It
tends neither to bring back the misled, nor to give courage to the
fearful, nor to animate and confirm those who are hearty and zealous in
the cause.
I hear it has been said (though I can scarcely believe it) by a
distinguished person, in an assembly where, if there be less of the
torrent and tempest of eloquence, more guarded expression is to be
expected, that, indeed, there was no just ground of hope in this
business from the beginning.
It is plain that this noble person, however conversant in negotiation,
having been employed in no less than four embassies, and in two
hemispheres, and in one of those negotiations having fully experienced
what it was to proceed to treaty without previous encouragement, was not
at all consulted in this experiment. For his Majesty's principal
minister declared, on the very same day, in another House, "his
Majesty's deep and sincere regret at its unfortunate and abrupt
termination, so different from the wishes and _hopes_ that were
entertained,"--and in other parts of the speech speaks of this abrupt
termination as a great disappointment, and as a fall from sincere
endeavors and sanguine expectation. Here are, indeed, sentiments
diametrically opposite, as to the hopes with which the negotiation was
commenced and carried on; and what is curious is, the grounds of the
hopes on the one side and the despair on the other are exactly the same.
The logical conclusion from the common premises is, indeed, in favor of
the noble lord; for they are agreed that the enemy was far from giving
the least degree of countenance to any such hopes, and that they
proceeded in spite of every discouragement which the enemy had thrown in
their way.
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