INDEX TO THE ECLECTIC MAGAZINE, VOL. IV.

SELECT LIST OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS: Great
Britain-Germany-France-Italy,

288, 432, 572,

144,

Ship Canal across the Isthmus of Darien,
— Quarterly Review,

-

T

351

SCIENCE AND ART: New Comet, 75; Meteorology, 141; Syro-Egyptian Society-Sunflower Company-Cardinal Richelieu's Letters, 142; Hermann of Leipsic, 192; The Flamingo, 258; New System of Locomotion, by compressed air -Syro-Egyptian Sooiety, 283; Geology of Gib. raltar-The Tribes of Guiana-Toposcope- Travels in Kordofan,-Westminster Review, 193 Anti-inflammable Starch, 284; Weber's Remains-Royal Society of Literature-Language of the Oregon Territory-China, 285; Im- United States of America,—North British provement in Oil Painting-Animals of the Review,

паит,

Magazine,

U

Chalk found in a recent state in the stomachs United States Exploring Expedition,—Atheof Oysters-Gigantic Bison-Exhilarating Gas liquified-Herr Gervinus, 286; Archæological Universities, English and Irish,-Dub. U. Museum at Athens, 382; Anastatic Printing— Rowland Hill, 427; Anemometer-Ruins of Nineveh, 428; Eolian Attachment-New Invention-Coal from Peat-Hamyaritic Inscrip- Walpole's Memoirs of George III.-Tait's tions-Arctic Polar Expedition, 429; Pressure

Magazine,

W

of Mercury in Volcanic Rocks, 470; Concord- Wigan's Duality of the Mind,-Spectator, ance to Shakspeare-Ivory-Engraving, 565;

Reproduction of the Minerva of the Parthenon,

566; Cardinal Mai-Hamyaritic Inscriptions Zurbano and Aviraneta,—New Monthly -Egypt and Mohammed Ali, 567; Manuscripts

Magazine,

1

520

259

The means of judging of a nation fully and fairly are not often possessed by foreigners. A feeling of rivalry and jealousy frequently exists between the inhabitants of different countries, which leads them to lean to the side of depreciating and disparaging their neighbors. Even differences in matters so insignificant, comparatively, as the manners and customs which regulate the daily intercourse of social and domestic life, are apt to excite prejudice, and to produce unfavorable impressions in regard to matters much more important, when a candid

The United States of North America; their History from the Earliest Period; and impartial consideration of these differtheir Industry, Commerce, Banking ences might convince men that many of Transactions, and National Works; the habits and customs of other nations their Institutions and Character, Politi- were neither less rational in themselves, cal, Social, and Literary; with a Sur- nor perhaps less fitted to promote general vey of the Territory, and Remarks upon comfort and convenience, than their own, the Prospects and Plans of Emigrants. and were unpleasant and annoying to them, By Hugh Murray, F.R.S.E. With merely because different from those to Illustrations of the Natural History. By James Nicol. Portraits, and other Engravings, by Jackson. 3 vols. Edinburgh Cabinet Library. Edinburgh,

1844.

which they had been accustomed. The United States of North America have perhaps shared more largely than any other country in the injustice with which nations are apt to treat each other in the opinions cherished and expressed with regard to

MEN commonly form an unfair estimate them. The history and institutions of that of the institutions, character, manners and country are in some respects of a kind customs, of other nations than their own. | fitted to excite not very unnatural prejudice VOL. IV.-No. I.

1

tent to which these evils prevail, in order to derive from the state of matters in that country an argument against democracy. And there is one peculiar circumstance connected with this matter which has tended greatly to strengthen the prejudice existing in this country against the United

among the nations of the old world, and especially in Great Britain; and there are still many things in the condition and circumstances of the United States, though we are disposed to regard them chiefly as adventitious and temporary, which afford plausible grounds for an unfavorable judgment to those who are predisposed to regard States-we mean the notion impressed them with prejudice. We are not sure upon the minds of many worthy persons by that either in Great Britain or in the United the history of the first French Revolution, States have the feelings engendered by the and not yet wholly obliterated, of there war which terminated in American inde- being some intrinsic connexion between pendence, been altogether obliterated. democracy and infidelity. It was not very There are even yet some men in Great unnatural that the features which the Britain who are disposed to look upon the French Revolution presented, should proUnited States merely as revolted colonies duce an impression of this sort; but still which ought still to have formed a part of every enlightened and intelligent man must the British empire; and the revival of the see it to be a mere prejudice. We know doctrines of passive obedience and non- of no Scriptural grounds on which it can resistance of "the right divine of kings be established that monarchy is in itself to govern wrong," by the high churchmen more agreeable to the will of God than reof our day-men who talk equivocally of publicanism; and it cannot be shown that the lawfulness of the Reformation from the views which usually lead men to apPopery, and of the advantages which have prove of a republican form of government, resulted from it, and who openly condemn have any natural tendency to make them the Revolution of 1688 as a "national sin," infidels, or infidel views to make them re-is not likely to favor the eradication of publicans. The connexion between repubthis view, and of the feelings which it is licanism and infidelity, at the era of the fitted to produce. And many Americans, French Revolution, was the result of ciron the other hand, are still too much dis- cumstances, and not of any natural and posed to remember that Great Britain inherent tendency in the things themselves. once oppressed them, and tyrannized over Some of the most eminent English infidels them, and to allow the recollection of for- have been the defenders of absolute monmer injuries to tinge the feelings with archy; not a few of those who have been which they still regard her; and this state most eminently honored in promoting the of mind and feeling is fostered by the prac- cause of religion, such as Calvin and others tice still kept up in the United States, of of the Reformers, were decidedly opposed reading publicly, on the 4th of July, the to monarchical principles; and we have Declaration of Independence, which con- now, in the United States, a body of ministains a minute and detailed enumeration of ters, many of whom are possessed of suall the hardships inflicted upon the colonies by the mother-country. This custom can now have no other effect than to keep alive uncharitable and angry feelings, and would surely be more honored in the breach than the observance."

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perior talents and learning, as well as undoubted piety, and have been highly honored by God in the conversion of sinners, who yet openly maintain, that upon grounds at once of reason and Scripture, a republic is greatly preferable to a monarchy The Republican government of the or an aristocracy. These facts afford no United States has tended greatly to preju- reason why we should change our views dice the subjects of European monarchies upon the subject of government; but they against the institutions of that country. If are surely sufficient to expose the folly of there exist in America a strong tendency the prejudice which many British Christo ascribe the ignorance and misery which tians entertain against the United States, are to be found in European countries to hereditary monarchy and a hereditary legislature, there is at least an equally strong tendency in this country to ascribe the ignorance and misery which exist in the United States to their republican form of government, and to exaggerate the ex

as if their republican institutions either sprung from, or tended to, infidelity. The Declaration of Independence was indeed. drawn up by Jefferson, who was an infidel, though he did not venture very openly to avow his infidelity during his lifetime; but Dr. Wotherspoon was its most able and