An Enquiry into the Extent and Stability of National Resources

Chalmers' first major work is the culmination of his early social thinking. It reflects both his experiences in rural Fife and the beginnings of his quest for the identity of a national community. The book challenges the mercantilist notion that foreign commerce was essential to the survival of the nation. Chalmers' argument is full of Malthusian fears of over-population.