drove out from among us,) two centuries ago it is a hard thing to say, but it is true, nevertheless, that we have been, and our wise men are yet, shamefully ignorant of the country and people of North America. We have undertaken at the eleventh hour to atone for this. The time for ridicule and falsehood, slander and eulogy, reproach and recrimination, has gone by, in wise political dealing. Plain truth is now in demand. We say this with no common seriousness while speaking of America. Justice to ourselves, and justice to her, do require a solemn consideration of this matter. We believe that the everlasting contradictions of the Edinburgh; and the unqualified, foolish, open rancour of the Quarterly, have done much evil and little good to the great cause of the British empire, so far as America is concerned; that both journals have so far overdone whatever they have undertaken for or against that country, that no reasonable man of this, who is anxious for sound information upon the subject, can put any confidence in their representations. Much may be true-much is true(as in Fearon,) but how are we to know what is true from what is false, where one party contradicts itself, and the other everybody else? The truth is, if they design to be mischievous, they had better follow our plan. Sincerity, and such truth as cannot be contradicted, are the only weapons, after all, for a long and steady warfare. For our part, we are not afraid of injuring Great Britain by telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, of America. We are

now thoroughly acquainted with our subject; and we pledge ourselves that our countrymen, when they come to know what we know, will have no reason to wish themselves born out of Great Britain, or in the United States.

66

Let us take up the book. We have complained of certain words for their pedantry. They are, "abraded," "sequacious," a certity," "papaverous," " vivacious," "gentilitious," "dental," "cognitive," prelation," "intumescence, 46 illative, and mendacity; "most of which would be unintelligible, without a dictionary, to ninety-nine one hundreths of all the readers that our author can have, or should wish to have. They are all useless, roundabout, and awkward. What can be more absurd than to address anybody in a language that is unintelligible? Our author has a strong mind; why then, does he not speak plainly; can he not make himself understood in common language—while talking to common people ?-Simplicity is the chief attribute of strength. It is the glory of an extraordinary mind-that it can make itself, with all its mystery and phenomena-intelligible-to anybody and everybody-in any language by looks and signs, if no words can be found.

Another class, which would be unintelligible with a dictionary-ay, with all the dictionaries under heaven, we hope to him who understands the amazing vigour and copiousness of pure English-and regards, as we do, the counterfeiting and coinage of words as little better than high treason (except where there is no coin of the right

sort, in circulation, under the authority of our republick) —another class of transgressions, in our author, we shall now enumerate:-" to compete ❞—(an American discovery)—"to classify" (a barbarism, which we are sorry to see, in the leading article of the last North American Review, No. 44, p. 42,)—“jugglery," "trickery," "tendering"-("it was a tendering sight," 137.) This comes of inventing new words "for short":to classify is a charming abbreviation of, to class; as lengthy, is of length. Reviewers use words in sport-printing them first, in italicks; or marking them, by inverted commas. Others repeat them, without any such warning; until at last they grow into common use, under the authority of reviewers. Thus lengthy is now established. We find it even in Blackwood. We shall have breadthy next. To these, we can add a few more phrases from our author, who is quite insupportable, sometimes, on the subject of language. We would have him, and our other criticks careful of them -as we are while talking about Americanisms and Yankeeisms.

They are the following-"to happen of," p. 55, instead of, "to happen on"-(a vulgarism at best): "different to," (all through the book,) instead of different from:-" they take two or three sorts of vegetables on to the plate at once," p. 81-(a genuine Yankeeism-common here, nevertheless. A New Englander will say, I got on to my horse):-"I had been raised," (a Virginia prettiness for "brought up; " of a piece with-will you use a bit of this chicken? won't you take something? is that a son or a daughter?-it being indelicate in Maryland and Virginia to say, is that a boy or a girl?-babies are babes, or infants-washing is bathing-bodies are persons-suckling is nursing, &c. &c.) "I enjoyed to witness "-(bad French); "being I guessed all”(bad Yankee); "general particulars," p. 17, (Irish.)

The absurd poetical quotations, and more absurd classical school-boy allusions, of which we complain, abound in every chapter. They were, probably, after-thoughts, in every caseat least, they look as if they were-and that is worse. Our author had better take a friendly hint-once for all and avoid everything like poetry and

picture, hereafter. They are bad stuff in the hands of an ordinary workman -so with quotations. A common man cannot-an uncommon man will not make use of them-unless, indeed, where they become, instantaneously, a part of the subject-incorporate themselves with it—so that they cannot be taken away-infuse themselves through every pore and passage-like molten gold, dropped upon common earth; or that brilliant, strange metal, which the North American savages believe to have been driven into the solid rock by lightning-when they find one split and broken-the surface discoloured, stained, and shining with a mettalick splendour:-OR, (to make ourselves perfectly intelligible to the contemners of prose)-to bring home our illustration to the souls of men— OR, like the "tanning principle," which Mr Perkins, the American engineer, by some accidental misapplication of his embryo machinery, for throwing solid blocks of iron-“ of twenty tons or more "-" from Dover to Calais," (a thing which we are authorized to say that he can do, nevertheless)-now forces into raw hidesmaking leather, and flattening bullets, by the same process. There!—that, we hope, is intelligible.

But we have not forgotten our author-a word or two more for his especial edification. He, who has a good idea of his own, will not readily borrow another's: and he who has notcannot:-that is, he cannot, without getting himself into a scrape. The borrowed sword will get between his legs. It is twenty to one that his ostentation betrays his poverty. We have seen a proud man give away a sovereign-because he was poor-and because he was vehemently suspected of poverty-in a case, where, if he had been rich, he would have given a crown, perhaps-or nothing. The deaf betray themselves, as often, by their whispering, as bawling-as often, by being more quiet, as by being more noisy, than other men. Your secondhand wearers of cast-off poetry, are sure to be found out, by their beggarly parsimony, or more beggarly ostentation. They will have their tinsel; and will wear it in the street. These, by way of portable, pocket apothegms, for the benefit of the book-making people.

Our author would persuade himself,

that he understands poetry. He is mistaken-he does not. He would persuade himself, too, that he feels poetry. We are sorry for him-it is a miserable delusion. He never ventures upon Milton, Dyer, Cowper, Thomson, Young, or Addison, without making himself-and-what is harder, to forgive them ridiculous. He never quotes a line, which, if it were taken out, would be missed; nor makes an allusion, which would not suit an advertisement, rather better than it does that part of his book, wherein it appears. We speak strongly; and we may appear to waste more time upon these matters than they do deserve. But we are right-and those, who do not agree with us, are wrong. There is a wicked fashion growing up in our sober literature, which must be put soon to open shame. We are determined, henceforth, to rebuke and punish this profane tampering with our magnificent language-this irreverent meddling with what has been left us, by the giants-wherever we meet with it.

Let us take an example of our traveller's poetry-his own. "Above below, and opposite, the rock remains in its natural state," (very well, so far,) "knoll upon knoll, as if nature were in a vagary," p. 4: а "touch of the sublime," that, as "dear Byron" says. "While surveying the hills, dark below, and bright above with the sunshine-(tolerable)-I felt the power of a placid majestick scene on the mind."-Why? because he had stumbled upon a few lines in Dyer, that might be worked in; or found something to the purpose, as people do mottos, in Johnson's Dictionary. They have only to look for a leading word, you know, in their subject; and pop -they have all the classics by heart, on that very point. We do not much like to see one of our dead, reverend poets lugged in, by the head and shoulders-(like a thought from a commonplace book-or a new phrase by a woman)-where there is no room-or anything.

And, for the pathetick—in further illustration of our author's knack at poetry we beg leave to cite the following spirited apostrophe: "His wife and two young ladies, whom I took for visitors, were at the table, and O! what a dinner we had!" p. 142.

But enough. These things were probably worked in, after the biscuit were made, by way of making them go down and it will be rather strange if they do not succeed, in spite of the solid worth and substantial virtue of the other materials. We handle nobody in mittens-touch nothing, daintilyare not afraid of burning our fingers :

and so have at the book itself, chapter by chapter.

"CAP. 1. FACE OF THE COUNTRY"contains a multitude of "general particulars ;" some lubberly touches; many little facts worth mentioning: a meagre notice of agricultural appearances; (without relation to the agricultural phenomena, of which we mean to say something, by and by ;) steamboats; rivers; mountains; Mr Dyer, the poet; lakes; villages; Niagarafalls; Harper's Ferry; "Mr Jefferson's narrow-mindedness, bigotry, and enthusiasm;" Mr Pope-the poet; Madison's cave; a palace of ice, built by the Empress Anne; the dismal swamp; blue ridge; a North American sunset, (not so bad, by the way); the frogs-nightingales-and singing birds-not of America.

This chapter is prettily got up; but amounts to nothing. It gives no valuable information-or, at best-only glimpses-and very unsatisfactory glimpses, too-of those objects which we all desire to know more of. Our author sees too many things at onceand all, at the same distance. All things are alike to him, so far. His vision is like that of the blind suddenly restored to sight by couching. He believes that he touches whatever he sees. He wants practice. He must learn to see one thing-and one alone

at a time; like the painter, who can detect rich colours in everything: or the musician, who can hear only one particular note, whenever he pleases; or the lawyer, who can see—just what he pleases-and hear only that, which he is paid for hearing; or the systembuilder, who finds material in everything.

Our author, for example, knows nothing of the great agricultural district of North America-the New England States-yet he speaks of the fences, just as he does of the mountains. He traversed New England, or a part of New England, in the winter; and his observations upon husbandry, in the United

States, are confined-meagre as they are-to one county of Pennsylvania; and one of Maryland.

We are sorry for this. Our farmers want particular and extensive knowledge, on this very head. We shall furnish them with what we can-here -consistently with our present object. English husbandry will not succeed in the United States. The national prejudices, which, after all, are founded on long experience-continual experiment-and close observation; the soil; climate; and condition of the land; except in the old and populous parts of the country, where lands, of course, are dearer and prejudices, more firmly rooted-are all unfavourable to our systems of husbandry. We have been told of many Englishmen, who have ruined themselves by undertaking to carry on a farm in America, as they would in England: and we know of one (a Mr Gadsby in Maryland) who has wasted a large fortune, within a few years, in a similar enterprize. He had slaves; white natives; free blacks and English labourers-but all to no purpose. He is ruined. Yet no man ever deserved such a fate less. He had already made a fortune, by his extraordinary diligence, industry, and attention by tavern-keeping, at George Town, district of Columbia, and at Baltimore, where he kept the best house, in America, for many years. He has returned to it once more, in his old age, at Washington; perfectly satisfied now, that keeping tavern is better business, than cultivating land, in America.

The native white Americans will neither work for an English farmer, nor use his instruments, nor follow his plans, if they can help it. Beside, none but large farms, where large capitals are invested, will pay the expense. Slaves are the worst of all farmers; Irishmen will work hard-and so will the "German redemptioners "- but both are ungovernable the former, on account of their tempers; the latter, on account of their language.

Agricultural societies are forming now in every direction; and small premiums are paid. In Maryland a valuable paper is published, called the "American Farmer"-devoted entirely to agriculture. Mr Cobbett planted a seeds-man, some years ago, in BaltiHe, and one other, have been continually supplied with all the books,

more.

implements, seeds, roots, and improvements, of this country—yet he is fairly starved out-insolvent-and the other is in a fair way to the same end. In other parts of the country, however, they are beginning to look into chemistry, and inquire about the nature of soils-treatment-product-and system of tillage, with a zeal that would have astonished everybody, ten years ago.

The best farmers in America are, 1st, the Shakers, the Germans, and their descendants, who are congregated in the county of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 2dly, The descendants of the Dutch, in the State of New York, (like the Germans, averse to experiment, innovation, or change; but laborious, indefatigable, and frugal). 3dly, English farmers, and the whole body of Yankee landholders, or New England husbandmen, whose farms have been held in their own family, and under judicious cultivation, from fifty to one hundred and fifty years. 4thly, The Pennsylvanians-the descendants of the Swedes in New Jersey-the people upon Long Island; those of Maryland; those of Delaware; and those of the western country. In the southern states, they know nothing at all of husbandry. Their lands are exhausted by tobacco; and themselves, by growing cotton, rice, indigo, and su

gar.

We are sorry to hear Mr Jefferson spoken of, so irreverently as he is-by an author, who does not speak lightly, of other persons. Mr Jefferson deserves more respect. When he wrote his notes on Virginia, he was a young man-a boy, in comparison with what he is now. He has done incalculable mischief to America-it is true-but he has laid her under eternal obligations. There is not a man living, to whom the charge of " narrow-mindedness" and "bigotry," could be more unluckily applied: "He plainly disavows his belief in the Mosaick account of the creation," 357. His faults are altogether of an opposite character. He has been too much given to hypothesis, theory, and experiment: His views were never narrow; they were always too comprehensive: and as for his "bigotry "-the history of his life, and all his persecutions, are in the teeth of such a ridiculous charge. For half a century he has been the advocate of universal toleration. It was