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16。　Our　author　would　appear　to　have　forgotten；　or　else　unfairly



ignored；　the　exploits　of　the　British　fleet　under　Lord　Exmouth。







17。　Smith；　Wealth　of　Nations；　Book　III；　ch。　iv。











Chapter　3







The　Netherlanders







　　　　In　respect　to　temperament　and　manners；　to　the　origin　and



language　of　their　inhabitants；　no　less　than　to　their　political



connection　and　geographical　position；　Holland；　Flanders；　and



Brabant　constituted　portions　of　the　German　Empire。　The　more



frequent　visits　of　Charlemagne　and　his　residence　in　the　vicinity　of



these　countries　must　have　exercised　a　much　more　powerful　influence



on　their　civilisation　than　on　that　of　more　distant　German



territories。　Furthermore；　Flanders　and　Brabant　were　specially



favoured　by　nature　as　respects　agriculture　and　manufactures；　as



Holland　was　as　respects　cattle…farming　and　commerce。



　　　　Nowhere　in　Germany　was　internal　trade　so　powerfully　aided　by



extensive　and　excellent　sea　and　river　navigation　as　in　these



maritime　states。　The　beneficial　effects　of　these　means　of　water



transport　on　the　improvement　of　agriculture　and　on　the　growth　of



the　towns　must　in　these　countries；　even　at　an　early　period；　have



led　to　the　removal　of　impediments　which　hindered　their　progress　and



to　the　construction　of　artificial　canals。　The　prosperity　of



Flanders　was　especially　promoted　by　the　circumstance　that　her



ruling　Counts　recognised　the　value　of　public　security；　of　good



roads；　manufactures；　and　flourishing　cities　before　all　other　German



potentates；　Favoured　by　the　nature　of　their　territory；　they　devoted



themselves　with　zeal　to　the　extirpation　of　the　robber　knights　and



of　wild　beasts。　Active　commercial　intercourse　between　the　cities



and　the　country；　the　extension　of　cattle…farming；　especially　of



sheep；　and　of　the　culture　of　flax　and　hemp；　naturally　followed；　and



wherever　the　raw　material　is　abundantly　produced；　and　security　of



property　and　of　intercourse　is　maintained；　labour　and　skill　for



working　up　that　material　will　soon　be　found。　Meanwhile　the　Counts



of　Flanders　did　not　wait　until　chance　should　furnish　them　with



woollen　weavers；　for　history　informs　us　that　they　imported　such



artificers　from　foreign　countries。



　　　　Supported　by　the　reciprocal　trade　of　the　Hanseatic　League　and



of　Rolland；　Flanders　soon　rose　by　her　woollen　manufactures　to　be



the　central　point　of　the　commerce　of　the　North；　just　as　Venice　by



her　industry　and　her　shipping　had　become　the　centre　of　the　commerce



of　the　South。　The　merchant　shipping；　and　reciprocal　trade　of　the



Hanseatic　League　and　the　Dutch；　together　with　the　manufacturing



trade　of　Flanders；　constituted　one　great　whole；　a　real　national



industry。　A　policy　of　commercial　restriction　could　not　in　their



case　be　deemed　necessary；　because　as　yet　no　competition　had　arisen



against　the　manufacturing　supremacy　of　Flanders。　That　under　such



circumstances　manufacturing　industry　thrives　best　under　free　trade；



the　Counts　of　Flanders　understood　without　having　read　Adam　Smith。



Quite　in　the　spirit　of　the　present　popular　theory；　Count　Robert



III；　when　the　King　of　England　requested　him　to　exclude　the　Scotch



from　the　Flemish　markets；　replied；　'Flanders　has　always　considered



herself　a　free　market　for　all　nations；　and　it　does　not　consist　with



her　interests　to　depart　from　that　principle。'



　　　　After　Flanders　had　continued　for　centuries　to　be　the　chief



manufacturing　country；　and　Bruges　the　chief　market；　of　Northern



Europe；　their　manufactures　and　commerce　passed　over　to　the



neighbouring　province　of　Brabant；　because　the　Counts　of　Flanders



would　not　continue　to　grant　them　those　concessions　to　which　in　the



period　of　their　great　prosperity　they　had　laid　claim。　Antwerp　then



became　the　principal　seat　of　commerce；　and　Louvain　the　chief



manufacturing　city　of　Northern　Europe。　In　consequence　of　this



change　of　circumstances；　the　agriculture　of　Brabant　soon　rose　to　a



high　state　of　prosperity。　The　change　in　early　times　from　payment　of



imposts　in　kind　to　their　payment　in　money；　and；　above　all；　the



limitation　of　the　feudal　system；　also　tended　especially　to　its



advantage。



　　　　In　the　meantime　the　Dutch；　who　appeared　more　and　more　upon　the



scene；　with　united　power；　as　rivals　to　the　Hanseatic　League；　laid



the　foundation　of　their　future　power　at　sea。　Nature　had　conferred



benefits　on　this　small　nation　both　by　her　frowns　and　smiles。　Their



perpetual　contests　with　the　inroads　of　the　sea　necessarily



developed　in　them　a　spirit　of　enterprise；　industry；　and　thrift；



while　the　land　which　they　had　reclaimed　and　protected　by　such



indescribable　exertions　must　have　seemed　to　them　a　property　to



which　too　much　care　could　not　be　devoted。　Restricted　by　Nature



herself　to　the　pursuits　of　navigation；　of　fisheries；　and　the



production　of　meat；　cheese；　and　butter；　the　Dutch　were　compelled　to



supply　their　requirements　of　grain；　timber；　fuel；　and　clothing



materials　by　their　marine　carrying　trade；　their　exports　of　dairy



produce；　and　their　fisheries。



　　　　Those　were　the　principal　causes　why　the　Hansards　were　at　a



later　period　gradually　excluded　by　the　Dutch　from　the　trade　with



the　north…eastern　countries。　The　Dutch　required　to　import　far



greater　quantities　of　agricultural　produce　and　of　timber　than　did



the　Hansards；　who　were　chiefly　supplied　with　these　articles　by　the



territories　immediately　adjoining　their　cities。　And；　further；　the



vicinity　to　Holland　of　the　Belgian　manufacturing　districts；　and　of



the　Rhine　with　its　extensive；　fertile；　and　vine…clad　banks；　and　its



stream　navigable　up　to　the　mountains　of　Switzerland；　constituted



great　advantages　for　the　Dutch。



　　　　It　may　be　considered　as　an　axiom　that　the　commerce　and



prosperity　of　countries　on　the　sea　coast　is　dependent　on　the



greater　or　less　magnitude　of　the　river　territories　with　which　they



have　communication　by　water。（1*）　If　we　look　at　the　map　of　Italy；　we



shall　find　in　the　great　extent　and　fertility　of　the　valley　of　the



Po　the　natural　reason　why　the　commerce　of　Venice　so　greatly



surpassed　that　of　Genoa　or　of　Pisa。　The　trade　of　Holland　has　its



chief　sources　in　the　territories　watered　by　the　Rhine　and　its



tributary　streams；　and　in　the　same　proportion　as　these　territories



were　much　richer　and　more　fertile　than　those　watered　by　the　Elbe



and　the　Weser　must　the　commerce　of　Holland　exceed　that　of　the　Hanse



Towns。　To　the　advantages　above　named　was　added　another　fortunate



incident　　the　invention　by　Peter　B鯿kels　of　the　best　mode　of



salting　herrings。　The　best　mode　of　catching　and　of　'b鯿kelling'



these　fish　（the　latter　term　derived　from　the　inventor）　remained　for



a　long　period　a　secret　known　only　to　the　Dutch；　by　which　they　knew



how　to　prepare　their　herrings　with　a　peculiar　excellence　surpassing



those　of　all　other　persons　engaged　in　sea　fishery；　and　secured　for



themselves　a　preference　in　the　markets　as　well　as　better



prices。（2*）　Anderson　alleges　that　after　the　lapse　of　centuries　from



the　date　of　these　inventions　in　Holland；　the　English　and　Scotch



fishermen；　notwithstanding　their　enjoyment　of　a　considerable　bounty



on　export；　could　not　find　purchasers　for　their　herrings　in　foreign



markets；　eves　at　much　lower　prices；　in　competition　with　the　Dutch。



If　we　bear　in　mind　how　great　was　the　consumption　of　sea　fish　in　all



countries　before　the　Reformation；　we　can　well　give　credit　to　the



fact　that　at　a　time　when　the　Hanseatic　shipping　trade　had　already



begun　to　decline；　the　Dutch　found　occasion　for　building　2；000　new



vessels　annually。



　　　　From　the　period　when　all　the　Belgian　and　Bata