Imatges de pàgina
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THE

EDINBURGH MAGAZINE,

OR

LITERARY MISCELLANY,

FOR FEBRUARY 1799.

FOR THE EDINBURGH MAGAZINE.

The GLEANER, No. IV. (concluded from our laft.)

of a half-pay officer, without having in his power to enjoy thofe com forts fo neceffary to his fituation

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The next fon is deftined for the navy; and at an early period, before his genius is fully developed, he is put on board of a ship of war. ter many years of hard service, when his conftitution is worn out with the fatigues of his profeffion, he may attain to the rank of lieutenant, probably to that of Poft-Captain; poffibly he may arrive at the height of nautical dignity; and by attending to his duty, or by fome fortuitous chance, he may be loaded with the praises of his country and the appro bation of the government ;-but on the other hand, his career of glory may be foon ended; he may be difabled in the fervice; he may retire and pafs the remainder of his exiftence in a fimilar obfcure fituation with that of his brother.

WHEN advanced to that age at it is ufual to adopt fome it profeffional mode of life, their father informs the eldest that he has procured for him a commiffion in the army, and that he muft equip himself and join his regiment without delay. This young man is poffibly the one who poffeffes talents of a philofophical or oratorical nature, by the cul tivation of which he had flattered himself with attaining to future eminence. It is however in vain to object; his honour is engaged; he must be a foldier. To trace the progrefs of his life will be a fimple task. Torn from all that is moft dear to him; fent abroad a member of a profeffion which in its principles and practice he detefts: obliged to yield to diffipation, which has no charms for him, added to the mortification of feeing junior officers, poffeffors of fuperior intereft, placed over his head; and finding his parents totally occupied with the fate of his eldeft brother, he inks into a defponding lethargy, produced by thefe combined and irritating circumftances, and only at tempts to do his duty. Should he return to his native country after the dangers of war, or of a foreign climate, it is only to pass the remainder of his life in the gloom and obfcurity

;

The two remaining boys are deftined to the profeffion of the law one as an Advocate, and by chance his abilities and inclinations are adapted to that study; the other as a Writer, whofe defires are placed upon a military life.

The advocate, if his oratorical powers are eminent, begins in a few years to attract the attention of the L2

Court,

Court, and to find his ftudies and diligence rewarded by the accumulation of bnfiness. He may perhaps find an opportunity of getting into Parliament, and he inlifts under the banners of Oppofition, as being the fureft way to obtain notice. His fame increafes in proportion to his patriotic exertions; but he finds that it will require at least a confiderable lapfe of time to turn the miniftry out of place, probably that fuch an event may not happen. Impelled by poverty to fix his anxious glances upon the loaves and fishes, he takes the first opportunity of gulping down the fop thrown by the hand of power, of burying in an infamous oblivion the recollection of his former exertions in the cause of liberty, and of deferting those friends whose honour and integrity is incorruptible, to receive the doceurs of a place, and the gracious fmiles of the beftowers of pent fions.

From this period he either be comes merely a voting member, or if he exerts the powers of his elo. quence, he does fo in direct contra diction to the very fentiments, the fupporting of which first brought him into notice. But this is the favourable fide of the picture. On the other hand, there is a ftrong probability, that he may plod on in the common path allotted to lawyers; that he may pafs many of the beft years of his life in penury and obfcurity, and never rife above medio crity either in fame or fortune, happy, if he even attains to that.

The last of these young men is placed in an attorney's writing room, and forced to enter into the practice of a profeffion, the theory of which was previously disagreeable to him The fprightlinefs of his temper is ill adapted to a dry and abftrufe ftudy; and his deteftation is rendered additionally strong, when he finds himself obliged to run about with bags and bundles of papers, inftead of carrying

a "pair of colours," or of giving commands at the head of a company fword in hand. At the found of the drum or trumpet his heart throbs with violence; at the appearance of military pomp, his eyes flafh with intelligence; at the narration of gallant actions, his breaft glows with emulation; he indulges in a delightful reverie produced by the enthufiafm of the moment, but which is foon difturbed by the harsh voice of his master.

The recollection of his fituation returns with aggravated bitterness to his heart, he is induced by his feelings to execrate his fituation, and "urged by thofe paffions "which at a certain age bear down "the comparatively weak barriers of "worldly wildom and of prudence,

he plunges into diffipation, ruins "his health, corrupts his morals, fours his temper, becomes difa. greeable to himself and to all a"round him, and fometimes is urged "by the mifery he fuffers to put an "end to his existence."

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To illuftrate more strongly my affertion, that the privileges of primogeniture are a moral wrong, we must confider what would, in all probability have been the fate of these five young men had they been each poffeffed of an equal fhare of fortune, fufficient to have enabled them to have chofen a profeffion agreeable to their feelings and inclinations, or, had they been entitled, at the demife of their father, to have received a fair proportion of his eftate, without any invidious preference being paid to feniority of birth. Their parents in that event would have been equally interested in the fuccefs of each; and in order to promote that fuccefs, would undoubtedly have allowed them to have followed the bent of their difpofitions The eldest fon, inftead of being nurtured in indolence and ignorance, and cherished like a "fick girl," would have been sent to a public fchool, where he would have

received

"eceived an education fimilar to that of his brother. The o hers would have had an opportunity of profecuting their ftudies or profeffions in a manner fuitable to their birth and expectations; when they faw no un just preference paid to this brother, they would have had an additional inducement to exertion; and in place of looking upon him as the ufurper of their rights, they would have regarded him with fraternal affection; while he would have been emulous of at leaft equalling them in mental accomplishments. The foldier and the failor would have had the ability to have prevented any junior officers being placed over them, as their fortune would have been fufficient to have procured neceffary and proper promotion, or in cafe of their being difabled in the fervice would have enabled them to have enjoyed eafe and happiness in retirement. The writer would have fuffered no tyrannical abuse of power to have impelled him to the ftudy of a profeffion disagreeable to his feelings; and the orator would have been enabled to have persisted in exerting his eloquence in the cause of his country, with no accufations of apoftafy to embitter his enjoyments, no merited reflections thrown upno his conduct, no execrations of the public to cloud the setting of his existence. On the contrary, he might have long fhone a brilliant luminary in the hemifphere of patriotism, the ornament of Parliament; and with the admiration and efteem of the public, he might have hurled the lightening of truth against the artifices and attempts of corruption. Raised by merit to fill an office of confequence, he might have become a ftatefman, the juftice and integrity of whofe conduct would have attracted the refpect even of his opponents, and when his virtuous career was ended, he would have been followed to the grave by the tears of a grateful nation to whofe

welfare he had devoted his time and abilities.

Each of thefe young men would have had it in their power to have adopted that mode of happiness molt congenial to their ideas; they might have chofen the women of their hearts to have been the partners of their lives, to have foftened the diftreffes of frail humanity, to have lightened the troubles of their feveral vocations, without any harsh exercise of authority, to have dafhed the cup of felicity from their lips or to have embittered their enjoyments.

To trace the fate of the female part of the family is unneceffary, as the "fofter tex" must always be hap. py or miserable, fortunate or unfor tunate, according to the lot of the generality of men.

From these premifes it is fufficiently evident, that the privileges attached to feniority of birth form a general moral wrong, of the utmoft magnitude; as the benefit of ONE individual is not only preferred to that of SEVERAL, but is alfo promoted to their manifeft injury. That this inference is incontrovertible, there furely cannot be the fhadow of a doubt; for waving all argument refpecting the natural equality of man, I fhall only ask, Whether thefe young men who are equal in rank, in rational and in natural rights, as being the defcendants of the fame parents, are not confequently entitled to a fair and equal hare of the property of thefe parents?

Third Title.

That the privileges of primogeniture conftitute dangerous political evils, is abundantly obvious in feveral views.

It, As enflaving a great mojority of men to promote the power and enjoyments of a comparatively Small minority. In order to evince the juttnefs of this inference, we muft confider the nature of civil liberty, which

is the power which every member of a free State is entitled to enjoy over his awn actions and inclinations, provided that hole actions and inclinations do not militate against the intereft of the State, or the rights of any of his fellow citizens. Now, it is perfectly evident that younger brothers in g neral, fo far from enjoying a power over their own actions and inclinations, are fubject to an infamous fyftem of opp:ffion in their outlet of life, and are almost ever after, in a state of de pendence upon, and subject to the controut of, their tyrannical relations, which is the most grievous ftate of avery in the world'

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2dly, This unequal divifion of property, as lodging the rights of e lection in a great measure, in the bands f an aristocracy, neither diftinguished for their numbers, their abilities, or their accomplishments, is highly prejudicial to the freedom of the nation. To fatisfy ourfelves whe ther this inference is founded on folid grounds, we have only to confi der the definition of political liberty, which undoubtedly is the power which the members of a State *ought to have of arriving at pub **lic offices, or at least of having votes * in the nomination of those who fill them"

Lastly, As tending to the material injury of the nation, by repreffing the population; as thefe younger brothers, were they permitted and enabled to marry at a time when their inclinations are strong and their bodies vigorous, would in all probability have a numerous and healthy offspring, who might fupport the intereft of the public in various ways; and the loss of thefe citizens and of fuch fupport is attended with the moft ruinous confequences.

Fourth Title.

An act of the Legislature declaring, that the property of parents at their deccafe fhould in future be di

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vided in the following or fimilar proportions, would be effectual for remedying all thefe evils One year's intereft of the monied, and one year's rental of the landed property, to be left in the power of the proprietor to difpofe of in legacies, or in any manner, and to any perfon he thought fit t; a fimilar fum to be allotted as the portion of the daughter or daughters; and under the burden of these incumbrances the whole property to be divided equally amongst the fons;failing of fons among the daughters, and failing of them, amongst the family of his neareft relation ; referving to the eldeft the title, and diguities of the family. The advantages to be derived from fuch a divifion of property would be various, and highly beneficial in their nature, both to individuals and to the community at large; as the members of a State must be happy and free, in general, in proportion to the equality of their poffeffions. It certainly could not be a hardship upon any proprietor, to ordain a fair diftribution of his fortune to be made amongft his own children at his deceate; and although such diftribution might be disadvantageous to thofe elder fons who have been educated in the idea of aggrandizing the whole wealth of the family, as it would pre-, vent them from fupporting their folly, and indulging their vitious appetites, in fo great a degree as they can do at prefent, yet in a fhort lapfe of time even that disadvantage would no longer be recollected, and fucceeding generations would be fenfible of the abfurdity of regretting the lofs of privileges and monopolies, which were no longer authorised. The hope of gaining a part or probably the whole of the legacy fum, would be one motive to induce the children to vie with each other in attention to

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equality, and the knowledge that the refpect, the estimation and the fupport of the world, and any fuperiority over one another, could only be acquired, by fulfilling the moral duties of fociety (one of the princi pal of which is refpect to parents,) in a proper and exemplary manner. The fate of the female part of the community would also be much more happy than it is at present, as young men would be enabled, by the competency of their fortunes, to marry, without the inducement of large portions; and the union of two young perfons produced by love or mutual efteem, would be attended with more felici y than one promoted through felfifh and interefted views. But befides this, the fortunes of the ladies would often be very large, for fuppofing a man of L 50,000. per ann. to have only one daughter, fhe would be entitled to a year's intereft of his eftate at his deceafe, and in the event of his leaving her the legacy fum, her fortune would be One Hundred Thousand Pounds.

To trace the operations of a law of this nature, let us fuppofe it to have been established previous to the death of a man poffeffed of L.5000 a year, who leaves a wife with a joint. ure of L. 500, and a family confifting of five fons, and feveral daughters. The property being equally divided, the fortune of each of the young men, (under the following deductions) would be, per ann. L.1000 o Proportion of the jointure,

L.100 0 0

of the intereft of the daughter's portion and legacy fum,

100 00

200

Income remaining to each, L.8co o o

remained inactive; neither to have added to, nor detracted from their fortune; and to have families as large as that of their father, the income of each of the males of the fecond generation will be as follows, including the proportion of the jointure which will in all probability have reverted to the family, L. 180 00 Proportion of jointure, (fuppofe 160l.) Proportion of the interelt of legacy fum, and daughter's por tion,

In this view, the fons receive no

part of the legacy fum.

Suppofe all of these fons to have

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L. 3200

L. 1800

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Thus fuppofing the male part of thefe large families to have remained inactive to the third generation, (which is however fcarcely poffible,) there would be a fufficient fortune remaining to enable the defcendents of each of them to enter into the fcenes of active life, and atone by industry for the culpable indolence of their predeceffors; at all events, the obfcurity and contempt which they may thus fall into, will be merited.

To conclude We would have lefs reafon to regret the partial diftribution of fortune, or to lament the evils arifing from it, were the elder brothers, or even the majority of them, equally diflinguifhed for the luftre of their talents in the fenate or in the

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