| OCR Text |
Show OF TilE RENT OF LAND. [en. Iri; and the quantity of corn obtained fr~~11 it; that consequently, the great increase of wealth could . not take place without a great dep~ndence on the other nations for corn ; and that this dependence, under the circutnstances supposed, would be the natural sio·n and necessary consequence· of the in ... b . . creased \Vealth and population of the country n1 question. These I consider as tbe t~\To alternatives necessal'ily belono·ino· to a rrreat con1parative increase of b b b \vealth; and the supposition here 111ade vviH, \Vith proper allowances, apply to the state of Europe. In Europe, the expenses a~tending the ca:rriagc of corn are often considerable. They farm a natural harrier ta itnportation; and even the country? vvhich habitually depends upon foreign corn, must have the price of its ravv produce considerably higher than the general level. Practically, also; the prices of raw produce in the different countries· of Europe \Vill be variously n1odi:fiecl by very dif~· ferent soiis, very different degrees of taxation, and very different degrees of in1provement in the science of agriculture. Heavy taxation, and a poor soil, may occasion a high cornpaiative price of raw produce, or a considerable dependence on other countries, without great wealth and population ; while great in1proven1ents in agriculture and a good soil n1ay keep the price of produce Io,v, and the country independent of forejgn corn, in spite of considerable \Vealth. But the principles laid do\v~ are th_e general principles on the subject ; and 111 applying then1 to any particular case, the , EC. VI.] OF 1'lfE RENT Olj .LAND. 197 partjcular circun1stances of such case must al \\rays he taken into the consideration. With reo·ard to in1provcn1cnts in aoTiculture, b w·hich in similar soils is the great cau e \Vhich retards the a{lvance of price compared \vith the advance of produce; although they are son1cti1nes most powerfl.ll, and of very considerable duration, they cannot finally be sufficient to balance the necessity of applying to poorer land, or inferior nlachines. In this respect, ra'v produce is es entially different fron1 tnanufactures. · The cost of manufactures, or the quantity of labour and capital necessary to produce a given quan-tity of then1, has a constant tendency to din inish ; \vhile the quantity of labour and capital ncc.es ary to procure the last addition \Vhich has been nJadc to the ra\v produce of a rich and advancing coun- . try, has a constant tendency to increase. vVe see in consequence, from the con1bined operation of the two causes, which have been stated in this section, that in spite of continued improve1nents in agriculture, the money price of corn is generally the highest in the richest countrjes; vvhile in spite of this high price of corn and consequent high price of labour, the n1oney price of n1an_ufactures still continues lo\ver than in poorer countnes. . I cannot then agree with Adan1 Smith, in thinkIng that the lo\v value of gold and silver is no proof of the \V.ealth and flourishing state of th~ .country .where it takes place. Nothing of course can be Inferred fi-on1 it, taken absolutely, except 0 3 |
