Architecture in the United States. 101 
panying licentiousness, into which they are unavoidably drawn, and 
as I have said, in this, do them injustice. 
Our own country, I believe, is destined to shew that the usual 
course of nations does not arise from any fixed law of nature. Its 
commencement certainly was at variance with this law. Like the 
famed goddess of old, it came into existence in full panoply, in full 
size and proportion, and with at least a sufficiency of mental as well 
as bodily power. Our progress too, has been like that of no other 
nation—and this brings me to the main object of my remarks—the 
advantages of our country in regard to architecture. 
By architecture, I mean not only the principles of science and taste, 
as applied to public and private edifices, but also to the ornamenting 
of towns or cities with columns, arches, porticoes, bridges and fountains, 
and generally, in the way of building, to whatever can be of utility or 
ornament to them or their precincts. My remarks will also take a 
wider range, and embrace a science, for which I cannot find a name, 
for the good reason, that among the nations from which we draw our 
language, no such science could be known. I mean the choice of 
position, and the planning of towns, with the grounds and appurte- 
nances connected with them. 
We are a calculating people, sufficiently attentive to present inter- 
ests ; too much so, perhaps; but to these interests I wish first to ad- 
dress myself. He who observes the common language of men around 
him, will be struck, in our country, with the strong susceptibility to 
objects of mental pleasure. It is natural that it should be so. We 
are areading community : and though our reading is generally loose 
and of a light character, still it brmgs with it a good degree of infor- 
such travellers, on more ordinary occasions. One of the first ques- 
tions too, about a town, usually respects its beauty of situation, and of 
