Page:History of the Indian Archipelago Vol 3.djvu/420

 404 COMMERCIAL DESCRIPTION OF Munn estimates the consuraption of all Christen- dom in the first at 400,000 lbs., and in the second at 150,000 lbs. During the middle of last cen- tury, the consumption of Europe had fallen in nut- megs to 250,000 lbs. On the first occasion that the monopoly fell into the hands of the English, the consumption of England, on an average, was 39,071 lbs. in nutmegs, and 5400 lbs. in mace. In all Europe it fell in nutmegs to 85,960 lbs. and in mace to ^4,234 lbs. During our last possession of the spices, the consumption of England in nut- megs was 56,960 lbs., and of all Europe 214,720 lbs., and in mace, of England, 3620 lbs., and of all Europe 250,040 lbs. The facts now adduced are quite sufficient to enable us to decide, as far as the produce of the nutmeg tree is concerned, how it has come about that the consumption of spices is smaller in Europe at present than in the middle ages, while the commodity is less costly. The ar- guments used to explain this apparently anomalous fact in regard to the clove are necessarily still more applicable to the more costly mace and nutmeg. It is not, however, strictly true, even abstractly, that the charge of these two spices has actually be- come less since the discovery of the new route. The truth is, that men have acted, with regard to them, as with regard to other commodities. The monopoly price has had its limit. People have ceased to consume the finer spices, and had recourse to sub«