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BOOK the grazier from that of the corn-farmer, as the trade of the carpenter is commonly feparated from that of the fmith. The fpinner is almoft always a diftinct perfon from the weaver; but the ploughman, the harrower, the fower of the feed, and the reaper of the corn, are often the fame. The occafions for thofe different forts of labour returning with the different seasons of the year, it is impoffible that one man fhould be constantly employed in any one of them. This impoffibility of making fo complete and entire a feparation of all the different branches of labour employed in agriculture, is perhaps the reafon why the improvement of the productive powers of labour in this art, does not always keep pace with their improvement in manufactures. The most opulent nations, indeed, generally excel all their neighbours in agriculture as well as in manufac tures; but they are commonly more diftinguished by their fuperiority in the latter than in the former. Their lands are in general better cultivated, and having more labour and expence bestowed upon them, produce more in proportion to the extent and natural fertility of the ground. But this fuperiority of produce is feldom much more than in proportion to the fuperiority of labour and expence. In agriculture, the labour of the rich country is not always much more productive than that of the poor; or, at least, it is never fo much more productive, as it commonly is in manufactures. The corn of the rich country, therefore, will not always, in the fame degree of goodness, come cheaper to

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market than that of the poor. The corn of CHA P. Poland, in the fame degree of goodness, is as cheap as that of France, notwithstanding the fuperior opulence and improvement of the latter country. The corn of France is, in the corn provinces, fully as good, and in most years nearly about the fame price with the corn of England, though, in opulence and improvement, France is perhaps inferior to England. The corn-lands of England, however, are better cultivated than thofe of France, and the corn-lands of France are faid to be much better cultivated than thofe of Poland. But though the poor country, notwithftanding the inferiority of its cultivation, can, in fome measure, rival the rich in the cheapness and goodness of its corn, it can pretend to no fuch competition in its manufactures; at least if those manufactures fuit the foil, climate, and fituation of the rich country. The filks of France are better and cheaper than thofe of England, because the filk manufacture, at least under the prefent high duties upon the importation of raw filk, does not fo well fuit the climate of England as that of France. But the hard-ware and the coarfe woollens of England are beyond all comparison fuperior to thofe of France, and much cheaper too in the fame degree of goodness. In Poland there are faid to be scarce any manufactures of any kind, a few of those coarfer household manufactures excepted, without which no country can well fubfift.

This great increase of the quantity of work, which, in confequence of the divifion of labour,

BOOK the fame number of people are capable of per

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forming, is owing to three different circumftances; firft, to the increase of dexterity in every particular workman; fecondly, to the faving of the time which is commonly loft in paffing from one fpecies of work to another; and lastly, to the invention of a great number of machines which facilitate and abridge labour, and enable one man to do the work of many.

First, the improvement of the dexterity of the workman neceffarily increases the quantity of the work he can perform; and the divifion of labour, by reducing every man's business to fome one fimple operation, and by making this operation the fole employment of his life, neceffarily increases very much the dexterity of the workman. A common fmith, who, though accustomed to handle the hammer, has never been used to make nails, if upon fome particular occafion he is obliged to attempt it, will scarce, I am affured, be able to make above two or three hundred nails in a day, and those too very bad ones. A fmith who has been accustomed to make nails, but whofe fole or principal business has not been that of a nailer, can feldom with his utmoft diligence make more than eight hundred or a thousand nails in a day. I have feen feveral boys under twenty years of age who had never exercised any other trade but that of making nails, and who, when they exerted themfelves, could make, each of them, upwards of two thousand three hundred nails in a day. The making of a nail, however, is by no means one

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of the fimpleft operations. The fame perfon c HAP blows the bellows, ftirs or mends the fire as there is occafion, heats the iron, and forges every part of the nail: In forging the head too he is obliged to change his tools. The different operations into which the making of a pin, or of a metal button, is fubdivided, are all of them much more fimple, and the dexterity of the perfon, of whofe life it has been the fole bufinefs to perform them, is ufually much greater. The rapidity with which fome of the operations of thofe manufactures are performed, exceeds what the human hand could, by those who had never feen them, be fuppofed capable of acquiring.

Secondly, the advantage which is gained by faving the time commonly loft in paffing from one fort of work to another, is much greater than we should at firft view be apt to imagine it. It is impoffible to pafs very quickly from one kind of work to another, that is carried on in a different place, and with quite different tools. A country weaver, who cultivates a fmall farm, muft lofe a good deal of time in paffing from his loom to the field, and from the field to his loom. When the two trades can be carried on in the fame workhouse, the lofs of time is no doubt much lefs. It is even in this cafe, however, very confiderable. A man commonly faunters a little in turning his hand from one fort of employment to another. When he first begins the new work he is feldom very keen and hearty; his mind, as they fay, does not go to it, and for fome time he rather trifles than applies to good

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BOOK purpose. The habit of fauntering and of indolent careless application, which is naturally, or rather neceffarily acquired by every country workman who is obliged to change his work and his tools every half hour, and to apply his hand in twenty different ways almost every day of his life; renders him almost always flothful and lazy, and incapable of any vigorous application even on the most preffing occafions. Independent, therefore, of his deficiency in point of dexterity, this cause 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 thofe machines by which labour is fo much facilitated and abridged, feems to have been originally owing to the divifion of labour. Men are much more likely to discover eafier and readier methods of attaining any object, when the whole attention of their minds is directed towards that fingle 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 thofe who are employed in each particular branch of labour thould foon find out easier and readier methods of performing their own particu-

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