course, yielded to the rejoinder, though it was inflicting
a severe penalty upon his feelings. There was another piece to come yet,
which the little fellow's appetite was as ready to devour as the first.
The Captain, seeing this, could not refrain expressing his surprise.
This was taken 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 insu