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commerce　of　Holland。



　　　　England　had　gained　from　Holland　the　greater　part　of　the　trade



of　the　latter　with　the　northern　European　states；　her　contraband



trade　with　Spain　and　the　Spanish　colonies；　and　the　greater　part　of



her　trade　with　the　East　and　West　Indies；　and　of　her　fisheries。　But



the　most　serious　blow　was　inflicted　on　her　by　the　Methuen　Treaty　of



1703。　From　that　the　commerce　of　Holland　with　Portugal；　the



Portuguese　colonies；　and　the　East　indies；　received　a　deadly　wound。



　　　　When　Holland　thus　commenced　to　lose　so　large　a　portion　of　her



foreign　trade；　the　same　result　took　place　which　had　previously　been



experienced　by　the　Hanseatic　cities　and　by　Venice　：　the　material



and　mental　capital　which　could　now　find　no　employment　in　Holland；



was　diverted　by　emigration　or　in　the　shape　of　loans　to　those



countries　which　had　acquired　the　supremacy　from　Holland　which　she



had　previously　possessed。



　　　　If　Holland　in　union　with　Belgium；　with　the　Rhenish　districts；



and　with　North　Germany；　had　constituted　one　national　territory；　it



would　have　been　difficult　for　England　and　France　to　have　weakened



her　naval　power；　her　foreign　commerce；　and　her　internal　industry　by



wars　and　by　commercial　policy；　as　they　succeeded　in　doing。　A　nation



such　as　that　would　have　been；　could　have　placed　in　competition　with



the　commercial　systems　of　other　nations　a　commercial　system　of　her



own。　And　if　owing　to　the　development　of　the　manufactures　of　those



other　nations　her　industry　suffered　some　injury；　her　own　internal



resources；　aided　by　founding　colonies　abroad；　would　have　abundantly



made　good　that　loss。　Holland　suffered　decline　because　she；　a　mere



strip　of　sea　coast；　inhabited　by　a　small　population　of　German



fishermen；　sailors；　merchants；　and　dairy　farmers；　endeavoured　to



constitute　herself　a　national　power；　while　she　considered　and　acted



towards　the　inland　territory　at　her　back　（of　which　she　properly



formed　a　part）　as　a　foreign　land。



　　　　The　example　of　Holland；　like　that　of　Belgium；　of　the　Hanseatic



cities；　and　of　the　italian　republics；　teaches　us　that　mere　private



industry　does　not　suffice　to　maintain　the　commerce；　industry；　and



wealth　of　entire　states　and　nations；　if　the　public　circumstances



under　which　it　is　carried　on　are　unfavourable　to　it；　and　further；



that　the　greater　part　of　the　productive　powers　of　individuals　are



derived　from　the　political　constitution　of　the　government　and　from



the　power　of　the　nation。　The　agricultural　industry　of　Belgium



became　flourishing　again　under　Austrian　rule。　When　united　to　France



her　manufacturing　industry　rose　again　to　its　ancient　immense



extent。　Holland　by　herself　was　never　in　a　position　to　establish　and



maintain　an　independent　commercial　system　of　her　own　in　competition



with　great　nations。　But　when　by　means　of　her　union　with　Belgium



after　the　general　peace　（in　1815）　her　internal　resources；



population；　and　national　territory　were　increased　to　such　an　extent



that　she　could　rank　herself　among　the　great　nationalities；　and



became　possessed　in　herself　of　a　great　mass　and　variety　of



productive　powers；　we　see　the　protective　system　established　also　in



the　Netherlands；　and　under　its　influence　agriculture；　manufactures；



and　commerce　make　a　remarkable　advance。　This　union　has　now　been



again　dissolved　（owing　to　causes　which　lie　outside　the　scope　and



purpose　of　our　present　work）；　and　thus　the　protective　system　in



Holland　has　been　deprived　of　the　basis　on　which　it　rested；　while　in



Belgium　it　is　still　maintained。



　　　　Holland　is　now　maintained　by　her　colonies　and　by　her　transport



trade　with　Germany。　But　the　next　great　naval　war　may　easily　deprive



her　of　the　former；　and　the　more　the　German　Zollverein　attains　to　a



clear　perception　of　its　interests；　and　to　the　exercise　of　its



powers；　the　more　clearly　will　it　recognize　the　necessity　of



including　Holland　within　the　Zollverein。







NOTES：







1。　The　construction　of　good　roads；　and　still　more　of　railways；



which　has　taken　place　in　quite　recent　times；　has　materially



modified　this　axiom。







2。　It　has　been　recently　stated　that　the　excellence　of　the　Dutch



herrings　is　attributable　not　only　to　the　superior　methods　above



named；　but　also　to　the　casks　in　which　they　are　'b鯿kelled'　and



exported　being　constructed　of　oak。







Chapter　4







The　English











　　　　In　our　account　of　the　Hanseatic　League　we　have　shown　how　in



England　agriculture　and　sheep　farming　have　been　promoted　by　foreign



trade；　how　at　a　subsequent　period；　through　the　immigration　of



foreign　artificers；　fleeing　from　persecution　in　their　native　land；



and　also　owing　to　the　fostering　measures　adopted　by　the　British



Government；　the　English　woollen　manufacturing　industry　had



gradually　attained　to　a　flourishing　condition；　and　how；　as　a　direct



consequence　of　that　progress　in　manufacturing　industry；　as　well　as



of　the　wise　and　energetic　measures　adopted　by　Queen　Elizabeth；　all



the　foreign　trade　which　formerly　had　been　monopolised　by　foreigners



had　been　successfully　diverted　into　the　hands　of　the　merchants　at



home。



　　　　before　we　continue　our　exposition　of　the　development　of　English



national　economy　from　the　point　where　we　left　off　in　Chapter　2；　we



venture　here　to　make　a　few　remarks　as　to　the　origin　of　British



industry。



　　　　The　source　and　origin　of　England's　industrial　and　commercial



greatness　must　be　traced　mainly　to　the　breeding　of　sheep　and　to　the



woollen　manufacture。



　　　　before　the　first　appearance　of　the　Hansards　on　British　soil　the



agriculture　of　England　was　unskilful　and　her　sheep　farming　of



little　importance。　There　was　a　scarcity　of　winter　fodder　for　the



cattle；　consequently　a　large　proportion　had　to　be　slaughtered　in



autumn；　and　hence　both　stock　and　manure　were　alike　deficient。　Just



as　in　all　uncultivated　territories　　as　formerly　in　Germany；　and



in　the　uncleared　districts；　of　America　up　to　the　present　time　



hog　breeding　furnished　the　principal　supply　of　meat；　and　that　for



obvious　reasons。　The　pigs　needed　little　care　　foraged　for



themselves；　and　found　a　plentiful　supply　of　food　on　the　waste　lands



and　in　the　forests；　and　by　keeping　only　a　moderate　number　of



breeding　sows　through　the　winter；　one　was　sure　in　the　following



spring　of　possessing　considerable　herds。



　　　　but　with　the　growth　of　foreign　trade　hog　breeding　diminished；



sheep　farming　assumed　larger　proportions；　and　agriculture　and　the



breeding　of　horned　cattle　rapidly　improved。



　　　　Hume；　in　his　'History　of　England；'（1*）　gives　a　very　interesting



account　of　the　condition　of　English　agriculture　at　the　beginning　of



the　fourteenth　century：



　　　　'In　the　year　1327　Lord　Spencer　counted　upon　63　estates　in　his



possession；　28；000　sheep；　1；000　oxen；　1；200　cows；　560　horses；　and



2；000　hogs：　giving　a　proportion　of　450　sheep；　35　head　of　cattle；　9



horses；　and　22　hogs　to　each　estate。'



　　　　From　this　statement　we　may　perceive　how　greatly；　even　in　those



early　days；　the　number　of　sheep　in　England　exceeded　that　of　all　the



other　domestic　animals　put　together。　The　great　advantages　derived



by　the　English　aristocracy　from　the　business　of　sheep　farming　gave



them　an　interest　in　industry　and　in　improved　methods　of　agriculture



even　at　that　early　period；　when　noblemen　in　most　Continental　states



knew　no　better　mode　of　utilising　the　greater　part　of　their



possessions　than　by　preserving　large　herds　of　deer；　and　when　they



knew　no　more　honourable　occupation　than　harassing　the　neighbouring



cities　and　their　trade　by　hostilities　of　various　kinds。



　　　　And　at　this　period；　as　has　been　the　case　in　Hungary　more



recently；　the　flocks　so　greatly　increased　that　many　estates　could



boast　of　the　possession　of　from　10；000　to　24；000　sheep。　Under　these



circumstances　it　necessarily　followed　that；　under　the　protection



afforded　by　the　measures　introduced　by　Queen　Elizabeth；　the　woollen



manufacture；　which　had　already　progressed　very　considerably　in　the



days　of　former　English　rulers；　should　rapidly　reach　a　very　high



degree　of　prosperity。（2*）



　　　　In　the　petition　of　the　Hansards　to　the　Imperial　Diet；　mentioned



in　Chapter　II；　which　prayed　for　the　enactment　of　retaliatory



measures；　England's　export　of　cloth　was　estimated　at　200；000



pieces；　while　in　the　days　of　James　I　the　total　value　of　English



cloths　exported　had　already　reached　the　prodigious　amount　of　two



million　pounds　sterling；　while　in　the　year　1354　the　total　money



value　of　the　wool　exported　had　amounted　only　to　277；000　l。；　and



that　of　all　other　articles　of　export　to　no　more　than　16；400　l。　Down



to　the　reign　of　the　last…named　monarch　the　great　bulk　of　the　cloth



manufactured　in　England　used　to　be　exported　to　belgium　in　the　rough



state　and　was　there　dyed　and　dressed；　but　owing　to　the　measures　of



protection　and　encouragement　introduced　under　James　I　and　Charles



I　the　art　of　dressing　cloth　in　England　attained　so　high　a　pitch　of



perfection　that　thenceforward　the　importation　of　the　finer



descriptions　of　cloth　nearly　ceased；　while　only　dyed　and　finely



dressed　cloths　were　exported。



　　　　In　order　fully　to　appreciate　the　importance　of　these　results　of



the　English　commercial　policy；　it　must　be　here　observed　that；　prior



to　the　great　development　of　the　linen；　cotton；　silk；　and　iron



manufactures　in　recent　times；　the　manufacture　of　cloth　constituted



by　far　the　largest　proportion　of　the　medium　of　exchange　in　the



trade　with　all　European　nations；　particularly　with　the