1820, August

Rid Dourselves Spanish

'10 Creolia rule Spain

As to the interests of your kinsmen in Spanish America - those bondsmen over whom

the ruling few among you claim to be task-masters, if on this occasion I beg you to

consider what their interests are and what their claims might be without being less

reasonable than yours - as to those interests though in my character of citizen of

the world as dear to me as yours, and even their superiority of numbers considered if

I may venture to speak the truth more so - if I beg leave to sumbit to your

consideration those interests and those claims it is still the nature of the present

occasion considered, not on their account but on your account that in this part of my

address to you, as in a former part, I require a hearing on the subject.

If on your part I should ever /at any time/ have the good fortune to find any

unequivocal proof of sympathy and

affection as towards them, any more than had

place on the part of your kings late advisers as towards you I will then declare it

with the sincerest pleasure, and offer to you the honorable [?] /heartfelt/ tribute

of my magnificent praise. But as far as /as yet/ I have been able to find that time

is yet to come. Those who rule over you are desirous of ruling over them: I make no

doubt ofit. But does it follow that they have any the smallest particle of regard for

their feelings and their interests? Yes, /No: not so/ as much regard as the rider of

a horse has for the feelings and interests of the horse he rides on. For which the

riding induces the suffering of the horse /beast/ if overridden can not but be

present to the man's view: whereas your American kinsmen might suffer to any extent

and [...?] your rulers see nothing of it. They would see nothing of it and you would

not, any of you see any thing more. Should you there, any of you, out of sylmpathy

for your rulers whom you see or may see, conceive or desire to see them as any of

them in possession of the dominion with its sweets [...?] [...?] [...S?] would it

follow as that you entertained any regard for those your kinsmen by whose subjection

these sweets were afforded? Alas! no. But should your desire be to see them free as

yourselves - free to choose their own rulers: then indeed your regard for their

feelings and their interests would be indeed unquestionable.

I can make allowances for your weaknesses. I mean for what appears to me to be your

weaknesses - I can make allowance for your weaknesses - for who is the [...?] of us

all that has not his weaknesses. By which thus occupied in the character of a true

friend I can not avoid dubing then a weakness much less can I speak of them as

/number them among your/ virtues.