r 



335 



*' capital of this fociety. No regulation of commerce can encreafe the quan- 

 *' tity of induftry, in any fociety, beyond what its capital can maintain. It 

 " can only divert a part of it, into a direction, into which it might not, othcr- 

 " wife, have gone. And it is, by no means, certain, that, this artificial 

 " direftion, is more beneficial to fociety, than that, into which, it would have 

 " gone of its own accord." 



Every individual is continually exerting himfelf, to find the moll advan- 

 tageous employment for his capital. It is his own advantage he has in view ; 

 but, the fludy of this, neceffarily leads him, to prefer the employment mod 

 advantageous to fociety. 



. The country which has not capital fufficient for all purpofes ; — agricul- 

 ture — manufaflures — and the trade of export, has not arrived at the degree 

 of opulence, for which it feems naturally dellined. To attempt, however, 

 prematurely, and with an infufficient capital, to purfue all thefe three ob- 

 jefts, at once, is not the way for a fociety, no more than an individual, to 

 acquire a fufficient capital. 



The fame principle applies to the various modifications of manufac* 

 turing induftry. That country muft be in a ftate, of the highefl: opu- 

 lence, which is able to carry on, at home, all the ufeful and elegant 

 manufaftures ; fo as, not only to fupply itfelf, but to fend the fuper- 

 fluities to its neighbours, in exchange for money, the neceflaries of life, 

 or the prima of manufaftures. But, as an individual meddling, at once, 

 in a great variety of manufaftures, embarking in new ones, with which 

 he is imperfectly acquainted, perhaps, to the negleft of others, of which 

 he is a mafter, endeavouring, with a giddy rapacity, to difcover new 

 fources of gain, inftead of employing himfelf, with patient perfeverance, 

 to keep open channels, for fprings that already flow ; as fuch an in- 

 dividual would, in all probability, foon become a bankrupt ; a fimilar fate 

 muft attend the community, that ftiould proceed in a fimilar fpirit of 

 unfettled fpeculation, and improvident avarice ; yet, to excite fuch a fpirit, 

 is the obvious tendency of bounties. Trade ought to be left to find 

 its own level, and not allowed to force the exertions of induftry, into 



particular 



