list4-第13章

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stationed　at　the　mouths　of　the　Weser　and　the　Elbe；　would　be　in　a



position　to　destroy　in　twenty…four　hours　this　work　of　a　quarter　of



a　century？　But　the　Union　will　guarantee　to　these　seaports　their



prosperity　and　their　progress　for　all　future　time；　partly　by　the



creation　of　a　fleet　of　its　own　and　partly　by　alliances。　It　will



foster　their　fisheries；　secure　special　advantages　to　their



shipping；　protect　and　promote　their　foreign　commercial　relations；



by　effective　consular　establishments　and　by　treaties。　Partly　by



their　means　it　will　found　new　colonies；　and　by　their　means　carry　on



its　own　colonial　trade。　For　a　union　of　States　comprising



thirty…five　millions　of　inhabitants　（for　the　Union　will　comprise



that　number　at　least　when　it　is　fully　completed）；　which　owing　to　an



annual　increase　of　population　of　one　and　a　half　per　cent　can　easily



spare　annually　two　or　three　hundred　thousand　persons；　whose



provinces　abound　with　well…informed　and　cultivated　inhabitants　who



have　a　peculiar　propensity　to　seek　their　fortune　in　distant



countries；　people　who　can　take　root　anywhere　and　make　themselves　at



home　wherever　unoccupied　land　is　to　be　cultivated；　are　called　upon



by　Nature　herself　to　place　themselves　in　the　first　rank　of　nations



who　colonise　and　diffuse　civilisation。



　　　　The　feeling　of　the　necessity　for　such　a　perfect　completion　of



the　Commercial　Union　is　so　universally　entertained　in　Germany；　that



hence　the　author　of　the　report　could　not　help　remarking；　'More



coasts；　more　harbours；　more　navigation；　a　Union　flag；　the



possession　of　a　navy　and　of　a　mercantile　marine；　are　wishes　very



generally　entertained　by　the　supporters　of　the　Commercial　Union；



but　there　is　little　prospect　at　present　of　the　Union　making　head



against　the　increasing　fleet　of　Russia　and　the　commercial　marine　of



Holland　and　the　Hanse　Towns。'　Against　them　certainly　not；　but　so



much　the　more　with　them　and　by　means　of　them。　It　lies　in　the　very



nature　of　every　power　to　seek　to　divide　in　order　to　rule。　After　the



author　of　the　report　has　shown　why　it　would　be　foolish　on　the　part



of　the　maritime　states　to　join　the　Union；　he　desires　also　to



separate　the　great　seaports　from　the　German　national　body　for　all



time；　inasmuch　as　he　speaks　to　us　of　the　warehouses　of　Altona　which



must　become　dangerous　to　the　warehouses　of　Hamburg；　as　though　such



a　great　commercial　empire　could　not　find　the　means　of　making　the



warehouses　of　Altona　serviceable　to　its　objects。　We　will　not　follow



the　author　through　his　acute　inferences　from　this　point；　we　will



only　say；　that　if　they　were　applied　to　England；　they　would　prove



that　London　and　Liverpool　would　increase　their　commercial



prosperity　in　an　extraordinary　degree　if　they　were　separated　from



the　body　of　the　English　nation。　The　spirit　which　underlies　these



arguments　is　unmistakably　expressed　in　the　report　of　the　English



consul　at　Rotterdam。　'For　the　commercial　interests　of　Great



Britain；'　says　Mr　Alexander　Ferrier　at　the　end　of　his　report；　'it



appears　of　the　greatest　possible　importance　that　no　means　should　be



left　untried　to　prevent　the　aforesaid　states；　and　also　Belgium；



from　entering　the　Zollverein；　for　reasons　which　are　too　clear　to



need　any　exposition。'　Who　could　possibly　blame　Mr　Ferrier　for



speaking　thus；　or　Dr　Bowring　for　speaking　thus；　or　the　English



ministers　for　acting　as　the　others　speak？　The　national　instinct　of



England　speaks　and　acts　through　them。　But　to　expect　prosperity　and



blessing　to　Germany　from　proposals　which　proceed　from　such　a　source



as　that；　would　appear　to　exceed　even　a　decent　degree　of　national



good　nature。　'Whatever　may　happen；'　adds　Mr　Ferrier　to　the　words



above　quoted；　'Holland　must　at　all　times　be　considered　as　the　main



channel　for　the　commercial　relations　of　South　Germany　with　other



countries。'　Clearly　Mr　Ferrier　understands　by　the　term　'other



countries'　merely　England；　clearly　he　means　to　say　that　if　the



English　manufacturing　supremacy　should　lose　its　means　of　access　to



Germany　or　the　North　Sea　and　the　Baltic；　Holland　would　still　remain



to　it　as　the　great　means　of　access　by　which　it　could　predominate



over　the　markets　for　manufactured　goods　and　colonial　produce　of　the



south　of　Germany。



　　　　But　we　from　a　national　point　of　view　say　and　maintain　that



Holland　is　in　reference　to　its　geographical　position；　as　well　as　in



respect　to　its　commercial　and　industrial　circumstances；　and　to　the



origin　and　language　of　its　inhabitants；　a　German　province；　which



has　been　separated　from　Germany　at　a　period　of　German　national



disunion；　without　whose　reincorporation　in　the　German　Union　Germany



may　be　compared　to　a　house　the　door　of　which　belongs　to　a　stranger：



Holland　belongs　as　much　to　Germany　as　Brittany　and　Normandy　belong



to　France；　and　so　long　as　Holland　is　determined　to　constitute　an



independent　kingdom　of　her　own；　Germany　can　as　little　attain



independence　and　power　as　France　would　have　been　enabled　to　attain



these　if　those　provinces　had　remained　in　the　hands　of　the　English。



That　the　commercial　power　of　Holland　has　declined；　is　owing　to　the



unimportance　of　the　country。　Holland　will　and　must　also；



notwithstanding　the　prosperity　of　her　colonies；　continue　to



decline；　because　the　nation　is　too　weak　to　support　the　enormous



expense　of　a　considerable　military　and　naval　power。　Through　her



exertions　to　maintain　her　nationality　Holland　must　become　more　and



more　deeply　involved　in　debt。　Notwithstanding　her　great　colonial



prosperity；　she　is　and　remains　all　the　same　a　country　dependent　on



England；　and　by　her　seeming　independence　she　only　strengthens　the



English　supremacy。　This　is　also　the　secret　reason　why　England　at



the　congress　of　Vienna　took　under　her　protection　the　restoration　of



the　Dutch　seeming　independence。　The　case　is　exactly　the　same　as



with　the　Hanse　Towns。　On　the　side　of　England；　Holland　is　a



satellite　for　the　English　fleet　　unite　it　with　Germany；　she　is



the　leader　of　the　German　naval　power。　In　her　present　position



Holland　cannot　nearly　so　well　derive　profit　from　her　colonial



possessions　as　if　they　became　a　constituent　part　of　the　German



Union；　especially　because　she　is　too　weak　in　the　elements　which　are



necessary　for　colonisation　　in　population　and　in　mental　powers。



Further　than　this；　the　profitable　development　of　her　colonies；　so



far　as　that　has　hitherto　been　effected；　depends　for　the　most　part



on　German　good　nature；　or　rather　on　the　nonacquaintance　of　the



Germans　with　their　own　national　commercial　interests；　for　while　all



other　nations　reserve　their　market　for　colonial　produce　for　their



own　colonies　and　for　the　countries　subject　to　them；　the　German



market　is　the　only　one　which　remains　open　to　the　Dutch　for　the



disposal　of　their　surplus　colonial　produce。　As　soon　as　the　Germans



clearly　comprehend　that　those　from　whom　they　purchase　colonial



produce　must　be　made　to　understand　that　they　on　their　part　must



purchase　manufactured　goods　from　Germany　under　differentially



favourable　treatment；　then　the　Germans　will　also　clearly　see　that



they　have　it　in　their　power　to　compel　Holland　to　join　the



Zollverein。　That　union　would　be　of　the　greatest　advantage　to　both



countries。　Germany　would　give　Holland　the　means　not　only　of



deriving　profit　from　her　colonies　far　better　than　at　present；　but



also　to　found　and　to　acquire　new　colonies。　Germany　would　grant



special　perferential　privileges　to　the　Dutch　and　Hanseatic



shipping；　and　grant　special　preferential　privileges　to　Dutch



colonial　produce　in　the　German　markets。　Holland　and　the　Hanse



Towns；　in　return；　would　preferentially　export　Ge