The Sun.
London, England, 1835-03-19 00:00:00

ON THE 31st WILL APPEAR WITH THE MAGAZINES,

No. XLIV. OF

THE WESTMINSTER REVIEW.
Price Four Shillings.

The " Westminster Review" has been maintained for a number of
years, with the single purpose of illustrating and enforcing the
principle of Bentham, which makes the rule in morals, law, and
politics, to consist in the production of the Greatest Aggregate of
Happiness. Almost the last public act of its founder, was to repel
the charge which had been ignorantly brought against him, of
holding forth the happiness of the numerical majority, as what was
to be attained by the sacrifice of the minority : and history confirms
the conclusion, that all majorities, and still more all minorities,
which pursue their own happiness in opposition to the aggregate
well-being of the community, end in being disappointed.
No man, then, can accuse the " Westminster Review" of having
advised the poor to plunder the. rich ; but it has strenuously ex-
horted the poor not to submit to the injustice of the wealthy, and
spared no pains to point out to them, both where this injustice took
place, and how they might resist it. On the great subject of Free
Trade, it has done its utmost to set before the public the beggarly
impolicy of monopolies, which put a shilling into the pocket of some
monopolist, by the process of taking two shillings from other portions
of the community ;—and the yet more contemptible infatuation of
offering different portions of the public a share of the general injury,
and calling it compensation. An equitable adjustment with the
Public Creditor, it has never opposed ; but it has maintained that
Whenever that takes place, the value of some eight millions and a
half will be due to the fundholders. If Mr. Tomkins had been the
sole lender of the substance of the debt, few men would be found so
reekl,ss as to propose, that Mr. Tomkins should be charged for all
the times the value of the currency or the price of stocks had gone
in his favour, and have no notice taken of the times they had gone
the other way. Yet this appears to be the fallacy employed, on the
strength of nothing but the Mr. Tomkinses being many. On the
subject of Ireland, the " Westminster Review" has supported the
principle, that Where a larger country holds a smaller in a legis-
lative union, it clearly ought to do one of two things,—either make
the union comfortable to the smaller country, or quietly give it up."
It has lost no opportunity of inculcating the shortening of parlia-
ments and the extension of the suffrage, as the rational ways of
giving the community the chance of being taken care of, which
means, as everywhere else, the chance of taking care of itself. In
various branches of Science, geometry, music, medicine, antiqui-
ties, mechanics, and history, it has attempted to leave some traces of
progress, by the application of those universal principles of sound
reason which constitute philosophy. On every subject of general
interest, it has cultivated such communications with the inhabitants
of other countries, as might tend to make it to a certain extent a
focus for the collection of what was useful to the whole. To naval,
military, and scientific. men, it may offer the-opportunity of bringing
their observations before the public, not only without expense, but
with some pecuniary receipt ; and though on such subjects there
must be a discretionary power with the directors of the Review,
their habits have to a certain extent fitted them for its exercise.
Finally, every kind of Prospectus or Notice bearing on philan-
thropic or scientific objects, domestic or foreign, has at all times
been issued gratuitously with the publication, to any magnitude
transmitted to the publisher.
At the present moment the prospects of its Conductors are ele-
vated by the promised appearance of a new Review, which they will
not characterize either as an opponent or a rival. But they hail it
as an indication, that the progress of the age has made them cease
to be an extreme party ;---that they have arrived at the position
where their principles, instead of being the subjects of theory, are
to be the instruments of practice ;—and that they have only to pro-
ceed with steadiness, to secure to the community the advantages
derivable from such a change.
A reduction in the price of the " Westminster Review" took
place some time ago, with the object of increasing the dissemination
of its principles; but no alteration was made in either the quantity
or quality of matter.
',o* New Subscribers are respectfully informed that Complete
Sets of Twenty-two Volumes may be had of the Publisher in every
variety of Binding, at Moderate Prices.—The General Index for
the First Thirteen Volumes is now Ready, Price Six Shillings.
With each Volume subsequent to the Thirteenth, an Index has
been given.
Communications for the Editor are in future to be addressed to
the Office of the Westminster Review, 3, St. James's-square.
Bills and Advertisements received up to the 20th of the Month pre-
ceding the day of publication.
Printed for John Macrone, 3, St. James's-square.
Orders received by every Bookseller and Newsman in the United
Kingdom.