The Florida agriculturist., 1884-12-03


Black sea and Persian gulf. But 1t is
necessary to observe that this last is the
only road by which the plants OF India
are carried to the coasts OF the Mediter-
ranean. 1t presents more facilities for
that gradual progression OF culture,
which is the easy and natural means for
naturalizing in country the plants OF
foreign cline, and the only practical way
among people little civilized, and who
followed but the direct impulses of want.
This route was not intersected by long
intervals of desert OF of sea--obstacleS
which always arrest the passage of veg
citation and arts-but it offered, on the
contrary, nearly continuous chain OF
people and fertile lands, of which the
soft and moist climate assisted beyond
calculation, the progress of agriculture.
In fact it was by this route that the
bigarade tree passed from India into
Egypt.
Masondi teaches us that this tree had
begun to be cultivated in Oman, whence
it went afterward to Bassorah, thence
to Irak and into Syria. The spaces
separating these districts at that time
offered no great difficulties. Oman, sit
uated opposite the coast of Hindoostan,
nearly touched Irak by the chain of Ara
bian mountains, which are very fertile,
and it is not far removed from Bassorah,
on the seacoast. Nothing easier than to
transport upon vessel, in short pas
sage, plant so long-lived, and which
sustains itself, perhaps, more than any
other without injury, when out OF the
earth.
Acclimated at Bassorah, the bigarade
had nothing worse to cross than very
fertile regions, until arrived in Syria,
while the fondness of the Arabs of that
day for agriculture and for flowers would
accelerate it's growth.
BY this route, also the orange tree of
sweet fruit made its passage into Syria.
Europeans then frequented the mark
cts of this eastern country. Florentines,
Pisans, Nenetians, Sicilians, Spaniards,
and French went there continpallvs as
traders and pilgrims; but the Genoese
alone, by their commercial and geo
graphical position, could best favor this
enterprise. Masters OF many isles in
the archipelago, of Sardinia, and of Cor
sica, they had sort of chain Of estab-
lishments, or colonies, which connected
their country to Syria, and they could
more easily than any others execute
the transport of plants, even the most
delicate. II" ~fs .'n a
Every one knows to what point of
prosperity were carried the marine and
commerce of Genoa, from the tenth to
the fourteenth centuries. | shall OBJ
serve solely that it was to the coast of
Syria that this industrious people di-
rected chiefly their vessels and their ac-
tivity.
The Genoese fleets frequented those
passages long before the Crusader, [see
voyage of IngulphIs, Abbot of CIoyland,
reported by Baronius in 1861 blk. ,, p.
300, and during those famous expedi-
tions it was the Genoese who furnished
to the Crusaders the war vessels, the
transports, the instruments, the artists
for the construction of machines of war,
and the food for the soldiers dustin, p.
2S, Paul Emile, Guglielme de Nitry, and
Caffar.) 5,t,.-s,t @M@., -
| From 1897 to. HOS the,. sent into Syria
337 galleys, and they had so great infiu
ence in the success of the Crusaders that
Baldwin accorded to them the famous
privilege aof les, the expressions of
which deserve record: Psint (Genuen-
ses1 in erercifps Frqncorun Genientes ril'
| litter pr8fuefdnt ia dcguisitt0ne Hierusd-
lem 1ntioch0 ct Ed0diceT dc a'07fos@: So
ldinmo ,0t,dem stTGiJellum, (CQsuiram et
-Asspr pcr.se ceperes,t.'l s& gfs
This honorable testimony is confirmed
by all historians, and chiefly by NTori-
sotte, whose words L will presently give.
| Itis well known, besides ythat during the
whole of these expeditions they ceased
not to support with their fleets the efforts
of the Crusaders, and that in the ninth
Crusade, in 1243, they transported to
+, Egypt the King st. Louis, with thirty
! two galleys and seSen vessels, and had
an important part ia the taking of Da-
mietta.
Here arethe words OF NIorisottes Cdp-
tbs PhGaici@ ct Syri@ httouJus, m,6i-
busquc quocumque Soreeeni .f,tgere, guac-
unique exupere, ibi prxt0 Gcnateasis eun,
validis cSassibus .fuere, ace q,si Gen1ensi-
bus re iste@et post .SaraceSos inrenic5et,,r,
e. Pisasi. Fenetiq,te lostes defu;sse9at.
Morisotus, Hist, blk, >, C. %, p. 5l4-
According to all these facts, it is esi-
deaf that the Genoese had, more ti,as
all. others, facilities for seeing and for
bringing to their beautiful shores the
lemo4 and orange trees.
Those sailors who manned the war
vessels were the same persons who, after
giving sOine months to tillage, quilted
their families to man merchant vessels
TO go into Palestine, sometimes as ira
ders, sometimes as pilgrims, or Disguised
az 31ussulmcn with the caravans into
. 1