Turgot died on the 20th of March 1781, leaving to posterity the memory of a character which was more perfect and imposing than his performances. Condorcet saw in this harmonious union and fine balance of qualities the secret of his unpopularity. 'Envy,' he says, 'seems more closely to attend a character that approaches perfection, than one that, while astonishing men by its greatness, yet by exhibiting a mixture of defects and vices, offers a consolation that envy seeks.' Transcribers' Notes: Minor printer errors (omitted or incorrect punctuation) have been amended without note. Minor inconsistencies in hyphenation have been resolved where possible, or retained where there was no way to determine which was correct, again without note. Other errors have been amended, and are listed below. OE/oe ligatures have not been retained in this version. List of Amendments: Page 50--superstitution amended to superstition--"... treated as superstition by those ..." Page 126--devolopment amended to development--"... lead gradually to the development of sound ..." End of Project Gutenberg's Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3), by John Morley