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cloath mankind! He rears flax and hemp for the making of linen; while his plantations of apples and hops fupply him with generous kinds of liquors.

The land-tax, when at four fhillings in the pound, produces 2,000,000 pounds a year. This arifes from the labour of the hufbandman: it is a great fum: but how greatly is it increased by the means it furnishes for trade? Without the industry of the Farmer, the maufacturer could have no goods to fupply the merchant, nor the merchant find any employment for the mariners trade would be ftagnated; riches would be of no advantage to the great; and labour of no fervice to the poor.

The Romans, as hiftorians all allow,

Sought, in extreme distress, the rural plough;
Io triumphe! for the village fwain

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FURTHER THOUGHTS

ON

AGRICULTURE.*

A

T my laft vifit, I took the liberty of mentioning a fubject, which, I think, is not confidered with attention proportionate to its importance. Nothing can more fully prove the ingratitude of mankind, a crime often charged upon them, and often denied, than the little regard which the difpofers of honorary rewards have paid to Agriculture; which is treated as a fubject fo remote from common life, by all those who do not immediately hold the plough, or give fodder to the ox, that I think there is room to queftion, whether a great part of mankind has yet been informed that life is fuftained by the fruits of the earth. I was once indeed provoked to ask a lady of great eminence for genius, Whether fhe knew of what bread is made?

I have already observed, how differently Agriculture was confidered by the heroes and wife men of the Roman commonwealth, and fhall now only add, that even after the emperors had made great alteration in the fyftem of life, and taught men to portion out their

From the Vifiter, for March 1756, p. 111.

Cc 4

esteem

efteem to other qualities than usefulness, Agriculture fill maintained its reputation, and was taught by the polite and elegant Celfus among the other arts.

The usefulness of Agriculture I have already shewn; I fhall now, therefore, prove its neceffity: and having before declared, that it produces the chief riches of a nation, I shall proceed to fhew, that it gives its only riches, the only riches which we can call our own, and of which we need not fear either deprivation or diminution.

Of nations, as of individuals, the first blessing is independence. Neither the man nor the people can be happy to whom any human power can deny the neceffaries or conveniencies of life. There is no way of living without the need of foreign affiftance, but by the product of our own land, improved by our own labour. Every other fource of plenty is perishable or cafual.

Trade and manufactures must be confeffed often to enrich countries; and we ourselves are indebted to them for those fhips by which we now command the fea, from the equator to the poles, and for those fums with which we have fhewn ourselves able to arm the nations of the north in defence of regions in the western hemisphere. But trade and manufactures, however profitable, muft yield to the cultivation of lands in usefulness and dignity.

Commerce, however we may please ourselves with the contrary opinion, is one of the daughters of fortune, inconftant and deceitful as her mother; the chufes her refidence where fhe is leaft expected, and thifts her abode, when her continuance is in appear

ance

ance most firmly fettled. Who can read of the prefent diftreffes of the Genoefe, whofe only choice now remaining is, from what monarch they fhall folicit protection? Who can fee the Hanfeatick towns in ruins, where perhaps the inhabitants do not always equal the number of the houses; but he will fay to himfelf, Thefe are the cities, whofe trade enabled them once to give laws to the world, to whofe merchants princes fent their jewels in pawn, from whofe treasuries armies were paid, and navies fupplied! And who can then forbear to confider trade as a weak and uncertain bafis of power, and wish to his own country greatness more folid, and felicity more durable?

It is apparent, that every trading nation flourishes, while it can be faid to flourish, by the courtesy of others. We cannot compel any people to buy from us, or to fell to us. A thoufand accidents may prejudice them in favour of our rivals; the workmen of another nation may labour for lefs price, or fome accidental improvement, or natural advantage, may procure a juft preference to their commodities; as experience has fhewn, that there is no work of the hands, which, at different times, is not beft performed in different places.

Traffick, even while it continues in its ftate of profperity, muft owe its fuccefs to Agriculture; the materials of manufacture are the produce of the earth. The wool which we weave into cloth, the wood which is formed into cabinets, the metals which are forged into weapons, are fupplied by nature with the help of art. Manufactures, indeed, and profitable manufactures, are fometimes raifed from imported

materials,

materials, but then we are fubjected a fecond time to the caprice of our neighbours. The natives of Lombardy might eafily refolve to retain their filk at home, and employ workmen of their own to weave it. And this will certainly be done when they grow wife and induftrious, when they have fagacity to difcern their true intereft, and vigour to purfue it.

Mines are generally confidered as the great fources of wealth, and fuperficial obfervers have thought the poffeffion of great quantities of precious metals the first national happinefs. But Europe has long feen, with wonder and contempt, the poverty of Spain, who thought himself exempted from the labour of tilling the ground, by the conqueft of Peru, with its veins of filver. Time, however, has taught even this obftinate and haughty nation, that without Agriculture they may indeed be the tranfmitters of money, but can never be the poffeffors. They may dig it out of the earth, but muft immediately fend it away to purchase cloth or bread, and it must at last remain with fome people wife enough to fell much, and to buy little; to live upon their own lands, without a wifh for thofe things. which nature has denied them.

Mines are themselves of no use, without fome kind of Agriculture. We have, in our own country, inexhauftible ftores of iron, which lie ufelefs in the ore for want of wood. It was never the defign of Providence to feed man without his own concurrence: we have from nature only what we cannot provide for ourfelves; fhe gives us wild fruits which art muft meliorate, and droffy metals, which labour must refine.

Particular

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