It is not, however, merely to early rising that they owe their ’cuteness.  A total absence of idleness, and the fact of being constantly thrown on their own resources in cases of minor difficulty, aid materially in sharpening their wits.  You may see these latter influences operating in the difference between soldiers and sailors, when placed in situations where they have to shift for themselves.  Some of their anecdotes bearing upon ’cuteness are amusing enough.  I will give one as an illustration.—­Owing to some unknown cause, there was a great dearth of eggs in one of the New England States, and they consequently rose considerably in price.  It immediately occurred to a farmer’s wife, that, if she could in any way increase the produce of her hens, it would be a source of great gain to her; she accordingly fitted the bottom of each laying hen’s bed with a spring, and fixed a basin underneath, capable of holding two eggs.  In due time, the hens laid; but as each hen, after laying, missed the warmth of the precious deposit, she got up to look if it was all right.  To her astonishment, no egg was to be seen.  “Bless my soul!” says the hen, “well, I declare I thought I had laid an egg.  I suppose I must be mistaken;” and down she went to fulfil her duties again.  Once more she rose to verify her success.  No egg was there.  “Well, I vow,” quoth Mrs. Hen, “they must be playing me some trick:  I’ll have one more shot, and, if I don’t succeed, I shall give it up.”  Again she returned to her labours, and the two eggs that had passed into the basin below supporting the base of her bed, success crowned her efforts, and she exclaimed, “Well, I have done it this time at all events!” The ’cute wife kept her counsel, and said nothing, either to the hens or to her neighbours, and thus realized a comfortable little bag of dollars.—­I give the anecdote as narrated to me, and I must confess I never saw the operation, or heard the remarks of the outwitted hens.  I insert it lest in these days of agricultural distress (?) any farmer’s wife be disposed to make a trial of a similar experiment.[CO]

I proceed to consider the energy of the Republicans, a quality in which they may challenge comparison with the world.  No enterprise is too great for them to undertake, and no hardship too severe for them to endure.  A Yankee will start off with his household gods, and seek a new home in the wilderness, with less fuss than a Cockney would make about packing up a basket of grub to go and pic-nic in Richmond Park.  It is the spirit of adventure that has enabled them to cover a whole continent in the incredible manner which the map of the United States shows.  The great drawback to this phase of their energy is the total absence it exhibits of those ties of home to which we so fondly cling in the old country.  If we were a nation of Yankees, I feel persuaded that in five years we should not have ten millions of inhabitants.  No Yankee can exist without elbow-room, except it