list2-第49部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！





East　Indian　manufacturers；　and　especially　through　the　extension　of



the　Dutch　and　English　sovereignty　in　foreign　parts　of　the　world；



while　these　nations；　in　contrast　to　the　Spaniards　and　Portuguese；



sought　and　found　their　advantage　more　in　the　exchange　of



manufactured　goods　for　colonial　goods；　than　in　extortion。



　　　　This　commerce　at　present　employs　the　most　important　part　of　the



large　shipping　trade　and　of　the　commercial　and　manufacturing



capital　of　Europe　which　is　employed　in　foreign　commerce；　and　all



the　hundreds　of　millions　in　value　of　such　products　which　are



transported　annually　from　the　countries　of　the　torrid　zone　to　those



of　the　temperate　zone　are；　with　but　little　exception；　paid　for　in



manufactured　goods。



　　　　The　exchange　of　colonial　products　for　manufactured　goods　is　of



manifold　use　to　the　productive　powers　of　the　countries　of　the



temperate　zone。　These　articles　serve　either；　as　e。g。　sugar；　coffee；



tea；　tobacco；　partly　as　stimulants　to　agricultural　and



manufacturing　production；　partly　as　actual　means　of　nourishment；



the　production　of　the　manufactured　goods　which　are　required　to　pay



for　the　colonial　products；　occupies　a　larger　number　of



manufacturers；　manufactories　and　manufacturing　business　can　be



conducted　on　a　much　larger　scale；　and　consequently　more　profitably；



this　commerce；　again；　employs　a　larger　number　of　ships；　of　seamen；



and　merchants；　and　through　the　manifold　increase　of　the　population



thus　occasioned；　the　demand　for　native　agricultural　products　is



again　very　greatly　increased。



　　　　In　consequence　of　the　reciprocal　operation　which　goes　on



between　manufacturing　production　and　the　productions　of　the　torrid



zone；　the　English　consume　on　an　average　two　to　three　times　more



colonial　produce　than　the　French；　three　to　four　times　more　than　the



Germans；　five　to　ten　times　more　than　the　Poles。



　　　　Moreover；　the　further　extension　of　which　colonial　production　is



still　capable；　may　be　recognised　from　a　superficial　calculation　of



the　area　which　is　required　for　the　production　of　those　colonial



goods　which　are　at　present　brought　into　commerce。



　　　　If　we　take　the　present　consumption　of　cotton　at　ten　million



centners；　and　the　average　produce　of　an　acre　（40；000　square　feet）



only　at　eight　centners；　this　production　requires　not　more　than　1



1/4　million　acres　of　land。　If　we　estimate　the　quantity　of　sugar



brought　into　commerce　at　14　million　centners；　and　the　produce　of　an



acre　at　10　centners；　this　total　production　requires　merely　1　1/2



million　acres。



　　　　If　we　assume　for　the　remaining　articles　（coffee；　rice；　indigo；



spices；　&c。）　as　much　as　for　these　two　main　articles；　all　the



colonial　goods　at　present　brought　into　commerce　require　no　more



than　seven　to　eight　million　acres；　an　area　which　is　probably　not



the　fiftieth　part　of　the　surface　of　the　earth　which　is　suitable　for



the　culture　of　such　articles。



　　　　The　English　in　the　East　Indies；　the　French　in　the　Antilles；　the



Dutch　in　Java　and　Sumatra；　have　recently　afforded　actual　proof　of



the　possibility　of　increasing　these　productions　in　an　extraordinary



manner。　has　increased　her　imports　of　cotton　from　England；



especially；　the　East　Indies　fourfold；　and　the　English　papers



confidently　maintain　that　Great　Britain　（especially　if　she　succeeds



in　getting　possession　of　the　old　commercial　route　to　the　East



Indies）　could　procure　all　her　requirements　of　colonial　products　in



the　course　of　a　few　years　from　India。　This　anticipation　will　not



appear　exaggerated　if　we　take　into　consideration　the　immense　extent



of　the　English　East　Indian　territory；　its　fertility；　and　the　cheap



wages　paid　in　those　countries。



　　　　While　England　in　this　manner　gains　advantage　from　the　East



Indies；　the　progress　in　cultivation　of　the　Dutch　in　the　islands



will　increase；　in　consequence　of　the　dissolution　of　the　Turkish



Empire　a　great　portion　of　Africa　and　the　west　and　middle　of　Asia



will　become　productive；　the　Texans　will　extend　North　American



cultivation　over　the　whole　of　Mexico；　orderly　governments　will



settle　down　in　South　America　and　promote　the　yield　of　the　immense



productive　capacity　of　these　tropical　countries。



　　　　If　thus　the　countries　of　the　torrid　zone　produce　enormously



greater　quantities　of　colonial　goods　than　heretofore；　they　will



supply　themselves　with　the　means　of　taking　from　the　countries　of



the　temperate　zone　much　larger　quantities　of　manufactured　goods；



and　from　the　larger　sale　of　manufactured　goods　the　manufacturers



will　be　enabled　to　consume　larger　quantities　of　colonial　goods。　In



consequence　of　this　increased　production；　and　increase　of　the　means



of　exchange；　the　commercial　intercourse　between　the　agriculturists



of　the　torrid　zone　and　the　manufacturers　of　the　temperate　zone；



i。e。　the　great　commerce　of　the　world；　will　increase　in　future　in　a



far　larger　proportion　than　it　has　done　in　the　course　of　the　last



century。



　　　　This　present　increase；　and　that　yet　to　be　anticipated；　of　the



now　great　commerce　of　the　world；　has　its　origin　partly　in　the　great



progress　of　the　manufacturing　powers　of　production；　partly　in　the



perfection　of　the　means　of　transport　by　water　and　by　land；　partly



in　political　events　and　developments。



　　　　Through　machinery　and　new　inventions　the　imperfect



manufacturing　industry　of　the　East　has　been　destroyed　for　the



benefit　of　the　European　manufacturing　power；　and　the　latter　enabled



to　supply　the　countries　of　the　torrid　zone　with　large　quantities　of



fabrics　at　the　cheapest　prices；　and　thus　to　give　them　motives　for



augmenting　their　own　powers　of　labour　and　production。



　　　　In　consequence　of　the　great　improvements　in　means　of　transport；



the　countries　of　the　torrid　zone　have　been　brought　infinitely



nearer　to　the　countries　of　the　temperate　zone；　their　mutual



commercial　intercourse　has　infinitely　increased　through　diminution



of　risk；　of　time　employed　and　of　freights；　and　through　greater



regularity；　and　it　will　increase　infinitely　more　as　soon　as　steam



navigation　has　become　general；　and　the　systems　of　railways　extend



themselves　to　the　interior　of　Asia；　Africa；　and　South　America。



　　　　Through　the　secession　of　South　America　from　Spain　and　Portugal；



and　through　the　dissolution　of　the　Turkish　Empire；　a　mass　of　the



most　fertile　territories　of　the　earth　have　been　liberated；　which



now　await　with　longing　desire　for　the　civilised　nations　of　the



earth　to　lead　them　in　peaceful　concord　along　the　path　of　the



security　of　law　and　order；　of　civilisation　and　prosperity；　and



which　require　nothing　more　than　that　manufactured　goods　should　be



brought　to　them；　and　their　own　productions　taken　in　exchange。