The Baron DeKalb [pp. 141-202]

178 Tite Baron DeI~aTh. [July,
sequences of that progress, against which his instincts
were yet sufficiently alive; and, but that the hatred of
Britain was, in France, the dominant passion, and one
which her kincr could not repress or withstand, he would
have shrunk with horror at the idea of encouragin~ provinces-remote dependencies in particular-to a proceeding which threatened to deprive monarchy of that prestige-that habitual reverence and prescriptive sanction
(assumed) of heaven, which, up to this period, had been
the main security of kings. But one instinct-that of
Anglo.mania-overcame the other. There was not the
slightest portion of magnanimity in the course pursued by
France. She held off as long as possible, and it was
only after Burgoyne's defeat, and after the American coloflies, having borne the conflict single-handed for three
years, had shown adequate powers of endurance-only,
indeed, when the feeling of Great Britain began decidedly
to incline towards making concessions to the colonies, and
her cominissioners had heen despatched to America, with
full powers (as it was thought) to this end-that France
threw herself honestly into the contest. It is not denied
that she had given secret help and countenance before;
but this secret help bore no sort of proportion either to
the necessities of the colonies or the greatness and capacity of France. Her intervention was not only slow and
selfish, but doled out, for a long while, with a niggaHly
reserve, which did not become her asserted magnificence.
In the letter which follows, we are again reminded of
the solicitude which the excellent Baron exhibits in respect to his foreign correspondence. It is evident that,
whether his letters are meant for his wife, or for ministers,
he rates their importance highly. It would be curious to
learn, in what degree his despatches had tended to the
final action of France; or whether they exercised any
influence at all. The vanity of the Baron,and his policy,
might equally tend to make him desirous of producing
the impression that it did. But, to the letter, which is
addressed to the President of Congress, and dated
"AT CAMP, VALLEY FORGE, ~TH ~~AY, 1~~8.
"~in:-By the last letter I did niyself the honour to write to
your Exc~lleiicy, on the 1st inst., I showed, I tl~ink, a good deal of
uneasiliess on aceount of the news brought by Mr. Deane, not know