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formally　dissolved；　after　they　had　supplicated　every　court　in



Europe　for　import　privileges；　and　had　everywhere　been　repulsed　with



scorn。



　　　　Many　external　causes；　besides　the　internal　ones　which　we　have



to　mention　hereafter；　contributed　to　their　fall。　Denmark　and　Sweden



sought　to　avenge　themselves　for　the　position　of　dependence　in　which



they　had　been　so　long　held　by　the　League；　and　placed　all　possible



obstructions　in　the　way　of　its　commerce。　The　czars　of　Russia　had



conferred　privileges　on　an　English　company。　The　order　of　Teutonic



knights；　who　had　for　centuries　been　the　allies　as　well　as



（originally）　the　children　of　the　League；　declined　and　was



dissolved。　The　Dutch　and　the　English　drove　them　out　of　all　markets；



and　supplanted　them　in　every　court。　Finally；　the　discovery　of　the



route　to　the　East　indies　by　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope；　operated　most



seriously　to　their　disadvantage。



　　　　These　leaguers；　who　during　the　period　of　their　might　and



prosperity　had　scarcely　deemed　an　alliance　with　the　German　Empire



as　worthy　of　consideration；　now　in　their　time　of　need　betook



themselves　to　the　German　Reichstag　and　represented　to　that　body



that　the　English　exported　annually　200；000　pieces　of　cloth；　of



which　a　great　proportion　went　to　Germany；　and　that　the　only　means



whereby　the　League　could　regain　its　ancient　privileges　in　England；



was　to　prohibit　the　import　of　English　cloth　into　Germany。　According



to　Anderson；　a　decree　of　the　Reichstag　to　that　effect　was　seriously



contemplated；　if　not　actually　drawn　up；　but　that　author　asserts



that　Gilpin；　the　English　ambassador　to　the　Reichstag；　contrived　to



prevent　its　being　passed。　A　hundred　and　fifty　years　after　the



formal　dissolution　of　the　Hanseatic　League；　so　completely　had　all



memory　of　its　former　greatness　disappeared　in　the　Hanseatic　cities



that　Justus　M鰏er　asserts　（in　some　passage　in　his　works）　that　when



he　visited　those　cities；　and　narrated　to　their　merchants　the　power



and　greatness　which　their　predecessors　had　enjoyed；　they　would



scarcely　believe　him。　Hamburg；　formerly　the　terror　of　pirates　in



every　sea；　and　renowned　throughout　Christendom　for　the　services



which　she　had　rendered　to　civilisation　in　suppressing　sea…robbers；



had　sunk　so　low　that　she　had　to　purchase　safety　for　her　vessels　by



paying　an　annual　tribute　to　the　pirates　of　Algiers。　Afterwards；



when　the　dominion　of　the　seas　had　passed　into　the　hands　of　the



Dutch　another　policy　became　prevalent　in　reference　to　piracy。　When



the　Hanseatic　League　were　supreme　at　sea；　the　pirate　was　considered



as　the　enemy　of　the　civilised　world；　and　extirpated　wherever　that



was　possible。　The　Dutch；　on　the　contrary；　regarded　the　corsairs　of



Barbary　as　useful　partisans；　by　whose　means　the　marine　commerce　of



other　nations　could　be　destroyed　in　times　of　peace；　to　the



advantage　of　the　Dutch。　Anderson　avails　himself　of　the　quotation　of



an　observation　of　De　Witt　in　favour　of　this　policy　to　make　the



laconic　comment；　'Fas　est　et　ab　hoste　doceri'；　a　piece　of　advice



which；　in　spite　of　its　brevity；　his　countrymen　comprehended　and



followed　so　well　that　the　English；　to　the　disgrace　of　Christianity；



tolerated　even　until　our　days　the　abominable　doings　of　the



sea…robbers　on　the　North　African　coasts；　until　the　French　performed



the　great　service　to　civilisation　of　extirpating　them。（16*）



　　　　The　commerce　of　these　Hanseatic　cities　was　not　a　national　one；



it　was　neither　based　on　the　equal　preponderance　and　perfect



development　of　internal　powers　of　production；　nor　sustained　by



adequate　political　power。　The　bonds　which　held　together　the　members



of　the　League　were　too　lax；　the　striving　among　them　for　predominant



power　and　for　separate　interests　（or；　as　the　Swiss　or　the　Americans



would　say；　the　cantonal　spirit；　the　spirit　of　separate　state　right）



was　too　predominant；　and　superseded　Hanseatic　patriotism；　which



alone　could　have　caused　the　general　common　weal　of　the　League　to　be



considered　before　the　private　interests　of　individual　cities。　Hence



arose　jealousies；　and　not　unfrequently　treachery。　Thus　Cologne



turned　to　her　own　private　advantage　the　hostility　of　England



towards　the　League；　and　Hamburg　sought　to　utilise　for　her　own



advantage　a　quarrel　which　arose　between　Denmark　and　L黚eck。



　　　　The　Hanseatic　cities　did　not　base　their　commerce　on　the



production　and　consumption；　the　agriculture　or　the　manufactures；　of



the　land　to　which　their　merchants　belonged。　They　had　neglected　to



favour　in　any　way　the　agricultural　industry　of　their　own



fatherland；　while　that　of　foreign　lands　was　greatly　stimulated　by



their　commerce。　They　found　it　more　convenient　to　purchase



manufactured　goods　in　Belgium；　than　to　establish　manufactories　in



their　own　country。　They　encouraged　and　promoted　the　agriculture　of



Poland；　the　sheep…farming　of　England；　the　iron　industry　of　Sweden；



and　the　manufactures　of　Belgium。　They　acted　for　centuries　on　the



maxim　which　the　theoretical　economists　of　our　day　commend　to　all



nations　for　adoption　　they　'bought　only　in　the　cheapest　market。'



But　when　the　nations　from　whom　they　bought；　and　those　to　whom　they



sold；　excluded　them　from　their　markets；　neither　their　own　native



agriculture　nor　their　own　manufacturing　industry　was　sufficiently



developed　to　furnish　employment　for　their　surplus　commercial



capital。　it　consequently　flowed　over　into　Holland　and　England；　and



thus　went　to　increase　the　industry；　the　wealth；　and　the　power　of



their　enemies；　a　striking　proof　that　mere　private　industry　when



left　to　follow　its　own　course　does　not　always　promote　the



prosperity　and　the　power　of　nations。　In　their　exclusive　efforts　to



gain　material　wealth；　these　cities　had　utterly　neglected　the



promotion　of　their　political　interests。　During　the　period　of　their



power；　they　appeared　no　longer　to　belong　at　all　to　the　German



Empire。　It　flattered　these　selfish；　proud　citizens；　within　their



circumscribed　territories；　to　find　themselves　courted　by　emperors；



kings；　and　princes；　and　to　act　the　part　of　sovereigns　of　the　seas。



How　easy　would　it　have　been　for　them　during　the　period　of　their



maritime　supremacy；　in　combination　with　the　cities　of　North



Germany；　to　have　founded　a　powerful　Lower　House　as　a　counterpoise



to　the　aristocracy　of　the　empire；　and　by　means　of　the　imperial



power　to　have　thus　brought　about　national　unity　　to　have　united



under　one　nationality　the　whole　sea…coast　from　Dunkirk　to　Riga　



and　by　these　means　to　have　won　and　maintained　for　the　German　nation



supremacy　in　manufactures；　commerce；　and　maritime　power。　But　in



fact；　when　the　sceptre　of　the　seas　fell　from　their　grasp；　they　had



not　sufficient　influence　left　to　induce　the　German　Reichstag　to



regard　their　commerce　as　a　matter　of　national　concern。　On　the



contrary；　the　German　aristocracy　did　all　in　their　power　thoroughly



to　oppress　these　humbled　citizens。　Their　inland　cities　fell



gradually　under　the　absolute　dominion　of　the　various　princes；　and



hence　their　maritime　ones　were　deprived　of　their　inland



connections。



　　　　All　these　faults　had　been　avoided　by　England。　Her　merchant



shipping　and　her　foreign　commerce　rested　on　the　solid　basis　of　her



native　agriculture　and　native　industry；　her　internal　trade



developed　itself　in　just　proportion　to　her　foreign　trade；　and



individual　freedom　grew　up　without　prejudice　to　national　unity　or



to　national　power：　in　her　case　the　interests　of　the　Crown；　the



aristocracy；　and　the　people　became　consolidated　and　united　in　the



happiest　manner。



　　　　If　these　historical　facts　are　duly　considered；　can　anyone



possibly　maintain　that　the　Eng