―287―

Art. XVI.

An Oration, spoken at Hartford, in
Connecticut, on the Anniversary of
American Independence, &c. By
William Brown. Hartford. Hud-
son and Goodwin. 1799. pp. 23.

A Publication like the pre-
sent is, in some respects, of
no very permanent or momentous
kind. It is an actual address to a
select assembly: its topics are ne-
cessarily drawn from popular, and,
therefore, limited and temporary
sources: it is confined to bounds,
not consistent with abstruse or
complex reasoning, and must be

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modelled after a looser, more super-
ficial, and diffuse pattern, than if it
were the fruit of years, were ex-
tended to a volume, and were de-
signed to instruct posterity, and the
whole of mankind, on subjects
connected with the interests of the
whole. It must be considered as
a speech composed in a few hours,
and delivered, in forty minutes, to
some hundreds of auditors.

In other views, however, per-
formances of this kind are of great
importance. They afford excellent
criterions of the state of opinion in
the community, on national and
political topics. They compose a
sort of indication of the popular
tide, and not only exhibit the sys-
tems of action, but the reason on
which these systems are built.

Placed in this light, the oration
before us is of no small value. It
is a specimen not only of the poli-
tical creed of the hearers, and of a
numerous class among our coun-
trymen, but of the arguments which
are commonly assigned in justifica-
tion of this creed.

The orator, after slightly allud-
ing to the occasion of the festival,
passes, with some abruptness, to a
display of the present condition of
the nation, in relation to France.
This condition is neither hostile
nor pacific. The conduct of the
French has induced us to forbear
direct intercourse, and adopt the
means of repelling maritime attacks:
No war has been declared, and no
attacks upon their persons or pro-
perty have been permitted, and the
option of general and direct hosti-
lity seems still to be submitted to
the French government.

Of this forbearance, the orator
speaks in terms somewhat contemp-
tuous, and strongly insinuates his
disapprobation, though, at the same
time, he somewhat qualifies his cen-
sure, by confessing, that, in such a
case, “it becomes not him to de-
cide.” He regards any connection

by treaty, as well as any diplomatic
intercourse with France, as, in the
highest degree, pernicious; and as,
at all events, to be avoided. His
reasons for this opinion are drawn
from a belief, that the French rulers
are utterly void of those moral sen-
timents to which treaties must owe
their force and their permanence;
that these rulers are actuated by
an implacable hatred to us, and that
their most powerful engines for de-
stroying those whom they hate, are
intrigue, bribery, the diligence of
secret agents, and the dissemination
of immoral and anarchical tenets.

Many evils have sprung up in
the course of the French revolu-
tion, which some have ascribed to
necessity, to the casual licentious-
ness of human passions, or to the
depravity produced by the preced-
ing tyranny. The true cause, how-
ever, has, in Mr. B.'s opinion, been
hitherto mistaken, and has only
been unfolded in a work written by
the Abbe Baruel, and lately repub-
lished in America. This work has
been widely diffused, has exercised
much influence on our opinions,
and has been received, by many, as
incontestibly authentic in its facts,
and just in its conclusions.

Mr. B. guided by the representa-
tions of this writer, conceives, that
a plan has been formed, of chang-
ing the face of the world, of extir-
pating religion in all its forms, and
every moral principle, not only in
Germany or France, but through-
out the earth; of destroying the pre-
sent domestic, political, and religi-
ous systems, not partially or locally,
but completely and universally; of
annihilating every tie of kindred,
and every claim of property; of re-
ducing mankind to the state of
brutes, and the world to nakedness
and desolation. This plan was de-
vised by Voltaire, and a few asso-
ciates: it has since been prosecuted,
by means of the press, by secret as-
sociations and conspiracies; by every

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hypocritical, flagitious and pro-
found expedient, which zeal, inge-
nuity, and malice could invent.

This description relates not mere-
ly to the tendency of certain schemes,
but to the motives of the actors.
Some would reason thus: Men are
liable to error, and though they
may intend good, may commit enor-
mous mistakes in the choice of
means. While they imagine them-
selves labouring for the happiness
of mankind, loosening the bonds
of superstition, breaking the fetters
of commerce, out-rooting the pre-
judice of birth, by which father
transmits to son absolute power
over the property, liberty, and lives
of millions, they may, in reality,
be merely pulling down the props
which uphold human society, and
annihilate not merely the chains
of false religion, but the foundations
of morality—not merely the fetters
of commerce, and feudal usurpa-
tions upon property, but commerce
and property themselves. The apo-
logy which may be made for such
is, that though their activity be per-
nicious, their purposes are pure.

The men called by Barruel philo-
sophists, are denied the benefits of
this construction. All the disasters
which have flowed from their pre-
cepts were consequences unavoida-
ble, foreseen and intended. We are
taught to regard them, not as endea-
vouring to substitute one scheme of
society and political subordination
for another, but to abolish every
social and pacific principle among
men. Not only the dissolution of
order, the enthronement of anarchy,
the extinction of moral laws and so-
cial affections, have been, and could
not fail to be, produced by their
efforts, but were ardently loved, and
deliberately intended by them.

Barruel was an honest and zeal-
ous man. His opinions he, of
course, considered as the standard
of truth; and these opinions im-
plied the sanctity of the civil and

eccelesiastical systems that formerly
prevailed in France. The Romish
religion, and hereditary despotism,
were, in the eyes of one of his or-
der and profession, virtue and duty;
and to subvert these was to establish
the reign of impiety and anarchy—
was to rob mankind of safety and
life.

The plot which he detects aimed,
indeed, at somewhat more than this.
The religion of Christ, and aristo-
cratical as well as monarchical dis-
tinctions, were to be abolished.
This could not fail to appear still
more detestable. He would be ex-
tremely apt to confound the design
of subverting established modes with
the design of inflicting the utmost
miseries on the human race, and
filling the world with desolation and
blood. Since these consequences
are, in his opinion, so palpably con-
nected with the subversion of the
ancient order, he thinks they could
not have escaped the attention of
those who endeavoured this sub-
version; and since they clearly fore-
saw them, it is plain that all these
disasters were intended.

He does not content himself,
however, with speculations upon
probability. He likewise thinks
that he has discovered direct proofs
of this intention in the rules and
proceedings of certain confraterni-
ties who called themselves “The
Illuminated.” The truth of his in-
ferences this is not the place to ad-
mit or deny. It is sufficient to ob-
serve, that they are recapitulated
and adopted in this oration. Mr.
B. affirms that these schemes have
been fully realized in France: that
the progress of cruelty and con-
quest, which have disgraced the
French revolution, were taught in
the schools of the philosophists, and
the executors of these projects were
merely the pupils of this school.

Mr. B. has not adopted the ordi-
nary methods of accounting for the
scenes that have lately passed, and

―290―

are now passing, on the stage of
Europe. The passions of ambition,
avarice and fear, which have pre-
vailed in every part of the earth,
and which have filled the world with
scenes of bloody contention, of fo-
reign and domestic war, of perfidy,
oppression, and revenge, will not,
in his opinion, elucidate the pre-
sent drama.

After expatiating in few, but very
strong terms, on the horrible nature
and incontestible existence of this
conspiracy, Mr. B. proceeds to call
the attention of his readers to the
usurpations of the French in the
countries adjacent to them. As
they have acted towards Holland,
Swisserland, and the Italian States,
he believes that they will act to-
wards America. As their acquisi-
tion of these countries has chiefly
arisen from gaining over the opini-
ons of the people to their cause, be-
fore they assailed their frontiers, he
predicts that similar expedients will
be employed to overthrow the in-
dependence of America; and infers
the necessity of warding off not
only their open attacks, but their
secret machinations, and of shutting
out from our borders not only their
dragoons and hussars, but their
ambassadors and spies.

In exhibiting the fate of Swisser-
land, full credit is given to the nar-
rative of Mallet du Pan, and much
use is made of his work. The in-
fluence which this book has already
had in America, where it has lately
been republished, ernders it of no
small importance. The truth of
this author's statements are admit-
ted by Mr. B. and he makes skilful
use of the lessons of circumspec-
tion, and seasonable preparations
against dangers which are thence to
be dreaded.

The performance closes with a

view of the dangers to which we
are exposed from the establishment
of the French on our southern bor-
ders; an event which the conni-
vance or weakness of Spain will
speedily produce; and we are strong-
ly admonished to reject the sopori-
fics which our enemies hold out to
us in the form of negociations and
treaties. The orator exults in the
defensive measures that have already
been taken; and while he antici-
pates triumph and security from
persisting in them, predicts nothing
but humiliation and calamity from
slackening our efforts and relin-
quishing our arms.

The validity of Mr. B.'s conclu-
sions we shall leave to the reader's
consideration. Our duty, in this
case, extends no farther than to
state the topics, and distribution of
these topics. It will be proper, how-
ever, to add, that Mr. B. has given
proofs of a laudable zeal in the cause
of what he deems truth, and that
his rhetoric flows in a clear and ra-
pid stream. It would be invidious
to point out petty inaccuracies,
where the general merit of the
composition is considerable.*

  * In the afternoon of the Lord's-day preceding the delivery of this discourse, Dr. Clarke was preaching to his people from Psal. xxii. 3. and, in the midst of his discourse, was seized with an apoplectic fit, which terminated in his death at three o'clock the next morning.