The National Register.
London, England, 1817-06-02 00:00:00

ANOTHER CRISIS.

England never stood more.feinfidlg pre-eminent than
she indisputably towers at the present ern ! High and
meritoriously as she rises in the existing scale of the
civilized world, it cannot be denied that her greatness
is pregnant with fate, and that the mantling cup of her
Llicity is d 4 shed with an admixture of woe. Every-
where her choice is that of difficulties. She has been
the saviour of countries, who, in return, would crucify
her ; and she still comniisserates those who despitefully
use her. Another state of Akin is presented to her ;
and it remains to conjecture how she will resolve to en-
counter this fresh crisis in her destiny.
There is no safety fin States, as there is none for men,
but in acting on the immutable and illimitable princi-
ples of truth. Revolution, thanks be to God ! is not
Revelation. All the demoralization of modern times,
therefore, must be attributed to our departure from tie
principles which ought invariably to govern the inter-
course of individuals and the conduct of communities at
large.

Revolution follows, however, upon revolution. The
diseased and disjointed state of the world, notwith-
standing the appearances of pacification, still offers but
too many of those facilities which discontent and insu-
bordination are hourly in waiting to profit by. Several
years will probably be required to revolve in order to
restore and superinduce those feelings and habits which
constituted the felicity and dignity of past ages.
It is a dangerous and sad symptom of the present day,
that the slightest approximation to popular insurrection
is hailed as if it were an infalliable precursor of some
extraordinary advantages to the world. Uninstructed
by the events of the last twenty-five years, unlessoned
by experience, and unaffected by calamity, we appear to
be as eager as ever to embark in the same dreadful
course of irreligion and desolation. There is something
more than lamentable in this Providence would seem
to be delivering us over to insensibility of heart, and
inflituation of mind, abandoning us to ourselves, and
withdrawing from us those moral safeguards which have
hitherto preserved our happiness as individuals, and
maintained our greatness in the scale of nations.
This propensity for any and every thing which car-
ries with it the prospect of a revolution in States, even
apart from commercial views, will account for the avi-
dity with which the intelligence of a Revolution in
South America was received here. Without once re-
flecting in what manner its eflects might implicate us,—
as " a vast event," and " a fearful one too !"—the pro-
gress of insurrection was hailed as the triumph of free-
dom. " But when, turning to the map, we see so
vast a space as one-half of the new world given up to
revolutionary doctrines—when we contemplate the
different people that inhabit these immense regions—
the mixture of Europeans and natives—when we know
the little progress that knowledge has made ; and, if
it had, when we recollect how utterly unable know-
law was to arrest the career of blood and crime in
France—when we feel sure that endeavours will be
made to revive the remembrance of ancient wrongs--
when we survey the ardent character of the inhabit-
ants of these regions—' Souls made of lire and chil-
dren of the Sun'—when we know how soon and how
certainly the original moderate professions and projects
of Reformers give way to the plans of bolder and
bloodier Revolutionists—when we contemplate in ima-
gination the horrors, the cruelties, the oppression that
will be committed in the name and garb of freedom—
we repeat, that we have not nerves strong enough to
consider this event without feelings of awe and dread."

Devoutly and earnestly do "e hope, amidst all the
" madness of the people," that this Kingdom is not
destined to experience that " shaking of the nations"

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