The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-06-17
TIL E R Z P u B Lie.
Etom n.e Boston 1kanscript.

From The Boston Transcript.
The GreatIiess and Permanence OF the Uni
ted states.
In perusing the work of French traveller, writ
ten Immediately after the formation Of our Federal
Constitution, We have been impressed by his strong
convictions, at that early day, of the vitality
Of our institutions. His words may be read with
interest now; and we give them below,
We refer TO Brissot de Warvlle one of the first
in the series Of eminent foreigners bo have come
as travellers to our country. He was here in 1881;
and, on his return to France, published a work on
the United States, which was so much regarded at
the time that il was soon translated into English.
Among his other writings works on the "The6-
ry Of Criminal Laws" 9''rhe Necessity OF a Reform
Of the Criminal Laws" s'Wlat Reparation is due
To Innocent Persons Unustly Accused )" "Philoso-
phical Letters on the History OF England
Brissot entered warmly into the French revou.
tion, but not into its excesses. When the motion
was made to pass sentence OF death on the king.
he spoke and voted for the appeal To the primary
assemblies. When Lafayette was censured, Bris
sot defended him, Afterwards he himself fell with
the Girondists. to whom he had attached himself.
He was carried to the guilotine Oct. 3D. 1893.
"THoUeHTs ON THE DuRATIoS OF THE AMERl-
CAN CoMMoNwEALrH.-There is greater proba-
bility that the duration of the American Common.
wealth will be longer than any empire that has
hitherto existed. For ii is a truth, universally ad-
mitted, that all the advantages which ate nded
any of the monarchies in the old world, all
in the new; together with many others which they
enjoy. The four great empires, and the do
ninions OF Charlemagne and the Turks, all rose by
conquests; none by the arts of peace. On the con-
trary, the territory of the United States has been
planted and reared by union of liberty good
conduct, and all the comforts of domestic virtue
"All the great monarchies formed by the
conquest of Kingdoms, different in arts, manners,
language, temper, or religion, from the conquer
ors that The union, though in come cases very
strong, was never the real and intimate connexion
OF the same people; and this circumstance princi-
pally accelerated their ruin, and was absolutely
the of it in This will be very different
in the Americans. They will, in their greatest ex-
tent and population, be one and the same people
the same In language, religion, laws, manners,
tempers and pursuits; for the small variation in
some districts, owing to the settlement Of Germans,
is exception 80 very slight that in few ages it
will be unknown.
"Thc Assyrian and Roman empires were of
very slow growth, and therefore lasted the long
est; but still their increase by conquest, and
the union OF dissonant parts. The Persian and
Macedonian monarchies founded and
presently overturned the former not lasting so
long as the Assyrian nor a sixth of the duration
Of the Roman and as to the Macedonian, it lasted
but six years. This advantage Of slow growth is
strong in favor OF the Americans the wonderful
increase of their numbers is the natural effect of
plenty of land, good climate, and mild and be-
nefcent government, in which corruption and ty-
ranny are wholly unknown. Some centuries
already past since their first settlement and many
more will pass before their power appears in its full
splendor; but the quickuess of growth that is en-
tirely natural will carry with il marks of de-
cay, being entirely different from monarches
founded by iorce OF arms.
'Thc Roman empire perished by the hands Of
northern bar barians, whom the masters OF the world
disdained TO conquer; il will not be so with the
Americans, they spread gradually over the whole
continent insomuch that two hundred years hence
there probably will be nobody but themselves in
the whole northern continent; from whence, there
fore, should their Goths and Vandals come! Nor
they have any thing TO fear from the South,
hrst because that country will never be populous,
owing to the possession of mines: secondly, there
several nations and languages planted and re-
naming in il: thirdly, the most considerable part
of il lies in the torrd zone, region that never yet
sent forth nations Of conquerors
elm extent the habitablc parts of North America
exceed that of any of the four empires and consc-
quently can feed and maintain people much more
numerous than the Assyrians or the Romans. The
situation of the region is advantag that il
leaves nothing TO be wished for; IL can have no
neighbors from whom there is possibility OF at
tack moestaton; il will possess all the sOid ad
vantages Of the Chinese empire without the fatal
neighborhood of the Tartars
''lt will have further the singular felicity Of all
the advantages of island, that is, freedom
from the attacks of others, and TOO many difficult
ties, with too great distance, TO engage in enter
prses that heretofore proved the ruin Of other mon
archies.
The soil, the climate, production, and face of the
continent, is formed by nature FOR great, inde-
pendent, and permanent government; hll IL with
people who will of themselves, Of course possess all
sorts of manufactures, and you will find il yield
a vast tract Of country, possessing such singular
advantages, becoming inhabited by one people,
speaking the same language, protesting the same
eligion, and having the same manners; attaining
a population equal 10 that Of the greatest empire;
sprung from active and industrious nation, who
have transfuscd into them their own industry aud
spirit, and them worthy Of their original; in
habiting soil not dangerously fertile, nor cline
generally conducive 10 efiemnacy; accustomed TO
commerce: such people must found a common
wealth as indissoube as humanity will allow. Suf-
fee IL for England, that she will have been the orr
gin Of a commonwealth greater and more duraHe
than any former monarchy; that her language and
her manners will flourish among people who will
one day become splendid spectacle in the vast
eye Of the universe. This fatterng idea OF irnnor-
tality other nation can hope to attain
"And here let me make observation that should
animate authors in the English language with an
ardor that cannot be infused into tse OF any other
nation; it is the pleasing idea Of living among so
great a people, through almost a perpetuity OF
lame, and under almost impossibility Of bccom :
ing, like the Greek and Latin tongues, dead;
known only by the learned. Increasing time will
bring increasing readers, until their become
repeated with pleasure by above an hundred mil
lions Of peoplel"