: "Nothingwhichnaturesuppliestomanwithouthislabouriswealth" (p.28).Wealthconsistsof "naturalsubstancesorproductswhichhavebeenadaptedbyhumanlabourtohumanuseorgratification, theirvaluedependingupontheamountoflabourwhich, upontheaverage, wouldberequiredtoproducethingsoflikekind" (p.27).Thefollowingexamplesofwealtharegiven:—
..."Buildings, cattle, tools, machinery, agriculturalandmineralproducts, manufacturedgoods, ships,waggons, furniture, andthelike" (p.27).
Itakeitthatnativemetals, coalandbrickclay,are "mineralproducts"; andIquitebelievethattheyareproperlytermed "wealth." Butwhenaseamofcoalcropsoutatthesurface, andlumpsofcoalaretobehadforthepickingup; orwhennativecopperliesaboutinnuggets, orwhenbrickclayformsasuperficialstratum, itappearstomethatthesethingsaresuppliedto, nayalmostthrustupon, , therefore,theyarenot "wealth." Accordingtotheenumeration,however, theyare "wealth": "ProgressandPoverty" reallysuggestthatacoalseamwhichcropsoutatthesurfaceisnotwealth; butthatifsomebodybreaksoffapieceandcarriesitaway, thebestowalofthisamountoflabouruponthatparticularlumpmakesitwealth; whiletherestremains "notwealth"? Thenotionthatthevalueofathingbearsanynecessaryrelationtotheamountoflabour (averageorotherwise) bestoweduponit, -pansconfersnovalueuponthemintheeyesofaGold-Coastnegro; norwouldanEsquimauxgiveasliceofblubberforthemostelaborateofice-machines.
