UNCERTAIN HEALTH 275 



One of Lord Avebury's points in his arguments 

 in favour of Free Trade is well given in the 

 following letter, which forms part of a short 

 correspondence with Mr. Douglas Murray : 



Dear Mr. Douglas Murray — It is quite true, as 

 Mr. Ellis Barker says, that we imported last year 

 £147,700,000 of manufactured and semi-manufactured 

 articles, but, on the other hand, we exported £297,000,000. 



He alleges that on the imports our workers lost 

 £100,000,000. Would he maintain that on our 

 £297,000,000 foreign workers lost ? 



If not, why not ? On the other hand, if he does, 

 surely this shows the absurdity of his contention. 



All Commerce is exchange. It cannot be carried 

 on unless both parties gain. If one loses, he will 

 not go on. Evidently, therefore, both the U.K. and 

 foreigners benefited by the Trade, and would suffer if 

 Mr. Barker's views were carried out. 



Or look at it from another point of view. We import 

 from some country, say Belgium, £1,000,000 of manu- 

 factures, and pay for them by £1,000,000 of some other 

 manufactures. He alleges that by stopping our import 

 we should save, say, £100,000. But Belgium by stopping 

 our import to them would by the same reasoning save 

 £100,000 in the same way. 



Thus by stopping the Commerce between them 

 England and Belgium would each gain £100,000. Is 

 not this an absurd contention ? — I am, yours very 

 truly, AvEBURY. 



With the view of assisting the Free Trade 

 party in Canada he sent out a letter which was 

 published in several of the papers of the Dominion. 

 A correspondent writes to him, respecting it, 

 that " the phenomenon of an Englishman in a 

 prominent position telling a protected country 

 that it is making a mistake and actually daring 

 to be proud of England and of the triumph of her 

 Free Trade is something so new that it deserves 

 to be called revolutionary. If we can go on in 



