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what I call her imperial character; in which, as from the throne of heaven, she superintends all the several inferior legislatures, and guides and controls them all without annihilating any. As all these provincial legislatures are only coordinate to each other, they ought all to be subordinate to her. It is necessary to coerce the negligent, to restrain the violent, and to aid the weak and deficient, by the over-ruling plenitude of her power." That this distinction is groundless in theory I do not doubt; that it is absolutely necessary in practice I fully admit. The conflict between the forms of Constitution and the necessities of Government is the peculiar offspring and inseparable characteristic of free colonies. The eternal difficulties and apparent contradictions, to which they give birth, are enough to convince us that Transatlantic Empire is not according to the natural disposition of human society. It originates rights which cannot be defined without begetting insult on the one side and sedition on the other. Nearly the whole continent of America has broken the yoke of European domination; we Englishmen with our thousand ships can at present maintain our hold, especially on the islands, against all the world. I hope we shall ever continue to do so, for it would be a piercing wound to our commerce and our power if the West Indies could be made the harbours and garrisons of possible enemies to us. Some young politicians of more