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Methuen　Treaty　as　respects　England；　this　much　at　least　appears　to



be　made　out；　that；　in　respect　to　Portugal；　they　have　in　no　way　been



such　as　to　tempt　other　nations　to　deliver　over　their　home　markets



for　manufactured　goods　to　English　competition；　for　the　sake　of



facilitating　the　exportation　of　agricultural　produce。　Agriculture



and　trade；　commerce　and　navigation；　instead　of　improving　from　the



intercourse　with　England；　went　on　sinking　lower　and　lower　in



Portugal。　In　vain　did　Pombal　strive　to　raise　them；　English



competition　frustrated　all　his　efforts。　At　the　same　time　it　must



not　be　forgotten　that　in　a　country　like　Portugal；　where　the　whole



social　conditions　are　opposed　to　progress　in　agriculture；　industry；



and　commerce；　commercial　policy　can　effect　but　very　little。



Nevertheless；　the　little　which　Pombal　did　effect　proves　how　much



can　be　done　for　the　benefit　of　industry　by　a　government　which　is



anxious　to　promote　its　interests；　if　only　the　internal　hindrances



which　the　social　condition　of　a　country　presents　can　first　be



removed。



　　　　The　same　experience　was　made　in　Spain　in　the　reigns　of　Philip



V　and　his　two　immediate　successors。　Inadequate　as　was　the



protection　extended　to　home　industries　under　the　Bourbons；　and



great　as　was　the　lack　of　energy　in　fully　enforcing　the　customs



laws；　yet　the　remarkable　animation　which　pervaded　every　branch　of



industry　and　every　district　of　the　country　as　the　result　of



transplanting　the　commercial　policy　of　Colbert　from　France　to　Spain



was　unmistakable。（12*）　The　statements　of　Ustaritz　and　Ulloa（13*）　in



regard　to　these　results　under　the　then　prevailing　circumstances　are



astonishing。　For　at　that　time　were　found　everywhere　only　the　most



wretched　mule…tracks；　nowhere　any　well…kept　inns；　nowhere　any



bridges；　canals；　or　river　navigation；　every　province　was　closed



against　the　rest　of　Spain　by　an　internal　customs　cordon；　at　every



city　gate　a　royal　toll　was　demanded；　highway　robbery　and　mendicancy



were　pursued　as　regular　professions；　the　contraband　trade　was　in



the　most　flourishing　condition；　and　the　most　grinding　system　of



taxation　existed；　these　and　such　as　these　the　above　named　writers



adduce　as　the　causes　of　the　decay　of　industry　and　agriculture。　The



causes　of　these　evils　　fanaticism；　the　greed　and　the　vices　of　the



clergy；　the　privileges　of　the　nobles；　the　despotism　of　the



Government；　the　want　of　enlightenment　and　freedom　amongst　the



people　　Ustaritz　and　Ulloa　dare　not　denounce。



　　　　A　worthy　counterpart　to　the　Methuen　Treaty　with　Portugal　is　the



Assiento　Treaty　of　1713　with　Spain；　under　which　power　was　granted



to　the　English　to　introduce　each　year　a　certain　number　of　African



negroes　into　Spanish　America；　and　to　visit　the　harbour　of



Portobello　with　one　ship　once　a　year；　whereby　an　opportunity　was



afforded　them　of　smuggling　immense　quantities　of　goods　into　these



countries。



　　　　We　thus　find　that　in　all　treaties　of　commerce　concluded　by　the



English；　there　is　a　tendency　to　extend　the　sale　of　their



manufactures　throughout　all　the　countries　with　whom　they　negotiate；



by　offering　them　apparent　advantages　in　respect　of　agricultural



produce　and　raw　materials。　Everywhere　their　efforts　are　directed　to



ruining　the　native　manufacturing　power　of　those　countries　by　means



of　cheaper　goods　and　long　credits。　If　they　cannot　obtain　low



tariffs；　then　they　devote　their　exertions　to　defrauding　the



custom…houses；　and　to　organising　a　wholesale　system　of　contraband



trade。　The　former　device；　as　we　have　seen；　succeeded　in　Portugal；



the　latter　in　Spain。　The　collection　of　import　dues　upon　the　ad



valorem　principle　has　stood　them　in　good　stead　in　this　matter；　for



which　reason　of　late　they　have　taken　so　much　pains　to　represent　the



principle　of　paying　duty　by　weight　　as　introduced　by　Prussia　



as　being　injudicious。







NOTES：







1。　Anderson；　vol。　i。　p。　127；　vol。　ii。　p。　350。







2。　M。　G。　Simon；　Recueil　d'Observations　sur　l'Angleterre。　M閙oires



et　Consid閞ations　sur　le　Commerce　et　les　Finances　d'Espagne。



Ustaritz；　Th閛rie　et　Pratique　du　Commerce。







3。　Chaptal；　De　l'Industrie　Fran鏰ise；　vol。　ii。　p。　245。







4。　The　chief　export　trade　of　the　Portuguese　from　Central　and



Southern　America　consisted　of　the　precious　metals。　From　1748　to



1753；　the　exports　amounted　to　18　millions　of　piastres。　See



Humboldt's　Essai　Politique　sur　le　Royaume　de　la　Nouvelle　Espagne；



vol。　ii。　p。　652。　The　goods　trade　with　those　regions；　as　well　as



with　the　West　Indies；　first　assumed　important　proportions；　by　the



introduction　of　the　sugar；　coffee；　and　cotton　planting。







5。　British　Merchant；　vol。　iii。　p。　69。







6。　Ibid。　p。　71。







7。　Ibid。　p。　76。







8。　Anderson；　vol。　iii。　p。　67。







9。　British　Merchant；　vol。　iii。　p。　267。







10。　Ibid。　vol。　iii。　pp。　15；　20；　33；　38；　110；　253；　254。







11。　Anderson　for　the　year　1703。







12。　Macpherson；　Annals　of　Commerce　for　the　years　1771　and　1774。　The



obstacles　thrown　in　the　way　of　the　importation　of　foreign　goods



greatly　promoted　the　development　of　Spanish　manufactures。　Before



that　time　Spain　had　been　obtaining　nineteen…twentieths　of　her



supplies　of　manufactured　goods　from　England。　　Brougham；　Inquiry



into　the　Colonial　Policy　of　the　European　Powers；　Part　I。　p。　421。







13。　Ustaritz；　Th閛rie　du　Commerce。　Ulloa；　R閠ablissement　des



Manufactures　d'Espagne。











Chapter　6







The　French







　　　　France；　too；　inherited　many　a　remnant　of　Roman　Civilisation。　On



the　irruption　of　the　German　Franks；　who　loved　nothing　but　the



chase；　and　changed　many　districts　again　into　forests　and　waste



which　had　been　long　under　cultivation；　almost　everything　was　lost



again。　To　the　monasteries；　however；　which　subsequently　became　such



a　great　hindrance　to　civilisation；　France；　like　all　other　European



countries；　is　indebted　for　most　of　her　progress　in　agriculture



during　the　Middle　Ages。　The　inmates　of　religious　houses　kept　up　no



feuds　like　the　nobles；　nor　harassed　their　vassals　with　calls　to



military　service；　while　their　lands　and　cattle　were　less　exposed　to



rapine　and　extermination。　The　clergy　loved　good　living；　were　averse



to　quarrels；　and　sought　to　gain　reputation　and　respect　by



supporting　the　necessitous。　Hence　the　old　adage　'It　is　good　to



dwell　under　the　crosier。'　The　Crusades；　the　institution　of　civic



communities　and　of　guilds　by　Louis　IX　（Saint　Louis）；　and　the



proximity　of　Italy　and　Flanders；　had　considerable　effect　at　an



early　period　in　developing　industry　in　France。　Already　in　the



fourteenth　century；　Normandy　and　Brittany　supplied　woollen　and



linen　cloths　for　home　consumption　and　for　export　to　England。　At



this　period　also　the　export　trade　in　wines　and　salt；　chiefly



through　the　agency　of　Hanseatic　middlemen；　had　become　important。



　　　　By　the　influence　of　Francis　I　the　silk　manufacture　was



introduced　into　the　South　of　France。　Henry　IV　favoured　this



industry；　as　well　as　the　manufacture　of　glass；　linen；　and　woollens；



Richelieu　and　Mazarin　favoured　the　silk　manufactories；　the　velvet



and　woollen　manufactures　of　Rouen　and　Sedan；　as　well　as　the



fisheries　and　navigation。



　　　　On　no　country　did　the　discovery　of　America　produce　more



favourable　effects　than　upon　France。　From　Western　France　quantities



of　corn　were　sent　to　Spain。　Many　peasants　migrated　every　year　from



the　Pyrenean　districts　to　the　north…east　of　Spain　in　search　of



work。　Great　quantities　of　wine　and　salt　were　exported　to　the



Spanish　Netherlands；　while　the　silks；　the　velvets；　as　also



especially　the　articles　of　luxury　of　French　manufacture；　were　sold



in　considerable　quantities　in　the　Netherlands；　England；　Spain；　and



Portugal。　Owing　to　this　cause　a　great　deal　of　Spanish　gold　and



silver　got　into　circulation　in　France　at　an　early　period。



　　　　But　the　palmy　days　of　French　industry　first　commenced　with



Colbert。



　　　　At　the　time　of　Mazarin's　death；　neither　manufacturing　industry；



commerce；　navigation；　nor　the　fisheries　had　attained　to　importance；



while　the　financial　condition　of　the　country　was　at　its　worst。



　　　　Colbert　had　the　courage　to　grapple　single…handed　with　an



undertaking　which　England　could　only　br　ing　to　a　successful　issue



by　the　persevering　efforts　of　three　centuries；　and　at　the　cost　of



two　revolutions。　From　all　countries　he　obtained　the　most　skilful



workmen；　bought　up　trade　secrets；　and　procured　better　machinery　and



tools。　By　a　general　and　efficient　tariff　he　secured　the　home



markets　for　n