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56 On the Importance of 
forget that national happiness is far more 
‘powerfully affected by circumstances totally 
independent of it. It depends so much on 
the degree in which a nation enjoys freedom 
of principle, political equity, and social order, 
on the general diffusion of the comforts of 
life, the prevalence of virtuous habits, mode- 
rated desires, kind affections, and cultivated 
manners, that, in comparison, the effects of 
foreign commerce almost entirely disappear. 
Foreign commerce, in its present state, is 
attended with some causes of unhappiness, 
which it is to be hoped are not inseparable 
from it: The unhealthiness of various pro- 
cesses: for preparing goods for the foreign 
market, is a very important subject, and: has 
been frequently adverted to. The moraleffect 
of trade, in general, on the human character, 
ought also to be seriously considered. It is 
the error of some to extol it discriminately 
as the cause of industry, and to hail its-profits . 
as the rewards of merit. It ought to be 
remembered, that its profits are often equally 
fortuitous with the sums acquired by gaming, 
or by lottery. ‘They are not indeed so per- 
nicious in their tendency, because they have a 
connection, though somewhat loose, with in- 
dustry. But the chances of high success on 
the one hand, and the risks of failure on the 
