362 Tradesman and Merchant — Commercial Population 



operations of business abroad were more easily done ; there was a vast 

 economy of time and expense. The Post Ofifice became a chief avenue 

 of commerce, and dispatch its watchword. In the more portable 

 and durable commodities a world market was being realized. The 

 merchant was acceding to a wider empire of business. ■ 



The Carriage of Goods, Persons, and Information. 



Domestic carriers. The market area for any commodity varies 

 with the nature of that ware, the extent of the demand for it and its 

 quahties of portability and durability. But the importance of each 

 of these characteristics is affected by the state of the facilities of com- 

 munication and transport. The degree to which these facilities were 

 developed and the degree to which the system of marketing was per- 

 fected in organization, in other words, the extent of the market area 

 and the volume of business, depended much upon the initiative of 

 merchant and tradesman. It has been shown in previous chapters 

 that the middleman rather than the producer or consumer effected the 

 organization of sales before the Industrial Revolution; he was also 

 active in fostering better facilities of transport and communication. 



Some' of the connective features of the merchant have been treated 

 under the preceding captions, supercargo, factor, etc. The correspond- 

 ing features of the tradesman have in part been considered in Chapters 

 II-V. The development of the vehicles of inland land- and water- 

 carriage, the rise of the turnpike and the canal and canalized river, 

 and kindred topics have received extensive treatment by numerous 

 writers ; and are accordingly passed here, although the progress in these 

 dilYerent lines was due in no small part to the agency of the tradesman.' 



The effect of these improvements was to call forth a specialized 

 class of carriers, to reduce the costs of carriage, make possible larger 

 loads, increase the speed of transit, and add to the safety, comfort 

 and convenience of travel and trafi&c. It also broke down the local 

 prejudices and customs, travel became less an adventure among 

 unknown peoples, news travelled more quickly, England became more 

 metropolitan, sensitive, united. 



The carriers were composed of various elements and were employed 

 by different parties. The London and Bristol wholesalemen main- 

 tained a set of carriers to distribute their goods among their country- 

 customers." Under the old market system the farmers did their own 



^ Illustrated by "Sentiments of a Corn Factor," 10-1. 

 2 Atlas Mar. et Com., 14. 



