The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
Lord George Germain, in the debate in the House of Commons, on the 6th
of May, declared, that "he flattered himself the completion of the
chief wish of his heart, peace with America, on what he thought good
and honorable terms for Great Britain, was not far off. He verily
believed, and his belief was not merely speculative, but founded on
recent information, that the moment of conciliation was near. His
Lordship described the misery, which the Americans felt at this time,
and stated, that the greatest majority of the people there were ready
and desirous to return to their allegiance, but that they were
prevented by the tyranny of those, who had got the power of government
into their own hands. He did not believe the Congress would ever treat
for peace, but from the condition of affairs in America, from the
depreciation of their paper currency, from the poverty and distress of
the country, from the great debt it groaned under, from the
dissatisfaction, which all ranks of people expressed at the alliance
with France, from the little benefit America had derived from that
alliance; from all these considerations he did believe, that the
people of America and the Assemblies of America would soon come to
terms."
There may be some ambiguity in the phrase, "good and honorable terms
for Great Britain;" but there can be no reasonable doubt, that his
Lordship meant either to return to their allegiance to Great Britain,
or at least to make a peace with her, separate from France. Whether
the Americans ever will agree to such terms or not, being a question
concerning a future event, cannot be decided by witnesses, nor any
other way, but by probable arguments. There is one argument, which his
Lordship does not appear to have considered. It is of some weight. It
is this, that in order to return to their allegiance to the King of
England, or make a peace with him, separate from France, they must
involve themselves in a certain war with France and Spain, at least,
and indeed, according to present appearances, with Russia, Sweden,
Denmark, Holland, and Portugal, for every one of these powers appear
to be as decided against the claims, pretensions, and usurpations of
Great Britain upon the seas, as France and Spain are. There is not an
American merchant, yeoman, tradesman, or seaman, but knows this, or
will know it very soon. Americans must therefore be destitute of that
common share of reason, which God has given to men, to exchange the
friendship of all the nations of the world for their enmity, merely
for the sake of returning to a connexion with Great Britain, which
could not protect them, and which they have the best reasons to dread
as the greatest evil that could befal them, from the unheard of
tyrannies and cruelties they have already experienced from her. His
Lordship is desired to consider this, and to ask himself if he was an
American, whether he would wish to run under the broken fragments of
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account