Travels in the United States, etc.,: during 1849 and 1850./ By the Lady Emmeline Stuart Wortley.

QUARRELS BETWEEN AMERICANS AND NATIVES. 451
revolvers than if they had been "cigaritos," they watched their
opportunities, rushed boldly and rapidly up to their opponents (all
with fire-arms in their hands), and plunged their long knives in
their breasts. Four Americans, I was told, were left dead, and
others grievously wounded. This was very melancholy, but I
believe the Americans themselves say it was, in the first instance,
the fault of their countrymen. They despise the Indians, and
look on all colored people as "Niggers;" as they call all Europeans, save English and French, Dutch (the Swiss, Italians,
Portuguese, Danes, are all named alike, with one exception only
and that is, the Dutch themselves! They call them Hollanders).
I was mentioning a Dutchman once in the United States, and
called him so: I was corrected —" No! he's a Hollander."
I think there is much that is interesting in the character of
these Indians. Idle, dilatory, and careless, unquestionably they
are; but they appear thoroughly hospitable, full of frank, generous
susceptibilities and gratitude toward those who treat them with
conciliatory gentleness and consideration. Contented and peaceful, but the bravest of the brave when their blood is once up: it
would seem the elements of a right noble character are there. I
say this from the few opportunities of observation that I have
had, not from any prepossession for such "children of Nature" in
general.
I think it is in Guiana that Humboldt mentions (in talking of
the fancied primitive perfection of human nature) that it is customrnary, if a child is sickly, to kill it to avoid the trouble of taking
care of it, and to prevent its being any impediment to hurried
excursions and removals; also, he says of twins, one is regularly
destroyed (as it is considered nifra dig. to be the parents of twins
-and something "like rats and opossums.") "Such," exclaims
Humboldt, highly inidignant, "such is that simplicity of manners,
such that boasted happiness of mankind in the natural state. A
man kills his son to escape a little ridicule, or to avoid traveling
more slowly-in fact, to get rid of a trifling inconvenience."
WVe had accomplished our journey across the Isthmus in two
days, and that in the rainy season; and we received many compliments from the Americans on the rapidity with which we had
made the passag(e. V was charmed with her ride from
Panama to Cruces-perhaps the only person that ever was or
ever will be.
The Americans are so astonished at our not having been to
California, they positively can not believe it, it appears to them