Under The Power Of The Arabians, She Flourished
Exceedingly; And Even For A Short Period After Their Expulsion, She
Retained A High Rank In The Scale Of European Kingdoms.
The acquisition of
her East Indian and American territories, and the high eminence to which
she was raised during
The dominion of Charles V. and his immediate
successors, - events that to a superficial view of things would have
appeared of the greatest advantage to her, - proved, in fact, in their real
and permanent operation, prejudicial to her industry, knowledge, and power.
It would seem that the acquisition of the more precious metals, which may
be likened to the power of converting every thing that is touched into
gold, is to nations what it was to Midas, - a source of evil instead of
good. Spain, having substituted the artificial stimulus of her American
mines in the place of the natural and nutritive food of real industry, on
which she fed during the dominion of the Moors, gradually fell off in
commercial importance, as well as in political consequence and power. The
decline in her commerce, and in her home industry, was further accelerated
and increased by the absurd restrictions which she imposed on the
intercourse with her colonies. All these circumstances concurring, about
the period when she fell into the power of the house of Bourbon, - that is,
about the beginning of the eighteenth century, - she sunk very low in
industry and commerce, and she has, since that period, continued to fall.
And yet, as we have observed, she possesses great natural advantages: a sea
coast on the Atlantic and Mediterranean of considerable extent; a great
variety of climate and soil, and consequently of productions, - she might
become, under a wise and free government, distinguished for her political
power and her commerce.
On the Atlantic, the first port towards the north is Saint Sebastian; then
succeeds Bilboa, St. Andero, Gijon, Ferrol, and Corunna; but though some of
these, especially Ferrol and Corunna, possess excellent harbours, yet the
poverty of the adjacent country prevents them from having much trade. To
the south of Portugal is Seville, on the Guadalquiver, sixteen leagues from
the sea; large vessels can ascend to this city, but its commerce was nearly
destroyed by the transfer of the colonial trade to Cadiz. This last town,
one of the most ancient commercial places in the world, is highly favoured
both by nature and art as a port; and before the French revolutionary war,
and the separation of the American colonies from the mother state, was
undoubtedly the first commercial city in Spain. The exports of the northern
provinces consist principally in iron, wool, chesnuts and filberts, &c.;
the imports, which chiefly come from England, Holland, and France, are
woollen, linen, and cotton goods, hardware, and salted fish.
On the Mediterranean, Malaga may be regarded as the third commercial city
in Spain, though its harbour is not good; the other ports in this sea, at
which trade is carried on to any considerable extent, are Carthagena,
Alicant, and Barcelona, which ranks after Cadiz in commercial importance,
and now that the colonial trade is destroyed, may be placed above it.
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