Star.
London, England, 1814-01-15 00:00:00

their absurdity, topes which art calculated only to
mislead and to inflame. • • . .. •
66 That the seasons would have 'course, that the
sun would have Shone, and the showers have fallen
as favourably, if you had not chosen me for your te-
presentative, is an admission which I make without
much apprehension of the consequences. Nor do I
wish you to believe that your choice of any other than
me would have delayed the retorn of your prosperity
or prevented the revival of your commerce.
" I make these admissions, Gentlemen, seithintt
fear, so far as concerns the choice beteteen individuals.
But I do not equally admit the same indifference as
to the principles upon which that election turned. 1
do'not admit that if the principles which it was then
recommended to you to countenance, had unfortu-
nately prevailed in Parliament, and through the au-
thority of Parliament had been introducel into the
counsels of the country, they would not have inter-
fered with fatal operation, not indeed to check the
course of nature, and blast the fertility of the earth :
but to stop that current of political events, which,
taken at the flood, has placed England at the head 1
of the world. —(49finlause.)
66 Gentlemen, RI had met you here again in the
same doubtfulitate of public affairs in which we took
leave of of each other, if the forces of confederated
nations had still been arrayed in nearly equal divi-
sion, and the balance of Europe still trembling in the
scale, I should not hesitate now, as I did not hesitate
then, to state my distinct and unalterable opinion,
that perseverance, under whatever difficulties. under,
whatever privations, afforded the only chance of pros-
perity to you, because the only chance of deliverance
to Europe—( No/awe.) -
a Gentlemen, I should be ashaeled to address yon
now in the tone of exultation, if I had not addressed
you then in that of encouragement under distress.—
I should be ashamed to appear before you, shouting
in the train of success, if I had not looked you in the-
face and exhorted you to patience under difficulties.
(W/awe.) It is because my acquaintance with you
commenced in times of danger and embarrassment.
and because I then neither flattered nor deceived you,
that I now not only offer to you my congratulations,
but put in my claim to yours on the cessation of that
danger, on the termination of that embarrassment, and
on the glorious issue to which exertion and endurance
have brought that great struggle in which our honour
and our happiness were involved —( Great ap(lause.)
" Gentlemen, during the course of a political life
nearly co-eval with the commencement of this war, I
have never uttered one sentiment, I have never given
one vote, that had .not for its object the consumma-
tion which is now happily within our view. lam
not ashamed, and it is not unpleasiiig or unprofitable
to look back upon the perils which we have passed,
and to compare them with the result before us. And
Gentlemen, what is that result ? We see a country
inferior in population to most of her Continental
neighbours, but multiplying her energies and re
sources by her own activity, enterprize, and intelli-
gence, by the vigour of her constitution, and by the
good sense of her people, we see her standing up
-against a formidable foe, throughout a contest in
the course of which every one of her allies, and at
times all of them together, have fainted and failed—
nay, have been driven to combine with her enemy
against her--we see her at this moment rallying the
nations of Europe to one point, and leading them to.
'decisive victory—( Rapturous applause.)
66 If this picture were merely in the contemplation
of speculative philosophy, if were present to us in
the page of the history of ancient times, it would
warm the heart. But, Gentlemen, this country is our
own ; and what must be the feelings which arise on
such an occasion in the bosom of every son of that
country ? what must be the feelings of a community,
such as I am now addressing, which constitutes no
insignificant part of the strength of the nation so des-
cribed ? what (I may be permitted to add) the feel-
ing of one who is chosen to represent that commu-
nity, and who finds himself in that station maim mo-
ment of triumph, only because he discountenanced
despair in the moment of despondency ?
66 Gentlemen, in the view of a subject so mighty
and magnificent as this, I should disdain to be turned
aside to partial oil individual considerations. It was
impossible, however, not to say something of princi-
ples, because our triumphs would be incomplete, and
its blessings might be transitory, if we could 'be led
astray by any sophistry, or could consent in a sort of
compromise of common joy to forget, or to mistate
the causes by which that triumph has been produced.
All of one mind, I trust and believe we are in exult-
ing at the success of our country ; all of one mind, I
ti ust we now are throughout this land, in determining
to persevere, if need be, in s:renqous exertions to
complete, and I hope to perlect, the great work
so happily in progress. But we know that there are
some of those who share most heartily in the public
exultation, who yet in tenderness for disappointed
prophecies, endeavour to disconnect effect and cause,
in a manner which I humbly think erroneous—and it
is an error which I also think might be dangerous, if
unwarily adopted, and generally received.
66 We have heard, for instance, that the war has at
length been successful, beiause the principles on
which the war was undertaken had been changed ;
that we are at length blessed with victory because we
have thrown away the banner under which we com-
menced the contest ; that the contest was commen-
ced with one set of principles, that the issue has been
happily brought about by the adoption of another.
Gentlemen, I know of no such change. If we have
succeeded, it has not been by the_aban.donment, but
by the prosecution of our principles; if we have suc-
ceeded, it has not been by adopting new maxims of
policy, but by upholding, under all varieties of diffi-
culty and disceurazement—old established, inviola-
ble principles of conduct. We are told, now forsooth,
that this war has become a war of the people ; and
that therefore, by the operation of that change alone,
the power of imperial France has been baffled and
overcome. Nations, it is said, have at length joined
their sovereigns in a contest which heretofore had
been a contest of sovereigns only. Gentlemen, the
fact of the change might be admitted without there-
fore admitting the argument. It does not follow that
the people were not at all times equally interested in
the war, (as those who think as I do, have always
contended that they Were,) because it may be and'
must be admitted that the people, in many countries,
were for a time deluded. Otir antagonists say, that
jarring interests have been reconciled. We say that
gross delusions have been removed. We both admit