The southern press., 1850-11-02


size of her farms is from 100 to l25 acres, and
her soil Is very rich and very valuable. The
greater part Of her canals and her dykes were
constrr cted not for commerce, but for the drain
age aud Improvements of her lands, according to
Mccullough. Her commerce was once great,
but has declined; her agriculture remains the
permanent basis of her prosperity; and she is
probably noao the richest country in Europe in
proportion to population, even after tho loss OF
80 much capital by the transit OF her commerce
to still more agricultural country than Holland.
"Trade's proud empire hastes to swift decay. "
The writer of "Justice" sneers and llourishcs
extensively Mt the position of the lecture that,
in wars between agricultural and commercial
States, the former have been generally victori-
ous-Sparta over Athens Macedon over Greece,
Rome over Carthage-'Vents which INDICATE
the superior resources of the conquerors, more
than their bravery" lie says: "Tnly may phi
losophy be called divine, when it thus not only
enables Mr.. 4. 20 pour new light on present
events and present conditions, and show man
Sind that they have totally misconceived objects
with which they were daily familiar, mistaking
prosperity for adversity, and growth for decay,
but enables him even to tiLuaine tte darkness Of
past ages, and disclose conditions of things
which had escaped the observation of the acute
contemporary, his Orians OF Greece and Rome.-
Little did Xenophon aud Polybius and Liyy sus-
pect the existence Of those facts which Mr. F.'s
philosophy has revealed to us, viz: That the
Spartans, living on black broth and using iron
money, were richer than the luxurious maIufac-
turers and traders Of Athens that semi-barbar-
Gus and agricultural Macedon was superior in
resources TO civilized and commercial Greece
and that the wealth Of Rohe in the time of the
Puuc wars exceeded that Of Carthage Poor
Niehbuhr, he lived TOO soon, or he might have
derived great advantage from this principle in
his searching analJsis of the early history of
Rome" '
The writer of "lustice" might be palliated, if
not excused, for the many mistakes he has com
mitted in statistics, because that subject requires
degree of research and reflection which few
have the patience to employ. But, when he flip
pantly refers to well-tnown ancient classics, and
mistakes his ignorance for knowledge, he tres
passes on the lenity cf the most liberal criticism.
The struggle between the ancient agricultural
and commercial Stats is instructive even to the
present self-importalt age. When the Pelopon-
nesian war commenced, the chiefs Of the two ri
val and leading States Athens and Sparta, were
| attentive to these respective "resources." Ac-
cordingly Archidamus, king Of Sparta, who want
ed at least to defer tostiGies, has, in the speech
ascrbed to him by fhucydides, the following
passage "Now letno man think it cowardice,
that, being many cites, We go not presently and
invade that one city for of confederates that
bring them money they have more than we and
par is MT 50 much rar of arms as 'nar o. moHry,
by means whereof arms are useful especially
when it is n war oflandmcn against seaman
Perices, on the otlrr hand, in his speech, said ::
I,sn 81 h., IL
abor, rihtout us0nes, either in particular or CON-
mon stock. * T.
The wars they have had one against the other
hare been but short through poverty; and such
men can neither man their fleets nor yet sead
out their armies very often, because they musl be
far from their oien meatth, and yet by that be
maintained,' &c. 1t is evident that the disp ay
of money and wealth in commerce more than in
agriculture created the impression than as now
that there was an actual superiority in wealth
aud recources in commercial over agricultural
States. Well, the Peloponuesian war lasted
twenty-seven years-loug enough to test their
resources. The Spartans, who lived on "black
broth and used iron money" not only invaded
and ravaged Attica by land, but built and equip
ped fleets and encountered her successfully Y
sea. The naval action Mt Ephesus, in which
the Spartans were victorious, was brought or
contrary to the order Of Acibades and during
has absence 10 raise money to pay his seamen who
were serving at three oboti a day and were dis
posed to desert to the Spartans, who were pay
ing four After the great naval victory at Egos.
Potamos, the Spartan admiral, Lysander, who
seems to have understood the merits of dense
population at least in war, liberated the Athen.
ians wherever captured and sent them home
where be soon afterwards appeared to lay siege
knowing they would do him more good by con
suming provisions than by resistance Suffice
it to say, Athens was compelled to surrender by
famine for Xenophon, who, according to "Just.
ice, did "little think" of the superior wealth OF
Sparta, records in Book 2,.where he describes
the siege: "But when the corn began iotally tc
fail they (the Athenians) sent ambassadors to
treat" &c, with the Spartan commander, and
finally submitted to the terms of Sparta.
| And thus ended this war; which "was not sc
much war of arms a. war of money" between
the agricultural and commercial States OF
Greece. Lycurgus undertook to render the little
republic of Sparta invncible in war and succeed
ed beyond any statesman that ever lived by q
sagacity which the world still regards almost
superhuman. He understood | presume, the
importance of resources both for defensive and
offensive war. But he seems to have under
stood the Illusions of commercial wealth, and
therefore banished trade from the republic
"Justice" was unlucky in alluding to Xenophon
for he also pronounccs for agriculture. In
his discourse on Good Husbandrv, he says
"Husbandry is an honorable science and the
most pleasant and profitable Of any," Even the
lawgivcr of Athens, Solon, was probably of the
same opinion 70: .u 'onided the magistracy of
the Republic 10 tjirJ and, ohmonstrous to
large farmer to those whose ands yielded GER
tainmcasur.o1 wheat o barley called o,edimni,
and the IN" IT, lArdruni the higher the Office
And surely 'o.ou ould not haye confined
the magistrates 10 The most Improbable of
pursuits.
The second Punic war lasted seventeen years
quite long enough to test the resources of the
contending nations, and resulted in the over
throw Of Carthage. "Justce" tells us that '.little
did livy suspect that the wealth of Rome in the
time of the Punic wars exceeded that of Car
thage." Livy tells us in his thirtieth book that,
on the eve Of the battle Of Xama, Carthage,
having exhausted her last resources, seemed to
be threatened with immediate ruin," and she lost
that battle and submitted to Rome. 1t is re-
markablc that in this war Carthage, the CONNER
ci,l md n,y,1 in.tnn1 nf ;nvoJn,r 1t,I,,