The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1884-10-15

empires of the Caesars, they had not yet
been brought from those climates where
they were indigenous. They increased
perhaps still without culture in the
midst of woods, the hand of man
not yet having appropriated them as
ornaments for his garden. But this
event could not long be delayed. The
beauty of the tree, and the facility with
which it reproduced itself, would natu
rally extend the culture to adjoining
provinces; the European, quick to seize
the productions of all the rest of the
globe, would not fail to enrich himself
from these regions.
Facts prove that this result has been
reached, but we know not the date of
oring it. We will now make this the
object of our researches.
The Romans at the time of Pliny had
extended their commerce on the side of
India, as far as it was ever carried dur
stead of increasing, only became weaker
from this period; and the fall of the
western portion was accompanied in
Europe by the decay of letters, arts,
agriculture and commerce.
In this general overturn, the Greeks
preserved, it is true, with taste for arts
and luxury, some relations with India,
but trade with those countries had never
taken other course than by the Red Sea,
and this was closed from the seventh
century by the Arabian invasion of
Egypt, which soon followed the invasion
of Arabia by the Barbarians of the
West ethiopia, IT,
The commerce of these rich lands must
then have taken much longer and more
dangerous route. The traders were
obliged after going down the Indus, to
reascend that stream, and by the Bactria
(Balkh) to reach the Oxus-and finally,
by the last, pass into the Caspian Sea,
from whence they went into the Black
Sea by the river Don.
But this long and dangerous voyage
been able to traverse with safety such an
was nevoE undertaken by the traders OF
| Constantinople they would not have
extent Of country, partly desert, ans
| most of them nations with whom they
were nearly always at war, and who
were destined in the end, to swallow the
Greek empire.
They therefore limited themselves to
receiving upon the borders of the Caspi-
an sea, the merchandise of India, brought
to them by intermediate people.
One can scarcely realize that in such
state of affairs the orange tree could
pass into Europe, for this beautiful part
of the world had never been in so gen
eral disorder, or had so little intercourse
with India. Her luxury and commerce
were nearly annihilated, and the Arab
ans, whom the new religion of NIahomet
rendered fanatics and conquerors, mem
aced, ON one side the tottering empire of
the Greeks, and on the other. threatened
to plunge into barbarism the West, Just
beginning to be civilized Yet it was
precisely at this point OF time, and by
conquering spirit of this people, that the
great changes were prepared which
should revive and extend farther than
ever before the commercial relations of
Europe with Asia, and of Asia herself
with the more distant regions of her
own continent.
The Arabs, placed in country which
binds together three grand divisions of
the globe, have extended their conquests
into Asia and Africa, much farther than
any people before them. Masters of the
Red Sea and Mediterranean, they had
invaded all the African coast this side of
Atlas, and penetrated beyond to the re-
gion of the Troglodytes (Ethiopeans liv-
ing in caves-Irdns) the ancient limit
of the Roman establishments on the
east coast of this Continent; they had
made settlements there, and according
to the testimony of a historian of the
country, cited by Barros, they had pop
ulated in the fourth century of the He
gira CA. ID. 944), the towns of Bravo,
Mombas, and Quiloa, whence they ex-
tended themselves to Sofalo, Melinda,
and to the islands of Bemba, Zanzibar,
Monfra, Comoro, and st. Laurent. On
the side OF Asia they had carried their
conquests, in the third century of the
Hegira, 10 the extremities of the Relna-
har, and they had established a colony
at Kashgar, the usual route of caravans
of Toorkistan or to China, and which, ac-
cording to Albufeda Ca geographer and
historian, OF Damascus, Trdns.), is stu
ated in long. 81 deg. f73 deg, 81 min.--
Trdns.l, consequently they had pene-
trated very far into Asia.
Never had there been in Asia an en-
pire.so vast, and never had the commerce
of nations so near Europe beenpushed as
far into India.
A position thus advantageous and ia
vorable to the commercial spirit and love
of luxury which succeeded, among the
Arabs, the fury of conquest, would nat
urally cause them to learn of and to APP
pfopfiate many exotic plants peculiar to