9© HISTORT of the SOCIETY. 



Account of it is of more importance to afcertain the progrefs that is mod fim- 

 pie, than the progrefs that is mod agreeable to fact ; for, para- 

 doxical as the proportion may appear, it is certainly true, that 

 the real progrefs is not always the molt natural. It may have 

 been determined by particular accidents, which are not likely 

 again to occur, and which cannot be confidered as forming any 

 part of that general pro virion which nature has made for the 

 improvement of the race.. 



BMJLJW*" 



In order to make fome amends for the length (I am afraid I 

 may add for the tedioufnefs) of this fection, I fhall fubjoin to 

 it an original letter of Mr Hume's, addrefTed to Mr Smith, 

 foon after the publication of his Theory. It is ftrongly mark- 

 ed with that eafy and affectionate pleafantry which diltinguifh- 

 ed Mr Hume's epiftolary correfpondence, and is entitled to a 

 place in this Memoir, on account of its connection with an im- 

 portant event of Mr Smith's life, which foon after removed 

 him into a new fcene, and influenced, to a confiderable degree, 

 the fubfequent courfe of his ftudies.— The letter is dated from 

 London, 12th April 1759.'. 



" I give you thanks for the agreeable prefent of your 

 Theory. Wedderburn and I made prefents of our copies to 

 fuch of our acquaintances as we thought good judges, and pro- 

 per to fpread the reputation of the book. I fent one to the 

 Duke of Argyle, to Lord Lyttxeton, Horace Walpole, 

 Soame Jennyns, and Burke, an Irifti Gentleman, who wrote 

 lately a very pretty treatife on the Sublime. Millar defired 

 my permiffion to fend one in your name to Dr Warburton. 

 I have delayed writing to you till I could tell you fomething of 

 the fuccefs of the book, and could prognosticate with fome pro- 

 bability, whether it mould be finally damned to oblivion, or 

 1 mould 



