NEW YORK CITY,
August 24, 1848.
Foreign affairs, and the developments of the Great European war, which is, in my opinion, sure to happen before
three months have passed, occu[illegible] most of the public attention here. It may indeed
be said that we live in exciting times. Political matters connected
with our own
country, involving questions as profund and far-extending as any that ever came up
for settlement among us—the problem of French Republicanism,1 and its [illegible]ution
or explosion—the revolt in
Ireland,2 and the deep-seated wish in the American
heart, for its success—besides a dozen other "movements," not forgetting the
important on[illegible] in Germany and Italy—all these form indeed subjects for
the most
engrossing interest. Here in New York, this interest is tinged with no provincial
character, but is developed with all that fiery ardor and "looseness" so
characteristic of the city. Whatever a man thinks, that he says or
writes—[illegible] of finding some hundreds who will agree with him.
Business is rather dull, and most of those engaged in the
selling trade are temporarily out of town, enjoying what they can of "rural
felicity." From the look presented by the the jobbing houses down town, however,
they anticipate an immense business this fall. Most of the stores have an unusual
number of clerks, and boxes [illegible]e piled up for miles along the lower part of Pearl
street, and the thoroughfares which cross it. The jobbers have
laid or are laying in
an immense stock of goods; and the din of hammering and boxing up goes on at a great
rate.
After an excessive heat, we[,] since Monday last, have been
treated to a "spell" of comparatively cool weather. Folks stay out of town, though,
all the same; and I am not sure but the country is more enjoyable in a sort of
autumn weather, than any other.
Dysentery3 and cholera4 infantum are carrying off from
twelve to twenty persons daily; most of the deaths of the former disease too are
children. This is about as bad as your yellow fever,5 isn't it?
The arrival of the Crescent City yesterday brought us the
latest printed dates; but since the "connection" by telegraph, we have, of course,
no more anxiety to get late papers. Why don't some of you give us fuller
intelligence about that "Buffalo hunt on the Rio Grande?"6 Is there really any thing in it, or is there no foundation for the tale, except
mere newspaper rumor? A very general curiosity exists here to learn more about it;
besides, there are ten thousand dare-devils in th[illegible] city, in want of adventure and
excitement, who would like to join such an expedition.
Our reporters are quite in a state of sullenness from the
absence of any interesting topic. Yesterday morning there was something of a fire in
Brooklyn. By the by, I must tell you that Mrs. Behm,7
instead of being "kilt," was only partially kilt, (you recollect the case, as
mentioned in one of my letters, ten days since?) and has got quite well. Both she
and her husband are attending to their little grocery.
Yours,&c.,
MANHATTAN.
Notes
- 1. Whitman is referring to the republican government
of France that was established in 1848 and extended until 1852. In February of 1848, a period
of civil unrest in Paris known as the February Revolution or the French Revolution of 1848 resulted
in the abdication of King Louis-Philippe and the collapse of France's liberal
constituional monarchy (the July Monarchy) that had been established under
Louis Philippe in 1830. The February Revoltion also fueled a larger wave of political
revolutions throughout Europe in 1848. In the aftermath of the revolution, a republican
government—the French Republic—was established. [back]
- 2. Whitman is referring to
the political and cultural forces pushing for an independent Ireland
in the 1840s. The Young Ireland movement was an Irish
nationalist movement that supported Irish independence. The movement
had its origins in the Repeal Association's campaign to dissolve
the 1800 Irish Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland.
Young Irelanders seceded from the Repeal Association and formed
the Irish Confederation, garnering a strong base in
Dublin, and exerting a lasting influence on subsequent separatist endeavors.
Young Irelanders attempted an unsuccessful insurrection in 1848 with
the aims of Irish independence and democratic reform and
as a response to British Parliament's passage of a "Crime and Outrage Bill"
that enacted martial law in Ireland in an attempt to counter Irish nationalism.
The Young Irelanders' rebellion in July 1848, resulted in the arrest of the movement's leaders and the collapse
of the rebellion efforts. Ireland would not become self-governing until 1922. [back]
- 3. Dysentery
is an infection and inflammation of the intestines. It causes
abdominal pain and severe diarrhea with blood. Dysentery can
be the result of a bacterial or a parasitic infection, and it
is spread as a result of poor sanitation and hygiene. [back]
- 4. Cholera is a bacterial
infection of the small intestine that is spread through contaminated water.
Cholera causes severe dehydration and diarrhea. [back]
- 5. Yellow Fever is a viral disease that can be
spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. In the nineteenth-century, Yellow fever epidemics occurred in the late summer
months in the Southern United States, particularly under humid conditions and in densely populated cities. Yellow fever outbreaks
occurred on an annual basis in New Orleans and resulted in thousands of deaths each year. [back]
- 6. The "Buffalo Hunt" was a name
given to a scheme in which men who had served in the Mexican-American War and some
military officers would gather on the
pretense of a hunting excursion but, through violence, would take possession of Mexican territory
west of the Rio Grande. The conquered territory would be called the Republic of Sierra Madre
("Incidental Results of the Mexican-American War," Advocate of Peace
7.22–23 [October and November 1848], 282–285). [back]
- 7. Whitman is
referring to Mrs. Behm (ca. 1827?–1848) and her husband John
Behm (1815–1887). According to the 1855 United States
Federal Census, John was a grocer in Brooklyn, New York. [back]