Washington sentinel., 1898-07-02

Prime Minister who asked what he could
do for the benefit Of commercials very
applicable 70 the history OF English
trade. Not in any country has trade so
entirely regulated itself as in ENGLAND.
The initiative was taken by the mer.
chants the support and defence by the
Government has gradually followed In
the reign Of Edward HI, and long after
wards the laws affecting commerce
we're made by the eccIesiastics and the
military; despis.ng trade, they made
laws which were arbitrary and useless.
The chief and most arbitrary legislation
often came from the sOvel eign n .mseIl.
The privileges given to foreign mer.
chants we're granted by the King, and
we're constantly rebeIled against bv the
English The English mercha nts were
prohibited from exporting their goods,
and even from importing certain mer-
chandse. In their very midsr lived
and iiourished, for some three hundred
years, the great Guild OF Hanse Mer
chants at the Steciyard From time 10
time some Of their privileges were with
drawn owing TO the bitter complaints of
the English merchants. who saw in them
rivals with many advantages who we're
sucking their commercial life blood.
Sometimes the Engli.h merchants in
the towns Of Flanders became turbulent.
and brought down on themselves the
wrath Of the country thew dwelt i'm In
1859 they were driven out OF Flaud RS
into Brabant, and Edward III retaliated
by ordering all foreigners out Of his
dominions. Perhaps this may have
been the object of the English disturb
ance, but they did not gain any lasting
benefit; King Edwsrd s order was soon
countermauded and foreign merchants
continued to absorb to an. enormous
extent the trade Of England.
Referring to the restrictions imposed
by the English Government on the trade
OF their own people, MACPHERSON says,
No writer has ever attempted to ac.
count for these extraordinary prohibi-
tons, so glaringly and diametricalIy
opposed 10 the most obvious principles
Of commercial policy and common
sense" Yet it seems clear enough, bv
his own showing, that the privileges
granted to foreign traders were granted
IN lieu Of money received and, probably,
the English Kings found that they could
extract largersums from foreigners than
from their merchants at home.
In I54S a bitter complaint was made to
Parliament by English merchants, that
all the tin of Cornwall was bought and
exported bv a foreigner, and shat no
Eng'ishman could touch il. They
clamored for redress Of this grievance,
but were told that this was a profit
belonging to the King which b e would
not torego. In I51z we first read OF a
Consul Of Merchants, but other States
had Consuls in many ports as sr back
as 1870 In the reign OF Richard II the
traders Of England sent out certain
John Bebys to Prussia and the Hanse
towns as a sort Of Governor Of their
Factors there; and Richard gave him
authority to administer justice, to settle
disputes between his own countrymen
and to demand redress from the Govern.
ment OF the country in which they lived
IN all cases Of violence and Injustice. This
appointment may, we think, be looked
upon as the beginning Of our Consular
Service. Foreign nations benefited not
only by trade in England itself in those
days, but were ahead Of us in mercantile
enterprise elsewhere. From ISSS to
1892 the merchants of Dieppe made
most successful settlements in Senegal
on the Niger, the Gambia, and in Sierra
Leone; but the great trading country Of
Europe was Flanders. Between Bur
gunty, Flanders and England, treaties
were made which were TO protect trade
and keep up the commercial intercourse
OF their subjects even in time Of the
hottest war" This was esse entiaI for the
Flemiugs, for their country could not
produce enough food for its inhabitants
for one month. The smalIuess IF their
territory and the numbers Of their peo
pie drove them to trade, and we read oi
a truce OF three wears between the
Netherlands and England entirely in the
interests Of commerce.
In Italy and France there arose mer
whose gigantic business power affected
not only their own countries, but Eng
land. CosmO di Medici, whose power
was based on a strict attention to com.
merce, was the founder Of the greatness
Of Florence. "Nor were the politics oI
Italy only governed by the commercial
operations Of Cosmo; even the distant
Kingdom OF England was affected by
the power Of his pecuniary influence
and the sums lent by his agents "a
Edward ~" Hi foreign policy was
| astute; he knew the value Of supplying
money to foreign Powers Coniempor
ary with Cosmo di Medici was lace ues
| CUur, in France. More remarkable
even than Cosmo, they had in common
the great power Of organization; both
understood the very spirit OF commerce.
and both men-according to their light.
used their wealth magnificently, TC
| him was due, as mach as to Jaennt
| dare, the deliver ance Of France from
| the English. The Maid Of Orleans in
| spired enthusiasm and heroism. Tacuue.
| Cour furnished the sinews Of war. H,
conceived the plan Of tTs ding with IN,
Levant, and rivalling the commerce 0
the Nenetisns, the Pisans and the Gen
oese. He travelled all over the East
and so rapidly did he organize an,
carry on his trade that the masses OF th
people thought he had some mysteriou
and supernatural power. He soon ha
800 factors in the ports and interio
towns OF the Levant. He chose hi