ch were formerly
brought from Birmingham.
But instead of Birmingham, an exporting town, suppose a village, or a
town which only produced and retailed for itself and its immediate
vicinity. The remittances must come thither in the shape of money; and
though the money would not remain, but would be sent away in exchange
for commodities, it would, however, first pass through the hands of the
producers and dealers in the place, and would by them be exported in
exchange for the articles which they require--viz. the materials, tools,
and subsistence necessary for the increased production now required of
them, and articles of foreign luxury for their own increased unproductive
consumption. These articles would not displace any formerly made in the
place, but on the contrary, would forward the production of more.
Hence we may consider the following propositions as established:
1. The expenditure of absentees (the case of domestic servants excepted,)
is not necessarily any loss to the _country_ which they leave, or gain to
the _country_ which they resort to (save in the manner shown in Essay I.):
for almost every _country_ habitually exports and imports to a much
greater value than the incomes of its absentees, or of the foreign
sojourners within it.
2. But sojourners often do much good to the _town_ or village which they
resort to, and absentees harm to that which they leave. The capital of
the petty tradesman in a small town near an absentee's estate, is
deprived of the market for which it is conveniently situated, and must
resort to another to which other capitals lie nearer, and where it is
consequently outbid, and gains less; obtaining only the same price, with
greater expenses. But this evil would be equally occasioned, if, instead
of going abroad, the absentee had removed to his own capital city.
If the tradesman could, in the latter case, remove to the metropolis, or
in the former, employ himself in producing increased exports, or in
producing for home consumption articles now no longer imported, each in
the place most convenient for that operation; he would not be a loser,
though the place which he was obliged to leave might be said to lose.
Paris undoubtedly gains much by the sojourn of foreigners, while the
counteracting loss by diminution of exports from France is suffered by
the great trading and manufacturing towns, Rouen, Bordeaux, Lyons, &c,
which also suffer the principal part of the loss by importati
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