1821. April 27.

First Lines

Constitutional

In a Representative Democracy, the exercise of this designative power is perfrmed by human judgment: under a Monarchy it is performed by fortune or providence. The cause being the same, and that cause out of the reach of our knowledge, each man may, on each particular occasion, do as he is accustomed to do, employ that one of the two which, on that occasion, is regarded by him as best suited to his purpose. Under the exercise made of this power by fortune, the supremem operative power finds itself, at the death of the last possessor, in the hands of the only child, or, in case of children more than one living at that moment, of the first born of the children of a certain woman: the power of removal is, under the direction of fortune or providence, or by accident, human judgment exercised by death.

In so far as the power of appointment is thus exercised by fortune or providence, no degree of relative inaptitude short of universally manifest and compleat insanity of mind has the effect of preventing the exercise of the operative power from finding itself lodged in the hands thus designated and appointed: no degree of inaptitude short of that produced by insanity, as above, takes the power of removal out of the hands of death

The