ABBOTSFORD AND MELROSE ABBEY. 



The American, whether he visits England or not, 

 always feels as if he inherited certain rights there ; 

 and that he should, if the occasion present itself, look 

 after ancestral interests. Although our fathers, as 

 colonists, had a quarrel with the petulant u Home 

 Government," and we succeeded in setting up house- 

 keeping for ourselves, we no longer entertain a grudge 

 against the descendants of those who. thought we 

 were wrong! We have a country of our own, and 

 quite naturally glory in its marvelous growth, but we 

 do not forget that our laws and customs have been 

 largely copied from English samples; and we love to 

 read in prose and verse the stirring words of the best 

 English authors. Indeed, we claim partial ownership 

 in the literary productions of the mother country. 

 We purchase her publications, and trust that our 

 patronage Has been appreciated. If we have appro- 

 priated any thing without giving due credit, we have 

 done it much as a boy takes a cake from his mother's 

 pantry. 



The most thrilling tales read in our boyhood are 

 from Border Minstrelsy; and the general reader can* 

 not help admiring the witching poesy of Sir Walter 

 Scott. The knighted bard was born in Edinburgh, 

 but spent much of his boyhood in a region of country 

 often fought over in a strife for territory, in struggles 

 for prestige, and in making reprisals. Then there 

 were the endless disputes about Succession to the 

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