ee, we ee De. Xx. 123 
M. Turcot’s approbation, by his undertaking the tafk of 
tranflating them into the French language. 
I Am aware, that the evidence I have hitherto produced of 
Mr Smirn’s originality may be objeéted to as not perfectly de- 
cifive, as it refts entirely on the recolleAion of thofe ftudents 
who attended his firft courfes of moral philofophy at Glafgow ; 
a recollection which, at the diftance of forty years, cannot be 
fuppofed to be very accurate. There exifts however fortu- 
nately, a fhort manufcript, drawn up by Mr Smrru in the year 
1755, and prefented by him to a fociety of which he was then 
a member; in which paper, a pretty long enumeration is given 
of certain leading principles, both political and literary, to 
which he was anxious to eftablith his exclufive right; in order to 
prevent the poffibility of fome rival claims which he thought he 
had reafon to apprehend, and to which his fituation as a Profeffor, 
added to his unreferved communications in private companies, 
rendered him peculiarly liable. This paper is at prefent in my 
poffeffion. It is expreffed with a good deal of that honeft and 
indignant warmth, which is perhaps unavoidable by a man 
who is confcious of the purity of his own intentions, when he 
fufpeéts, that advantages have been taken of the franknefs of 
his temper. On fuch occafions, due allowances are not always. 
made for thofe plagiarifms which, however cruel in their ef- 
fects; do not neceffarily imply bad faith in thofe who are guilty 
of them; for the bulk of mankind, incapable themfelves of 
original thought, are perfectly unable to form a conception of 
the nature of the injury done to a man of inventive genius, by 
encroaching on a favourite fpeculation. For reafons known to: 
fome members of this Society, it would be improper, by the 
publication of this manufcript, to revive the memory of private 
differences ; and I fhould not have even alluded to it, if I did 
not think it a valuable document of the progrefs of Mr SmrtHn’s. 
political ideas at a very early period. Many of the moft im- 
I (Q 2) ‘ portant 
Account of 
Dr Smith, 
