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PREFACE. 



attending to the different obje£fo they afford, 

 which more or lefs delight by their novelty 

 and variety ; but our inquiries fhould not 

 be confined merely to private gratification ; 

 there are duties of a more rational nature ; 

 to be ufeful to fociety by distributing hap- 

 pinefs amongft our fellow creatures, is one 

 of the higheft and mod neceffary. The nu- 

 merous products of nature, their applica- 

 tion to the wants, the comforts, and even 

 Ornaments of life ; the manners, cuftoms, 

 and opinions of mankind ; agriculture, ma- 

 nufaftures, and commerce ; the ftate of arts, 

 learning, and the laws of different nations, 

 when judicioufly investigated, tend to en- 

 large the human understanding, and to ren- 

 der individuals wifer, better, and happier. 



The introdu&ion of the common potatoe, 

 the management of fill:- worms, the difco- 

 very of jefuits bark, the ufes of cochineal, 

 lacca and indigo, are undeniable proofs of 

 the advantages which might be derived 

 from the inquiries of ingenious men. The 

 difcovery of another fuch root as the pota- 

 toe, another fuch article of commerce and 

 apparel as filk, another fuch remedy as the 

 bark, and fuch other dying articles as co- 

 chineal and indigo, would prove acquisi- 

 tions of the greatest importance to a trad- 

 ing 



