce,
valueless; yet they add much to the security of the country and
to our dominion of the seas. This will be admitted, and we
must therefore now examine how far the Canadas may be con-
sidered as valuable under this second point of view.

I have already shown that the ambition for territory is one of
the diseases, if 1 may use the term, of the American people. On
that point they are insatiable, and that they covet the Canadas is
undeniable. Let us inquire into the reasons why the Americans
are so anxious to possess the Canadas.

There are many. In the first place, they do not like to have
a people subjected to a monarchical form of government as their
neighbours: they do not like that security of person and pro-
perty, and a just administration ot the law, should be found in a
thinly-peopled province, while they cannot obtain those advan-

)t ai i

di ■

m J

!; ,,4
9h 1 n

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MARRYAT S DIART.

199

tages under their own institutions. It is a reproach to them. They
continually taunt the Canadians that they are tiie only portion
of the New World who have not thrown off the yoke — the only
portion who are not yet free ; and this taunt has not been with-
out its effect upon the unthinking portion of the community.
What is the cause of this unusual sympathy 1 The question is
already answered.

Another important reason which the Americans have for the
possession of the Canadas is, that they are the means of easy
retaliation on the part of England in case of aggression. They
render them weak and assailable in case of war. Had they pos-
session of the Canadas, and our other provinces, the United
States would be almost invulnerable. As it is, they become de-
fenceless to the north, and are moreover exposed to the attack
of all the tribes of Indians concentrated on the western frontier.
Indeed, they never will consider their territory as complete " in
a ring fence," as long as we have possession of the mouths of
the St. Lawrence. They wish to be able to boast of an inland
navigation from nearly the Equator to the Pole — from the en-
trance of the Mississippi to the exit of the St. Lawrence. Our
possession of the Canadas is a check to their pride and ambition,
which are both as boundless as the territory which they covet.

But there are other reasons equally important. It is their
anxiety to become a manufacturing as well as a producing na-
tion. Their object is, that the north should manufacture what
the south produces; and that, instead of commercial relations
with England, as at presen-t, that American cotton manufactures
should be borne in American bottoms over all the world. This
they consider is the great ultimatum to be arrived at, and they
look forward to it as the source of immense wealth and in-
creased security to the Union, and of their wresting from Eng-
land the sceptre and dominion of the seas.

It may be said that the United States, if they want to become
a manufacturing nation, have now the power; but such is not
the case. Until they can completely shut out English manufac-
tures, they have not. The price of labour is too dear. Should
they increase the tariff, or duty, upon English goods, the Cana-
das and our other provinces will render their efforts useless, as
we have a line of coast of upwards of 2,000 miles, by which we
can introduce English goods to any amount by smuggling, and
which it is impossible for the Americans to guard against; and
as the West fills up, this importation of English goods would
every year increase. As long, therefore, as we hold the Canadas,
the Americans must be content to be a very inferior manufac-
turing nation to ourselves; and it may be added that now or
never is the time for the Americans to possess themselves of
the Canadas. They perceive this; for when once the Western
Slates gain the preponderance in wealth and power, which they
will in a few years, the cause of the Eastern, or manufacturing

fci' '■

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200

MARRTAT S DIARY.

'I I

t i

States will be lost. The Western States will not quarrel with
England on account of the Eastern, but will import our goods
direct in exchange for their produce. They themselves cannot
manufacture and they will go to market where they^can pur-
chase cheapest.

But do the views of the Americans extend no further 1 Would
they be satisfied if they obtained the Canadas 1 Most assuredly
not. They are too vast in their ideas — too ambitious in their
views. If Canada fell, Nova Scotia would full, and they would
obtain what they most covet — the harbour of Halifax. New
Brunswick would fall, and they would have then driven us out
of our Continental possessions. Would they stop then 1 No:
they never would stop until they had driven the English to the
other side of the Atlantic. Newfoundland and its fisheries
would be their next prey ; for it, as well as our other possessions,
would then be defenceless. They would not leave us the West
Indies, although useless to them. Such is their object and their
earnest desire — an increase of territory and power for themselves,
and the humiliation of England. The very eagerness with
which the Americans bring up this question on purpose that they
may disavow their wishes, is one of the strongest proofs of their
anxiety to blind us on the subject; but they will never lose sight
of it; and if they thought they had any chance of success, there
is no expense which they would not cheerfi'lly incur, no war
into which they would not enter. Let not the English be de-
ceived by their asseverations. What I have now asserted is
the fact. The same spirit which has actuated them in dispos-
sessing the Indians of territories which they cannot themselves
populate, which prompted the " high handed theft" of the Texas
from JMexico, will induce them to adopt any pretext, as soon as
they think they have a chance, to seize upon the Canadas and
our other transatlantic possessions.

If what I have stated be correct, and I am convinced of its
truth myself, it will be evident that the Canadas, independent of
every other consideration, become a most important outpost
which we must defend and hold possession of. Let it be remem-
bered that every loss to us, is an increase to the power of Ame-
rica — an increase of her security and to her maritime strength ;
that whatever her assertions may be, she is deadly hostile to us,
from the very circumstance that she considers that we prevent
her aggrandizement and prosperity. America can only rise to
the zenith which she would attain, by the fall of England, and
every disaster to this country is to her a source of exultation.
That there are many Americans of a contrary opinion I grant;
that the city of New York would prefer the present amicable
relations is certain; but I have here expressed the feelings of the
majority, and it must be remembered that in America it is the
majority who decide all questions.

To prove that I am not too severe upon the Americans in the
above remarks, let me refer to their own printed documents.

MARRY AT 8 DIARY.

201

rel with
goods
cannot
tan puT-

Would
ssuredly
in their
y would
New
n us out

1 No:
ih to the
fisheries
sessions,
he West
and their
jmselves,
ess with
that they
8 of their
ose sight
jss, there
", no war
ish be de-
sserted is
in dispos-
lemseives
the Texas
IS soon as
nadas and

;ed of its
)endent of
it outpost
)e remem-
r of Ame-
strengrth ;
itile to us,
'e prevent
nly rise to
Inland, and
exultation.
1 I grant ;
t amicable
ngs of the
I it is the

ans in the
[nents.

The reader must be informed that the Canadian rebels, with
tiieir American auxiliaries, made incursions into our territory
near the boundary line, burnt the houses, took away the cattle,
and left destitute those parties who were considered as loyal
and well aflected, or, in fact, those who refused to arm and join
the rebels. When pursued by the militia, or other forces, the
rebel parties hastened over the boundary-line, where they were
secure under the American protection. This system of protec-
tion naturally irritated the loyal Canadians, who threatened to
cross the boundary and attack the Americans in return. It was,
however, only a threat, never being put into execution : but upon
the strength of this threat, application was made to the Gover-
nor in the State of Vermont, requesting that the arms in the
American arsenals might be supplied to the citizens for their
protection. The Governor very properly refused, and issued a
proclamation warning the citizens of Vermont not to interfere.
Tiiis offended the majority, who forthwith called a meeting at
St. Albans, the results of which were ordered to be priwted and
circulated. I have a copy of these reports and resolutions, from
which I shall now give some extracts. Let it be observed that
these are not the resolutions of a few lawless and undisciplined
people, bordering on the lakes, as the sympathisers are stated to
have been. The title of Honourable denotes that the parties are
either Members of the State or Federal Governments ; and,
indeed, the parties whose names appear on the committee, are
all of the first respectability in the State.

'* Meeting of the Freemen at St. Albans.

" Agreeable to a notice circulated throughout the county,
about forty-eight hours previous to the meeting, two thousand of
the freemen from the different towns in the county assembled to
take into consideration a recent proclamation of the Governor,
and an extraordinary letter accompanying the same, and also to
express their sentiments on Canadian affairs, especially such as
have recently transpired in the neighbourhood of latitude forty-
five degrees.

" Jeptha Bradley, Esq., of St. Albans, was called to the chair,
and, agreeable to a resolve of the meeting, appointed the Hon.
S. S. Brown, Hon. Timothy Foster, and G. W. Kendall, Esq.,
a committee to nominate officers.

"The following gentlemen were nominated and appointed: —
Hon. Austin Fuller, of Enosburgh, President.

Vice Presidents.

Col. S. B. Hazeltine, Bakersfield ; Hon. Horace Eaton, Enos-
burgh ; Doctor I. S. Webster, Berkshire ; William Green, Esq.,
Sheldon; Martin Wires, Esq., Cambridge; Hon. Timothy Fos-
ter, Swanton.

Secretaries.

J. J. Beardsley, Sheldon ; Zoroaster Fisk, Swanton.

1 . ,

202

HARRYAT 8 DIART.

fr -t •»■

" The following gentlemen were appointed a committee to pre-
pare a report and resolutions for the meeting : —

" Henry Adams, Esq., St. Albans ; N. L. Whittemore, Esq.,
Swanton ; R. A. Shattuck, Esq., Sheldon ; Bradley Barlow,
Esq., Fairfield; I. B. Bowdish, Esq., Swanton.

" The letter of certain citizens of Burlington, and the procla-
mation of his Excellency, Silas H. Jennison, were then read by
the Secretary, J. J. Beardsley, Esq. After the reading of the
letter and the proclamation the meeting was addressed by se-
veral gentlemen, in an eloquent and impressive manner, and
their remarks severally called forth great applause.

" The committee, on resolutions by Henry Adams, Esq., chair-
man, then presented the following report and resolutions, which
were unanimously adopted^

After having in the report stated that threats have been made,
they then attack the legality of the Governor's proclamation and
conduct, as follows : —

" The committee have no evidence to show that the execution
of the threats above mentioned, or that any invasion of the
rights of American citizens, would knowingly be permitted by
the existing government in Canada, or approved of by a majority
of the citizens in the Canadian townships ; but when they bear
in mind, that civil law is suspended in Canada, and in its place
arc substituted the summary proceedings of military courts and
the capricious wills of petty military officers; when they con-
sider the excited and embittered feelings which prevail along the
frontier, and which some have studied to inflame, and also the
character of a portion of the population which borders upon our
territory, they deem it not improbable that acts of violence might
be attempted, and even that a gang of marauders might be ga-
thered together, and led to make some petty invasion into our
territory, disturbing the public peace, and committing acts of
outrage. If this be deemed improbable, still a state of suspense
and doubt is not to be endured. Every family on the frontier
should live in a state of undisturbed repose. The ability not
only to resist aggression, but to redress injuries with summary
justice, furnishes a certain, if not the only guarantee of perfect
quiet.

" With these views at recent meetings of the people, a com-
mittee was appointed to wait upon the Governor and request the
use of a part of the arms in the State arsenal. This request
has been denied ; and the reason assigned by his Excellency is,
that he has doubts whether by law he can loan out the arms of
the State to be used by the people of the State for their own
defence. Without commenting on the technicalities which so
much embarrass his Excellency, or inquiring into the wisdom of
that construction of the law which infers, that because the State
arms are to be kept Jit for use, therefore they are not to be used^
the committee would beg leave respectfully to suggest to the

MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

•203

e to pre-

e, Esq.,
Barlow,

) procla-

read by

of the

I by se-

ler, and

\., chair-
s, which

3n made,
.tion and

xecution
of the
itted by-
majority
ley bear
ts place
urts and
ley con-
ilong the
also the
upon our
20 might
it be ga-
into our
;• acts of
suspense
frontier
ility not
summary
f perfect

3, a com-
[uest the
3 request
ilency is,
) arms of
leir own
vhich so
risdotn of
the State
be usedy
3t to the

people that, inasmuch as they are to receive no aid from the
State, it is their duty at once to arm themselves, and to rely
upon themselves.

" While the governor has thus declined furnishing any aid
for the security of the frontier, he has issued a proclamation en-
joining upon the citizens of this State the observance of a strict
neutrality between the hostile parties in Canada. The propri-
ety of our Governor's issuing a proclamation on an occasion like
the present, merely advisory, may well be questioned. It nei-
ther creates any new obligations, nor adds force to those already
resting on our citizens. When it is considered that our rela-
tions with foreign powers are solely confided to the general go-
vernment, and that if the people of this State should boldly
break the obligations of nentrality, the governor of the State
has no power to restrain or to punish, it must be admitted, that
a proclamation of neutrality issuing from our State executive
seems to be over-stepping the proprieties of the office, and
should be exercised, if at all, only in case of a general and
glaring violation of the laws of nations; and even then it may
reasonably be questioned whether the ordinary process of law
would not be sufficient, and whether gratuitous advice to the
people on the one hand, and gratuitous interference with the
exclusive functions of the general government on the other,
would become pertinent by being stamped with the official Seal
of State, We are not aware of any express authority in our
constitution or laws for the exercise of this novel mode of ad-
dressing the people ; and it can only be justified on the ground,
that the chief magistrate has something of fact or doctrine of
importance to communicate, of which the people are supposed
to be ignorant. In neither point of view is there any thing strik-
ing in this otherwise extraordinary document.

" No facts are set forth before unknown to the public, except
that a representation has been made to his Excellency that
' hostile forces had been organised within this Slate,'' of which
organisation our citizens are profoundly ignorant.

" To the doctrine of this proclamation, — that the declaration
of martial law, by Lord Gosford, changes the relations becween
the United States and Canada, we cannot assent. Our relations
with Great Britain and her colonies rest upon treaties, and the
general law of nations, which, it is believed, her Majesty's

enlarge

nor

Governor in Chief of Lower Canada can neither
restrict.

" To assume that our citizens are ignorant of their rights and
obligations as members of a neutral independent power, is to
take for granted that they have forgotten the repeated infrac*
tions of those rights which have so often agitated our country
since the adoption of the Federal Constitution, which led to the
late war with Great Britain, and which have given rise to
claims of indemnity that are still due from various powers ot

/. ,i

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MARRY AT S DIARY.

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Europe. Every page of the history of our country portrays
violations of her neutral rights by the despotic and haughty
powers of Europe, among whom England has ever been fore-
most. Your committee do not deem it necessary to enlarge
upon this subject."

After the report came the resolutions, a portion of wliich I
subjoin : —

*' Resolved — that the safety of the people is the supreme law,
and we recommend to our citizens to arm themselves for the
maintenance of this law.

" Resolved — That the proclamation of martial law in Canada,
and placing arms in the hands of people unaccustomed to their
use, hostile to our institutions, and heated by intestine dissen-
sions, have a direct tendency to disturb the peace of our citi-
zens, and demands the immediate interference of the general
government.

" Resolved— That our government ought to take immediate
measures to obtain redress for the injuries and insults perpe-
trated on our citizens by the people of Canada.

•'Resolved — That as friends of human liberty and human
rights, we cannot restrain the expression of our sympathy, when
we behold an oppressed and heroic people unfurl the banner of
freedom.

" Resolved — That we hope that time will soon come when the
bayonet shall fail to sustain the last relic of royally which now
lingers on the western continent.

" Resolved — That we concur in the opinions which have been
fully and freely expressed in the British parliament by eminent
English statesmen ; that * in the ordinary course of things,
Canada must soon be separated from the mother cotmtry.'

" Resolved — That it is the duty of every independent Ame-
rican to aid in every possible manner, consistent with our laws,
the exertions of the patriots in Lower Canada, against the ty-
ranny, oppression, and misrule of a despotic government^

CHAPTER n.

The next question to be considered is, whether, independent
of their being important to us as an outpost to defend our trans-
atlantic possessions, the Canadas are likely to be useful to us, as
a colony, in a commercial point of view. This requires much
consideration.

It must be admitted that, up to the present, we may consider
the Canadas to have been a heavy burden to this country. From
what I am now going to state, there are many, who agreeing
with me in most other points, will be likely to dissent. That I
cannot help; I may be in error, but, at all events, I shall not be
in error from a too hasty decision.

1^ ■: <li

MARRY AT S DIARY.

205

That it is wise nnd proper tor a mother country to assist and
support her colonies in their infimcy is inuloubtod. In so doin;^',
the mother country taxes herself tor the adviinia<»'es to be here-
after derived from the colony; but it may occur that the tax
imposed upon the people of the mother country may ho too oner-
ous, at the same time that no advantaores at all coimnensurate
are derived from the colony. When such is the case, ilic tax
is not fair ; and the colony tor whose benefit that lax lias been
imposed, is looked upon with ill-will. Tiiis is the precise situa-
tion of the Canadas, and this is the cause why there is so
strong an outcry against our retaining possession of these pro-
vinces.

The bonus of forty-five shillings on a load of timber, which
is given to the Canadas by our present duties, is much too
great; and has pressed too heavily on the people of the mother
country, ft has, in fact, created a monopoly; and when it is
considered how important and necessary an article timber is in
this country, — how this enormous bonus on Canadian timber af-
fects the shipping, house-building, and agricultural interests — it
is no wonder that people wish to get rid of the Canadas and the
tax at one and the same time. It is also injurious to us in our
commercial relations with the northern countries, who refuse
our manufactures because we have laid so heavy a duty upon
their produce. This tax for the benefit, of the Canadian pro-
vince was put on during the war, without any intention that it
should remain permanent : and I think I shall be able satisfac-
torily to establish, that, not only is it unjust towards our own
people, but that, instead of benefiting, it will be, now that the
i.'anadas are fast increasing in population, an injury to the Ca-
nadas themselves.

Up to the present period, timber has been the only article of
export from Canada : we certainly have had the advantage of a
large carrying trade, and the employment of many thousand tons
of shipping; but, with this exception, the timber trade has been
injurious, not only to the mother country, but to the colony it-
self, a- it has prevented her real prosperity, which must ever
depend upon the culture of the land and the increase of popula-
tion. The first point to which the attention of a colony should
bo directed, is its own support, the competence and supply of all
the necessaries of life to its inhabitants; it is not until after this
object has been obtained, that it must direct its attention to the
gain which may accrue from any surplus produce. In what
way has the timber trade benefited the Canadas? Has it
thrown any wealth into the provinces] most certainly not; the
timber has been cut down, either by those Canadians who would
have been much better employed in tilling the land, for every
acre cleared is real wealth ; or by Americans who have come
over to cut down the limber and have returned to their own
country to spend the money. That the profits of the timber

,< fi-*

206

MARKYAT 8 DIARY.

; t,

. t

trade have been great is certain ; but have these profits remain-
ed in the Canadas J — have the sums realised been expended
there 1 — no; they liavo been realised in, or brought over to
England, shared among a few pereons of influence who have, to
a certain degree, obtainml a monopoly by the bonus granted, but
the Canadas have benefited liitle or none, and the mother-country
has received serious injury. That the parties connected with
the Canada timber trade will deny this, and endeavour to ridi-
cule my arguments, I am aware ; and that they are an influential
party 1 well know ; but I truest before I have concluded, to prove
to every disinterested person, that 1 am correct in my view of
the case, and that the prosperity of the Canadas is a very differ-
ent question from the prosperity of the Canadian timber mer-
chants, or even the proprietors on the Ottawa.

When the protecting duty was first imposed, there was no
idea of its being a permanent duty : it was intended as an en-
couragement for ships to go to Canada for timber, when it could
not be got in the Baltic. It was, in fact, a war measure, which
should have been removed upon the return to peace. The rea-
son why it was not, is, the plea brought forward, that the taking
off the protecting duty would be a serious loss to the emigrant
settler, who would have no means of disposing of his timber
after he had felled it, and that the emigrant looked to his timber
as his first profits ; moreover, that it gave employment to the
emigrant in the long winters. That those who have never been
in the country were led away by this assertion I can easily ima-
gine, but I must say that a more barefaced falsehood was never
uttered. There are varieties of emigrants, and those with capi-
tal speculate in timber as well as other articles ; but let us ex-
amine into the proceedings of the emigrant settler, that is, the
man who purchases an allotment and commences as a farmer —
fbr this is the party to whom the supposed philanthropy was to
extend. He builds his cottage and clears two or three acres,
that is, he fells the trees ; as soon as he has done this, if the
weather permit, he burns them where they lie, the branches and
smaller limbs being collected round the trunks as fuel to con-
sume them. This he is compelled to do, for the land having
been so Ictig smothered by the want of air and sunshine, arising
from the denseness of the forest, has a degree of acidity in it,
which the alkali of the wood and ashes are required to correct,
previous to his obtaining a crop. I do not believe that a settler
ever sold a tree when he was clearing, although if water-car-
riage was convenient, he may afterwards, when he was in com-
petent circumstances, have done so. Having raised his crop
from the first year's clearing, what is his employment during
the winter, — cutting down timber on the Ottawa for the English
market 1 no; cutting down timber on his own property as fast as
he can, so as to have it ready for burning in the early spring,
and having a crop off this, his second clearing. And bo he con-

|H .: t\

MARRYAT^S DIART.

207

3 reinain-
[ixpended
; over to
) have, to
nted, but
r-country
;ted with
r to ridi-
ifluential
, to prove
y view of
ry difFer-
ber mer-

e was no
IS an en-
1 it could
•e, which
The rea-
le taking
emigrant
s timber
lis timber
nt to the
3ver been
isily ima-
ges never
fiih capi-
et us ex-
it is, the
farmer —
)y was to
ee acres,
is, if the
iches and
1 to con-
I having
3, arising
Uty in it,
► correct,
a settler
aler-car-
3 in com-
his crop
it during
English
Eis fast as
y spring,
) he con-

tinues, with full employment on his own farm, until he has
cleared sufficient for the growing of his corn and the pasture for
his cattle. When he han bocomo independent and comfortable,
and has a few thousand dollars to spare, then he will erect a
saw-mill, and work up his own trees into lumber for sale, but by
that time he must be considered as a rich man for u settler. The
timber trade, therefore, is hurtful to the Canadas, in so much as
it prevents them from clearing land and becoming independent
people, who by other means would become so. The timber
which is cut down for exportation, is chiefly from the forests on
or near the Ottawa river, and the emigrant settler has neither
interest or concern in it.

It may be argued that, as settlers do, as soon as they are in
better circumstances, erect saw-mills, and work up their trees
into lumber, that it would be unfair to deprive them of that ad-
vantage. I will grant that ; but the fact is, that you will not do
so; for of the quantity of timber and lumber exported from the
Canadas, it is only one-half which is sent to the British market,
the other half is divided between the West Indies, the United
States, and their own consumption; and the demand of the United
States will so rapidly increase, that, in a few years, the Cana-
dians will care little for sending their timber to England, even
if the present duty were kept on. I consider that this bounty
upon cutting timber is very injurious to the American provinces,
as it distracts their attention from the real source of wealth,
which must consist in clearing the country ; for, to show how
great a difference this makes to them, it must be observed, that
a farm which was only worth two dollars an acre when the
settler first came to it, will, as soon as others have cleared
around him, rise to twenty or thirty dollars per acre. Every
man, therefore, who settles and clears land, not only benefits
himself, but increases the value of the property of those all
around him ; while the feller of timber on the Ottawa only puts
a few dollars into his own pocket, and does no good to the pro-
vince, as the timber-dealers in England reap all the harvest.

It would appear very strange that the ship owners should have
joined the Canadian timber merchants in persuading the govern-
ment to continue these duties, were it not from the fact that the
ship owners appear, invariably, to oppose any measure advanta-
geous to their own interests. That the carrying trade to the
Canadas is of importance is certain ; but of how much more im-
portance to the ship owner is the reduction of expense in build-
ing his ship, which must ensue if the timber duties were re-
duced. The ship owner complains that he cannot sail his ship
at as low a rate as foreigners ; that he must be protected, or
that he cannot compete with them in any way ; and yet he op-
poses the very measure which would materially assist him in so
doing. Bat the fact is, that, as I shall eventually show, the car-
rying trade with Canada would not be lost, though the cargo

I i

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t[!

208

MAKUVAT8 DIART.

B^il

; (

Would not bo tlio sfitiifi ; and tlioro iw ovory rnas(tn to siipposr
that Uio (Mnployment ot'tho shippiiij^ would very hooii utnouiil U>
tlu; siiiiic toiimif^e ns at prowont.

Tho next oonsidoration is, to what. Hlioiild the duty b<; roducod.
so a H not to ufft'Ct oiir rovenuo ! Thi.s in u questiorj easily an-
BWor<Ml.

Ill tho Report on Timhor Duties, Appendix No. 10, wo irnve*
in round numbers, tor the year lSi3: —

Timber exported from Canada and Ame-
rican provinces, caleulatc«l in loads.
Timber from the north of Europe, in ditto,

Loails.
71'MMK)
41l,(MK)

(hiti/ pfiiif.
jC:i(M).(H)l>

l,i(}:3,ooo i,28r),00()

Now it is certain that, wlierever the timber may come from,
the same quantity will be required ; we have, Iherelbre, to fix
a duty upon timber cominij from all ])arts of the world, by which
the revenue will not sutler. A duty of 2r)s, per load will ijive,
upon the whole importation, n revenue of Xl,4r)3,(H)0, not only
an increase of revenue upon the timber at present imported; but
there is every reason to suppose that it would occasion a much
greater consumption of timber, and of course a jrreat increase of
revenue. I do not consider that it would be advisable to make
this reduction immediately. There is a large tonnage employed
in the Canada trade, which might as well wear out in it; sujd
it would be but fair to allow those who have embarked their ca-
pital in the trade, to have time to withdraw it. As the Canadas
are not yet prepared to send other produce to the market, we
can, with great propriety, confer this boon upon the present tim-
ber trade. The reduction of the duty should be gradual, and
extended over ten years, at which period the tinal reduction lo
25s. per load should take place ; by wiiich time, if Canada be
cherished, she will have other produce tor the market.

The more I consider the question, the more I am convinced
that this alteration would be a benefit to all parties. We then
should be able to build ships at a moderate price ; we should
have a fall in house-rent; and, indeed, it would be of advantage
to every class in this country ; and, however interested people
may argue, the removal of this protecting duty would be the
greatest boon and kindness which we could confer on our trans-
atlantic possessions.

Let us now inquire what are likely to be made the future
prospects and produce of the Canadas as the population in-
creases, and the resources of the country will be developed.

Lower Canada is a sterile country ; not that the land is in
itself bad, but from the severity and length of the winters.
The climate of Lower Canada is precisely the same as that of
Russia, and so might be its produce. The winters are tedioui-,
but not unhealthy, as they are dry. The summers, like all the

mk I

M\RRYAT B DIARY.

200

summers in the northern rcpions, althouph short, nro excessively
hot. It is owing to this oxcossivo heul of iho sinniin'r that tli(»
niuizo, or Indian corn, which will not ripon in this country, cun
be ||;rown in Lower Cunudu, and it in the principal corn which
is raised, i'h*' French Canadians who inhabit Lower (Canada
are but iiidilfeffUif and careless tiirmers, yet slill they contrive to
live in app;irf;nt comiufi but the question is not whether the
inhttbif nitsof I»wer Canada can support themselves, but whether
they aro lil»oly lo b<* able to produce any thinjf which might be-
come an aitjch" of export to England. I should say yes: they
may produce tar .i)A hemp, two very important articles, and tor
which we are almost wholly dependent upon Russia. Tar they
can most assuredly produce; and, with the same climate as Russia,
why not hemp I Hemp will gi mv in any climate, and almost
in any soil, except very stiff clay, and 1 consider the soil of
Lower Canada admirably adapted to it. Up to the present time
the French Canadians have merely vegetated, but as the country
fills up, and they gradually amalgamate with the other settlers,
there is no doubt that they will rapidly improve.

Upper Canada has been, and is still, but little known. At tiic
close of the war, tliere was not a population of 40,000 upon the
whole province : even now there is but 400,000 upon a territory
capable of receiving and supporting many millions. It is, with-
out exception, the most favoured spot in North America, having
all the fertility of the Southern and Western States, without
being subject to the many and fatal diseases which are a draw-
back upon the latter. Although so far north, its climate is pe-
culiarly mild, from its being so wholly surrounded with water,
which has the efT'ect of softening down both the cold of the
winter and the heat of the summer. It abounds with the most
splendid timber; is well watered; the land is of the richest
quality ; the produce is very great, and the crops are almost
certain. I particularly notice this as I consider Upper Canada
to be the finest corn country in the world.

At present the resources of the Canadas are unknown ; the
country has not been explored ; it is without capital, and I may
add without credit, but its prospects are very favourable. The
timber trade to England will in a few years, even allowing the
present bonus to be continued, be of little advantage to Upper
Canada ; they will find a much better market as the Western
States fill up, as then there will be a great demand for lumber,
which will be obtained cheaper fiom Canada than from any
portion of the United States. Even now lumber is sent over
from Upper Canada to those portions of the United States bor-
derinor on the lakes. I have pointed out the want of timber in
the Western States, that is, of timber fit for building ; they have
some in the State of Wisconsin, which will soon be absorbed,
and then the Canada timber and lumber will be in demand, and

18*

i
I

(

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i ii

3fj
■ij:

210

MARRYAT S DIARY.

¥%. I

m '

I have no doubt that there will be a, very extensive exportation
of it.

The next article of produce to which the Canadians should
direct their attention is the fisheries on the lake, which may be
carried on to any extent and with great profit. The trout and
white fish, botii very superior to the Newfoundland cod, are to
be taken with the greatest ease, and in vast quantities. I have
mentioned that the Americans have already commenced this
fishery, and the demand is rapidly increasing. As the West fills
up, the supply would hardly keep pace with the demand ; besides
that it would also be an article of exportation to this rountry.

There are millions and millions of acres to the north and about
Lake Superior, fit for little else than the increase of the animals
whose furs we obtain, and which will probably never be brought
into cultivation ; yet these lands are rich in one point, which
is, that the maple-tree grows there, and any quantity of sugar
may be collected from it, as soon as the population is thick
enough to spare hands for its collection. A maple-tree, carefully
lapped, will yield for forty years, and give six or seven pounds
of sugar, fully equal to the best East-India produce, and refining
well. A few tons are collected at present, but it may become
a large article of export.

The Unted States appear to be rich in most metals, but par-
ticularly in lead and iron ;* the metal which they are most de-

M >

* The following description of the iron mines at Marmora are worihy the
attention of the reader. It is from the engineer who was sent to survey them.

" To Isaac Fraser, Esq.

" The water power at Marmora, and its sufficiency for all hydraulic pnsposes,
may be belter imagined than explained to you by me, from the fact, that the
faUs occur upon the Crow River, at the foot of untold lakes falling into Crow
Lake, the deepest inland lake in the province, and just below the junction of
the Beaver River, which latter has its source ist Ih^ Ottawa or Grand River, or
the waters flowing parallel therewith, and by the outlet at the Marmora Falls :
these head waters, on the confluence with the waters of the Otonabet',and Rice
Lake in Crow Bay, six miles below the works, form the great Ri.jr Trent,
second in importance and magnitude only to the St. Lawrence. It is sufficient
for me to add, that I deem the water power at the works abundantly equal to
all the purposes of machinery and manufacture, wiiich can for centuries be es
tablished there.

" Immediately adjoining the works there is an ore bed, from the partial de
velopement of which, and from the opinions \ have received of its superior
quality, it would appear to be of the purest kind of iron ore, except nativr
iron, in the same veins with which is an admixture of red paint and yellow
ochre, and in separate veins and beds at this locality, those paint.«! occur in
some quantities, several barrels of which, especially the red paint, Mr. Hayes
disposed of at 25s. per barrel, at the works, and it seems probable they would
become profitable articles of commerce. Here also there is a bed of purely
white marble, not seemingly stratified, but in large blocks; and a quarry of
superior stone for lithographic purposes, the qu.ility of which has been tested
and reported favourably upon. This ore bed would be from its situation within
any wall constructed for the custody of the convicts, but from the great jumble
of mineral substances, which the careless opening of those veins hasoecasioued,
it is not possible to hazard an opinion as to the probable extent of minerals
here, but from, if I may judge by appearances and from geological analogy, the
few acres surrounding, it is probable they are sufficiently extensive to be an
object of consideration— '. iveral hundred tons of ore have already been taken
out for the furnaces. rr.<>-e is at this place a well-built bridge and a wharf

MARRYAT S DIARY.

211

xportation

ms should
ch may be

trout and

cod, are to

f, I have

need this

West fills

d; besides

'ountry.

and about

le animals

)e brought

lint, which

y of sugar

n is thick

carefully
en pounds
id refinino
ay become

s, but par-
e most de-

■e worlhy the
survey tlieiii.

jlic pusposes,
fact, that tlit-
ng into Crow
! junction of
ind River, or
irniora Falls :
bee, and Itiit
Ri,.r Trent,
t is suflicicnt
ntly equal to
iturjes be es

le partial de-
' its superior
ixcept nativr
; and yellow
nts occur in
It, Mr. Hayes
3 they would
ed of purely
I a quarry of
3 been tested
lation within
great jumble
isoecasioned,
t of minerals
analogy, the
live to be an
y been taken
and a wharf

ficient in is copper. It is said that the copper mines in New
Jersey are good ; those in the West have not yet proved to be
worth working. Canada, as I have before said, is as yet unex-
plored, but I have every reason to believe that it will be found
rich in minerals, especially copper. I argue, first, from its ana-
logy with Russia, which abounds in that metal ; and secondly,
because there is at this time, on the shores of Lake Superior, a
mass of native copper weighing many ton:?, a specimen of which
I have had in my hand. We must not forget to reckon, among
the other products and expected resources of Canada, the furs
obtained by the Hudson Bay Company. Of course, if the
Canadas are wrested from us, we shall have to depend upon the
Americans for our supply of this necessary article. The value
in Canada of the furs exported to this country, by the company,
amounts, as I have observed in my Diary, to about a million and
a half of dollars.

I now come to what I consider will be the most important ex-
port from the Canadas. I have stated it to be my opinion that
Upper Canada will be the first corn country in the world, and
in a very few years we may expect that she will export largely
into this country ; already havmg had a sAirplus which has been
sold to the Americans. It must be recollected that America,
who used to supply the West-Indies and other parts of the
world with her flour, has, for these last few years, in her mania
for speculating, neglected her crops, and it is only during these
last two years that she has redirected her attention to the tillage

at which the ore brought from the lake ore beds is landed, and from thence
carted or wheeled up to the ore bank.

"'Jit a distance of four miles by water, that is at the Crow Lake, in the town
ship of Belmont, J^ewcastle District, the principal ore bed occurs. I may confine
my observations respecting this ore bed to the qualities and varieties of the
ores to be found there, and of the extent of the deposit give you an idea, by
fancying my feelings when I first saw the mountain. My swrprise was great,
and my first conclusion was, that it would be more than sufficient to supply the
world with iron for ever. 'J'he ore here is in great variety of magnetic ore,
easily quarried ; and, in fact, it can be quarried, loaded, and transported to the
works, roasted on the ore bank, broken up into particles, and put upon the
furnace, at an expense not exceeding 2s. Gd. per ton ; as I observed it is strongly
magnetic, and although mixed considerably with sulphur, it is easily freed
from that deleterious mineral by exposure to the atmosphere, and to the action
of air and frost, and by this species of evaporation. a new and valuable com-
modity could be procured in great quantities, namely, the copperas of com-
merce.

" W^ith a boat of fifty tons burthen— and there is depth of water enough for a
74 gun ship from the wb rfat the works, to this mountain of ore— navigated by
four men, 150 tons of ore could be brought down in two days— so readily is it
quarried, and so handily put on board. Intermediate to this bed an<l the works,
several other deposites of iron are discovered— one of a superior quality, sur-
passing in magnetic power any other ore yet discovered, possessing what mine-
ralogists call polarity ;— and near to this, meadow and bog ore, not a mile
distant from the works, is to be found in great quantities. The works are to
the north-north-east and eastward, surrounded by beds of ore, of which five
have been tried aiul brought into use— but as they are inland, and consequently
more expensively procured, they merit but this passing observation, that in
quantity and quality they are valuable.

" For the present I am, Sir,

" Your obedient servant,

" Engineer ."

*■! (

W''^

R V

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* 1,

111-

111

lil2

MARRY AT S DIART.

of her land. She will now no longrer require assistance from
Upper Canada, and the yearly increasing corn-produce of that
province must find a market elsewhere. After supplying the
wants of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, this surplus will find
its way into this country. As the population of Upper Canada
increases, so will of course her growth of wheat be greater, and
in a very few years, we have reason to expect that there will
be not only a constant, but even a more than requisite, exporta-
tion of corn to this country. Now what will be the effect?
Corn from Canada is admitted at a fixed duty of 5s. per quarter,
therefore as soon as the supply from thence is sufficient, the corn
laws will be virtually repealed, that is to say, they will be ex-
changed for a permanent duty of 5s. per quarter.

I think that the remarks I have made will incline the reader
to agree with me, that the reduction of the duties on timber will
be a real boon to all parties : to the Canadians, because at the
same time that the supplies of lumber to the West Indies and
elsewhere will give a certain profit, they will no longer have
the true interests of the colony sacrificed for the benefit of par-
ties at home; to the mother country, because it will relieve the
expenses of the builder, lessen house-rent and agricultural ex-
penses, and at the same time increase the revenue; — to the
ship-owner, as it will enable him to build much cheaper, and to
compete more successfully with foreign vessels, with the pros-
pect also of the carrying trade soon reviving, and the freight of
the corn proving an indemnification to him for the loss of that
on the timber. That a few interested individuals would com-
plain is undoubted, but it is high time that a monopoly so inju-
rious in every point, should be removed ; and the profits of a few
speculators are not to be for a moment considered, when opposed
both to the interests of the colony and of the nation.

I may as well here remark that it would only be an act of
justice to the provinces, and no less so to ourselves, to take off
the prohibitions at present in force against the importation of
goods from France and other countries. The boon itself would
be small, but still it would be a stimulus to enterprise, and the
time has gone by for Kngland to impose such restrictions on her
colonies. I say that we should lose nothing, because all these
articles are imported by the Americans ; and if the Canadians
wish to procure them, they can obtain them immediately at
Buffalo, and other American towns bordering on the lakes. At
present, therefore, all the profits arising from these importations
go into the pockets of the Americans, who are the only parties
benefited by our restrictive laws. We should therefore remove
them.

I shall now support the arguments in this chapter, touching
the relative value of the corn and the timber trade to the Cana-
das, by some extracts from the evidence given in the Report of
the Committee on the Timber Duties.

Q. " Have you ever formed an opinion of what rate per quar-

MARRY AT S DIARY.

213

pros-

ter wheat could be exported to this country, so as to yield a
profit to the exporter! — A. I cannot call it to mind accurately,
but I think the estimate I once made was between 4()s. and 50s.

Q. " Would it not follow that, unless the price of wheat in
this country were to rise to 40s. or 50s. per quarter, the popula-
tion that your former answer would transfer from the timber
trade to the agricultural would not be able advantageously to
employ themselves ] — A. No ; I do not think it follows neces-
sarily. If all our population were devoted to agriculture, our
settlements would be more dense, and their roads more perfect ;
in fact, all the social offices more perfectly fulfilled; which
would enable them to bring their wheat to market at a more
moderate price, and thus they might obtain a larger profit even
with a lower price. We should bear in mind, in relation to
their agricultural produce, that the farmer of course first feeds
his own family, and that price affects him so far as it relates to
his surplus produce, and that price rather affects his luxuries
than his means of subsistence. I am not aware that the present
prices would prevent a farmer obtaining that return which
would enable him to purchase at least all his necessaries.

Q. " What do you suppose is the average expense of the con-
veyance of wheat from the remote parts of Canada to Montreal?
— A. I believe the cost of bringing wheat from Niagara to Mon-
treal was about Ibd. colonial currency, but I am not certain; it
is not now lower. I once made a table showing the cost of
taking produce of all kinds from three points on Lake Ontario
and on Lake Erie, and sending up articles to the same places.

Q. " What is the freight from Quebec to England ? — A. The
ordmary rate has been from 8s. to 8s, 6d. a quarter for wheat.

Q. " Do you know the price of wheat in this country ? — A. \
believe the last average was 40s.

Q "If at 40s. you would probably allow 10s. a quarter, by
your present statement, as a fair deduction for the expense of
bringing it into this market J — A. I should think so.

Q, " Do you think the price of 30s. would pay the agricultural
producer in Canada for the production of wheat; would afford a
return for the investment of capital in the production of wheat
in Canada ? — A. I should be loth to speak to a point on which I
have not sufficient knowledge.

Q. " Is it not indispensable to tbrm an opinion upon that point
to justify the opinion you have already given ? — A. I think not.
I have that feeling, that the consequence of their not having the
timber trade would be, that they would produce other articles,
and that their condition would not be deteriorated. I am led to
that conclusion by seeing the present condition of the State of
New York, which once depended on the timber trade; I look
also to Vermont ; and when every man tells me that he laments
and has lamented that he ever meddled with the timber trade, I
think that I am justified in my opinion, for no one will pretend
to state that the land of Vermont, or even of New York, equals

•MM

1 1

M i

214

MARRYAT S DIARY.

!f>' 15'

that of Canada. While speakintr of the soil of Canada, I would
observe that Jacobs has estimated the averasre return for wheat
dn the Continent at four to one, of Great Britain seven to one,
and Gourlay has estimated the return of Upper Canada at <ioen^^
to one. Many state that Upper Canada is unrivalled in compa-
rison with any other piece of land of equal extent.

Q. " Are you aware of the extent of exportation of agricul-
tural produce from Canada! — A. I am ; I can slate it from me-
mory. The largest quantity of wheat exported in any year was
in 1831, and I think amounted to 1,300,000 bushels.

Q. "Can you make the same statement with reference to
corn and provisions as to other articles?— A. Canada exports a
great deal of corn.

Q. " Which Canada ? — A. Both Upper and Lower Canada.

Q. " Does Lower Canada grow corn enough tor her own eon-
sumption] — A. I should think Lower Canada did, and more.

Q. " Does Upper Canada] — A. Upper Canada a great deal
more.

Q. "Have you the amount of the exports] — A. I have the
exports of 1833 ; the two Canadas exported 650,000 bushels of
wheat.

Q. " How much flour ]— A. About 91,000 barrels.

Q. " Have you any account of the imports of flour from the
United States into Lower Canada] — A. I have not with me;
but can give it very nearly.

Q. " Do those exports of which you have spoken just now
comprehend the United States flour ] — A. No, they are exclu-
sive of Colonial production.

Q. " Is not Lower Canada, as well as Upper Canada, in the habit
of supplying herself, to a certain degree, with American flour and
wheat, and exporting her own produce, on account of the state of
the corn laws last year] — A. Yes, it is done to a certain ex-
tent. I have some indication as to the quantity which comes
from the United States into Upper and Lower Canada being
small. In the returns of the traffic last year through our Wel-
land Canal, about 265,000 bushels of wheat passed through, of
which 18,000 British and 22,000 American only went to Mon-
treal. AH the rest went to Oswego, for the New York market:
but the destination in future will probably depend upon whether
the internal communication is improved in those colonies, and
on the state of the market in New York and in the Canadas.

Q. " If there is sufficient capital, is there any reason to sup-
pose it would not be beneficial to engage in both] — A. I do not
think it is a question concerning the abundance of capital, but
the good to be derived from the preservation of the Canada tim-
ber trade by enormous protecting duties. I am confident that
the timber trade is inimical to the best interests of the Canadas;
it would be possible to make the timber trade more beneficial
than any other pursuit in the country, and the way to render it
so would be to give immense protecting duties to the timber

MARRYAT S DIARY.

215

trade of Canada, allowing all other articles of produce to be open
to general competition ; but, by such a course, England would
not be benefiting Canada.

Q. "Can you state the average prices of wheat at Quebec
the last four or five years? — A. I think 5s. or 6s. Canadian cur-
rency ; the latter rate is equal to 5s. sterling, which is 40s. a
quarter; but I do not suppose an average of several years would
be over 4s. 2^^, that would be 33s. 4t?. There are peculiar cir-
cumstances that attended the last three or tour yearcs.

Q. "Has it been higher the last three or four years than the
three or four years previously 1 — A. Considerably higher than
the ten years previously.

Q. " Do you think 30s. a quarter would have been the ave-
rage of the ten years preceding] — A. I should think so, but I
cannot now speak positively.

Q. " Are the committee to understand it to be your opinion,
that if the timber establishments were broken up and no more
timber exported from Canada, there would be no loss to that
country 1 — A. There might be an immediate loss, and a very
great subsequent gain, I think there would be an immediate
loss attending on the mills, possibly £150,000 to £200,000.

Q. " Has it not been the fact that there has been a constant
and gradual increase of tonnage into Quebec for the last fifteen
years! — A. Yes.

Q. " Presuming that those establishments were to be broken
up and no more timber exported, do you think that gradual in-
crease would still continue 1 — A. No ; the first consequence, I
think, very possibly would be a very material decrease.

Q. " Subsequently the same tonnage would be required for
the carriage of corn as at present ] — A. Some years hence, for
corn and other articles."

CHAPTER III.

To one who has a general knowledge of the various English
colonies, to which emigration is constantly taking place, it ap-
pears very strange that people should emigrate to such coun-
tries as New South Wales, Van Dieman's Land, and New Zea-
land, when Upper Canada is comparatively so near to them, and
affording every advantage which a seltler could wish. Of course
the persuasion of interested parties, and their own ignorance,
prevent them from ascertaining the truth. Indeed, the reports
upon Upper Canada are occasionally as highly coloured as those
relative to the other colonies, and nothing but an examination
of the country, I may say a certain period of residence in it, can
enable you to ascertain the real merits of the case. I have nei-
ther land nor interest in Upper Canada, and, therefore, my evi-
dence on the question may be considered as impartial ; and I do

MS!'

i'i'i W

HilT

■■'■ ;'

:;■ 1

•« i, '■;:

iW^ I

Si'lf

216

MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

not hesitate to assert that Upper Canada promises more advan-
tages to the settler than any other English colony, or any por-
tion whatever of the United States.

I shall now make a few remarks upon emigration to that pro-
vince, and point out what the settler will have to expect. I
have read many works upon the subject ; they are very inaccu-
rate, and hold out to the emigrant brilliant prospects, which are
seldom or never realised. The best work, independently of its
merits as a novel, is " Laurie Todd," by Mr. Gait. And first, I
address myself to the poor man who goes out with only twenty
or thirty pounds in his pocket.

If he credit the works written to induce people to emigrate,
all that he has to do is to build his log-hut, clear his land, and
in three years be an independent man.

It is true that he can purchase fitly acres of land for one hun-
dred dollars, or twenty-five pounds ; that he has only to pay one-
tenth part of the sum down, which is two pounds ten shillings
sterling. It is true that he will collect a Bee, as it is termed,
or a gathering of neighbours to run up the frame of his house ;
but, nevertheless, possessing his fifty acres of land and his log-
house, he will in all probability be starved out the very first
year, especially if he has a family.

To a poor man, a family is eventually of immense value. As
soon as he has fairly settled, the more children he has the faster
he will become rich ; but on his first arrival, they will, if not
able to work for themselves, be a heavy burthen. If, however,
they can do any thing, so as to pay for their board and lodging,
he will not be at any expense for them, as there is employment
for every body, even for children.

The only article I should recommend him to take out from
England is a good supply of coarse clothing tor his tiimily ; if he
would take out a venture, let it be second-hand clothes, and he
will double his money if he sells them by auction, for clothes
are the most expensive article in Canada. I once saw some
cast-off* clothes sold by an acquaintance of mine in Upper Cana-
da ; a Jew in England would not have given five pounds for the
lot, yet, sold at auction, they cleared twenty-five pounds, all ex-
penses paid. He cannot, therefore, take out too much clothing,
but the coarser and more common it is the better, Let him
supply himself from the old clothes shops, or the cheap stores.
New clothes will soon become old when he works hard. Hav-
ing made this provision, let him buy nothing else ; but change
his money into sovereigns and keep it in his pocket.

As sooH as he arrives at Quebec, he must ^'^se no time in taking
the steamboat up the St. Lawrence, and ; numg near to where
he has decided upon locating. If he hcs made no decision, at
all events let him leave the city immediately, and get into the
country, for there he will get work and spend less money. In-
stead of thinking of making a purchase of land, let him give up
all thoughts of it for a year or two ; but hire himself out, and

MARRYAT S DIARY.

217

his wife and cliildren also, if he can. If he is a good man, he
will receive four pounds a month, or forty-eight pounds a year,
with his board and lodging. The major part of this he will be
able to lay by. If his wife must stay at home to take care of
the children, still let her work ; work is always to be found, and
ahe may not only support herself and children, but assist his
fund. By the time that he has been eighteen months or two
years in the country, he will have his eyes open, know the value
of every thing, and will not be imposed upon as he would have
been had he taken a farm immediately upon his arrival. lie
will have laid by a sufficient sum for him to begin with, and he
will have become acquainted with the mode of farmimg in the
country, which is very different from what he has been used
to in the old. He may then go on and prosper.

The next description of emigrant settler to which I shall ad-
dress myself is he who comes out with a small capital, say from
two hundred to five hundred pounds; a sum sufficient to enable
him to commence farming at once, but not sufficient to allow
him to purchase or stock a farm which has a portion of the land
already cleared. The government lands fetch at auction about
ten shillings an acre, and they are paid for by instalments, one-
tenth down, and one-tenth every year, with interest, until the
whole be paid ; of course, he may pay it all at once, if he pleases,
and save the interest. He must not purchase more than four
liundred acres. He can always procure more if he is success-
ful. His first instalment to government for the purchase of four
hundred acres will be eighty dollars.

His next object is to have a certain portion of his land cleared
for him. The price varies according to the size and quantity of
the portion ; but you may say, at the highest, it will cost about
sixteen dollars an acre. liOt him clear ten acre?, and then
build his house and barns. I will make two estimates, between
which he may decide according to his means.

Estimate 1.

Dollars.

Instalment to Government. 80

Shinsflehouso 400

Furnittire ]flO

Harns and sheds 400

Ten acres clearing 3(50

Oxen 80

Cow 20

Pigs and Poultry - 2<1

Plough, Harrow, &c. -20

Seed 50

Horse and Wagon. loo

About i;:«io 1,4:^0

To this (if you have no family akie to work) for a man and his

wife :U)0

Expenses of living he first year auo

je400 I,y30

19, "'

■v\

218

MARRYAT 8 DIAKf.

1' !

*!' '

! l-i*

i i

Esltmate 2.

DoFIarv.

Instalment to Government HO

liOg-hoiise and Furniture ICO

Barn 60

JMearing I«0

O.xnn PO

Cow '.'0

risfs and Poultry 20

Plough, Harrow, &c. 20

S.od 50

Horse and Wagon . . - loo

X150 cm

Bat choosing between these two estimates, according' to his
means, that is, by reserving, if possible, one hundred pounds
for contingencies, he has every chance of doing well. He
must bear m mind, that although every year his means will in-
crease, he must not cripple himself by an outlay of all his
money at first starting. After the first year, he will be able to
support himself and family from the farm. I have pot every
thing at the outside expense, that he may not be deceived ; but
he must not expend all his capital at once; his horse or oxen
may die — his crops may partially fail — he may have severe ill-
ness — all these contingencies must be provided against.

But the settler who goes out under the most favourable cir-
cumstances, is the one who has one thousand pounds or more,
and who can, therefore, purchase a farm of from two hundred
to four hundred acres, with a portion cleared, and a house and
offices ready built. These are always to be had, for there are
people in the Canadas, as in America, who have pleasure in
selling their cleared land, and going again into the bush. These
farms are often to be purchased at the rate of from five to ten
dollars per acre for the whole, cleared and uncleared. In this
case all the difficulties have been smoothed away for him, and
all that he has to do is, to be industrious and sober.

When I was at London, on the river Thames, (in Upper Ca-
nada I mean), I might have purchased a farm, lying on the
banks of that river, of four hundred acres, seventy of them
cleared, and the rest covered with the finest oak timber, with a
fine water-power, and a saw-mill in full work, a good house, barn,
and out-buildings and kitchen garden, for six hundred pounds. In
ten years this property will be worth more than -six thousand
pounds ; and in twenty more, if the country improves as fast as
it does now, at least fifteen thousand pounds.

In looking out for a property in Canada, always try to obtain
a water-power, or the means of erecting one, by damming up
any swift stream ; its value will, in a few years, be very great;
and never consider a few dollars an acre more, if you have
trai iDort by water, or are close to a good market. You must
look forward to what the country will be, not to what it is at
present.

Half-pay officers settle in Upper Canada with great advan-

MARRYAT S DIARY.

219

Dollar*.

HO
IGO

fU)
I(U>

8(»

'JO

50
100

■ 090

ng to his
id pounds
ell. He
IS will in-
i>f all his
be able to
put every
sived; but
36 or oxen
severe ill-
it.

irable cir-
3 or more,
hundred
house and

there are
leasure in
sh. These
five to ten
In this

him, and

Upper Ga-
ng on the
y of them
ler, with a
lOuse, barn,
pounds. In
thousand
as fast as

y to obtain
mming up
ery great ;
^ you have
You must
at it is at

eat ad van-

tages, arising from the circumstance, that their annual pay is
always a resource to fall back upon. A very small capital is
sufficient in this case; and, if prudent, they gradually rise to
inde{>endence, if not to wealth There are, however, one or two
cautions to be given to these gentlemen. Never go into the
bush it' you can help it: accustomed to society, you will find
the total loss of it too serious. If you have a wife and large
family, they may partially compensate for the loss, but even then
it is better to locate yourself near a small town. If you are a
single man and sit down in the bush, you are lost. Hundreds
have done so, and the result has been, that they have resorted to
intemperance, and have died mined men.

But the settlers most required in Upper Canada, and those
who would reap the most golden harvest, are men of capital;
when 1 say capital, I mean those who possess a sum of four or
five thousand pounds — a sum very inadequate to support a per-
son in England who has been born and bred as a gentleman ; but
in Canada, with such a sum, he can not only farm, but speculate
to great advantage. At present the Americans go over there
every year, and realise large sums of money. Indeed, capital
is so much required in Upper Canada, and may be employed to
such advantage, that I wonder people, with what may be con-
sidered as small capitals here, do not go over. The only caution
to give them is, not to be in a hurry ; in the course of a year or
two they will understand what they are about, and then they
will soon become wealthy.

When I arrived at Toronto, I was called upon by an old friend
who had often shot with me in Norfolk. His father had once set
him up in business, but the house failed. He resolved to go out
to Canada, and his father gave him a thousand pounds as a start,
and allowed him two hundred pounds a year afterwards. He
had been in the country seven years when we met again. I
accepted his invitation to dine and sleep at his house, which was
about seven miles from the town. He sent handsome saddle
horses over for three of us. I found him located on a beautiful
farm of about four hundred acres, the major portion of it cleared;
his house was a very elegantly built cottage ornee , every thing
had the appearance of a handsome English country residence;
he had married a beautiful woman of one of the first families.
We sat down to an excellent dinner, and, in every respect, the
whole set-out was equal to what you generally meet with in
good society in England. He was really living in luxury. We
returned the next day, in a handsome carriage and as fine a pair
of horses as one would wish to see.

I could hardly credit that all this could have been accumulated
in seven years — yet such was the case, and it was not a singu-
lar one ; for the whole road from his farm to Toronto was lined
with similar farms and handsome houses, belonging to gentlemen
who had emigrated, forming among themselves, a very exten-
sive and most delightful society.

■Ir:

220

MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

Altliougli tliey do not go ahead ns fast as rouip of the Ameri-
ciui citicH, (for instnnce, aa BuHiilo,) ftill Upper Canada 1ms,
within the last ten or fitleen years, taken a surprisinjif start, and
will now, if judiciously governed, increase in wealth almost ap
fast as any of the American States. About Toronto, most of the
oontlemen have incomes of from seven hundred to filloen hun-
dred pounds per annum, and keep handsome equipages ; but there
are many other towns which have lately risen up very rapidly^.
Peterborough is an instance of this. " Peterborough in 1625
contained but one miserable dwelling ; now, in IKW, may be
seen nearly four hundred houses, many of them large and hand-
some, inhabited by about fitleen hundred persons; a very neat
stone church, capable of accommodating eight hundred or nine
hundred persons,* a Presbyterian church of stone, two dissenting
places of worship, and a Roman Catholic church in progress.
The town has in or near it, two grist, and seven saw-mills, five
distilleries, two breweries, two tanneries, eighteen or twenty
shops (called stores), carriage, sleigh, wagon, chair, harness,
and cabinet-makers and most other useful trades. Stages run
all the year, bringing mails five times a week ; and steamboats
whilst the navigation is open ; there is one good tavern (White's),
and two inferior ones. Families may now Ond houses of any
sizes to suit them, at moderate rents. The roads in this neigh-
bourhood are being greatly improved. The towns of Cobourg,
Port Hope, Colborne, Grafton, Brighton, River Trent, and
Beaumont in the Newcastle district, are ail equally prosperous,
and, like Peterborough, are surrounded by genteel families from
the United Kingdom ; in short, the advancement of this district
is almost incredible."

But there is one important subject relative to emigration which
must be considered; if it be, as T trust my readers will be in-
clined to think with me, a national question, it is highly expe-
dient that it should be not only assisted, but controlled by go-
vernment. At present the mortality is tremendous ; and I very
much question whether there are not more lives sacrificed in the
transport of the emigrants, than subsequently tiill a prey to
disease in the western States, bordering on the Mississippi.
With those who would emigrate to the United States, we have
nothing to do, neither do they so much require our sympathy.
The American packets are good vessels, and they suffer little ;
and when they land at New York, Baltimore and Philadelphia,
the charity of the Americans is always ready for their relief.

* The building of this Church was undertaken by the inhabitants of Peter-
borough and its vicinity, belonging to the Church of England. In 1835 it was
commenced, and, by great exertions, opened for Divine worship in December
1836, though not altogether finished. Nine hundred pounds was raised by
voluntary contributions, not one farthing having been given by any public
body to it. The gentlemen composing the building committee are responsible
for the remainder due, being five hundred pounds. An advertisement for sub-
scriptions to liquidate this debt has been for some weeks past inserted in n
London newspap<3r.

MXRRYAT's DUlt-^

221

E? Ameri-
ada Ims,
tiirt, and
1 1 most ap
)Ht of the
ecu hun-
3ut there

rapidly.

in 1825

may be
nd hand-
ery noat
I or nine
issonting
progress,
lills, five
twenty

liarnesSt
ages run
Bamboats
A^'hite's),

s of any
is neigh-
Cobourg,
ent, and
osperous,
lies from
[S district

on which
ill be in-
h\y expe-
nd by go-
nd I very
;ed in the
a prey to
ississippi.
we have
ympathy.
er little;
ladelphia,
3ir relief.

ts of Peter-
1835 it was
a December
s raised by
any public
responsible
ent for sub-
serled in -a

Dut witli the poor emigrants who wouK, -^ett'j in ' mada, the
caae is very different. It must be u^der^»ud, that le Quebec
trade is chiefly composed of worn-out and unseawori ly vessels,
which cannot find employment elisewhere; for a vosbc;) whic! s
in sach a state that a cargo of dry goods could not 1x3 entrii' S
to her, is still sufficiently serviceable for the tiudwr tnule— *=,
'allowing her bottom to be out' with a cargo of timber she >t'
course cannot founder. But if these vessels are sufficiently safe
to bring timber home, they are not sufficiently good vessels to
receive three or four hundred emigrants on board. liCaky, bad
sailers, ill-found, the voyage is often protracted, and the suffer-
ings of the poor people on board are dreiidfid. Fever and other
diseases break out among ihem, aud tliey often arrive at Quebec
with sixty or seventy people who arc carried to the hospital in-
dependently of those who have died and been llirovvn overboard.

fcjometimes their provisions do not last out Uie voyage, and
they are obliged to purchase of the captain or others on board,
(who have prepared for the exigence,) and thus their little sav-
ings to recommence life with, are all swallowed up to support
existence. I believe that what they suffer is dreadful ; and if
ever there was a case which would call forth patriotism and
sympathy, it is the hardships of these poor people. Allowing
emigration not to be a national question, still it is a question for
national humanity, and all this suffering might be alleviated at
comparatively a very trifling expense.

If tv/o or three of our smaller linc-of-battle ships now lying
at their moorings, were to be jury-rigged, without any guns on
board, and manned with a sloop's ship's company, they would
not decay faster by running between Quebec and this country
than if they remained in harbour. One of those vessels would
carry out 2,500 men, women, and children. Let the emigrants
take their provisions on board, and should their provisions fail
them, let there be a surplus for their supply at the cost price.
Under this arrangement, you would have that order, cleanliness,
and ventilation which would insure them against disease, and
proper medical attendance if it should bo required ; you would
save thousands of lives, and the emigrant, as he left the ship,
would feel grateful for the benefit conferred. But the assistance
of government must not end here: the emigrant, on his arrival,
is adrifl; he knows not where to go; he has no resting-place;
he is a perfect stranger to the country and to every thing ; he
exhausts his means before he can find employment or settle :
other arrangements are therefore necessary, if the work of cha-
rity is to be completed. Indeed, the want of these arrangements
is the cause of a very large proportion of the Canadian emi->
grants leaving our provinces and settling in the United States,
where they can immediately find employment ; and Americans,
agents of the land speculators, are continually on the look-out
in Canada, persuading the emigrants, by all sorts of promises

19*

i;J

»J2

MARRYAT n DIART.

r: ^ i

(

\^ ■
1, •

l';,«

and indiicemontH, to leave the provinces and to take lands in the
States, belonj^ing to their employers. Every emijjrant lost to ud
is a gam to America ; and upon the increase of the English po-
pulation depends the prosperity of the Canadas, and our best
chance of retaining them in our possession.

Both Upper and I^vver Canada have one great advantage over
most of the other territories of the United States, which ih, that
they are so very healthy; the winters in both provinces are dry,
and, in Upper Canada, they are not severe ; and the sununers
are cool, compared with those of the United States. Indeed, in
point of climate, they cannot be surpassed ; and I rather think,
independently of its tine soil, which enables it to grow every
thing (for even tobacco grows well in Upper Canada), that in
mineral richness it is not to be exceeded. It abounds in water-
power, and has several splendid rivers. As soon as the roads
arc niade (for that is the present desideratum in the Upper Pro-
vince), I iiave no hesitation in asserting, that it will be, of all
others, the most favourable spot for emigration. It is a man's
own fault if, with common industry, he does not, in a few years,
secure competence and the happiness arising from independence,
when it is accompanied by that greatest of all blessings —
health.

There has been so strange and continued a system of misrule
on the part of the mother-country with respect to these pro-
vinces, that I am not surprised at any thing which takes place ;
but it is certain that the emigration to the Canadas has been
very much checked by the Government itself.

The price of land in the United States is fixed at a dollar and
a quarter per acre ; be it of the best quality, full of minerals, or
with any other important advantages, the price is still the same.
The set-up price in Canada is two dollars per acre. If no more
is offered it is sold at that sum, but at no less. Now, whatever
the Government may imagine, I can assure them that this dif-
ference in the price is considered very important by those who
emigrate, and that thousands who would have settled in Canada,
have, in consequence, repaired to the United States, much to
our disadvantage ; and this appears so contradictory, as the Go-
vernment have very unwisely parted with enormous tracts of
the best land, selling them to a Company at a price which, with
facilities for payment, reduces the price paid per acre by this
Company, to, I think, about one shilling and three-pence, and for
which the Company now charge the same price as the Govern-
ment ; thus giving a bonus to speculators which they refuse to
those who wish to become bona fide settlers. I never could
comprehend the grounds upon which they were persuaded to so
unwise an act as that. The lands were sold to the Company
before the present Government were in power, but why the
price of the land still in possession of the Crown should be
raised higher than in the United States I cannot imagine.
Sound policy would reduce it lower, for the increase of wealth

MARRYAT R DIARY.

223

lis in tlie
lost to ua
iglish po-
our bcBt

fi^c over
h iH, that
^ are dry,
suiinners
ndend, in
er think,
>w every
), that in
in water-
the roads
ppcr Pro-
be, of all
i a man's
aw years,
)endence,
essings —

f misrnle
hese pro-
es place ;
has been

lollur and
nerals, or
the same.
r no more
whatever
this dit-
hose who
[1 Canada,
much to
s the Go-
tracts of
lich, with
re by this
;e, and for
e Govern-
refuse to
ver could
aded to so
Company
why the
should be
imagine,
of wealth

in tjio province must ever consist in the increase of its populu-
tiorj.

There are in Upper Canada several villages of free negroes,
vvho have (!ricaped from the United States, and should it be con-
si'lered at any time advisable to remove any of the West Indian
population, it would be very wise to give them land on the
Upper Canada frontif^rs. The negroes thrive tiiere unconunonly
well, and huvo ac«[uired habits of industry ; and, as niay be suj)-
I used, are Jiiost inveterate against the Americans, as was proved

tiie late diisturbances, when they could hardly be controlled.
Tliey imagine (and very truly) that if the Americans were to
obtain possession of Canada, that they would return to slavery,
and it is certain that they are not only brave, but would die ra-
ther than be taken prisoners. This is a question worth consi-
deration, as out of an idle and useless race in the West Indies
may be Ibrrned, at very little expense, a most valuable frontier
population to these provinces. I am happy to percieve that, in
the Report of Lord Durham, the importance of these provinces
to the mother country is fully acknowledged.

" These interests are indeed of great magnitude ; and on the
course which your Majesty and your Parliament may adopt,
witli respect to the North American colonies, will depend the
future destinies, not only of the million and a half of your Ma-
jesty's subjects who at present inhabit those provinces, but of
that vast population which those ample and fertile territories are fit
and destined herealler to support. No portion of the American
continent possesses greater natural resources for the maintenance
of large and flourishing communities. An almost boundless
range of the richest soil still remains unsettled, and may be ren-
dered available tor the purposes of agriculture. The wealth of
inexhaustible forests of the best timber in America, and of ex-
tensive regions of the most valuable minerals, have as yet been
scarcely touched. Along the whole line of sea-coast, around
each island, and in every river, are to be found the greatest and
richest fisheries in the world. The best fuel and the most abun-
dant water-power are available for the coarser manufactures, for
which an easy and certain market will be found. Trade with
other continents is favoured by the possession of a large number
of safe and spacious harbours; long, deep, and numerous rivers,
and vast inland seas, supply the means of easy intercourse ; and
the structure of the country generally affords the utmost facility
for every species of communication by land. Unbounded mate-
rials of agricultural, commercial and manufacturing industry are
there ; it depends upon the present decision of the Imperial
Legislature to determine for whose benefit they are to be ren-
dered available. The country which has founded and maintain-
ed these colonies at a vast expense of blood and treasure, may
justly expect its compensation in turning their unappropriated
resources to the account of its own redundant population : they
are the rightful patrimony of the English people, the ample ap*

^!i|^

Ifi

. (''^

1 ■ .

ilf ;

If' ■ '^li

4 ■

224

MARRYAT S DIARY.

panuge which God and Nature have set aside in the New World
tor those whose lot has assigned them but insufficient portion in
the Old. Under wise and free institutions, these great advan-
tages may yet be secured to your Majesty's subjects ; and a con-
nexion, secured by the link of kindred origin and mutual benefits,
may continue to bind to the British Empire the ample territories
of its North American provinces, and the large and flourishing
population by which they will assuredly be filled."

CHAPTER IV.

Previous to my entering into a further examination of the
Canada question, it will perhaps be better to recapitulate, in as
few words as possible, what has already occurred, and the prin-
cipal causes of the late insurrection.

When the Canadian provinces were reduced by the British
arms, the inhabitants, being entirely French, were permitted to
retain their own laws, their own language in courts and public
offices, and all their vested rights which had been granted to
them by the French government. It was a generous, but, as it
has been proved, an unwise policy. The form of government,
as an English colony, was proposed, and acceded to by the
French population, who, gratified by the liberality of their new
rulers, cheerfully took the oath of allegiance. For many years,
indeed it may be said until the close of the war of 1814, the
population remained almost entirely French. England had been
so long engaged in war, and the annual expenditure of life in
her armies and her navies was so great, that she could not per-
mit, much less encourage, emigration.

At the close of the war of 1814, the census of the population
in the two Canadian provinces was as follows : — In Lower
Canada, between three and four hundred thousand ; in Upper
Canada, from thirty to forty thousand, of which nineteen-twen-
tieths were of French extraction. But the emigration during
the last twenty-five years of peace has made a considerable
change. The population of Lower Canada has increased to six
hundred thousand, and that of Upper Canada now amounts to
upwards of four hundred thousand. As the emigration has been
almost wholly from the British dominions, it may be now fairly
assumeu that, taking the two provinces together, the English
and French population are now on a par us to numbers ; the
English preponderate in the Upper province as much as the
French do in the Lower But if we are to consider the two
nations of settlers as to their respective value as emigrants to
the provinces, on the point of capital, industry, and enterprise,
the scale will descend immediately in favour of the English po-
pulation. The French are inactive, adverse to speculation, or
even improvement. Every habitant is content with his farm as

MAURYAT S DIARY.

225

handed down to him by his profrenitor, and the higher classes
who hold the sei^neuries are satisfied with tlieir seignorial rights
and tiie means of exaction which they afford to them. The pri-
vileges of these seigneurs, or lords of the manor, in Lower
Canada, arc very extensive, and a bar to all improvement or ad-
vance. They hold the exclusive right of hunting and fishing;
all the water privileges, such as the erection of saw-mills, &c.,
are insured to them. The habitant is even compelled to send
his flour to be ground at the mill of the lord of the ^manor. At
the sale of every property, the lord of the manor receives one-
twelfth of the proceeds. Thus, if a farm worth a few hundred
pounds was to tall into the hands of an enterprising man, and he
was to raise it to the value of thousands, more than the prinip-
cost would be deducted for the lord of the manor if he were
compelled to part with i(. This, with the other impediments to
enterprise, has left Lower Canada in a state of quiescence, and
the emigrants who have gone over have passed it by that they
might settle on the more fertile and free province of Upper
Canada. One o<^ the writers in the daily press of New York has
very truly remarked : —

" When the British first obtained the Canadas, its commerce
consisted of a few peltries, conveyed to France by the vessels
which brought out the troops and carried back the disbanded
regiments. The lumber trade was unknown. The importa-
tions were a nonentity. While at present many hundreds of
vessels are engaged in the direct timber trade, and more than
one hundred and fifty vessels have been frequently counted
on the river St. Lawrence. These, it must be remembered,
are almost exclusively owned by British merchants ; while
the French Canadians own the land in the same proportion
as the English do the trade."

It was the knowledge of these facts, and that the English
were every year rising in importance, (for they had not only
secured the whole trade, but were gradually occupying the
more fertile land of the Upper province,) which has created the
jealousy and ill-will, and has been such a source of irritation
to the French inhabitants of the Lower province. I have d-velt
upon these facts because there is a very general opinion (which
has most unfortunately been acted upon by our Government),
that the legislature of the province should be guided by the
interests of the majority, and this they have considered to be
in favour of the French population ; whereas in numbers they
are about equal, and in point of wealth and importance, the
English population are mos* decidedly in the advance ; besides
that, the former population would willingly separate them-
selves from the mother-country, and therefore deserve but little
favour, while the latter ure loyal and attached to it. The
French having the ascendancy of five to one in the Lower
province, have done all they can to check improvement. Public
works which have cost large sums, have remained uncompleted.

^if

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iv ''■ !' '•

ri(

B!J^:

Rls^ i

220

MARRY A-T S DIARY.

because the House of Assembly in tlie Lower province has
refused to allow them to be carried on. Indeed, had the Lower
province been allowed to continue in her career of opposition,
she would have eventually rendered diflficult all communication
between thd Upper province and the mother-country.

This is acknowledged in Lord Durham's report, which says —
" Without going so far as to accuse the Assembly of a delibe-
rate design to check the settlement and improvement of Lower
Canada, it cannot be denied that they looked with considerable
jealousy and dislike on the increase and prosperity of what they
regarded as a foreign and hostile race ; they looked on *he pro-
vince as the patrimony of their own race ; they viewed it not as
a country to be settled, but as one already settled ; and instead
of legislating in the American spirit, and first providing for the
future population of the province, their primary care was, in the
spirit of legislation which prevails in the old world, to guard the
interests and feelings of the present race of inhabitants, to whom
they considered the new comers as subordinate ; they refused to
increase the burthens of the country by imposing taxes to meet
the expenditure required for improvement, and they also refused
to direct to that object any of the funds previously devoted to
other purposes. The improvement of the harbour of Montreal
was suspended, from a political antipathy to a leading English
merchant who had been the most active of the commissioners,
and by whom it had been conducted with the most admirable
suceess. It is but just to say, that some of the works which the
Assembly authorised and encouraged, were undertaken on a
scale of due moderation, and satisfactorily perfected and brought
into operation. Others, especially the great communications
which I have mentioned above, the Assembly showed a great
reluctance to promote or even to permit. It is true that there
was considerable foundation for their objections to the plan
on which the Legislature of Upper Canada had commenced
some of these works, and to the mode in which it had carried
them on ; but the English complained that, instead of profiting
by the experience which they might have derived from this
source, the Assembly seemed only to make its objections a pre-
text for doing nothing. The applications for banks, railroads,
and canals were laid on one side until some general measures
could be adopted with regard to such undertakings; but the
general measures thus promised were never passed, and the par-
ticular enterprises in question were prevented. The adoption
of a registry was refused, on the alleged ground of its inconsis-
tency with the French institutions of the province, and no mea-
sure to attain this desirable end in a less obnoxious mode, was
prepared by the leaders of the Assembly. The feudal tenure
was supported, as a mild and just provision for the settlement of
a new country ; a kind of assurance given by a committee of the
Assembly, that some steps should be taken to remove the most
injurious incidents of the seignorial tenure, produced no practi-

MARRTAT^S DIARY.

227

ice has
J Lower
position,
nication

1 says —
I del i be-
Lower
derable
lat they
*he pro-
it not as
instead
? for the
in, in the
uard the
to whom
e fused to
I to meet
) refused
ivoted to
Montreal
English
issioners,
dmirable
i^hich the
cen on a
1 brought
inications
I a great
hat there
the plan
mmenced
d carried
profiting
from this
•ns a pre-
railroads,
measures
; but the
1 the par-
adoption
inconsis-
1 no mea-
(lode, was
al tenure
lement of
tee of the
I the most
no practi-

cal results ; and the enterprises of the Englisli were still thwart-
ed by the obnoxious laws of the country. In all these decisions
of the Assembly, in its discussions, and in the apparent motives
of its conduct, the English population perceived traces of a de-
sire to repress the influx and the success of their race. A mea-
sure for imposing a tax on emigrants, though recommended by
the Home Government, and warranted by the policy of those
neighbouring States which give the greatest encouragement to
emigration, was argued on such grounds in the Assembly, ihat
it was not unjustly regarded as indicative of an intention to ex-
clude any further accession to the English population ; and the
industry of the English was thus retarded by this conduct of the
Assembly. Some districts, particularly that of the Eastern
Townships, where the French race have no footing, were se-
riously injured by the refusal of necessary improvements ; and
the English inhabitants generally regarded the policy of the As-
sembly as a plan for preventing any further emigration to the
province, of stopping the growth of English wealth, and of ren-
dering precarious tlie English preperty already invested or ac-
quired in Lower Canada,"

It may be said, that latterly the French party, by the incon-
siderate yielding of the Government at home, legislate for both
provinces; and finding that they never could compete with the
English in other points, their object has been to crush them as
much as possible.* The policy pursued by M. Papineau and his

* It was not long after the conquest, tlial another and larger class of English
settlers began to enter the province. English capital was attractcil to Canada
by the vast quantity and valuable nature of the exportable produce of the
country, and the great facilities for commerce, presented by the natural means
of internal intercourse. The ancient trade of the country was conducted on a
much larger and more profUHble scale ; and new branches of industry were ex-
plored. The active and regular habits of the English capitalist drove out of all
the more prr table kinds of industry their inert and careless competitors of
the French race ; but in respect of the greater part (almost the whole) of the
commerce and manufactures of the couu.ry, the English cannot be said to
have encroached on tlie French; for, in fact, they created employments and
profits wJiich had not previously existed. A few of the ancient race smarted
under the loss occasioned by the success of English coniiiotitinn ; but all felt
yet more acutely the gradual increase of a class of strangers in whose hands
the wealth of the country appeared to centre, and whose expenditure and in-
fluence eclipsed those of the class which had previously occupied the first posi-
tion in the country. Nor was the intrusion of the English limited to commer-
cial enterprises By degrees, laipe portions of land were occupied by them;
nor did they confine themselves to the unsettled and distant country of the
townships. The wealthy capitalist invested his money in the purchase of
seignorial properties ; and it is es-timated, that at the present moment full half
of the more valuable seignories are actually owned by linglish proprietors.
The seigniorial tenure is one S(i little adapted to our notions of proprietary
rights, that the new seigneur, without any consciousness or intention torn-
Justice, in many instances exercised hit rights in a manner which would ap[)ear
perfectly fair in this country, but which tliM Canadian settler reasonably re-
garded as oppressive. The English purchaser found an equally unexpi-cted and
just cau.se of complaint in that uncertainty of the laws, which rendered his
possession of prfiperty precarious, and in those incidents of the tenure which
rendered its alienation or improvement difi^icult. But an irritation, greater
than that occasioned by the transfer of the large properties, was caused by the
competition of the English with tlie French farmer. The English farmer car-
ried with him the experiotice and habits of the most improved agriculture in

F* !

'': I

p ■ !

228

MARRYAT S DIARY.

adherents, has therefore been to keep the Lower Province en-
tirely in the hands of the French, and with this view they
have as much as possible, prevented British settlers from ob-
taining land in Lower Canada ; and that their rule miofht be
absolute, over the French population, they have prevented their
education, so that they might blindly follow those who guided
them. These two assertions will be fully borne out by an ex-
amination into the public records.

The land being almost wholly in the possession of the French,
M. Papineau's first object was, to make the possession oi' landed
properly the tenure by which any employment of the trust under
government could be held ; and in this great object he succeeded.
It must at once be perceived that, by this regulation alone, all
British residents were exxluded, and that if possessed of capital
to any amount, whatever their stake in the colony might be,
they were ruled and dictated to by the French party. No per-
son could be an officer in the militia imless he was a land-
owner. The wealthy English merchant had to fall into the
ranks, and be ordered about by an ignorant French farmer, a
man who could not write or read, but made his cross to any
paper presented to him for his signature.

By another enactment the grand juries were to be selected
from those who were land-owners, and the consequence was,
that in two grand juries selected in two succeeding years, there
was only one man who could write or read out of the whole
number, and the others fixed their cross to the bills found.

What was still more absurd was, that the office of trustee tor
the schools could only be held by the same tenure, and in the
Act passed, it is provided, that the trustees for national education
may be permitted to affix their c7-o.ss to the school reports, a more
convincing proof of the state of ignorance in which the Cana-
dian French population have been held and acknowledged to bo
so by the French party, by the making such a proviso in the
statute. I had a convincing proof myself of the ignorance of
the French population during the[rebellion in Lower Canada. I
handed a printed circular to about four hundred prisoners who
were collected, for one of them to read aloud to the rest, and
there was not one who could read print.

Having secured the party in the province, the next object of
M. Papineau and his adherents was, to blind the Government

ih i

the. world. He scttlnd himself in the townships bordering on the seignories,
and broufiht a fresh soil and improved cnltivation to com|Hite witii the wf)rn-
oiit and slovenly farm of the habitant. He often took the very farm which
the Canadian settler Iiad abandoned, and, by superior management, made that
a source of profit which had only impoverished bis predect'ssor. The ascendaiK y
which an nnjnst favoritism had cotitrihnteil to irjve to the English race in the
coveriimer't and the legal profession, their o\\ n sii|K!rior energy, skill and capi-
tal secured to them in every branch of industry. They have developed the re-
sources of the country ; they have constructed or improved its means of com-
munication ; they have creat^'i iis internal and foreign commerce. The entire
wholesale, and a large portion of the retail trade of the province, with the
most profitable and flourishing farms, are now iu llie hands of this numerical
minority of the population.

MARRYAT S DIARY.

229

at home: they sent home a list of grievnnccs which required re-
dress, and in this they were joined by the Englit^h republican
party. Among other demands, they insisted upon the right to
the Lower Assembly having the control of the colonial revenues.
So earnest was the Government at homo to satisfy them, that
every concession was made, and even the last great question of
conLrolling their own expenditure was consented to, upon the
solo condition that the civil list, for the payment of the salary of
the governor and other state officers, was secured.

What was the conduct of M. Papineau and his party as soon
as they had gained their point 7 They immediately broke their
faith with the Government at home, and refused to vote the sam
for the civil list.

For three years, the governor and all the public officers were
v.ithout their salaries, which were at last provided for by a vote
of the English Parliament at home. This nefarious conduct of
the French Party had one good effect, it created a disunion with
the English republican party, who, although they wished for re-
ionn, would be no participators in such a breach of honour.

That for many years there has been sad mismanagement on
the part of the Government at home, cannot be denied, but the
error has been the continual yielding to French clamour and
misreprentation, and the Government having lost sight of the
tact that the English population were rapidly increasing, and had
an equal right to the protection of the mother-country. It is
the English population who have had real cause of complaint,
and who are justified in demanding redress. The French have
been only too well treated, and their demands became more im-
j)erinus in proportion to the facility with which the Government
yielded to them in their earnest, but mistaken, desire to put an
end to t!ie agitation of M. Papineau and his party. Mistaking
ihe forbearance of the English government for weakness, m.
Papineau issued his inflammatory appeals ; the people were in-
cited to rebellion ; but even this conduct did not seem to rouse the
Government at home, who had probably formed the idea that the
French Canadian was too peaceful to have recourse to arms. Em-
boldened hy the conduct on the part of the Government, which
was ascribed to fear, and finding themselves supported by Mr.
Joseph Hume and Mr. Roebuck at home, the republican party
in Upper Canada openly declared itself, and a portion of the Ca-
nadian press issued the most treasonable articles without moleB-
tation. The Americans were not idle in fomenting this ill-will
towards the mother country in the Upper Province, and the
Papineau party proceeded to more active measures. Arrange-
ments were made for a general rising of the Lower Province;
the meeting of St. Charles took place, and resolutions were
passed of a nature which could no longer be overlooked by the
Provincial Government. For mar.j; months previous to the
meeting at St. Charles, the Provincial Government had been
aroused and aware of the danger, and Lord Gosford perceived ths
necessity of acting contrary to the orders received from home.

ii' ,

230

MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

I'i- i-:

■^1 ^

Proofs liad been obtained against those who were most active in
the intended rebellion, and ut last warrants were issued by the
Attorney-General for their apprehension. It was this sudden
and unexpected issue of the warrants which may be said to have
saved the provinces. It defeated all the plans of the conspira-
tors, who had not intended to have flown to arms until the next
Spring, when their arrangements would have been fully made
and organised. This fact I had Irom Boucliette, and three or
four of the ringleaders, whom I visited in prison. They intend-
ed to have had the leaf on the tree, and the cold weather over,
before they commenced operations; and had they waited till
then the result might have been very serious, but the issue of
the warrants for the apprehension of the leaders placed them in
the awkward dilemma of either being dcprivedof them, or of hav-
ing recourse to arms before tiieir plans were fully matured. The
latter was the alternative preferred ; and the results of this un-
successful attempt are well described in Lord Durham's re-
port : —

" The treasonable attempt of the French party to carry its
political objects into effect by an appeal to arms, brought these
hostile races into general and armed collision. I will not dwell
on the melancholy scenes exhibited in the progress of the contest,
or the fierce passions w-hich held an unchecked sway during the
insurrection, or immediately after its suppression. It is not
difficult to conceive how greatly the evils, which I have de-
scribed as previously existing, have been aggravated by the war;
how terror and revenge nourished, in each portion of the popu-
lation, a bitter and irreconcilable hatred to each other, and to
the institutions of the country. The French population, who
had for some time exercised a great and increasing power
through the medium of the House of Assembly, found their hopes
unexpectedly prostrated in the dust. The physical force which
they had vaunted was called into action, and proved to be utterly
inefficient. The hope of recovering their previous ascendancy
under a constitution similar to that suspended, almost ceased to
exist. Removed from all actual share in the government of their
smaller country, they brood in silence over the memory of their fall-
en countrymen, of their burnt villages, of their ruined property, of
their extinguished ascendancy, and of their humbled nationality.
To the Government and the English they ascribe these wrongs,
and nourish against both an indiscriminating and eternal ani-
mosity. Nor have the English inhabitants forgotten in their
triumph, the terror with which they suddenly saw themselves
surrounded by an insurgent majority, and the incidents which
alone appeared to save them from the unchecked domination of
their antagonists. They find themselves still a minority in the
midst of a hostile and organised people ; apprehensions of secret
conspiracies and sanguinary designs haunt them unceasingly,
and their only hope of safety is supposed to rest on systematically
terrifying and disabling the French, and in preventing a majority
of that race from ever and again being predominant in any por-
tion of the legislature of the province. I describe in strong

marryat's diart.

231

ictive in
d by the
sudden
to have
onspira-
the next
lly made
three or
I intend-
ler over,
lited till
issue of
them in
)r of hav-
red. The
f this un-
lam's re-
carry its
ghi these
:iot dwell
B contest,
uring the
It is not
have de-
the war;
the popu-
er, and to
tion, who
ig power
leir hopes
rce which
be utterly
jcendancy
ceased to
it of their
'their fall-
roperty, of
ationality.
e wrongs,
ernal ani-
n in their
tiemselves
nts which
lination of
rity in the
3 of secret
ceasingly,
smatically
a majority
n any por-
in strong

terms the feelings which appear to me to animate each portion
of the population ; and the picture which I draw represents a
state of things so little fanjiiiar to the personal experience of the
people of tliis country, that many will probably regard it as the
work of mere imagination ; but I feel confident that the accu-
racy and moderation of my description will be acknovvlodged by
all who have seen the state of society in Lower Canada during
the last year. Nor do I exaggerate the inevitable constancy,
any more than the intensity of this animosity. Never again
will the present generation of French Canadians yield a loyal
submission to a British Government: never affain will the Ensf-
lish population tolerate the authority of a House of Assembly in
which the French shall possess or even approximate to a ma-
jority."

Although M. Papineau and his party were very willing to fra-
ternise with the discontented party in Upper Canada, and to call
forth the sympathy and the assistance of the Americans, their real
intentions and wishes were to have made the Canadas an inde-
pendent French province, in strict alliance with France.*

* " Nor does there appear to be the slightest chance of putting an end to this
animosity during the present generation. Passions inflamed during so long a
period, cannot spnedily be calmed. The state of education which [ have pre-
viously described as placing the peasantry entirely at the mercy of agitators,
the total absence of any class of persons, or any organisation of authority that
could counteract this mischievous influence, and the serious decline in the dis-
trict of Montreal of the influence of the clergy, concur in rendering it abso-
lutely impossible for the Government to produce any better state of feeling
among the French population. It is even impossible to impress on a people so
circumstanced the salutary dread of the power of Great Britain, which the
prese!ice of a large military force in the province might be expected to produce.
I have been informed, by witnesses so numerous and trustworthy that I cannot
doubt the correctness of their statements, that the peasantry were generally
ignorant of the large amount of force which was sent into their country last
year. The newspapers that circulate among them had informed them that
Great Britain had no troops to send out; that in order to produce an impression
on the minds of the country-people, the same regiments were marched back-
wards and forwards in diff"erent directions, and represented as additional arri-
vals from home. This explanation was promulgated among the people by the
agitators of each village ; and I have no doubt that the mass of the inhabi-
tants really believed that the government was endeavouring to impose on them
by this species of fraud. It is a populafon with whom authoritv has no means
of contact or explanation. It is difliitult even to ascertain whai amount of
influence the ancient leaders of the Freuch party continue to possess. [The
name of M. Papineau is still cherished by the people ; and the idea is current
that, at the appointed time, he will return, at the head of an immense army,
and reestablish " La Nation Canadienne."] But there is great reason to
doubt whether his name be not used as a mere watchword ; whether the people
are not in fact running entirely counter to his councils and policy ; and whe-
ther they are not really under the guidance of separate petty agitators, who
have no plan but that of a senseless and reckless determination to show in
every way their hostility to the British Government and English race. Their
ultimate designs and hopes are equally unintelligible. Some vague expecta-
tion of absolute independence still seems to delude them. The national vanity,
which is a remarkable ingredient in their character, induces many to flatter
themselves with the idea of a Canadian Republic; the sounder information
of others has led them to perceive that a separation from Great Britain must
be followed by a junction with the great Confederation on their southern fron-
tier. But they seem apparently reckless of the consequences, provided they can
wreak their vengeance on the English. There is no people against which
early associations and every conceivable difference of manners and opinious
have implanted in the Canadian mind a more ancient and rooted national
antipathy than that which they feel against the people of the United States.
Their more discerning leaders feel that their chances of preserving their na-

-■f t

1,, I. ji

]4i

232

MARRYAT S DIARY.

• i 'I

(t. ' i '

The assistance of the Upper Canada party would have been ac-
cepted until they were no longer required, and then there would
have been an attempt, and very probably a successful one, to
drive away by every means in their power the English settlers
in Upper Canada to the United States. The Americans, on the
other hand, cared nothing about the French or English grievances ;
their sympathy arose from nothing less than a wish to add the
Canadas to their already vast territories, and to drive the Eng-
lish from their last possessions in America ; but they also knew
how to wear the cloak as well as M. Papineau, and had the in-
surrection been successful, both French and English would by
this lime have been subjected to their control, and M. Papineau
would have found that he had only been a tool in the hands of
the more astute and ambitious Americans. Such is my convic-
tion: but this is certain, that whatever might have been the re-
sult of the former insurrection, or whatever may be the result
of any future one (for the troubles are not yet over,) the English
in Upper Canada must fall a sacrifice to either one party or the
other, unless they can succeed (which, with ther present num-
bers and situation, will be difficult) in overpowering them both.
It maybe inquired, what were the causes of discontent which
occasioned the partial rising in Upper Canada. Strange to say,
although Mackenzie and his party were in concert and corres-
pondence with M. Papineau, the chief cause of discontent arose
from the partiality shown by the English government to the
French Canadians in Lower Canada ; their grievances were
their own, and they had no fellow-feeling with the French Ca-
nadians. If they had any prepossession at all, it was in favour
of joining the American States, and to this they were instigated
by the number of Americans who had settled in Upper Canada.
There were several minor causes of discontent : the Scotch
emigrants were displeased because the government had decided
that the clergy revenues were to be allotted only for the support
of the Episcopal church, and not for the Presbyterian. But the
great discontent was because the English settlers considered
that they had been unfairly treated, and sacrificed by the go-
vernment at home. But although discontent was general, a
wish to rebel was not so, and here it was that Mackenzie found
himself in error, and M. Papineau was deceived ; instead of

tionality would be greatly diminished by an incorporation with the UnitecJ
States ; and recent symptoms of Anti-Catholic feeling in New England, welf
known to the Canadian population, have generated a very general belief
that their religion, which even they do not accuse the British party of assail-
ing, would find little favour or respect from their neighbours. Yet none even
of these considerations weigh against their present all-absorbing hatred of
the English ; and I am persuaded that they would purchase vengeance and a
momentary triumph by the aid of any enemies, or submission to any yoke.
This provisional but complete cessation of their ancient antipathy to the
Americans, is now admitted even by those who most strongly denied it during
the last spring, and who then asserted that an American war would as com-
pletely unite the whole population against the common enemy, as it did in
1813. My subsequent experience leaves no doubt in my mind that the views
which were contained in my despatch on the 9th of August are perfectly cor-
rect; and that an invading American army might rely on the co-operation
of almost the entire French population of Lower Canada."

MARRYAT S DIARY.

233

)cen ac-
L' would
one, to
settlers
■^. on the
ivances;
add the
le Eng-
t-o knew
the in*
oiild by
*apineau
lands of
convic-
1 the re-
le result
English
ly or the
3nt num-
im both,
tit which
e to say,
1 corres-
ent arose
it to the
les were
ench Ca-
in favour
nstigated
• Canada,
e Scotch
I decided
e support
But the
3nsidered
I the go-
eneral, a
sie found
nstead of

the United
gland, welf
leral belief
y of assnil-
none even
[ hatred of
nice and a

any yoke,
ithy to the
d it during
lid as com-
s it did in

the views
rfectly cor-
o-operation

being joined by thousands, as they expected, from the Upper
Province, they could only muster a few hundreds, who were
easily dispersed : the feelings of loyalty prevailed, and those
whom the rebel-leaders expected would have joined the standard
of insurrection, enrolled themselves to trample it under foot.
The behaviour of the settlers in Upper Canada was worthy of
all praise; they had just grounds of complaint; they had been
opposed and sacrificed to a malevolent and ungrateful French
party in the Lower Province ; yet when the question arose as to
whether they should assist, or put down the insurrection, they
immediately forgot their own wrongs, and proved their loyalty
to their couniry.

The party who adhered to Mackenzie may well be considered
as an American party ; for Upper Canada had been so neglected
and uncared for, that the Americans had already obtained great
influence there. Indeed, when it is stated that Mathews and
Lount, the two members of the Upper House of Assembly who
were executed for treason, were both Americans, it is evident
that the Americans had even obtained a share in the legislation
of the province. When I passed through the Upper Province,
I remarked that, independently of some of the best land being
held by Americans, the landlords of the inns, the contractors
for transporting the mails, and drivers of coaches, were almost
without exception, Americans.

One cause of the Americans wishing that the Canadas should
be wrested from the English was that, by an Act of the Legis-
lature, they were not able to hold lands in the province. It ia
true that they could purchase them, but if they wished to sell
them, the title was not valid. Colonel Prince, whose name was
so conspicuous during the late troubles, brought in a bill to allow
Americans to hold land in Upper Canada, but the bill was
thrown out. ^t scarcely need be observed that Colonel Prince
is now as violent an opponent to the bill.* He has had quite
enough of Americans in Upper Canada.

♦ Colonel Prince is the gentleman who took with his own hands Ge-
neral Sutherland and his aid-de-camp, and who ordered the Yankee
pirates to be shot. Mr. Hume has thought proper to make a motion in
the Houise of Commons, reprobating this act as one of murder. I be-
lieve there is httle difference whether a man breaks into your house, and
steals your money ; or burns your house, and robs you of your cattle and
other property. One is as much a case of burglary as the other. In the
first instance you are justified in taking the robber's life, and why not in
the second ( Those people who attacked the inhabitants of a country with
whom they were in profound peace, were disowned by their own govern-
ment, consequently they were outlawb and pirates, and it is a pity that Su-
therland and every other prisoner taken had not been immmediately shot.
Mr. Hume may flare up in the House of Commons, but I should like to know
what Mr. Hume's opmion would be if he was the party who had all his
property stolen and his house burnt over his head, in the depth of a Ca-
nadian winter. I suspect he would say a very different say, as he has
no small respect for the meum ; indeed, I should be sorry to be the party
to be sentenced by Mr. Hume, if I had stolen a few ducks out of the
honourable gentleman's duck decoys near Yarmouth.

20*

' (

234

MARBYAT 8 DIARY.

^Il^ \

It was fortunate for tlie country that there was sucli a nmii as
Sir John Colborne, and aided by Sir Francis Head, al that perio<l
in the command of the two provinces. Of the first it is not
necessary that I should add my tribute of admiration to tliat
which Sir John Colborne has already so unanimously received.
Sir Francis Head lias not been quite so fortunate, and has been
accused (most unjustly) of rashness and want of due precaution.
Now the only grounds upon which this charge can be preferred
ia, his sending down to Sir John Colborne all the regular troops,
when he was requested if possible so to do. I was at this period
at Toronto, and as I had the pleasure of being intimate with Sir
Francis, I had full knowledge of the causes of this decision.
Sir Francis said, " I have but two hundred regular tro<:>ps ; they
will be of great service in the Lower Province, when added to
those which Sir John Colborne already has under his command.
Here they are not sufficient to stem an insurrection if it be for-
midable. I do not know what may be the strength of the rebels
until they show themselves, but 1 think I do know the number
who will support me. Should the rebels prove in great force,
these two companies of regular troops will be overwhelmed,
and what I consider is, not any partial success ot the rebel party,
but the moral effect which success over regular troops will create.
There are, I am sure, thousands who are at present undecided,
who, if they heard that the regular troops, of whom thoy have
such dread, were overcome, would join the rebel cause. This
is what I fear; as for any advantage gained over me, when I
have only militia to oppose to them, that is of little consequence.
When Sir John Colborne has defeated them in Lower Canada,
he can then come up here, with the regular troops,"

I believe these to be the very words used by Sir Francis
Head when he asked my opinion on the subject, and I agreed
with him most cordially ; but if any one is inclined to suppose,
from the light, playful, and I must say, undiplomatic style of Sir
Francis's despatches, that he had not calculated every chance,
and made every disposition which prudence and foresight could
suggest, they are very much mistaken. The most perfect confi-
dence was reposed in him by all parties ; and the event proved
that he was not out in his calculations, for with the militia alone
he put down the rebellion. During the short time from Sir F.
Head's going out, until he requested to be recalled, he did more
good to that province, and more to secure the English dominion
than could be imagined, and had he not been governor of the
province for some time previous to the rebellion, 1 strongly sur-
mise that it would have been lost to this country.

The events of the rebellion are too fresh in the reader's me-
mory to be mentioned here. It is, however, necessary to exa-
mine into the present state of affairs, for it must not be supposed
that the troubles have yet ceased.

First, as to the French Canadian party. If I am not very
much mistaken, this may be considered as broken up; the severe
lesson received from the English troops, and the want of confi-
dence in their leaders from their cowardice and inability, will

MARRYAT8 DIARY.

2JJ5

Fi man as
at poricxl
it Ik not
1 to that
received,
lias been
E!cantion.
preferred
ir troops,
lis period
with Sir
decision,
ps ; they
added to
oininand.
it be tbr-
lie rebels
J number
eat force,
a; helmed,
bel party,
ill create,
ndecided,
hey have
^e. This
(, when I
sequence,
r Canada,

r Francis
1 I agreed
) suppose,
;yleot'Sir
y chance,
oht could
feet confi-
nt proved
litia alone
►m Sir F.
; did more
dominion
nor of the
ongly sur-

ider's me-
ry to exa-
! supposed

not very
the severe
t of confi-
bility, will

prevent the French Canadians from again taking up arms. They
are naturally a peaceable, inottensive, good-tempered people, and
nothing but the earnest instigation of a portion of their priests,
the notaries, and the doctors, (the three parties who most mix
with the habitans), would have ever roused them to rebellion.
As if is, I consider that they are efliciently quelled, and will be
quiet, at least tor one generation, if the measures of the govern-
ment at home are judicious. The cause of the great influence
obtained by the people 1 have specified over the habitans is well
explained in Lord Durham's Report. Speaking of the public
seminaries, he says: —

" The education given in these establishments greatly resem-
bles the kind given in the English public schools, though it is
rather more varied. It is entirely in the hands of the Catholic
clergy. The number of pupils in these establishments is esti-
mated altogether at about a thousand ; and they turn out every
year, as far as I could ascertain, between two and three hun-
dred young men thus educated. Almost all of these are mem-
bers of the family of some habitant, whom the possession of
greater quickness than his brothers has induced the lather or the
curate of the parish to select and send to the seminary. These
young men, possessing a degree of information immeasurably
superior to that of their families, are naturally averse to what
they regard as descending to the humble occupations of their
parents. A few become priests; but as the military and naval
professions are closed against the colonist, the greater part can
only find a position suited to their notions of their own qualifica-
tions in the learned professions of advocate, notary, and surgeon.
As from this cause these professions are greatly overstocked, we
find every village in Lower Canada filled with notaries and sur-
geons, with little practice to occupy their attention, and living
among their own families, or at any rate among exactly the same
class. Thus the persons of most education in every village be-
long to the same families, and the same original station in life,
as the illiterate habitans whom I have described. They are con-
nected with them by all the associations of early youth, and the
ties of blood. The most perfect equality always marks their in-
tercourse, and the superior in education is separated by no bar-
rier of manners, or pride, or distinct interests, from the singu-
larly ignorant peasantry by which he is surrounded. He com-
bines, therefore, tlie influencesof superior knowledge, and social
equality, and wields a power over the mass, which I do not be-
lieve that the educated class of any other portion of the world
possess."

The second party, which are the discontented, yet loyal Eng-
lish of Upper Canada, are entitled to, and it is hoped will re-
ceive the justice they claim : they well deserve it. It is the
duty, as well as the interest of the mother country to foster loy-
alty, enterprise, and activity, and it is chiefly in Upper Canada
that it is to be found. One great advantage has arisen from the
late troubles, which is, that they have driven most of the
Americans out of the province, and have created such a feeling'

t '■ <

■ Jr

h
III

236

MARRYAT S DIARY.

•ji

i 1

T ^

M ■

of indifrnation and hatred towurds them in the broasta of thr
Upper Canadians, that there is no chance of their fraternisinjr
lor at least another half century. Nothing could have proved
more untbrtunate to the American desire of oi)laininif theC'a-
nadasthan the result of the late rehellionn. Should the Upper
Canadians, from any continued injustice and misrule on tli«) part
of the mother country, ho deternnned to separate, at all evfMJts
it will not he to ally themselves with the Americans. In Lord
Durham's Report wc hive the following n'marks : —

" I have, in despatches of a later date than that to which I
have had occasion so frecpiently to refer, called the attention of
the Home Government to the growth of this alarming >late of
feeling among the English population. 1'he course of the late
trouhles,and the assistance which the French insurgents derived
from some citizens of the United States, have caused a most
intense exasperation among the Canadian loyalists against the
American government an(l people. Thoir papers have teemed
with the most unmeasured denunciations of the good faith of
the authorities, of the character and morality of the people, and
of the political institutions of the United States. Yet, under
this surface of hostility, it is easy to detect a strong under-cur-
rent of an exactly contrary feeling. As the general opinion
of the American people became more and more apparent during
the course of the last year, the English of Lower Canada were
surprised to find how strong, in spite of the first burst of sym-
pathy, with a people supposed to be struggling for independ-
ence, was the real sympathy of their republican neighbours
with the great objects of the minority. Without abandoning
their attachment to their mother country, they have begun, as
men in a state of uncertainty are apt to do, to calculate the pro-
bable consequences of a separation, if it should unfortunately oc-
cur, and be followed by an incorporation with the United States.
In spite of the shock which it would occasion their feelings, they
undoubtedly think that they should find some compensation in
the promotion of their interests ; they believe that the influx
of American emigration would speedily place the English race
in a majority ; they talk frequently and loudly of what has oc-
curred in Louisiana, where, by means which tney utterly misre-
present, the end nevertheless of securing an I'^nglish predomi-
nance over a French population has undoubtedly been attained ;
they assert very confidently, that the Americans would make a
very speedy and decisive settlement of the pretensions of the
French; and they believe that, afler the first shock of an en-
tirely new political state had been got over, they and their pos-
terity would share in that amazing progn-ss, and that great ma-
terial prosperity, which every day's experience shows them
is the lot of the people of the United States. I do not believe
that such a feeling has yet sapped their strong allegiance to the
British empire ; but their allegiance i^ founded on their deep-
rooted attachment to British, as distinguished from French insti-
tutions. And if they find that that authority which they have
maintained against its recent assailants, is to be exerted in such

MAIlKYAT*a DIARY.

237

a manner ns to sulycct them to wlint tlioy cnll n Pronch «lomi-
nion, I led perfectly eonlident that tlu-y would attempt to avert
the retsult, by eourtin-r, on any terms, uix union witli an An^flo-
Saxon people."

Here I do not ncrree with \uti iordisliip. That nnch was the
jeolint,' previous to the iiKsurrcction I believe, and notwithstand-
in<,' the defeat of the insurjirentH, would have remained so, had it
not been for the piratical attacks of the American.s, which their
own ^'overnment could not control. This was a lesson to the
Upper Canadians. They perceived that there was no security
for life or property — no law to check outrage — and they felt
severely the consecjuences of this state of things in the destruc-
tion of their property and the attempts upon their lives by a no-
tion professing to be in amity with them. Fraternise with the
Americans the Upper Canadians will not. They may be sub-
dued by them if they throw off the allegiance and protection of
the mother-country, as they would be henmied in between two
hostile parties, and find it almost impossible, with their present
population, to withstand their imited efforts. But should a con-
flict of this kind take place, and the Upper Canadians be al-
lowed but a short period of repose, or could they hold the Ame-
ricans in check for a time, they would sweep the whole race of
the Lower Canadians frouj the face of the earth. Their feelings
towards the Lower Canadians are well explained in Lord Dur-
ham's Report : —

" In the despatch above referred to I also described the state
of feeling among the English population, nor can I encourage a
hope that that portion of the community is at all more inclined
to any settlement of the present quarrel that would leave any
share of power to the hostile race. Circumstances having
thrown the English into the ranks of the government, and the
folly of their opponents having placed them, on the other hand,
in a state of permanent collision with it, the former possess the
advantage of having the force of government, and the authority
of the laws on their side in the present state of the contest.
Their exertions during the recent troubles have contributed to
maintain the supremacy of the law, and the continuance of the
connexion with Great Britain; but it would, in my opinion, be
dangerous to rely on the continuance of' such a state of feeling,
as now prevails among them, in the event of a different policy
being adopted by the Imperial government. Indeed the preva-
lent sentiment among them is one of any thing but satisfaction
with the course which has been long pursued, with reference
to Lower Canada, by the British legislatur.e and executive.
The calmer view, which distant spectators are enabled to take
of the conduct of the two parties, and the disposition which is
evinced to make a fair adjustment of the contending claims,
appear iniquitous and injurious in the eyes of men who think
that they alone have any claim to the favour of that government,
by which they alone have stood fast. They complain loudly
and bitterly of the whole course pursued by the Imperial Go-
vernment, with respect to the quarrel of the two races, as

f':;

238

MARRYAT 8 DIARY.

nfl

' 1

1 ^-

K f.

Jl,.

having been founded on an utter ig-norance of, or disrei^ard to
the real question at issue, as having- fostered the mischievous
pretensions of French nationality, and as having-, by the vacilla-
tion and inconsistency which marked it, discouraged loyalty and
fomented rebellion. Every measure of clemency, or even jus-
tice, towards their opponents, they regard with jealousy, as
indicating a disposition towards that conciliatory policy which
is the subject of their angry recollection; for they feel that
being a minority, any return to the due course of constitutional
government would again subject them to a French majority ;
and to this I am persuaded they v/ould never peaceably submit.
They do not hesitate to say that they will not tolerate much
longer the being made the sport of parties at home, and that if
the mother country forgets what is due to the loyal and enter-
prising men of her own race, they must protect themselves. In
the significant language of one of their own ablest advocates,
they assert that ' Lower Canada must be English, at the ex-
pense, if necessary, of not being British.* "

The third party, which is the American, is the only one at
present inclined to move, and in all probability they will com-
mence as soon as the v»'inter sets in ; for however opposed to
this shameful viohation of the laws of nations the President,
officers, and respectable portion of the American Union may be,
it is certain that the majority are represenied by these marau-
ders, and the removal of our troops would be a signal for imme-
diate aggression.

The Americans will tell you that the sympathy, as they term
it, only exists on the borders of the lakes ; that it extends no
further, and that they are all opposed to it, &c. Such is not the
case. The greatest excitement which was shown any where
was perhaps at Albany, the capital of the State of New York,
on the Hudson river, and two hundred miles at least from the
boundary ; but not only there, but ever, on the Mississippi the
feeling was the same ; in fact, it was the feeling of the majority.
In a letter I received the other day from a friend in New York,
there is the following remark :

" Bill Johnson (the pirate on lake Ontario) held his levecfi
here during the winter. They were thronged with all the best
people of the city."

Now, the quaiter from whence I received this intelligence is
to be relied upon ; and that it was the case I have no doubt.
And why should they feel such interest about a pirate like Bill
Johnson] Simply because he had assailed the English. This
may appear a trifle ; but a straw thrown up shows in what di-
rection the wind blows.

At present there is no want of troops to defend the Canadas
against a foreign attack, and little inclination to rebel in the
provinces themselves. That now required is, tiiat the legisla-
ture should be improved so as to do justice to all parties, and
such an encouragement given to enterprise and industry as to
induce a more extended emigration.

Lord Durham has very correctly observed, that it is not now

Ofjard to
chievous
) vacilla-
i^alty and
;ven jus-
lousy, as
cy which
i'ee\ that
titutionaJ
majority :
y submit,
ite much
nd that if
nd enter-
)lves. In
advocates^
it the ex-

ily one at
will coin-
pposed to
President,
n may be,
ise marau-
for imme-

they term
extends no
is not the
any where
"^ew York,
t from the
sissippi the
G majority,
^ew York,

his levees
ill the best

diligence is
e no doubt.
te like Bill
lish. This
in what di-

tie Canadas
ebel in the
the le^isla-
parties, and
lustry as to

is not now

MARRYAT S DIARY.

239

a conflict of principles between the English and French, but a
conflict of the two races. He says : —

" I expected to find a contest between a government and a
people : I found two nations warring in the bosom of a single
state : I found a struggle, not of principles, but of races; and I
perceived that it would be idle to attempt any amelioration of
laws or institutions until we could first succeed in terminating
a deadly animosity that now separates the inhabitants of Lower
Canada into the hostile divisions of French and English."

But why should this conflict between the two races have
taken ploc ■ : r>ytly, because the French, by the injudicious
generosity or our Government in allowing them to retain their
language in public afiairs, with all their customs and usages,
were allowed to remain a French colony, instead of amalgama-
ting them with the English, as might have been done. Subse-
quently, because the interests of the English colonists have been
sacrificed to the French, who, nevertheless, became disaffected,
and would have thrown off the English dominion. Lord Dur-
ham very correctly adds : —

" Such is the lamentable and hazardous stato of things pro-
duced by the conflict of races which has so lonij divided the
province of Lower Canada, and which has assumed the formida-
ble and irreconcilable character which I have depicted."

In describing the nature of this conflict, I have specified the
causes in which it originated ; and though I have mentioned the
conduct and constitution of the colonial government, as modify-
ing the character of the struggle, I have not attributed to politi-
cal causes a state of things which would, I believe, under any
political institutions have resulted from the very composition of
society. A jealousy between two races, so long habituated to
regard each other with hereditary enmity, and so differing in
habits, in language, and in laws, would have been inevitable
under any form of government. That liberal institutions and
prudent policy might have changed the character of the strug-
gle, I have no doubt ; but they could not have prevented it ; they
could only have softened its character, and brought it more
speedily to a more decisive and peaceful conclusion. Unhappily,
however, the system of government pursued in Lower Canada
has been based on the the policy of perpetuating that very sepa-
ration of the races, and encouraging these very notions of con-
flicting nationalities which it ouoht to have been the first and
chief care of Government to check and extinguish. From the
period of the conquest to the present time, the conduct has ag-
gravated the evil, and the origin of ihe present extreme disorder
may be found in the institutions by which the character of the
colony was determined."

We have, therefore, to legislate between the two parties,
and let us, previous to entering upon the question, examine into
their respective merits. On the one hand we have a French
population who, after having received every favour which could
be granted with a due regard to freedom, have insisted upon,
and have obtained much more, and who in return for all the kind

240

MARRYAT S DIARY.

■if!

m !i ■'

ness heaped upon them, excited by envy and jealousy of" an
energy and enterprise of which they were incapable, have risen
tn rebellion, with the hopes of making themselves anindepend-
ant nation.

On the other hand we have a generous, high-spirited race of
our own blood, and migrating from our own soil, who having been
unfairly treated, and having just grounds of complaint against
the mother-country, have nevertheless forgotten their own
wrongs, and, to a man, flown to arms, willing to shed their
blood in defence of the mother-country.

Add to this, we have the French inhabiting a comparatively
sterile country, without activity or enterprise ; the English, in a
country fertile to excess, possessing most of the capital, and the
only portion of the colonists to whom we can safely confide the
defence of that which I trust I have proved to the reader to be
the most important outpost in the English dominions. Bearing
all this in mind, and also remembering that if the emigration to
Upper Canada again revive, that this latter population will in
a few years be an immense majority, and will ultimately wholly
swallow up all the fcnier, we may now proceed to consider
what should be the policy of the mother-country.

CHAPTER V.

In the last chapter I pointed out that in our future legisktion
for these provinces, we had to decide between the English and
French inhabitants ; up to the present the French have been in
power, and have been invariably favoured by the Government,
much to the iiijury of the English population. Before I otfer
any opinion on this question, let us inquire what has been the
conduct of the French in their exercise of their rights as a Le-
gislative Assembly, and what security they offer us, to incline
us again to put confidence in them. In examining into this
question, I prefer, as a basis, the Report of Lord Durham, mace
to the English Parliament. His lordship, adverting to the state
of hostility between the representative and executi' e powers in
our colonies, prefaces with a remark relative to our own coun-
try, which I think late events do not fully bear out ; he says:

"However partial the monarch might be to particular minis-
ters, or however he might have personally committed himself to
their policy, he has been invariably constrained to abandon both
as soon as the opinion of the people has been irrevocably pro-
nounced against them, through the medium of the House of
Commons."

This he repeats in an after part of the Report :

" When a ministry ceases to command a majority in Pari la-
ment on great questions of policy, its doom is immediately sealed ;
and it would appear to us as strange to attempt, for any time, to
carry on a Government by means of ministers perpetually in a
minority, as it would be to pass laws with a majority of votes
against them."

MARRYAt's DIARY.

241

y of an
ve risen
(lepend-

race of
inir been

against
eir own
ed their

iratively
lish, in a

and the
ifide the
er to be

Bearing
^ration to
n will in
y wholly

consider

egisktion
iglish and
e been in
i^ernment,
re I otFer
5 been the
s as a Le-
to incline
r into this
lam, made
) the state
powers in
)wn coun-
le says :
ihr minis-
himself to
indon both
icably pro-
House of

in Parlia-
jly sealed ;
ly time, to
Lually in a
Ly of votes

if sutjh be an essential part of our constitution, as his lordship
asserts, surely we have suffered an inroad into it lately.

That the system of Colonial Government is defective, I grant,
but it is not so much from the check which the LegisTative
Council puts upon the Representative Assembly, as from the
«ecresy of th« acts and decisions of that council. This, indeed,
his lordship admits in some cases, and 1 think that I can fully
establish that, without this salutary check, the Legislative As-
sembly of Lower Canada would have soon voted themselves
Free and Independent States, Lord Dur-ham observes : —

*♦ I am far from concurring in the censure which the Assembly
and its advocates have attempted to cast on the acts of the
Legislative Council. I have no hesitation in saying that many
of the bills which it is most severely blamed for rejecting, were
bills which it could not have passed without a dereliction of its
duty to the constituiion, the connexion with Great Britain, and
the whole English population of the colony. If there is any
censure to be passed on its general conduct, it is for having con-
fined itself to the m«rely negative and defensive duties of a
legislative body ; for having too frequently contented itself with
merely defeating objectionable methods of obtaining desirable
ends, without completing its duty by proposing measures, which
would have achieved the good in view without the mixture of
evil. The national animosities which pervaded the legislation
of the Assembly, and its thorough wan-t of legislative skill or
respect for constitutional principles, rendered almost all its bills
obnoxious to the objections made by the Legislative Council ;
and the serious evil which their enactment would have occa-
sioned, convinces me that the colony has reason to congratulate
itself on the existence of an institution whi'^h possessed and used
the power of stopping a course of legislation that, if successful,
would have sacrificed every British interest, and overthrown every
guarantee if order and national liberty. ^^

Again : —

" One glaring attempt which was made directly and openly
to subvert the constitution of the country, was, by passing a bill
for the formal repeal of those parts of the 31 Geo. 3, c. 31, com-
monly called the Constitutional Act, by which the constitution
and powers of the Legislative Council were established. It
can hardly be supposed that the framers of this bill were un-
aware, or hoped to make any concealment of the obvious ille-
gality of a measure, which, commencing as all Canadian Acts
do, by a recital of the 31 Geo. 3, as the foundation of the legis-
lative authority of the Assembly, proceeded immediately to
infringe some of the most important provisions of that very
statute; nor can it be supposed that the Assembly hoped rrally
to carry into effect this extraordinary assumption of power, inas-
much as the bill could derive no legal effect from passing the
Lower House, unless it should subsequently receive the assent
of the very body which it purported to annihilate."

Take again the following observations of his lordship : —

*^ But the evils resulting from such opena itempts to dispsose

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3fARRYAT's DIARY.

with the constitution were small, in comparison with the dis-*
turbance of the regular course of Ipgislation by systematic abuse
of constitutional forms, for the purpose of depriving the other
branches of the legislature of all real legislative authority.

" It remained, however, for the Assembly of Lower Canadu
to reduce the practice to a regular system, in order that it might
have the most important institutions of the province periodically
at its mercy, and use the necessities of the government and the
community for the purpose of extorting the concession of what-
ever demands it might choose to make. Objectionable in itself,
on account of the uncertainty and continual changes which it
tended to introduce into legislation, this system of temporary
laws derived its worst character from the facilities which it
afforded to the practice of ♦ tacking' together various legislative
measures.

"A singular instance of this occurred in 1830, with respect
to the renewal of the jury law, to which the Assembly attached
great importance, and to which the Legislative Council felt a
strong repugnance, on account of its having in effect placed the
juries entirely in the hands of the French portion of the popula-
tion. In order to secure the renewal of this law, the Assembly
coupled it in the same bill by which it renewed the tolls of the
Lachine ('anal, calculating on the Council not venturing to
defeat a measure of so much importance to the revenue as the
latter by resisting the former. The council, however, rejected
the bill : and thus the canal remained toll-free for a whole
season, because the two Houses differed about a jury law."

So imuch for their attempts to subvert the constitution. Now
let us inquire how far these patriots were disinterested in their
enactments. First, as to grants for local improvements, how
were they applied 1 His lordship observes : —

"The great business of the Assemblies is, literally, parish
business; the making parish roads and parish bridges. There
are in none of these provinces any local bodies possessing
authority^ to impose local assessments, for the management of
local afiViirs. To do these things is the business of the Assem-
bly ; and to induce the Assembly to attend to the particular
interests of each county, is the especial business of its county
member. The surplus revenue of the province is swelled to as
large an amount as possible, by cutting down the payment ot
pul)lic services to as low a scale as possible; and the real
duties of government are, sometimes, insufficiently provided for,
in order that more may be left to be divided among the con-
stituent bodies. * When we want a bridge, we lake a judge to
build it.' was the quaint and forcible way in which a member
of a |)rovincial legislature described the tendency to retrench, in
the most necessary departments of the public service, in order
to satisfy the demands for local works. This fund is voted by
the A^sembly on (he motion of its members; the necessity of
obtaining the previous consent of the Crown to money votes
never having been adopted by the Colonial Legislatures from
Ihe practice of the Biitish House of Commonst There is a

MARRY AT's diary.

343

perfect scramble among the whole body to get as much as pos-
sible of this fund for their respective constituents; cabals arc
formed, by which the different members mutually play into
each other's hands; general politics are made to he^r on private
business, and private business on general politics ; and at the
close of the Parliament, the member who has succeeded in
secuiing the largest portion of the prize for his constituents,
renders an easy account of his stewardship, with corifident
assurance of his re-elnctioti.

" Not only did the leaders of the Lower Canadian Assotnbly
avail iho^mselves of the patronage thus afforded, by the large
surplus revenue of the province, but they turned this system to
much greater account, by tising it to obtain injlucnce over the
constituencies.

"Tiie majority of the Assembly of Lower Canada iri accused
by its opponents of having, in the most systematic and persever-
ing manner, employed this means of corrupting the electoral
bodies. The adherents of M. Papineau are said to have been
lavish in their promises of the benefits which they could obtain
from the Assembly for the county, whose suffrages tliey solicited.
By such representations, the return of members of opposition
politics is asserted, in many instances, to have been secured ;
and obstinate counties are alleged to have been sometimes
starved into submission, by an entire withdrawal of grants, until
they returned members favourable to the majority. JSouie of the
English members who voted with M. Papineau, excused,
themselves to their countrymen by alleging that they were
compelled to do so, in order to get a road or a bridge, which
their constituents desired. Whether it be true or false, that the
abuse was ever carried to such a pilch, it is obviously one,
which might have been easily and safely perpetrated by a person
possessing M. Papineau's influence in the Assembly."

Next for the grants for public education.

" But the most bold and extensive attempt for erecting u
system of patronage, wholly independent of the Gover.iment.
was that which was, for some time, carried into effect by the
grants for education made by the Assembly, and regulated by
the Act, which the Legislative Council has been most bitterly
reproached with refusing to renew. It has been stated, as a
proof of the deliberate intention of the Legislative 0)uucil tf
crush every attempt to civilize and elevate ilie great nia^s of the
people, that it thus stopped at once the working of about l,00O
schools, and deprived of education no less than 40,000 scholars,
who were actually profiting by the means of instruction thus
pla«;ed within their reach. But the reasons which induced, or
rather compelled, the Legislative Council to stop this system,
are clearly stated in the Report of that body, which contains the
most unanswerable justification of the course which it pursued.
By that it appears, that the whole superintendence and patronage
of these scliools had, by the expired law, been vested in the
hands of the county members; and they had been allowed to

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manage the funds, without even the semblance of snfficieRC
accountability. The Members of the Assembly had thus it
patronage, in this single department, of about £35,000 per
annum, an amount equal to half of the whole ordinary civil
expenditure of the Province. They were not slow ir profiting
by the occasion thus placed in their iiands; and as theie existed
in the Province no sufficient supply of competent schoolmasMers
and mistresses, they nevertheless immediately filled up the
appointments with persons who were utterly and obviously
incompetent, A great proportion of the teachers could neither read
nor write. The gentleman whom I directed to inquire into the
state of education in the Province, showed me a petition from
certain schoolmasters, which had come into his hands; and
the majority of the signatures were those of marks-men. These
ignorant teachers could convey no useful instruction to their
pupils ; the utmost amount which they taught them was to say
the Catechism by role. Even within seven miles of Montreal,
there was a schoolmistress thus unqualified. These appoint-
ments were, as might have been expected, jobbed by the
members among the political partisans ; nor were the fund&
very honestly managed. In many cases the members were
suspected, or accused, of misapplying them to their own use ;
and in the case of Beauhamois, where the seigneur, Mr. Ellice,
has, in the same spirit of judicious liberality by which his whole
management of that extensive property has been marked,
contributed most largely towards the education of his tenants, the
school funds were proved to have been misappropriated by the
county member. The whole system was a gross political
abuse; and, however laudable we must hold the exertions of
those who really laboured to relieve their country from the
reproach of being the least furnished with the means of educatioii
of any on the North American continent, the more severely must
we condemn those who sacrificed this noble end, and perverted
ample means to serve the purposes of party."

We will now claim the support of his lordship upon another
(inestron, which is, how far is it likely that the law will be duly
administered" if the power is to remain in the hands of the French
Canadian population? Speaking of the Commi-ssioners of Small
Causes, his lordship observes —

" 1 shall only add, that some time previous to my leaving the
Province, } was very warmly and forcibly urged, b-y the highest
legal anthoritiesin the country, to abolish all these tribunals at
once, on the ground that a great many of them, being composed
entirely of disaffected French Canadians, were busily occupied
in harassing loyal subjects, by entertaining actions against them
on account of the part they had taken in the late insurrection^
There is no appeal from their decision ; and it was stated that
they had in the most barefaced manner given damages against
loyal persons for acts done in the discharge of their duty, and
judgments by default against persons who were absent, as
volunteers in the service of the Queen, a-nd enforced tkek
judgment by levying distresses on their property."

MAftHYAT^S DIARV.

245

Relative to the greatest preroffative of an Englishman, the
trial by jury, his lordship observes—

"But the most serious mischief in the administration of
criminal justice, arises from the entire perversion of the institu-
tion of juries, by the political and national prejudices of tlio
people. The trial by jury was introduced with the rest, of ihv
English criminal law. For a long time the composition of boih
grand and petit juries wns settled by the governor, vnid ihey
were at first taken from the cities, which were the chefs liciix of
the district. Complaints were made lliat this gave an undue
preponderance to the iJritish in those cities ; though, from the
proportions of the population, it is not very obvious how they
could thereby obtain more than an equal share. Inconsequence,
however, of these complaints, an order was issued under the
government of Sir .lames Kempt, directing the sheriffs t. take
the juries not only from the ciiies, but from the adjacent country,
for fifteen leagues in every direction. Au Act was siii).se(juent-
]y passed, commonly called * Mr, Viger's .fury Act,' exieiidiiig
these limits to those of the district. 'l'lieprin(Mple of lakiiiijthe
jury from the whole district to which the jurisdiction nf the
court extended, is, undoubtedly, in conlurnuty with the princi-
ples of English law ; and Mr. Viger's Act, adopting the other
regulations of the English jury law, provided a fair selection of
juries. But if we consider the hostility an<l proportions of the
two races, the practical effect of this law was to give the French
an entire preponderance in the juries. Tiiis Act was one of the
temporary Acts of the Assembly, and, having expired in 18.30,
the Legislative Council refused to renew it. 8ince that period,
there has been no jury law whatever. The composition ot the
juries has been altogether in the hands of the Government;
private inslructiot;s, however, have been given to the sheriff" to
act in conformity with Sir .Tames Kempt's ordinance ; hut though
he has always done so, the public have had no security for any
fairness in the selection of the juries, 'i'here was no visible
check on the sherlfi'; the public knew that he cotilfl puck a jury
whenever he pleased, and supposed, as a matter of course, that
an officer, holding a lucrative appointment at the pleasure ol
(iovernment, would be ready to carry into effect those unfair
designs which the}' were always ready to attribute to tlie
Government. When I arrived in the Province, the public were
expecting the trials of the persons accused of participation in
the late insurrection. I was, on the one hand, informed by the
iaw officers of the Crown, and the highest judicial authorities,
that not the slightest chance existed, under any fair system ol
getting a jury, that would convict any of tin «e men, however
clear the evidence of their guilt might be ; and, on the other side,
I was given to understand, that the prisoners auvi their friends
supposed that, as a matter of course, they v/ould be tried by
packed juries, and that even the most clearly innocent of theiii
would be convicted.

" It is, indeed, a lamentable fact which must not be coKceal-
ed, tiiat there does not exist in the minds of the people of this

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MARRYAT*!!* DXARV.

Provinces the slightest confidenre in the adminiatratmn 0/
criminal justice; nor were the complaints, or the apparent
grounds for them, confined to one party.

"The trial hyjnry is, thereft)r«', at the present moment, not
only productive in Lower Canada of no confidence in the honest
administration of the laws, but also provides impunrty for every
political offence."

1 have made these long quotations from Lord Durham's Re-
port as his lordship's authority, he having been sent out as Lord
High Commissioner to the Province, to make the necessary
inquiries, must carry more weight with the |mblic than any
observations of mine. All I can do is to assert that his lordship
is very accurate ; and, having made this assertion, I ask, what
chance, therefore, is there of good government, if the power, or
any portion of the power, be left in the hands of those who have
in every way proved themselves so adverse to good government,
and who have wound up such conduct by open rebellion.

The position of the Executive in Canada has, foralongwhilcr
been just what our position in this country would be if the
House of Commons were composed of Chartist leaders. Every
act brought forward by them would tend to revolution, and be
an infringement of the Constitution, and all that the House of
Lords would have to do, would be firmly to reject every bill
carried to the Upper House. If our House of Commons were
filled with rebels and traitors, the Government must stand still,
and such has been for these ten years the situation of the Cana-
dian government; and, fortunate it is, that the out-break has now
put us in a position that will enable us to retrieve our error, and
re-mndel the constitution of these Provinces. The questions-
which must therefore be settled previous to any fresh attempts
at legislation for these Canadians, are, — are, or are iioi, the
French population to have any share in itl Can they be trusted?
Are they in any way deserving of it? In few words, are the
Canadas to be hereafter considered as a French or an English
colony?

When we legislate, unless we intend to change, we mast look
to futurity. The question, then, is not, who are the majority of
to-day, but who will hereafter be the majority in the Canadian
Provinces; for all agree upon one point, which i«, that we must
legislate for the majority. At present, the population is nearly
equal, but every year increases the preponderance of the English;
and it is to be trusted that, by good management, and the en-
couragement of emigration, in half a century the French popula-
tion will be so swallowed up by the English, as to be remembered*
but on record. If, again, we put the elaims of British loyalty
against the treason of the French — the EngliBh energy, activity,
and capital, in opposition to the supineness, ignorance, and in-
capacity of the French population, — it is evident^ that not only
in justice and gralitnde, but with a due regard to our own inter-
ests, the French Canadians must now be wholly deprived of any
share of that power which they have abused, and that confidence
of which they have proved themselves so unworthy. I am

MARftVAT^S DIARY.

247

madh pleased to find that Lord Durham has expressed the same
opinion, in the followingr remarks; and I trust their importance
will excuse to the reader the length of the quotation.

"The English have already in their hands the majority of the
larger masses of property in the country ; thoy have the decided
superiority of intelligence on Ihoir side; they have the certainty
that colonization must swell their numbers to a majority; and
they belong to the race which wields the Imperial Government,
and predominates on the American continent. If we now leave
them in a minority, they will never abandon the assurance of
being a majority hereafter^ and never cease to continu3 the present
contest with all the fierceness with which it now rages. In
such a contest, they will rely on the sympathy of their country-
men at home ; and if that is denied them, they feel very confident
of being able to awaken the sympathy of their neighbours of
kindred origin. They feel that if the British Government intends
to maintain its hold of the Canadas, it can rely on the English
population alone ; that if it abandons its colonial possessions,
they must become a portion of that great Union which will
speedily send forth its swarms of settlers, and, by force of num-
bers and activity, quickly master every other race. The French
Canadians, on the other hand, are but the remains of an ancient
colonization, and are and ever must be isolated in the midst of
an Anglo-Saxon world. Whatever may happen, whatever gov-
ernment shall be established over them, British or American,
they can see no hope for their nationality. They can only sever
themselves from the British empire by waiting till some general
cause of dissatisfaction alienates them, together with the sur-
rounding colonies, and leaves them part of an English confede-
racy ; or, if they are able, by effecting a separation singly, and
so either merging in the American Union, or keeping up for a
few years a wretched semblance of feeble independence, which
would expose them more than ever to the intrusion of the sur-
rounding population. I am far from wishing to encourage, in-
discriminately, these pretensions to superiority on the part of
any particular race ; but while the greater part of every portion
of the American continent is still uncleared and unoccupied, and
while the English exhibit such constant and marked activity in
colonization, so long will it be idle to imagine that there is any
portion of that continent into which that race will not penetrate,
or in which, when it has penetrated, it will not predominate.
It is but a question of time and mode; it is but to determine
whether the small number of French who now inhabit Lower
Canada shall b&made English, under a government which can
protect them, or whether the process shall be delayed antil a
much larger number shall have to undergo, at the rude hands of
its uncontrolled rivals, the extinction of a nationality strengthen-
ed and embittered by continuance.

" And is this French Canadian nationality one which, for
the good merely of that people, we ought to strive to perpetuate
even if it were possible ? I know of no national distinctions
marking and continuing a more hopeless inferiority. The

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languafjre, the laws, the character of the North American Con*
tinent are English ; and every race but the English (I apply
this to all who speak the English language) appears there in
a condition of inferiority. It t» to elevate ihern from that in-
feriority that I desire to give to the Canadians our English
character I desire it for the sake of the educated classes,
■whom the distinction oi language and muitiiors keeps apart from
the great empire to which they helong. At the best, the fate of
the educated and aspiring colonist is, at present, one of little
hope, and little activity ; but the French Canadian is cast still
further into the shade, hy a language and habits foreign to those
of the Imperial Government. A spirit of exclusion has closed
the higher professions on the educated classes of the French
Canadians, more, perhaps, than was absolutely iioces3ary ; but
it is impossible for the utmost liberality on the part of the
British Government to give an equal position in the general
competition of its vast population to those who speak a i'oreign
language. I desire the amalgamation still more for the sake of
the humhli-r classes. Their present state of rude and equal
plenty is fiist deteriorating under the pressure of population in
the narrovv limits to which they are confined. If tl»ey attempt
to better their condition, by extending themselves over the
neighbouring country, they will necessarily get more and more
minjiled with an English population ; if they prefer remaining
stationary, tiie greater part of them must be labourers iu the
employ of English capitalists. In either case it would appear,
that the great mass of the French Canadians are doomed, in
some measure, to occupy an inferior position, and to be de-
pendent on the English for employment. The evils of poverty
and dependence would merely be aggravated in a ten-fold
degree, by a spirit of jealous and resentful nationality, which
siiould separate the working class of the community from the
possessors of wealth and employers of labour.

"I will not here enter into the question of the effect of the
mode of life and division of* property among the French Cana-
dians, on the happiness of the people. I will admit, for the
moment, that it is as productive of well-being as its admirers
assert. But, be it good or bad, the period in which it is practi-
cable, is past; for there is not enouph unoccupied land left in
that portion of the country in which Ennlish are not already
settled, to admit of the present French population possessing
farms • uflicient to supply them with their present means of
comfort, under their present system of husbandry. No popu-
lation has increased by mere births so rapidly as that of the
French Canadians has since the conquest. At that period their
number was estimated at G0,000 : it is now supposed to amount
to more than seven times as many. There has lieeri no propor-
tional increase of cultivation, or of produce from the land already
under cultivation ; and the increased population has been in a
great measure provided for by mere continued subdivision of
estates. In a Report from a Committee of the Assembly in
182G, of which Mr. Andrew Steuart was chairman, it is stated,

MARRYAT S DIARV.

24f>

lliat since 1784 the population of the spigrnoriea had quadrupled,
while tho number of cattle had only doubled, and tho qnaiitity
of land in cultivation had only inoreascd one*third. Cornplaint$(
nf distress are constant, and the deterioration of Uir condition ot
a great part of the population admitted on all hands. A people
80 circumstanced must alter their mode of life. If they wish to
maintain the same kind of rude, hut well-provided a^rricnltural
existence, it must be by removingr into those parts of the coun-
try in which the English are settled ; or if they cling to their
present residence, they can only obtain a livelihood by deserting
their present employment, and working for vrages on farms, or
on commercial occupations under English capitalists. But
their present proprietary and inactive condition is one which no
political arrangements can perpetuate. Were the French Cana-
<lians to be guarded from the influx of any other population,
their condition in few years would be similar to that of the
poorest of the Irish peasantry.

*' There can hardly be conceived a nationality more destitute
of all that can invigorate and elevate a people, than that which
is exhibited by the descendants of the French in Lower Canada,
owing to their retaining their peculiar language and manners.
They are a people with no history, and no literature. The liter-
ature of England is written in a language which is not theirs;
and the only literature which their language renders familiar to
them, is that of a nation from which they have been separated
by eighty years of a foreign rule, and still more by those changes
which the Revolution and its consequences have wrought in tho
whole political, moral, and social state of France. Yet it is on
a people whom recent history, manners, and modes of thought,
so entirely separate from them, that the French Canadians are
wholly dependent for almost all the instruction and amusement
derived from books : it is on this essentially foreign literature,
which is conversant about events, opinions and habits of life,
perfectly strange and unintelligible to them, that they are com-
pelled to be dependent. Their newspnpers are mostly written
by natives of France, who have either come to try their fortunes
in the province, or been brought into it by the party leaders, in
order to supply the dearth of literary talent available for the po-
litical press. In the same way their nationality operates to de-
prive them of the enjoyments and civilizing influence of the arts.
Though descended from the people in the world that most gen-
erally love, and have most successfully cultivated the drama —
though living on a con'inent, in which almost every town, great
or small, has an English theatre, the French population of
Lower Canada, cut oflf from every people that speak its own
language, can support no national stage.

"In these circumstances, I should be indeed surprised if the
more reflecting part of the French Canadians entertained at pre-
sent any hope of continuing to preserve their nationality.
Much as they struggle against it, it is obvious that the process
of assimilation to English habits is already commencing. The
b^nglish language is gaining ground, as the language of the rich

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MARRVAT*8 DIARY.

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and of the employers of labour naturally will. It appeared by
Rome of the ffw leturns, which had been received by the Com-
missioner of Inquiry into the statH of education, that there are
about ten times the number of French children in Quebec learn-
incr Englifth, as compared with the Kn|/li8h children who learn
French. A considerable time must, of course, elapse before the
change of a languasfe can spread over a uhoie people ; and jus-
tice and policy ulike require, tliat while the peoplr continue tr)
use the French lantruaure, their government should t^ke no such
means to forc« the Knglish language upon tliem as would, in
fact, deprive the great mass of the community of the protection
of the laws. But, 1 repeat, that the alteriilion of the character
of the province ought to be immediately entered on, and firmly,
though cautiously, fidlowcd up; that in any plan, which may
he adopted for the future management of Lower Canada, the
first object ought to be that of making it an Fnglish province;
and Ih >:t, with this end in view, the ascendancy should never
again be placed in any hands but those of an Friglish popula-
tion. Indeed, at the present moment, this is obviously neces-
sary : in the slate of mind in which 1 have described the French
Canadian population, as not only now being, but as likely for a
long while to remain, the trusting them with an entire control
over this province would be, in fact, only i^icilitating a reliellion.
Lower Canada must be governed now, as it must be hereafter,
by an English population ; and thus the policy, which the ne-
cessities of the moment force on us, is in accordance with that
suggested by a comprehensive view of the future and permanent
improvement of the province,"

CHAPTER VL

I HAVE quoted largely from Lord Durham's Report, as in most
points relative to Lower Canada, especially as to the causes
which produced the rebellion, the unwarrantable conduct of the
Legislative Assembly, and his opinions as to the charatier of
the French Canadians, I consider that the remarks are co/rect :
they are corroborated by my own opinions and observations: but
I think that the information he has received relative to Ujjper
Canada is not only very imperfect, but certainly derived trom
parties who were not to be trusted : take one simple instance.
His lordship says in his Report, that the petitioners in favour of
Mathews and Lount, who were executed, amounted to 30,000,
whereas it is established, that the whole number of signatures
only amounted to 4,574. Those who deceive his lordship in one
point would deceive him in another; indeed his lordship had a
task of peculiar ditiiculiy, going out as he did, vested with such
powers, and the intents of his mission being so well known. It
is not those who are in high office that are likely to ascertain

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251

ihe truth, whii h is much more likely to hn commnnicated to a
liiinjhie individual liko iuyH«df, who travels throujrh a country
a(ul lieiirs what is Haid nu hoth sides. Tho eaunes stated hy his
Iordshi[) for disoonicni in Upper (/'niiada are not correct. L have
helore said, and I repeal it, that they may almost he rediicefl to
the lollowiufr: the check put upon their euterprizo and industry
hy tlie acts ot' the F.ower (Minadian Assemhiy ; and the favour
shown to the Fretudi hy the ('olonial Olliee, aided l)y the ma-
chinniioua of the American parly, who t'omouted any appearance
of discoulent.

There is in his lordship's Report, an apparent leaninj/ towards
the United Slates, and its institutions, at which I confess that I
am surprised. Why his lordship, after shewing that the repre-
sentative <rovernment did all they possihie could to overthrow
the constitution, should propose an increase of power to that
representative jfovernment, unless, indeed, ho would establish a
demoi'.racy in the provinces, 1 am at a loss to imarrine.

That a representative body similar to that which attempted to
overturn the consiitutiou in Lower Canada can work well, and
even usefully reform when in the hands of loyal English subjects,
is ncknowledjred by his lordship, who says, " the course of the
Parliamentary contest in Upper Canada has not been marked hy
that sinirular neglect of the great duties of a legislative body,
which 1 have remarked in the proceedintja of the Parliament of
Lower Canada. The statute book of the Upper Province
abounds with useful and well-constructed measures of reform,
and presents an honourable contrast to that of the Lower Pro-

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vince

Indeed, unless I have misunderstood his lordship he appears
to he inconsistent, for in one portion he claims the extension of
the power of the representative, and in another he complains of
the want of vigorous administration of the royal prerogative, for
he says : —

** The defective system of administration in Lower Canada,
commences at the very source of power ; and the efficiency of
the public service is impaired throughout by the entire want in
the colony of any vigorous administration of the prerogative of
the crown."

To increase the power of the representative is to increase the
power of the people, in fact to make them the source of power ;
and yet his lordship in this sentence acknowledges that the
crown is the source of power, and that a more vigoroHS adminis-
tration of its prerogative is required.

There are other points commented upon in his lordship's
Report, which claim earnest consideration : one is, that of the

ttropriety of municipal institutions. Local improvements, when
eft in the hands of representative assemblies, are seldom judi-
cious or impartial, and should therefore be made over either to
the inhabitants or executive. The system of townships has cep-
tainly been one great cause. of the prosperity of the United
States, each township taxing itself for its own improvements
Although the great roads extending through the whole of the

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Union are in the hands of the Federal Government, and tlic
wStates Government take up the improvement on an extensive
scale in the States themselves, the townships, knowing exactly
what they require, tax themselves for their minor advantages.
The system in England is much the same, although perhaps not
so well regulated as in America. Are not, hov^ever, municipal
institutions valuable in another point of view ? Do they not
prepare the people for legislating ? are they not the rudiments
of legislation by which a free people learn to tax themselves i^
And indeed, it may also be asked, would not the petty influence
and authority confided to those who are ambitious by their
townsmen satisfy their ambition, and prevent them from becoming
demagogues and disturbing the country 1

Whatever may be the future arrangements for ruling these
provinces, it appears to nrie that there are two great evils in the
present system ; one is, that the governors of the provinces
have not sufficient discretionary power, and the other is, that
they are so often removed. The evils from the first cause have
been pointed out in Lord Durham's Report: —

** The complete and unavoidable ignorance in which the
British public, and even the great body of its legislators, are
■with respect to the real inte ests of distant communities, so en-
tirely different from their own, produces a general indifference,
which nothing but some great colonial crisis ever dispels ; and
responsibility to Parliament, or to the public opinion of Great
Britain, would, except on these great and rare occasions, be
positively mischievous, if it were not impossible. The repeated
changes caused by political events at home having no connexion
with colonial affairs, have left, to most of the various represen-
tatives of the Colonial Department in Parliament, too little time
to acquire even an elementary knowledge of the condition of
those numerous and heterogenous communities for which they
have both to administer and legislate. The persons with whom
the real management of these affairs has or ought to have rested,
have been the permanent but utterly irresponsible members of
the oflice. Thus the eal government of the colony has been
entirely dissevered from the slight nominal responsibility which
exists. Apart even from this great and primary evil of the sys-
tem, the presence of multifarious bnsiness thus thrown on the
Colonial office, and the repeated changes of its ostensible direc-
tors, have produced disorders in the management of public
business wnich have occasioned serious mischief, and very
great irritation. This is not my own opinion merely : for I do
but repeat that of a select committee of the House of Assembly
in Upper Canada, who, in a Report dated February 8, 1838,
say, ' It appears to your committee, that one of the chief causes
of dissatisfaction w ith the administration of colonial affairs arises
from the frequent changes in the office of secretary of state, to
whom the Colonial department is entrusted. Since the time the
late Lord Bathurst retired from that charge, in 1827, your com-
mittee believe there has not been less than eight colonial minis*
Iters, and that the policy of each successive statesinaa has been

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iTiOre or less marked by a difference from that of liis predecessor.
This frequency of change in itself almost necessarily entai^s
two evils; /rs/, an imperfect knowledge of the affairs of the
colonies on the part of the chief secretary, and the conspquent
necessity of submitting important details to the subordinate
officers of the department; and second, the want of stability and
firmness in the general policy of the Government, and which, o1
course, creates much uneasiness on the part of the Governors,
and other officers of the colonies, as to what measures may be
approved.

*' ♦ But undoubtedly (continues the Report) by far the greatest
objection to the system is the impossibility it occasions of any
colonial minister, unaided by persons po>se^sing IochI know-
ledge, becoming acquainted with the wants, wishes, feelings,
and prejudices of the inhabitants of the colonies, during iiis tem-
porary continuance in office, and of decidinir satisfactorily upon
the conflicting statements and claims that are brought before
him. A firm, unflinching resolution to adhere to the principles
of the constitution, and to maintain the just, and necessary powers
of the crown, would do much towards supplying the want of
local information. But it would be performing more than can
be reasonably be expebted from human sagacity, if any man, or
set of men, should always decide i.i an unexceptionable manner
on subjects that have their origin thousands of miles from lh«
seat of the Imperial Government, where they reside, and of
which they have no personal knowledge whatever; and there-
fore wrong may be often done to individuals, or a false view
taken of some important political question, that in the end may
throw a whole community into difficulty and dissension, not
from the absence of the most anxious desire to do right, but from
an imperfect knowledge of facts upon which totorm an opinion.' "
This is all very true. There is nothing so difficult as to
legislate for a colony from home. The very best theory is use-
less ; it requires that you should be on the spot and adapt your
measures to the circumstances and the growing wants of the
country. 1 may add that it is wrong for the Home Government
to consider the Government given to the colony as permanent.
All that the mother-country can do is to give it one, which, in
theory, appears most adapted to secure the true freedom and
happiness of the people; but leaving that form of government
lo be occasionally modified, so as to meet with the changes, the
wants, and the rising interests which the colony may require;
all of which being unforeseen could not be provided for by the
foresight of man. The governor, therefore, of a colony should
be invested with more discretionary power.

The constant removal of the governor from the colony is also
much to be deprecated. On^his first arrival, he can only have
formed theoretical views, which, in all probability, he will have
to discard in a few months. He finds himself surrounded by
people in office, interested in their own peculiar policy, and
viewing things through their own medium, in all colonics yon
'will usually findan oligarchy, cemented by mutual interest, and

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MARR7AT 8 DIARY.

family connection, and so bound up logellier as to bfcome
formidable if opposed to the Government. Into the hands of
ihese people a governor must, to a certain degree, fall, until ho
has had time to see clearly and to jiuitre for himself. But by the
time that he has just disenthralled himself, he is removed, and
another appointed in his place, and the work has to commence
(/e nojo.

Lord Durham has proposed that the Canadas should be united,
and there certainly are some benefits which would arise could
their union take place. He asserts most positively that the
French party must be annihilated. He says. — " It must hence-
forth be the lirst and steady purpose of the British Government
to establish an English population, with English laws and
languaoro in this province, and to trust its government to none
but a decidedly English legislature.'' This is plain and clear ;
but how is this to be affected ? The land of Lower Canada is
still in the hands of the French, and nearly five hundred
thousand out of six hundred thousand of the population are
French.

How, tlien, are we to make the Lower Canadas English ?
We may purchase up the seigneuries ; we may insist upon the
English language being used in the Assembly and courts of
law, in public documents, &c. ; we may alter the laws to
correspond with those of the mother-country ; but will that
make the pr- vince English ? We may even insist that none
hut English-born subjects, or Canadian-born English shall be
elected to the House of Assembly, or hold any public office ; but
will that make th . province English? Certainly not. There
is no want of En^jlish-born demagogues as well as French in
the province. The elections of the Lower province are decided
by ihe ('anadian French, who are in the majority, and they
would find no difficulty in obtaining representatives who would
continue the former system of controlling the executive and
advocating re hellion. Is it, then, by altogether taking away
from the Canadian French the elective franchise and giving it
entirely into the hands of the English, that the province is to
be made English? If so, although 1 admit the French have
proved thciniselves undeserving, and have by their rebellion
forfeited their birth-right, you then place them in the situation of
an injured, oppressed, and sacrificed people; reducing them to
a state of slavery which, notwithstanding their offences, would
still be odious to the present age. By what means, therefore,
does his lordship intend that the province shall become F]nglish
— by immigration ? That requires time ; and before the immi*
gration necess-uy can take place the Canadas may be again
thrown into a rebellion by the French machinations. In our
future legislation for the Canadas, we must always bear in mind
that the French population will be opposed to the Government
and to the mother-country ; and that there is no chance of a
better state of feeling in the Lower province until they shall br-
eome amalgamated and swallowed up by British immigration.
Vntil that takes place, the union of the Canadas will only

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MARRY AT's diary.

255

create a eonflict between the two races, as opposed as fire and
water, and nearly e(|ual in numbers. It will be an imnriense
cauldron, bubbling, steaniintr, and boilinjr over — an ineessan;
scene of strife and irritation — a source of anxietj' and expense to
the inolber-conntry, and, so far from jjoino^ a-brad, I shnnld not
be surprised if, iti twenty years hence, the Enj^lisli population
would b(! found to bf^ smvdler than it now is. Political dissen-
sions would paialysc enterprise, frifrhien away capital, and, in
all probability, involve us in a conflict with the United States.
Until, therefore, I understand bow the Ijower Province is to
become 13ritish, 1 cannot think a union between the Canadas to
be advisable.

Wherher his lordship is aware of it or not, I cannot say, but
there appears to me to be a stronor toeling towards democracy in
ail liis proposed plans, and an evident leanincr towards the in-
stitutions of the United States. He wish(>s to make the
Executive Governmctit responsible to tlui people ; he would
make one Federal Union ot all our provinces, and institute the
Supreme Court of Appeal which ihey have in the United States.
In short, chanire but the word Governor for President, and we
should have the American constitution, and a " free and
enlifrhtened people;" — that is, tfie French Canadians, who can
neillicr rta<l or write, governinir themselves.

So far from a Federal union between all our transatlantic pos-
sessions bein^ advisable, I should think, from their cnntigruity
with the Americans, that it would be advisable to krep them
separate. Respecting' the Canadas, 1 am of the same cpinion.
1 consider that as two provinces, they are too vast in territory
already. Whether it is a woman lookinjr after her servants and
household affairs, or a captain commandin|T asliip,or a governor
rulinjr over a province, larjrp or snmll, as may be the scale of
operation, one of the most important points in jjood legislation,
is the e//e. A jrovernor of a vast province cannot possibly be
aware of the wants of the various portions of the province. He
is obliged to take the reports of others, and consequently very
often legislates unadvisedly.

That the two provinces cannot remain in their present state is
acknowlt-dged by all. The question therefore is, can we ration-
ally expect any improvement by their union ? Perhaps it may
appear |)resumptuous in me (at all events, it will in the eyes of
the EdiuburL^li Revitiv) that I shojild venture to diiler from Lord
Durham, who is a statesman born and bred — for this is not a
party question in wliich a diirerence of politics may bias — it is a
question as to the well-governing ol a most important ccdony,
and no one will I'or a moment doubt but that his lordship is as
anxious as the Duke of Wellington, and every other well-wisher
to his country, to decide upon that which he considers honestly
and honorably t'^ be the best. It is really, therefore, with great
deference that I submit to him, whether another arrangement
should not be well considered, before the union of the two pro-
vinces is finally decided upon.
• His lordship has very truly observed, that in legislating, wo

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are to letrislate for Aitarity; if not, we must be prepared fo."
cli,in<je. ActiniT upon this sound principle, we are to letfislate
aonn the su|)positioii that the whole country of Upper and Lower
Canada /s well peopled. VVr- are not to lejrislate for the present
popuUitiiMi, but fnr tin? future. And how is this to be done in
the present condition of the provinces? Most assuredly by
leijislatii)'^ for territory — for the amount of square acres which
will eveiitu'.illy be tilled up by emiiiration. I perf(^cl1y agfree
with his lordship in the remark that " if the Canadians are to
be deprivfnl of their representative (government, it would be bet-
tor to do it in a straioht forward way;" but I submit that it
would f)H done \',\ a siraitrht forward way by the plan [ am about
to submit to him, and I consider it more advisable than that ot
convulsincr the two provinces by brintrinir tofjether the two races
so inveterate airainsl each other. InsteKd of a union of the two
provinces, I should think it more advisable to separate the
(.'anada.s into three — I'pper, Lower, and Middle (Canada, the
line of demarcation; and the capitals of each Province appear
already to be inark'^d out. 'J'he Lower province would have
Quebec, and be separated from the Middle Province by the Ot-
tawa river. The Middle Province would have Montreal, and
would extend to a line drawn from Lake Simcoe to Lake Onta-
rio, throwiiig into it all the townsliips on the .jQnif.rican side of the
St. Lawrence^ w\\'\c\\ would do away with the p^reat objection of
the Upper province being <lependent upon the Lower for the
transport of goods up the river, and the necessity cf dividing be-
tween the provinces the custom-house revenues. Under any
circumstances, it would be very advantageous to have a port of
entry and custom-house, in or nearer to the Gulfof St. Lawrence,
as ships would then be able to make an extra voyage every
year. I should say about Gaspe would be the spot. This bay
being on the American side of the river St. Lawrence would be-
come the entry port for the Upper and Middle provinces, ren-
dering them wholly independent of the Lower. The Upper
province would comprehend all the rest of the territory west ot
the line, drawn from Lake Superior, and have Toronto for its
capital, 'i'his would be a pretty fair division of territory, and
each province would be more than sufficient for the eye of the
most active governor.

Let each province have its separate sui-govemor and House
of Assembly ; but let the Upper House, or Senate, be selected
of equal numbers from each province, and assemble at Quebec to
decide, with the fruvernor-in -chief of t'le pro^nnces^ upon the
passing or rejecting of the bills of the three respective Lower
Houses. This, although perfectly fair, would at once give in
the Senate the preponderance to the English of the Upper and
Middle provinces. It would still leave to the Lower Canadians
their franchise ; and their House of Assembly would be a
species of safety-valve for the demagogues to give vent to their
opinions, without their being capable of injuring the interests of
the provinces, until ihey gradually amalgamated with the British
immigration. I merely offer this plan as a suggestion to his
\oi;d8hip, and, of course, enter ipto no further. dQtaU.,

MABRYAT'S DIARV,

257

There are, however, one or two otlier points which appear to
me to be worthy of consiilpration. It' the Oanadas are of that
importance wliich I th'nk thetn, there are no nieans which wo
should not nse to attach them to the mother-country — to make
them partial to monaiohi*! instiliuions — and to idtntify iheni
with the Uritish empire. We should make sacrifices for them
that we would not to other colonies; ami therefore it is that I
venture my opinion, that it would not only be politic, but it
would be just to such an extensive territory — and eventually
such an extensive population — to permit each of the three pro-
vinces, (provided they are ever divided into three,) to select one
of their senate to represent them in the British House of Com-
mons. I consider it but an act of justice as well as of policy.
This step would, as I said before, iilcnilfi) ihnse valuable pro-
vinces with ourselves. They then would feel that they were
not ruled, but that they were part and portion, and assisted in
the government of the British empire, and, to draw the line as
strictly as possible between them and their democratic neigh-
bours, to attach them still closer to monanrhical institutions, ir,
should be proposed t-" the Sovereijrn of these realms that aii
Older of kniorhthood and an Order of merit expressly Canadian
should be instituted. These last may be considered by many
lobe, and perhaps in themselves are, trilles; but they are no
trifles, when you consider that they must militate agamst those
democratic feelinors of equality which have been so industriously
and so injuriously circulated in the provinces by our trans-
atlantic descendants. I cannot better conclude these observa-
tions than by quotincr the opinion of so intelliirent a nobiemau
as Lord Durham, who asserts most positively that *'K(iir|and,
if she loses her North American colonies, must sink into a
second-rate power."

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CHAPTKR Vir.

INDIANS.

There was no subject of higher interest to me during my
travels in North America, than the past and present condition of
the Indian tribes. Were I to enter into the history of the past,
1 could easily fill three or four volumes of matter, which 1 think
would be found very well worth perusing. It is to i)e lamented
that there has been no correct history of the Indian tribes yet
published. There are many authors in America well calculated
to undertake the task» and the only reason which I can give for
it not having been already done, is that probably the American
<iovernmeiit are not very willing to open the archives of the
Indian department even to their own countrymen ; and, at the
same lime, an American author, who would adhere to the truth,
would not become very popular from exposing the system of
rapine and injustic ' which was commenced by the English wha

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first laiKlpd, and has been continued up to the present day by
the Federal Government of the United States. Nevertheless,
it is to he lamented,' now that the race is so fast disappearing-,
that a oood historical account of them is not pubfished. There
is no want of material for the purpose, even if the (Jovernment
refuse their aid ; but at present, it is either scattered in various
works, or wh^n attempted to be collected together, the author
has not he(Mi equal to the task. There is a quesiion which has
been raised by almost every traveller in America, which is —
from whom are the American Indians descended 1 and I think
from thi' many works I have consulted, that the g^eneral opinion
is, that tliey are descended from the lost tribes of Israel. We
have n(-Vv^r discovered any other nation of savages, if we may
use such a term to the American Indians, who have not been
idolaters; the American Indian is the only one who worships
the one living God. In a discourse, which was delivered by
Mr. Noah, one of the most intelligent of the Jewish nation that
I ever had the pleasure of being acquainted with, there is much
depp research and a collection of the various opinions upon this
subject.

Many tribes were totally annihilated or their remnants incor-
porated into others, living faraway from their original territories*
the Tiiscaroras, for instance, were driven out of Carolina and
admitted into the Mohawk confederacy, which originally came
down from the upper shores of the river St. Lawrence. The
Winnei)agnps, also, were driven from the south and settled on
the river Wisconsin. The Sacs and Foxes fought their way
from «he river St. Lawrence to the Fox river, in Wisconsin, and
were driven from ihence, by the Menomonies and Chippewas,
to the 1 ^riitory of Hock river, on the river Mississippi, where
they r> inained, until deprived of their territory by the Federal
(lovernment, and sent away to the west of the river.

Notwithstanding tlie vicissitudes which continually occurred,
the tribes of North American Indians may be classed as fol-
lows : —

The Alironquin stock of the North — under which are com-
prehended the ('hippt-was, Otiawas, Menomonies, Murines, &p.

The Southern tribes, who are also descended from one stock,
and comj)rise Creeks, Cherokees, Chocktaws, Catawbaws,
Chickas iws,&(-.

The Morse Indians of the West, as the Pawnees, Osages,
Sioux, ]\aiisas, (-umanches, &e.

The Indians of the Rocky Mountains, as Crows, Snakes, and
Blaekfeet.

All the above races were composed of numerous tribes, who
acknowledged themselves as blood relations, but did not enter
into any confederacy for mutual support; on the contrary, often
warring with each other. There were other powerful tribes,
which resid«>d between the lakes and the Ohio, bordering on the
huntiiKjr grounds of Kentucky and Tinpin, which portion ap-
peared to be set aside, by general consent, not only for hunting
but for war. There were the Delawares, or Lenni-Lenape, the
Shawnees, Wyandots, Illinois, Peorais, and some olheFB,

MARRVAT^S DIARY.

S59

The confederate tribes, and with which the early settlers had
to contend, were as follows: —

The Powhatan confederacy, comprising the Monacans, Mona-
hoacs, and Powhatans, occupyintf the present stale of Virginia
from thp sea-coast to the Alleghany mountains.

'I'he Npw Enirland confederacy, who rf^sided in the present
States of New Knijland, composed of the Peqiiots, Narrangan-
sets, Pawiiickets, Pokanokets, and Massachusetts tribes.

And lastly, the confederacy of the five nations, or Mohawks,
called Mingos by the other Indians, and Iro(juois by the French.
This confederacy was composed of the Mohawks, Oneidas,
Cajriiyas, Onandiijas, and Senecas. The Tuscaroras, were
afterwards admitted as a sixth,

1 will make a few brief observations upon the various tribes,
in the order I have set them down.

The Algonquin stock has suffered less than any other, simply
because they have been located so far north, and their lands
have not been required. The Chippewas are at present the
most numerous tribe of Indians. 'J'he most celebrated chief ot
this stock was Pontiac, an Otta va ; after the (^anadiis were
given up to the English, he proved a most formidable nemy;
he attempted and, to a certain degree, succeeded in uniting the
tribes against us, and had not his plot been discovered, would,
in all probability, have wrested from us Detroit and every other
post in our possession on the lakes. Uut F.intiac couKI not
keep up astanding army, which was so contrary to the habits of
the Indians ; one by one the tribes deserted him, and sued for
peace. Pontiac would not listen to any negociaiions, he retired
to Illinois, and was murdered by a Peoria Indian. The (3tto-
was, (Chippewas, and Poltawatamies, who fouglit under him,
avenged his death by the extirmination of nearly the whole tribe
of Peorias. Pontiac was one of the greatest Indians in his4,ory.

Of the Southern tribes there are not any records sufliciv^ntly
prominent for so short a notice.

The Horse Indians of the West and those of the Rocky
Mountains are scarcely known.

The .Miuland tribes produced some jrreat men. The Dela-
wares were at one; period the most celebratt^d. 'J'heShawanees,
or JShawnees, do not appear to have been opposed to the
Whites, until IJoone and his adventurers crossed the Alleofha-
nies, and took posse ssion of the valley of Kentucky, i^iit the
iShawnees have to boast of Tecumseh, a chitf, ,is gr(^at in
renown as Pontiac; he also attempted to coiif(Mlerate all the
tribes and drive away the Whiles; his history is hinhly
interesting. He fell in battle fighting for thy English, in the
war of 1814.

The ciwfKkrate tribes on the eastern coast, were those with
which the first settlers were embroiled. The history of Virgi-
nia is remarkable for one of the most singular romances in real
life which ever occurred : I allude to Pocahontas, the daughter
of the king of the Powhatans, who saved the life of the enter-
prising ('apiain Smith, at the imniincnt risk of her own. The

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romancpwas not, however, wound up by their marriaore, Captain
Smith not ht'iii<r u marry i mj mvin ; hut she afterwards married
a younir Kiitr|i>i|im;ui. of the name ot liandolph, was l)romjhi to
Kngiand. ri"ceiv«H^ at court, and paid much attention to by Queen
Anne. ISomo of the first familiefj in Virginia proudly and justly
claim their descent Irom this noble jjirl.

The New Kuiiiaiid (confederacy was opposed to the piljrrim
fathers and their descendants. The chief tribe, the VVampa-
noagrs, 1m ve to boast of the third jrreat chi<'f amonij the Indian
tribes — Ivinjj Philip. His history is well known; I have
alieady referred to it in my Diary.

If the rtvader will consult the histories of Philip, Pontine and
Tecumseh, who niv»y fairly be said lo have been " (jreat men,"
he will perceive that in each cai^e, these chiefs were the life and
soul of enterprise and action, and that it was by their talents,
bravery, and activity, that the tribts were confederated and led
againel tlie Whites. As soon as they were jjone, there were
none who could succeed them or fill up tneir places, and the
confederacies were immediatt-ly broken up. l^ut this was not
the case with the celebrated five nations, or Mohawks, who,
like the Romans of former days, spread their conquests tmtil
their name was a terror wherever it was mentioned. Philip,
Pontiac and Tecumst h were fjreat men, but the Mohawks'
confederacy was a nation of ffreat ummi. When the French
settled in Canada in 1003, the Mohawks, or Iroquois as they
called them, were livinsjr near to where Montreal now stands.
They were at war with the Adirondack^, a very numerous and
powerful nation, and were beaten down towards the Lakes; but
they recovered themselves, and their opponents were in their turn
l)eaten down to Quebec. The war between the Adirondacks
and the Iroquois is full of the most interestinjj details ofcourajje
on both sides. The Iroquois havinjr subdued, and indeed,
exterminated the AdiromiacUs, turned their arms against several
other tribes, whom they vaiKjuished ; they then attacked the
< Htawas and Hiirons, and drove them to the other side of the
Mississippi. The Illinois were next sididutd, then the Miamies
and Shavvnees were driven back for the time. Finally, they
conquered the Viifrinian tribes, and warred airainst the (.'hero-
kees, Catawbas, and other nations of the South. Although it;
was impossible for them to hold the vast extent of country which
they had overrun, still it is certain that their very name was so
terrible that, from New Kiifiland to the Mississippi, every towu
and villajje would be deserted at their approach.

The chief portion of the Mohawks, under their celebrated
leader Brandt, served on the Drilish side in the war of Indepen-
•iice, and at ttie close of the war, they settled in lands given
ihein by the bhiijlish, on the banks of (irand river in Canada in
the year 178.'^. At the timt ihey took possession of their land,
their numbers amounted to nearly 8,000; t)ut, as is every where
the case where tne Indians are settled and confined on reserved
lands, they ha\e now decreased to about 2,500. A portion of
the tribe of Senecas, one of the Mohawk confederacy, joined the

MARRY AT is DIARY.

961

Americans; tlin remnants of them are still located a few miles
from lii)flalo, in tlie Slule of New-York. 'ri\eir chief, lieit
Jacket, die'.! lately ; he was a yreut warrior and still greater
orator.

'i'lie most firmidahle opponents to the five nations were tlie
Delawares, or liCMini I/enape, who lived in Pennsylvania. The
Delawarcs joined the IJritish in the war of Independence.

In the siicceedinij chapter, I shall jiive the reader a censns ot'
the American Indian Irihes which still remain. It will he per-
ceived that they are chicHy comprised of trihes which inhahiteil
the Far- West, and were nntil lately, almost unknown. Of the
New lOnixlatii! and Vir<rinian confederacies, once so powerful,
not a ve«li<re rci.iains ; of the Delavvares, 8'2() still exist VVeist
of the Mississippi; of the Shawanees, or iShawnees, once so
terrible on the banks of the Ohio, \'21'2. In fact, all those
Indians whose territory bounded the coast first taken possession
of by the White men, have been annihilated. 1 liave often heard
it aryeed when 1 was in the United JStates, that the Indians could
not Ix' considered as having any claim to the land, as they did
' 3t selth; or cultivate it ; and it is a general opinion that they
lived ahnost entirely by the proceeds of the chase. ; but this is
not a fact; indeed it is disproved by the early settlers themselv-
es, who acknowledge that if they had not been supplied with
corn by the Indians they must have starved. That the Indians
did not grow more than was sufficient fortheir own consumption
is very probable, but that they did cultivate the land is most cer-
tain ; indeed, when the country and soil were favourable, they ap-
pear to have cultivated to a great extent. When General Wayne
destroyed the settlements of the Miamies and Wyandots, on the
Miami river, in IT'Jl, he says in his despatch, " never have 1
beheld such immense fields of corn in any part of America as
possessed hy these Indians."

The chase was considered by the Indians as a preparatory
school for warriors, and was followed accordingly; indeed, a
hunting party and a war party were often one and the same
thing, as the hunting grounds were common, and when tribes
who were at variance fell in with each other, a conflict invaria-
bly ensued. My limits will not permit me to enter into the
subject more fully ; my object has been, in as few pages as pos-
sible, to assist iji giving the reader some idea of the loca-
tion of the Aborigines of America. If he would know more
of this interesting people, there are many very excellent works
concerning them written by Americans, which, were they col-
lected together would form a most valuable and important library.

CHAPTER Vm.

INDIANS.

I will now enter into a short examination of the present posi-
tion of the remaining Indian tribes. The plan of the American

U','2

marrvat's niARV.

I '

Ml V

■y't ' ,

h *■,:

ii'li
1^

(iovrrnifient has been to coii.])fil iliom to st^ll their lands ami
romove wpsI nt'llin Mississippi, to lands of wliicli 1 doubt that
tht^ Auicrirans havn any riijht to claim an atTc. That the re-
inoval of Ihein is expt'ditMit I jj^taiit, and that is all ih-it can hv
said on the snhjccU. That tht? Indians were fated lo melt away
before the white men like snow before the snn, is true; still, it
is jniinfiil lo consider what has taken ])lace from the period of
onr first lai)din<i;, when we were received hospitaldy — saved
from starvation by the crcnerons sacriliee of their small stores of
iLjrain — j»erinitled lo settle upon a small tract of land humbly
solicited — and that from the time that the \\hite men once jjained
a fooliuLj on their shores, the Indians have bijcii hunted like
wild b'asts from hill to hill, from riv«'r to river, and from coun-
try to Country, until nearly the whole of the vast continent may
be said to have b«^en wrested from them. This system is still
continued, one tribe beintr force, 1 back westward upon another,
till they come into conllict with, and destroy, eaeli other; but
the buH'ilo and otiier animals, n[)on which they depend for food,
recede with them and crradually disappear. As (M.ristians, we
must latrioiit that the track for the advice of (/hristianity is
cleared away by a series of rapine, cruelty, and injustice, at
which every one must shudder.

The followinjT is the Jieport to the American Government, of
the various tribes of Indians remaining in the year 1837. It is
<livided into three parts.

Statement showing the number of Indians now cast of the Mis-
sissipjii; of those that have emiiifrated from the east to the
west of that river; and those within striking distance of the
Western frontier.

1. — IVnme and number of the frilns now cast of the Mississij)j}i.
1. — Under treaty stipulations to remove west of the Mississippi,
VVinneb.ijroes . . _ 1,500

Ottawas of Ohio - - 100

Pottawatamies of Indiana - 2,950

Chippevvas, Ottawas, and Pottawatamies 1,500

Cherokees - - _

14,000

Creeks . - - -

1,000

Chickasaws - - -

1,000

Semi Holes . . -

5,000

Appalachicolas - - -

400

Ottawas and Chippewas in the Penin-

sula of Michigan

G,500

3G,I)50

2. — Not under treaty stipulations

to remove.

Now York Indians

4,17(5

Wyandots - . _

575

iMiamies - - . _

1,100

Menomonies ...

4.000

Ottawas and Chippewas of the lakes

2,504

1" ll*!

49,365

MAHHVAT S niARY.

^611

2,—yumbcr of //u/jVi/w who have tmitrrntcl from t/tc msl to tlir

went of the Misnix^lppi,

Chickasaw's ...

(/hi|)|)rwas, Ottawas, aiul I'oUawatamics
Choctaws ....
Quapaws - - - -

Creeks ....
Seminoles -
Appalachicolas

(Mierokoes - . - -

Kickapods ...

Delaw iros - - .

Shawnees - - . -

Ottawas ....
Weas - - - .

Piankpshaws ...

Peorias and Kaskaskias
Pottawatainics oi" Indiana -
Senecas - - - _

Senecas and Shawners

Total

51!)

2,lf)|

15,0()(»

47C.

20,i;{7

107

2()5

7,911

588

H2G

1,272

;J71

223

1 1\2

132

251

211

51,327

3. — dumber of the Li(ftij:enous Tribes within striking (liiiunc/:

(f the IVi.stern frontier.

Sionx -

lowas

Sacs

Foxes

Sacs of tiie Missouri

Osaaes -

Kansas -

Omahas

Ottoes and Missourias

Pawnees

Camanches

Kioways

Mandans

Quapaws

Minatarees

Pagans

Assinaboins

Appaches

Crees -

Arrepahas

Gros-Ventres

Kntaws

Crows -

21,600

1,500

4,80()

1,600

500

5,120

1,606

1,600

1,000

12.500

19,200

1,800

3,200

450

2,00()

30,000

15,000

20,280

3,000

16,800

19,200

7,200

kjHpiVj

1 '■

•if

f|i ;

: a
'i' ■

11^ ■

kf >

2€4

•..'

MARKVAT 8 UIARY.

Caddopg
I*(>noa«»
Arirkarecs
(?heypnue3
Ul VIC k feet

Total

RECAPITULATION.

2,000

J>06

2,760

3,200

:u),ooo

23 1, HOG

10,305

Mumhor of Indians now east of the Mississippi
Number of Indians who have tMiii|rrated from cast to

west side . . _ - - 51,327

Number of indigenous tribes - - - 23l,H0G

Aggreg^ate
Esti muled number of warriors.

332,4l>8

332,11)8

Whole n\imber of Indians . - -

Assumitijr tliat every fifth one may be considered a
warrior (and this is believed to be a reasonable
supposition), the number of warriors will be 60,491)

War Department,

Office of Indian AfTairs, November 22, 1837.
C. A. HAIlUIlS, Commissioner.

This force of the Indians, if ever they combined, would be
very formidable, and they mijrht certainly sweep away the
whole white population west of ihe Mississippi. That there
will hereafter be an attempt of th..t kind is very probable, as
hunarer must eventually drive them to it; but any success iii
their attempt must depend very mu(;h tipon their leaders, and
the possibility of combination. It certainly appears to have
been an oversijfht on the part of the Anuuican Ciovernment, to
loncentratc the whole of the Indinns upon their frontiers in the
way which they have done; still, they could not well have a(;t-
ed otherwise. The removal of the Cherokees has been the
most hazardous part of their proceed I nj;, as they are very
superior people; and should the other tribes put themselves
imder their directions, they would be formidable enemies. There
is another circumstance wliich may render the Indians more seri-
ous enemies, which is, that ihey, havinij been located on the
prairie country, have become Horse Indians, instead of what is
termed Wood Indians, and they have a vast country behind
them to retreat to in case of necessity. I do not think, how-
ever, that there is, at present, mutrh fear to be felt relative
to the Indians, althouirli the (^herokees, the Sioux, and some
other powerful tribes openly declare their hostile intentions
a.8 soon as an opportunity otfers for carrying them into execu'

marryat'a diauv.

365

■J

77"

n
'■n

tion. That opportunity will not olVrr, unNss Amrrica is plnnjr»d
into war with France or this country, and then I am pretty con-
fident that there will he a jreneral risinjr of the Indians; when,
whether they act in concert or not, tliey will uive the Americans
more' occupation than will he ajrretv.ihjc. 'I'lie Anjerican govern-
ment have not heen insensihie to the danjrer to which they are ex-
posed from this quarter, and, in IH.'IT, ilie repr)rts of military men
were sent into Congress as to the best plan of proteclintr th» ir
frontier. Whether those reports are inti'nded to he acted upc n
1 know not; hut if so, the i)resent re^rular army of the I'nited
►States will not he sutTicient for the ])uri)ose, the lowest estima-
tion for the ^.urisons of the proposed forts heiutr 7,(K)() rank and
file, while at present their rank and file on the army-list only
amounts to r>,()(H).

The American forts o|)pos(Hl to the Indians are, at present,
Fort Gratiot, River 5St. Clare. *^ ^

Mackinaw Island Fort.
Fort Brady, St. Marie, Lake Superior.
Fort Howard, (Jreen liay.
Fort Winnehago, Wisconsin.
Fort Crawford. Prairie des Chiens.
Fort Snellinjr, St. Peters.
Fort Leavenworth, Missouri.
Fort Madison, Des Moines Uiver.
Jelferson Barracks, Missouri.

Advanctd Forts,

Fort Towson, Red River.

Fort Gibson, Arkansas and Grand Junction River.

Fort Adams, Baton Rou<re.

There are one or two outposts also on the Arkansas River.
If all these forts were properly g-arrisoned, they would take (ivery
disposable musket in the regular army of the United States ;
whilst at present they have, in consecpience of the protracted
Florida war, scarcely sutTicient men to do the duty.

In the report of the acting quarter-master general, the follow-
ing garrisons are proposed for the western frontier : —

- - ."JOO men.
300

- '100
- 1,200

- 1,500
800

- 800
200

-1,500

Fort Snelling

Fort Crawford

[Tpper forks of the Des Moines

Fort Leavenworth - - - -

Fort Gibson - - - - -

Fort Towson

The eight posts of refuge proposed
The protection of the four depots
JetTerson barracks, as a corps of reserve

Total -

7,000

266

MARRyAT"*S DIARY.

':?■ ;;

To which must be added, for the gnrnsons of the five Lakes
forts, 1,500 at least, making the force necessary for the protec-
tion of the boundaries, to amount to 8,500 men. Colonel Gra-
tiot, in his report, computes the force necessary at 12,910 men

The letter of Mr. Poinsett to Congress will Ihrow much light
upon this subject, and I shall therefore insert it.

" Department of War,
•' December .30, 1837.

" Sir : — In aarwer to the resolution of the House of Represent-
atives, in relation to the protection of the western frontiers of
the United States, I have the honour to transmit the accompa-
nying reports of the chief engineer and the acting quarter-master
general, together with a report of the commissioner of Indian
affairs. That expected from General Gaines will be sent as soon
as it is received.

" In presenting these documents, which are ably drawn up,
and contain full and satisfactory information on all the topics
embraced by the resolution, I might nave considered my duty
fully discharged, had not other plans been previously recom-
mended, which I regard as entirely inefficient, but which have
received, in some measure, the sanction of Congress. A survey
has been directed to determine the line of a road, which, it is
contemplated, shall extend from some point of the Upper Mis-
sissippi to Red River, passing west of Missouri and Arkansas ;
and it is proposed to place a cordon of temporary posts of ordi-
nary construction along it, as a sufficient measure for the defence
of that part of the country. In pursuance of the orders of Con-
gress, officers I ave been appointed to perform that duty, and,
upon their report being received, measures will be taken to carry
into effect the intentions of Congress, unless, upon a deliberate
review of the whole matter, some more eligible plan of defence
shall be adopted. My own opinion has been, from the time 1
first considered the subject, that such a chain of posts, strung
along the best road that can be constructed, furnished with all
the means to operate, and with competent garrisons to occupy
them, is not calculaU^d to afford that protection which the border
^States have a right to expect from the Government, nor to redeem
its pledge to protect the emigrant tribes from the savage and
warlika people that surround them. The only possible use of
such a road would be to facilitate occasional communications
between the posts, in time of peace. Supplies would not be
transported along it, for they must be brou^^ht from the interior.
Succours could not reach the posts by that direction, for they
would be furnished by the militia within the line ; and any
attempt to concentrate the forces composing the garrisons in the
event of an outbreak, would probably be attended with disas-
trous consequences ; for the troops, whose route must be well
known, would be exposed to be attacked and destroyed in detail.
The enemy, having nothing to dread on their flanks or rear.

MARRY AT 8 DIAR7.

267

i Lakes
protec-
lel Gra-
[0 men

ch light

ar,

1837.
present-
tiers of
jcompa-
r-masler
' Indian
as soon

iwn up,
e topics
my duty
' recom-
ch have
^ survey
ch, it is
per Mis-
rkansas ;
of ordi-
defencG
of Con-
ity, and,
to carry
eliberate
defence
le time 1
s, strunof
with ail
occupy
le border

redeem
vajre and
3 use of
nications

1 not be
interior,
for they
and any
)ns in the
th disas-
t be well
in detail.

or roar,

might approach this road without risk, and attack the detach-^
ments on their line of march, before they could concentrate their
forces so as to offer an effectual resistance.

" After mature reflection, I am of opinion that military posts
ought to be established and kept up within the Indian territory,
in such positions as to maintain peace among the Indians, and
protect the emigrant and feebler tribes against the stronger and
more warlike nations that surround them ; which the United
States are bound to do by treaty stipulations. To withdraw
those which now exist there, would be to violate our faith, as
there is reason to apprehend that it would be the signal of war.
Persons well acquainted with timt country assure us that war
would break out among the Indians 'just so soon as the troops
are removed from those posts ;' and all accounts from that quarter
confirm that impression.

" Independently of the military protection which the existence
of these posts in the interior of the Indian country afford to the
emigrating tribes, and the good they are calculated to effect by
the beneficial influence the officers are enabled lo exert over the
surrounding Indians, they more effectually cover and protect the
frontier than ten times the number of fortresses, strung along in
one line, could do.

" With the very limited knowledge of that country as yet in
possession of this department, it appears to me that six or seven
permanent exterior posts would be sufficient to preserve the
peace of that frontier. It will be necessary, at the same time,
to establish, at convenient poi; ;.; an interior line of posts, to
serve as places of refuge for UiC inhabitants in periods of danger
and alarm, until the militia can march to their succour from the
interior, and the troops be put in motion upon the rear of the
invaders. Eight of these would be amply sufficient, from vvhich
patrols might be kept up along the frontier to enforce the inter-
course laws. Both descriptions of forts should be so con-
structed as to be defended by a small garrison, and in a manner
that each part may be successfully maintained against a very
superior force, both during the time the whole is being com-
pleted, and in the event of any portion of it being burnt or de-
stroyed. This arrangement would require tlio establishment of
a few depots of arms and supplies, from which communications
should be opened to the posts. The accompanying skeleton
map presents a view of the relative positions of the posts and
depots, and of the communications from them to the line of de-
fence for the speedy transportation of succours and supplies.
A regular force of five thousand men would be sufficient to gar-
rison these posts, and, with a competent reserve at Jefferson
barracks, and an effective force at Baton Rouge, would, I think,
both ensure the safety of the western frontier, and enable the
Government to fulfil all its treaty stipulations, and preserve its
faith with the Indians, I would recommend, as an important

268

marryat's diary.

;|-

auxiliary to this system of 'defence, the organization of an effi-
cient volunteer force, to be raised in each of the frontier States ;
the men to be mustered into service for a certain term of time,
the officers to be appointed according to their State laws, and
to be instructed a certain number of days in each year by the
regular officers of the United States army at the posts within
the states, and to receive pay during that period. In this man-
ner an efficient corps of olRcers may be created, and a body of
volunteers be at hand to march to the succour of the border
settlers and repel the invaders, whenever they are called upon
by the proper authority.

" I venture to hope, if these measures are adopted by Con-
gress, and carried into effect at an early day, so as to anticipate
any ho? tile movement of the Indivms, peace will be preserved
on our Western borders ; but if they should, unfortunately, be
delayed until the discontent which exists among many of the
tribes breaks out into open hostility, and the first movements
of that wild and warlike people prove successful, as they in-
fallibly would d.) in our present unprepared state, it might re-
quire double the force, and quadruple the means I have here
indicated, to restore and preserve peace along that extended
frontier. All which is respectfully submitted.

" J. R. Poinsett.

" Hon. James K. Polk,

" Speaker of the House of Ueprescntalives."

The acting quarter-master-general, in his report, makes the
following observation : —

"The obligations of the Government in reference to the
Western frontier are of a very peculiar character. It is first
bound, by a common duly, to ])rotect its own border settlements,
extending along a line of one thousand miles, against the in-
cursions of numerous navaore tribes, separated trom those settle-
ments by mere imaginary lines; and it is next bound, by the
solemn treaty stipulations, with such of those tribes as have
emigrated to that frontier, ' lo protect them at their new resi-
dences against all interruptions or disturhances from any other
tribes or nations of Indians, or from any other person or persons
whatsoever.'

" If these ol)ligations are to be scrupulously fulfilled in good
faith, which wnuld seem to be due to our character as a nation
professing a panrnal care over these people, a military force of
ihlriy llnnmind mm on the Western frontier would scarcely be
adequate to enable the Government to discharge its duties to its
own citizens, and redeem these pledges of protection to the
Indians.

"It is not my intention, however, to propose such a force.
Political expediency, I presuiiie, would not tolerate it, however
it might be justified by military considerations. It is merely
adverted to here in connexion with the heavy obligations which

an effi-
States ;
)f time,
ws, and
■ by the
} within
lis man-
body of
J border
ed upon

by Con-
iticipate
reserved
itely, be
y of the
vements
tliey in-
niffht re-
ive here
jxtended

'fSETT.

akes the

le to the
t is first
lements,
t tiie in-
se settle-
I, by the
as iiave
new resi-
iiiy other
r persons

d in ffood
a nation
' force of
arcely be
ties to its
on to the

I a force.
, however
is merely
Otis which

MARRY AT S DIARY

269

rest upon Government, and which have probably Seen contracted
from time to time, without any very nice calculation of tiie
means that would be necessary to a faithful discharge of them.
1 will, therefore, without enlarging upon this jjoint, proceed to
state the minimum force that is deemed necessary to give pro-
tection to the border settlements, and assist in preserving peace
among them and their Indian neighbours along the line of the
frontier. These are great and important objects of themselves,
without superadding the yet more tlifficult task of protecting
the emigrant tribes, whom our policy has placed beyond the
frontier, from the wild and warlike Indians of the Far West."

And Colonel Gratiot, in his report, makes the following ad-
mission. Speaking of the second, or middle section, he
Bays :—

" Secotiil, or Middle Section. — The country beyond this line is
mostly elevated and free from marshy ground ; is abundantly
watered, thinly wooded, healthy, and has been assigned for the
permanent residence of the tribes which have been, or are to be,
removed from the States and territories east of the Mississippi,
and is still occupied by the Aborigines originally found within
its limits. In numbers they count, according to some estimates,
131,000, and can send to the field 2(),200 warriors. As yet, no
community of feeling, except of deep and lasting hatred to the
white man, and more particularly to the Anglo-Americans,
exists among them; and, imless they coalese, no serious diffi-
culty need be apprehended from them. Not so, however,
should they be induced to unite for purposes offensive and de-
fensive : their strength would then become apparent, create
confidence, and, in all probability, induce them to give vent to
their long-suppressed desire to revenge past wrongs, which is
restrained, as they openly and freely declare, by fear alone.
That such a union will be formed at no distant day, we have
every reason to believe ; and the period may be accelerated by
their growing wants, and the policy of Mexico to annoy
Texas, and raise an impenetrable barrier in the direction of
her frontier."

That at present the Western frontier is defenceless is unde-
niable, and the Florida war does not appear to be at all nearer
to a conclusion than it was two or three years ago. That the
Indians to the west of the Mississippi are not ignorant of what
is going on is very certain; and the moral ellect arising from
the protracted defence of the Seminnles may • ventually prove
most serious, and be attended with enormous expense to the
Tnited States.

The Federal Government tak'?s every precaution to impress
the Indians with an idea of the impossibility of their opposing
the white men. The agents persuade the chiefs to go down to
Washin^non to see their great father, the President. On these
occasions they are accompanied by the Indian agent and inter-

23*

270

marbyat's diary.

m '

preter, and, of course, all their expenses are paid. They are
lodged at the hotels, taken to all places of public amusement, and
provided with conveyances. But the policy of the Government
is to cause them to make a circuit throujrh all the most populous
cities, as the crowds attracted by the apj)earance of the Indians
^ive them an extraordinary and incorrect idea of the American
j)opulation. Wherever they ^o tiiey are in a crowd. If they
are at the windows of an hotel, still the crowds are immense;
and this is what the Government is anxious should take place.
1 was at Uoston when the two deputaticms of the tSioux and
Sacs and Foxes tribes arrived. The two nations being- at enmity,
the Sioux were conducted tliere first, and left the town on the
arrival of the Sacs and Foxes, or there would probably have
been a fiorht. The Governor received the latter in the Town-
hall, and made a speech ; I was j)resent. 1 thought at the time
that it was not a speech that 1 would have made to them, and
if I mistook not, it brouglit up recollections not very ajrreeable
to the chiefs, although they were t<io politic to exjuess their
feelinifs. But a few years before, their lands east of the Mis-
sissippi had been wrested from them in the most unfair way, as
I have mentioned in my remarks upon the treatment of the In-
dians by the American Government.

Governor Everett commenced his speech as follows : —

" Chiefs and warriors of the confederated Sacs and Foxes,
you are welcome to our Hall of Council. You have come a far
way, from your red friends of the West, to visit your white
brethren of the East. We are glad to take you by the hand.
We have heard before of the Sacs and the Fox tribes : we have
heard much of their chiefs, warriors, and great men : we are
now oflad to see them here. We are of Massachusetts : the red
men once resided here: their wi<Twams were on yonder hill :
and their Council Chamber was here. When our fathers came
over the great waters, they were a sn)all band, and you were
powerful : the red men stood on the rock by the seaside, and
looked at them with friendly eyes : he might have pushed tJ'<»m
into the water, but took them by the hand, and said welcome,
white men. Our fathers were hungry, and the red man gave
them corn and venison. Our fathers were cold, and the red
man spread his blanket over them and made them warm. Wo
are now great and powerful, but we will remernhcr in our pros-
perity the benefits bestowed by our red brethren in our ad-
versity."

Up to the present, they certainly have forgotten them ! !

But the fate of the red man appears to be nearly decided
What between their wars with each other, the use of spirituous
liquors, and the diseases imported by the whiteS; they dwindle
away every day. The most fatal disease to them is the small-
pox. The following account, which I have extracted from one

5-i

marryat's diart.

271

of the American papers, was confirmed to me by a letter from
Fort Snellinjj : —

.ippallinu; dcstmctinn of JVortk-ivrxt Indiam hi/ Small-pox.

terd;

of th

m account
demic by means of a steam-boat tradintr on tbeMissouri. To-
day vve subjoin, from tbe St. Louis Bulletin slip of March 3d, a
detailed account of its ravagres. The disease has reached tho
remote band of the Blackfeet, and thousands of them had fallen
victims. They do not blame the traders.

" The ' Pipe Stem,' u chief of jrreat influence, when dyinn^,
called his people arourul him, and his last request was, tliat'they
\vould love their traders, and be always governed by their ad-
vice. ' I may,' says one of the traders, ' be blamed for not
using measures to arrest the j)r()gress of the disease, but with-
out resort to arms on the arrival of the boat with supplies, the
Indians could not have been driven from the fort.'

" An express went two days a-head of the boat, but it was of
no use preaching to the Indians to fly — they flocked down to
the boat as usual when she arrived. The peltry trade in that
quarter is ruined for years. The company agent at Fort Union,
writes, Nov. 30, that all their prospects on the Upper Missouri
are totally prostrated. The epidemic spread into tbe most dis-
tant part of the Assinaboin country, and this tribe were dying
by fifties and hundreds a day. The disease appeared to be of
a peculiarly malignant cast ; some, a few moments after severe
attacks of pain in the head and loins, fell down dead, and the
bodies turned black immediately after, and swelled to three times
their natural size. 'J'he companies erected hospitals, but they
were of no use. The carts were constantly employed burying
the dead in holes; afterwards, wiien the earth was frozen, they
were consigned to the water. Many of the scjuaws are left in
a miserable condition. The disease has not reached the Sioux
many of whom have been vaccinated.

"The Mandans, numbering 1, GOO, living in permanent vil-
lages 1,600 miles above St. Louis, have alldied but thirty-one.

"The Minatarees, or Gros V^entres, living near the Mandans,
numbering about 1,000, were, by our last accounts, about one
half dead, and the disease still raging.

" The Arikarees, amounting to 3,000, who but lately aban-
doned a wandering life, and joined the Mandans, were about
half dead, and the^disease still among them. It is probable
ihey have been reduced in proportion to the Mandans.

" The Assinaboins, a powerful tribe, about y,000 strong, liv-
ing entirely by the chase, and ranging north of the Missouri,
in the plains below the Rocky Mountains, down toward the
Hudson^s Bay Company, on the north lied River, are liitrally
annihilnfed. Their principal trade was at Fort Union, mouth
of the Yellow Sione.

11.

t73

MARRY AT S DIARY.

I i

" The Crees, living in the same region, numbering 3,000, are
nearly all destroyed. The great nation called Blackfeet, who
wander and live f)y the chase, ranging through all the region
of the Rocky Mountains, divided into bands — Piegans, Gros
Ventres, Blood Indians, and Blackfeet, amounting in all to
50,000 or 60,000, have deeply suffered. One thousand lodges
or families have been destroyed, and the disease was rapidly
spreading among the different bands. The average number in
a lodge is from six to eight persons.

" The boat that brought up the small-pox made her voyage
last summer, and the ravages of the distemper appear to have
been jrreatest in October. It broke out amonjr the Mandans,
July 15th. Many of the handsome Arickarees who had reco-
vered, seeing the disfiguration of their features, committed sui-
cide ; some by throwing themselves from rocks, others by
stabbing, shooting, Sec, The prairie has become a grave yard;
its wild flowers bloom over the sepulchres of Indians. The
iitmosphere for miles is poisoned by the stench of hundreds of
carcasses unburied. The women and children are wandering
in groups without food, or howling over the dead. The men
are flying in every direction. The proud, warlike, and noble
looking Blackfeet are no more. The deserted lodges are seen
on the hills, but no smoke issues from them. No sound but
the raven's croak, and the wolf's long howl breaks the awful still-
ness. The wolves fatten on the dead carcasses. The scene
of desolation is described as appalling beyond the powers of
imagination to conceive."

That they may give the Americans much trouble, however,
previous to their final extermination, is true, and that they are
anxious to revenge themf>elves, is equally certain. The greatest
misfortune which could happen to the United States would be a
union or mixture of the netjroes with the Indian tribes. If this
were to take place, the population would, in all probability,
rapidly increase, instead of falling away as it now does; as then
the negro population would till the ground sufiiciently for the
support of themselves and the Indians, as they now do among
tlie Creek and Seminole tribes, who have plenty of cattle an(l
corn. The American Indian in his natural state suffers much from
hunger, and this is one cause of the non-increase of their popu-
lation. What might be effected by the bands now concentrated
on the American frontier, if at any future time they should be-
come amalgated with the negroes, will be fairly estimated by
the reader when he has read the account I am about to lay before
him of the war in Florida.

'-vf

marryat's diarv.

273

3,000, are

:feet, who
he region
ana, Gro3
in all to
nd lodges
13 rapidly
lumber in

er voyage
to have
Mandans,
had reco-
litted sui-
Dthers by
ave yard;
ms. The
adreds of
vandering
The men
and noble
are seen
sound but
wful still-
^he scene
jowers of

however,
t they are
e greatest
r'ould be a
5. If this
obability,
s; as then
ly for the
io among
cattle an(l
Quch from
leir popu-
icentrated
hould be-
mated by
lay before

CHAPTER IX.

causes of the FiiOniDA war.

Most of my countrymen are aware that the Americans have
been carrying on a war against the Florida Indians for the last
two or three years ; the details, however, are not so well known;
and as this Florida war ought to be a lesson to the Americans,
and may, as a precedent to the other Indians, prove of great im-
portance, I shall enter into the particulars of it. I am moved,
indeed, so to do, as it will atford the reader a very fair specimen
of the general policy and mode of treatment shewn to the Indians
by the American government. Florida was ceded by Spain to
the United States as a set-off against 500,000 dollars, claimed
by the Americans for spoliations committed on her commerce.
The white population of Florida is not very numerous even now ;
the census of 1830 gave 18,000 whites and 10,000 slaves, inde-
pendent of the Florida Indians, or Seminoles. Seminoles is a
term for runaways or wanderers ; the Indian tribes in Florida
being a compound of the old Florida Indians, two varieties of
Creeks, who quitted their tribe previous to their removal west
of the Mississippi, and Africans who are slaves to the Indians.
Their numbers at the commencement of the war was estimated
as follows : —

Warriors

The Mico-sukee Indians, of which Osseola, or Asseola,

was one of the principal chiefs _ - - - 400

Creek and Spanish Indians 8r)0

Negroes GOO to 700

In all about 1900 warriors.

The chief of the whole Seminole nation is Mic-e-no-pah, and
next to him in conse(iuence, as orator of the nation, is an Indian
of the name of Jumper. It must be ol)servpd that tiiese Indians,
liaving slaves, cultivaUnl the ground and had large stocks of
cattler Florida, like all the confmes of the United States, had
a white population not very creditable to any country, and many
of these people wer" tiiere more with a view of robbing the In-
dians of their negroes and cattle, and soiling them in the West-
ern States, than with any intention of jjermanently settling in

the country.

As soon as the Floridas were ceded by the Spanish, the
American Government perceived the expediency of removing
the Indians from the territories, and, on the I8th of September,
1823, a treaty was entered into with the Indians, by which the
Indians, on their part, agreed to remove to the westward after
twenty years from that date, that is on September 18lh, 184. .

274

marrvatt's diary.

ft;

By the same treaty the American Government secured to the
Indians a tract of land in Florida, containintr five millions of
acres, for their subsistence durinjr the time that they remained
in that State ; and agreed to pay the Indians certain annuities,
in consequence of their surrendtring all title to the rest of the
Florida country, and engaging to confine themselves to the
limits of the territory allotted to them.

Nothing could be more plain or simple than the terms of this
treaty, which, in consequence of the council being held at this
spot, was denominated the treaty of Camp Moultrie.

The third article in the treaty of Camp Moultrie runs as fol-
lows: — "The United States will take the Florida Indians under
iheir care and patronage, and will afford tlicm protediun against
ail persons whatsoever.^''

One of the gre^it errors committed by the American (Jlovern-
mentwas in binding itself to perform what was not in its power.
It could no more protect these Indians against the white ma-
rauders, than it could prevent the insurgents from attacking
Upper Canada. The arm of the Federal Government is too
weak to reach its own confines, as will hereafter be shewn by
its own acknowledgment. The consecjuence was that, very
soon after the treaty of Camp Moultrie had been signed, the
Indians were robbed and plundered by the miscreants who
hovered near them for that purpose.

An American author states that two men, Robinson and Wil-
burn, belonging to Georgia, contrived to steal from one chief
twenty slaves, to the value of 15,000 dollars, and carried them
to New Orleans. I will however quote a portion of the work.
" Another influential chief, Emachitochustern, commonly
called John Walker, was robbed of a number of slaves in a
somewhat similar manner. After making an appeal to the
government agent, without the least chance of redress, he says :
' I don't like to make any trouble or to have any quarrel with
white people, but, if they will trespass on my lands and rights,
I must defend myself the best way I can, and if they do come
again they must bear the consequences. But is there no civil
law to protect me ] are the negroes belonging to me to be stolen
away publicly in the face of all law and justice ? carried off
and sold to fill the pockets of these land pirates. Douglass and
his company have hired a man, who has two large trained dogs
for the purpose, to come and take olV others. He is from Mobile,
and follows catching negroes.'

" Colonel John Blount, another estimable chief, was inhu-
manly beaten by a party of white men, who robbed him of several
hundred dollars ; he made application to the authorities, but the
villains were allowed to escape.

" These facts show how nald and forbearing the Seminoles
have acted under the most trying circumstances ; and even when
their property has been assailed in this way, they have, in nu-

w<
mi

tii
a

MARRY AT 8 DIART.

•275

red to the
lillions of
r remained
annuities,
est of the
^es to the

"ms of this
eld at this

jns as fol-
ians under
tJii against

n Govern-
its power,
white ma-
attacking
ent is too
shewn by
that, very
igned, the
3ants who

and Wil-
one chief
ried them
he work,
ommonly
aves in a
al to the

he says :
rrel with
nd rights,

do come
3 no civil

be stolen
irried off
glass and
ined dogs
n Mobile,

vas inhu-
of several
!s, but the

»eminoles
ven when
^e, in nu-

merous instances, refi-ained from making resistance; their hands
were bound, as the severest punishment awaited any attack they
rnight make upon the intruders, even though circumstances jus-
tified it. But as the Indian's evidence could not be received in
a court of justice, the white man's oath would condemn him to
the most torturing punishment."

But in every way were the poor Indians the prey of the whitr
men. The same author says, among many other cases brought
forward, " A man, by the name of Floyd, was employed by an
Indian woman to recover some negroes for her, and instead of
presenting a mere power of attorney for her signature, she found,
alas ! it was a bill of sale for all her negroes ! Another individ-
ual was requested by Miconopy, governor of the Seminoles, to
draw a piece of writing for him, to which, without suspicion of
its character, he attached his name ; it was soon after discovered
to be a conveyance of a large tract of land !

Another source of profit to these scoundrels was the obtaining
by fraudulent means from the Indians, orders upon the Ameri-
can Government for the payment of portions of their annuity
granted in return for the cession of the territory. " One of the
government agents was a delinquent to them for a considerable
amount. He robbed the principal interpreter of the nation, a
veqi influential black chief by the name of Abraham, of several
hundred dollars, by getting a receipt from him without paying
the money, under the plea that it was necessary to send the re-
c^^ipt to Washington, where it was filed to the credit of the agent.
Several other Indians of influence were robbed in a similur
manner; and when they demanded the money lron> the succeed-
ing agent, they were t(dd that the government would not pay
them. Is not this an unsound principle to adopt in our inter-
course with the Indians 1 Is it just or honourable for us to
send our own agents among them, without their approval, and
not hold ourselves responsil)lc for their conduct? If we wore
indebted to a nation, and the funds are sent through an agent to
pay over, and he neglects to do so, are we not still liable, and
would not a civilized power still hold us responsible]"

I have mentioned tliese facts to show that the Indians were
justified in their want of fviith in the white men : they were
robbed and pillaged and had no redress ; nay, they were im-
prisoned as thieves for taking away their own cattle which hatl
been stolen from them, although they showed their own marks
and brands upon them. Whether the American (Government
offered all this spoliation with a view to disgust the Indians and
incline them to remove to the wstward, the reader will be
better able to judge for himself when he has read a few pages
more.

The Florida people were now subjected to retaliation on the
part of the Indians, who, finding that they could obtain no
redress, naturally took the l'.vvv into their own hands, and loss

376

MARRY AT's DIARV.

iV i|

»Ii

of life on botli sides was the ponsequenre. This produred
petition after petition from the Flnrjihi whit»' populati n to the
jrovernment, requeslinjf that the Indians niijrht be inov« ' west
prior to 1813, the period atrreed upon hy the treaty u I C'am[>
Moultrie. Colonel (Jadsden, a citizen of Florida, was appoiHt-
e«l eoniniissioner to treat with the Indians, and on the 8th of
April 1832, had an interview with Mie-e-no-pah, and a few
other chiefs. 'I'he Indians refpustcd thirty days to collect the
opinions of the absent chiefs, and on the Hth of May 1832, they
met the connnissioner, accord iiifr to ai)pointment, at Payne's
Landing. The commissioner had a jrrcat deal of difficulty in
obtaining their consent to the removal, which was ultimatily
given upon certain conditions.

By this treaty, the Indians atrreed to remove west upon beinjr
paid a certiin sum for the reserved land ; an annuity for a certain
number of years ; and other advantages, which would occupy
too much space to particularize here. The treaty was signed
by Mic-e-no-pah, the head chief, Juniper, and thirteen more.

But the treaty was assented to upon (me condition, which
was, that the Seminoles were snlisfied 'w'Uh the lands apportioned
to them west of the Mississippi. This is acknowledged by
Colonel Gadsden, in his letter to the Secretary of War, who
says — " There is a condition prefixed to the agreement, without
assentinpr to which the ,Florida Indians most positively refused
to negotiate for their removal west of the Mississippi. Even
with the condition annexed, there was a reluctance (which
with some difficulty was overcome) on the part of the Indians,
to bind themselves by any stipulations before a knowledge of
facts and circumstances would enable them to judge of the
advantages or disadvr.n'ages of the disposition the government
of the United States wished to make of them. They were
finally induced, however, to assent to the agreement."

"'i'he final ratification of the treaty will depend upon the
opinion of the seven chiefs selected to explore the country west
of the Mississippi river. If that corresponds to the description
given, or is equal to the expectations formed of it, there will be
no difficulty on the part of the Seminoles."

There was a very unwise delay on the part of the American
government after the signing of this second treaty. More than
two years were permitted to elapse befor-" any appropriation of
land was made for the Indians, who became dissatisfied, and
tlie treaty was by them pronounced to be "a white man's treaty,"
which they did not any longer consider to be binding.

But there are other reasons why the Seminoles did not con-
sider the treaty as binding; they did not like the lands allotted
to them. A deputation of seven was sent west of the Missis-
sippi : the land they acknowledged was good land, 'out they
found that they were close to the Pawnee territory, and that
that tribe was proverbially famous for stealing cattle and horses.

8 produced
latii (1 to the.
fiiov* ' west
ly ul ( 'ani(»
las apj)oint-

the 8th of

ami a few

I collect the

1832, they
at Payne's
difficulty in

ultimately

upon hoiwfr
for a certain
iild occupy
«'as signed
n more,
tion, which
apportioned
v'ledged hy
War, who
nt, without
ely refused
ipi. Even
ce (which
le Indians,
Dwledge of
\gG of the
rovemment
Phey were

upon the
imtry west
description
ere will be

American
More than
>riation of
isfied, and
I's treaty,"

•

d not con-
ds allotted
he Missis-
, i)ut they
and that
nd horses.

MAUUYAT S DIAUV, ^77

It wafl also the d«lrrmli»ati()i\ of the AiMt-rir.ui (•'ovcriuurnt, an
thi-y were considered as a portion of liie ('nek nation, to settle
llji'Hi near to and incorporate iheni with that iialioo. This did
tiot suit them; the Crieks had claimed many of their slaves,
and they knew that they had no chance with sO superior a f<»ree
as that of the ('revk nation, who wotdd have taken all ilieir
slaves from them. As, therefore, the I'awnees would have
stolen all their cattle, and the Creeks have taken all their slavfs,
they considered that utter destitution would he the conset|ueiif,'
of the removal as propos<'d hy the American (lovernuu'ut. 'Vo
•/et over the latter iliiHculty, the ^overmnent j)ropose(l that the
Seminoles should sell their slaves pnvious to their removitiir,
hut, this they ohjected to. TIk; Americaji author! have (|uoted
says : —

*' It was then sufrijested to them that, hy a sale of the)<e ne-
pr(M's before they left Florida, they would au^uent their ro-
swurces, and could go into their new country without the dread
of exciting thectipidity of tin ('reeks. Hut tlu^se Indians have
always evinced great reluctaiuM! to |»artiug with their slaves :
indeed the Indian loves his neirro as much as one of his own
children, and the stc^rnest necessity alone wojihl drive him to
the |)arting ; this recommendation was, therefore, viewe<l with
evident alarm, and as the right of retaining posse.-.sion of them
was guaranteed by the commissioner, strong doubts were raised
as to the sincerity of the pledgt;.

"The Seminole Indians are poor agriculturists and husbatul-
men, and withal too indolent tf) till the ground, and, without
their negroes, would literally starve : besides, should they dis-
])ose of them they could not be re |)leinshed in a new country.
Again: the opposition of the slaves themselves to being sold
to the whites would excite all their energies to prevent emigra-
tion, for they dread the idea of being transferred to sugar aiul
cotton plantations, where they must be subject to the surveil-
lance of the overseer. The life of a slave amon<j the Indians,
compared with that of negroes under overseers, is one of luxury
and ease ; the demands upon him are very triding, scarcely ever
excee«ling eight or ten bushels I'rom the crop, the remainder
being applied to his own profit : they live separate, and often
remote, from their owners, and enjoy an ecpial share of liberty.
The negro is also much more provident and ambitious than his
master, and the pectiliar localities of the country eminently
facilitate him in furnishing the Indian with rum and tobacco,
which gives him a controlling intiuence over the latter, and at
the same time affords him an immense profit; so that it can
be easily imagined that the negroes would in no manner Iw
b«nefitted by the change."

On the 23d of October, 183 1, being two years and a half after
the signing of the second treaty at Payne's Landing, a council
of Inaians was again summoned by the agent, who informed

■>.

4^ ^^^

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

1.0

I.I

21 12.5

150

1Z^

^ U£ 12.0

L25 III 1.4

1.6

Photographic

Sciences

Corporation

•^

,'*'-

' <?•.

'O" ^ "^I'f^

^^^'

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MS80

(716)873-4503

278

MARRTAT S DIARY*

them that all they had now to answer were the following qaes*
tions :—

Will you incorporate yourselves with the Creek nation in the
Far-West?

Will you have money for your cattle which you leave here
on your arrival there, or will you have cattle in return 1

Will you go by water, or by land 1

Will you have your next annuity paid in money or in goods 1

Upon this, the chiefs retired and held a private council. It
is said that Asseola, the principal chief of the tribe of Micosu-
hees, persuaded them strongly to resist going, and declared that
he would consider as his enemy any one who agreed to go.
Asseola had not signed the treaty. The next day the council
was resumed, and the chiefs made the following replies to the
agent.

'I'he first who spoke was Holata Mico, principal war chief.
He expressed his wish that there should be no quarrelling, at
the same time that he gave his evidence as to the truth of the
first book of Moses.

^^Holata Mico then rose, and said — * God made all of us, and
we all came from one woman, sucked one hubby ; we hope we
shall not quarrel ; that we will talk until we get through.'

^^Miconopy then said—' When we were at Camp Moultrie we
made a treaty, and we were to be paid our annuity for twenty
years. That is all I have got to say.'

^^ Jumper said—* At Camp Moultrie they told us all difficulties
should be buried for twenty years, from the date of the treaty
made there ; that after this we held a treaty at Payne's Landing,
before the twenty years were out ; and they told us we might
go and see the country, but that we were not obliged to remove.
The land is very good, I saw it, and was glad to see it ; the
neighbours there are bad people ; I do not like them bad Indians,
the Pawnees. I went and saw the place ; I told the agent that
I was a rogue; that he had brought me to the place here along-
side, and among the rogues, the bad Pawnees, because I am a
rogue. I went to see the land, and the commissioners said that
the Seminoles must have that land. When we went west to
see the land, we had not sold our land here, and we were told
only to go and see it. The Indians there steal horses, and take
packs on their horses ; they all steal horses from the different
tribes ; 1 do not want to go among such people ; your talk seems
always good, but we don't feel disposed to go west.'

"CAffr/ey jmathla then rose, and said — 'The speakers of the
nation are all dead ; but I recollect some of their words when
they had the meeting at Camp Moultrie. I was not there, but
heard that we would be at peace, and that we would have our
annuity paid to us for twenty years. White people have told tm
t?tat the treaty ai Gamp Moultrie^ which was made by grfd men,
and not to be broken, mid secured them for twenty years,- that seven
years of that treaty are still unexpired. I am no half breed, and do

I
I

MARnVAT S DIARY.

279

not lean on one side. If they toll me to go after the seven yeaiS,
I say nothing. As to the proposition made us by the agent
about removing, 1 do not say I will not go ; but I think that,
until the seven years are out, I give no answer. My family I
love dearly and sacredly. I do not think it right to take them
right off. Our father has often said to me that he loves his
children — and they love him. When a man is at home, and got
his stock about him, he looks upon it as the subsistence of him-
self and family. Then when they go off, they reflect and think
more seriously than when quiet at home. I do not complain of
the agent's talk. My young men and family are all around me.
Should I go west, I should lose many on the path. As to the
country west, I looked at it ; a weak man cannot get there, the
fatigue would be so great ; it requires a strong man.' "

This talk made the agent very angry ; he told them that they
should stand by the treaty at Payne's Landing ; he desired them
to retire, an4 when they came again to act like chiefs and ho-
nourable men.

"October 25, 1834. The council convened at 11 o'clock.
Interpreters as yesterday.

" The agent said to the council, * I am ready to receive your
answers to the questions which I submitted to you.'

'•^Holata Mieo. — * I have only to repeat what I said yesterday,
and to say that the twenty years from the treaty at Moultrie has
not yet expired. I never gave my consent to go west; the
whites may say so, but I never gave my consent.'

" /Mmper.— ' We are not satisfied to go until the end of twenty
years, according to the treaty at Camp Moultrie. We were
called upon to go to the west, beyond the Mississippi. It is a
good country; (his is a poor country, we know. We had a good
deal of trouble to get there ; what would it be for all our tribe V

^^Miconopy. * I say, what I said yesterday, I did not sign the
treaty.'

^''Agent, — 'Abraham, tell Miconopy that I say he liesf he did
sign the treaty, for here is his name.' "

Miconopy here asserts that he did not sign the treaty, which
certainly appears to be a falsehood : but it should be remembered
that, by the agent's own admission, it was only a conditional
signature by a portion of the chiefs, provided that they liked the
location offered to them ; and as they objected to thi8,the treaty
was certainly, in my opinion, null and void. Indeed, the agent
had no right to demand the signatures when such an important
reservation was attached to the treaty. I do not give the whole
cf the agent's reply, as there is so much repetition ; the follow-
ing are extracts ^—

" I have told you that you must stand to your bargain. My
talk is still the same. You must go west. Your father, the
President, who is your friend, will compel you to go. There-
fore, be not deluded by any hope or expectation that you will be
permitted to remain here. You have expressed a wish to hear

»= SI

I-

280

MAKRVAr .S DiaRV.

my views and opinion upon the whole matter. As a man, and
your friend, I will this day deitrn to reason with you ; for I want
to show you that your talk of to-day is the foolish talk of a
child.

" Jumper says, they agreed at Payne's Ijandinar to go and
examine the country west, but they were not bound to remove
to it until the nation should agree to do so, after the return of
the delegation; and he adds, what others of you have said, that
the treaty at Camp Moultrie was to stand for twenty years.
Such a talk from Jumper surprises me, for he is a man of sense.
He understands the treaty at Payne's Landing, which he signed ;
he was the first named in that treaty, of the delegation appointed
to go west ; he knows that that treaty gave him and the mem-
bers of the delegation authority to decide whetlier the nation
should remove or not.

"The Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws and Cherokees, who
live in the States, are moving west of the Mississippi river,
because they cannot live under the white people's laws ; they
are gone and going, and the Seminole nation are a small handful
to their number. Two governments cannot exist under the same
boundary of territory. Where Indians remain within the limits
of a state or territory until the jurisdiction of a state or territory
shall be extended over them, the Indian government, laws and
chiefships, are for ever done away — the Indians are subject to
the v;hite man's law. The Indian must be tried, whether for
debt or crime, in the white man's court; the Indian's law is not
to be known there ; the Indian's evidence is not to be admitted
there; the Indian will, in every thing, be subject to the control .
of the white man. It is this view of the subject which induces
your father, the President, to settle his red children beyond the
limits of the states and territories, where the white man's law is
never to reach you, and where you and your children are to
possess the land, while the grass grows and the water runs.
He feels for his red children as a father should feel. It is,
therefore, that he made the treaty with you at Payne's Landing,
and for the same reason he will compel you to comply with your
bargain. But let us look a little more closely into your own
situation. Suppose (what is however impossible) that you
could be permitted to remain here a few years longer, what
would be your condition 1 This land will soon be surveyed^ sold
to, and settled 6y, the whites. There is now a surveyor in the
country; the jurisdiction of the territory vntt soon he extended over
this country. Your laws will be set aside^ your chiefs will cease to
be chiefs t claims for debt and for your negroes would be set up
against you by bad white men, or you would perhaps be charged
with crimes af^^cting life ; you would be hauled before the white
man's court ,• the claims against you for debt ^ for your negroes or
other property^ and the charges of crime preferred against yoti^
would he decided by the white man's law, WTiite men would he
witnesses against you ,• Indians would not be permitted to give evi%

a fe>

and

thusi

witl

of bl

cleaj

him

MARRY AT 8 DIARY.

381

denee ; your condition^ in a very few years, would be hopeless
wretchedness,^^

What an admission from their father, the President, after
having, in the third article of the treaty of Camp Moultrie, de-
clared that the United States will afford the Florida Indians
protection against all persons whatsoever ! ! !

" Thus, you may see, that were it possible for you to remain here
a few years longer, you would be reduced to hopeless poverty,
and when urged by hunger to ask, perhaps, of the man who
thus would have ruined you (and is, perhaps, now tampering
with you for the purpose of getting your property) for a crust
of bread, you might be called an Indian dog, and be ordered to
clear out. [Here Jsseola, who was seated by Miconopy, urged
him to be firm in his resolution.] Your father, the President,
sees all these evils, and will save you from them by removing
you west ; and I will stand up for the last time to tell you, that
you must go ; and if not willingly, you will be compelled to go.
I should have told you that no more annuity will be paid to you
here. [Asseola replied, that he did not care whether any more
was ever paid.] I hope you will, on more mature reflection,
act like honest men, and not compel me to report you to your
father, the President, as faithless to your engagements."

" Asseola said, the decision of the chiefs was given ; that
they did not intend to give any other answer.

** Miconopy said, — ' I do not intend to remove.'

" The Agent. — ' I am now fully satisfied that you are wilfully
disposed to be entirely dishonest in regard to your engagements
with the President, and regret that I must so report you. The
talk which I have made to you must and will stand."

Thus, indeed, the council and the parties separated. The
American government was supine, thinking, probably, that the
Indians would not resist much loivger ; but the Indians, on the
other hand, laid up large stores of powder and lead. Six
months elapsed, and then the Indians were informed that they
were to hear the last talk of the father, the President, on this
side of the Mississippi. On the 22d of April, 1835, the In-
dians assembled, and had the following communication from
General Jackson : —

" To the Chiefs and Warriors of the Seminole Indians in

Florida,

" My Children : I am sorry to have heard that you have
been listening to bad counsels. You know me, and you ksow
that I would not deceive, nor advise you to do any thing that
was unjust or injurious. Open your ears and attend to what I
shall now say to you. They are the words of a friend, and the
words of truth.

**The white people are settling around you. The game has
disappeared from your country. Your people are poor and
hungry. All this you have perceived for some time. And

24*

lii

383

MARK vat's DIARV.

nearly three years ag'o, you made an agreement with yotir
friend, Colonel Gadsden, acting on the part of the United
States, by which you agreed to cede your lands in Florida, and
to remove and join your brothers, the Creeks, in the country
west of the Mississippi. You annexed a condition to this
agreement, that certain chiefs, named therein, in whom you
placed confidence, should proceed to the western country, and
examine whether it was suitable to your wants and habits;
and whether the Creeks residing there were willing to permit
you to unite with them as one people, and if the persons thus
sent, were satisfied on these heads, then the agreement made
with Colonel Gadsden was to be in full force.

" In conformity with these provisions, the chiefs named by
you proceeded to that country, and having examined it, and
having become satisfied respecting its character and the favour-
able disposition of the Creeks, they entered into an agreement
with commissioners on the part of the United States, by which
they signified their satisfaction on these subjects, and- finally
ratified the agreement made with Colonel Gadsden.

"I now learn that you refuse to carr/ into effect the solemn
promises thus made by you, and that you have stated to the
officers of the United States, sent among you, that you will not
remove to the western country.

" My children : 1 have never deceived, nor will I ever de-
ceive, any of the red people. I tell you that you must go, and
that you will go. Even if you had a right to stay, how could
you live where you now are ? You have sold all your country.
You have not a piece as large as a blanket to sit down upon.
What is to support yourselves, your women and children ?
The tract you have ceded will soon be surveyed and sold, and
immediately afterwards will be occupied by a white population.
Y'ou will soon be in a state of starvation. You will commit
depredations upon the property of our citizens. Y'ou will be
resisted, punished, perhaps killed. Now, is it not better peace-
ably to remove to a fine, fertile country, occupied by your own
kindred, and where you can raise all the necessaries of life, and
where game is yet abundant ? The annuities payable to you, and
the other stipulations made in your favour, will make your situa-
tion comfortable, and will enable you to increase and improve.
If, therefore, yon h^d a right to stay where you now are, still
every true friend would advise you to remove. But you have
no right to stay, and you must go. I am very desirous that you
should go peaceably and voluntarily. Y'ou shall be comfortably
taken care of and kindly treated on the road, and when you ar-
rive in your new country, provisions will be issued to you for a
year, so that you can have ample time to provide for your future
support.

" But lest some of your rash young men should forcibly
oppose your arrangements for removal, I have ordered a large
■nilitary force to be sent among you. I have directed the com-

mandj

Thor

you.

as pri

seasoj

will
badbj
I havl
force.!
to inc

MARRVAT^S DIARY.

283

manding officer, and likewise the agent, your friend General
Thompson, that every reasonable indulgence be held out to
you. But I have also directed that one-third of your people,
as provided for in the treaty, be removed during the present
season. If you listen to the voice of friendship and truth, you
will ^o quietly and voluntarily. But should you listen to the
bad birds that are always flying about you, and refuse to remove,
I have then directed the commanding officer to remove you by
force. This will be done. I pray the Great Spirit, therefore,
to incline you to do what is rio-ht,

" Your friend,

"A. Jackson."

'' IVagMriffton, February 16, 1835."

Several of the Indian chiefs replied, wishing for amity but
unwilling to quit; but the council was broken up by the agent,
who informed them that he had been sent there to enforce the
treaty : he had warriors enough to do it, and he would do it. It
was the question now whether they would go of their own ac-
cord, or by force ?

This determination on the part of the agent induced some of
the chiefs to waver, and eventually eight principal chiefs and
eight sub-chiefs signed the articles agreeing to remove; but
Miconopy, the chief of the whole tribes, Jumper, the second in
consequence, and three other powerful chiefs, refused. Upon
this, the agent took upon himself the most unwarrantable re-
sponsibility, by saying, Miconopy was no longer chief of the
nation, and that his name and the other opposing chiefs were
now struck out of the council of the nation.

That such an act as this was the cause of the greatest irrita-
tion to the Seminoles there can be no doubt; and the conduct
of the agent was reproved by the Secretary of War, who, in h's
letter, observes, —

** It is not necessary for me to enter into much detail on the
subject presented by you. I understand from Mr. Harris, that
he communicated to you the President's views on the subject
of the chiefs whom you declined to recognize in all questions
connected with the removal of the Seminoles. I understand
that the President deemed this course an incorrect one ; and it
seems to me obviously liable to strong objections. We • ) not
assume the right of determining who shall be the chiefs in the
various Indian tribes ; this is a matter of internal policy which
must necessarily be left to themselves. And if, when we have
a grave matter for adjustment with one of the tribes, we under-
take to say it shall he determined by a particular class of indi-
viduals, we certainly should render ourselves obnoxious to
censure. It appears to me the proper course, upon important

3uestions, is to treat directly with the tribe itself; and if they
epute their chiefs, or any other individual to act for them, we
must either recognize such authority, or abandon the object in

|rt

View.

»>

984

marrvat's riART.

In June, 1835, Ar.seo1a, the chief of Micosukees, who did not
appear at the council, but who was the most determined oppo-
nent of the treaty, came in to complain of the treatment his
people had received from some white men, one of them having
been wounded. He received no redress, and saying something
offensive to the agent, he was thrown into prison. To obtain
his release he promised to sign the treaty, at least, so it is said,
and that he did sign it; but this must be considered only as an
Indian stratagem : he had been imprisoned without any cause,
and it is to be presumed that he thought himself justified in
escaping by a corresponding fraud on his own part. The month
after this occurrence, some of the tribe of Asseola murdered a
government mail-carrier.

The Indians made one more effort: they called a council, and
offered to remove to the west of the Mississippi, provided they
had lands and an agent for themselves ; but this was sternly
refused by the government, who sent back as an answer, that
their great father. General Jackson, had been " made very angry ."
The attacks and depredations upon the Indians were now more
frequent, and the majority of them determined upon resistance.
Only six chiefs, out of all who had signed the treaty, acted to
their word and brought in their cattle, &c. for the government

agent, to be sold previous to their

migration.

Five of their

chiefs removed to the protection of Brooke's Fort, as they feared
that the Seminoles would punish them for their revolt. One
of them, Charley Amathla, was preparing to follow the others,
when Asseola and two other chiefs went to his house and in-
sisted that he should not remove his people. Charley Amathla
replied that he had already pledged his word that he would
abide by the promise which he made to their great father, and
that if his life paid the forfeit, he felt bound to adhere to that
promise. He said he had lived to see his nation a ruined and
degraded people, and he believed that their only salvation was
in removing to the West ; he had made arrangements for his
people to go, and had delivered to the agent all their cattle, so that
he had no excuse now for not complying with his engagements.
One of the chiefs then informed him that the crisis was come :
he must either join them in their opposition, or suffer death, and
that two hours would be allowed him to consult his people and
give his determination. He replied, that his mind was unaltera-
ble, and his people could not make him break his word ; that
if he must die he hoped they would grant him time enough to
make some arrangements for the good of his people. At this
moment Asseola raised his rifle and was about to fire, when
Abraham arrested the murderous aim, and requested them all to
retire for a council with the other chiefs. Asseola, with a
small party, however, separated themselves from the main body
of the Indians, and returned to Charley Amathla's, and shot
him. Thirteen of Amathla's people immediately escaped to
Fort King, while the others, deterred by their fears, remained.

MARHVAT a DIARV.

265

until the return of the principal band, when they joined the
hostile party."

This was a fine trait in the Indian, and proves that the Sumi-
noles are not the faithless peo^le which they are represented to
he by the government agents. The death of this noble Indian
was the signal for the commencement of hostilities ; the Indians
immediately abandoned •ill the towns, and, concealing their
trail, femoved their families to a place of safety, which has ever
since baffled all conjecture, and been a subject of the greatest
astonishment.

J 1

»>

CHAPTER X.

FLORIDA WAR.

It is supposed that the Seminoles retreated to some portion
of the vast swamps which surround the Ouithlacoochee river;
but it is certain that since the commencement of the war, in
December, 1835, up to the present tinje, their retreat has never
been discovered. Marauding parties now commenced on the
part of the Indians, who took summary vengeance on those
who had robbed and maltreated them. The whole country from
Fort Brooke to Fort King was under conflagration, and the
whites were compelled to abandon every thing, and seek pro-
tection under the forts. The American force in the department
at the outbreak of hostilities did not amount to five hundred
men. The militia were called out, but military stores were not
at hand, and it was decided that the troops must wait for rein-
forcements before any attack could be made upon the Indians ;
the great object was to throw a reinforcement into Fort King.

General Clinch, who commanded at Fort ' -Doke, having been
reinforced with thirty-nine men from Ke_, '^st, no time was
lost in preparing two companies for the abov j service. On the
24th of December, 1835, a force of one hundred men, and eight
officers, with si field-piece, under the command of Major Dade,
commenced their march.

On the morning of the 28th, when it had proceeded four
miles from the encampment of the previous night, this force
was attacked by the Indians, whose first volley was very de-
structive. Major Dade with almost every man of the advanced
guard falling dead. The Indians were repelled by the troops
under Captain Gardner, upon whom the command then devolved,
and the Americans proceeded to throw up breastworks; but
before they could raise them high enough, for eflUcient pro-
tection, the Indians attacked them again. The Americans
brought their field-piece into play, but the breastworks not

III'

I )

286

marrvat's diary.

being high enougrh, the Indians shot down every man who at-
tempted to work the gun. All the otficers, and more than two-
thirds of the American troops had fallen, when the survivors
found that all their ammunition was expended. The Indians,
perceiving this, rushed in, and, with the exception of two men,
who, although severely wounded, contrived to conceal them-
selves, and ultimately to make their- escape; not one of the
whole detachment was spared.

The force of the Indians is supposed to have amounted from
tliree hundred and fifty to four hundred. The contest lasted
six hours ; and it must be admitted that nothing could be more
gallant than the defence which was made by the troops against
such a superior force.

On the afternoon of the same day, the Americans had to la-
ment the loss of General Thompson, the Indian agent at Fort
King. Imprudently strolling out about three hundred yards
from the fort, he was attacked by the Indians, who laid in am-
bush for him, and with Lieut. Smith and three other people be-
longing to the foit, was shot dead. This party of Indians was
headed by Asseoia, who had warned General Thompson that
the white men should suffer for their treatment of him. His
peculiar and shrill war-yell was given as the Indian party re-
treated, to let the whites know ta whom they were indebted for
the massacre.

General Clinch having been reinforced at Fort Brooke, where
he had two hundred regular troops, iviih five hundred volun-
teers under the command of General Call, now moved with the
whole force of seven hundred men.

On the 30th of December, as they were passing the Ouithla-
coochee river, the Indians watched their opportunity, and when
a portion only of the troops had gained the opposite side, com-
menced an attack, which was vigorously and successfully re-
sisted ; the Indians, in little more than an hour, were beaten
off. The battle was, however, severe, and the Americans sus-
tained a loss of sixty-three killed and wounded. The Indian
force is supposed to have amounted to seven hundred men.

But independent of these conflicts with the militia and regulars,
the ravages of the Indians over the whole country are stated tu
have been most fearful. Women and children were murdered, and
the hearth made desolate in every portion of the country. In the
more settled parts near St. Augustine, the sugar-cane plantations,
with the expensive works attached to them, were destroyed, and
in many cases the slaves who were on the plantations were
either carried off, or voluntarily joining the Indians, increased
the strength of the enemy. More than a hundred estates were
thus laid waste, the average loss upon each estate being com-
puted, independent of the loss of the negroes, at fifty thousand
dollars.

The intelligence of this havoc, and the massacre of Major

Dadei
and a
promp
Savan
two tl
war.
holdin
the A I
In

the

marryat's diary.

287

Dade and his whole party, soon reached the neijrhbouring States,
and a requisition fi . assistance made by (leneral Clinch, was
promptly responded to. Meetin|r8 were organized at Aupnsta,
Savannah, Darien, and Charleston, and in a lew days nearly
two thousand volunteers were ready to march to the theatre of
war. Indeed, the cause now became the cause of all the slave-
holdina States, and was taken up with the usual energy uf
the Americans.

In Louisiana the same spirit was shewn. General Gaines
was at that time on a tour of inspection, and had received
orders to take charge of the troops assembling on the Mexican
frontier; but, at the request of the volunteers, he took command
of them until he could receive further orders from Washington.
The assistance of the American naval forces were demanded
and obtained, and General Gaines having received intelligence
that Fort Brooke was invested by the Indians, sent an express
to General Clinch at Fort King, to say that he would join him
with his forces to relieve the post. The Seminole Indians
who had agreed to the treaty, remained firm to their word, and
took up arms against their brethren, and a large force was now
marching from all directions to the succour of the whites. I
ought here to observe, that not only at the commencement, but
ever since the war has continued, the difficulty and expense of
forwarding supplies have been very great, and the American
troops have undergone the severest privations, as well as great
mortality, from sickness and disease.

On the 13th February, 1836, General Gaines, having arrived
at Fort Brooke, reviewed the force, which amounted to between
eleven and twelve hundred men, and commenced his march to
relieve Fort Kin|>", at which post he arrived on the 2d February,
without falling m with any of the Indians. The general then
made a detour in pursuit of the Indians. On the 27th, when
the force was crossing the Ouithlacoochee River, it was assaiU d
by the Indians, who retired after a skirmish of three-quarters
of an hour, the Americans' loss being very trifling. On the 28th,
when again fording the river, the Indians made another attack,
which was continued for nearly four hoi-.rs, and the Americans
had to lament the loss of Major Izard, who was killed, and two
other officers were also wounded. On the 29th, the Indians
a^n attacked, with a force of at least a thousand men, with a
view of forcing the American troops from the breastwork which
they had thrown up ; the Indians, after about two hours fighting,
set fire to the high grass ; but unfortunately for them, the wind
suddenly changed, and, instead of burning out the American
troops, all their own concealed positions were burnt up and
exp sed, and they were compelled to retire. The loss on th«
Indian side was not known, but supposed to be heavy ; that on
the part of the Americans amounted to thirty-two killed and
wounded.

( 1

li Ki

S88

MAHtlVATM DIARV.

(jenrrnl (laiiifH, riiKlinjr that i\u^ Iiidiiins were so nrar liinif
now (lt>Hp>iU>ht><i rxprcsHCH tor a Hiipply of aiiiiiiiiiiitioii, Itcin^
rcHolvr', it' |Mt8Kii)lr, to Ur'u\)i tiinii to a ^(rnrriil action. 'VUn
BulYvrw^H of llic Aiiirrican troopH \v«'n* viry mvt n, and tin y
^^^vre killlnpr their horscH tor NnhNisti'niMS hnt the cam]) wan
Hecure, from the Indians Inivin^r hnrnt (h)Wn all tlu; means < f
conceahnent so necessary in their mode of warfare. iNotwith-
Ktandinijr wliich, on the Ist, 2(1, and lk\ of Mart h, tiie camp
was vijroronsl}' assaih'd. On the (veninp^ of the5lh, the Indian
interpreter came in from the Seminoh/s, statinjf that they wished
to liold a council, and did not want any more ti^htinyr. C)n tin;
(ith, a truce was held, wIhmi A»seolaand other chiefs made their
appearance, saying, that if the Americans would not cross the
river, they would remain on their own side of it, and not com-
mit any more ravajres. This was, in fact, nothintr Imt the ori-
ginal proposal of the Indians, that they should remain u|)on the
land which had heen assigned to them hy the treaty ot Camp
Moultrie. The reply of (Jeneral (Jaines was, that he was not
authorized to make a treaty with them ; their arms must he
^•iven up, and they must lemain on the other side of the river,
until the American Ciovenmn^nt sent them away west of the
Mississippi. While this nejrociation was pendinfr, (Jeneral
(/linch arrived with the succour and reinforcements, much to
the joy of the American troo))s, who were half starved, (ieneral
(iaines, who had heard that (Jeneral Scott had heen appointed
to the command in Florida, now resigned that authority to
(jeneral (Clarke, and on the lith, the troops arrived at Fort
Drane. It hardly novA he ohserved, that the treating with the
Indians ended in nothinir, CJeneral Scott havinjj assumed the
command, arrived at Fort Drane on the 13th March, 183G. He
had previously to contend with heavy rains and almost imprac-
ticahle rovuls, and was encumhered with a heavy ba}Taag;e train ;
his whole force amountt^d to nearly 5,000 men. This he dividtd
into a centre and two wings, so as to scour the whole country,
and force the Indians from their retreats ; hut in vain. The In-
dians being on tlie flanks of each division, occasional skirmishes
took place; but when the troops arrived to where the Indians
were sup|)osc'd to be, not a man was to be seen, nor could they
discover the retreat of their families. Occasionally the Indians
attacked the outposts with great vigour, and were bravely re-
pulsed ; but the whole army of 5,000 men, did not kill and
capture more than twenty Indians. As far as I can judge,
nothing could be better than the arrangements of General Scott,
but the nature of the country to which the Indians had re-
treated, rendered it almost impossible for troops to act. The
swamps extended over a great surface of ground, here and there
was an island en which the Indians could remain, while to
attack them, the troops w ju)d have to wade up to their necks

maiiryat's diart.

for miles, and as soon as tlmy arrived tho Indians wero pfonc.

It is not my intention to follow up ail tho details of tlio petty
warfare wljicli has continued to the present time. General Scott
resigned the command, and was succeeded l)y Ceneral Jesup.
After nearly a year's skirmishinjr, on tho 'JOth October, 1837,
Aaseola was persuaded to come in to a council. The llajrs of
truce were hoisted by tho Americans, and Assc^ola, carryinpr a
Hag of truce in his hand, accompanied by other chiefs and. about
fifty warriors, came in to talk. On their arrival, they were sur-
rounded by bayonets, and made prisoners by the orders of tho
Federal Government, who despairinjr of subduinrr the Indians,
had recourse to this shameful breach of faith. The proud spirit
of Asseola could not endure confinement: he died in prison.
Other chiefs were kidnapped in tho same traitorous manner;
but, severe as the loss nmst have been to the Indians, it did not
appear to discourage them. The war was still carried on by
those who were left, and, indeed, it still continued; for the ranks
of the Indians are said to be filled up by runaway slaves, and
some of the Creek Indians who have not yet quitted Georgia.
On tho 25th of December, 1837, a severe battle was fought be-
tween the Indians and tiie American troops, at a spot between
Pease Creek and the Big Cypress Swamps; on this occasion the
Americans lost Colonels Thompson and Guntry, with twenty-
eight killed, and one hundred and eleven wounded. Since that I
am not aware that any important combat has taken place; but this
is certain, that tho Seminoles, notwithstanding the loss of their
leader, still hold out and defy the whole power of the U. States.

It is asserted in the American papers that the loss of lives on
the American side, from the enemy and disease, amounts to be-
tween two and three thousand men, and that the expenses of the
war are now estimated at 30,000,000 of dollars. Ilow far these
calculations may be correct I cannot pretend to say, but this is
certain, that a handful of Indians, at the commencement of the
war, estimated at about 1,900, have held out against armies of
four or five times their number, commanded by gallant and able
oflficers; that this small band of Indians, notwithstanding the loss
from the weapons of enemy and their still greater losses from
breach of faith, have now for four years held out against the
American Government, and have contrived to subsist during that
period; that the retreat of their wives and families has never been
discovered, notwithstanding that the Americans have a friendly
portion of the Seminoles acting with them; indeed, if we are to
believe the American statements, the war is almost as far from
its conclusion now as it was at its commencement.* I have

• Although the Federal Government have set their face against the
Indians making war with each other, (or at least pretend so to do,) it
would appear by tiic following notice, that, in their necessity, they
iiavc not adhered to tho following resolutions: —

^'Extract of a Letter, dated

" Fort Brooke, Florida, Junk 14.
*' Tho Chcroliocs and Choctaws are soon expected in \hu country,
25

(
1 1

zoo

MARRY AT*S DIART'<

hastily narrated the causes and principal events of the war, as?
they are little known in England. The Americans must perse-
vere, if they expend twice as much money, until they have ex*
tirpated every Indian, and settled the territory with white peo-
ple; if they do not, the Florida swamps will become the regort
of runaway slaves, and the precedent of what can be done, en-
courage a general rising" of the slaves in the adjoining States,
who will only have to retire to the banks of the Ouithlacoochee
and defend themselves. So fatal is the climate to the European,
that America will probably have to sacrifice life and treasure to
a much greater extent, before she now obtains possession ?!" the
territory. 1 shall conclude witk quoting a portion of a letter
from the Genevese Traveller which appeared in the Times news-
paper.

"The war was unrighteous in its commencement, and has
been continued for years under circumstances the most profli-
gate. There has not been a single campaign in which the army
has not reaped a plentiful harvest of mca"tificalion and disgrace.
When brought into action both officers and men fought valiantly,
but the character of the country, its deep morasses and swamps,
and the ignorance of the troops of Indian warfare, have uniformly
tended to produce the most disastrous defeats.

" There is not to be found on the page of history, in any coun-
try, an instance of a scattered remnant of a tribe, so few in num-
ber, defending themselves against the assaults of a disciplined
and numerous army, with the same heroism and triumphant re-
sults, with those of the Seminoles in resisting the American
troops. In every campaign the invaders have been at least ten
to one against the invaded. At no period have the Indians been
able to muster more than 700 or 800 warriors, and it is doubtful
whether they have ever had more than half that numl>er, while
the American army, when in the field, has uniformly amountrxV
to from 6,000 to 10,000 men."

nay,
not

is, g(
revie
revie

THE EDINBURGH REVIEW,

The art of reviewing may be compared to French cookery; it
has no medium — it must either be first-rate or it is worth nothing;

when there will be a war of extermination and no quarter shown.
The a^dirs here are just the sunie as two years ago. The war is no
nearer ended. But we do hope that tlie offer of ten dollars for each
Seminole scalp wilt be a great inducenicnt for tlie Cherokces and Choc*
taws to cut and slash among thetn."

MARRYAT'S DIAR7.

S91

ai^

nay, the comparison goes much further, as the attempt at either
not only spoils the meat, but half poisons the guests. The fact
is, good reviewing is of the highest order of literature, for a good
reviewer ought to be superior to the party whose writings he
reviews. Such men as 8outhey, Croker, and Lockhart, on the
one side. Brougham, P'ontblanque, and Rintoul on the other, will
always commaud respect in their vocations, however much they
may be influenced by political feelings, or however little you
may coincide with them in opinion; but, passing over these, and
three or four more cordons bkus, what are reviewers in general!
men of talent below that of the author whose works they would
decide upon; the major portion of them, having failed as authors,
possessed with but one feeling in their disappointment, which is
to drag others down to their own level. To effect this, you have
malevolence substituted for wit, and hiffh soundino- words for
sense; every paltry advantage taken by an intentional misappre-
hension of your meaning, and, (what is the great secret of all)
unfair quotations of one or two lines, carefully omitting the con-
text; an act of unpardonable dishonesty towards the author, and
but too often successful in misleadintr the reader of the review.
By acting upon this last mentioned system, there is no book,
whatever its merits may be, which cannot be misrepressnted to
the public; a work espousing atheism may be made to ap-
peat wholly moral; nay, the Holy Scriptures themselves may be
condemned as licentious and indecent, if such reviewing is
fair, a jury may then decide upon a case by the evidence in favor
of the prosecution; and correctness or demerit in architecture be
pronounced upon by the examination of a few bricks taken out
from different portions of a building.

That latterly the public have been more inclined to judge for
themselves than to pin their faith upon reviews, is certain; never-
theless, when what is termed a '•^slaMng article'^ upon a popular
work makes its appearance, the public are too apt to receive it
without scrutiny; satisfied with the general effect, like that pro-
duced in the representations on a theatre, they do not bear in
mind that what has the appearance of gold, would prove, upon
examination, to be nothing but mere tmsel.

Were all reviewers to be reviewed by authors as well as all
authors by reviewers, the authors would have the best of it in the
melee{ nay, were all reviewers obliged to put their names to their
own articles, there would be a great alteration in their style; but,
aware from the incognito, that the disgrace of exposure cannot
be their portion, and that an author has seldom the power to
reply, they make no scruple to assert what they know to be false,
and to cowardly assail those who have seldom an opportunity to
defend themselves. There never was, perhaps, a better proof of
the truth of the foregoing observations than the article in the
Edinburgh Review upon the first portion of my work on America,
and as 1 have some pages to spare, I shall now take the unusual
liberty of reviewing the reviewer.
> First, let me introduce to the public the writer of the article—

•i

892

MARRVAT S DIARY.

Miss Harriet Martincau. My readers may inquire how I can so
positively make this assertion? I reply that it is owing to my
*' craft." A person who has long dealt in pictures will, without
hesitation, tell you the name of the master; nay, a shepherd with
a flock of three or four hundred sheep under his charge, will know
every one of them individually, although to people in general,
one sheep is but the counterpart of the others. There are little
varieties of style, manner, and handling of the pen, which be-
come evident to practised writers, though they are not always so
to readers; but even if these peculiarities were not sufficient, the
manner in which the article is managed (the remarks of Miss
Martineau upon the merits of Miss Martineau) establish in my
mind to conviction, that the major portion of the article, if not
the whole, has proceeded from her pen. This is a matter of no
consequence, and I only mention it that my readers may under-
stand why Miss Martineau, who forms so prominent a feature in
the Edinburgh article, will also occasionally appear in mine.
My reply, however, is not addressed to her, but to the Edinburgh
reviewer.

I have no doubt but that the reviewer will most positively deny
that Miss Martineau had any thing to do do with the review of my
work; that of course. With his permission, I will relate a little
anecdote. " When the Royal George went down at Spithead, an
old gentleman, who had a son on board, was bewailing his loss.
His friends came in to console him — ' I thought,' observed one
of them, ' that you had received a letter' — ' Yes,' replied the old
gentleman, 'but it was from Jack himself.'' — ' Well, what more
would you haver — ' Ah,' replied the old gentleman, * had it
been from the captain, or from one of his messmates, or, indeed,
from anybody else, it would have consoled me; but Jack— he is
such an incorrigible liar, that his very assertion that he is safe,
convinces me that he has gone to the bottom.' "

Now my opinion of the veracity of the Edinburgh Review
may be estimated from the above anecdote; the very circumstance
of its denial would, with me, be sufficient to establish the fact:
but to proceed.

The Review has pronounced the first portion of my work to
be light and. trifling and full of errors; it asserts that I have been
hoaxed by the Americans,that I am incapable of sound reasoning,
cannot estimate human nature, and requests as a favor that I will
write no more. Such are the general heads of the Review.

Now here we have a strange inconsistency, for why should
the Edinburgh Review, if the work be really what he asserts it
to be, "light and trifling," &c., waste so much powder and shot
upon a tomtit? Why has he dedicated twenty-seven pages of
ponderous verbosity upon so light and trifling a work? How sel-
dom is it that the pages of the Quarterly or Edinburgh ever con-
descend to notice even the very best of light literature. Do they
not in their majesty consider it infra dig. to review such works,
and have not two or three pages bestowed upon them been con-
sidered as an immense favor on their part, and a high compliment

totl

sevei

Doe

is n(

tions

not '

adve

MARRVAT'S DIARY.

293

to the authors'? Notwithstanding which we have here twenty-
seven passes of virulent attack upon my light and trifling work.
Does not the Edinburgh reviewer atonoe establish that the work
is not light and trifling] does he not contradict his own asser-
tions, by the labor and space bestowed upon it] nay, more, is it
not strange that he should think it necessary to take the unfair
advantage of reviewing a work before it is half finished, and
pounce upon the first portion with the hopes of neutralising the
eflfects which he apparently dreads from the second]

I will answ^er the question for him; his precipitate and un-
measured attacks, are because he feels that the work is written
in a style that will induce every one to read it; because he feels
assured that the occasional and apparent careless hits against de-
mocracy, are only preparatory to others more severe, and that
they will come out in the second part, which will be read as well
as the first. He perceives the drift of the work; he feels that it
has l)een purposely made amusing, and that it will be more inju-
rious to the cause which the Edinburgh Review upholds than a
more laboured treatise; that those who would not look at a more
serious work will read this, and that the opinions it contains will
be widely disseminated, and be impressed without the readers
being aware of it; nrioreover, that it will descend to a class of
readers who have hitherto been uninformed; in short, the great
danger of the work is that it has been made amusing, and is in
appearance, although not in reality, "light and trifling."

I candidly acknowledge that the Reviewer is right in his sup-
position, my great object has been to do serious injury to the
causB of democracy; and to effect that, it was necessary that I
should write a book which should be universally read, not merely
by the highly educated portion of the community, for they are
able to judge for themselves; what I wished to obtain was to be
read by every tradesman and mechanic; to be pored over by even
milliners' girls, and boys behind the counter, to be thumbed to
pieces in every petty circulating library. I wrote the work with
this object, and I wrote accordingly. Light and trifling as the
work may appear to be, every page of it (as 1 have stated) has
been the subject of examination and deliberation, it has given me
more trouble than any work 1 ever wrote, and, my labour having
been so far crowned with success, I trust that 1 shall have " done
the State some service."* The review in the Edinburgh will
not harm me, as it chiefly circulates among those classes who
have already formed their opinions; and I have this advantage
over it, that, as for one that reads the Edinburgh Review, fifty

* A very acute reviewer, has observed of my first portion that there
always appeared as if there was sornethinsf left behind and not told^.
He was right; I have entered into every subject just as deep as I dared
to venture, without woaryingr the class of readers, for whom, althoufifh
not avowedly, yet in reality, the work has chiefly been written. The
second portion will therefore be found almost as hght und trifling im.
the Arst. - . ..- ...,..,_. i ' ^..j'-^tsri . .. v ^ .. . . .■ -^

' 25* ^ *•

904

MARRY AT'S DIARY.

will read my work, so will fifty read my reply who will never
trouble themselves about the article in the Edinburgh Review.

And now let us enter a little into detail. The Reviewer finds
great fault with my Introduction, as beinor wholly irrelevant to
the Diary which follows it. I admit, that if it were an intro-
duction to the Diary alone then there would be justice in his re-
mark. But such is not the case; an introduction is, I believe,
generally understood to refer to and embrace the whole of the
work, not a portion of it; and now that the work is complete, 1
leave it to the public to decide whether the introduction is suit-
able or not, as bearing upon the whole. I believe it is usually
the custom to place an introduction at the commencement of a
work; I never heard of one being introduced into the middle or
at the end. The fault, therefore, of it up to the present appearing
irrelevant, is not mine, but proceeds from the Reviewer having
thought proper to review the work before it was complete. He
quotes me, saying, " Captain Marry afs object was to examine and
ascertain what were the effects of a democratic form of government
upon a people, which with its foreign admixture may still be con-
sidered as English,''^ and then, without waiting for me to com-
plete my task, he says, that the present work " has nothing, or
next to nothingf, to do with such an avowal." Whether such an
avowal has any thing to do with the work now that it is com-
pleted, I leave the public to decide. The Reviewer has no ex-
cuse for this illiberal conduct, for I have said, in my Introduc-
tion, " In the arrangement of this work, I have considered it ad-
visable to present to the reader first, those portions of my Diary
v.'hich may be interesting, and in which are recorded traits and
incidents which will bear strongly upon the commentaries I shall
subsequently 7nake,-^^ notwithstanding which the reviewer has the
mendacity to assert that, " not until the last paragraph of the
last volume, does he learn for the first lime that the work is not
complete." I will be content with quoting his own words
against him: **./5/i habitual story teller prefers invention to de-
scription."

The next proof of the reviewer's dishonesty is, his quoting a
portion of a paragraph and rejecting the context. He quotes,
*' I had not been three weeks in the country before I decided
upon accepting no more invitations, charily as they were made,"
and upon this quotation he founds an argument that, as I did not
enter into society, 1 could of course have no means of gaining
any knowledge of American character and institutions. Now, if
the reviewer had had tlie common honesty to finish the paragraph,
the reason why I refused the invitations would have been under-
stood; "because I found that, although invited, my presence was
a restraint upon the company, and every one was afraid to speaky
Perhaps the sagacity of the reviewer will point out what infor-
mation I was likely to gain from people who would not open
their mouths. Had he any knowledge of the Americans, he
would admit that they never will venture to give their opinions
before each other,' it was not that they were afraid of me, but afraid

MARRY AT'S DIARY.

295

of each other, as M. Tocqueville has very truly pointed out in
his work. Moreover, I have now, for the first time, to learn
that the best way of arriving at the truth is to meet people who
are on their guard, and whose object is to deceive. However,
in this case I make some allowance for the feelings of a re-
viewer, being aware how astonishingly a good dinner from an
author will correct his bile, and soften down the intended acri-
mony of a review.

There is a malevolent feeling in the assertion; that I have
treated all other previous writers on America with contempt; and
here again he intentionally quotes falsely. My words are, " the
majurity of those who have preceded me." As nearly as I can
reckon, there have been about fifty works published on America,
out of which there are not ten which deserve attention, and the
ample quotations I have made from M. Tocqueville, Captain
Hamilton, and others, in corroboration of my own opinions, fully
establish the respect I have for their writings. In fact, the
whole article is a tissue of falsehood and misrepresentation, and
80 weak that hardly a position is tenable. Can any thing be
more absurd, or more shallow than to quote the Mississippi
scheme and Mr. Law as a proof that the French are, as well as
the English and Americans, a speculative nation,- one solitary
instance of a portion of the French having been induced to em-
bark their capital, about sixty or seventy years ago, brought for-
ward while the abject supineness of the French population of
Lower Canada, in juxta position with the energy and enter-
prise of the Americans, has for half a century stared us in the
iace.

The Reviewer has the kindness repeatedly to inform me that
I have been hoaxed by the Americans, and most unfortunately
for himself he has brought forward the " Original draft of the
Declaration of Independence" as a proof. That he would be
very glad to prove it to be a hoax, 1 believe, as it is a sad dis-
covery, and one which the American democrats should have kept
secret. That the Americans did hoax Miss Martineau, and that
they would have hoaxed me if they could, I admit, but even the
Reviewer must acknowledge that they would not hoax them-
selves. Now it so happens that this document, which has not
long been discovered, is in the splendid public library of Phila-
delphia, that it has been carefully preserved in a double plate-
glass frame, so as to be read on both sides without handling,
expensively mounted, and is shown to every visitor as a great
curiosity, as it certainly is, as the authenticity of it is undeniable,
and acknowledged by the Americans. The paragraph which
was expunged is verbatim as I gave it, a paragraph which affords
more proof, if further proof was necessary, that Jefferson was
one of the most unprincipled men who ever existed. The Re-
viewer recommends my perusal of the works of this ^^ great and
gmd man,^^zs Miss Martineau calls him. I suspect that I have
read more of Mr. .Jefferson and other American authors than ever
the Reviewer has, and I consider the writings of this Father of

'li

29G

MARRY AT'S DIARV.

Democracy opposed to his private life — to be a remarkable type
of democracy in theory and in practice. To borrow a term from
the Reviewer, those writings are " brave words'^ to proceed from
an infidel who proved his ardent love of liberty by allowing his
own children to be put up to auction at his death, and wear away
their existence in misery and bondage. I cannot help here ob-
serving a trifiing incnnsUicncy on the part of the Reviewer; after
landing the Father of Democracy, and recommending me to read
his works; after sneering at our aristocracy by observing, " that
no kind of virtue that we have heard of can suffer much from the
loss of a court and of an hereditary nobility;^^ after, in short, de-
fending and upholding democracy in every page, all of a sudden
the Reviewer turns round and says, " W^e are no general admirers
of democracy. ^^ Indeed ! if not general, you certainly appear to
be particular admirers ; and if neither general nor particular,
may I inquire what the Edinburgh Review has been frothing,
fizzing, hissing and bubbling about, like a tea-kettle in a passion,
for these last twenty years 1

Never was there a more convincing proof of the boldness and
arrogance ventured upon by reviewers, from the irresponsibility
arising from their concealment, than in the following passage in
the Edinburgh article: —

"^n ardent pursuit of wealth and deep religious feelings go very
well together."

It is not for me to reply to the Reviewer in this instance; I
must hand him over to higher authority. I must oppose the
everlasting doctrines of inspiration to the cold, heartless and
arrogant philosophy of an Edinburgh reviewer. In vain are we
again and again forewarned in the Scriptures against the love of
money; in vain has our Saviour denounced ; in vain have the
apostles followed in his steps. Let the Reviewer, if he" ever
has looked into the Bible, refer to the epistles to the Colossians
and to the Ephesians. St. Paul declares that covetousness is
idolatry. Hear also what he sayeth to Timothy: —

" But they that ivish to be rich fall into temptation and a snare,
and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in
destruction and perdition." " For the love of money is the root
of all evil."

Our Divine Master is even more explicit, for he says — " No
servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one,
and love the other, or else he will hold to the one, and despise
the other. Ye cannot serve God and Mamm,on." Thus says our
Lord; now hear the Edinburgh Reviewer: — "An ardent pursuit
of ivealth and deep religious feelings go very well together."

Here the EJinburgh Reviewer has placed himself on the
horns of a dilemma. The Holy Writings assert most positively
and repeatedly one thing, while he asserts another. If, there-
fore, he acknowledges the Scriptures, he must at the same time
acknowledge his own grevious error, and, I may add, his deep
sin. If, on the contrary, he still holds to his own opinion, hath
he not denied his faith, and is he not worse than an infidell

' 1^

MARRYAT'S DIARV.

297

•s

The Reviewer sneers at my observation, that " Washington
had no power to control the nature of man." It may be, as he
observes, a very simple remark; but, at all events, it has one ad-
vantage over his own, which is, that it is a very true one. Miss
Martineau makes an observation in her book, which is quite as
great a truism as mine; for she also says that " Human nature
is the same every where."

How far I have succeeded in my analysis of human nature it
is not for me to decide; but that it is the same every where I
will now venture to support by something more than assertion
on the part of Miss Martineau.

When I was at Boston, in company with some of the young
ladies, the conversation turned upon Miss Martineau, with whom
they stated that they had been intimate. Naturally anxious to
know more of so celebrated a personage, I asked many questions.
1 was told much lo interest me, and, among other little anec-
dotes, they said that Miss Martineau used to sit down surrounded
by the young ladies, and amuse them with all the histories of her
former loves. She would detail to them "how Jack sighed and
squeezed her hand; how Tom went down on his knees; how
Dick swore and Sam vowed; and how — she was still Miss Mar-
tineau." And thus would she narrate and would they listen
until the sun went down, and the fire-fly danced, while the frogs
lifted up their voices in full concert.

And 1 said to myself, " Who would have supposed that this
Solon in petticoats would ever have dwelt upon her former days
of enthusiasm and hope, or have cherished the reminiscences of
love? How true it is that human nature is the same every where.

Once more: —

I was conversing with a lady at New York, who informed
me that she had seen a letter from Miss M., written to a friend
of hers, after her return to England, in which Miss M. declared
that her door was so besieged with the carriages of the nobility,
that it was quite uncomfortable, and that she hardly knew what
to do.

Thinks I to myself I recollect an old story.

" Oh! Grandmother," cried Tom, running in out of breath,
" there's at least a thousand cats in our garden." — *' No, no,
Tom," quickly replied the old lady; " not a thousand, Tom." —
" Well, I'm sure there's five hundred." — *'No, not five hun-
dred," repled the old lady, not taking her eyes off her knitting.
— " Well, then, grandmother, I'm sure there's fifty."— "I don't
think there are fifty, Tom." — " Well, at all events, there's our
cat and ano/Acr."— "Ah! Tom," replied the old lady, " that may
be."

I believe that the carriage of Lord Brougham is occasionally
to be seen at the door of Miss Martineau.

But when I heard this I was pleased, for I said to myself,
" So, then, this champion of democracy, this scorner of rank and
title, is flattered by the carriages of the nobility crowding at her
door; and again I said to myself, human nature is the same everif
where,"

298

MARRY AT's diary.

But the Reviewer, in his virulence, has not been satisfied with
attacking me; he has thought it necessary to libel the whole
profession to which I have the honor to belong. He lias had
the folly and impertinence to make the following remark: " No
landsman c{in have been on board of a ship a week, without
coming to the conclusion that a sensible hoii^e dog is more like
the people he has left at home tlian luusl of his new companions,
and that it (the house dog) would be nearly as capable of solving
problems on national character."

Indeed ! !

Is it possible that the Reviewer should still remain in such a
vulgar error? that at one time it was the custom to send to sea
the fool iif the family^ is certain, and had the Reviewer flourished
ill those days, he would probably have been the one devoted to
the service — hwitempora mutantur. Is the Reviewer aware that
one-half, and certainly the most successful half, of English diplo-
macy, is now carried on by the admirals and captains, not only
in the Mediterranean, but all over the world. Is he aware that
when the Foreign Office wishes to do its work cheap and well,
that it demand-? a vessel from the Admiralty, which is made over
to that office, and is set down as employed on "particulr ser-
vice;" that during that service the captain acts from instructions
given by the Foreign Office alone, and has his cabin piled with
the most imcompreheusible documents; that, like the unpaid
magistracy of England, we sailors do all the best of the work,
and have nothing but our trouble for our pains. Nay, even the
humble individual who pens this remonstrance has been for
months on this very service, and when it was completed the
Foreign Office expressed to the Admiralty its satisfaction at his
conduct during his short diplomatic career.

House dogs! Hear this, ye public of England, a sensible house
dog is to be preferred to St. Vincent, Nelson, Collingwood, Ex-
mouth, and all those great men who have aided their country as
much with their pen as witH their sword; as much by their
acuteness and firmness in diplomacy, as by their courage and
conduct in action.

Now, Mr. Reviewer, don't you feel a little ashamed of your-
sein Would you really like to give up your name as the author
of this bare-faced libel? Would you like openly to assert that
such is your opinion, and that you will stand by iti

No liberal, high-minded man, whatever his politics may have
been, has ever refused to do justice to a service which has been
the bulwark of England. Lord Brougham has lately published
a work containing the lives of celebrated persons in the reign of
George III; I will just quote a few passages from his life of
Lord St. Vincent.

" The present sketches would be imperfect if Lord St. Vin-
cent were passed over in silence, for he was almost as distin-
guished among the statesmen, as the warriors of the age.

" A statesman of profound views and of penetration, hardly
equalled by any other man of his time.

MARRYAt's DIARY.

2f)9

"But the consummate vipfour and wisdom of his proceedings
during the dreadful period of the mutiny, are no less a theme of
wonder and of praise.

"When the Addinjfton ministry was formed, he v/as placed
at the head of the Admiralty; and now shone forth in all its
lustre, that great capacity for affairs with which he was endowed
by nature, and which ample experience of men, habits of com*
mand, and an extended life of deep reflection had matured.

" The capacity of a sfateitman and the valor of the hero, out-
shone by the magnanimous heart which beats only to the mea-
sures of generosity and justice."

Here, again, the Reviewer is in what the Yankees would call
an everlasting "awkward fix;" for he contradicts Lord Broug-
ham, the patron and sole supporter of his fast-waning Review,
for without the aid of his admirable pen, it would long ago have
gone to its proper place. He must now either admit that he is
himself wrong, or that it is Lord Brougham who is in error. He
has but to choose.

I have but one more remark to make upon the review itself.
At tiie close of it, the reviewer observes, that my remarks upon
the marine are interesting and useful. How does he know?
Upon his own argument, if we house dogs are not competent
upon shore matters, he must be equally ignorant of any thing
connected with our profession; and I therefore consider it a piece
of unpardonable presumption on the part of a land lubber like him
to offer any opinion on the subject.

The reviewer, whoever it may be, has proved himself wholly
incompetent to his task; he has attacked, but has yet to learn
the art of parrying, as has been proved by his laying himself
so open. His blows have been stopped, and, without giving
any, he has received severe punishment. 1 am the more sur-
prised, as 1 really considered that there was a certain tact in the
Edinburgh Review, which enabled it to know where to direct
the blow, so as to make it tell; a species of professional know-
ledge proper to executioners, reviewers, and cab-drivers, and
which may be summed up in the following axiom: "The great
art of flogging is, to know where to find a bit of raw."

So little have I felt the castigation intended, that I have had
some compunction in administering the discipline to the reviewer
in return. Surely the Edinburgh Review can put a better head
on, when it takes notice of this second portion of my work? I
will give it an anecdote.

A lady of my acquaintance was blessed with a son, then about
three years old. She was very indulgent, and he was very much
spoiled. At last he became so unmanageable that she felt it was
her imperative duty to correct him. She would as soon have
cut off her right arm, but that would not have mended the matter,
nor the Child. So one.day, when the young gentleman had been
more than usually uproarious, she did pull up his petticoats and
administered what she considered a most severe infliction. Hav-
ing so done, with a palpitating heart) she ssitidbwn to recover

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marrvat'8 diary.

herself, miserable that slie had been compelled to punish, but
attempting to console herself with the reflection that she had
done her duty. What then was her surprise to have her
reveries interrupted by the young urchin, who (appealing only to
have been tickled^) came up to her, and lying down his head on
her lap, pulled up his coats, and cried, " More whipping, Ma;
please, more whipping." So weak has been the wrist, whether
It be feminine or not, that has applied the punishment, that I also
feel inclined to exclaim with the child, " More whipping; (Miss
MartineauT) please, more whipping."

The reviewer has pronounced that " no author is cleverer than
his worfes;" if no author is cleverer than his works, it is equally
certain that no reviewer is cleverer than his review. Does the re-
viewer recollect the fable of the jackass who put on the lion's
skini Why did he not take warning from tiie fabled folly of his
ancestor and hold his tongue. Ho might still have walked about
and have been supposed to be a Reviewer.

He asserts that I am not capable of serious reflection: he is
mistaken. I have seldom cut the leaves of the Edinburgh^ hav-
ing been satisfied with looking at its outside, and thinking how
very appropriate its colors of blue and yellnvj were to the opinions
which it advocates. But at times I have been more serious. I
have communed with myself as it laid before me, and I have
mentally exclaimed: — Here is a work written by men whom the
Almighty has endowed with talents, and who will, if there be
truth in Scripture, have to answer for the talents committed to
their keeping— yet these men, like madmen, throw about fire,
and cry it is only in sport; they uphold doctrines as pernicious as,
unfortunately, they are popular; disseminate error under the most
specious guise, wage war against the happiness of their fellow-
creatures, unhinging society, breeding discontent, waving the
banner of infidelity and rebellion, and inviting to anarchy and
bloodshed — and to this prostitution of talent, to this work of the
devil, they are stimulated by their pride and their desire of gain!
And 1 have surmised that hereafter they will have their reward;
but, remembering that we are forbid to judge, I have checked my
thoughts as they have wandered^ as to what might hereafter be
the portion below of— an Edinburgh Reviewer.

THE END.