Leading Articles on Various Subjects

John Stuart Mill · en
described as a nation of unprincipled speculators, devoid not only of
right feeling, but even of common honesty, and remarkable for but
their scoundrelism and conceit. Even were such descriptions just,
which they are not, most assuredly would they be unwise. It is the
American people, rather than the American government, who make peace
and war; and the first American war with England will be one of the
most formidable in which this country has yet been engaged. The
bowie-knife is no trifling weapon; and the English writer laughs at a
very considerable expense, if his satires have the effect of whetting
it. At present, however, the war between the two countries is but a
war of libel and pasquinade, and the advantage hitherto has been on
the side of the aggressor. America has not been happy in her
retaliation. We would fain direct her to aim where her darts, instead
of provoking national hostility, or exciting a bitter spirit among the
entire people of a country, would but subserve the general cause of
liberty and human improvement. It is but idle to satirize our manners
and customs; we think them good. There is nothing to be gained by
casting ridicule on our peculiar modes of thinking; they are the
modes to which we have been accustomed, and we prefer them to any
others. But there are matters of a different kind, regarding which the
country bears a conscience, and is not quite at its ease; and there we
are vulnerable. We speak often, we would fain say, of slavery in your
country, literati of America, and justly deem it a great evil. It
might do us good were you to remind us, in turn, that there are
extensive districts in our own, in which virtually there exists no
toleration law for the religion of the people, though that religion be
Protestantism in its purest form. Cast your eyes upon the county of
Sutherland.




THE END.

MURRAY AND GIBB, EDINBURGH,
PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE.




Transcriber's Notes:

    Typographical problems have been changed and are listed below.
    Author's archaic and variable spelling is preserved.
    Author's punctuation style is preserved.
    Passages in italics indicated by _underscores_.

Transcriber Changes:

    (Signed)  'THOMAS CHALMERS.'{** ADDED EXTRA CLOSING SINGLE-QUOTE}

    schools of the place: the committee, through their chairman{** Was
    'chair man' over line},

    Saxe-Cobourg-Gotha{** Was 'Saxe-Cobourg Gotha'} grants to his
    subjects a representative

    old Babylonish beast, horrid with the blood{** Was 'bood'} of
    saints,

     They dropped,--and hence "The Holy Haven"{** Added closing
    double-quote}

    entranced, under the influences{** Was 'inflences'} of fairy-land,
    in some

    God agreeably{** Was 'agreebly'} to the dictates of our
    conscience. Such are