The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-06-15

HIsToRIcAL SKETCHES OF STATESMEN WHO
FLoURIsHED IN THE TINE OF GEORGE III,
TO WHICH IS ADDED REMARKS ON PARTY
AND AN APPENDIX. BY HENRY LORD
BRouGAHN. vols. Philadelphia Lea g.
Blanchard.
Lord Brougham has undertaken in this work
to give condensed historical portrai,ures Of a
group of characters that centred around the
person, or had some relation to the admins
tration Of that monarch who presided over
the British Empire, during an age that wit
messed the establishment Of independence in
America, and the extension Of liberty over
great portion Of the old world, and who.ex
ercised his power in narrow-mlnded, obsti-
nate, but vain, attempt to stay this onward
march Of freedom and civilization. With the
names and many of the public acts of these
persons. America has been long familiar.
Lord Brougham has placed them in point OF
view, with pen generally impartial, in which
we may survey their characters in group.
A more interesting and instructive subject of
contemplation, is scarcely to be met with, in
the long history of the human race. The
persons who fill the scene are, Lord Chat
ham, Lord North, Lord Loughborough, Lord
Thurlow, Lord Mansfield, Lord Chief JUS
tice Gibbs, Sir VIM. Grant, Mr.. Burke, Mr..
Fox, MI Pitt, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. Windham,
and Dundas, Erskine, Perceval, Grenville,
Grat,an Wilberlorce, Canning, and Romilly.
After describing the effects Of party spirit,
by which these English chiefs were mar
shaled, the author turns, Thy way of COM
parison to some cotemporaneous leaders in
other countries where there was less of that
influence. The first of the great, appears
our own Franklin-then follows Frederic IL,
Gustavus LII, the Emperor Joseph and the.
Empress Catherine
We copy two or three sentiments on the
"efects of party" subject which many
OF our own statesmen might usefully reflect
upon:
"This arrangement Of political affairs Systematically
excludes least onehalf Of the crest men oil each age
from their countrys service aud desoes both classes
infinitely more to maintaining conflict with one an
other than to fur,hering the general good"
| "The influence Of both parties however, Is exerted,
and the movement Of the machine parskes OF both
the forces impressed upon it, neither taking the drec-
ton Of the one nor Of the other but third line between
| both"
1T is partly the result Of our monarchlca constu-
on in which the prince must rule by influence rather
Than prerogatlve but it is much more TO be derived
from the arisocratieai portion Of the constitution"
If this be characteristic of the English
monarchy, how rapidly and nearly has our
American Executive galloped us into the
same evil manner Of conducting public af-
fairs s.# M..
On the advancement of the British people,
Lord Brougham says:
"Ther progress is now rapid and their success
sured in the attainment Of all that qualify them for
sell. porernmcnt emancipate them from puplage, and
enttle them undertake The managemento their
agars. Nor will they any suffer leading to
make up their opinions for Them doctors do the pre-
scrptons which they take, consent to be the
tools and the dupes Of party any more"