118 ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION. [CHAP. XXVII. 



confound our v s and w s. &quot; The Pickwick Papers &quot; 

 have been so universally read in this country, that 

 it is natural the Americans should imagine Sam 

 Weller s pronunciation to be a type of that usually 

 spoken in the old country, at least in and about the 

 metropolis. In their turn, the English retaliate amply 

 on American travellers in the British Isles : &quot; You 

 don t mean to say you are an American ? Is it pos 

 sible ? I should never have discovered it, you speak 

 English so well ! &quot; &quot; Did you suppose that we had 

 adopted some one of the Indian languages ?&quot; - &quot; I 

 really never thought about it ; but it is wonderful to 

 hear you talk like us ! &quot; 



Looking into the shop-windows in New Orleans, 

 we see much which reminds us of Paris, and abund 

 ance of articles manufactured in the Northern States, 

 but very few things characteristic of Louisiana. 

 Among the latter I remarked, at a jeweller s, many 

 alligators teeth polished and as white as ivory, and 

 set in silver for infants to wear round their necks to 

 rub against their gums when cutting their teeth, in 

 the same way as they use a coral in England. 



The tombs in the cemeteries on the outskirts of 

 the town are raised from the ground, in order that 

 they may be above the swamps, and the coffins are 

 placed in bins like those of a cellar. The water is seen 

 standing on the soil at a lower level in many places ; 

 there are often flowers and shrubs round the tombs, 

 by the side of walks made of shells of the Gna- 

 thodon. Over the grave of one recently killed in a 

 duel was a tablet, with the inscription &quot; Mort, 

 victime de 1 honneur ! &quot; Should any one propose to 



