ADVICE TO POTTERS. 301 



number of dealers in provisions,' will take up "but little of your time, 

 the case appearing to me too plain to he easily mistaken. The 

 universal opinion of merchants and commercial men, formed upon 

 long experience, is, that the more dealers there are in any par- 

 ticular article, the cheaper that article will he sold, hecause every 

 dealer considers all others in the same profession as rivals, and will 

 naturally endeavour to gain as much custom to himself as possible, 

 which cannot otherwise he done than either hy underselling the rest, 

 hy giving longer credit, or by procuring a better commodity all 

 which are in favour of the buyer. This is certainly the case in 

 general ; and I think, if you examine any one particular instance, 

 it will confirm you in this opinion. In this examination we cannot 

 perhaps begin more properly than with the publicans, who retail 

 out drink, as the hucksters do meat, to their respective customers. 

 Let us consider what would be the case if there was only one 

 publican instead of twenty or more, which there are in some of our 

 villages. He would soon be sensible of his importance, that he 

 was the only vendor of liquors in your district, and that you must 

 come to his house when you mean to indulge in that way ; and can 

 you think he would be likely to give you stronger ale or larger 

 measure, or permit you to be longer in his debt, because you were 

 obliged to make use of his house, having no other to go to ? Surely 

 the contrary would be more likely to happen. 



" And if your butcher and baker were placed in the same situa- 

 tion, without a rival in business, would not the like happen with 

 them? I must confess that I think all three, nay, that every 

 retailer of meat, drink, or clothes would be more likely to raise 

 than lower the price of the articles they deal in, upon diminishing 

 their numbers, and thereby destroying that competition and rivalry 

 which is the buyer's best security for a plentiful and reasonable 

 market ; and why the hucksters should be excepted why they 

 would not, like other dealers, raise the price of their goods upon 

 their numbers being lessened, I own I cannot conceive. There may 

 be some circumstances in this case with which I am unacquainted ; 

 and if so, I would gladly learn them. 



" Perhaps it may be thought best that there should be no huck- 

 sters or retailers of provisions at all, but the consumers should buy 

 all they want, and at all times, from the hands of the farmer only. 

 This may seem desirable, and to a certain degree it may, and actu- 

 ally does take place ; but, to extend this connection between the 

 farmer and consumer to such a length as to render the retailer 

 useless to the poor housekeeper in supplying his immediate wants, 



