s it is. But your companion speaks no Italian--he is an
Inglese?"

"No, Signore--an Americano; a sort of an Inglese, and yet no Inglese,
after all. He loves England very little, if I can judge by his
discourse."

"Un' Americano!" repeated Andrea Barrofaldi; "Americano!" exclaimed Vito
Viti; "Americano!" said each of the marines in succession, every eye
turning with lively curiosity toward the subject of the discourse, who
bore it all with appropriate steadiness and dignity. The reader is not
to be surprised that an American was then regarded with curiosity, in a
country like Italy; for, two years later, when an American ship of war
anchored suddenly before the town of Constantinople, and announced her
nation, the authorities of the Sublime Porte were ignorant that such a
country existed. It is true, Leghorn was beginning to be much frequented
by American ships, in the year 1799; but even with these evidences
before their eyes, the people of the very ports into which these traders
entered were accustomed to consider their crews a species of Englishmen,
who managed to sail the vessels for the negroes at home[3]. In a word,
two centuries and a half of national existence, and more than half a
century of national independence, have not yet sufficed to teach all the
inhabitants of the old world, that the great modern Republic is peopled
by men of a European origin, and possessing white skins. Even of those
who are aware of the fact, the larger proportion, perhaps, have obtained
their information through works of a light character, similar to this of
our own, rather than by the more legitimate course of regular study and
a knowledge of history.

[3] As recently as 1828, the author of this book was at Leghorn. The
Delaware, so, had just left there; and speaking of her appearance to a
native of the place, who supposed the writer to be an Englishman, the
latter observed: "Of course, her people were all blacks." "I thought so,
too, signore, until I went on board the ship," was the answer; "but they
are as white as you and I are."

"Si" repeated Ithuel, with emphasis, as soon as he heard his nationality
thus alluded to, and found all eyes on himself--"Si, oon Americano--I'm
not ashamed of my country; and if you're any way partic'lar in such
matters, I come from New Hampshire--or, what we call the Granite state.
Tell 'em this, Philip-o, and let me know their idees, in answer."

Filippo translated this speech as well as he could