i8o THE EVOLUTION OF 



primitive dealings with savages and of the most highly 

 developed transactions of the European Exchanges, 

 viz., that trade will accommodate itself to any circum- 

 stances and evolve a modus vivendi between any two 

 apparently irreconcilable parties, showing that in similar 

 conditions human reasoning will produce a similar result. 

 The proposition may be generally stated thus : the 

 capacity for reasoning remains the same, whether 

 the society in which a human being finds himself is 

 primitive or highly advanced. 



There is another circumstance in the cases quoted, 

 which shows the constant nature of human reasoning. 

 The context of the passages quoted proves that wher- 

 ever a trade has been arrived at, there is a great eager- 

 ness to trade. Indeed, it is a common observation 

 among travellers that savages, who have arrived at 

 the stage of trading, are inveterate bargainers. It does 

 not require a knowledge of money to turn a man into 

 a keen trader, and even savages will acquire not only 

 1 tricks of the trade/ but will carry them to a great state 

 of perfection. Instances innumerable could be cited, 

 from among those to whom only barter is known as the 

 means of trade, of a deep insight into their own interests 

 and of a capacity to take advantage of current conditions 

 to their own profit. The strongest instance that has 

 come under my observation, covering the whole point, 

 is from the Hottentots of South Africa. John Jourdain, 

 who was at the Cape in 1608, says they bought from the 

 natives ' a cowe for a peece of an ould iron hoope of 

 a yard longe, and a sheepe for halfe soe much. And 

 many tymes, havinge sould them to us, yf we looked not 

 the better to them, they would steale them agayne from 

 us and bringe them agayne to sell ; which we were fayne 

 with patience to buy agayne of them, without givinge 



