The natives of Lombardy might eafily refolve to retain their filk at home, and employ workmen of their own to weave it. And this will certainly be done when they grow wife and industrious, when they have fagacity to difcern their true interest, and vigour to purfue it. Mines are generally confidered as the great fources of wealth, and fuperficial obfervers have thought the poffeffion of great quantities of precious metals the first national happiness. But Europe has long feen, with wonder and contempt, the poverty of Spain, who thought herself exempted from the labour of tilling the ground, by the conqueft of Peru, with its veins of filver. Time, however, has taught even this obftinate and haughty nation, that without Agriculture, they may indeed be the tranfmitters of money, but can never be the poffeffors. They may dig it out of the earth, but must immediately fend it away to purchase cloth or bread, and it must at last remain with fome people wife enough to fell much, and to buy little; to live upon their own lands, without a wifh for thofe things which nature has denied them. Mines are themselves of no ufe, without some kind of Agriculture. We have, in our own country, inexhaustible stores of iron, which lie useless in the ore for want of wood. It was never the defign of Providence to feed man without his own concurrence; we have from nature only what we cannot provide for ourselves; fhe gives us wild fruits which art must meliorate, and droffy metals which labour muft refine. Particular metals are valuable, because they are fcarce; and they are scarce, because the mines that yield them are emptied in time. But the furface of the earth is more liberal than its caverns. The field, which is this autumn laid naked by the fickle, will be covered, in the fucceeding fummer, by a new harveft; the grafs, which the cattle are devouring, shoots up again when they have passed over it. Agriculture, therefore, and Agriculture alone, can fupport us without the help of others, in certain plenty and genuine dignity. Whatever we buy from without, the fellers may refuse; whatever we fell, manufactured by art, the purchafers may reject: but, while our ground is covered with corn and cattle, we can want nothing; and if imagination fhould grow fick of native plenty, and call for delicacies or embellishments from other countries, there is nothing which corn and cattle will not purchase. Our country is, perhaps, beyond all others, productive of things neceffary to life. The pine-apple thrives better between the tropicks, and better furs are found in the northern regions. But let us not envy these unneceffary privileges. Mankind cannot fubfift upon the indulgencies of nature, but must be fupported by her more common gifts. They must feed upon bread, and be cloathed with wool; and the nation that can furnish these univerfal commodities, may have her fhips welcomed at a thoufand ports, or fit at home and receive the tribute of foreign countries, enjoy their arts, or treasure up their gold, It is well known to those who have examined the ftate of other countries, that the vineyards of France are more than equivalent to the mines of America; and that one great ufe of Indian gold, and Peruvian filver, is to procure the wines of Champaigne and Burgundy. The advantage is indeed always rifing on the fide of France, who will certainly have wines, when Spain, by a thousand natural or accidental causes, may want filver. But furely the vallies of England have more certain ftores of wealth. Wines are chofen by caprice; the products of France have not always been equally esteemed; but there never was any age, or people, that reckoned bread among fuperfluities, when once it was known. The price of wheat and barley fuffers not any variation, but what is caufed by the uncertainty of seasons. I am far from intending to perfuade my countrymen to quit all other employments for that of manuring the ground. I mean only to prove, that we have, at home, all that we can want, and that therefore we need feel no great anxiety about the schemes of other nations for improving their arts, or extending their traffick. But there is no neceffity to infer, that we should ceafe from commerce, before the revolution of things fhall transfer it to fome other regions! Such viciffitudes the world has often feen; and therefore fuch we have reafon to expect. We hear many clamours of declining trade, which are not, in my opinion, always true; and many imputations of that decline to governors and minifters, which may be fometimes juft, and fometimes calumnious. But it is foolish to imagine, that any care or policy can keep commerce at a ftand, which almost X 4 almost every nation has enjoyed and loft, and which we must expect to lofe as we have long enjoyed it. There is fome danger, left our neglect of Agriculture fhould haften its departure. Our industry has for many ages been employed in destroying the woods which our ancestors have planted. It is well known that commerce is carried on by fhips, and that ships are built out of trees; and therefore, when I travel over naked plains, to which tradition has preserved the name of forefts, or fee hills arifing on either hand, barren and useless, I cannot forbear to wonder, how that commerce, of which we promife ourselves the perpetuity, fhall be continued by our descendants; nor can restrain a figh, when I think on the time, a time at no great distance, when our neighbours may deprive us of our naval influence, by refufing us their timber. By Agriculture only can commerce be perpetuated; and by Agriculture alone can we live in plenty without intercourfe with other nations. This, therefore, is the great art, which every government ought to protect, every proprietor of lands to practise, and every enquirer into nature to improve. |