the spirit of laws-第85节

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auses；　as　the　quality　of　the　soil；　or　the　climate；　may　fix　its　nature　for　ever。

We　at　present　carry　on　the　trade　of　the　Indies　merely　by　means　of　the　silver　which　we　send　thither。　The　Romans　carried　annually　thither　about　fifty　millions　of　sesterces；＇1＇　and　this　silver；　as　ours　is　at　present；　was　exchanged　for　merchandise；　which　was　brought　to　the　west。　Every　nation　that　ever　traded　to　the　Indies　has　constantly　carried　bullion　and　brought　merchandise　in　return。

It　is　nature　itself　that　produces　this　effect。　The　Indians　have　their　hearts　adapted　to　their　manner　of　living。　Our　luxury　cannot　be　theirs；　nor　theirs　our　wants。　Their　climate　demands　and　permits　hardly　anything　which　comes　from　ours。　They　go　in　a　great　measure　naked；　such　clothes　as　they　have　the　country　itself　furnishes；　and　their　religion；　which　is　deeply　rooted；　gives　them　an　aversion　for　those　things　that　serve　for　our　nourishment。　They　want；　therefore；　nothing　but　our　bullion　to　serve　as　the　medium　of　value；　and　for　this　they　give　us　merchandise　in　return；　with　which　the　frugality　of　the　people　and　the　nature　of　the　country　furnish　them　in　great　abundance。　Those　ancient　authors　who　have　mentioned　the　Indies　describe　them　just　as　we　now　find　them；　as　to　their　policy；　customs；　and　manners。＇2＇　The　Indies　have　ever　been　the　same　Indies　they　are　at　present；　and　in　every　period　of　time　those　who　traded　with　that　country　carried　specie　thither　and　brought　none　in　return。

2。　Of　the　People　of　Africa。　The　greatest　part　of　the　people　on　the　coast　of　Africa　are　savages　and　barbarians。　The　principal　reason；　I　believe；　of　this　is；　because　the　small　countries　capable　of　being　inhabited　are　separated　from　each　other　by　large　and　almost　uninhabitable　tracts　of　land。　They　are　without　industry　or　arts。　They　have　gold　in　abundance；　which　they　receive　immediately　from　the　hand　of　nature。　Every　civilised　state　is　therefore　in　a　condition　to　traffic　with　them　to　advantage；　by　raising　their　esteem　for　things　of　no　value；　and　receiving　a　very　high　price　in　return。

3。　That　the　Wants　of　the　People　in　the　South　are　different　from　those　of　the　North。　In　Europe　there　is　a　kind　of　balance　between　the　southern　and　northern　nations。　The　first　have　every　convenience　of　life；　and　few　of　its　wants：　the　last　have　many　wants；　and　few　conveniences。　To　one　nature　has　given　much；　and　demands　but　little；　to　the　other　she　has　given　but　little；　and　demands　a　great　deal。　The　equilibrium　is　maintained　by　the　laziness　of　the　southern　nations；　and　by　the　industry　and　activity　which　she　has　given　to　those　in　the　north。　The　latter　are　obliged　to　undergo　excessive　labour；　without　which　they　would　want　everything；　and　degenerate　into　barbarians。　This　has　neutralised　slavery　to　the　people　of　the　south：　as　they　can　easily　dispense　with　riches；　they　can　more　easily　dispense　with　liberty。　But　the　people　of　the　north　have　need　of　liberty；　for　this　can　best　procure　them　the　means　of　satisfying　all　those　wants　which　they　have　received　from　nature。　The　people　of　the　north；　then；　are　in　a　forced　state；　if　they　are　not　either　free　or　barbarians。　Almost　all　the　people　of　the　south　are；　in　some　measure；　in　a　state　of　violence；　if　they　are　not　slaves。

4。　The　principal　Difference　between　the　Commerce　of　the　Ancients　and　the　Moderns。　The　world　has　found　itself；　from　time　to　time；　in　different　situations；　by　which　the　face　of　commerce　has　been　altered。　The　trade　of　Europe　is；　at　present；　carried　on　principally　from　the　north　to　the　south；　and　the　difference　of　climate　is　the　cause　that　the　several　nations　have　great　occasion　for　the　merchandise　of　each　other。　For　example；　the　liquors　of　the　south；　which　are　carried　to　the　north；　form　a　commerce　little　known　to　the　ancients。　Thus　the　burden　of　vessels；　which　was　formerly　computed　by　measures　of　corn；　is　at　present　determined　by　tuns　of　liquor。

The　ancient　commerce；　so　far　as　it　is　known　to　us；　was　carried　on　from　one　port　in　the　Mediterranean　to　another；　and　was　almost　wholly　confined　to　the　south。　Now　the　people　of　the　same　climate；　having　nearly　the　same　things　of　their　own；　have　not　the　same　need　of　trading　among　themselves　as　with　those　of　a　different　climate。　The　commerce　of　Europe　was　therefore　formerly　less　extended　than　at　present。

This　does　not　at　all　contradict　what　I　have　said　of　our　commerce　to　the　Indies：　for　here　the　prodigious　difference　of　climate　destroys　all　relation　between　their　wants　and　ours。

5。　Other　Differences。　Commerce　is　sometimes　destroyed　by　conquerors；　sometimes　cramped　by　monarchs；　it　traverses　the　earth；　flies　from　the　places　where　it　is　oppressed；　and　stays　where　it　has　liberty　to　breath：　it　reigns　at　present　where　nothing　was　formerly　to　be　seen　but　deserts；　seas；　and　rocks；　and　where　it　once　reigned　now　there　are　only　deserts。

To　see　Colchis　in　its　present　situation；　which　is　no　more　than　a　vast　forest；　where　the　people　are　every　day　diminishing；　and　only　defend　their　liberty　to　sell　themselves　by　piecemeal　to　the　Turks　and　Persians；　one　could　never　imagine　that　this　country　had　ever；　in　the　time　of　the　Romans；　been　full　of　cities；　where　commerce　convened　all　the　nations　of　the　world。　We　find　no　monument　of　these　facts　in　the　country　itself；　there　are　no　traces　of　them；　except　in　Pliny＇3＇　and　Strabo。＇4＇

The　history　of　commerce　is　that　of　the　communication　of　people。　Their　numerous　defeats；　and　the　flux　and　reflux　of　populations　and　devastations；　here　form　the　most　extraordinary　events。

6。　Of　the　Commerce　of　the　Ancients。　The　immense　treasures　of　Semiramis；＇5＇　which　could　not　be　acquired　in　a　day；　give　us　reason　to　believe　that　the　Assyrians　themselves　had　pillaged　other　rich　nations；　as　other　nations　afterwards　pillaged　them。

The　effect　of　commerce　is　riches；　the　consequence　of　riches；　luxury；　and　that　of　luxury　the　perfection　of　arts。　We　find　that　the　arts　were　carried　to　great　perfection　in　the　time　of　Semiramis；＇6＇　which　is　a　sufficient　indication　that　a　considerable　commerce　was　then　established。

In　the　empires　of　Asia　there　was　a　great　commerce　of　luxury。　The　history　of　luxury　would　make　a　fine　part　of　that　of　commerce。　The　luxury　of　the　Persians　was　that　of　the　Medes；　as　the　luxury　of　the　Medes　was　that　of　the　Assyrians。

Great　revolutions　have　happened　in　Asia。　The　northeast　parts　of　Persia；　viz。；　Hyrcania；　Margiana；　Bactria；　&c。；　were　formerly　full　of　flourishing　cities；＇7＇　which　are　now　no　more；　and　the　north　of　this　empire；＇8＇　that　is；　the　isthmus　which　separates　the　Caspian　and　the　Euxine　Seas；　was　covered　with　cities　and　nations；　which　are　now　destroyed。

Eratosthenes　and　Aristobulus＇9＇　learned　from　Patroclus＇10＇　that　the　merchandise　of　India　passed　by　the　Oxus　into　the　sea　of　Pontus。　Marcus　Varro＇11＇　tells　us　that　at　the　time　when　Pompey　commanded　against　Mithridates；　they　were　informed　that　people　went　in　seven　days　from　India　to　the　country　of　the　Bactrians；　and　to　the　river　Icarus；　which　falls　into　the　Oxus；　that　by　this　method　they　were　able　to　bring　the　merchandise　of　India　across　the　Caspian　Sea；　and　to　enter　the　mouth　of　Cyrus；　whence　it　was　only　five　days'　passage　to　the　Phasis；　a　river　that　discharges　itself　into　the　Euxine　Sea。　There　is　no　doubt　but　it　was　by　the　nations　inhabiting　these　several　countries　that　the　great　empires　of　the　Assyrians；　Medes；　and　Persians　had　communication　with　the　most　distant　parts　of　the　east　and　west。

An　entire　stop　is　now　put　to　this　communication。　All　these　countries　have　been　laid　waste　by　the　Tartars；＇12＇　and　are　still　infested　by　this　destructive　nation。　The　Oxus　no　longer　runs　into　the　Caspian　Sea；　the　Tartars；　for　some　private　reasons；　have　changed　its　course；　and　it　now　loses　itself　in　the　barren　sands。＇13＇

The　Jaxartes；　which　was　formerly　a　barrier　between　the　polite　and　barbarous　nations；　has　had　its　course　turned　in　the　same　manner　by　the　Tartars；　and　it　no　longer　empties　itself　into　the　sea。＇14＇

Seleucus　Nicator　formed　the　project　of　joining　the　Euxine　to　the　Caspian　Sea。＇15＇　This　project；　which　would　have　greatly　facilitated　the　commerce　of　those　days；　vanished　at　his　death。＇16＇　We　are　not　certain　it　could　have　been　executed　in　the　isthmus　which　separates　the　two　seas。　This　country　is　at　present　very　little　known；　it　is　depopulated；　and　full　of　forests；　however；　water　is　not　wanting；　for　an　infinite　number　of　rivers　roll　into　it　from　Mount　Caucasus；　but　as　this　mountain　forms　the　north　of　the　isthmus；　and　extends　like　two　arms＇17＇　towards　the　south；　it　would　have　been　a　grand　obstacle　to　such　an　enterprise；　especially　in　those　times；　when　they　had　not　the　art　of　making　sluices。

It　may　be　imagined　that　Seleucus　would　have　joined　the　two　seas　in　the　very　place　where　Peter　I　has　since　joined　them；　that　is；　in　that　neck　of　land　where　the　Tanais　approaches　the　Volga；　but　the　north　of　the　Caspian　Sea　was　not　then　discovered。

While　the　empires　of　Asia　enjoyed　the　commerce　of　luxury；　the　Tyrians　had　the　commerce　of　economy；　which　they　extended　throughout　the　world。　Bochard　has　employed　the　first　book　of　his　Canaan　in　enumerating　all　the　colonies　which　they　sent　into　all　the　countries　bordering　upon　the　sea；　they　passed　the　pillars　of　Hercules；　and　made　establishments　on　the　coasts　of　the　ocean。＇18＇

In　those　times　their　pilots　were　obliged　t