cheaper rate than he who has only a capital of 200l. For if the one gets only 10l. per cent. per ann. for his money, that will bring him an income of zool. a year; a fum very fufficient to live with credit and reputation in the rank of a tradefman. Whereas the other with his poor capital of 2001. must get a profit of at leaft 20l. per cent, in order to have an income just above the degree of a common journeyman. - Not to mention that men of fuperior capitals will always command the market in buying the raw materials at the beft hand, and command it also in another view, viz. by being able to give longer credit to their dealers and cuftomers. So much as to the to the reasoning part of the fubject: Let us now examine how stand the facts:

The raifing of corn employs à confiderable number of hands, has various proceffes, takes up a great deal of time, and is attended with great expence. If fo, pray where is corn the cheapeft? Why corn is raised as cheap in England as in Scotland, if not cheaper. Moreover, though wages are very high in Hertfordshire, as being in the neighbourhood of London, and the lands dear, and far from being naturally good, yet the price of good wheat is certainly as cheap in Hertfordshire as in Wales, and fometimes much cheaper; though the wages in Wales are low, the rents eafy, and the lands, in many places, fufficiently rich and fertile, and the land-tax extremely light.

The raifing garden-ftuff, and all forts of produce fit for the kitchen, is another inftance; for this likewife is an expenfive and operofe affair, requiring great fkill and judgment. But the price of garden-ftuff is prodigiously funk to what it was in former times; and I much queftion whether any town of note in Scotland can now vie with the common

markets of London in that respect. Certain it is that formerly, viz. about 100 years ago, a cabbage would have coft 3d. in London, when London was not near fo rich as it is now, which at present may be bought for an halfpenny.

On the contrary, the raifing both of finall and large cattle is a more funple affair, and doth not employ near fo many hands as the raifing of corn or garden-ftuff: Therefore you will find that small and large cattle are much cheaper in poor countries than in rich ones; and that the produce of fuch cattle, for the fame reafon, viz. milk, wool, and hair, also the flesh, skin, horns, and hides, are cheaper likewife.

Wood, or timber, is another inftance in point: For timber may be reckoned to be in a great degree the fpontaneous production of nature, and therefore timber is always cheapeft in a poor country. But what fhall we fay of fuch manufactures of which timber is only the raw material? Are they cheaper also? This, I am fure, is much to be doubted; efpecially in those inftances where the manufacture is to pafs through feveral hands before it is compleated. Nay, were you go into a cabinet-maker's fhop in London, and inquire even for common articles, you would not find that the fame articles, of equal neatnefs and goodnefs, could be bought in Scotland much cheaper, if fo cheap. Moreover,

as to fhip-building, than which nothing creates fo great a confumption of timber, pray how much cheaper is a fhip of any burden, viz. 3 or 400 tons, built at Leith or Glasgow, than in the yards bordering on the Thames? And are not fhips built at Sardam in Holland, where the neceffaries of life and wages cannot be cheap, and where not a tick of timber grows, are not they built as cheap there as in most countries whatever, even fuch coun

tries

tries as have the raw materials juft at their doors?

After fo much hath been faid on the fubject, it would be needlefs to have recourfe to the branch of metals for further illuftrations, were it not that there is fomething fo very ftriking in their cafe, that it ought not to be omitted. Iron ore, for example, is dug in Lancashire, and frequently fent, by fea-carriage, into the county of Argyle, there to be fimelted, on account of the great plenty and cheapnefs of wood and charcole. Now, when it it thus brought into pigs and bars, the great queftion is, What becomes of it? Do you find that any confiderable quantity remains in Scotland? Or is the far greater part brought back again, in order to be fent into the manufacturing counties of England; -The latter is indifputably the cafe, notwithstanding the expence of re-carriage; notwithstanding alfo that the collieries in Scotland could fupply as much coal as even about Birmingham or Sheffield, were coal the only article that was wanted. But, for all that, Sheffield and Birmingham are in poffeffion of the trade, and will ever keep it, unless it be their own faults.

The cafe of Sweden is ftill more

extraordinary (and furely Sweden is a country poor enough) for the Swedish iron pays a large duty to the Swedish Government before exportation; it is then burthened with freight into England;-it pays a heavy duty upon being landed here; is then carried, partly by water and partly by land, into the manufacturing counties: Is there fabricated, re-carried again to the fea-fide, - there shipped off for Sweden- pays a very heavy duty, as English manufactures;

and yet almoft every article of fuch manufactures, as hath paffed through two, three, or more ftages, before it was completed, is afforded fo cheap at the market of Stockholm, that the Swedes have loft money in every attempt they have made to rival then.

Judge now, therefore, what little caufe there is to fear that a poor country can ever rival a rich one in the more operofe, complicated, and expenfive branches of a manufacture: Judge, alfo, whether a rich country can ever lofe its trade while it retains its induftry; and confe quently how abfurd muft every projet be for fecuring or increafing this trade, which doth not tend to fecure or increase the diligence and frugali ty of the people.

will be two fith over, which makes a fecond double take. In a cafe of a vole, the lofers pay each three fish, which is equal to what the winners would receive from a regular pool; if they have matadores, they are likewife to be paid a matadore. - -A double flake afking vole, the lofers to pay each four fish; and, if the winners have matadores, they are to receive a matadore. - A fans prendre vole, at a single flake, the winner with black aces is to receive from the lofers eight fish and a matadore each;

and,

double stake fans prendre vole, with black aces, the lofers pay each eleven fish, and, if the winner has matadores, then 12 fish are to be paid. — If a vole is played and loft, the lofers pay juft the fame number of fish to the other parties that they were to have received; but thelofers are intitled to take up their game; and each perfon must add a niatadore towards making up the crofs fish ; and for this plain reafon, that the lofers have already paid the whole they would have received for the vole.

The

D

ON Pedro, and Don Olivarez, two knights of Alcantara, had been bred together at the fame univerfity. They were about the fame age, but of different, even of oppofite characters, of mind and manners. Don Pedro was of a volatile nature, warm in his paffions, impatient in his purfuits, and confequently indifcreet in the conduct of them. The complexion of Don Olivarez was quite the reverfe. He was of a ferious caft, temperate in his defires, deliberate in his purposes, and artful in the management of them.

They had paffed through many adventures together, in the most vouthful part of their lives, in which Pedro was generally the mott principally interefted, and in which Olivatez feconded him with all that art and addrefs he was mafer of, and which had been often fruftrated by the giddinefs and intemperance of his friend. But I fhall confine myfelf to the narrative of a few events only, which followed in a regular feries, and related to the chief and moft interefting circumftance of Pedro's fortune.

There lived in the City of Alcantara, a rich merchant, named Don Guzman; who, among the feveral articles of his dealing, ufed to purchafe and vend Slaves. About the time I am now going to fpeak of, he had bought a lot of thefe victims of barbarity, from an Algerine pirate; among which there happened to be an European girl, of most remarkable grace and beauty. She was a bout the age of eighteen, tall, fne ly proportioned, and had fuch a dignity in her appearance, as might have intitled her to be firft Sultana, in the principal feraglio of the Eaft.

As all faleable commodities are left open to the inspection of cuftomers, February, 1774.

Pedro having heard a report of the lovely European, went to fee her, and became enamoured, at first fight; though he had been, a little time before, engaged by contract to another. But this was a fort of Spanish match, only, where his heart had not entered the leaft into the alliance. His father had proposed the unfeen daughter of Don Alvarez, and the fon, not having any attachment elfewhere, and impatient for an independent fettlement, had acceded to the conditions.

But from the inftant he beheld the fair Slave, he declined the family compact, fet obedience and inheritance at nought, and being, therefore, rendered uneafy at home, and not having cash enough to purchase the prize himfelf, retired to a private lodging, and repofed himfelf in the arms and counfel of his oft-tried friend and adviser, Olivarez.

Clivarez kindly remonftrated to him against the indifcretion of fuch a conduct; but to give council is but an exercife of declamation, in moft cafes; for none are apt to take it, but thofe who need it leaft. The conflitution of Pedro required more of this medicine, than he was well able to fwallow; he therefore refused to let down the leat fcruple of it. He prayed affiftance, not advice→→ It was not the Phyfician, but the Surgen, he called for.

-

Befides the inclination he had to oblige his friend, Olivarez was fenfible of a fecret pleafure himself, alfo, in the exercite of his genius toward plot and intrigue, and therefore readily engaged in this new adventure, with his ufual alacrity. went directly to Alvaraz, father to the lady afñanced to Pedro, revealed to him the cause of his friend's de clining the match with his daughter, K

He

and

and propofed to him to purchafe the fair attraction from Guzman, and fecrete her in fome private corner, which Olivarez undertook to provide, 'till the infatuated Pedro might have leifure to recover his fenfes again.

The Old Don moft greedily twallowed the bait, and fled with impatience to Guzman, upon this infidious errand, defiring Olivarez to call upon him, the next morning, to be informed of the refult. He waited upon him, accordingly, very early, and foon after Alvarez appeared, with an air of triumph in his countenance, telling him that he had firuck the bargain, for an hundred quadru pies, and was returning with the money, to pay the purchafe. He directed Olivarez to go and ftay for him, on the Exchange, 'till he should bring away the prize in his chariot, and deliver her over to the care of his prudence and fidelity.

The happy Olivarez immediately repaired to the appointed Rendezvouz, rejoicing in the fuccefs of his machinations; but had not remained long in the place, before Alvarez came driving up, and defcended from his carriage, but with a very differ ent caft of features, than he had worn on the former interview. He came alone, and with a face of mortification and refentment, told him that Guzman had changed his mind, without having given any manner of reafon for it, and had abfolutely refufed to fulfil his contract upon any terms whatfoever.

Olivarez was as much chagrined at the croffnefs of this incident as Alvarez was; for a projector regrets a difappointment as much as a ufurer does a lofs. He walked for fome time backward and forward on the Exchange, in a penfive mood, with his arms folded, and his eyes fixed on the ground, till he was rouzed out of his reverie by his friend Pedro, who rallied him thus:

"Is this your boafted artifice and activity upon all difficulties, (faid he) to loiter, moping here all the morning, when both your wits and limbs fhould have been employed in another quarter of the town to ferve me? However, (contiuued he) thank Luck, my diligence has happily made amends for your delay, by at least affording you a little further time to redeem your neglect, which would have been irretrievable an hour ago, if it had not been for an obra prima of mine to-day, before you were out of your bed."

Olivarez, from former experience, immediately gueffed the whole fecret of the mystery; but, without urging his fufpicions, feemed eager to inquire into the particulars of his friend's contrivance, in order, as he faid, to fquare his own conduct according to the measures already taken. Upon which they retired together to the apartments of Olivarez, where Pedro related to him the following circumstances:

From the moment he had been firft fmitten with the fair Captive, he had directed his valet de chambre to endeavour to become acquainted with the fervants of Guzman, through which channel he might be apprized of every fcheme or motion the old Proprietor might purpofe, with regard to his lovely property. This contrivance had been effected but the day before, and by this means he happened to come to the knowledge of the bargain and fale of his miftrefs, who was to be delivered over the next morning to a purchaser unknown.

Pedro had not received this intelligence till late at night; he was diftracted, and at a lofs on what to determine in fuch an exigence; it was too late to feek his friend, and confult upon fo prefling a difficulty. Some impromptu device muft immediately be refolved upon; and accord

ingly he determined upon the following one, which luckily, or unluckily, as may now appear, proved to be effectual.

He wrote a letter to his father's barker, pretending to be in the cuftody of an Alguazil, on account of having killed a man in a rencounter that very evening; told him that he had made terms for his efcape, on Paying down fifty piftoles on the inftant, and refted upon his friendfhip to fupply him with the fum directly, as he dared not venture to acquaint his father with his prefent difficulty and misfortune.

A bill for the fum was forthwith remitted, which Pedro inclofed in a feigned letter to Guzman, in which he affumed the name of Trufaldin, a rich merchant in Seville, offering him that premium above whatever price he might have hitherto been tendered for the flave Celia, which was her real appellation, as he had learned from his private intelligence in the house of Guzman, and promifing to fend a proper perfon, in a few days, to tranfact the bufinefs, and receive the party from his hands. During the while that Pedro was both relating and exulting in this tranfaction, Ŏlivarez preferved a fteady and gloomy countenance throughcut, which fo provoked his friend, that he could not refrain from the following exclamation. "Obferve the pride and envy of men! They would rather another fhould receive a fingle benefit by their afliftance, than hity advantages by their own addrefs"

But Olivarez foon lowered his fpi. rits, by acquainting him, that this fame obra prima of his had marred the very purpose for which it had been undertaken. He then gave him a full detail of what has been already recited, and begged leave to withdraw Limfelf for the future, from further interfering in his adventures. This rendered the poor dif

appointed Lover diftracted; he raved about the room, curfed his untoward ftars, and tormed at his friend for not having let him into the plot, time enough to have prevented fuch an unlucky contre-tems. We are apt to impute our mishaps to any thing in heaven or earth, fooner than to blame ourselves.

He then threw his arms about Olivarez's neck, implored his further affiftance to retrieve this misfortune and promifed moft folemnly never again to intermeddle in any fratagem which he might thenceforward devife in his favour. The affection of Olivarez was too ftrong to withitand the folicitation; he promiled to plan fome other rufe de guerre, to obviate the difficulty upon the condition juft ftipulated; and fo the friends parted for that day.

Olivarez paid a vifit the next morning to the old Don Pedro, father of his friend, acquainting him likewife, as he had before done Alvarez, with the fecret of his fon's undutifulness, arifing from the violent paflion he had been bewitched with, for the fair Captive, to which madness, he faid, he was refolved to facrifice both his character and future fortunes in life. He affured him, that this extravagant purpose of his fon's had rendered him extremely unhappy. First, out of regard to his friend's welfare; but owned that he became fill more fo, after having feen the girl, on account of himself; pretending to confefs, with tears in his eyes, to have been alfo feized with a like infatuation, for the dear object of their joint admiration.

He then repeated to him the whole of the late tranfaction, in the manner the Reader has already been informed of it, with all the feeming candour, confidence, and felf-intereft imaginable. The old Don was taken in, and the refult of their conference was, that he thould immediately proceed upon the feigned letter

K 2

from