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wealbk04-第67章

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maintains and employs the unproductive class。 The greater this

surplus the greater must likewise be the maintenance and

employment of that class。 The establishment of perfect justice;

of perfect liberty; and of perfect equality is the very simple

secret which most effectually secures the highest degree of

prosperity to all the three classes。

     The merchants; artificers; and manufacturers of those

mercantile states which; like Holland and Hamburg; consist

chiefly of this unproductive class; are in the same manner

maintained and employed altogether at the expense of the

proprietors and cultivators of land。 The only difference is; that

those proprietors and cultivators are; the greater part of them;

placed at a most inconvenient distance from the merchants;

artificers; and manufacturers whom they supply with the materials

of their work and the fund of their subsistences… the inhabitants

of other countries and the subjects of other governments。

     Such mercantile states; however; are not only useful; but

greatly useful to the inhabitants of those other countries。 They

fill up; in some measure; a very important void; and supply the

place of the merchants; artificers; and manufacturers whom the

inhabitants of those countries ought to find at home; but whom;

from some defect in their policy; they do not find at home。

     It can never be the interest of those landed nations; if I

may call them so; to discourage or distress the industry of such

mercantile states by imposing high duties upon their trade or

upon the commodities which they furnish。 Such duties; by

rendering those commodities dearer; could serve only to sink the

real value of the surplus produce of their own land; with which;

or; what comes to the same thing; with the price of which those

commodities are purchased。 Such duties could serve only to

discourage the increase of that surplus produce; and consequently

the improvement and cultivation of their own land。 The most

effectual expedient; on the contrary; for raising the value of

that surplus produce; for encouraging its increase; and

consequently the improvement and cultivation of their own land

would be to allow the most perfect freedom to the trade of all

such mercantile nations。

     This perfect freedom of trade would even be the most

effectual expedient for supplying them; in due time; with all the

artificers; manufacturers; and merchants whom they wanted at

home; and for filling up in the properest and most advantageous

manner that very important void which they felt there。

     The continual increase of the surplus produce of their land

would; in due time; create a greater capital than what could be

employed with the ordinary rate of profit in the improvement and

cultivation of land; and the surplus part of it would naturally

turn itself to the employment of artificers and manufacturers at

home。 But those artificers and manufacturers; finding at home

both the materials of their work and the fund of their

subsistence; might immediately even with much less art and skill

be able to work as cheap as the like artificers and manufacturers

of such mercantile states who had both to bring from a great

distance。 Even though; from want of art and skill; they might not

for some time be able to work as cheap; yet; finding a market at

home; they might be able to sell their work there as cheap as

that of the artificers and manufacturers of such mercantile

states; which could not be brought to that market but from so

great a distance; and as their art and skill improved; they would

soon be able to sell it cheaper。 The artificers and manufacturers

of such mercantile states; therefore; would immediately be

rivalled in the market of those landed nations; and soon after

undersold and jostled out of it altogether。 The cheapness of the

manufactures of those landed nations; in consequence of the

gradual improvements of art and skill; would; in due time; extend

their sale beyond the home market; and carry them to many foreign

markets; from which they would in the same manner gradually

jostle out many of the manufacturers of such mercantile nations。

     This continual increase both of the rude and manufactured

produce of those landed nations would in due time create a

greater capital than could; with the ordinary rate of profit; be

employed either in agriculture or in manufactures。 The surplus of

this capital would naturally turn itself to foreign trade; and be

employed in exporting to foreign countries such parts of the rude

and manufactured produce of its own country as exceeded the

demand of the home market。 In the exportation of the produce of

their own country; the merchants of a landed nation would have an

advantage of the same kind over those of mercantile nations which

its artificers and manufacturers had over the artificers and

manufacturers of such nations; the advantage of finding at home

that cargo and those stores and provisions which the others were

obliged to seek for at a distance。 With inferior art and skill in

navigation; therefore; they would be able to sell that cargo as

cheap in foreign markets as the merchants of such mercantile

nations; and with equal art and skill they would be able to sell

it cheaper。 They would soon; therefore; rival those mercantile

nations in this branch of foreign trade; and in due time would

jostle them out of it altogether。

     According to this liberal and generous system; therefore;

the most advantageous method in which a landed nation can raise

up artificers; manufacturers; and merchants of its own is to

grant the most perfect freedom of trade to the artificers;

manufacturers; and merchants of all other nations。 It thereby

raises the value of the surplus produce of its own land; of which

the continual increase gradually establishes a fund; which in due

time necessarily raises up all the artificers; manufacturers; and

merchants whom it has occasion for。

     When a landed nation; on the contrary; oppresses either by

high duties or by prohibitions the trade of foreign nations; it

necessarily hurts its own interest in two different ways。 First;

by raising the price of all foreign goods and of all sorts of

manufactures; it necessarily sinks the real value of the surplus

produce of its own land; with which; or; what comes to the same

thing; with the price of which it purchases those foreign goods

and manufactures。 Secondly; by giving a sort of monopoly of the

home market to its own merchants; artificers; and manufacturers;

it raises the rate of mercantile and manufacturing profit in

proportion to that of agricultural profit; and consequently

either draws from agriculture a part of the capital which had

before been employed in it; or hinders from going to it a part of

what would otherwise have gone to it。 This policy; therefore;

discourages agriculture in two different ways; first; by sinking

the real value of its produce; and thereby lowering the rate of

its profit; and; secondly; by raising the rate of profit in all

other employments。 Agriculture is rendered less advantageous; and

trade and manufactures more advantageous than they otherwise

would be; and every man is tempted by his own interest to turn;

as much as he can; both his capital and his industry from the

former to the latter employments。

     Though; by this oppressive policy; a landed nation should be

able to raise up artificers; manufacturers; and merchants of its

own somewhat sooner than it could do by the freedom of trade a

matter; however; which is not a little doubtful… yet it would

raise them up; if one may say so; prematurely; and before it was

perfectly ripe for them。 By raising up too hastily one species of

industry; it would depress another more valuable species of

industry。 By raising up too hastily a species of industry which

only replaces the stock which employs it; together with the

ordinary profit; it would depress a species of industry which;

over and above replacing that stock with its profit; affords

likewise a net produce; a free rent to the landlord。 It would

depress productive labour; by encouraging too hastily that labour

which is altogether barren and unproductive。

     In what manner; according to this system; the sum total of

the annual produce of the land is distributed among the three

classes above mentioned; and in what manner the labour of the

unproductive class does no more than replace the value of its own

consumption; without increasing in any respect the value of that

sum total; is represented by Mr。 Quesnai; the very ingenious and

profound author of this system; in some arithmetical formularies。

The first of these formularies; which by way of eminence he

peculiarly distinguishes by the name of the Economical Table;

represents the manner in which he supposes the distribution takes

place in a state of the most perfect liberty and therefore of the

highest prosperity… in a state where the annual produce is such

as to afford the greatest possible net produce; and where each

class enjoys its proper share of the whole annua
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