the spirit of laws-第94节

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ending　it　had　been　twice　as　high。

If　we　proceed　doubling　and　doubling；　we　shall　find　in　this　progression　the　cause　of　the　impotency　of　the　wealth　of　Spain。

It　is　about　two　hundred　years　since　they　have　worked　their　Indian　mines。　I　suppose　the　quantity　of　specie　at　present　in　the　trading　world　is　to　that　before　the　discovery　of　the　Indies　as　32　is　to　1；　that　is；　it　has　been　doubled　five　times：　in　two　hundred　years　more　the　same　quantity　will　be　to　that　before　the　discovery　as　64　is　to　1；　that　is；　it　will　be　doubled　once　more。　Now；　at　present；　fifty　quintals　of　ore　yield　four；　five；　and　six　ounces　of　gold；＇148＇　and　when　it　yields　only　two；　the　miner　receives　no　more　from　it　than　his　expenses。　In　two　hundred　years；　when　the　miner　will　extract　only　four；　this　too　will　only　defray　his　charges。　There　will　then　be　but　little　profit　to　be　drawn　from　the　gold　mines。　The　same　reasoning　will　hold　good　of　silver；　except　that　the　working　of　the　silver　mines　is　a　little　more　advantageous　than　those　of　gold。

But；　if　mines　should　be　discovered　so　fruitful　as　to　give　a　much　greater　profit；　the　more　fruitful　they　may　be；　the　sooner　the　profit　will　cease。

The　Portuguese　in　Brazil　have　found　mines　of　gold　so　rich＇149＇　that　they　must　necessarily　very　soon　make　a　considerable　diminution　in　the　profits　of　those　of　Spain；　as　well　as　in　their

I　have　frequently　heard　people　deplore　the　blindness　of　the　court　of　France；　who　repulsed　Christopher　Columbus；　when　he　made　the　proposal　of　discovering　the　Indies。　Indeed　they　did；　though　perhaps　without　design；　an　act　of　the　greatest　wisdom。　Spain　has　behaved　like　the　foolish　king　who　desired　that　everything　he　touched　might　be　converted　into　gold；　and　who　was　obliged　to　beg　of　the　gods　to　put　an　end　to　his　misery。

The　companies　and　banks　established　in　many　nations　have　put　a　finishing　stroke　to　the　lowering　of　gold　and　silver　as　a　sign　of　representation　of　riches；　for　by　new　fictions　they　have　multiplied　in　such　a　manner　the　signs　of　wealth；　that　gold　and　silver　having　this　office　only　in　part　have　become　less　precious。

Thus　public　credit　serves　instead　of　mines；　and　diminishes　the　profit　which　the　Spaniards　drew　from　theirs。

True　it　is　that　the　Dutch　trade　to　the　East　Indies　has　increased；　in　some　measure；　the　value　of　the　Spanish　merchandise：　for　as　they　carry　bullion；　and　give　it　in　exchange　for　the　merchandise　of　the　East；　they　ease　the　Spaniards　of　part　of　a　commodity　which　in　Europe　abounds　too　much。

And　this　trade；　in　which　Spain　seems　to　be　only　indirectly　concerned；　is　as　advantageous　to　that　nation　as　to　those　who　are　directly　employed　in　carrying　it　on。

From　what　has　been　said　we　may　form　a　judgment　of　the　last　order　of　the　council　of　Spain；　which　prohibits　the　making　use　of　gold　and　silver　in　gildings；　and　other　superfluities；　a　decree　as　ridiculous　as　it　would　be　for　the　states　of　Holland　to　prohibit　the　consumption　of　spices。

My　reasoning　does　not　hold　good　against　all　mines；　those　of　Germany　and　Hungary；　which　produce　little　more　than　the　expense　of　working　them；　are　extremely　useful。　They　are　found　in　the　principal　state；　they　employ　many　thousand　men；　who　there　consume　their　superfluous　commodities；　and　they　are　properly　a　manufacture　of　the　country。

The　mines　of　Germany　and　Hungary　promote　the　culture　of　land；　the　working　of　those　of　Mexico　and　Peru　destroys　it。

The　Indies　and　Spain　are　two　powers　under　the　same　master；　but　the　Indies　are　the　principal；　while　Spain　is　only　an　accessory；　it　is　in　vain　for　politics　to　attempt　to　bring　back　the　principal　to　the　accessory；　the　Indies　will　always　draw　Spain　to　themselves。

Of　the　merchandise；　to　the　value　of　about　fifty　millions　of　livres；　annually　sent　to　the　Indies；　Spain　furnishes　only　two　millions　and　a　half：　the　Indies　trade　for　fifty　millions；　the　Spaniards　for　two　and　a　half。

That　must　be　a　bad　kind　of　riches　which　depends　on　accident；　and　not　on　the　industry　of　a　nation；　on　the　number　of　its　inhabitants；　and　on　the　cultivation　of　its　lands。　The　king　of　Spain；　who　receives　great　sums　from　his　custom…house　at　Cadiz；　is　in　this　respect　only　a　rich　individual　in　a　state　extremely　poor。　Everything　passes　between　strangers　and　himself；　while　his　subjects　have　scarcely　any　share　in　it；　this　commerce　is　independent　both　of　the　good　and　bad　fortune　of　his　kingdom。

Were　some　provinces　of　Castile　able　to　give　him　a　sum　equal　to　that　of　the　custom…house　of　Cadiz；　his　power　would　be　much　greater；　his　riches　would　be　the　effect　of　the　wealth　of　the　country；　these　provinces　would　animate　all　the　others；　and　they　would　be　altogether　more　capable　of　supporting　their　respective　charges；　instead　of　a　great　treasury　he　would　have　a　great　people。

23。　A　Problem；　it　is　not　for　me　to　decide　the　question　whether；　if　Spain　be　not　herself　able　to　carry　on　the　trade　of　the　Indies；　it　would　not　be　better　to　leave　it　open　to　strangers。　I　will　only　say　that　it　is　for　their　advantage　to　load　this　commerce　with　as　few　obstacles　as　politics　will　permit。　When　the　merchandise　which　several　nations　send　to　the　Indies　is　very　dear；　the　inhabitants　of　that　country　give　a　great　deal　of　their　commodities；　which　are　gold　and　silver；　for　very　little　of　those　of　foreigners；　the　contrary　to　this　happens　when　they　are　at　a　low　price；　it　would　perhaps　be　of　use　that　these　nations　should　undersell　each　other；　to　the　end　that　the　merchandise　carried　to　the　Indies　might　be　always　cheap。　These　are　principles　which　deserve　to　be　examined；　without　separating　them；　however；　from　other　considerations：　the　safety　of　the　Indies；　the　advantages　of　only　one　custom…house；　the　danger　of　making　great　alterations；　and　the　foreseen　inconveniences；　which　are　often　less　dangerous　than　those　which　cannot　be　foreseen。

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1。　Pliny；　vi。　23。

2。　See　Pliny；　vi。　19；　and　Strabo；　xv。

3。　Book　vi。　4；　5。

4。　Book　xi。

5。　Diodorus；　ii。

6。　Ibid。；　7；　8；　9。

7。　Pliny；　vi。　16；　and　Strabo；　xi。

8。　Strabo；　xi。

9。　Ibid。

10。　The　authority　of　Patroclus　is　of　great　weight；　as　appears　from　a　passage　in　Strabo；　ii。

11。　Pliny；　vi。　17。　See　also　Strabo；　xi；　upon　the　passage　by　which　the　merchandise　was　conveyed　from　the　Phasis　to　the　Cyrus。

12。　There　must　have　been　very　great　changes　in　that　country　since　the　time　of　Ptolemy；　who　gives　us　an　account　of　so　many　rivers　that　empty　themselves　into　the　east　side　of　the　Caspian　Sea。　In　the　Czar's　chart　we　find　only　the　river　of　Astrabat：　in　that　of　M。　Bathaisi　there　is　none　at　all。

13。　See　Jenkinson's　account　of　this；　in　the　Collection　of　Voyages　to　the　North；　iv。

14。　I　am　disposed　to　think　that　hence　Lake　Aral　was　formed。

15。　Claudius　C？sar；　in　Pliny；　vi。　11。

16。　He　was　slain　by　Ptolemy　Ceraunus。

17。　See　Strabo；　xi。

18。　They　founded　Tartessus；　and　made　a　settlement　at　Cadiz。

19。　I　Kings；　9。　26；　II　Chron。；　8。　17。

20。　Against　Appian。

21。　Chapter　1　of　this　book。

22。　The　proportion　between　gold　and　silver；　as　settled　in　Europe；　may　sometimes　render　it　profitable　to　take　gold　instead　of　silver　into　the　East　Indies；　but　the　advantage　is　very　trifling。

23。　See　Pliny；　vi。　22；　and　Strabo；　xv。

24。　They　are　mostly　shallow；　but　Sicily　has　excellent　ports。

25。　I　say　the　province　of　Holland；　for　the　ports　of　Zealand　are　deep　enough。

26。　That　is；　to　compare　magnitudes　of　the　same　kind；　the　action　or　pressure　of　the　fluid　upon　the　ship　will　be　to　the　resistance　of　the　same　ship　as；　&c。

27。　The　King　of　Persia。

28。　On　the　Athenian　Republic；　2。

29。　See　Strabo；　viii。

30。　Iliad；　ii。　668。

31。　Ibid。；　570。

32。　Strabo；　ix；　p。　414。

33。　Strabo；　xv。

34。　Herodotus；　Melpomene；　iv。　44。

35。　Strabo；　xv。

36。　Ibid。；　xv。

37。　Pliny；　vi。　33；　Strabo；　xv。

38。　They　sailed　not　upon　the　rivers；　lest　they　should　defile　the　elements　　Hyde；　Religion　of　the　Persians。　Even　to　this　day　they　have　no　maritime　commerce。　Those　who　take　to　the　sea　are　treated　by　them　as　Atheists。

39。　Strabo；　xv。

40。　Herodotus；　Melpomene；　iv。　44；　says　that　Darius　conquered　the　Indies；　this　must　be　understood　only　to　mean　Ariana；　and　even　this　was　only　an　ideal　conquest。

41。　Strabo；　xv。

42。　This　cannot　be　understood　of　all　the　Ichthyophagi；　who　inhabited　a　coast　of　ten　thousand　furlongs　in　extent。　How　was　it　possible　for　Alexander　to　have　maintained　them？　How　could　he　command　their　submission？　This　can　be　only　understood　of　some　particular　tribes。　Nearchus；　in　his　book　Rerum　Indicarum；　says　that　at　the　extremity　of　this　coast；　on　the　side　of　Persia；　he　had　found　some　people　who　were　less　Ichthyophagi　than　the　others。　I　should　think　that　Alexander's　prohibition　related　to　these　people；　or　to　some　other　tribe　still　more　bordering　on　Persia。

43。　Alexandria　was　founded　on　a　flat　shore；　called　Rhacotis；　where；　in　ancient　times；　the　kings　had　kept　a　garrison　to　prevent　all　strangers；　and　more　particularly　the　Greeks；　from　entering　the　country。　　Pliny；　vi。　10；　Strabo；　xviii。

44。　Arrian；　De　Expedit。　Alex。　vii。

45。　Ibid。

46。　Strabo；　vi；　towards　the　end。

47。　Seeing　Babylon　overflowed；　he　looked　upon　the　neighbouring　country　of　Arabia　as　an　island。　　Aristobulus；　in　Strabo；　xvi。

48。　See　Rerum　Indicarum。

49。　Strabo；　xvi。

50。　Strabo；　xvi。

51。　These　gave　them　an　aversion　to　stranger