Pricewassimplydazzledbythegargantuandimensionsobtainedinageometricalprogression。Sincehetooknonoteoftheconditionsofreproductionandlabour，andregardedcapitalasaself-regulatingautomaton，asamerenumberthatincreasesitselfjustasMalthus[AnEssayonthePrincipleofPopulation，London，1798，pp。25-26——Ed]didwithrespecttopopulationinhisgeometricalprogression，hewasstruckbythethoughtthathehadfoundthelawofitsgrowthintheformulas=c1in，inwhichs=thesumofcapitalcompoundinterest，c=
advancedcapital，i=rateofinterestexpressedinaliquotpartsof100
andnstandsforthenumberofyearsinwhichthisprocesstakesplace。
PitttakesDr。Price’smystificationquiteseriously。In1786theHouseofCommonshadresolvedtoraise£；1millionforthepublicweal。
AccordingtoPrice，inwhomPittbelieved，therewas，ofcourse，nobetterwaythantotaxthepeople，soasto”accumulate”thissumafterraisingit，andthustospiritawaythenationaldebtthroughthemysteryofcompoundinterest。TheaboveresolutionoftheHouseofCommonswassoonfollowedupbyPittwithalawwhichorderedtheaccumulationof£；250，000，”until，withtheexpiredannuities，thefundshouldhavegrownto£；4，000，000