'
'It is true,' said Beaumont, 'that during the last twenty years American
diplomacy has not been such as to inspire affection or respect But you
must recollect that during all that time America has been governed by the
South.'
'It is true,' I said, 'that the presidents have generally been Southerns,
but I am not aware that the North has ever disavowed their treatment of
us. This is certain, that throughout the Union, insolence to England has
been an American statesman's road to popularity.'
_Monday., August _19.--We walked in the afternoon over the commons
overlooking the sea, and among the shady lanes of this well-wooded
country.
We came on a group of about twelve or thirteen reapers taking their
evening meal of enormous loaves of brown bread, basins of butter, and
kegs of cider.
M. Roussell, the farmer in whose service they were, was sitting among
them. He was an old friend and constituent of Tocqueville, and for thirty
years was Maire of Tocqueville. He has recently resigned. He rose and
walked with us to his house.
'I was required,' he said, 'to support the prefect's candidate for the
_Conseil general_. No such proposition was ever made to me before.
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