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growth of that part of the surplus produce which; in the case of

a free trade; would be exported to Europe。 That of the servants

tends to stunt the natural growth of every part of the produce in

which they choose to deal; of what is destined for home

consumption; as well as of what is destined for exportation; and

consequently to degrade the cultivation of the whole country; and

to reduce the number of its inhabitants。 It tends to reduce the

quantity of every sort of produce; even that of the necessaries

of life; whenever the servants of the company choose to deal in

them; to what those servants can both afford to buy and expect to

sell with such a profit as pleases them。

     From the nature of their situation; too; the servants must

be more disposed to support with rigorous severity their own

interest against that of the country which they govern than their

masters can be to support theirs。 The country belongs to their

masters; who cannot avoid having some regard for the interest of

what belongs to them。 But it does not belong to the servants。 The

real interest of their masters; if they were capable of

understanding it; is the same with that of the country; and it is

from ignorance chiefly; and the meanness of mercantile prejudice;

that they ever oppress it。 But the real interest of the servants

is by no means the same with that of the country; and the most

perfect information would not necessarily put an end to their

oppressions。 The regulations accordingly which have been sent out

from Europe; though they have been frequently weak; have upon

most occasions been well…meaning。 More intelligence and perhaps

less good…meaning has sometimes appeared in those established by

the servants in India。 It is a very singular government in which

every member of the administration wishes to get out of the

country; and consequently to have done with the government as

soon as he can; and to whose interest; the day after he has left

it and carried his whole fortune with him; it is perfectly

indifferent though the whole country was swallowed up by an

earthquake。

     I mean not; however; by anything which I have here said; to

throw any odious imputation upon the general character of the

servants of the East India Company; and much less upon that of

any particular persons。 It is the system of government; the

situation in which they are placed; that I mean to censure; not

the character of those who have acted in it。 They acted as their

situation naturally directed; and they who have clamoured the

loudest against them would probably not have acted better

themselves。 In war and negotiation; the councils of Madras and

Calcutta have upon several occasions conducted themselves with a

resolution and decisive wisdom which would have done honour to

the senate of Rome in the best days of that republic。 The members

of those councils; however; had been bred to professions very

different from war and polities。 But their situation alone;

without education; experience; or even example; seems to have

formed in them all at once the great qualities which it required;

and to have inspired them both with abilities and virtues which

they themselves could not well know that they possessed。 If upon

some occasions; therefore; it has animated them to actions of

magnanimity which could not well have been expected from them; we

should not wonder if upon others it has prompted them to exploits

of somewhat a different nature。

     Such exclusive companies; therefore; are nuisances in every

respect; always more or less inconvenient to the countries in

which they are established; and destructive to those which have

the misfortune to fall under their government。



                            CHAPTER VIII



                Conclusion of the Mercantile System 



     THOUGH the encouragement of exportation and the

discouragement of importation are the two great engines by which

the mercantile system proposes to enrich every country; yet with

regard to some particular commodities it seems to follow an

opposite plan: to discourage exportation and to encourage

importation。 Its ultimate object; however; it pretends; is always

the same; to enrich the country by an advantageous balance of

trade。 It discourages the exportation of the materials of

manufacture; and of the instruments of trade; in order to give

our own workmen an advantage; and to enable them to undersell

those of other nations in all foreign markets; and by

restraining; in this manner; the exportation of a few

commodities; of no great price; it proposes to occasion a much

greater and more valuable exportation of others。 It encourages

the importation of the materials of manufacture in order that our

own people may be enabled to work them up more cheaply; and

thereby prevent a greater and more valuable importation of the

manufactured commodities。 I do not observe; at least in our

Statute Book; any encouragement given to the importation of the

instruments of trade。 When manufactures have advanced to a

certain pitch of greatness; the fabrication of the instruments of

trade becomes itself the object of a great number of very

important manufactures。 To give any particular encouragement to

the importation of such instruments would interfere too much with

the interest of those manufactures。 Such importation; therefore;

instead of being encouraged; has frequently been prohibited。 Thus

the importation of wool cards; except from Ireland; or when

brought in as wreck or prize goods; was prohibited by the 3rd of

Edward IV; which prohibition was renewed by the 39th of

Elizabeth; and has been continued and rendered perpetual by

subsequent laws。

     The importation of the materials of manufacture has

sometimes been encouraged by an exemption from the duties to

which other goods are subject; and sometimes by bounties。

     The importation of sheep's wool from several different

countries; of cotton wool from all countries; of undressed flax;

of the greater part of dyeing drugs; of the greater part of

undressed hides from Ireland or the British colonies; of

sealskins from the British Greenland fishery; of pig and bar iron

from the British colonies; as well as of several other materials

of manufacture; has been encouraged by an exemption from all

duties; if properly entered at the custom house。 The private

interest of our merchants and manufacturers may; perhaps; have

extorted from the legislature these exemptions as well as the

greater part of our other commercial regulations。 They are;

however; perfectly just and reasonable; and if; consistently with

the necessities of the state; they could be extended to all the

other materials of manufacture; the public would certainly be a

gainer。

     The avidity of our great manufacturers; however; has in some

cases extended these exemptions a good deal beyond what can

justly be considered as the rude materials of their work。 By the

24th George III; c。 46; a small duty of only one penny the pound

was imposed upon the importation of foreign brown linen yam;

instead of much higher duties to which it had been subjected

before; viz。 of sixpence the pound upon sail yarn; of one

shilling the pound upon all French and Dutch yarn; and of two

pounds thirteen shillings and fourpence upon the hundredweight of

all spruce or Muscovia yarn。 But our manufacturers were not long

satisfied with this reduction。 By the 29th of the same king; c。

15; the same law which gave a bounty upon the exportation of

British and Irish linen of which the price did not exceed

eighteenpence the yard; even this small duty upon the importation

of brown linen yarn was taken away。 In the different operations;

however; which are necessary for the preparation of linen yarn; a

good deal more industry is employed than in the subsequent

operation of preparing linen cloth from linen yarn。 To say

nothing of the industry of the flax…growers and flax…dressers;

three or four spinners; at least; are necessary in order to keep

one weaver in constant employment; and more than four…fifths of

the whole quantity of labour necessary for the preparation of

linen cloth is employed in that of linen yarn; but our spinners

are poor people; women commonly scattered about in all different

parts of the country; without support or protection。 It is not by

the sale of their work; but by that of the complete work of the

weavers; that our great master manufacturers make their profits。

As it is their interest to sell the complete manufacture as dear;

so is it to buy the materials as cheap as possible。 By extorting

from the legislature bounties upon the exportation of their own

linen; high duties upon the importation of all foreign linen; and

a total prohibition of the home consumption of some sorts of

French linen; they endeavour to sell their own goods as dear as

possible。 By encouraging the importation of foreign linen yarn;

and thereby bringing it into competition with that which is made

by our own people; they endeavour to buy the work of the poor

spinners as cheap as possible。 They

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