Manual of Political Science (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1855 edition. Excerpt: ...From all this it must be clearly evident that an Englishman who makes use of foreign goods exclusively, such as French wines, Polish corn, &c, as he causes the exportation of an equal quantity of English goods, gives the same encouragement to home industry as if he used only home produce and manufactures; and, on the same principle, that an English landlord residing in France spends his income as beneficially for English trade, as if he lived all his days in Leicestershire or Yorkshire; because it makes no difference, as to the mercantile effect, whether British consumption of foreign produce takes place at home or abroad. The exporting manufacturers of England are paid, in the one case by bills drawn abroad upon their importing fellow-traders at home; and in the other case by bills similarly drawn upon the agents of the absentee landlords. Why, then, it may be asked, has the system of absenteeism provoked so much indignant remonstrance? The reason is simply this; that the complaint originated against the absenteeism of the landlords of Ireland, which is not a manufacturing country; at least, not sufficiently so to prevent its being called, for all practical purposes, an agricultural country; and this makes all the difference; because the English absentees receive their rents, not in the actual produce of their lands, but in goods manufactured by those who are supported by that produce; while the Irish absentees have their rents remitted to them in the food which, if they remained at home, would feed manufacturing labourers. In the former case, labour only may be said to be exported; in the latter, the maintenance of labour is sent away. The effect of the opening of a new foreign market to a country already enjoying an extensive foreign...