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order？　　whether　such　a　condition　would　not　be　more　desirable　than



that　of　a　miserable；　drunken；　lazy；　vicious；　mendicant　horde　called



free　negroes；　in　comparison　with　which　Irish　misery　in　its　most



degraded　form　may　be　deemed　a　state　of　prosperity　and　civilisation？



If；　however；　we　are　required　to　believe　that　the　zeal　of　the



English　to　make　everything　which　exists　upon　earth　partakers　of　the



same　degree　of　freedom　which　they　possess　themselves；　is　so　great



and　irrepressible　that　they　must　be　excused　if　they　have　forgotten



that　nature　makes　no　advances　by　leaps　and　bounds；　then　we　must



venture　to　put　the　questions：　Whether　the　condition　of　the　lowest



caste　of　the　Hindoos　is　not　much　more　wretched　and　intolerable　than



that　of　the　American　negroes？　　and　how　it　happens　that　the



philanthropic　spirit　of　England　has　never　been　excited　on　behalf　of



these　most　miserable　of　mankind？　　how　it　happens　that　English



legislation　has　never　intervened　for　their　benefit？　　how　it



happens　that　England　has　been　active　enough　in　deriving　means　for



her　own　enrichment　out　of　this　miserable　state　of　things；　without



thinking　of　any　direct　means　of　ameliorating　it？



　　　　The　English…Indian　policy　leads　us　to　the　Eastern　question。　If



we　can　dismiss　from　the　politics　of　the　day　all　that　which　at　this



moment　has　reference　to　territorial　conflicts；　to　the　dynastic；



monarchic；　aristocratic；　and　religious　interests；　and　to　the



circumstances　of　the　various　powers；　it　cannot　be　ignored　that　the



Continental　powers　have　a　great　national　economic　interest　in



common　in　the　Eastern　question。　However　successful　the　present



endeavours　of　the　powers　may　be　to　keep　this　question　in　the



background　for　a　time；　it　will　continually　again　come　to　the　front



with　renewed　force。　It　is　a　conclusion　long　arrived　at　by　all



thoughtful　men；　that　a　nation　so　thoroughly　undermined　in　her



religious；　moral；　social；　and　political　foundations　as　Turkey　is；



is　like　a　corpse；　which　may　indeed　be　held　up　for　a　time　by　the



support　of　the　living；　but　must　none　the　less　pass　into　corruption。



The　case　is　quite　the　same　with　the　Persians　as　with　the　Turks；



with　the　Chinese　and　Hindoos　and　all　other　Asiatic　people。　Wherever



the　mouldering　civilisation　of　Asia　comes　into　contact　with　the



fresh　atmosphere　of　Europe；　it　falls　to　atoms；　and　Europe　will



sooner　or　later　find　herself　under　the　necessity　of　taking　the



whole　of　Asia　under　her　care　and　tutelage；　as　already　India　has



been　so　taken　in　charge　by　England。　In　this　utter　chaos　of



countries　and　peoples　there　exists　no　single　nationality　which　is



either　worthy　or　capable　of　maintenance　and　regeneration。　Hence　the



entire　dissolution　of　the　Asiatic　nationalities　appears　to　be



inevitable；　and　a　regeneration　of　Asia　only　possible　by　means　of　an



infusion　of　European　vital　power；　by　the　general　introduction　of



the　Christian　religion　and　of　European　moral　laws　and　order；　by



European　immigration；　and　the　introduction　of　European　systems　of



government。



　　　　If　we　reflect　on　the　course　which　such　a　regeneration　might



possibly　pursue；　the　first　consideration　that　strikes　one　is　that



the　greater　part　of　the　East　is　richly　provided　by　nature　with



resources　for　supplying　the　manufacturing　nations　of　Europe　with



great　quantities　of　raw　materials　and　necessary　articles　of　every



kind；　but　especially　for　producing　tropical　products；　and　in



exchange　for　these　for　opening　unlimited　markets　to　European



manufacturers。　From　this　circumstance；　nature　appears　to　have　given



an　indication　that　this　regeneration；　as　generally　is　the　case　with



the　civilisation　of　barbarous　peoples；　must　proceed　by　the　path　of



free　exchange　of　agricultural　produce　against　manufactured　goods。



For　that　reason　the　principle　must　be　firmly　maintained　above　all



by　the　European　nations；　that　no　exclusive　commercial　privileges



must　be　reserved　to　any　European　nation　in　any　part　of　Asia



whatever；　and　that　no　nation　must　be　favoured　above　others　there　in



any　degree。　It　would　be　especially　advantageous　to　the　extension　of



this　trade；　if　the　chief　commercial　emporiums　of　the　East　were



constituted　free　cities；　the　European　population　of　which　should



have　the　right　of　self…government　in　consideration　of　an　annual



payment　of　tax　to　the　native　rulers。　But　European　agents　should　be



appointed　to　reside　with　these　rulers；　after　the　example　of　English



policy　in　India；　whose　advice　the　native　rulers　should　be　bound　to



follow　in　respect　of　the　promotion　of　public　security　order；　and



civilisation。



　　　　All　the　Continental　powers　have　especially　a　common　interest



that　neither　of　the　two　routes　from　the　Mediterranean　to　the　Red



Sea　and　to　the　Persian　Gulf　should　fall　into　the　exclusive



possession　of　England；　nor　remain　impassable　owing　to　Asiatic



barbarism。　To　commit　the　duty　of　protecting　these　important　points



to　Austria；　would　insure　the　best　guarantees　to　all　European



nations。



　　　　Further；　the　Continental　powers　in　general　have　a　common



interest　with　the　United　States　in　maintaining　the　principle　that



'free　ships　cover　free　goods；'　and　that　only　an　effectual　blockade



of　individual　ports；　but　not　a　mere　proclamation　of　the　blockade　of



entire　coasts；　ought　to　be　respected　by　neutrals。　Finally；　the



principle　of　the　annexation　of　wild　and　uninhabited　territories



appears　to　require　revision　in　the　common　interest　of　the



Continental　powers。　People　ridicule　in　our　days　the　fact　that　the



Holy　Father　formerly　undertook　to　make　presents　of　islands　and



parts　of　the　globe；　nay　even　to　divide　the　world　into　two　parts



with　a　stroke　of　the　pen；　and　to　apportion　this　part　to　one　man　and



that　to　another。　Can　it；　however；　be　deemed　much　more　sensible　to



acknowledge　the　title　to　an　entire　quarter　of　the　globe　to　vest　in



the　man　who　first　erected　somewhere　on　the　earth　a　pole　adorned



with　a　piece　of　silk？　That　in　the　case　of　islands　of　moderate　size



the　right　of　the　discoverer　should　be　respected；　may　be　admitted



consistently　with　common　sense；　but　when　the　question　arises　as　to



islands　which　are　as　large　as　a　great　European　kingdom　（like　New



Zealand）　or　respecting　a　continent　which　is　larger　than　the　whole



of　Europe　（like　Australia）；　in　such　a　case　by　nothing　less　than　an



actual　occupation　by　colonisation；　and　then　only　for　the　actually



colonised　territory；　can　a　claim　to　exclusive　possession　be



admitted　consistently　with　common　sense。　And　it　is　not　clear　why



the　Germans　and　the　French　should　not　have　the　right　to　found



colonies　in　those　parts　of　the　world　at　points　which　are　distant



from　the　English　stations。



　　　　If　we　only　consider　the　enormous　interests　which　the　nations　of



the　Continent　have　in　common；　as　opposed　to　the　English　maritime



supremacy；　we　shall　be　led　to　the　conviction　that　nothing　is　so



necessary　to　these　nations　as　union；　and　nothing　is　so　ruinous　to



them　as　Continental　wars。　The　history　of　the　last　century　also



teaches　us　that　every　war　which　the　powers　of　the　Continent　have



waged　against　one　another　has　had　for　its　invariable　result　to



increase　the　industry；　the　wealth；　the　navigation；　the　colonial



possessions；　and　the　power　of　the　insular　supremacy。



　　　　Hence；　it　cannot　be　denied　that　a　correct　view　of　the　wants　and



interests　of　the　Continent　underlaid　the　Continental　system　of



Napoleon；　although　it　must　not　be　ignored　that　Napoleon　desired　to



give　effect　to　this　idea　（right　in　itself）　in　a　manner　which　was



contrary　to　the　independence　and　to　the　interests　of　the　other



Continental　powers。　The　Continental　system　of　Napoleon　suffered



from　three　capital　defects。　In　the　first　place；　it　sought　to



establish；　in　the　place　of　the　English　maritime　supremacy；　a　French



Continental　supremacy；　it　sought　the　humiliation；　or　destruction



and　dissolution；　of　other　nationalities　on　the　Continent　for　the



benefit　of　France；　instead　of　basing　itself　on　the　elevation　and



equalisation　of　the　other　Continental　nations。　Furthermore；　France



followed　herself　an　exclusive　commercial　policy　against　the　other



countries　of　the　Continent；　while　she　claimed　for　herself　free



competition　in　those　countries。　Finally；　the　system　almost　entirely



destroyed　the　trade　between　the　manufacturing　countries　of　the



Continent　and　tropical　countries；　and　found　itself　compelled　to



find　a　remedy　for　the　destruction　of　this　international　trade　by



the　use　of　substituted　articles。（1*）



　　　　That　the　idea　of　this　Continental　system　will　ever　recur；　that



the　necessi