: 
/ 
| 
HISTORY OF EUROPE. 
and to co-operate with external 
enemies; so, on the other, the 
resources of power, though sepa- 
rate, and ata great distance from 
each other, may be of sucha nature 
as to be easily united, and not in- 
tercepted or cut off by any hostile 
power. Compaétness of dominion 
is determined not always, or only, 
by geographical situation, but by 
other circumstances, that secure the 
co-operation of all its different mem- 
bers, The resources of British power 
are of such a nature, that, though re- 
mote from each other, in point of local 
situation, they are approximated by 
facility of communication. The 
ocean, which divides the territories 
of the British empire, unites its dif- 
ferent nervesin one cord of strength. 
The Cape of Good Hope is our 
half-way house to India. Thereduc- 
tion of Ceylon, again completes the 
chain of connection between the 
British dominion in Europe and that 
in India, which now happily em. 
braces the best part of that penin- 
sula. Even theimmense army that 
we are obliged to keep on foot inIn- 
dia is a fortunate circumstance; if 
we have regard, as we ought, not 
only to gain, but to the stability of 
empire. It nourishes, in the British 
youth, a military spirit : while mer- 
cantile habits, and the acquisition 
of sudden wealth, tend to enerva- 
tion; the necessity of maintaining 
the grand spring of our commerce, 
by force of arms, breeds up a race 
of soldiers. Nor, to complete the 
felicity of our relative situation to 
India, do our friends remain there 
for life, or plant colonies, in the 
process of time, to be estranged 
from the parent country, but return 
with their fortunes to the places of 
their nativity. Add to this pros- 
perous situation of our affairs, to. 
- 
“(195 
wards the east, our successes in the 
West Indies, our commercial treaty 
and alliance with North America, 
and our new settlements on the south 
and west continent of America: 
and the result of the whole will be, 
that our commercial zone encircles 
the globe ; that to the whole world 
we may bid defiance, and force the 
trade into our own channel. Itis 
possible, by a due attention to po- 
litical economy, to every thing that 
may encourage navigation and 
trade, to manufaétures, to agricul- 
ture, which is the basis of all, and 
to the state of the labouring poor, 
to whom the possibility and hope 
may, and, no doubt, will be ex- 
tended, of becoming, through in- 
dustry and other good habits, inde- 
pendent cultivators of the soil, and 
raised to the possession of farms on 
their own account.—It is possible, 
by due attention to these things, and 
to all that falls within the progress 
of political economy, to maintain 
our power and rank in the scale of 
nations; not only until the vicissi- 
tude of human affairs shall reduce 
the power of France, from its pre- 
sent preponderancy on the conti- 
nent, to a state less formidable, but 
for a long series of future ages. 
The small republic of the island of 
Rhodes made head and stood out 
against the Romans, long after great 
kingdoms on the European conti- 
nent had owned their sway: after 
Spain, Gaul, and part of Germany, 
had bowed under their yoke. 
Great Britain will maintaina more 
successful contest with France than 
Rhodes did with Rome, in propor- 
tion to its greater extent and happier 
situation. The war, which had been 
unavoidable in its origin, had been 
well conducted, and successful on 
the part of Great Britain, whose 
fO 2] naval 
