Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 09.djvu/200

* GREAT BRITAIN. 174 GREAT BRITAIN. taining a naval supremacy. In acquiring and maintaining tliis position. Great Britain has per- haps more natural conditions in its favor than any other countrj'. Situated otJ' the west coast of Europe, it naturally became a convenient trade centre, and, because of its insularity, it was granted from the tirst a freedom from disturbing international contlicts that was unknown to the Continental trade centres. The importance of this strategic central position increased with the growing commercial importance of the Western Hemisphere. Again, Great Britain has been fa- vored by the characteristics of her coast-line, already mentioned under Topograplu/. To these natural advantages are added other more or less potent influences, such as lier abundant natural resources, the energy, ingenuity, and perseverance of her people, her democratic institutions, and the activity of the Government in fostering and protecting trade interests. The supremacy of English commerce is, how- ever, of comparatively recent times. ITntil the reign of Queen Elizabeth the trade of the coun- try had been almost wholly in the hands of for- eigners. The fostering of English commerce and shipping was one of the expedients devised to help in the acquisition of a large treasure of precious metals ; for, according to the mercan- tilists of that era, increase in trade would result in the natural inllow of metals. The organiza- tion of trading companies was encouraged by the granting of monopolies. The Levant Company and the East India Company extended their operations into the East, while the Virginia Company, Bernmda Companj-, Hudson's Bay Company, and a number of others turned to the newly discovered lands of the West, and were influential factors in the establishment of colo- nies. Thus began the transformation of a small European country into .a vast world empire. Though at this stage competition both in the East and West was veiy great, England succeed- ed in extending its trade, the total for imports and exports increasing from £4.628.000 in 1613 to £12.428.000 in 1699. Out of the trade rivah-y grew the Kavigation Laws of Cromwell and subse- quent acts, which tended to limit colonial trade to English or colonial vessels, and greatly re- stricted colonial manufactures, with a view to fostering British trade and shipping interests, and extending the market for British goods. The policy operated with gi-eat severity against both Scotch and Irish trade and industries. The union of Scotland mth England in 1707. and the establishment of free trade between the two, greatly benefited British commerce. Through the wars of the eighteenth century Great Britain extended its colonial territory, and thereby broad- ened its markets. And when in the latter part of that century the inventions of British genius so greatly increased English productive power, its commerce grew at an unprecedented rate. From 1782 to 1792 the trade increased in value from £23,300,000 to £44,500,000, and by 1810 it had reached a value of £87,741,000. In 1780 the East Indian trade formed but one thirty-second part of the total foreign trade; but after the abolition of the monopolj' feature of the rights of the East India Company as applied to India, in 1813, and later in China, this commerce rapid- ly increased. British energj- and enterprise had now given the coimtry a Arm hold in a wide field; but, as the chances against its maintaining its own with free competition increased, it was realized that the old trade restrictions of the navigation laws hampered rather than stimulated traffic. Ac- cordingly, commercial treaties tending toward free trade were concluded with various powers, and finally (1846) an out-and-out free-trade policy was adopted. ( For a discussion of pres- ent tarifl' duties, see Finance.) The protective laws of other countries now militate in a degree against England's commercial interests, and even the colonies, after being granted home rule, have passed protective tariffs which have not been to the best commercial advantage of the mother country, although in the case of Canada Great Britain has been favored to some extent by prefer- ential tariff's. Nevertheless, in the commerce with its colonies and dependencies. Great Britain always has had, and still has. the lion's share. Some idea of its value to the mother coimtry is indicated by the fact that British exports to them are now worth annually about twice the total of British exports for iS40. In 1897, 34.8 per cent, of the total imports of the colonies came from Great Britain, while for the rest of the world the British imports amounted to only 13.04 per cent. British imports from British possessions for the years 1855-59 averaged 23.5 per cent, of the total, while the average for the years 1895-98 was 22 per cent. The British ex- ports to British possessions averaged for the same periods 31.5 and 29.3 per cent, respectively. From 1870 to 1900 the value of colonial imports from the United Kingdom increased from $269.- 561,917 to .$496,500,059, and the imports to the I'nited Kingdom from the colonies increased from .$3I5,.506,938 to .$533,030,835. During th(i period 1892-96 the average annual per cent, of the total exports from the pos.sessions into the United Kingdom was 49. For the self-governing colonies the per cent, was 70.3. The proportion of the imports from the colonies to the total imports was almost the same in 1870 as in 1900, while the proportion of the colonial imports from the Unit- ed Kingdom to the total imports was much great- er in the latter year than in the former. The development of British commerce for the last four decades of the nineteenth century is indicat- ed in the following table : Imports Exports TEAR Total value Per head Total value British produce Per head Foreign and colonial Total value Brit- ish and foreign and colonial products 1862 1880 1895 190O f 225,716,000 411,229.000 416.689.000 523,075.000 S s. 7 U 11 1« 10 13 12 15 « 123.992,000 22:i,060.000 226.128,000 291,191,000 £ s. 4 5 6 9 5 15 7 2 £ 42,175,000 63,354,000 .59.704,000 63,181.000 £ 166,168,000 286,414,000 285,832.000 354.373,000