454 BAND A. [chap. xix. 



polise it. No injury is done thereby to any one, but a 

 great benefit is conferred on the whole population of Hol- 

 land and its dependencies, since the produce of the state 

 monopolies saves them from the weight of a heavy taxa- 

 tion. Had the Government not kept the nutmeg trade of 

 Banda in its own hands, it is probable that the whole of 

 the islands would long ago have become the property of 

 one or more large capitalists. The monopoly would have 

 been almost the same, since no kuown spot on the globe 

 can produce nutmegs so cheaply as Banda, but the profits 

 of the monopoly would have gone to a few individuals 

 instead of to the nation. As an illustration of how a state 

 monopoly may become a state duty, let us suppose that no 

 gold existed in Australia, but that it had been found in 

 immense quantities by one of our ships in some small and 

 barren island. In this case it would plainly become the 

 duty of the state to keep and work the mines for the 

 public benefit, since by doing so, the gain would be fairly 

 divided among the whole population by decrease of taxa- 

 tion ; whereas by leaving it open to free trade while merely 

 keeping the government of the island, we should certainly 

 produce enormous evils during the first struggle for the 

 precious metal, and should ultimately subside into the 

 monopoly of some wealthy individual or great company, 

 whose enormous revenue would not equally benefit the 

 community. The nutmegs of Banda and the tin of Banca 



