1820. Dec r. 26.

Rid Yourselves of Ultramaria

Introduction

'. 6. Tables Conclusion

members of the official establishment could have continued alive; and

how it is that the possessors of goods should not rather have destroyed than

furnished them.

To conclude this head - to the present purpose, the material question

os - at this time of day, does the so extensively contested claim of dominion over

Ultramaria, present any better grounded expectation of advantage, than the peaceable

possession of it did in the year 1786? In the opinions that you have seen, even the

peaceable possession was not, at that time, attended with any advantage. If the possession was not then what, in

the eyes of any person who can think,- what, if he can bear to think of it, can be

the advantage, of the claim without the possession, - or

even of the claim with the possession - now?

Thus much upon a view thus general. Presently, we shall come to take

a particular view, of all the several shapes, in which, in the nature of the case, it

would be possible, that, from the source in question, advantage, to any amount,

should accrue.

By these preliminary explanations, you are, I hope, sufficiently

prepared for the view of the Tables themselves.

Whether, the advantage, acquirable from the dominion, supposing it in possession, or

the probability of reacquiring and retaining it were considered, the view thus

presented to you, of the state of your revenue and expenditure at this recent period,

could not, on the present occasion, be omitted. Had it not been for this

confirmation, it might have been supposed by some, that in those accounts

respectively the profit from the dominion was at that

former time underrated, or the expence of supporting and defending it over-rated: or

that, in case of re-possession, the probable net advantage

from the dominion, might, at this time, be greater than it

was at that time: or, in a word, that, somehow or other, so

it is that, neither the opinions, nor the facts, of that

time, are applicable to the present purpose.