^08 



Erroneous Viewa of the Edinburgh Review 



[July 1, 



the province of Yemen ; also certain 

 places on the borders of the Red Sea, 

 with the whole western coast of the 

 Persian Gulph, the isle of Baherin, fa- 

 mous for its pearl fisheries, and several 

 other districts of Arabistan. 



The memoir of M. R. details all the 

 principal expeditions of the Wechabites, 

 with their victories, and the reverses 

 they afterwards experienced from the 

 troops of the Pasha of Epfypt. All 

 tliese expeditions Avere attended with 

 wnheard of cruelties ; not to avenge an 

 outrage or a violated territory, or to 

 succour oppressed tribes, but origina- 

 ting in the ambition of the chiefs, a re- 

 flection too applicable to the wars of 

 Europe. 



Theauthoi's memoir terminates with 

 a succinct narrative of the campaigns of 

 the Wechabiteg, in the years 1811, 12, 

 and 13. He has not been able to col- 

 lect an authentic document, to bring 

 down his relation to the present time. 

 The opinion he has formed of the cha- 

 racter, projects, and resources of the 

 Wechabites, is, that notwithstanding 

 their reverses in Arabia, they must 

 prove a source of constant alarm to the 

 Ottoman Porte. 



During the residence of M. Burck- 

 hardt at Damascus, these sectaries ad- 

 vanced to within twelve leagues of the 

 city, when the greater part of the terri- 

 fied population sought refuge in the 

 mountains. The environs were ra- 

 vaged, and so alert were the robbers in 

 the work of devastation, that they left 

 nothing but the bare walls of fifty vil- 

 lages. 



There is one Invariable law among 

 them, that of dividing the spoils. The 

 chief has a fifth part ; the remainder is 

 divided amongst the men, so that each 

 horseman has three lots, and each foot 

 soldier, or conductor of a camel, one 

 lot. The soldier who in battle kills a 

 horseman, claims the spoils as his right. 



In the beginning of 18 Ki, the hosti- 

 lities of the Wechabites ended with the 

 capture of Deraich, their last asylum. 

 This was utterly destroyed by order of 

 the Pasha of Egj'pt. But more recent 

 accounts report that they have again 

 appeared in arms, at the end of some 

 months, both on the Continent and on 

 the Persian Gulph. 



To-tke Editor of th» Monthly JUagasint. 



■ IR, 



ONE of my friends, struck with 

 the sophistry and ignorance of 

 political economy, displayed in the 



article " France," in the 67th num- 

 ber of the Edinburgh Review, under- 

 took to make some observations with 

 a view to expose the fallacy of some of 

 the opinions set forth in that article. 

 As you sometimes condescend (o labour 

 in the same field, he has permitted me 

 to forward his " observations" to you, 

 for insertion in your Magazine, if you 

 shall think them worthy of a place in 

 to useful a publication. 



Sydney-tertius. 



Paris, 8lh May, 1821. 



This article begins by stating the 

 ignorance which generally prevails as 

 to the effects of tiie French revolution 

 in France itself. It remarks the pro- 

 digious change brought about by the 

 sale of the national domains in small 

 lots, and by the law which divides 

 property nearly equally among all the 

 children of a family. It says, (page 3.) 



"A change, no less important, has taken 

 place in the condition of artificers : the 

 gothic system of corporate bodies of trades- 

 men (Jurandes el Maitrises) endowed 

 with exclusive privileg-es, -was abolished 

 at the revolution, as well as the regular 

 course of apprenticef^bip, companionship, 

 &c. Society has so far gained, that na- 

 tural abilities and superior industry have 

 free scope, and the skilful and the strong 

 win the race easier than they would have 

 done otherwise, at the same time that those 

 of inferior capacity are sooner distanced. 

 Some of the old regulations were tyran- 

 nical and absurd : they fcight have been 

 amended with evident benefit ; but it is 

 not certain that the public or the ■workmen 

 themselves hare gained upon the v}hole by 

 their indiscriminate abolition." 



Now this last vague assertion, for 

 which the reviewer does not condescend 

 to offer the slightest attempt at proof, 

 appears to us much the same as if one 

 were to say of a man who had formerly 

 been obliged to work with a clog fas- 

 tened to one of his legs and a weight to 

 one of his hands, that " it was not 

 certain that he had gained, upon the 

 whole, by their indiscriminate remov- 

 al I" But the reviewer contradicts 

 himself: for he says first, that Society 

 has so far gained by it, and he concludes 

 by doubtingthat the public have gained! 

 The fact stated in the subsequent pa- 

 ragraph, " that numerous small manu- 

 facturing establishments ha<l started 

 up in place of those larger ones 

 relinquished for want of sufficient en- 

 couragement," (capital he should have 

 said,) has no connexion that we can 

 discover, with the question as to the 

 advantages or disadvantages arising 



from 



