list1-第12章
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mentioned; they have been greatly surpassed in their effect by
those which England derived from immigrations attracted by her
political; religious; and geographical conditions。
As far back as the twelfth century political circumstances
induced Flemish woollen weavers to emigrate to Wales。 Not many
centuries later exiled Italians came over to London to carry on
business as money changers and bankers。 That from Flanders and
Brabant entire bodies of manufacturers thronged to England at
various periods; we have shown in Chapter II。 From Spain and
Portugal came persecuted Jews; from the Hanse Towns; and from
Venice in her decline; merchants who brought with them their ships;
their knowledge of business; their capital; and their spirit of
enterprise。 Still more important were the immigrations of capital
and of manufacturers in consequence of the Reformation and the
religious persecutions in Spain; Portugal; France; Belgium;
Germany; and Italy; as also of merchants and manufacturers from
Holland in consequence of the stagnation of trade and industry in
that country occasioned by the Act of Navigation and the Methuen
Treaty。 Every political movement; every war upon the Continent;
brought England vast accessions of fresh capital and talents; so
long as she possessed the privileges of freedom; the right of
asylum; internal tranquillity and peace; the protection of the law;
and general well…being。 So more recently did the French Revolution
and the wars of the Empire; and so did the political commotions;
the revolutionary and reactionary movements and the wars in Spain;
in Mexico; and in South America。 By means of her Patent Laws;
England long monopolised the inventive genius of every nation。 It
is no more than fair that England; now that she has attained the
culminating point of her industrial growth and progress; should
restore again to the nations of Continental Europe a portion of
those productive forces which she originally derived from them。
NOTES:
1。 Hume; vol。 ii; p。 143。
2。 No doubt the decrees prohibiting the export of wool; not to
mention the restrictions placed on the trade in wool in markets
near the coast; were vexations and unfair; yet at the same time the
operated beneficially in the promotion of English industry; and in
the suppression of that of the Flemings。
3。 Hume (in 1603)。 Macpherson; Histoire du Commerce (in 1651)。
4。 See Ustaritz; Th閛rie du Commerce; ch。 xxviii。 Thus we see
George I did not want to export goods and import nothing but specie
in return; which is stated as the fundamental principle of the
so…called 'mercantile system'; and which in any case would be
absurd。 What he desired was to export manufactures and import raw
material。
5。 Hume; vol。 v。 p。 39。
6。 Anderson for the year 1721。
7。 Priestley; Lectures on History and General Policy; Pt。 II; p。
289。
8。 These and the following figures relating to English statistics
are taken from a paper written by McQueen; the celebrated English
statistician; and appearing in the July number of Tait's Edinburgh
Magazine for the year 1839。 Possibly they may be somewhat
exaggerated for the moment。 But even if so; it is more than
probable that the figures as stated will be reached within the
present decade。
9。 Before his lamented death; the gifted author of this remark; in
his Letters on England; read the nobles of his native country a
lesson in this respect which they would do well to lay to heart。
10。 England's national debt would not be so great an evil as it now
appears to us; if England's aristocracy would concede that this
burden should be borne by the class who were benefited by the cost
of wars; namely; by the rich。 McQueen estimates the capitalised
value of property in the three kingdoms at 4;000 million pounds
sterling; and Martin estimates the capital invested in the colonies
at about 2;600 millions sterling。 Hence we see that one…ninth part
of Englishmen's private property would suffice to cover the entire
national debt。 Nothing could be more just than such an
appropriation; or at least than the payment of the interest on the
national debt out of the proceeds of an income tax。 The English
aristocracy; however; deem it more convenient to provide for this
charge by the imposition of taxes upon articles of consumption; by
which the existence of the working classes is embittered beyond the
point of endurance。
11。 See Appendix A。
Chapter 5
The Spaniards and Portuguese
Whilst the English were busied for centuries in raising the
structure of their national prosperity upon the most solid
foundations; the Spaniards and the Portuguese made a fortune
rapidly by means of their discoveries and attained to great wealth
in a very short space of time。 But it was only the wealth of a
spendthrift who had won the first prize in a lottery; whereas the
wealth of the English may be likened to the fortune accumulated by
the diligent and saving head of a family。 The former may for a time
appear more to be envied than the latter on account of his lavish
expenditure and luxury; but wealth in his case is only a means for
prodigality and momentary enjoyment; whereas the latter will regard
wealth chiefly as a means of laying a foundation for the moral and
material well…being of his latest posterity。
The Spaniards possessed flocks of well…bred sheep at so early
a period that Henry I of England was moved to prohibit the
importation of Spanish wool in 1172; and that as far back as the
tenth and eleventh centuries Italian woollen manufacturers used to
import the greater portion of their wool supplies from Spain。 Two
hundred years before that time the dwellers on the shores of the
Bay of Biscay had already distinguished themselves in the
manufacture of iron; in navigation; and in fisheries。 They were the
first to carry on the whale fishery; and even in the year 1619 they
still so far excelled the English in that business that they were
asked to send fishermen to England to instruct the English in this
particular branch of the fishing trade。(1*)
Already in the tenth century; under Abdulrahman III (912 to
950); the Moors had established in the fertile plains around
Valencia extensive plantations of cotton; sugar; and rice; and
carried on silk cultivation。 Cordova; Seville; and Granada
contained at the time of the Moors important cotton and silk
manufactories。(2*) Valencia; Segovia; Toledo; and several other
cities in Castile were celebrated for their woollen manufactures。
Seville alone at an early period of history contained as many as
16;000 looms; while the woollen manufactories of Segovia in the
year 1552 were employing 13;000 operatives。 Other branches of
industry; notably the manufacture of arms and of paper; had become
developed on a similar scale。 In Colbert's day the French were
still in the habit of procuring supplies of cloth from Spain。(3*)
The Spanish seaport towns were the seat of an extensive trade and
of important fisheries; and up to the time of Philip II Spain
possessed a most powerful navy。 In a word; Spain possessed all the
elements of greatness and prosperity; when bigotry; in alliance
with despotism; set to work to stifle the high spirit of the
nation。 The first commencement of this work of darkness was the
expulsion of the Jews; and its crowning act the expulsion of the
Moors; whereby two millions of the most industrious and well…to…do
inhabitants were driven out of Spain with their capital。
While the Inquisition was thus occupied in driving native
industry into exile; it at the same time effectually prevented
foreign manufacturers from settling down in the country。 The
discovery of America and of the route round the Cape only increased
the wealth of both kingdoms after a specious and ephemeral fashion
indeed; by these events a death…blow was first given to their
national industry and to their power。 For then; instead of
exchanging the produce of the East and West Indies against home
manufactures; as the Dutch and the English subsequently did; the
Spaniards and Portuguese purchased manufactured goods from foreign
nations with the gold and the silver which they had wrung from
their colonies。(4*) They transformed their useful and industrious
citizens into slave…dealers and colonial tyrants: thus they
promoted the industry; the trade; and the maritime power of the
Dutch and English; in whom they raised up rivals who soon grew
strong enough to destroy their fleets and rob them of the sources
of their wealth。 In vain the kings of Spain enacted laws against
the exportation of specie and the importation of manufactured
goods。 The spirit of enterprise; industry; and commerce can only
strike root in the soil of religious and political liberty; gold
and silver will only abide where industry knows how to attract and
employ them。
Portugal; however; under the auspices of an enlightened and
powerful minister; did make an attempt to develop her manufacturing
industry; the first results of which strike us with astonishment。
That country like Spain; had possessed from time immemorial fine
flocks of sheep。 Strabo tells us that a fine breed of sheep had
been introduced into Portugal from Asia; the cost of which amounted
to one talent per head。 When the Count of Ereceira became minister
in 1681; he conceived the design of establishing cloth
manufactories; and of thus working up the native raw material in
order to supply the mother country and the colonies with
home…manufactured goods。 With that view cloth workers were invited
from England; and so speedily did the native cloth manufactories
flourish in consequence of the protection secured to them; that
three years later (in 1684) it became practicable to prohibit the
importation of foreign cloths。 From that period Portugal supplied
herself and her colonies with native goods manufactured of
home…grown raw material; and prospered exceedingly in so doing for
a period of nineteen years; as attested by the evidence of English
writers themselves。(5*)
It is true that even in those days the English gave proof of
that ability which at subsequent times they have managed to