that the Danes were frequently obliged to sell at a losing |
price; as they were not permitted to re-export their mer-
chandise from those towns after they had once exposed it
for sale:-or, if that were not the case, they were at least
compelled, if they refused the proffered price, to lodge their
commodities in warehouses, there to remain until the prices
changed in their favour. Every one, at all familiar with
the principles which regulate commercial transactions, must
at once see that such arbitrary measures as these, are utterly
inconsistent with freedom of commerce, and subversive of
the very principles on which it rests. The Hanseatics were
not long in experiencing the bad effects of this systein; for
the king ordered that all Danish merchandise should be
exposed for open sale at Copenhagen instead of being carried
to the Hanse Towns. Two results followed this order:
Copenhagen became the emporium for the whole of Den-
mark; and the Hanse Towns received a blow which hastened
their fall, now rapidly approaching.

Had Sweden and Denmark remained at peace with each other, there is little doubt that the Hanse would have been more rapidly humbled by them. But for centuries there were repeated contests for the crowns of Sweden, Denmark, and Norway; and, as the Hanse Towns had always numerous shipping at their disposal, the various candidates for the disputed thrones were frequently glad to borrow or purchase the aid of the Hanseatics, by which the latter gained great influence which would not otherwise have been possessed. At one time, about the year 1525,- the Lübeckers actually offered to sell the Kingdom of Denmark to Henry the Eighth of England, for a certain sum; but that shrewd monarch reserved his money until it should appear that the Lübeckers were able to do what they professed.

The year 1552 witnessed the first serious attempt to break down the monopoly of the Steel-yard merchants at London, after it had existed 300 years. These merchants had greater facilities and privileges than the English merchants themselves, and complaints against the monopoly now became general. The Steel-yard merchants usually set what price they pleased on both their imports and exports; and having the command of all the markets in England, with jointstock banks or funds, they ruined the native merchants. They were also accused of defrauding the customs, by taking under their own names (as they paid little or no custom) great quantities of the merchandise of other foreigners not entitled to their immunities. It is said that they had succeeded in monopolizing English commerce to such an extent, that while they exported 44,000 pieces of woollen cloth in one year, all the English merchants together had not exported more than 1100 pieces. A charge was also brought against them of having repeatedly exceeded the charter granted to them, and of having, by a gratuity to the monarch, retained privileges which were not in their charter, and of thereby injuring the English merchants generally. In consequence of these complaints, the privy-council investigated the whole matter, in the reign of Edward the Sixtli, examining the modes in which the various privileges had been granted, the parties to whom granted, and the manner in which the favoured merchants had conducted themselves. The result was unfavourable to the Steel-yard merchants; for it was ordered, "that the privileges, liberties, and franchises, claimed by the said merchants of the steel-yard, shall from henceforth be and remained seized and resumed into the King's Grace's hands, until the said merchants of the Steel-yard shall declare and prove better and more sufficient matter for their claim in the premises: saving, however, to the said merchants all such liberty of coming into this realm and trafficking, in as ample manner as any merchant-strangers have within the same."The last clause shows that there was no unfair or illiberal spirit actuating the council: yet the result was a severe blow to the confederacy; for, from various causes, the comptoirs at Bruges, Bergen, and Novogorod had greatly declined, and London was the chief place to which they looked as the centre of their commerce. The comptoir at Bruges had lost its importance in consequence of the rising importance of the Dutch: that at Novogorod had sunk under the growing power of the Czar of Russia, who unceremoniously seized the goods of the Hanseatic merchants: that at Bergen fell when the power of the Danish kings became settled; for, independent of the spread of a commercial spirit among the inhabitants of Norway, the king tried to get rid of the Hanse merchants by a rather unworthy trick. An ancient toll had been long recognised, of a gold rose-noble, for every Hanse sail that entered the harbour: this word "sail" was always meant to imply a ship, but the king of Denmark and Norway now put a new

construction on it by obliging all ships to pay a gold rosenoble for every sail in or belonging to each ship.

The finishing-blow to the influence of the Hanse Towns in England was the imposition of a duty of 20 per cent. on all the goods in which they trafficked, instead of the 1 per cent. which had been the rate for 300 years. This duty, which was determined on in Queen Mary's reign, did more than any forcible proceedings to put an end to the Steel-yard company. They did not however yield their privileges without a fierce struggle; for when Elizabeth succeeded to the throne, they applied to the Emperor Rodolph to compel her to reinstate them in their old and unreasonable immunities, especially that of paying only 1 per cent. duty. The emperor expostulated with the queen; but she replied that she had done the merchants no wrong: all had been determined in a regular and constitutional manner. The Hanseatics hereupon expelled all the English merchants from Hamburg, a step which greatly injured their cause; for the queen immediately made such orders in council as reduced the Steel-yard merchants, not only to the level, but below it, of her own subjects,-prohibiting them, among other things, from exporting wool. The Hanseatics, bent on revenge, laid a duty of 7 per cent. on all English goods entering Hanseatic ports; but this did them harm, for the queen laid an equal duty on all Hanseatic commodities.

The result of these proceedings was that the revenue and commerce of England were both much enlarged, while the Steel-yard merchants were deprived of those privileges which had hitherto given them so much power. The Hanseatics complained to the Diet of the empire, and recommended, as the only way of "bringing the queen to terms," that all English merchants should be banished out of the empire, and to prohibit English woollen goods from being imported into any German towns. The Hanse merchants were listened to by the Diet, and Elizabeth so far relaxed from her former resolution as to allow the Steel-yard merchants to trade in England on the same terms as her own subjects, provided English merchants were allowed to trade unmolested at the Hanse Towns. The queen being at that time at war with Spain, gave due notice to the Hanse Towns not to carry into Spain, Portugal, or Italy, any provisions, naval stores, or implements of war, for the use of the King of Spain, on pain of forfeiture of the ships so employed. In defiance of this injunction, sixty Hanseatic fly-boats conveyed wheat and warlike stores to Spain: they had procceded by way of the Orkneys and Ireland, in order to avoid the queen's fleet, but they were taken by Sir Francis Drake, near Spain, and all the cargoes seized. This seizure led to much bitter correspondence between Elizabeth on the one part, and the Emperor and the Hanse Towns on the other. A general assembly of the Hanse sent a letter to Elizabeth, but allowed themselves to be betrayed into so much warmth that the queen sent them a contemptuous answer. Hereupon the emperor sent a message to her, and she sent a special messenger to explain, candidly and fairly, all the circumstances of the quarrel. Thus terminated the contest; for although the Hanse merchants petitioned to have the Steel-yard privileges restored, the English nation had become too wise to allow English interests to be frustrated by these monopolizing Hanseatics.

Meanwhile the League showed increasing symptoms of feebleness, in its dealings with continental states. The Kings of Denmark and Sweden, who had formerly been so often forced to yield to the Hanseatics, now bearded them in their turn. In 1591 the Leaguers endeavoured to force the town of Elbing, in Prussia, to discountenance English merchants, by forbidding their resort to that town; but the Elbingers had had too many proofs of the advantages of commerce with England to be led to this step: they wrote to Elizabeth, acquainting her with the proposal which had been made to them, and also their determination to continue their friendly relations with the English merchants, as did also the King of Poland. But the Emperor and the Hanse succeeded in compelling the English merchants to leave the town of Staden, as well as several other towns in Germany, whereupon the Dukes of Brunswick and of Holstein, and about a dozen towns in the Netherlands, sent letters to Elizabeth, expressive of their friendly wishes towards English commerce, and the queen at the same time ordered the lord mayor to shut up the Steel-yard, and to expel the turbulent merchants altogether from London.

Wheeler, who wrote about the year 1600, says, that the Hanseatics "are now so much decayed in power and strength, as that the state need not greatly to fear them. For, as the causes which made the Hanse Towns of estimation and

account in old times, were the multitude of their shippin and sea trade, whereby they stored all countries with their Eastern commodities, (i.e., naval stores, flax, hemp, linen, iron, copper, corn, &c.), and served princes' turns with their large and stout ships in time of war; we shall find at this time, that they have in a manner lost both one and the other long ago, when compared with what they formerly were. And if her Majesty should forbid all trade into Spain, after the example of other princes, they would, in a short time, be quit of the rest; for that trade is their chiefest support at this instant. Besides, of the seventy-two confederate Hanse Towns, so much vaunted of, what remains almost but the report? And those which remain, and appear by their deputies, when there is any assembly, are they able, unless with much ado, to bring up the charges and contributions for the defence and maintenance of their league, privileges, and trade, in foreign parts and at home? Surely no; for most of their teeth are out, and the rest but loose."

Wheeler was right: the process of decay, which he significantly indicates by the teeth being out," was rapidly going on the confederacy had lived to realise all the benefit which such an association was calculated to confer on society; and, like a worn-out frame, it was now, by a natural process, sinking into insignificance. In 1604, they had a general assembly, and determined on a solemn embassy to the various countries of Europe, for the renewal of their mercantile privileges. But the day was gone by: the English king, James the First, would have nothing to do with the embassy; and the King of France gave empty promises, but nothing else. In 1612 the King of Denmark, to support the expenses of a war in which he was engaged with Sweden, raised the toll or duties at the Sound, on vessels passing to or from the Baltic. These increased tolls were equally vexatious to the Hanseatics and to the Dutch; and these two powers coalesced, almost for the first time, in an attack on the Danes, in order to lower the Sound duties: Holland was to pay seven-eighths, and Lübeck one-eighth of the expense incurred; and the other Hanse Towns were allowed to join the alliance or not at pleasure. This circumstance showed that the confederacy was no longer one united whole, influenced by uniform councils. These disputes with Denmark lasted for a long series of years; for as the Sound duties constituted an important part of the Danish revenues, the king would not lessen his demands, so long as he had the smallest means of enforcing them.

The year 1630 witnessed the last general assembly of the Hanseatics at Lübeck; after which the confederacy was dissolved, having no longer power to make their coalition advantageous to the constituent towns. But Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen united anew, in a limited confederacy, for mutual assistance and protection: and this confederacy appears to have existed, with scarcely any interruption, until 1810, when the French armies disturbed the arrange ments of those cities, as well as of Germany generally. At the conclusion of the peace, however, the league between Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen was re-established, and still exists. These cities are called the "free cities," or, more at length," the republics and free Hanseatic cities of Lübeck, Hamburg, and Bremen." This confederacy has the same kind of power (but smaller in degree,) as that which be longs to the various kingdoms, principalities, and dukedoms, of Germany; that is, it regulates its own internal affairs, furnishes a contingent of troops, and has one vote in the general diet or parliament of the empire.

By the

In conclusion, we may remark, that the birth, growth, and decay of the Hanseatic League formed natural links in the progress of European society. The good which it rendered in the thirteenth century was immense, but the seventeenth required not its aid. The ruthless attacks of pirates, and the unjust depredations of the feudal barons, gave birth to the League; but the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries presented events which turned commerce into other channels. By the discovery of America, Spain became a great power, and established a traffic with which the Hanse Towns had nothing to do. By the discovery of the maritime route to India, Portugal became powerful, and Lisbon was the emporium of Indian commerce. improvements in navigation, each country was enabled to send its own commodities in its own ships to foreign parts, without the aid of a central port, such as Bruges. By the growth of the Russian power, that supremacy which the Hanse had had in the Baltic now passed into the hands of Russia: and lastly, by the possession of great power for four centuries the Hanse had gradually acquired habits of grasping ambition, to which the advancing intelligence of Europe would no longer submit. These were some of the causes which led to the decay of the Hanseatic League, and we see clearly from them that the time had arrived when the continuance of such an alliance would no longer benefit commerce generally or the Hanse Towns individually.