3 oo THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



States, which set in during the latter part of 1886, there heing no increase in 

 our exports to other countries. London Economist, April, 18S7. 



The octroi receipts of the city of Paris from taxes levied at the gates on ar- 

 ticles of food, coal, and building materials, which are the barometer of trade in 

 the metropolis, contrast unfavorably with hist year. Ibid. 



It is of interest to note how few, relatively, of the staples, raw materials or 

 finished products, have left the year 1886 with any special gain in price as com- 

 pared with one year or with two years ago, and it is even mere striking to enu- 

 merate the list of those which show actually no gain at all, or a loss in price. 

 BradstreeVs Journal, January, 1887. 



Wheat, oats, sugar, butter, tobacco, and petroleum were lower in price at the 

 close of 1886 than at the close of 1885. Corn, oats, pork, lard, and cotton were 

 lower at the close of 1886 than at the begining of 1885. Hid. 



The tables of the London " Economist " also represent but a very slight gain 

 in the index number representing the combined prices of twenty-two leading 

 commodities on the English market for the quarter ending March 31, 1887, as 

 compared with the corresponding quarter from the three preceding years, " the 

 gains being mostly articles not of first-class importance." 



It is almost unnecessary to say that a subject of such transcendent 

 importance, and affecting so intimately the material interests alike of 

 nations and individuals, has naturally attracted a great and continually 

 increasing attention throughout the whole civilized world, entailing 

 at least one notable result, namely, that of a large and varied contri- 

 bution to existing economic literature. Thus, State commissions for 

 inquiring into the phenomena under consideration have been instituted 

 by Great Britain, the United States, France, Italy, and the Dominion 

 of Canada, all of which have taken evidence and reported more or less 

 voluminously; the report of the Royal British Commission (1885-'&6), 

 comprising five folio volumes of an aggregate of about 1,800 pages; 

 and that. of Italy (1886), fifteen volumes with appendices; while the 

 books, pamphlets, magazine articles, and reviews on the same subject, 

 including investigations and discussions on collateral matters regarded 

 as elements or results of the economic problem (such as the wide-spread 

 ferment and discontent of labor, and the changes in the monetary func- 

 tions of gold and silver), which have emanated from individuals or 

 commissions, have been sufficiently numerous to constitute, if collected, 

 a not inconsiderable library. 



In all these investigations and discussions, the chief objective has 

 been the recognition or determination of causes ; and most naturally 

 and legitimately, inasmuch as it is clear that only through such rec- 

 ognitions and determinations can the atmosphere of mystery which 

 to a certain extent envelops the phenomena under consideration be 

 dispelled, and the way prepared for an intelligent discussion of rem- 

 edies. And on this point the opinions or conclusions expressed have 

 been widely and most curiously different. Nearly all investigators 

 are agreed that the wide-spread and long-continued "depression 

 of business " is referable not to one but a variety of causes, which 



