system of free trade is not only recognized, but is begun to be acted on in the regulation of commercial affairs. It is precisely at such a season; and in the recency of an author's triumphs, that we should expect the ascendancy of his errors as well as of his sounder and better principles. And accordingly, we think we can perceive both in and out of Parliament, a certain impression that education should be left to itself, just as trade should be left to itself-so that, as in the one case, the remuneration should lie wholly in the market-price, unhelped by a bounty, in the other, the remuneration should lie wholly in the fees unhelped by a salary. The compulsory attendance on certain classes of the students who are in the course of preparation for the learned professions, comes under the like condemnation of a liberal philosophy. Altogether the principle is adverse to our established church, and to our established collegesand in the "Wealth of Nations" there are passages of great force and celebrity which are adverse to both.*

The object of the following work, is to estimate

See Note A, Appendix.

the soundness of this economic principle as applied to education, unexceptionable though it may be in its application to the affairs of merchandise. It is not for the mere sake of rectifying a naked position in economical science that this work has been undertaken-for it will be found that the question, both of religious and literary establishments, is involved in the discussion-and that the argument thence educed in their favour, which at least appears a very strong one to ourselves, has this further claim to attention, that it has not been commonly insisted on.

We should have gone more into detail on the methods and constitution of colleges, had not the practical necessity of this been superseded by the appointment of a Royal Commission on the Universities of Scotland, whose inquiries, there is every reason to believe, will terminate in a result alike honourable to its members, and satisfactory to the public at large. We shall have succeeded in our aim, if, by this humble contribution to the aggregate of information and testimony drawn from so many individuals, we shall have at all helped to soften the prejudice which obtains against the holders of literary and ecclesiastical benefices, or to reconcile

the community to a more generous system of endowments, as being at once accordant with the soundest lessons of philosophy, and subservient to the best and the purest objects of patriotism.