THE WEALTH OF NATIONS.

1G1

before their country was discovered by the Europeans, withwhom they now exchange their surplus peltry, for blankets,fire-arms, and brandy, which gives it some value. In thepresent commercial state of the known world, the most bar-barous nations, I believe, among whom land property is esta-blished, have some'foreign commerce of this kind, and findamong their wealthier neighbours such a demand for all thematerials of clothing, which their land produces, and whichcan neither be wrought up nor consumed at home, as raisestheir pr,ice above what it costs to send them to those wealthierneighbours. It affords, therefore, some rent to the landlord.When the greater part of the highland cattle were consumedon their own hills, the exportation of their hides made themost considerable article of the commerce of that country,and what they were exchanged for afforded some addition tothe rent of the highland estates. The wool of England,which in old times could neither be consumed nor wroughtup at home, found a market in the then wealthier and moreindustrious country of Flanders, and its price afforded some-thing to the rent of the land which produced it. In countriesnot better cultivated than England was then, or than thehighlands of Scotland arc now, and which had no foreign com-merce, the materials of clothing would evidently be so super-abundant, that a great part of them would be thrown away asuseless, and no part could afford any rent to the landlord.

The materials of lodging cannot always be transported toso great a distance as those of clothing, and do not so readilybecome an object of foreign commerce. When they are su-perabundant in the country which produces them, it fre-quently happens, even in the present commercial state of theworld, that they are of no value to the landlord. A goodstone quarry in the neighbourhood of London would afford aconsiderable rent. In many parts of Scotland and Wales itaffords none. But in many parts of North America the land-lord would be much obliged to any body who would carryaway the greater part of his large trees. In some parts of thehighlands of Scotland the bark is the only part of the woodwhich, for want of roads and water-carriage, can be sent tomarket. The timber is left to rot upon the ground. Whenthe materials of lodging are so superabundant, the part madeuse of is worth only the labour and expense of fitting it forthat use. It affords no rent to the landlord, who generallygrants the use of it to whoever takes the trouble of asking it.