and Norwich for its excellent ftuffs, camelots, druggets, and ftockings. Birmingham, though no corporation, is one of the largest and moft populous towns in England, and carries on an amazing trade in excellent and ingenious hard-ware manufactures. It is here, and in Sheffield, which is famous for cutlery, that the true genius of English art and induftry is to be feen; for fuch are their excellent inventions for fabricating hard wares, that they can afford them for a fourth part of the price at which other nations can furnifh the fame of an inferior kind.

The northern counties of England carry on a very great trade in the coarfer and flighter woollen manufactures; witnefs thofe of Halifax, Leeds, Wakefield, and Richmond, and, above all, Manchester, which, by its variety of beautiful cottons, dimities, tickens, checks, and the like ftuffs, is become a large and populous place, though only a village, and its highest magiftrate a constable. Beautiful porcelain and earthen ware have of late years been manufactured in different places in England, particularly in Worcestershire and Staffordshire. The English carpets, especially those of Axminster, Wilton, and Kidderminster, much excel in beauty any imported from Turkey, and are extremely durable. Paper, which was formerly imported in vaft quantities from France and Holland, is now made in every part of the kingdom. It is highly probable, that, in a few years, the inland navigations which are completed in many parts of the country, will make great alterations in its internal state.

After the extinction of the rebellion in 1745, Mr. Pelham difcovered the true value of Scotland, as to commerce. All the benefits received by that country, for the relief of the people from their feudal tyranny, were effected by that great man. The increase of their fhipping, within thefe fifty years paft, has been very confiderable. The exports of thofe fhips are compofed chiefly of Scotch manufactures, fabricated from the produce of the foil, and the industry of its inhabitants. In exchange they import rice, cotton, fugar, and rum,

from

from the Weft Indies and other countries. The fitheries of Scotland are not confined to their own coafts, for they have a great concern in the whalefishery, carried on upon the coast of Spitfbergen. The benefits of these and other fisheries are perhaps equalled by manufactures, particularly that of iron at Carron, in Stirlingfhire. Their linen manufacture is in a flourishing ftate. The town of Paifley employs an incredible number of hands, in fabricating a particular kind of flowered and ftriped lawns, which are a reafonable, and elegant wear. Sugar-houfes, glafs-works, and paper-mills, are erected every where. The Scotch carpeting makes neat and lafting furniture; and fome. effays have lately been made, with no inconfiderable degree of fuccefs, to carry that branch of manufacture. to as great perfection as in any part of Europe. The trade carried on by the Scots with England, is chiefly from Leith, and the eaftern ports of the nation; but Glasgow was the great emporium for the American commerce, before the commencement of the war with that people. The coal trade to England is well known; and they turned even their stones to account by their contract for paving the streets of London. If the great trade in cattle, which the Scots formerly carried on. with the English, is now diminifhed, it is owing to the beft of national caufes, that of an increafe of home confumption.

It may not be improper here to remark, that the vital principle of all trade, which alone can render it advantageous to individuals, or the world at large, confifts in an equality of barter. In the commencement of every new colony, we fee this pofition exemplified tothe life. One man becomes an husbandman, a fecond a fhepherd, a third a fifherman, a fourth a mechanic, or an importer of foreign commodities, till at length every trade is introduced for which there is a mutual demand. All are alike aware that the commodities in which they deal are of prime neceffity; and,. therefore, the barter must be upon equal terms. In. fuch a fituation of things, trade is an univerfal bleffing.

At

At first, undoubtedly, there must not only exist an equality of barter, but, in a very confiderable degree, an equality of property, yet the happinefs of the colony by no means depends upon the latter, provided the equality of barter be still adhered to; nor can fuch equality of property continue long. The great degree of industry in fome, and of idleness in others, a variation in the poffeffion of mental or corporeal powers, and a multiplicity of other circumftances, will neceffarily, in a fhort time, produce an inequality in the property of the inhabitants. Such inequality, however, may be highly beneficial to the rifing ftate, by allowing those who poffefs more ample wealth than the reft, and who have no neceflity for perfonal labour to fupply their wants, an opportunity of engaging in new ftudies and purfuits, which may eventually be an advantage to the, fociety at large. But the moment this inequality of wealth is allowed to produce an inequality of barter, trade will begin to exift no longer as an equal and univerfal bleffing, and inequality of wealth will immediately become a ferious evil. Let us fuppofe that the agriculturist is the wealthy man, and that he is determined to take every advantage which his fuperior poffeffion of wealth will permit him. His neighbours, being lefs fortunate than himself, must be fupplied with his own article of grain. They cannot exift without it. They become dependent upon him,. and, be the price or quantity of wares demanded. what it may, it must be acceded to; and the agricul turist immediately accumulates frefh riches, while he impoverishes thofe around him. This is precifely the fituation of Great Britain, at the prefent period.. There is much inequality of property among us, which,, as has already been obferved, is in itself an advantage Father than an evil, and which actually was fo a century ago, when thofe of large poffeflions did not devote their fuperiority of wealth to the purpose of perfonal trade. At that time the equality of barter was much more univerfal, from the husbandman to the merchant; and though the nation could not boast of so large a capi

tal

tal embarked, or fo extenfive a commerce refulting from it, yet from this very circumftance of equality of barter, every rank, excepting the fmall circle of monopolifts, was comparatively richer and happier. At the period now referred to, those who were poffeffed of large fortunes retired from the commercial world altogether, and lived upon the rental of their accumu. lated property. They did not interfere with, and con-fequently did not injure, the equal barter of the markets. But the times are changed. We are now be-. come a nation of traders. Men of all ranks, and of all fortunes, choose to employ their property in commercial adventures. They choose alfo to gain as much as they poffibly can, in proportion to the capitals they employ. What must inevitably follow? The weak muft yield to the strong. The latter have it in their power to demand a price, which, exorbitant as it may be, the former cannot poffibly refufe, because the commodities they will generally be folicitous to vend, as being productive of the greatest profit, are those of prime neceffity, and which, by confequence, the former muft unquestionably poffefs for the purpose of actual existence.

With regard to the military ftate of Great Britain, the celebrated Blackftone obferves, "that, in a land of liberty, it is extremely dangerous to make a diftin&t order of the profeffion of arms. In fuch no man fhould take up arms, but with a view to defend the country and its laws. He puts not off the citizen when he enters the camp; but it is because he is a citizen, and would wish to continue fo, that he makes himfelf, for a while a foldier." The laws and conftitution of these kingdoms formerly knew no fuch state, as that of a perpetual standing foldiery, bred up to no other profeflion but that of war; and it was not till the reign of Henry VII. that the kings of England had fo much as a guard about their perfons. But as the mode of keeping ftanding armies has prevailed over all Europe for a confiderable time, it has alfo, for many years past, been annually judged neceffary by our legiflature,

giflature, for the fafety of the kingdom, the defence of the poffeffions of the crown of Great Britain, and the prefervation of the balance of power in Europe, to maintain, even in time of peace, a standing body of troops, under the command of the crown. These however, ipfo facto, are difbanded at the expiration of every year, unless continued by parliament. In time of war there have been in British pay, natives and foreigners, 150,000 men, befides the militia and volunteers.

The maritime ftate is nearly related to the former, though much more agreeable to the principles of our free conftitution. The royal navy has ever been the greatest defence and ornament of this country. It is its ancient and natural strength; the floating bulwark of the ifland, from which, however ftrong and powerful, no danger can be apprehended to liberty; and accordingly it has been affiduoufly cultivated, from the earliest ages. The complement of feamen, in time of peace, has ufually been about 15,000 men. In time of war, after the commencement of our conteft with America, they amounted to above 100,000 men.

There are, perhaps, in England and Wales, eight millions of inhabitants; in Scotland, about two millions; and in Ireland, two millions and a half. In fome late debates in the Irish parliament, however, it was afferted, that the number of inhabitants in Ireland amount to three millions.

CHAP. VIII.

MANNERS. A. D. 1688-1803.

DURING the courfe of

a

of the English have undergone a confiderable change. Their ancient hofpitality has much decayed, and many of their favourite diverfions are now difufed. Those remaining, are operas, dramatic exhibitions, and fometimes masquerades in or near London; but con

certs