MR GLADSTONE TO AMERICA.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2063, 14 August 1875, Page 3

MR GLADSTONE TO AMERICA.

The following is the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone's letter in reply to am American invitation to attend the Centennial banquet:—" Gentlemen —I have the honour to receive the letter in which yoii convey to me a very warm. an,d courteous invitation to attend the banquet which it is proposed to hold at Lexiugton in commemoration of the attainment of independence by the United States of America. The circumstances of the war that yielded that result, the principles it illustrates, and the remarkable powers and characters of the principal men who took part, whether as soldiers' or civilians, in the struggle, have always invested it with a peculiar interest in my eyes, quite independently of the intimate concern of

this countiy in the events themselves On account of these features, that war and its accompaniments seem to me to constitute one of the most instructive chapters of modern history, and I have repeatedly recommended them to the young men as subjects of especial study. With these views, I need not say how far I am from regarding the approaching celebration with indifference. It is entirely beyond my power to cross the sea, even with the present admirable communication, for the purpose of attendance. The present time happens to be for me, even independently of my attendance in Parliament, one of very urgent occupations which I am not at liberty to put aside. But I earnestly hope, and I cannot doubt, that the celebration will be worthy of the occasion. In a retrospective view of the eventful period my countrymen'can now contemplate its incidents with impartiality. I do not think that they should severely blame their ancestors, whose struggle to maintain the unity of the British Empire is one that must, I think, after the late great war of. the North: and South be viewed in America with some sympathy and indulgence. We can hardly be expected to rate very highly the motives of those other powers who threw their weight into the other, scale, and who so sensibly contributed towards accelerating, if not, indeed determining, the issue of the war. Yet, for one, I can most truly say that whatever the motives, and however painful the process, they, while seeking to do an injury, conferred upon us a great benefit by releasing us from efforts, the continuance of which would have been an unmixed evil. As regards the fathers of the American Constitution themselves, I believe we can and do now, contemplate their great qualities and achievements with an admiration as pure as that of American citizens, and can rejoice no less heartily that, in the councils of/Providence they were made instruments of a purpose most beneficial to the world. The circumstances under which the United States began their national existence, and their unexampled rapidity of advance in wealth and population, enterprise, and power, have imposed upon their people an.enormous responsibility. They will be tried as we shall at the Bar of History, but on a greater scale. They will be compared with the men, not only of other countries" but of other times. They canrtot-escape' from the liabilities and burdens which their greatness imposes on them. No one desires more fervently than T do that they may be able to realise the highest hopes and anticipations that belong to theirj great position in the family of men.—l have the honor to be, gentlemen, your obliged and faithful servant. —W. E Gladstone. '