What sensible inhabitant of those seaports could heartilycongratulate himself on the continual increase of their tonnage, onthe continual extension of their commercial relations, if hereflected that two frigates, which coming from Heligoland could bestationed at the mouths of the Weser and the Elbe, would be in aposition to destroy in twenty-four hours this work of a quarter ofa century? But the Union will guarantee to these seaports theirprosperity and their progress for all future time, partly by thecreation of a fleet of its own and partly by alliances.It willfoster their fisheries, secure special advantages to theirshipping, protect and promote their foreign commercial relations,by effective consular establishments and by treaties.Partly bytheir means it will found new colonies, and by their means carry onits own colonial trade.For a union of States comprisingthirty-five millions of inhabitants (for the Union will comprisethat number at least when it is fully completed), which owing to anannual increase of population of one and a half per cent can easilyspare annually two or three hundred thousand persons, whoseprovinces abound with well-informed and cultivated inhabitants whohave a peculiar propensity to seek their fortune in distantcountries, people who can take root anywhere and make themselves athome wherever unoccupied land is to be cultivated, are called uponby Nature herself to place themselves in the first rank of nationswho colonise and diffuse civilisation.
The feeling of the necessity for such a perfect completion ofthe Commercial Union is so universally entertained in Germany, thathence the author of the report could not help remarking, 'Morecoasts, more harbours, more navigation, a Union flag, thepossession of a navy and of a mercantile marine, are wishes verygenerally entertained by the supporters of the Commercial Union,but there is little prospect at present of the Union making headagainst the increasing fleet of Russia and the commercial marine ofHolland and the Hanse Towns.' Against them certainly not, but somuch the more with them and by means of them.It lies in the verynature of every power to seek to divide in order to rule.After theauthor of the report has shown why it would be foolish on the partof the maritime states to join the Union, he desires also toseparate the great seaports from the German national body for alltime, inasmuch as he speaks to us of the warehouses of Altona whichmust become dangerous to the warehouses of Hamburg, as though sucha great commercial empire could not find the means of making thewarehouses of Altona serviceable to its objects.We will not followthe author through his acute inferences from this point; we willonly say, that if they were applied to England, they would provethat London and Liverpool would increase their commercialprosperity in an extraordinary degree if they were separated fromthe body of the English nation.The spirit which underlies thesearguments is unmistakably expressed in the report of the Englishconsul at Rotterdam.'For the commercial interests of GreatBritain,' says Mr Alexander Ferrier at the end of his report, 'itappears of the greatest possible importance that no means should beleft untried to prevent the aforesaid states, and also Belgium,from entering the Zollverein, for reasons which are too clear toneed any exposition.' Who could possibly blame Mr Ferrier forspeaking thus, or Dr Bowring for speaking thus, or the Englishministers for acting as the others speak? The national instinct ofEngland speaks and acts through them.But to expect prosperity andblessing to Germany from proposals which proceed from such a sourceas that, would appear to exceed even a decent degree of nationalgood nature.'Whatever may happen,' adds Mr Ferrier to the wordsabove quoted, 'Holland must at all times be considered as the mainchannel for the commercial relations of South Germany with othercountries.' Clearly Mr Ferrier understands by the term 'othercountries' merely England; clearly he means to say that if theEnglish manufacturing supremacy should lose its means of access toGermany or the North Sea and the Baltic, Holland would still remainto it as the great means of access by which it could predominateover the markets for manufactured goods and colonial produce of thesouth of Germany.
