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industry　the　consequence　of　the　protection　will　be；　that　the



internal　competition　will　soon　reduce　the　prices　lower　than　they



had　stood　at　when　the　importation　was　free。



　　　　But　has　agriculture　at　all　suffered　under　these　high　duties？



Not　in　the　least；　it　has　gained…gained　tenfold　during　the　last　ten



years。　The　demand　for　agricultural　produce　has　increased。　The



prices　of　it　everywhere　are　higher。　It　is　notorious　that　solely　in



consequence　of　the　growth　of　the　home　manufactories　the　value　of



land　has　everywhere　risen　from　fifty　to　a　hundred　per　cent；　that



everywhere　higher　wages　are　being　paid；　and　that　in　all　directions



improvements　in　the　means　of　transport　are　either　being　effected　or



projected。



　　　　Such　brilliant　results　as　these　must　necessarily　encourage　us



to　proceed　farther　on　the　system　which　we　have　commenced　to　follow。



Other　States　of　the　Union　have　also　proposed　to　take　similar　steps；



but　have　not　yet　carried　them　into　effect；　while；　as　it　would



appear；　some　other　States　of　the　Union　only　expect　to　attain



prosperity　solely　by　the　abolition　of　the　English　duties　on　grain



and　timber；　and　while　（as　it　is　alleged）　there　are　still　to　be



found　influential　men　who　believe　in　the　cosmopolitical　system　and



distrust　their　own　experience。　Dr　Bowring's　report　gives　us　most



important　explanations　on　these　points　as　well　as　on　the



circumstances　of　the　German　Commercial　Union　and　the　tactics　of　the



English　Government。　Let　us　endeavour　to　throw　a　little　light　on



this　report。



　　　　First　of　all；　we　have　to　consider　the　point　of　view　from　which



it　was　written。　Mr　Labouchere；　President　of　the　board　of　Trade



under　the　Melbourne　Ministry；　had　sent　Dr　Bowring　to　Germany　for



the　same　purpose　as　that　for　which　Mr　Poulett　Thompson　had　sent　him



to　France　in　the　year　1834。　Just　as　it　was　intended　to　mislead　the



French　by　concessions　in　respect　of　wines　and　brandies　to　open



their　home　market　to　English　manufactured　goods；　so　it　was　intended



to　mislead　the　Germans　to　do　the　same　by　concessions　in　respect　of



grain　and　timber；　only　there　was　a　great　difference　between　the　two



missions　in　this　respect；　that　the　concession　which　was　to　be



offered　to　the　French　had　to　fear　no　opposition　in　England；　while



that　which　had　to　be　offered　to　the　Germans　had　first　to　be　fought



for　in　England　herself。



　　　　Hence　the　tendency　of　these　two　reports　was　of　necessity　of



quite　a　different　character。　The　report　on　the　commercial　relations



between　France　and　England　was　written　exclusively　for　the　French；



to　them　it　was　necessary　to　represent　that　Colbert　had　accomplished



nothing　satisfactory　through　his　protective　regulations；　it　was



necessary　to　make　people　believe　that　the　Eden　Treaty　was



beneficial　to　France；　and　that　Napoleon's　Continental　system；　as



well　as　the　then　existing　French　prohibitive　system；　had　been



extremely　injurious　to　her。　In　short；　in　this　case　it　was　necessary



to　stick　closely　to　the　theory　of　Adam　Smith；　and　the　good　results



of　the　protective　system　must　be　completely　and　unequivocally



denied。　The　task　was　not　quite　so　simple　with　the　other　report；　for



in　this；　one　had　to　address　the　English　land…owners　and　the　German



Governments　at　one　and　the　same　time。　To　the　former　it　was



necessary　to　say：　See；　there　is　a　nation　which　has　already　in



consequence　of　protective　regulations　made　enormous　advances　in　her



industry；　and　which；　in　possession　of　all　necessary　means　for　doing



so；　is　making　rapid　steps　to　monopolise　her　own　home　market　and　to



compete　with　England　in　foreign　markets。　This；　you　Tories　in　the



House　of　Lords　　this；　you　country　squires　in　the　House　of



Commons；　is　your　wicked　doing。　This　has　been　brought　about　by　your



unwise　corn　laws；　for　by　them　the　prices　of　provisions　and　raw



materials　and　the　wages　of　labour　have　been　kept　low　in　Germany。　By



them　the　German　manufactories　have　been　placed　in　an　advantageous



position　compared　to　the　English　ones。　Make　haste；　therefore；　you



fools；　to　abolish　these　corn　laws。　By　that　means　you　will　doubly



and　trebly　damage　the　German　manufactories　：　firstly；　because　the



prices　of　provisions　and　raw　materials　and　the　wages　of　labour　will



be　raised　in　Germany　and　lowered　in　England；　secondly；　because　by



the　export　of　German　grain　to　England　the　export　of　English



manufactured　goods　to　Germany　will　be　promoted；　thirdly；　because



the　German　Commercial　Union　has　declared　that　it　is　disposed　to



reduce　their　duties　on　common　cotton　and　woollen　goods　in　the　same



proportion　in　which　England　facilitates　the　import　of　German　grain



and　timber。　Thus　we　Britons　cannot　fail　once　more　to　crush　the



German　manufactories。　But　the　question　cannot　wait。　Every　year　the



manufacturing　interests　are　gaining　greater　influence　in　the　German



Union；　and　if　you　delay；　then　your　corn…law　abolition　will　come　too



late。　It　will　not　be　long　before　the　balance　will　turn。　Very　soon



the　German　manufactories　will　create　such　a　great　demand　for



agricultural　produce　that　Germany　will　have　no　more　surplus　corn　to



sell　to　foreign　countries。　What　concessions；　then；　are　you　willing



to　offer　to　the　German　Governments　to　induce　them　to　lay　hands　on



their　own　manufactories　in　order　to　hinder　them　from　spinning



cotton　for　themselves；　and　from　encroaching　upon　your　foreign



markets　in　addition？



　　　　All　this　the　writer　of　the　report　was　compelled　to　make　clear



to　the　landowners　in　Parliament。　The　forms　of　the　British　State



administration　permit　no　secret　Government　reports。　Dr　Bowring's



report　must　be　published；　must　therefore　be　seen　by　the　Germans　in



translations　and　extracts。　Hence　one　must　use　no　expressions　which



might　lead　the　Germans　to　a　perception　of　their　true　interests。



Therefore　to　every　method　which　was　adapted　to　influence



Parliament；　an　antidote　must　be　added　for　the　use　of　the　German



Governments。　It　must　be　alleged；　that　in　consequence　of　the



protective　system　much　German　capital　had　been　diverted　into



improper　channels。　The　agricultural　interests　of　Germany　would　be



damaged　by　the　protective　system。　That　interest　for　its　part　ought



only　to　turn　its　attention　to　foreign　markets；　agriculture　was　in



Germany　by　far　the　most　important　productive　industry；　for



three…fourths　of　the　inhabitants　of　Germany　were　engaged　in　it。　It



was　mere　nonsense　to　talk　about　protection　for　the　producers；　the



manufacturing　interest　itself　could　only　thrive　under　foreign



competition　：　public　opinion　in　Germany　desired　freedom　of　trade。



Intelligence　in　Germany　was　too　universal　for　a　desire　for　high



duties　to　be　entertained。　The　most　enlightened　men　in　the　country



were　in　favour　of　a　reduction　of　duties　on　common　woollen　and



cotton　fabrics；　in　case　the　English　duties　on　corn　and　timber　were



reduced。



　　　　In　short；　in　this　report　two　entirely　different　voices　speak；



which　contradict　one　another　like　two　opponents。　Which　of　the　two



must　be　deemed　the　true　one…that　which　speaks　to　the　Parliament；　or



that　which　speaks　to　the　German　Governments？　There　is　no　difficulty



in　deciding　this　point；　for　everything　which　Dr　Bowring　adduces　in



order　to　induce　Parliament　to　lower　the　import　duties　on　grain　and



timber　is　supported　by　statistical　facts；　calculations；　and



evidence；　while　everything　that　he　adduces　to　dissuade　the　German



Governments　from　the　protective　system　is　confined　to　mere



superficial　assertions。



　　　　Let　us　consider　in　detail　the　arguments　by　which　Dr　Bowring



proves　to　the　Parliament　that　in　case　a　check　is　not　put　to　the



progress　of　the　German　protective　system　in　the　way　which　he



pointed　out；　the　German　market　for　manufactured　goods　must　become



irrecoverably　lost　to　England。



　　　　The　German　people　is　remarkable；　says　Dr　Bowring；　for



temperance；　thrift；　industry；　and　intelligence；　and　enjoys　a　system



of　universal　education。　Excellent　polytechnic　schools　diffuse



technical　instruction　throughout　the　entire　country。



　　　　The　art　of　design　is　especially　much　more　cultivated　there　than



in　England。　The　great　annual　increase　of　its　population；　of　its



head　of　cattle；　and　especially　of　sheep；　proves　what　progress



agriculture　there　has　achieved。　（The　report　makes　no　mention　of　the



improvement　in　the　value　of　property；　though　that　is　an　important



feature；　nor　of　the　increase　in　the　value　of　produce。）　The　wages　of



labour　have　risen　thirty　per　cent　in　the　manufacturing　districts。



The　country　possesses　a　great　amount　of　water　power；　as　yet　unused；



which　is　the　cheapest　of　all　motive　powers。　Its　mining　industry　is



everywhere　flourishing；　more　than　at　any　previous　time。　From　1832



up　to　1837　the　imports　of　raw　cotton　have　increased　from　118；000



centners　to　240；000　centners；　the　imports　of　cotton　yarn　from



172；000　centners　to　322；000　centners；　the　exports　of　cotton　fabrics



from　26；000　centners　to　75；000　centners；　the　number　of



cotton…weaving　looms　in　Prussia　from　22；000　in　1825　to　32；000　in



1834；　the　imports　of　raw　wool　from　99；000　centners　to　195；000



centners；　the　exports　of　the　same　from　100；000　centners　to　122；000



centners；　the　imports　of　woollen　articles　from　15；000　centners　to



18；000　centners；　the　exports　of　the　same　from　49；000　centners　to



69；000　centners。



　　　　The　manufacture　of　linen　cloths　contends　with　difficulty



against　the　high　duties　in　England；　France；　and　Italy　and　has　not



increased。　On　the　other　hand；　the　imports　of　linen　yarn　have



increased　from　30；000　cent