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10

eoofequenee of the hilherto benefieial foreign traele.

T his i, not al!. We fay fanher, Ihat Ihe beneficial

trade will lal! for a time only. For the inf.llible confe·

quence of the rife of pricrs al home lI'ill be, that thofe

nation, which al fi rll confumed your manufdélures, pero

eeiving the gradual increare of their price, will begio 10

work for themCelves; or finding OUl your rivals who can

fupply lhem cheaper, \ViII opeo thei.. doors lÓ thent.

There agaio, percelyiog lhe great adyantages gained by

your traders,

\Y~I

begio 10 rupplylhe markCl ; aod fíoce

eyery lhiog mull be cheaper io countries where lOe do

1101 CuppoCe lhe coocurreoce of aU the circumflaoces meo·

lioDed above, lhefe oatioos \Vill Cupplaol you, aDd be

eDriched io their lurn.

Here comes a oew reVOlltlioo. Trade is come to a

1I0p: whal lhen becomes of all the hands which Wtre

formerly employed io fupplyiog the foreigo demands

!

Were revulutioos fo f"Jdeo as we are obliged tO repre·

feo.t them" all would go 10 wreck; in proplJl'lion as they

happeo by quicker or OOlVer degree" the ioconveoi.n·

cies are greater or fm aller.

Prices, IVe have faid, are made 10 rife by compeli.

tion.

If

lhe compelition of lhe lIraogers was what rai·

fed them, lhe dillrcfs upon the manufaéturers \Vill be io

proponion 10 Ihe fudJeooersof their defeniog the market.

lf

the compelirion IVa, di.ided bellVeen Ihe Itraogers and

the home·cooCumers, lhe inconvenieneie, which eoCue

will be lers; be,auCe Ihe derenion of the lIraogers IVill

be io fome meafure made up by ao increafe of home·

~oorumplion

whicb wiU foUow upoo the fall of prices.

Aod if, in lhe Ihird caCe, Ihe oalives have beeo fo im·

prudent, as 001 ooly 10 Cuppon a competilion \Vilh lhe

lIraogers, aod Ihereby diCgull Ihem from comiog aoy

more 10 markel, bUl 'eveo tO coolioue lhe compelilioo

belweeo themfelves, lhe ,hole

loji

Cullaioed by lhe re·

\'olulion will be naliooa!. Wealth will ceafe 10 augmenl ;

bUl lhe incoovenieocies, in place of being fell by lhe ma·

nufaéturers, will only affell lhe flale; lhofe will conli·

nue in aJIIuence, eXlOlling lhe geoerofily of their couo·

trymen, and defpifiog lhe poveny of the flrangen IVho

had eorichcd lbem.

Domef!ic luxu ry will here prove an expedient for pre·

ferviog fromruin the induarious pan of a people, who

io rubfilliog Ihemfelves had enriched Iheir country. No

cbaoge will follow in their condilion; they wdl go 00

wjth a p"inful afliduity to labour, and if lhe confequen.

ces of il become now hunfullo one

p~rt

of Ihe lIale, lhey

mufl at leall be allowed lO beelreoli&lly necelfary for Ihe

fuppon of lhe olher.

Rut lhal luxury is 00 oecelrary concomitant of foreign

trade, in a nalion wnere Ihe Irue principIe, of it are u¡¡..

derflood, wíll appear very plain, from a cootran we are

now going to pOlnt out, in the example of a modern ,

lIale, renowned for ils commeree and frugalilY. The

coumry is Holland.

A

Cel of inJullrious aod frugal people were alrembled

in a counlry by natll re fubjeél

to

m.ny

inconveoiencies,

the movíng of wbich neceffarily employed abundance of

hands. Their filualion upon Ihe conunenl, the power

of their forOler nmam, and theambition of their neigh.

bOllrs, oblíged lhem to kecp great bodies of Iroops.

VOL.

Il. No.

40'

3

E

R

e

E.

239

Thefe t\Vo anicles addecl to lhe oumbm of Ihe commu.

nilY, withOUI eilher eoriching the aale by their labour

exponed, or produciog foud for lhcmfdves ur country'

meno

T he fcheme of a commonweallh was calculaled 10

draw logtlher the inJullrious; btlt il has been aill more

ufeful in fubfiaing lhem: lhe republican form of govern.

menl bcing lhere greatly fubdivided, vells aUlhority'

f"f1icienl in evtry part of

ÍI,

lO make fuilable provifion

for lheir OIVO fubfilleoce; and Ihe tie wbich uoites them,

regards ooly matters of public concern. H.d lhe \Vhole

beeo governed by one fovereign, or by one couocil, this

imponanl maller never could have been effeétualed.

It

would be impollible for lhe moa ablc mioiatr Iha!

ever liveJ, to prCIVide nourifhment for a counlr1 fo ex–

lended as France, or eveo as Englaod, fuppofillg thefe

as fully peopled as Holland is: eveo although il fllould

be admiucd lhal a fufficient quanlily of food mighl be

fouod in other couotries for uleir fubfillence. The en–

lerprife IVould be too greal, abufes IVould mulliply ; the

confequence would be, lhallhe inhabilants would die for

waOl. Uut in Holland Ihe cafe is different, every liule

town takes

Ca

re of its own inhabitan;s; .nd this cdle be.

iog Iheohjca of applicatioo and profit 10fo many perfons,

is accompltfhed wilh fuccefs.

\Vhcn once il is laid down

as

a maxim in a counlr)',

lhal food mua of oecellily be gOl from abroad in order

to feed lhe inhabitants at home, the corn·trade becomes

confiderable, and al lhe fame lime certaín, regular, aod

per~aoenl.

This Was lhe c"fe in

HolI.nd:

as Ihe inha.

bilants were induflrious, lhe nece!lary

confequenc~

haa

been, a yery exmordioary multiplicalion; aod al Ihe

faOle lime fuch an abundaoce of grain,

th~l,

inflead of

bei~g

in want lhemrelvcs, lhey ofltn fupply lheir neigh.

bours . T here are many examples of England's beiog

fupplied wilh grain from thence, and, \Vhich is lIill more

éxtraordíoary, from the re.exportatiun of lhe very pro–

duce of ils oIVn frúful Coil.

It

is therefore evident, lhat Ihe only way to fupport

indurlr.y, is 10 provide a fupply of

fubfiaellc~,

conflantly

proportional to Ihe demand Ihat may be made for it.

Thís is a preeaulion indifpenfably omfl'ary for prevent.

iog hunful compelilion. This is lhe panicular care of

the DUlch: lo long as il can be effeélual, their Hate.' can

fear no decline; bUl whenever lhey COIDe

10

be

dia~effed

in lhe markels, upoo which they depend for fubfil!eoce,

they will fink into ruin.

It

is by mere dint

o~

frugalilY,

cheapand parfimonious living, Ihal lhe navigalion of lhis

induflrious people is fupponed. Conflanl employmeot,

and ao accumulatioo of a1moll imperceptible gaios, filJi

their coffers'wilh wealth, in fpite of lhe large

out~oing,

10 which their own proper nourifllOlenl yearly forces

Ihem. The large pr06ts upon indurlry inother countries,

which are no proor of geoerofity, bUl a fatal

clFtél

uf

¡

Ccanty fubfillence, is far from dazzling Iheir eyes. They

feldomare found io the lill

oC

compelilors at an, foreigo

pOIl; if Ihey have Iheir cargo 10 difpofe or, lbey wait

with plearure in lheir owo verrels, conruming Iheir own

provilions, aod al lall accepl of whal others have lef

lo

lt

may be faid, that many olher circumllances eoncur in

[avour of tbe Dutch, befides lhe anicle of fubfiaence..

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