TA 
The reserve which characterized Captain Carmichael's man- 
ners in company disappeared in the society of his intimate 
friends. His greatest delight was to meet with a person with 
whom he could converse freely on general topics, and then 
the range of his knowledge, the acuteness of his observations, 
and the accuracy of his reasonings, were fully elicited. On 
these occasions he generally suggested a subject of discussion, 
taking obvious pleasure in grappling with the intellect of his 
friend, and ascribing to his reasonings the measure of merit 
due to them. His favourite topic for conversation was the 
progress of knowledge and free inquiry. 
* In the arts and samda he once said, “in astronomy, 
chemistry, medicine, the progress of improvement in modern 
times has been rapidly advancing, but in law, and the otber 
moral sciences, the impulse has been in the opposite direc- 
tion. Our ancestors were, on those topics, it seems, wiser 
than we are, and their mandates are to be propped and pro- 
tected from the sacrilegious hand of innovation as if they had 
been the oracles of divine truth. The reason is obvious 
enough. The former are open to the whole world, nor has 
any one the power, however it might be his interest, to obstruct 
their progress; the latter, on the contrary, are strict and inve- 
terate monopolies, in the possession of powerful and active 
corporations, who feel deeply interested in guarding them 
from the most distant approach of change. This is the clog 
that impedes the wheel of reform, and which, sooner than 
suffer it to revolve, would see the whole machine of govern- 
ment torn to pieces." 
"With these sentiments, it may cow be supposed that he 
was not of that number who look to the future with despon- 
dency. A strong regard to general improvement, and hope, 
which loves to paint a desired object reflecting the sunbeams, 
made coming ages appear bright to his eye, and in one of 
these discussions concerning the past, and the influence of 
science on the future, in which he delighted, he thus elegantly 
expressed himself: “There is in society a numerous, and, no 
doubt, well-meaning class of people, who regard the human - 
race as in a progressive course of degeneration. "These 
