Collected works > Edinburgh edition, 1894-98 - Works of Robert Louis Stevenson > Volume 3, 1895 - Travels and Excursions, Volume II

MONTEREY
his word.' The scruple sounds oddly to one of
ourselves, who have been brought up to under-
stand all business as a competition in fraud, and
honesty itself to be a virtue which regards the
carrying out, but not the creation, of agreements.
This single unworldly trait will account for much
of that revolution of which we are speaking. The
Mexicans have the name of being great swindlers,
but certainly the accusation cuts both ways. In a
contest of this sort, the entire booty would scarcely
have passed into the hands of the more scrupulous
race.
Physically the Americans have triumphed ; but it
is not entirely seen how far they have themselves
been morally conquered. This is, of course, but a
part of a part of an extraordinary problem now in
the course of being solved in the various States of the
American Union. I am reminded of an anecdote.
Some years ago, at a great sale of wine, all the odd
lots were purchased by a grocer in a small way in
the old town of Edinburgh. The agent had the
curiosity to visit him some time after and inquire
what possible use he could have for such material.
He was shown, by way of answer, a huge vat where
all the liquors, from humble Gladstone to imperial
Tokay, were fermenting together. 'And what,' he
asked, ' do you propose to call this ? ' 'I 'm no'
very sure,' replied the grocer, 'but I think it's
going to turn out port.' In the older Eastern
States, I think we may say that this hotch-potch
of races is going to turn out English, or there-