Here I recognize the voice of a British plenipotentiary:  I begin to feel proud of my country.  But, alas! the short date of human elevation!  The accents of dignity died upon his tongue.  This author will not assure us of his sentiments for the whole of a pamphlet; but, in the sole energetic part of it, he does not continue the same through an whole sentence, if it happens to be of any sweep or compass.  In the very womb of this last sentence, pregnant, as it should seem, with a Hercules, there is formed a little bantling of the mortal race, a degenerate, puny parenthesis, that totally frustrates our most sanguine views and expectations, and disgraces the whole gestation.  Here is this destructive parenthesis:  “Unless some adequate compensation be secured to us.” To us! The Christian world may shift for itself, Europe may groan in slavery, we may be dishonored by receiving law from an enemy,—­but all is well, provided the compensation to us be adequate.  To what are we reserved?  An adequate compensation “for the sacrifice of powers the most nearly connected with us";—­an adequate compensation “for the direct or indirect annexation to France of all the ports of the Continent from Dunkirk to Hamburg";—­an adequate compensation “for the abandonment of the independence of Europe”!  Would that, when all our manly sentiments are thus changed, our manly language were changed along with them, and that the English tongue were not employed to utter what our ancestors never dreamed could enter into an English heart!

But let us consider this matter of adequate compensation.  Who is to furnish it?  From what funds is it to be drawn?  Is it by another treaty of commerce?  I have no objections to treaties of commerce upon principles of commerce.  Traffic for traffic,—­all is fair.  But commerce in exchange for empire, for safety, for glory!  We set out in our dealing with a miserable cheat upon ourselves.  I know it may be said, that we may prevail on this proud, philosophical, military Republic, which looks down with contempt on trade, to declare it unfit for the sovereign of nations to be eundem negotiatorem et dominum:  that, in virtue of this maxim of her state, the English in France may be permitted, as the Jews are in Poland and in Turkey, to execute all the little inglorious occupations,—­to be the sellers of new and the buyers of old clothes, to be their brokers and factors, and to be employed in casting up their debits and credits, whilst the master Republic cultivates the arts of empire, prescribes the forms of peace to nations, and dictates laws to a subjected world.  But are we quite sure, that, when we have surrendered half Europe to them in hope of this compensation, the Republic will confer upon us those privileges of dishonor?  Are we quite certain that she will permit us to farm the guillotine,—­to contract for the provision of her twenty thousand Bastiles,—­to furnish transports for the myriads of her exiles to Guiana,—­to become commissioners for her naval stores,—­or to engage for the clothing of those armies which are to subdue the poor relics of Christian Europe?  No!  She is bespoke by the Jew subjects of her own Amsterdam for all these services.