ENGLISH RESIDENTS' MANNERS. 67 



to persuade others that they were really more than simple 

 savages. 



Let us now contrast these men with a civilized house. 

 On one occasion I paid a visit to the house of a settler, who 

 was clothed in white linen jacket, straw hat, fustian trow- 

 sers, and coarse shirt, and was busy at work in his garden. 

 His wife met me, and, being acquainted, we at once entered 

 into conversation. I wished to hear about the soil, the 

 thriving of poultry, &c. ; but at first this would-be great 

 lady could utter nothing but apologies for being so " dread- 

 fully dressed." She then gave a long history of the number 

 of her great friends in England, and described the astonish- 

 ment of these aristocrats were they to hear of her being 

 in such a wilderness. Then, pointing to her husband, she 



said, "Ah, dear me ! to see now, you would scarcely 



imagine what a stylish man he was formerly. In England, 

 he used to wear his hair long, and when he had greased 

 it, and put on a clean shirt on a Sunday, there was not 

 a more gentlemanly-looking man in London." With 

 some difficulty I immediately invented a story, at which I 

 pretended to laugh immoderately, and thus concealed my 

 want of appreciation of the former elegance of her dear, 

 fallen spouse. 



The extremes on very many occasions appear to meet. 

 The perfectly uncultivated man is certainly nearer per- 

 fection than he who has picked up a little knowledge, 

 and is puffed up in consequence. We see this in so many 

 subjects. In music, for instance, it is sweeter to hear a 

 person (who may be ignorant of the science) play by ear 

 an air, than listen to the struggles and unmusical con- 



