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wealbk04-第40章

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his interest to alienate; as fast as he can; the greater part of

it; reserving only a small quit…rent。 In the Spanish and

Portuguese colonies; what is called the right of Majorazzo takes

place in the succession of all those great estates to which any

title of honour is annexed。 Such estates go all to one person;

and are in effect entailed and unalienable。 The French colonies;

indeed; are subject to the custom of Paris; which; in the

inheritance of land; is much more favourable to the younger

children than the law of England。 But in the French colonies; if

any part of an estate; held by the noble tenure of chivalry and

homage; is alienated; it is; for a limited time; subject to the

right of redemption; either by the heir of the superior or by the

heir of the family; and all the largest estates of the country

are held by such noble tenures; which necessarily embarrass

alienation。 But in a new colony a great uncultivated estate is

likely to be much more speedily divided by alienation than by

succession。 The plenty and cheapness of good land; it has already

been observed; are the principal causes of the rapid prosperity

of new colonies。 The engrossing of land; in effect; destroys this

plenty and cheapness。 The engrossing of uncultivated land;

besides; is the greatest obstruction to its improvement。 But the

labour that is employed in the improvement and cultivation of

land affords the greatest and most valuable produce to the

society。 The produce of labour; in this case; pays not only its

own wages; and the profit of the stock which employs it; but the

rent of the land too upon which it is employed。 The labour of the

English colonists; therefore; being more employed in the

improvement and cultivation of land; is likely to afford a

greater and more valuable produce than that of any of the other

three nations; which; by the engrossing of land; is more or less

diverted towards other employments。

     Thirdly; the labour of the English colonists is not only

likely to afford a greater and more valuable produce; but; in

consequence of the moderation of their taxes; a greater

proportion of this produce belongs to themselves; which they may

store up and employ in putting into motion a still greater

quantity of labour。 The English colonists have never yet

contributed anything towards the defence of the mother country;

or towards the support of its civil government。 They themselves;

on the contrary; have hitherto been defended almost entirely at

the expense of the mother country。 But the expense of fleets and

armies is out of all proportion greater than the necessary

expense of civil government。 The expense of their own civil

government has always been very moderate。 It has generally been

confined to what was necessary for paying competent salaries to

the governor; to the judges; and to some other officers of

police; and for maintaining a few of the most useful public

works。 The expense of the civil establishment of Massachusetts

Bay; before the commencement of the present disturbances; used to

be but about L18;000 a year。 That of New Hampshire and Rhode

Island; L3500 each。 That of Connecticut; L4000。 That of New York

and Pennsylvania; L4500 each。 That of New Jersey; L1200。 That of

Virginia and South Carolina; L8000 each。 The civil establishments

of Nova Scotia and Georgia are partly supported by an annual

grant of Parliament。 But Nova Scotia pays; besides; about L7000 a

year towards the public expenses of the colony; and Georgia about

L2500 a year。 All the different civil establishments in North

America; in short; exclusive of those of Maryland and North

Carolina; of which no exact account has been got; did not; before

the commencement of the present disturbances; cost the

inhabitants above L64;700 a year; an ever…memorable example at

how small an expense three millions of people may not only be

governed; but well governed。 The most important part of the

expense of government; indeed; that of defence and protection;

has constantly fallen upon the mother country。 The ceremonial;

too; of the civil government in the colonies; upon the reception

of a new governor; upon the opening of a new assembly; etc。;

though sufficiently decent; is not accompanied with any expensive

pomp or parade。 Their ecclesiastical government is conducted upon

a plan equally frugal。 Tithes are unknown among them; and their

clergy; who are far from being numerous; are maintained either by

moderate stipends; or by the voluntary contributions of the

people。 The power of Spain and Portugal; on the contrary; derives

some support from the taxes levied upon their colonies。 France;

indeed; has never drawn any considerable revenue from its

colonies; the taxes which it levies upon them being generally

spent among them。 But the colony government of all these three

nations is conducted upon a much more expensive ceremonial。 The

sums spent upon the reception of a new viceroy of Peru; for

example; have frequently been enormous。 Such ceremonials are not

only real taxes paid by the rich colonists upon those particular

occasions; but they serve to introduce among them the habit of

vanity and expense upon all other occasions。 They are not only

very grievous occasional taxes; but they contribute to establish

perpetual taxes of the same kind still more grievous; the ruinous

taxes of private luxury and extravagance。 In the colonies of all

those three nations too; the ecclesiastical government is

extremely oppressive。 Tithes take place in all of them; and are

levied with the utmost rigour in those of Spain and Portugal。 All

of them; besides; are oppressed with a numerous race of mendicant

friars; whose beggary being not only licensed but consecrated by

religion; is a most grievous tax upon the poor people; who are

most carefully taught that it is a duty to give; and a very great

sin to refuse them their charity。 Over and above all this; the

clergy are; in all of them; the greatest engrossers of land。

     Fourthly; in the disposal of their surplus produce; or of

what is over and above their own consumption; the English

colonies have been more favoured; and have been allowed a more

extensive market; than those of any other European nation。 Every

European nation has endeavoured more or less to monopolise to

itself the commerce of its colonies; and; upon that account; has

prohibited the ships of foreign nations from trading to them; and

has prohibited them from importing European goods from any

foreign nation。 But the manner in which this monopoly has been

exercised in different nations has been very different。

     Some nations have given up the whole commerce of their

colonies to an exclusive company; of whom the colonists were

obliged to buy all such European goods as they wanted; and to

whom they were obliged to sell the whole of their own surplus

produce。 It was the interest of the company; therefore; not only

to sell the former as dear; and to buy the latter as cheap as

possible; but to buy no more of the latter; even at this low

price than what they could dispose of for a very high price in

Europe。 It was their interest; not only to degrade in all cases

the value of the surplus produce of the colony; but in many cases

to discourage and keep down the natural increase of its quantity。

Of all the expedients that can well be contrived to stunt the

natural growth of a new colony; that of an exclusive company is

undoubtedly the most effectual。 This; however; has been the

policy of Holland; though their company; in the course of the

present century; has given up in many respects the exertion of

their exclusive privilege。 This; too; was the policy of Denmark

till the reign of the late king。 It has occasionally been the

policy of France; and of late; since 1755; after it had been

abandoned by all other nations on account of its absurdity; it

has become the policy of Portugal with regard at least to two of

the principal provinces of Brazil; Fernambuco and Marannon。

     Other nations; without establishing an exclusive company;

have confined the whole commerce of their colonies to a

particular port of the mother country; from whence no ship was

allowed to sail; but either in a fleet and at a particular

season; or; if single; in consequence of a particular licence;

which in most cases was very well paid for。 This policy opened;

indeed; the trade of the colonies to all the natives of the

mother country; provided they traded from the proper port; at the

proper season; and in the proper vessels。 But as all the

different merchants; who joined their stocks in order to fit out

those licensed vessels; would find it for their interest to act

in concert; the trade which was carried on in this manner would

necessarily be conducted very nearly upon the same principles as

that of an exclusive company。 The profit of those merchants would

be almost equally exorbitant and oppressive。 The colonies would

be ill supplied; and would be obliged both to buy very dear; and

to sell very cheap。 This; however; till within these few years;

had always bee
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