STATISTICS. 269 



tural and juft, to defire to have a knowledge of 

 the ftate of the prefent world, and of the mod 

 important occurrences of our own days , and 

 this we learn by Statiftics, by the relations of 

 travellers, and by geogiaphy. The fcience, thac 

 is called StatiJHcs* teaches us ivbat is tbe political 

 arrangement of all the modern Jiates of the known 

 world. This arrangement, comprehended for- 

 merly under the title of the political fyftem, has 

 been known and explained very imperfectly, not 

 only with regard to diftant and fmall ftates, but 

 even large kingdoms, fituate in the center of 

 Europe. In geographical treatifes, they placed, 

 before the local defcription of each country, a 

 fort of account of the principal objects that 

 compoied its fyftem. But thefe introductions 

 were always imperfect, naturally very contracted, 

 frequently dubious, and fometimcs abfolutely 

 falie, or ill grounded. We muft except fome 

 of them however, efpecially thofe which are 

 to be found in the excellent geography of M. 

 Bufching, an author, whofe afliduity, precifion, 

 and difcernment, can never be fufficiently com- 

 mended. But this book has, as we may fay, 

 but juft appeared in its full perfection. 



II. The hiftorians have not been lefs fenfible 

 of the neccfllty of making their readers acquain- 

 ted with the political fyftem of the prii 

 modern ftates of Europe; and the cdcl> 

 Baron Puffcndorff, in his univerial hill 



annexed 



