ight also be rivals; but there can be no reason
for France envying England her manufactures and commerce, any
more than for England envying France for her climate, soil, extent,
=sic= of territory and population.

The way to produce the most, being to give industry its best direction.
Nations, differently situated, ought never to be rivals or enemies, on
account of trade.

If those, who regulate the affairs of nations, were to consider this in its
true light, there would be less jealousy and more industry. [end of
page #291]

There appears to be only one real cause for war, so far as it is
occasioned by a wish to obtain wealth; and that arises from
possessions in the East and West Indies, and in America.

If there were no such possessions, or if they were more equally
divided, there would be very little cause for war amongst nations.

It may, very possibly, at some distant time, be an object for a general
congress of nations, to settle this point; so that it shall be no longer an
object of jealousy. This can be done only by abandoning entirely, or
dividing more equally; but, at present, the animosity and enmity
occasioned is considerable, though not well founded.

The Spaniards are not envied for the possession of Peru, nor the
Portuguese for the Brazils, though they draw more wealth from them
than ever England or Holland did from their foreign possessions; yet,
England is, and Holland was, an object of envy, on account of
possessions abroad. This is the more unreasonable, that the Spaniards
and Portuguese keep the trade strictly to themselves, while England
allows nations, at peace with her, the most liberal conditions for
trading with her Indian possessions: conditions, indeed, that give them
a superiority over ourselves. {220} This conduct ought not to bring
down upon England, envy or enmity, (though it does); for the fact is,
that if all nations were at peace with England, they might, if they had
capital and skill, (and that they have not is no fault of England,) trade
with India to great advantage, while we should have the trouble of
defending our establishments, and of keeping the country.

Before the revolution, France obtained more produce from Saint
Domingo alone, in one year, than Britain did from all her West India
Islands together, in three years, and much more than England did from
all her foreign possessions together; yet, France was never obnoxious
to other nations on that account.

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{220} T