[clxii. 246]

1821 Jany. 7

' Rid Yourselves

The disbursement necessary on this account will not be inconsiderable. And for defraying /the matter of it/ what have you? Just nothing. So your own authoritative accounts accounts of no very distant date inform you

11 Report Collectana

Abstraction made of Ultramaria Ultramaria out of the question, I do not mean to represent to you the state of things as containing any thing that need affect you In Spain you have no means of defending against enemies, but you have no enemies. Your neighbours /The enemies/ the practical States that you are secured against by the same means that we other nations are we English I believe among the rest, by tribute. Neighbours by land you have none but the French: against them you are for the period in question sufficiently secured by the fragility of their own government and the memory of your Guerillas.

By sea, against us English - against us on whom every other nation that has a foot of land bordering on the sea has ever beheld its declared tyrants and ever ready enemies - against us I mean against our rulers during that period and I have it to every [...?] to say how much longer you are defended by the only deficiency which every nation, and above all /in particular/ we [...?] ourselves could be defended against them - I mean our incompetenceence the fruit of the exhaustion with which they have afflicted us: and by being secure against these universal enemies you are secure against all minor ones: for the power of oppressing is too dear to them for them to endure /any participation in it/ that any other nation should participate in it.