FOUNDLING HOSPITALS.

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fame; vel the commission of that crime is seen by an eye, fromwhose piercing; glance no secret can escape; it is alsoknown to herself. Her heart in future moments of depres-sion will upbraid her with the crime. She will endeavour,fruitlessly endeavour, to escape from the murderer of herchild; but the bloody executor was herself. She mayexpect to find relief from change of place : but she nevercan escape the consciousness of her crime; the bloodyspectre still will haunt her jocund days, her sleep, hersleepless nights, her morning of health, and her eveningof indisposition !

These misfortunes of our species are among the disad-vantages attending civilization, which, as society advancestowards its apex, renders marriage more difficult as wellas burdensome; and thereby the fear which naturallyoperates upon delicate minds of not being able to providefor the wants of an increased family, actually renders itimpossible to gratify one of the most powerful impulses ofour nature. In a savage state those delicate feelings arenot found ; the parents look for no more for themselves orchildren than what a generous Providence readily and un-asked affords them with facility from day to day. This isthe case with the natives of uncultivated wilds, where,perhaps, shell-fish, game, and esculent roots, liberallysupply all the wants of nature. Here there is no concernfor the maintenance of a child. But it is where civiliza-tion is advanced, and population increased to so great adegree, that no prospects are opened to the views of the.miserable parent to make provision for his offspring; whereeither positive destruction, or apparent mendicity stareshim in the face: that in a country like this last described,ihfanticide is most likely to abound.

Such was the dread of the serfs, or agricultural slaves of adistrict in Germany , where though the cruel and hard-heartedland-proprietor did not act in violation of the establishedlaw's, in Busch vom Geld-umlauf. vi. 3. §35, p.393, weore informed, that in the course of nine years, not a singleindividual on those estates announced an intention of marry-ing; but the inhabitants had determined to bring nochildren to partake of the iron burden they themselveswere compelled to bear; in conserpience, a dearth of menensued, and the proprietor was obliged to sell his estates.The purchaser improved the condition of his serfs, andmarriages again became common among them.

In vain have legislators ever endeavoured to preventthis crime by capital punishment, more cruel than the crime