reading the hallowed epithet of Christian in the same sentence which makes mention of war; and be still more amazed on finding that war and Christianity are not considered as incompatible. Whatever my private opinion or your's may be, I must observe to you that by many of the greatest and wisest of this country, they are not thought so; though some eminent men here admit that had Britain carried on the war as other nations have done; had she originally joined with what she supposed the strong party, against what appeared to be the weak one; had she exported gold and arms and emissaries, in order to encourage insurrection and the violation of treaties, and to foment and prolong the strife of blood; had her opulent merchants, instigated by an incompetent and arrogant minister, and allured with hopes of augmenting their

wealth by expected success, united to petition the crown for a continuation of the war; had Britain rejected with contempt repeated offers of Peace from her enemy; had she, solely from a ty rannical desire of commercial monopoly, and a hope of aggrandizement, converted one-third of her efficient popu lation into soldiers, and thus contrived to spread licentious manners throughout her most sequestered villages, and to afflict with gangrene the body of the common-wealth; had she covered the seas of the world with the shadow of her fleets, and sent these forth thronged with the refuse of the jail, with every class of immoral and abandoned reprobate; and told them to fight that they might subdue, and to subdue that they might plunder'; and dignified the in2 junction by informing these combatants that they contended for the honour and

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safety of their native land; had England been actuated by such motives, there are persons who allow that it might perhaps leave some little room for doubt whether England was quite in the right

or not.

In respect of natural talents, the English stand unrivalled; and chiefly in the talent of Public speaking; of which the eloquence displayed in the houses of Parliament, in the Pulpit, and at the Bar, are proofs sufficient. Of the House of Commons, indeed, all the members are great orators, and so much caution is employed in the choice of such as are elected to fill this high and honourable station, that it could not well be otherwise: most of them are as celebrated for their wit, as for their virtue, which Cicero says is requisite in an orator; accordingly in the

reports of Parliamentary proceedings, the reader is enraptured by innamerable strokes of pleasantry and felicities of expression on the part of the speakers; and by the truth and quickness with which their brilliancies are noticed, relished, and applauded by the rest of the senatorial body. The words (a laugh,) (violent laughing,) (continued roars of laughter) printed in italics, always imply something irresistibly comical; and doubtless nothing less than what is exquisite in this way, could vanquish the gravity of so many sage and accomplished guardians of the public weal. Luckily I am enabled to illustrate the above remark by a very rich sample of classical, pure and sparkling eloquence, in a passage extracted, verbatim, from a newspaper of the day, distinguished for the fidelity of its columns. The speaker referred to, having for some

minutes delivered his opinion in his accustomed manner, that is, with profound calmness and logical precision, became suddenly animated, and borne away by the energies of his powerful mind, broke forth into the following inimitable strain."Bless me, Gentlemen, I feel for my King, and my country. I never gave a vote against my conscience; I say it on my oath; now let you who laugh at me, say as much. I never voted against Reform, but, to be sure, that has nothing to say to the present question. It may be ridiculous, Gentlemen, but I say, whoever rats now, and runs away, may the honourable person to whom he runs, not receive him; whoever deserts the old King, is the basest of human beings, of human creatures: I care not whether he be prince or peasant: be him prince or peasant that rats, I say, blow him from the earth."What has