The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-10-15
FOR THE ENQUIRER.

~ Fr."i1,"Y i9e7.es:ci'e corG'--7n S"'r FefniV
men far tlespis'1= re 4.,c,a, ,7s,a tIes ne. +.
| ''seio'fs H',ssiIa or biroffr:i 7'c"ti.-v.se'
! L ne t'uth OF the assertion, mat the British
| ,S'pSe toe Americans, Is e. ted bu, {, +
| he present, le, it be admitted.
Taking the fact for granted I conce e
without hesitation, that we c2unot return the
| compliment. The people OF america do no,
iesp'se the hritish nation. Tl.sv despise in
teet their higotry, an that Sort,vl love 81
| wealth which ccmmerce has diilased through
ont the conntry, from the throne to the cot
t2ge; embracing in is wide extent, the pap
ilamens, the pricsthool, the army, and the M
W. They abhor their East Indian des9iaticns.
their irish maSSaCrcs, their American Dira-
cies and corElgratons but they have too
fncca good sense r. pretend that they drsEise
nation, whose e-lOrrNoTs power clrne how
ever atrociousy abused, must protect it from
contempt: a nation too from which they have
derived the great holy Of their laws & learn
ing, and by which alone the spirit Of civil hher
~ has been saved III Europe from absolute ex-
tnction
The remark made by the Reviewers. re-
fleets no credit CIR their comtrvmen. The
reason is obvious. Contempt for f,reign ma
tons IS generally the offspring of ignorance.
Let the sentiment bs traced i. ant.cpuntrv,
tarougn all the various claSgcs of society, ar
ranged not accor ling to rank, but intellect &
I
descends, and attains its greatest force amonp
those who are the most ignorant and the most
brutal: among those precisely, who arc the
most dcspised even by the society TO which
they belong
Al is probable that the Chinese are. more
than any ether people, under the influence OF
tins sentiment of contempt for foreign nations
And what are thu: Chinese. A nation of
slaves ! vile and abject slaves, sunk to the
lowest point of degradation among whom
the slightest departure from the prescribed
form or respectful salutation, is pur; she'd with
tie bamboo which the wretched victim
knee.s down to receive, and in that posture
humbly thanks his orpressov for having con-
descended 70 correct him: among whom even
military men in the highest stations, submit
as OF course, 10 a species of flageliation, prac-
used IN Eur0pcan schools, crlv upon the III
NOR boys. Yet the lowest Of these people,
poor naked wretChes, who scrambled, Ike
dogs. for the garbage, fifth, and even p,,t,.r-
faction thrown Ont by the servants Of the Brl-
fish embassy, even these poor miserable be-
ings, having nothing OF humanity, but the
form, and scarcely tlat, viewed the Ambassa-
dor and his splendid retinuc, With the utmost
scorn, and often expressed il, by gestures,
winch rendered an Interpretation Of their
words totally unnece ssary. The people about
the Codrt OF the Chinese Emperor, though
more decent i'll their manners, never deigncd
to shew tAat they understood the object If the
mission to be any thing more, than to prove
the respect on an obscure people in the West,
for the imperial majesty Of China. The re
preventative OF one Of the most powerful en-
pres IN the world the public minister of a
nation one of whose ships of war could demo
hsh the Whole navy of China, was viewed
with contempt by courtiers, whose garments
were infested by vermin, which they caught
IN public, and cracked between their teeth
L have read somewhere of people who
inhabit amidst the Alps, a small valley, ZEN
dcred almost inaccessible by the surrouad;no
heights Poor and ignorant. thew conce.;,.s.
that the little spot on which they dwell &c The
world, and view with great contempt the nm
fortunate beings, who are born on the out,.ida
OF 1t, that Is, beyond the mountain. That there
are such people, they know only from the fra
veliers, whom curiosity sometimes carries info
their sequestered country.
One OF the petty princes Of pirat:cal and
Darbarous state on the southern coast of the
mediterranean, asked an American consrI
or captain, II the people here had q SIN, moon
and stars ike his. This question proceeded
from an idea, that the Supreme Being conIJ
hardly have taken the trouble, to provide
llght and warmth, for people, of W ON he
knew nothing except that he PLUME red and
despsed them anu
but the Reviewers are mistaken in the
TACT, so far, at least, as their remark e,tends
TO the Intelligent part of their conn. unity =
Intelligent men cannot despise a nation, which
n ITS infancy dehed and successfully opDosed
the power OF Great Britain a nation which
mad the Courage, the patience, the magma
nlmlty to submit to every calamity. which So
ven years OF war and desOlation could inf1.c+
rather than pay the slightest tax imDosed
without their Consent 1'ncy cannot desr,ise
a nation which had good sense, moderation &
virtue sufficient to form system If ,,overn
ment after mature deiiberation, and 10 carry
It into operation without bloodshed or even
tumult nation that has gulrded the Iil,er-
ty OF the press by 4 Solemn constitutional nto-
VISION, and utterly rejected the idea no less
absurd than dangerous, Of an alliance between
the Government and the Church Nor can
they desPise a nation which had The virtue &
the humanity TO insert another article in their
Constitution, to secure that grea, object here.
winch Ar. Wll5erforce and his Dersevering
associates have, at length. accomplished in G.
Britain. In this honorable career claim for
MY country the glory Of having led the way
glory more pure, more radiant than thou
sand victories could bestow
u America had produced no illustrione mon.
but Washington ard Franklin, her claim to
respect, Oh their account alone, oneht To he
universally admitted. / am content that A
ner'ea Shall be despised b. tic PEOPLE Of that
country, which has prOducc6 Ms o4 ~.