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flourishing　foreign　trade。　If　anyone　will　compare　the　internal



commerce　of　England　with　that　of　Poland　or　Spain；　he　will　find　this



observation　confirmed。



　　　　The　foreign　commerce　of　agricultural　nations　of　the　temperate



zone；　so　long　as　it　is　limited　to　provisions　and　raw　materials；



cannot　attain　to　importance。



　　　　Firstly；　because　the　exports　of　the　agricultural　nation　are



directed　to　a　few　manufacturing　nations；　which　themselves　carry　on



agriculture；　and　which　indeed；　because　of　their　manufactures　and



their　extended　commerce；　carry　it　on　on　a　much　more　perfect　system



than　the　mere　agricultural　nation；　that　export　trade　is　therefore



neither　certain　nor　uniform。　The　trade　in　mere　products　is　always



a　matter　of　extraordinary　speculation；　whose　benefits　fall　mostly



to　the　speculating　merchants；　but　not　to　the　agriculturists　or　to



the　productive　power　of　the　agricultural　nation。



　　　　Secondly；　because　the　exchange　of　agricultural　products　for



foreign　manufactured　goods　is　liable　to　be　greatly　interrupted　by



the　commercial　restrictions　of　foreign　states　and　by　wars。



　　　　Thirdly；　because　the　export　of　mere　products　chiefly　benefits



countries　which　are　situated　near　sea　coasts　and　the　banks　of



navigable　rivers；　and　does　not　benefit　the　inland　territory；　which



constitutes　the　greater　part　of　the　territory　of　the　agricultural



nation。



　　　　Fourthly　and　finally；　because　the　foreign　manufacturing　nation



may　find　it　to　its　interest　to　procure　its　means　of　subsistence　and



raw　materials　from　other　countries　and　newly　formed　colonies。



　　　　Thus　the　export　of　German　wool　to　England　is　diminished　by



importations　into　England　from　Australia；　the　exports　of　French　and



German　wines　to　England　by　importations　from　Spain；　Portugal；



Sicily；　the　Spanish　and　Portuguese　islands；　and　from　the　Cape；　the



exports　of　Prussian　timber　by　importations　from　Canada。



　　　　In　fact；　preparations　have　already　been　made　to　supply　England



with　cotton　chiefly　from　the　East　Indies。　If　the　English　succeed　in



restoring　the　old　commercial　route；　if　the　new　State　of　Texas



becomes　strong；　if　civilisation　in　Syria　and　Egypt；　in　Mexico　and



the　South　American　states　progresses；　the　cotton　planters　of　the



United　States　will　also　begin　to　perceive　that　their　own　internal



market　will　afford　them　the　safest；　most　uniform；　and　constant



demand。



　　　　In　temperate　climates；　by　far　the　largest　part　of　a　nation's



foreign　commerce　originates　in　its　internal　manufactures；　and　can



only　be　maintained　and　augmented　by　means　of　its　own　manufacturing



power。



　　　　Those　nations　only　which　produce　all　kinds　of　manufactured



goods　at　the　cheapest　prices；　can　have　commercial　connections　with



the　people　of　all　climates　and　of　every　degree　of　civilisation；　can



supply　all　requirements；　or　if　they　cease；　create　new　ones；　can



take　in　exchange　every　kind　of　raw　materials　and　means　of



subsistence。　Such　nations　only　can　freight　ships　with　a　variety　of



objects；　such　as　are　required　by　a　distant　market　which　has　no



internal　manufactured　goods　of　its　own。　Only　when　the　export



freights　themselves　suffice　to　indemnify　the　voyage；　can　ships　be



loaded　with　less　valuable　return　freights。



　　　　The　most　important　articles　of　importation　of　the　nations　of



the　temperate　zone　consist　in　the　products　of　tropical　climates；　in



sugar；　coffee；　cotton；　tobacco；　tea；　dye　stuffs；　cacao；　spices；　and



generally　in　those　articles　which　are　known　under　the　name　of



colonial　produce。　By　far　the　greatest　part　of　these　products　is



paid　for　with　manufactured　goods。　In　this　interchange　chiefly



consists　the　cause　of　the　progress　of　industry　in　manufacturing



Countries　of　the　temperate　zone；　and　of　the　progress　of



civilisation　and　production　in　the　countries　of　the　torrid　zone。



This　constitutes　the　division　of　labour；　and　combination　of　the



powers　of　production　to　their　greatest　extent；　as　these　never



existed　in　ancient　times；　and　as　they　first　originated　from　the



Dutch　and　English。



　　　　Before　the　discovery　of　the　route　round　the　Cape；　the　East



still　far　surpassed　Europe　in　manufactures。　Besides　the　precious



metals　and　small　quantities　of　cloth；　linen；　arms；　iron　goods；　and



some　fabrics　of　luxury；　European　articles　were　but　little　used



there。　The　transport　by　land　rendered　both　inward　and　outward



conveyance　expensive。　The　export　of　ordinary　agricultural　products



and　common　manufactured　goods；　even　if　they　had　been　produced　in



excess；　in　exchange　for　the　silks　and　cotton　stuffs；　sugar；　and



spices；　of　the　East；　could　not　be　hoped　for。　Whatever　we　may；



therefore；　read　of　the　importance　of　Oriental　commerce　in　those



times；　must　always　be　understood　relatively；　it　was　important　only



for　that　time；　but　unimportant　compared　with　what　it　is　now。



　　　　The　trade　in　the　products　of　the　torrid　zone　became　more



important　to　Europe　through　the　acquisition　of　larger　quantities　of



the　precious　metals　in　the　interior　and　from　America；　and　through



the　direct　intercourse　with　the　East　by　the　route　round　the　Cape。



It　could　not；　however；　attain　to　universal　importance　as　long　as



the　East　produced　more　manufactured　goods　than　she　required。



　　　　This　commerce　attained　its　present　importance　through　the



colonisation　of　Europeans　in　the　East　and　West　Indies；　and　in　North



and　South　America　through　the　transplantation　of　the　sugar　cane；　of



the　coffee　tree；　of　cotton；　rice；　indigo；　&c。；　through　the



transportation　of　negroes　as　slaves　to　America　and　the　West　Indies；



then　through　the　successful　competition　of　the　European　with　the



East　Indian　manufacturers；　and　especially　through　the　extension　of



the　Dutch　and　English　sovereignty　in　foreign　parts　of　the　world；



while　these　nations；　in　contrast　to　the　Spaniards　and　Portuguese；



sought　and　found　their　advantage　more　in　the　exchange　of



manufactured　goods　for　colonial　goods；　than　in　extortion。



　　　　This　commerce　at　present　employs　the　most　important　part　of　the



large　shipping　trade　and　of　the　commercial　and　manufacturing



capital　of　Europe　which　is　employed　in　foreign　commerce；　and　all



the　hundreds　of　millions　in　value　of　such　products　which　are



transported　annually　from　the　countries　of　the　torrid　zone　to　those



of　the　temperate　zone　are；　with　but　little　exception；　paid　for　in



manufactured　goods。



　　　　The　exchange　of　colonial　products　for　manufactured　goods　is　of



manifold　use　to　the　productive　powers　of　the　countries　of　the



temperate　zone。　These　articles　serve　either；　as　e。g。　sugar；　coffee；



tea；　tobacco；　partly　as　stimulants　to　agricultural　and



manufacturing　production；　partly　as　actual　means　of　nourishment；



the　production　of　the　manufactured　goods　which　are　required　to　pay



for　the　colonial　products；　occupies　a　larger　number　of



manufacturers；　manufactories　and　manufacturing　business　can　be



conducted　on　a　much　larger　scale；　and　consequently　more　profitably；



this　commerce；　again；　employs　a　larger　number　of　ships；　of　seamen；



and　merchants；　and　through　the　manifold　increase　of　the　population



thus　occasioned；　the　demand　for　native　agricultural　products　is



again　very　greatly　increased。



　　　　In　consequence　of　the　reciprocal　operation　which　goes　on



between　manufacturing　production　and　the　productions　of　the　torrid



zone；　the　English　consume　on　an　average　two　to　three　times　more



colonial　produce　than　the　French；　three　to　four　times　more　than　the



Germans；　five　to　ten　times　more　than　the　Poles。



　　　　Moreover；　the　further　extension　of　which　colonial　production　is



still　capable；　may　be　recognised　from　a　superficial　calculation　of



the　area　which　is　required　for　the　production　of　those　colonial



goods　which　are　at　present　brought　into　commerce。



　　　　If　we　take　the　present　consumption　of　cotton　at　ten　million



centners；　and　the　average　produce　of　an　acre　（40；000　square　feet）



only　at　eight　centners；　this　production　requires　not　more　than　1



1/4　million　acres　of　land。　If　we　estimate　the　quantity　of　sugar



brought　into　commerce　at　14　million　centners；　and　the　produce　of　an



acre　at　10　centners；　this　total　production　requires　merely　1　1/2



million　acres。



　　　　If　we　assume　for　the　remaining　articles　（coffee；　rice；　indigo；



spices；　&c。）　as　much　as　for　these　two　main　articles；　all　the



colonial　goods　at　present　brought　into　commerce　require　no　more



than　seven　to　eight　million　acres；　an　area　which　is　probably　not



the　fiftieth　part　of　the　surface　of　the　earth　which　is　suitable　for



the　culture　of　such　articles。



　　　　The　English　in　the　East　Indies；　the　French　in　the　Antilles；　the



Dutch　in　Java　and　Sumatra；　have　recently　afforded　actual　proof　of



the　possibility　of　increasing　these　productions　in　an　extraordinary



manner。　has　increased　her　imports　of　cotton　from　England；



especially；　the　East　Indies　fourfold；　and　the　English　papers



confidently　maintain　that　Great　Britain　（especially　if　she　succeeds



in　getting　possession　of　the　old　commercial　route　to　the　East



Indies）　could　procure　all　her　requirements　of　colonial　products　in



the　course　of　a　few　years　from　India。　This　anticipation　will　not



appear　exaggerated　if　we　take　into　consideration　the　immense　extent



of　the　English　East　Indian　territory；　its　fertility；　and　the　cheap



wages　paid　in　those　countries。



　　　　While　England　in　this　manner　gains　advantage　from　the　East



Indies；　the　progress　in　cultivation　of　the　Dutch　in　the　islands



will　increase；　in　consequence　of　the　dissolution　of　the　Turkish



Empire　a　gr