The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1805-06-11
SKETCHES OF FORMS OF GOVERNMENT


The following extract is from fmal treatic
pubibed in 1856, under the title of ga vim
dication of natural fociety or, a view OF the
iniieries and evils ariiing to mankind from eve
ry ipecies of artificial iociety," which we mott
carneHly recommend to every profe.yte OF
truth, TO every adnircr of rich and appropri-
ate cloiuence. AS its title imports, it lays be-
fore us a view OF the exiting evils of fociety,
4 and of coniequence traces ont naAy OF their
caufes and fone OF their remedies. The trea-
tiie is ihort, and its plan is iirpe and peripi-
cucns. Itthrows focvtyintO wolishtS; ;sexter-
nal & nterna! condition. On the former oe theie
1t firt expa.ates, aud undr this afpeSt i; =, tch
es out the relation which it bears to other Rates;
the numberlefs wars which have forever tIeloia-
ted the face of every county from time irn,ne-
mortal the millions which have psri.hed, and
the caufrs for which they fen, and finally In
: fers that ali this havoc ald devalation are 10
= be carried back to the agency Of government
nielf. From theft bloody ceremonies perform
cd inthe soreb, theautbor length pai!cs on into
the penetr.a!ia OF the political temple. Here he
lays open the lru6ure or the three iisnpe
forms of government, which are employed
by different countries to fupport this {: arti.
fetal fociety." He ihews us the evils which
are inevitably attendant upon each, as well as
upon the mixed form OF government, and Up.
peals for proofs of his colreetneis not to con-
jeStural Speculation, but to the undilputed re-
( cords of hitory. From theft gexcra. outlines
of policy, he next paes on to the details CT their
internal jurifdittion. He defcribcs 4, tiRance
the labyrinth Of the law, the yexaiiouS expencss
which it .impofrs upon the poor, the means of
efcape which it furniihes TO the rich, the cavil-
ling and guibbies of its practitioners, and the in
tricac;es OF fcience, which is not only TOO
deep for the ignorant futor, bu: for TIE very
minifers Of iuitice. h at length winds I'D his
plot, by representing the more intimate reisti-
o,s of Ioe;eiy; the effects which alfe out of The.
mott obvious diviGon of its members, into the
rich s the poor; the idenets, folly and luxury Of
the one, and the degraded condition Of the o.
Their, their bodies exhaulted by too much labor,
| ard their intelieGts perihng under too little.
Ii is impofiibie to go through this treati.c
Without perceiying at every itep that if its au-
nor has kept out of view many of the benefits
hich aritr out OF political foceties, he has at
1T drawn forth many OF their evils with maj.
ly hand. 1t is impoiiibie to peruir it with
I admiring the CARNATIONS of genius, which
could cioathe in fuch ipendid elo9uence, fome
of the iiibliinea oracics OF truth.
1tis genius once animated the form of Ed
nund Burke. This daring and enlightened FIJI
.it was once the property OF the man, who atter-
wards became the friend and favourite Of tn,
mott corrupt miniiiry, that ever advanced ib,.
prcrogatives of the crown at the expence of tb-
liberties of the people. This was his hrH and
perhaps it was ever his mott dignfed producfi-
Oh. Originally it was publilhed under the an
pearance OF Its being rom the pen of Bolin"-
broke (; and 1t was on this pleteXt, he in vain
attempted to jutify his apparent apoltacy from
/ its principles. BoiingbroAe had made icyrr,l
Formidable attacks upon the trong holds of IN.
pettitun: and it was his own deGgn uaid Mr.
Burke in preface afterwards pnb!ithed) 10
iacW that the fame engines which were r,n,,Io,.
ed for the defructioa of religion, might be EN-.
pioyed with equal faccefS FOR the fu6verfor of
government"
s. rh is the work that we would earnehly re-
lcty mend 70 our readers, and from which we
have made the following eloquent Election, ref
petting the three hmp!e forms of government.
One rc,nar,, only upon this communication. de.
Perves 10 be added: Let the reader recoiIett
khat o1r own government i not 4 democracy
bat 4 confederated republic