list1-第21章

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restrictions；　attained　during　the　Empire　to　a　higher　degree　of



prosperity　than　they　had　ever　enjoyed　under　the　preceding　ancien



r間ime。　The　same　effects　were　noticeable　in　Germany　and　in　all



countries　over　which　the　Continental　blockade　extended。



　　　　Napoleon　said　in　his　trenchant　style；　that　under　the　existing



circumstances　of　the　world　any　State　which　adopted　the　principle　of



free　trade　must　come　to　the　ground。　In　these　words　he　uttered　more



political　wisdom　in　reference　to　the　commercial　policy　of　France



than　all　contemporary　political　economists　in　all　their　writings。



We　cannot　but　wonder　at　the　sagacity　with　which　this　great　genius；



without　any　previous　study　of　the　systems　of　political　economy；



comprehended　the　nature　and　importance　of　manufacturing　power。　Well



was　it　for　him　and　for　France　that　he　had　not　studied　these



systems。　'Formerly；'　said　Napoleon；　'there　was　but　one　description



of　property；　the　possession　of　land；　but　a　new　property　has　now



risen　up；　namely；　industry。'　Napoleon　saw；　and　in　this　way　clearly



enunciated；　what　contemporary　economists　did　not　see；　or　did　not



clearly　enunciate；　namely；　that　a　nation　which　combines　in　itself



the　power　of　manufactures　with　that　of　agriculture　is　an



immeasurably　more　perfect　and　more　wealthy　nation　than　a　purely



agricultural　one。　What　Napoleon　did　to　found　and　promote　the



industrial　education　of　France；　to　improve　the　country's　credit；　to



introduce　and　set　going　new　inventions　and　improved　processes；　and



to　perfect　the　means　of　internal　communication　in　France；　it　is　not



necessary　to　dwell　upon　in　detail；　for　these　things　are　still　too



well　remembered。　But　what；　perhaps；　does　call　for　special　notice　in



this　connection；　is　the　biassed　and　unfair　judgment　passed　upon



this　enlightened　and　powerful　ruler　by　contemporary　theorists。



　　　　With　the　fall　of　Napoleon；　English　competition；　which　had　been



till　then　restricted　to　a　contraband　trade；　recovered　its　footing



on　the　continents　of　Europe　and　America。　Now　for　the　first　time　the



English　were　heard　to　condemn　protection　and　to　eulogise　Adam



Smith's　doctrine　of　free　trade；　a　doctrine　which　heretofore　those



practical　islanders　considered　as　suited　only　to　an　ideal　state　of



Utopian　perfection。　But　an　impartial；　critical　observer　might



easily　discern　the　entire　aBsence　of　mere　sentimental　motives　of



philanthropy　in　this　conversion；　for　only　when　increased　facilities



for　the　exportation　of　English　goods　to　the　continents　of　Europe



and　America　were　in　question　were　cosmopolitan　arguments　resorted



to；　but　so　soon　as　the　question　turned　upon　the　free　importation　of



corn；　or　whether　foreign　goods　might　be　allowed　to　compete　at　all



with　British　manufactures　in　the　English　market；　in　that　case　quite



different　principles　were　appealed　to。（3*）　Unhappily；　it　was　said；



the　long　continuance　in　England　of　a　policy　contrary　to　natural



principles　had　created　an　artificial　state　of　things；　which　could



not　Be　interfered　with　suddenly　without　incurring　the　risk　of



dangerous　and　mischievous　consequences。　It　was　not　to　be　attempted



without　the　greatest　caution　and　prudence。　It　was　England's



misfortune；　not　her　fault。　All　the　more　gratifying　ought　it　to　be



for　the　nations　of　the　European　and　American　continents；　that　their



happy　lot　and　condition　left　them　quite　free　to　partake　without



delay　of　the　blessings　of　free　trade。



　　　　In　France；　although　her　ancient　dynasty　reascended　the　throne



under　the　protection　of　the　banner　of　England；　or　at　any　rate　by



the　influence　of　English　gold；　the　above　arguments　did　not　obtain



currency　for　very　long。　England's　free　trade　wrought　such　havoc



amongst　the　manufacturing　industries　which　had　prospered　and　grown



strong　under　the　Continental　blockade　system；　that　a　prohibitive



r間ime　was　speedily　resorted　to；　under　the　protecting　aegis　of



which；　according　to　Dupin's　testimony；（4*）　the　producing　power　of



French　manufactories　was　doubled　between　the　years　1815　and　1827。







NOTES：







1。　'Eloge　de　Jean　Baptiste　Colbert；　par　Necker'　（1773）　（OEuvres



Completes；　vol。　xv。）。







2。　See　Quesnay's　paper　entitled；　'Physiocratie；　ou　du　Gouvernement



le　plus　avantageux　au　Genre　Humain　（1768）；'　Note　5；　'sur　la　maxime



viii；'　wherein　Quesnay　contradicts　and　condemns　Colbert　in　two



brief　pages；　whereas　Necker　devoted　a　hundred　pages　to　the



exposition　of　Colbert's　system　and　of　what　he　accomplished。　It　is



hard　to　say　whether　we　are　to　wonder　most　at　the　ignorance　of



Quesnay　on　matters　of　industry；　history；　and　finance；　or　at　the



presumption　with　which　he　passes　judgment　upon　such　a　man　as



Colbert　without　adducing　grounds　for　it。　Add　to　that；　that　this



ignorant　dreamer　was　not　even　candid　enough　to　mention　the



expulsion　of　the　Huguenots；　nay；　that　he　was　not　ashamed　to　allege；



contrary　to　all　truth；　that　Colbert　had　restricted　the　trade　in



corn　between　province　and　province　by　vexatious　police　ordinances。







3。　A　highly　accomplished　American　orator；　Mr　Baldwin；　Chief　Justice



of　the　United　States；　when　referring　to　the　Canning…Huskisson



system　of　free　trade；　shrewdly　remarked；　that；　like　most　English



productions；　it　had　been　manufactured　not　so　much　for　home



consumption　as　for　exportation。



　　　　Shall　we　laugh　most　or　weep　when　we　call　to　mind　the　rapture　of



enthusiasm　with　which　the　Liberals　in　France　and　Germany；　more



particularly　the　cosmopolitan　theorists　of　the　philanthropic



school；　and　notably　Mons。　J。　B。　Say；　hailed　the　announcement　of　the



Canning…Huskisson　system？　So　great　was　their　jubilation；　that　one



might　have　thought　the　millennium　had　come。　But　let　us　see　what　Mr



Canning's　own　biographer　says　about　this　minister's　views　on　the



subject　of　free　trade。



　　　　'Mr　Canning　was　perfectly　convinced　of　the　truth　of　the



abstract　principle；　that　commerce　is　sure　to　flourish　most　when



wholly　unfettered；　but　since　such　had　not　been　the　opinion　either



of　our　ancestors　or　of　surrounding　nations；　and　since　in



consequence　restraints　had　been　imposed　upon　all　commercial



transactions；　a　state　of　things　had　grown　up　to　which　the　unguarded



application　of　the　abstract　principle；　however　true　it　was　in



theory；　might　have　been　somewhat　mischievous　in　practice。'　（The



Political　Life　of　Mr　Canning；　by　Stapleton；　p。　3。）　In　the　year



1828；　these　same　tactics　of　the　English　had　again　assumed　a



prominence　so　marked　that　Mr　Hume；　the　Liberal　member　of



Parliament；　felt　no　hesitation　in　stigmatising　them　in　the　House　as



the　strangling　of　Continental　industries。







4。　Forces　productives　de　la　France。







Chapter　7







The　Germans







　　　　In　the　chapter　on　the　Hanseatic　League　we　saw　how；　next　in



order　to　Italy；　Germany　had　flourished；　through　extensive　commerce；



long　before　the　other　European　states。　We　have　now　to　continue　the



industrial　history　of　that　nation；　after　first　taking　a　rapid



survey　of　its　earliest　industrial　circumstances　and　their



development。



　　　　In　ancient　Germania；　the　greater　part　of　the　land　was　devoted



to　pasturage　and　parks　for　game。　The　insignificant　and　primitive



agriculture　was　abandoned　to　serfs　and　to　women。　The　sole



occupation　of　the　freemen　was　warfare　and　the　chase；　and　that　is



the　origin　of　all　the　German　nobility。



　　　　The　German　nobles　firmly　adhered　to　this　system　throughout　the



Middle　Ages；　oppressing　agriculturists　and　opposing　manufacturing



industry；　while　quite　blind　to　the　benefits　which　must　accrued　to



them；　as　the　lords　of　the　soil；　from　the　prosperity　of　both。