Reprint of the rare 1843 edition. Tucker proposes a vigorous defense of states-rights principles in the manner of John Taylor of Caroline. A notably sophisticated argument, it balances detailed analysis of the U.S. Constitution with criticism of Joseph Story, Daniel Webster and other proponents of a powerful Federal government. Henry St. George Tucker 1780-1848] served as U.S. Congressman representing Virginia's 3rd District in the United States House of Representatives from 1815 to 1819. He studied under his father, St. George Tucker (editor of the American edition of Blackstone's Commentaries), at the College of William & Mary, and after he received his law degree, taught there himself. He was later was captain of Cavalry in the War of 1812, President of Virginia's Supreme Court of Appeals, (1831-1841) and, later in life, a prominent Professor of Law at the University of Virginia. He founded the Honor System there. Works that grew out of the classroom include Commentaries on the Laws of Virginia (1836-1837) and the present work. Tucker County, West Virginia, is named in his honor.

Henry St George Tucker (1772 1851) sailed to India in 1786 and worked in a number of administrative posts before becoming a director of the East India Company in 1826. He wrote this book following the publication of an essay by French economist Jean-Baptiste Say (1767 1832) which suggested that British possession of territories in India was a burden to the mother country. Tucker's aim with this work was to give an accurate report of the finances of the East India Company in order to show Say's claim to be false. First published in 1825, this book contains an analysis of the company's sources of revenue and gives the details of revenue raised from opium, salt, stamps and land taxes. It includes information on the revenue raised from different territories and finally concludes with an overview of the company's general finances, thus providing valuable data for the study of colonial economics.