1826. Letter on Affairs in general. 301 
from their ‘mere’ application of epithet, as to their’ customs,’ matiners; 
origin,’ &c. Now, in all the American’ works, we fiid a man’s baggage; ° 
or property, constantly called his “ plunder.” This term has ‘now become 
figurative; ‘but thé property of the original Americans would all have been, 
it will be recollected; of that particular description. t 9295 
Speaking of Dr. Parr above, and of America, puts me in mind of: 
Dri’Franklin’s conundrum, that it would be possible for a man to swim 
from Dover to Calais by the help of a paper kite. A Buckinghamshire’ 
Journal contains an account of a gentleman who has gone beyond this 
fet; and constructed a carriage propelled by three kites, which he uses 
on’ the road, beating mail coaches, post chaises, and all before him. 
Oni'a! late’ occasion’ he ran five miles in twenty minutes, and passed the 
Diike’ of ‘Gloucester, travelling with four horses, on the road. This is 
« flying the kite” to some purpose ! 
» Our own’ style of applying epithets, if not so good as the American 
generally; is good in its way sometimes. There is a large white board, 
with‘ half’ a volume of cautions upon it, put up just beyond Hyde-park 
Corner; addressed “ To Lamp breakers and others :” a Frenchman now 
might imagine from this, that “ lamp breaking” was a recognized calling 
in England. 
/9All the world has been surprised at the verdict in the case of «* The 
Smiths against the Birmingham Chronicle,”—the case of the idiot Smith 
confined in Gloucestershire. For a “ plea of justification ;” as the law 
stands, any'such plea is little other than nonsense: the full substantial 
trath of any'statement may be proved; and all the material circumstances; 
and yet’ some slight deviation, wholly unconnected with the real merits 
of the case} will saddle a defendant with costs to the amount of several 
hundred pounds. It would be impossible, perhaps, as the law now stands, 
to'write such a narrative of any transaction as could be * justified "in: 
court; but this case of the Smiths goes beyond a formal verdict.» How 
any jury, after the evidence for the defence, could give such a sum in 
damages’ as’ four hundred pounds! it may be within the scope of those 
particular'twelve persons to explain, but it would puzzle the under- 
standing of many a thirteenth to consider. 
I noticed a little way back an advertisement in an American paper from 
a Miss Noah, a lady who undertook to cure all impediments in speech. It 
is curious’ to observe how that knack—the faculties of speaking—sticks by 
the ladies in‘all ranks of life and situations. Mr. Owen’s people, at New 
“Harmony, who, by the way, don’t get on quite harmoniously altogether; 
seem to’ be chiefly puzzled by the loud talking and contentious disposition 
of their female “co-operators.” Thus the writer of a homilyin the Harmony 
Gazette of the 19th of April, touches the subject delicately ; but he is 
compelled to remark, in his “Considerations for those who wish to 
‘unite’ under the new system of Union,” that “ nothing tends more to 
distort the female character than loud and stormy disputation ;” which, 
moreoyer, “ has'a great tendency to degrade them in the estimation of 
the other sex.” And again, “ no irritation,” says this teacher, “ ought 
tobe felt towards the female members when they brawl, or quarrel, or 
tallealoud,”~ (leading the world to suspect that such criminalities do 
occasionally happen) ;—« because they have been taught to believe that 
loud talking is an effectual way of giving force to what they have to 
urge in'their own? favour.” © A third suggestion as to the course: ad- 
‘visable © when individual members are afflicted with the disease of 
