The Querist | Page 5

been may not be?
31. Qu. What makes a wealthy people? Whether mines of gold and
silver are capable of doing this? And whether the negroes, amidst the
gold sands of Afric, are not poor and destitute?
32. Qu. Whether there be any vertue in gold or silver, other than as they
set people at work, or create industry?
33. Qu. Whether it be not the opinion or will of the people, exciting
them to industry, that truly enricheth a nation? And whether this doth

not principally depend on the means for counting, transferring, and
preserving power, that is, property of all kinds?
34. Qu. Whether if there was no silver or gold in the kingdom, our
trade might not, nevertheless, supply bills of exchange, sufficient to
answer the demands of absentees in England or elsewhere?
35. Qu. Whether current bank notes may not be deemed money? And
whether they are not actually the greater part of the money of this
kingdom?
36. Qu. Provided the wheels move, whether it is not the same thing, as
to the effect of the machine, be this done by the force of wind, or water,
or animals?
37. Qu. Whether power to command the industry of others be not real
wealth? And whether money be not in truth tickets or tokens for
conveying and recording such power, and whether it be of great
consequence what materials the tickets are made of?
38. Qu. Whether trade, either foreign or domestic, be in truth any more
than this commerce of industry?
39. Qu. Whether to promote, transfer, and secure this commerce, and
this property in human labour, or, in other words, this power, be not the
sole means of enriching a people, and how far this may be done
independently of gold and silver?
40. Qu. Whether it were not wrong to suppose land itself to be wealth?
And whether the industry of the people is not first to be consider'd, as
that which constitutes wealth, which makes even land and silver to be
wealth, neither of which would have, any value but as means and
motives to industry?
41. Qu. Whether in the wastes of America a man might not possess
twenty miles square of land, and yet want his dinner, or a coat to his
back?

42. Qu. Whether a fertile land, and the industry of its inhabitants,
would not prove inexhaustible funds of real wealth, be the counters for
conveying and recording thereof what you will, paper, gold, or silver?
43. Qu. Whether a single hint be sufficient to overcome a prejudice?
And whether even obvious truths will not sometimes bear repeating?
44. Qu. Whether, if human labour be the true source of wealth, it doth
not follow that idleness should of all things be discouraged in a wise
State?
45. Qu. Whether even gold or silver, if they should lessen the industry
of its inhabitants, would not be ruinous to a country? And whether
Spain be not an instance of this?
46. Qu. Whether the opinion of men, and their industry consequent
thereupon, be not the true wealth of Holland and not the silver
supposed to be deposited in the bank at Amsterdam?
47. Qu. Whether there is in truth any such treasure lying dead? And
whether it be of great consequence to the public that it should be real
rather than notional?
48. Qu. Whether in order to understand the true nature of wealth and
commerce, it would not be right to consider a ship's crew cast upon a
desert island, and by degrees forming themselves to business and civil
life, while industry begot credit, and credit moved to industry?
49. Qu. Whether such men would not all set themselves to work?
Whether they would not subsist by the mutual participation of each
other's industry? Whether, when one man had in his way procured more
than he could consume, he would not exchange his superfluities to
supply his wants? Whether this must not produce credit? Whether, to
facilitate these conveyances, to record and circulate this credit, they
would not soon agree on certain tallies, tokens, tickets, or counters?
50. Qu. Whether reflection in the better sort might not soon remedy our
evils? And whether our real defect be not a wrong way of thinking?

51. Qu. Whether it would not be an unhappy turn in our gentlemen, if
they should take more thought to create an interest to themselves in this
or that county, or borough, than to promote the real interest of their
country?
52. Qu. Whether it be not a bull to call that making an interest, whereby
a man spendeth much and gaineth nothing?
53. Qu. Whether if a man builds a house he doth not in the first place
provide a plan which governs his work? And shall the