Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-07-25
IFrom Me Daily Chromcic 5. Patriot. /
LETTER FIFTH-oN THE PRESENT STATE
OF ENGLAND.
ON THE TAI.UE or THE ENGLISH

beSNtVal system irQs found an f.c iroods is n re-
mark Of niontesqnee upon the British form of
government, on which he beStows, at the same
time, very exaggerated praises. II lie or anv
body else had told us that fine piece of me-
chanical machinery, highly finished watch.
for example. had been found in forest thro'
which mono hut sayagcs had ever passed we
should know what opinion To form of his cor
rectneSs. Is Il pertectfOrIa OF government more
easily organized than atine piece OF clock work
The truth Is, that NlOntesquieu wrote at time
When the principles OF liberty had not been
much discussed IN The abstract, and his work
must be taken IN every part, but more particu
arly III that which relates to the British CouSti-
tation, in connection with the period at which
he lived. The British government is in many
respects, the most perfect of the European sNs-
TENS. and this celebrated writer was Sc much
mSled by its superiority that he adopted il at
once as perfect model, and instead ofeXamiu-
ing on general principles what was TIE value
OF the British institutions, he deducod his gen
erai principles from their practice just as riS-
totie drew his rules of epic poetry from the
practice Of Homer-"Why do we tdkcso much
pains. SAYS he, TO find out the principles ofIiber-
~, when we have discovered where liberty her
self resides and can examine her III person :"
AT Tic present day, this will lie generally adj
miited to be very poor philosophy; and Profess
sor Stewart, with his usual caution, OBJ
serves upon this subject, and in relation 10 this
author" IN the ruJer periods OF society, 70
vernments and laws may be universally regar-
ded as the gradual result of time and expert
SHCt, OF circumstances ana emergencies. iD
enlightened ages, however, there cannot be
doubt that political wisdom comes in for IFS
snare IN the administration of human affairs
ana there is reasonable ground for hoping that
us influence VIII continue to increase in pro-
portion as the principles of legislation are
more generally studied and understood"
he authority ofMonteSqnieuhad very great
weight in esta Lshirg the reputation of the Bri-
ItSh Constitution on the continent of Europe
he partiaiitv ofEnglish writers for their own
institutions, IS also very easily accounted for.
thougl one can sometimes hardly help SmiIinr
at the adciette with which they represent them
selves as possessing the hes; of All possible go-
VeTnpcnt, and describe their political iustitn-
tons as the envy and admiration OF every BODY
else, with such sober seriousness az it they
really believed every body else was ready 10
admit IL.
It's perhaps, rather more difficult to account
TOR the very high admiration OF British politics
| entertained by sOmany inhabitants oftliis couu-
Try, considering their great difference from
our own INSTITUTIONS, which were adopted on
tuil reelection as superior. and CONSIDERING the
many reasons we have had to complain of their
operation upon ourselves. There nre hovev-
CT, on the other hand, reasons which max e such
prelndices natural Almost all our political
studies Speaking at least of the great mass of
studentsl are made with the assistance of En-
gl!sh hooks, and with their principles we i'm
| Dine OF course their preiudices and feeiinws
when We reason or politics or compare polIti-
cal systems, we make use of general PRINCIPLES
1
giSh writers, where they are Of Course either
accommodated like those OF Monteguueu to
the British model, or illustrated and eXplainetl
or distinctions: Familiarity lisa great source
Of regard-and all oUr reading. whether for in
st'uctOn or dmusement, makes us familiar will,
British history, British iawSaud British politics
shall not deny tia; this has lis uses /; hnt one
Oh us ohectS Is tGTemCYe our perception OF the
glazing faults that exist in those systems In
examining the value OF the British political in
stitUtienS, shall set aside the weight ofanttor-
lily and apply 20 them TIE test OF naked prin-
clpics. Are they calculated TO promote the
happiness of the perpie Are they such as
the people themselves would have chosen. or
SUCH as they would now choose IL il were i'm
taeir powers IT they are, l consider them
SCod,--it they are not, shall not hesitate to
prounCe them bad though the authority of all
the civilians should be brought in their Ia
vOr.
Our business, therefore, at pre- sent, is TO ex-
anime how far the British institutions are CAT
cuiated TO promote the happiness of the inliab
ltdntS OF tile British Empire. AndheTe itmist
be admitted a; once, that with respect 10 the
lar greater part Of those inhabitants, the uues-
tiou cannot even be seriously asked. Does any
one suppose Tor moment that sixty million
HIHduS would rather be governed in the straD0e
Anomalous sort way in which they now are.
by Heterogeneous compound of trade and a.
ristOcracv, sent TO them from AN island 5000
miles, than by their oWT, native laws and priu-
ccs Is ii an advantage tO them 10 have their
vaials devoured aud their blood sucked bv ne
riOdicai flights OF yutures that come to Them
hungry and famslied and when they have ror-
ged themselves wl!hthe spoil hurry away from
the victim Are the inhabitants of the Brit
iSh colonies all over the world, made happv NV
British institutions Nuuinight az well ask \
vigorous Sdpliug whether il gtewthe better for
being pTest down TO tie earth by an enormous
dead wei@lit-Y0u might as well ask the living
victims that Nirgils MeLeutius bound 10 his
dead bodies, whether they feel the better for
tie union. Look at the United States and see
now they rose INTO greatness and prosperity
Tie moment they were free from British thrai.
dom, with sort OF cOuyulsige force. ike the
movement OF an elastic spring relieved irons "A
heavy pressure. No. sir--wIth respect TO all
these foreign dependencies. II must be admit
ted, tuat the British institutions produce no.
thing but oppression aud misery. In this rc-
spect. The British Empire resembles what were
called the free states Of antiunity-,uch as
Carthage, Tyre, Rome, aus tie different states
OF Greece. In all Of ghem, there was one piinci-
pal city, enjoying its own privileges. such as
they were, but ruling with q rod Of iron q iuul-
ttude OF other cities aud countries, that we're
urSt conquered aud tHen retained in slavery.
SIS the city afCMthage hcldin Subsection file
coasts OF Africa, from TIE streigits Oftnbraitar
10 tie present site Of irfpOli as tile sta es OF
Greece had their subject cities and islAEds.
sometimes called tributaries and sometime al
| lies ana a. Rome was ;he only Independent
! cityln the Roman Empire when il cOmpreheu-
| ded halt The world $50 the Inhabitants of the
| British islands hold iD dependence and slavery
| the Far more numerous inhabitants Of their fo-
/ relgH possessions aud in making laws, not on
iy do not attn al their happiness. but often en-
/ act them tor tie express purpose OF cgamping
| theIr Industry, and making profit out Of their
loss. lsit possible that institutions can be good
~ p',,uciPie, and yet produce evil 70 so many
people