Litchfield enquirer., 1829-12-10
Com,,re ofMe E.srns,--Tn commercial

fYHMNgtrG nolnt or,lcw, if our !n"rrhants WCt wv" rs us"s"I, hriwrru the Russians and Turks wllI ~ nf ~rrni impurianrc and RdVNniaSc to the VfnI,rI Stn,cs, lt hes unlocked tho Dnrda' n"lIes to our ships, and Wlded the whole swnrn of the Black Sea, the EWxlnus POnlS nf the nncieuts, as R new Ntld tnr our com r,crrial Cntrrprl1r. Thc entire and nnre" s,r,ctrI freedom oflhe Black Sea io the com nsrcu of the world, was one OC tho most nronoinent causes uf the war now SD Drl'- iIantlv terminated. For although that sea hAa heen nominally opened t0 the commerce. of Russia, since the Convention oE kalnaru' shI. which was concluded in l774; anu a'' though the other principal powers ot Europe have been allowed to participate In me e"me advantage to considerable extent yet tne whole foreign commerce has been llAOle 10 Interruption at any and NIl times' At the cap rice of the Sultan, regardless OF the st'puHtlons of the most formal ComrHcts' Commerce and civilization have hitherto rCtreated with dismav at the voice of the Sultan, who can by n single word place tho industry of Europe md Africa under a1 interdict. "At any mo- ment hc has been able to paralyse all the spcculations depending on maritime c"nvey- unce, of every part of the world Tor the bIacK Sea, and completely frustratc the most judi ciowsly formed combinations. In vain uo the South of Russia, all Europe, and part ot Asia, study to create reciprocal advantages! and establish durable connexions which would conCer the greatest benefit on the Turks themselves As soon as the awful von plus vLtra resounds from the walls of the Seraglo, the flags of Europe must be hauled down. A thousand ships may be collected thelr voyage is interrupted, ended. All engage, ments are broken. and the funds transmitted to Constantinople are driven out ot clrcu'a' ton and lost. The Porte takes at pleasure any part Of the cargoes, fzes arbitrarily tne price to be allownd for merchandise, which Is olten not one half its real value, and even never pays that" Such has been the policy of the Porte; and such, under the whitening influence of its wretchod councils, 1t would have continued to be, while Europe consent ed to receive the passage of the Hellcspont' the Propontis, and the Thracian Bosphorus as a boon. But the strong arm Uf Russia mas broken the charm Of MahOmedan invlnciDl'a- tv; and the liberaIity of the conQueror, rising above selfish considerations, has opened to us this inviting theatre otcOmnercial enterprise, in common with the nations Nf the old world.
 Very incorrect notions have prevailed ln re- gard to the navigation of the Black Sea- It has been supposed to have derived its name from the darkness ofthc fogs, and the black ness fthe clouds, which hang over 1t in the winter; and the navigation has been consider. ed otherwise very dangerous by reason ot sudden and terrible storms, which are said to come with such suddenness and fury as to carry every thing overheard, before any pro- vision can be made for these sweeping gusts. But better information Is dispelling the hor- TOTS with which the poets who sung the voy- age of tho Argonauts, had invested the navi' gNtiOn of this sea and while 1t has nothing black but the name, modern travellers and VOy0geWs have found it as serene and beauti' fuI as they could desire. Ut is a notion, . E%srs "Fntec s sUSs sSSXsv @ tHs kSrh; ts' inc Black Sea Is dangerous. To them tt is truIy black; and it would even be 80 to Brit ish sailors tn such vessels as the Turks use, and which are peculiar to that sea; they can not lle to, and are consequently obliged to run bef0re the wind. and if they miss pOlt, go on shore. It is not more stormy than oth- CT seas."
 But little has been written 0fthe ancient commerce of the Black Sea. It was incon- siderable during the first ages of Greece, and began only to flourish during the time of the Cr0sades. when the LAtins held Constantino- pie. after the conquest of Egypt by the Arahs had ruined the commerce of Alexandria, and GtO3Eu tue FNukG tU huutN uN tuC RtdOtdu Gulf. The venetians and GenOese then songht another track tO India, by way of Ire bixonde. Armenia, the Tigris and the Persian Gulf The Gen0ese having conquered the venetia0s, and the Greeks succeeded the Latins in Constantinople, the former obtain ed of the latter a monopoly, and were thus enabled to heap up such immense riches by supplying Europe with the merchandise of India. Persia and Arabia. When the Greek empire was entirely subveFted by the fall of ConstantinOple. into the hands of Mahomet H.. the Genoese were expelled from the Cri- mea. and the commerce of the Black Sea was extinguished. Nor was it suffered to re- viSe while the Sultans and the Khans ofTar- tary held dominion of the entire coast of the sea. Peter the Great made an effort to ob- tain sn outlet for the commerce of the sonth- ern 0s southeastern part sf his empire by the sea of AzOf but was disappointed. Gather inc the Second was more successful And the subsequent eonquests Of Russia. by which she has acquired the whole coast from the estuary Ofthe Danube. including the CTimea, rOuud the sea of AzOf. to the western termi. nation of the Caucasus. and the w hole range ofeOast along their base tO MOngrelia, land now to TrebizOnde,) has contributed to the rapid increase of the commerce of the Black Sea down to the present time.
 The march ofRussian conquest t0 the East and the South, has been the march of civili. xation. And every additional tribe of bar harians which she brings in her domiuions. ssill enuershnfa so tha ouIa rgo,,,or. h..