no value, and as not furnishing materials for the commission of a
crime. This must serve as an apology for the arrangement of crimes and
punishments in the scale under our consideration. A different one would
be formed here; and still different ones in Italy, Turkey, China, &c.

Page 240. '_Les officiers Americains,_' &c. to page 264, '_qui le
meritoient_.' I would propose to new-model this section in the following
manner, 1. Give a succinct history of the origin and establishment of
the Cincinnati. 2. Examine whether in its present form it threatens
any dangers to the State. 3. Propose the most practicable method of
preventing them.

Having been in America during the period in which this institution was
formed, and being then in a situation which gave me opportunities
of seeing it in all its stages, I may venture to give M. de Meusnier
materials for the first branch of the preceding distribution of the
subject. The second and third he will best execute himself. I should
write its history in the following form. When on the close of that war
which established the independence of America, its army was about to be
disbanded, the officers, who, during the course of it, had gone through
the most trying scenes together, who by mutual aids and good offices
had become dear to one another, felt with great oppression of mind the
approach of that moment which was to separate them, never perhaps to
meet again. They were from different States, and from distant parts
of the same State. Hazard alone could therefore give them but rare and
partial occasions of seeing each other. They were of course to abandon
altogether the hope of ever meeting again, or to devise some occasion
which might bring them together. And why not come together on purpose
at stated times? Would not the trouble of such a journey be greatly
overpaid by the pleasure of seeing each other again, by the sweetest
of all consolations, the talking over the scenes of difficulty and of
endearment they had gone through? This too would enable them to know who
of them should succeed in the world, who should be unsuccessful, and
to open the purses of all to every laboring brother. This idea was too
soothing not to be cherished in conversation. It was improved into
that of a regular association, with an organized administration, with
periodical meetings, general and particular, fixed contributions for
those who should be in distress, and a badge by which not only those
who ha