APPENDIX. SKETCHES CONCERNING SCOTLAND. SKETCH I. SCOTCH ENTAILS CONSIDERED IN MORAL AND PO LITICAL VIEWS. AN is by nature a hoarding animal; and to Mecure what is acquired by honeft induftry, Μ the fense of property is made a branch of human nature *. During the infancy of nations, when artificial wants are unknown, the hoarding appetite makes no figure. The ufe of money produced a great alteration in the human heart. Money having at command the goods of fortune, introduced inequality of rank, luxury, and artificial wants without end. No bounds are set to hoarding, where an appetite for artificial wants is indulFf2 ged: * Book I. Sketch 2. ged: love of money becomes the ruling paffion : it is coveted by many, in order to be hoarded; and means are abfurdly converted into an end. The fenfe of property, weak among savages, ripens gradually till it arrives at maturity in polished nations. In every stage of the progress, fome new power is added to property; and now, for centuries, men have enjoyed every power over their own goods, that a rational mind can defire *: they have the free disposal during life, and even after death, by naming an heir. These powers are fufficient for accomplishing every rational purpose they are fufficient for commerce, and they are fufficient for benevolence. But the artificial wants of men are boundless: not content with the full enjoyment of their property during life, nor with the prospect of its being enjoyed by a favourite heir, they are anxiously bent to preserve it to themselves for ever. A man who has amaffed a great estate in land, is miserable at the prospect of being obliged to quit his hold: to foothe his dif eafed fancy, he makes a deed fecuring it for ever to certain heirs; who muft without end bear his name, and preferve his eftate entire. Death, it is true, muft at laft feparate him from his idol: it is fome confolation, however, that his will governs and gives law to every subsequent proprietor. How repugnant to the frail state of man are fuch fwollen conceptions!. Upon these, however, are found *Hiftorical Law-Tracts, Tract 3. ed ed entails, which have prevailed in many parts of the world, and unhappily at this day infeft Scotland. Did entails produce no other mifchief but the gratification of a distempered appetite, they might be endured, though far from deferving approbation : but, like other tranfgreffions of nature and reafon, they are productive of much mischief, not only to commerce, but to the very heirs for whofe fake alone it is pretended that they are made. Confidering that the law of nature has bestowed on man every power of property that is neceffary either for commerce or for benevolence, how blind was it in the English Legiflature to add a most irrational power, that of making an entail! But men will always be mending; and, when a lawgiver ventures to tamper with the laws of nature, he hazards much mifchief. We have a pregnant inftance above, of an attempt to mend the laws of God in many abfurd regulations for the poor; and that the law authorifing entails is another inftance of the fame kind, will be evident from what follows. The mifchievous effects of English entails were foon discovered: they occafioned fuch injustice and oppreffion, that even the judges ventured to relieve the nation from them by an artificial form, termed fine and recovery. And yet, though no moderate man would defire more power over his eftate than he has by common law, the legiflature of Scotland enabled every land-proprietor to fetFf3 ter 66 good friend, fhould intereft himself fo warmly " in what concerns God only. He hath given to "his creatures different minds and different in"clinations, which naturally lead them to differ "in opinion. We admire variety in the material "world: why not equally admire it in matters of religion? Have we not then reason to believe, "that God takes pleasure in all the different forms "of worship? Had it been the intention of God, "to produce uniformity in religion, he would have "formed all men with the fame mind." Bernier introduces fome Gentiles of Hindoftan defending their religion much in the fame manner: "That "they did not pretend their law to be univerfal; "that they did not hold ours to be false, as, for ought they knew, it might be a good law for us; and that God probably made many roads to "heaven." 66 66 With respect to the other caufe above mentioned, the defire of putting people in the right road. To reafon others into our religious principles, is natural; but it is not always prudent. I wish my neighbour to be of my opinion, because I think my opinion right: but is there no danger of undermining his religious principles, without eftablishing better in their flead? Ought I not to restrain my defire of making converts, when the attempt may poffibly reduce them to abandon religion altogether, as a matter of utter uncertainty? If a man of clear understanding has, by fome some unhappy means, been led into error, that man may be fet right by fair reafoning: but beware of endeavouring to convert people of low parts, who are indebted for their creed to parents, to education, or to example: it is fafer to let them rest as they are. At any rate, let us never attempt to gain profelytes by rewards, or by terror: what other effect can fuch motives produce, but diffimulation and lying, parents of every fecret crime. The Empress of Ruffia ufes a method for converting her Pagan fubjects of Kamskatka, no less agreeable than effectual; which is, to exempt from taxes for ten years, fuch of them as profefs the Chriftian religion. This practice may be political; but it tends not to advance religion, and is deftructive of morality. Terror, on the other hand, may be equally effectual, but is not altogether fo agreeable. The people of Rum, one of the Hebrides, were Papifts till the beginning of the prefent century, when in one day they were all profelyted to the Proteftant faith. Maclean of Coll, their chieftain, went to the island with a Proteftant minifter, and ordered all the inhabitants to appear on Sunday at public worship. They came, but refufed to hear a Proteftant minifter. The chieftain reafoned with them but finding that his reafonings made no impreffion, he laid hold of the most forward; and having made a deep impreffion on him with hist cane, |