248 BURKE destructive war. In these distressing circumstances, Lord North was anxious to attain a medium where none could exist; he proposed to repeal all the obnoxious laws of the preceding administration, with the exception of that which imposed a duty on tea, in itself of no importance, but which he conceived it advisable to retain, as a mark of the authority of parliament over the colonies. This measure was evidently impolitic in the extreme, as it evinced the weakness of the government without removing the cause of the dispute. The opposition of the Americans was not to the amount of taxation, but to the principle, which was equally established by the most trifßing tax, as by the most oppressive and degrading impositions. This measureg evidently founded on the same mistaken policy, and emanating from the same principles with that which Mr. Burke had so strongly advocated on his first appearance in the house of commons, was on this occasion opposed by that gentleman with the keenest force of his ridicule: “Lord North's scheme," he said, "was a heterogeneous mixture of concession and coercion; of concession not tend- ing to conciliate, and of coercion that could not be carried into execution; at once exciting hatred for the intention, and contempt for the weakness. Thus, the malignity of your will is abhorred, and the debility of your power is contemned ; and parliament, which you persuade to sanc- tion your follies, is exposed to dishonour." To account for this apparently extraordinary change of sentiment, Dr. Bisset observes with much metaphysical subtilty of reasoning, that "as Burke's great genius was more and more matured by experience, he became, in estimating plans for the conduct of affairs, less and less attentive to questions of abstraction;" and pursues bis argument until he arrives at the conclusion that "abstract competency should be regarded as subservient to moral competency." "The Americans," says Bisset, reasoning for Burke, "have been very serviceable to Britain under the old system ; do not therefore, let us rashly seek a new.
