Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1865-06-17
The Craufh of Commerce.

The Growth Of Commerce.
from the n. Y journal of Commerce. -.
NInHaS former Aarticle we remarkeds
sonaAwhat iiscursively, on the impefling
motives to- international comm rce
amon q the early races Of men. IS would
he 10 less interesting to trace the hieto-
~ Of The growth of that commerce, 4
~ lad space for it. There are some
INTERESTING points in the history which
MAYBE gla15ced at. Ship-building was
begun Ia at an early period. The Egyps
tian monuments represent Nile boats
among the earliest objects, and 1t Is not
inipessible that the navigation"~of the
father of rivers gave rise to the building
of vessels to cross the Mediterranean
Lsea--LYhe-ark of Noah Las often been
referred to as model of ship-buiiding;
but when we rememberithat It was fpd-
derless, and not even open to the sky
above. we may regard 1T as only safe
and close float, not to be considered as
a specimen OF Or even as sillnstfating
lanynncient acknowledges, ship building.
W.. have. however, abundant evidence
Et6atsat'w verySearIy period large vessels
wore constructed and nayigated the
AFesRF4faneafl SEQ, and i'm the time OF
solomon il is plain that other seas
more exposed than the Mediterranean,
were crossed by adventurous voyagers.
Al this date, too,4 St ID eyithoutT doubt
that tliezn1enarehs efEgypthml laccom7
plished the grand undertaking sof our
awn. century. connection of the waters
OF the Mediterranean and Red Sea by a
roma. though mob a. canal across the
sandy istbmus. The canal from the
Nile, near Heliopolis and Memphis, to
the Red Sea, was completed as long ago
las b. c. 1000, and there is a great deal
of force in the arguments which have
.addoced to prove that Carthage was the
Tarshiso of. Solomon, and that his ships,
built at Ezion-Geber, on the Red Sea,
passed through the Egyptian canal on
tbeiryoyage- Tarshish. ,---E-H
tits especially interesting to-notiee
the fresh impulses given to commerce IN
all ages by the increase of the wants OF
the human race, and their education IN
new luxuries and sometimes in new
vices. The thoughtful man may well
study the question whether, after all,
the happiness Of the race has been IN
creased by the increase of commerce
and its ACCOMPLISHMENTS. 1t is a ques-
ton worth considering whether fthe
simple life of the ancient, uneducated
In l,txury. its, wan IS met by the prod1cts
of his own fields, Its wishes bounded by
the visible horizon, was not after ali
purer, happier life, better suited to the
objects for which mer are placed here,
thar, our modern life of excitement,
whosewishes have grown to be necessi-
ties. demanding worldwide commerce
to crafty them. The. old Romans and
Greeks traded with the east for spices,
with Africa for corn, and for ivory and
ebony and other Injuries. The modern
world trades with the east aud tie west
for tea, coffee, and tobacco, articles I'M
known to ancient commerce. 1t would
be curious to consider the effect on
modern commerce of annihilating the
use of these articles. To discontinue
the use of tobacco would not only stop
the occupation of merchants and fleets
of vessels, but would bankrupt Eng land
and France, and settle forever the tenn
poral power the Pope, whose revenue
depends almost wholly ON the weed. =
The history. of commerce Is full OF IN
terest. as we said before. Its growth
has been assisted by various and strange
causes. 1t seems incredible, nows that
the origin of the numerous efforts to
discover the northwest passage was in
the weakness rather than in the strength
of England Butso it was.R Portugal
was once more powerful on the ocean
than England, and it was not pleasant,
nor unite safe, forrhe merchants of the
comparatively puny island kingdom to
seek commerce in the far east by the
same route taken by their wealthy and
more powerful rivals. Hence the anxiety
to find a new route, safe for peaceful
British merchants who feared the Portu-
puese, to the Pacific ocean, and hence
the efforts for northwest passage. He
who seeks to trace the growth of COM
merce, the impelling motives which
have led to new adventures and new
VOYAGES, finds himself studying the his
tory of his race. The history of COM
merce is the history of man, of his yir-
tues and vices, his education, his increas-
ing wants, his collisions with his fellow
man. Modern commerce is just as
much result of the growth of ages as
modern law or politics, or learning, In
any department, and the merchant
works on the results of the interesting
and changing wants of the family man.