It is as if this period had found Fortunatus’ purse. But of all countries England again furnishes the classical example, because it holds the foremost place in the world-market, because capitalist production is here alone completely developed, and lastly, because the introduction of the Free Trade millennium since 1846 has cut off the last retreat of vulgar economy. The titanic advance of production—the latter half of the 20 years period again far surpassing the former—has been already pointed out sufficiently in Part IV.
Although the absolute increase of the English population in the last half century was very great, the relative increase or rate of growth fell constantly, as the following table borrowed from the census shows.
Annual increase per cent. of the population of England and Wales in decimal numbers:
| 1811-1821 | 1.533 per cent. |
| 1821-1831 | 1.446 per cent.„ |
| 1831-1841 | 1.326 per cent.„ |
| 1841-1851 | 1.216 per cent.„ |
| 1851-1861 | 1.141 per cent.„ |
Let us now, on the other hand, consider the increase of
wealth. Here the movement of profit, rent of land, &c., that
come under the income tax, furnishes the surest basis. The
increase of profits liable to income tax (farmers and some other
categories not included) in Great Britain from 1858 to 1864
amounted to 50.47% or 4.58% as the annual average,[1] that of
the population during the same period to about 1.2%. The
augmentation of the rent of land subject to taxation (including
houses, railways, mines, fisheries, &c.), amounted for 1853 to
1864 to 38% or 3511% annually. Under this head the following
categories show the greatest increase:
| Houses, 38.60% | 3.50% |
| Quarries, 84.76% | 7.70% |
| Mines, 68.85% | 6.26 % |
- ↑ Tenth Report of the Commissioners of H.M. Inland Revenue. Lond. 1866, p. 38.
