194 Of Coj^n-Lmvs. Bk. iii. 



of great scarcity; while the medium produce he es- 

 timates at five septiers the arpent.* These calcu- 

 lations he conceives are not far removed from the 

 truth ; and proceeding on these grounds he ob- 

 serves that, in a very abundant year, the produce 

 will be five months above its ordinary consumption, 

 and in a very scarce year as much below. These 

 variations are, I should think, much greater than 

 those which take place in this country, at least if 

 we may judge from prices, particularly as in a 

 given degree of scarcity in the two countries there 

 is little doubt that, from the superior riches of 

 England, and the extensive parish relief which it 

 affords to the poorer classes in times of dearth, its 

 prices would rise more above the usual average 

 than those of France. 



If we look to the prices of wheat in Spain 

 during the same period, we shall find, in like 

 manner, much greater variations than in England. 

 In a table of the prices of the fanega of wheat in 

 the market of Seville from 1675 to 1764 inclusive, 

 published in the Appendix to the Bullion Report,t 

 the highest price is 48 reals vellon (in 1677), and 

 the lowest price 7 reals vellon (in 1720), a differ- 

 ence of nearly seven times ; and in periods of ten 

 or twelve years the difference is, in two or three 

 instances, as much as four times. In another table, 

 from 1788 to 1792 inclusive, relating to the towns 

 of Old Castille, the highest price in 1790 was 109 



* CEuvres de Turgot, torn. vi. p. 143. Edit. 180S. 

 t Appendix, p. 182. 



