Foreign Trade 汉译

If we consult history, we shall find, that in most nations foreign trade has preceded any refinement in home manufactures, and given birth to domestic luxury. The temptation is stronger to make use of foreign commodities which are ready for use, and which are entirely new to us, than to make improvements on any domestic commodity, which always advance by slow degrees, and never affect us by their novelty. The profit is also very great in exporting what is superfluous at home, and what bears no price, to foreign nations whose soil or climate is not favorable to that. Thus men become acquainted with the pleasures of luxury, and the profits of commerce; and their delicacy and industry being once awakened, carry them on to farther improvements in every branch of domestic as well as foreign trade; and this perhaps is the chief advantage which arises from a commerce with strangers. It rouses men from their indolence; and, presenting the gayer and more opulent part of the nation with objects of luxury which they never before dreamed of, raises in them a desire of a more splendid way of life than what their ancestors enjoyed. And at the same time, the few merchants who possess the secret of this importation and exportation, make great profits; and, becoming rivals in wealth to the ancient nobility, tempt other adventurers to become their rivals in commerce. Imitation soon diffuses all those arts, while domestic manufacturers emulate the foreign in their improvements, and work up every home commodity to the utmost perfection of which it is susceptible. Their own steel and iron, in such laborious hands, become equal to the gold and rubies of the Indies.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

对外贸易

如果我们查阅一下历史，就会发现,在许多国家，对外贸易一直是先于国内产品的改进而出现的，而且孕育了国内生活的享受。使用已经有了的、而且对我们是全新的外国产品，比改进国内任何商品的诱惑力都大，因为改进总是缓慢的，而且永远不会让我们感到新奇。把国内过剩和价格低廉的商品出口到土壤或气候都不适宜生产这些商品的外国，利润是非常可观的。这样，人们就感受到享受所带来的快乐和商品所产生的利润；一旦人们认识到这些商品的精巧及制造它们所需要的技能，就会对国内贸易和对外贸易的每个方面做进一步改进；这也许就是对外贸易所具有的主要优越性。它把人们从好逸恶劳的惰性中唤醒，用人们从前做梦都不敢想的奢侈品来展现这个国家快乐更富有的一面；并在他们心中唤起一种渴望，渴望一种比他们先辈曾享受过的更美好的生活方式。同时，熟谙进出口秘密的少数商人也获得了巨大利润；而且， 在财富方面可与古代贵族相媲美的同时，也引诱别的冒险家在商业上与他们竞争。国内厂商在改进中与国外厂商竞争，把国内生产的每一种商品改进到尽善尽美的程度（这是可能的），与此同时，模仿很快就使所有的那些技艺得到普及。在这些勤奋的人们手里，他们的钢铁就等同于东印度群岛的黄金和红宝石。