but little better and stronger than a cotton one. _Quem
Deus vult perdere prius dementat_. I look in vain for
that constitutional vigour, and intellectual power, which
once ruled the destinies of this great nation.

"There is an aberration of intellect, and a want of
self-possession here that alarms me. I say, alarms me,
for American as I am by birth, and republican as I am
from the force of circumstances, I cannot but regard
England with great interest, and with great affection.
What a beautiful country! What a noble constitution! What
a high minded, intelligent, and generous people! When
the Whigs came into office, the Tories were not a party,
they were the people of England. Where and what are they
now? Will they ever have a lucid interval, or again
recognise the sound of their own name? And yet, Sam,
doubtful as the prospect of their recovery is, and fearful
as the consequences of a continuance of their malady
appear to be, one thing is most certain, _a Tory government
is the proper government for a monarchy, a suitable one
for any country, but it is the only one for England_. I
do not mean an ultra one, for I am a moderate man, and
all extremes are equally to be avoided. I mean a temperate,
but firm one: steady to its friends, just to its enemies,
and inflexible to all. "When compelled to yield, it should
be by the force of reason, and never by the power of
agitation. Its measures should be actuated by a sense
of what is right, and not what is expedient, for to
concede is to recede--to recede is to evince weakness
--and to betray weakness is to invite attack.