as a charge against his taste, and George immediately commenced a discussion upon the subject of the piece, the intention of the author, and the merits of the principal performers, whose proper adaptation he admired.  The Captain knew his subject, and instead of contending in detail, advised him to take a peep into the theatres of New York and London.  Not to be undone, for he was like all little men, who insist upon the profoundness of their own opinions, he asserted that it could be only the different views which individuals entertained of delineating character, and that the Charlestonians were proverbially correct in their judgment of music and dramatic performances.

“I pity the judgment that would award merit to such a performance as that,” said the Captain.

“How strange, that you Englishmen and Scotchmen always find fault with every thing we Americans do.  Your writers manifest it in their books upon us and the people seem of necessity to copy from them, and echo their grumblings,” rejoined Master George.

“You judge from the common saying, instead of a knowledge front observation, I fear,” said the Captain.

“Lord, sir! you must not judge me by that rule.  Carolinians, sir, always appreciate intelligent strangers, for they always exert a healthy influence, and never meddle with our institutions; so you see it wouldn’t do to follow the pestilent notions of petty scribblers, lest we should form wrong opinions.”

“But tell me,” said the Captain, “do you consider yourselves Americans in South Carolina?—­the pilot must have led me astray.”

“Americans! yes, indeed, the true blood at that, and no man of tip-top judgment ever questioned it.  But you must mark the difference; we ha’n’t Yankees, nor we don’t believe in their infernal humbuggery about abolition.  If it wasn’t for South Carolina and Georgia, the New-Englanders would starve for want of our cotton and rice.  It’s the great staple what keeps the country together; and as much as they talk about it, just take that away, and what would the United States be?  We South Carolinians give no symptoms or expressions of what we mean to do that we cannot maintain.  We have been grossly insulted by the Federal Government, but it dar’n’t come at us and just give us a chance at fair fight.  We’d show ’em the thunder of the Palmetto, that they’d never trouble our sovereignty again.  Captain, I pledge you my honor that if there wasn’t so many infernal Yankees in Georgia, and she’d follow our lead in secession, we’d just lick the whole North.  Georgia’s a big State, but she a’n’t pluck, and has no chivalry at all among her people.  She allows such privileges to them Yankees-gives them power to control her manufacturing interests-and this is just what will uproot the foundation of their slave institution.  Georgians a’n’t a bit like us; first, they are too plebeian in their manners-have no bond of guardianship for their laws, and exert