The National Register.
London, England, 1809-03-12 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER;

MARCII 1.2.

luring and commercial people, leaving the present poli—
tical situation of Europe ont of the questions it is unque-
tionably the interest of ours to enjoy the esteem, the con-
fidence, and good will of our neighbours. Every circum-
stance eventual, as well as stationary, fa.youred our preten-
sions in this respect. They were, indeed, so strongly in our
favour, that it required a studious refinement, a long con-
tinuance of irritation, to alienate the continent from tin.:
country. But the hardest bodies are worn by collision :
and our respective 4dministrations have ctlected their pur-
pose, in the course of fifteen years, so completely that they
have left us and future generations, we are afraid, an eter.
nal monument of their capacity, perseverance, liberality,
and spirit of conciliation.

Previous to the commencement of the revolutionary
war, nothing was so great and respectable as/ the word
" Briton."—ln the different languages of Europe it was
synonimous with every thing good and exalted; and af-
forded the poet, the philosopher, and the dramatic writer,
their noblest images, their happiest illustrations. Our least
amiable singularities furnished a theme for admiration ;
and even our real defects were anxiously excused, were
studiously extenuated. Wherever an Englishman appeared,
he was a general object of attention and services.—His name
was a passport; his appearance a letter of recommenda-
tion. liven France, our great political and commercial
rival, ranked, for more than half a century, among;; he
ioremost of our admirers, among the most animated of o::r
panegyrists. Our institutions, our arms, our philosophy,
and our arts, were the noblest models of her imitation, the
most fervent objects of her attainment. If a change, sup-
posed to be salutary, was proposed, or introduced into any
branch of the Administration, it was invariably borrowed
from our customs. fa every dispute between nation and
nation, we were referred to as umpires;—the oppressed
looked up to us as avengers ; the weak as protectors; and
the aggressor dreaded our justice and resentment. Such
was our character. But how it stands now we have already
developed.

It must be a curious, as it is certainly a momentousoub-
ject of inquiry, to investigate the cause of this alienation./
Before we proceed further we will preface our examination
by declaring that it solely originates in ourselves, and that it
still operates almost exclusively on our side ; making, how-
'ever, a trilling allowapce for the effee.ts of the French Re-
volution, too imperceptible almost to be noticed. The
first symptoms may be traced to tha rapie. and excessive
increase of our commercial preponderiuce, which began
annost immediately. after the conclusion ot' the American
War, and to the inordinate desire of ;-,ecieliary considera-
tion ‘• hich follov!ed. This sudden !teritiati revolutionise',
ill some uneasure, our pursuits, charaeter :tad polities.—
lov'e of glory became secondary to a love of money ;
and u, every object of national pursnik. we began to cal-
ea,;.tro, with. mercantile ini,-.ll.,eness and anxiety, the loss
and the gain we were likely to incur. From that moment
those -hot:: and hazardous combinations, which are peculiar
to a community animated e.ith all ardour for freedom and
glory, in preference to moaey, began to disappear from
our conneds and operations, and we ventured on small and
various spec.ulw.ion:•,; that if one tailed, another might he
proilne,ive. A unity of action and will immediately
ceased, and the national energy diverged into various di-
rections. In consequence of this system, we lorded it over
Nabobs and unarmed Indians, and conquered spice-islands
and sugar-plantations ! whilst the enemy was demolishing
those formidable barriers, which the wisdom and energy of
our forefathers had exerted and maintained. Instead of
those great and decisive battles, which were fought under
M A imtmitouGit, onr soldiers were engaged in some petty
skirmish on the Ganges or the La Fiala, at the very time
that iimumerahle armies were contending on the Danube,
the Po, and the Sant, for the domiaion of Europe. Na-
tions and men sink, or rise, iu the estimation of their