list1-第24章

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most　important　industry；　the　manufacture　of　cloth　in　the　Margravate



of　Brandenburg；　was　almost　entirely　annihilated。　The　majority　of



cloth　workers　had　migrated　to　Saxony；　while　English　imports　at　the



time　held　every　competition　in　check。　To　the　advantage　of　Prussia



now　came　the　revocation　of　the　Edict　of　Nantes　and　the　persecution



of　the　Protestants　in　the　Palatinate　and　in　Salzburg。　The　great



Elector　saw　at　a　glance　what　Elizabeth　before　him　had　so　clearly



understood。　In　consequence　of　the　measures　devised　by　him　a　great



number　of　the　fugitives　directed　their　steps　to　Prussia；　fertilised



the　agricultural　industry　of　the　land；　established　a　large　number



of　manufactures；　and　cultivated　science　and　art。　All　his　successors



followed　in　his　footsteps；　none　with　more　zeal　than　the　great　King



　greater　by　his　policy　in　times　of　peace　than　by　his　successes　in



war。　Space　is　wanting　to　treat　at　length　of　the　countless　measures



whereby　Frederick　II　attracted　to　his　dominions　large　numbers　of



foreign　agriculturists；　brought　tracts　of　waste　land　into



cultivation；　and　established　the　cultivation　of　meadows；　of　cattle



fodder；　vegetables；　potatoes；　and　tobacco；　improved　sheep　farming；



cattle　breeding；　horse　breeding；　the　use　of　mineral　manures；　&c。；



by　which　means　he　created　capital　and　credit　for　the　benefit　of　the



agricultural　classes。　Still　more　than　by　these　direct　measures　he



promoted　indirectly　the　interests　of　agriculture　by　means　of　those



branches　of　manufacture　which；　in　consequence　of　the　customs　tariff



and　the　improved　means　of　transport　which　he　established；　as　well



as　the　establishment　of　a　bank；　made　greater　advances　in　Prussia



than　in　any　other　German　state；　notwithstanding　that　that　country's



geographical　position；　and　its　division　into　several　provinces



separated　from　one　another；　were　much　less　favourable　for　the



success　of　such　measures；　and　that　the　disadvantages　of　a　customs



cordon；　namely；　the　damaging　effects　of　a　contraband　trade；　must　be



felt　more　acutely　there　than　in　great　states　whose　territories　are



compact　and　well　protected　by　boundaries　of　seas；　rivers；　and



chains　of　mountains。



　　　　At　the　same　time　we　are　nowise　anxious；　under　cover　of　this



eulogy；　to　defend　the　faults　of　the　system；　such　as；　for　example；



the　restrictions　laid　upon　the　exportation　of　raw　material。　Still；



that　in　despite　of　these　faults　the　national　industry　was



considerably　advanced　by　it；　no　enlightened　and　impartial　historian



would　venture　to　dispute。



　　　　To　every　unprejudiced　mind；　unclouded　by　false　theories；　it



must　be　clear　that　Prussia　gained　her　title　to　rank　amongst　the



European　powers　not　so　much　by　her　conquests　as　by　her　wise　policy



in　promoting　the　interests　of　agriculture；　industry；　and　trade；　and



by　her　progress　in　literature　and　science；　and　all　this　was　the



work　of　one　great　genius　alone。



　　　　And　yet　the　Crown　was　not　yet　supported　by　the　energy　of　free



institutions；　but　simply　by　an　administrative　system；　well　ordered



and　conscientious；　but　unquestionably　trammelled　by　the　dead



mechanical　routine　of　a　hierarchical　bureaucracy。



　　　　Meanwhile　all　the　rest　of　Germany　had　for　centuries　been　under



the　influence　of　free　trade　　that　is　to　say；　the　whole　world　was



free　to　export　manufactured　products　into　Germany；　while　no　one



consented　to　admit　German　manufactured　goods　into　other　countries。



This　rule　had　its　exceptions；　but　only　a　few。　It　cannot；　however；



be　asserted　that　the　predictions　and　the　promises　of　the　school



about　the　great　benefits　of　free　trade　have　been　verified　by　the



experience　of　this　country；　for　everywhere　the　movement　was　rather



retrograde　than　progressive。　Cities　like　Augsburg；　N黵nberg；



Mayence；　Cologne；　&c。；　numbered　no　more　than　a　third　or　a　fourth



part　of　their　former　population；　and　wars　were　often　wished　for



merely　for　the　sake　of　getting　rid　of　a　valueless　surplus　of



produce。



　　　　The　wars　came　in　the　train　of　the　French　Revolution；　and　with



them　English　subsidies　together　with　increased　English　competition。



Hence　a　new　downward　tendency　in　manufactures　coupled　with　an



increase　in　agricultural　prosperity；　which；　however；　was　only



apparent　and　transitory。



　　　　Next　followed　Napoleon's　Continental　Blockade；　an　event　which



marked　an　era　in　the　history　of　both　German　and　French　industry；



notwithstanding　that　Mons。　J。　B。　Say；　Adam　Smith's　most　famous



pupil；　denounced　it　as　a　calamity。　Whatever　theorists；　and　notably



the　English；　may　urge　against　it；　this　much　is　clearly　made　out　



and　all　who　are　conversant　with　German　industry　must　attest　it；　for



there　is　abundant　evidence　of　the　fact　in　all　statistical　writings



of　that　day　　that；　as　a　result　of　this　blockade；　German



manufactures　of　all　and　every　kind　for　the　first　time　began　to　make



an　important　advance；（1*）　that　then　only　did　the　improved　breeding



of　sheep　（which　had　been　commenced　some　time　before）　become　general



and　successful；　that　then　only　was　activity　displayed　in　improving



the　means　of　transport。　It　is　true；　on　the　other　hand；　that　Germany



lost　the　greater　part　of　her　former　export　trade；　especially　in



linens。　Yet　the　gain　was　considerably　greater　than　the　loss；



particularly　for　the　Prussian　and　Austrian　manufacturing



establishments；　which　had　previously　gained　a　start　over　all　other



manufactories　in　the　German　states。



　　　　But　with　the　return　of　peace　the　English　manufacturers　again



entered　into　a　fearful　competition　with　the　German；　for　during　the



reciprocal　blockade；　in　consequence　of　new　inventions　and　a　great



and　almost　exclusive　export　trade　to　foreign　lands；　the



manufactories　of　the　island　had　far　outstripped　that　of　Germany；



and　for　this　reason；　as　well　as　because　of　their　large　acquired



capital；　the　former　were　first　in　a　position　to　sell　at　much　lower



prices；　to　offer　much　superior　articles；　and　to　give　much　longer



credit　than　the　latter；　which　had　still　to　battle　with　the



difficulties　of　a　first　beginning。　Consequently　general　ruin



followed　and　loud　wailings　amongst　the　latter；　especially　in　the



lower　Rhenish　provinces；　in　those　regions　which；　having　formerly



belonged　to　France；　were　now　excluded　from　the　French　market。



Besides；　the　Prussian　customs　tariff　had　undergone　many　changes　in



the　direction　of　absolute　free　trade；　and　no　longer　afforded　any



sufficient　protection　against　English　competition。　At　the　same　time



the　Prussian　bureaucracy　long　strove　against　the　country's　cry　for



help。　They　had　become　too　strongly　imbued　with　Adam　Smith's　theory



at　the　universities　to　discern　the　want　of　the　times　with



sufficient　promptness。　There　even　still　existed　political



economists　in　Prussia　who　harboured　the　bold　design　of　reviving　the



long…exploded　'physiocratic'　system。　Meanwhile　the　nature　of　things



here　too　proved　a　mightier　force　than　the　power　of　theories。　The



cry　of　distress　raised　by　the　manufacturers；　hailing　as　it　did　from



districts　still　yearning　after　their　former　state　of　connection



with　France；　whose　sympathies　it　was　necessary　to　conciliate；　could



not　be　safely　disregarded　too　long。　More　and　more　the　opinion



spread　at　the　time　that　the　English　Government　were　favouring　in　an



unprecedented　manner　a　scheme　for　glutting　the　markets　on　the



Continent　with　manufactured　goods　in　order　to　stifle　the



Continental　manufactures　in　the　cradle。　This　idea　has　been



ridiculed；　but　it　was　natural　enough　that　it　should　prevail；　first；



because　this　glutting　really　took　place　in　such　a　manner　as　though



it　had　been　deliberately　planned；　and；　secondly；