INTRODUCTION

Amongst the Malthus papers there are 17 pages of manuscript in the form of three letters to David Ricardo subsequent to the publication of the third edition (1821) of his On the Principles of Political Economy and Taxation. However, their form and tone indicate that they were probably intended not as letters to be delivered through the post, but as letters for publication, in the conventional literary genre used, for example, by J.-B. Say in his Lettres á M. Malthus, 1820.

The authorship and date of the three letters are uncertain. They are not in Malthus' hand. The handwriting is almost certainly that of John Cazenove, a friend and supporter of Malthus; but the letters include a number of insertions, some of which appear to be in a different hand, which might be that of Malthus. The paucity and brevity of the insertions make it difficult to be certain.

The content of the letters does not lead to any definite conclusion concerning their authorship. Malthus and Cazenove held similar views on many issues, particularly in their criticisms of Ricardo. The views expressed in these three letters are not entirely clear, but they do not appear to be inconsistent with Malthus' writings.