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consul　at　Rotterdam。　'For　the　commercial　interests　of　Great



Britain；'　says　Mr　Alexander　Ferrier　at　the　end　of　his　report；　'it



appears　of　the　greatest　possible　importance　that　no　means　should　be



left　untried　to　prevent　the　aforesaid　states；　and　also　Belgium；



from　entering　the　Zollverein；　for　reasons　which　are　too　clear　to



need　any　exposition。'　Who　could　possibly　blame　Mr　Ferrier　for



speaking　thus；　or　Dr　Bowring　for　speaking　thus；　or　the　English



ministers　for　acting　as　the　others　speak？　The　national　instinct　of



England　speaks　and　acts　through　them。　But　to　expect　prosperity　and



blessing　to　Germany　from　proposals　which　proceed　from　such　a　source



as　that；　would　appear　to　exceed　even　a　decent　degree　of　national



good　nature。　'Whatever　may　happen；'　adds　Mr　Ferrier　to　the　words



above　quoted；　'Holland　must　at　all　times　be　considered　as　the　main



channel　for　the　commercial　relations　of　South　Germany　with　other



countries。'　Clearly　Mr　Ferrier　understands　by　the　term　'other



countries'　merely　England；　clearly　he　means　to　say　that　if　the



English　manufacturing　supremacy　should　lose　its　means　of　access　to



Germany　or　the　North　Sea　and　the　Baltic；　Holland　would　still　remain



to　it　as　the　great　means　of　access　by　which　it　could　predominate



over　the　markets　for　manufactured　goods　and　colonial　produce　of　the



south　of　Germany。



　　　　But　we　from　a　national　point　of　view　say　and　maintain　that



Holland　is　in　reference　to　its　geographical　position；　as　well　as　in



respect　to　its　commercial　and　industrial　circumstances；　and　to　the



origin　and　language　of　its　inhabitants；　a　German　province；　which



has　been　separated　from　Germany　at　a　period　of　German　national



disunion；　without　whose　reincorporation　in　the　German　Union　Germany



may　be　compared　to　a　house　the　door　of　which　belongs　to　a　stranger：



Holland　belongs　as　much　to　Germany　as　Brittany　and　Normandy　belong



to　France；　and　so　long　as　Holland　is　determined　to　constitute　an



independent　kingdom　of　her　own；　Germany　can　as　little　attain



independence　and　power　as　France　would　have　been　enabled　to　attain



these　if　those　provinces　had　remained　in　the　hands　of　the　English。



That　the　commercial　power　of　Holland　has　declined；　is　owing　to　the



unimportance　of　the　country。　Holland　will　and　must　also；



notwithstanding　the　prosperity　of　her　colonies；　continue　to



decline；　because　the　nation　is　too　weak　to　support　the　enormous



expense　of　a　considerable　military　and　naval　power。　Through　her



exertions　to　maintain　her　nationality　Holland　must　become　more　and



more　deeply　involved　in　debt。　Notwithstanding　her　great　colonial



prosperity；　she　is　and　remains　all　the　same　a　country　dependent　on



England；　and　by　her　seeming　independence　she　only　strengthens　the



English　supremacy。　This　is　also　the　secret　reason　why　England　at



the　congress　of　Vienna　took　under　her　protection　the　restoration　of



the　Dutch　seeming　independence。　The　case　is　exactly　the　same　as



with　the　Hanse　Towns。　On　the　side　of　England；　Holland　is　a



satellite　for　the　English　fleet　　unite　it　with　Germany；　she　is



the　leader　of　the　German　naval　power。　In　her　present　position



Holland　cannot　nearly　so　well　derive　profit　from　her　colonial



possessions　as　if　they　became　a　constituent　part　of　the　German



Union；　especially　because　she　is　too　weak　in　the　elements　which　are



necessary　for　colonisation　　in　population　and　in　mental　powers。



Further　than　this；　the　profitable　development　of　her　colonies；　so



far　as　that　has　hitherto　been　effected；　depends　for　the　most　part



on　German　good　nature；　or　rather　on　the　nonacquaintance　of　the



Germans　with　their　own　national　commercial　interests；　for　while　all



other　nations　reserve　their　market　for　colonial　produce　for　their



own　colonies　and　for　the　countries　subject　to　them；　the　German



market　is　the　only　one　which　remains　open　to　the　Dutch　for　the



disposal　of　their　surplus　colonial　produce。　As　soon　as　the　Germans



clearly　comprehend　that　those　from　whom　they　purchase　colonial



produce　must　be　made　to　understand　that　they　on　their　part　must



purchase　manufactured　goods　from　Germany　under　differentially



favourable　treatment；　then　the　Germans　will　also　clearly　see　that



they　have　it　in　their　power　to　compel　Holland　to　join　the



Zollverein。　That　union　would　be　of　the　greatest　advantage　to　both



countries。　Germany　would　give　Holland　the　means　not　only　of



deriving　profit　from　her　colonies　far　better　than　at　present；　but



also　to　found　and　to　acquire　new　colonies。　Germany　would　grant



special　perferential　privileges　to　the　Dutch　and　Hanseatic



shipping；　and　grant　special　preferential　privileges　to　Dutch



colonial　produce　in　the　German　markets。　Holland　and　the　Hanse



Towns；　in　return；　would　preferentially　export　German　manufactures；



and　preferentially　employ　their　surplus　capital　in　the



manufactories　and　the　agriculture　of　the　interior　of　Germany。　



　　　　Holland　；　as　she　has　sunk　from　her　eminence　as　a　commercial



power　because　she；　the　mere　fraction　of　a　nation；　wanted　to　make



herself　pass　as　an　entire　nation；　because　she　sought　her　advantage



in　the　oppression　and　the　weakening　of　the　productive　powers　of



Germany　；　instead　of　basing　her　greatness　on　the　prosperity　of　the



countries　which　lie　behind　her；　with　which　every　maritime　state



must　stand　or　fall；　because　she　sought　to　become　great　by　her



separation　from　the　German　nation　instead　of　by　her　union　with　it；



Holland　can　only　again　attain　to　her　ancient　state　of　prosperity　by



means　of　the　German　Union　and　in　the　closest　connection　with　it。



Only　by　this　union　is　it　possible　to　constitute　an　agricultural



manufacturing　commercial　nationality　of　the　first　magnitude。



　　　　Dr　Bowring　groups　in　his　tables　the　imports　and　exports　of　the



German　Customs　Union　with　the　Hanse　Towns　and　Holland　and　Belgium



all　together；　and　from　this　grouping　it　clearly　appears　how　greatly



all　these　countries　are　dependent　on　the　English　manufacturing



industry；　and　how　immeasurably　they　might　gain　in　their　entire



productive　power　by　union。　He　estimates　the　imports　of　these



countries　from　England　at　19；842；121　l。　sterling　of　official　value；



or　8；550；347　l。　of　declared　value；　but　the　exports　of　those



countries　to　England　（on　the　other　hand）　at　only　4；804；491　l。



sterling；　in　which；　by　the　way；　are　included　the　great　quantities



of　Java　coffee；　cheese；　butter；　&c。　which　England　imports　from



Holland。　These　totals　speak　volumes。　We　thank　the　Doctor　for　his



statistical　grouping　together　　would　that　it　might　betoken　a



speedy　political　grouping。







NOTES：







1。　Report　on　the　German　Zollverein　to　Lord　Viscount　Palmerston；　by



John　Bowring；　1840。







2。　See　statement　of　R。　B。　Porter；　note　to　p。　299。







Chapter　35







Continental　Politics







　　　　The　highest　ultimate　aim　of　rational　politics　is　（as　we　have



shown　in　our　Second　Book）　the　uniting　of　all　nations　under　a　common



law　of　right；　an　object　which　is　only　to　be　attained　through　the



greatest　possible　equalisation　of　the　most　important　nations　of　the



earth　in　civilisation；　prosperity；　industry；　and　power；　by　the



conversion　of　the　antipathies　and　conflicts　which　now　exist　between



them　into　sympathy　and　harmony。　But　the　solution　of　this　problem　is



a　work　of　immensely　long　duration。　At　the　present　time　the　nations



are　divided　and　repelled　from　one　another　by　manifold　causes；　chief



among　these　are　conflicts　about　territory。　As　yet；　the



apportionment　of　territory　to　the　European　nations　does　not



correspond　to　the　nature　of　things。　Indeed；　even　in　theory；　people



are　not　yet　agreed　upon　the　fundamental　conditions　of　a　just　and



natural　apportionment　of　territory。　Some　desire　that　their　national



territory　should　be　determined　according　to　the　requirements　of



their　metropolis　without　regard　to　language；　commerce；　race；　and　so



forth；　in　such　a　way　that　the　metropolis　should　be　situated　in　the



centre　and　be　protected　as　much　as　possible　against　foreign



attacks。　They　desire　to　have　great　rivers　for　their　frontiers。



Others　maintain；　and　apparently　with　greater　reason；　that



sea…coasts；　mountains；　language；　and　race；　constitute　better



frontiers　than　great　rivers。　There　still　are　nations　who　are　not　in



possession　of　those　mouths　of　rivers　and　sea…coasts　which　are



indispensable　to　them　for　the　development　of　their　commerce　with



the　world　and　for　their　naval　power。



　　　　If　every　nation　was　already　in　possession　of　the　territory



which　is　necessary　for　its　internal　development；　and　for　the



maintenance　of