438 political p-rogrefs of Britain. April x'i, 



my's privateei's took three thousand two himdreo' 

 and thirty-eight Britijh vefsels ! The more that we 

 reflect upon the war system, the more we are fhock- 

 ed by its guilt and folly. The pretended object of 

 the war of 1739, was to recover the sum of ninety- 

 five thousand pounds, to revenge the insults commit- 

 ted upon our seamen, and to afsert ovir partial riglit 

 of trading to the Spanifti West Indies. As to the 

 first of these three motives, the sum of money, it is 

 as if two litigants were to enter the court of chan- 

 cery on a dispute for half a crown. As to the in- 

 sults of our seamen, let us consider what Dr Robert- 

 son has told us, tliat we had abused to the most scan- 

 dalous degree our permifsion of trading to Spanilli 

 America. While we attempted to support such a 

 complicated system of fraud, the Spaniards were not 

 Icfs anxious to check it ; and Vi'hat right have we to 

 blame them ? If innocent persons were stripped of 

 their property, such accidents were sometimes una- 

 voidable In so extensive a scene of action. When 

 we speak of the outrages committed upon our com- 

 merce, let us reflect that by our abuse of conjidence, 

 " the immense commerce of the galleons, formerly 

 " the pride of Spain, siutk to nothing, and that the 

 " squadron itself was reduced from fifteen thousand 

 " to two thousand tons." As for the third reason of 

 niaking war, an Apiento trade, the company who en- 

 joyed that monopoly sustained a i>:ry considerable 

 loj's ! So that we fought nine years for permifsion to 

 carry on a losing trade ; and yet we laugh at Don 

 Quixote for attacking a windmill. But had even 

 this commerce been worth our acceptance, it was 



