When there are circumstances particularly unfavorable to the practice of the art, and no countervailing circumstances particularly favorable to it, the first introduction of it must always cost the society high, and the subsequent maintaining of it will in all probability be a burden on the common industry and stock.Among unfavorable circumstances may be noted a strength of the effective desire of accumulation, less than that of a foreign country, and instruments consequently remaining at orders of quicker return.This is a circumstance lying beyond the reach of the legislator, and which he cannot hope to change.If then there are no other counteracting favorable circumstances, the art cannot be transferred and preserved, but at great and continual expense.Examples of injudicious conduct of the legislator from inattention to this particular have been not unfrequent.As an instance, may be noted the attempts of Louis XIVto make France a maritime and commercial nation.To do so, it only required that the principle of accumulation should have existed in sufficient strength among the people of France, to carry them to the construction of instruments of the same orders as were formed in England, and other maritime and commercial nations.The French at that time had ability and commerce, and had their accumulative principle been so strong as to lead them to construct instruments returning as slowly as those formed by the English and Dutch, their commerce and navy would easily have rivaled those of these nations.The attempt of the British, in some instances, to supplant the Dutch in their fishery, was liable to a similar objection.
Among circumstances particularly favorable to the transfer of a foreign art, may be noted the raw materials of the manufacture existing within the territory of the society in abundance.The acquisition of the art in this case saves the expense of a double transport.On this account, the bringing the woollen manufacture to England was a very happy measure.
Great strength of the accumulative principle, is also another particularly favorable circumstance.This rendered the efforts of the English in the beginning of last century, to acquire many foreign manufactures, prudent and successful.
The legislator effects his purposes by premiums for successful individual imitations of the foreign article; by general bounties on the home manufacture;or by duties on that imported from abroad.Of these, premiums take so little out of the common funds, that their amount forms an item too small to enter into the calculation, in questions of national policy.They are useful as testing the practicability of the transfer.That having been done, it having been made sufficiently apparent that nothing prevents the branch of industry in question being established, but the difficulties attending new undertakings, the want of skilled labor, and a sufficiently accurate knowledge of the properties of the materials to be employed in the formation of the new instruments, it is then proper to proceed to direct and general encouragements by bounties or duties.In this way real capital, and heathy enterprise are directed to the art, the difficulties attending its introduction overcome in the shortest possible space, and the commodities yielded by it are produced at less outlay, and afforded at a less price than that, at which they were before imported.
CHAPTER II.OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE LEGISLATOR ON LUXURIES.
The legislator is always called on to provide a considerable annual revenue.He bus to provide for the expenses incident to the conduct of present wars, to the burdens imposed by those of preceding times, to the construction and maintenance of public works, to the encouragement of science and art by premiums and otherwise, and to various other outlays.If any part, therefore, of this necessary annual expenditure, can be drawn from funds naturally dissipated in luxury, the art of the legislator will here effect a saving to the community to that amount.
