University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL History Faculty Works History 1836 Letters on North America Michel Chevalier Steven Rowan University of Missouri-St. Louis, [email protected] Carlos A. Schwantes University of Missouri-St. Louis, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/history-faculty Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Chevalier, M. (1836). Letters on North America. (S. W. Rowan, Trans.). https://irl.umsl.edu/history-faculty/2 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the History at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LETTERS ON NORTH AMERICA by MICHEL CHEVALIER Translated by Steven Rowan with an introduction by Steven Rowan and Carlos Schwantes Carte des États-Unis d’Amérique Gravé sur pierre par L. Bouffard [active 1833-1866], used as a map insert for Michel Chevalier, Lettres sur l’Amérique du Nord (Paris: Gosselin, 1836) as well as in two printings of “Lettre XXII” in French journals. Courtesy of the Map Division, Library of Congress, acquisition number rr000040-jp2. 1 Table of Contents Translator's Note Foreword Life and Career of Michel Chevalier (1806-1879) by Steven Rowan Publisher’s Preface to the first edition (1836) [vol. 1, p. i in first edition of 1836] *Notes not in the first edition; [ ] in different sequence in the first edition. Introduction by Michel Chevalier (1836) [Vol. 1, p. iii] Letter I The Railroad from Paris to London 1 November 1833 [Vol. 1, p. 1] Notes 1-6, p. 51 [Notes 1-6, vol. 1, p. 347]: 1. Two railroads from Paris to Versailles; 2. On Voltaic electricity; 3. Clearing house in London; 4. Communication between France and England; 5. [6] Usage of iron; 6. [5] The extraction of coal in France, England and Belgium. Letter II Liverpool and its Railroad 7 November 1833 [Vol. 1, p. 19] Notes 7-11, p. 72 [Notes 7b, 8, vol. 1, p. 355]: 7. On speed on railroads*; 8. Railroads in England*; 9. Price of land for building*; 10[7b]. Table of the value of exports of native products from France, England, and the United States from 1820 to 1835; 11[8]. On the Merchant Marine. Letter III War of the President of the United States against the Bank January 1834 [Vol. 1, p. 37] Notes 12-14, p. 90 [Note 9-11, vol. 1, p. 358]: 12 [9]. The nullification affair; 13 [11]. On the Bank of the United States; 14 [10]. On the political organization of the Union. Letter IV The Democracy — The Bank 11 January 1834 [Vol. 1, p. 53] Notes 15-18, p. 128 [Notes 12-15, vol. 1, p. 382]:15 [12]. Bankruptcies in the United States; 16 [13] The comparative areas of various countries; 17[14]. The press of the United States; 18[15]. Movement of funds performed by the Bank of the United States. Letter V Movement of Parties — Question of Banks 5 January 1834, p. 143 [Vol. 1, p. 71] Notes 19-20, p. 158 [Note 16, vol. 1, p. 393]: 19 [16]. Denomination of various parts of the Union; 20[17]. On coin and paper money. Letter VI Progress of the Conflict — New Powers 1 March 1834, p. 165 [Vol. 1, p. 95] Letter VII Railroads in America 15 March 1834, p. 178 [Vol. 1, p. 113] Letter VIII The Banks — Maintenance of the Union 10 April 1834, p. 185 [Vol. 1, p. 125] Notes 21-27, p. 200 [Notes 18-24, vol. 1, p. 398]: 21[18]. Act of Confederation and the Constitution; 22[19]. On the commerce of North and South; 23[20]. On the Senate of the United States; 24[21]. On the ministers of the Federal government; 25[22]. Cherokees, Creeks, and the other Indian tribes; 26[23]. On the Supreme Court of the United States; 27[24]. Public Lands. Letter IX The Premier People of the World 24 April 1834, p. 220 [Vol. 1, p. 147] Letter X The Yankee and the Virginian 28 May 1834, p. 230 [Vol. 1, p. 161] Notes 28-31, p. 246[Notes 25-28, vol. 1, p. 415]: 28[25]. Export of Cotton from the United States; 29[26]. Temperance societies; 30[27]. [Coupling and marriage]; 31[28]. On Unity and Specialization. Letter XI Captain John Smith 25 May 1834, p. 255 [Vol. 1, p. 187] Note 32, p. 268: 32. On scientific expeditions. * Letter XII Lowell 12 June 1834, p. 269 [Vol. 1, p. 207] Notes 33-34, p. 275[Notes 29-30, vol. 1, p. 422]: 33[29]. Rigor in Lowell; 34[30]. On cotton-goods factories. Letter XIII The Women Workers of Lowell 22 June 1834, p. 278 [Vol. 1, p. 221] Notes 35-36, p. 290 [Notes 31-32, vol. 1, p. 438]: 35[31] World cotton production and consumption; 36[32]; On the morality of factories. Letter XIV The Bank — Slavery 24 August 1834, p. 293 [Vol. 1, p. 239] Notes 37-41, p. 306 [Notes 33-37, vol. 1, p. 426]: 37[33]. On balancing North and South; 2 38[34]. On the population of the United States; 39[35]; Costs of emancipating the slaves. 40[36]. The degradation of free people of color; 41[37] On slavery in republics. Letter XV The Elections 11 November 1834, [Vol. 1, p. 259] Notes 42-43, p. 338 [Notes 38-39, vol. 1, p. 441]: 42[38]. The trial of the arsonists of the Ursulines; 43[39]. Municipal authorities. Letter XVI Pittsburgh 24 November 1834 [Vol. 1, p. 275] Notes 44-45, p. 352 [Notes 40-41, vol. 1, p. 444]:44[40]. Traces of French domination in Kingston; 45[41]. On anthracite. Letter XVII General Jackson 15 December 1834 [Vol. 1, p. 291] Note 46, p. 375 [Note 42, vol. 1, p. 446]: 46[42]. Conclusion of the Affair of the Bank and public deposits. Letter XVIII Public Opinion 22 December 1834 [Vol. 1, p. 305] Note 47, p. 350[Note 43, vol. 1, p. 450]: 47 [43]. Places in churches. Letter XIX Cincinnati (I) 1 January 1835 [Vol. 1, p. 313] Notes 48-50, p. 388 [Notes 44-46, vol. 1, p. 451]: 48[44]. Taxes in the United States; 49[45]. General Harrison candidate for President; 50[46]. Office holders depending on the President. Letter XX Cincinnati (II) 4 January 1835 [Vol. 1, p. 331] Note 51, p. 410 [Note 47, vol. 1, p. 461]: 51[47]. On perfecting household utensils. Letter XXI Steamboats of the West 8 January 1835 [Vol. 2, p. 1] Notes 51-55, p. 430 [Notes 1-5, vol. 2, p. 428]: 51. On the first French travelers in America*; 52 [1]. Construction and Cost of steamboats in the West [and East]; 53 [2]. Number of steamboats in the United States; [Note 3 in 1836 only, then part of note 53] The cost of eastern steamboats; 54 [4]. [Treatment of the federal surplus of 1836]; 55[5]. [General Harrison Western candidate for President]. Letter XXII Routes of Communication 9 July 1835 [Vol. 2, p. 29] Notes 56-67, p. 495 [Notes 6-17, vol. 2, p. 427]: 56[6]. [Arkansas a State]; 57[7]. Aid to the New York to Lake Erie railroad; 58[8]. Advances of Maryland for public works; 59[9]. Railroad from Charleston to Cincinnati; 60[10]. Public works in Georgia; 61[11]. Alteration of the border between Michigan and Ohio; 62[12]. [Michigan Canal begun]; 63[13]. Public works in Indiana; 64[14]. Massachusetts subscribes to the Western Railroad; 65[15]. Summary of public works in the United States; 66[16]. On the modes of travel in the United States; 67[17]. On the political influence of railroads. Letter XXIII Work 20 July 1835, p. 522 [Vol. 2, 107] Note 68-69, p. 540 [Notes 18-19, vol. 2, p. 452]: 68]18]. Geologic enterprises; 69[19]. American promptness. Letter XXIV Money 31 July 1835, p. 544 [Vol. 2, p. 133] Notes 70-73, p. 562 [Notes 20-23, vol. 2, p. 454]: 70[20]. On municipal elections in France; 71[21]. Pay of French and United States Navies; 72[22]. Exceptional honoraria in the United States; 73[23]. On the costs of rich persons. Letter XXV Speculations 4 August 1835, p. 568 [Vol. 2, p. 161] Notes 74-75, p. 578 [Notes 24-25, vol. 2, 458]: 74[24]. Putting down domestic disorder; 75[25]. Repression of unions. Letter XXVI Bedford Springs 7 August 1835, p. 580 [Vol. 2, p. 177] Notes 76-77, p. 591 [Notes 26-27, vol. 2, 459]: 76[26]. The religious sects of the United States; 77[27]. On English imagination. Letter XXVII Authority and Liberty 16 August 1835, p. 599 [Vol. 2, p. 195] Notes 78-86, p. 618 [notes 26b-27b, 28-34, vol. 2, 465]: 78[26b]. Western Virginians; 79[27b]. Traveling on Sunday; 80[28]. On stock-jobbing in New York; 81[29]. On the commerce of Egypt; 82[32]. Remarks on French commerce; 83[33]. Respect of Americans for old names; 84[34]. Markets with publicity and competition; 85. Ancient powers and new powers in France*; 86[35]. On the spirit of legislation of New England. Letter XXVIII Social Betterment (I) 1 September 1835, p. 633 [Vol. 2, p. 225] Notes 87-100, p. 667 [Notes 36-47, vol. 2, p. 476]: 87[36]. Difficulty of reducing burdens; 88[37]. On municipal taxes or octroi; 89[38]. On the salt tax; 90. On industrial 3 education*; 91.