list2-第22章

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not　perceive　what　rich　fruits　such　a　system　would　have　yielded　to



the　Polish　nation？　By　the　aid　of　large　and　industrious　towns；　the



crown　would　have　been　rendered　hereditary；　the　nobility　would　have



been　obliged　to　make　it　convenient　to　take　part　in　legislation　in



a　House　of　Peers；　and　to　emancipate　their　serfs；　agriculture　would



have　developed　itself；　as　it　has　developed　itself　in　England；　the



Polish　nobility　would　now　be　rich　and　respected；　the　Polish　nation



would；　even　if　not　so　respected　and　influential　in　the　affairs　of



the　world　as　the　English　nation　is；　would　have　long　ago　become　so



civilised　and　powerful　as　to　extend　its　influence　over　the　less



cultivated　East。　Without　a　manufacturing　power　she　has　become



ruined　and　partitioned；　and　were　she　not　so　already　she　must　have



become　so。　Of　its　own　accord　and　spontaneously　no　manufacturing



power　was　developed　in　her；　it　could　not　be　so；　because　its　efforts



would　have　been　always　frustrated　by　further　advanced　nations。



Without　a　system　of　protection；　and　under　a　system　of　free　trade



with　further　advanced　nations；　even　if　Poland　had　retained　her



independence　up　to　the　present　time；　she　could　never　have　carried



on　anything　more　than　a　crippled　agriculture；　she　could　never　have



become　rich；　powerful；　and　outwardly　influential。



　　　　By　the　circumstance　that　so　many　natural　resources　and　natural



powers　are　converted　by　the　manufacturing　power　into　productive



capital　is　the　fact　chiefly　to　be　accounted　for；　that　protective



regulations　act　so　powerfully　on　the　augmentation　of　national



wealth。　This　prosperity　is　not　a　false　appearance；　like　the　effects



of　restrictions　on　the　trade　in　mere　natural　products；　it　is　a



reality。　They　are　natural　powers　which　are　otherwise　quite　dead　



natural　resources　which　are　otherwise　quite　valueless；　which　an



agricultural　nation　calls　to　life　and　renders　valuable　by



establishing　a　manufacturing　power　of　its　own。







　　　　It　is　an　old　observation；　that　the　human　race；　like　the　various



breeds　of　animals；　is　improved　mentally　and　bodily　by　crossings；



that　man；　if　a　few　families　always　intermarry　amongst　one　another；



just　as　the　plant　if　the　seed　is　always　sown　in　the　same　soil；



gradually　degenerates。　We　seem　obliged　to　attribute　to　this　law　of



nature　the　circumstance　that　among　many　wild　or　half…wild　tribes　in



Africa　and　Asia；　whose　numbers　are　limited；　the　men　choose　their



wives　from　foreign　tribes。　The　fact　which　experience　shows；　that



the　oligarchies　of　small　municipal　republics；　who　continually



intermarry　among　themselves；　gradually　die　out　or　visibly



degenerate；　appears　similarly　attributable　to　such　a　natural　law。



It　is　undeniable　that　the　mixing　of　two　quite　different　races



results；　almost　without　exception；　in　a　powerful　and　fine　future



progeny；　and　this　observation　extends　to　the　mixing　of　the　white



race　with　the　black　in　the　third　and　the　fourth　generation。　This



observation　seems　to　confirm　more　than　any　other　thing　the　fact；



that　those　nations　which　have　emanated　from　a　crossing　of　race



frequently　repeated　and　comprising　the　whole　nation；　have　surpassed



all　other　nations　in　power　and　energy　of　the　mind　and　character；　in



intelligence；　bodily　strength；　and　personal　beauty。（2*）



　　　　We　think　we　may　conclude　from　this　that　men　need　not



necessarily　be　such　dull；　clumsy；　and　unintellectual　beings　as　we



perceive　them　to　be　when　occupied　in　crippled　agriculture　in　small



villages；　where　a　few　families　have　for　thousands　of　years



intermarried　only　with　one　another；　where　for　centuries　it　has



occurred　to　no　one　to　make　use　of　an　implement　of　a　new　form；　or　to



adopt　a　new　method　of　culture；　to　alter　the　style　of　a　single



article　of　clothing；　or　to　adopt　a　new　idea；　where　the　greatest　art



consisted；　not　in　exerting　one's　bodily　and　mental　powers　in　order



to　obtain　as　much　enjoyment　as　possible；　but　to　dispense　with　as



much　of　it　as　possible。



　　　　This　condition　of　things　is　entirely　changed　（and　for　the　best



purposes　of　the　improvement　of　race　of　a　whole　nation）　by



establishing　a　manufacturing　power。　While　a　large　portion　of　the



increase　of　the　agricultural　population　goes　over　into　the



manufacturing　community；　while　the　agricultural　population　of



various　districts　becomes　mixed　by　marriages　between　one　another



and　with　the　manufacturing　population；　the　mental；　moral；　and



physical　stagnation　of　the　population　is　broken　up。　The　intercourse



which　manufactures　and　the　commerce　between　various　nations　and



districts　which　is　based　upon　them　bring　about；　brings　new　blood



into　the　whole　nation　as　well　as　into　separate　communities　and



families。



　　　　The　development　of　the　manufacturing　power　has　no　less



important　an　influence　on　the　improvement　of　the　breeds　of　cattle。



Everywhere；　where　woollen　manufactures　have　been　established；　the



race　of　sheep　has　quickly　been　improved。　Owing　to　a　greater　demand



for　good　meat；　which　a　numerous　manufacturing　population　creates；



the　agriculturist　will　endeavour　to　introduce　better　breeds　of



cattle。　The　greater　demand　for　'horses　of　luxury'　is　followed　by



the　improvement　of　the　breeds　of　horses。　We　shall　then　no　longer



see　those　wretched　primitive　breeds　of　cattle；　horses；　and　sheep；



which　having　resulted　from　the　crippled　state　of　agriculture　and



everywhere　from　neglect　of　crossing　of　breeds；　exhibit　a　side



spectacle　worthy　of　their　clumsy　owners。



　　　　How　much　do　the　productive　powers　of　the　nations　already　owe　to



the　importation　of　foreign　breeds　of　animals　and　to　the　improvement



of　the　native　breeds；　and　how　much　has　yet　to　be　done　in　this



respect！　All　the　silkworms　of　Europe　are　derived　from　a　few　eggs；



which　（under　Constantine）　were　brought　to　Constantinople　in　hollow



sticks；　by　Greek　monks　from　China；　where　their　exportation　was



strictly　prohibited。　France　is　indebted　to　the　importation　of　the



Thibet　goat　for　a　beautiful　product　of　her　industry。　It　is　very



much　to　be　regretted；　that　hitherto　the　breeding　and　improving　of



animals　has　been　chiefly　carried　on　in　order　to　satisfy　the



requirements　of　luxury；　and　not　in　order　to　promote　the　welfare　of



the　large　masses。　The　descriptions　of　travellers　show　that　in　some



countries　of　Asia　a　race　of　cattle　has　been　seen　which　combines



considerable　draught　power　with　great　swiftness　of　pace；　so　that



they　can　be　used　with　almost　the　same　advantage　as　horses　for



riding　and　driving。　What　immense　advantages　would　such　a　breed　of



cattle　confer　on　the　smaller　agriculturists　of　Europe！　What　an



increase　in　means　of　subsistence；　productive　power；　and



convenience；　would　the　working　classes　thereby　obtain！　But　even　far



more　than　by　improved　breeds；　and　importation　from　one　country　into



another　of　various　animals；　has　the　productive　power　of　the　human



race　been　increased　by　the　improvement　and　importation　of　trees　and



plants。　This　is　at　once　evident；　if　we　compare　the　original　plants



as　they　have　sprung　from　the　bosom　of　nature；　with　their　improved



species。　How　little　do　the　primitive　plants　of　the　various　species



of　corn　and　of　fruit　trees；　of　edible　vegetables　and　of　the　olive；



resemble　in　form　and　utility　their　improved　offspring！　What　masses



of　means　of　nourishment；　of　enjoyment；　and　comfort；　and　what



opportunities　for　the　useful　application　of　human　powers；　have　been



derived　from　them！　The　potato；　the　beet…root；　the　cultivation　of



root　crops　for　cattle；　together　with　the　improved　systems　of



manuring　and　improved　agricultural　machines；　have　increased



ten…fold　the　returns　of　agriculture；　as　it　is　at　present　carried　on



by　the　Asiatic　tribes。



　　　　Science　has　already　done　much　with　regard　to　the　discovery　of



new　plants　and　the　improvement　of　them；　but　governments　have　not



yet　devoted　to　this　important　object　so　much　attention　as　they



ought　to　have　done；　in　the　interests　of　economy。　Quite　recently；



species　of　grass　are　said　to　have　been　discovered　in　the　savannas



of　North　America；　which　from　the　poorest　soil　yield　a　higher



produce　than　any　fodder　plants；　which　are　as　yet　known　to　us；　do



from　the　richest　soil。　It　is　very　probable　that　in　the　wild　regions



of　America；　Asia；　Africa；　and　Australia；　a　quantity　of　plants　still



vegetate　uselessly；　the　transplantation　and　improvement　of　which



might　infinitely　augment　the　prosperity　of　the　inhabitants　of



temperate　climates。



　　　　It　is　clear　that　most　of　the　improvements　and　transportations



of　animals　and　vegetables；　most　of　the　new　discoveries　which　are



made　with　respect　to　them；　as　well　as　all　other　progress；



inventions；　and　discoveries；　are　chiefly　calculated　to　benefit　the



countries　of　the　temperate　zone；　and　of　those　most　of　all；　the



manufacturing　countries。







NOTES：







1。　Esprit　des　Lois；　Livre　xx。　chap。　xxiii。







2。　According　to　Chardin；　the　Guebres；　an　unmixed　tribe　of　the　old



Persians；　are　an　ugly；　deformed；　and　clumsy　race；　like　all　nations



of　Mongol　descent；　while　the　Persian　nobility；　which　for　centuries



has　intermarried　with　Georgian　and　Circassian　women；　is



distinguished　for　beauty　and　strength。　Dr　Pritchard　remarks　that



the　unmixed　Celts　of　the　Scottish　highlands　are　far　behind　the



Scottish　Lowlanders　（descendants　of　Saxons　and　Celts）　in　height；



bodily　power；　and　fine　figure。　Pallas　makes　similar　observations



respecting　the　descendants　of　the　Russians　and　Tartars　in



comparison　with　the　unmixed　tribes　to　which　they　are　related。　Azara



affirms　that　the　descendants　of　the　Spaniards　and　the　natives　of



Paraguay　are　a　much　more　handsome　and　powerful　race　of　men　than



their　ancestors　on　both　sides。　The　advantages　of　the　crossing　of



race　are　not　only　apparent　in　the　mixing　of　different　nations；　but



also　in　the　mixing　of　different　family　stocks　in　one　and　the　same



nation。　Thus　the　Creole　negroes　far　surpass　those　negroes　who　have



sprung　from　unmixed　tribes；　and　who　have　come　direct　from　Africa　to



America；　in　mental　gifts　as　well　as　in　bodily　power。　The



Caribbeans；　the　only　Indian　race　which　chooses　regularly　its　women



From　neighbouring　tribes；　are　in　every　respect　superior　to　all



other　American　tribes。　If　this　is　a　law　of　nature；　the　rise　and



progress　which　the　cities　of　the　Middle　Ages　displayed　shortly



after　their　foundation；　as　well　as　the　energy　and　fine　bodily



appearance　of　the　American　people；　are　hence　partly　explained。







Cha