2 ANECDOTES OF THE LATE DR. SMmi. May IT 



to Europe. In the difcharge of this duty, he gave fo 

 much fatiffa£lion to all the parties concerned, as to be 

 able, by their intereft, to obtain the place of commif- 

 fioner of cufloms and falt-duties in Scotland; with 

 the emoluments arifing from which office, and his o- 

 ther acquirements, he was enabled to fpend the latter 

 part of his life in a ftate of independent tranquillity. 

 Before his death, he burnt all his manufcripts, except 

 one, whicli, we hear, contains a hillory of Aftronomy, 

 which will probably be laid before the public by his 

 executors in due time. 



Ini^ead of a formal drawn character of this great 

 man, which often tends to prejudice rather than to m- 

 forni, the Editor believes his renders will be much bet- 

 ter pkafed to fee fome features of his mind fairly deli- 

 neated by himfelf, as in the following pages, which 

 were tranfmittid to him under the fhongeft affurances 

 of authenticity ; — concerning which, indeed, he enter- 

 tained no doubt after their perufal, from the coinci- 

 dence of certain opinions here mentioned, with what 

 he himfelf had, heard maintained by that gentleman. 

 Sir, 



In the year 1780, I had frequent occafion to be in com- 

 pany with the late well-known Dr. Adam Smith. When 

 bufinefs ended, our converfation took a literary turn ;. 

 I was then young, inquifitive, and full of refpeft for 

 his abilities as an author. On his part, he was ex- 

 tremely communicative, and delivered himfelf, on eve- 

 ry fubjeft, with a freedom, and even boldnefs, quite 

 oppofite to the apparent referve of his appearance. I 

 took down notes of his converfation, and have here fent 

 you an abftracl of them. I have neither added, altered, 

 nor dimlniflied, but merely put them into fuch a fnape 

 as may fit them ior the eye of your readers. 



Of the late Dr. Samufel Johnfon, Dr. Smith had a 

 very contemptuous opinion. " I have feen that crea- 

 " ture," faid he, " Ijolt up in the midft of a mixed 

 " company; and, without any pravious notice, fall 



