much as an idea, that A BEING OVERFLOWING WITH BENEVOLENCE has made them the conftitutional foes of another county or city under the fame government: nor do we at all conceive, that this or that particular town, or district, can grow rich, or profper, only by the dif tricts or towns around it being reduced to poverty, or made a dreary wafte.-On the contrary, we naturally conclude, and juftly too, that their interefts are infeparable from our own; and were their numbers to be diminished, or their circumstances altered from affluence to want, we ourselves, in the rotation of things, fhould foon feel the bad effects of fuch a change.

If, therefore, this is the cafe with respect to human governments; and if they, notwithstanding all their faults and failings, can regulate matters fo much for the better; how then comes it to pafs, that we should ascribe fo much imperfection, fuch want of benevolence, fuch partiality, nay, such premeditated mischief, to that great and equal government which prefideth over all?-Is it, do you think, that ALMIGHTY Gop cannot make two large diftricts, France and England for example, happy but by the mifery of the other?-Or is it, that he has so egregiously blundered in the first framing the conftitution of things as to render thofe exploits, called Wars,

neceffary

neceffary for the good of the whole under his administration, which you would justly confider to be a difgrace to yours, and feverely punish as an outrage?-Surely no; and we cannot, without blafphemy, afcribe that conduct to THE BEST OF BEINGS, which is almoft too bad to be fuppofed of the worst: furely it is much more confonant to the dictates of unbiaffed reason to believe, that OUR COMMON PARENT, and UNIVERSAL LORD, regards all his children and subjects with an eye of equal tenderness and good-will; and to be firmly perfuaded, that in his plan of government the political intereft of nations cannot be repugnant to those moral duties of humanity and love, which he bas fo univerfally prescribed.—So much as to THE REASON of the thing: let us now confider the FACT, and be determined by experience.

Princes expect to get by fuccefsful wars, and a feries of conquefts, either more territory, or more fubjects, or a more ample revenue; or perhaps, which is generally the cafe, they expect to obtain all three.

1. Now, in regard to TERRITORY, if mere fuperficies were the thing to be aimed at, it must be allowed, that a country of a million of square miles is more in quantity than one of half that extent.-But if countries are not to be valued by acres, but by the cultivation and the pro

duce

duce of thofe acres, then it follows, that ten acres may be better than a thousand, or perhaps ten thousand*.

2. As to NUMBERS OF SUBJECTS, furely war and conqueft are not the most likely means of attaining this end; and a scheme, which confifts in the deftruction of the human fpecies, is a very ftrange one indeed to be propofed for their increase and multiplication; nay, granting that numbers of fubjects might be acquired, together with the acceffion of territory, ftill these new subjects would add no real ftrength to the ftate; because new acquifitions would require more numerous defences, and because a people scattered over an immense tract of country are, in fact, much weaker than half their num

My notion of national improvement, fecurity, and happiness, tends not fo much to the extending of our commerce, or increafing the number of our manufactures, as to the encouragement of an hardy and, comparatively speaking, innocent race of peasants, by making corn to grow on millions of acres of land, where none has ever grown before. From a late computation of Sir JOHN SINCLAIR, it appears that in Great Britain there are 22,351,000 acres of wafte land. Let us but once have as many Britons in the king dom, as the lands of Great Britain are able to fuftain, and we shall have little to regret in the lofs of America; nothing to apprehend from the partitioning policy of all the continental defpots in Europe. I enter not into the question concerning the population of the country: for whatever may be the prefent number of the inhabitants of Great Britain, there is no one who has thought upon the subject, but must admit, THAT WERE OUR LANDS OF CULTIVATION, THEY

BROUGHT TO THEIR PROPER STATE

WOULD AFFORD MAINTENANCE TO TWICE AS MANY AS AT PRE

SENT EXIST IN THIS COUNTRY. The Bishop of Landaff.

bers

bers acting in concert together, and able by their vicinity to fuccour one another.

Moreover, as to the affair of THE REVENUE, and the produce of taxes, the fame arguments conclude equally strong in this cafe as in the former: and the indisputable fact is, that an ill-peopled country, though large and extenfive, neither produces fo great a revenue as a small one well cultivated and populous: nor if it did, would the neat produce of fuch a revenue be equal to that of the other, because it is, in a manner, fwallowed up in governments, guards, and garrisons, in falaries and penfions, and all the concurring perquifites and expences attendant on diftant provinces.

In reference to the views of the people; as far as such views coincide with those of the prince, fo they have been confidered already: but seeing that the thirst of inordinate riches in private subjects, which pushes them on to wish so vehemently for war, has fomething in it diftinct from the avarice of princes; let us now examine, whether this trade of war is a likely method to make a people rich, and let us confider every plea that can be offered." Surely, fay these men, to return home laden "with the spoils of wealthy nations is a compendious

"way

of getting wealth; furely we cannot be deceived VOL. II.

M

"in

in fo plain a cafe: for we see that what has been ga "thering together and accumulating for years, and perhaps for ages, thus becomes our own at once; and "more might be acquired by a happy victory within the "compafs of a day, perhaps of an hour, than we could "otherwise promise to ourselves by the tedious pursuits "of industry through the whole courfe of a long labo"rious life."

Now, in order to treat with this people in their own way, I would not awake them out of their prefent golden dream; I would therefore fuppofe, that they might fucceed to their hearts defire, though there is a chance at leaft of being difappointed, and of meeting with captivity instead of conqueft: I will wave likewife all confiderations drawn from the intoxicating nature of riches, when fo rapidly got, and improperly acquired: I will also grant, that great stores of gold and filver, of jewels, diamonds, and precious ftones, may be brought home; and yet the treafures of the univerfe may, if you please, be made to circulate within the limits of our own little country: and if this were not enough, I would ftill grant more, did I really know what could be wifhed for or expected more.

The foldier of fortune, being made thus rich, fits down

to