PT. in. Progress and Civilisation. 161 



Plato. There are, however, some branches of moral 

 and political science in which great and important 

 progress has been made. Of these the principal 

 one is the science of Political Economy, which has 

 only existed about a hundred years, as it may be 

 fairly dated to have commenced with Adam Smith. 

 This science has thrown the strongest light upon 

 many questions of politics and of government, and 

 is the right hand of the political statesman. 

 Whether considered in that branch of it which 

 deals with the increase and distribution of wealth, 

 or with that still more important part which relates 

 to the laws regulating population, it affords the 

 clearest insight into the internal mechanism of 

 society. It not only indicates the principles of a 

 sound policy, but it furnishes the correction to a 

 number of those plausible fallacies which are always 

 misleading Mankind. It is unfortunate that while 

 those among its principles which appear to favour 

 popular theories are greedily adopted, the sound 

 Conservative truths of which it is the depository 

 are passed over altogether. The repeal of the Corn 

 Laws was eagerly embraced, and Mr. Bright and 

 Mr. Cobden almost deified ; but when the doctrines' 

 of Political Economy were applied to demonstrate 



