POLITICAL

ESSAY S.

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

STATE OF AFFAIRS IN M,DCC,LVI.

HE time is now come in which every English

THE time is now come in

man expects to be informed of the national affairs, and in which he has a right to have that expectation gratified. For whatever may be urged by ministers, or thofe whom vanity or intereft make the followers of minifters, concerning the neceffity of confidence in our governors, and the prefumption of prying with profane eyes into the receffes of policy, it is evident, that this reverence can be claimed only by counfels yet unexecuted, and projects suspended in deliberation. But when a defign has ended in mifcarriage or fuccefs, when every eye and every ear is witness to general difcontent, or general fatisfaction, it is then a proper time to difentangle confufion, and illuftrate obfcurity, to fhew by what causes every event was produced, and in what effects it is likely to terminate to lay down with diftinct particularity what rumour always hudVOL. X.

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dles in general exclamations, or perplexes by undigefted narratives; to fhew whence happinefs or calamity is derived, and whence it may be expected; and honeftly to lay before the people what inquiry can gather of the paft, and conjecture can estimate of the future.

The general fubject of the prefent war is fufficiently known. It is allowed on both fides, that hoftilities began in America, and that the French and English quarrelled about the boundaries of their fettlements, about grounds and rivers to which, I am afraid, neither can fhew any other right than that of power, and which neither can occupy but by ufurpation, and the difpoffeffion of the natural lords and original inhabitants. Such is the contest, that no honeft man can heartily with fuccefs to either party.

It may indeed be alieged, that the Indians have granted large tracts of land both to one and to the other; but thefe grants can add little to the validity of our titles, till it be experienced how they were obtained: for if they were extorted by violence, or induced by fraud; by threats, which the miferies of other nations had fhewn not to be vain, or by promifes of which no performance was ever intended, what are they but new modes of ufurpation, but new inftances of cruelty and treachery?

And indeed what but falfe hope or refiftlefs terror can prevail upon a weaker nation to invite a ftronger into their country, to give their lands to ftrangers whom no afinity of manners, or fimilitude of opialon, can be faid to recommend, to permit them.

to

to build towns from which the natives are excluded, to raise fortreffes by which they are intimidated, to fettle themselves with fuch ftrength, that they cannot afterwards be expelled, but are for ever to remain the mafters of the original inhabitants, the dictators of their conduct, and the arbiters of their fate?

When we fee men acting thus against the precepts of reafon, and the inftincts of nature, we cannot hesitate to determine, that by fome means or other they were debarred from choice; that they were lured or frighted into compliance; that they either granted only what they found impoffible to keep, or expected advantages upon the faith of their new inmates, which there was no purpose to confer upon them. It cannot be faid, that the Indians originally invited us to their coafts; we went uncalled and unexpected to nations who had no imagination that the earth contained any inhabitants fo diftant and fo different from themselves. We aftonished them with our fhips, with our arms, and with our general fuperiority. They yielded to us as to beings of another and higher race, fent among them from fome unknown regions, with power which naked Indians could not resist, and which they were therefore, by every act of humility, to propitiate, that they, who could fo easily deftroy, might be induced to spare.

To this influence, and, to this only, are to be attributed all the ceffions and fubmiffions of the Indian princes, if indeed any fuch ceffions were ever made, of which we have no witnefs but those who claim from them, and there is no great malignity

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lignity in fufpecting, that thofe who have robbed

have alfo lied.

Some colonies indeed have been established more peaceably than others. The utmoft extremity of wrong has not always been practifed; but those that have fettled in the new world on the fairest terms, have no other merit than that of a fcrivener who ruins in filence, over a plunderer that feizes by force; all have taken what had other owners, and all have had recourfe to arms, rather than quit the prey on which they had faftened.

The American difpute between the French and us is therefore only the quarrel of two robbers for the fpoils of a paffenger; but as robbers have terms of confederacy, which they are obliged to obferve as members of the gang, fo the English and French may have relative rights, and do injuftice to each other, while both are injuring the Indians. And fuch, indeed, is the prefent conteft: they have parted the northern continent of America between them, and are now difputing about their boundaries, and each is endeavouring the deftruction of the other by the help of the Indians, whofe intereft it is that both fhould be deftroyed.

Both nations clamour with great vehemence about infractions of limits, violation of treaties, open ufurpation, infidious artifices, and breach of faith. The Engib rail at the perfidious French, and the French at the encroaching English; they quote treaties on each fide, charge each other with afpiring to univerfal monarchy, and complain on either part of the infecurity of poffeffion near fuch turbulent neighbours.

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