date

1820. Sept. 3 Emancipation Spanish
1820. Sept. 3

Emancipation Spanish

Summary

Transfer to U.S.

Religion need not be considered /regarded/ as forming any difficulty

In the eyes of your King's former advisers when the determination was taken by them

to transfer the Floridas without putting it to the inhabitants for their consent, it

was no obstacle. In Maryland one of the United States in question the majority of the

population were Catholic: never from their intercourse with Protestants either in

their own or in any other of the States have the Catholics in that state ever

experienced any molestation. If the belief of the inhabitants in the religion they

profess is to such a degree weak, that in their opinion /apprehension/ access to the

/any/ arguments used against it or even the bare sight of the ceremonies belonging to

the exercise of another modifications of that same religion would /might probably/ be

fatal to the only true one, the terms of the Union need not prohibit their

"prohibiting" in the words of Art. 12 the exercise of any other whatsoever. In the

Anglo-American Congress not to speak of any of the other states whether the Members

that came from Maryland are Protestants or Catholics is more than any other of the

Members ever trouble themselves to enquire: nor if they knew would their conduct be

varied by their /the/ information any otherwise than by the repression of any rule

indicative /expressive/ of disapprobation towards that religion as might otherwise be

liable to drop from their lips. From Louisiana I should expect to find upon enquiry

that ere now Catholic Members have ere now been sent to Congress.

Difference of language. From this source difficulties could not but arise. None

however but such as experience has shewn to be not insuperable. In the representative

body of the Netherlands Dutch is not only the language of but the only language

understood in the case of some of the Members, French in that of others. The

Spanish-speaking inhabitants could not be at a loss for English-speaking

representatives whose fidelity and zeal in the support of their interests would not

be less than it would be, if no language but Spanish were intelligible to them, found

them capable of comprehending a syllable.
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  • Title: [1820. Sept. 3d. Emancipation Spanish]
    Description: 1820. Sept. 3d.

    Emancipation Spanish

    Summary

    Transfer to U.S.

    Even if no fit person professing the Catholic Religion and

    sufficiently conversant with English to take part in the proceedings of Congress

    could be found, the example, of so many Protestant Members sent to the English

    National Assembly by Catholic votes would suffice to shew whether in any shape any

    considerable inconvenience on this account were reasonably to be apprehended.

    Supposing the proposal not accepted - not accepted in the first

    instance by the United States they having no present demand for any such commodity as

    that in question - not accepted by any /the people/ of any Spanish American Province

    to which it were proposed conveniently situated for them, where would be the mischief

    /damage/. Would your place in the esteem of the people of the already United States

    be the lower for it? Would your place in the esteem or the affection of your American

    kinsmen be the lower for it.

    On the principles of the Holy Alliance /League/, subjects have no feelings, or their

    feelings, if they have any have no claim to regard on the part of rulers. You and

    your rulers have recognized the new - the opposite principle. Let them on this

    occasion act on these new principles Deal on this occasion on the opposite principle,

    you read /will deliver/ to mankind a lesson - a lesson great and new - and by doing

    you make war - impressive war - upon these your implacable enemies. Yes: for by every

    good which upon a national scale a man does to mankind, he makes war upon that Holy

    League: he makes offensive war in the only shape needful or /and/ justifiable - he

    raises himself, he lowers them in the estimation of their subjects.
  • Title: [1820 Sept. 3 Emancipation Spanish]
    Description: 1820 Sept. 3

    Emancipation Spanish

    Summary

    Transfer to U.S.

    When the extinction is /instrument is/ to be performed by governing

    men against their interests or endeavours, We are for extinguishing anarchy is the

    slang of malefactors in high places.

    Come, have patience with me and I will tell you how if the

    circumstances /demands/ of another country continue as they have been, you /your

    rulers/ may compass /ZS/ points at once, pecuniary easement /relief/ to you, good

    government and content to a portion more or less considerable of your kinsmen in

    America, advantage to a third party, and glory pure and unexampled glory to you and

    to themselves. If there be a well and popularly governed Confederacy of States

    willing to give money for the valuable land in this or that Spanish American Province

    contiguous to its own territory, transfer the province to that confederacy if it can

    be done with the consent of the inhabitants, to that Confederacy.

    Start not at this proposal. In every part of it, it has (you will

    see) for its basis incontestable experience.

    The State /foreign Confederacy/ I have in view, you see already, it

    is that of the Anglo-American United States.

    Every body knows what they gave gave to Napoleon for Louisiana.

    Every body knows what they wish to give to your own King for the

    Floridas. I say to give: for giving up claims to money is in so far as the money

    would otherwise have been obtainable, giving the money.

    In both instances, they found a convenience /an advantage/ which for

    shortness I will call a Geographical convenience. In what

    way it was convertible /expressable/ as supposed in pounds shillings, and pence in

    Dollars and Cents in what way it was brought home to individual feelings we have no

    need to enquire. Trust these people and rulers together /subject many and ruling few/

    - for these, subject many and ruling few are one - trust them as to these matters:

    for they are not men to give money for moonshine.
  • Title: [If from analogy any honest and instructive]
    Description: If from analogy any honest and instructive use had on this occasion been intended to be made by people of different countries professing the same persuasion in these our times a much more relevant and instructive lesson would be afforded than any that could be drawn from even the same country at such distant times.

    If in Ireland, where three fourths or more of the population is comprised of Catholics, no ill treatment has within the memory of man been bestowed by Catholics as such upon Protestants as such, while in the same country so much ill treatment has on other accounts been bestowed [by]

    MS ‘upon’.

    the people of each of those persuasions upon those of the other, it is (it may be said) because the power of doing so with impunity is not in their hands.

    But in Countries where the Catholic is the predominant religion and in which at the same time as in our island, barbarity on the score of mere catholicism was by Catholics exercised by and according to law and in the Catholic countries in which the exercise of those barbarities was in those times most conspicuous, of no such barbarities has any instance (it would be found) occurred for a long course of years.

    Even

    Above this paragraph there is a pencil note ‘Note’. In the text at this point Bentham has noted ‘(a)’.

    in Spain I have been assured if I may depend upon an assurance given me by persons fully informed and of the most respectable character no instance of a capital execution for any offence against religion had occurred within these 22 or 23 years.

    In the capital of Mexico, if I may believe a gentleman of distinction in his own country by whom the capital of that kingdom was lately visited,

    Possibly the Hon. Andrew Cochrane Johnstone (1767-1834), soldier, politician and adventurer, and Bentham’s tenant and neighbour in Queens Square Place. Cochrane Johnston had visited Mexico and it is clear that he had given Bentham information about that country; see Correspondence, vol. viii, pp. 61-2. Between 1808 and 1810 Bentham had entertained the notion of visiting Mexico himself, but his plans came to nothing.

    he was by the Grand Inquisitor himself conducted into every apartment of the prison of the Inquisition that for the purpose of the being assured by occular demonstration of the non-existence of any person in the state of prisoner within its walls.