SMITH, ADAM, a celebrated Scottish moral and political philosopher, was born at Kirkaldy. in Fife shire, on the 5th June 1723. Ile was the only child of Mr. Smith, comptroller of the customs in that town, and who had formerly been private secretary to the Earl of Loudon, when he was principal secretary of state for Scotland. His father died a few weeks after the birth of his son, whose constitution was long infirm and sickly.' When he was only three years old, and on a visit to his uncle, Mr. Douglas of Strathenry, he was stolen by a party of tinkers; but in consequence of an active pursuit of the vagrants, he was rescued from them in Leslie Wood. From the grammar school of Kirkaldy he was sent, in 1737, to the College of Glas gow. In 1740, he went to Ballo! College, Oxford, as an exhibitioner on Snell's foundation. At Glasgow, his principal studies were mathematics and natural philosophy; but the lectures of Dr. Hutcheson seem to have inspired him with that taste for moral and political sciences, which guided all his future in quiries.
After a residence of seven years at Oxford, he spent two years with his mother at Kirkaldy. He had been destined for the church of England; but his love of study induced him to settle in Scotland, in the expec tation of one of those moderate appointments which our country oilers to literary men.
In 1748, he delivered lectures on rhetoric and belles lettres at Edinburgh, under the patronage of Lord Karnes, and about this time he seems to have obtained the acquaintance of David Hume and Lord Lough borough. In 1751, he was chosen professor of iu and in the year following he was removed to the chair of mural philosophy. This important situation he filled for thirteen years. In 1755, Mr. Smith contributed a review of Dr. Johnson's Diction ary to the Edinburgh Review, which was begun in that year. In the year 1759, Mr. Smith published his Theory of Moral SridiSnents, to the second edition of which he added a dissekation On the Origin of Lan and on the different genius of those which ore original and compounded.
Mr. Charles Townsend was so delighted with this work, that he invited Mr. Smith, about the end of 1763, to accompany the Duke of Buccleuch on his tra vels; and the liberal terms which were offered to him, and the strong desire he had of.visiting the continent
induced him to resign his professorship.
Early in 1764, the Duke and Mr. Smith set off for the continent. From Paris they went to Geneva, round by 'Toulouse, and after their return to Paris in December 1765, they spent nearly a year in that capi tal, where he enjoyed the society of Turgot. Quesnay,_ Neckar, D'Alembert, Ilelvetius, and Marmontel. Mr. Smith returned to London with the Duke in October 1766.
The next ten years of Dl r. Smith's life were spent chiefly at his mother's in Kirkaldy, with the exception of a few visits to Edinburgh and London; and his time seems to have been devoted to the composition of his Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Ifialth of Nations, which appeared in 1779, and which extend ed the reputation of its author to every corner of Eu rope.
In the year 1778, Mr. Smith was appointed one of the commissioners of the customs in Scotland. He therefore removed with his aged mother to Edinburgh, where he spent the most of his time principally in the society of his literary friends. In 1787, he was elect ed rector of the university of Glasgow; but his consti tution had now begun to give way, and his health and strength gradually declined till the period of his death, which took place in July 1790, and which arose from a chronic obstruction in the bowels. A few days be fore his death, he gave orders to destroy all his papers, excepting a fragment of a great work on the History of Astronomy. Mr. Smith never sat for his picture; but the medallion of Tassie gives a correct idea of his profile, and of his general expression. He be queathed his library and the most of his property to his cousin, Mr. David Douglas, late Lord Reston. on whose education he had employed much of his leisure.
Those who wish to peruse a fuller account of the life and writings or this eminent individual, are re ferred to the admirable account of him by Mr. Du gald Stewart, published in the Edinburgh Transac tions, vol. iii. p. 55. See also our article on POLITICAI. ECONOMY.