wealbk04-第46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！


to　sell　very　cheap。　This；　however；　till　within　these　few　years；

had　always　been　the　policy　of　Spain；　and　the　price　of　all

European　goods；　accordingly；　is　said　to　have　been　enormous　in　the

Spanish　West　Indies。　At　Quito；　we　are　told　by　Ulloa；　a　pound　of

iron　sold　for　about　four　and　sixpence；　and　a　pound　of　steel　for

about　six　and　ninepence　sterling。　But　it　is　chiefly　in　order　to

purchase　European　goods　that　the　colonies　part　with　their　own

produce。　The　more；　therefore；　they　pay　for　the　one；　the　less　they

really　get　for　the　other；　and　the　dearness　of　the　one　is　the　same

thing　with　the　cheapness　of　the　other。　The　policy　of　Portugal　is

in　this　respect　the　same　as　the　ancient　policy　of　Spain　with

regard　to　all　its　colonies；　except　Fernambuco　and　Marannon；　and

with　regard　to　these　it　has　lately　adopted　a　still　worse。

　　　　　Other　nations　leave　the　trade　of　their　colonies　free　to　all

their　subjects　who　may　carry　it　on　from　all　the　different　ports

of　the　mother　country；　and　who　have　occasion　for　no　other　licence

than　the　common　despatches　of　the　custom…house。　In　this　case　the

number　and　dispersed　situation　of　the　different　traders　renders

it　impossible　for　them　to　enter　into　any　general　combination；　and

their　competition　is　sufficient　to　hinder　them　from　making　very

exorbitant　profits。　Under　so　liberal　a　policy　the　colonies　are

enabled　both　to　sell　their　own　produce　and　to　buy　the　goods　of

Europe　at　a　reasonable　price。　But　since　the　dissolution　of　the

Plymouth　Company；　when　our　colonies　were　but　in　their　infancy；

this　has　always　been　the　policy　of　England。　It　has　generally；

too；　been　that　of　France；　and　has　been　uniformly　so　since　the

dissolution　of　what；　in　England；　is　commonly　called　their

Mississippi　Company。　The　profits　of　the　trade；　therefore；　which

France　and　England　carry　on　with　their　colonies；　though　no　doubt

somewhat　higher　than　if　the　competition　was　free　to　all　other

nations；　are；　however；　by　no　means　exorbitant；　and　the　price　of

European　goods　accordingly　is　not　extravagantly　high　in　the

greater　part　of　the　colonies　of　either　of　those　nations。

　　　　　In　the　exportation　of　their　own　surplus　produce　too；　it　is

only　with　regard　to　certain　commodities　that　the　colonies　of

Great　Britain　are　confined　to　the　market　of　the　mother　country。

These　commodities　having　been　enumerated　in　the　Act　of　Navigation

and　in　some　other　subsequent　acts；　have　upon　that　account　been

called　enumerated　commodities。　The　rest　are　called

non…enumerated；　and　may　be　exported　directly　to　other　countries

provided　it　is　in　British　or　Plantation　ships；　of　which　the

owners　and　three…fourths　of　the　mariners　are　British　subjects。

　　　　　Among　the　non…enumerated　commodities　are　some　of　the　most

important　productions　of　America　and　the　West　Indies；　grain　of

all　sorts；　lumber；　salt　provisions；　fish；　sugar　and　rum。

　　　　　Grain　is　naturally　the　first　and　principal　object　of　the

culture　of　all　new　colonies。　By　allowing　them　a　very　extensive

market　for　it；　the　law　encourages　them　to　extend　this　culture

much　beyond　the　consumption　of　a　thinly　inhabited　country；　and

thus　to　provide　beforehand　an　ample　subsistence　for　a　continually

increasing　population。

　　　　　In　a　country　quite　covered　with　wood；　where　timber

consequently　is　of　little　or　no　value；　the　expense　of　clearing

the　ground　is　the　principal　obstacle　to　improvement。　By　allowing

the　colonies　a　very　extensive　market　for　their　lumber；　the　law

endeavours　to　facilitate　improvement　by　raising　the　price　of　a

commodity　which　would　otherwise　be　of　little　value；　and　thereby

enabling　them　to　make　some　profit　of　what　would　otherwise　be　a

mere　expense。

　　　　　In　a　country　neither　half…peopled　nor　half…cultivated；

cattle　naturally　multiply　beyond　the　consumption　of　the

inhabitants；　and　are　often　upon　that　account　of　little　or　no

value。　But　it　is　necessary；　it　has　already　been　shown；　that　the

price　of　cattle　should　bear　a　certain　proportion　to　that　of　corn

before　the　greater　part　of　the　lands　of　any　country　can　be

improved。　By　allowing　to　American　cattle；　in　all　shapes；　dead　or

alive；　a　very　extensive　market；　the　law　endeavors　to　raise　the

value　of　a　commodity　of　which　the　high　price　is　so　very　essential

to　improvement。　The　good　effects　of　this　liberty；　however；　must

be　somewhat　diminished　by　the　4th　of　George　III；　c。　15；　which

puts　hides　and　skins　among　the　enumerated　commodities；　and

thereby　tends　to　reduce　the　value　of　American　cattle。

　　　　　To　increase　the　shipping　and　naval　power　of　Great　Britain；

by　the　extension　of　the　fisheries　of　our　colonies；　is　an　object

which　the　legislature　seems　to　have　had　almost　constantly　in

view。　Those　fisheries；　upon　this　account；　have　had　all　the

encouragement　which　freedom　can　give　them；　and　they　have

flourished　accordingly。　The　New　England　fishery　in　particular

was；　before　the　late　disturbances；　one　of　the　most　important；

perhaps；　in　the　world。　The　whale…fishery　which；　notwithstanding

an　extravagant　bounty；　is　in　Great　Britain　carried　on　to　so

little　purpose　that　in　the　opinion　of　many　people　（which　I　do

not；　however；　pretend　to　warrant）　the　whole　produce　does　not　much

exceed　the　value　of　the　bounties　which　are　annually　paid　for　it；

is　in　New　England　carried　on　without　any　bounty　to　a　very　great

extent。　Fish　is　one　of　the　principal　articles　with　which　the

North　Americans　trade　to　Spain；　Portugal；　and　the　Mediterranean。

　　　　　Sugar　was　originally　an　enumerated　commodity　which　could　be

exported　only　to　Great　Britain。　But　in　1731；　upon　a

representation　of　the　sugar…planters；　its　exportation　was

permitted　to　all　parts　of　the　world。　The　restrictions；　however；

with　which　this　liberty　was　granted；　joined　to　the　high　price　of

sugar　in　Great　Britain；　have　rendered　it；　in　a　great　measure；

ineffectual。　Great　Britain　and　her　colonies　still　continue　to　be

almost　the　sole　market　for　all　the　sugar　produced　in　the　British

plantations。　Their　consumption　increases　so　fast　that；　though　in

consequence　of　the　increasing　improvement　of　Jamaica；　as　well　as

of　the　Ceded　Islands；　the　importation　of　sugar　has　increased　very

greatly　within　these　twenty　years；　the　exportation　to　foreign

countries　is　said　to　be　not　much　greater　than　before。

　　　　　Rum　is　a　very　important　article　in　the　trade　which　the

Americans　carry　on　to　the　coast　of　Africa；　from　which　they　bring

back　negro　slaves　in　return。

　　　　　If　the　whole　surplus　produce　of　America　in　grain　of　all

sorts；　in　salt　provisions　and　in　fish；　had　been　put　into　the

enumeration；　and　thereby　forced　into　the　market　of　Great　Britain；

it　would　have　interfered　too　much　with　the　produce　of　the

industry　of　our　own　people。　It　was　probably　not　so　much　from　any

regard　to　the　interest　of　America　as　from　a　jealousy　of　this

interference　that　those　important　commodities　have　not　only　been

kept　out　of　the　enumeration；　but　that　the　importation　into　Great

Britain　of　all　grain；　except　rice；　and　of　salt　provisions；　has；

in　the　ordinary　state　of　the　law；　been　prohibited。

　　　　　The　non…enumerated　commodities　could　originally　be　exported

to　all　parts　of　the　world。　Lumber　and　rice；　having　been　once　put

into　the　enumeration；　when　they　were　afterwards　taken　out　of　it；

were　confined；　as　to　the　European　market；　to　the　countries　that

lie　south　of　Cape　Finisterre。　By　the　6th　of　George　III；　c。　52；

all　non…enumerated　commodities　were　subjected　to　the　like

restriction。　The　parts　of　Europe　which　lie　south　of　Cape

Finisterre　are　not　manufacturing　countries；　and　we　were　less

jealous　of　the　colony　ships　carrying　home　from　them　any

manufactures　which　could　interfere　with　our　own。

　　　　　The　enumerated　commodities　are　of　two　sorts：　first；　such　as

are　either　the　peculiar　produce　of　America；　or　as　cannot　be

produced；　or　at　least　are　not　produced；　in　the　mother　country。　Of

this　kind　are　molasses；　coffee；　cocoa…nuts；　tobacco；　pimento；

ginger；　whalefins；　raw　silk；　cotton…wool；　beaver；　and　other

peltry　of　America；　indigo；　fustic；　and　other　dyeing　woods；

secondly；　such　as　are　not　the　peculiar　produce　of　America；　but

which　are　and　may　be　produced　in　the　mother　country；　though　not

in　s