wealbk04-第42章

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as　abundant　as　those　which　are　commonly　found　of　lead；　or　copper；

or　tin；　or　iron。　The　dream　of　Sir　Walter　Raleigh　concerning　the

golden　city　and　country　of　Eldorado；　may　satisfy　us　that　even

wise　men　are　not　always　exempt　from　such　strange　delusions。　More

than　a　hundred　years　after　the　death　of　that　great　man；　the

Jesuit　Gumila　was　still　convinced　of　the　reality　of　that

wonderful　country；　and　expressed　with　great　warmth；　and　I　dare　to

say　with　great　sincerity；　how　happy　he　should　be　to　carry　the

light　of　the　gospel　to　a　people　who　could　so　well　reward　the

pious　labours　of　their　missionary。

　　　　　In　the　countries　first　discovered　by　the　Spaniards；　no　gold

or　silver　mines　are　at　present　known　which　are　supposed　to　be

worth　the　working。　The　quantities　of　those　metals　which　the　first

adventurers　are　said　to　have　found　there　had　probably　been　very

much　magnified；　as　well　as　the　fertility　of　the　mines　which　were

wrought　immediately　after　the　first　discovery。　What　those

adventurers　were　reported　to　have　found；　however；　was　sufficient

to　inflame　the　avidity　of　all　their　countrymen。　Every　Spaniard

who　sailed　to　America　expected　to　find　an　Eldorado。　Fortune；　too；

did　upon　this　what　she　has　done　upon　very　few　other　occasions。

She　realized　in　some　measure　the　extravagant　hopes　of　her

votaries；　and　in　the　discovery　and　conquest　of　Mexico　and　Peru

（of　which　the　one　happened　about　thirty；　the　other　about　forty

years　after　the　first　expedition　of　Columbus）；　she　presented　them

with　something　not　very　unlike　that　profusion　of　the　precious

metals　which　they　sought　for。

　　　　　A　project　of　commerce　to　the　East　Indies；　therefore；　gave

occasion　to　the　first　discovery　of　the　West。　A　project　of

conquest　gave　occasion　to　all　the　establishments　of　the　Spaniards

in　those　newly　discovered　countries。　The　motive　which　excited

them　to　this　conquest　was　a　project　of　gold　and　silver　mines；　and

a　course　of　accidents；　which　no　human　wisdom　could　foresee；

rendered　this　project　much　more　successful　than　the　undertakers

had　any　reasonable　grounds　for　expecting。

　　　　　The　first　adventurers　of　all　the　other　nations　of　Europe　who

attempted　to　make　settlements　in　America　were　animated　by　the

like　chimerical　views；　but　they　were　not　equally　successful。　It

was　more　than　a　hundred　years　after　the　first　settlement　of　the

Brazils　before　any　silver；　gold；　or　diamond　mines　were　discovered

there。　In　the　English；　French；　Dutch；　and　Danish　colonies；　none

have　ever　yet　been　discovered；　at　least　none　that　are　at　present

supposed　to　be　worth　the　working。　The　first　English　settlers　in

North　America；　however；　offered　a　fifth　of　all　the　gold　and

silver　which　should　be　found　there　to　the　king；　as　a　motive　for

granting　them　their　patents。　In　the　patents　to　Sir　Walter

Raleigh；　to　the　London　and　Plymouth　Companies；　to　the　Council　of

Plymouth；　etc。；　this　fifth　was　accordingly　reserved　to　the　crown。

To　the　expectation　of　finding　gold　and　silver　mines；　those　first

settlers；　too；　joined　that　of　discovering　a　northwest　passage　to

the　East　Indies。　They　have　hitherto　been　disappointed　in　both。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　PART　2

　　　　　　　　　　　　　Causes　of　Prosperity　of　New　Colonies　

　　　　　THE　colony　of　a　civilised　nation　which　takes　possession

either　of　a　waste　country；　or　of　one　so　thinly　inhabited　that　the

natives　easily　give　place　to　the　new　settlers；　advances　more

rapidly　to　wealth　and　greatness　than　any　other　human　society。

　　　　　The　colonists　carry　out　with　them　a　knowledge　of　agriculture

and　of　other　useful　arts　superior　to　what　can　grow　up　of　its　own

accord　in　the　course　of　many　centuries　among　savage　and　barbarous

nations。　They　carry　out　with　them；　too；　the　habit　of

subordination；　some　notion　of　the　regular　government　which　takes

place　in　their　own　country；　of　the　system　of　laws　which　support

it；　and　of　a　regular　administration　of　justice；　and　they

naturally　establish　something　of　the　same　kind　in　the　new

settlement。　But　among　savage　and　barbarous　nations；　the　natural

progress　of　law　and　government　is　still　slower　than　the　natural

progress　of　arts；　after　law　and　government　have　been　go　far

established　as　is　necessary　for　their　protection。　Every　colonist

gets　more　land　than　he　can　possibly　cultivate。　He　has　no　rent；

and　scarce　any　taxes　to　pay。　No　landlord　shares　with　him　in　its

produce；　and　the　share　of　the　sovereign　is　commonly　but　a　trifle。

He　has　every　motive　to　render　as　great　as　possible　a　produce；

which　is　thus　to　be　almost　entirely　his　own。　But　his　land　is

commonly　so　extensive　that；　with　all　his　own　industry；　and　with

all　the　industry　of　other　people　whom　he　can　get　to　employ；　he

can　seldom　make　it　produce　the　tenth　part　of　what　it　is　capable

of　producing。　He　is　eager；　therefore；　to　collect　labourers　from

all　quarters；　and　to　reward　them　with　the　most　liberal　wages。　But

those　liberal　wages；　joined　to　the　plenty　and　cheapness　of　land；

soon　make　those　labourers　leave　him；　in　order　to　become　landlords

themselves；　and　to　reward；　with　equal　liberality；　other

labourers；　who　soon　leave　them　for　the　same　reason　that　they　left

their　first　master。　The　liberal　reward　of　labour　encourages

marriage。　The　children；　during　the　tender　years　of　infancy；　are

well　fed　and　properly　taken　care　of；　and　when　they　are　grown　up；

the　value　of　their　labour　greatly　overpays　their　maintenance。

When　arrived　at　maturity；　the　high　price　of　labour；　and　the　low

price　of　land；　enable　them　to　establish　themselves　in　the　same

manner　as　their　fathers　did　before　them。

　　　　　In　other　countries；　rent　and　profit　eat　up　wages；　and　the

two　superior　orders　of　people　oppress　the　inferior　one。　But　in

new　colonies　the　interest　of　the　two　superior　orders　obliges　them

to　treat　the　inferior　one　with　more　generosity　and　humanity；　at

least　where　that　inferior　one　is　not　in　a　state　of　slavery。　Waste

lands　of　the　greatest　natural　fertility　are　to　be　had　for　a

trifle。　The　increase　of　revenue　which　the　proprietor；　who　is

always　the　undertaker；　expects　from　their　improvement；

constitutes　his　profit　which　in　these　circumstances　is　commonly

very　great。　But　this　great　profit　cannot　be　made　without

employing　the　labour　of　other　people　in　clearing　and　cultivating

the　land；　and　the　disproportion　between　the　great　extent　of　the

land　and　the　small　number　of　the　people；　which　commonly　takes

place　in　new　colonies；　makes　it　difficult　for　him　to　get　this

labour。　He　does　not；　therefore；　dispute　about　wages；　but　is

willing　to　employ　labour　at　any　price。　The　high　wages　of　labour

encourage　population。　The　cheapness　and　plenty　of　good　land

encourage　improvement；　and　enable　the　proprietor　to　pay　those

high　wages。　In　those　wages　consists　almost　the　whole　price　of　the

land；　and　though　they　are　high　considered　as　the　wages　of　labour；

they　are　low　considered　as　the　price　of　what　is　so　very　valuable。

What　encourages　the　progress　of　population　and　improvement

encourages　that　of　real　wealth　and　greatness。

　　　　　The　progress　of　many　of　the　ancient　Greek　colonies　towards

wealth　and　greatness　seems　accordingly　to　have　been　very　rapid。

In　the　course　of　a　century　or　two；　several　of　them　appear　to　have

rivalled；　and　even　to　have　surpassed　their　mother　cities。

Syracuse　and　Agrigentum　in　Sicily；　Tarentum　and　Locri　in　Italy；

Ephesus　and　Miletus　in　Lesser　Asia；　appear　by　all　accounts　to

have　been　at　least　equal　to　any　of　the　cities　of　ancient　Greece。

Though　posterior　in　their　establishment；　yet　all　the　arts　of

refinement；　philosophy；　poetry；　and　eloquence　seem　to　have　been

cultivated　as　early；　and　to　have　been　improved　as　highly　in　them

as　in　any　part　of　the　mother　country。　The　schools　of　the　two

oldest　Greek　philosophers；　those　of　Thales　and　Pythagoras；　were

established；　it　is　remarkable；　not　in　ancient　Greece；　but　the　one

in　an　Asiatic；　the　other　in　an　Italian　colony。　All　those　colonies

had　established　themselves　in　countries　inhabited　by　savage　and

barbarous　nations；　who　easily　gave　place　to　the　new　settlers。

They　had　plenty　of　good　land；　and　as　they　were　altogether

independent　of　the　mother　city；　they　were　at　liberty　to　manage

the