Society & Politics

What do you think of Talleyrand's opinion of America in the 19th century?

" The American government has allowed itself to be carried away too much by its geographical position; it has encouraged the spirit of enterprise too much, because before it had inhabitants, America needed Louisiana; now it needs the Floridas. Commerce wants ports and harbors from the St. Croix River, near the St. Lawrence, to the Gulf of Mexico, and yet nine-tenths of the five hundred million acres of land that make up North America are still uncultivated. Too much activity Throughout America, I found the same admiration for money, and often, just as crudely expressed. Luxury arrived too quickly. When man's first needs are barely satisfied, luxury is shocking. I remember seeing in Madame Robert-Morris's salon the hat made in the country of the master of the house, placed on an elegant pedestal table of Sèvres porcelain, which had been bought at Trianon by an American. A European peasant would hardly have wanted to place the hat on his head. On the banks of the Ohio, Mr. Smith lived in a kind of house known in the country as a log-house. The walls of this kind of house are formed from unsquared trees. In the living room was a forte-piano adorned with the finest bronzes. Mr de Beaumetz opened it: "Don't try to play it," said Mr Smith, "our tuner, who's a hundred miles away, didn't come this year. "
What do you think of Talleyrands opinion of America in the 19th century?
What do you think of Talleyrand's opinion of America in the 19th century?
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