ever in fludy, and the fame gaiety in company. I confider, befides, that a man of fixty-five, by dying, cuts off only a few years of infirmities; and though I fee many symptoms of my literary reputation's breaking out at laft with additional luftre, I knew that I could have but few years to enjoy it. It is difficult to be more detached from life than I am at prefent.

Though, in his own judgement, his difeafe was mortal and incurable yet he allowed himself to be prevailed upon, by the intreaty of his friends, to try what might be the effects of a long journey. A few days before he fet out, he wrote that account of his own life, which, together with his other papers, he has left to your care. My account, therefore, fhall begin where his ends.

To conclude bifstorically with my own He fet out for London towards the end character. I am, or rather was, (for that of April; and at Morpeth met with Mr is the ftyle I muft now use in speaking of John Home and myself, who had both myfelf, which emboldens me the more to come down from London on purpose to fpeak my fentiments); I was, I fay, a fee him, expecting to have found him at man of mild difpofitions, of command of Edinburgh. Mr Home returned with temper, of an open, focial, and cheer- him, and attended him during the whole ful humour, capable of attachment, but of his stay in England, with that care little susceptible of enmity, and of great and attention which might be expected moderation in all my paffions. Even my from a temper fo perfectly friendly and love of literary fame, my ruling paffion, affectionate. As I had written to my rever foured my temper, notwithstand- mother, that the might expect me in ing my frequent difappointments. My Scotland, I was under the neceflity of company was not unacceptable to the continuing my journey. His disease young and careless, as well as to the ftu- feemed to yield to exercise, and change dious and literary; and as I took a par- of air; and, when he arrived in London, ticular pleasure in the company of mo- he was apparently in much better health dest women, I had no reason to be dif- than when he left Edinburgh. He was pleafed with the reception I met with advised to go to Bath to drink the wafrom them. In a word, though most ters; which appeared for some time to men any wife eminent have found rea- have fo good an effect upon him, that fon to complain of Calumny, I never was even he himself began to entertain, what touched, or even attacked by her baleful he was not apt to do, a better opinion tooth; and though I wantonly expofed of his own health. His fymptoms, howmyself to the rage of both civil and reli- ever, foon returned with their ufual viogious factions, they seemed to be dif- lence; and from that moment he gave armed in my behalf of their wonted fu- up all thoughts of recovery, but fubmitry. My friends never had occafion to ted with the utmost chearfulness, and the vindicate any one circumftance of my moft perfect complacency and refignacharacter and conduct: not but that the tion. Upon his return to Edinburgh, zealots, we may well fuppofe, would though he found himself much weaker, have been glad to invent and propagate yet his chearfulness never abated; and any ftory to my disadvantage; but they he continued to divert himself, as usual, could never find any which they thought with correcting his own works for a new would wear the face of probability. I edition, with reading books of amusecannot fay there is no vanity in making ment, with the converfation of his friends; this funeral oration of myself, but I hope and, fometimes in the evening, with a it is not a mifplaced oue; and this is a party at his favourite game of Whift. His matter of fact which is eafily cleared and chearfulness was fo great, and his conafcertained. verfation and amufements run fo much in their ufual ftrain, that, notwithstanding all bad fymptoms, many people could not believe he was dying. "I fhall tell your friend Col. Edmonstone," faid Dr Dundas to him one day, "that I left you much better, and in a fair way of recovery." '-" Do&or," faid he, "as I believe you would not chufe to tell any thing but the truth, you had better tell him that I am dying as fatt as my enemies (if I have any) could with, and as

April 18. 1776.

A Letter from ADAM SMITH, LL. D. to
WILLIAM STRAHAN, Efq;

Kirkaldy, Fifeshire, Nov. 9. 1776.
DEAR SIR,

is with a real, though a very melancholly pleasure, that I fit down to give you fore account of the behaviour of our late excellent friend Mr Hume, during his laft illness.

But though Mr Hume always talked of his approaching diffolution with great chearfuinefs, he never affected to make any parade of his magnanimity. He never mentioned the fubject but when the converfation naturally led to it; and never dwelt longer upon it than the courfe of the converfation happened to require. It was a subject, indeed, which occurred pretty frequently, in confequence of the inquiries which his friends who came to fee him, naturally made concerning the ftate of his health. The converfation which I mentioned above, and which paffed on Thurfday the 8th of August, was the laft except one that I ever had with him. He had now become so very weak, that the company of his most intimate friends fatigued him; for his chearfulneis was ftill fo great, his complaifance and focial difpofition were ftill fo entire, that, when any friend was with him, he could not help talking more, and with greater exertion, than fuited the weakness of his body. At his own defire, therefore, I agreed to leave Edinburgh, where I was staying partly upoǹ his account, and returned to my mother's house here at Kirkaldy, upon con

dition that he would fend for me when. heard that he had dictated a letter to
ever he wished to fee me; the phyfician you, defiring you not to come. When
who faw him moft frequently, Dr Black, he became very weak, it coft him an ef-
andertaking, in the mean time, to write fort to fpeak; and he died in fuch a hap-
ne occafionally an account of the state of py compofure of mind, that nothing
his health.
could exceed it."

On the 22d of Auguft the Doctor wrote me the following letter.

“Since my laft, Mr Hume has paffed is time pretty easily, but is much weaker. He fits up, goes down ftairs once a-day, and amufes himself with reading; but feldom fees any body. He finds that 'even the converfation of his moft intimate friends fatigues and oppreffes him; and it is happy that he does not need it, for he is quite free from anxiety, impatience, or low spirits, and paffes his time very well with the affiftance of amusing books."

I received the day after a letter from Mr Hume himself, of which the following is an extract.

Thus died our most excellent and never-to-be-forgotten friend; concerning whofe philofophical opinions men will, no doubt, judge variously, every one approving or condemning them, according as they happen to coincide or difagree with his own; but concerning whose character and conduct there can scarce be a difference of opinion. [xxxviii. 455. 508, 78.]. His temper, indeed, feemed to be more happily balanced (if I may be allowed fuch an expreffion) than that perhaps of any other man I have ever known. Even in the loweft ftate of his fortune, his great and neceffary frugality never hindered him from exercifing, upon proper occafions, acts both of charity and generofity. It was a frugality found ed, not upon avarice, but upon the love of independency. The extreme gentlenefs of his nature never weakened either the firmness of his mind, or the fteadinefs of his refolutions. His conftant I go very fast to decline, and last night pleafantry was the genuine effufion of had a fmall fever, which I hoped might good-nature and good humour, temper put a quicker period to this tedious ill-ed with delicacy and modefty, and withrefs; but unluckily it has in a great reasure gone off. I cannot fubmit to your coming over here on my account, as it is poffible for me to fee you fo fall a part of the day; but Dr Black canbetter inform you concerning the dege of ftrength which may from time to time remain with me. Adieu, &c. Three days after I received the following letter from Dr Black.

"Edinburgh, August 23. 1776.
MY DEAREST FRIEND,
I am obliged to make ufe of my nes
phew's hand in writing to you, as I do
not rife to-day.

*

"Edinburgh, Monday, Aug. 26. 1776.
DEAR SIR,

Yelerday, about four o'clock after
noon, Mr Hume expired. The near ap-
proach of his death became evident in
the night between Thuriday and Friday,
when his difcafe became exceffive, and
foon weakened him fo much, that he
could no longer rife out of his bed. He
continued to the last perfectly fenfible,
and free from much pain or feelings of
diarefs. He never dropped the fmalleft
expreffion of impatience; but, when he
had occafion to speak to the people about
him, always did it with affection and
tenderness. I thought it improper to
Write to bring you over, efpecially as I

out even the flighteft tincture of malig-
nity, so frequently the difagreeable source
of what is called wit in other men. It
never was the meaning of his raillery to
mortify; and therefore, far from offend-
ing, it feldom failed to please and delight
even those who were the objects of it.
To his friends, who were frequently the
objects of it, there was not, perhaps,
any one of all his great and amiable
qualities which contributed more to en-
dear his converfation; and that gaiety
of temper, fo agreeable in fociety, but
which is fo often accompanied with fri-
volous and fuperficial qualities, was in
him certainly attended with the most fe-
vere application, the most extenfive
learning, the greateft depth of thought,
and a capacity in every refpect the most
comprehenfive. Upon the whole, I have
always confidered him, both in his life.
time and fince his death, as approaching
as nearly to the idea of a perfectly wife
and virtuous man, as perhaps the nature
of human frailty will permit.

I ever am, dear Sir,
Most affectionately yours,
ADAM SMITH.

SIR,

SIR,

London, Jan. 13.1777.

Conftitution of the Irish Parliament.

When we hear of a Houfe of Lords, and
a Houfe of Commons, in Ireland, and
that the bills receive the royal affent by
delegation, we immediately conceive the
conftitution of the Parliament there fimi-
lar to our own. The cafe is quite other
wife; for both the legislation itself, and
the parliamentary mode of proceeding,
is different, as will appear by the follow-
ing account. After Henry VII. had
conceded a parliament in Ireland, he
thought the power thereby created of
too much importance to a people whom
he determined to keep in a state of hu-
miliation and dependence, and therefore
employed one Poynings, a man of great
ingenuity and court-craft, to be his de-
legate. This man, by a trick, impofed
upon the reprefentatives of the people;
obtained a law, (from himself called
Poyning's law) "That before any Parlia-
ment fhould be holden, the reafons for
holding the same, and the nature of the
Jaws intended to be propofed, fhould
be laid before the King, by the Chief
Governor and Privy Council of Ire-
land, with full negation in the King
and Privy Council of England;" grant-
ing thereby a power to the crown of ori-
ginating every act which could poffibly
pafs in the Irish fenate, and leaving with
the people a power only of refufing upon
recognition. After repeated inftances of
difguft and defection, it was found neceffa-
ry to abridge this law; and the alteration
made it neceffary to specify the intended
bill at the first calling of the Parliament.
But ftill are the heads of bills (fo called
in Ireland) certified by the Lieutenant
and Privy Council, under the great feal.
Hence is the great immunity of the noble
and equitable equilibrium destroyed. The
King knows in which Houfe they origi-
nate, and before they are communicated
to the other House, or prefented to the
throne in due parliamentary form. Un-
der the authority of Poyning's law, the
Privy Council infift upon the right of o-
riginating all money-bills; but the Com-
mons ftrenuously decrying the conftitu-
tion, conftantly exercife their negative
power, and thofe bills drop upon the re-
turn: a new bill then originates in the
lower affembly; which, if returned from
the crown without alteration, paffes into
a law. By this abfurd diftinction, much
time is ufually mil-spent.

As every bill must be certified by the Chief Governor and Privy Council, the parliamentary mode of proceeding varies

to

materially from that used in England.
Any member may move for leave
bring in heads of a bill; and on leave be-
ing given, a committee is appointed to
prepare, and bring in the fame; and the
member who makes the motion is nomi-
nated to the chair of the faid committee.
After the report, here, the Speaker puts
the queftion, "Is it your pleasure thefe
heads of a bill be now received?" The
question being carried in the affirmative,
they are prefented, read twice over,
and then configned to a committee of the
whole House; in which they are inve-
ftigated more minutely, and by which
great alterations are generally made.
After this, the chairman of the commit-
tee reports to the House if any altera-
tions are made, and a queftion is put for
each alteration. The heads of a bill are
read a third time, and the propofer is
ordered to wait on his Excellency the
Lord Lieutenant, and the Privy Coun-
cil therewith, and defire that they may
be tranfmitted to the King in due form,
certified under the great feal by the Lord
Lieutenant and Privy Council. With-
out this form, the heads of a bill cannot
be tranfmitted at all; and hence arifes a
diftinct branch of legislation.

After all this tedious procraftination,
when the heads of a bill are fent over,
they are laid before the King and Coun-
cil, and two men are ordered to examine
the refult of a nation's folemn delibera-
tion. If, through ignorance, caprici-
oufnefs, wickedness, or error, the At-
torney or Solicitor General should re-
port them contrary to the trade or dig-
nity of England, they are ufually de-
tained.

When the crown-lawyers have made fuch alterations as they then think fit, (that is, when they think the heads admiffible in any degree), they are returned under the great feal; commanding the Lord Lieutenant to give the royal affent to fuch bill, in the exact form in which it ftands: for the Irish House cannot alter a fingle tittle, but either accede to the alterations which have been made, or ufe their negative power, and reject the whole. The Lord Lieutenant is not empowered to affent to any bill, but in the very form which it appears under the great feal, and cannot therefore concur with any other propofition:

M

AME

0

WE concluded the American affairs in hereby further renounce and gifavow the