Lord Shelburne, Part Three

       "That age of economical statesmanship which Lord Shelburne had predicted in 1787, when he demolished, in the House of Lords, Bishop Watson and the Balance of Trade, which Mr. Pitt had comprehended;  and for which he was preparing the nation when the French Revolution diverted the public mind into a stronger and more turbulent current, was again impending, while the intervening history of the country had been prolific in events which had aggrevated the necessity of investigating the sources of the wealth of nations.

       It was to be an age of abtruse disquisition, that required a compact and sinewy intellect, nurtured in a class of learning not yet honoured in colleges, and which might arrive at conclusions conflicting with predominant prejudices."  Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby Book II, Chapter One

No Wonder We Lose Wars

"Well might I say, he that manages your treasure is the general of your generals, and the soul of the war."  Daniel Defoe, 1709

It's Called Trade...Look Into It!

"It is trade has made your commons rich, your merchants numerous, your poor able to maintain themselves.  It is trade has made you great, strong, terrible abroad, and busy at home.  It is trade has kept your people from wandering like vagabond on the face of the earth."   Daniel Defoe, 1711