The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 06 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
Philosophy
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 06 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
The Remarker, though he slips aside from the main consideration, seems
aware that this arrangement, standing as it does, in the West Indies,
leaves us at the mercy of the new coalition, or rather at the mercy of
the sole guiding part of it. He does not, indeed, adopt a supposition
such as I make, who am confident that anything which can give them a
single good port and opportune piratical station there would lead to our
ruin: the author proceeds upon an idea that the Regicides may be an
existing and considerable territorial power in the West Indies, and, of
course, her piratical system more dangerous and as real. However, for
that desperate case he has an easy remedy; but, surely, in his whole
shop there is nothing so extraordinary. It is, that we three, France,
Spain, and England, (there are no other of any moment,) should adopt
some "_analogy_ in the interior systems of government in the several
islands which we may respectively retain after the closing of the war."
This plainly can be done only by a convention between the parties; and I
believe it would be the first war ever made to terminate in an analogy
of the interior government of any country, or any parts of such
countries. Such a partnership in domestic government is, I think,
carrying fraternity as far as it will go.
It will be an affront to your sagacity to pursue this matter into all
its details: suffice it to say, that, if this convention for analogous
domestic government is made, it immediately gives a right for the
residence of a consul (in all likelihood some negro or man of color) in
every one of your islands; a Regicide ambassador in London will be at
all your meetings of West India merchants and planters, and, in effect,
in all our colonial councils. Not one order of Council can hereafter be
made, or any one act of Parliament relative to the West India colonies
even be agitated, which will not always afford reasons for protests and
perpetual interference; the Regicide Republic will become an integral
part of the colonial legislature, and, so far as the colonies are
concerned, of the British too. But it will be still worse: as all our
domestic affairs are interlaced more or less intimately with our
external, this intermeddling must everywhere insinuate itself into all
other interior transactions, and produce a copartnership in our domestic
concerns of every description.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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