The Fleet, the Flight - part three
"Martin! Remember your Serra! What would Sir William Petty think!"
Master Zelig was never truly certain whether he loved his job. He taught economic thought at the Academy, which gave him a certain amount of prestige. It was a good thing to be an educator in Libau. But among his responsibilities was also supervising the education of Martin and his siblings. Truth be told, none of the others required a tenth as much of his attention as Martin himself.
"Serra's fundamental is to sell more than you buy, Master. Which this Duchy does, and which it might still manage to do under Swedish or Russian rule. Under Sweden, Courland and Semigallia would be one more tax base and one more stretch of Baltic coastline. Investment in this Duchy such as my father has done would not make sense. Under Russia, Semigallia and Inflanty would become overland Russian trade routes and Courland Russia's port. This Duchy would draw investment. It would keep more of what it has become, even as the Tsar takes a cut for Moscow."
Walking with the master and his pupil was Martin's language teacher. He was only a few years older than Martin, and not much taller. His name was Njikobiya, which he said meant "I will not run" in his native language. German and Latvian tongues mangled his name to "Tchiko" or "Kobi" or "Anshikobi" on a good day. Martin had helped Njikobiya learn more German than anyone else, even as Njikobiya taught Martin the Bantu languages he knew.
Njikobiya was seeking to understand the ideas Master Zelig and Martin were expressing, since they were so animated.
Martin translated, roughly.
"Teacher asks me to think of the ideas of old men. The old men say sell more than you buy to be rich. I say we sell more than we buy today. We have big neighbours. Countries. One neighbour is Sweden. If Sweden takes our home, we sell less and buy more than today. One more neighbour is Russia. If Russia takes our home, we sell and buy like today, but Russia is rich instead of us."
Njikobiya nodded. "War. And after. Yes."
"My father wants to bring people who make us rich to Fernau and Tobago."
"Like war captives? Slaves?"
"No. Leave home in Courland. Make new home in Tobago. No man is a slave in Courland. No 'war captives.'" Martin turned to face Master Zelig again. "I understand how Serra applies. But before he sailed, my father said he intended to wait out this war behind our walls in Libau if our fleet can resupply Libau more than Sweden's army and navy can wear it down. Otherwise, Flekkerøy. What might Serra or Sir William Petty say about biding our time in Flekkerøy?"
"Presumably, that it remains an adequate place to reap the value our colonies have sown."
"Yes. Yes. But! We pay a cost to sow that value. Courland makes gunpowder. Iron. Cannon. Ships and sails. Grain. Glass and telescopes. Flekkerøy makes nothing. We would buy what we have profited from selling. When there is war, my father says maybe we go to an island. On the island we can not make what we make here."
"The island is poor while Courland is rich. And an island has no neighbour."
"Yes. And. Courland needs to be rich to keep making things. Making things helps Tobago and Gambia and Fernau make us rich. Master Zelig, the smaller part of Serra is the value of things that aren't goods. The ability to make the goods. The ability to move them. The ability to sell them. That smaller part for Serra is the bigger part for Courland. My father offers serfs and peasants land in Tobago. Ships will need to defend Tobago. More ships will need to move sugar and more from Tobago to bring to Europe. Buying ships could risk that we buy more than we sell more. Flekkerøy can't fix that."
"What makes the island poor?"
"What makes the island poor, - Flekkerøy, that is," Martin waved toward Njikobiya, but spoke to Master Zelig, though slowly for Njikobiya's benefit, "is that it can not make things of value. It is too small to grow many things. It is too small to make many things. It is a place to buy things and store things and sell things."
Njikobiya said a word Martin did not understand, then tried in German: "where you keep seeds safe."
"A granary," said Master Zelig. "A fair analogy. A place we store Courland during its winter, while we wait for spring. I find no fault in that, Martin."
"I do not want the seed of all Courland patiently captive in a granary, waiting for a less bad future. The seed of Courland is for sowing, ever growing."
- - -
"Citizens of Libau, I am Martin Kettler, heir to Courland, Semigallia, Pilten, Tobago, Saint Helena, the Gambia, and Fernau. You know that one or more neighbours are invading our land. You know life will be different for us all, soon. My father has invited any man to come to our colonies. To have a new life there. To earn or buy land and hold it. If you are a serf, or a peasant, accept the offer. You will have a chance to be better off than you are here.
"If you are a farmer, or a herder, you may be a farmer or a herder in the colonies. The colonies will thank you.
"If you are a craftsman, or a master in a trade, I invite you to sail. We have made foundries, mills, and glassworks together. You have become makers of ships, telescopes, gunpowder, and cannons. If you are a master in these trades, bring them to our colonies and continue. We do not want your skills and knowledge serving our enemies.
"You may be a Lutheran, a Calvinist, a Jew, a Catholic, or a Muslim. You still know the story of Noah. The Earth was filled with violence. God promised a flood. He asked Noah to build an Ark of wood. He told Noah the design. He asked Noah to gather a male and female of every creature. Noah and his family sailed. Rain fell as never before. All that was flesh on Earth died. All save those who sailed with Noah. They survived. All life on earth since is descended from them. It is after the Ark that God said to "be fruitful and multiply" and made a covenant not to bring such a flood again.
"This is Courland's flood. In this harbour we have Courland's Ark. Come aboard, two by two of every trade - or more. What we have made will remain fruitful, and will multiply."
