eR| TAO a ara Rese

x INTRODUCTON.

his attention was turned once more towards them. And as in thefe eflays many of the cir- cumitances, that operate towards diminifhing the amount of the agricultural produce of the coun- try, are developed with much_ precifion, he thought no time could be more proper than the prefent for fuch a publication: and that indeed the circumftances of the times demanded it.

The author, who now withes rather to with- draw himfelf from the bufy fcenes of life, than ta puth himfelf forward in the world, having no pre- tenfions to the chara€ter of a fine writer, nor am- bition to acquire a reputation of that fort, would make an apology for the language in thefe effays, if he thought the fubje& required it; but in mat- ters of this fort refinement of language will not be expefted. As his obje&t has ever been ra- ther to inform, than to entertain, his attention has been direéted rather to the matter than the form. His chief ftudy has been to acquire fo much perfpicuity, as that his meaning could not be in any cafe mifunderftood; and to write in fuch 3 manner, as tended to induce the reader to attend to facts, and draw the neceffary conclufions from them him/elf, as they incidentally may in future occur, rather than implicitly to rely on{uch ca- fual{tatements as may fall in his way: and fome

3

——e