young’s TRAVELS IN FRANCE.

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fuited their purpofe; and if they are made authority for condemning the tranfaclions inthat kingdom, they certainly are'equal authority for fupporting thofe tranla&ions. Ifhall make but one obfervation on thefe demands. The afiemblies that drew them up,moft certainly never demanded, in exprefs terms, the abolition of the monarchy, orthe transfer of all the regal authority to the deputies; but- let it be coolly confidered,what fort of a monarchy muft neceffarily remain, while an aflembly is permanent, withpower to abolifh tythes ; to fupprefs the intendants ; rot only to vote, but to keep thepublic money : to alienate the king’s domains; and to fupprels his lluds: to abolilhthe capitaineries, and deftroy the Baftille ;—the aflembly that is called upon to do allthis, is plainly meant to be a body folely poflefling the legiflative authority ; it is evi-dently not meant to petition the king to do it; becaufe they would have ufed, in thiscafe, the form of expreflion fo common in other parts of the cahiers, that His Majejtywill have the goodnefs , See.

The refult of the whole inquiry cannot but induce temperate men to conclude, thatthe abolition of tythe, of feudal fervices and payments, of the gabelle or l'alt-tax, ofthat on tobacco, of the entrees , of all cxcifes on manufactures, and of all duties ontranfit, of the infamous proceedings in the old courts of juftice, of the defpotic prac-tices of the old monarchy, of the militia regulations, of the monafleries and nunneries,and of numberlefs other abufes; I fay, that temperate men muft conclude, that theadvantages derived to the nation are of the very firft importance, and fuch as muftinevitably fecure to it, as long as they continue, an uncommon degree of profperity.The men who deny the benefit of fuch events, muft have fomething finifter in theirviews, or muddy in their underftandings. On the other hand, the extenfive and un-necefiary ruin brought on fo many thoufands of families, of all deferiptions, by vio-lence, plunder, terror, and injullice, to an amount that is (hewn in the utter want ofthe precious meials, the ftagnation of induflry, and the poverty and mifery foundainongft manv, is an evil of too great a magnitude to be palliated. The nourifhmentof the moft pernicious cancer in the ftate, public credit; the deluge of paper money;the violent and frivolous extinction of rank *; the new fyftem of taxation, apparentlyfo hurtful to landed property ; and a reftricted corn trade; all thefe are great deduc-tions from public felicity, and weigh the heavier in the fcale, becaufe unneceflary toeffeft the revolution. Of the nature and durablenei's of the conftitution eftabliflied,prudent men will not be eager to prophefy : it is a new experiment f, and cannot be

tried

* ft is fo becaufe die inequality remain? as great as if titles had remained, blit built on its word bads,wealth. The nobility were bad, but not fo bad as Mr. Chriftie makes them; they did not wait till theEtats Generally:, before they agreed to renounce their pecuniary privileges, Letters on the Rev. of France ,vol i. p. 74. The full meeting of the dates was May 5, 1789 ; but the nobility aflembled at the Louvre,December 20, 1788, addrelfcd the king, declaring that intention.

f After all that has been f :id of late years, 011 the fubjedf of conftitutions and governments by various"writers in England, but more elpecially in France , one circumilance muft llrike any attentive reader; itis, that none of the wi iters who have pofhed the moft forward in favour of new fyflems, have faid any-thing to convince the unprejudiced part of mankind, tint experiment is not as neceffary a means of know-ledge in relation to government, as in ngiiculture, or any other branch of natural philofophy. Much hasbeen faid in favour of the American government, and 1 believe with perfedf juftice, reafoning as far as theexperiment extent's ; but it is fair to confider it as an imperfect experiment, extending no further than theenergy of perfonal virtue, feconded by the moderation attendant on a circulation not remarkably aclive.We learn, by Mr. Payne, that general Wafhington accepted no falary as commander of liicir troops, norany as prelident of their legislature—an inftance that dees honour to their government, their country, andto human nature ; but it may be doubted, whether any fuch inftances will occur two hundred years hence ?The exports of the United States now amount to 20 millions of dollars ; when they amount to 5c o million?,when great wealth, vail cities, a rapid circulation, and, by confequence. immenfe private fortunes are form-vol. iv. 3 k ed.