objected to their being brought from Africa, (where, in fact, they are in the moft vile of all fituations) and exalted from flaves to fervants?

My intention is not to enter upon a fubject which has of late employed fo many writers, but merely to fhew the effect of a word independently of the thing to which it is applied.

No army or navy can poffibly exist without subordination or discipline-but, if living under an abfolute government constitutes slavery, what flaves are more compleatly fo than foldiers and failors?* However, as the difgraceful term is not bestowed on them, they feel that they are in the full enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of free-born Englishmen.

A

* This being written many years fince, ought not to be applied to late events.

A misnomer, we fee, is of consequence in the common affairs of life, as well as in law, with this difference to its difadvantage, that it cannot so easily be corrected; but we must submit to its effects, without hope of redress, until something fhall be found fufficient to fubdue the force of custom long-established.

On

On Executions.

"My betters are worse than me,” fays Betty in Jofeph Andrews. To adopt the fame paradoxical style, it may be said, that fome of our improvements are for our disadvantage.

Mr. Howard has been the occafion of many alterations for the worfe, under an idea of remedying grievances upon philanthropic principles.

When a man by committing a crime has incurred the penalty of the law, it is neceffary that he should be kept in safe cuftody until he is tried or punished— but if his prifon be a large magnificent building (notwithflanding the mifery of the cells) he confiders himself as a Being

of

of confequence-moft probably the grandeur of the place takes from him all humiliating thoughts which lead to repen

tance.

If I have fome objections to our im provements of prifons, I have more to the improvements in the mode of exe

cutions.

Formerly, a culprit walked to the gallows, where he spent an hour in praying and finging a penitential pfalm (which produces a great effect upon the spectators)

after which, he was thrown off a ladder, and left hanging, according to the vulgar phrafe, like a dog.

The first improvement was conveying condemned prisoners in a cart—this leffened the ignominy of the execution, but encreased the horror of the previous circumstances, as a cart is an ignoble carriage, and the perfons of the criminals

were

were more expofed, and marked out as objects of attention-but it had one bad confequence the cart (by thofe who could pay for it) was frequently changed for a coach-and to ride in a coach is a defirable thing in the idea of the common people.

The place of execution for London was once two miles out of town-by degrees, the houses reached it, and the people who lived in them not relishing such exhibitions as well as the common people, got the place changed for the prifon door -this brought on the dropping platform. The effect of executions, as examples, is much diminished by thefe improvements. The long proceffion and difgraceful expofure are loft, and instead of being hanged like a dog," as was once the cafe, it is now dying like a gentleman.

Let me digress a moment from my present subject, to cenfure the mode of

executions

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