WRITINGS OF DR. SMITH.

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cc equitas naturalis, quid gentium mores, quid" rerumpublicarum formæ diverfæ : ideoquepof-“ fmt de legibus, ex principiis & præceptis tarn“ æquitatis naturalis, quam politices decernere.“ Quamobrem id nunc agatur, ut fontes j uftitiae &“ utilitatis publicæ petantur, & in fingulis juris" partibus character quidam & idea jufti exhibea-" tar, ad quam particularium regnorum & re-“ rumpublicarum leges probare, atque inde emen-" dationem moliri, quifque, cui hoc cordi erit &" curse, poffit.” The enumeration contained inthe foregoing paffage, of the diKerent objects oflaw, coincides very nearly with that given by Mr.Smith in the conclulion of his Theory of MoralSentiments ; and the precife aim of the political fpe-eolations which he then announced, and of whichhe afterwards publifhed fo valuable a part in hisWealth of Nations, was to afcertain the generalprinciples of j office and of expediency, whichought to guide the inftitutions of legiflators on thefeimportant articles; — in the words of Lord Bacon ,to afcertain thole leges legum , " ex quibus infor-“ matio peti poffit, quid in fingulis legibus bene“ aut perperam poll turn aut conftitutum fit.”

The branch of legillation which Mr. Smith hasmade choice of as the fubje£f of his work, naturallyleads me to remark a very Bribing contraB betweenthe fpirit of ancient and of modern policy in refi-ll