Remarhs on an Essay oji Commerce. 20 \ 



As there are some points, however, contained in it, \\hicU 

 I do not clearly comprehendj and others, on which I hohj 

 a difiercnt opinion from Mr. Graham ; I shall take the li|r 

 berty of troubling you wilh a few ideas on the subject. 



The principle of commerce being nearly coeval with mari^ 

 is a dogma universally admitted ; it is, indeed, so evident; 

 and rational, that it would be absurd to argue against it, or 

 even to question its probability , but, to admit it as the in- 

 ference of Mr. Graham's statement, " that there is no coun- 

 try, however highly it may be favoured, which can produce 

 ail that is necessary for the comfort, health, protection, and 

 security of its inhabitants," would, I conceive, be weaken- 

 ing instead of confirming the position, and, so far from 

 proving the importance of commerce, would show it to be 

 of very little use. For, if a country is naturally incapable 

 of itself to produce all that is necessary for the health and 

 comfort of inhabitants, I do not see how this deficiency can 

 be supplied ; because, from the nature of the soil and cli- 

 mate, inhabitants themselves cannot long continue there in 

 existence. We accordingly find, that such tracts of landi 

 as are naturally barren, are also uninhabited. It is true, 

 many countries draw the most material articles of their sub- 

 sistence from others, whence they are exported for their use- ; 

 but, then, this is no proof of the first being incapable r.o 

 produce them, oral least, something equally, and perhaps 

 more, adapted to the purpose; or of their not having a^:- 

 tuailv produced one or other of them, previously to the co a- 

 neclion. This, in treating of the origin of commerce, I 

 shall explain presently more at large ; but, cunsideiing IN Ir. 

 Graham's statement in a general point of view, let any ( )ne 

 examine into the various articles respectively produced by 

 the different nations of the earth, and, if I am not \ /-cry 

 much mistaken, he will perceive how admirably they are 

 adapted to the preeminent and, in some respects, excli isive 

 use of the inhabitants of those countries to which they 5 leve- 

 rally belong. Rice, for instance, is the chief suppo rt of 

 the inhabitants of India, and corn may be said to ans^ ver it 

 in Europe ; an exchange, however, so as to subslitui i one 

 to the exclusion of the other, would injure both peopl j: for 



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