great nation.

"There is an aberration of intellect, and a want of self-possession here
that alarms me. I say, alarms me, for American as I am by birth, and
republican as I am from the force of circumstances, I cannot but regard
England with great interest, and with great affection. What a beautiful
country! What a noble constitution! What a high minded, intelligent, and
generous people! When the Whigs came into office, the Tories were not
a party, they were the people of England. Where and what are they now?
Will they ever have a lucid interval, or again recognise the sound of
their own name? And yet, Sam, doubtful as the prospect of their recovery
is, and fearful as the consequences of a continuance of their malady
appear to be, one thing is most certain, _a Tory government is the
proper government for a monarchy, a suitable one for any country, but
it is the only one for England_. I do not mean an ultra one, for I am
a moderate man, and all extremes are equally to be avoided. I mean a
temperate, but firm one: steady to its friends, just to its enemies, and
inflexible to all. "When compelled to yield, it should be by the force
of reason, and never by the power of agitation. Its measures should be
actuated by a sense of what is right, and not what is expedient, for
to concede is to recede--to recede is to evince weakness--and to betray
weakness is to invite attack.

"I am a stranger here. I do not understand this new word, Conservatism.
I comprehend the other two, Toryism and Liberalism. The one is a
monarchical, and the other a republican word. The term, Conservatism,
I suppose, designates a party formed out of the moderate men of both
sides, or rather, composed of Low-toned Tories and High Whigs. I do not
like to express a decided opinion yet, but my first impression is always
adverse to mixtures, for a mixture renders impure the elements of which
it is compounded. Every thing will depend on the preponderance of the
wholesome over the deleterious ingredients. I will analyse it carefully.
See how one neutralizes or improves the other, and what the effect of
the compound is likely to be on the constitution. I will request our
Ambassador, Everett, or Sam's friend, the Minister Extraordinary,
Abednego Layman, to introduce me to Sir Robert Peel, and will endeavour
to obtain all possible information from the best possible source.

"On your return I will give you a candid and deliberate opinion."

After a silence of som