390 : 
“ Useful or necessary . changes _in, Jegis- 
lation, and in the administration of states, ; 
ought only to emanate from’ the free will 
andthe intelligent ‘and well-weighéd con-' 
viction’ of those: whom God hes rendered 
responsible for ‘power. 
““ Before I proceed,” says our author, 
** to examine the new code, it may be well 
to mention, that’,the Diet- of - Frankfort, 
consisting - of ministers from all Germany, 
the peculiar land of the law of nations, 
made a voluntary declaration respecting this 
last paper, “that they were of one mind 
in revering in all its parts the beautiful mo- 
nument of their equity and love of order, 
which these soverigns have erected for the 
permanent consolation of all well-inten- 
tionedimen.” Surely it is time to examine 
closely the scope of a practical doctrine 
promulgated by sovereigns who command 
a million of armed men, and approyed of 
by. the representatives of the jurists of 
Europe. 
“Ti the first place then, it is the evident 
tendenicy, of this new law of nations, to 
prevent the improvement, of mankind pre- 
cisely where that improvement is most re- 
quired. | We ,haye seen that kings, | if 
entrusted with an unlimited prerogative, 
are liable to a more than a common. share 
of human error and weakness. But ona 
par with their ignorance and debasement 
will be their resistance to rational. innova~- 
tion ; and thus, as a direct corollary from 
the dey code, it follows that a king will 
retain his absolute power in proportion to 
his unfitness to exercise it, and that he is 
to have at his disposal the lives and pro- 
perties of millions of human beings, simply 
because he is incapable of conducting a 
good government, and totally deprived of 
the , knowledge, benevolence, and vigour 
necessary to reform a bad one.’ 
What is. called the monarchical prin; 
ciple therefore is, an expedient for clos- 
ing all bright prospects of improvement 
to the hunian race, a provision for per- 
perpetual despotism, a law for eternal 
ignorance, a decree on the part of the 
sovereigns of Europe to prevent all hope 
of redemption from the rule of tyran- 
ny, bigory, and vice. _ It can be compared 
to nothing but the vision of the genius of 
the Stornly Cape supposed to have appear- 
ed to the adventurous Vasco di Gama, and 
forbidden. with dreadful menaces, all fur- 
ther progress in the discovery of new seas, 
and the. unclosing of new prospects to 
mankind,” 
Having examined. with equal-freedom 
* theipure and generous principles”? of 
the magnanimous Alexander’s state 
paper of remonstrance to the Spaniard’s 
and ‘the: undisguised assumption ‘of 
Pritts Metternieh’s Austriat manifesto, 
or letter to"Baron Berstett, in which he 
complains of some 
eran” Princes 
Memoirs of the Affairs of. 
im va SH 
haying: given constitutions: sits hei? 
people, and: advisesnotonlya stewdy’ 
fast adherence to wit! is’ Hed | 
but the récovery ‘of What’ ‘hasbeen ost, 
Lio vd Hw 
our atithor thus proceeds +— eit na A 
« While the means propose d by, the |so- 
vereigns are thus inefficient, for, the purpose 
of promoting improvement, they are mighty 
and almost irresistible for the, purpose of 
preventing it. If a people worn out, by 
suffering, at length rise. against their ie 
ers, and demand a constitution, in the only, 
way it can be demanded with,effect,, widen 
licet, in arms, the allied monarchs; havea, 
million of troops ready. to, restore, meena y 
authority. 
** Let us now’ pass’ to Sits obseatias 
that flow from the adoption of principles so 
absurd and tyrannical.: They are,\as) might 
have been expected, in, contradiction.to the». 
maxims of common. sense, dangerous, te the |, 
repose of Europe, hostile, to, the rights, of , 
nations, and lead directly to a general con- 
fusion of all interests, laws, principles,, and 
securities. A nation is to be incapable of 
deciding for itself upon its own grievances 
and wants. A sovereign at a Eee 
miles distance is to pronounce an infall 
judgment upon them. | A congress is tobe’! 
held in. Moravia or) Carinthia or ‘Lom 
bardy, to discuss what. are, the: bestreme+°" 
dies for the abuses of powerat, Naples: ory> 
Madrid, Three absolute sovereigns are to 
decide infallibly on. the various, forms, and. 
regulations of free government... ‘T’ a : 
nets of Vienna, St. Petersburg, and. 
are to be entitled to judge, without : al i 
of the real sentiments of the! ee ee 
Genoa and Cadiz. Armies? of © 
Cossacks are to be marched from the’ tool uh 
savage parts of the globe, to ‘reform veivi 
lized. nations, and. put. down imall extremi='9 > 
ties of Europe the.example, of, revolutions 
effected by military force. 
are the penalties to be pronounced a against, ... 
legislative assembles which do not conf 
in their political institutions to the coe 
of Muscovy, Brandenburgh, and B ae : 
“Jt is impossible to say how far 's High a 
doctrine as this may be carried? '‘The'pre- te: Tf 
sent sovereigns of Russia, | Austtia, “and'°" 
Prussia, are not immortal.:)9 It vis quite iui" 
certain whether their, successors. may! noti:)'! 
have still. more extrayagant notions of theron 
omnipotence of, legiti ate monarchy, and jj +. 
the duty of, passive. obedience is lore 18 
the example of their progenitors b 
them, they can pricniate, PO, mee 
justlee of forcing op inions BA ce 
nations at the ppt PED the. eee BK 
tions, on ‘the « ot ther} hand, d sei, 
coming, or. rem aining.. free,.¥ 4 
they haye no chance of success unless ey 
can 
Excommunica ( 
tion, forfeiture, servitude, and proscription,. 35 
al 
we 
