232 on the constitution, ■^I'-g' 22.. 



latively defective in having devised no check for ne- 

 cefsarilv retarding the precipitancy of judgement in 

 enacting laws on the moment, without a pofsibility of 

 having the facts on which they proceeded duly constitu- 

 ted. This, if unaltered, would soon introduce a species 

 of despotism, perhaps more to be dreaded than that of 

 the un imited power of any individual. They begin, 

 therefore, to see the wisdom of our forefathers, who 

 not only prescribed forms of procedure in parliament, 

 well calculated to prevent a ralh judgement from, 

 being hastily adopted at any time ; but which, by 

 necefsarily requiring every law to pafs deliberately 

 through two different afsemblies, gives time, not only 

 for reflection to the legislators themselves, but for 

 representations from without, that may set them right 

 as to ill understood facts, and lead their minds to 

 form a proper judgement. These particulars, and 

 many more, have already occurred to almost every 

 thinking mind. There are others of equal impor- 

 tance respecting the influence of the doctrine of the 

 rights of man on the subordination of the army ; the 

 steady administration of government ; and the 

 security of property and personal freedom, which 

 the events that are now daily occurring in that 

 distracted country are powerfully illustrating. To 

 the influence of these illustrations we trust for 

 the correcting of many erroneous doctrines res- 

 pecting government, that have been difseminated in 

 this country by the admirers of the French revolu- 

 tion. With these ideas strongly imprefsed on our 

 minds, let me afk, if we had seriously wifhed to pro- 

 pagate these doctrines ourselves, or to avail our- 



