1492. on manufactures and agriculture. 21% 
present summer ; vz. the unusual price of meat in 
England. Never were manufactures known to be in 
such a prospstous state in Britain as at present;— 
never were wages so high ;—never could operative 
manufacturers earn near so much money ;—never 
of course could they afford to purchase so many 
delicacies in the way of food :—greater therefore was 
the demand for fie joints of meat than ever; and 
as the quantity to be brought to market, could not’ 
keep pace with the demand, the necefsary conse- 
quence was a rise of price. This rise of price will of 
course induce the farmer to raise a greater quantity 
of these articles im future; more ground will thus 
be abstracted from the plough; lefs produce will be 
obtained from the soil ; and our dependence on fo- 
reign countries for food must Re proportionally aug. 
mented. 
In this way does an undue demand for manufac- 
tures necefsarily induce a kind of temporary pros- 
perity, which excites a spirit of wantonnefs, that 
tends to sap the foundations of the stable ptosperi- 
ty of astate. Tlie first consequence of this extra- 
ordinary spirit is wealth to all. The zext is the 
‘deterioration of the soil; for I call every thing a 
deterioration that diminifhes the grots produce of the 
fields. A third consequence is the diminution of la- 
bour; for when men can earn much more than will 
furnifh for their daily subsistence, they abandon 
their work at pleasure; a consequence of this is a 
want of hands, and an increase of wages in every 
case. A rise in the price of every article of ne- 
cefsary consumption is then unavoidable. Hence, 
