IO4 The Naturalist of Cumbrac. 



Sheffield and Birmingham goods also. They had 

 introduced toys among the other fancy goods, and 

 these they still continued for wholesale customers, 

 and they became a considerable branch of their trade 

 for town and country orders. 



In miscellaneous merchandise the element of variety 

 is often a source of much profit, and the introduction 

 of a new article in trade is as much to the purpose 

 and requires the same kind of acumen as the dis- 

 covery of a new species in natural history. On one 

 of his visits to London, Robertson noticed a woman 

 offering for sale to a shopkeeper an article that struck 

 him by its novelty. Waiting till she came out of the 

 shop, he then asked her the price, but she was a 

 foreigner and could not understand a word he said. 

 Accompanying her to find out what factory or other 

 place of business she came from, he discovered that 

 it was a small lodging in a mean part of the town 

 where she and her father produced their wares. 

 Neither of them knew a word of English. But by 

 pointing to the articles, laying down his money on 

 the table, and giving them his written address, Mr, 

 Robertson was able in dumb show to conclude a 

 perfectly satisfactory bargain. 



Eventually, as the firm saw that they were trading 

 at a disadvantage by purchasing in London many 

 goods that were made abroad, it was arranged that 

 Mr. Robertson should go to the Continent, and open a 

 correspondence direct with the manufacturers. One 

 great difficulty appeared to be his want of acquaint- 

 ance with any foreign language. To meet this as 

 far as possible, he posted himself well up in the 



