Excerpt from Maxims Political, Philosophical, and Moral In submitting to the Australian public the following Maxims and Reflections, the author deems it necessary to offer a few introductory remarks, so as to arrive at a proper understanding of his motives in publishing the present unpretentious volume. It was originally my intention to have preceded this volume of Maxims by issuing a selection of my "Melodies of Erin" (as songs), some of which are - although still, I regret to say, in manuscript - publicly known in Melbourne; but not meeting the encouragement I was led to expect from some of our Melbourne music publishers, I have been induced to publish the present volume. I have composed probably more original airs, and other varieties in the way of music, than any other musical writer in the world - exceeding twenty-thousand (20,000). A list of these, as also my other productions, may be consulted in the Appendix. Maxims exert no small influence upon our lives and faculties. They are inward monitors directing the actions and motives to be pursued in every imaginable undertaking, not only of individuals but of nations. Unvoiced Maxims have ruled, and will continue to rule, the destinies of all nations. Their influence lasts through all time. Philosophy (first acquired, probably, by the knowledge of human errors), like nature, is ever renewing her strength. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.