IS^S.] Philosophy of Contempor 



This history is by no means uninter- 

 esting, and presents us with a picture 

 of the rapacity of the higher orders of 

 the clergy in the means by wliich they 

 contrived to frHstrate the bounty of 

 Queen Anue. When our churcii was 

 Roman Catholic, the first year's reve- 

 nue of every spiritual preferment was 

 claimed by the pope, under tire deno- 

 mination of "First Fruits;" and, 

 besides theso, this head of the church 

 had a right to a tenth of all ecclesi- 

 astical emoluments whatever, payable 

 every year at Christmas, and called 

 " Tenths." At the period of the 

 reformation, the first fruits nnd tenths 

 were given to the king. Tliese were 

 valued, and the valuation Ixscame in 

 time very disproportionate to the real 

 revenues. The whole of these first 

 fruits and tenths were given, in 1704, 

 to a corporation which was to be 

 erected for the purpose of augmenting 

 small livings ; and this is what is called 

 Queen Anne's Bounty. There is much 

 curious information relative to thedis- 

 tribation of this bounty, and the 

 quirks and quibbles by whicli the 

 higher dignitaries have succeeded in 

 shaking off from tiieir own shoulders 

 the burden of providing for the poor 

 dergy ; but, for this, we must refer to 

 the Review itself, which is Avell worthy 

 of perusal. 



We now come to a short treatise on 

 Negro Slavery, which is written in a 

 spirit of serious philanthropy. The 

 pamphlet on which the reviewer builds 

 his remarks, is entitled, Negro Slavery, 

 or a Creed ofsome qf the many prominent 

 features of that State of Society, as it 

 exists in the United States luid the West 

 Indies; and the extracts given, demon- 

 strate that the abolition of the trade 

 has done Utile to ameliorate the hard- 

 ships of the slaves. The reviewer, as 

 well as the pamphlet, pleads for 

 emancipation; and tliis upon a princi- 

 ple of so broad a itasis, that there was a 

 time when such language would not 

 have been admitted into the Edinburgh 

 Review. 



" We bold it altogether impossible," says 

 the i« viewer, ■" J (ir any rational bfjiig to 

 maintain the abstract viglit of one cjass^'of 

 men to Iceep ancrtlier in tbo state of 

 slavery. Upon this point, it is most mate- 

 rial to state, that no donbt whatever can 

 exist. If one man, or a class of men, pre- 

 teD<l to al)iioliite dominion over llic mass of 

 their fi-llow-crcatures, altlioiigU what is 

 called political power alone be m i|Mc»ti()D, 

 and no attempt made to exeicise a mas- 

 l«ry o\*f tlir p<riuu» of iiidividiiulis, it it 



ary Criticitm, No. XXX. 315 



qnite manifest that the people are fully jus- 

 tified in rising up and overthrowing their 

 oppressors; and, if it be needful, in utterly 

 destrojing them." ' 



The ninth article, on English Tragedy, 

 is very long ; but, notwithstanding, 

 does not, in our opinion, claim much of 

 our attention. The History of our 

 Drama, from the earlioat times, to 

 those of Moore and Southern, occupies 

 twenty-seven jyages, with matter 

 which, perhaps from our want of taste 

 for such disquisitions, is to us very un- 

 interesting. From the judgment of the 

 critic we are, in many places, inclined 

 to differ ; and, even when we agree, 

 we find little of amusement, and less of 

 iostrucfion. After this long tirade on 

 the merits of our early dramatists, four 

 or five pages are bestowed upon 

 Knowles's Virginius, and Beddoes's 

 Bride's Tragedy ; " the two pieces 

 which stand at the head of the article," 

 These pages are chiefly extracts ; and 

 the authors need neither be thankful 

 for praise, nor indignant atcensure. 



The next article, 07i East and West 

 India Sugar, is obviously written by a 

 thorough-bred political economist, who 

 talks of the profit on capital, of aban- 

 doning the cultivation of poor soils, 

 and of adjusting the supply to the 

 effective demand, &c. as if all these 

 things could be done in an evening, as 

 he writes his pages. The writer is ob- 

 viously a partizan. The duties on 

 East and West India sugar must be 

 equalized, otherwise we are sacrificing 

 the commerce of Hindostan for the 

 sake of Jamaica, and encouraging the 

 trade in slaves. Such sweeping asser- 

 tions savour of something different from 

 sober reason. Although the duty on 

 East-India sugar were continued, it is 

 doubtful whether the commerce of 

 Hindostan would be sacrificed ; and, 

 though the extra-duty were aban- 

 doned, it is not very certain that the 

 slave-trade would cease to exist. We 

 neither believe, nor wish, that this con- 

 test of rival interests should be hastily 

 and heedlessly settled,. The matter 

 requires consideration; and the readers 

 of the Edinburgh Review, who feel an 

 interest in tlie dispute, might better 

 understand both sides of the question if 

 they would read >vhat Mr. Cobbetthas 

 lately written on the subject. 



The Nomination of Scottish Juries 

 is a short, but well-written, article. 

 Its text is, A Letter to Mr. Peete,on the 

 Courts iif Law in Scotland; which, we 

 aro Kiraply told, it. a smart pam|)hlet. 



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