The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-01-02 00:00:00

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by Clair time-serving spirit, their venality, and belt
vices, suffer that Constitution to be impaired or de-
stroyed, however bitter may be their consierient
soffetingt--however deep may he their degradation—
they will have themselves, and themselves only to
blame.
Gentlemen, in what I have to say, I wish to staid
as much as possible all personality; I wish not to
press hard upon topics of irritation. What I ad.
vance I wish to found on the general and abstract
'principles of human nature; and in referenceto those
principles, I Itty down the two following positions : .
—That it is of the essence of power to be lenecinee
--a-That it is of the essence of power to be ereroacbs
imp Hence there is a tendency in every Esecutive
(Internment to extend its influence, and to increase
its energies. And, Gentlemen, upon what can
power make its encroachments, but upon the liberty
of the People? How ears it increase its,energin..
but by restraining their freedom and grasping their
property ? The question then occurs, how is this
tendency to be met ? How is it to he counteracted
This question, except I shall answer, it in the em-
phatic words of the late Mr. Cerrito, thin whom it
mere hold or a more consistent friend of freedom
never graced these islands ? lie was a man, Gen-
tlemen, by' the Ibrhtningcof whose eye corruption was
withered, and shrunk into her native insignificance;
he was a man, by the thunder of whose Voice,
tyranny was smitten, at least, with a temporary awe.
This great man, in pleading before the Psivy Commit
of Ireland a cause, in which the franchises of the
city of Dublin were vitally interested, made use of
the following memorable words :-66 The condition
upon which God has given freedom to man is, that of
eternal vigilance; which condition, if he violate,
slavery is at osice the penistimeerof his crime and the
consequence of his guilt."
The necessity of the exercise of this vigilance 04
the part of the People of this country will be evin-
ced, if we consider the various attempts which have
!wen made by successive Administ
rations, ,'raring the
men of his present Majesty, to discoura -fe and to
restrain the operation of the principles of freedom,
both at home sod abroad,
Gentleman, the first Princes of the House of
Brunswick nurtured the principles of freedom. The
language of freedom was in their day the language
of the Court. This was nrcesinned by the peculiar
circumstances (rioter which the Princes of the House
of Brunswick ascended the throne of these realms.
They did not- stand in the legitimate line of succes-
sion ; and their title. to the crown could only ,be
*indicated by the principles so ably asserted by the
immortal Locke; principles, which, if we may judge
from what has lately taken place in the University
of Dublin, et.e no longer deemed by our state in.
structiun fit to be inculcated upen the ingenuous
youths whose rank and station will entitle them soon
to take a part in the public affairs of these kings
dome.
But at the time of his present Majesty's accession
to the throne, the male line of the House of Stuart
was nearly extinct, and the friends of that House,
in this country, being no longer able to make heed
against the Governmer.t, began to transfer to the
House of Hanover that slavish submistion which
they had been so ready to pay to the milled dynasty.
These circumstances seem to have instigated certain
of his present Majesty's adiisers to act upon maxims
of Government far different from those which had.
Dein adopted by his immediate predecessors.
The first grand violation of Whig maxims of Go.
recommit which I shall mention, is the American
Revolutionary war. What was the object of that
war ? Its object was to assert, by force of arms, the
slavish doctrine of taxation without representation.
His Majesty's Ministers said to the North American
Colonies,—" We will impose taxes upon you by
the authority of the British Parliament." In van'
the Colonies said, 6' we have legislative bodies of
our own, by which, and by which alone, we
.can be
constitutionally taxed." Its, vain they said, "we
do net refuse to pay our contingent to the exigen-
cies of the general State; but les us raise our contin-
gent by the medium of our Representatives." These
representations had no weight with Ministers, who,
only varying their means from force to stratagem,
and from stratagem to force, still pertinaciously ad-
hered to their object. When the Americans nishel
to approach the Throne with their complaint., they
were spurned from its steps by the minions who sur-
rounded it. When they krincked at the door of the
House of Commons, it was rudely shut in their faces.
%When it was predicted that the violence of N:itristera
would drive them to resistance, they were treated
with contumely and scorn. Lord Sandwich, then at
the head of the Admiralty, said in the House of
L.rrds, that the Americans were innate cowards—
that 'they would bluster, but durst not fight. And
gallant Officer in the House of Commons declared,
that at the heed of two battalions, he would march
through. the Union, from Massachesetts to Georgia,
sebdulog all before him. But what was the result
Jr this empty boasting ? When General Howe went
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to take the command of a numerous army, he found
himself cooped op within the nirrow limits of Boston
neck, end when he attempted to Marge his quarters
antilop, two, he found, to his Cost, at Bunker's Hill,
thalami 'Americans could fight as well as argue.--
'Whin, in a subsequent campaign, his Lordship was
overrunning New York and the Jerseys, General
Burgasy ne-Meiched over the Canadian frontier, to co.
operate *th him. Burgoyne's army was well ap..
pointed and numerous. It consisted of British, Irish,
Hanoverian., Hessians, and Indians. It entered the
United States with all the " pride, pomp, and cir-
cumstance of glorious war." For some time it car•
tied all before it. Bat it was ihsensibly surrounded.
by soldiers who had started from the plough in de-
fence of their country's rights, and after many a fruit-
less effort of valour, it was compelled to surrender to
an army of warriors clad in a uniform of no more
splendorsr than that of a weggoner's frock.
Gentlemen, the Convention of Saratoga, con.
winced the British-Ministry that matters were takim;
a serious turn; and when Louis XVI. of France en-
tered into an alliance with the revolted Colonies, they
were as crouching to the Americans as they had be-
fore been insolent; offering their carte blanche, if
they would bet preserve a federate union with Eng.
land; and, in the meanness of little minds, they at-
tempted to bribe to the acceptance of these terms,
the illustrious Commander, whose pertereiatice they
could not conquer in the field. Ou tba rejec iii Of

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