a being who can receive pleasure from giveing pain, would be totally incredible, if we were not convince'd, by melancholy experience, that there are not onely many, but this unaccountable dispofition is in fome manner inherent in the nature of man;* for, as he cannot be taught by example, nor led to it by temptation, nor prompted to it by intereft, it must be derive'd from his native conftitution.f...We fee children laughing at the miferys which they inflict on every unfortunate animal which comes within their power: all favageës are ingenious in contriveing, and hapy in executeing the most exquifite tortures, and not alone] the common people of all countrys are delighted with nothing fo much as [horfe-raceës, bul-baitings, prize-fightings, executions, and all spectacles of cruelty and horrour. .... They arm cocks with artificial weapons, which nature had kindly deny'd to their malevolence, and with fhouts of applaufe and triumph, fee them plunge them into each others hearts: they view with delight the trembleing deer, and

That is in a state of fociety, influence'd by fuperftition, pride, and a variety of prejudiceës equally unnatural and abfurd.

The converfe of all this is true: he is certainly "taught by example, led by temptation," and "prompted by [what he thinks his] intereft." Man, in a state of nature, would, at leaft, be as harmless as an ourang-outang.

defenceless hare, flying for hours in the utmost agonys of terrour and despair, and, at last, finking under fatigue, devour'd by their mercyJess pursuers they fee, with joy, the beautyful pheafant, and harmless partridge, drop from their flight, weltering in their blood, or perhap, perishing with wounds and hunger, under the cover of some friendly thicket, to which they have in vain retreated for fafety;* they triumph over the unfufpecting fifh, which they have de

*There can be no rational doubt that those who now take delight in the wanton destruction of innocent animals, posfefsing, like man, in fome degree, intellect and ideas, and, for the most part, an equal, or, in fome inftanceës, it is credible, a much greater degree of fenfibility, with or than himself, would, in cafe there were no law which render'd it a capital felony to kil a man, fhoot poor people for their pleasure, without compunction, or even with ftil more fatisfaction than they find in their prefent purfuits, inasmuch as a man would appear of more confequence than a hare or a partridge, and "to bring him down" be regarded as a masterpiece of fkil. That this is the more posfible to take place may be infer'd from its adoption in a foreign, but christian country, lately under the Engleith government. To oppose the Bosjesmans, a favage tribe of Hottentots, the Dutch farmers, at the Cape of Good-hope, "generally crofs the defart in partys, and ftrongly arm'd. The poor favage, driveën, by imperious want, to carry off an ox or a fheep to his ftarveing family, who have no other abode than the caverns of the mountains, often pays, in the attempt, the forfeit of his life; but it RARELY HAPENS that any of the colonists fall by his

!

coy'd, by an infidious preténce of feeding, and drag him from his native element by a hook fix'd to, and tearing out, his entrails: and, to ad to all this, they spare neither labour nor expence to preserve and propagate these innocent animals, for no other end but to multiply the objects of their perfecution. What name should we bestow on a SUPERIOR BEING, whofe whole endeavours were employ'd, and whose whole pleasure confifted in terrifying, enfnareing, tormenting, and deftroying mankind? whofe SUPERIOR FACULTYS were exerted in fomenting animofitys amongst them, in contriveing engines of deftruction, and inciteing them to use them in maiming and murdering each other? whose power over them was employ'd in asfifting the rapacious, deceiveing the fimple, and oppreffing the innocent? who,

hands yet the name of Bosjesman is held in horrour and de testation; and a farmer thinks he cannot proclaim a more meritorious action than the murder of one of these people. A boor, from Graaf-Reynet, being afk'd, in the secretarys office, if the favagees were numerous or troublesome on the road, reply'd, he had ONELY SHOT FOUR, with as much compofure and indifference as if he had been speaking of FOUR PARTRIDGEES." "I myfelf," fays the refpectable authour,

have hear'd one of the HUMANE COLONISTS [then ENGLEISH SUBJECTS] boast of haveing destroy'd, with his own hands, near THREE hundred of THESE WRETCHES." (Barrows Travels, p. 85.)

UNFORTUNATE

without provocation, or advantage, fhould continue from day to day, void of all pity and remorse, thus to torment mankind for diverfion, and, at the fame time, endeavour, with the utmoft care, to preferve their lives, and to propagate their fpecies, in order to increase the number of victims devoteëd to his malevolence, and be delighted in proportion to the miferys which he occafion'd? I fay, what name detestable enough could we find for fuch a being? yet, if we impartially confider the case, and our intermediate fituation, we must acknowlege, that, with respect to inferior animals, just such a being is a fportsman."*

* Soame Jenyns, Disquifition II. on cruelty to inferior animals (Works, III, 186).-" Such a being is a sportsman!" "O, moft lame and impotent conclufion!" but the ingenious writeër ends his eclogue of The Squire and the parfon, with a fimilar fubterfuge.

THE END.

"THIS I HAVE CONSIDER'D: BUT TIGERS

EAT MEN; AND THE OPINION OF THE WORLD
IS HARD TO BE DEFEATED."

HEETOPADES.