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THE:. DREAM OF A BRITISH ZOLLVEREIN 389
but separate Customs continued not only till the formal
legislative union a century later but long after. Ireland,
though subordinate to the crown of England (and after-
wards of Great Britain), was commercially separate till
the union of 1800 and even later. One of the Irish
grievances is, in fact, the commercial legislation first of
England and then of Great Britain directed against
Irish industries. In the. same way commercial union
with colonies was the last thing thought of until modem
times, the exploitation of colonies by and for the mother
country being the ideal. The distinction between the
idea of political union and that of mutual commercial
advantages has thus been complete in past times.
There are cases, moreover, in modern times at least,
of commercial unions between politically separate en-
tities, which were not intended to lead up in any way
to political union. For many years, as is well known,
a Reciprocity Treaty existed between the United States
and Canada, in spite of their political separation. In
the same way, in South Africa before the war, there
was a Customs union between Cape Colony, Natal, and
the Orange Free State. although the Jatter was an in-
dependent republic. To the same order of arrange-
ments belong, I think, the special regulations between
Austria-Hungary and Roumania and other Danubian
States for trans-frontier trade; and similar arrange-
ments between France and China as respects the
frontier trade between Tonquin and Southern China.
There is no question of political union in the matter,
but there are arrangements for frontier trade more or
less resembling a Customs union.
In this way the precedents are complete for treating
political association and commercial association as differ-
ent things, and as not necessarily involving and imply-
ing each other. The assumption that political union
follows commercru union is, theoretically at least, in-
correct. It appears to be largely due, ib reality, to the
frequency with which undoubtedly commercial union
has followed the political union of separate States, and