ii4 HISTORY of the SOCIETY 



oSSa* provement in their condition and in their character. The ad- 

 vantages which modern policy poffeffes over the ancient, arifes 

 principally from its conformity, in fome of the mod important 

 articles of political ceconomy, to an order of things recom- 

 mended by nature ; and it would not be difficult to fliew, that 

 where it remains imperfect, its errors may be traced to the re- 

 itraints it impofes on the natural courfe of human affairs. In- 

 deed, in thefe reftraints may be difcovered the latent feeds of 

 many of the prejudices and follies which infect modern man- 

 ners, and which have fo long bid defiance to the reafonings of 

 the philofopher and the ridicule of the fatirift. 



The foregoing very imperfect hints appeared to me to form, 

 not only a proper, but in fome meafure a neceffary introduc- 

 tion to the few remarks I have to offer on Mr Smith's Inquiry; 

 as they tend to illuftrate a connection between his fyflem of 

 commercial politics, and thofe fpeculations of his earlier years, 

 in which he aimed more profeffedly at the advancement of hu- 

 man improvement and happinefs. It is this view of political 

 ceconomy that can alone render it interefting to the moralift, 

 and can dignify calculations of profit and lofs in the eye of 

 the philofopher. Mr Smith has alluded to it in various paf- 

 fages of his work, but he has no where explained himfelf fully 

 on the fubject ', and the great ftrefs he has laid on the effects 

 of the divifion of labour in increafing its productive powers 

 feems, at firfl fight, to point to a different and very melancholy 

 conclufion ; — that the fame caufes which promote the progrefs 

 of the arts, tend to degrade the mind of the artift ', and, of 

 confequence, that the growth of national wealth implies a fa- 

 crifice of the character of the people. 



The fundamental doctrines of Mr Smith's fyflem are now 

 fo generally known, that it would have been tedious to offer 

 any recapitulation of them in this place ', even if I could have 

 hoped to do juftice to the fubject, within the limits which I have 



prefcribed 



