Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/791

 REVIEWS 769 that Gabaglio has written the best treatise which in any lansuage has as yet appeared on the subject. It would be unfair to close this reference to Italian economists without mentioning Cossa, whose life's labour has been spent in teach- ing scholars how to do sincere and conscientious work, and whose own scientific work will only be .rightly appreciated when he shall have published the historical studies at which he is working since twenty years. His Manual of Political Economy and Finance and his Cru/de- book to the St,uly of Political Economy are only chips from his workshop. M]. PANTALEONI. Principles of Political Economy and Taxation, by DAVID RICAOO. Edited, with Introductory Essay, Notes, scud Appendices, by E. C.. K. GONNWR, M.A. London: George Bell and Sons, 1891. TE notion that Ricardo was a peculiarly systematic, exact, and logical writer, transforming political economy into a ' science of regular proportions,' and for the first time establishing it upon 'an eternal basis,' may now be ranked amongst exploded fallacies. He recognised certain fundamental economic truths more clearly than they had ever been recognised before, and he traced out with singular ingenuity and subtlety many unexpected consequences resulting from them. In particular he knew how to do one thing at a time. He showed how certain great economic forces could be isolated and their consequences deduced on the supposition that disturbing causes were absent; and he thus demonstrated by example the important part that the method of abstraction could play in economic reasonings. His object, as he himself expressed it in one of his letters to Malthus, was to ' elucidate principles,' and to do this he 'imagined strong cases,' that he 'might show the operation of those principles.' Nevertheless his method was not free from grave faults, and he was very far indeed from presenting to the world a complete or logically perfect system. His materials are.ill arranged, his modes of expression are often so careless as readily to lend themselves to misinterpretation, and he constantly assumes without due warrant that conditions and qualifications present to his own mind will also as a matter of course be present to the minds of his readers. Hence it follows that the study of his works may be facilitated more than is usually the case by the aid of a judicious and sympathetic editor. The edition of the Principles of Political Ecowm.t/ and Taxation, which is the subject of the present notice, is, however, so far as we are aware, the first that has appeared with notes for the use of students. Mr. Gonner has thus supplied a distinct want, and by contributing towards a better understanding of Ricardian economics has done a very useful piece of work. Besides critical and explanatory footnotes and appendices the No. 4.--VOL. I. 3 