Thoughts on Civil Liberty, by the Author of the Effays on the Characteriflicks. Rules for diffinguishing Liberty from Licentioufness and Faction. THE I. "THE friend of liberty will endeavour to preserve that juft "balance of divided power, eftablished "by law, for the fecurity of freedom." -Because the public welfare is the leading object of his withes; and can only be effectually obtained by the preservation of fuch a balance. II." He will be attached to mea"fures, without respecting men."-Because the paffions and interests of individuals ought to yield to the public weal. III. He will be generally felf-con"fiftent both in fpeech and action."-Because the public welfare being the uniform object of his pursuits, this can only be fteadily and effectually promoted on clear and uniform principles. IV. "He will not attempt to inflame "an ignorant populace against their legal "governors."-Because an ignorant populace are, in all cafes, unqualified to decide on the measures of government. V. "His Debates, either in the Se"nate, or from the prefs, will be void "of undistinguishing and injurious impu"tations on any whole bodies of men, "who may differ from him in opinion.' -Because, truth and the public welfare being his defired end, he will clearly fee, that others have the fame right of approving, as himself hath of difapproving the measures of government. VI. "He will not induftrioufly and "indifcriminately defame the private "characters of the individuals who differ "from him in opinion."-Because calumny thrown on individuals is a still more aggravated crime, than that which is promiscuously aimed at bodies of refignation; had thus intimidated him to their own purposes; had by these means ufurped the legal prerogatives of the crown; and applied them rather to the fupport of their own influence, than to the public welfare; If the legal privileges of the people had fared no better in their hands-if thefe, too, had been fwallowed up in the great gulph of aristocratic power :-If the members of the lower houfe, while they feemed to be the free reprefentatives of the people, had been in truth, a great part of them, no more than the commifioned deputies of their respective chiefs, whole fentiments they declared, and whofe interefts they purlued : If fuch a fet of men, as foon as the had lost their influence, fhould now rail at the privileges of the crown as the engines of defpotifim, though they had formerly been allowed by the wildom of the ftate, as the occational fecurities of freedom : If they fhould now abfurdly magnify and exalt the privileges of the fower houfe, beyond the limits prefcribed by a free conftitution:If their pretence fhould be the vindication of the people's rights, while their real motive was the refloration of their own exorbitant power, founded on an expected majority of their own dependents: If this conduct was purfued by any fet of men, they would stand convicted of a clear mark of licentiousness and faction. A fecond Mark of Licentioufnefs and Faction. "The patrons of faction would be at"tached to men, to the neglect of mea"furers." If the fame men, when formerly in power, thould have obftinately adhered to each other in every public debate and opinion; fhould have execrated every man ed even in the flightest article of political as the enemy of his country, who diffent belief: If on any fudden change in the fountain of power a more generous fyftem of government fhould have taken place -If the fovereign had aimed to unite all ho neft men of all parties, and had invited them to co-operate for the welfare of their country : If these men, determined ftill to engrofs all public power, fhould threaten the the fovereign, (as they had effectually threatened his royal predeceffor) with a general refignation: If their leaders fhould be taken at their word, and unexpectedly stripped of all power and influence : If on this the clamours of their attendant populace fhould arife, and for the fake of the public tranquillity overtures fhould be made by the prince to the difcon tented :--If the fame principle should still predominate, and demands in favour of men should be the leading object of accommodation :: If thefe demands fhould be not only irrational in their kind, but exorbitant and oppreffive in their degree, required a general reforation of all the difcontented, and a general difmiffion of all who are in power, though of known fidelity to their king and country : It fuch thould be the conduct of any fet of men, they would stand evidently convicted of licentioufnefs and faction. A third mark of licentioufness and faction. "The patrons of faction would be felf-contradictory and inconfiftent, not "only on different, but on parallel oc"cafions." Thus, if the exercife of a privilege fhould be quietly allowed to one officer of ftate, and by the fame perfons fhould be clamoured againft in his fucceffor; the perfons thus acquiefcing and clamouring by turns, would ftand convicted or a felf-contradictory and inconfittent conduct: And without deciding on the propriety of impropriety of the privilege m queftion, would carry upon them a cleai mark of licentioufnefs and faction. A fourth mark of licentiousness and faction. "The pattons of faction would en"deavour to delude and inflame an ig"norant and licentious populace against "their legal governors." A blind and unprincipled populace have ever been the molt effectual engines of fedition: And above all, thofe of the capital being near to the grand scene of political contention, muft ever be a ready and dangerous engine in the hands of licentioufhiefs and faction. But in a nation like this, to make the populace of the capital a more fuccesful inftrument of fedition, a degree of art would be neceffary. The fit ftep, there fore, that faction would take as the furelt method of success, would be, to dignify the clamour of the populace, by stiling it the voice of the people. The fury of fuch a populace, thus awakened by vanity, vice, and ignorance, would arife in a variety of shapes. If an order of the fenate fhould be given for the burning of a paper legally declared feditious, fuch a populace would be incited to refcue it from the fire; and they who had thus incited them would boast that it was refcued by the hands of the people. Every talking demagogue, who should oppofe the meafures of government, would be artfully and indifcriminately obtruded on fuch an ignorant populace as a patriot or a heroe. And they who had thus obtruded him would boat that he was the favourite of the people. Every diftinguished friend to the meafures of government would be artfully obtruded on fuch a populace as the enemy of his country: And they who had thus obtruded him would boat that he was the deteftation of the people. Every act of the legislature which contradicted the paffions or partial interests of fuch a populace, or their leaders, would be branded by them as arbitrary and oppreffive: And they would boaft that it was branded by the voice of the people. If daily or periodical papers of intelligence were circulated from the capital through the nation, and thefe were open to the admiffion of every thing which private pique, paffion, or intereft might fuggeft, they would of courfe become the general repofitories of popular flander: And as malice is always more eager to accufe, landers would often feem to preponderate than injured innocence to defend, these in the public ear: And hence would be boafted by thofe who raifed them, as the prevailing voice of the people: A fifth mark of licentiousness and faction. "The abbettors of faction would "throw injurious and undiftinguishing imputations on every body of men who differed from them in opinion." Having thus gained an ignorant and licentious populace as the trumpets of fedition, the patrons of faction would leave no means untry'd to load their adverfaries with the moft envenomed calummy. Thus Thus if any mistaken principle had for- not fo much merit deteftation, as contempt merly been maintained, but was now ge- and ridicule. nerally forfaken and derided; a faction could not be detected by any clearer mark than by its attempt to conjure up the ghost of this departed principle, in order to alarm and terrify not only the populace, but the people. If on this pretence any men should attempt to revive animofities which time had bury'd;-fhould attempt to divide and diftract the fubjects of an united kingdom, whofe common welfare depended on the union;-fhould revile all men with out diftinction who were born in a certain diftrict, and indifcriminately endeavour to exclude them from a participation of those public trusts, honours, and emoluments, to which, with the reft of their fellow fubjects, they might stand intitled by their capacity or virtue:-Who would not discover in this unequal conduct a clear and distinctive mark of licentiousness and faction? Again: If ever there had been a time when all who prefumed to diffent in any degree from thofe in power, were indifcriminately and unjustly branded with the name of Jacobite or Tory;-and if thofe very men who had bestowed fuch appellations, fhould now deal them as freely round on all who affent to thofe in power: -This were furely a clear indication that the fpirit of faction were abroad. But if, in the courfe of political revolutions fome of thefe men's former adherents should now be their adverfaries, and fome former adverfaries fhould now be their adherents, another characteristic circumstance would arife; for those whom they had once reviled, they would now applaud, as being the friends of liberty; and those whom they had formerly applauded they would now revile, as having become Jacobites or Tories. Such a conduct, and fuch names thus arbitrarily impofed, however fpeciously coloured over by the pretence and cry of liberty, might feem to ftand, with all impartial judges, as a clear mark of licentioufnefs and facti on. The views of fuch men would be ftill more apparent, fhould they infinuate that the prince received thofe very men as his minifters and favourites whofe principles tended to the fubverfion of his throne and family. This infinuation, indeed, would February, 1765. A fixth mark of Licentiousness and Facti on. "The abettors and inftruments of fac"tion would promifcuously calumniate "the private characters of the principal "individuals of the oppofing party." If a prince, whofe words and actions might justly be given as an example of integrity to all his fubjects, thould be ambiguously accused of fuch things as his honour would abhor : If fuch a prince fhould be indirectly charged with ignorance for not diftinguifhing in a point of law which even fome of the ableft lawyers in this kingdom had not attended to: If neither the virtues nor the condefcenfion of a queen could protect her from the infults of those whom she had never injured: If any other branch of a royal family fhould be bafely traduced by the groffeft and moft audacious calumnies, ftudiously contrived to inflame an ignorant and unbridled populace If the fervants of the crown, and members of the legiflature, who had legally exerted themselves in defence of their injured fovereign, fhould in their private character be impudently vilify'd, mifreprefented, and abused, and even their inoffending families traduced with study'd and unexampled virulence:→→ If neither age nor virtue should be a fecurity against the arrows of public calumny:-If a man of the most diftinguished worth in private life, a known and zealous friend of public liberty, one of the ornaments of his age and country, fhould be overwhelmed by a load of the most unprovoked and malicious flander, merely because he had dared to affert his own right of private judgment, in oppofition to the opinion of another: If thefe outrages fhould be publicly committed by fome, and winked at, or countenanced, or patronized by others, furely all honeft men ought to join in declaring their abhorrence of fuch atrocious acts of licentioufnefs and faction, perpetrated in defiance of all laws, both human and divine. A Narrative of the proceedings relative to the Difcovery of the Longitude by Harrifon's Time keeper, fubfequent to thofe published in 1764. MR. R. HARRISON having by petition to the House of Commons fet forth the facts mentioned in a former account, (See p. 513.) and prayed affiftance of parliament; an Act was paffed which, reciting that the utility of the Time-piece had been proved in a voyage to Jamaica, enacted that Mr. Harrison fhould receive 5000l. part of the reward, upon his difcovering the principles, on which his inftrument was made, fo that others might be conftructed in the like manner, to commiffioners named in the act, and that the refidue should be paid as foon as future trials fhould have ascertained that the Longitude could be difcovered by the faid inftrument within the limits prescribed by the act of Queen Anne, and the major part of the commiffioners fhould certify that it was fo ascertained, But the commiffioners differing in opinion concerning the execution of the act, Mr. Harrison received no part of the 5000l. but a fecond trial of his inftrument was made in a voyage to Barbadoes, on board the Tartar, Sir John Lindsey commander, under the circumstances directed by the Lords of the Admiralty. The Tartar failed from Spithead the 28th of March, and met with hard and contrary gales, especially in the bay of Bifcay. On the 19th of April they made the inland of Porto Santo N. E. of the Madiera's, as fet forth in the following certificate: Madeira, April 19, 1764. "I do hereby certify, that yesterday at four o'clock in the afternoon, Mr. William Harrison took two altitudes of the fun to ascertain the difference of longitude given by the time keeper from Portsmouth; according to which obfervations he declared to me, we were at that time 43 miles to the Eastward of Porto Santo. I then fteered the direct courfe for it, and at one o'clock this morning we faw the island, which exactly agreed with the distance mentioned above. Given under my hand on board his Majesty's fhip the Tarter. JOHN LINDSAY." They arrived at Barbadoes May the 13th, Mr. Harrison all along in the voyage declaring how far he was diftant from that ifland, according to the best settled longitude thereof. The day before they made it, he declared the distance: And Sir John failed in confequence of this declaration, till eleven at night, which proving dark he thought proper to lay by, Mr. Harrison then declaring they were no more than eight or nine miles from the land, which accordingly at day break they faw from that distance. The commiffioners on the 18th of September 1764, met again, and came to feveral refolutions with refpect to determining whether Mr. Harrison's Timepiece had or had not been effectual within the words of the statute of Queen Anne. And Mr. Harrison by petition applied to them for the certificate on which his title to receive the reward was to be founded. In confequence of this petition, the commiffioners came to the following refolutions unanimously. "That the faid time-keeper has kept its time with fufficient exactness, and without lofing its longitude in the voyage from Portsmouth to Barbadoes, beyond the nearest limit required by the act of the 12th of Queen Anne, but even confiderably within the fame; but, in regard the faid Mr. John Harrison hath not yet made a difcovery of the principles upon which his faid time-keeper is conftructed; nor of the method of carrying those principles into execution, by means whereof other fuch time-keepers might be framed of fufficient correctnefs to find the longitude at fea, within the limits by the faid act required, whereby the faid invention might be adjudged practicable and useful in terms of the faid act, and agreeable to the true intent and meaning thereof.; the commiffioners do not therefore think themfelves authorized to grant any certificate to the faid Mr. John Harrison, until he fhall have made a full and clear discovery of the faid principles and method, and the fame fhall have been found practica ble and useful to their fatisfaction. But they are notwithstanding of opinion, that application fhould be made to parliament for leave to pay the faid Mr. John Harrifon upon his producing his time-keeper to certain perfons to be named by this board, board, and discovering to them the principles and manner of making the fame, fo much money as will make up the fums already advanced to him 10,000l. exclufive of what he has received on account of improving his faid time-keeper; and more. over to pay him the remainder of a reward of 20,000l. on proof being made to the fatisfaction of this board, that his method will be of common and general utility in finding the longitude at fea within the nearest limits required by the abovementioned act of the 12th of Queen Anne." A copy of this refolution, fecuring to Mr. Harrifon 10,000l. upon his difcovering the principles on which his Timepiece is constructed, and the remainder of the reward, upon their appearing to be fuch as will render it of general ufe, by enabling other artificers with reasonable fkill, in reasonable time, and at reasonable expence to make them, was fent to Mr. Harrifon, who, however, deems himself legally intitled to the whole reward, by virtue of the Act, upon disclosing the prin ciples of his inftrument. Mr. Ples. Harrison alfo, in order to fatisfy any doubts or fcruples hath offered to deliver to the commiffioners of longitude, or to the lords of admiralty, his timekeeper; by which any other skilful work man may be enabled to make other timekeepers on the fame principles. And, for a farther fatisfaction, he is willing to depofit in the hands of the lords of the admiralty correct drawings upon oath, with explanations of fuch drawings; and alfo the principles on which the fame is conftructed. For the farther fatisfaction of the public, he is alfo willing to engage his fon, immediately on his receiving the reward given by the legislature, to employ a fufficient number of hands, fo as with all poffible speed to furnish his majesty's navy, the merchants and navigators of this kingdom, with fuch number of timekeepers of equal goodness with that already made, and in two voyages inconteftably proved, at fuch reafonable rates as the nature of the undertaking will admit; not doubting but the public will confider the charge attending the outfet of the undertaking. Mr. Harrifon hopes thefe proposals will be thought fatisfactory to the public, without fubjecting him to thofe delays and inconveniencies as might probably attend the methods propofed by the honourable the commiffioners of the longitude, as he is already very infirm, and far advanced in years, above 40 whereof have been entirely taken up in this service alone. Moreover if the method proposed by Mr. Harrison be approved of, the public will be fecured from any impofition by counterfeits. Mr. Harrifon likewise would not be deprived of the rewards he may receive from foreign nations, to whom he may communicate his discovery. To this account we fhall only add, that the commiffioners feem to have proceeded with a neceffary caution. At the fame time, alloting fuch regard to the ingenuity of the artift, tho' his inftrument should not be such as ean come into general use, as will encourage others to exert their abilities for the public advan tage. The Country Prief's Catechifm. Yes, I have had a finall parish conferred on me, and I like it better than a larger; it is more fuited both to my parts and my activity; having but one foul myfelf, the fuperintendance and direction of feventy thousand would certainly be too much for me, and I have ever wondered at the daringness of those who have taken on them the care of thofe immenfe districts. I cannot, in any tolerable meafure, find myself equal to fuch a charge; a large flock really frightens me, but with a fmall one I may perhaps do fome good. I have a fmattering of the law, enough, with my careful endeavours, to prevent my poor parishioners from ruining one another by litigations; I am fo far a phyfician as to prefcribe to them in common cafes; and I have fo far looked into our beft treatifes on agriculture, that my advice may fometimes be of fervice to them. The lord of the manor and his lady are mighty good fort of people, and no devotees; they will fecond my endeavours to do good, fo that I promife myfelf very happy time of it, and that thofe among whom I am to live will not be the worfe for my being among them. P 2 Arifus |
