IN treating of this subject, no opportunity has been omitted of fuggefting an important doctrine, That pa-"' triotifm is the corner-ftone of civil fociety that no nation ever became great and powerful without it; and, when extinguished, that the most powerful nation is in the bigh-way to contempt and diffolution. But it is fufficient›› for me to fuggeft facts: the reader will have frequent opportunities to make the observation; and he will value bis own reflections more than what are inculcated by an author, were be even to afcend the pulpit, and at every turn to pronounce a serious harangue. SKETCH' SCET CHI.. Appetite for SOCIETY. TH Origin of NATIONAL SOCIETIES. HAT there is in man an appetite for fociety, never was called in question *. But to what end the appetite ferves, whether it be in any manner limited, and how far men are naturally fitted for being ufeful members of civil fociety, and for being happy in it, are queftions that open extenfive views into human nature, and yet have been little attended to by writers. I grieve at the neglect, because the prefent inquiry requires an answer to thefe queftions, however abftrufe. As many animals, befide man, are focial, it appeared to me probable, that the focial laws by which fuch In * This appetite is not denied by Vitruvius; but it feems to have been overlooked in the account he gives (book 2, ch. 1.) of the commencement of fociety, which is as follows. "ancient times, men, like wild beafts, lived in caves and "woods, feeding on wild food. In a certain place it happen"ed, that the trees, put in motion by tempestuous winds, and rubbing their branches one against another, took fire. Thofe in the neighbourhood fled for fear; but as the flames "abated, they approached; and finding the heat comfortable, they threw wood into the fire, and preferved it from being "extinguished. They then invited others to take benefit of "the fire. Men, thus affembled, endeavoured to exprefs "their thoughts by articulate founds; and by daily practice, in certain founds, fignifying cafual evequent ue, came to "be established. From that language arofe. "And thus, fire having attracted many to ene place, they "foon discovered that they were by nature fuperior to other animals, differing from them not only in an erect posture, which gave them opportunity to behold the beauties of the "heavens as well as of the earth; but alfo in their hands and fingers, fitted for executing whatever they could invent. "They therefore began to cover their habitations with the boughs of trees; fome dug caves in the mountains; and, "in imitation of a fwallow's neft, fome fheltered themselves with fprigs and loam. Thus, by obferving each other's work, and turning their thoughts to invention, they by degrees improved their habitations, and became daily more and more fkilful." Has not the celebrated Roufseau been guilty of the fame overfight in his Effay on the Inequality of Men? These authors fuggeft to me the butcher, who made diligent fearch for his knife, which he held between his teeth. fuch animals are governed, might open views into the focial nature of man. But here I met with a fecond difappointment: for after perufing books without end, I found very little fatisfaction; tho' the laws of animal fociety make the most inftructive and moft entertaining part of natural hiftory. A few dry facts, collected occafionally, enabled me to form the embryo of a plan, which I here prefent to the reader if his curiofity be excited, it is well; for I am far from expecting that it will be gratified. Animals of prey have no appetite for fociety, if the momentary act of copulation be not excepted. Wolves make not an exception, even where, inftigated by hunger, they join in attacking a village: as fear prevents them fingly from an attempt fo hazardous, their cafual union is prompted by appetite for food, not by appetite for fociety. So little of the focial is there in wolves, that if one happens to be wounded, he is put to death, and devoured by thofe of his own kind. Vultures have the fame difpofition. Their ordinary food is a dead carcafe; and they never venture but in a body to attack any living creature that appears formidable. Upon fociety happinefs fo much depends, that we do not willingly admit a lion, a tyger, a bear, or a wolf, to have any appetite for fociety. And in with-holding it from fuch animals, the goodness of Providence to its favourite man, is confpicuous: their ftrength, agility, and voracity, make them fingly not a little formidable: I fhould tremble for the human race, were they disposed to make war in company Such *The care of Providence in protecting the human race from animals of prey, is equally vilible in other particulars. I can discover no facts to make me believe, that a lion or a tyger is afraid of a man; but whatever fecret means are employed by Providence, to keep fuch fierce and voracious animals at a distance, certain it is that they fhun the habitations. of men. At prefent there is not a wild lion in Europe. Even in Homer's time there were none in Peloponnefus, tho' they were frequent in Thrace, Macedon, and Theffaly, down to the time of Ariftotle: whence it is probable, that these countries were not at that time well peopled. When men and cattle are together, a lion always attacks a beaft, and never a man. M. Buffon obferves, that the bear, tho' far from being cowardly, never is at eale but in wild and defert places. The great Such harmless animals as cannot defend themselves fingly, are provided with an appetite for fociety, that they may defend themselves in a body. Sheep are remarkable in that respect, when left to nature: a ram feldom attacks; but the rams of a flock exert great vigour in defending their females and their young *. The whole fociety of rooks join in attacking a kite when it hovers about them. A family of wild fwine never feparate till the young be fufficiently ftrong to defend themselves against the wolf; and when the wolf threatens, they all join in a body. The pecary is a fort of wild hog in the ifthmus of Darien: if one of them be attacked, the reft run to affift it. There being a natural antipathy between that animal and the American tyger, it is not uncommon to find a tyger flain with a number of dead pecaries round him. The great condor of Peru, a bird of prey of an immense fize, bold, and rapacious, is never feen but in deferts and high mountains. Every river in the coaft of Guinea abounds with crocodiles, which lie basking in the fun during the heat of the day. If they perceive a man approaching, they plunge into the river, tho' they feldom fly from any other animal. A fox, on the contrary, a pole-cat, a kite, tho' afraid of man, draw near to inhabited places where they find prey in plenty. Such animals do little mifchief; and the little they do, promotes care and vigilance. But if men, like sheep, were the natural prey of a lion or a tyger, their utmoft vigour and fagacity would fcarce be fufficient for felf-defence. Perpetual war would be their fate, without having a fingle moment for any other occupation; and they could never have emerged out of brutal barbarity. It is poffible that a few cattle might be protected by armed men, continually on the watch; but to defend flocks and herds covering a hundred hills, would be impracticable. Agriculture could never have exifted in any fhape. *M. Buffon has bestowed lefs pains than becomes an author of his character, upon the nature and inftincts of animals; he indeed fcarce once ftumbles upon truth in his natural history of the sheep. He holds it to be ftupid, and incapable to defend itself against any beast of prey; maintaining, that the race could not have fubfifted but under the care and protection of men. Has that author forgot, that fheep had no enemy more formidable than men, in their original hunter-ftate? Far from being neglected by nature, there are few animals better provided for defence. They have a fort of military inftinct, forming a line of battle, like foldiers, when threatened with an attack. The rams, who, in a natural ftate, make half of the flock, join together; and no lion or tyger is able to refift their united impetuofity. The focial appetite is to fome animals useful, not only for defence, but for procuring the neceffaries of life. Society among beavers is a notable inftance of both. As water is the only refuge of that innocent fpecies against an enemy, they inftinctively make their fettlement on the brink of a lake or of a running ftream. In the latter cafe, they keep up the water to a proper height by a dam-dike, conftructed with fo much art as to withstand the greatest floods: in the former, they fave themselves the labour of a dam-dike, because a lake generally keeps at the fame height. Having thus provided for defence, their next care is to provide food and habitation. The whole fociety join in erecting the dam-dike, and they alfo join in erecting Houfes. Each houfe has two apartments in the upper there is space for lodging from fix to ten beavers: the under holds their provifions, which are trees cut down by united labour, and divided into fmall portable parts (a). Bees are a fimilar inftance. Ariftotle (6) fays, "That bees are the only animals "which labour in common, have a house in common, eat in common, and have their offspring in com"mon." A fingle bee would be ftill lefs able than a fingle beaver to build a houfe for itself and for its winter-food. The Alpine rat or marmount has no occafion to flore up food for winter, because it lies benumbed without motion all the cold months. But these animals live in tribes; and each tribe digs a habitation under ground with great art, fufficiently capacious for lodging the whole tribe; covering the ground with withered grafs, which fome cut, and others carry. The wild dogs of Congo and Angola hunt in packs, waging perpetual war against other wild beafts. They bring to the place of rendezvous whatever is caught in hunting; and each receives its fhare. The baboons are focial animals, and avail themselves of that quality in procuring food; witness their address in robbing an orchard, described by Kolben 1 (a) See the works of the beaver described most accurately by M. Buffon, vol. 8. (b) Hiftory of animals, b. 9. c. 40. *However fierce with respect to other animals, yet fo fub. miffive are these dogs to men, as to fuffer their prey to be taken from them without refiftance. Europeans falt for thei, flaves what they thus obtain. |