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027 - Chapter 27 - Part 3 · The American Revolution A Historical Overview Vol. 3

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  Speaker 1: Section twenty seven of History of the Rhiseparkers and Termination
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  Speaker 1: of the American Revolution botu in three by Mercy otis Waran.
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  Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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  Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
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  Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. History of the Rhisparker's Intermination of
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  Speaker 1: the American Revolution body in three by Mercy otis wan
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  Speaker 1: Chapter twenty seven, Part three. Thus, after the horrors of
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  Speaker 1: war had shed their baneful influence over the nations without
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  Speaker 1: cessation for seven or eight years, and after the havoc
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  Speaker 1: of human life had, as usual displayed the absurdity of
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  Speaker 1: mankind in the delight they seemed to discover in the
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  Speaker 1: destruction of their own species, a truce to the miseries
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  Speaker 1: of the inhabitants of the earth on one side of
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  Speaker 1: the globe was promised for a season. Though the nations
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  Speaker 1: had long been engaged in war. Peace seemed down to
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  Speaker 1: lift up their declined head and promised a general tranquility.
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  Speaker 1: Her advances were made across the Atlantic, yet no official
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  Speaker 1: accounts were received by Congress that a definitive treaty had
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  Speaker 1: been signed by the ministers of the several Buller Juan
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  Speaker 1: powers until the conclusion of the year one thousand, seven
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  Speaker 1: hundred and eighty three. It has already been observed that
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  Speaker 1: the provisional and preliminary articles for general classification among the
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  Speaker 1: contending powers had been signed to Paris November twenty ninth,
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  Speaker 1: one thousand, seven hundred eighty two, but the completion of
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  Speaker 1: the definitive treaty productive of a general peace was not
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  Speaker 1: agreed until the succeeding autumn, when, as related above, the
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  Speaker 1: signatures and seals of the commissioners on all sides were
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  Speaker 1: fixed to the several stipulated articles, and the world relieved
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  Speaker 1: from a long constrained situation of mind between hope, expectation,
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  Speaker 1: and fear. Yet the intelligence of the spring of one thousand,
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  Speaker 1: seven hundred and eighty three had been equally impressive in
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  Speaker 1: the American army, as if peace had actually been proclaimed
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  Speaker 1: by sound of trumpet. Nor was it strange that the
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  Speaker 1: military departments, nor indeed that all the inhabitants of the
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  Speaker 1: United States, should feel the same impression. The intelligence of
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  Speaker 1: the present prospects of a complete accommodation of existing differences
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  Speaker 1: was accompanied with private as well as public letters from
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  Speaker 1: mister Adams, mister Jay, and other distinguished Americans, replete with
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  Speaker 1: the strongest assurances that hostilities would not be recommenced, and
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  Speaker 1: that the fleets and armies of Great Britain would in
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  Speaker 1: a few months be withdrawn from the ports and cities
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  Speaker 1: of the United States. But there was yet much to
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  Speaker 1: be done on both sides of the water. It could
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  Speaker 1: not be expected that, after a convulsion of such magnitude,
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  Speaker 1: that the American officers and soldiers could at once retire
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  Speaker 1: and sit down quietly, each under his own buying and victory,
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  Speaker 1: or that the turbulent spirit of hostile nations could in
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  Speaker 1: a moment be tranquilized, much less that the pride of
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  Speaker 1: the British ministry in Parliament should suffer them to settle
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  Speaker 1: down and drinkuil repose among themselves. After the long series
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  Speaker 1: of mortification, discontent, and disunion that had embedded every department
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  Speaker 1: and almost every individual against the political opinions of his
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  Speaker 1: neighbor and the civil and political administration of the affairs
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  Speaker 1: of his country, the preliminary and provisional articles had terminated
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  Speaker 1: in a definity treaty of peace. In this the general
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  Speaker 1: sense of the nation and the wishes of the people
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  Speaker 1: were gratified. Yet there were still sources of discontent sufficient
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  Speaker 1: to indicate that the present ministry stood on slipply ground.
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  Speaker 1: Lord North had been long unpopular. Mister Fox had made
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  Speaker 1: many impotent enemies, but naturally of a comprehensive mind, and
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  Speaker 1: constitutionally for we put humor in general kindness. The field
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  Speaker 1: of popular applause seemed to be perfectly congenial to him.
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  Speaker 1: But he had a powerful rival in the son of
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  Speaker 1: the late favorite of the nation, Lord Chatham. This young
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  Speaker 1: gentleman had, in remarkable manner, won the favor of his
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  Speaker 1: sovereign and the hearts of the people. On many interesting questions,
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  Speaker 1: he had argued on the popular side, and it gained
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  Speaker 1: an ascendency that promised eminence, celebrity, and station in the
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  Speaker 1: first grade of office and influence. He was among the
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  Speaker 1: most strenuous advocates for a reform in Parliament. He was
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  Speaker 1: zealous for a commercial treaty with the United States, and
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  Speaker 1: ridiculed the language, the conduct, and the impediments thrown in
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  Speaker 1: the way, and condemned the regulations and restrictions on the
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  Speaker 1: American trade, which he observed must forever to keep open
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  Speaker 1: the door of animosity between the two countries. Nor did
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  Speaker 1: he less oppose and ridicule the India Bill so much
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  Speaker 1: the subject of investigation and discussion, introduced by mister Fox
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  Speaker 1: and rejected by a majority in the House of Lords.
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  Speaker 1: But the confusions and distractions in the East Indies required
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  Speaker 1: that some energetic and wise measure should be immediately adopted
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  Speaker 1: to reform abuses and to restore justice and peace in
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  Speaker 1: that oppressed country. This produced a second India Bill, brought
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  Speaker 1: forward by mister Pitt himself, which was also rejected, and
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  Speaker 1: the door still left open for much contention and debate
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  Speaker 1: relative to the affairs of India and the distresses of
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  Speaker 1: the unhappy contabitants. Thus, animosities were kindled among the first
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  Speaker 1: characters in the nation, and discontents fomented until everything urged
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  Speaker 1: to the extreme of disunion. It was impossible for mister
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  Speaker 1: Fox to do anything at a cult uninterested or indifferent manner.
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  Speaker 1: He therefore always went considerable length with the attainment of
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  Speaker 1: his object. But he finally lost ground and left his
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  Speaker 1: rivals to wave his laurels triumphantly in the field and
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  Speaker 1: party and the favor of his king. The fluctuation of office,
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  Speaker 1: and the changes and administration had been so frequent in
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  Speaker 1: the present reign that it was viewed as a thing
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  Speaker 1: of course on every dispute or variation of opinion on
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  Speaker 1: great political questions. From the accession of George the Third
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  Speaker 1: in one thousand, seven hundred and sixty one to one thousand,
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  Speaker 1: seven hundred eighty three, when Lord Shelburne came in, there
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  Speaker 1: had been many different hands who had taken the helm
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  Speaker 1: at the end of the ministry and set the political
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  Speaker 1: park or float in a tempest without the ability to
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  Speaker 1: recover in board in the behavor of peace. In these
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  Speaker 1: circumstances than at this critical period, mister William Pitt, in
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  Speaker 1: the fire of youth and the pride of brilliant talents,
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  Speaker 1: and with the ambition, if not the hereditary capacity of
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  Speaker 1: the aged statesman, was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer. Tenacious
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  Speaker 1: of his own character, he held the high office in
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  Speaker 1: spite of composition or flattery, and so perseveringly stood his
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  Speaker 1: ground and held the reigns of power so long that
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  Speaker 1: his men ceased to fear his removal, and his enemies
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  Speaker 1: at last as feared of carrying any point against a
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  Speaker 1: minister that was become at once a favored of both
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  Speaker 1: of the Prince and the people. Notwithstanding the abilities of
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  Speaker 1: the new minister and the exertions of some of his
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  Speaker 1: predecessors now out of place. Notwithstanding a pacification had recently
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  Speaker 1: taken place among the European powers, Great Britain was still
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  Speaker 1: tottering under the enormous expenses of the late war and
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  Speaker 1: her own internal dissensions on subjects of magnitude and importance.
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  Speaker 1: Men of the first abilities and information were wide in
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  Speaker 1: opinion and divided on every political point. The spirit of
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  Speaker 1: party was heightened and produced continual altercation in Parliament on
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  Speaker 1: the conduct, projects, and character of the young minister. Supported
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  Speaker 1: by royal favor and sufficiently conscious of his own talents,
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  Speaker 1: he was not borne down by any opposition. It was
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  Speaker 1: soon imperceptible that the embarrassments of government, the derangement of political, commercial,
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  Speaker 1: domestic and foreign affairs, still required much energy and decision,
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  Speaker 1: and perhaps a capacity of older and more experienced statesmen.
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  Speaker 1: The cruel mismanagement in the East Indies interested the whole
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  Speaker 1: nation the derangement and destruction of their affairs. There, the
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  Speaker 1: enormities committed and the tragical scenes of barbarity perpetrated under
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  Speaker 1: the presidency of Warren. Hasty stings Governor General of Bengal,
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  Speaker 1: which reduced the country to the extreme Apenurian misery, were
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  Speaker 1: afterwards copiously displayed and amply detailed in his long protracted trial.
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  Speaker 1: This finally terminated without decision on delinquiscy of satisfaction to
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  Speaker 1: the public. The dreadful famine in Calcutta in one thousand,
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  Speaker 1: seven hundred and seventy nine is well known, that which
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  Speaker 1: succeeded it in one thousand, seven hundred eighty one was
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  Speaker 1: still more deplorable. On fourteen thousand persons tied weekly to
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  Speaker 1: hunger at Madras, while the provinces of Ud and Banali's
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  Speaker 1: suffered an equal degree under the same calamity, brought on
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  Speaker 1: by means which will never be blooded from the memory
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  Speaker 1: of man. Footnote be the story of the navel of
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  Speaker 1: Oud of Chatsung, of the widow of Sujah Dulallah, of
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  Speaker 1: the conquest of the maun Maris, the treatment of the
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  Speaker 1: Nabobs of Benkal, and indeed of all who fell under
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  Speaker 1: the power of the English government in their wars with
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  Speaker 1: the unfortunate Indians. These are to be found in a
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  Speaker 1: variety of authentic accounts of the conduct and intercourse of
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  Speaker 1: the English with the Oriental nations, and a footnote. These
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  Speaker 1: were too complicated in his views or place here, but
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  Speaker 1: some cursory observations on the conduct to British officers in
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  Speaker 1: their country may be admitted. A specimen of the trigedy
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  Speaker 1: acted by General Matthews at Honori, where he directed no
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  Speaker 1: quarter should be given, but every man be put to
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  Speaker 1: the sword, would be impressive. From an extract of a
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  Speaker 1: letter from one of his own officers, he observed that
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  Speaker 1: the carnage was great. We traveled thick on the dead
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  Speaker 1: bodies that were strewed in the way. It was rather
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  Speaker 1: shocking to humanity. But such are only secondary considerations. And
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  Speaker 1: two or so whose bosom glows with a rob eploy
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  Speaker 1: they are thought accidents. Of course, his zeal makes him
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  Speaker 1: a spiral after further victory. End of Section twenty seven