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　　　　But　how　came　it　that；　unmindful　of　this　law　of　alternating



action　and　reaction　between　political　power；　the　forces　of



production　and　wealth；　Adam　Smith　could　venture　to　contend　that　the



Methuen　Treaty　and　the　Act　of　Navigation　had　not　been　beneficial　to



England　from　a　commercial　point　of　view？　We　have　shown　how　England



by　the　policy　which　she　pursued　acquired　power；　and　by　her



political　power　gained　productive　power；　and　by　her　productive



power　gained　wealth。　Let　us　now　see　further　how；　as　a　result　of



this　policy；　power　has　been　added　to　power；　and　productive　forces



to　productive　forces。



　　　　England　has　got　into　her　possession　the　keys　of　every　sea；　and



placed　a　sentry　over　every　nation：　over　the　Germans；　Heligoland；



over　the　French；　Guernsey　and　Jersey；　over　the　inhabitants　of　North



America；　Nova　Scotia　and　the　Bermudas；　over　Central　America；　the



island　of　Jamaica；　over　all　countries　bordering　on　the



Mediterranean；　Gibraltar；　Malta；　and　the　Ionian　Islands。　She



possesses　every　important　strategical　position　on　both　the　routes



to　India　with　the　exception　of　the　Isthmus　of　Suez；　which　she　is



striving　to　acquire；　she　dominates　the　Mediterranean　by　means　of



Gibraltar；　the　Red　Sea　by　Aden；　and　the　Persian　Gulf　by　Bushire　and



Karrack。　She　needs　only　the　further　acquisition　of　the　Dardanelles；



the　Sound；　and　the　Isthmuses　of　Suez　and　Panama；　in　order　to　be



able　to　open　and　close　at　her　pleasure　every　sea　and　every　maritime



highway。　Her　navy　alone　surpasses　the　combined　maritime　forces　of



all　other　countries；　if　not　in　number　of　vessels；　at　any　rate　in



fighting　strength。



　　　　Her　manufacturing　capacity　excels　in　importance　that　of　all



other　nations。　And　although　her　cloth　manufactures　have　increased



more　than　tenfold　（to　forty…four　and　a　half　millions）　since　the



days　of　James　I；　we　find　the　yield　of　another　branch　of　industry；



which　was　established　only　in　the　course　of　the　last　century；



namely；　the　manufacture　of　cotton；　amounting　to　a　much　larger　sum；



fifty…two　and　a　half　millions。（8*）



　　　　Not　content　with　that；　England　is　now　attempting　to　raise　her



linen　manufacture；　which　has　been　long　in　a　backward　state　as



compared　with　that　of　other　countries；　to　a　similar　position；



possibly　to　a　higher　one　than　that　of　the　two　above…named　branches



of　industry：　it　now　amounts　to　fifteen　and　a　half　millions



sterling。　In　the　fourteenth　century；　England　was　still　so　poor　in



iron　that　she　thought　it　necessary　to　prohibit　the　exportation　of



this　indispensable　metal；　she　now；　in　the　nineteenth　century；



manufactures　more　iron　and　steel　wares　than　all　the　other　nations



on　earth　（namely；　thirty…one　millions'　worth）；　while　she　produces



thirty…four　millions　in　value　of　coal　and　other　minerals。　These　two



sums　exceed　by　over　sevenfold　the　value　of　the　entire　gold　and



silver　production　of　all　other　nations；　which　amount　to　about　two



hundred　and　twenty　million　francs；　or　nine　millions　sterling。



　　　　At　this　day　she　produces　more　silk　goods　than　all　the　Italian



republics　produced　in　the　Middle　Ages　together；　namely；　thirteen



and　a　half　million　pounds。　Industries　which　at　the　time　of　Henry



VIII　and　Elizabeth　scarcely　deserved　classification；　now　yield



enormous　sums；　as；　for　instance；　the　glass；　china；　and　stoneware



manufactures；　representing　eleven　millions；　the　copper　and　brass



manufactures；　four　and　a　half　millions；　the　manufactures　of　paper；



books；　colours；　and　furniture；　fourteen　millions。



　　　　England　produces；　moreover；　sixteen　millions'　worth　of　leather



goods；　besides　ten　millions'　worth　of　unenumerated　articles。　The



manufacture　of　beer　and　spirituous　liquors　in　England　alone　greatly



exceeds　in　value　the　aggregate　of　national　production　in　the　days



of　James　I；　namely；　forty…seven　millions　sterling。



　　　　The　entire　manufacturing　production　of　the　United　Kingdom　at



the　present　time；　is　estimated　to　amount　to　two　hundred　and



fifty…nine　and　a　half　millions　sterling。



　　　　As　a　consequence；　and　mainly　as　a　consequence；　of　this　gigantic



manufacturing　production；　the　productive　power　of　agriculture　has



been　enabled　to　yield　a　total　value　exceeding　twice　that　sum　（five



hundred　and　thirty…nine　millions　sterling）。



　　　　It　is　true　that　for　this　increase　in　her　power；　and　in　her



productive　capacity；　England　is　not　indebted　solely　to　her



commercial　restrictions；　her　Navigation　Laws；　or　her　commercial



treaties；　but　in　a　large　measure　also　to　her　conquests　in　science



and　in　the　arts。



　　　　But　how　comes　it；　that　in　these　days　one　million　of　English



operatives　can　perform　the　work　of　hundreds　of　millions？　It　comes



from　the　great　demand　for　manufactured　goods　which　by　her　wise　and



energetic　policy　she　has　known　how　to　create　in　foreign　lands；　and



especially　in　her　colonies；　from　the　wise　and　powerful　protection



extended　to　her　home　industries；　from　the　great　rewards　which　by



means　of　her　patent　laws　she　has　offered　to　every　new　discovery；



and　from　the　extraordinary　facilities　for　her　inland　transport



afforded　by　public　roads；　canals；　and　railways。



　　　　England　has　shown　the　world　how　powerful　is　the　effect　of



facilities　of　transport　in　increasing　the　powers　of　production；　and



thereby　increasing　the　wealth；　the　population；　and　the　political



power　of　a　nation。　She　has　shown　us　what　a　free；　industrious；　and



well…governed　community　can　do　in　this　respect　within　the　brief



space　of　half　a　century；　even　in　the　midst　of　foreign　wars。　That



which　the　Italian　republics　had　previously　accomplished　in　these



respects　was　mere　child's　play。　It　is　estimated　that　as　much　as　a



hundred　and　eighteen　millions　sterling　have　been　expended　in



England　upon　these　mighty　instruments　of　the　nation's　productive



power。



　　　　England；　however；　only　commenced　and　carried　out　these　works



when　her　manufacturing　power　began　to　grow　strong。　Since　then；　it



has　become　evident　to　all　observers　that　that　nation　only　whose



manufacturing　power　begins　to　develop　itself　upon　an　extensive



scale　is　able　to　accomplish　such　works；　that　only　in　a　nation　which



develops　concurrently　its　internal　manufacturing　and　agricultural



resources　will　such　costly　engines　of　trade　repay　their　cost；　and



that　in　such　a　nation　only　will　they　properly　fulfil　their　purpose。



　　　　It　must　be　admitted；　too；　that　the　enormous　producing　capacity



and　the　great　wealth　of　England　are　not　the　effect　solely　of



national　power　and　individual　love　of　gain。　The　people's　innate



love　of　liberty　and　of　justice；　the　energy；　the　religious　and　moral



character　of　the　people；　have　a　share　in　it。　The　constitution　of



the　country；　its　institutions；　the　wisdom　and　power　of　the



Government　and　of　the　aristocracy；　have　a　share　in　it。　The



geographical　position；　the　fortunes　of　the　country；　nay；　even　good



luck；　have　a　share　in　it。



　　　　It　is　not　easy　to　say　whether　the　material　forces　exert　a



greater　influence　over　the　moral　forces；　or　whether　the　moral



outweigh　the　material　in　their　operation；　whether　the　social　forces



act　upon　the　individual　forces　the　more　powerfully；　or　whether　the



latter　upon　the　former。　This　much　is　certain；　however；　namely；　that



between　the　two　there　subsists　an　interchanging　sequence　of　action



and　reaction；　with　the　result　that　the　increase　of　one　set　of



forces　promotes　the　increase　of　the　other；　and　that　the



enfeeblement　of　the　one　ever　involves　the　enfeeblement　of　the



other。



　　　　Those　who　seek　for　the　fundamental　causes　of　England's　rise　and



progress　in　the　blending　of　Anglo…Saxon　with　the　Norman　blood；



should　first　cast　a　glance　at　the　condition　of　the　country　before



the　reign　of　Edward　III。　Where　were　then　the　diligence　and　the



habits　of　thrift　of　the　nation？　Those　again　who　would　look　for　them



in　the　constitutional　liberties　enjoyed　by　the　people　will　do　well



to　consider　how　Henry　VIII　and　Elizabeth　treated　their　Parliaments。



Wherein　did　England's　constitutional　freedom　consist　under　the



Tudors？　At　that　period　the　cities　of　Germany　and　Italy　enjoyed　a



much　greater　amount　of　individual　freedom　than　the　English　did。



　　　　Only　one　jewel　out　of　the　treasure…house　of　freedom　was



preserved　by　the　Anglo…Saxon…Norman　race　　before　other　peoples　of



Germanic　origin；　and　that　was　the　germ　from　which　all　the　English



ideas　of　freedom　and　justice　have　sprung　　the　right　of　trial　by



jury。



　　　　While　in　Italy　the　Pandects　were　being　unearthed；　and　the



exhumed　remains　（no　doubt　of　departed　greatness　and　wisdom　in　their



day）　were　spreading　the　pestilence　of　the　Codes　amongst　Continental



nations；　we　find　the　English　Barons　declaring　they　would　not　hear



of　any　change　in　the　law　of　the　land。　What　a　store　of　intellectual



force　did　they　not　thereby　secure　for　the　generations　to　come！　How



much　did　this　intellectual　force　subsequently　influence　the　forces



of　material　production！



　　　　How　greatly　did　the　early　banishment　of　the　Latin　language　from



social　and　literary　circles；　from　the　State　departments；　and　the



courts　of　law　in　England；　influence　the　development　of　the　nation；



its　legislation；　law　administration；　literature；　and　industry！　What



has　been　the　effect　upon　Germany　of　the　long　retention　of　the　Latin



in　conjunction　with　foreign　Codes；　and　what　has　been　its　effect　in



Hungary　to　the　present　day？　What　an　effect　have　the　invention　of



gunpowder；　the　art　of　printing；　the　Reformation；　the　discovery　of



the　new　routes　to　India　and　of　America；　had　on　the　gro