72 Of Poor-Laics. Bk. iii. 



Such instances could not possibly have been uni- 

 versal, without raising the price of wheat very- 

 much higher than it really was during any part of 

 the dearth. But similar instances were by no 

 means unfrequent; and the system itself of mea- 

 suring the relief given by the price of grain was 

 general. 



If the circulation of the country had consisted 

 entirely of specie, which could not have been im- 

 mediately increased, it would have been impossi- 

 ble to have given such an additional sum as seven 

 millions to the poor witho#t embarrassing, to a 

 great degree, the operations of commerce. On 

 the commencement, therefore, of this extensive 

 rehef, which would necessarily occasion a pro- 

 portionate expenditure in provisions throughout 

 all the ranks of society, a great demand would 

 be felt for an increased circulating medium. The 

 nature of the medium then principally in use was 

 such, that it could be created immediately on de- 

 mand. From the accounts of the Bank of Eng- 

 land, as laid before Parliament, it appeared, that 

 no very great additional issues of paper took place 

 from this quarter. The three millions and a half 

 added to its former average issues were not 

 probably much above what was sufficient to 

 supply the quantity of specie that had been 

 withdrawn from the circulation. If this supposi- 

 tion be true, (and the small quantity of gold which 

 made its appearance at that time furnishes the 

 strongest reason for believing that nearly as much 

 as this must have been withdrawn,) it would fol- 

 low that the part of the circulation originating in 



