vinces of Massachusetts and Connecticut. It must
be attributed to the military spirit which they
breathe, and their companies of cadets formed in
all the towns of any considerable size. I have
been present at the reviews of several of these
companies, and was amazed at the exactness and
rapidity of their manoeuvres. I shall say nothing
of the formidable numbers of light infantry (un-
doubtedly the best in the world) which their back
provinces can produce. In short, sir, it is my
persuasion, that should the .people of England
be infatuated enough to suffer their mis-rulers to
proceed in their measures, this country may scorch
4 That is, persons.
VOL. I. L 1
514 CORRESPONDENCE OF THE
her fingers, but they themselves will perish in the
flames. This small province of Maryland has
already resolved to train and discipline about six
thousand men ; inclosed I send you the resolves
of their convention. Pennsylvania is going to
arm ; I am not yet informed of their numbers, but
they will be very great. I have still hopes that
the people at home will open their eyes before it
is too late, and not suffer the resentment of a
hellish junto to weigh down eternal justice, the
interest and honour of the nation, if not its
existence.
I shall now trouble you with a few words re-
specting myself. I find it inserted in a paragraph
of an English paper, that a certain officer (mean-
ing me) had been busy in dissuading the people of
Boston from submitting to the acts. It is giving
me great importance to suppose that I have influ-
ence sufficient to urge or restrain so vast a com-
munity, in affairs of the dearest moment. The
same paragraph adds, that I had offered to put
myself at their head ; but I hope it will not be
believed that I was capable of so much temerity
and vanity. To think myself qualified for the most
important charge that ever was committed to
mortal man, is the last stage of presumption. Nor
do I think the Americans would, or ought to
confide in a man (let his qualifications be ever so
great) who has no property amongst them. It is
RIGHT HON. EDMUND BURKE. 515
true I most devoutly wish them success in the
glorious struggle ; that I have expressed my
wishes both in writing and viva wee: but my
errand to Boston was mere curiosity, to see a
people in so singular circumstances; and I had
likewise an ambition of being acquainted with
some of their leading men; with them only I
associated during my stay at Boston. Our inge-
nious gentlemen in the camp, therefore, very
naturally concluded my design was to put myself
at their head. I suppose you must have heard of
the Indian war, carried on by the governor of Vir-
ginia, at the instigation of two murderers on the
frontier, and in spite of the declamations of the
whole continent against the injustice of it. It
was an impious, black piece of work, worse, if
possible, than the affair of St. Vincent's. I most
heartily wish you joy, if it can give you any, of
your election ; at least it gives credit to your
electors. I direct this letter to Sir Joshua Rey-
nolds, as I cannot be certain where you live.
Adieu, dear sir, live and prosper ; and believe me
to be most sincerely
Yours,
C. L.
L 1
516 CORRESPONDENCE OF THE
EDMUND BURKE, ESQ., TO THE MARQUIS OF
ROCKINGHAM.
December 20, 1774,
Tuesday morning, 10 o'clock.
MY DEAR LORD,
I received your lordship's letter, and, as the mer-
chants say, note the contents. Mr. Woolridge,
one of the committee of the London petitioners,
wished to speak with me this day at one o'clock.
I shall suggest your lordship's idea to him ; it is
undoubtedly a right one. But I think the petition
should be a little varied in the prayer, on account
of our manner of proceeding. When I see Mr.
Woolridge, I shall endeavour to persuade him,
either to decline being heard at all upon the peti-
tion before us, or to present a petition, praying
the House not to enter upon any proceeding with
regard to America, until they are heard on their
first petition 5 .
I passed rather a sleepless night, and could
not help rolling over in my mind our conversation
at Richmond House. I cannot help continuing,
* This was one of the many petitions to parliament for re-
conciliation with America, presented at the close of this and
the beginning of the next year, which were stifled in their
birth by the power of ministerial majorities,, either preventing
evidence being heard in support of the allegations they con-
tained, or putting them aside under one pretence or another.
RIGHT HON. EDMUND BURKE. 517
however, with the deference I owe, and most
cheerfully pay, to your lordship's judgment, very
strongly in opinion, that a plan of inaction under
our present circumstances, is not at all in our
power; and, indeed, not at all to be adopted, if
it were. There are others in the world who will
not be inactive because we are so,* and will be
the more active when they see us disposed to lie
by. The question then is, whether your lordship
chooses to lead, or to be led, to lay down proper
ground yourself, or stand, in an awkward and
distressing situation, on the ground which will be
prepared for you, and which you can neither
remain upon or quit, without great inconvenience
and discredit. If, then, things are in such a
situation, as without all question they are, the
only way to keep your lordship in the public eye,
and to keep you advantageously in it, must be to
resolve to take the lead yourself.
The strong part taken the first day of the
session, and the unusual mode of protesting on the
address, indicated a vigorous campaign. Indeed,
nothing but a resolution to make it such, could
have justified so early and so determined a step.
To fall off immediately, and to do just nothing at
all, seems very inconsistent with such a beginning.
To wait until there is more ripeness in the
public discontents, is to let the ministry complete
their measures, without putting in, on our part,
518 CORRESPONDENCE, &C.
any thing like a caveat against it ; or making any
sort of resolution against the conduct which has
led us into all these difficulties. The business will
be done ; it will be done on Monday at farthest.
Then the cry will be, " All is over : we must recon-
cile our minds to it as well as we can." I confess
I do not entirely enter into the idea of waiting
until the public discontents grow riper. They
never did, do, or will ripen, to any purpose, unless
they are matured by proper means. To be useful,
they must have their direction given to them ;
and hope must be held out somewhere ; else the
miseries of the manufacturers will be considered
as the inevitable consequences of a natural decay of
trade, and will be borne, as such a decay must be
borne.
Forgive this detail. I am much afraid that
your lordship's only two friends that speak in the
House of Lords will be much discouraged, and in
the House of Commons we shall moulder to
nothing.
I am, my dear lord,
Ever your lordship's faithful and obliged
humble servant,
EDM. BURKE.
END OF THE FIRST
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