80 
Juminous ideas the whole ciyilized world 
has been enlightened, and to whom its 
free nations should erect a monument 
of gratitude, for the indefatigable zeal 
with which he has made application of 
those ideas to the service of the great 
cause of liberty and good government,— 
the assembly has resolved, not only that of 
this his offering honourable mention be 
made in their Journals, but also that direc- 
tion be given to the Regency, to cause to 
be translated and printed all those his 
works; and that, by one of the secretaries 
of this august assembly, a letter be written 
to him, conveying to him the grateful ac- 
knowledgement of the Cortes, accompanied 
with the intimation that those his gifts were 
addressed to the assembly by one, and pre- 
sented by another, of the persons who 
planned and took the lead in consummating 
those glorious measures, which gave com- 
mencement to our political regeneration ; 
and that to the same Bentham be sent an 
authentic copy of the paragraph in our 
Journals, in which expression is given to 
this resolution of the sovereign assembly. 
Hermano José Braameamp de Sobral, pre- 
sident;—Joao Baptista Felgueiras, depu- 
tado secretario ;—Agostinho José Freire, 
deputado secretario.” 
Address of Mr. BENTHAM to the Cortes. 
Portugueze Cortes! Worthy rulers ofa 
regenerated people! Worthy rulers only 
because faithful servants ! 
Our correspondence is a singular one: 
the world’s eye isuponit. It is an useful, 
jt is an instructive cne,—J continue it. 
Once already I have put your virtues to 
the test; nobly have they stood it: one 
trial still remains. 
Once more, must I bring to your view 
the never-to-be-forgotten phrase—Greatest 
happiness of greatest number—all compre- 
hensive and sole justifiable end of govern- 
ment. Ona collection of works, by which 
the light of that all-commanding principle 
has, with more or less intensity, been shed 
on almost every part of the government, 
the seal of your approbation, has been al- 
ready stamped. Altogether, however, they 
form little more than an outline, nor that 
any thivg better than a rough and incom- 
plete one. That outline—would you see it 
not only corrected and completed, but 
filled up? filled up by a body of proposed 
’ law, conceived, and as to ail the most im- 
portant parts of it, expressed, not in detail 
ouly, but interminis? speak the word, and 
you shall have it. 
~ In the fiist place a proposed Pena! Code; 
im the next place a proposed Civil Code; 
in the last place a proposed Constitutional 
Code :—this is what I have to offer you. In 
all of them, the circumstauces in which 
Portugal stands wiil be kept ‘steadily in 
view ;-these circumstatces, so far as they 
Political Affairs in January. 
[Feb. 1, 
ean be learnt from your judicial customs 
and existing ordinances, more particularly 
such ordinances as inthe intervening inter- 
val shall have emanated from the regene- 
rated legislature. To these will be added 
whatever information from any appro- 
priately intelligent citizens of your's I 
may be fortunate enough to have found 
within my reach. Where, owing to the 
fluctuating nature of the incidents by 
which the demand for legislation is pro- 
duced, arrangements proposed interminis 
would be inapplicable, general directions 
or instructions will besubstituted. Finance 
law will suggest to you examples. 
Subjoined to this address is an appendix. 
In Part I. are Testimonials, in Part II. 
Reasons for acceptance. It is for your 
table this appendix—not for your ears. 
As to Testimonials, those which you 
yourselves haye given me are worth all 
others put together. Still it may be some 
satisfaction to you to see that in your own 
opinion in favour of this your profered ser- 
vant, there is not any thing with which 
that of other countries, more particularly 
his own, seems likely to be in discordance. 
Of the Reasons for acceptance, the mat- 
ter (I have said) is for your fable. Length 
and respect for your time have rendered 
the separation necessary. To your ears, 
however, I venture to submit the heads 
of it. ; 
No; I will not, as yet, seek to burthen 
you with it. It is, however, ready, and 
the next post shall bring it to you. 
Legislators! Such is the mite | offer to 
east into your treasury. But before the 
cast, or the mite itself, cau have been 
made, something on your part must have 
been done ; something to this effect you 
must have said to me, “ Friend of man, 
send us these works of your’s, they shall 
be laid upon our table. Rejection in toto, 
consideration in detail, sanctionment of 
one part, or of another part,—at one time, 
at another time, or at no time—all this 
will depend, for it cannot but depend, upon 
the judgment formed by us, as to what is 
most conducive, to the greatest happinegs 
of the greatest number of the people under 
our charge. For thus much, however, the 
Cortes pledges itself, in so far as it is in 
its power to pledge itself; each of these 
your proposed codes shall, on its. arriva!, 
by the earliest opportunity, be taken for 
the subject of our deliberations.” 
“ Well, but,” says somebody, “ this 
present of his—why all this talk about it? 
why not send it to us at once?” 
Legislators! it is xof made; and be- 
cause it is not, therefore it is that I thys 
offer it. Without acceptance, such as that 
I have spcken of, I am not sure that it ever 
can be made ; what I am sure of is, that it 
cannot be made either so promptly or so 
; well, 
