The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-08-17
Proaress In tho East.

The nineteenth century has so far been an
boats and telegraphy introduced; it has seen
tho development of this great republic, has
witnessed the discovery of gold in Australia
and California, and has been marked by the
lost important discoveries in science Com
merce has more than kept pace with the
to it, Every new invention for increasing
the facility OF handling and in shortening
the time of transportation of CONNER
cial products has been followed by q
more than corresponding increase In the
articles to be handled and transported Capt.
tai has increased in a like wonderful ratio
Immense sums are now handled with the
greatest ease; men speak OF millions where
few years ago thousands appeared cnor-
nous, and any enterprise, no matter how
much the outlay may be, if il only show q
fair chance for profit, is never long without
funds. As result Of the modern facilities
Of intercourse capital has become cosmopoli-
tan, and funds can be gathered from all points
of the world to aid some purely local enter
prise-local, however, only in appearance, for
anything that affects commercial transit ID
soon felt throughout the sensitive chain that
binds all trading communities together. The
enormously rich and heretofore almost unde-
veloped countries of the East have for ages
been the golden goal towards which the
Western nations have been striving. The
gorgeous silks, the precious stones, gums and
spices and the various peculiar productions OF
India and China have for ages past enriched
those nations which have been fortunate enough
to control the carriage Of them. This trade made
Venice, Genoa and Florence rich and power
full it built those wonderful cathedrals and
palaces which are still the admiration of the
Western world; 1t made merchant princes of
the Dorias and Medicis, and enabled them to
leave their mark on the historic pages of civil
lization. The discovery of Vasco dc Cana
took this trade away from them, and with IL
their power dwindled and fell First Spain, then
England, monopolized it, and it made them
rich and powerful. Now France has entered
the lists and has opened new route from her
southern ports to the East the Sues Canal
will give q new impetus to all the ports on the
Mediterranean, and will, doubtless, do much
to clear Italy from the load of debt she is
now staggering under. Our young nation,
which has never yet held control Of this trade,
has made most decisive 'step towards attain
ing it in the building of the Pacific Railroad.
These two are, however, not the only new
roads to be opened. The oft-talked Of Panama
Canal seems at last to have found company
willing to undertake its completion. The Te-
huantepec Railroad is another contemplated
route which will, doubtless, ere long be opened.
That favored scheme Of English capitalists, q
railway through Asia Minor to India, Is again
on the tapis, and will probably at last DO built.
There is no danger but that all of these routes
will have all the traffic they can accommodate,
for they lead to regions containing considerably
over half Of the population of the globe. Asa
result ofthis will we see first increased material
prosperity throughout the world, and more par
ticularly, ofcourse, among the people along the
different routes. Frequent iptercoursA with
higher types Of civilization win bs hsnA1A