1819 July 3 + B

To Erskine or Defence of Univ. ag st Ed. Review

Lett. 7. Whigs AntiReformists

§ 2 Pos 1. Desire impossible

{Univ.}

1

Along with these offers, conditional /unobligatory/ as they were, of a sort of property which being in quiet possession was {of} {matchless in value} /worth much – it is difficult to say how much/ came others, and in no inconsiderable number of ostensible property of the same kind, net value from little to nothing and considerably less: seats, which after money laid out upon them to an indefinite amount would be either kept or lost, purchased or left unpurchased, hit on or mist on, as the case might be.

Shifting the scene to England, I /any one /eye/ may/ view in Ireland as in a mirror, the state of interests and thence of minds, among the parliamentary advocates for parliamentary reform, from the dawn of it in 1780 down to the present day. {A few feeling themselves firm in their seats, yet /but/} Some who {tottering in their seats}feeling those seats dropping from under them looked to the favour of the people in the case of a change produced by their exertions looked the favour of the people as affording a more advantageous prospect /better chance/ than the scene[?] before them in the then existing state of things: others also, though in /feeling firm in/ quiet possession of their seats, were /stood/ assured, that by nothing that could be done /they could d/ towards bringing into effect a /any/ system by which these seats would be sacrificed /made to pass into other hands/ be swept /made to drop/ from under them: and accordingly pushed on in the road to reform with an ardour, proportioned to the fulness of their assurance, that the goal before them /mark they were running to/ was in no danger of being reached: loss of seats the ostensible object, gain of office the real object, of all their labours.