[clxvii. 124]

Removed 6 Aug. 1821

1820

Rid yourselves of Ultramaria

Lett. 19 Aversion Causes and New Lights

Under the former government the "object" or "end" of Government was the happiness of one man in the nation: an object in the securing of which more than a fourth part of the whole of the expenditure of government as we have seen to be employed. Under the new Constitution (Art 13) this "object" or "end" is the "happiness of the nation"; that is "of all individuals of which it is composed": consequently, in so far as the greatest happiness of any one portion is incompatible with the greatest happiness of any other, the object is - the greatest happiness of the greatest number. But, as compared with Spaniards, Spanish Americans (you will see) are the greatest number: or if not yet, can not fail soon to be.

Unless, then, these laws are a dead letter, every man who, in these several territories, regards himself as aggrieved, by any one of the arrangements made for the purpose of giving advantage to Spain at the expense of Spanish America or any part of it, will under Article 371, take every opportunity of declaring and making known as much to every other, and, moreover, if it be worthwhile, (under Article 373) to the King or to the Cortes. But, as you have seen, every man in Spanish America will really have been aggrieved: aggrieved not only by taxes, and all other such arrangements, as have in view the affording to Spain, at the expense of all the inhabitants of the country of which he is inhabitant, advantage, in this or that determinate and assignable shape, but by other arrangements in abundance, not having, any of them, in view any such determinate and particular advantage: that is to say, not having in view any advantage more particular than that which will be regarded as compassed by the several arrangements which have for their object that all - comprehensive one, consisting in the maintenance of that same dominion, the indispensable source of every particular advantage, which, under and by virtue of it, can, at any time, be endeavoured to be reaped.

 Insert here or postpone?

With such real, such ample, such universally applying cause of discontent, pervading the whole of Spanish America,- with such cause of discontent, and at the same time such unprecedented and uncontroulable means of expressing and propogating it, think whether it would be long, ere, through the several stages of disaffection and disobedience, the discontent would have ripened into revolt.

Think, accordingly, whether, with such a prospect before their eyes, your rulers, consistently either with personal interest or even with public prudence, could, by any demonstration of submission and attachment manifested at the outset, by Spanish America, even supposing those demonstrations not only universal, but, at the moment, even universally sincere,