The ex-president is a handsome old gentleman of eighty-four;
his lady is seventy-six: she has the reputation of superior
talents, and great literary acquirements. I was not
perfectly a stranger here, as a few days previous to this I
had received the honor of an hospitable reception at their
mansion. Upon the present occasion the minister (the day
being Sunday) was of the dinner party. As a table of a
"_late king_" may amuse some of you, take the following
particulars:--first course, a pudding made of Indian corn,
molasses and butter;--second, veal, bacon, neck of mutton,
potatoes, cabbages, carrots, and Indian beans; Madeira wine,
of which each drank two glasses. We sat down to dinner at
one o'clock; at two, nearly all went a second time to
church. For tea, we had pound cake, sweet bread and butter,
and bread made of Indian corn and rye, similar to our brown
home-made. Tea was brought from the kitchen, and handed
round by a neat white servant girl.
The establishment of this political patriarch consists of a
house two stories high, containing, I believe, eight rooms;
of two men and three maid servants; three horses and a plain
carriage. How great is the contrast between this individual,
a man of knowledge and information--without pomp, parade,
vitious and expensive establishments, as compared with the
costly trappings, the depraved characters, and the
profligate expenditure of ---- House, and ----! What a
lesson _in this_ does America teach! There are now in this
land no less than three Cincinnati!
* * * * *
Hogs in New York streets.
Yesterday forenoon, while in Broadway, we witnessed another
instance of the impropriety of suffering Hogs to run at
large in our streets. A highly respectable and most worthy
young lady, was literally run down by a large Hog that was
pursued by a dog. In her fall, her breast struck the curb
stone, and she was considerably injured. After she had
partially recovered, the gentleman at whose store she had
made some purchases, kindly conveyed her to her father's
house in a carriage. The reader may easily imagine the
distressing effect produced on the mind of a fond parent, at
the sight of a darling child, whose pale cheeks plainly
indicated her situation. --> _What would not the citizens of
Boston say of their Police, if Hogs were permitted to run
loose in the streets_?
_Columbian Centinel,_ Boston [1817].
* * * * *
English blunders about America in 1802.
_From the_ (Newyork) EVENING POST.
SPECIMENS _of the_ IGNORANCE _and_ BLUNDERS _of_ English
Geographers, Tourists, _&c. &c. with respect to_ AMERICA.
THE Rev. R. Turner, who has published a book called
Classical Geography, gives the following account of the
cities of Philadelphia and Newyork. "Philadelphia, (says he)
is the finest and _best situated_ city in America,
containing _thirty thousand_ houses and one hundred and
twenty thousand inhabitants, who are mostly
quakers!!!"--"Newyork contains three thousand houses and
twelve thousand inhabitants!"
Another book, intitled Guthrie's improved Geography, after
setting forth in the preface that their (the Editors)
relation of America, will be found both satisfactory and
complete, as they have not only carefully examined the works
of the celebrated Morse, but likewise applied to several
other authentic sources, which have enabled them to give the
best information in the most satisfactory manner, states
that "the city of Newyork contains five thousand
inhabitants, chiefly of Dutch extraction." Here is pretty
strong evidence of the diligence of these London bookmakers,
as to applying to the most authentic sources of information,
as they profess to have done. An imposition of this kind in
any American publication, would afford a fine opportunity
for an English Reviewer to rail against our national
honesty.
The very last edition of Guthrie's original work, describing
the river Hudson, states that this river is navigable to
Albany, which is "_six hundred miles from Newyork_."
An English Tourist, whose name is not just now recollected,
has published a volume of his travels through the United
States, in which he speaks particularly of the orderly
manner in which Elections are conducted in the city of
Newyork. "On the appointed day, says he, all the citizens
take care to be at home at a certain hour, at which time the
inspectors of the election go through the city with ballot
boxes in their hands, and call at every door for votes,
whereupon the citizens step to their doors and deposit
their ballots in these same small boxes, which are
straightway carried to the City Hall; the votes are there
examined, and thus the election is determined in a few
hours, without uproar or inconvenience!!!"
An English Editor of a work, called the _German Museum_, in
his translation of some memoirs of Major André, records,
that this unfortunate officer was taken and hanged "_at the
west point of America_."
A London paper some time ago made mention of certain
improvements which were taking place in Newyork, with a view
to promote the health of the city, and observed that our
corporation were erecting a range of permanent wharves on
one side of the city, which were to extend from Corlear's
Hook to the Battery _along the Delaware River_!
Some notice shall be taken hereafter of the
misrepresentations and falsehoods of Laincourt, Weld, Bulow,
and a number of others, relative to the United States.
_An_ AMERICAN.
_Worcester Spy._
* * * * *