UN VE COPYRIGHT, 1894, BY CORNELIUS B. BRADLEY. TYPOGRAPHY BY C. J. PETERS & SON, BOSTON. PRESSWORK BY BERWICK & SMITH. PUBLISHERS' NOTE. THIS book contains portions of a larger volume prepared by the same editor. The page numbers have not been changed, and the breaks in the paging occur where matter of the larger volume has been omitted. All the works in The Academy Series of English Classics are given without abbreviation. EDMUND BURKE. ON MOVING HIS RESOLUTIONS FOR CONCILIATION WITH THE COLONIES. I HOPE, Sir, that notwithstanding the austerity of the Chair, your good nature will incline you to some degree of indulgence towards human frailty. You will not think it unnatural that those who have an object depending, which strongly engages their hopes and fears, should be 5 somewhat inclined to superstition. As I came into the House full of anxiety about the event of my motion, I found, to my infinite surprise, that the grand penal bill, by which we had passed sentence on the trade and sustenance of America, is to be returned to us from the other 10 House. I do confess I could not help looking on this event as a fortunate omen. I look upon it as a sort of providential favor, by which we are put once more in possession of our deliberative capacity upon a business so very questionable in its nature, so very uncertain in 15 its issue. By the return of this bill, which seemed to have taken its flight forever, we are at this very instant nearly as free to choose a plan for our American Government as we were on the first day of the session. If, Sir, we incline to the side of conciliation, we are not 20 at all embarrassed (unless we please to make ourselves so) by any incongruous mixture of coercion and restraint. 1 |