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habitations will be better furniflied. A rich merchant, as he accumu- 

 lates money, thinks of acquiring landed property ; a peafant, as he ac- 

 cumulates part of his daily earnings, thinks of acquiring various utenfils, 

 and articles of houfliold furniture, which he wanted before, or of pur- 

 chafing fuperfluous wearing apparel ; and this, to him, is realizing a pro- 

 perty. It is eafy to fee, how this contributes to the improvement of 

 manufaftures. It is unneceffary, to enlarge on this fubje£b ; fufEce it to 

 fay, that the conflant and general confumption of the poor, contributes 

 more to the fupport of home manufaftures, than all the capricious and 

 wanton luxury of the rich. 



As a meafure connefted with agriculture, and abundance of provi- 

 fions, I would reconmiend the enclofure, and divifion of commons, in 

 this country. — To encourage the cultivation of the wafte and mountain- 

 ous, parts, I would propofe to colonize them. This meafure would be 

 equally profitable, to the private proprietor, and to the community at 

 large ; llerility of foil vaniflies, before induftry j we fee this exempli- 

 fied, in the mountains of Swijferland. We fee how the United Nether- 

 lands emerged from the bofom of the waters. 



There is a meafure, which, though, at firft view, it may appear 

 chimerical and vifionary, like fome of the preceding plans ; would, I 

 am confident, be found pra£licable, in the execution, and profitable in 

 the effeft, — the colonization of the wafte and uncultivated parts of the 

 country. There are vaft trafts of mountain and morafs, at prefent, un- 

 profitable to the private owner, and to the public at large, which might 

 be rendered valuable and produftive land. — That many of thefe trafts 

 were formerly inhabited and cultivated, appears, from the remains of 

 of houfes, and places of worfliip, and from the marks of the plough, 

 which may be traced out, in places, now deferted, wild, and wafte. 

 Poverty of foil, and difadvantage of Ctuation would yield, to the in- 

 duftry of man, freely, and of courfe, chearfully labouring, with a 

 certain profpeft of advantage, to himfelf. We fee this exemplified, 

 as I have faid, among the Swifs peafants ; and in the Dutch 

 Netherlands The fad reverfe is exhibited by E^ypt, in its pre- 



( O 3 ) fent 



