Remarks on an Essay on Commerce. 205 



the cultivation of one particular article ; the overplus of 

 which, or what was more than wanted for his own con- 

 sumption, he exchanged, with others in a similar situation, 

 for su:;h and such commodities as he required. Men were, 

 accordingly, led to associate with one another; conscious, 

 that the best way to accommodate themselves, was to ac- 

 commodate their neighbours. Villages were established, to 

 each particular member of which, certain functions were 

 assigned ; by which means, the whole body was combined 

 together, and transformed, as it were, into an individual of 

 itself. 



• Suppose, then, acertain number of these individual bodies 

 to be stationed at different parts of the same country, — not 

 so distant, however, but to be able, without difficulty, to 

 communicate with each other ; is it at all surprising, seeing 

 the advantage which each of them has obtained by dividing 

 their employments, that they should be induced to repeat 

 the same experiment upon a larger scale, and appropriate to 

 each of these bodies the principal cultivation of some one 

 particular article or another? — Proceeding upon the same 

 principle, we may form an idea of this extended class or 

 province concentrating itself and conmiunicating with others 

 concentrated in the same way ; till, at last, a whole country 

 becomes united. During the progress, money, or some- 

 thing else, is introduced as a medium of exchange to facili- 

 tate the connection ; civilization imperceptiblj- advances to 

 refinement ; and commerce, although originally directed to 

 the necessaries of life, gradually embraces its conveniences 

 and comforts, and ultimately includes its luxuries and su- 

 perfluities. — In proof of this being the origin and rise of 

 commerce, it is only necessary to refer to any particular 

 country, and, even under the present complicated appear- 

 ance of its arrangement, (owing to the length of time which 

 has elapsed since the first stages were performed,) it will be 

 seen, that separate employments are undertaken by the in- 

 habitants of separate places, that certain manufactures are 

 carried on in certain districts, and that the cultivation of 

 particular articles is left to particular counties or divisions. 

 The commerce between nations may be accounted for in 



exactly 



