COMMERCE. 



345 



moral and social cultivation over the earth. In 

 former times, commerce subdued the steppes of Scy- 

 thia and the deserts of Libya, and it is now clearing 

 away the primitive forests of America, and draining 

 the waters of Australia. For thousands of years, it 

 has pervaded the interior of the ancient world ; for 

 centuries it has had its path on the mighty ocean ; 

 and, of late, it has studied how to cut through the 

 isthmus of Darien, and to break through the ice of 

 the poles. In the history of the nation^, it is a per- 

 petual Argonautic expedition, and, from the first 

 period of commerce down to our own times, its Col- 

 chis has been India. The limits of our work do 

 not allow us to exhibit the progress of commerce in 

 ancient times. For this we refer to Heeren's Ideen 

 uber Handel und Politik der Alten Welt (Ideas on 

 the Commerce and Politics of the Ancient World), 

 1805 (see Heereri), and shall merely give a cursory 

 survey of the principal commercial mitlons of modern 

 times. 



I. EUROPE, since the conquest of Tyre by Alex- 

 ander, has been in possession of the commerce of the 

 world, and has secured it by its colonial system (see 

 Colony), founded by Henry the Navigator (q. v.), by 

 means of which it exercises the monopoly of colonial 

 commodities. By this we understand the productions 

 of the planting, commercial, and mining colonies ; 

 those of the last, however, only in part, for the pre- 

 cious metals and stones can hardly be designated by 

 that name. This is also true of the productions of 

 the colonies more strictly agricultural : spices, East 

 India goods of all kinds, dye-woods and cabinet- 

 woods, drugs, cotton, and especially coffee, sugar, 

 rice, tea, &c. , are properly understood by this term. 

 The East Indies furnish chiefly cotton, sugar, coffee, 

 rice, fabrics of various kinds, spices, ana tea (from 

 China) ; the West Indies, cocoa, coffee, sugar, and 

 cotton ; South America, the precious stones and 

 metals, dye-woods, cabinet-woods, drugs, &c. The 

 consumption of these articles, which was formerly 

 possible only for the rich, has increased immensely 

 since the ocean became the highway for trade with 

 the East Indies and America, in the course of the 

 15th century, and, more especially, since the Bri- 

 tish and Dutch assumed the first station among the 

 colonial nations of Europe, in the beginning of the 

 18th century. Instead of being, as before, mere 

 objects of luxury for the higher ranks, colonial goods 

 became necessary articles even for the lowest classes 

 of Europe ; and an entire revolution was produced 

 in the civil and political condition of that portion of 

 the world. Commerce thus acquired an incompara- 

 bly higher importance, and a more general interest, 

 The class of merchants, which was, by this means, 

 increased in an extraordinary degree, soon formed a 

 body of men, spread over the whole cultivated world, 

 and animated by one purpose to maintain com- 

 merce ; and even among belligerent nations, the 

 governments endeavoured in vain utterly to abolish 

 the mutual dealings of merchants. Thus, as the in- 

 tercourse of nations became more lively, the exchange 

 of ideas was promoted, men's views became enlarged, 

 a cosmopolitan spirit united distant communities, 

 and formed of the nations of Europe, as it were, one 



freat, civHized family. Equal results were produced 

 y the increased importance of the colonial powers 

 (in late times, the two maritime states of Britain and 

 Holland, in particular), arising from the increasing 

 consumption of colonial goods. For them, and, in- 

 deed, though in an inferior degree, for the other 

 colonial powers of Europe, the trade in the produc- 

 tions of the colonies was an important source of 

 wealth and power. Their great political importance 

 has exercised an extensive influence on the whole 

 political condition of Europe. Britain, in particu- 



lar, has become continually more powerful by its ex 

 tensive trade. It was therefore in the natural course 

 of things, that, when the immense power of France 

 was developed by the revolution, and that country, 

 under Napoleon, strove for predominance on the 

 European continent, the greatest struggle should 

 take place between France and Britain, a conse 

 quence of which was the continental system of 

 Napoleon, who declared his purpose to be, to free 

 Europe from the tribute which it was obliged to pay 

 to Britain for the colonial goods which it received 

 from her. Britain, deeming it absolutely essential 

 to her interests to prevent the establishment of a 

 universal monarchy on the continent, spared no 

 exertion to procure the restoration of the former 

 order of things, so that she might have a free inter- 

 course with the continental ports. Without going 

 into the points at issue between the two countries, 

 the fact deserves to be stated, that the continental 

 system called into action many kinds of industry on 

 the continent, and, in this way, has produced impor- 

 tant changes in the course of trade, resulting from 

 the great increase of manufactures. If we examine 

 whether it be actually true, as asserted in the time 

 of the continental system, that the great use of colo- 

 nial goods must necessarily produce poverty, it is 

 easy to prove the contrary, which has been already 

 fully confirmed by experience. New wants gave 

 rise to new energy and new branches of industry, in 

 order to gratify those wants, thus increasing the 

 productiveness of labour, and simultaneously, the 

 prosperity of the nations. But it is objected that 

 money, or the produce of labour, which would 

 otherwise remain in the various countries, is sent 

 away from them in exchange for colonial goods. 

 Very true ; but, even if the express purpose of ac- 

 quisition were not to procure new enjoyments, the 

 object of all trade and all activity is, not to accumu- 

 late money, but to augment the sum of happiness. 

 If this object be attained, industry and trade have 

 effected all that they should do. Of course, no ac- 

 count can be reasonably taken of the small number 

 of idle spendthrifts, who, without labouring, consume 

 their capital in gratifying their pleasures. But it 

 was soon perceived, that, in the existing state ot 

 Europe, entirely to exclude colonial articles was 

 utterly impossible, though recourse was had to all 

 kinds of substitutes. The enormous duties imposed 

 on the importation of colonial goods, as far as the 

 French power then reached, that is, throughout 

 nearly all the continent of Europe, contributed es- 

 sentially to render its nation poorer ; for these du- 

 ties had to be paid, while nothing of value could be 

 given in return ; from which circumstance originated 

 a most pernicious and immoral smuggling trade. 

 But Napoleon asserted that the British would not 

 allow him to make peace, in which case the whole 

 system would naturally have been changed. In the 

 18th century, 



Great Britain* became the first colonial power. It 

 therefore, stands at the head of the commercial na- 

 tions, who are all more or less tributary to British 

 art and industry. With more than 23,199 merchant 

 vessels, containing 2,460,500 tons, in 1827, it export- 

 ed, in the year ending Jan. 5, 1827, to the amount 

 of 50,399,356, and from Ireland, to the amount of 

 967,312 ; the imports, during the same time, 

 amounted to 36,038,951, and into Ireland, to 

 1,420,027. Its commerce is, in a great measure, 

 managed by companies. These companies are the 

 Russian, the Levant, the African, the South sea, and 



* We can give, in the following pages, only a brief ac- 

 count of the commerce of the different nations, and raus-t 

 refer the reader, for fuller information in regard to tbe 

 different countries, to the different article*. 



