n busy,
and came down a little late, and found a difficulty in making my way
to the chair which Sir Ferdinando had occupied in the morning. I
had had no time to prepare my words, though the thoughts had rushed
quickly,--too quickly,--into my mind. It was as though they would
tumble out from my own mouth in precipitate energy. On my right hand
sat the governor, as I must now call him; and in the chair on my left
was placed my wife. The officers of the gunboat were not present,
having occupied themselves, no doubt, in banking up their fires.

"My fellow-citizens," I said, "a sudden end has been brought to
that self-government of which we have been proud, and by which Sir
Ferdinando has told you that 'ignorance has been expelled from your
shores, and poverty has been forced to hide her diminished head.' I
trust that, under his experience, which he tells us as a governor has
been very extensive, those evils may not now fall upon you. We are,
however, painfully aware that they do prevail wherever the concrete
power of Great Britain is found to be in full force. A man ruling
us,--us and many other millions of subjects,--from the other side of
the globe, cannot see our wants and watch our progress as we can
do ourselves. And even Sir Ferdinando coming upon us with all his
experience, can hardly be able to ascertain how we may be made happy
and prosperous. He has with him, however, a company of a celebrated
English regiment, with its attendant officers, who, by their red
coats and long swords, will no doubt add to the cheerfulness of your
social gatherings. I hope that you may not find that they shall ever
interfere with you after a rougher fashion.

"But upon me, my fellow-citizens, has fallen the great disgrace of
having robbed you of your independence." Here a murmur ran through
the hall, declaring that this was not so. "So your new Governor
has told you, but he has not told you the exact truth. With whom
the doctrine of the Fixed Period first originated, I will not now
inquire. All the responsibility I will take upon myself, though the
honour and glory I must share with my fellow-countrymen.

"Your Governor has told you that he is aware of all the arguments by
which the Fixed Period is maintained; but I think that he must be
mistaken here, as he has not ventured to attack one of them. He has
told us that it is fitting that we should leave the question of life
and death in the hands of the Almighty. If so, why is all Euro