The French
France, too, inherited many a remnant of Roman Civilisation.Onthe irruption of the German Franks, who loved nothing but thechase, and changed many districts again into forests and wastewhich had been long under cultivation, almost everything was lostagain.To the monasteries, however, which subsequently became sucha great hindrance to civilisation, France, like all other Europeancountries, is indebted for most of her progress in agricultureduring the Middle Ages.The inmates of religious houses kept up nofeuds like the nobles, nor harassed their vassals with calls tomilitary service, while their lands and cattle were less exposed torapine and extermination.The clergy loved good living, were averseto quarrels, and sought to gain reputation and respect bysupporting the necessitous.Hence the old adage 'It is good todwell under the crosier.' The Crusades, the institution of civiccommunities and of guilds by Louis IX (Saint Louis), and theproximity of Italy and Flanders, had considerable effect at anearly period in developing industry in France.Already in thefourteenth century, Normandy and Brittany supplied woollen andlinen cloths for home consumption and for export to England.Atthis period also the export trade in wines and salt, chieflythrough the agency of Hanseatic middlemen, had become important.
By the influence of Francis I the silk manufacture wasintroduced into the South of France.Henry IV favoured thisindustry, as well as the manufacture of glass, linen, and woollens;Richelieu and Mazarin favoured the silk manufactories, the velvetand woollen manufactures of Rouen and Sedan, as well as thefisheries and navigation.
On no country did the discovery of America produce morefavourable effects than upon France.From Western France quantitiesof corn were sent to Spain.Many peasants migrated every year fromthe Pyrenean districts to the north-east of Spain in search ofwork.Great quantities of wine and salt were exported to theSpanish Netherlands, while the silks, the velvets, as alsoespecially the articles of luxury of French manufacture, were soldin considerable quantities in the Netherlands, England, Spain, andPortugal.Owing to this cause a great deal of Spanish gold andsilver got into circulation in France at an early period.
But the palmy days of French industry first commenced withColbert.
At the time of Mazarin's death, neither manufacturing industry,commerce, navigation, nor the fisheries had attained to importance,while the financial condition of the country was at its worst.
Colbert had the courage to grapple single-handed with anundertaking which England could only br ing to a successful issueby the persevering efforts of three centuries, and at the cost oftwo revolutions.From all countries he obtained the most skilfulworkmen, bought up trade secrets, and procured better machinery andtools.By a general and efficient tariff he secured the homemarkets for native industry.By abolishing, or by limiting as muchas possible, the provincial customs collections, by theconstruction of highways and canals, he promoted internal traffic.
These measures benefited agriculture even more than manufacturingindustry because the number of consumers was thereby doubled andtrebled, and the producers were brought into easy and cheapcommunication with the consumers.He further promoted the interestsof agriculture by lowering the amounts of direct imposts leviedupon landed property, by mitigating the severity of the stringentmeasures previously adopted in collecting the revenue, byequalising the incidence of taxation, and lastly by introducingmeasures for the reduction of the rate of interest.He prohibitedthe exportation of corn only in times of scarcity and high prices.
To the extension of the foreign trade and the promotion offisheries he devoted special attention.He re-established the tradewith the Levant, enlarged that with the colonies, and opened up atrade with the North.Into all branches of the administration heintroduced the most stringent economy and perfect order.At hisdeath France possessed 50,000 looms engaged in the manufacture ofwoollens; she produced annually silk manufactures to the value of50 millions of francs.The State revenues had increased by 28millions of francs.The kingdom was in possession of flourishingfisheries, of an extensive mercantile marine, and a powerfulnavy.(1*)A century later, the economists have sharply censured Colbert,and maintained that this statesman had been anxious to promote theinterests of manufactures at the expense of agriculture: a reproachwhich proves nothing more than that these authorities werethemselves incapable of appreciating the nature of manufacturingindustry.(2*)If, however, Colbert was in error in opposing periodicalobstacles to the exportation of raw materials, yet by fostering thegrowth and progress of native industries he so greatly increasedthe demand for agricultural produce that he gave the agriculturalinterest tenfold compensation for any injury which he caused to itby the above-named obstacles.If, contrary to the dictates ofenlightened statesmanship, he prescribed new processes ofmanufacture, and compelled the manufacturers by penal enactments toadopt them, it should be borne in mind that these processes werethe best and the most profitable known in his day, and that he hadto deal with a people which, sunk into the utmost apathy by reasonof a long despotic rule, resisted every innovation even though itwas an improvement.
