第 26 节
作者:江暖      更新:2021-02-27 02:42      字数:9322
  It is thus that the same capital will in any country put
  into motion a greater or smaller quantity of productive labour;
  and add a greater or smaller value to the annual produce of its
  land and labour; according to the different proportions in which
  it is employed in agriculture; manufactures; and wholesale trade。
  The difference; too; is very great; according to the different
  sorts of wholesale trade in which any part of it is employed。
  All wholesale trade; all buying in order to sell again by
  wholesale; may be reduced to three different sorts。 The home
  trade; the foreign trade of consumption; and the carrying trade。
  The home trade is employed in purchasing in one part of the same
  country; and selling in another; the produce of the industry of
  that country。 It comprehends both the inland and the coasting
  trade。 The foreign trade of consumption is employed in purchasing
  foreign goods for home consumption。 The carrying trade is
  employed in transacting the commerce of foreign countries; or in
  carrying the surplus produce of one to another。
  The capital which is employed in purchasing in one part of
  the country in order to sell in another the produce of the
  industry of that country; generally replaces by every such
  operation two distinct capitals that had both been employed in
  the agriculture or manufactures of that country; and thereby
  enables them to continue that employment。 When it sends out from
  the residence of the merchant a certain value of commodities; it
  generally brings back in return at least an equal value of other
  commodities。 When both are the produce of domestic industry; it
  necessarily replaces by every such operation two distinct
  capitals which had both been employed in supporting productive
  labour; and thereby enables them to continue that support。 The
  capital which sends Scotch manufactures to London; and brings
  back English corn and manufactures to Edinburgh; necessarily
  replaces by every such operation; two British capitals which had
  both been employed in the agriculture or manufactures of Great
  Britain。
  The capital employed in purchasing foreign goods for home
  consumption; when this purchase is made with the produce of
  domestic industry; replaces too; by every such operation; two
  distinct capitals; but one of them only is employed in supporting
  domestic industry。 The capital which sends British goods to
  Portugal; and brings back Portuguese goods to Great Britain;
  replaces by every such operation only one British capital。 The
  other is a Portuguese one。 Though the returns; therefore; of the
  foreign trade of consumption should be as quick as those of the
  home trade; the capital employed in it will give but one half the
  encouragement to the industry or productive labour of the
  country。
  But the returns of the foreign trade of consumption are very
  seldom so quick as those of the home trade。 The returns of the
  home trade generally come in before the end of the year; and
  sometimes three or four times in the year。 The returns of the
  foreign trade of consumption seldom come in before the end of the
  year; and sometimes not till after two or three years。 A capital;
  therefore; employed in the home trade will sometimes make twelve
  operations; or be sent out and returned twelve times; before a
  capital employed in the foreign trade of consumption has made
  one。 If the capitals are equal; therefore; the one will give
  four…and…twenty times more encouragement and support to the
  industry of the country than the other。
  The foreign goods for home consumption may sometimes be
  purchased; not with the produce of domestic industry; but with
  some other foreign goods。 These last; however; must have been
  purchased either immediately with the produce of domestic
  industry; or with something else that had been purchased with it;
  for; the case of war and conquest excepted; foreign goods can
  ever be acquired but in exchange for something that had been
  produced at home; either immediately; or after two or more
  different exchanges。 The effects; therefore; of a capital
  employed in such a roundabout foreign trade of consumption; are;
  in every respect; the same as those of one employed in the most
  direct trade of the same kind; except that the final returns are
  likely to be still more distant; as they must depend upon the
  returns of two or three distinct foreign trades。 If the flax and
  hemp of Riga are purchased with the tobacco of Virginia; which
  had been purchased with British manufactures; the merchant must
  wait for the returns of two distinct foreign trades before he can
  employ the same capital in re…purchasing a like quantity of
  British manufactures。 If the tobacco of Virginia had been
  purchased; not with British manufactures; but with the sugar and
  rum of Jamaica which had been purchased with those manufactures;
  he must wait for the returns of three。 If those two or three
  distinct foreign trades should happen to be carried on by two or
  three distinct merchants; of whom the second buys the goods
  imported by the first; and the third buys those imported by the
  second; in order to export them again; each merchant indeed will
  in this case receive the returns of his own capital more quickly;
  but the final returns of the whole capital employed in the trade
  will be just as slow as ever。 Whether the whole capital employed
  in such a round…about trade belong to one merchant or to three
  can make no difference with regard to the country; though it may
  with regard to the particular merchants。 Three times a greater
  capital must in both cases be employed in order to exchange a
  certain value of British manufactures for a certain quantity of
  flax and hemp than would have been necessary had the manufactures
  and the flax and hemp been directly exchanged for one another。
  The whole capital employed; therefore; in such a round…about
  foreign trade of consumption will generally give less
  encouragement and support to the productive labour of the country
  than an equal capital employed in a more direct trade of the same
  kind。
  Whatever be the foreign commodity with which the foreign
  goods for home consumption are purchased; it can occasion no
  essential difference either in the nature of the trade; or in the
  encouragement and support which it can give to the productive
  labour of the country from which it is carried on。 If they are
  purchased with the gold of Brazil; for example; or with the
  silver of Peru; this gold and silver; like the tobacco of
  Virginia; must have been purchased with something that either was
  the produce of the industry of the country; or that had been
  purchased with something else that was so。 So far; therefore; as
  the productive labour of the country is concerned; the foreign
  trade of consumption which is carried on by means of gold and
  silver has all the advantages and all the inconveniences of any
  other equally round…about foreign trade of consumption; and will
  replace just as fast or just as slow the capital which is
  immediately employed in supporting that productive labour。 It
  seems even to have one advantage over any other equally
  roundabout foreign trade。 The transportation of those metals from
  one place to another; on account of their small bulk and great
  value; is less expensive than that of almost any other foreign
  goods of equal value。 Their freight is much less; and their
  insurance not greater; and no goods; besides; are less liable to
  suffer by the carriage。 An equal quantity of foreign goods;
  therefore; may frequently be purchased with a smaller quantity of
  the produce of domestic industry; by the intervention of gold and
  silver; than by that of any other foreign goods。 The demand of
  the country may frequently; in this manner; be supplied more
  completely and at a smaller expense than in any other。 Whether;
  by the continual exportation of those metals; a trade of this
  kind is likely to impoverish the country from which it is carried
  on; in any other way; I shall have occasion to examine at great
  length hereafter。
  That part of the capital of any country which is employed in
  the carrying trade is altogether withdrawn from supporting the
  productive labour of that particular country; to support that of
  some foreign countries。 Though it may replace by every operation
  two distinct capitals; yet neither of them belongs to that
  particular country。 The capital of the Dutch merchant; which
  carries the corn of Poland to Portugal; and brings back the
  fruits and wines of Portugal to Poland; replaces by every such
  operation two capitals; neither of which had been employed in
  supporting the productive labour of Holland; but one of them in
  supporting that of Poland; and the other that of Portugal。 The
  profits only return regularly to Holland; and constitute the
  whole addition which this trade necessarily makes to the annual
  produce of the land and labour of that country。 When; indeed; the
  carrying trade of any particular country is carried on with the
  ships and sailors of that country; that part of the capital
  employed in it which pays the