HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



117 



letter, of the 16th of February, and 

 I uow reply to it, though I am not 

 entirely certain when I shall have an 

 opportunity of transmitting to you 

 my answer. In regard to your stay 

 in India, this question has been long 

 ago decided ; and so great is the dis- 

 tance wliich separates us, that be- 

 fore this can reach you, the time 

 fixed for your departure will have 

 arrived I am not certain whether 

 the event of the war which our wise 

 ministers have at last declared, may 

 not have induced them to beg you to 

 continue your stay in India some 

 time longer. No one was better 

 able than they to appreciate the cer- 

 taintyof this event, so that we ought 

 to suppose they have taken all those 

 measures which the moment requir- 

 ed : but every thing, however, shews 

 that they were taken as much una- 

 wares, as if that event had been 

 little expefted. It is consequently 

 not improbable, that when they 

 found war unavoidable, that is to 

 say, on the day when they declared 

 it, they may have dispatched orders 

 to you to remain in India. But as 

 1 am entirely ignorant on this sub- 

 je6t, I cannot reason on it. Should 

 this not be the case, I hope nothing 

 will prevent me from having the 

 pleasure of seeing you next year, 

 supposing at that period that you 



have still a counfrjj to Tc'cifit. 



When I make use of this expression, 

 flo not imagine that my dissatisfac- 

 tion with the conduct of the govern- 

 ment has made any change in my 

 opinion rcs])e6ting the means and 

 resources of this country ; I have 

 never been among the number of 

 croakers on this subjeft. It is not 

 fto much opinion (if 1 do not deceive 

 myself), as a perfe6t knowledge 

 equivalent to a certainty, which in- 

 duces me to say, that the country 



possesses not only abundant and am- 

 ple means of defence, but means suf- 

 ficient to make our 6nemy repent of 

 his hostile conduft, and to force him 

 to fear, and consequently to respect 

 us. But hitherto there has been so 

 much iude- ision, timidity, and slow- 

 ness, in all the measures taken to 

 call forth our resources, arid all our 

 courage at this moment ex.hibits so 

 much the impression of fear, that I 

 cannot speak with any satisfaction 

 of the talents which have been 

 called into action, or of the disposi- 

 tions which have been made. — My 

 course of political condu6t, as you 

 must haye seen, ditTers more and 

 more from that of gov^<rnment. In 

 regard to the opinion I expressed on 

 the peace, I have the satisfaction to 

 find that justice is now done me in 

 every part of the country. Not 

 only have subsequent events proved 

 that the small body with whom I 

 acted in concert on this occasion, 

 were composed of the only persons 

 who then knew how to appreciate 

 this measure and its consequences ; 

 but it has been generally acknow- 

 ledged, that werightly foresaw what 

 w ould take place. All the infamous 

 calumnies of government have fallen 

 with double force on their own 

 heads. In every thing I have since 

 done, and in every thing I have ab- 

 stained from doing, you will, I hope, 

 perceive those sentiments, and those 

 principles, from which no opinion, 

 however unfavourable it may be to 

 the personal conduft of any indivi- 

 dual, shall ever make me deviate. 

 Had I been certain of an op];ortu- 

 nity, I should have written you a 

 detail of what has taken place since 

 April last, in regard to the projected 

 change in the government, and would 

 have explained (as far as I have been 

 able to understand them) the grounds 

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