The Scandinavian Countries.—With this tableau before us, let us take the enumerated divisions in their order. It is difficult to understand upon what principle the Scandinavian countries are classed by the Board of Trade as neutral markets. If we open the second of the Inquiry Blue-books, and turn to the valuable table calculating the various degrees of severity with which foreign duties press on British goods, we find that the Swedish tariff is practically as high as the German. Denmark is generally discussed by orthodox writers in this country as though it were a Free Trade State. As a matter of fact, its duties against the principal manufactures of the United Kingdom amount on the average to 18 per cent, ad valorem; a rate, therefore, nearly twice as high as the 10 per cent, general tariff which Mr. Chamberlain has suggested for this country. But Norwegian shipping flourishes, we are told, because Norway, at least, is practically a Cobdenite nation. Nothing of the kind. Norway also has a scale of duties higher than Mr. Chamberlain proposes (an average 12 per cent ad valorem upon manufactured imports), and her tariff is equivalent in nominal severity to that of Belgium, though less effective as her internal competitive power is less developed.
On the whole, it is clear that our prospects in this direction are not good. Germany's geographical position helps her in dealing with these markets, and she is extending her grasp upon them, while our commerce thither in the last few years has shown the same symptoms of arrest as in all protected Europe. Germany exports twice as much as we do to Denmark (despite the immense advantage of our free imports to the agricultural produce of the latter country); she sends a far larger amount of manufactured goods to Sweden; and she already runs us rather better than neck and neck in Norway. We see, therefore, that the Scandinavian countries in the first place are not neutral, but are protected countries; and that, so far as their markets may remain open to foreign goods (though recent
