as he was called, took England, or rather Europe, 

 by surprise, by presenting- the world with his 

 e Wealth of Nations/ Now Adam Smith knew a 

 great many things that his contemporaries did not 

 know. In his speciality, it may very fairly be said, 

 that he was far in advance of his age. Yet expe- 

 rience has shown that Adam Smith's knowledge 

 was defective ; and that his opinions, on very many 

 points, were erroneous. The statement of this fact, 

 is no disparagement to the great reformer. It 

 would simply be very disparaging to civilized 

 Europe to suppose that she had stood still on the 

 same spot where he left her so many years ago. 

 But Europe has not stood still. She has vindicated 

 civilization, and progressed very far in advance of 

 her old position, so far, that, as Mohammadans 

 call the age preceding the mission of their Prophet, 

 the ' days of ignorance/ modern Economists would 

 not, I dare say, care to dispute the point with me, 

 were I to distinguish the period prior to the appear- 

 ance of the c Wealth of Nations/ as compared with 

 the present, by some such epithet. Certainly, look- 

 ing at the very long time it has taken Europe to 

 acknowledge the general truth of many sound 

 theories propounded by the elder Smith, they will 

 admit that, had the writings of Mill, llicardo, De 

 Quincey, and many others who have since success- 

 fully attempted a practical adaptation of the theories 

 of this science to the progressive advance in know- 

 ledge and social philosophy of succeeding periods, 



