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PREFACE 



It is a question whether modern history has anything more 

 curious to offer to the attention of the poHtician than the 

 progress and rivalship of the French and EngUsh empires from 

 the ministry of Colbert to the revolution in France. In the 

 course of those one hundred and thirty years, both have figured 

 with a degree of splendour that has attracted the admiration of 

 mankind. 



In proportion to the power, the wealth, and the resources 

 of these nations, is the interest which the world in general takes 

 in the maxims of political economy by which they have been 

 governed. To examine how far the system of that economy 

 has influenced agriculture, manufactures, commerce, and public 

 felicity is certainly an inquiry of no slight importance; and so 

 many books have been composed on the theory of these, that the 

 public can hardly think that time misemployed which attempts 



to give THE PRACTICE. 



The survey which I made, some years past, of the agriculture 

 of England and Ireland (the minutes of which I published 

 under the title of Tours) was such a step towards understanding 

 the state of our husbandry as I shall not presume to characterise ; 

 there are but few of the European nations that do not read 

 these Tours in their own language; and, notwithstanding 

 all their faults and deficiencies, it has been often regretted 

 that no similar description of France could be resorted to, 

 either by the farmer or the politician. Indeed it could not but 

 be lamented that this vast kingdom, which has so much figured 

 in history, were likely to remain another century unknown 

 with respect to those circumstances that are the objects of 

 my inquiries. A hundred and thirty years have passed, in- 

 cluding one of the most active and conspicuous reigns upon 

 record, in which the French power and resources, though much 

 overstrained, were formidable to Europe. How far were that 

 power and those resources founded on the permanent basis of 

 an enlightened agriculture? How far on the more insecure 

 support of manufactures and commerce ? How far have wealth 

 and power and exterior splendour, from whatever cause they 



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