list4-第16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！



Holland　to　the　German　Commercial　Union；　and　through　the　closer



connection　of　Germany　with　the　Dutch　colonies。



　　　　Since　the　emancipation　of　the　Spanish　and　Portuguese　colonies



in　South　America　and　the　West　Indies；　it　is　no　longer　indispensably



necessary　that　a　manufacturing　nation　should　possess　colonies　of



its　own　in　tropical　climates　in　order　to　put　itself　in　a　position



to　carry　on　directly　the　exchange　of　manufactured　goods　against



colonial　produce。　As　the　markets　of　these　emancipated　tropical



countries　are　free；　every　manufacturing　nation　which　is　able　to



compete　in　these　free　markets　can　carry　on　direct　trade　with　them。



But　these　free　tropical　countries　can　only　produce　great　quantities



of　colonial　products；　and　only　consume　great　quantities　of



manufactured　goods；　if　prosperity　and　morality；　peace　and　repose；



lawful　order　and　religious　tolerance；　prevail　within　them。　All



nations　not　powerful　at　sea；　especially　those　who　possess　no



colonies；　or　only　unimportant　ones；　have　hence　a　common　interest　in



bringing　about　such　a　state　of　things　by　their　united　power。　To



England；　with　her　commercial　supremacy；　the　circumstances　of　these



countries　cannot　matter　so　much　because　she　is　sufficiently



supplied；　or　at　least　hopes　to　become　sufficiently　supplied；　with



colonial　produce　from　her　own　exclusive　and　subject　markets　in　the



East　and　West　Indies。　From　this　point　of　view　also　we　must　partly



judge　respecting　the　extremely　important　question　of　slavery。　We



are　very　far　from　ignoring　that　much　philanthropy　and　good　motive



lies　at　the　root　of　the　zeal　with　which　the　object　of　the



emancipation　of　the　negroes　is　pursued　by　England；　and　that　this



zeal　does　great　honour　to　the　character　of　the　English　nation。　But



at　the　same　time；　if　we　consider　the　immediate　effects　of　the



measures　adopted　by　England　in　reference　to　this　matter；　we　cannot



get　rid　of　the　idea　that　also　much　political　motive　and　commercial



interest　are　mingled　with　it。　These　effects　are：　（1）　That　by　the



sudden　emancipation　of　the　blacks；　through　their　rapid　transition



from　a　condition　of　disorder　and　carelessness　little　removed　from



that　of　wild　animals　to　a　high　degree　of　individual　independence；



the　yield　of　tropical　produce　of　South　America　and　the　West　Indies



will　be　extremely　diminished　and　ultimately　reduced　to　nothing；　as



the　example　of　St。　Domingo　incontestably　shows；　inasmuch　as　there



since　the　expulsion　of　the　French　and　Spaniards　the　production　has



greatly　decreased　from　year　to　year；　and　continues　to　do　so。　（2）



That　the　free　negroes　continually　seek　to　obtain　an　increase　in



their　wages；　whilst　they　limit　their　labour　to　the　supply　of　their



most　indispensable　wants；　that　hence　their　freedom　merely　leads　to



idleness。　（3）　That；　on　the　other　hand；　England　possesses　in　the



East　Indies　ample　means　for　supplying　the　whole　world　with　colonial



products。　It　is　well　known　that　the　Hindoos；　owing　to　great



industry　and　great　moderation　in　their　food　and　other　wants；



especially　in　consequence　of　the　precepts　of　their　religion；　which



forbid　the　use　of　animal　food；　are　excessively　frugal。　To　these



must　be　added　the　want　of　capital　among　the　natives；　the　great



fruitfulness　of　the　soil　in　vegetable　products；　and　the　restriction



of　caste　and　the　great　competition　of　those　in　want　of　work。



　　　　The　result　of　all　this　is；　that　wages　in　India　are　incomparably



lower　than　in　the　West　Indies　and　South　America；　whether　the



plantations　there　are　cultivated　by　free　blacks　or　by　slaves；　that



consequently　the　production　of　India；　after　trade　has　been　set　free



in　that　country；　and　wiser　principles　of　administration　have



prevailed；　must　increase　at　an　enormous　rate；　and　the　time　is　no



longer　distant　when　England　will　not　only　be　able　to　supply　all　her



own　requirements　of　colonial　produce　from　India；　but　also　export



great　quantities　to　other　countries。　Hence　it　follows　that　England



cannot　lose　through　the　diminution　of　production　in　the　West　Indies



and　South　America；　to　which　countries　other　nations　also　export



manufactured　goods；　but　she　will　gain　if　the　colonial　production　in



India　becomes　preponderant；　which　market　England　exclusively



supplies　with　manufactured　goods。　（4）　Finally；　it　may　be　asserted；



that　by　the　emancipation　of　the　slaves　England　desires　to　hang　a



sword　over　the　head　of　the　North　American　slave　states；　which　is　so



much　the　more　menacing　to　the　Union　the　more　this　emancipation



extends　and　the　wish　is　excited　among　the　negroes　of　North　America



to　partake　of　similar　liberty。　The　question　if　rightly　viewed　must



appear　a　philanthropical　experiment　of　doubtful　benefit　towards



those　on　whose　behalf　it　was　undertaken　from　motives　of　general



philanthropy；　but　must　in　any　case　appear　to　those　nations　who　rely



on　the　trade　with　South　America　and　the　West　Indies　as　not



advantageous　to　them；　and　they　may　not　unreasonably　inquire：



Whether　a　sudden　transition　from　slavery　to　freedom　may　not　prove



more　injurious　to　the　negroes　themselves　than　the　maintenance　of



the　existing　state　of　things？　　whether　it　may　not　be　the　task　of



several　generations　to　educate　the　negroes　（who　are　accustomed　to



an　almost　animal　state　of　subjection）　to　habits　of　voluntary　labour



and　thrift？　　whether　it　might　not　better　attain　the　object　if　the



transition　from　slavery　to　freedom　was　made　by　the　introduction　of



a　mild　form　of　serfdom；　whereby　at　first　some　interest　might　be



secured　to　the　serf　in　the　land　which　he　cultivates；　and　a　fair



share　of　the　fruits　of　his　labour；　allowing　sufficient　rights　to



the　landlord　in　order　to　bind　the　serf　to　habits　of　industry　and



order？　　whether　such　a　condition　would　not　be　more　desirable　than



that　of　a　miserable；　drunken；　lazy；　vicious；　mendicant　horde　called



free　negroes；　in　comparison　with　which　Irish　misery　in　its　most



degraded　form　may　be　deemed　a　state　of　prosperity　and　civilisation？



If；　however；　we　are　required　to　believe　that　the　zeal　of　the



English　to　make　everything　which　exists　upon　earth　partakers　of　the



same　degree　of　freedom　which　they　possess　themselves；　is　so　great



and　irrepressible　that　they　must　be　excused　if　they　have　forgotten



that　nature　makes　no　advances　by　leaps　and　bounds；　then　we　must



venture　to　put　the　questions：　Whether　the　condition　of　the　lowest



caste　of　the　Hindoos　is　not　much　more　wretched　and　intolerable　than



that　of　the　American　negroes？　　and　how　it　happens　that　the



philanthropic　spirit　of　England　has　never　been　excited　on　behalf　of



these　most　miserable　of　mankind？　　how　it　happens　that　English



legislation　has　never　intervened　for　their　benefit？　　how　it



happens　that　England　has　been　active　enough　in　deriving　means　for



her　own　enrichment　out　of　this　miserable　state　of　things；　without



thinking　of　any　direct　means　of　ameliorating　it？



　　　　The　English…Indian　policy　leads　us　to　the　Eastern　question。　If



we　can　dismiss　from　the　politics　of　the　day　all　that　which　at　this



moment　has　reference　to　territorial　conflicts；　to　the　dynastic；



monarchic；　aristocratic；　and　religious　interests；　and　to　the



circumstances　of　the　various　powers；　it　cannot　be　ignored　that　the



Continental　powers　have　a　great　national　economic　interest　in



common　in　the　Eastern　question。　However　successful　the　present



endeavours　of　the　powers　may　be　to　keep　this　question　in　the



background　for　a　time；　it　will　continually　again　come　to　the　front



with　renewed　force。　It　is　a　conclusion　long　arrived　at　by　all



thoughtful　men；　that　a　nation　so　thoroughly　undermined　in　her



religious；　moral；　social；　and　political　foundat