fortune and defeat.

The following is Dr. Robertson's account of the declaration of
independence.

"It is by this time sufficiently visible, that the men, who took
upon themselves to be most active in directing the American
counsels, were men of deep design and extensive ambition, who by
no means confined their views to the redress of those grievances
of which they complained, and which served them for instruments
in the pursuit of objects less popular and specious. By degrees
they sought to undermine the allegiance, and dissolve the ties,
which connected the colonies with the parent country of Britain.
Every step that was taken by her ministry to restore tranquility
to the empire, was artfully misrepresented by the zealots of
faction. Every unguarded expression, or unfortunate measure of
irritation was exaggerated by leaders, who considered their own
honour and dignity as inseparable from further advances, and
predicted treachery and insult as the consequences of
retreating. They now imagined they had met with a favourable
opportunity for proceeding to extremities. Their influence was
greatest in the general congress, and by their means a circular
manifesto was issued by that assembly intended to ascertain the
disposition of the several colonies respecting a declaration of
independence.

"They called their countrymen to witness how real had been their
grievances, and how moderate their claims. They said, it was
impossible to have proceeded with more temper or greater
deliberation, but that their complaints had been constantly
superseded, their petitions to the throne rejected. The
administration of Great Britain had not hesitated to attempt to
starve them into surrender, and having miscarried in this, they
were ready to employ the whole force of their country, with all
the foreign auxiliaries they could obtain, in prosecution of
their unjust and tyrannical purposes. They were precipitated, it
was said, by Britain into a state of hostility, and there no
longer remained for them a liberty of choice. They must either
throw down their arms, and expect the clemency of men who had
acted as the enemies of their rights; or they must consider
themselves as in a state of warfare, and abide by the
consequences of that state. Warfare involved independency.
Without this their eff