COLONIES AND COLONIZATION. In the older and stricter sense, a colony is a body of people who, having migrated and settled beyond the borders of their native coun try, retain a political connection with the parent state. Since, however, the colonists may be mingled in any proportion with the natives, it is impossible to maintain a firm distinction between colony and dependency. It has there fore become customary to apply the term °colony° to an outlying possession of a national state the administration of which is carried on under a system distinct from but subordinate to, the government of the national territory. According as the dominant feature is the ex ploitation of a dependent population, the settle ment of immigrants from the mother country or the investment of. capital, colonies may be divided into possessions, settlement colonies and investment colonies.
The Greelc colony was formed in a natural way by the swarming off of surplus population. and was usually independent from the begin ning. The bond between the mother state and the colony was sentimental, not political, and the former seldom expected any advantage from the founding of the colony save relief from the pressure of population. The Roman colonies formed part of an elaborate scheme for extend ing Roman dominion. They were instituted by the state, and were its chief instrument in con firming its conquests. In their origin they were little more than garrisons in conquered, forfeited places, where land was allotted to the soldiers instead of pay and provisions.
When the discovery of America occurred, Europe was not overpeopled, and there was for a long tirne little spontaneous outflow of sub stantial elements to create new communities. The conquest of large and industrious popula tions, settled upon rich lands, tempted the cupidity of rulers, and gave rise to the concep tion of the colony as a possession, an estate to be mined or worked by the state or its favorites for purposes of revenue. Says Seeley: 4A native population reduced to serfdom, in some parts driven to compulsory labor by caciques turned into state officials, in other parts exterminated by overwork and then replaced by negroes; an imperious mother country drawing from the colony a steady revenue and ruling it through an artful mechanism of division, by which the settlers were held in check by the priesthood, and by a serf population treated paternally, that it might be available for that purpose; such was the typical colonial system.0
The exploitation of subject populations by such means as tribute, serfdom, forced labor on public works and government plantations, or the maintenance of Crown or company monopo lies, has come to be generally recognized as short-sighted, and no longer commends itself to enlightened nations. The old, harsh policy has, moreover, become more difficult with every step toward popular government in the donu nant country, and every increase in the power of public opinion.
Entirely different from the type lust de scribed is the settlement colony, whi grows up in desirable temperate regions, vacant or sparsely peopled by savages. Although the love of adventure, the crusading spirit and the de sire to escape political, religious or racial op pression are by no means to be overlooked, it is chiefly the economic motive that leads to the founding of settlement colonies. A stationary population enjoying rapid industrial expansion yields few colonists, but a clogged labor market, a narrowing circle of opportunities and a dark ening prospect stimulate large numbers to face the unknown in the hope of bettering their condition. Not only is a population stimulated to its utmost capacity, provided it remains in vitalizing touch with the mother country, but the mixture of races results frequently in a beneficial crossing of stocks, and the severe struggle in a iiew and untamed environment ac celerates the improvement of the race by natural selection. The growth of numbers, changing constantly the relation between population and opportunities, carries a colony through well defined stages. First comes the appropriation of natural wealth, hunting, trapping and mining; then follows pastoralism; then agriculture, to which in time is added manufacturing. Dur ing the earlier stages, when the colony is com plementary to the mother country, each finds in the other a convenient vent for its surplus products. The volume of exchanges is rela tively large, and their trade reaches its maxi mum importance. But as population thickens and wealth accumulates, the colony, acquiring home manufactures and home markets, be comes an integral, self-sufficing community, and evinces a growing disposition to assert its in dependence of the mother country, formerly its cotnplement, but now its competitor.