ACCOUNT OF BOOKS, 
weed, the greatest abilities.. Thus 
much, however, may be established 
as certain; itis better that many 
things should be concealed. which 
might be communicated, than that 
even a few should be communi. . 
cated which ought to be withheld. 
It is absolutely necessarySto take 
every precaution against this dan- 
gerous class of men. The elo- 
quence of a writer is as powerful 
as that of an orator, is more exten- 
Sive in its effects, and full as likely 
to be made an engine to intro- 
duce despotism into the bosom of 
liberty.’ 
The 5th chapter of this work 
treats of /uxury; by which term 
the author means that excessive 
appetite for enjoyment of any kind, 
mental or corporeal, active or pas- 
sive, which leads a man to neglect 
his duties, and to injure himseif 
or others, in order to obtain the 
object of his desire. Mr. M. une. 
quivocally denies that luxury, which 
isa vice in those who are addi@ted to 
it, is prodactive of good to others; 
and—hear ‘it, ye financiers, who 
look to luxury for the chief source 
of revenue ; hear it, ye manufac- 
tarers, who are engaged in those 
branches by which luxury is fed, 
and the kingdom, it is said, is 
enriched !—he maintains that £ 70 
national advantage whatever can 
justly be ascribed to luxury.’ 
Chapter VI. contains a disserta- 
tion on the law of Primogeniture ; 
which Mr. M. seems to consider as 
unjust, but which he would not 
venture to abolish, . because he 
thinks the abolition would be at. 
tended with some collateral in- 
- jurious circumstances, more than 
counterbalancing the good that 
might be expected from it. . An 
equal right of inheritance would 
[523 
tend, in his opinion, ‘to support 
that. natural noblesse, § without 
which all legal institutions would 
soon be abolished, or become nu- 
gatory ;, more members of opulent 
families would marry, :and fewer 
families would become extinct.’ 
He then proceeds to shew that 
the accumulaticn of landed pro. 
perty might arrive at a most per. 
nicious excess, without the opera- 
tion of the law of primogeniturc. 
‘ To abclish this law (says ‘hej 
wocld not therefore ensure the. 
removal of the evil, while the most 
preponderating genius .could not 
pretend to foresee the probable 
consequences of a_ sudden” and 
violent abrogation of a custom that 
has grown with our growth, and 
strengthened with our strength, 
and actually pervades, like a vital 
principle, the whole system of our 
jurisprudence, legislation, and man. 
ners.” 
In chapter VII. Mr. M. ‘enters 
at large into the discussion of the 
much agitated question, which 
ought most to be encouraged, 
‘© great or small farms ?’? and on 
this subject he displays much know. 
ledge and ability ; but we cannot 
pretend to give a summary of his 
different arguments, the matter 
branching out into a great veriety 
of collateral considerations, such 
as poor’s rates, new enclosures, &c. 
In the agitation of this important 
question, he has principally in his 
eye Mr. Arthur Young’s System of 
Agriculture, which he in many 
instances strongly condemns. 
Chapter VIII. treats of theGame 
laws. However they might have 
been originally introduced, Mr. 
M. is of opinion that in some 
countries in Europe they are op- 
pressive, and peshaps absurd in 
England ; 
