MONTHLY REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND ART. 471 



capacity to understand them ; but where circumstances have created a con- 

 flict of opinion, or a collision of interest, out of which antagonist influences 

 the remedy for the grievance, whatever it be, is to be supplied, the only 

 advantage of overring to principles is, that they may be constantly and bene- 

 ficially borne in mind. And then it is not only well, but indispensable, that 

 they be put forth in a plain, intelligible, and direct form. 



In a word, this " putting a case" is, in nine instances out of ten, merely 

 putting a difficulty. A storm in the tropics is not very strikingly illustrated 

 by a convulsed puddle in the precincts ; and a bee very busy in a sun-flower 

 is but a sorry representation of a bull very boisterous in a china-shop. Sup- 

 pose this piece of white chalk to be a piece of green cheese, that will not con- 

 vince us that Dover Cliff bears any resemblance to the hills of Cheddar. 



Again, the politico-philosophical tyro who may happen to be very obtuse 

 on a question of sugar and coffee, is not likely to be remarkably acute in 

 details of a chank or a pearl ; and the fanciful machinery chosen by Miss 

 Martineau for the exhibition of her principles is far more calculated to divert 

 him from the pursuit than to encourage him in the study of theories, in 

 whose company fancy, at least, seems to be somewhat out of her element. 



Miss Martineau, in the work before us, " Cinnamon and Pearls," has 

 attempted to show that the restrictive principle, as applied by England to her 

 colonies, is neither to the advantage of the colonies themselves, nor for the 

 interest of the Mother Country ; and that " in proportion, therefore, as trade 

 with colonies is distinguished from trade with other places, by restriction on 

 buyers at home, or on sellers in the colonies, that trade (involving the appa- 

 ratus of restriction), becomes an occasion of loss instead of gain to the 

 empire." 



We have not much to urge against the arguments employed by Miss Mar- 

 tineau, that we cannot set forth in a very few words. We perfectly agree 

 with our authoress, that the restriction of trade, as between us and the colo- 

 nies, is vastly prejudicial to this country ; but we are inclined to believe that 

 the boon of free trade granted to our merchants, and extended to the colo- 

 nies, would be any thing but a desirable circumstance to the latter. We are 

 disposed to believe that all the increase of trade of which the colonies may be 

 susceptible, and which the removal of restrictive enactments would enable 

 them to turn to the best advantage, would not in any desirable degree com- 

 pensate for the loss of ultra-profitable commerce in which they have been 

 engaged with us. We conceive that we have been paying a ruinous premium 

 to the colonies for their goods, which, without restriction, we should have 

 got much cheaper, or have procured elsewhere ; and we contend that the 

 restrictive system was invented for the cure, and has quite answered its pur- 

 pose of enriching the colonies at the expense of the Mother Country. And 

 it can be shown that the colonies do not at this moment exhibit a satisfactory 

 illustration of our argument, it is, we think, quite as clear that their present 

 state is no consequence of restriction, but is attributable to very different 

 causes. 



We cannot sufficiently praise the perspicuous and elegant style of Miss 

 Martineau, which is one of this lady's chief commendations, and has, we 

 doubt not, contributed in a great measure to the popularity of her writings. 

 What, for instance, can be more exquisite than the following description. It 

 is the first day of the pearl fishery in Ceylon : 



" All were confident ; and the crowds on the beach looked as joyous for 

 the night as if the work was going on for their sakes. A city of bowers 

 seemed to have sprung up like Jonah's gourd, or like the tabernacles which, 

 in old times of Jewish festivals, made Jerusalem a leafy paradise for a short 

 season of every year. Talipot tents, and bamboo huts dressed with greens 

 and flowers, were clustered around the sordid dwellings on the sands. 

 Throngs of merchants and craftsmen, black, tawny, and white, with their 



