IT 02. eulogium on the minister. 151 



by means of chicanery and corruption : The greatest evils 

 that ever can prevail, in the administration of any country. 

 The minister deserves not only to be protected from the 

 effects of indiscriminate opposition to every measure, — his 

 conduct requires to be viewed with a sympathetic lenity, 

 which is ever disposed to make allowance for small errors, 

 where the general intention appears to be upright j nor 

 Ihould he be severely censured, though abuses, that appear 

 to us very glaring and absurd, be not reformed. Among 

 the multiplicity of objects that perpetually demand his at- 

 tention, it is not pofsible that he can examine each of 

 them with the same degree of accuracy, as we are able to 

 do the few that have attracted our particular attention. 

 If they {hould even attract his notice, how difficult is it 

 for him to attain the truth with respect to each ! Those 

 who step forward to give him information have usually 

 some private end to serve, which they take c^re to conceal 

 under the most specious pretexts. Conscious of this, he 

 must necefsarily listen to such proposals with diffidence, 

 and though they appear fair and plausible, he must still 

 be supposed to proceed with some degree of hesitation 

 and distrust. In these circumstances, smkll obstructions 

 thrown in the way are sufficient to stop even useful reforms j 

 and if the abuses to be corrected be great, the obstructions 

 that are thrown in the way, by those who have been long 

 benefited by these abuses, are numerous and powerful. 

 The efforts of a few men, whose undue emoluments are 

 thus to be curtailed are strong, steady, and wonderfully diver- 

 sified, while the exertions of the few who have no other view 

 than the public weal, are proportionably feeble and desultor}'. 

 In these circumstances, is it to be wondered at if the mi- 

 nister wifhes to consult, in some measure, his own ease, by 

 allowing many things to remain as they are, even when he is 

 privately convinced in his own mind that they might ad- 

 mit of being altered for the better ' Would not we do so 

 if wc were in his place ? 



