THE WEALTH OF NATION'S.

825

Spain is said to have become so. The different taxes whichin Great Britain have in the course of the present centurybeen imposed upon spirituous liquors, are not supposed tohave any effect upon the wages of labour. The rise in theprice of porter, occasioned by an additional tax of threeshillings upon the barrel of strong beer, has not raised thewages of common labour in London . These were abouteighteen-pence and twenty-pence a day before the tax, andthey are not more now.

The high price of such commodities does not necessarilydiminish the ability of the inferior ranks of people to bringup families. Upon the sober and industrious poor, taxesupon such commodities act as sumptuary laws, and disposethem either to moderate, or to refrain altogether from theuse of superfluities which they can no longer easily afford.Their ability to bring up families, in consequence of thisforced frugality, instead of being diminished, is frequently,perhaps, increased by the tax. It is the sober and industri-ous poor who generally bring up the most numerous fami-lies, and who principally supply the demand for useful la-bour. All the poor indeed are not sober and industrious,and the dissolute and disorderly might continue to indulgethemselves in the use of such commodities after this rise ofprice in the same maimer as before; without regarding thedistress which this indulgence might bring upon their fa-milies. Such disorderly persons, however, seldom rear upnumerous families ; their children generally perishing fromneglect, mismanagement, and the scantiness or unwhole-someness of their food. If by the strength of their consti-tution they survive the hardships to which the bad conductof their parents exposes them ; yet the example of that badconduct commonly corrupts their morals ; so that, instead ofbeing useful to society by their industry, they become publicnuisances by their vices and disorders. Though the advancedprice of the luxuries of the poor, therefore, might increasesomewhat the distress of such disorderly families, and there-by diminish somewhat their ability to bring up children; itwould not probably diminish much the useful population ofthe country.

Any rise in the average price of necessaries, unless it iscompensated by a proportionable rise in the wages of labourm ust necessarily diminish more or less the ability of thepoor to bring up numerous families, and consequently to

3 o