FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   >>  
ength, together with their connections, that must support them. To which we may add, that a right which originated to-day, is as much a right, as if it had the sanction of a thousand years; and therefore the independence and present government of America are in no more danger of being subverted, because they are modern, than that of England is secure, because it is ancient. The politics of Britain, so far as respected America, were originally conceived in idiotism, and acted in madness. There is not a step which bears the smallest trace of rationality. In her management of the war, she has laboured to be wretched, and studied to be hated; and in all her former propositions for accommodation, she has discovered a total ignorance of mankind, and of those natural and unalterable sensations by which they are so generally governed. How she may conduct herself in the present or future business of negotiating a peace is yet to be proved. He is a weak politician who does not understand human nature, and penetrate into the effect which measures of government will have upon the mind. All the miscarriages of Britain have arisen from this defect. The former Ministry acted as if they supposed mankind to be _without a mind_; and the present Ministry, as if America was _without a memory_. The one must have supposed we were incapable of feeling; and the other that we could not remember injuries. There is likewise another line in which politicians mistake, which is that of not rightly calculating, or rather of misjudging, the consequence which any given circumstance will produce. Nothing is more frequent, as well in common as in political life, than to hear people complain, that such or such means produced an event directly contrary to their intentions. But the fault lies in their not judging rightly what the event would be; for the means produced only its proper and natural consequence. It is very probable, that in a treaty of peace, Britain will contend for some post or other in North America, perhaps Canada or Halifax, or both; and I infer this from the known deficiency of her politics, which have ever yet made use of means, whose natural event was against both her interest and her expectation. But the question with her ought to be, Whether it is worth her while to hold them, and what will be the consequence? Respecting Canada, one or other of the two following will take place, viz. If Canada should people, it will revolt,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   >>  



Top keywords:

America

 

present

 

Britain

 

natural

 

Canada

 

consequence

 
politics
 

people

 

Ministry

 
mankind

government

 

rightly

 

produced

 

supposed

 
remember
 

complain

 
injuries
 

produce

 

misjudging

 

calculating


directly
 

politicians

 

mistake

 

circumstance

 

common

 
political
 

frequent

 

Nothing

 

likewise

 

question


Whether

 

expectation

 

interest

 

revolt

 

Respecting

 
deficiency
 

proper

 
intentions
 

judging

 

probable


treaty

 
Halifax
 

contend

 

contrary

 

originally

 

conceived

 
idiotism
 

madness

 
respected
 
England