a class who you fain would think know better) than any book of travels ever published in America.[1] It is also translating into French, and will be puffed and extolled by France, who is just entering upon the system of vilification of America and her institutions, that England has been pursuing ever since we as colonies resisted her oppressive measures.  Tory England, aristocratic England, is the same now towards us as she was then, and Tory France, aristocratic France, follows in her steps.  We may deceive ourselves on this point by knowing the kindly feeling manifested by religious and benevolent men towards each other in both countries, but we shall be wanting in our usual Yankee penetration if the good feeling of these excellent and pious men shall lead us to think that their governments, or even the mass of their population, are actuated by the same kindly regard.  No, they hate us, cordially hate us.  We should not disguise the truth, and I will venture to say that no genuine American, one who loves his country and her distinctive principles, can live abroad in any of the countries of Europe, and not be thoroughly convinced that Europe, as it is, and America, as it is, can have no feeling of cordiality for each other.

[Footnote 1:  This refers to Mrs. Frances Trollope’s book Domestic Manners of the Americans, which created quite a stir in its day.]

“America is the stronghold of the popular principle, Europe of the despotic.  These cannot unite; there can be, at present, no sympathy....  We need not quarrel with Europe, but we must keep ourselves aloof and suspect all her manoeuvres.  She has no good will towards us and we must not be duped by her soft speeches and fair words, on the one side, nor by her contemptible detraction on the other.”

Morse found time, in spite of his absorption in his artistic work, to interest himself and others in behalf of the Poles who had unsuccessfully struggled to maintain their independence as a nation.  He was an active member of a committee organized to extend help to them, and this committee was instrumental in obtaining the release from imprisonment in Berlin of Dr. S.G.  Howe, who “had been entrusted with twenty thousand francs for the relief of the distressed Poles.”  In this work he was closely associated with General Lafayette, already his friend, and their high regard for each other was further strengthened and resulted in an interchange of many letters.  Some of these were given away by Morse to friends desirous of possessing autographs of the illustrious Lafayette; others are still among his papers, and some of these I shall introduce in their proper chronological order.  The following one was written on September 27, 1832, from La Grange:—­

My Dear Sir,—­I am sorry to see you will not take Paris and La Grange in your way to Havre, unless you were to wait for the packet of the 10th in company with General Cadwalader, Commodore Biddle, and those young, amiable Philadelphians who contemplate sailing on that day.  But if you persist to go by the next packet, I beg you here to receive my best wishes and those of my family for your happy voyage.