Although its inhabitants have been nearly doubled within a century, yet the island of Great Britain is by no means fo populous as its fize will admit1. How beneficial, therefore, muft any measure be, which induces the natives of this country to remain contented at home, as well as encourages perfecuted foreigners to bring ufeful arts from their own country, and fettle in England! The heavy taxes laid by Government upon the most neceffary articles of life, as well as the fines impofed by corporations on ingenious artifans, are weights laid upon trade and induftry which clog the wheels of the commercial machine, and impede its due motion. To prevent the ftate from losing from fuch fums being withdrawn from the public treasury, taxes might be laid upon articles of luxury, extravagance, and foreign produce. If our manufactures cannot be fold at a moderate price, they will not long continue to be purchafed by foreigners; and if that channel of traffic be dried up, we shall be expofed to depopulation, poverty, and all the unhappy confequences of expiring trade. Our merchants, if oppreffed by accumulated taxes, will not be able to ftand in competition with those of France, which, not burthened with a national debt in any degree equal to ours, will not only underfell us in the foreign markets, but will draw English capitals from this country, and encourage emigra

i The population in England and Wales in 1700 was 5,475,544; in 1801 it amounted to 9,168,713, if the statement in the Sun Paper be correct.

tion by the cheapnefs of the neceffary articles of life. Any alleviation with respect to duties will be fo far from a detriment, that it will ultimately prove an advantage to the public revenues. Weights and measures ought to be brought to the fame precise standard all over the kingdom, in order that many of the frauds, which now prevail, may be removed. The number of ale-houfes ought to be diminished, as they are not only the haunts of intemperance, but the retreats of idleness; they produce a fondnefs for diffipation, which is highly injurious to domestic habits of life; and they corrupt the minds and relax the induftrious habits of the common people.

There exift, without doubt, many causes, which obftruct the execution of fuch projects; and the great expence, the difcord of clashing interests, and the varieties of opinion upon thefe fubjects, may long retard their execution. There is, however, fufficient ground to expect, that they may in procefs of time be partially, if not completely, adopted; fince it is a truth, confirmed by daily obfervation, that our countrymen are fufficiently difpofed to embark their property in a joint stock; and when the utility of an enterprize will justify their attempts, they come forward with alacrity to engage in all public works. Their capitals are

k

* Una fides, pondus, menfura, moneta sit una,

Et ftatus illæfus totius orbis erit.

Budelius de Monetis.

much

much larger than formerly, and of courfe they are better enabled to run the risk of expenfive undertakings.

The first steps in the useful arts, which are the moft difficult, have long ago been taken; their fruits are reaped by fociety at large, and furnish the greateft incitements to perfeverance. Of this kind is the encouragement given to navigable canals, which afford the cheapest and most eafy circulation of inland Commerce. We may reafonably indulge the hope, that many fuch fchemes will be realized, because the greatest works, of which we now reap the benefit, once exifted only in plans and projects. However at first condemned by the ignorant, and ridiculed by the idle, they were at last reduced to practice.

It is the happy characteristic of the English to improve upon the arts of other nations; it only remains therefore, that, in order to complete our reputation for this excellence, we adopt every useful fcheme, and, by adding our dexterity to the invention of others, make nearer approaches to perfection.

The CAPACITY FOR IMPROVEMENT vifible in our foil and its productions constitutes the intrinfic and tranfcendent excellence of our ifland; and the industry and public fpirit of its inhabitants form fome of the most valuable parts of our national character.

Thefe

These united advantages undeniably prove, upon a comparison with the circumftances of the other nations of Europe, that Great Britain is eminently qualified by art and nature to carry on a widelyextended Commerce, as the derives every requifite for that purpose from her infular fituation, the produce of her lands and plantations, the excellence and variety of her manufactures, the skill and perfeverance of her failors, and the opulence and enterprizing difpofition of her merchants,

CHAPTER

AS travelling is confidered a part of education indifpenfably neceffary for all young men of rank and fortune, it becomes a very interefting fubject of obfervation. The most important topics which this fubject includes are its general Advantages, the confideration of the Time of Life when the traveller ought to begin his excurfions, the previous Information neceffary to be acquired, the Countries most proper to be vifited, the Objects moft deferving his attention; and what are the best Effects, which a tour through foreign countries is calculated to produce upon the Character and Manners.

Travelling, as far as it introduces a man into genteel and well-informed fociety in various parts of the world, and leads to an extenfive knowledge of perfons and places, expands the mind, removes local prejudices, produces a comparison between our own and foreign countries, fatisfies that curiolity and that fondness for change, which are fo natural to mankind, fupplies new fources of pleafing and useful information, and conduces to the increase of philanthropy and generofity of fentiHe who is confined to his own country reads

ment.

only