ABSTRACT
First trades, and then sales and purchases which took their place later, were usually voluntary acts in which each person did not commit himself till after he had determined that the commodity given to him in exchange was worth as much as what he gave up. In fact, at the sale of such commodities transported by commerce, there must be realized, first the capital repaid to the manufacturer; then the wages of the sailors, carriers, clerks, and all the persons employed by the trader; next the interest of all those funds to which he gives movement; and lastly, the mercantile profit. The wholesaler made it his business to buy from the producer the merchandise at the moment it was finished; and after having compared the demand in various markets, sending it to the one where the consumer seemed the most eager to buy it.
