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　　　　In　France　we　see　native　manufactures；　free　internal



intercourse；　foreign　trade；　fisheries；　navigation；　and　naval　power



　in　a　word；　all　the　attributes　of　a　great；　mighty；　and　rich



nation　（which　it　had　cost　England　the　persevering　efforts　of



centuries　to　acquire）　　called　into　existence　by　a　great　genius



within　the　space　of　a　few　years；　as　it　were　by　a　magician's　wand；



and　afterwards　all　of　them　yet　more　speedily　annihilated　by　the



iron　hand　of　fanaticism　and　despotism。



　　　　We　see　the　principle　of　free　trade　contending　in　vain　under



unfavourable　conditions　against　restriction　powerfully　enforced；



the　Hanseatic　League　is　ruined；　while　Holland　sinks　under　the　blows



of　England　and　France。



　　　　That　a　restrictive　commercial　policy　can　be　operative　for　good



only　so　far　as　it　is　supported　by　the　progressive　civilisation　and



free　institutions　of　a　nation；　we　learn　from　the　decay　of　Venice；



Spain；　and　Portugal；　from　the　relapse　of　France　in　consequence　of



the　revocation　of　the　Edict　of　Nantes；　and　from　the　history　of



England；　in　which　country　liberty　kept　pace　at　all　times　with　the



advance　of　industry；　trade；　and　national　wealth。



　　　　That；　on　the　contrary；　a　highly　advanced　state　of　civilisation；



with　or　without　free　institutions；　unless　supported　by　a　suitable



system　of　commercial　policy；　will　prove　but　a　poor　guarantee　for　a



nation's　economic　progress；　may　be　learnt　on　the　one　hand　from　the



history　of　the　North　American　free　states；　and　on　the　other　from



the　experience　of　Germany。



　　　　Modern　Germany；　lacking　a　system　of　vigorous　and　united



commercial　policy；　exposed　in　her　home　markets　to　competition　with



a　foreign　manufacturing　power　in　every　way　superior　to　her　own；



while　excluded　at　the　same　time　from　foreign　markets　by　arbitrary



and　often　capricious　restrictions；　and　very　far　indeed　from　making



that　progress　in　industry　to　which　her　degree　of　culture　entitles



her；　cannot　even　maintain　her　previously　acquired　position；　and　is



made　a　convenience　of　（like　a　colony）　by　that　very　nation　which



centuries　ago　was　worked　upon　in　like　manner　by　the　merchants　of



Germany；　until　at　last　the　German　states　have　resolved　to　secure



their　home　markets　for　their　own　industry；　by　the　adoption　of　a



united　vigorous　system　of　commercial　policy。



　　　　The　North　American　free　states；　who；　more　than　any　other　nation



before　them；　are　in　a　position　to　benefit　by　freedom　of　trade；　and



influenced　even　from　the　very　cradle　of　their　independence　by　the



doctrines　of　the　cosmopolitan　school；　are　striving　more　than　any



other　nation　to　act　on　that　principle。　But　owing　to　wars　with　Great



Britain；　we　find　that　nation　twice　compelled　to　manufacture　at　home



the　goods　which　it　previously　purchased　under　free　trade　from　other



countries；　and　twice；　after　the　conclusion　of　peace；　brought　to　the



brink　of　ruin　by　free　competition　with　foreigners；　and　thereby



admonished　of　the　fact　that　under　the　present　conditions　of　the



world　every　great　nation　must　seek　the　guarantees　of　its　continued



prosperity　and　independence；　before　all　other　things；　in　the



independent　and　uniform　development　of　its　own　powers　and



resources。



　　　　Thus　history　shows　that　restrictions　are　not　so　much　the



inventions　of　mere　speculative　minds；　as　the　natural　consequences



of　the　diversity　of　interests；　and　of　the　strivings　of　nations



after　independence　or　overpowering　ascendency；　and　thus　of　national



emulation　and　wars；　and　therefore　that　they　cannot　be　dispensed



with　until　this　conflict　of　national　interests　shall　cease；　in



other　words　until　all　nations　can　be　united　under　one　and　the　same



system　of　law。　Thus　the　question　as　to　whether；　and　how；　the



various　nations　can　be　brought　into　one　united　federation；　and　how



the　decisions　of　law　can　be　invoked　in　the　place　of　military　force



to　determine　the　differences　which　arise　between　independent



nations；　has　to　be　solved　concurrently　with　the　question　how



universal　free　trade　can　be　established　in　the　place　of　separate



national　commercial　systems。



　　　　The　attempts　which　have　been　made　by　single　nations　to



introduce　freedom　of　trade　in　face　of　a　nation　which　is　predominant



in　industry；　wealth；　and　power；　no　less　than　distinguished　for　an



exclusive　tariff　system　　as　Portugal　did　in　1703；　France　in　1786；



North　America　in　1786　and　1816；　Russia　from　1815　till　1821；　and　as



Germany　has　done　for　centuries　　go　to　show　us　that　in　this　way



the　prosperity　of　individual　nations　is　sacrificed；　without　benefit



to　mankind　in　general；　solely　for　the　enrichment　of　the　predominant



manufacturing　and　commercial　nation。　Switzerland　（as　we　hope　to



show　in　the　sequel）　constitutes　an　exception；　which　proves　just　as



much　as　it　proves　little　for　or　against　one　or　the　other　system。



　　　　Colbert　appears　to　us　not　to　have　been　the　inventor　of　that



system　which　the　Italians　have　named　after　him；　for；　as　we　have



seen；　it　was　fully　elaborated　by　the　English　long　before　his　time。



Colbert　only　put　in　practice　what　France；　if　she　wished　to　fulfil



her　destinies；　was　bound　to　carry　out　sooner　or　later。　If　Colbert



is　to　be　blamed　at　all；　it　can　only　be　charged　against　him　that　he



attempted　to　put　into　force　under　a　despotic　government　a　system



which　could　subsist　only　after　a　fundamental　reform　of　the



political　conditions。　But　against　this　reproach　to　Colbert's　memory



it　may　very　well　be　argued　that；　had　his　system　been　continued　by



wise　princes　and　sagacious　ministers；　it　would　in　all　probability



have　removed　by　means　of　reforms　all　those　hindrances　which　stood



in　the　way　of　progress　in　manufactures；　agriculture；　and　trade；　as



well　as　of　national　freedom；　and　France　would　then　have　undergone



no　revolution；　but　rather；　impelled　along　the　path　of　development



by　the　reciprocating　influences　of　industry　and　freedom；　she　might



for　the　last　century　and　a　half　have　been　successfully　competing



with　England　in　manufactures；　in　the　promotion　of　her　internal



trade；　in　foreign　commerce；　and　in　colonisation；　as　well　as　in　her



fisheries；　her　navigation；　and　her　naval　power。



　　　　Finally；　history　teaches　us　how　nations　which　have　been　endowed



by　Nature　with　all　resources　which　are　requisite　for　the　attainment



of　the　highest　grade　of　wealth　and　power；　may　and　must　　without



on　that　account　forfeiting　the　end　in　view　　modify　their　systems



according　to　the　measure　of　their　own　progress：　in　the　first　stage；



adopting　free　trade　with　more　advanced　nations　as　a　means　of



raising　themselves　from　a　state　of　barbarism；　and　of　making



advances　in　agriculture；　in　the　second　stage；　promoting　the　growth



of　manufactures；　fisheries；　navigation；　and　foreign　trade　by　means



of　commercial　restrictions；　and　in　the　last　stage；　after　reaching



the　highest　degree　of　wealth　and　power；　by　gradually　reverting　to



the　principle　of　free　trade　and　of　unrestricted　competition　in　the



home　as　well　as　in　foreign　markets；　that　so　their　agriculturists；



manufacturers；　and　merchants　may　be　preserved　from　indolence；　and



stimulated　to　retain　the　supremacy　which　they　have　acquired。　In　the



first　stage；　we　see　Spain；　Portugal；　and　the　Kingdom　of　Naples；　in



the　second；　Germany　and　the　United　States　of　North　America；　France



apparently　stands　close　upon　the　boundary　line　of　the　last　stage；



but　Great　Britain　alone　at　the　present　time　has　actually　reached



it。









End