The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-04 00:00:00

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EMANCIPATION OF COLONIES.
Mr. EDITOR—The rumoured inclination on
the part of Spain to reduce her Colonies to sub-
jection, naturally leads the mind to reflect upon
,the nature of such establishments, and the ad-

vantages accruing to mankind from their total
vmancipation. The subjection of Colonies to the
.Mother Country seems ,to be pretty nuarly of the

same nature as that of the child to its parents.
Hence a time must necessarily come when the
relative situations of two parties must he
effectually changed. lilting their infancy, ab-
solute submission to the parent is not less a mat-
ter of duty than one of interest to the offspring :
and it is proper that the coercion should he such
as to enforce a due obedience to lawful authority.
But when age has matured the mind, and brought
along with it a proper notion of its own natural
force, the connection between the parent and the
colony should assume more the nature of that
which exists between friends than between mas-
ter and dependent. The exercise of authority,
is, however, too pleasing to be ever readily abet).
dolled. And, as the desire of being more free is
easily suspected, if not openly perceived, the yoke
of the parent state is rendered more heavy, and
consequently a greater degree of irritation is pro-
-duced, and the desire of final emanipation, being
-proportionably strengthened, awaits only the
favourable moment to burst forth with irresis-
tittle force. L,So violent and unnatural a situation
cannot long endure. The murmur of discontent
becomes daily louder, the irritation of both
parties is daily increased, insubordination on
the one side produces additional severity on the
other. This additional severity inspires a spirit
of resistance among the Colonists, which being
Hollowed by a better estimate of their own force,
at length produces open resistance, and the en.
bony is finally emancipated from the oppressive
yoke of the mother country.
Whilst the Statesman regards only the political
tendency of such an event, and reprobates the
principle, or more properly the act, the mere
philantropist reflects upon the effects which it is
calculated to produce upon the mass of mankind,
and though he also may condemn the principle,
yet lie cannot but rejoice at the deed. The
pages of history furnish us with abundant proofs
that a state of political dependence is the bane
of all that is great and good in the human heart.
It. is beneath the genial influence of rational
freedom that the arts and the sciences attain
'their highest pitch of perfection, that the utmost
' energies of the mind are called forth, and that
the social body attains all the excellence of
,which it is susceptible. The truth of this as-
sertion is amply justified by the rapid improve-
ment of Switzerland, of Holland, and of the
United Stites of America. 'that they could never
liave attained the same degree of power and
consequence bad they remained in a state of de-
pendeuce, can scarcely admit of a doubt.
There is a striking similarity discovered be-
tween the political and the physical world. Like
animals and plants, states have their birth, their
infancy, their manhood, their decay, and their
death ; their morning, their noon, and their night.
'What has happened in one age, and amidst one
nation, is likely to occur in other times, and
among a different people ; because human
passions, in which all .groat changes origi-
nate, remain ever the same ; whence it is fair
to anticipate the revolutions that are likely to
happen from those that have previously occurred.
If, therefore, emancipation has been productive
.of good to the community, it will continue to do
'So wherever it takes piaci,.
Nature brings all its, productions to the greatest
,degree of perfection of which they are susceptible;
and Providence has, without doubt, established
the same law in regard to the human mind.
Bence there seems to be an extent of perfeetion,
the limits of which being once attained, -no fur-
ther iniprovement takes place ; and a gradual
&coy commences. This process is exemplified
in all the nations that have successively shone
upon the stage of the world. If this be really
the case, and we may rationally suppose that it
is, a time will most probably come when America
'shall be as enlightened as Europe : and the
ionancipation of the European Colonies hi that vast
continent must prove eminently conducive toso be-
neficial a change. Though long unknown to Euro-
peans, civilization to a certain and remarkable
extent, had, however, visited this continent; and
the institution of Mango Capac, exiles ourastonish-
went no less than our admiration. The cruelty
of their Spanish tyrants and conquerors !Wanly
extirpated the race of the peaceable inhabitants
of Mexico and of Peru ; end long did avarice
And barbarity hold an undisputed away over the
vast regions of the new world. Ages passed away,
but trifling was the intellectiial improvement of
the Spanish, and afterwards of the Portuguese
settlers. Gain was their only object, and this