146 History of the English Landed Interest. 



increase the supply of wlieat. Tlie primary object of the 

 bounties was to raise the rate of remuneration of the wheat 

 husbandmen at the expense of the consumer. Therefore we 

 find Young in this particular argument adopting a widespread 

 error, and asserting that the higher the price of provisions, the 

 greater the productive powers of labour.^ Economists evidenced 

 the Dutch in support of this untenable theory — a nation which, 

 though more heavily taxed, and paying higher prices for the 

 necessaries of life than the English, was able to undersell us 

 in our markets. " Their frugality and industry," Locke had 

 said, " were so great from the high cost of provisions, that they 

 could bu}^ our rape-seed, make it into oil, and sell it at a less 

 price than we could." " In order to advance the trade of 

 Ireland," said Sir W, Temple, " provisions must be rendered 

 so dear as to enforce general industry." " High taxes," said 

 De Witt, " promote invention, industry'', and frugality." Sir 

 William Petty, Sir Josiah Child, and many others held that 

 trade could never be greatly extended where the necessaries of 

 life were very cheap. To such theorists the so-called sweating- 

 system would have seemed a public benefit ; for, as Young- 

 argued, "workmen work to live; and if four days' earnings 

 are sufficient to maintain them six, they will be idle the re- 

 maining two." Ricardo's theory of values was greatly needed 

 here ; for it is certain that if Young could have been shown 

 the fallacy of this reasoning (which, after all, was not his 

 own), he would have protested against a doctrine of high 

 prices and artificially cheapened labour with as much indig- 

 nation as Thorold Rogers himself. 



But there were other problems attached to this controversy 

 regarding the importance of the national agriculture — land 

 even in France could be easily over-divided. If the whole 

 area of French soil were split up into the tiny lots described 

 earher in this chapter, as prevalent about the villages of the 

 wine districts, there would be no great vineyards, no hired 

 vine-labour required ; and therefore no funds available for 

 the purchase of extraneous wants. This fact would at first 

 .sight seem to divide the agricultural industrj^ under two dis- 

 ' Farmer'' H Letters, No. 1. 



