Ch. xii. Resti^ictions upon Importation. 199 



might unquestionably be able not only to support 

 from its own agricultural resources its present 

 population, but double, and in time, perhaps, even 

 treble the number ; and consequently a restric- 

 tion upon the importation of foreign corn, which 

 might be thought greatly objectionable in a country 

 which had reached nearly the end of its resources, 

 might appear in a very different light in a country 

 capable of supporting from its own lands a very 

 great increase of population. 



But it will be said, that although a country 

 may be allowed to be capable of maintaining from 

 its own soil not only a great, but an increasing 

 population, yet, if it be acknowledged that, by 

 opening its ports for the free admission of foreign 

 corn, it may be made to support a greater and 

 more rapidly increasing population, it is unjusti- 

 fiable to go out of our way to check this tendency, 

 and to prevent that degree of wealth and popula- 

 tion which would naturally take place. 



This is unquestionably a powerful argument ; and 

 granting fully the premises, it cannot be answered 

 upon the principles of political economy solely. 

 I should say, however, that if it could be clearly 

 ascertained that the addition of wealth and popu- 

 lation so acquired would subject the society to a 

 greater degree of uncertainty in its supplies of corn, 

 greater fluctuations in the wages of labour, greater 

 unhealthiness and immorality owing to a larger 

 proportion of the population being employed in 

 manufactories, and a greater chance of long and 

 depressing retrograde movements occasioned by 

 the natural progress of those countries from which 



