1826.] Letters from the United Stales (f North America. 509 



thanksgiving idea ; one they call election-day, with singular propriety, 

 because it is the day on which their new governor is not elected, but 

 that on which, after being elected, he takes the chair. In some parts of 

 the country, Boston for example, it is a day of prodigious uproar, fuss 

 and show, marching and countermarching, bells and cannon, ringing and 

 firing, squibs and egg-pop. 



The fourth of July — I have come to it, now, you see ; and shall dove- 

 tail it into the rest of the job, so that you won't be able to discover the 

 joint, I guess. The fourth of July, or " Independant Day," is the great 

 national jubilee of the Americans. It is the anniversary of the day on 

 which they issued their famous declaration of independence, fifty years 

 ago. Out of New England it is kept, so far as I can judge, unworthily 

 enough, to be sure. In the south, where I saw it " celebrated," as the 

 saying is here, they begin with some childish military parade ; follow 

 that up with a speech, by some " orator of the day" — an orator, that is, 

 who never pretends to be an orator except on that particular day, and 

 for that particular purpose — a trumpery speech delivered in the open air 

 by some young gentleman, who is chuck-full of patriotic ardor, and 

 superfluous poetry, both of which are let off by the hour, to prove that 

 America is — all that he can find words of three or four syllables long to 

 call it by — that the people of America are — the people of America — and 

 that all the rest of the world are bursting with envy because they are 

 so — because they are only — the rest of the world — a speech, to prove that 

 the speaker has read somewhere of the man George Washington, and of 

 the overthrow of British power in America — as if he were a man for 

 boys to talk about ; and that overthrow an event for such boys to under- 

 stand. After the speech is over, they disperse the militia, who are not 

 able to endure the heat of such weather as they have there, added to 

 the heat of a fourth-of-July speech, break up into little snug parties, 

 push off into the country — roll nine-pins — play billiards — dine together, 

 pell mell — get very drunk — hourra for liberty, — " damn and set fire to 

 the niggers ;" and let off a string of paltry, miserable, ready-made sen- 

 timents — faugh I — sentiments, which never fail to appear in the news- 

 papers of the day ; and go to bed besotted with vanity, and sick with 

 bragging over their cups ; not one tittle the wiser, the better, or the 

 more thankful, God forgive their ingratitude I for all that they have 

 been told of their fathers — the men of the revolution. 



However, this fourth of July festival is carried through, in a much 

 better way, I am told, wherever the New Englanders have a get-up of 

 their own. They do the job in a more business-like way. They make 

 a noise to some purpose. Their stout orations are delivered by their 

 chief men, where they are sure to be heard, in their churches and meet- 

 ing-houses — with all the yeomanry of the state under arms — all that 

 have a rich military dress of their own, I should say — every score with 

 a great silk banner afloat over them, a banner about five times the usual 

 size that you see, and as heavy as the standard-bearer can well stagger 

 under. They begin before day-light, with a ringing of bells and a firing 

 of cannon all over the country. Then follow processions, public dinners, 

 toasts — bad enough too ; transparencies, illuminations, fire-works, et 

 cetera — such as they are, which endure till after midnight. 



Farewell ! In my next, I shall give you some idea, perhaps, of — I hardly 

 know what, perhaps of the authors — perhaps of the orators — perhaps of 

 the painters of America. A. B. C. 



