e
o
M
M
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.nyinconveoiencies,
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..
t
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WiIh-