, 
1778 ANNUAL REGISTER, »1797. 
deareft interefts are preferved, we 
have feen, throughout a courfe of 
years, the affairs of the nation con- 
dué&ed with that incapacity, perfidy, 
end corruption, by which all great 
empires, from the beginning of the 
world, have found their ruin; and 
which, in the particular ftate and 
fituation of ~Great Britain, have 
nearly exhaufted its refources and 
its credit, and annihilated its con- 
ftitution ; which have brought fhame 
upon its character in the eyes of fo- 
reign nations, and diffufed largely a- 
mong its fubjects miftruft in the in- 
tentions of their governors, hatred 
of their power, and contempt, for 
their debility. 
2dly. Becaufe, encouraged by the 
uniform, implicit, and fatal confi- 
dence of this Houfe in the conduét 
of minifters, a fyftem of govern- 
ment has arifen, which, if it be fur- 
ther perfevered in, will render the 
fortunes of thefe realms utterly ir- 
retrieveable, even fhould wifdom 
and virtue fucceed in the minds 
of thofe minifters to ignorance and 
wickednefs. That fyftem is go- 
verned by principles the very re- 
verie of thofe by which ftates and 
focieties have hitherto been kept 
together. It is grounded on the 
doétrine that honour and reward is 
to attend on crime and folly, and 
that men are to be entrufted with 
power in proportion to their difpo- 
fition to abufe it. Such perverted 
maxims of policy take from govern- 
ment all the fupport it derives from 
opinion. The opinion of its con- 
fittency is loft by minifters adopt- 
ing and rejecting, as it fuits the 
purpofe of their power, fyftems 
which they alternately recommend 
and revile. The opinion of its juf- 
tice is deftroyed from: feeing that 
power devends on principle. which 
"y 
confounds the firft’ diftinétions of 
right. and wrong. All opinion of 
its vigour and efficiency is loft in 
the daily infults to its authority, to 
which they. are compelled to fub- 
mit. Every fpecies of diforder. is 
hence introduced. The example 
of thofe who govern is followed by 
thofe who obey. Nothing regular 
or orderly is found in the inter- 
courfe between fubjeé&t and fove- 
reign. State neceflity, inftead of 
being referved for occafions of the 
laft emergency, is reforted to.as the 
conftant and every-day practice of 
executive adminiftration. In fuch 
a fyftem there is neither ordernor 
freedom; and it is the energy of 
freedom alone that can refift with 
effect the zeal or fancied fuperiority 
of military means. Where no 
power is left to correét the vices of 
an ill adminiftered commonwealth, 
nothing will remain to oppofe to 
the enterprifes of a foreign enemy._ 
3dly. Becaufe to fuffer ourfelves 
to be found by a foreign enemy in 
this diftraéted condition, when we 
have the means of avoiding it, 
feems to us highly impolitic, and 
wantonly to call down deftruction 
upon the ftate. We fee nothing 
in the prefent minifters fo valuable 
as to induce us to rifk, for their pre- 
fervation, any part of the, common 
intereft. They have already kind- 
Ied, by their odious perfecution of 
the Catholics in Ireland, the Hames 
of civil difcord in that country. 
We believe that an immediate 
change of men and of meafures 
would yet preferve the common ties 
by which the two countries.are.u- 
nited. . If, unhappily, meafures of 
intolerance are to be fuftained. by 
the fword, and if that opprefied 
country be torn from the Britifh 
crown, as America was fevered 
m teat from 
“a 
