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Chapter　18







The　Manufacturing　Power　and　the　Natural　Productive　Powers　of　the



Nation。







　　　　The　more　that　man　and　the　community　perfect　themselves；　the



more　are　they　enabled　to　make　use　of　the　natural　powers　which　are



within　their　reach　for　the　accomplishment　of　their　objects；　and　the



more　does　the　sphere　of　what　is　within　their　reach　extend　itself。



　　　　The　hunter　does　not　employ　the　thousandth　part；　the　shepherd



not　the　hundredth　part；　of　those　natural　advantages　which　surround



him。　The　sea；　foreign　climates　and　countries；　yield　him　either



none；　or　at　least　only　an　inconsiderable　amount　of　enjoyment；



assistance；　or　stimulants　to　exertion。



　　　　In　the　case　of　a　people　in　a　primitive　agricultural　condition；



a　large　portion　of　the　existing　natural　resources　lies　yet



unutilised；　and　man　still　continues　limited　to　his　nearest



surroundings。　The　greater　part　of　the　water　power　and　wind　power



which　exists；　or　can　be　obtained；　is　unemployed；　the　various



mineral　products　which　the　manufacturers　so　well　understand　how　to



utilise　profitably；　lie　dead；　various　sorts　of　fuel　are　wasted　or



regarded　（as；　for　instance；　peat　turf）　as　a　mere　hindrance　to



cultivation；　stone；　sand；　and　lime　are　used　but　little　as　building



materials；　the　rivers；　instead　of　being　means　of　freight　and



transport　for　man；　or　of　fertilising　the　neighbouring　fields；　are



allowed　to　devastate　the　country　by　floods；　warmer　climates　and　the



sea　yield　to　the　agricultural　country　but　few　of　their　products。



　　　　In　fact；　in　the　agricultural　State；　that　power　of　nature　on



which　production　especially　depends；　the　natural　fertility　of　the



soil；　can　only　be　utilised　to　a　smaller　extent　so　long　as



agriculture　is　not　supported　by　manufacturing　industry。



　　　　Every　district　in　the　agricultural　State　must　itself　produce　as



much　of　the　things　necessary　to　it　as　it　requires　to　use；　for　it



can　neither　effect　considerable　sales　of　that　which　it　has　in



excess　to　other　districts；　nor　procure　that　which　it　requires　from



other　districts。　A　district　may　be　ever　so　fertile　and　adapted　for



the　culture　of　plants　yielding　oil；　dyeing　materials；　and　fodder；



yet　it　must　plant　forests　for　fuel；　because　to　procure　fuel　from



distant　mountain　districts；　over　wretched　country　roads；　would　be



too　expensive。　Land　which　if　utilised　for　the　cultivation　of　the



vine　and　for　garden　produce　could　be　made　to　yield　three　to　four



times　more　returns　must　be　used　for　cultivating　corn　and　fodder。　He



who　could　most　profitably　devote　himself　solely　to　the　breeding　of



cattle　must　also　fatten　them：　on　the　other　hand；　he　who　could　most



profitably　devote　himself　merely　to　fattening　stock；　must　also



carry　on　cattle　breeding。　How　advantageous　it　would　be　to　make　use



of　mineral　manures　（gypsum；　lime；　marl）；　or　to　burn　peat；　coal；　&c。



instead　of　wood；　and　to　bring　the　forest　lands　under　cultivation；



but　in　such　a　State　there　exists　no　means　of　transport　by　means　of



which　these　articles　can　be　conveyed　with　advantage　for　more　than



very　short　distances。　What　rich　returns　would　the　meadows　in　the



valleys　yield；　if　irrigation　works　on　a　large　scale　were



established　　the　rivers　now　merely　serve　to　wash　down　and　carry



away　the　fertile　soil。



　　　　Through　the　establishment　of　manufacturing　power　in　an



agricultural　State；　roads　are　made；　railways　constructed；　canals



excavated；　rivers　rendered　navigable；　and　lines　of　steamers



established。　By　these　not　merely　is　the　surplus　produce　of　the



agricultural　land　converted　into　machinery　for　yielding　income；　not



merely　are　the　powers　of　labour　of　those　who　are　employed　by　it



brought　into　activity；　not　only　is　the　agricultural　population



enabled　to　obtain　from　the　natural　resources　which　it　possesses　an



infinitely　greater　return　than　before；　but　all　minerals；　all



metals；　which　heretofore　were　lying　idle　in　the　earth　are　now



rendered　useful　and　valuable。　Articles　which　could　formerly　only



bear　a　freight　of　a　few　miles；　such　as　salt；　coals；　stone；　marble；



slate；　gypsum；　lime；　timber；　bark；　&c。；　can　now　be　distributed　over



the　surface　of　an　entire　kingdom。　Hence　such　articles；　formerly



quite　valueless；　can　now　assume　a　degree　of　importance　in　the



statistical　returns　of　the　national　produce；　which　far　surpasses



the　total　of　the　entire　agricultural　production　in　previous　times。



Not　a　cubic　foot　of　water…fall　will　then　exist　which　is　not　made　to



perform　some　service；　even　in　the　most　distant　districts　of　a



manufacturing　country；　timber　and　fuel　will　now　become　valuable；　of



which　previously　no　one　knew　how　to　make　any　use。



　　　　Through　the　introduction　of　manufactures；　a　demand　for　a



quantity　of　articles　of　food　and　raw　materials　is　created；　to　the



production　of　which　certain　districts　can　be　far　more　profitably



devoted　than　to　the　growth　of　corn　（the　usual　staple　article　of



rude　agricultural　countries）。　The　demand　which　now　springs　up　for



milk；　butter；　and　meat　adds　a　higher　value　to　the　existing　pasture



land；　and　leads　to　the　breaking　up　of　fallows　and　the　erection　of



works　of　irrigation。　The　demand　for　fruit　and　garden　produce



converts　the　former　bare　agricultural　land　into　vegetable　gardens



and　orchards。



　　　　The　loss　which　the　mere　agricultural　State　sustains　by　not



making　use　of　these　natural　powers；　is　so　much　the　greater　the　more



it　is　fitted　by　nature　for　carrying　on　manufactures；　and　the　more



its　territory　is　adapted　for　the　production　of　raw　materials　and



natural　powers　which　manufacturers　specially　require；　that　loss



will　therefore　be　the　greatest　in　mountainous　and　hilly　countries



less　suitable　for　agriculture　on　the　whole；　but　which　offer　to



manufactures　plenty　of　water　power；　of　minerals；　timber；　and　stone；



and　to　the　farmer　the　opportunity　of　cultivating　the　products　which



are　specially　required　by　the　manufacturer。



　　　　Countries　with　a　temperate　climate　are　（almost　without



exception）　adapted　for　factories　and　manufacturing　industry。　The



moderate　temperature　of　the　air　promotes　the　development　and



exertion　of　power　far　more　than　a　hot　temperature。　But　the　severe



season　of　the　year；　which　appears　to　the　superficial　observer　as　an



unfavourable　effect　of　nature；　is　the　most　powerful　promoter　of



habits　of　energetic　activity；　of　forethought；　order；　and　economy。



A　man　who　has　the　prospect　before　him　of　six　months　in　which　he　is



not　merely　unable　to　obtain　any　fruits　from　the　earth；　but　also



requires　special　provisions　and　clothing　materials　for　the



sustenance　of　himself　and　his　cattle；　and　for　protection　against



the　effects　of　cold；　must　necessarily　become　far　more　industrious



and　economical　than　the　one　who　merely　requires　protection　from　the



rain；　and　into　whose　mouth　the　fruits　are　ready　to　drop　during　the



whole　year。　Diligence；　economy；　order；　and　forethought　are　at　first



produced　by　necessity　afterwards　by　habit；　and　by　the　steady



cultivation　of　those　virtues。　Morality　goes　hand　in　hand　with　the



exertion　of　one's　powers　and　economy；　and　immorality　with　idleness



and　extravagance：　each　are　reciprocally　fertile　sources；　the　one　of



power；　the　other　of　weakness。



　　　　An　agricultural　nation；　which　inhabits　a　country　of　temperate



climate；　leaves　therefore　the　richest　part　of　its　natural　resources



unutilised。



　　　　The　school；　inasmuch　as；　in　judging　the　influences　of　climate



on　the　production　of　wealth；　it　has　not　distinguished　between



agriculture　and　manufacturing　industry；　has　fallen　into　the　gravest



errors　in　respect　to　the　advantages　and　disadvantages　of　protective



regulations；　which　we　cannot　here　omit　thoroughly　to　expose；



although　we　have　already　made　mention　of　them　in　general　terms



elsewhere。



　　　　In　order　to　prove　that　it　is　foolish　to　seek　to　produce



everything　in　one　and　the　same　country；　the　school　asks　the



question：　whether　it　would　be　reasonable　if　we　sought　to　produce



wine　by　growing　grapes　in　Scottish　and　English　greenhouses？　It　is



of　course　possible　to　produce　wine　in　this　manner；　only　lt　would　be



of　much　worse　quality　and　more　expensive　than　that　which　England



and　Scotland　could　procure　in　exchange　for　their　manufactured



goods。　To　anyone　who　either　is　unwilling　or　unable　to　penetrate



more　deeply　into　the　nature　of　things；　this　argument　is　a　striking



one；　and　the　school　is　indebted　to　it　for　a　large　portion　of　its



popularity；　at　any　rate　among　the　French　vine　growers　and　silk



manufacturers；　and　among　the　North　American　cotton　planters　and



cotton　merchants。　Regarded　in　the　light　of　day；　however；　it　is



fundamentally　false；　since　restrictions　on　commercial　intercourse



operate　quite　differently　on　the　productive　power　of　agriculture



than　they　do　on　the　productive　power　of　manufacturing　industry。



　　　　Let　us　first　see　how　they　operate　on　agriculture。



　　　　If　France　rejects　from　her　frontiers　German　fat　cattle；　or



corn；　what　will　she　effect　thereby？　In　the　first　place；　Germany



will　thereby　be　unable　to　buy　French　wines。　France　will　therefore



have　to　use　those　portions　of　her　soil　which　are　fitted　for　the



cultivation　of　the　vine　less　profitably　in　proportion　as　this



destruction　of　commercial　interchange　lessens　her　exportation　of



wines。　So　many　fewer　persons　will　be　exclusively　occupied　with　the



cultivation　of　the　vine；　and　therefore　so　much　less　native



agricultural　products　will　be　required；　which　these　persons　would



have　consumed；　who　would　have　otherwise　devoted　themselves



exclusively　to　vine　culture。　This　will　be　the　case　in　the



production　of　oil　as　well　as　in　that　of　wine。　France　will　therefore



always　lose　in　her　agricultural　power　on　other　points　much　more



than　she　gains　on　one　single　point；　because　by　her　exclusion　of　the



German　cattle　she　protects　a　trade　in　the　rearing　and　fattening　of



cattle　which　had　not　been　spontaneously　developed；　and　for　which；



therefore；　probably　the　agriculture　of　those　districts　where　this



branch　of　industry　has　had　to　be　artificially　developed　is　not



adapted。　Thus　will　it　be　if　we　consider　France　merely　as　an



agricultural　State　opposed　to　Germany　as　a　merely　agricultural



State；　and　if　we　also　assume　that　Germany　will　not　retaliate　on



that　policy　by　a　similar　one。　This　policy；　however；　appears　still



more　injurious　if　we　assume　that　Germany；　as　she　will　be　compelled



to　out　of　regard　to　her　own　interests；　adopts　similarly　restrictive