8 G. G. Hubbard — IVte Evolution of Commerce. 



little later aroused the fear of the statesmen, merchants,' and 

 capitalists of England that the energy of the new republic would 

 be as omnipotent in mercantile affairs as on the field of battle. 

 They believed that France might regain the colonies and Avith 

 them the commerce she had lost, and therefore England declared 

 war against Napoleon, which was carried on almost continuously 

 from 1793 to 1815. The shipping of the continent disappeared 

 or was captured by the fleets of England ; the colonies, and with 

 them the commerce, of Spain and Portugal, Holland and France, 

 passed to England ; and though she is still burdened with the 

 debt then created, she has never lost the commerce and carrying 

 trade she then obtained. 



The population of the colonies of Great Britain is about one- 

 sixth of the entire population of the globe; and their territory 

 comprises eighty per cent of the available temjoerate regions of 

 the earth belonging to the Anglo-Saxon race. 



The commerce of England has given wealth to her bankers 

 and merchants, and employment to her artisans, ship-builders, 

 iron-Avorkers, miners and manufacturers. Her exports of produce 

 and manufactures have increased five hundred per cent in fifty 

 years, or from $356,000,000 in 1840 to $1,577,000,000 in 1890, 

 and are carried by her ships to every quarter of the globe. 

 Though dejiendent on America for her food supplies, these are 

 moved in British ships. The commerce of the Avorlcl pays 

 tribute to the bankers of London and makes that city the 

 money center of the world. Her best market is India, and 

 from India comes her largest imports ; next to these from the 

 United States. 



India. 



Egypt, Nineveh and Babylon in prehistoric times, Tja^e and 

 Sidon and Greece under Alexander, Carthage and Rome under 

 the Csesars, Venice and Genoa in the middle ages, Portugal and 

 Holland, and lastly England, have clraAvn great stores of wealth 

 from India. 



From India science and literature viere handed on to Europe, 

 and from India has come the religion of more than half of the 

 human race. For India the Spanish sailed westAvard ; for India 

 the Portuguese sailed eastAvard ; Portugal Avas the first to reach 

 the goal and obtain the prize. Greater riches have been draAvn 

 from India than from the gold and silver mines of America, since 



