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manufacturing　power　of　their　own；　can　well…developed　nations



possess　any　guarantee　for　the　steady　and　permanent　increase　of　that



value。



　　　　To　how　very　small　an　extent　clear　ideas　prevail　as　to　the



effect　of　a　home　manufacturing　power　on　the　rent　and　value　of　land



in　comparison　with　the　effect　which　foreign　trade　has　on　them；　is



shown　most　plainly　by　the　circumstance　that　the　proprietors　of



vineyards　in　France　still　always　believe　that　they　are　injuriously



affected　by　the　French　system　of　protection；　and　demand　the



greatest　possible　freedom　of　commerce　with　England　in　hopes　of



thereby　increasing　their　rents。



　　　　Dr　Bowring；　in　his　report　of　the　commercial　relations　existing



between　England　and　France；　the　fundamental　tendency　of　which　is　to



show　the　benefit　to　France　which　a　larger　importation　of　English



fabrics　and　a　consequently　increasing　exportation　of　French　wines



would　occasion；　has　adduced　facts　from　which　the　most　striking



proof　against　his　own　argument　can　be　brought。　Dr　Bowring　quotes



the　importation　of　French　wines　into　the　Netherlands　（2；515；193



gallons；　1829）　against　the　annual　importation　into　England　（431；509



gallons）　to　prove　how　greatly　the　sale　of　French　wines　in　England



could　be　increased　by　freer　commercial　interchange　between　the　two



countries。



　　　　Now　supposing　（although　it　is　more　than　improbable　that　the



sale　of　French　wines　in　England　would　not　find　obstacles　in　the



predilection　existing　there　for　spirituous　liquors；　for　strong



beer；　and　for　the　strong　and　cheap　wines　of　Portugal；　Spain；



Sicily；　Teneriffe；　Madeira；　and　the　Cape）　　supposing　that　England



really　was　to　extend　her　consumption　of　French　wines　to　the　same



proportion　as　that　of　the　Netherlands；　she　would　certainly



（calculating　according　to　her　population）　be　able　to　increase　her



consumption　to　five　or　six　million　gallons　（i。e。　to　from　ten　to



fifteen　fold　her　present　amount）；　and　from　a　superficial　point　of



view　this　certainly　appears　to　promise　great　advantage　to　France；



and　to　the　French　vineyard　proprietors。



　　　　If；　however；　we　investigate　this　matter　to　the　bottom；　we



obtain　another　result。　By　as　much　freedom　of　trade　as　is　possible



　we　will　not　say　complete　freedom　of　trade；　although　the　latter



would　have　to　be　accepted　according　to　the　principle　enunciated；



and　to　Bowring's　arguments　　it　can　scarcely　be　doubted　that　the



English　would　draw　to　themselves　a　large　part　of　the　French　market



for　manufactured　goods　（especially　as　regards　the　manufactures　of



woollens；　cotton；　linen；　iron；　and　pottery）。　On　the　most　moderate



estimate　we　must　assume；　that　in　consequence　of　this　decreased



French　manufacturing　production　one　million　fewer　inhabitants　would



live　in　the　French　towns；　and　that　one　million　fewer　persons　would



be　employed　in　agriculture　for　the　purpose　of　supplying　the



citizens　of　those　towns　with　raw　material　and　necessaries　of　life。



Now；　Dr　Bowring　himself　estimates　the　consumption　of　the　country



population　in　France　at　16　1/2　gallons　per　head；　and　that　of　the



town　population　at　double　that　quantity；　or　33　gallons　per　head。



Thus　in　consequence　of　the　diminution　of　the　home　manufacturing



power　effected　by　free　trade；　the　internal　consumption　of　wines



would　decrease　by　50　million　gallons；　while　the　exportation　of　wine



could　only　increase　by　5　or　6　million　gallons。　Such　a　result　could



scarcely　be　to　the　special　advantage　of　the　French　proprietors　of



vineyards；　since　the　internal　demand　for　wines　would　necessarily



suffer　ten　times　more　than　the　external　demand　could　possibly　gain。



　　　　In　one　word：　it　is　evident　as　respects　the　production　of　wine；



as　also　in　that　of　meat；　of　corn；　and　of　raw　materials　and



provisions　generally；　that　in　the　case　of　a　great　nation　well



fitted　to　establish　a　manufacturing　power　of　its　own；　the　internal



manufacturing　production　occasions　ten　to　twenty　times　more　demand



for　the　agricultural　products　of　temperate　climates；　consequently



acts　ten　to　twenty　times　more　effectually　on　the　increase　of　the



rent　and　exchangeable　value　of　real　estate；　than　the　most



flourishing　exportation　of　such　products　can　do。　The　most



convincing　proof　of　this　may　also　be　seen　in　the　amount　of　rents



and　the　exchangeable　value　of　land　near　large　towns；　as　compared



with　their　amount　and　value　in　distant　provinces；　even　though　these



latter　are　connected　with　the　capital　by　good　roads　and



conveniences　for　commercial　intercourse。



　　　　The　doctrine　of　rent　can　either　be　considered　from　the　point　of



view　of　values　or　from　the　point　of　view　of　productive　powers；　it



can　further　be　considered　with　respect　merely　to　private　relations；



namely；　the　relations　between　landed　proprietor；　farmer；　and



labourer；　or　with　especial　regard　to　the　social　and　national



relations　and　conditions。　The　school　has　taken　up　this　doctrine



chiefly　from　the　sole　point　of　view　of　private　economy。　So　far　as



we　know；　for　instance；　nothing　has　been　adduced　by　it　to　show　how



the　consumption　of　the　rents　of　the　nation　is　the　more　advantageous



the　more　it　takes　place　in　the　proximity　of　the　place　whence　it　is



derived；　but　how　nevertheless　in　the　various　States　that



consumption　takes　place　principally　at　the　seat　of　the　sovereign



（e。g。　in　absolute　monarchies　mostly　in　the　national　metropolis）；



far　away　from　the　provinces　where　it　is　produced；　and　therefore　in



a　manner　the　least　advantageous　to　agriculture；　to　the　most　useful



industries；　and　to　the　development　of　the　mental　powers　of　the



nation。　Where　the　landowning　aristocracy　possess　no　rights　and　no



political　influence　unless　they　live　at　the　Court；　or　occupy



offices　of　State；　and　where　all　public　power　and　influence　is



centralised　in　the　national　metropolis；　landowners　are　attracted　to



that　central　point；　where　almost　exclusively　they　can　find　the



means　of　satisfying　their　ambition；　and　opportunities　for　spending



the　income　of　their　landed　property　in　a　pleasant　manner；　and　the



more　that　most　landowners　get　accustomed　to　live　in　the　capital；



and　the　less　that　a　residence　in　the　provinces　offers　to　each



individual　opportunities　for　social　intercourse　and　for　mental　and



material　enjoyments　of　a　more　refined　character；　the　more　will



provincial　life　repel　him　and　the　metropolis　attract　him。　The



province　thereby　loses　and　the　metropolis　gains　almost　all　those



means　of　mental　improvement　which　result　from　the　spending　of



rents；　especially　those　manufactures　and　mental　producers　which



would　have　been　maintained　by　the　rent。　The　metropolis　under　those



circumstances；　indeed；　appears　extremely　attractive　because　it



unites