The History of Great Britain - 1788 Author:Robert Henry Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: HISTORY GREAT BRITAIN. BOOK II. CHAP. VI. be biftory of Commerce, Coin, and Shipping, in Great Britain, from the arrival of the Saxons, A. D. 449, to... more » tbe landing of William duke of Normandy, A. D. 1066. /COMMERCE is no lefs neceflary to the pro- Import- Jt fpcrity of particular ftates and kingdoms, "c""af in" and of the world in general, than the circulation commerce. of the blood to the health of the human body. As foon as any fociety is formed, in any country, under any form of government, commerce be- gins its operations, and circulates the natural productions of the earth,— the various animals that are ufed for labour, food, or clothing,— to- gether with all thofe commodities that are the effefh of human art and induftry, among the mem- bers of that fociety, for the good of the whole, and of every individual. This may be called internal commerce , becaufe its effects and operations are confined within the limits of one particular ftate and country. This internal commerce is always the firft, and for fome time the only commerce, that is carried on in the infancy of dates and kingdoms. It is alfo the mod conftant and permanent, and, like the circulation of the blood, is never interrupted a fingle moment while the fociety fubfifts. The home trade, or internal commerce of a kingdom, therefore, is an object of great importance to its profperity, and merits the attention of the hiftorian in every period. And of Though fome countries are blefied with a trade8™ more fertile foil and friendly climate, and abound more with the neceffaries and comforts of life, than others, it may be affirmed with truth, that there is hardly any habitable country, that hath not a redundancy of fome ufeful commodities, and a want or fcarcity of others. This makes it natural for the inh...« less