At length a softer sound like mirth she hears, That rising up, her shrill-ton'd bell she rang. And long she toil'd unheard,---before a maid Both, then impatient, the same instant spoke, "What is the matter?---tell me quick the doom!” "Why, Ma'am, the city Doctors all have come "To mend your bones which they declare are broke." "And could they find no broken limbs at home, "You might have shut them out.-You're all to blame." "Dear Ma'am, we could not hear you ring or call, "Between the loud winds, and the Doctors all: r Why such a clatter,—such a whirl was brewing; "A whirl indeed!-Since Babel was o'erthrown, "I think no such confusion has been known: "How do they make the noise ?-What are they doing?” "They make it knocking, Maʼam-and crowding thick, "And tumbling in the entry, cold and sick, "And scolding about blasts and mad December; "But now they're growing still,-and sit as meek, "Close by the fire,-and long hard words they speak; "Such as I'm sure, I never could remember. "They talk of limbs all fraction'd-black and blue, "Such as they all came out to find on you; “Because they said, how from the coach you fell;— "And one makes bows,-and a strange gibberish talks,"And some look wise as owls,---and master walks, “And runs, and waits, and says t at you are well.” "Well, since they're here, and cannot get away "Prepare a supper of the nicest kind, “And 1 will strive my slumbers to regain.” Long seem'd the interval of tumult dire, From doubt reliev'd, would clear his cloudy brow. And standing near his nobly-furnish'd board, "In annals high, and ancient page we read "Computing too, from this your present speed, “A greater zeal in real time of need; "We greet with cordial thanks each honour'd guest, "Although regretting that your journey here "Should prove so inconvenient, and so drear, "Still take our welcome to this friendly feast. She, too, whose fancied pains you came to aid, THE SONG. Hail to the friends, whose kind voices I hear, Oh, let our social feast, far from each gentle guest, Banish all feeling of anger and wo; And then when the golden day, drives these foul mists away, Homeward in peace and serenity go. Dismiss'd from each heart, be its burden of care, May your toils be successful,---your prospects all fair, Ob, let our social feast, far from each welcome guest, Banish all feeling of anger and wo; And then when the golden day, drives these foul mists away, Homeward in peace and serenity go. THE NORTH-AMERICAN REVIEW *Appercu sur la situation politique des Etats Unis d'Amerique, par le General Turreau, ancien Ministre plenipotentiare de France aux Etats Unis d'Amerique. Prima ferè vota et cunctis notissima templis Juvenal Sat. 10. A Paris chez Firmin Didot, imprimeur du Roi. 1815, 8vo. p. p. 154. It has been our lot to be so ill-treated by foreigners; the travellers who have described us have been with very few exceptions so ignorant or so profligate, that we almost despair of an able and unprejudiced account of the United States from a European. Every year adds new productions to the long list already existing, and for the most part in the same spirit with those which have preceded. Though repeated failures have lessened our expectations, they have not extinguished our desire, to see this country described by some manly foreigner, who should have access to good society, and possess intelligence enough to comprehend our institutions, and sufficient sagacity to remark their effects on the character and condition of our citizens. Under these feelings, we took up the work before us with considerable eagerness. An official station is perhaps not the most advantageous position for viewing a nation at large, yet in some respects it possesses peculiar advantages. It is a very uncommon circumstance for a diplomatick character to describe politically a country in which he has resided; there are many obvious considerations to prevent this from being done. When therefore we found a view of our political situation by a foreign Ambassador who had resided among us eight years, and that too a period of striking interest, we felt the strongest curiosity to peruse his work. Under these circumstances, we might easily have expected too much; but we confess we were wholly unprepared for utter disappointment. We do not recollect to have met before with any work, which discovered more profound * At the Atheneum. ignorance of our institutions, more gross and indiscriminate abuse of our character, more incoherent and absurd reasoning, more rash and ridiculous opinions delivered in an oracular style, more mischievous or vague and puerile advice, as to our future policy. General Turreau, says, that his book was completed in 1811, and shewn to a gentleman in Paris, of this it bears intrinsick evidence. Considerations, majeures as he says, then prevented its publication, and there was a good deal of magnanimity in publishing last year, opinions which events had already falsified. Preceding the preface, there is an avertissement to the following effect. It is for the United States, and only for the United States, that these pages have been written." Every thing which may be found in them against democratick and commercial institutions, and above all, against their union in the same system, can have no relation and cannot be applied, except to the actual political situation of North America, that is to say, to the Federal government of the American Union. "I should further premise, that I only consider the United States of America in a general point of view. The reader may presume, that a country so peopled, constituted and governed, offers a crowd of exceptions, which it is impossible to particularize in a sketch so rapid and circumscribed as the present." The author thus announces, that his opinions are given for our use alone. It is one of the cases where the proverb will well apply; "not to look a gift-horse in the mouth, but as it was intended for our use, we are disposed to do all in our power to make it answer the design. In his preface he says, that we Americans derided all the ancient introvertible maxims of government, which the statesmen of all ages had agreed upon, and which time had consecrated; and that the founders of our constitutions, betrayed the most consummate ignorance. He quotes from Mr. Barlow's prospectus on the subject of a national institution, a warm eulogium of our principles of government, and afterwards a passage in which Mr. Barlow says, "if these principles are not new, they are at least new combinations of principles, which require to be developed and examined and better understood than they even are by ourselves:" on this, the General observes, "Here without doubt, is enough to enable us to form a conclusion on the Federal system of the United States of America. The Americans agree that they do not understand it, and that it is not understood even by those who admire it. This consoles us a little after having studied for eight years, without comprehending any thing about it. However, if the world be convinced as the author well remarks, that this system is the most perfect that has been discovered in matters of government, it is not absolutely necessary that one should comprehend the theory. It is in action and we can judge much better by facts than by reasonings of the merit of this sublime conception." He then goes on, "We however, lay it down as a principle, that it is impossible that a state at once democratick and trading can have a long political existence." There is, perhaps, less merit in the author's frank avowal, of his being utterly ignorant of the theory of our constitution after eight years study, as the whole work affords such convincing proof of it. His whole reasoning is founded on two prodigious mistakes of fact; and his whole advice on two monstrous perversions of judgment. The former consists in supposing our government to be a simple democracy, and that we are exclusively a commercial people; the latter, in thinking, what he supposes is our political system, to be the most desirable form of government, and that we should sacrifice and prohibit all conmerce for the purpose of maintaining it. The subject is too familiar to our readers, to render it necessary for us to refute this errour by a discussion on the nature of our constitution, which though it was an emanation from democratick will, the adoption of universal suffrage, and is founded on a democratick basis, is yet so assisted and modified in its operation, by aristocratick and monarchical processes and forms of action, that it is we devoutly hope, sufficiently removed for its own stability, from that most visionary, disastrous and fleeting of all forms of government, a simple democracy. The subject of commerce, we shall observe upon, after making another extract. "Whatever may be the form of governments in our time in the civilized world, and the greater or less degree of abuse inseparable from their action, you may see in almost every country, the dispositions of the people analogous |