The Monarchs Of The East, As Well As Their Subjects, Were
Desirous Of Extending Their Trade.
There was, therefore, no difficulty, as
soon as the Portuguese arrived at any part of the East; they found spices,
precious stones, pearls, &c., or silk and cotton stuffs, porcelaine, &c.,
and merchants willing to sell them.
Their only business was to settle a few
skilful agents, to select and purchase proper cargoes for their ships. Even
before they reached the remote countries of the East, which they afterwards
did, they found depots of the goods of those parts, in intermediate and
convenient situations, between them and the middle and western parts of
Asia and Europe.
It was very different in America: the natives here, ignorant and savage,
had no commerce. "Even the natural productions of the soil, when not
cherished and multiplied by the fostering and active hand of man, were of
little account." Above half a century elapsed before the Spaniards reaped
any benefit from their conquests, except some small quantities of gold,
chiefly obtained from plundering the persons, the houses, and temples of
the Mexicans and Peruvians. In 1545, the mines of Potosi were discovered;
these, and the principal Mexican mine, discovered soon afterwards, first
brought a permanent and valuable revenue to Spain. But it was long after
this before the Spaniards, or the other nations of Europe, could be
convinced that America contained other treasures besides those of gold and
silver, or induced to apply that time, labour, and capital, which were
requisite to unfold all the additions to the comforts, the luxuries, and
the health of man, which the New World was capable of bestowing. When,
however, European skill and labour were expended on the soil of America,
the real and best wealth of this quarter of the world was displayed in all
its importance and extent. In addition to the native productions of
tobacco, indigo, cochineal, cotton, ginger, cocoa, pimento, drugs, woods
for dying, the Europeans cultivated the sugar cane, and several other
productions of the Old World. The only articles of commerce supplied by the
natives, were furs and skins; every thing else imported from the New World
consists at present, and has always consisted of the produce, of the
industry of Europeans settled there.
But though it was long before Europe derived much direct benefit from the
discovery of America, yet in one important respect this discovery gave a
great stimulus to East India commerce. Gold and silver, especially the
latter, have always been in great demand in the East, and consequently the
most advantageous articles to export from Europe in exchange for Indian
commodities. It was therefore absolutely necessary for the continuance of a
commerce so much extended as this to India was, in consequence of the
Portuguese discoveries, that increased means of purchasing Indian
commodities should be given; and these were supplied by the gold and silver
mines of America.
If these mines had not been discovered about the time when trade to India
was more easy, expeditious, and frequent, it could not long have been in
the power of Europe to have availed herself of the advantages of the
Portuguese discoveries; gold and silver would have become, from their
extreme scarcity, more valuable in Europe than in India, and consequently
would no longer have been exported. But the supply of the precious metals
and of Indian commodities increasing at the same time, Europe, by means of
America, was enabled to reap all possible advantage from the Portuguese
discoveries. The gold and silver of Mexico and Peru traversed the world, in
spite of all obstacles, and reached that part of it where it was most
wanted, and purchased the productions of China and Hindostan.
Yet, notwithstanding the effectual demand for East India commodities was
necessarily increased by the increased supply of the precious metals, yet
the supply of these commodities being increased in a much greater
proportion, their price was much lowered. This lowering of price naturally
arose from two circumstances: after the passage to India by the Cape, the
productions and manufactures of the East were purchased immediately from
the natives; and they were brought to Europe directly, and all the way, by
sea. Whereas, before the discovery of the Cape, they were purchased and
repurchased frequently; consequently, repeated additions were made to their
original price; and these additions were made, in almost every instance, by
persons who had the monopoly of them. Their conveyance to Europe was long,
tedious, and mostly by land carriage, and consequently very expensive.
There are no data by which it can be ascertained in what proportion the
Portuguese lowered the price of Indian commodities; but Dr. Robertson's
supposition appears well founded, - that they might afford to reduce the
commodities of the East, in every part of Europe, one half. This
supposition is founded on a table of prices of goods in India, the same
sold at Aleppo, and what they might be sold for in England, - drawn up,
towards the end of the seventeenth century, by Mr. Munn: from this it
appears, that the price at Aleppo was three times that in India, and that
the goods might be sold in England at half the Aleppo price. But as the
expense of conveying goods to Aleppo from India, may, as Dr. Robertson
observes, be reckoned nearly the same as that which was incurred by
bringing them to Alexandria, he draws the inference already stated, - that
the discovery of the Cape reduced the price of Indian commodities one half.
The obvious and necessary result would follow, that they would be in
greater demand, and more common use. The principal eastern commodities used
by the Romans were spices and aromatics, - precious stones and pearls; and
in the later periods of their power, silk; these, however, were almost
exclusively confined to rare and solemn occasions, or to the use of the
most wealthy and magnificent of the conquerors of the world. On the
subversion of the Roman empire, the commodities of the East were for a
short time in little request among the barbarians who subverted it:
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