MACKINTOSH, Sir JAMES, a philosopher and politician, was the son of capt. John 3Iackintosh of Kellachie, in Inverness-shire, and was b. at Aldourie in that county, Oct. 24, 1765. He studied at King's college, Aberdeen, where his most intimate companion was Robert Hall, afterwards the celebrated Baptist preacher. From King's college he proceeded to Edinburgh in 1784, for the purpose of studying medicine; and after obtain ing his diploma, settled in London, and for some titne supported himself by writing for the newspapers. The first work that brought Mtn into notice was his Vindicia (1791), in reply to Burke's Reflections on the _French 1?evolution. In sober philosophic thought, sound feeling, and common sense it greatly surpassed the splendid philippic against which it was directed, and was enthusiastically lauded by the liberal party; Burke himself thought highly of it. Fox, Sheridan, and other leading whigs sought the author's acquaintance; and when the " association of the friends of the people '' was formed he was appointed secretary. About this time, lie began to turn his atten tion to the legal profession, and was called to the bar in 1795, and attained high emi nence as a forensic lawyer. In 1799 he delivered a course of lectures on the law of nature and of nations, before the benchers of Lincoln's inn, which were attended by audiences of the most brilliant description. His defense of Peltier (Feb. 21, 1803), charged with a libel on Bonaparte, was superb.- It was translated into French by Mme. de Stavl, and scattered broadcast over Europe. In 1804 he "MIS appointed recorder of Bombay, for which place he sailed in the beginning of the year, arrived there in May, was appointed judge of the admiralty court in 1806, and remained till 1811. • His Indian career was highly creditable to his capacity and honorable to his char
acter. After his return to England he entered parliament as whig member for Nairn (1813), accepted the professorship of law in the k.ollege of Haileybury in 1818, and in 1830 became a meinber of the bcard of control under the Grey ministry, and spoke in favor of the reform bill. This was his last great political effort. Ile died not long after, on May 22, 1832. Every one now will regret that sir James Mackintosh ever turned aside to a political life. lie Was essentially. a literary moralist and philosopher, and might have won a far higher and more enduring reputation than lie has if he had reso lutely' prosecuted the calling for whin nature intended him. His _Dissertation on the Progress of Ethical Philosophy, written for the En,cyclopadia Britannica, although very incomplete, and lacking that precision and profundity that can only be acquired by rig orous and extensive research, shows the admirable powers of the author, his breadth of view, tolerance, impartiality, love of truth and virtue, and his gift of calm and meas ured eloquence. For Lardner's Cyclopcedia lie wrote a brief but excellent survey of the history of England. An historical fragment (intended to form portion of a large work) entitled History of the 1?evolution in, England in 1688, aPpeared after his death, and WaS pronounced by Macaulay to be the best history of the reign of James II. colloci ion of his miscellaneous works, including his contributions to the Edinburgh, Iler:e a,s published at London, in 3 vols. See Memoirs of his life by his son, 2 vols. (Lond. 1835).