ENGLISH CHARACTERISTICS. 163 



and qualities, and of comparing them with what is better in 

 other lands. There has always been a great many now 

 almost enough to be looked upon as a party that have a 

 strong admiration for our country, and who even glory in all 

 our glory as their own. 



Cultivated and large-minded people of all classes, of course, 

 in England as every where else, rise above prejudice and 

 vanity, and think and speak fairly and frankly equally of 

 their own or foreign states ; of such eminently we recognise 

 the Earl of Carlisle and Sir Charles Lyell, and of such are, I 

 believe, a great number of the higher rank of commercial 

 men. The traditional self-complacency of an Englishman, as 

 ah Englishman, is more often to be detected, at the present 

 day, by some unnecessary pains he will take to point out to 

 you deficiencies and defects of a trivial character in the article 

 or institution or custom you are considering, he having entire 

 confidence that in contrast with that of any other country it 

 will but be exalted by any such faint disparagement of it as is 

 possible. Among the lower class in towns, or in the country 

 those who have been servants, or in some way connected with 

 or dependent on wealthy old families, there is sometimes to 

 be found the most ludicrously absurd old Tory ideas and 

 prejudices, quite in character with the John Bull of the old 

 farce ; but the best specimens of it that I have seen were 

 among the smaller sort of shopkeepers, particularly those 

 who advertised themselves to be under the patronage of 

 some noble lady. I remember one that we encountered, soon 

 after we resumed our walks in England after we had been 

 on the Continent, that amused us very much a little, flit, 

 florid, bald-headed John Gilpin of a man. He was wrapping 

 the article we had purchased in a paper, and, while we waited, 

 asked, 



&quot; Travellers, gentlemen T 



