selected as the most fruitful sphere of its zealous activity the province of politics.

A natural consequence of this religious and political fanaticism is the inextinguishable hatred between the descendants of the Puritans, the people of New England, and those of the cavaliers in the South, which now appears to have reached its zenith.

This antagonism is not limited to the people of the two sections, North and South, as entire communities, but extends to the individuals of each section; for the influence of different origin, the essentially different social and political institutions, and the diversity of education, have rendered individual character in New England and that in the Southern States irreconcilably opposite.

No one at all familiar with the state of affairs in America can fail to be impressed by the deeply-rooted hate of New Englanders towards the Southerners, whether or not it is to be attributed to the origin, refinement, or accomplishments of the latter. And, whereas the former are accustomed to regard the Southerners with undisguised pride, these evince always an unlimited contempt for them, on account of their sordid worship of the dollar; it is, therefore, not strange that the appellation of Yankee should be considered in the South as synonymous with whatever is selfish and little.

Between these two people the antipathy is so great

ECONOMIC CAUSES OF DISSOLUTION.

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that there appears to be no possibility of ever eradicating it. The developements of this war have made it more appreciable than ever, showing that these two people have nothing in common but the language, that they are not adapted to each other, and that therefore they cannot continue to live united in peace any longer.

Not enough importance has ever been attached to this fact, which has been one of the most potent influences that have caused the Union to be impossible.

II. Economic Causes.

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Foreign commerce has ever been a fruitful source of bitter dissension and jealousy between the North and the South. Even before the adoption of the 'Articles of Confederation,' as well as before, and at the time of the ratification of the Constitution,' unmistakeable evidences of future troubles on this account among the States of both sections became manifest. In this quarter may be discovered one of the causes of the repeated acts of injustice on the part of the North towards the South.

It is well known that the North was physically more favoured in natural harbours, and consequently its people devoted themselves to commerce on the seas. And finding this a source of great wealth, the

North has employed every means at its disposal to encourage its shipping interest. Endeavouring to obtain special facilities for this purpose, the North has been utterly regardless of the interests of the other States, seeking only its own aggrandisement. Hence we find that in the making of all treaties of commerce, in the framing of navigation laws, in the introduction of tonnage duties, and particularly in arranging the regulations for the fisheries, the North has never failed to secure its purpose, often to the decided disadvantage or even injury of the South. Indeed it is notorious that on several occasions the North has been upon the point of involving the whole country in a war with England, solely in its fishing interest. With every facility at its disposal and every advantage on its side, the North also soon came to be the factors and carriers of the South, and all the coasting trade, being in its own hands, was carried on in its own ships.

On the other hand the South, not so well situated for becoming a maritime country, particularly on account of the want of such excellent harbours, found it advantageous not to become a shipping community, but rather to devote its energies to the cultivation of the soil. The North, not possessing such a productive soil as the South, turned its attention also to industrial pursuits. And so the North has finally attained such a point of excellence in them, that it is

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now only second to England in the manufacture of cotton, whilst its iron manufactures have become very considerable. An impetus having been given to manufactures in the North by the war of 1812 with England, afterwards protection was sought for the interests which had thus become engaged in them. Still, the plea put forward was the necessity of a revenue for carrying on the government. True to this policy the North, particularly New England, has ever since exerted itself to make the Federal debt as heavy as possible, in order to increase the duties on imports; for it had been found that the duties already imposed were far more than sufficient to defray the expenses of the government. Now with the immense difference in capital, population, and ships, in favour of Europe, it is evident that the infant manufactures of New England never could have succeeded, had it been necessary to compete with the old world in the home markets. Consequently a moderate protection was at first asked and granted; but with this assistance from the Federal Government, the demands of the North became more exorbitant, till finally the South openly resisted these encroachments. The history of the legislation of Congress in favour of protection shows a series of acts, each more unreasonable than the former, tending to exclude the non-manufacturing States of the Union from all direct trade with Europe.

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Naturally the South, being the producer of only the raw material, wished to exchange its productions for manufactures in whatever markets afforded the greatest advantages. It is also obvious that Europe offered more advantages, for reasons already stated, than the North. In consequence of the protection given to Northern manufactures, competition with Europe was finally almost abolished, and by this means the North enabled to grow rich at the expense of the South. The South became the forced customer of the North, and the Southerner was compelled to let his money flow into the pockets of the Northerner, who in return furnished commodities of a quality inferior to those which might have been obtained at a vastly lower price, had the Southerner been at liberty to import them from Europe. In this way the trade of the South has built up the wealth of the North, enriched its cities, and given employment to its poor classes. For the results of protection were not favourable to the States as a whole, nor to the general government. The advantages resulting from it accrued solely to the population of the North. It has been estimated that the amount of indirect taxation to which the South has submitted for the last few years has reached 20,000,000l. annually. This estimation does not appear to be exaggerated. Thus has the South been compelled to pay tribute to the North, to enable the Northern manufacturer to compete with the European in its own markets.