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COCK-FIGHTING.

upon the most liberal principles,—we ask him, what is theend of good government in a Christian society'? lie shouldanswer, to promote peace and observe such conduct as willtend to increase the general good of the commonweal;alleging, as his authority for the assertion, that such is theobject of the laws and the religion we profess, which hethinks it his duty to support.

In allusion to the previous question, how can he reconcilethis manifest difference?—whilst with one hand he holdsthe reward of peace, and in the other the incentive towar! But, by way of salvo, he thinks to reconcile this con-tradiction, by observing, that he does not encourage bru-tality for the purpose of embroiling his countrymen to fightamong themselves, but that he wishes them to be hardyand able to fight the common enemy. This too, is but avery weak subterfuge. Does nut he remember that couragedoes not inhabit the heart of the bravado, the loud, thequarrelsome ?—also, that the quarrels and the pacificationof nations is not given to those who are to decide thecontest by blows, but that these are fixed upon even withoutasking their opinion ? As they are not consulted, it reallyis of no importance ; so that the soldier gets paid,—henever inquires with whom he is to light; nor does he everinquire into the equity of the thing,—knowing it does notdepend upon his judgment: since his country commandsand furnishes rewards, that is all he is ever anxious about;and there are always ready behind the scenes of theimperial phantasmagoria, a number of devices to magnifyslight offences of our neighbours into monstrous and giganticcrimes,—so heinous and diabolical as to be placed beyondthe pale of mediation, or any other expiatory retribution—but blood ! This he, the minister, knows it is in the powerof one of his chief engines to supply. With gold, thenerve of war, he can command myriads of venal pens totraduce and vilify any country; which the people must believe,because, forsooth, it appears on authority in public prints !We have seen too much of the infamous venality, — thelying falsehoods of the press, to countenance such errors,and have long laboured under privations in health andfortune in consequence of wars; but, notwithstanding theerrors of governors, the crimes of rulers, their mistakes,wilful or accidental,—no power on earth shall ever shakethe broad basis of our love of our country, which will existto the last pulsation of life, and will only cease with con-sciousness.

But the question;—our subject beckons us to attend.