t complaints of that nature. These have proceeded
not from individuals merely, but from associations of ten or twelve,
who, after working for some time, have not reaped the ordinary profits
on their expenses; whereas, they were also entitled to expect high wages
for their labour, in addition to extravagant profits on their outlay.
Yet, suppose this to have been otherwise, what shadow of an argument can
be drawn from the case of those privileged few, who entered upon a
virgin harvest, applicable to the multitudes who will succeed to an
inheritance of ordinary labour, tried in all quarters of the globe, and
seldom indeed found to _terminate_ in any extra advantages?

FOOTNOTES:

[43] '_Century of Men_,'--It may be necessary to remind some readers
that this expression, to which I resort for want of any better or
briefer, is strictly correct. The original Latin word _centuria_ is a
collection of one hundred separate items, no matter what, whether men,
horses, ideas, etc. 'A Century of Sonnets' was properly taken as the
title of a book. 'A Century of Inventions' was adopted by Lord Worcester
as the title of _his_ book. And when we use the word century (as
generally we do) to indicate a certain duration of time, it is allowable
only on the understanding that it is an elliptical expression; the full
expression is _a century of years_.

[44] 'In that same proportion,' but in reality the profits would fall in
a much greater proportion. To illustrate this, suppose the existing
price of gold in Australia to be sixty shillings an oz. I assume the
price at random, as being a matter of no importance; but, in fact, I
understand that at Melbourne, and other places in the province of
Victoria, this really _is_ the ruling price at present. For some little
time the price was steady at fifty-seven shillings; that is, assuming
the mint price in England to be seventy-seven shillings (neglecting the
fraction of 10-1/2d.), and the Australian price sank by twenty
shillings; which sinking, however, we are not to understand as any
depreciation that had the character of permanence; it arose out of local
circumstances. Subsequently the price fell as low even as forty-five
shillings, where it halted, and soon ascended again to sixty shillings.
Sixty shillings therefore let us postulate as the present price. Upon
this sum descended the expenses of the miner. Let these, including
tools, machinery, etc., be assumed at three half-crowns for each ounce