Domestic Manners of the Americans

I hardly know any annoyance so deeply repugnant to English

feelings, as the incessant, remorseless spitting of Americans.

I feel that I owe my readers an apology for the repeated use of

this, and several other odious words; but I cannot avoid them,

without suffering the fidelity of description to escape me.  It

is possible that in this phrase, "Americans," I may be too

general.  The United States form a continent of almost distinct

nations, and I must now, and always, be understood to speak only

of that portion of them which I have seen.  In conversing with

Americans I have constantly found that if I alluded to anything

which they thought I considered as uncouth, they would assure me

it was local, and not national; the accidental peculiarity of a

very small part, and by no means a specimen of the whole.  "That

is because you know so little of America," is a phrase I have

listened to a thousand times, and in nearly as many different

places.  It may be so--and having made this concession, I

protest against the charge of injustice in relating what I have

seen.