Ch. xii. Restrictiotis ii'pon Importat'mi. 193 



the British isles, owing to the nature of their soil 

 and climate, are peculiarly free from great varia- 

 tions in their annual produce of grain. If we com- 

 pare the prices of corn in England and France 

 from the period of the commencement of the Eton 

 tables to the beginning of the revolutionary war, 

 we shall find that in England the highest price of 

 the quarter of wheat of 8 bushels during the whole 

 of that time was 3/. 15^. Q^d. (in 1648), and the 

 lowest price 1/. 2^. \d. (in 1743), while in France 

 the highest price of the septier was 62 francs 78 

 centimes (in 1662), and the lowest price 8 francs 

 89 centimes (in 1718).* In the one case the dif- 

 ference is a little above 3^ times, and in the other 

 very nearly 7 times. In the English tables, during 

 periods of ten or twelve years, only two instances 

 occur of a variation amounting to as much as 3 

 times ; in the French tables, during periods of the 

 same length, one instance occurs of a variation of 

 4 times or above. These variations may, perhaps, 

 have been aggravated by a want of freedom in the 

 internal trade of corn, but they are strongly con- 

 firmed by the calculations of Turgot, which relate 

 solely to variations of produce, without reference 

 to any difficulties or obstructions in its free trans- 

 port from one part of the country to another. 



On land of an average quality he estimates the 

 produce at seven septiers the arpent in years of great 

 abundance ; and three septiers the arpent in years 



* Gai-nier's edition of the Wealth of Nations, vol. ii. table, 

 p. 188. 



VOL. II. O 



