372 ACTUAL VALUE OF ENGLISH NOBILITY. 



lady tourists in America. The facts they detail we dispute not, how- 

 ever disputable ; nor do we wonder at such persons being often dis- 

 pleased, and sometimes disgusted by the manners of Americans ; they 

 depict them faithfully ; but we do not, therefore, conclude, as these 

 gentlemen and ladies do, that all this ill-behaviour (always supposing it 

 to be unexaggerated) arises out of the republican form of government. 

 We rather deem both the manner and the form of government, to be 

 equally effects of circumstances, which at first generated American 

 independence. We require no more intimate anquaintance with Ame- 

 ricans, than national history affords, to instruct us, that the impulse of 

 these circumstances must still be in force, and that supposing, for 

 argument's sake, any other than the republican form of government 

 could have existed with such circumstances, still it would be unphilo- 

 sophical to expect American habits and manners to be as refined, and, 

 therefore, as good as those of Europeans. 



It is not needful to refer to particulars of American history, in 

 support of our opinion. We can. we are sure, recommend it to well- 

 informed and reflecting men, by proposing the following queries : 



1st. Had not the Americans, when they first established their inde- 

 pendence, reason to abominate the general system of the English 

 government ? 



2dly. Is it in human nature, that the enthusiasm of such a juncture 

 should allow a whole nation to stop at that point, beyond which aver- 

 sion was neither just nor needful ? 



3dly. Is it, therefore, to be wondered at, that the Americans should, 

 when they renounced the pernicious practices of the home government, 

 have also encouraged amongst themselves habits and manners of social 

 intercourse, at variance with those of England ? 



4thly. Have the Americans been long enough an independent nation, 

 and have amicable relations existed long enough between them and 

 ourselves, for us to expect their first pride of independence, and their 

 first natural determination against every thing English, to have sub- 

 sided ? 



Taking for granted that fair and reflecting men would answer the 

 first of these queries in the affirmative, the rest in the negative, we 

 cannot help believing, as we do, that under no form could American 

 manners, the circumstances of the nation being taken into account, be 

 expected to be now different from what they are, and that, therefore, 

 it is unfair to connect their- manners with republicanism as effect with 

 cause. It is natural, we repeat, for the generality of men to estrange 

 themselves from every thing connected with those they hate. It was, 

 therefore, to be expected of the Americans to abjure the manners along 

 with the political institutions and measures of detested England ; and 

 time enough has not yet elapsed for us reasonably to expect this spirit of 

 entire separation to have subsided amongst them. 



This being our view, we are sorry we cannot help taking certain 

 facts, as related even by Trollope and Co., for granted ; and we lament 

 being obliged to confess, that we should not like to domesticate our- 

 selves amongst Americans, till their manners are not a little altered. 



We again earnestly deprecate a suspicion of reflecting on our Ame- 

 rican brethren, in a spirit of disparagement. So anxious are we to set 

 ourselves fair with our reforming friends in this respect, that we can- 

 not forbear, before bringing this introductory part of our subject to a 



