3792. letter from Arcticus. é “97 
the completion of what every friend to his country, 
ught todread. It is the unanimous opinfén of all 
_ ef us who see coolly at a distance the efforts that are 
making to level your happy, flourifhing, and proud 
island, with the rest of the world, that every good citi- 
zen fhould lend his aid at this critical period, to support 
the Britife constitution and government, with all its 
real or supposed defects ; especially at this time, when 
an old sect, its avowed enemies, are again trying their 
force, under cover of new lights and doctrines, which 
are well calculated to mislead the unwary. For I 
«annot reflect without horror, on the danger that real 
and virtuous liberty runs by the frantic manevures 
ofa set of slavesrun mad, Is it not singulec that the 
amiable French nation (for certainly they were once 
so,) cando nothing like other peopl«, and must always 
run into extremes? It was this known trait in their 
«character, which set them a forming a wild theore- 
' tic constitution, which ali the philosophers in the 
aworld cannot go so far as determine 7 it is practi- 
sable or net, providing even that Frenchmen had 
‘steadinefs enough to keep to it, which is by no 
means the case; for I observe the new legislature, 
and Jacobin clubs, are more hostile to it than even /o- 
reign powers seemed to be, till they pulhed them to 
meddle decidedly in their affairs, whether they 
ewould or not, whilst they were confining their in- 
terference and league to save the royal family. 
With all this, 1 am by no means an Antigalican, 
wand few were more happy than myself at seeing the 
ancient despotism of that country overturned ; but now 
VOL, Xii. N t 
