388 CONDORCET. 



tions he proposes to examine the modifications which the results of 

 the preceding parts of his book require, before they can be applied 

 to practice. For instance we cannot in practice suppose it true 

 that all the voters are of equal skill and honesty ; and accordingly 

 one of the six questions relates to this circumstance. 



But the subjects proposed for investigation are too vague to be 

 reduced with advantage to mathematical calculation ; and ac- 

 cordingly we find that Condorcet's researches fall far below what 

 his enunciations appear to promise. For example, on page 264, 

 he says, 



Nous examinerons ici I'influence qui peut resulter de la passion ou 

 de la mauvaise foi des Yotans. 



These words may stimulate our curiosity and excite our atten- 

 tion ; but we are quite disappointed when we read the paragraph 

 which immediately follows : 



Comme la probahilite n'a pu etre determinee que par I'experience, 

 si I'on suit la premiere methode de la troisieme Fartie, ou qu'en sui- 

 vant la seconde, ou suppose que rinfluence de ]a corruption ou de la 

 passion sur les jugemens ne fait pas tomber la probahilite au-dessous de 



- , alors il est evident que cet element est entre dans le calcul, et qu'il 



n'y a par consequent rien a corriger. 



Condorcet himself admits that he has here effected very little ; 

 he says on his page CLiv, 



Ainsi Ton doit regarder sur-tout cette quatrieme Partie comme un 

 simple essai, dans lequel on ne trouvera ni les developpemens ni les 

 details que rimportance du sujet pouri-oit exiger. 



713. Condorcet himself seems to attach great importance to 

 his fifth question which relates to that system of forced unanimity 

 which is established for English juries. This question he dis- 

 cusses in his pages 267 — 276 and CXL — CLi. He believes that he 

 shews that the system is bad. He introduces the subject thus on 

 page CXL : 



Les jugemens criminels en Angleterre se rendent sous cette forme : 

 on oblige les Jures de rester dans le lieu d'assemblee jusqu'a ce qu'ils 

 soient d'accord, et on les oblige de se reunir par cette espece de torture ; 

 car non-seulement la faim seroit un tourment reel, mais I'ennui, la 



