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which puts into motion a great part of the business of mankind。

By rendering the colony produce dearer in all other countries; it

lessens its consumption; and thereby cramps the industry of the

colonies; and both the enjoyments and the industry of all other

countries; which both enjoy less when they pay more for what they

enjoy; and produce less when they get less for what they produce。

By rendering the produce of all other countries dearer in the

colonies; it cramps; in the same manner the industry of all other

countries; and both the enjoyments and the industry of the

colonies。 It is a clog which; for the supposed benefit of some

particular countries; embarrasses the pleasures and encumbers the

industry of all other countries; but of the colonies more than of

any other。 It not only excludes; as much as possible; all other

countries from one particular market; but it confines; as much as

Possible; the colonies to one particular market; and the

difference is very great between being excluded from one

particular market; when all others are open; and being confined

to one particular market; when all others are shut up。 The

surplus produce of the colonies; however; is the original source

of all that increase of enjoyments and industry which Europe

derives from the discovery and colonization of America; and the

exclusive trade of the mother countries tends to render this

source much less abundant than it otherwise would be。

     The particular advantages which each colonizing country

derives from the colonies which particularly belong to it are of

two different kinds; first; those common advantages which every

empire derives from the provinces subject to its dominion; and;

secondly; those peculiar advantages which are supposed to result

from provinces of so very peculiar a nature as the European

colonies of America。

     The common advantages which every empire derives from the

provinces subject to its dominion consist; first; in the military

force which they furnish for its defence; and; secondly; in the

revenue which they furnish for the support of its civil

government。 The Roman colones furnished occasionally both the one

and the other。 The Greek colonies; sometimes; furnished a

military force; but seldom any revenue。 They seldom acknowledged

themselves subject to the dominion of the mother city。 They were

generally her allies in war; but very seldom her subjects in

peace。

     The European colonies of America have never yet furnished

any military force for the defence of the mother country。 Their

military force has never yet been sufficient for their own

defence; and in the different wars in which the mother countries

have been engaged; the defence of their colonies has generally

occasioned a very considerable distraction of the military force

of those countries。 In this respect; therefore; all the European

colonies have; without exception; been a cause rather of weakness

than of strength to their respective mother countries。

     The colonies of Spain and Portugal only have contributed any

revenue towards the defence of the mother country; or the support

of her civil government。 The taxes which have been levied upon

those of other European nations; upon those of England in

particular; have seldom been equal to the expense laid out upon

them in time of peace; and never sufficient to defray that which

they occasioned in time of war。 Such colonies; therefore; have

been a source of expense and not of revenue to their respective

mother countries。

     The advantages of such colonies to their respective mother

countries consist altogether in those peculiar advantages which

are supposed to result from provinces of so very peculiar a

nature as the European colonies of America; and the exclusive

trade; it is acknowledged; is the sole source of all those

peculiar advantages。

     In consequence of this exclusive trade; all that part of the

surplus produce of the English colonies; for example; which

consists in what are called enumerated commodities; can be sent

to no other country but England。 Other countries must afterwards

buy it of her。 It must be cheaper therefore in England than it

can be in any other country; and must contribute more to increase

the enjoyments of England than those of any other country。 It

must likewise contribute more to encourage her industry。 For all

those parts of her own surplus produce which England exchanges

for those enumerated commodities; she must get a better price

than any other countries can get for the like parts of theirs;

when they exchange them for the same commodities。 The

manufacturers of England; for example; will purchase a greater

quantity of the sugar and tobacco of her own colonies than the

like manufactures of other countries can purchase of that sugar

and tobacco。 So far; therefore; as the manufactures of England

and those of other countries are both to be exchanged for the

sugar and tobacco of the English colonies; this superiority of

price gives an encouragement to the former beyond what the latter

can in these circumstances enjoy。 The exclusive trade of the

colonies; therefore; as it diminishes; or at least keeps down

below what they would otherwise rise to; both the enjoyments and

the industry of the countries which do not possess it; so it

gives an evident advantage to the countries which do possess it

over those other countries。

     This advantage; however; will perhaps be found to be rather

what may be called a relative than an absolute advantage; and to

give a superiority to the country which enjoys it rather by

depressing the industry and produce of other countries than by

raising those of that particular country above what they would

naturally rise to in the case of a free trade。

     The tobacco of Maryland and Virginia; for example; by means

of the monopoly which England enjoys of it; certainly comes

cheaper to England than it can do to France; to whom England

commonly sells a considerable part of it。 But had France; and all

other European countries been; at all times; allowed a free trade

to Maryland and Virginia; the tobacco of those colonies might; by

this time; have come cheaper than it actually does; not only to

all those other countries; but likewise to England。 The produce

of tobacco; in consequence of a market so much more extensive

than any which it has hitherto enjoyed; might; and probably

would; by this time; have been so much increased as to reduce the

profits of a tobacco plantation to their natural level with those

of a corn plantation; which; it is supposed; they are still

somewhat above。 The price of tobacco might; and probably would;

by this time; have fallen somewhat lower than it is at present。

An equal quantity of the commodities either of England or of

those other countries might have purchased in Maryland and

Virginia a greater quantity of tobacco than it can do at present;

and consequently have been sold there for so much a better price。

So far as that weed; therefore; can; by its cheapness and

abundance; increase the enjoyments or augment the industry either

of England or of any other country; it would; probably; in the

case of a free trade; have produced both these effects in

somewhat a greater degree than it can do at present。 England;

indeed; would not in this case have had any advantage over other

countries。 She might have bought the tobacco of her colonies

somewhat cheaper; and consequently have sold some of her own

commodities somewhat dearer than she actually does。 But she could

neither have bought the one cheaper nor sold the other dearer

than any other country might have done。 She might; perhaps have

gained an absolute; but she would certainly have lost a relative

advantage。

     In order; however; to obtain this relative advantage in the

colony trade; in order to execute the invidious and malignant

project of excluding as much as possible other nations from any

share in it; England; there are very probable reasons for

believing; has not only sacrificed a part of the absolute

advantage which she; as well as every other nation; might have

derived from that trade; but has subjected herself both to an

absolute and to a relative disadvantage in almost every other

branch of trade。

     When; by the Act of Navigation; England assumed to herself

the monopoly of the colony trade; the foreign capitals which had

before been employed in it were necessarily withdrawn from it。

The English capital; which had before carried on but a part of

it; was now to carry on the whole。 The capital which had before

supplied the colonies with but a part of the goods which they

wanted from Europe was now all that was employed to supply them

with the whole。 But it could not supply them with the whole; and

the goods with which it did supply them were necessarily sold

very dear。 The capital which had before bought but a part of the

surplus produce of the colonies; was now all that was employed to

buy the whole。 But it could not buy the whole at anything near

the old price; and; therefore; whatever it did buy it necessarily

bought very cheap。 But in an employment of capital in which the

merchant sold very dear and bought very cheap; the profit must

have been very great; and much above the ordinary level of profit

in other branches of trade。 This superiority of profit in the

colony trade could not fail to draw from other branches of trade

a part of the capital which had before been employed in them。 But

this revulsion of capital; as it must have gradually increased

the competition of capitals in the colony trade; so it must have

gradually diminished that competition in all those other branches

of trade; as it must have gradually lowered the profits of the

one; so it must have gradually raised those of the other; till

the profits of all came to a new level; different from and

somewhat higher than that at which they had been before。

     This double effect of drawing capital from all other trades;

and of raising the rate of profit somewhat higher than it

otherwise would h

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