The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1815-09-09


TO LORD GRANVILLE.
On tie Constitutions q England, .d,rerica
and Ff0nce.
My LORD,
In the published report of your
speech OF the 18th If last month. IN the snh
Ject OF war against France we read the f,l
lowing passage 80 As to ncz, co,;st;i,,ttoue
he (Lord Co. was firmly of onmiou. that :,
good constitution, could only he formed by the
auopt'oh u remedies, from time to time, under
the circumstances which required them. The
only instance of exception mentioned. was
that OF America but, that dbl nor af,hly.-
Inc founders ot that constitution acted With
great TUsdsm. 1t was framed SO as tn pro
ducc as little change as possible in the ci,ist-
MS tHlVS and manners, under the altered form
OF government which. though a Rehu6.
nc, was constru1 ted as nearls as the differ
ehce woeii admit, ON the MONARCHICAL
form OF OUR OWN CONSTITUTIONS"
MS passage, my Lord, owing, dare say.
To the want OF accuracy in the Renortar is
not so clear, or so correct, as one might have
wished but, its meaning evidently is. tb,t
constitutions ut government cannot be we'll
torn,cd all at once that the American con.
stitution OF government bears a ye,,y ueor re-
seRi6!oTce 20 our oqon; and (takng in the
conte1t.) that the constitution of government
now adopting, or settling in France, is a
oGd COHsfNHfir0 or SJeteU.
AS TO the first of these proposjtions Tho.
a constitution cannot be well made ali at
once, II is OF little Consequence as Ia the oh
ject which have IN view for the Ers,,rt,
have been more than IS years FORMING their
constitution /; and, however uortifyinp y n,s,
be to some people. the An7vs of Fran. G. ever
while the Bourbons were on the throne tsst
year. were. for fhc greater, hart, laws nassed
by the different .N,i/i0HH .38seDi6lies. ar. &C
some would Gail them, the jaco6ins. II ;s
very great mistake To suppose, that Napote-
on either III ms colsfttnIion or his code, be-
gan anew. He did little more than arranve
classify, reduce to order, and provide for en-
forcing the laws, Under whSteI er name. mass
ed by the different assemblies and Tins was
the code, which the B0urbons promised 70
adhere to aOd support. So that the cons,itn
ton OF France, Us it now stands, has been thu.
work OF 20 years. not only of st1ldy. but of
eTferience. 1t is very curious to hear so ma
ny persons abusing, or rdculing, the French
constitution, and, in almost the same breatb
saying, that it is no more than what the peo,
pie had under Louis XVIII. This looks a
little like i,lsince11ty.
1t is, however, the alledged resembla,c.
between the Englsli and American govern
ments which is the most interesting object If
examination at present 4; though Il viii, be-
tore conclude, be necessary to sec a little
what resemblance tat of France bears 70
edch OF the former governments. take your
Lordship to mean, Of course, that there is =
very near resemblance between the Fuplisl
and american governments as men reahy are
IN o(ieTatioH. Not as they are to be found
70 books written about constitutions. Wat
Mohtesquieu end DE Llome and blackstone
and Paley and long last of grave political
romance writer's have published upon the
subject, we viii leave wholly out of the oues-
ton. Your Lordship was talking. and so
will talk Of things AS THEY ARE, and not
as they ouPht o. be ; or as they are, from
parrot-like habit Seid tn be. And, here nv
lord, beg leave, once for all, to state, that
am Offering no opinions of my own upon this
subject. Your Lordship, according 70 the
published report, SAYS, that there is a near
! resemblance between the English and Amer
lean governments. This + Ct DENY: but.
that IS all Go not say that the American
government IS better than ours nor do say.
| that it is qUo,se. l only sly. that it DOS
| not resemble ours. Which is the best and
which IS the worst, leave 20 the decision of
| the reader, in whatever country he may
| live.
But, before ! enter On ry proofs Of the ne
gative Of this your lordship's proposition, per.
! NIT NE TO observe for a moment, on the de
sire, winch IS so often discovered in this coun
try, 10 i1duce other uations 10 edoff eo7,ern
menfe Hke yl1f o7On. N sooner 40 We hea
OF chang" 0fgDverpu ent in any country
than we b' gin urging the people Of sach ccun
try 10 adopt government Ike lUrs. The nc va