offensive, leaving like the slime of the snail the track of impurity.

But whatever may be the defects and errors of American conversation, it would be unjust to deny it the praise of decorum. Great care is taken to avoid hurting the feelings of any one. When a dissentient opinion is expressed, it is done with mildness. That bold and decisive opposition, which has been supposed part of the national character of the English, is rejected as being too rude for civilization. Ispeak of the educated part of the community, but with some qualification it applies to the whole. In no country probably, taking the people in their collective capacity, is there more decorum in conversation, than in the United States.

CHAPTER VIII.

INTELLIGENCE.

THE Americans have a current saying, that they are the most enlightened people on earth, and Congress actually passed a resolution to that ef fect many years ago! What a people assert of

themselves is entitled to attention. Let us therefore examine how far we may yield credence to this assertion.

That the Americans in proportion to their numbers, have not so many learned and scientific men as several European countries, is a position, that will scarcely be disputed, even by themselves. Their meaning therefore must be, either, that the mass of people have more information diffused among them, than the mass of other nations, or, that there is in the lower and middling classes, a greater proportion of enlightened minds, than is to be found in other lands. To ascertain the correctness of these opinions, we must know the extent and state of education. In the northern and middle States, the rudiments of learning are communicated to most of the poor; but in Virginia, Maryland and North

Carolina, different indeed is the state of things; for ignorance prevails to a lamentable extent. Even in Pennsylvania, where great attention has been given to the education of the poor, instruction is not given to all. This I learnt from the Report for the present year 1823, of the controllers of one of the school districts in that State. But supposing that education were more general than it is, it would not prove the Americans to be a more enlightened people than the Germans or the Scotch, as the proper criterion is, how the little acquired at school, is improved afterwards. Children may be taught to read and write; but unless they use their attainments, the benefit is nearly nugatory. In New York and Philadelphia, possibly in one or two other places, there are libraries for the special use of Apprentices. I examined one of them, and was pleased to find a very judicious selection from practical and standard English authors. But in villages and small towns, almost the only book read is the Bible. The newspapers circulated are however exceedingly numerous; so that I believe the poor are generally well informed on subjects of domestic policy. From their migratory habits, they are also tolerably well acquainted with the . geography of the country. But on other subjects, they are as ignorant as the poor of Spain

or Russia, though certainly not quite so superstitious.

The degree of intelligence amongst the middling class, is not equal to what might be supposed from the state of the poor. This I shall endeavour to make manifest by a few facts. Albany, the seat of the government of New York, containing a population of 12,000 souls, had not, when I was there, a single circulating library. A bookseller told me that he had it in contemplation to establish one; but what must we think of a town with so large a population being without one? Certainly we may infer that the enlightened state the Americans boast of, is not very brilliant. At Richmond, the seat of the government of Virginia, I found a small library of valuable books by authors of the last century, but scarcely any published during the present; the fact being, that the subscriptions are only sufficient to pay the librarian's salary and the rent of the room: at least, I could obtain no other solution of its stagnant state. What few books there were, seemed to have been little read. I remained in the room several hours, and only one person came to exchange a volume during the whole time. In Philadelphia there is a good public library, and an establishment

called the Atheneum where periodicals are taken in; but the two united, would not equal the provision for literary appetite, in some European towns of half the size. In New York there are several small libraries, one of which belonging to the Historical Society, has a collection as judiciously made, as is perhaps possible to be found any where. But the state of literature in that city is evidently below that of Philadelphia and Boston, and far below what I should expect in the commercial metropolis of the most enlightened people upon earth. Baltimore has two libraries, but neither of them large. The colleges at Schenectady and Providence have libraries quite inadequate to a first-rate education. On the whole, there are not so many literary establishments in the United States, as to manifest a high degree of mental culture. The only place which appeared to me to be properly furnished with a literary establishment, is Boston; for though Philadelphia has, as I have mentioned, a good library, besides a reading room where the periodical journals may be seen, and a scientific library belonging to a public institution, yet when the population of that city is taken into account, the means of gaining improvement appear comparatively small. With respect to science, not being myself of a scien