Mr. West, have you heard the news from town this morning? No, sir, I have not seen the papers of to-day. Then, sir, let me inform you, that his Majesty's troops in South Carolina have gained a splendid victory over the rebels, your countrymen. This, I suppose, cannot be very pleasant news to you, Mr. West! Mr. West saw the snare that was laid for him, and determined that if he must die, he would die like a He therefore replied-no, sir, this is not plea. sant news to me, for I never can rejoice at the misfortunes of my countrymen. man. The King, who, till this moment, had not appeared to regard the conversation, now turned, and said to Mr. West, sir, that answer does you honour! and then immediately addressing himself to the Lord, added, sir, let me tell you, that, in my opinion, any man who is capable of rejoicing in the calamities of his country, can never make a good subject of any government ! Such sentiments as these are characteristic of a magnanimous and superior man, and must certainly go far towards invalidating unfavourable popular impressions concerning the present King of England. AN EXCURSION. June 1.-London, you know, is surrounded by vil las and country seats, where the opulent citizens reside a greater or less part of the year. I have dined, to-day, at one of these beautiful places, about three miles from town, on the Kent road. It is the seat of Mr. H, a wealthy merchant, the particular friend of our celebrated countryman Dr. M. I found Mr. Hwalking in the grounds back of his house, No. XV.-LONDON. A republican lord.... His mechanical ingenuity....An ingenious invention of his.... His sentiments on the state of the country ....A dinner....Reserve of the English.... Ballad singers. INCIDENTS. June 2.-At a private house I met, this evening, a noble lord, who is distinguished in this country as a great patron of political and mechanical projects. He is particularly partial to Americans because they are presumed to be, of course, republicans; and men of science and inventive genius meet with his particular attention, because he is really a distinguished mechanician, and generally a patron of improvements whose object is practical benefit to mankind. His lordship's appearance was perfectly plain, and would never have led any one to suspect that he was a nobleman; his deportment was very affable, and removed all embarrassments to conversation. In this he took a leading part, and it turned principally on topics connected with chemistry and mechanics. With these subjects he appeared to be extensively acquainted. There was a German lady present belonging to his family; she was performing upon the piano, and his lordship informed me that such were her talents for musical composition, that she would often play off the finest airs, extempore, and thus these delightful effusions of genius were irrecoverably lost, for she could never repeat them without variation. To arrest these fleeting touches of harmony, he had invented a musical instrument similar to the piano, with the keys of which he had connected a mechanical contrivance which ne cessarily noted down the music as fast as it was played, the same movement of the keys producing both effects. If this invention is not as important to mankind as that of the infernal engines, it at least has the merit of innocence. His lordship is in the opposition, and is very well known to have strong republican tendencies. He told me that he considered the ruin of this country as now inevitable, and he spoke warmly against the right of primogeniture and the vast difference between the condition of the rich and of the poor in England. I must confess I find it no easy task to reconcile my self to the profusion, frivolity and splendor of too many of the English gentry, contrasted with the inevitable poverty and wretchedness of great numbers of the lower classes ; but I should have never expected to hear, from the mouth of an English nobleman, a declaration that primogeniture is unreasonable. It is not easy to see how his lordship reconciles his republican notions, with his aristocratical practice. He said that all would have been well in England, if the French revolution had not taken the unhappy turn it did, but now they were going on with one unnecessary war after another, and the country was groaning under six hundred mil lions of debt, a sum which all the land of Great-Britain and Ireland, if sold, would not produce. June 3.-At a dinner in the city, to-day, I met an embarrassment which is too often experienced in England. The party was large, and, as usual, began to converse on their own personal topics, and I to look forward to the entertainment of my own reflections. But, I soon came to a resolution to attempt a share in the conversation, and accordingly addressed myself to a young Englishman, who sat next to me ; but I was not fortunate in the choice of my subject, for the conversation was not supported; I asked him, next, concerning the ceremonies of the king's birth-day, which is to-morrow, but of this he knew nothing— and then, whether his majesty was not an excellent horseman. I now found that I had touched the right string, for, the young gentleman belonged to a volun. teer corps of cavalry; from that moment we entered into a very spirited conversation upon horses-horse. manship-the volunteer system-Bonaparte and the invasion, and in the event, the conversation became general, and the evening one of the most pleasant that I have spent in this country. The young officer of dragoons gave me his address and invited me to attend one of the reviews of his corps, and to visit him at Clapham. The The truth seems to be that the English are often reserved, and will not trouble themselves to converse with you, if you are willing to remain silent. reasonable modesty and diffidence of a stranger, they appear to mistake for stupidity or ignorance, and although they do not want discernment to discover, or spirit to repress impudence and vanity, they will not think much of you, if you have not a good share of self-possession and confidence in yourself. Returning home, about 10 o'clock at night, I observed one of those little circles which are very com. mon in the streets of London; I allude to the audi. ences which gather around the ballad singers. These are usually poor women, or little girls, with every appearance of extreme poverty, who collect a few pence by singing ballads at the corners of the streets, under the bow-windows of shops, and the porticoes of pub. lic buildings. Although their voices are usually harsh from being so often exerted, and their performances, in every respect indifferent, they immediately draw a circle around and detain them a long time. Some stop from curiosity, some from pity, and some to pick pockets; the latter class hardly ever fail to find subjects in every crowd, for, although those who know London never trust themselves in throngs, with much property about them, there are always novices enough whom curiosity attracts, and ignorance of the arts of pick-pockets renders insensible to their danger. No. XVI-LONDON. The king's birth day....Palace of St. James....Court dress.... THE KING'S BIRTH DAY. June 4. This is his majesty's birth day, and after dinner I followed the current to St. James' palace to see the parade on the occasion. The palace makes but an indifferent appearance; it is a plain brick building of an irregular form in some parts, and where it is regular, it has only one story; this part extends a considerable distance and gives it the appearance of a manufactory, or range of low ware-houses. palace was erected by Henry VIII. and is now used only for state purposes, as the royal family never reside in it. During their winter residence near town, (for they never live actually in London,) they reside The . |