LETTERS FROM THE OLD WORLD.

—

NUMBER LXXXII.

—

LONDON, June, 18th, 1862.

MY DEAR FRIEND:—Your June Monthly met me here this morning, on my my return from Tunbridge Wells, and eagerly have I looked through its columns to see what are your present views on the signs of the times, as regards your unhappy country. I was dismayed a few days since by seeing in one of our journals, a paragraph to the effect that Gen. Hunter's order, (so cheering to many of our hearts,) was countermanded by the President. Alas! for Mr. Lincoln's infatuation and timidity. I have read with care your article, "No Subjugation without Emancipation," and it fully confirms our previous views. Would that your next fourth of July might witness a "glorious declaration of Liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound!"

You are quite right in your assertion that the "only valid apology for this war, is that it is a war of freedom against, a war of progress against barbarism." And equally so in your remark that the acts of the Government are destroying this apology, and turning from them the sympathy of many old and true friends of the cause in this country. I not long since was startled by hearing a staunch friend of the slave declare herslef entirely with the South, she is consistent Garrisonian, that party long toiled and labored to promote the dissolution of the Union, she believes in it still, and asked me if for a single moment I could suppose the North was in earnest on the slavery subject?—Oh! why will the Government trumpet give an uncertain sound?

Since I last wrote to you I have had the happiness of spending a few days with the family of my dear and highly valued friend Gerrit SmithSmith, Gerrit

Gerrit Smith (1797– 1874), a New York businessman and land speculator, became best known for his philanthropic work for such reform causes as temperance and abolition. Between 1828 and 1835, he donated large sums of money to the American Colonization Society, but abandoned that movement in 1835 when his sympathies shifted to the immediate abolitionists. In the 1840s, he gave approximately 140,000 acres of land in upstate New York to three thousand black settlers, thus qualifying them to vote. Smith was a founder and frequent candidate of the Liberty party, running for governor of New York on that ticket in 1840 and winning a seat in Congress in 1852. When the Free Soil merger with moderate antislavery Democrats and Whigs lured away many Liberty party supporters, Smith helped bankroll that organization until 1860. Smith befriended Douglass when the latter moved to Rochester, and Smith frequently helped finance Frederick Douglass’ Paper. Like Douglass, Smith supported John Brown, but psychological stress caused by the failure at Harpers Ferry brought on the first of a series of bipolar episodes that greatly reduced his subsequent reform activities. Ralph Volney Harlow, Gerrit Smith: Philanthropist and Reformer (1939; New York, 1972); Gerald Sorin, The New York Abolitionists: A Case Study of Political Radicalism (Westport, Conn., 1971), 269– 87; Lewis Perry, Radical Abolitionism: Anarchy and the Government of God in Antislavery Thought (Ithaca, N.Y., 1973), 170– 80; John R. McKivigan and Madeleine Leveille, “The ‘Black Dream’ of Gerrit Smith, New York Abolitionist,” Syracuse University Library Associates Courier, 20:61– 76 (Fall 1985); NCAB , 2:322– 23; DAB, 17:270– 71. , while they were in London, a few weeks since. To be driving through our metropolis, and walking through our abbeys and parks, and gardens with dear friends from, Peterboro seemed like a dream. We had many a chat together about far distant friends and old times. I can assure you, could the noble head of the family have looked in upon us, the joy would have been augmented you will readily imagine; but I was obliged to be contented with a life like portrait of him, and with the privilege of hearing his interesting and graphic letters, which made me fully realize his present home life and occupations in Peterboro.

The voices of these dear friends sound as sweet as ever in singing. I was quite overcome in hearing them sing for the first time that patriotic hymn of freedom, "John Brown," I had previously read of two Massachusetts' regiments marching through New York York city singing this requiem to the brave old patriot.

Next Saturday's steamer is to bear these dear friends across the waters of the wide Atlantic, and far away from our shores. May God vouchsafe to them a smooth and pleasant voyage and may they rejoin their loved ones in their happy and much loved home in health and comfort. I need scarcely say that the present war, and slavery were the frequent topics of conversation during our meeting.—Had Gerrit Smith's voice been heard and his counsel taken a few years since, this terrible season of bloodshed had never come to pass in all human probability. It might be well if the Christian nation of America to ponder on the old heathen saying "whom the Gods would destroy they first make mad."

In reading the terrible accounts of loss of life in this prolonged war. I see the hand of retributive justice in the fact of there being no regiments of colored men to be sacrificed. True my dear friend, it is that a belief in their inferiority has excluded them from the (so called) privilege of enlisting in the army; and you I

know have long pointed out this grievance, yet looking at the matter in another light, we see the oppressor of the south, and his abetttor at the north killing each other by thousands and we hear the loud wails of the widow and orphan of New Orleans re-echoed by those in New York. while

"Red handed slaughter his revenge doth feed
and havoc yells his ominous death cry,
And wild despair in vain for mercy pleads,
While hell itself doth shrink and sicken at the deeds."

While these times of terrible war and carnage are transpiring in your distracted States, (united not longer,) our Great International Exhibition is drawing a large concourse of people to our metropolis from every civilized country in the world. London is full of foreigners, we cannot visit any public place without hearing the French, German Italian and Spanish languages spoken on all sides of us, or without seeing the more Eastern costumes and tawny complexion of the Egyptian and Turk, the East Indian and the Japanese. It is a season of great interest and excitement in London. The only drawbacks to the national gladness are, first, the close seclusion in which our beloved Queen yet remains, and the reason of that seclusion a reason will known to all who miss from among them the ever welcome presence of the lamented Prince Consort, as they tread the floor of the Great Exhibition, and who remember the deep interest felt in it by the departed one. Second the extreme distress that continues to prevail in our manufacturing districts, which will prevent many thousands of our operatives from coming to London, as they did in 1851, to see the world's show. I regret that this vast collection of material from all climes were not resolved into order when visited by our Peterboro friends. Mr. M. contrasted the present exhibition with that of 1851, to the great disadvantage of the present and from what I hear of the tardy removal of large packing cases and of the presence of workmen, busily employed in the building long after the Exhibition was thrown open to the public, it is certain that during May, the show was not seen to advantage. I am a June visitor, and am increasingly delighted every time I go there. Description is vain. Every one must see for himself to form a conception of the vast array of materials brought together; and of the widely diverse character of this immense collection of the costly, the rare, the useful, and the destructive.—The Exhibition of '51 was styled a peace demonstration, because of the large display of reaping and other agricultural machines, this may in some respects be termed a war Exhibition because of the great show of firearm and war-like instruments, prominent among which stand the Armstrong guns.

Our French friends occupy to great advantage a large space of ground. Their collections of Jewelry, China glass, Silks, Ribbons, Lace, Embroidery, Tapestry and Furniture are wonderful in many respects. A day soon passed amidst Parisian treasures, the only regret being that the hours flew so rapidly, and that it was impossible to see everything there. The Austrian Department is famed for the wonderful work in leather, in regard to bookbinding I never before saw such rare, costly, and elaborate worked and Jewelled leather binding, nor such elaborate and fine carving in wood as in the Austrian court, and some magnificent china vases are contributed by the King of Prussia. but time and space fail me to tell of a thousandth part of the gems of beauty that met my eyes from time to time as with my kind guides I threaded the mazes of the numerous courts. The Roman and Italian courts are replete with beautiful objects The statuary there is exquisitely fine. "A girl reading" supposed to be Garibaldi's daughter, is a gem, but where all is beautiful as in these Italian departments, particularizing is impossible. The statuary, the paintings, the rich and rare jewels, the fine cameos, and mosaics, and works of all kinds claim the delight and attention of the visitor, and make him forgetful of any exhibition outside these Italian courts. A grand display of Brussels lace and fine muslin embroideries characterize the Belgian collection. There are no Malachite doors in the Prussian courts this time, but many objects of interest and beauty may be found in the inner court, though there is no especial attraction in the outer one. Turkey, Egypt and Russia united in making grand displays of rich embroideries in gold, and silver. The Egyptian court is doubly attractive on account of the viceroy of Egypt being in this country at the present time, and because there is a delightfully luxurious seat in it which

to tired wayfarers, forms a great charm. One case in the Egyptian court is always crowded with gazers, and it well may be, for the wonders of the Exhibition are here, viz: a curiously formed gold necklace, and a number of other antique jewels, found with the Mummy of an Egyptian Queen, who lived 1900 years before Christ, and must therefore have been cotemporary with Joseph!!

It would be deemed supererogatory for me, an Englishwoman, to praise our own immense collections of the useful and the beautiful. The English engraved glass is a wonder unto many. We have no reason to be ashamed of our own china, in the presence of the Sevies, Berlin and other foreign porcelain, and our vast and valuable jewellery is something astonishing, "Garrard," and "Hunt" and "Roskill" lead the way, in this ever attractive department to the ladies. Here diamonds headed by the Koh-i-noor flash, and emeralds glitter, and sapphires shine, and large soft pearls look you meekly in the face, and the fair ladies linger and walk slowly, while wearied policemen (poor fellows!) subduing as they best may, their impatient feelings, cry out, "pass on," as with ceaseless watchfulness they guard the precious metals, and keep back the pressure of the crowd from this ever attractive region.

Our Honiton, Buckingham, and Nottingham laces, and the Irish muslin work show to great advantage, There is a whisper of Spitalfields silks successfully competing with Lyons ditto but I must not enlarge here.

Most heartily do I wish more of American friends could come over and see for themselves this great show, perhaps ere it closes the word may have been spoken from your highest quarters, that shall proclaim the downfall of slavery and the defeat of the South, then you, and others of our friends must come over and rejoice with us.

I cannot but glance at the galleries of paintings in the Exhibition, there is a fine collection both in the British and Foreign galleries, and the power of painting over the people is well tested on this occasion, on a grand scale. The experiment is eminently successful. The Continental galleries are always full of visitors. I will try to tell you a little about the pictures next month. This epistle is written in exceeding haste. I must trust you my friends in general to pardon the defects, and I must pray my friends the printers to spare me from murdering the Queen's English as much as I am made to do in the letter that comes to me in print this day. I mean the bazar letter.—Possibly I wrote more illegibly than usual last time.

With best wishes, and warm regards, in which the Doctor would join were he here, believe me ever to remain,

Your faithful and affectionate friend,

JULIA G. CROFTS