pier into mid air, and quite as infallibly mid ocean. With infinite
entreaties they finally persuaded him to send forth his machine,
unfreighted with human life, on its experimental trip. He did so,
and his bird, turning ignominious somersaults on its way, at length
found a perch, and folded its wings on a hoary rock-anchored tree
that stretched out an arm of succor to it above the abyss, and
there, perhaps, it still roosts; and elsewhere, perhaps, its author
is pursuing other flights.]

PHILADELPHIA, Wednesday, May 15th, 1844.
DEAR MRS. JAMESON,

My last letter to you was pretty nearly filled with dismal private
affairs, and now, Heaven knows, all residents in Philadelphia have a
gloomy story to tell of public ones. We have had fearful riots here last
week between the low American population and the imported population
from Ireland, who have also taken the opportunity of the present anarchy
and confusion to indulge in violent exhibitions of their own special
home-brewed feud of Protestant against Catholic. A few nights ago there
was a general mob-crusade against the Roman Catholic churches, several
of which, as well as various private dwellings, were burnt to the
ground. The city was lighted from river to river with the glare of these
conflagrations--this city of "brotherly love;" whole streets looking
like pandemonium avenues of brass and copper in the lurid reflected
light. Your people have lost little of their agreeable combined
facetiousness and ferocity, as I think you will allow when I tell you
that, while a large Catholic church was burning, the Orange party caused
a band of music to play "Boyne Water;" and when the cross fell from
above the porch of the building, these same Christian folk gave three
cheers. "Where," I suppose you exclaim, "were the civil authorities and
military force?" All on the ground of action, compelled to be idle
spectators of these outrages, because they had no warrant to act, and
could not shoot down the Sovereign People, even while committing them,
without the Sovereign People's leave.

The popular jealousy of power, which always exists more or less under
republican institutions, interferes not a little with the efficiency of
an organized police or other abiding check upon public effervescence.
Rioters, therefore, in times of excitement have generally a fair start
of the law, and are able to accomplish plenty of mischief b