list1-第32章

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foreigners。　Hence　they　sought；　by　a　system　of　restrictions；



privileges；　and　encouragements；　to　transplant　on　to　their　native



soil　the　wealth；　the　talents；　and　the　spirit　of　enterprise　of　the



foreigners。　This　policy　was　pursued　with　greater　or　lesser；　with



speedier　or　more　tardy　success；　just　in　proportion　as　the　measures



adopted　were　more　or　less　judiciously　adapted　to　the　object　in



view；　and　applied　and　pursued　with　more　or　less　energy　and



perseverance。



　　　　England；　above　all　other　nations；　has　adopted　this　policy。



Often　interrupted　in　its　execution　from　the　want　of　intelligence



and　self…restraint　on　the　part　of　her　rulers；　or　owing　to　internal



commotions　and　foreign　wars；　it　first　assumed　the　character　of　a



settled　and　practically　efficient　policy　under　Edward　VI；



Elizabeth；　and　the　revolutionary　period。　For　how　could　the　measures



of　Edward　III　work　satisfactorily　when　it　was　not　till　under　Henry



VI　that　the　law　permitted　the　carriage　of　corn　from　one　English



county　to　another；　or　the　shipment　of　it　to　foreign　parts；　when



still　under　Henry　VII　and　Henry　VIII　all　interest　on　money；　even



discount　on　bills；　was　held　to　be　usury；　and　when　it　was　still



thought　at　the　time　that　trade　might　be　encouraged　by　fixing　by　law



at　a　low　figure　the　price　of　woollen　goods　and　the　rate　of　wages；



and　that　the　production　of　corn　could　be　increased　by　prohibiting



sheep　farming　on　a　large　scale？



　　　　And　how　much　sooner　would　England's　woollen　manufactures　and



maritime　trade　have　reached　a　high　standard　of　prosperity　had　not



Henry　VIII　regarded　a　rise　in　the　prices　of　corn　as　an　evil；　had



he；　instead　of　driving　foreign　workmen　by　wholesale　from　the



kingdom；　sought　like　his　predecessors　to　augment　their　number　by



encouraging　their　immigration；　and　had　not　Henry　VII　refused　his



sanction　to　the　Act　of　Navigation　as　proposed　by　Parliament？



　　　　In　France　we　see　native　manufactures；　free　internal



intercourse；　foreign　trade；　fisheries；　navigation；　and　naval　power



　in　a　word；　all　the　attributes　of　a　great；　mighty；　and　rich



nation　（which　it　had　cost　England　the　persevering　efforts　of



centuries　to　acquire）　　called　into　existence　by　a　great　genius



within　the　space　of　a　few　years；　as　it　were　by　a　magician's　wand；



and　afterwards　all　of　them　yet　more　speedily　annihilated　by　the



iron　hand　of　fanaticism　and　despotism。



　　　　We　see　the　principle　of　free　trade　contending　in　vain　under



unfavourable　conditions　against　restriction　powerfully　enforced；



the　Hanseatic　League　is　ruined；　while　Holland　sinks　under　the　blows



of　England　and　France。



　　　　That　a　restrictive　commercial　policy　can　be　operative　for　good



only　so　far　as　it　is　supported　by　the　progressive　civilisation　and



free　institutions　of　a　nation；　we　learn　from　the　decay　of　Venice；



Spain；　and　Portugal；　from　the　relapse　of　France　in　consequence　of



the　revocation　of　the　Edict　of　Nantes；　and　from　the　history　of



England；　in　which　country　liberty　kept　pace　at　all　times　with　the



advance　of　industry；　trade；　and　national　wealth。



　　　　That；　on　the　contrary；　a　highly　advanced　state　of　civilisation；



with　or　without　free　institutions；　unless　supported　by　a　suitable



system　of　commercial　policy；　will　prove　but　a　poor　guarantee　for　a



nation's　economic　progress；　may　be　learnt　on　the　one　hand　from　the



history　of　the　North　American　free　states；　and　on　the　other　from



the　experience　of　Germany。



　　　　Modern　Germany；　lacking　a　system　of　vigorous　and　united



commercial　policy；　exposed　in　her　home　markets　to　competition　with



a　foreign　manufacturing　power　in　every　way　superior　to　her　own；



while　excluded　at　the　same　time　from　foreign　markets　by　arbitrary



and　often　capricious　restrictions；　and　very　far　indeed　from　making



that　progress　in　industry　to　which　her　degree　of　culture　entitles



her；　cannot　even　maintain　her　previously　acquired　position；　and　is



made　a　convenience　of　（like　a　colony）　by　that　very　nation　which



centuries　ago　was　worked　upon　in　like　manner　by　the　merchants　of



Germany；　until　at　last　the　German　states　have　resolved　to　secure



their　home　markets　for　their　own　industry；　by　the　adoption　of　a



united　vigorous　system　of　commercial　policy。



　　　　The　North　American　free　states；　who；　more　than　any　other　nation



before　them；　are　in　a　position　to　benefit　by　freedom　of　trade；　and



influenced　even　from　the　very　cradle　of　their　independence　by　the



doctrines　of　the　cosmopolitan　school；　are　striving　more　than　any



other　nation　to　act　on　that　principle。　But　owing　to　wars　with　Great



Britain；　we　find　that　nation　twice　compelled　to　manufacture　at　home



the　goods　which　it　previously　purchased　under　free　trade　from　other



countries；　and　twice；　after　the　conclusion　of　peace；　brought　to　the



brink　of　ruin　by　free　competition　with　foreigners；　and　thereby



admonished　of　the　fact　that　under　the　present　conditions　of　the



world　every　great　nation　must　seek　the　guarantees　of　its　continued



prosperity　and　independence；　before　all　other　things；　in　the



independent　and　uniform　development　of　its　own　powers　and



resources。



　　　　Thus　history　shows　that　restrictions　are　not　so　much　the



inventions　of　mere　speculative　minds；　as　the　natural　consequences



of　the　diversity　of　interests；　and　of　the　strivings　of　nations



after　independence　or　overpowering　ascendency；　and　thus　of　national



emulation　and　wars；　and　therefore　that　they　cannot　be　dispensed



with　until　this　conflict　of　national　interests　shall　cease；　in



other　words　until　all　nations　can　be　united　under　one　and　the　same



system　of　law。　Thus　the　question　as　to　whether；　and　how；　the



various　nations　can　be　brought　into　one　united　federation；　and　how



the　decisions　of　law　can　be　invoked　in　the　place　of　military　force



to　determine　the　differences　which　arise　between　independent



nations；　has　to　be　solved　concurrently　with　the　question　how



universal　free　trade　can　be　established　in　the　place　of　separate



national　commercial　systems。



　　　　The　attempts　which　have　been　made　by　single　nations　to



introduce　freedom　of　trade　in　face　of　a　nation　which　is　predominant



in　industry；　wealth；　and　power；　no　less　than　distinguished　for　an



exclusive　tariff　system　　as　Portugal　did　in　1703；　France　in　1786；



North　America　in　1786　and　1816；　Russia　from　1815　till　1821；　and　as



Germany　has　done　for　centuries　　go　to　show　us　that　in　this　way



the　prosperity　of　individual　nations　is　sacrificed；　without　benefit



to　mankind　in　general；　solely　for　the　enrichment　of　the　predominant



manufacturing　and　commercial　nation。　Switzerland　（as　we　hope　to



show　in　the　sequel）　constitutes　an　exception；　which　proves　just　as



much　as　it　proves　little　for　or　against　one　or　the　other　system。



　　　　Colbert　appears　to　us　not　to　have　been　the　inventor　of　that



system　which　the　Italians　have　named　after　him；　for；　as　we　have



seen；　it　was　fully　elaborated　by　the　English　long　before　his　time。



Colbert　only　put　in　practice　what　France；　if　she　wished　to　fulfil



her　destinies；　was　bound　to　carry　out　sooner　or　later。　If　Colbert



is　to　be　blamed　at　all；　it　can　only　be　charged　against　him　that　he



attempted　to　put　into　force　under　a　despotic　government　a　system



which　could　subsist　only　after　a　fundamental　reform　of　the



political　conditions。　But　against　this　reproach　to　Colbert's　memory



it　may　very　well　be　argued　that；　had　his　system　been　continued　by



wise　princes　and　sagacious　ministers；　it　would　in　all　probability



have　removed　by　means　of　reforms　all　those　hindrances　which　stood



in　the　way　of　progress　in　manufactures；　agriculture；　and　trade；　as



well　as　of　national　freedom；　and　France　would　th