James Mackintosh was a barrister, a politician, and a historian with a particular interest in questions of ethics and political science. He gained practical experience of both fields during several years spent as a judge in India. With a lifelong commitment to the Whig persuasion, he sat in Parliament during the latter part of his life. He was highly regarded by leading figures of both parties, but while he played an important role in furthering several legal reforms, he never achieved high office. His considerable learning would have qualified him to write works of distinction, whether in ethics or history, but by inclination he preferred the dinner table and the club, and he left little significant writing behind him, although he was a frequent contributor to leading journals and newspapers of the day. From a historical perspective his most interesting work is Vindiciae Gallicae (1791), written when the author...