The natural tendency of profits then is to fall; for, in the progress of society and wealth, the additional quantity of food required is obtained by the sacrifice of more and more labour. This tendency, this gravitation as it were of profits, is happily checked at repeated intervals by the improvements in machinery, connected with the production of necessaries, as well as by discoveries in the science of agriculture which enable us to relinquish a portion of labour before required, and therefore to lower the price of the prime necessary of the labourer. The rise in the price of necessaries and in the wages of labour is however limited; for as soon as wages should be equal (as in the case formerly stated) to 720_l._, the whole receipts of the farmer, there must be an end of accumulation; for no capital can then yield any profit whatever, and no additional labour can be demanded, and consequently population will have reached its highest point. Long indeed before this period, the very low rate of profits will have arrested all accumulation, and almost the whole produce of the country, after paying the labourers, will be the property of the owners of land and the receivers of tithes and taxes. Thus, taking the former very imperfect basis as the grounds of my calculation, it would appear that when corn was at 20_l._ per quarter, the whole net income of the country would belong to the landlords, for then the same quantity of labour that was originally necessary to produce 180 quarters, would be necessary to produce 36; since 20_l._ : 4_l._ :: 180 : 36. The farmer then, who originally produced 180 quarters, (if any such there were, for the old and new capital employed on the land would be so blended, that it could in no way be distinguished,) would sell the 180 qrs. at 20_l._ per qr. or L3600 the value of 144 qrs. {to landlord for rent, being the } --- {difference between 36 and 180 qrs.} 2880 36 qrs. 720 the value of 36 qrs. to labourers ten in number 720 --- leaving nothing whatever for profit. At this price of 20_l._ the labourers would continue to consume three quarters each per annum or L60 And on other commodities they would expend 12 -- 72 for each labourer. -- And therefore ten labourers would cost 720_l._ per annum.