xli PREFACE. 



mifrcprelentation, cftablifliing trath, and banilhing at ieail fbme* 

 falfehoods from the page, of hiilory, 1 Ihall not tlaiuk my labour ill 

 beftowed. 



The chronology of the fovereigns of Europe, arranged in one table 

 in the Appendix, inftead of the tables given by Mr. Anderfon for 

 every century, (hows what princes were contemporaries ; and it will 

 fometimes be found ufeful in fettling the dates of events recorded 

 as having taken place in fuch a year of a king's reign. 



The chronological table of the alterations of money in England 

 and Scotland, and the chronological table of prices, will be found ex- 

 ceedingly ufeful to thofe who may liave occalion to appretiate the 

 real value of money at any particular time, which may be done with 

 tolerable exadnefs by calculating, from the infpedion of the two 

 tables, the quantity of filver any article was fold for at the time re- 

 quired. 



The commercial and manufaclural gazetteer, if it could be made 

 more complete, would prefent a pleafing pidurc of the induflry of 

 the whole united kingdom. Imperfedl as it muft neceffarily be, 

 from the narrow bounds afligned to it, but dill more from the im- 

 poflibiiity of obtaining fufficient and fatisfadory information upon 

 fubjedls, which the generality of writers, even the moft minute top- 

 Qo-raphers fcarcely excepted, think either unworthy of their notice, 

 or not within the fphere of their oblervation, it is much better than 

 none : and it may perhaps ftimulate fome perfon duely qualified to 

 appropriate a larger work to a fubjedl fo important and interefting. 

 Such accounts, drawn up at intervals of about half a century, would 

 fliow the migrations of trade and manufadures, the rife of induf- 

 triovis towns, the decline of others not poilefling fuiEcient accommod- 

 ation of harbours, inland navigation, fuel, miU-ilreams, &c. and the 



