287 [Assembly 



amusing comment. How many of those who now hear me have 

 been asked by intelligent men in England to give them a speci- 

 men of Choctaw or Cherokee, and how many of you have been 

 complimented upon your proficiency in the English tongue 1 

 Such blunders one would suppose might be made by the man 

 who exclaimed in innocent surprise that " even the children 

 in Boulogne spoke excellent French," but one would scarcely ex- 

 pect such ignorance of America as is often found among English 

 gentlemen. It would be easy to multiply instances of this char- 

 acter, for half the world believe us to be black, or red, and have 

 a Chinese notion of our geography. 



But neither climate nor color is involved in the matter when 

 the conversation turns upon American prosperity. Then it will 

 be found that a very general idea prevails of the greatness of 

 America. Little is known of our history, our laws or our indus- 

 try, nothing in detail, but there is a confused notion of heroic 

 chievement, of political liberty of great wealth, and of unexam- 

 pled prosperity and happiness, all blended together in such a 

 way as to prepare the mind to receive almost any influence which 

 may accord with preconceived ideas. In this condition of things 

 it is natural that* our country should be looked to as a model by 

 other nations desiring to share in the blessings we enjoy. This 

 is leading them to inquire more closely into oui* ^condition, and 

 altlipugh they may not readily apprehend the whole truth, they 

 will learn enough, and some have already copied enough, to jus- 

 tify the epithet which our British brethren tauntingly bestow — 

 " the model republic." 



A rapid glance at -history will serve to prove that the moral 

 influence of the United States upon the world is incalculable. 

 Already it has thrice convulsed all Europe. Scarcely had the 

 treaty of Paris, by the hard-wrung concessions of England, sanc- 

 tioned the supremacy of the people over the assumptions of roy- 

 al prerogative, when the great revolution commenced in France, 

 which washed out in the blood of her sovereign the last remnant 

 of feudalism in Western Europe. The warriors who had fought 

 by the side of Washington, brought back to their homes the prin- 

 ciples of their illustrious chief. Lafayette and Kosciusko became 



