[114-021v]

1821. April 1

Codification Offer

'7 Foreigner why

Of the circumstances on which the demand for legislation, and the nature of the course required to be taken by legislation depends, some are common to all countries;- say in a word universally applying; others are, in different countries, more or less different: say exclusively applying. In comparison of those which, resulting from the nature of man in general, and of the general nature of the planet on which he exists, and from which he derives his subsistence, and which, accordingly, have place in all countries, those which are peculiar to different countries, and different races of their inhabitants are, in respect of the extensiveness of their application, and their relative importance, but inconsiderable. The great outlines which require to be drawn, on the field of legislation, by the hand of the legislator, will be found to be the same for every territory, for every race, and for every time: only in this or that territory, only for this or that race, only for this or that time as distinguished from this or that other, will the filling up of those lines be found to require to be, on this or that point, more or less different. In every country, and for every race, at every time,- of the all-comprehensive and only defensible end - the greatest happiness of the greatest number - of the four most comprehensive particular and subordinate ends - viz. subsistence, abundance, security and equality, with their several divisions and sub-divisions, will the description be found the same: Only of the means best adapted to the accomplishment of those great ends, in this or that country or for this or that race, at this or that time, will the description, in this or that particular, be found in a greater or less degree different.