He was an Englishman, who had forgotten the old ways, and had adopted the American plan.

T. B. Potter, Esq., M.P. for Rochdale, visited the United States in 1879. Upon his return he gave his experience in a very interesting speech. I wish I could embody all he said in this chapter: let me quote a passage. Mr. Potter said: “I did not see more than four cases of drunkenness in the four months that I was there. They feel themselves men. They know themselves to be a power in the State, and respecting themselves they claim the respect of others, and conduct themselves in such a manner as to command that respect. We often pride ourselves in England that we are the cleanest nation in the world, and cleanliness is said to be next to Godliness. The supply of water in America seems to be unlimited. Baths are everywhere. But what delighted me most was to find that in the large towns of America no moderate sized houses for working-men are built without a bath, for which there is an ample supply of hot and cold water. Philadelphia boasts of 40,000 houses with baths in them. All I can say is, that those who visit America find it the land of baths. The working-man in America does not like to walk in the streets or go home to his family in his war-paint. He prefers to have his face and hands washed, and to appear in the streets as a well-dressed citizen. I am not sure whether there is not a great deal in this regard to personal appearance. I confess it is agreeable to those who travel in America, because, as you know, there are no second or third-class carriages on the railways there. It is true that there are drawing-room cars provided with extra comforts for those who choose to pay extra for them, but there is only one class in the other cars, and I must confess that more courtesy, more selfrespect, and more orderly conduct, I never saw in travelling in any other part of the world, or even to equal it. Then there is another thing which one observes every day in America, and that is that there are no class distinctions.

There is no man who gives himself airs and sets himself up as being better than his neighbor. This absence of privilege appears to my mind as being an influence which reflects very powerfully upon the character of the people. All are respectable and respected."

Not only are the necessaries of life cheaper, but the wages are higher in America than in Europe, being three times the rate paid in France and Germany, and about once-and-a-half the rate paid in the United Kingdom.

This statement will be verified by the following table:-

THE WEEKLY RATES OF WAGES PAID IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE, GERMANY, NEW YORK, AND CHICAGO.

A good workman can find employment at the trades mentioned in the foregoing table in every city in America.

But my advice is: Don't stay in the old cities of the East! Go West! where food is cheapest and wages are highest.

For the cheaper food, higher wages, and other advantages enumerated, the American works harder and accomplishes more than the European workman. I make this statement upon the testimony of our Consuls in France, Germany, Denmark, and elsewhere. I believe it to be true -in a diminished degree I admit-as regards the workman of the United Kingdom also. Our artizan has a stake in the country; and enjoys the privileges, and performs the duties of citizenship. "We are not a nation of capitalists and laborers: we are a nation of Republican citizens."

CHAPTER III.

THE UNITED STATES.

Area, 3,542,858 square miles. Population, 50,152,866.
Seat of Government, Washington, D.C.

THE States and Territories of the North American Republic stretch across the continent between lat. 23° 20' and 49° N., and long. 66° 48' and 125° 32' W., from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, a distance of 2,760 miles.. The greatest breadth of the country, from Maine to Florida, is 1,600 miles. The total area is 2,965,468 square miles,. exclusive of Alaska, acquired by purchase from Russia in 1867, and having an area of 577,390 square miles. Perhaps a more correct estimate of the great expanse of the country may be had by comparison. The United States. is fifteen times the size of France, fifteen times the size of Germany, twelve times the size of Austria, and twentyfive times the size of Great Britain and Ireland.

The country is traversed by two great MOUNTAIN chains the Alleghanies and the Rocky Mountains. These divide the country into three distinct geographical divisions-the Atlantic and Pacific slopes, and the valley of the Mississippi. Some of the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains rise from 14,000 to 16,000 feet above the sea level; while Mount Washington, in Vermont, the

highest peak of the Alleghany chain, attains an altitude of 6,426 feet.

American RIVERS may be divided into four classes: 1. The Mississippi, which rises in the State of Minnesota, and runs for 3,200 miles to empty into the Gulf of Mexico, and its tributaries—the Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Yazoo, Missouri, Arkansas, and Red rivers. 2. Those which empty into the Atlantic; viz., the Connecticut, Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, James, Roanoke, and others. 3. Those flowing into the Pacific-the Columbia, Sacremento, Colorado, etc.; and 4. Those besides the Mississippi which flow into the Gulf of Mexico.

The Chain of LAKES, which is about 1,200 miles in length, forms the British frontier, and therefore does not belong exclusively to the United States. The chain is composed of lakes Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. The lakes belonging exclusively to the States are Michigan, Champlain, Salt Lake, Pyramid, Mono, and many others large and small.

Every variety of CLIMATE may be experienced in America. The climate of Western Oregon and Washington Territory resembles that of the United Kingdom. It is very hot in summer, and very cold in winter in what are known as the Northern States, while the Southern States partake of a tropical nature. Physical causes modify the climate of the whole Atlantic coast, so that in winter it is 10° lower than Western Europe in the same latitude. California and the coast of the Pacific boast of a climate mild and salubrious throughout the year.

The United States is rich in MINERALS. Coal is found in great abundance in every State in the Union, except Delaware, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, South Carolina, Louisiana, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The area of coal measures has been estimated at 300,000 square miles. The great central Alleghanian field, which runs through Eastern Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, and Pennsylvania,