NOTES ON AMERICA. 281 



itself, in the presence of one of her sons. I recollect, one fine summer's 

 evening, a large party of Americans, and foreigners of all nations, were 

 collected together on the deck of a steam-boat, enjoying a sail in the bay 

 to and from Sullivan's Island. In the course of conversation, an ill-bred 

 American made use of some contemptuous and insulting expressions, 

 when speaking of the Irish calling them a " a beggarly set of bog- 

 trotters," or something of that sort. Upon turning round, to see how 

 this speech would be taken by the by-standers, I beheld the unhappy 

 republican laid at full length on the deck, by a blow from an old Irish 

 soldier, who had knocked him down before the words were well uttered. 

 There have been many elaborate works published on the marriage 

 ceremonies of various nations, both savage and civilized. I do not, 

 however, remember to have read of any, so brief and unceremonious as the 

 following, which I had the opportunity of witnessing, when on a visit to 

 a gentleman in Carolina. A fine looking negro, and the handsomest 

 mulatto, or yellow girl, I have ever seen, were the parties who desired 

 to be made one for, life. The matter was thus arranged : In the course 

 of our evening walk, my friend, the planter, was sheepishly addressed 

 by the slave, in these words, " Please, massa, me want to marry Rid- 

 diky;" (this is the " nigger" for Eurydice.) " Does Riddiky want to 

 marry you?" " Yes, massa/' " If you marry her, I won't allow you 

 to run after the other girls on the plantation you shall live like a 

 decent fellow with your wife." " Massa, me lub her so, dat me don't 



care one dam for de oder gals." " Marry her then, and be d d." 



" Yes, massa." Washington then gave Riddiky a kiss; and from that 

 day they became man and wife: no other form, than that of permission 

 from their owner, thus graciously accorded, being considered necessary 

 to legalise their union. 



I fear that the arts of painting and sculpture are not much cultivated 

 in the south, though I have seen some good pictures by the old masters, 

 in Charlestown ; and I ought not to omit mentioning a remarkably fine 

 statue of Washington, by Canova, which has been erected at Raleigh, in 

 North Carolina. The execution appears to me to be absolutely perfect; 

 but, unfortunately, the sculptor does not seem to have made the slightest 

 attempt to present a likeness of the American hero. This is, I think, an 

 unpardonable defect. Chantrey has succeeded much better ; and indeed 

 was, I am informed, unusually solicitous to procure such portraits, as would 

 enable him to execute, not merely a fine work of art, but to produce an 

 actual resemblance of Washington. The Bostonians are fortunate 

 enough to possess this statue. 



I may here mention a circumstance, which was related to me by 



Colonel T , who was a fellow soldier of Washington, and, latterly, 



the first historical painter in the United States. I remarked to him, 

 that, in his picture of " the Resignation/' painted by order of Congress 

 I saw nothing of the pull, or turn of the mouth, which is observable in 



every other portrait of the principal figure. Colonel T replied, 



that he had delineated the countenance of his friend, as he recollected it 

 in his best days, before a set of false teeth, which he had procured after 

 he became President, had distorted his features, and produced that pe- 

 culiar and rather disagreeable expression about the mouth, which we 

 have all observed in the more recent portraits of Washington. 



Before taking leave of the South, there are two subjects of grave im- 

 port, which I wish to notice very concisely .viz. the probability of a 

 M. M. No. 81. U 



