Item 41 - Richard Jones to William Whewell

4 pp.

RJ will soon send WW his refutation of McCulloch's assertions [J. R. McCulloch, 'Review of An Essay on the Distribution of Wealth and on the Sources of Taxation By the Rev. Richard Jones', Edinburgh Review, 1831] - 'which will shew distinctly what even you will be surprised at the impudent mendacity of almost all Macs assertions more especially as to Ricardo's not meaning to treat of any other than farmers rents'. The use of the Politor [or Politar] in the review 'was a desperate one and the result of my examination in the establishment of a very curious coincidence between the proportion of the crops paid to the harvest laborer in Cato's time and country and our own'. RJ is confident that WW 'will live to see your foster child the book ['An Essay on the Distribution of Wealth and on the Sources of Taxation', 1831] acknowledged to contain new and useful truths although I begin to see that they are not the most popular commodities to deal in'. The lower classes in RJ's area 'are not in a comfortable state fires have begun again but we have still a good chance they say of a quieter winter than the last - if cowardice and submission can make any people safe we are so - our Tory squires are taking the chair at reform meetings and one of their order moved some resolutions to the rabble of Sevenoaks a few days ago in favour of the Bill who confessed to me yesterday that he had never read it and clearly knew little of it and liked less what we told him - such men will force the rabble uppermost before they themselves must sink'.