There was then a complaint, not only in Europe but also in America, Hindoostan, South Africa and Australia, of the unsaleableness of goods, overfull stores, etc.; but this, when more closely examined, was found to be true only of manufactured articles and raw material, of clothing and objects of luxury; while the coarser means of subsistence found an excellent market, and were sold even at the highest prices. Hence, in this case, there was by no means any such thing as over-production. The trouble was that in the cultivation of corn and other similar products, too little was produced. There was a bad harvest even in 1816. The most important authorities in favor of the possibility of a general glut are _Sismondi_, N. Principes, IV, ch. 4, and in the Revue encyclopédique, Mai, 1824: Sur la Balance des Consommations avec les Productions. Opposed by Say in the same periodical (Juilliet, 1824); where the controversy was afterwards reopened in June and July, 1827, by _Sismondi_ and _Dunoyer_. Compare Etudes, vol. I; _Ganilh_, Théorie, II, 348 ff.; _Malthus_, Principles, II, ch. 1, 8. Compare _Rau_, _Malthus_ and Say, über die Ursachen der jetzigen Handelsstockung, 1821. _Malthus'_ views were surpassed by _Chalmers_, On Political Economy in Connexion with the moral State of Society, 1832. But even _Malthus_ himself in his Definitions, ch. 10, No. 55, later, so defined a "general glut" that there could be no longer question of his holding to its universality. For an impartial criticism, see especially _Hermann_, Staatsw. Untersuchungen, 251, and _M. Chevalier_, Cours, 1, Leçon, 3.] SECTION CCXVII. COMMERCIAL CRISES IN GENERAL. All these allegations are undoubtedly true, in so far as the whole world is considered one great economic system, and the aggregate of all goods, including the medium of circulation, is borne in mind. The consolation which might otherwise lie herein is made indeed to some extent unrealizable by these conditions. It must not be forgotten in practice that men are actuated by other motives than that of consuming as much as possible.[217-1] As men are constituted, the full consciousness of this possibility is not always found in connection with the mere power to do, to say nothing of the will to do.[217-2] There are, everywhere, certain consumption-customs corresponding with the distribution of the national income. Every great and sudden change in the latter is therefore wont to produce a great glut of the market.[217-3] The party who in such case wins, is not wont to extend his consumption as rapidly as the loser has to curtail his; partly for the reason that the former cannot calculate his profit as accurately as the latter can his loss.[217-4]