198 RECRIMINATION. [CHAP. XIV. 



Although it was declined, the mere fact of a great nation having 

 waived all punctilious etiquette, and offered to settle a point at 

 issue by referring the question to private citizens of high charac 

 ter and learned in international law, proves that the world is 

 advancing in civilization, and that higher principles of morality 

 are beginning to gain ground in the intercourse between nations. 

 &quot; All who ought to govern,&quot; said a member of Congress to me, 

 &quot; are of one mind as to Lord Aberdeen s overture ; but they who 

 do govern here, will never submit to arbitration.&quot; 



The Senate consists at present of fifty-nine members, and will 

 soon be augmented by two from Texas and two from Iowa, the 

 Union consisting now of twenty-seven states, with a population 

 of about twenty millions. 



The appearance of the members of the House of Representa 

 tives is gentlemanlike, although I doubt not that the scenes of 

 violence and want of decorum described by many travelers, are 

 correct pictures of what they witnessed. In this nation of read 

 ers they are so sensitive to foreign criticism, that amendment may 

 be confidently looked for. At this moment, the papers, by way 

 of retaliation, are amusing their readers with extracts from a 

 debate in the Canada House of Assembly. The following may 

 serve as an example : &quot; Our Canadian friends occasionally read 

 us a lecture on courtesy and order, we therefore cite from a report 

 of their legislative proceedings, what we presume they intend as 

 a model for our imitation. Mr. De B. appealed to the chair to 

 stop the member for Quebec, and threatened if he was not called 

 to order, that he must go over and pull his nose ; at which Mr. 

 A. rejoined, Come and do it, you scoundrel ! &quot; Another exam 

 ple of recrimination that I have lately seen, consisted in placing 

 in two parallel columns, first an extract from the leading article 

 of the London Times, rating the Americans in good set terms 

 for their rudeness to each other in debate, and coarse abuse of 

 England ; arid, secondly, an account given by the same journal 

 of a disorderly discussion in the House of Commons on an Irish 

 question, in which, among other incidents, a young member of 

 the aristocracy (intoxicated let us hope) rose in the midst of the 

 hubbub, and imitated the crowing of a cock. 



