with a young gentleman from Ireland, of better parts and birth than fortune, who was describing, with no little indignation, the purse-proud arrogance of some Scotch merchant, who had, he said, made a great deal of money by dealing in kelp, and looked down on gentlemen much his superiors in family and accomplishments. Ay," replied Burke," he thinks,

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Et genus et virtus nisi cum re vilior alga est.

Boswell, who seems to have thought that the doctrines of imputed merit extended to associates in civil life, as well as to matters of religi ous faith, and was very anxious to be in parties of distinguished men, formed a plan of bringing Johnson into a company in which Wilkes, whom the Doctor detested as impious and se. ditious, was to dine. Boswell, after surmounting very formidable obstacles, was successful; and the polite attentions of Wilkes con liated Johnson. Boswell details the attentions with his usual minuteness; he dwells particularly on the assiduity with which the wit helped the sage to roast veal, and the eloquence with which he recommended stuffing, butter, and lemons, with a peroration on savoury fat and brown. Boswell afterwards narrated to Burke the his tory preliminary to this dinner, and unfolded his own efforts and difficulties in effectuating the important interview. He describes the opposition made by the Doctor's housekeeper to

his dining abroad; his own embassy to that personage, and the persuasive oratory by which he prevailed on her to consent; his throbbing exultation when the wise man called for a clean shirt; and finally, the completion of his joy, when he got the object of his adoration into a hackney coach. Boswell records that Burke gave him much credit for this very able and successful negociation; and said, that there was nothing equal to it in the whole history of the corps diplomatique, The politeness and benevolence of Burke would not mortify inoffensivę vanity, or repress well-meaning officiousness, Boswell thought the remark a very high compliment. Indeed he had a very happy dispo sition, to be pleased with praises which many others would have disliked as ironical.

In America hostilities were now commenced, It had frequently been asserted in parliament that the colonists were cowards. One gentleman declared that with three thousand men he could over-run America. This opinion was also very generally received out of the house. Hardly was there to be met a half, pay officer, who did not, at his village club, declare, that with two or three regiments he HIMSELF Could subdue America. Burke, who knew the human mind, general history as well as the particular state, sentiments, and dispositions of the Americans, and could infer motive and action from situation and character, entertained a far dif

ferent opinion; an opinion which the first battle between the British and provincial troops tended to confirm. Although the colonists were defeated at Bunker's-hill, they lost fewer men than the British. Besides the valour of men fighting in what they conceived to be the cause of their own liberty, they had acquired great dexterity in the use of arms, and were excellent marksmen. 'I he Americans made a successful inroad into Canada, and penetrated as far as Quebec.

The British Ministry not having foreseen so vigorous a resistance, had not made the preparations which coercive measures were found to require. Indeed it does not appear that they had been at pains, proportionate to the importance of the object, to attain full information on the dispositions and resources of the colonies: therefore, although we should admit the justice and even the expediency of the measures of Administration, we cannot give them much credit for the wisdom of their plans and vigour of their efforts at the commencement of the rupture. Perceiving, from the successes of the Americans, that the present force was very inadequate to the purposes of coercion, they resolved to open the following campaign with a much more powerful armament.

The congress sent Mr. Penn and Mr. Lee to London, to represent the injustice sustained from the new system of statutes and re

gulations; to state that they had been forced to take up arms in their own defence; to deprecate the farther effusion of blood; and to pray that his Majesty would adopt some mode for the repeal of the hurtful acts." A petition to this purport was signed by John Hancock, the president, and all the members of the congress. It was delivered to Lord Dartmouth, Secretary of State. Soon afterwards, the deputies were informed that, no answer would be given.

The parliament opened with a speech, declaring the necessity of coercion. An address was proposed, echoing as usual the speech, to which a very able opposition was made. Burke, besides going over the grounds of injustice and inexpediency, demonstrated, that the Ministers were either very deficient in point of information, or in faithful reports to parliament.They had, he said, given false accounts, representing dissatisfaction as confined to Boston, although it was well known to impartial enquirers that it had pervaded, the colonies. He had himself repeatedly asserted, that the discontent was generally prevalent: the event had proved him to be right. Ministers, he argued,were either weak, in adopting momentous measures, or inadequate in information, or wicked in concealing the knowledge they possessed; and in either case unworthy of being, trusted any longer with the conduct of affairs. He entered into a very minute

recapitulation of the boasts of Ministry, and contrasted them, with very severe humour, with the actual performance...

Fox, on the same occasion, poured forth a torrent of his powerful eloquence. In the plain, forcible language which forms one of the many excellencies of his speeches, he shewed what ought to have been done, what Ministers said would be done, and what was done." Lord Chatham," he said, "the King of Prussia, nay, Alexander the Great, never gained more in one campaign than Lord North lost: be has lost a whole continent." His sagacious mind, at the commencement of the war, foresaw the event. Fox perceived, and predicted, that men fighting for their liberty would be ultimately successful. He tried to dissuade his country from war, foreboding discomfiture and distress from such a contest. The admonitions of this great man were disregarded. His country hearkened not to his warning voice. The actual disaster and consequent calamity far exceeded the anticipa tion of even Fox's foresight.

November 16th, 1775, Burke brought for ward a new conciliatory bill. In his two celebrated speeches of the preceding session and the session before that, he had grounded his propositions of amity upon the mutual INTERESTS of the mother country and the colonies. The ground of his present motion was the RIGHT of subjects of this realm to grant or withhold all