the authority of every government is founded in opinion, it must be the part of political wifdom to give the flightest poffible fhock to long established opinion, even in cafes of the greateft extremity. The language of the Scotch Convention, as it fhocked fome of the moft deep-rooted as well as falutary opinions, was extremely improper, though it has been generally adopted by the metaphyfical politicians of that country; but the reader who wishes to understand the principles which guided our patriotic ftatesmen at the revo lution of 1688, will find them clearly detailed and ably supported against the groundlefs objections of fuch writers as Mr. Millar, in Burke's Reflections on the French Revolution, a work which it is to be hoped will live as long as the language in which it is written. Before the author enters upon that part of his fubject in which he proposes to take a view of the English government, from the reign of William the Third to the prefent time, he gives a fhort sketch of the political hiftory of Ireland, from the firft invafion of that ifland by the English, in the reign of Henry the Second. This sketch is on the whole well written, though in his account of almost every infurrection of the Irish, Mr. Millar takes part with the infurgents, and occafionally throws out fentiments which we are unable to reconcile with any principle on which civil government can reft as on a stable foundation. Such are furely the sentiments expreffed in the following extract. "It is to be obferved, that the effect of old usage must be limited by confiderations of public utility, and that the most univerfal fubmifion of a people, however long continued, will not give fanction to meafures incompatible with the great interefts of fociety. Had the Irish parliament, by general practice, been rendered entirely fubordinate to that of England, the pernicious tendency of fuch a conftitution, with refpect to Ireland, muft appear of fuch magnitude, as to fhock our feelings of juftice, and, at any diftance of time, to justify the inhabitants in afferting their natural rights." Vol. IV. p. 58. We fhould be glad to be informed by the afferters of such doctrines as this, who is to judge of the great interests of fociety, and of the pernicious tendency of a conftitution to which univerfal fubmiffion has been yielded for ages. Not furely the people at large; for nine-tenths of them know nothing of the great interefts of fociety, or of the particular tendency of any conftitution; but if a few philofophers be entitled to decide on fuch matters, and to iffue their opinions authoritatively from their profefforial chairs, why did this author author condemn projectors of conftitutions, on the model of ideal perfection, to chains and a mad-house? Returning to his main fubject, the Government of England, Mr. Millar traces the influence of the crown, from its rife in the reign of William the Third, to the prefent period. That influence arifes from the augmentation of the public revenue, the extenfion of the empire, the confequent number of high offices in the difpofal of the king, the number of penfioners and placemen fcattered through the kingdom always ready, he says, to applaud the measures of the present adminiftration, and even from the increase of the national debt. Of this growing influence he draws fuch a picture as might lead foreigners to infer, that the liberties of the people of England are gone for ever; and that the present influence is more dangerous than the ancient prerogative. It is to be remembered, however, that this part of the work was not prepared by the author for the prefs, and that therefore no inference can be fairly drawn from it injurious to his memory. Of this fact we are informed by the editors, whofe information is corroborated by internal evidence. The following paragraph is fo obviously incomplete, that no man can fuppofe that, in its prefent ftate, it would have been given to the public, by an author who generally expresses his meaning with perfpicuity and precifion. "Upon the whole, the ordinary public revenue directly at the difpofal of the crown, or indirectly contributing to its infuence, which immediately before the revolution amounted to about two millions yearly, has, by the gradual expanfion of the two great branches already mentioned *, rifen to the prodigious annual fum of above thirty millions; and thus without including the value of thofe numerous offices and places in the gift of the crown, which are fupported by other funds than the national taxes." P. 87. And thus, what! The paffage has neither grammar nor meaning and the editors, if they were acquainted with the author's train of thinking on fuch fubjects, are to blame for not fupplying the claufe neceffary to complete the sense. The growing influence of the crown is in fome degree balanced by the fpirit of liberty and independence diffufed through the nation by the advancement of manufactures, * "That which is intended to defray the annual expence of government, and that which is levied to difcharge the annual intereft of the national debt.” commerce, commerce, and the arts, fince the reign of William the Third. On these topics we have many ingenious obfervations, tending to prove that Mr. Millar was qualified to rank high among the writers on political economy, had he devoted his time and attention to that fubject of fashionable ftudy. We truft, however, that the helm of the State will never, in this nation, be put into the hands of theoretical œconomists; for however plaufible their fpeculations may appear in a book, they have fhown by their conduct in a neighbouring nation, that they are unfkilful manufacturers of conftitutions. The author endeavours to prove that the fubdivifion of labour in manufactures, though it contributes greatly to their improvement, tends to contract the understandings of the lower orders of mechanics; and though he probably pushes his theory too far, there is fome truth in the following obfervations. "The bufinefs of agriculture is lefs capable of a minute fubdivifion of labour than the greater part of mechanical employments. The fame workman has often occafion to plough, to fow, and to reap; to cultivate the ground for different purposes, and to prepare its curious productions for the market. He is obliged alternately to handle very oppofite tools and inftruments; to repair, and even fometimes to make them for his own ufe; and always to accommodate the different parts of his labour to the change of the feasons, and to the variations of the weather. He is employed in the management and rearing of cattle, becomes frequently a grazier and corn-merchant, and is unavoidably initiated in the myfteries of the horfe-jockey. What an extent of knowledge, therefore, muft he poffefs! What a diverfity of talents must he exercife, in comparison with the mechanic, who employs his whole labour in fharpening the point, or in putting on the head of a pin! How different the education of these two perfons! The pin-maker, who commonly lives in a town, will have more of the fashionable improvements of fociety than the peafant; he will undoubtedly be better dreffed; he will, in all probability, have more book-learning, as well as lefs coarseness in the tone of his voice, and lefs uncouthnefs in his appearance and deportment. Should they both be enamoured of the fame female; it is natural to fuppofe that he would make the better figure in the eyes of his mistrefs, and that he would be most likely to carry the prize. But in a bargain he would affuredly be no match for his rival. He would be greatly inferior in real intelligence and acutenefs, much less qualified to converse with his fuperiors, to take advantage of their foibles, to give a plau Tt BRIT. CRIT. VOL. XXVII. JUNE, 1806. fible fible account of his measures, or to adapt his behaviour to any peculiar and unexpected emergency." Pp. 153-155. From this and other reafonings of the fame kind, this author, though he admits that an increase of opulence and of intellectual improvements is equally produced in nations at large by the fame progrefs in commerce and manufactures, yet infers that, among individuals, this diftribution of things is far from being fo uniformly established; and that, among the lower orders of the people, it is completely reversed. Into the three laft chapters of this work we do not feel ourfelves called upon to enter minutely. They are but loosely connected with the hiftory of the English government; and though the author has thrown out many ingenious thoughts on the effects of commerce, opulence, and civilization, on the morals of a people, on the progrefs of science relative to law and government, and on the political influence of the fine arts, he has advanced little that is new or very ftriking. He is furely mistaken in fuppofing that manufactures and commerce have funk, in Britain, the general eftimation of the military character in fuch a degree as to diminish the ardour of the people to maintain their laws and independence; and the immenfe fums collected for the widows and children of those brave men, who have fallen in the defence of their king and country, as well as the relief, which, in fome years of fcarcity, was lately extended by the rich to the poor, feem to prove, that our benevolence ís not yet abforbed by our rigid attention to commercial concerns. In the chapter on the progrefs of fcience relative to law and government, there is much entitled to praife; but to represent the chief magiftrate as the real fervant of the people (p. 305) was not very confiftent with the following just fentiments. "Without a fubordination of ranks, without a power vested in fome men to controul and direct the behaviour of others, and calculated to produce a fyftem of uniform and confiftent operations, it is impoffible that a multitude of perfons, living together, hould be induced to refign their own private intereft to fubdue their oppofite and jarring paffions, and regularly to promote the general happiness." P. 293. "It is evident that the diffufion of knowledge tends more and more to encourage and bring forward the principle of utility in all political difcuffions; but we must not thence conclude, that the influence of mere authority, operating without reflection, is entirely useless. From the difpofitions of mankind to pay respect and ག and fubmiffion to fuperior perfonal qualities, and ftill more to a fuperiority of rank and ftation, together with that propensity which every one feels to continue in those modes of action to which he has long been accuftomed, the great body of the people, who have commonly neither leifure nor capacity to weigh the advantages of public regulations, are prevented from indulging their unruly paffions, and retained in fubjection to the magiftrate. The fame difpofitions contribute in fome degree to restrain those rash and vifionary projects, which proceed from the ambition of ftatefmen, or the wanton defire of innovation, and by which nations are expofed to the most dreadful calamities. Those feel. ings of the human mind, which give rife to authority, may be regarded as the wife provifion of nature for fupporting the order and government of fociety." P. 309. On the whole, we have been amufed and inftructed by this elaborate work, which, with all the defects to which posthumous publications are liable, evinces that its author poffeffed a mind of large grafp. The antipathy entertained by fuch a man to the name of king, is a fingular phænomenon in the hiftory of human nature; for Mr. Millar regrets every fuccefsful fruggle made by the Scottish monarchs against the fierce and turbulent ariftocracy, though he seems to have been well aware that, in thofe ages, the elevation of the throne was the firft ftep towards the liberty of the people. The ftyle of the work is in general perfpicuous and precife; but it abounds with a greater number of typographical errors, efpecially in the laft volume, than we have often met with in a work of equal importance. Thefe, it is to be hoped, will be corrected in a fecond edition; for though we have found frequent occafion to differ in opinion from the author, we think The Hiftorical View of the English Government worthy of going through many editions. ART. III. Military Memoirs of Mr. George Thomas, who, by extraordinary Talents and Enterprize, rofe, from an obfcure Situation to the rank of a General, in the Service of the Native Powers in the North Weft of India. Through the Work are interfperfed, Geographical and Statistical Accounts of feveral of the States, compofing the Interior of the Peninfula, especially the Countries of Jypoor, Joudpoor and Oudipoor, by Geographers denominated Rajpootaneh, the Seiks of Punjaub, the Territory of Beykaneer, and the Country adjoining the Great Defert to the Weftward of Hurrianeh. Tt2 Compiled |