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be brought into a common stock; and do not in the least
contribute to the better accommodation ind conveniency of the
species。 Each animal is still obliged to support and defend
itself; separately and independently; and derives no sort of
advantage from that variety of talents with which nature has
distinguished its fellows。 Among men; on the contrary; the most
dissimilar geniuses are of use to one another; the different
produces of their respective talents; by the general disposition
to truck; barter; and exchange; being brought; as it were; into a
common stock; where every man may purchase whatever part of the
produce of other men's talents he has occasion for。
CHAPTER III
That the Division of Labour is limited by the Extent of the
Market
AS it is the power of exchanging that gives occasion to the
division of labour; so the extent of this division must always be
limited by the extent of that power; or; in other words; by the
extent of the market。 When the market is very small; no person
can have any encouragement to dedicate himself entirely to one
employment; for want of the power to exchange all that surplus
part of the produce of his own labour; which is over and above
his own consumption; for such parts of the produce of other men's
labour as he has occasion for。
There are some sorts of industry; even of the lowest kind;
which can be carried on nowhere but in a great town。 A porter;
for example; can find employment and subsistence in no other
place。 A village is by much too narrow a sphere for him; even an
ordinary market town is scarce large enough to afford him
constant occupation。 In the lone houses and very small villages
which are scattered about in so desert a country as the Highlands
of Scotland; every farmer must be butcher; baker and brewer for
his own family。 In such situations we can scarce expect to find
even a smith; a carpenter; or a mason; within less than twenty
miles of another of the same trade。 The scattered families that
live at eight or ten miles distance from the nearest of them must
learn to perform themselves a great number of little pieces of
work; for which; in more populous countries; they would call in
the assistance of those workmen。 Country workmen are almost
everywhere obliged to apply themselves to all the different
branches of industry that have so much affinity to one another as
to be employed about the same sort of materials。 A country
carpenter deals in every sort of work that is made of wood: a
country smith in every sort of work that is made of iron。 The
former is not only a carpenter; but a joiner; a cabinet…maker;
and even a carver in wood; as well as a wheel…wright; a
plough…wright; a cart and waggon maker。 The employments of the
latter are still more various。 It is impossible there should be
such a trade as even that of a nailer in the remote and inland
parts of the Highlands of Scotland。 Such a workman at the rate of
a thousand nails a day; and three hundred working days in the
year; will make three hundred thousand nails in the year。 But in
such a situation it would be impossible to dispose of one
thousand; that is; of one day's work in the year。
As by means of water…carriage a more extensive market is
opened to every sort of industry than what land…carriage alone
can afford it; so it is upon the sea…coast; and along the banks
of navigable rivers; that industry of every kind naturally begins
to subdivide and improve itself; and it is frequently not till a
long time after that those improvements extend themselves to the
inland parts of the country。 A broad…wheeled waggon; attended by
two men; and drawn by eight horses; in about six weeks' time
carries and brings back between London and Edinburgh near four
ton weight of goods。 In about the same time a ship navigated by
six or eight men; and sailing between the ports of London and
Leith; frequently carries and brings back two hundred ton weight
of goods。 Six or eight men; therefore; by the help of
water…carriage; can carry and bring back in the same time the
same quantity of goods between London and Edinburgh; as fifty
broad…wheeled waggons; attended by a hundred men; and drawn by
four hundred horses。 Upon two hundred tons of goods; therefore;
carried by the cheapest land…carriage from London to Edinburgh;
there must be charged the maintenance of a hundred men for three
weeks; and both the maintenance; and; what is nearly equal to the
maintenance; the wear and tear of four hundred horses as well as
of fifty great waggons。 Whereas; upon the same quantity of goods
carried by water; there is to be charged only the maintenance of
six or eight men; and the wear and tear of a ship of two hundred
tons burden; together with the value of the superior risk; or the
difference of the insurance between land and water…carriage。 Were
there no other communication between those two places; therefore;
but by land…carriage; as no goods could be transported from the
one to the other; except such whose price was very considerable
in proportion to their weight; they could carry on but a small
part of that commerce which at present subsists between them; and
consequently could give but a small part of that encouragement
which they at present mutually afford to each other's industry。
There could be little or no commerce of any kind between the
distant parts of the world。 What goods could bear the expense of
land…carriage between London and Calcutta? Or if there were any
so precious as to be able to support this expense; with what
safety could they be transported through the territories of so
many barbarous nations? Those two cities; however; at present
carry on a very considerable commerce with each other; and by
mutually affording a market; give a good deal of encouragement to
each other's industry。
Since such; therefore; are the advantages of water…carriage;
it is natural that the first improvements of art and industry
should be made where this conveniency opens the whole world for a
market to the produce of every sort of labour; and that they
should always be much later in extending themselves into the
inland parts of the country。 The inland parts of the country can
for a long time have no other market for the greater part of
their goods; but the country which lies round about them; and
separates them from the sea…coast; and the great navigable
rivers。 The extent of their market; therefore; must for a long
time be in proportion to the riches and populousness of that
country; and consequently their improvement must always be
posterior to the improvement of that country。 In our North
American colonies the plantations have constantly followed either
the sea…coast or the banks of the navigable rivers; and have
scarce anywhere extended themselves to any considerable distance
from both。
The nations that; according to the best authenticated
history; appear to have been first civilised; were those that
dwelt round the coast of the Mediterranean Sea。 That sea; by far
the greatest inlet that is known in the world; having no tides;
nor consequently any waves except such as are caused by the wind
only; was; by the smoothness of its surface; as well as by the
multitude of its islands; and the proximity of its neighbouring
shores; extremely favourable to the infant navigation of the
world; when; from their ignorance of the compass; men were afraid
to quit the view of the coast; and from the imperfection of the
art of shipbuilding; to abandon themselves to the boisterous
waves of the ocean。 To pass beyond the pillars of Hercules; that
is; to sail out of the Straits of Gibraltar; was; in the ancient
world; long considered as a most wonderful and dangerous exploit
of navigation。 It was late before even the Phoenicians and
Carthaginians; the most skilful navigators and ship…builders of
those old times; attempted it; and they were for a long time the
only nations that did attempt it。
Of all the countries on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea;
Egypt seems to have been the first in which either agriculture or
manufactures were cultivated and improved to any considerable
degree。 Upper Egypt extends itself nowhere above a few miles from
the Nile; and in Lower Egypt that great river breaks itself into
many different canals; which; with the assistance of a little
art; seem to have afforded a communication by water…carriage; not
only between all the great towns; but between all the
considerable villages; and even to many farmhouses in the
country; nearly in the same manner as the Rhine and the Maas do
in Holland at present。 The extent and easiness of this inland
navigation was probably one of the principal causes of the early
improvement of Egypt。
The improvements in agriculture and manufactures seem
likewise to have been of very great antiquity in the provinces of
Bengal; in