516] 
Principles of Legislatiz “ae By Charles 
Michell, of Fprpetts Esq. S$vo. 
1796. 
AS the most, useful publications 
are not always the most en- 
tertaining, those which are calcu- 
lated chiefly for the instruction of 
amankind are rarely perused, ex- 
cept by, the small circle of readers 
who are endowed with a clear un- 
derstanding and sound judginent ; 
and who, ” dicrestedl of ‘anion or 
party spirit, seck only for the 
improvement of the mind, or the 
means of meliorating the condi- 
tion of the bulk of their fellow- 
creatures. ‘Lhe great mass of men 
in every nation, though they feel 
oppression with as much. sensibility 
as the mast enlightened, are ren. 
dered incapable, ‘through the want 
of education, of finding out a re 
medy of precisely that degree of 
strength which is snfficient . to_ re. 
move the cvils of which they com- 
plain, without preducing in its 
place any other grievance of cqval 
or greater magnitude. Those who 
fecl pain. ure unguesticnubly best 
able to.tell in what. part they are 
affeQed, und how acute are. their 
sufferings: but it decs not follow 
that they best know how to get rid 
of it without destroying the sieel ves, 
The case is the same in the poliri- 
cal as in the natural body. ‘The 
poor can tell, for instance, when 
the scarcity of provisions, raises the 
price of them, and when the usual 
sum with which they go to market 
will not preduce the, usual supply 
of food; bat we may, renture to 
say -that ahcy are net the bes 
judges.of the causes of scarcity, nor 
of the means either of guarding 
‘Rgainst-or remoring it. Some maz 
‘ 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1796. 
think that it arises from too small 
a division cf farms, others from toa 
great a consolidation of them ; 
some from the policy of allowing an 
exportation of grain, others from 
want of a bounty on the importa- 
tion; and some from a radical defect 
in the organization of government, 
while others ascribe it to some par- 
ticular measure pursued by admi- 
nistration, ‘“lhese various causes 
having numbers of partizans, ¢ each 
proposing different remedies, and 
having nothing ‘in common be- 
tween them but the certain expe- 
rience of the scarcity, the remedies, 
if left entircly to those who suffer, 
must be as various as the parties 
proposing them; and consequently, 
the evil, instead of being destroy 
ed, would necessarily be aggra- 
vated, 
Fully convinced of the calami- 
ties that may be brought on society 
by a departure from sound prin. 
ciples of legislation, or by the 
adoption of such as are suggested 
by the uninformed, the prejudiced, 
or the designing, the author ‘of the 
work before us makes an appeal 
to the sound sense .of his country - 
men, and calls them to the serious 
consideration of the grounds on 
which political constitutions ought 
to be raised and maintained, Those 
who look into beoks only for a- 
musement; those who are inca. 
pable of secing objects with calm 
philosophic temper and clearness, 
or whose judgments are chained 
down: in, adamantine fecters. by 
their passions or by party connec- 
tions; we advise to throw aside, 
withoue reading, the volume that 
we are going to review: but let it 
be seriously perused by those whe 
are in search only of truth, and 
who azz ready to embrace it under 
Whats 
