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raised　to　the　highest　stage　of　perfection。　That　nation　will



therefore　possess　most　productive　power；　and　will　consequently　be



the　richest；　which　has　cultivated　manufacturing　industry　in　all



branches　within　its　territory　to　the　highest　perfection；　and　whose



territory　and　agricultural　production　is　large　enough　to　supply　its



manufacturing　population　with　the　largest　part　of　the　necessaries



of　life　and　raw　materials　which　they　require。



　　　　Let　us　now　consider　the　opposite　side　of　this　argument。　A



nation　which　possesses　merely　agriculture；　and　merely　the　most



indispensable　industries；　is　in　want　of　the　first　and　most



necessary　division　of　commercial　operations　among　its　inhabitants；



and　of　the　most　important　half　of　its　productive　powers；　indeed　it



is　in　want　of　a　useful　division　of　commercial　operations　even　in



the　separate　branches　of　agriculture　itself。　A　nation　thus



imperfect　will　not　only　be　merely　half　as　productive　as　a　perfect



nation；　but　with　an　equal　or　even　with　a　much　larger　territory；



with　an　equal　or　a　much　larger　population；　it　will　perhaps　scarcely



obtain　a　fifth；　probably　scarcely　a　tenth；　part　of　that　material



wealth　which　a　perfect　nation　is　able　to　procure；　and　this　for　the



same　reason　owing　to　which　in　a　very　complicated　manufactory　ten



persons　produce　not　merely　ten　times　more；　but　perhaps　thirty　times



more；　than　one　person；　or　a　man　with　one　arm　cannot　merely　work



half　as　little；　but　infinitely　less；　than　a　man　with　two　arms。　This



loss　in　productive　power　will　be　so　much　greater；　the　more　that　the



manufacturing　operations　can　be　furthered　by　machinery；　and　the



less　that　machinery　can　be　applied　in　agriculture。　A　part　of　the



productive　power　which　the　agricultural　nation　thus　loses；　will



fall　to　the　lot　of　that　nation　which　exchanges　its　manufactured



goods　for　agricultural　products。　This　will；　however；　be　a　positive



loss　only　in　case　the　agricultural　nation　has　already　reached　that



stage　of　civilisation　and　political　development　which　is　necessary



for　the　establishment　of　a　manufacturing　power。　If　it　has　not　yet



attained　that　stage；　and　still　remains　in　a　barbarous　or



half…civilised　state；　if　its　agricultural　power　of　production　has



not　yet　developed　itself　even　from　the　most　primitive　condition；　if



by　the　importation　of　foreign　fabrics　and　the　exportation　of　raw



products　its　prosperity　nevertheless　increases　considerably　from



year　to　year；　and　its　mental　and　social　powers　continue　to　be



awakened　and　increased；　if　such　commerce　as　it　can　thus　carry　on　is



not　interrupted　by　foreign　prohibition　of　importation　of　raw



products；　or　by　wars；　or　if　the　territory　of　the　agricultural



nation　is　situated　in　a　tropical　climate；　the　gain　on　both　sides



will　then　be　equal　and　in　conformity　with　the　laws　of　nature；



because　under　the　influence　of　such　an　exchange　of　the　native



products　for　foreign　fabrics；　a　nation　so　situated　will　attain　to



civilisation　and　development　of　its　productive　powers　more　quickly



and　safely　than　when　it　has　to　develop　them　entirely　out　of　its



resources。　If；　however；　the　agricultural　nation　has　already　reached



the　culminating　point　of　its　agricultural　development；　as　far　as



that　can　be　attained　by　the　influence　of　foreign　commerce；　or　if



the　manufacturing　nation　refuses　to　take　the　products　of　the



agricultural　nation　in　exchange　for　its　manufactured　goods；　and　if



nevertheless；　owing　to　the　successful　competition　of　the



manufacturing　nation　in　the　markets　of　the　agricultural　nation；　no



manufactures　can　spring　up　in　the　latter；　in　such　a　case　the



agricultural　productive　power　of　the　agricultural　nation　is　exposed



to　the　danger　of　being　crippled。



　　　　By　a　crippled　state　of　agriculture　we　mean　that　state　of　things



in　which；　from　want　of　a　powerful　and　steadily　developing



manufacturing　industry；　the　entire　increase　of　population　tends　to



throw　itself　on　agriculture　for　employment；　consumes　all　the



surplus　agricultural　production　of　the　country；　and　as　soon　as　it



has　considerably　increased　either　has　to　emigrate　or　share　with　the



agriculturists　already　in　existence　the　land　immediately　at　hand；



till　the　landed　property　of　every　family　has　become　so　small　that



it　produces　only　the　most　elementary　and　necessary　portion　of　that



family's　requirements　of　food　and　raw　materials；　but　no



considerable　surplus　which　it　might　exchange　with　the　manufacturers



for　the　manufactured　products　which　it　requires。　Under　a　normal



development　of　the　productive　powers　of　the　State；　the　greater　part



of　the　increase　of　population　of　an　agricultural　nation　（as　soon　as



it　has　attained　a　certain　degree　of　culture）　should　transfer　itself



to　manufacturing　industry；　and　the　excess　of　the　agricultural



products　should　partly　serve　for　supplying　the　manufacturing



population　with　provisions　and　raw　materials；　and　partly　for



procuring　for　the　agriculturists　the　manufactured　goods；　machines；



and　utensils　which　they　require　for　their　consumption；　and　for　the



increase　of　their　own　production。



　　　　If　this　state　of　things　sets　in　at　the　proper　time；



agricultural　and　industrial　productive　power　will　increase



reciprocally；　and　indeed　ad　infinitum。　The　demand　for　agricultural



products　on　the　part　of　the　industrial　population　will　be　so　great；



that　no　greater　number　of　labourers　will　be　diverted　to



agriculture；　nor　any　greater　division　of　the　existing　land　be　made；



than　is　necessary　to　obtain　the　greatest　possible　surplus　produce



from　it。　In　proportion　to　this　surplus　produce　the　population



occupied　in　agriculture　will　be　enabled　to　consume　the　products　of



the　workmen　employed　in　manufacturing。　A　continuous　increase　of　the



agricultural　surplus　produce　will　occasion　a　continuous　increase　of



the　demand　for　manufacturing　workmen。　The　excess　of　the



agricultural　population　will　therefore　continually　find　work　in　the



manufactories；　and　the　manufacturing　population　will　at　length　not



only　equal　the　agricultural　population　in　numbers；　but　will　far



exceed　it。　This　latter　is　the　condition　of　England；　that　which　we



formerly　described　is　that　of　part　of　France　and　Germany。　England



was　principally　brought　to　this　natural　division　of　industrial



pursuits　between　the　two　great　branches　of　industry；　by　means　of



her　flocks　of　sheep　and　woollen　manufactures；　which　existed　there



on　a　large　scale　much　sooner　than　in　other　countries。　In　other



countries　agriculture　was　crippled　mainly　by　the　influence　of



feudalism　and　arbitrary　power。　The　possession　of　land　gave



influence　and　power；　merely　because　by　it　a　certain　number　of



retainers　could　be　maintained　which　the　feudal　proprietor　could



make　use　of　in　his　feuds。　The　more　vassals　he　possessed；　so　many



more　warriors　he　could　muster。　It　was　besides　impossible；　owing　to



the　rudeness　of　those　times；　for　the　landed　proprietor　to　consume



his　income　in　any　other　manner　than　by　keeping　a　large　number　of



servants；　and　he　could　not　pay　these　better　and　attach　them　to　his



own　person　more　surely　than　by　giving　them　a　bit　of　land　to



cultivate　under　the　condition　of　rendering　him　personal　service　and



of　paying　a　smaller　tax　in　produce。　Thus　the　foundation　for



excessive　division　of　the　soil　was　laid　in　an　artificial　manner；



and　if　in　the　present　day　the　Government　seeks　by　artificial　means



to　alter　that　system；　in　so　doing　it　is　merely　restoring　the



original　state　of　things。



　　　　In　order　to　restrain　the　continued　depreciation　of　the



agricultural　power　of　a　nation；　and　gradually　to　apply　a　remedy　to



that　evil　in　so　far　as　it　is　the　result　of　previous　institutions；



no　better　means　exists　（apart　from　the　promotion　of　emigration）



than　to　establish　an　internal　manufacturing　power；　by　which　the



increase　of　population　may　be　gradually　drawn　over　to　the　latter；



and　a　greater　demand　created　for　agricultural　produce；　by　which



consequently　the　cultivation　of　larger　estates　may　be　rendered　more



profitable；　and　the　cultivator　induced　and　encouraged　to　gain　from



his　land　the　greatest　possible　amount　of　surplus　produce。



　　　　The　productive　power　of　the　cultivator　and　of　the　labourer　in



agriculture　will　always　be　greater　or　smaller　according　to　the



degree　in　which　the　exchange　of　agricultural　produce　for



manufactures　and　other　products　of　various　kinds　can　proceed　more



or　less　readily。　That　in　this　respect　the　foreign　trade　of　any



nation　which　is　but　little　advanced　can　prove　in　the　highest　degree



beneficial；　we　have　shown　in　another　chapter　by　the　example　of



England。　But　a　nation　which　has　already　made　considerable　advances



in　civilisation；　in　possession　of　capital；　and　in　population；　will



find　the　development　of　a　manufacturing　power　of　its　own　infinitely



more　beneficial　to　its　agriculture　than　the　most　flourishing



foreign　trade　can　be　without　such　manufactures；　because　it　thereby



secures　itself　against　all　fluctuations　to　which　it　may　be　exposed



by　war；　by　foreign　restrictions　on　trade；　and　by　commercial　crises；



because　it　thereby　saves　the　greatest　part　of　the　costs　of



transport　and　commercial　charges　incurred　in　exporting　its　own



products　and　in　importing　manufactured　articles；　because　it　derives



the　greatest　advantages　from　the　improvements　in　transport　which



are　called　into　existence　by　its　own　manufacturing　industry；　while



from　the　same　cause　a　mass　of　personal　and　natural　powers　hitherto



unemployed　will　be　developed；　and　especially　because　the　reciprocal