Faux's Memorable Days in America, 1819-20; and Welby's Visit to North America, 1819-20, part 2 (1820)Faux, W. (William)
History
Faux's Memorable Days in America, 1819-20; and Welby's Visit to North America, 1819-20, part 2 (1820)
Faux, W. (William)
United States -- Description and travel
The English labourers, sent over to this farm, are all gone, being
drunken and worthless, and withal, so uncivil and conceited, that Mr.
Law, who likes men to talk freely with him, could scarcely get a civil
answer from any of them. We were at last conducted into the house, and
introduced to a pint of whiskey. We saw no house-servants, but heard
one, a female slave recently bought, the only slave Mr. Law owns. He
lives in great simplicity. The house is better than the best American
farm-houses; still, it is not a mansion, but rather something between
both. In the centre and front, is a large oblong room, the largest in
the house, and resembling a hall of entrance, at each end of which is a
smaller room for the winter, and on the other side, being a double
house, are three small summer rooms, and chambers over the whole. The
road through the farm up to the house is serpentine, and planted with
dying shrubs. It is rough, stony, and difficult of ascent, and the
entrance-gate (where might stand a porter's lodge) is meaner than a
hog-pen-gate. In this retreat dined the President and 200 gentlemen last
week. The society admitted here is select, and the principal attraction
to it is Mr. Law, who is kind, agreeable, and benevolent to all. In his
personal appearance, he is small, lean, {435} withered, and rustic. His
nose, however, is noble, like Lord Ellenborough's, but his mind is
perhaps nobler than that of any of the family, although he lives in
greater simplicity than a country squire of England.
_21st._--An old Scotsman, a perfect stranger, this morning
conscientiously brought back cloth to Mr. ----'s store, to be
re-measured, the same containing, he found, several yards more than he
had paid for, or expected to find. A mistake had occurred in measuring.
An American lady of respectability, also of this city, was standing by,
and, in the greatest astonishment, exclaimed: "What! bring it back
because there is too much measure? Well, who ever heard the like? I
would not have done so, I'll warrant ye." "O, my dear madam," said he,
"I could not, would not, have it without paying for it; it is not mine."
The proprietor of the store observed, very significantly, looking her
ladyship in the face, "Madam, I know of only one rule, and that is, to
do unto others as you would that they should do unto you." She blushed,
and said no more. This shameless, unprincipled, selfishness is very
universal. It is customary, with this people, never to point out
defects in goods, or errors in accounts, when such defects and errors
exist in their favour. The qualities, honesty and dishonesty, as
exemplified in these two characters, seemed as if they were natural.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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