list1-第13章

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foreigners　are　serviceable　and　welcome　to　communities　in　the　early



stages　of　their　civilisation；　so　long　as　their　agriculture　and



manufactures　still　remain　undeveloped。　Owing　to　want　of　capital　and



of　experienced　seamen；　they　are　willing　to　abandon　navigation　and



foreign　trade　to　other　nations。　Later　on；　however；　when　they　have



developed　their　producing　power　to　a　certain　point　and　acquired



skill　in　shipbuilding　and　navigation；　then　they　will　desire　to



extend　their　foreign　trade；　to　carry　it　on　in　their　own　ships；　and



become　a　naval　power　themselves。　Gradually　their　own　mercantile



marine　grows　to　such　a　degree　that　they　feel　themselves　in　a



position　to　exclude　the　foreigner　and　to　conduct　their　trade　to　the



most　distant　places　by　means　of　their　own　vessels。　Then　the　time



has　come　when；　by　means　of　restrictions　on　navigation；　a　nation　can



successfully　exclude　the　more　wealthy；　more　experienced；　and　more



powerful　foreigner　from　participation　in　the　profits　of　that



business。　When　the　highest　degree　of　progress　in　navigation　and



maritime　power　has　been　reached；　a　new　era　will　set　in；　no　doubt；



and　such　was　that　stage　of　advancement　which　Dr　Priestley　had　in



his　mind　when　he　wrote　'that　the　time　may　come　when　it　may　be　as



politic　to　repeal　this　Act　as　it　was　to　make　it。'（7*）



　　　　Then　it　is　that；　by　means　of　treaties　of　navigation　based　upon



equality　of　rights；　a　nation　can；　on　the　one　hand；　secure　undoubted



advantages　as　against　less　civilised　nations；　who　will　thus　be



debarred　from　introducing　restrictions　on　navigation　in　their　own



special　behalf；　while；　on　the　other　hand；　it　will　thereby　preserve



its　own　seafaring　population　from　sloth；　and　spur　them　on　to　keep



pace　with　other　countries　in　shipbuilding　and　in　the　art　of



navigation。　While　engaged　in　her　struggle　for　supremacy；　Venice　was



doubtless　greatly　indebted　to　her　policy　of　restrictions　on



navigation；　but　as　soon　as　she　had　acquired　supremacy　in　trade；



manufactures；　and　navigation；　it　was　folly　to　retain　them。　For



owing　to　them　she　was　left　behind　in　the　race；　both　as　respects



shipbuilding；　navigation；　and　seamanship　of　her　sailors；　with　other



maritime　and　commercial　nations　which　were　advancing　in　her



footsteps。　Thus　England　by　her　policy　increased　her　naval　power；



and　by　means　of　her　naval　power　enlarged　the　range　of　her



manufacturing　and　commercial　powers；　and　again；　by　the　latter；



there　accrued　to　her　fresh　accessions　of　maritime　strength　and　of



colonial　possessions。　Adam　Smith；　when　he　maintains　that　the



Navigation　Laws　have　not　been　beneficial　to　England　in　commercial



respects；　admits　that；　in　any　case；　these　laws　have　increased　her



power。　And　power　is　more　important　than　wealth。　That　is　indeed　the



fact。　Power　is　more　important　than　wealth。　And　why？　Simply　because



national　power　is　a　dynamic　force　by　which　new　productive　resources



are　opened　out；　and　because　the　forces　of　production　are　the　tree



on　which　wealth　grows；　and　because　the　tree　which　bears　the　fruit



is　of　greater　value　than　the　fruit　itself。　Power　is　of　more



importance　than　wealth　because　a　nation；　by　means　of　power；　is



enabled　not　only　to　open　up　new　productive　sources；　but　to　maintain



itself　in　possession　of　former　and　of　recently　acquired　wealth；　and



because　the　reverse　of　power　　namely；　feebleness　　leads　to　the



relinquishment　of　all　that　we　possess；　not　of　acquired　wealth



alone；　but　of　our　powers　of　production；　of　our　civilisation；　of　our



freedom；　nay；　even　of　our　national　independence；　into　the　hands　of



those　who　surpass　us　in　might；　as　is　abundantly　attested　by　the



history　of　the　Italian　republics；　of　the　Hanseatic　League；　of　the



Belgians；　the　Dutch；　the　Spaniards；　and　the　Portuguese。



　　　　But　how　came　it　that；　unmindful　of　this　law　of　alternating



action　and　reaction　between　political　power；　the　forces　of



production　and　wealth；　Adam　Smith　could　venture　to　contend　that　the



Methuen　Treaty　and　the　Act　of　Navigation　had　not　been　beneficial　to



England　from　a　commercial　point　of　view？　We　have　shown　how　England



by　the　policy　which　she　pursued　acquired　power；　and　by　her



political　power　gained　productive　power；　and　by　her　productive



power　gained　wealth。　Let　us　now　see　further　how；　as　a　result　of



this　policy；　power　has　been　added　to　power；　and　productive　forces



to　productive　forces。



　　　　England　has　got　into　her　possession　the　keys　of　every　sea；　and



placed　a　sentry　over　every　nation：　over　the　Germans；　Heligoland；



over　the　French；　Guernsey　and　Jersey；　over　the　inhabitants　of　North



America；　Nova　Scotia　and　the　Bermudas；　over　Central　America；　the



island　of　Jamaica；　over　all　countries　bordering　on　the



Mediterranean；　Gibraltar；　Malta；　and　the　Ionian　Islands。　She



possesses　every　important　strategical　position　on　both　the　routes



to　India　with　the　exception　of　the　Isthmus　of　Suez；　which　she　is



striving　to　acquire；　she　dominates　the　Mediterranean　by　means　of



Gibraltar；　the　Red　Sea　by　Aden；　and　the　Persian　Gulf　by　Bushire　and



Karrack。　She　needs　only　the　further　acquisition　of　the　Dardanelles；



the　Sound；　and　the　Isthmuses　of　Suez　and　Panama；　in　order　to　be



able　to　open　and　close　at　her　pleasure　every　sea　and　every　maritime



highway。　Her　navy　alone　surpasses　the　combined　maritime　forces　of



all　other　countries；　if　not　in　number　of　vessels；　at　any　rate　in



fighting　strength。



　　　　Her　manufacturing　capacity　excels　in　importance　that　of　all



other　nations。　And　although　her　cloth　manufactures　have　increased



more　than　tenfold　（to　forty…four　and　a　half　millions）　since　the



days　of　James　I；　we　find　the　yield　of　another　branch　of　industry；



which　was　established　only　in　the　course　of　the　last　century；



namely；　the　manufacture　of　cotton；　amounting　to　a　much　larger　sum；



fifty…two　and　a　half　millions。（8*）



　　　　Not　content　with　that；　England　is　now　attempting　to　raise　her



linen　manufacture；　which　has　been　long　in　a　backward　state　as



compared　with　that　of　other　countries；　to　a　similar　position；



possibly　to　a　higher　one　than　that　of　the　two　above…named　branches



of　industry：　it　now　amounts　to　fifteen　and　a　half　millions



sterling。　In　the　fourteenth　century；　England　was　still　so　poor　in



iron　that　she　thought　it　necessary　to　prohibit　the　exportation　of



this　indispensable　metal；　she　now；　in　the　nineteenth　century；



manufactures　more　iron　and　steel　wares　than　all　the　other　nations



on　earth　（namely；　thirty…one　millions'　worth）；　while　she　produces



thirty…four　millions　in　value　of　coal　and　other　minerals。　These　two



sums　exceed　by　over　sevenfold　the　value　of　the　entire　gold　and



silver　production　of　all　other　nations；　which　amount　to　about　two



hundred　and　twenty　million　francs；　or　nine　millions　sterling。



　　　　At　this　day　she　produces　more　silk　goods　than　all　the　Italian



republics　produced　in　the　Middle　Ages　together；　namely；　thirteen



and　a　half　million　pounds。　Industries　which　at　the　time　of　Henry



VIII　and　Elizabeth　scarcely　deserved　classification；　now　yield



enormous　sums；　as；　for　instance；　the　glass；　china；　and　stoneware



manufactures；　representing　eleven　millions；　the　copper　and　brass



manufactures；　four　and　a　half　millions；　the　manufactures　of　paper；



books；　colours；　and　furniture；　fourteen　millions。



　　　　England　produces；　moreover；　sixteen　millions'　worth　of　leather



goods；　besides　ten　millions'　worth　of　unenumerated　articles。　The



manufacture　of　beer　and　spirituous　liquors　in　England　alone　greatly



exceeds　in　value　the　aggregate　of　national　production　in　the　days



of　James　I；　namely；　forty…seven　millions　sterling。



　　　　The　entire　manufacturing　production　of　the