[clxii. 35]

1820. Aug. 14  Comments for the English translation

Emancipation Spanish

Summary

Transfer to U.S.

Give up all no half measures

Sell to U.S.

Now in this same limit - what every body knows - what you in particular can not but know - there is nothing new. Look to Louisiana there you see already a precedent. From the generosity of your own beloved Monarch Bonaparte obtains that fair country: he sells it to the United States - for these | | years it has formed part of Yankey-Land. Thus far we /you/ have a case in point as our lawyers phrase it: a precedent in point. Our own Lord Chancellor /Eldon/ could not find any thing to object to it on that score: our own Earl Grey would not pronounce it absurd, visionary and senseless our own Lord Erskine our own Lord John Russel would not pronounce it wild and visionary. our own House of Lords our own House of Lords according to whom so it have been but once done under the most corrupt of Constitutions whatsoever has been done is right our own House of Lords even though headed /led/ by a Lord Eldon.

One condition however, if it depended upon me, I would venture as above to propose - and that a somewhat new one - namely that without the consent of a majority at least of the people whose fate /lot/ was thus disposed of, the bargain should not take place. Here indeed I should have all those illustrious /noble/ persons with all their ancestors upon my back: this would indeed be absurd, visionary and senseless; this would indeed be wild and visionary.

 Consult Erskine [...?] vituperation

Against this I should find my friends of the Edinburgh Review, in the agony of despair not being able /unable/ to find so much as the shadow of an argument against it entering their protestation /saying all they could find to say against it and exclaiming in black and white We protest! saying thus against it all they could find to say against/ that protest which in the like agony they entered against the faculty of reading established in the character of a qualification for giving a vote: that qualification which in 1811 I proposed /ventured to propose/ in theory and which in 1812 and again in 1820 Your rulers (blessed be they for the honour done to an obscure old Englishman!) converted into practice

Oh /Alas!/ where would /will/ Grandees be! where will Lords be - not forgetting their retainers, when the use of letters and the voting in the choice or removal of rulers were become faculties equally and universally diffused?

Oh yes - the consent of the parties whose every thing is disposed of by it must be given to the treaty, or my signature can not be given to it.