OF VALUE.

13

a way which implies, that when a rises or falls,
B remains stationary. If a, in consequence of
additional labour expended upon it, or any
other cause, were to increase in value relatively
to the mass of commodities, which may be
represented under the letters B ¢ p, it would be
said, by most economists, that Bc p had not
fallen, but remained stationary ; although they
would evidently have fallen, or become of less
value, in relation to a. The assertion of their
remaining stationary, can mean only stationary
to each other; and in this sense it is perfectly
correct, but the correctness of the language as
to B, ¢, or p individually, evidently depends
on the existence of some other commodity to
which its relation remains undisturbed. Were
there only two commodities in question, the
phrase “remaining stationary ” would be altogether
 erroneous; and when there are more
than two, when there are a number of commodities
 concerned, some of which have varied
in the circumstances of their production, while
others have undergone no change, this phraseology
 becomes destitute of all precision, and