y the toil
and blood of those we have the honor to be sons of; and we cannot just
afford to cut them away because M'Croudy finds the present management
of them cost money. The present management will indeed require to be cut
away;--but as for the Colonies, we purpose through Heaven's blessing to
retain them a while yet! Shame on us for unworthy sons of brave fathers
if we do not. Brave fathers, by valiant blood and sweat, purchased for
us, from the bounty of Heaven, rich possessions in all zones; and we,
wretched imbeciles, cannot do the function of administering them? And
because the accounts do not stand well in the ledger, our remedy is, not
to take shame to ourselves, and repent in sackcloth and ashes, and
amend our beggarly imbecilities and insincerities in that as in other
departments of our business, but to fling the business overboard, and
declare the business itself to be bad? We are a hopeful set of heirs to
a big fortune! It does not suit our Manton gunneries, grouse-shootings,
mousings in the City; and like spirited young gentlemen we will give it
up, and let the attorneys take it?

Is there no value, then, in human things, but what can write itself down
in the cash-ledger? All men know, and even M'Croudy in his inarticulate
heart knows, that to men and Nations there are invaluable values which
cannot be sold for money at all. George Robins is great; but he is not
onmipotent. George Robins cannot quite sell Heaven and Earth by auction,
excellent though he be at the business. Nay, if M'Croudy offered his own
life for _sale_ in Threadneedle Street, would anybody buy it? Not I, for
one. "Nobody bids: pass on to the next lot," answers Robins. And yet to
M'Croudy this unsalable lot is worth all the Universe:--nay, I believe,
to us also it is worth something; good monitions, as to several things,
do lie in this Professor of the dismal science; and considerable sums
even of money, not to speak of other benefit, will yet come out of his
life and him, for which nobody bids! Robins has his own field where he
reigns triumphant; but to that we will restrict him with iron limits;
and neither Colonies nor the lives of Professors, nor other such
invaluable objects shall come under his hammer.

Bad state of the ledger will demonstrate that your way of dealing
with your Colonies is absurd, and urgently in want of reform; but to
demonstrate that the Empire itself must be dismembered to bring the
ledger straight? Oh never. So