o much in unison.

As to the fact in which these parties are so well agreed, that the
experiment ought to have been made for the satisfaction of this country,
(meaning the country of England,) it were well to be wished that persons
of eminence would cease to make themselves representatives of the people
of England, without a letter of attorney, or any other act of
procuration. In legal construction, the sense of the people of England
is to be collected from the House of Commons; and though I do not deny
the possibility of an abuse of this trust as well as any other, yet I
think, without the most weighty reasons and in the most urgent
exigencies, it is highly dangerous to suppose that the House speaks
anything contrary to the sense of the people, or that the representative
is silent, when the sense of the constituent, strongly, decidedly, and
upon long deliberation, speaks audibly upon any topic of moment. If
there is a doubt whether the House of Commons represents perfectly the
whole commons of Great Britain, (I think there is none,) there can be no
question but that the Lords and the Commons together represent the sense
of the whole people to the crown and to the world. Thus it is, when we
speak legally and constitutionally. In a great measure it is equally
true, when we speak prudentially. But I do not pretend to assert that
there are no other principles to guide discretion than those which are
or can be fixed by some law or some constitution: yet before the legally
presumed sense of the people should be superseded by a supposition of
one more real, (as in all cases where a legal presumption is to be
ascertained,) some strong proofs ought to exist of a contrary
disposition in the people at large, and some decisive indications of
their desire upon this subject. There can be no question, that,
previously to a direct message from the crown, neither House of
Parliament did indicate anything like a wish for such advances as we
have made or such negotiations as we have carried on. The Parliament has
assented to ministry; it is not ministry that has obeyed the impulse of
Parliament. The people at large have their organs through which they can
speak to Parliament and to the crown by a respectful petition, and
though not with absolute authority, yet with weight, they can instruct
their representatives. The freeholders and other electors in this
kingdom have another and a surer mode of expressing their sentiments
concerning the