nufacture has been carried furtheft, and the Marks by which its Excellency may be afcertained. By the Places of Trade are understood all Ports, Cities, or Towns, where Staples are establifhed, Manufactures are wrought, or any Commodities are bought and fold advantageoufly. This Part of our Work includes an Enumeration of almost all the remarkable Places in the World, with fuch an Account of their Situation, Customs, and Products, as the Merchant would require, who, being to begin a new Trade in any foreign Country, was yet ignorant of the Commodities of the Place, and the Manners of the Inhabitants. But the chief Attention of the Merchant, and confequently of the Author who writes for Merchants, ought to be employed upon the Means of Trade, which include all the Knowledge and Practice neceffary to the skilful and fuccessful Conduct of Commerce. Ad q The first of the Means of Trade is proper Education, which may confer a competent Skill in Numbers; to be afterwards completed in the Countinghouse, by Obfervation of the Manner of ftating Accompts, and regulating Books, which is one of the few Arts which, having been ftudied in Proportion to its Importance, is carried as far as Ufe can require. The Counting-houfe of an accomplished Merchant is a School of Method, where the great Science may be learned of ranging Particulars under Generals, of bringing the different Parts of a Tranfaction together, and of fhewing at one View a long Series of Dealing and Exchange. Let no Man venture into large Business while he is ignorant of the Method of regulating Books; never let him imagine that any Degree of natural Abilities will enable him to fupply this Deficience, or preferve Multiplicity of Affairs from inextricable Confufion. This This is the Study, without which all other Studies will be of little Avail; but this alone is not fufficient. It will be neceffary to learn many other Things, which however may be eafily included in the preparatory Inftitutions; fuch as, an exact Knowledge of the Weights and Measures of different Countries, and fome Skill in Geography and Navigation, with which this Book may perhaps fufficiently fupply him. In Navigation, confidered as Part of the Skill of a Merchant, is included not fo much the Art of fteering a Ship, as the Knowledge of the Sea-coast, and of the different Parts to which his Cargoes are fent, the Customs to be paid, the Paffes, Permiffions, or Certificates, to be procured; the Hazards of every Voyage, and the true Rate of Infurancés. To this must be added, an Acquaintance with the Policies and Arts of other Nations, as well those to whom the Commodities are fold, as of those who carry Goods of the fame Kind to the fame Market, and who are therefore to be watched as Rivals endeavouring to take Advantage of every Error, Miscarriage, or Debate. The chief of the Means of Trade is Money, of which our late Refinements in Traffic have made the Knowledge extremely difficult. The Merchant muft not only inform himself of the various Denominations and Value of foreign Coins, together with their Method of counting and reducing; fuch as the Millereis of Portugal, and the Livres of France; but he must learn what is of more difficult Attainment, the Discount of Exchanges, the Nature of Current Paper, the Principles upon which the feveral Banks of Europe are cftablished, the real Vafue of Funds, the true Credit of Trading Companies, with all the Sources of Profit, and Poffibilities of Lofs. All All this he must learn merely as a private Dealer attentive only to his own Advantage; but as every Man ought to confider himself as Part of the Community to which he belongs, and while he profecutes his own Intereft, to promote likewife that of his Country, it is neceffary for the Trader to look abroad upon Mankind, and study many Questions which are perhaps more properly political than mercantile. He ought therefore to confider very accurately the Balance of Trade, or the Proportion between Things exported and imported; to examine what Kinds of Commerce are unlawful, either as being expressly prohibited, because detrimental to the Manufactures or other Intereft of his Country, as the Exportation of Silver to the East-Indies, and the Introduction of French Commodities; or unlawful in itself, as the Traffic for Negroes. He ought to be able to ftate with Accuracy the Benefits and Mifchiefs of Monopolies, and exclufive Companies; to enquire into the Arts which have been practifed by them to make themselves neceffary, or by their Opponents to make them odious. He fhould inform himself what Trades are declining, and what are improveable; when the Advantage is on our Side, and when on that of our Rivals. The State of our Colonies is always to be diligently furveyed, that no Advantage may be loft which they can afford, and that every Opportunity may be improved of increafing their Wealth and Power, or of making them useful to their Mother Country. There is no Knowledge of more frequent Úfe than that of Duties and Imports, whether Cuftoms paid at the Ports, or Excifes levied upon the Manufacturer. Much of the Profperity of a trading Nation dependsupon Duties properly apportioned; fo that what is neceffary may continue cheap, and what is of Use only to Luxury, may, in fome Measure, atone to the the Public for the Mifchief done to Individuals. Duties may often be fo regulated as to become ufeful even to thofe that pay them; and they may be likewife fo unequally impofed as to difcourage Ho-.. nefty, and deprefs Industry, and give Temptation to Fraud and unlawful Practices. To teach all this is the Defign of the Commercial Dictionary, which, though immediately and primarily written for the Merchants, will be of Use to every Man of Bufinefs or Curiofity. There is no Man who is not in fome Degree a Merchant, who has not fomething to buy and fomething to fell, and who does not therefore want fuch Inftructions as may teach him the true Value of Poffeffions or Commodities. The Descriptions of the Productions of the Earth and Water, which this Volume will contain, may be equally pleafing and useful to the Speculatift with any other Natural Hiftory; and the Accounts of va◄ rious, Manufactures will conftitute no contemptible Body of Experimental Philofophy. The Defcriptions of Ports and Cities may inftruct the Geographer as well as if they were found in Books appropriated only to his own Science; and the Doctrines of Funds, Infurances, Currency, Monopolies, Exchanges, and Duties, is fo neceflary to the Politician, that without it he can be of no Ufe either in the Council or the Senate, nor can speak or think justly either on War or Trade. We therefore hope that we shall not repent the Labour of compiling this Work, nor flatter ourfelves unreasonably, in predicting a favourable Reception to a Book which no Condition of Life can render useless, which may contribute to the Advantage of all that make or receive Laws, of all that buy or fell, of all that wish to keep or improve their Poffeffions, of all that defire to be Rich, and all that defire to be Wife. VOL. III. U ΤΟ ༄་། TO A BUSH FIGHT E R. I 'N Rancour's dark, obfcene, fequefter'd Seat, M Where Pride and Dulnefs, Spleen and Envy meet, Critic, thy Stink-pot Batteries prepare, No Friend of Learning, Heir of Genius fpare. то |