ways almost every day of his life; renders him almoft always flothful and lazy, and incapable of any vigorous application even on the most preffing occafionis.—Independent, therefore, of his deficiency in point of dexterity, this caufe alone must always reduce confiderably the quantity of work which he is capable of performing.

THIRDLY, and laftly, every body must be fenfible how much labour is facilitated and abridged by the application of proper machinery.—It is unneceffary to give any example. I fhall only obferve, therefore, that the invention of all those machines by which labour is fo much facilitated and abridged, feems to have been originally owing to the divifion of labour *.-Men are

much

* A broad-wheeled waggon, attended by two men, and drawn by eight horfes, in about fix weeks time carries and brings back between London and Edinburgh near four ton weight of goods. In about the fame time a fhip, navigated by fix or eight men, and failing between the ports of London and Leith, frequently carries and brings back two hundred ton weight of goods. Six or eight men, therefore, by the help of WATER-CARRIAGE, can carry and bring back in the fame time the fame quantity of goods between London and Edinburgh, as fifty broad-wheeled waggons, attended by a hundred men, and drawn by four hundred horjes. Upon two hundred tons of goods, therefore, carried by the cheapest land-carriage from London to Edinburgh, there muit be charged the maintenance of a hundred men for three weeks, and both the maintenance, and, what is nearly equal to the maintenance, the wear and tear of four hundred horfes as well as of fifty great waggons. Whereas, upon the fame quantity of goods carried by water, there is to be charged only the main

tenance

much more likely to difcover easier and readier methods of attaining any object, when the whole attention of their minds is directed towards that single object, than when it is diffipated among a great variety of things.But in confequence of the divifion of labour, the whole of every man's attention comes naturally to be directed towards fome one very fimple object.-It is naturally to be expected, therefore, that fome one or other of those who are employed in each particular branch of labour fhould foon find out eafier and readier methods of performing their own particular work, wherever the nature of it admits of fuch improvement.-A great part of

tenance of fix or eight men, and the wear and tear of a ship of two hundred tons burthen, together with the value of the fuperior risk, or the difference of the infurance between land and water-carriage. Were there no other communication between those two places, therefore, but by land-carriage, as no goods could be transported from the one to the other, except fuch whose price was very confiderable in proportion to their weight, they could carry on but a fmall part of that commerce which at prefent fubfifts between them, and confequently could give but a fmall part of that encouragement which they at prefent mutually afford to each other's induftry. There could be little or no commerce of any kind between the diftant parts of the world. What goods could bear the expence of land-carriage between London and Calcutta? Or if there were any fo precious as to be able to fupport this expence, with what fafety could they be tranfported through the territories of so many barbarous nations? Those two cities, however, at present carry on a very confiderable commerce with each other, and by mutually affording a market, give a good deal of encouragement to each other's industry.

the machines made ufe of in thofe manufactures in which labour is moft fubdivided, were originally the inventions of common workmen, who, being each of them employed in fome very fimple operation, naturally turned their thoughts towards finding out easier and readier methods of performing it.--Whoever has been much accustomed to vifit fuch manufactures, must frequently have been fhewn very pretty machines which were the inventions of fuch workmen, in order to facilitate and quicken their own particular part of the work. -In the firft fire-engines a boy was conftantly employed to open and hut alternately the communication between the boiler and the cylinder, according as the piston either afcended or defcended. One of those boys, who loved to play with his companions, observed that, by tying a firing from the handle of the valve which opened this communication to another part of the machine, the valve would open and fut without his affiftance, and leave him at liberty to divert himself with his play-fellows.--One of the greatest improvements that has been made upon this machine fince it was first invented, was in this manner the discovery of a boy who wanted to fave his own labour.

All the improvements in machinery, however, have by no means been the inventions of those who had oc

7

cafion

cafion to use the machines.-Many improvements have been made by the ingenuity of the makers of the machines, when to make them became the business of a peculiar trade; and fome by that of thofe who are called philofophers, or men of fpeculation, whofe trade it is not to do any thing, but to obferve every thing; and who, upon that account, are often capable of combining together the powers of the moft diftant and diffimilar objects. In the progrefs of fociety, philofophy or fpeculation becomes, like every other employment, the principal or fole occupation of a particular clafs of citizens.Like every other employment too, it is fubdivided into a great number of different branches, each of which affords occupation to a peculiar tribe or class of philofophers; and this fubdivifion of employment in philofophy, as well as in every other bufinefs, improves dexterity, and faves time.-Each individual becomes more expert in his own peculiar branch, more work is done upon the whole, and the quantity of fcience is confiderably increased by it.

IT IS THE GREAT MULTIPLICATION OF THE PRODUCTIONS OF ALL THE DIFFERENT ARTS, IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE DIVISION OF LABOUR, WHICH OCCASIONS, IN A WELL-GOVERNED SOCIETY, THAT UNI

VERSAL OPULENCE WHICH EXTENDS ITSELF TO THE LOWEST RANKS OF THE PEOPLE.-EVERY WORKMAN HAS A GREAT QUANTITY OF HIS OWN WORK TO DISPOSE OF BEYOND WHAT HE HIMSELF HAS OCCASION FOR; AND EVERY OTHER WORKMAN BEING EXACTLY IN THE SAME SITUATION, HE IS ENABLED TO EXCHANGE A GREAT QUANTITY OF HIS OWN GOODS FOR A GREAT QUANTITY, OR, WHAT COMES TO THE SAME THING, FOR THE PRICE OF A GREAT QUANTITY OF THEIRS.-HE SUPPLIES THEM ABUNDANTLY WITH WHAT THEY HAVE OCCASION FOR, AND THEY ACCOMMODATE HIM AS AMPLY WITH WHAT HE HAS OCCASION FOR, AND A GENERAL PLENTY DIFFUSES ITSELF THROUGH ALL THE DIFFERENT RANKS OF

THE SOCIETY.

Obferve the accommodation of the most common artificer or day-labourer in a civilized and thriving country, and you will perceive that the number of people of whose industry a part, though but a small part, has been employed in procuring him this accommodation, exceeds all computation.-The woollen coat, for example, which covers the day-labourer, as coarfe and rough as it may ap pear, is the produce of the joint labour of a great multitude of workmen.-The Shepherd, the forter of the wool, the

wool