tionx.-^rolUical Economy. - 123 



But should these pillars be removed by ilie agency 

 of roan, be M ill, if he perishes not in the ruins, be 

 compelled to reconstruct the whole. 



Political economy, in short, seems to resolve itself 

 into an endeavour to trace the causes which tend to 

 create the oscillations of capital just adverted to, and 

 to apply a force which shall restore the equilibrium 

 of profits, or the rate of profits; which, by the natural 

 laws which affect the soil or supply of food, ought to 

 be obtaiiied. 



Hut political economy is one of the mast difficult of 

 sciences, because it is not purely an exact one, and be, 

 c;iu*e it imposes the task of exploring- the whole range 

 of human knowledge and intellect, the political and 

 moral, as well as the material world. Its grand prin- 

 ciples, even could thoy be demonstrated to be truths, 

 find many of them are valuable ones, can, in a great 

 wajorin of cases, be only deemed abstract truths, which 

 either become known too late to be of use or cannot 

 b- used, or when applied to the actual affairs of men 

 are apt, by a thousand causes, to be deflected from 

 their proper application. [f one were required to 

 cast ;i large stone down a chasm, he might or might 

 not have the power in the first instance to lift it. If he 

 had and did throw it in, then it would be a physical 

 truth that the stoue, if left to itself, would reach the 

 bottom, But in its descent it might he impeded by 

 jutting rocks, might rebound from side to side and 

 be perhaps arrested in some cavity ; or if it did reach 

 the bottom, a volcanic power might at once eject it 

 to its original site. 



Iu like manner, the true principles which, ifuiK 

 checked, would Yegu late the amount of national wealth, 

 are turned from, or retarded, or stopped in their na- 

 tural operation by the conflicting- currents of liu man 

 affairs, by various! political, moral, and mtelfectuaj 



