THE | . 
MONTHLY MAGAZINE. 
No. 80. 
ee 
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- DECEMBER 1, 1801. [No.5,0f Von.12. 
ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Mazazine. 
SIR, : ; 
HE newfpapers have informed us, 
that a certain Lord, in his {peech on 
the peace, afferted ‘* that he was fure it 
was a peace in which every Jacobin in the 
kingdom would rejoice.” The term Fa 
cobin has been ufed in fo indefinite amanner 
during our late party contefts, that it is 
impoffible for me to be certain who were 
the perfons intended by his Lordfhip ; nor, 
moreover, de I feel any great confidence 
in a broad aflertion. made upon guefs, 
and proceeding from an individual of that 
clafs which ftands too much apart from 
the mals of fociety to form any accurate 
judgment of itsopinions. Men conftant- 
ly furrounded by fycophants and depen- 
dants will ever view the world through a 
deceptive medium, and will find their own 
prejudices reflected back in every infor- 
mation which they receive. It is not im- 
probable that Facobiz in his Lordfhip’s 
idea may comprize all thofe who place go- 
vernment upon the bafis of public confent, 
or who maintain the principles which dif- 
tinguifhed the O/d Whigs. ‘That thefe, as 
good citizens, univerfally rejoice in a 
peace which has refcued their country from 
intolerable evils, and has freed it from the 
difgrace of fupporting a caufe in diametri- 
cal oppofition to that which was once its 
own, I can well believe. But, if ‘Jacobian 
be underftood in its fole proper fenfe, of a 
minority which aimed at altering the con- 
ftitution of the country by force, and with 
_ the aid of a foreign power, I would venture 
to affirm, that, with the exception of 
thofe who profited by the war, and of the 
{mall number of unconverted fanatical cru- 
faders, the Jacobins are the only perfons 
who are hoftile to the peace. In faét, no cir- 
cumftance could fo completely overthraw 
all their hopes, as that which put a pe- 
riod to all further caufes of domeftic dif 
trefs and difcontent, and difarmed the 
power from whole victories they expected 
the conf{ummation of their daring projeéts. 
I fuppofe it cannot be doubted, that the 
remnant of Jacobinical rebels in Ireland 
muft be thrown into utter defpair by the 
yeturning friendfhip between this country 
and France. 
~ Having thus correéted his Lordthip’s 
Montuiy Mac. No, 30. > - 
affertion refpecting Jacobins, I fhall add a 
few obfervations upon what I fuppofe-to 
be the fentiments of the Whigs, or ‘empe- ~ 
rate friends to liberty, on the ftate in 
which the. peace will have left the affairs 
of Europe; whence the degree of their 
prefent rejoicing may be eftimated. 
That they are unequivocally glad of the 
‘failure of all attempts to force its ancient 
defpotifm upon France, I cannot in the 
leat queftion. If Lord Chatham could 
“¢ rejoice that America had refifted”” the 
coercion.of her parent ftate, they who are 
proud of adopting the fame liberal prin- 
ciples with him, may well rejoice in the 
fuccefsful refiftance of any other country 
to the interference of ftrangers in its do- 
meftic concerns. They lamented the fall 
of Poland beneath the iron yoke of foreign 
force, and they muft triumph in the noble 
affertion of independence by a ftronger and 
more energetic people. But they will 
{carcely join in the fatisfation exprefled 
by another member of the Britifh legifla- 
ture, that the exterior independence of 
France has been purchaled by the lofs (at 
Jeaft the fufpenfion) of her internal free- 
dom, and that fhe is, in fome meafure, 
degraded to the rank of thofe powers which 
were leagued againft her. ‘They will re- 
mark with fad and boding reflection, that 
France has yet every thing to do, in ‘order 
to eftablifh her claim to the rank of a free 
nation ; that her boafted name of repud- 
lic is as little deferved by her, as by thofe 
wretched fatellites of her power, to which 
fhe diétates conftitutions with fuch info- 
Jent authority ; and that her morals and 
manners are far remote (and perhaps be- 
coming ftill more remote) from thofe upon 
which alone ftable liberty can be founded. 
Further, they will fear that the fufpicion 
and difgrace under which the principles of 
freedom have fo long laboured, will have 
materially injured its caufe in the reft of 
Europe, and will have fupplied the advo- 
cates for power with frefh weapons in 
their wnceafing warfare againft it. An 
Old Whig, too, can fearcely view without 
hereditary uneafinefs the vaft acceffion of 
dominion to a nation, which feems to have 
retained all its dangerous fondnefs -for 
maitial glory, and which, if adminiftered 
by an able military government, may exert 
3 D energies, 
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