179*' remarks on the political progrefs. iji 



fliocked the national vanity of my Britiih readers, 

 than the mode he has chosen of selecting his illustra- 

 tions from Britifh story only. We cannot, at once, 

 bring ourselves to consider a character as barbarous, 

 which our nurses taught us to view as a pattern of 

 excellence. In this way many will be fhocked at 

 hearing lord Anson paralelled with Paul Jones. But 

 surely it is a meritorious thing to eradicate prejudi- 

 ces of every sort. It is peculiarly meritorious to 

 attempt to extirpate this warlike prejudice from the 

 nation ; because, so long as it fhall prevail among the 

 people, where the government is so democratical as 

 ours, the wisest minister that ever existed has it not in 

 his power to save them from this kind of suicide, 

 in which they compel him to become an accefsary. 



While the prejudices of the nursery remain, I 

 could not, therefore, be much surprised at receiving 

 some animadversions on these papers^ Vot I own I 

 have been much surprised at finding that some of my 

 correspondents imagine, the efforts of Mr Thunder- 

 proof are directed against the present minister*. The 

 present minister, no more than those of former times, 

 does he respect. In this particular, every impartial 

 person will say he does well. But I have not been 

 able to perceive in this performance, a tendency to 

 vilify the character, or to detract from the just merits 

 of Mr Pitt or any other man. If I had, they fliould 

 not have found admifsion into this Miscellany. To 

 expose faults in administration, that existed long be- 



• Some corrcspond-.nfs of reputable tsltnts and arr.iablf d'spcsitions,, 

 V. 't have o'. jcktid ty tliese papers, are not included in the cUl'ii uhuvet 

 .;. c;.V.d, 



