▁book , ▁Table au ▁de ▁l ' ag ric ulture ▁to sc ane , ▁which , ▁after ▁returning ▁to ▁Gene va , ▁he ▁published ▁there ▁in ▁ 1 8 0 1 . ▁At ▁a ▁young ▁age , ▁S ism ond i ▁had ▁read ▁The ▁We alth ▁of ▁Nations ▁and ▁became ▁strongly ▁attached ▁to ▁Smith ' s ▁theories . ▁He ▁apparently ▁published ▁his ▁first ▁work ▁on ▁the ▁subject ▁of ▁political ▁economy , ▁De ▁la ▁rich esse ▁commer ciale ▁ou ▁princip es ▁de ▁l ' e conom ie ▁politique ▁app li qué ▁à ▁la ▁legisl ation ▁du ▁commerce ▁( 1 8 0 3 ) ▁to ▁explain ▁and ▁popular ize ▁Smith ' s ▁doctrine , ▁but ▁following ▁this ▁S ism ond i ▁spent ▁a ▁considerable ▁amount ▁of ▁time ▁dedicated ▁to ▁historical ▁research . ▁He ▁again ▁turned ▁his ▁attention ▁to ▁political ▁economy ▁around ▁ 1 8 1 8 ▁when ▁he ▁was ▁commission ed ▁to ▁write ▁an ▁entry ▁on ▁" Pol it ical ▁Econom y " ▁for ▁the ▁Edinburgh ▁Encyclop ædia . ▁This ▁was ▁just ▁following ▁a ▁serious ▁economic ▁dow nt urn ▁after ▁the ▁out break ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁major ▁crisis ▁in ▁ 1 8 1 5 . ▁ ▁Econom ic ▁thought ▁ ▁As ▁an ▁econom ist , ▁S ism ond i ▁represented ▁a ▁human itar ian ▁protest ▁against ▁the ▁dominant ▁orth odox y ▁of ▁his ▁time . ▁In ▁his ▁ 1 8 0 3 ▁book , ▁he ▁followed ▁Adam ▁Smith ; ▁but ▁in ▁his ▁principal ▁subsequent ▁economic ▁work , ▁N ouve aux ▁princip es ▁d ' é