The Wealth of Nations

“way.” ↩

In 1762. ↩

See above, here. ↩

See this note. ↩

See Dictionaire des Monnoies, tom. ii article Seigneurage, p. 489 par M. Abot de Bazinghen, Conseiller-Commissaire en la Cour des Monnoies à Paris.

—⁠Smith

Ed. 1 reads erroneously “tom. i.” The book is Traité des Monnoies et de la jurisdiction de la Cour des Monnoies en forme de dictionnaire, par M. Abot de Bazinghen, Conseiller-Commissaire en la Cour des Monnoies de Paris, 1764, and the page is not 489, but 589. Garnier, in his edition of the Wealth of Nations, vol. v, p. 234, says the book “n’est guère qu’une compilation faite sans soin et sans discernement,” and explains that the mint price mentioned above remained in force a very short time. It having failed to bring bullion to the mint, much higher prices were successively offered, and when the Wealth of Nations was published the seignorage only amounted to about 3 percent. On the silver coin it was then about 2 percent, in place of the 6 percent stated by Bazinghen, p. 590.

—⁠Cannan

↩

“An act for encouraging of coinage,” 18 Car. II, c. 5. The preamble says, “Whereas it is obvious that the plenty of current coins of gold and silver of this kingdom is of great advantage to trade and commerce; for the increase whereof, your Majesty in your princely wisdom and care hath been graciously pleased to bear out of your revenue half the charge of the coinage of silver money.” ↩

Originally enacted for five years, it was renewed by 25 Car. II, c. 8, for seven years, revived for seven years by 1 Jac. II, c. 7, and continued by various Acts till made perpetual by 9 Geo. III, c. 25. ↩

Ed. 1 reads “tear and wear.” ↩

Above, here. ↩

Under 19 Geo. II, c. 14, § 2, a maximum of £15,000 is prescribed. ↩

“Chiefly” is not in ed. 1. ↩

Ed. 1 reads “that of Congo, Angola and Loango.” ↩

P. F. X. de Charlevoix, Histoire de l’Isle Espagnole ou de S. Domingue, 1730, tom. i, p. 99. ↩

Histoire Naturelle, tom. xv (1750), pp. 160, 162. ↩

P. F. X. de Charlevoix, Histoire de l’Isle Espagnole, tom. i, pp. 35, 36. ↩

Histoire de l’Isle Espagnole p. 27. ↩

Above, here. ↩

Ed. 1 (in place of these two sentences) reads, “The tax upon silver, indeed, still continues to be a fifth of the gross produce.” Cp. above, here. ↩

“That mighty, rich and beautiful empire of Guiana, and⁠ ⁠… that great and golden city which the Spaniards call El Dorado.”

—⁠Ralegh’s Works, ed. Thomas Birch, 1751, vol. ii, p. 141

↩

P. Jos. Gumilla, Histoire naturelle civile et géographique de l’Orénoque, etc., traduite par M. Eidous, 1758, tom. ii, pp. 46, 117, 131, 132, 137, 138, but the sentiment is apparently attributed to the author, who is described on the title page as “de la compagnie de Jésus, supérieur des missions de l’Orénoque,” on the strength of a mistranslation of the French or possibly the original Spanish. If “Dieu permit” were mistranslated “God permit,” the following passage from pp. 137, 138 would bear out the text: “On cherchait une vallée ou un territoire dont les rochers et les pierres étaient d’or, et les Indiens pour flatter la cupidité des Espagnols, et les éloigner en même temps de chez eux, leur peignaient avec les couleurs les plus vives l’or dont ce pavs abondait pour se débarrasser plutôt de ces hôtes incommodes, et Dieu permit que les Espagnols ajoutassent foi à ces rapports, pour qu’ils découvrissent un plus grand nombre de provinces, et que la lumière de l’Evangile pût s’y répandre avec plus de facilité.” ↩

Eds. 1⁠–⁠4 reads “support.” ↩

Miletus and Crotona. ↩

Ed. 1 reads “its.” ↩

See above, here. ↩

Juan and Ulloa, Voyage historique, tom. i, p. 229. ↩

In Awnsham and John Churchill’s Collection of Voyages and Travels, 1704, vol. iv, p. 508. ↩

C. above, here. ↩

Raynal, Histoire Philosophique, Amsterdam ed., 1773, tom. iii, pp. 347⁠–⁠352. ↩

Histoire Philosophique, tom. iii, p. 424. ↩

Histoire Philosophique, tom. vi, p. 8. ↩

A mistake for 1664. ↩

P. F. X. de Charlevoix, Histoire et description générale de la Nouvelle France, avec le journal historique d’un voyage dans l’Amérique Septentrionnale, 1744, tom. ii, p. 300, speaks of a population of 20,000 to 25,000 in 1713. Raynal says in 1753 and 1758 the population, excluding troops and Indians, was 91,000.

—⁠Histoire philosophique, Amsterdam ed., 1773, tom. vi, p. 137

↩

Ed. 1 reads “the.” ↩

Eds. 1 and 2 read “their.” ↩

Jus Majoratus.

—⁠Smith

Ed. 1 reads “mayorazzo” in the text and “mayoratus” in the note.

—⁠Cannan

↩

Above, here through here, and cp. here. ↩

This and the preceding sentence, beginning “The plenty,” are not in ed. 1.