Letters Concerning the Present State of England; Particularly Respecting the Politics, Arts, Manners, and Literature of the Times (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1772 Excerpt: ... LETTER XIX. Of the Importance of Nat Ion Al We Alt Hi an interesting Passage from a French Author translated. I Have met with a passage in a French author, which I (hall make the subject of this letter. It contains many admirable observations; and very few that are exceptionable. "I had looked upon "populousness," fays the Frenchman, "as a source of income. An abler man "contradicted me. It was my happiness "to listen to him, and he has taught me, "that, on the contrary, income is a source "of populousness. - I greatly doubt, if Tullius Hostilius, "king of a country, in which we are "told every family had an acre of ground "to supply it with turneps and cabbages, "whenever they could not make war, and "procure better subsistence by plunder"ing their neighbours; I doubt much, I -c fay, if such a prince excelled in dignity an "an overseer of negroes, who, exclusive "of their own wretched pittance, raise c for their owner a valuable kind ofcom"modity. n It appears, that nothing can move "without income; that it is this which constitutes the life and soul of all cir"culation. But no income is to be ex"pected without great advances; and the "advances themselves are not to be ex"pected, unless the produce reaches to U the creation of income. ' la fact, the multiplicity and diversity "of the different professions of man"kind, is not only an advantage relative to the conveniencies of life, in pro"curing which, each of these professions "is separately employed, but likewise in asmuch as it confers the effects of "riches upon products, useless to one man, at the fame time that they are "useful to another in a different station. "Without ships we should have no oc casion for ship-timber, nor without paint and soap for strong oils. - We We must recol...