Item 27 - Richard Jones to William Whewell

4 pp.

RJ is pleased WW has 'finished me up' ['Review of An Essay on the Distribution of Wealth and the Sources of Taxation by the Revd Richard Jones', The British Critic, Quarterly Theological Review and Ecclesiastical Record, 1831]: 'I much wish if you can do it that you would slightly state that the argument drawn from landlords proportion is decisive against Ricardo on his own shewing but only probable in itself - the changed proportion of population is I think unassailable - indeed I feel sure - also where you state that the Irish starvation would not have taken place in metayer or serf countries and unless under very peculiar and rare circumstances for I have found a case and oddly enough of absentee landlords'. Could WW also state that RJ had only consulted McCulloch's first edition and was not probably aware of the second, since had he seen it he would have added a particular quotation. RJ will not send WW any classification of the population until he is less sure it is erroneous: 'Babbage could help us to the auxiliary manufacturing (one of the most difficult) but I little doubt his willingness - he is good humouredly but evidently thoroughly jealous of his discoveries - as if he had a power of making them as diminutive as it really is extraordinary and vast - he has thought and collected on that very point I suspect - by the bye he says I hear that he could fancy I was talking while he read the book ['An Essay on the Distribution of Wealth and on the Sources of Taxation', 1831] - the greatest compliment I hold that has been paid to its style yet'. Moreover he recognises 'the fruit and spirit of the undergraduate' concerns 'of the good old set in every page'. Does not WW think it comical that since he last wrote 'I have found out that a tenantry is forming in America - that it is not like the English or quite like any of the old forms but a fresh variety of the metayer [see RJ to WW, 7 March 1831] - what a lesson to guesses but then you know I did not set about guessing till I was twisted into it '.