ADAM SMITH. 193 



ing him with the charge of his papers, and intimating 

 that, except the * Speculative History of Astronomy,' 

 he desired all his other writings to be destroyed, 

 stating that they were contained in eighteen folio 

 paper books, which were not even to be examined 

 before destroying them. Dr. Hutton's account of 

 what afterwards passed, coincided with this intention, 

 and must be subjoined, as it is extremely interesting. 

 " When he became weak and saw the approaching 

 end of his life, he spoke to his friends again upon the 

 subject of his papers. They entreated him to make 

 his mind easy, as he might depend upon their ful- 

 filling his desire. He was then satisfied, but some 

 days afterwards finding his anxiety not entirely re- 

 moved, he begged one of them to destroy the volumes 

 immediately. This accordingly was done, and his 

 mind was so much relieved that he was able to receive 

 his friends in the evening with his usual complacency. 

 They had been in use to sup with him every Sunday, 

 and that evening there was a pretty numerous society 

 of them. Dr. Smith not being able to sit up with 

 them as usual, retired to bed before supper, and as he 

 went away took leave of his friends by saying, ' I be- 

 lieve we must adjourn this meeting to some other 

 place ! " He died a very few days afterwards. Mr. 

 Kiddel, an intimate friend of Dr. Smith's, who was 

 present at one of the conversations on the subject of 

 the manuscripts, mentioned to Mr. Stewart, in addi- 

 tion to Dr. Hutton's note, that he "regretted he 

 had done so little, adding, ' I meant to have done 

 more, and there are materials in my papers of which I 

 could have made a great deal, but that is now out of 

 the question.' " 



In the latter period of his life, and while suffering 

 under the illness which proved fatal, he made some 

 important additions to his 'Theory of Moral Senti- 

 ments.' Of these, some of the most eloquent passages 

 of his whole writings, Mr. Stewart has beautifully said, 

 o 



