ADAM SMITH. 189 



and pursuits so much resembling his own formed the 

 bond of a strong attachment. Though differing in 

 opinion upon some fundamental points, he regarded 

 his system as " the nearest approximation to truth that 

 had ever been made in economical science, while the 

 singular modesty and simplicity" of the man had a 

 powerful attraction for so congenial a nature. He was, 

 as is well known, only prevented by Quesnay's death 

 from dedicating to him the ' Wealth of Nations.' It 

 appears by a letter of Morellet, published in his 

 Memoirs, that notwithstanding Dr. Smith's residence 

 at Toulouse, and his intimate acquaintance with the 

 French language, he had never so far mastered it as to 

 speak it tolerably well; but he could, though difficultly, 

 converse in it without much inconvenience. " II par- 

 loit," says the Abbe, " fort mal notre langue, mais nous 

 parlames theorie commerciale, banque, credit publique, 

 &c." As the date of 1762 is given for this acquain- 

 tance, it might be deemed that this applies to his 

 passing through Paris in 1764, rather than his resi- 

 dence there in 1766 ; but as the Abbe mentions having 

 seen and conversed with him repeatedly, and adds, 

 that Turgot, as well as Helvetius, had made his ac- 

 quaintance, the time referred to must have been at his 

 return from the south ; for the twelve days spent at 

 Paris, on his way to Toulouse, could not have given 

 time to form their acquaintance. 



Upon his return to England in the autumn of 1766, 

 he went to reside with his mother at his native town 

 of Kirkaldy, and remained there for ten years. All 

 the attempts of his friends in Edinburgh to draw him. 

 thither were vain ; and from a kind and lively letter 

 of Mr. Hume upon the subject, complaining that 

 though within sight of him on the opposite side of the 

 Frith of Forth, he could not have speech of him. it 

 appears that no one was aware of the occupations in 

 which' those years were passed. At length, early in 

 1776, .the mystery was explained by the appearance 



