the inhabitants? They, who, by the rules of partition, (and fome fuch must be established in every country,) are entitled to the land; and they who, by their labour upon the foil, acquire a right in its produce, will not part with their property for nothing; or rather, they will no longer raise from the foil what they can neither use themselves, nor exchange for what they want. Or, lastly, if these were willing to diftribute what they could fpare of the provision which the ground yielded, to others who had no share or concern in the property or cultivation of it, yet still, the most enormous mischiefs would enfue from great numbers remaining unemployed. The idlenefs of one half of the community would overwhelm the whole with confufion and diforder. One only way prefents itfelf of removing the difficulty which this queftion states, and which is fimply this; that they, whofe work is not wanted, nor can be employed in the raising of provifion out of the ground, convert their hands and ingenuity to the fabrication of articles which may gratify and requite those who are fo employed, or who, by the divifion of lands in the country, are entitled to the exclufive poffeffion of certain parts of them. By this contrivance all things proceed well.

The occupier of the ground raises from it the utmost that he can procure, because he is repaid for what he can spare by fomething else, which he wants, or with which he is pleased: the artist and manufacturer, though he have neither any property in the foil, nor any concern in its cultivation, is regularly fupplied with the produce, because he gives, in exchange for what he ftands in need of, fomething, upon which the receiver places an equal value: and the community is kept quiet, whilft both fides are engaged in their respective occupations.

It appears then, that the bufinefs of one half of mankind is, to fet the other half at work; that is, to provide articles, which, by tempting the defires, may ftimulate the industry, and call forth the activity of those, upon the exertion of whose industry, and the application of whose faculties, the production of human provision depends. A certain portion only of human labour is, or can be productive; the reft is inftrumental-both equally neceffary, though the one have no other object than to excite the other. It appears alfo, that it fignifies nothing as to the main purpose of trade, how fuperfluous the artitles, which it furnishes, are; whether the want of them be real or imaginary; whether it be founded

founded in nature, or in opinion, in fashion, habit, or emulation: it is enough that they be actually defired and fought after. Flourishing cities are raised and supported by trading in tobacco: popular towns fubfift by the manufactory of ribbons. A watch may be a very unneceffary appendage to the dress of a peasant, yet if the peasant will till the ground in order to obtain a watch, the true defign of trade is anfwered? and the watch-maker, whilft he polishes the cafe, or files the wheels of his machine, is contributing to the production of corn as effectually, though not fo directly, as if he handled the spade, or held the plough. The use of tobacco has been mentioned already, not only as an acknowledged fuperfluity, but as affording a remarkable example of the caprice of human appetite: yet, if the fisherman will ply his nets, or the mariner fetch rice from foreign countries, in order to procure to himself this indulgence, the market is fupplied with two important articles of provision, by the inftrumentality of a merchandize, which has no other apparent use, than the gratification of a vitiated palate.

But it may come to pass that the husbandman, land-owner, or whoever he be, that is entitled to the produce of the foil, will no longer exchange

Bb 3

exchange it for what the manufacturer has to offer, He is already fupplied to the extent of his defires. For inftance, he wants no more cloth; he will no longer therefore give the weaver corn, in return for the produce of his looms; but he would readily give it for tea, or for wine. When the weaver finds this to be the cafe, he has nothing to do but to fend his cloth abroad in exchange for tea or for wine, which he may barter for that provifion, which the offer of his cloth will no longer procure. The circulation is thus revived; and the benefit of the discovery is, that whereas the number of weavers, who could find fubfiftence from their employment, was before limited by the confumption of cloth in the country, that number is now augmented, in proportion to the demand for tea and for wine. This is the principle of foreign commerce. In the magnitude and complexity of the machine, the principle of motion is fometimes loft or unobferved; but it is always fimple and the fame, to whatever extent it may be diverfified and enlarged in its operation.

The effect of trade upon agriculture, the procefs of which we have been endeavouring to defcribe, is vifible in the neighbourhood of trading towns, and in thofe diftricts which carry on a communication

towns.

communication with the markets of trading The hufbandmen are bufy and skilful; the peafantry laborious; the lands are managed to the best advantage, and double the quantity of corn or herbage (articles which are ultimately converted into human provifion,) raised from it, of what the fame foil yields in remoter and more neglected parts of the country. Whereever a thriving manufactory finds means to ef tablish itself, a new vegetation springs up around it. I believe it is true that agriculture never arrives at any confiderable, much less at its highest degree of perfection, where it is not connected with trade, that is, where the demand for the produce is not increased by the confumption of trading cities.

Let it be remembered then, that agriculture is the immediate fource of human provifion; that trade conduces to the production of provision only as it promotes agriculture: that the whole fyftem of commerce, vaft and various as it is, hath no other public importance than its fubferviency to this end.

ཨ,

We return to the propofition we laid down, "that employment univerfally promotes popu "lation." From this propofition it follows, that the comparative utility of different branches of