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sation by showers of grape and canister. This turbulent spirit, so menacing to neighbours, must one day turn upon themselves. Probably, the aristocratic and democratic parties will each have their champion. Already the northern and southern states appear to be contemplating a separation. Negro slavery is the bone of contention, and it is to be suspected that the violence of the Abolitionist party is rather the offspring of political bias, than of philanthropic sentiment. southern planter, who traces his descent from Cavaliers, who adorns his hall with ancestral portraits, and who looks back towards the "old country" with regret, preserving its customs, and imitating its manners, though he be ever so kind and considerate to his swarthy bondsmen, is, in reality, an object of greater dislike to the descendant of the Roundhead than the ultra-democrat, who lashes his slaves in the same proportion that he hates England.

The northern states are desirous of annexing Canada, in order that they may turn the scale against the south. The magnificent hospitality recently extended to Canadians at Boston, though doubtless the result of pure friendly feeling on the part of many, was, we may suppose, prompted by other and deeper views among the majority. What may be the ultimate end of the negro controversy, it is dif ficult to say, but the fate of the Union probably hangs upon it. When the American insurgents, with the view of increasing popular excitement, fished

up

"Forefather's Rock," it is said that the trophy broke into halves. What was then hailed as an omen of success was, perhaps, typical of the future division of the Republic. It is folly to suppose that any strong bond of union, or any germ of real stability can exist in a country which so unequivocally recognises the right of revolution. The different states will only hold together so long as their several interests are furthered by the compact, and the first great rupture will be the signal for others. From the rivalry among the great cities, it may be seen that equality will not long be recognised among them; and, when we no

tice the frequent use of the terms, "Empire City," "The First City in the Union," we are naturally led to believe that new divisions may, ere long, be made, and that New York, Boston, New Orleans, Cincinnati, &c., &c., are likely each to become the centre of systems, which have not yet started into existence. It would be too much to expect that New England, like the prodigal son, should return and beg to be once more under British domination, but we often hear it asserted, that Boston (a portion of it at least) is more English in character than any other city in the Union. Many of the Bostonians take a lively interest in English affairs; and, despising the piratical labours of American publishers, they send to England for the original copies of works, rather than buy reprints at a fourth or a sixth of the price.

What may be the ultimate fate of the Union is an enigma to be solved.* It has not yet reached the limit of human existence, nor numbered “years threescore and ten." The question, whether

it

may last five, fifty, or five hundred years, affords matter for speculation; without doubt, it stands upon a shaky foundation.

About the time of the first resistance to English authority on the part of America, a great eruption of Mount Vesuvius took place; and, in the middle of the nineteenth century, when the Pope offers a present of a block of Italian marble to make a statue of Washington, it appears that a piece of lava from the burning mountain has been selected as an appropriate pedestal.

O tempora! O mores! and now, O Red Republican! what is the value of your beloved theory?what is the proper definition of your darling democracy? I will answer for you. It is the triumph of matter over mind, of popular will over law; it may be compared to an unwieldy frame of body over which reason has but little control. Only practicable in infant states, it is a form of government which infallibly leads an old country back to pristine barbarism; and while it boasts of being the cheapest, it is, in reality, the most expensive of all systems, because it saps public virtue, and entails ruin

It may here be remarked, that the American democracy properly dates its commencement from the year 1789.

upon future generations. Its liberty is tyranny under a mask; its equality is a mischievous fiction; its fraternity is cold self-interest; it is a political willo'-the-wisp, dazzling nations with its false lustre, and causing them at last to wander in mazes of darkness and difficulty. What has democracy done for the Old World? Did it not convert a European city, the centre of civilisation, into a hell upon earth, and decree a reign of terror, rivalling in hor rors a siege of Jerusalem? What has it done for the New? Compare the Englishman and the Yankee-can any transformation be more complete? The stout, hearty, honest fellow, whose "word is as good as his bond," has dwindled down into a lean speculator, whose only gesture betokening merriment, is the chuckle which he makes over a bargain much to his advantage.

Jonathan, bold upstart boy! you have despised paternal wisdom, you must reap the reward of your folly; your faults are those of froward youth; you must be whipped into propriety by that unsparing criticism which you so boldly challenge, by setting yourself up so far above your elders and your betters. It is on these grounds, and also because the child is spoiled when the rod is spared, that we Englishmen take the liberty of belabouring you with your own stripes.

While America places all power in the hands of a mob, the people of England, instead of grasping at that which would profit little, are content to leave the care of their liberties in the hands of their proper guardians. They send representatives to a House of Commons, but they do not grudge the high hereditary privileges of a House of Lords, nor have they yet made the discovery that the crown is a useless bauble.

If we have somewhat declined from our ancient principles, we have not yet forsworn them all. Our nearest neighbour, emulating the vivacity of youth, has for many years been in the habit of indulging in juvenile frolics. It has had its gala days-its 14th of July-its 10th of August-its 21st of January-and its 22nd of February; but England still maintains the gravity suited to its years, and boasts only of its 10th of April-a day when, to the disappointment of innovators, Englishmen showed that the rich promises of a people's charter could not tempt them to forego their

attachment to the venerable fabric of government which their fathers had raised. In spite of all endeavours to undermine and subdue it, attachment to loyalty is still dominant in the little isles over which the red flag waves. Time cannot impair, evil example cannot affect it. While France drives a royal race into exile, while America delights in humbling its chief magistrate, the people of England pay the same enthusiastic homage to Queen Victoria that they did nearly three centuries ago to Queen Elizabeth. Wherever she appears, assembled multitudes, with uncovered heads, pour forth the ready cheer to greet the representatives of an ancient line of kings. Long may sentiments of loyalty animate our breasts; perhaps a time may come when Englishmen shall grudge the tribute of respect to exalted rank, when our sovereigns shall be degraded into private citizens, when titles shall be ignored, nobility abolished; but ere that day should arrive, I had rather see Britain, in her glory, sink beneath the foam of the ocean. Better that a convulsion of nature should destroy every vestige of our greatness, than that magnanimous England should succumb to the genius of democracy.

Mob rule has never been regarded with favour in England. We scorn the fallacy that the will of the multitude is the sole law. Our government has a more stable foundation, and is based upon a more certain wisdom. We believe that principles, rather than men, ought to rule; that justice, and not popular clamour, should sway the sceptre. Our representative institutions, as they exist in a House of Commons-our bul warks of inherited dignity, as embodied in a House of Peers-our supreme exe cutive and legislative power, as vested in the Crown and its servants-and our State Church, influencing the whole frame of government-all point to one end, and move in concert towards the same object the protection of the rights of the subject, and that maintenance of law and order by which public happiness can alone be secured. Thus we are saved from the miserable results of individual caprice. Oriental tyrants do what they please with the people under them; and the democrats of the West treat those above them in whatever way suits their fancy. But Britain has a more proper respect for the rights of her children, and ba

lances the scales with a more equal hand.

Church and State-that conservative union so odious to the democrat-is, and ought to be, our grand boast. It is this institution which has had so great a share in making England what she is. Protected by the State, the Church, in days of spiritual absolutism, had dared to resist the encroachments of a power whose will was law, and at whose nod monarchs were dethroned, and kingdoms uprooted. That Church at length threw off entirely the yoke of a foreign potentate, and, purifying herself from the dross of superstition, rose a clear luminary, displaying all the brightness of early Christianity. True daughter of the apostles, she stands midway between Rome and Geneva, a fair example of Christian meekness and forbearance. Saints have been her champions, and kings have been numbered amongst her martyrs. She has been the friend of Britain; she prays for the Crown, and for the prosperity of the kingdom. She is, at once, the people's monitor, and the people's comforter. Charity smiles on her brow, and peace marks her footsteps. When

England rejoices, or when England weeps, when we crown a sovereign, or pay the last tribute of respect to a hero, she is there, to hallow alike a nation's smiles, or a nation's tears.

The humblest piety, and the most exalted learning are equally protected by her. She has the dignity of Rome, without its tawdry splendour and meretricious ornament; and the quiet village church, around which "the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep," is as much her home as the solemn cathedral, rich in historic association, where groined arches echo the inspired strains of Handel. Guardian of liberty, mother of justice, friend of virtue-long may the Church of England flourish!

And shall we quarrel with institutions like these?-shall we, in a rash moment, shiver into atoms the work of centuries, and bring to an end, the longest and most glorious chapter that the world's chronicle contains?-shall we snap the links that bind us to a brilliant past, by suddenly destroying our Church, our hereditary monarchy, our aristocratic institutions, our laws of inheritance? Oh, never! The heroic dust which lies piled upon our shores would find a tongue; the spirits

of our fathers would rise to rebuke us, if we dared to attempt such an act of sacrilege. For where, since the world began, has been seen such a nation ? Like a proud ship she has swept past all competitors, and leads the race of civilisation; her heroes, patriots, philo. sophers, statesmen, bards, and orators, have left all others far behind. All that is grand in science, all that is noble in literature, all that is lovely in art, she has achieved; and she stands at this day a beacon to the whole world, and proudly proclaims to all, that greatness is the companion of the nation that cherishes the traditions of the past, and that adopts for its motto, "Fear God, and honour the King."

Oh! England, in thy powerful empire who cannot discern the arm mighty to protect? Thy flag floats high in the breeze, triumphant through a thousand fights by flood and field-a halo of glory surrounds it. Tyranny has bowed before this ancient heirloom of strong hearts and hands; and prostrate nations have lifted up their heads to bless the red ensign of liberty-the standard of the free! Thy fleets sweep round the globe, and bear back all the treasures of the earth to thy shores; ambassadors from far and near, and natives of many a distant land, come to gaze on thy wonders, and pay the tribute of respect to the far-famed nation; and the grey ivy-mantled walls of the old castle, and the dim towers of the ancient minster, peep forth from the wreck of feudal times, to tell how long England has been a kingdom.

Oh, England! dear England!-in thy favoured land who cannot discern the sunshine of an eternal smile? Thy clime is genial. On thy fair bosom the richest harvests pour forth their abundance, and roses cluster round the cottages of the poor. Fair are thy landscapes, and beauty dwells among thy children. Thine are the hearts that feel, and the eyes that drop tears at the tale of misery. In thee the fatherless can find a home, and pity looks down upon all that are desolate and oppressed; and, while the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral, towering above the grandest city in the world, tells that the isles of the Gentiles" have listened to the great Apostle, a woman sits on the throne, and the people cry,

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

Bunker's Hill had disappearedBoston had faded from sight. The gorgeous sun, dipping his fair disc behind the horizon, had bid the wide Atlantic good night, and a lurid haze alone, marking where the land lay, told me that I had fairly taken leave of the Western World. Light breezes followed the ship, which, like a bird, spread its snowy wings to catch the chill zephyrs of an autumnal evening. The rustling of canvas, the swash of the waves as we cut through them, and the occasional cry of the sea-bird, were almost the only sounds to rouse the dreamer from his reveries.

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Farewell Columbia! One who may possibly be destined never again to tread thy shores, now bids thee a last adieu. If, in a brief pilgrimage through thy lands, he has seen more to condemn than to approve, let it not be supposed that he now watches the last glimmering halo which hovers over the retreating continent without regret. In fancy he sees many a familiar face, and hears the friendly accents of those who welcomed the stranger. Though the "Flying Shot" has flown right and left, in relentless antagonism with the errors of democracy, there is much that lies beyond the range of ordnance, however skilfully directed. The satirist, though he may be prone to dip in gall the celestial feather" with which he seeks to maintain an aerial position, is fain to confess that even in a constitution of things such as he heartily disapproves of, there is still something to commend; and far be it from a Fitzgunne to deny to individuals that meed of praise which he grudges to bestow on a system. If in these pages more pains has been taken to lay bare than to cover deformities-if criticisms have been severe-if censure has been unsparingly used - be it understood that there has been no intention of casting a stigma upon a whole people. Freely be it granted, proudly confessed-proudly, on account of our mutual claims of consanguinity-that there are many in America who would do honour to any kingdom under heaIn spite of the injurious influ

ven.

ences which are exerted upon the public mind by popular misrule, we shall find amongst the people of the United States much to excite our warm sympathies, much hospitable feeling, much real kindness; and, lastly, while we must deny that they display all the cardinal virtues in their full lustre, we must at least admit that they possess some of the manlier and more important ones. For those of industry and perseverance, then, we here give them a parting salute.

As

Whatever we may say of the present condition of America, we must admit that the future is all her own-an almost boundless territory, vast lakes, and mighty rivers are hers; and she boasts of possessing all the vegetable productions of the tropic and temperate regions, and nearly all the treasures of the mineral kingdom. yet the great continent is little else than a forest intersected by roads, with a patch of cleared land around the village, and a larger tract around the suburbs of the city. What shall America be when the woodman's axe shall have finished its tremendous task?when, one by one, all the silvan giants shall have bowed their proud heads?when what is now a wilderness shall be converted into a garden? In sooth, perhaps, the soaring monarch of the air may not have been a badly chosen symbol, after all; and so I wish all strength to the pinions of the American eagle.

My task is now done; my ammunition is expended; my port-fire is extinguished. I must melt from the public view, in the gunpowdery vapour of my last explosion. Apparitions have been known to vanish in various forms, and with various accompaniments; some have " disappeared with a curious perfume and a melodious twang;" and others have gone off in peals of thunder, and wreaths of sooty vapour. Let me hope that I shall not be set down as an evil genius, if, following the example of most apparitions and explosions, I am found to have ended

in

* Vide "Antiquary."

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