5 MARCH 1864, Page 22

Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations. By J. R. M'Culloch. New

Edition. (Adam and Charles Black.)—There had been no new edition of this valuable edition of Adam Smith's great work since 1838, and it ' cannot, therefore,, be said that this comes before it is needed. The whole work has been carefully revised, and the effect of the great change in our commercial legislation during the last twenty years fully considered. New dissertations on credit, charitable foundations, and commercial treaties have also been added, and we observe that Mr. M'Culloch thinks pretty much with Mr. Gladstone as to the charities, while he unhesitatingly condemns the commercial treaty with France, because we have for ten years parted with our right to tax certain commodities. This is true, but if our doing so has enabled the Emperor to overcome the vulgar French prejudice against free trade, it would have been pedantic to lose this great advantage for the sake of adherence to even a sound general rule. On currency Mr. M'Culloch is an un- swerving disciple of Lord Overstone and the Act of 1844.