1000000030

who berore 1I0pt

workin~,

bccaufe all Iheir \Vanls were

prorided for, having Ihis new objetl of ambition before

1heir eyes, enJeavour, by refinements upon their I.bour,

to rentove the finaller inconvenieoces which rerult from

a fimplicity of manners. People, \Vho formerly knew

but .one fort of c10thing for all

fe~fons,

willingly pm

,vith :i.little fIIoney

procure for

'themFelve~

di/fcr<nl

fons Qf appare! properly adapted to fu mOler aod winter,

\Vhich the ingenllity of manuf.tlurers, and their defire

of getting money, may haveJugge/led tO the¡r invehtion.

lndeed thefe refinements feenl more gener:\lly olOing

to the induary and invention of the manufatlurers, (who

by Iheir ingenuity daily contrive means of foftening oi

relieving inconveniencie!, which mankind feldom perceive

to be fuch, tilJ the way of remo" ing thcm is contrived},

than to the talle of luxury in the rich, who, to indulge

their eafe, engage the poor tO become indullrious.

Let any mao make an experiment of this nature upon

himfelf, by entering into the firll !hopo He will ' no

where fo quickly di¡'cover his

\VanlS as there.

Every

thing he fees appears ei lher necelf.try, or at leall highly

convenient; and he begins

"onder ho" he could h."e

been fo long "itllout thal which the ingenuity of the

workman alune had invenled, io order Ihat from lhe no·

-velty it might excite his defire; for perhaps \Vhln il is

bougl¡l, he will never once think of il more, nor

ev~r

apply il to Ihe ufe for \Vhich il at firll 'ppeared fo neo

cerrary.

Here Ihen is a reafon why mankind labour though not

in want. They become defirous of porrelling the very

inaruments of lu xury, "hieh their avance or

am~ition

prompted them

invent for ,he ufe of o,hers.

What has been faid reprefents trade in its infanc.y, or

mher the materials witb WllicJl that great fabrick is

buill.

We have formed an idea of the wants of mankind

muldplied even 10 luxury, ano abunoantly fupplied by

Ihe employment of all ,he free hands fet apart for that

purpofe. BU! if \Ve fuppofe the workmao hinlelf dif·

poling of his 1V0rk, and purchafing \Vi,h it food from ,he

farmer, c10aths from thec1othier; and, in general, feek–

ing for the fupply

every \Vanl from the

han~s

.of

~he

perCon

diretl~y

employed for the purpofe of relte"lOg tt ;

this will not CODl'CY nn idea of trade, according to our

definition.

Trade and COOlmerce are an abbreviation of this long

procefs

a fcheme invented and {et on foot

merc.hants,

from a principie of gain, fupported and extended amoog

men, from a principie of general utility 10 every indivi·

dual, rich or pOOl', to every {ociety, great or final!.

rnllead of a pin.maker exchanging his pins wilh fifty

di/fe,ent perfons, for whofe labour he

ha~

occafion, he

fdls all to the me,chant for money or for credit; aoel,

as occafion o/fers, .he purchafes all his wants, either di–

retlly from thofe who fupply tbem, 01' frem other mef·

chants who deal lVith manufatlurers in the fame way hi.

merchant dealt \Vith him.

Another advantage of trade is, that iriduOrious people

in one part of the country, may fuppl y cullomers in ano

other, though dillant. They may ellabli!h themfelves

,ÍD

tbe mon co;umodious places fo, their refpeélive buf¡o

nefs, and help one another ,eciprocally, without making

the diUant pans of the country fu/fer for IVant of their

labour.

'J1¡ey are I,kewife expofed to no avocationfrdm

their work, by feeking fUf cullomers.

Trade produces mftny excellent advantages; it marks

OUt to the mantlCatlurels when Ihei, bnnch is under o,

over 1I0cked IVith hands .

it is underllocked, they \ViII

find hlore demand than tlley can aoflver: if it is ovec–

ftocked, the fale will be flow.

lntelligent meo, in every profelJion, will eafii y difcB. .

ver when thefe appeannces are accidental, and when thq

proeeed from the real principies of nade.

PoOs, and correfpundence by letters, are a confe.

quenec of lrade; by the nleans of IVhich merchaolS are re–

gularly informed of every augmentation or dimioution

inonl!ry io every branch, in every part of the country.

From this knowldge Ihey regulate Ihe

ices they olfer;

and as they are lOany, they ferve as a check upon ooc

aoother, from '.he principies ofcompetitioo.

From !he curreOl prites the manufatlurers are as IVell

informed as if they kepl thé correfpondence themfelves e

the Umfm. nfcels perfctlly where bands are waQtiog, aod

youpg people ocllined to indullry, obey, in a.manner, the

call of the

pu~lic,

and fall naturally in 10 fupply the de–

mano.

Two greal allillances 10 merchaolS, efpeeially in the

iofancy of trade, are public markets for colletling the

work of fma!1dealers, and large undertakings in thema–

nufatltlring lVay by private hands. By thefe means tbc

merchants comeat the knowledge of the quantity of work

¡~

the market, as on the othe, hand the manuCatluren

learn, by the fale of the goods, Ihe extent of the de–

mand for them. Thefe t\Vo !hings being jullly knolVn,

Ihe price of goods is eafily fixed.

Public fales ferve 10 corretl the fmall incooveniencies

\Vhich proceed from the operations of trade. A fet of

manuCatlurers got all together into one 10IVn, and eotire–

Iy laken up \Vith their induOry, are

there~y

as IVell in–

formed of the rale of the Olarket as if every ooe of them

carried thither his work, and upon the arrival of thc

merchanl, who readily takcs it off their hands, he has not

the leall advantage over them

Irom

his.knowledge of thc

lIate of

demando T

his man bOlh buys and feUs in what

is called

wholef.le;

and from him relailers purchafe, who

dilhibute the goods to every conftlmer throughout the

~ountry.

Thefe Jall buy Crom wholefale .merchants in

every branch, that proportian of every kiod

merchao–

dile "hich is fuitable to the demaod of tlleir borough,

city, or province.

Thus all inconveniencies are l'reveotcd, at fome ad–

ditiooal coll

the con fu

Oler,

who muO n¡turally ,e–

imburfe

the IVhoJe expence.

The. dillance

the

manufaélurer,

the obfcurity <lf his dwelJing, the ca·

price in felling his work, are quite removed;

the re–

tailer has all in his /hop, aod tlte public buys at a cur–

ICnt price.

How the Prim ofGoodJ

(lre drtermined

Trade,

the price of goods, t\Vo things muO be confidered

as mlly eKilling, and quite diffmot froOl ooe anotller;