WRITINGS OF DR. SMITH. Ct

oeconomy, the credit of fucji opinions belongs ofrerfit to the author who firft eftabliflied their

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folidity, and followed them out to their remoteconlequences; not to him who, by a fortunateaccident, hrft ftumbled on the truth.

Befides the principles which Mr. Smith confi-dered as more peculiarly his own, his Inquiryexhibits a fyftematical view of the molt importantarticles of political oeconomy, fo as to ferve thepurpofe of an elementary treatife on that very ex-tenlive and difficult fcience. Thefkilland the com-prehenfivenefs of mind difplayed in his arrange-ment, can be judged of by thole alone whohave compared it with that adopted by his imme-diate predeceffors. And perhaps, in point of uti-lity, the labor he has employed in connedlingand methodifmg their fcattered ideas, is not lefsvaluable than the refults of his own original fpe-culations: For it is only when digefted in a clearand natural order, that truths make their properimprelhon on the mind, and that erroneous opi-nions can be combated with fuccefs.

It does not belong to my prefent undertaking(even if I were qualified for fuch a tafk) to attemptthe feparation of the folid and important dodtrinesof Mr, Smith’s book from thofe opinions whichappear exceptionable or doubtful. I acknowledge,that there are fome of his conclulions to which Iwould not be underflood to fubfcribe implicitly $

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