40^ NATUl^AL AND CIVIL 



it seetiis to have become one of tho^.e comTtioni 

 occurrences, which is constantl)^ to l)e expected, 

 and is very little regarded. Several of the pun- 

 ishments, in the contrivances of their cruelty, 

 are fully equal to any thing that has ever been 

 perpetrated by the Indians of America : In bru- 

 tal rage and inhuman torture, the punishment 

 assigned to high treason, fairly exceeds any 

 thing the Indian genius could ever conceive. 

 Such a code of criminal lavv is wholly unfitted 

 to the un corrupted state of the people in Ameri* 

 ca ; nor would they in any part of the continent, 

 be persuaded to admit it. Instead of one hun- 

 dred and sixty, there are only nine crimes, to 

 which the laws of Vermont have assigned the 

 punishment of death : And since the first as- 

 sumption of government in 1777, there has not 

 been any person convicted of any of these 

 crimes. Vi^hat relates to the internal affliirs of 

 'government, the regulations necessary for a new 

 country, or such as are suited to our particular 

 state of society, are provided for by statutes 

 made for such particular cases and purposes. 

 To form a code of laws suited to the state of a 

 large nation, has been justly esteemed the most 

 difficult part of government. It does not appear 

 that human wisdom has ever been able to eifect 

 this without great errors, in any part of the 

 earth. If it is to be obtained, the particular 

 states of America have now a fair opportunity to 

 make the experiment, how far human wisdom 

 can proceed at present, in eff>:icting this arduous 

 but most important attainment. 



Counties and Courts. For the more 

 convenient administration of justice, the state 



