ACCOUNT OF BOOKS, 
the society of such a nation was 
originally founded. Hissentiments 
on’this head'are thus expressed : 
‘ Admitting that the majority 
have aright to legistate for them- 
selves, they have no right to le- 
gislate for others. An: appea? to 
reason or equity is futile; for what 
appears to one man very" ‘reason. 
able, may to another seem perfect 
nonsense, or pernicious sophistry. 
But in these cases, reason is always 
negleéted, and force. or fraud must 
determine the dispute. The former 
society being dissolved, all rights 
of pre-occupincy are superseded ; 
for one party has as good a claim 
as the other.; and they are virtually 
in the situation of two independent 
tribes or nations, landing at the 
same moment on an unsetiled 
country. If they cannot agree to 
divide it, one must expel the other. 
It is a legitimate cause of war, 
in which neither party can assume 
a right to treat the other as rebels 
or traitors. If the victors in such 
a contest deny the vanquished the 
liberty of withdrawing themselves, 
their families, and property, from 
the disputed territory, and settling 
themselves elsewhere, they viclate 
every principle of justice and hu- 
manity. 
* That a part of a nation, whe- 
ther they form a majority or not, 
may be justified in endeavouring 
to obtain an alteration in the esta- 
lished constitution, and even in 
- committing, if necessary, the jus- 
tice of their cause to the decision 
of the God of battles, I do not 
deny. But be it remembered, no 
slight motives can justify them ; for 
they in fact dissolve the social bond, 
and renounce the parent that gave 
them birth. Whereas they who 
support the established constitution, 
can in hardly any case descrve 
[521 
blame, The sincerity éf that man, 
whe; when > advanced 
in years, 
changes his religion, has’ always 
been heid suspicious; for - similar 
reasons, if a man» should-at onee 
renounce the established céfstitu. 
tion of his country, and adopt orie 
of an Opposite nature, we may rev. 
sonably suspect him to be'actuared 
by passion, or selfish interests° At 
least, -#f, instead of appéaling* 
to the sword, such men choose "to 
try their cause at the bar of reason, 
the onus probaudi \iessolely on them: 
their opponents have only to urge 
that they still prefer the constitu. 
tion and religion in which they 
were bred. If such a cause were 
to be tried by Minos himself, 
surely the majority mast he ine 
finitely great on the side of the in- 
novators, or he would decree that 
it is for them to scek- some foreiyn* 
settlement, and there try what 
success will attend their new! 
adopted situations,’ ’ 
In chapter IV. the*writer ad- 
verts to the abuses that ‘hive fol- 
lowed ‘closely on the heels of the 
French principles, and which (he 
observes) some politicians have 
endeavoured to excuse, by alluding 
to the gross ignorance of the 
people; to which, and not to ‘the 
dottrines, they ascribe the excesses 
that have disgraced France. Mr. 
M. lays the blame on those who 
promulgated doétrines which it 
was not possible that the people 
should truly understand, because 
they could not comprehend the 
‘ niceties of metaphysical definitions. 
He next examines the opinion 
€ that the most unlimited freedom of 
the press is essential to the acquire- 
ment and preservation of freedom ;” 
and he says that, if by this be 
meant that freedom ¢annot exist, 
unless all kinds of ,doctrines are 
without 
‘ 
