VIII. tracts. Without laws fo framed and executed, no compre- CHAP. henfive design can be promoted or accomplished; nor can the community exert that united strength which it's fubfiftence and security indispensably require. Nothing therefore can be more important than due focial fubordination, which depends effentially on the form and organization of it's internal order, and the prompt, impartial and exemplary execution of the laws. Without this, a fociety (if it would deserve the name) would be nothing but a chaos of difcordant elements, and deftructive paffions. But in the fame proportion as vices are prevented or restrained, and evil habits corrected or eradicated, by wholesome laws, the civilization and improvement of the people are promoted, and the defign of the focial union fecured. 157. All laws may be reduced to the following claffes, Laws. viz. judicial, political and economical. 158. (1.) Fudicial. A community without laws of justice, Judicial. may be compared to the body of a man without a head; that is, to fomething so monftrously and unnaturally defective, that it's existence would imply a contradiction. Accordingly no nation, which is more or less civilized, is defstitute of diftinct ideas concerning good and evil; however those ideas may be limited and diverfified. Nor does there exist any fuch nation which does not endeavour to encourage the free course of moral and social good, and to prevent or eradicate the oppofite evils; and this in a greater or lefs conformity to the laws of the decalogue, which is the most ancient and univerfal code. 159. (2.) Political, or laws of police. Every community is Political. composed of individuals in greater or smaller numbers, and distributed into different claffes or orders, all of which must, each in his proper sphere, co-operate with the rest, in order CHA P. order to give ftrength, confiftency and regularity to the VIII. Economical. External worship. whole. For a community without political laws, is like a head without a body, or like some heterogeneous being, that poffeffes neither form nor order. 160. (3.) Economical. These resemble a man's cloaths, for, like them, they may not only be changed, to adapt them to new circumftances; but a fociety without them is like a naked man, exposed to every inclemency of the weather.I need therefore scarcely to add, that a department for the execution of contracts and laws fhould be established in the government or direction. EXTERNAL WORSHIP. 161. If christianity is to be promoted and encouraged, in a new colony, it seems indispensably necessary that the order which characterizes this divine religion fhould be observed, in it's outward forms or rites. This order may be reduced to the three following primary articles of external worship, under which all the more minute parts may be comprised. I. Baptifm, or the first ceremony of introduction into a christian community, ordained by the great Institutor of christianity himself. II. Confirmation, a ceremony performed when a person comes of age, and is thenceforth to be answerable, for his own conduct and actions, to the community. III. The holy fupper, an ordinance of the greatest importance, on the right and fincere use of which depends entirely the union of every individual with his Creator. HEALTH. HEALTH. С НА Р. VIII. 162. If what has been remarked on the fubject of health Health. (in Chap. VI.) has had due weight with the reader, he will see the neceffity of inftituting a diftinct department, in the government or direction, to superintend it. This department will have under their inspection, I. The practice of medicine, in curing internal diseases; and, as this is connected with the mental, as well as the corporeal, powers of man, it includes also phyfiology and the kindred sciences. II. The practice of furgery, for the external, or the merely mechanical derangements of the human fyftem. It may include midwifery and it's fifter arts. III. The practice of pharmacy, for the preparation of drugs and medicines. CULTIVATION. of raw ma terials. 163. In addition to what has been remarked on cultiva- Cultivation tion (§ 131 et feq.) it does not seem necessary to add more than that there ought to be in the direction, a department for promoting, in a fyftematic, œconomical and scientific manner, the production of raw materials, tures to be 164. It is needless to exhaust time in showing that, in Colonial every conceivable mode of civilized life, the manufactures manufacfubfervient to food, cloathing, lodging and domestic accom- encouraged. modation, are abfolutely neceffary.-Those articles must either be procured from abroad, or fabricated at home. VIII. CHAP. The former mode of fupply encourages external commerce, the latter internal induftry. Commerce should rise out of, or follow, internal induftry; but fhould never be fuffered to precede it, as it would do, if reforted to for articles which a country has hands enough to fabricate.-Befides, external commerce tends to injure, and internal industry, properly regulated, to promote morality and civilization. In every African colony, therefore, all the hands that can be spared from cultivation, fhould be employed in the arts neceffary to prepare apparel, buildings, furniture, tools and fuch articles of food as require fome artificial procefs. The natives, whom I always fuppofe mixed with the colonifts, will thus not only be excited to ufe articles manufactured in the European manner, but will be taught to fabricate them with their own hands; and, having the paths of honest industry opened to them, will no longer depend, as too many of them have hitherto done, on a pernicious traffic, for a precarious supply of foreign goods, baubles and trash. In fhort, next to agriculture, their tafte for, and employment in, useful manufactures will be the most effectual means of promoting their civilization. (See § 36, 37.) It seems neceffary, therefore, that there fhould be a department, in the government or direction, to fuperintend and inspect the manufactures, to deliberate on the introduction of new ones, and to encourage, by rewards, or otherwise, those which they may deem it expedient to establish. Commerce. COMMERCE. 165. This article, like feveral of the preceding, has been pretty largely treated of in Chap. VII. (see § 113, et feq.) whence may be seen the neceffity of inftituting a diftinct department in the direction to promote, I. The internal, or colonial, trade. III. The importation commerce; to promote them, I mean, in fuch a manner, that furplus produce may be taken off by exportation, without interfering with the necessary and ample supply of the colony. By promoting, however, I do not mean any thing like an exclufive furrender of the colonial commerce into the hands of the directors; but only that they should watch over, or, as the name of their office imports, direct the general course of commerce to the general good, leaving to individuals the full, free and open exercise of all legal, commercial purfuits. С НА Р. DEFENCE. 166. On the internal polity and external defence of a new colony, I have bestowed much thought; and, on the whole, the ancient English system of frankpledge appears to me to be the best calculated to fecure both these objects*. 167. In this, as in many other particulars, I fo entirely agree with the Right Hon. Paul le Mefurier, the present worthy and spirited Lord Mayor of London, that I hope he will pardon me for taking the liberty to insert an extract from a few hafty, but judicious remarks, with which he was pleased to honour me." The common law and polity of England," fays his lordship, "being founded on the system offr ankpledge, will naturally form the basis of the internal *This fyftem is explained at large in "An account of the conftitutional English polity of congregational courts," &c. by the excellent Granville Sharp, Efq. who has applied it to the cafe of a new colony, in his "Short sketch of temporary regulations for Sierra Leona." Internal polity and defence, by frank pledge. |