s improved wonderfully. What a nuisance are peddling,
meddling, politicians of the lowest grade? Wherever they plant their
feet, a moral pestilence follows. These fellows won't work, for the
voluntary principle in preaching or teaching pays better, and does not
cost so much trouble. It is surprising with what facility, in England,
as well as in Canada, a saddle-bag doctor of divinity takes his
degree, and becomes possessor of the secrets and director of the
consciences and household of the small farmer. I once knew a family, a
most respectable family of yeomen, of ancient descent and of excellent
hearts, devoured by a locust of this kind in Buckinghamshire. In
Canada they are devoured every day, and not unfrequently made disloyal
into the bargain, although deriving their lands and support originally
from the British government.

They travel to the most remote settlements, where no such
opportunities as church or chapel of any kind exist for public
worship; and, after gaining the good opinion of the simple settler by
an exterior sanctity and a snuffling expression of it, they soon slide
into the recommendation of the superior chances of salvation that
offer themselves, by forgetting the Divine command of "Render unto
Caesar the things that are Caesar's," and of the Apostolic doctrine of
"Honour the King." I have always been surprised that a democratic
Bible retains such highly improper translations of the original
tongue, as _prince_, _king_, _queen_, and conceive that there should
be a special Act of Congress to declare that henceforward the words of
the English language should be abolished and the American tongue
substituted, under pains and penalties, omitting the aforesaid and all
other similar _obnoxiosities_ from dictionary, grammar, and book. The
Americans have just discovered that they have a prior claim to Oregon,
and therefore must be an older nation than the British, the separation
being a mere trifle, and the sway of England over the thirteen
colonies and her ancient settlement of America a dream; ergo, the
American language is the primitive tongue. A very excellent worthy
gentleman of New York wrote to a friend in Kingston lately, stating
that he was sorry that England was going to such an expense in
fortifying that town, as it and all Canada would soon be American, and
then the money thrown away would be missed.[1]

[Footnote 1: In crossing the Atlantic in an American packet with a
highly-gifted American,