第3章

ThisIdeny。Thenineteenlaborershavetheirindustriousfacultiesleft,withthesamestrength,thesamecapacities,thesamemeansoflaborasbefore。Themilldoesnotcompelthemtoremainunemployed,butonlytoseekanotheroccupation。Manycircumstancesoccasionasimilarinconveniencewithoutcarryingwiththemthesameremedy。

Afashionoutofuse,awarwhichblocksupavent,acommercewhichchangesitscourse,doahundredtimesmoreinjurytothelaboringclassesthananynewinventionwhatever。

Isupposethatitwillbesaidandinsistedon,thatthenineteenvacantlaborers,supposingeventheyimmediatelyfindcapitalstosetthemtoworkatafreshbusiness,couldnotselltheirproductionbecausethemassofproductionofsocietywouldbetherebyincreased,butnottheamountoftheirincome。Ithasthenbeenforgottenthattheincomesofsocietyareincreasedbytheveryfactoftheproductionofthenineteennewlaborers。

Thesalaryfortheirlaboristheincomewhichenablesthemtoacquiretheproduceoftheirlabor,ortoexchangeitagainstanyotherequivalentproduction:thisissufficientlyestablishedinmyprecedingletters。

Nothingthereforeremains,strictlyspeaking,buttheinconvenienceofbeingobligedtochangetheoccupation。Nowtheprogresswhichismadeinonekindinparticular,isbeneficialtoindustryingeneral。Theincreaseofincome,whichresultstosocietyfromasavinginexpences,iscarriedtowardsotherarticles。Asingleoccupationisinterdictedtonineteenmenwho,tillthen,poundedgrain,andahundredfreshoccupations,orahundredextensionsofoldoccupations,havebeenopenedtothem。Idesirenootherproofofthisthantheincreasewhichhastakenplaceinthelaborandpopulation,ineveryplacewheretheartshavebeenimproved。Theconstanthabitweareinofseeingtheproductionsofnewartscausesustodisregardthem,buthowwouldtheystrikeourancestors,iftheycouldagaincomeamongstus!Letuspicturetoourselvesforamomentsomeofthemostenlightenedamongstthem,suchasPlinyorArchimedes,comingtowalkroundoneofourmoderncities;theywouldfancythemselvessurroundedbymiracles。

Theabundanceofourcrystalsandglasses,thegreatquantityofourlargemirrors,ourdocks,watches,embroidery,ironbridges,warlikeinstruments,andships,wouldastonishthembeyondallconception。Andiftheyweretogointoourwork—shops,whatamultiplicityofoccupationswouldtheyseeofwhichtheycouldnothavethesmallestconception。WouldtheyevenbelievethatthirtythousandmenwerenightlyemployedinEuropeinprintingnewspapers,whicharereadeverymorningoverthebreakfast—tablewhilsttakingtea,coffee,chocolate,orotherfood,quiteasnewtothemasthepapersthemselves?Donotletusdoubt,Sir,thatiftheartsstillimprove,asIflattermyselftheywill,thatis,thattheywillproducemoreatlessexpence,freshmillionsofmeninthecourseofafewageswillproduceobjects,whichwouldexciteinourminds,couldweseethem,asurpriseequaltothatwhichthegreatArchimedesandPlinywouldexperiencecouldtheyrevisitus。Letustakecare,wewhoscribbleinsearchoftruth,ifourwritingsdescendtoposterity,thattheapprehensionwithwhichthoseimprovementsinspireus(butwhichtheywillthenhavefarsurpassed)

donotappearridiculous。Andastotheworkmenofyourcountry,atoncesoableandsowretched,ourdescendantsmaywelllookuponthemasmenwhowerecompelledtogettheirlivingbydancingontherope,withaweightattachedtotheirfeet。Theywillreadinhistory,thatinorderthatthesemenmightcontinuetheirdance,somefreshplanwasdailysuggestedtothem,indeedeveryplanexcepttheveryonewhichwouldhavebeenefficacious,viz。thatoftakingofftheweight:thenourdescendantsafterhavingderidedusmightverywellconcludethewholebypityingus。

Ihavesaidthatausefulimprovementmaybeattendedwithtemporaryinconvenience;fortunatelythoseinconvenienceswhichareoccasionedbyexpeditiousprocesses,aremitigatedbysomecircumstanceswhichhavebeenalreadynoticed,andbyothersofwhichnomentionhasbeenmade。Ithasbeensaid(andyouyourself,Sir,lookuponthiscircumstanceascapableofoverbalancingtheinconvenience)thatthelowpricewhichresultsfromaneconomicalprocessfavorstheconsumptionofthearticletosogreatadegree,thatthesameproductionemploysmorepeoplethanbefore;ashasbeenremarkedinspinningandweavingcotton。Ishalladdthat,asmachineryandexpeditiousmeansincrease,itwillbemoredifficulttodiscoverfreshones,particularlyinanestablishedartinwhichworkmenarealreadyinitiated。Themostsimplemachinesappearedfirst,afterwardscamethemorecomplicated:theycostmoretoerect,andrequiremoreworkmentomanoeuvrethem,whichpartlyrecompensesthatclassfortheoccupationtheyhavelostintheadoptionofthenewprocess。Thecomplexityandcostlinessofamachineareobstaclestoitstoopromptadoption……Theclothshearingmachinebymeansofaturningmotion,costintheoriginfrom25to30

thousandfrancs……Manymanufacturerscannotinthefirstinstancelayoutsuchasum,othersconsiderandreconsiderbeforetheybuyit,andawaitforadecidedproofofitssuccess。Thistardinessintheintroductionofnewmachinesnearlypreventsalltheinconveniencesattendingthem。

Infact,Iconfesstoyou,thatinpracticeIhavealwaysseennewmachinesoccasionmorefearofharm,thanharmitself。Astothegood,itissureandlasting。

M。deSismondiopposesafactthatoccurred,inwhichahundredthousandstocking—knitterswiththeirneedles,andathousandworkmenprovidedwithframes,eachmanufacturedtenthousandpairofstockings。Theresultwas,thatinthelattercasetheconsumersofstockingsonlysaved50centimesperpair,andstillamanufactorywhichusedtoemployahundredthousandwork—people,nowonlyemployedtwelvehundred。Butheonlycomestothisconclusionbysuppositionswhicharenotadmissible。

Toprovethatconsumersobtainedthestockingsonly50centimesless,hesupposesthatthecostofproductionwouldbe,inthefirstcase,asfollows:

10millions,forthepurchaseofthematerial。

40millions,wagestoahundredthousandwork—people,at400francseach。

Total50millions,40ofwhichpaidtothework—people。

Andinthesecondease,hesupposesthecostasfollows:

10millions,forthematerial。

30millions,forinterestoffixedcapitalandenterpriser’sprofits。

2millions,forinterestofcirculatingcapital。

2millions,forrepairsandnewmachines。

1million,wagesof1200workmen。

Total45millions,ofwhich1ispaidtotheworkmeninsteadof40。

NowIseethatthisitemof30millionsforinterestoffixedcapital,andenterpriser’sprofit,takenonthesuppositionofanenterprisecapableofemployingtwelvehundredwork—people,andofyielding15percentontheircapitals,supposesacapitaloftwohundredmillions,asuppositiontrulypreposterous。

Oneworkmancannotworkattwoframesatonce,athousandworkmenwouldthereforerequireathousandframestobeemployed。Agoodstocking—framecosts600francs,consequentlythethousandwouldcostsixhundredthousandfrancs;addtothiscapital,alikecapitalfortheotherutensils,work—shops,etc。stillweshouldonlyhaveoccasionfora。capitaloftwelvehundredthousandfrancs。Weadmitthattheinterestandtheenterpriser’sprofitonthecapitalwouldbe15percent,whichisverymoderate,foracurrentbusinesswhichproducedmorewouldsoonbycompetitionbebroughttothisrate。Admittingthis,weshallfindfortheinterestandtheenterpriser’sprofit,180thousandfrancs,insteadof30millions!

Thesameobservationappliestothe2millionsforexpencesofkeepingandrepairingthemachines;forif,insteadofrepairingtheframes,newoneswereboughtyearly,stilltheywouldonlycost600thousandfrancs。

Norwouldthecirculatingcapitalcost2millions,forinMr。Sismondi’shypothesis,ofwhatdoesitconsist?Oftherawmaterial,whichhequotesat10millions,andwages,whichhecalls1million,together11millions,theinterestofwhich,at5percent,is550thousandfrancs。Butasinthisbusinesstheproductionmaybecompletedandsoldwithin6months,thecapitalpaidforiftheauthorhasquotedthecapitalforthemachinescosteachtime275thousandfrancs,insteadof2millions。

Alltheseexpencestogetherstillonlymake12,055,000francs,insteadof50millions,whichstockingsknitwiththeneedlewouldcost,accordingtoM。Sismondi。Iamfarfromthinkingthatthesavingcouldbesogreat,foriftheauthorhasquotedthecapitalforthemachinestoohigh,hehasattributedtoogreatafacilitytothem,insupposingthatbytheirmeanstwelvehundredworkmencoulddoasmuchasahundredthousand;butIsaythatifthesavinginthisproductionweresogreat,thelowpriceofstockingsoranyotherarticleofthatnaturewouldsofavortheconsumption,thatinsteadofseeingthehundredthousandwork—people,asissupposed,employed,weshouldprobablyseethenumberincreasetotwohundredthousand。

Andiftheconsumptionofthisarticleinparticular,。didnotadmitthisexcessivemultiplicationofthesameproduction,thedemandwouldincreaseinrespecttomanyothers;forobserve,thataftertheintroductionofmachinery,thesamerevenueisstillfoundinsociety,thatis,thesamenumberofworkmen,thesameamount。ofcapital,andthesameportionofland。Nowif,insteadofdevotingoutofthismassofrevenue50millionsyearlyforstockings,itisonlynecessary,inconsequenceoftheframes,toemploy12,the38millionsremainingmaybeappliedtootherconsumptions,ifnottotheextensionofthis。

Thisiswhatprinciplesteach,andexperienceconfirms。ThemiserysufferedbythepopulationofEngland,andwhichM。Sismondideploreswithatrulyphilanthropicfeeling,arisesfromothercauses,principallyfromthepoorlaws,and,asIhavehinted,fromaweightoftaxationwhichmakesproductiontooexpensive;somuchso,thatwhenthearticlesarefinished,agreatpartoftheconsumersdonotgetsufficienttoobtainthem,atthepricethatisobligedtobeaskedforthem。

LETTERTHEFIFTH。

SIR,OnreadingyourPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,thefirstobjectwhichstruckmyattentionwasthatgreatevilwhichtormentsthehumanrace,andpreventsthemfromlivingontheirproductions。Althoughintheorderofideas,adiscussiononthenatureofwealthoughttoprecedethis,inordertoassistthemindincomprehendingallthephenomenawhichrelatetoitsformationanddistribution,Ihavenotthoughtitrighttogiveitthepreference,asitappearstobemorepeculiarlyinterestingtothosewhocultivatethescienceofpoliticaleconomy,withoutanyviewofcarryingitintopractice。StillIcannotlaydownmypenwithoutgivingyoumyopiniononthishead。Ihaveyourownsanctionforsodoing,inthenoblecandorwithwhichyouinviteeverydiscussionthatmaytendtoenlightenthepublic。\"Itistobedesired,\"yousay,(page4)\"thatthosewhoarelookeduponbythepublictobecompetentjudgesshouldagreeupontheprincipalpoints。\"Theycannotbemadetooclear。

YoucomplainofthedefinitionwhichLordLauderdalegivesofwealth,whenhesaysthat\"itiseverythingmancandesire,thatcanbeusefuloragreeabletohim,\"asbeingtoovague,andIthinkyouareveryright。

Iamseekingthedefinitionwhichyouthinkoughttobesubstitutedforthis,andIfindthatyougivethetermwealthto\"allmaterialobjectsthatarenecessary,useful,oragreeabletoman\"(page28)。TheonlydifferenceIseebetweenthesetwodefinitionsconsistsinthewordmaterial,whichyouaddtothatofmyLordLauderdale,andInmstconfessthatthiswordappearstoometobecontrarytothetruth。

Youwillanticipatemyreasons。Thegreatdiscoveryofpoliticaleconomy,andwhatwillrenderiteverlastinglyprecious,isthehavingshownthateverythingmaybeconvertedintowealth。Fromthattimemanhasbeenmadecapableofknowingwhatitisnecessaryforhimtodo,toattainthesehappymeansofsatisfyinghisdesires。ButasIhaveformerlyhadoccasiontoobserve,itisbeyondthepowerofmantoaddasingleatomtothemassofmatter,ofwhichtheworldiscomposed。Ifhecreateswealth,wealthisnotmatter:thereisnomedium。Bymeansofhiscapitalandhisland,mancanonlychangethecombinationofmatter,toconferutilityuponit,bututilityisanimmaterialquality。

Thisisnotall,Sir;Ifearyourdefinitiondoesnotcontaintheessentialcharacterofwealth。Allowmetogiveafewexplanationsinsupportofmyidea。

AdamSmithandalltheworldhaveobserved,thataglassofwater,whichisaverypreciousthingwhenwearethirsty,wasnotwealth……Itishoweveramaterialobject,itiseithernecessary,useful,oragreeabletoman。

Itfulfilsalltheconditionsofyourdefinition,anditisnotwealth。

Atleastnotthatwealthwhichisthesubjectofourstudy,andthatofyourbook。Whatiswantingtomakeitso?possessingvalue。

Therearethingsindeedwhicharenaturalwealth,veryprecioustoman,butwhicharenotofthatkind。aboutwhichpoliticaleconomycanbeemployed。

Canitincreasethem?Canitconsumethem?No,theyaresubjecttootherlaws。Aglassofwaterisunderthegovernmentofnaturallaw。Theattachmentofourfriends,andourreputationintheworld,dependuponthemorallaw,andnotonthatofpoliticaleconomy。Whattheniswealth,themainspringofthisscience?thatwhichissusceptibleofcreationanddestruction,ofmoreandofless;andthismore,thisless,whatisitagainstvalue。

Youyourself,Sir,areobligedtoconfessitinmanyplaces。Yousay(page340,)\"Itappearstherefore,thatthewealthofanationdependspartlyonthequantityofproductionobtainedbyitslabor,(itdependsonthisaltogether,)andpartlyontheadaptationofthislabortothewantsandmeansofthepopulation,forthepurposeofgivingvaluetoitsproductions。\"Andinthefollowingpage,youarestillmorepositive。Afterhavinggonefurtherintothequestion,youadmitthat,\"itisevidentthatinthepresentstateofthings,thevalueofcommoditiesmaybeconsideredastheonlycauseoftheexistenceofwealth。\"Howcanitbethen,thatsoessentialaningredientasvalue,iswantingtoyourdefinition?

Butthatisnotsufficient:weshouldknowbutveryimperfectlythenatureofwealth,ifwewerenotwelltodefinethiswordvalue。Inorder。

topossessgreatwealth,isitenoughthatwevalueourpossessionsveryhigh?IfIhave,builtahousewhichIfinddelightful,andthinkitmighttoestimateitatahundredthousandfrancs,amIreallyworthahundredthousandfrancsonaccountofthishouse?Wereceiveapresentfromapersonwhoisdeartous,whichisinestimableinoureyes——doesitfollowthatthatmakesusimmenselyrich?Youcannotthinkso。Inorderforavaluetoberiches,itmustbeanadmittedvalue;notbythepossessor,butbyanotherperson……Nowwhatirresistibleproofcanbegiven,thatavalueisadmitted,ifnot,thatinordertohaveit,otherpersonsconsenttogiveinexchangeacertainquantityofotherthings,whicharevaluable。

NotwithstandingImayhaveestimatedmyhouseatahundredthousandfrancs,whatshallIhavemadeofit,ifIcanfindnoonewhowillgivememorethanfiftythousandofthosepieceswhichwecallfrancs。Itisinfactworthnomorethanfiftythousand,itmakesmeworthnomorethanfiftythousand,orwhatevermaybeboughtforfiftythousandfrancs。

ThusAdamSmith,(38)immediatelyafterhavingobservedthattherearetwosortsofvalues,onevalueinuse,theothervalueinexchange,completelyabandonsthefirst,andentirelyoccupieshimselfallthewaythroughhisbookwithexchangeablevalueonly。Thisiswhatyouyourselfhavedone,Sir;(39)whatMr。Ricardohasdone;whatIhavedone;whatwehavealldone:forthisreason,thatthereisnoothervalueinpoliticaleconomythanthatwhichaloneissubjecttofixedlaws;thatthataloneforms,distributes,anddestroysitselfconformablytoinvariablerules,whichmaybecomethesubjectofascientificstudy。Byanecessaryconsequence,thepriceofeacharticlebeingitsexchangeablevalueinmoney,therearenootherthancurrentpricesinpoliticaleconomy。WhatSmithcallsnaturalpriceshavenothingmorenaturalinthem,thanalltherest。Itisthecostofproduction,thepricecurrentofproductiveservices。

IdonotpretendtodenythatyouhaveinMr。Ricardoapowerfulandrespectableauxiliary。HewasagainstyouinthequestionofVent,hecontendswithyouonthequestionofValue,butnotwithstandingmyconnexionwithhim,andthemutualesteemweentertainforeachother,Ihavenothesitatedtocombathisopinions。(40)Ourfirstinclinationforeachother,andIamboldtosayyoursandminealso,wasitnotforthesakeofthepublicgoodandoftruth?

TheseareMr。Ricardo’swords:\"Valueisessentiallydifferentfromwealth,forvaluedoesnotdependupontheabundance(ofthethingsnecessaryoritagreeable,)butonthedifficultyorfacilityoftheirproduction。

Themanufacturallaborofamillionofpersonswillalwaysproducethestonevalue,butnotalwaysthesamewealth。Bymoreperfectmachines,amorepractisedability,abetterdividedlabor,theopeningoffreshmarketsgivingrisetomoreadvantageousexchanges,amillionpersonsmayproducedoubleandtreblethequantityofnecessaryoragreeablethings,thantheycouldproduceinanothersocialsituation,andstilltheywouldaddnothingtothetotalvalue。’’(41)

Thisargument,foundedonuncontestedfacts,appearsperfectlytoa~reewiththeopinionyoumaintain。Thequestionis,howthesefactsstrengtheninsteadofweakenthedoctrineofvalue,thedoctrinewhichestablishes,thatwealthconsistsinthevalueofthethingswepossess;confiningthiswordvaluetotheonlyadmittedandexchangeablevalue。

Infactwhatisvalue,butthatqualitysusceptibleofappreciation,susceptibleofmoreorless,whichisinherentinthethingswepossess。

Itisthequalitywhichenablesustoobtainthethingswewant,inexchangeforthethingswehave。Thisvalueisthegreater,inproportiontothequantitywhichthethingwehavecanobtainofthatwewant;forinstance,whenIhaveoccasiontochangemyhorseforwheat,ifmyhorseisworthsixhundredfrancs,Ishallreceivedoublethequantityofbushelsofwheatthanifhewereworthonlythreehundredfrancs,andatthesametimethatpartofmywealthwouldbedouble。AndasthesamereasoningmayhegenerallyappliedtoallIpossess,itfollowsthatourwealthdependsonthevalueofthethingswepossess。Thisisaconsequencethatnoonecanreasonablyrefusetoadmit。

Youcannotonyourpartdeny,saysMr。Ricardotome,thatwearenotricher,whenwehavemoreofthenecessaryoragreeablethingstoconsume,whatevermaybetheirvalueinanothersense。ThisinfactIadmit,butisitnottohavemorethingstoconsume,havingthepowertoacquirethemingreaterquantity?Topossessmorewealthistohaveinourhandswherewithtobuyalargerquantityofusefulthings,agreaterquantityofutility,inextendingthisexpressiontoeverythingthatisnecessaryoragreeabletous。Nowthereisnothinginthisproposition,whichiscontrarytowhatistrueinthedefinitionwhichMr。Rieardoandyourselfgiveofwealth。

Yousaythatwealthisinthequantityofnecessaryoragreeablethingswepossess。Isaysotoo,butasthesewords,quantityofnecessaryoragreeablethings,haveavagueandarbitrarymeaning,whicheannotbeadmittedinagooddefinition,Idefinethembytheirexchangeablevalue;

thenthelimitationoftheideaofutilityisthebeingequaltoanyotherutility,whichotherpersonseonsenttogiveinexehangeforthatyoupossess;

fromthattimethereisequation,onevaluecanbecomparedwithanotherbythemeansofathird。Asackofwheatisarichesequaltoapieceofcloth,whenonecanbeexehangedagainsttheotherforanequalnumberoferowns。Thiswillserveasabasisforcomparisons,willadmitofmeasuringanaugmentation,oradiminution——inaword,thisisthebasisofascience。

ltrithoutthis,politicaleconomydoesnotexist。Itisthisconsiderationalonewhichhasbroughtittolight:itissoessential,thatyouinvoluntarilvdoithomage,andthereisnooneofyourargumentsinwhichitisnoteitherexpressedorunderstood;otherwise,youwouldhavecausedthesciencetorecede,insteadofenriehingitwithfreshtruths。

AtthesametimethatyourandMr。Ricardo’sdefinitionfailsinpreeision,itfailsalsoinextent。Itdoesnotembracethewholeofwhatourwealthiscomposedof。What!ourwealtheonfinedtomaterialobjectseitherneeessaryoragreeable!Andourtalents?Whatthendoyoutakethesefor?Aretheynotproductirefunds?Dowenotderiveincomefromthem?Greaterorlessincomes,thesameaswederiveagreaterincomefromanacreofgoodlandthanfromanacreofbrambles?Iknowsomecleverartists,whohavenootherincomethanwhattheyderivefromtheirtalents,andwhoareopulent:

accordingtoyourideatheywouldbenoricherthanameredauber。

Youcannotdenyit,thateverythingthathasanexchangeablevaluemakespartofourriches。Theyareessentiallycomposedoftheproductivefundswepossess。Thesefundsareeitherland,capital,orpersonalfaculties。

Ofthesefundssomearealienable,asland;othersarealienableandconsumable,ascapital;othersinalienable,andyetconsumable,astalents,whichperishwiththeirpossessor。Fromthesefundsproceedalltherevenueswhichkeepsocietyalive,andwhatappearsparadoxical,althoughperfectlytrue,alltheserevenuesareimmaterial,sincetheyarederivedfromanimmaterialqualitywhichisutility。Thedifferentutilitiesproducedbyourproductivefundsarecomparedwitheachotherbytheirvalue,whichIhavenooccasiontocallexchangeable,becauseinpoliticaleconomyIrecognizenootherthanexchangeable。

AstothedifficultyMr。Ricardomakes,whenhesaysthat,bybetterunderstoodprocesses,athousandpersonsmayproducetwiceandthreetimesasmuchwealthwithoutproducingmorevalue,thisisnodifficulty,whenweconsider,(asweought,)productionasanexchange,inwhichtheproductiveservicesofourlabor,ourland,andcapitalaregiveninordertoobtainproductions。Bymeansoftheseproductiveservices,weacquirealltheproductionsthatareinthe。world,andthisbythebyeiswhatgivesvaluetoproductions;for,afterhavingobtainedthembvgivingvalueforthem,wecannotgivethemawayfornothing。Nowsinceourfirstpropertyistheproductivefundswepossess,ourfirstrevenuetheproductiveserviceswhichproceedfromthem,wearericherinproportionasourproductiveservicesaremorevaluable,astheyobtainintheexchangecalledproduction,agreaterorlessquantityofusefulthings。Andatthesametime,asagreaterquantityofusefulthingsandtheirlowprice,areperfectlysynonimousexpressions,theproducersarerich,whenproductionsaremoreabundantandcheaper。Isayproducersingeneral,becausecompetitioncompelsthemtogivetheirproductionsforwhattheycostthem;sothatwhenproducersofwheatorclothsucceedbyhelpofthesameproductiveservicesinproducingadoublequantityofwheatorcloth,alltheotherproducerscanpurchaseadoublequantityofwheatorclothwithalikequantityofproductiveservices,orwhatisthesamething,withtheproducetheyderivefromthem。

Such,Sir,isthewell—connecteddoctrine,withoutwhichIdeclareittobeimpossibletoexplainthegreatestdifficultiesofpoliticaleconomy,andparticularlyhowanationcanbericher,whenitsproductionsdiminishinvalue,althoughrichesarevalue。YouseethatIamnotafraidtoreducemypretendedparadoxestotheirsimpleexpression。Istripthemnaked,andtrustthemtoyourequity,tothatofMr。Ricardo,andtothegoodsenseofthepublic。Butatthesametimereservingtomyselftherightofexplainingthem,iftheyareillunderstood,andofdefendingthemboldlyifunjustlyattacked。

NOTES:

1。TheTranslationofProfessorMalthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,byM。F。S。Constancie,(whotranslatedMr。Ricardo’swork)isinthepress,andwillappearinthecourseofthemonthofAugust,publishedbyJ。P。Aillaud,Bookseller,No。21,QuaiVoltaire。Itwillconsistoftwooctavovolumes,ofabout400pageseach。

2。Sismondi’sNewPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,vol。i。337,andfollowingpages。

3。Malthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,page354。(IquotefromtheEnglishEdition,nothavingyetseenatranslation)。

4。TreatiseonPoliticalEconomy,orsimpleexplanationofthemannerinwhichrichesareobtained,distributedandconsumed,4thedition。Vol。ii。page5。

5。Malthus’sPrinciplesetc。page353。

6。WhatoftentimesmakesEnglishauthorsobscureis,thattheyconfoundbytheexampleofSmith,underthenameoflabor,theservicesrenderedbymen,bycapital,andbyland。

7。Adomesticproducespersonalservices,which,assoonasproduced,areunproductivelyconsumedbyhismaster。Theserviceofapublicfunctionaryisalsoentirelyconsumedbythepublic,asitisproduced。Thisisthereasonwhythesedifferentservicesdonotproduceanyaugmentationofwealth。Theconsumerenjoystheseservicesbutcannotaccumulatethem。ThisisparticularlyexplainedinmyTreatiseonPoliticalEconomy,4thEd。vol。i。page124。HowMr。Malthuscouldprintpage35afterthis,isinconceivable:inwhichhesaysthat,\"theprogresswhichEuropehasmadesincethefeudaltimescannotbeexplained,ifperanalserviceisconsideredasproductiveasthelaboroftradesmenandmanufacturers。

Itisthesamewiththeseservicesaswiththelaborofthegardenerwhohascultivatedsaladsorstrawberries。ThewealthofEuropecertainlydoesnotproceedfromthestrawberries,becausethey,likepersonalservice,areallunproductivelyconsumedastheyripen,althoughnotsoquickaspersonalservice。

Imentionstrawberrieshere,asaproduceofveryshortduration,butitisnotbecauseaproductionisdurablethatitgivesgreaterfacilitytoaccumulation。Itisbecauseitissoconsumedastoproduceitsvalueinanotherarticle:fordurableornot。everyproductionisdevotedtoconsumption,andisnofurtherusefulthanbyitsconsumption(thisutilityconsists,eitherinsatisfyingawant,orinproducingafreshvalue)。

Whenwebegintowriteuponpoliticaleconomy,thefirstthingtobedoneistodivestourselvesoftheideathatadurableproductionaccumulatesbetterthanaperishableone。

8。WhattheEnglishcallWantandSupply。

9。Fourthedition。Bk。I。ch。15。Bk。IIch。l。2。

3and5。SeealsotheEpitomeatthoendofeachwork,particularlythewordsProductiveServices,ChargesofProduction,Revenues,Profit,Value。

10。Malthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,page351。

11。Afarmerwhosellsasackofwheatfor30francs,andbuysapieceofcalicofor30francs,doeshenotexchangehiswheatforthecloth?andthemanufacturerwhobuysasackofwheatfor30francs,thepriceofhispieceofcloth,doeshenotexchangehisclothforasackofwheat?

12。ThatImaynotbeaccusedofhavingpervertedtheestimableProfessor’smeaning,byendeavouringtocompressitandrenderitclearer,Ihavethoughtitrighttoannexanexacttranslationofhiswordsinanote。

\"Ifcommoditieswereonlytobecomparedandexchangedonewithanother,itwouldthenbetruethatiftheyincreasedinconvenientproportions,theymight,whateverwastheirincreasepreservethesamerelativevalue。

Butifwecomparethemasweought,withthenumberandwantsofconsumers,agreatincreaseofproductionwithastationarynumberofconsumers,andwantsreducedbyparsimony,wouldofnecessityoccasionagreatfallinthevalueoftheproductionsestimatedinlabor,sothatthesameproductionwhichcoststhesamelaborasheretoforecouldnolongerpurchasethesamequantityofit。\"Page355。

\"Itissaidthataneffectivedemandisnothingmorethantheeffectivesupplywhichisproducedofoneccmmodityinexchangeforanother。Butisthisallthatisreallynecessarytoaneffectivedemand?

\"Althougheachofthecommoditiesmayhavecostinproducingit,thesameportionoflaborandcapital,andthattheoneisequivalenttotheother,stilltheymaybothbesoabundantasnottohecapableofpurchasingmorelaborthantheycost,oratleastbutverylittlemorethantheycost。

Inthiscasewouldthedemandbeeffective?Certainlynot。\"ibid。

13。AgreeablytotheEnglishexpression,Whentheydonotcommandthesamequantityoflaborasbefore。

14。ThisdemonstrationbythebyecompletelyruinsanassertionofMr。Malthusthatalowpriceisalwaysattheexpenceofprofit,(page370)andconsequentlyruinsallthereasoningroundeduponthatbasis。ThesamedemonstrationisequallyfataltoallthatpartofMr。Ricardo’sdoctrineinwhichheflattershimselftohaveestablished,thatthecostofproduction,andnottheproportionofthesupplytothedemand,regulatesthepriceofproductions。Heidentifiesthecostofproductionswiththeproductions,whilsttheyareopposite,andtheformerarethelessinproportionasthelatteraremoreabundant。

15。Somepersonsimaginethat,whenacapitalisemployedinanenterprise,thatportionofitwhichisdevotedtothepurchaseofthefirstmaterialsisnotemployedinthepurchaseofproductiveservices。

Thisisanerror。Thefirstmaterialsthemselvesareaproducewhichhavenoothervaluewhichhaspreviouslybeenspreadbytheproductiveserviceswhichhavemadeaproduceandavalueofthem。Whenthefirstmaterialsareofnovaluetheyemploynopartofthecapital。Whentheymustbepaidfor,thispaymentisnootherthanthereimbursementoftheproductiveserviceswhichhavegiventhemtheirvalue。

16。Theprofitswhichanenterprisermakesofhisenterprise,arethesalaryofthelaborandtalentshehasemployedinit。Hecarriesonthisenterprisenolongerthanthissalaryissuchthathecouldnothopeforabetterinanotherenterprise。Heisoneofthenecessaryproducers,andhisprofitsarepartofthenecessaryexpensesofproduction。

17。ThiscaseismuchmorefrequentinFrancethaninEngland,wheretherateoftheprofitsofindustryandtheinterestofcapitalaretoolowintheordinaryoccupationsofindustryfortheformertomaintainafamily,thathasnocapital。

18。Whatanaccumulationofproductions。WhataprodigiousventaccordingtoMr。Say,saysMr。Malthus,wouldsuchaneventopen。Thelearnedprofessortotallymistakesinthiscasethemeaningofthewordaccumulation;anaccumulationisnotanon—consumptionitisthesubstitutionofareproductiveforanunproductiveconsumption。BesidesIdidnotsaythataproducesavedwasaventopened。Isaidthataproducecreatedwasaventopenedforanotherproduce,andthatistruewhetherthevalueofitisspentunproductively,oraddedtothesavings,thatis,tothereproductiveexpenceswhichareproposedtobemade。

19。Itmustbeadmittedthatproducesavedyearlyisasregularlyconsumedasthatwhichisexpendedyearly,butthatitisconsumedbyotherpersons。Mr。Malthus’sPrinciplesofEconomy。

page31。

20。\"Whentherearemorecapitalsinacountrythanarewanted,torecommendsaving,iscontrarytoeveryprincipleofPoliticalEconomy。Itislikerecommendingmarriagestoapeopledyingofhunger。\"PrinciplesdPoliticalEconomy,page495。

21。TheprincipalobstaclestoagriculturalimprovementsinFrance,areinthefirstplacetheresidenceofrichproprietorsandlargecapitalistsinthetownsandparticularlyinanimmensecapital:

theycannottakeaccountofamendmentsinwhichtheymightemploytheirlands:andtheycannotinspecttheemploymentofthemsothatitmaybefollowedwithacorrespondingincreaseofincome。Inthesecondplace,itwouldbeinvainthatanycantonintheheartofthecountryshoulddoubleitsproductions,foritearscarcelygetridofwhatitalreadyproduces,forwantofgoodroadsintheneighbourhoodandforwantofindustrioustownswithinreach。Industrioustownsconsumeruralproductions,andmanufactureinexchangemanufacturalproductions,whichcontaininggreatervalueinlesscompass,canbetransmittedtoagreaterdistance。ThisisthechiefobstacletotheincreaseofFrenchagriculture。Smallandnumerousnavigationcanals,roadsingoodcondition,wouldincreasethevalueofruralproductions。

Buttoaccomplishthis。localadministrationchosenbytheinhabitants,whoseonlycareshouldbethegoodoftheneighbourhood,wouldbenecessary。

Thepossibilityofventexists,butallthatmaybedonetobenefitbyitisnotdone。Managersintheinterestofthecentralauthorityalmostallbecomepoliticalorfinancial’agents,orwhatisstillworsepolice—agents。

22。TravelsinFrance,vol。2,page98,Engl。

Edition。

23。Thissuppositionisveryadmissible,forinEnglandthreepartsofthepopulationliveintowns。andconsequentlyarenotemployedincountrylabors。Acountrythereforewhichfeeds60millioninhabitants。maybeverywellcultivateby15millioncultivators。thenumberwhichiscomputedinFranceatthepresentday。

24。Themeanswehaveofattaining,aretheprofitswhicheveryoneobtainsfromhisindustry,hiscapital。andland。Consumers,whohaveneitherindustry,norcapital,norland,spendwhattheytakeawayfromtheprofitoftheformer。Ineveryeaseeachpersonhasanincomewhichhasalimit。andalthoughthosepersonswhohaveaverylargeincomecansacrificelargesumsofmoneyforverytriflingpleasures,stillitmaybeconceivedthedearerthepleasurethelessitissoughtafter。

25。Ifhediminishesthequality,itisthesameasifheraisedtheprice。

26。NewPrinciples,bookiv。chap。4。

27。Theworkmancanonlycontinuetoworksolongashecansubsistbyhislabor;andwhenhissubsistenceistoodear,itisnotconvenienttoanyenterprisertoemployhim。Thenitmaybesaid,inPoliticalEconomy。thattheworkmannolonger。supplieshisproductivelabor,althoughheoffersitwithgreatearnestness;butthisofferisnotacceptableontheonlydurableconditionsonwhichitcanbeperformed。

28。Mr。Ricardopretendsthatinspiteoftaxesandotherobstructions,thereisalwaysasmuchindustryascapitalemployedandthatallcapitalssavedarestillemployedbecausecapitalistswillnotlosetheinterest。Thereare,onthecontrary,manysavingsunemployedonaccountofthedifficultyinemployingthem,orbeingemployedarelostinconsequenceofbadmanagement。Besides,Mr。Ricardoiscontradictedbywhathappenedtousin1813,whenthefaultsofthegovernmentruinedallcommerce,andwheninterestofmoneyfellsolow,forwantofgoodopportunitiesofemployingit——andbywhatishappeningtousatthismomentinwhichthecapitalssleepatthebottomofthecoffersofcapitalists。

——TheBankofFrancealonehas223millionsinspecieinitscoffers;

asum。morethandoubletheamountofthenotesincirculation,andsixtimesgreaterthanprudencewarrantstobekeptforcasualpayments。

29。SeethereportuponthesituationofFrance,madein1813,bythethenMinisteroftheInterior。Hewasinterestedindisguisingthisdeclineofcommerce30。Humbolt’sEssayonNewSpain,vol。iii,page183。

31。SeeMalthus’sEssayonPopulation,bookii,chap。11,oftheFrenchtranslation,andchap。13ofthe5thEnglishedition。

32。MrMalthus,stillconvincedthatthereareclasseswhorenderservicetosocietysimplybyconsumingwithoutproducing,wouldconsideritamisfortuneifthewholeoragreatpartoftheEnglishnationaldebtwerepaidoff。Thiscircumstancewould,onthecontrary,inmyopinionbeveryfavorableforEngland,becausetheresultwouldbethatthestock—holder,beingpaidoff,wouldobtainsomeincomefromtheircapitals。Thatthosewhopaytaxeswouldthemselvesspendthe40millionssterlingwhichtheynowpaytothecreditorsoftheState。Thatthe40millionoftaxesbeingtakenoff,allproductionswouldbecheaper,andtheconsumptionwouldconsiderablyincrease;thatitwouldgiveworktothelaborer,inplaceofsabrecuts,whicharenowdealtouttothem;andIconfessthattheseconsequencesdonotappeartomeofanaturetoterrifythefriendsofpublicwelfare。

33。Page498。

34。Themanufacturedlaborswhichanewstatecanperformtothegreatest。advantage,areingeneralthoseofpreparingmatterfromitsroughstate,orinexpensivecommerce。ItisnotprobablethattheUnitedStateswilleverfurnishEuropewithcloth,buttheywillperhapsfurnishitwithmanufacturedtobacco,andrefinedsugar:andwhoknowsthattheywillnotsucceedinestablishingcottonmanufactoriesatacheaperratethanEngland?

35。ConsiderationsonthePolicyofEntails,page14。

36。\"Whenamachineisinvented,whichbysavingmanuallaborbringsthecommoditiestoalowerpricetheordinaryeffectisanincreaseinthedemand,sothatthetotalvalueofthequantityofcommoditiesthusmadefarexceedsthetotalformervalueofthesamecommodities;

wherebythenumberofworkmenemployedinthemanufactureisincreasedratherthandiminished。\"Malthus’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,page402。

\"Butwemustadmitthattheprincipaladvantagearisingfromthesubstitutionofmachinesformanuallabor。dependsupontheextentofthesale。andtheencouragementwhichresultsfromitforconsumption,andthatwithoutthistheadvantageofthissubstitutionisallbutlost。\"Page412。

37。NewPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,vol。2,page317。

38。Book1。Chap。4。

39。\"Itisthereforeevidentthatthevalueofcommodities,thatis,thesacrificeinlabororinanyotherarticlewhichpersonsconsenttomaketoobtaintheminexchange,\"etc。Malthus’PrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy。page341。EnglishEdition。

40。SeetheNotesaddedbymetotheFrenchTranslationbyM。Constance,ofMr。Ricardo’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy。

41。Mr。Ricardo’sPrinciplesofPoliticalEconomy,2d。EnglishEdition。chap。20。