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is　not　simply　a　question　of　economical　well…being；　but；　as



everything　is　which　concerns　the　national　manufacturing　power；　is



still　more　a　question　of　the　independence　and　power　of　the　nation。



　　　　It　seems　indeed　as　if　the　spirit　of　invention　had　set　itself



the　task；　in　this　perfecting　of　the　linen　manufacture；　to　make　the



nations　comprehend　the　nature　of　the　manufacturing　interest；　its



relations　with　agriculture；　and　its　influence　on　the　independence



and　power　of　the　State；　and　to　expose　the　erroneous　arguments　of



the　popular　theory。　The　school　maintains；　as　is　well　known；　that



every　nation　possesses　special　advantages　in　various　branches　of



production；　which　she　has　either　derived　from　nature；　or　which　she



has　partly　acquired　in　the　course　of　her　career；　and　which　under



free　trade　compensate　one　another。　We　have　in　a　previous　chapter



adduced　proof　that　this　argument　is　only　true　in　reference　to



agriculture；　in　which　production　depends　for　the　most　part　on



climate　and　on　the　fertility　of　the　soil；　but　that　it　is　not　true



in　respect　to　manufacturing　industry；　for　which　all　nations



inhabiting　temperate　climates　have　equal　capability　provided　that



they　possess　the　necessary　material；　mental；　social；　and　political



qualifications。　England　at　the　present　day　offers　the　most　striking



proof　of　this。　If　any　nations　whatever　are　specially　adapted　by



their　past　experience　and　exertions；　and　through　their　natural



qualifications；　for　the　manufacture　of　linen；　those　are　the



Germans；　the　belgians；　the　Dutch；　and　the　inhabitants　of　the　North



of　France　for　a　thousand　years　past。　The　English；　on　the　other



hand；　up　to　the　middle　of　the　last　century；　had　notoriously　made



such　small　progress　in　that　industry；　that　they　imported　a　great



proportion　of　the　linen　which　they　required；　from　abroad。　It　would



never　have　been　possible　for　them；　without　the　duties　by　which　they



continuously　protected　this　manufacturing　industry；　even　to　supply



their　own　markets　and　colonies　with　linen　of　their　own　manufacture。



And　it　is　well　known　how　Lords　Castlereagh　and　Liverpool　adduced



proof　in　Parliament；　that　without　protection　it　was　impossible　for



the　Irish　linen　manufactures　to　sustain　competition　with　those　of



Germany。　At　present；　however；　we　see　how　the　English　threaten　to



monopolise　the　linen　manufacture　of　the　whole　of　Europe；　in



consequence　of　their　inventions；　notwithstanding　that　they　were　for



a　hundred　years　the　worst　manufacturers　of　linen　in　all　Europe；



just　as　they　have　monopolised　for　the　last　fifty　years　the　cotton



markets　of　the　East　Indies；　notwithstanding　that　one　hundred　years



previously　they　could　not　even　compete　in　their　own　market　with　the



Indian　cotton　manufacturers。　At　this　moment　it　is　a　matter　of



dispute　in　France　how　it　happens　that　England　has　lately　made　such



immense　progress　in　the　manufacture　of　linen；　although　Napoleon　was



the　first　who　offered　such　a　great　reward　for　the　invention　of　a



machine　for　spinning　cotton；　and　that　the　French　machinists　and



manufacturers　had　been　engaged　in　this　trade　before　the　English。



The　inquiry　is　made　whether　the　English　or　the　French　possessed



more　mechanical　talent。　All　kinds　of　explanations　are　offered



except　the　true　and　the　natural　one。　It　is　absurd　to　attribute



specially　to　the　English　greater　mechanical　talent；　or　greater



skill　and　perseverance　in　industry；　than　to　the　Germans　or　to　the



French。　Before　the　time　of　Edward　III　the　English　were　the　greatest



bullies　and　good…for…nothing　characters　in　Europe；　certainly　it



never　occurred　to　them　to　compare　themselves　with　the　Italians　and



Belgians　or　with　the　Germans　in　respect　to　mechanical　talent　or



industrial　skill；　but　since　then　their　Government　has　taken　their



education　in　hand；　and　thus　they　have　by　degrees　made　such　progress



that　they　can　dispute　the　palm　of　industrial　skill　with　their



instructors。　If　the　English　in　the　last　twenty　years　have　made　more



rapid　progress　in　machinery　for　linen　manufacture　than　other



nations；　and　especially　the　French；　have　done；　this　has　only



occurred　because；　firstly；　they　had　attained　greater　eminence　in



mechanical　skill；　secondly；　that　they　were　further　advanced　in



machinery　for　spinning　and　weaving　cotton；　which　is　so　similar　to



that　for　spinning　and　weaving　linen；　thirdly；　that　in　consequence



of　their　previous　commercial　policy；　they　had　become　possessed　of



more　capital　than　the　French；　fourthly；　that　in　consequence　of　that



commercial　policy　their　home　market　for　linen　goods　was　far　more



extensive　than　that　of　the　French；　and　lastly　that　their　protective



duties；　combined　with　the　circumstances　above　named；　afforded　to



the　mechanical　talent　of　the　nation　greater　stimulus　and　more　means



to　devote　itself　to　perfecting　this　branch　of　industry。



　　　　The　English　have　thus　given　a　striking　confirmation　of　the



opinions　which　we　in　another　place　have　propounded　and　explained　



that　all　individual　branches　of　industry　have　the　closest



reciprocal　effect　on　one　another；　that　the　perfecting　of　one　branch



prepares　and　promotes　the　perfecting　of　all　others；　that　no　one　of



them　can　be　neglected　without　the　effects　of　that　neglect　being



felt　by　all；　that；　in　short；　the　whole　manufacturing　power　of　a



nation　constitutes　an　inseparable　whole。　Of　these　opinions　they



have　by　their　latest　achievements　in　the　linen　industry　offered　a



striking　confirmation。







NOTES：







1。　Even　a　part　of　the　production　of　wool　in　England　is　due　to　the



observance　of　this　maxim。　Edward　IV　imported　under　special



privileges　3；000　head　of　sheep　from　Spain　（where　the　export　of



sheep　was　prohibited）；　and　distributed　them　among　various　parishes；



with　a　command　that　for　seven　years　none　were　to　be　slaughtered　or



castrated。　（Essai　sur　le　Commerce　d'Angleterre；　tome　i。　p。　379。）　As



soon　as　the　object　of　these　measures　had　been　attained；　England



rewarded　the　Spanish　Government　for　the　special　privileges　granted



by　the　latter；　by　prohibiting　the　import　of　Spanish　wool。　The



efficacy　of　this　prohibition　（however　unjust　it　may　be　deemed）　can



as　little　be　denied　as　that　of　the　prohibitions　of　the　import　of



wool　by　Charles　II　（1672　and　1674）。







2。　France；　said　Pitt；　has　advantages　above　England　in　respect　of



climate　and　other　natural　gifts；　and　therefore　excels　England　in



its　raw　produce；　on　the　other　hand；　England　has　the　advantage　over



France　in　its　artificial　products。　The　wines；　brandies；　oils；　and



vinegars　of　France；　especially　the　first　two；　articles　of　such



importance　and　of　such　value；　that　the　value　of　our　natural



products　cannot　be　in　the　least　compared　with　them。　But；　on　the



other　hand；　it　is　equally　certain　that　England　is　the　exclusive



producer　of　some　kinds　of　manufactured　goods；　and　that　in　respect



of　other　kinds　she　possesses　such　advantages　that　she　can　defy



without　doubt　all　the　competition　of　France。　This　is　a　reciprocal



condition　and　a　basis　on　which　an　advantageous　commercial　treaty



between　both　nations　should　be　founded。　As　each　of　them　has　its



peculiar　staple　commodities；　and　each　possesses　that　which　is



lacking　to　the　other；　so　both　should　deal　with　one　another　like　two



great　merchants　who　are　engaged　in　different　branches　of　trade；　and



by　a　reciprocal　exchange　of　their　goods　can　at　once　become　useful



to　one　another。　Let　us　further　only　call　to　mind　on　this　point　the



wealth　of　the　county　with　which　we　stand　in　the　position　of



neighbours；　its　great　population；　its　vicinity　to　us；　and　the



consequent　quick　and　regular　exchange。　Who　could　then　hesitate　a



moment　to　give　his　approval　to　the　system　of　freedom；　and　who　would



not　earnestly　and　impatiently　wish　for　the　utmost　possible



expedition　in　establishing　it？　The　possession　of　such　an　extensive



and　certain　market　must　give　quite　an　extraordinary　impulse　to　our



trade；　and　the　customs　revenue　which　would　then　be　diverted　from



the　hands　of　the　smuggler　into　the　State　revenue　would　benefit　our



finances；　and　thus　two　main　springs　of　British　wealth　and　of



British　power　would　be　made　more　productive。







3。　Since　List　wrote　these　lines；　the　duties　which　foreign　silk



manufacturers　had　to　pay　on　the　import　of　their　goods　into　England



have　been　totally　abolished。　The　results　of　their　abolition　may　be



learned　from　Mr　Wardle's　report　on　the　English　silk　trade；　as



follows：　London；　in　1825；　contained　24；000　looms　and　60；000



operatives　engaged　in　silk　manufacture。　At　the　present　time　these



have　dwindled　to　1；200　looms　and　less　then　4；000　operatives。　In



Coventry；　in　1861；　the　ribbon　trade　is　stated　to　have　given



subsistence　to　40；600　persons；　while　at　the　present　time　probably



not　more　than　10；000　persons　are　supported　by　it；　and　the



power…looms　at　work　in　Coventry　have　decreased　from　1；800　to　600。



In　Derby　the　number　of　operatives　employed　in　silk　manufacture　has



decreased　from　6；650　（in　1850）　to　2；400　at　present。　In　the



Congleton　district　they　have　decreased　from　5；186　（in　1860）　to



1；530　（in　1884）；　while　of　the　forty　silk…throwsters'　works　which



that　district　contained　（in　1859）　only　twelve　now　remain；　with



'about　three…fourths　of　their　machinery　employed。'　In　Manchester



this　trade　has　practically　died　out；　while　at　Middleton　the



industry　is　'simply　ruined。'　These　results　（stated　by　Mr　Wardle）



may　account　for　the　decrease　in　England's　imports　of　raw　silk；　from



8；000；000　pounds　（in　1871）　to　less　than　3；000；000　pounds。



　　　　On　the　other　hand；　since　List　wrote；　the　United　States　of



America　have　increased　and　steadily　maintained　a　considerable



protective　duty　on　the　importation　of　foreign　silk　manufactures。



The　results　of　that　policy　were　publicly　stated　by　Mr　Robert　P。



Porter　（member　of　the　United　States'　Tariff　Commission）；　in　a



speech　in　1883；　to　have　been　as　follows：



　　　　Five　thousand　persons　were　employed　in　silk　manufacture　in　the



United　States　before　the　Morill　tariff　（1861）。　In　1880　their　number



had　increased　to　30；000。　The　value　of　silk　manufactures　produced　in



the　States　increased　from　1；200；000　l。　in　1860　to　more　than



8；000；000　l。　in　1880。　'Yet　the　cost　of　the　manufactured　goods　to



the　consumer；　estimated　on　a　gold　basis；　has　steadily　declined　at



a　much　greater　rate　than　the　cost　of　the　raw　material。'　After



reference　to　the　earthenware　and　plate…glass　manufactures；　Mr



Porter　adds：　'The　testimony　before　the　T