JOHN BULL AND BROTHER JONATHAN. [From the "Times."]

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 612, 25 February 1852, Page 3

JOHN BULL AND BROTHER JONATHAN. [From the "Times."]

Taking all things together, British and Americans have run a pretty fair tie through the trials of this wonderful season. The spring it must be confessed, opened ill for Brother Jonathan, and for a good while in the race we kept well ahead. Wehad our Great Exhibition, — a real new " smart" speculation, which did not turn out a failure, which exceeded everybody's hopes, and which brought about no revolutions at all. As it turned out, even the extra policemen might have been dispensed with, and 50,000 visitors of all classes have congregated and dispersed daily without as much disturbance as attends a common country fair. Moreover, the dollars have really come tumbling in amain. We say it without any malice, or any wish to create annoyance, but tho fact is, that even the hyperbolical conjectures of American irony have fallen short of the truth in this interesting particular. It was calculated that we should realise 2,000,000 dollars, whereas we have got over 2,100,000 at this very moment with six good weeks before us still. And all this is in hand too, and in solid coin, so that we fairly walk away from our rivals. The true triumph of American genius would be to transfer these winnings by some brilliant counterstroke to the soil of Columbia. Mr. Barnum, we observe, is actually among us, and his presence, like that of Napoleon in the field, is always ominous of business. Still, although the Royal Commissioners seem sorely embarrassed ivith their specie, and although their friendly advisers among the public are almost as much at fault, we have not yet heard of any disposition herein towards Mississippi bonds. On the other hand, it is beyond all denial that every practical success of the season belongs to the Americans. Their consignments showed poorly at first, but came out well upon trial. Their reaping machine has carried conviction to the heart of the British agriculturist. Their revolvers threaten to revolutionize military tactics as completely as the original discovery of gunpowder. Their yacht takes a class to itself. Of all the victories ever won none has been so transcendant as that of the New York, schooner. The account given of her performances suggests the inapproachable excellence attributed to Jupiter by the ancient poets, who describe the King of the Gods as being not only supreme, but having none other next to him. " What's first ?"— " The America." "What's second?" —"• Nothing." Besides this, the Baltic, one of Collins's line of steamers, has " made the fastest passage yet known across the Atlantic," and, according to the American journals, has been purehasedby British agents "for the purpose of towing the Cunard vessels from one shore of the ocean to the other." Finally as if to crown (he triumphs of the year, Americans have actually sailed through the isthmus connecting the two continents of the New World, and, while Englishmen have been doubt-

ing and prudging, Yankees have s toped in and won the clay. So we think, on the whole, that we may afford to shake hands and exchange congratulations, after which we must learn as much from each other as we can. As for yachts, we have no doubt that by next August every vessel of the Cowes squadron will be trimmed to the very image of the America ; there is no doubt that our farmers will reap by machinery, and the revolver, we fear, is too attractive an embodiment of personal power to be overlooked by European mischiefmakers. In fact, while acknowledging the virtues o^this ingenious instrument, we must express our suspicions that its principal effect has been hitherto to promote murder . Of twenty assassinations in California or the Western States fifteen afc leart will be found, on eNamination, to have been perpetrated with revolvers. The invention supplies both temptation to the offence arid certainty in its execution, for it must be bad shooting indeed if one shot does not tell out of five. If it was once thought advisable to stigmatize " life preservers 1 ' as weapons importing no honest purpose, we hardly see how repeating pistols are escape a similar reproach. They weie, no doubt, found serviceable in " frontier action," bxit the invention cuts two ways, and ■ ye very much question whether Mr. Colt's discovery has not cost the Americans more lives than the Mexicans. Some readers, perhaps, may detect the hand of retribu tion in these matters, and the idea is still more extensively suggested by a story in one of the papers just arrived. A pack of bloodhounds, kept " for hunting runaway slaves," fell in with the children oi a neighbouring proprietor, killed them, and devoured them. The conclusion of the tragedy is truly American. The "distressed father," we are told, " loaded his rifle, and shot" —not himseif, but "the owner of the dogs," through the heart. A weekly contemporary, in honest indignation at the perversity of our juries, and the lawlessness of sublimated law, seems almost inclined to think that tne faults of the two systems are not so unequal as they seem, and that perhaps a little independont jurisdiction lodged inthe hands of individuals might correct that tendency to outrage which courts of justice appear unqualified to punish. If a man may murder his wife or poison bis child with practical impunity, why should not a posse of citizens be trusted with similar powers t We forbear from entering upon this argument, but we recommend all these circumstances to the careful notice of those gentlemen who annually strive to exempt murder from its penalty. There is manifestly an instinctive sense of justice in the human breast, which will not endure to be outraged either by the theories of sentimentalists or the negligence of law, and, where great crimes are left unpunished, there soon arises a disposition among the people to administer a code of their own. We trust, however, that we may borrow the lines of the America, and even the use of Mr. Colt's patent, without being seduced into "institutions" of Lynch Law and homicide. There are other features, too, of life in the States which are held np for our imitation. Mr. Cobden is anxious that we should copy the Americans in our newspapers, and naturalize the spirit of Transatlantic journalism among English writers. This would effect a remarkable change, there is no denying. As a specimen we subjoin a report from a fashionable watering-place, framed after American ideas of propriety and taste. Just now the Americans, liko ourselves, are betaking themselves from town and city to mountain springs or seaside sands, and the reporters of the daily journals follow in their train to these popular retreats. What would our " Mammas 1 ' say to such a sketch from Cowes or Brighton as that transcribed from the Newport News into the Neio York Herald for Europe ? " Since my last there have been a large number of arrivals at this housp, and among them many .beautiful and accomplished ladies. There are several here whom I have noticed for a week or two, but! have not ye ascertained their names. Others I know by sight, but, not ha\ ing had the pleasure of an introduction, I am unable at present to speak of them from my own knowledge^ " Among the more recent arrivals I notice Miss Bunnavanl, of Richmond, Virginia. She is a tall, stately young lady, has a beautiful figure, and a face which denotes intelligences and marked independence of character. I think her very beautiful, particularly so from the fact that she has an extraordinary face, such as you rarely meet with in a crowd. She has many admirers, and is one of the popular belles. " Miss Virginia Hiss is a lively, pleasant young lady, and very interesting. "Miss Jennie Cohen, of Baltimore, is very > pretty. " Miss Julia Winnans and Miss Brinks, of Baltimore, dress very neatly and in fine taste, and are very agreeable young ladies. "Miss Ludlow, of Cincinnati, is a pleasing young lady. " Miss Holbrook, of Boston, is very pretty and interesting. "Miss Coleman, of Louisville, is a beautifully formed lady, and is quite a favourite ; she has a sweet face, and -very fascinating manners. "Miss .Gross, of Louisville, has a fine figure, very erect, with a beautiful face, and very pleasing manners. She is one of the most agreeable and popular ladies at the house. " Miss Rhoades, of Albany, is very handsome, dresses very modestly, and is a general favourite ; (she is gifted with fine musical talents. "Miss Watson, of Nashville, is very beautiful, and will soon be generally considered a decided belle. "Miss Anna Chicketing, of Boston, a daughter of the celebrated manufacturer of pianofortes, who is immensely wealthy, has a splendid figure, and is endowed with great musical talents, and .will create no little sensation. She dances finely, but I have not seen her on the floor, as yet, since her arrival. " Miss Fasset, of Philadelphia, is a millionaire, and dances a great deal; she is an agreeable young lady. "Miss Doane, of St. Louis, is one of those sweet creatures in whose heart no guile ever entered, and where happiness and innocence reign in undisturbed union. Intelligent,' natural, and good, a high-minded and sensible man cannot but regard her as a young lady of z'are woxth and unusual excellencies." We make no apology for giving to these agreeable details a wider circulation than ifc was perhaps expected they 'would receive ; nor shall we attempt to apportion the degrees of merit between, those who demand such intelligence and those who supply it ; but it must be plain, we think, that before Mr. Cobden's idea can be realized a good deal has to be done, and equally evident, we should imagine, that the wisdom of the attempt would be very questionable indeed.