Delaware State journal and statesman., 1866-07-27

Polite and brave, she presided in council, and
bestriding her war horse, headed her armies.
Dizzied by success, in on evil hour she raised
the standard Of revolt against Aurelian. Defeat
ing two Roman armies, she was besieged in her
capital, and Palmyra, after an obstinate defence,
was captured, with its heroic Queen. Beautiful
as Cleopatra, but, unlike her, pure as she was
beautiful, she did not dare by suicide to escape
the humiliation of captivity, but sought for
clemency by casting the blame Of her rebellion
upon her couusellors, who-one of them the
celebrated Longinus-sufiered death, blot on
her fame, to be amented, while it cannot be
palliaIed. She graCed the triumph of Aurean
in chains of gold, dazzling the beholders by the
precious gems that gistered on her rich apparel,
and walking behind her chariot. zenobia found
refuge in paatal mansion, the gift of Aurelian,
score of miles distant from Rome, and deyot-
ed herself to the education of her daughters,
who inteImarIied with patricaus, and her family
was extant, through them, after the lapse of
more than two centuries from her death
Palmyra was sacked by command of Aurelian.
He permitted the rebuilding of the ruined city
by its inhabitants who escaped the swords Of
his victorious legOns, but it never rcgained it's
ancient splendor, declining gradually till its
sole indwelers were the squald inhabitants of a
few mean huts, scattered among the debris of
her palaces and her temples.
The Jews do not rank high as a commercial
people, Moses, while he refraiued from inhibit-
ing, did not encourage foreign trade because
the great object for which the jews were segre-
gated, the conservation of the true religion,
would have been defeated by their intermingling
with idolatrous nations, the necessary result of
traffic with them, The exuberaut productions
of the fertile lands of the Hebrews were mate
rials for extensive and lucrative trade, but they
possessed no good natural harbors. Joppa, forty
miles from Jerusalem, was an open roadstead,
and Ceaarea, thirty-five miles from the holy
city, was an artificial haven, constructed by
Herod the Great. David, by the conquest of
Edom, acquired Elath and Ezongeber, good
ports on the Red Sea. Solomon, from his init
mate relations with tho Tyrians, learned the
vast benefits of foreign commerce, and was not
slow in essaying to secure them. His subjects
having no knowledge of navigation or ship build
ing, and no aptitude for them, he obtained from
King Hiram ship-earpenters and seamen. The
countries to which SolOmon's ships, built and
sailed by Tyrians, traded, have not been ascer-
ftaned, though much diligenee and ability have
been displayed in efforts to determine the ques-
ton The cargoes were probably Mixed COM
posed of the products of Palestine, the manu-
| r.. a., 1.,t.
imported from Europe or elsewhere. The re-
turns we know were very valuable, and great
and sudden prosperity the result. The folly Of
RehoboAu lost him more than half his king
dom, and arrested the progress of all the jew
ish tribes, This trade 'anguished, but was still
prosecuted till the reign of Jehoshaphat, whose
fleet was wrecked Mt Ezongeber. In the reign
of Jehoram the Edomites recovered their indie
pendence, with Elath and Eziongeber, and this
trade ceased till the reign of Uzziah, who re-
conquered these harbor5, and renewed it, But
again they were lost, iu the reign of Ahaz, be-
ing captured by Pekah, King of Israel, and
Rein, King of Damascus, aud this traffic ceased'
never to be revived. The Jews, in Solomon's
reign, and probably Mt other periods, traded ex-
tensvely both by land and sea, but chiefly by
land, with Egypti and their internal trt lie was
great their ascending three times year to the
festivals ut Jerusalem alfording the same facili-
ties for sales and exchanges as did fairs in the
middle ages and afterwards. After the captivity,
the Jews were found, TO some extent, in foreign
countries, as merchants and mariners, and even
among the pirates, exterminated by Pompey the
Great In the middle ages, hated and down.
trodden, they were not, in the large sense Of
the term, merchants, but retailers and money
lenders, and in modern times are pre-emiuent
flor example the Rothohilds,j as stock brokers
and bankers.
Rome fell beneath the assaults Of the barbara
aus of the North, and in q century from their
frat irfuptiou her Jurisprudence, her science and
art, and their precious productions, were swept
from the earth. But the eastern empire surviV-
ed, with the semblauce of its ancient grandeur (;
commerce was still maintained at its capital
with the neghboring territory of Aaia and with
Alexandria and the commodities of India im-
ported circuitously, long, novel route, by land
aud by water, from the Indus through the Cas-
plan Sea to the Euxine and thence to Constan-
tnople. Cities Of Italy had become commercial,
and 10 such extent as to furnish transportation
for tho armies of the Crusaders. The effects OF
the crusades upon commerce were remarkable.
The armies, precipitated upon Asia by the. IA.
naticism Of Europe, were brought in contact
with q people far surprising them in wealth,
knowledge comforts and luxuiies These hosts
brought home enlarged views, which gradually
effected great social advancement in Europe.
In the period next succeeding the crusadeS
commerce was mainly carried on by the Vene-
tians, Pisaus and Genoose, enriched by the sup
plies and transportation they furnished TO the
Crusaders. The yeuetians, by treaties with the
Sodans of Egypt, eugrOsscd the India trade, by
its old route, through the Red Sea and down th'
Nile to Alexandria and though excluded from
the traffic with Constantinople by the Geuoese
it was only for the brief period when the LatiI
Emperors superseded the Greek. Founded by
fugihves from the barbarian invaders of Italy
who sheltered themselves in the lagoons of thu
Adriatio, Venice became, gradually, powerful
State. The discovery Of the new route to Indii
by the Portuguese was the death blow to he
prosperity; She 10 longer engrosssd the IndiI
traffic the Turks, masters of Constantinople
conquered all her possessions in the Morea ant
the European States, who were jealous of he
power, and iucensed by her arrogance and am
bition, and leagued against her at Cambray
completed her ruin. She no longer was q lead
ing State, but retained her ancient territory an
government. In 1897 she was conquered by til
French Republicans; and since 1915 has been