Essays on the Spirit of Legislation, in the Encouragement of Agriculture, Population, Manufactures, and Commerce. Translated from the Original French…

8vo, sprinkled sheep, 479, [1], [vii] pp. Covers detached and binding is very worn and chipped. Title page soiled, with some pencil notations on it, some edges folded in corners, and occasional staining soiling and aging. Lacks endpapers. A Newark, New Jersey imprint, this work was written by Jean Bertrand (1708-1777) and others first published in English in 1772. The focus of this book is primarily the enhancement of agriculture. Early on in the work, the author presents the obstacles that the legislature needs to address to achieve perfection in agriculture. He maintains that because agriculture is at the foundation of society, you can forget about the arts, commerce, and manufacturing until you get that right. Obstacles to enhancing agriculture are moral, civil, physical and feudal. He adds a wise legislature must know what it is up against to develop a plan, and you must have the confidence of the people. Also, if a plan is to work, it has to take a harmonious approach, “you ought to take care that plans do not counteract each other.” Evans 37382. Felcone 83.