The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1860-09-22


all English vessels should bc British subjects.
At the period OF the passage of these acts
| Holland aspired to be mistress Of the SEA-
Her fleet became so formidable while under
the command of Van Tromp and De Ray ter
that a one time, during a war with Eug land,
an English ship could hardly venture out to
sea. Van Tromp audacously sailed down
the English channel, with bIoomstick at
the masthead of the ship, and once entered
the Thames and spread CONSERVATION among
the inhabitants of London itself The navi.
CATION acts were dictated by jralously and
| the fear Of these bold rivals. and their effect
was IN comparatively short time to humble
| the naval power of the Dutch, and to acoui re
| a superiority on the ocean which She main
| talns to this day; yet those celebrated enact
ments are now derided as having been dicla.
ted by ignorance and false conception of the
true principles of trade and navigation. All
that remains Of them now is the monopoly of
the coastng trade, which is still secured 90
British vessels. Some of our leading advo-
Gates Of the free-trade school in this country
have proposed to throw open the coasting
trade Of the United States to British enter.
prise. In that event Great Britain would be
nothing loath to take advantage of that new
opening to her commerce and before great
while her trading vessels would be found no,
only in all the bays. inrts, and rivers on our
eXtcn >ive sea coasts, but also upon all the
lakes and rivers in the interior, peddling
British wares at every landing: for the
principle would lead 10 that 1t would be
Tree trade, and as for the revenue which it
may be supposed would suffer by this license
that is already proposed to lie raised by direct
| taxes.
But am DEPRESSING from the train of my
argument. was ennmcrating the ciIcum-
stances in the condition of Grea, Britain which
gave her great advantages in the contes, for
| the trade Of the world in which she embarked.
and in which she invites all ma tons to con.
tend with her upon principles of free trade,
and the causes Of her vnparal lclrd success in
manufacturing industry. | allude to The
abundance of British capital as one great
element of her success but id not notice
one advantage derived from that source, ard
that 1t enables the more wealthy class. of
manu- lectures occasionally 10 submit to great
sacrifices III the sale Of their manufacturers,
is it is known they often do. to s,raneIe
rlva interests sprineing up in other countries.
That combinations for this purpose are often
entered in,o by British manufacturers pre-.
sumo will not be disputed.
Nor have treated as fully as should do
| OF the truly wonderful progress which has
been made in Great Britain in substituting
mechanical for human power. An able and
approved economist of the frcetIade school
computes that by this substitution an ayaia.
ble force, equal to the combined energies Of
SIX hundred millions, or two-thlrtls The ropu.
latlon of the globe, have been crowded into
country not exceeding in extent some of the
separate States Of this Union, IL nd the entire
population Of which does not exceed thirty
millions What proportion Of this vast pow
er of force is employed in the various branch.
cs of industry connected directly or
indirectly with manufactures | have no
means OF estimating, but it must be very
large. All agree that what we call manufac.
lures would be more properly described as
the product of machinery than ofthe hands
the bone and sncw Of man. The npcban.
les, properly so called make the machines
and the machines convert the raw material
into artificial forms and textures 1t has
been estimated that the whole number of
mechanics and operators, men, women, and
children, employed in the production of
British manufactures does not exceed one
million and a half, though many millions
more are dependent upon them for their
support.
1t is upon this vast accumulation of
mechanical forces; it is upon this general
superiority over nations in the mechanic arts
that he frce-trade advocatc ties base their belief
that Great Britain will enjoy virtual mono
poly in supplying the world with certain de.
scrp,ions of manufactured articles 1t is upou
these broad truly and wonderful foundations
the creation of British inventions, skill
and energy. aided hy a wise policy on the
part OF the Government-thatt those advocates
predict stlll greater triomphS of British art,
claiming that British cotton and linen
goods, British iron, and hardware, will be-
come kind of current money throughout the
Globe;" that British commerce will be so ex-
tended that Britain will become the factor for
the world" its vast capital rendering it an
industrial agency for ditf'using and equollzing
the collected aflluence of mankind.'' These
are the EQUATIONS the dreams. perhaps
OF enthusiasts bat when we reflect upon the
past success of that.grea people in all that con-
sutntes the glory of nations. we shonld not
be surprised atany future triumph they may
achieve. How proudly erect she now stands
AMID difficulties that might well appal the
most powerful nation Not altogether free
t!om apprehension of the hostile designs of
The first military Power of the world. vet
WIN COOL determination of subdung India.
with It's one hundred and fifty millions of in.
haoltants. to more perfect obedience to her
rule: and at the same time debating TO the
Sovereign of three hundred million subjects
OH the eastern verge of Asia the terms upon
which he may be permitted TO occupy his
throne in security; and what is scarcely less
admirable in her bearing at such a time, her
apparent indifference whether or not she
gives oilense to this country-Do despicable
antagonist, II she had no other But what IS
most wonderful, not to say mysterious, in the
cool and mistaken attitude assumed by Great
britain at this time, Is the enormous financial
burdens under which she still moves onward
IN her conrsc-the immense amount of taxes
levied upon the industry and resources of her
people for the support of her vast public es-
adjustments, and TO pay the interest upon her
public debt of fS0O 600 600, equivalent to
$4,000 900, 900. see by the returns made to
Parliament that the nett revenue collected and
paid into the eXchequer IN 1857 was f72,-
2lo.9oSl equivalent to $500 600 GOO. -
Though there is something truly wonderful
in all this yet there is no mystery IN it. The
port and majesty with which Great Britain
moves among the nations are justified by her
ineXhaustible natural sources of wealth.
which she carly discovered, and had the wis
dom 10 cherish and devclope If itwere fit
and just that any one country should make
all others tributary to it, the small group of
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