Luxury is not a greater enemy to population, by enervating men and women, than defpotifm is by reducing them to flavery, and destroying industry. Defpotifm is a greater enemy to the human fpecies than an Egyptian plague; for, by rendering men miferable, it weakens both the appetite for procreation and the power. Free states, on the contrary, are always populous: a man who is happy, longs for children to make them alfo happy; and industry enables him to accomplish his longing. This obfervation is verified from the hiftory of Greece, and of the Leffer Afia: the inhabitants anciently were free and numerous: the prefent inhabitants are reduced by flavery to a small number. A peftilence deftroys thofe only who exift, and the lofs is foon repaired; but defpotifm, as above observed, ftrikes at the very root of population.' An overflowing quantity of money in circulation, is another caufe of depopulation. In a nation that grows rich by commerce, the price of labour increases with the quantity of circulating coin, which of course raises the price of manufactures; and manufacturers, who cannot find a vent for their high-rated goods in foreign markets, must give over business, and commence beggars, or retire to another country, where they may have a profpect of fuccefs. But luckily, there is a remedy, in that cafe, to prevent depopulation: land is cultivated to greater perfection by the spade than by by the plough; and the more plentiful crops produced by the former, are fully fufficient to defray the additional expence. This is a refource for employing those who cannot make bread as manufacturers, and deferves well the attention of the legiflature. The advantage of the fpade is confpicuous with respect to war; it provides a multitude of robuft men for recruiting the army, the want of whom may be supplied by the plough, till they return in peace to their former occupation. SKETCH II. PROGRESS OF PROPERTY. A MONG the senses inherent in man, the fenfe of property is eminent. That fense is the foundation of yours and mine, a diftinction which no human being is ignorant of. By that fense, wild animals, caught with labour or art, are perceived to belong to the hunter or fifher: they become his property. There is the fame perception of property with refpect to wild animals tamed for use, with their progeny. A field separated from the common, and cultivated by a man for bread to himself himself and family, is equally perceived to be his property *. The sense of property is flower in its growth toward maturity than the external fenfes, which are perfect even in childhood; but it ripens more early than the sense of congruity, of fymmetry, of dignity, of grace, and the other refined fenfes, which fcarce make any figure before the age of manhood. Children difcover a fenfe of property in diftinguishing their own chair, and their own spoon. In them, however, it is faint and obfcure, requiring time to ripen. The gradual progress of that fenfe, from its infancy among favages to its maturity among polished nations, is one of the most inftructive articles that belong to the prefent undertaking. But as that article makes a part of Hiftorical Law-tracts †, nothing remains here but a few gleanings. Man is by nature a hoarding animal, having an appetite for storing up things of use; and the fense of property is bestowed on men, for fecuring to them what they thus ftore up. Hence it appears, that things deftined by Providence for our fuftenance and accommodation, were not intended to be poffeffed in common. It is even probable, that in the earliest ages every man separately hunted for himself and his family. But chance prevails in * See Principles of Morality and Natural Religion, p. 77. edit. 2. + Tract 3. in that occupation; and it may frequently happen, that while fome get more than enough, others must go fupperlefs to bed. Senfible of that inconvenience, it crept into practice, for hunting and fishing to be carried on in common *. We find, accordingly, the practice of hunting and fishing in common, even among grofs favages. Thofe of New Holland, above mentioned, live upon fmall fish dug out of the fand when the fea retires. Sometimes they get plenty, fometimes very little; and all is broiled and eat in common. After eating they go to reft: they return to their fishing next * Inequalities of chance, which are great in a few trials, vanish almost entirely when an operation is frequently reiterated during a course of time. Did every man's fubfistence depend on the fruits of his own field, many would die of hunger, while others wallowed in plenty. Barter and commerce among the inhabitants of a diftrict, leffen the hazard of famine: the commerce of corn through a large kingdom, fuch as France or Britain, leffens it ftill more. Extend that commerce through Europe, through the world, and there will remain scarce a vestige of the inequalities of chance; the crop of corn may fail in one province, or in one kingdom; but that it fhould fail univerfally, is beyond the varieties of chance. The fame obfervation holds in every other matter of chance one's gain or loss at game for a night, for a week, may be confiderable; but carry on the game for a year, and fo little of chance remains, that it is almoft the fame whether one play for a guinea or for twenty. Hence a skilful infurer never ventures much upon one bottom, but multiplies his bargains as much as poffible: the more bargains he is engaged in, the greater is the probability of gain. next ebb of the tide, whether it be day or night, foul or fair; for go they muft, or ftarve. In small tribes, where patriotifm is vigorous, or in a country thinly peopled in proportion to its fertility, the living in common is agreeable: but in a large ftate where selfishness prevails, or in any state where great population requires extraordinary culture, the best method is to permit every man to shift for himself and his family: men wish to labour for themselves; and they labour more ardently for themselves, than for the public. Private property became more and more facred in the progrefs of arts and manufactures to allow an artist of fuperior skill no profit above others, would be a fad difcouragement to induftry, and be fcarce confiftent with juftice. The sense of property is not confined to the human fpecies. The beavers perceive the timber they store up for food, to be their property; and the bees feem to have the fame perception with respect to their winter's provifion of honey. Sheep know when they are in a trespass, and run to their own pafture on the first glimpse of a man. Monkies do the fame when detected in robbing an orchard. Sheep and horned cattle have a fenfe of property with refpect to their refting-place in a fold or inclosure, which every one guards against the incroachments of others. He must be a sceptic indeed, who denies that perception to rooks: thieves there are among them as among men; but if a rook |