or two upon the subject, in the shape of congratulations, as to the astonishing effects of the lake breezes upon his appetite. He winked his eye at me good-humouredly, as much as to say he understood what I meant, but continued to clear the dishes as fast as ever. When at length tirednature could no farther go, he very deliberately turned round to his fair bride, and resumed his billing and cooing, in a matter-of-fact, straight-forward manner, that diverted me excessively."

We must find a companion racer to the performer in the last heat

"Clam Soup, a thrill of admiration shakes my pen as it traces the short, the unobtrusive, the humble-looking words, Clam Soup! My dear friend, one single table-spoonful of it is a payment in full for all the trouble of a voyage across the Atlantic; one basinful of it would recompense a man for circumnavigating the entire globe! They say it is made of some sort of shell fish, some mussel which is in abundance here. I don't believe it! It must be something sent down direct from the skies, to bless and support the American ladies: and oh, my dear fellow! to see, as I did to-day, thirty or forty of the dear, fair-haired, gentle-eyed, and pale-cheeked angels, looking so excessively lovely, and eating Clam Soup so excessively fast! such heaven-born food! such celestial feeders!—it is a sight, indeed! But I feel that I dare not trust myself on either of the two subjects, still less on the two subjects combined. Come and behold! come and eat!"

Yet how wondrously delicate are even the American chambermaids, at least at New York, although they may transgress when any of the finny race are before them:

"This morning I requested one, whom I met in passing along the immense galleries in which are the dormitories, to fetch me a jug of water. She looked aghast at the request; but soon, with a smile of compassion at my ignorance, said she would tell one of the waiters to bring it. Soon after I accosted another, and, as it was very hot, requested her to remove the counterpane from my bed. She said it was morally impossible; that it would be as good as her place was worth; but that a waiter should come and do it.

"I was vastly amused with this refinement of delicacy in a class which, in other quarters of the globe, is not always characterised by an excess of it; and to investigate the subject still further, I attacked a third young lady, whom I encountered; and asked her if she would do me the favour to sew a button on the collar of a shirt which I proffered to her. She started back from the dilapidated vestment, dangled her two hands from her wrists, looked aghast, and, uttering that universal word of American astonishment, 'Lawk!' turned away, and told me she would send a man for the thing.'

"In short, I soon found out that for a single gentleman to expect that a single chambermaid-and there are no double ones-would answer his bell, was an indecorum of the most atrocious sort."

Sometimes when the sanguine and kind-hearted Colonel wishes to praise the Yankees excessively, and to express his entire approval of what he saw or heard, his views and prospects imply what may not be very flattering to Jonathan. For instance, he is delighted when making himself almost sure that the Republic, at least as a Union, will ere long fall to pieces, and that a large slice of it will hail a monarchy. He never met with stauncher admirers of Old England, or more decided aristocrats, although in the meanwhile they call themselves republicans. He speaks thus in one passage,

"This I know, that all, absolutely all, as if it were a mania lately and spontaneously sprung up, have either been recounting to me the deeds of their ancestors, as connected with the mother country, or claiming and proving a direct descent from her. All-republican as they believe themselves to be, I consider them the proudest and most aristocratic people I ever beheld; detesting and turning up their noses at what they consider and stigmatize as parvenu and plebeian. No coterie of old maids ever scrutinised birth, parentage, and pretensions more fastidiously than do the Americans. Wealth is eagerly sought for by them, perhaps more eagerly than in many other countries, and great respect is shown to it occasionally, but it has no chance against descent-no, not the least."

Military affairs and warlike condition in the United States, especially when described in the report of a recent traveller, a soldier, and a man of great professional experience, must interest every reader in Great Britain. The Colonel's notice of Springfield, where American muskets are manufactured, will supply us with some of the required information :

66

'Walking up a broad and beautiful street, we turned to the left amidst Dutch cottages with tastefully laid-out parterres, and thousands of sunflowers bending to the breeze; seeing all around us innumerable places of worship, with noble country-houses in the distance. The streets were well watered, with rows of majestic and graceful elm-trees on each side; and were it not for the intense heat, Springfield would be a perfect paradise. The hill we mounted is crowned by magnificent buildings filled with workshops. The armoury is situated apart, and contains 91,000 stand of arms, simply but neatly arranged. The average price of each musket is eleven dollars-fie upon England!-I mean Old England, that gives so much more niggardly a price. They are all in high order and with agate flints, the flat side uppermost-a plan which I cannot get my fellows to adopt.

"This noble national establishment is calculated for 250 operatives when in full work; at present only 140 are employed, earning from thirty-five to fifty dollars per month. Some work by the day, others by the piece. The shops are opened at the ringing of a bell at half-past four both in summer and winter. Those who work by the day must perform ten hours'

labour, and no intemperance is permitted; for a man observed to be the least excited by liquor is instantly discharged.

"A most obliging and intelligent operative, who walked round with us, explained everything; he first showed us the barrel, stock, &c., piecemeal, and then the musket complete. We went to the proving-house, very simply and well arranged, where fifty barrels are proved at a time; the first charge is the sixteenth part of a pound, or one ounce; the second twenty-two drachms. Each barrel weighs four pounds five ounces; the whole complete, with fixed bayonet, ten pounds and a half. The bayonet enters on a pivot and is then turned, and all have brass pans.

"I blushed when I thought of Brummagem jobbing and contracts; for here all, every, and each component part of a firelock are made according to pattern and in one mould. The stocks, all turned from the walnut by the same machine, and at the same time a spring is fixed for the ramrod; the locks are all tested in a steel gauge; the hammers, pans, pins, barrels, stocks, &c., undergo the minutest examination; there being a chief inspector in each shop and for each article: thus every part may be taken at random, and will supply any deficiency that may occur.

"They have no armourers, with their regiments, but have depots in each state, so that when a soldier breaks or spoils any part of his firearm, his piece is immediately taken into store and replaced by another. It would, I conceive, be a better plan to furnish a certain number of each part to the quartermaster of every corps, and make him charge the soldier for such as are issued to him. Everything we saw appeared to be of the best, and all forming part of a great whole. Their powder is also first-rate and beautifully glazed.

"Why does not our Ordnance Board now and then take a hint from other countries-abolish contracts, and set up for itself?

"We had inquired before we set out whether it was necessary to offer any fee: the answer was, that the Americans like themselves to see, and to show to strangers all that is going on in their public works without payment; and that the proffer of money would offend.

"Ye Tower Beef-eaters, hide your diminished heads! Ye well-tipped Swiss at St. Denis and elsewhere, keep your well-greased palms for ever shut! and ye pampered lacqueys at England's proud show-palaces, take a leaf out of John Ford's book-from whom we parted with mutual kind feelings and gracious smiles; we thankful for the valuable information he had clearly and concisely given us, and he delighted with our approbation of all we had seen."

The following particulars also belong to the war department:

"After breakfasting at Buffalo, we walked up to the barracks, a distance of about three-quarters of a mile, where we found Colonel Bankhead mounted on a fine old white charger, and saw him received with all the honours of a reviewing general. The line, with a half battery of artillery on its right, presented arms, &c.; and after he had ridden up and down it in the usual manner, it broke into open column right in front, but not by facing about, or wheeling backward, but by each company facing to its

right, and then right-wheel round their respective markers, and then half front. They next marched past in slow time, the officers saluting by dropping their swords, but not touching their caps; and I thought it had not so graceful and military an effect as our mode.

"The column was again halted on their original ground, formed line, again broke into column as before, and passed in quick time; the half battery galloping past. They then performed a variety of parade movements. Their words of command are prolix, and their style of movement not so compact as ours, being generally file-marching; although I admit they were well locked up. Their system is taken almost entirely from the French. The guns were admirably manœuvred.

"They then marched out to an open space in front of their barracks, and went through a variety of evolutions, covered by a brigade of guns. Their firings were steady and excellent, and the men were taught to level very low.

"When they were dismissed, we accompanied the colonel round the barracks. Everything appeared clean, comfortable, and admirably arranged.

"Each company has a store-room, which is also the quarters of their colour-serjeant, and where every kind of necessary is kept. They dine in their mess-kitchens, which are clean, large, warm, well-ventilated rooms. We tasted their soup, bread, and meat; each excellent of its kind. Their pay, clothing, and food, are all on the most liberal principle. Many of the companies had well-chosen libraries; and there was a sutler's store, where a soda fountain and other harmless luxuries are kept for the men, and where each man has the liberty of having a credit account to a certain extent, which is paid by the paymaster monthly: but this only under the proviso, that the officer in command of the company to which he belongs has no charge against him for extra clothing or repair of arms, &c.

"One dollar per month is stopped from each private's pay for the first two or three years of his service: this operates as a great check on desertion. The accumulated sum is handed over to them when they obtain their discharge, even if they do not complete the prescribed period of service, which is five years.

"The commanding officer's power of punishment, without court-martial, is very limited but no disadvantage is found to result from this; and the most laborious and distressing part of his duty, in the shape of orderly-room legislation, is rendered easy, by having a daily court-martial, composed of the captain of the day, the officer on guard, and the next in waiting; the proceedings of which are submitted for approval to the commanding officer. The hospital also has every appearance of being well and systematically conducted.

"As I have before remarked, the government of America treats her defenders most liberally, and takes the greatest care of them. The colonel commanding has extra pay and double rations, with forage for four horses; and each major has forage for three. I was introduced to all the officers, and received the greatest attention and civility from them. I afterwards accompanied Major Payne, the senior major, to the exercising ground: he was on the sick-list, having lately returned from Florida. I found him a

fine intelligent old soldier, and received from him much valuable information connected with the internal economy of his corps and the Florida war. "The United States' regular army consists of two regiments of dragoons, four of artillery, and eight of infantry, making a grand total of 735 commissioned officers and 11,800 non-commisioned officers, and privates. With this force they have to garrison 64 military posts and arsenals !—that is to say, in the eastern division, which extends over the immense tract of country I have already mentioned, there are 37 forts or castles, and three barracks or establishments not fortified; and in the western district, one range of barracks, nine forts, and fourteen arsenals! The eastern division is General Scott's command; and he has his head-quarters at Elizabeth Town."

Colonel Maxwell makes the few observations we now quote upon the above details:

:

"You will say this is a somewhat small force for so respectable a slice of the habitable world as the United States. True, but then you must be pleased to add a few militia men to the number, viz. sixty-seven thousand commissioned officers and one million three hundred and twenty thousand seven hundred and thirty-three noncommissioned officers and privates!! Union is strength, and this is strength with a vengeance!-twenty-six states and three territories, as they call them-but will it last? Free states and slave states, will they continue to pull together?"

He gives us also some amusing particulars and anecdotes relative to the Yankee militia-men::

"The whole of this day we have been passing through bands of warriors, and such drilling, such manoeuvring, I have seldom before witnessed! Here you see the drill-serjeant in his smock-frock, with a large cudgel in his hand, d—ing, swearing, fugling, throwing himself into the most grotesque attitudes, and working himself up to a perfect military phrenzy, whilst his pupils seem to take it very coolly.

"The dresses of some of these militia heroes were most comical. On their plain coats they had sewn two large lumps of white worsted, to represent epaulettes. Some had caps; but others round hats, in which they stuck most tremendously long white feathers. This playing at soldiers, as some of our facetious fellow-passengers styled it, procured us many amusing Yankee yarns. One fellow told us of a militia corps, formed by a Colonel Pluck, where the men had swords ten feet long, and a trumpet twelve. This troop was formed some years ago at Westpoint as a satire on the system."

Not less worthy of British attention is Colonel Maxwell's testimony at this moment with regard to the feeling which prevails in America towards this country, on the part of the eminent, best informed, and most influential men in the Union, than that which he bears with regard to their military condition. He was present