failure, why not make inquiry? and if that is found out, ought he not to be expelled fociety by the unanimous voice of honeft men? We are told, fhame acts more powerfully than principle: and I am perfuaded, a man will often hear general furmifes with a deaf ear, who would start at the thoughts of open reprobation. This muft however be prudently and carefully examined; but may be done after due investigation. On the other hand, could not an inftitution be made to bring forward the unfortunate, and fuccour the diftreffed citizen. The rich who fear not the hour of adverfity, may perhaps Ipurn at the propofal; but the fober thinking man would approve. Suppose an institution was formed for the exprefs purpose of relieving decayed merchants, after the circumstances attending their failure were duly infpected by a committee, I dare fay it would meet with encou ragement; and a fmall annual contribution, too trifling to be regarded by the opulent, would do the bufinefs, and it is too useful a scheme to be disregarded by the humble. Were this proposed by some patriotic gentleman, I dare fay it would meet with encouragement: and furely to be the means of depreffing and affronting this villain, and encouraging the honest and virtuous, is an undertaking worthy of man. If this is thought worth inferting in your work, it may perhaps bring forward fome more able arguments, and be the means of at least making the villain blush while the honeft cannot but commend. I am indeed of opinion, that had this inftitution been formed for fome years paft, the payments to real objects would have been very few; but in all probability, the evil will increafe, till the public take the alarm, and by fome mark of odium, affume that authority, which our laws, in their prefent fituation, cannot impart. Q. D. C. ་་ In our next will be offered to the public fome hints, tending to remedy the evil here complained of. Hh 2 To the Editor of the Bee. SIR, Hamilton, Jan. 7th 1791. As I fee it is within the compafs of your defign, I would recommend to the public by your means, a publication I have lately read with a good deal of pleasure, and I hope with fome profit too; and am perfuaded it is worth the attention of landholders, farmers, and manufacturers; but as it is not my cuftom to fay of any human performance it is without a fault, I must own there are feveral pretty palpable mistakes fcattered up and down through the whole, befides one entire heterogeneous chapter. The performance I mean is intituled, Thoughts on various Objects of Industry, &c. by John Nafmith, and forefaid chapter, the 5th of the ift book, which, with your leave, I mean to comment upon with fuch freedom, as it fhall be ashamed to shew, its face again in the 2d Edition; but as the commentary may perhaps be longer than the text, which is a fault you know very common to commentators, I fhall only give you the contents of the feveral papers at prefent, referving the filling of them up to fome future occafion, when it may fuit the conveniency both of you,' Sir, and your readers. Ch. I. A differtation on hobbies-What a hobby is, as diftinguished from the ufeful beaft, or a beaft of burden. The benefit the revenue derives from hobbies, or the keepers of hobbies. This is well known to all able financiers: therefore they will be very cautious how they difcourage the breed of hobbies. Some men will as foon part with their wives as their hobbies.-How an ufeful beaft inay be converted into a hobby, and by whom. The bad effects of fuch a practice, as men are as ready to differ about their hobbies as any thing, efpecially learned men; an example of this in your firft number.-The linen, woollen, and cotton manufac tures, all three very useful in themfelves, and might both ftand and thrive very well in the same ftable, were it not for the fame whimfical tribe that are always fetting them on to kick at each other. Ch. II. The author's apprehenfions for the ruin of the linen manufacture, by the introduction of the cotton, ill founded. The coarfe linen manufacture can receive but little damage from the cotton. -- Ch. III. An inquiry, whether it be most advantageous for Scotland to push the manufacture of coarse linen, or fine, moft; a queftion very proper to be fatisfactorily answered for the benefit of both landholders and flaxraifers. This will lead me to take notice of a very palpable mistake of the author, in contrafting the average value of the linens ftamped in Scotland, with the average value of the linens ftamped in Ireland, which has made him throw a very unjuft afperfion on the honourable board of trustees officers, intrufted with the Scots ftamps, as if they were generally a third part out in their judgement, of the value of the linens ftamped by them. He indeed fuppofed they do not take the fame care of the value, as the me fure of their cloth ;. but I must acquaint all whom it may concern, that it is the duty of every officer, after looking over and measuring a piece of cloth, to put a value on it to the beft of his judgement, which he affixes over the number of yards; which values are fummed up, as well as the yards, to make up the aggregate fum of each fent to the office, and that each of thefe officers confiders himfelf as upon oath, as well to value, to the best of his judgement, as to the number of yards. I had other three chapters more to add; but as I have already cut out work for a twelvemonth, and who knows what change may be in that time befides this is already run to a confiderable length; fo, for the prefent, I am your humble fervant. Criticus fed non Creticus. P. S. As the author has inferted two or three large blads of Latin, which I do not well understand, though 1 y once a Latin scholar, but as honeft a one as ever came from fehool, for, fo far from carrying away any thing that did not belong to me, I chefe rather to leave the greateft part of what I had honeftly paid for. A talk for your learned correfpondents, to give a good English tranflation of my name, and for the future, when they infert more than four Latin words at a time in any English book, I would propofe that they give a good tranflation below, for the benefit of English readers if they be able, that is to fay. Remarks on Liberty. SIR, To the Editor of the Bee. ON reading the article France No. IV. of your hif torical chronicle, the following thoughts were fuggeft ed. : Revolutions in focieties and nations are not affairs univerfally demonftrable, that owe their perfection or circumfcription to the powers of the human mind. Thefe belong rather to the nature of caufe and effect. Their hidden and fecret nature are best known by their confequences. One caufe however is obvious, the oppreffion of men in power. Defpotic governments might preferve the peace and felicity of their fubjects by lenity and equity of adminiftration. The people under fuch princes might be cemented to their fovereigns · without fo much as knowing for why-at leaft without any inquiry into the rights of fovereignty: But" whenever oppreffion begins, the painful chains fpeak to their understanding more emphatically than all the eloquence of Demofthenes. Another evident reafon of ftate-revolution is, the introduction of commerce. The heads of the people might even be generous and hus 1791. LITERARY INTELLIGENCER. 247 mane in framing an abfolute government: but thefe principles being only flexible, and corruptible by intereft, what can fave a nation from utter ruin, but the common and commercial people? and how fhall thefe become faviours of their country, unlefs by mechanical ingenuity and commerce, they obtain influence to raife up their dignity? Unless they induftrioufly cultivate thofe arts, which have fertility to fupply the defects of nature? Oppreffion, therefore, matching with influence and mental refinement, will ftruggle and debate from their own weight and importance; and the refult must turn out according to the fuperior balance of contending powers. Such things appear to have been two caufes of the French Revolution, which, if as ftedfastly maintained in infancy, as at the birth, muft be productive of the manhood of liberty. If these principles laid down are general, Spain in its multiplied degrees of fociety, and ill fituation for trade, on account of the influx of the Mexican fpecie, muft yet fpur long in the furrows of flavery. As a freind to every attempt to ferve the community, I cannot but be interested in the fuccefs of your weekly publication. I fend you a fhort paper on the means of promoting agricultural knowledge, and the great benefits which may be derived from it to this country. my future correfpondence fhall be thought worth your acceptance, I will purfue this fubject. JAQUES. If Gæteris fpecimen efto, faid Cicero to Atticus; and he faid wifely for fuch is the influence of example over : |