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Show INTRODUCTION. dental; that a very rich country may have its corn extremely dear, as we should naturally expect; and that importation in England has an1ounted to more than / 0 instead of 5 ~ 1 * part of the crop raised in the country ; and n1ay, therefore, essentially interfere with the hon1e growth. Aware, however, of my liability to this error on the one side, and to the error of not referring sufficiently to experience on the other, my aim will be to pursue, as far as I am able, a just mean between the t\VO extren1es, and to approach, as near I can, to t~e great object of my research-the truth. Many of the doctrines of Adam Smith, which had been considered as settled, have lately been called in question by 'vriters entitled to great attention; but they have often failed, as it appears to tne, to make good their objections; and in all such cases I have thought it desirable to examine anew, 'vith reference to such objections, the grounds on which his doctrines are founded. It has been tny wish ~o avoid giving to tny work a controversial air. Yet to free it entirely from controversy, while one of my professed objects is to discuss controverted opinions, and to try their truth by a ·reference to an enlarged experi-ence, is obviously not possible. There is one tnodern 'vork, in particular, of very high reputation, some of the fundamental principles of which have appeared to me, after the most mature deliberation, to be erroneous; and I should not have done jus- * Wealth of Nations, B. IV. c. ii. p. 190. 6th edit. • INTRODUCTION. 23 tice to the ability with \V hich it is \Vritten, to the high authority of the writer, and the interests of the science of which it treats, if it had not specifically engaged a considerable portion of tny attention. I allude to Mr. Ricardo's \.YOrk, " On the Principles of Political Economy and Ta~?/ation." I have so very high an opinion of Mr. Ricardo's talents as a political economist, and so entire a conviction of his perfect sincerity and love of truth, that I frankly own I have sornetin1es felt aln1ost staggered by his authority, \vhile I have remained unconvinced by his reasonings. I have thought that I rnust unaccountably have overlooked son1e essential points, either in n1y O\Vn vie\v of the subject, or in his ; and this kind of don bt has been the principal reason of n1y delay in publishing the present volume. But I shall hardly Le suspected of not thinking for rnyself on these subjects, or of not feeling such a degree of confidence in n1y O\V"n conclusions, after having taken full tin1c to forn1 then1, as to be afraid of subn1itting then1 to the decision of the public. ,.fo those \.Yho are not acquainted \Vith · 1VIr. Ricardo's work, and do not properly appreciate the ingenuity and consistency of the systc1n ,vhich it · maintains and developes ""~ ith so n1 uch a hili ty, I arn apprehensive that I shall appear to have fhvelt too long upon son1e of the points on \v.hich \¥e differ. But as they arc, for the most 1)art, of great irnportance both theoretically and practically, and as it appeared to 1ne ex trctnely desirable, w-ith a vie\v to the interests of the· science, that they c4 |