list1-第25章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





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



it　had　been　deliberately　planned；　and；　secondly；　because　a



celebrated　member　of　Parliament；　Mr　Henry　Brougham　（afterwards　Lord



Brougham）；　had　openly　said；　in　1815；　'that　it　was　well　worth　while



to　incur　a　loss　on　the　exportation　of　English　manufactures　in　order



to　stifle　in　the　cradle　the　foreign　manufactures。'（2*）　This　idea　of



this　lord；　since　so　renowned　as　a　philanthropist；　cosmopolist；　and



Liberal；　was　repeated　ten　years　later　almost　in　the　same　words　by



Mr　Hume；　a　member　of　Parliament　not　less　distinguished　for



liberalism；　when　he　expressed　a　wish　that　'Continental　manufactures



might　be　nipped　in　the　bud。'



　　　　At　length　the　prayer　of　the　Prussian　manufacturers　found　a



hearing　　late　enough；　indeed；　as　must　be　admitted　when　one



considers　how　painful　it　is　to　be　wrestling　with　death　year　after



year　　but　at　last　their　cry　was　heard　to　real　good　purpose。　The



Prussian　customs　tariff　of　1818　answered；　for　the　time　in　which　it



was　established；　all　the　requirements　of　Prussian　industry；　without



in　any　way　overdoing　the　principle　of　protection　or　unduly



interfering　with　the　country's　beneficial　intercourse　with　foreign



countries。　Its　scale　of　duties　was　much　lower　than　those　of　the



English　and　French　customs　systems；　and　necessarily　so；　for　in　this



case　there　was　no　question　of　a　gradual　transition　from　a



prohibitive　to　a　protective　system；　but　of　a　change　from　free　trade



（so　called）　to　a　protective　system。　Another　great　advantage　of　this



tariff；　considered　as　a　whole；　was　that　the　duties　were　mostly



levied　according　to　the　weight　of　goods　and　not　according　to　their



value。　By　this　means　not　only　were　smuggling　and　too　low　valuations



obviated；　but　also　the　great　object　was　gained；　that　articles　of



general　consumption；　which　every　country　can　most　easily



manufacture　for　itself；　and　the　manufacture　of　which；　because　of



their　great　total　money　value；　is　the　most　important　of　any　for　the



country；　were　burdened　with　the　highest　import　duty；　while　the



protective　duty　fell　lower　and　lower　in　proportion　to　the　fineness



and　costliness　of　the　goods；　also　as　the　difficulty　of　making　such



articles　at　home　increased；　and　also　as　both　the　inducements　and



the　facilities　for　smuggling　increased。



　　　　But　this　mode　of　charging　the　duty　upon　the　weight　would　of



course；　for　very　obvious　reasons；　affect　the　trade　with　the



neighbouring　German　states　much　more　injuriously　than　the　trade



with　foreign　nations。　The　second…rate　and　smaller　German　states　had



now　to　bear；　in　addition　to　their　exclusion　from　the　Austrian；



French；　and　English　markets；　almost　total　exclusion　from　that　of



Prussia；　which　hit　them　all　the　harder；　since　many　of　them　were



either　totally　or　in　great　part　hemmed　in　by　Prussian　provinces。



　　　　Just　in　proportion　as　these　measures　pacified　the　Prussian



manufacturers；　was　the　loudness　of　the　outcry　against　them　on　the



part　of　the　manufacturers　of　the　other　German　states。　Add　to　that；



that　Austria　had　shortly　before　imposed　restrictions　on　the



importation　of　German　goods　into　Italy；　notably　of　the　linens　of



Upper　Swabia。　Restricted　on　all　sides　in　their　export　trade　to



small　strips　of　territory；　and　further　being　separated　from　one



another　by　smaller　internal　lines　of　customs　duties；　the



manufacturers　of　these　countries　were　well…nigh　in　despair。



　　　　It　was　this　state　of　urgent　necessity　which　led　to　the



formation　of　that　private　union　of　five　to　six　thousand　German



manufacturers　and　merchants；　which　was　founded　in　the　year　1819　at



the　spring　fair　held　in　Frankfort…on…the…Main；　with　the　object　of



abolishing　all　the　separate　tariffs　of　the　various　German　states；



and　on　the　other　hand　of　establishing　a　common　trade　and



custom…house　system　for　the　whole　of　Germany。



　　　　This　union　was　formally　organised。　Its　articles　of　association



were　submitted　to　the　Diet；　and　to　all　the　rulers　and　governments



of　the　German　states　for　approval。　In　every　German　town　a　local



correspondent　was　appointed；　each　German　state　had　its　provincial



correspondent。　All　the　members　and　correspondents　bound　themselves



to　promote　the　objects　of　the　union　to　the　best　of　their　ability。



The　city　of　N黵nberg　was　selected　as　the　head…quarters　of　the



union；　and　authorised　to　appoint　a　central　committee；　which　should



direct　the　business　of　the　union；　under　the　advice　of　an　assessor；



for　which　office　the　author　of　this　book　was　selected。　In　a　weekly



journal　of　the　union；　bearing　the　title　of　'Organ　des　deutschen



Handels…　und　Fabrikantenstandes；'（3*）　the　transactions　and　measures



of　the　central　committee　were　made　known；　and　ideas；　proposals；



treatises；　and　statistical　papers　relating　to　the　objects　of　the



union　were　published。　Each　year　at　the　spring　fair　in　Frankfort　a



general　meeting　of　the　union　was　held；　at　which　the　central



committee　gave　an　account　of　its　stewardship。



　　　　After　this　union　had　presented　a　petition　to　the　German　Diet



showing　the　need　and　expediency　of　the　measures　proposed　by　their



organisation；　the　central　committee　at　N黵nberg　commenced



operations。　Deputations　were　sent　to　every　German　Court；　and



finally　one　to　the　Congress　of　Plenipotentiaries　held　at　Vienna　in



1820。　At　this　congress　so　much　at　least　was　gained；　that　several　of



the　second…class　and　smaller　German　states　agreed　to　hold　a



separate　congress　on　the　subject　at　Darmstadt。　The　effect　of　the



deliberations　of　this　last…named　congress　was；　first；　to　bring



about　a　union　between　W黵temberg　and　Bavaria；　secondly；　a　union　of



some　of　the　German　states　and　Prussia；　then　a　union　between　the



middle　German　states；　lastly；　and　chiefly　in　consequence　of　the



exertions　of　Freiherr　von　Cotta　to　fuse　the　above…named　three



unions　into　a　general　customs　confederation；　so　that　at　this



present　time；　with　the　exception　of　Austria；　the　two　Mecklenburgs；



Hanover；　and　the　Hanse　Towns；　the　whole　of　Germany　is　associated　in



a　single　customs　union；　which　has　abolished　the　separate　customs



lines　amongst　its　members；　and　has　established　a　uniform　tariff　in



common　against　the　foreigner；　the　revenue　derived　from　which　is



distributed　pro　rata　amongst　the　several　states　according　to　their



populations。



　　　　The　tariff　of　this　union　is　substantially　the　same　as　that



established　by　Prussia　in　1818；　that　is　to　say；　it　is　a　moderate



protectionist　tariff。



　　　　In　consequence　of　this　unification　of　customs；　the　industry；



trade；　and　agriculture　of　the　German　states　forming　the　union　have



already　made　enormous　strides。











NOTES：







1。　The　system　must　necessarily　have　affected　France　in　a　different



manner　than　Germany；　because　Germany　was　mostly　shut　out　from　the



French　markets；　while　the　German　markets　were　all　open　to　the



French　manufacturer。







2。　Report　of　the　Committee　of　Commerce　and　Manufactures　to　the



House　of　Representatives　of　the　Congress　of　the　United　States；　Feb。



13；　1816。







3。　Organ　of　the　German　Commercial　and　Manufacturing　Interests。











Chapter　8







The　Russians







　　　　Russia　owes　her　first　progress　in　civilisation　and　industry　to



her　intercourse　with　Greece；　to　the　trade　of　the　Hanseatic　Towns



with　Novgorod　and　（after　the　destruction　of　that　town　by　Ivan



Wassiljewitsch）　to　the　trade　which　arose　with　the　English　and



Dutch；　in　consequence　of　the　discovery　of　the　water　communication



with　the　coasts　of　the　White　Sea。



　　　　But　the　great　increase　of　her　industry；　and　especially　of　her