The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-04-09

More than half Of this volume is allotted to
that part Of the history Of Tuscany which pre-
coded the fifteenth century. The most sue
cessful OF the chapters relating to this period
is one that deals with tho com manu-
features. and finance OF Florence. Florenttnes.
It will be remembercd-unlike the Venetians.
who were principally devoted to the carrying
trade-were manufacturers before they be-
came bankers. and before their acquisition OF
Pisa enabled them to engage to advan-
tage In maritime commerce.. The six princl-
pal trading guilds Of Florence-we omit
the guild OF judges and notaries. who cannot
be rated as commercial-includad the cloth
merchants who procured their cloth from
abroad. the wool manufacturers who wova
their own cloth. the silk guild. the %furriers.
the money changers, and the druggists. who.
In the capacity Of grocers. sold spices and
other imported products. We pass over the
minor guilds. eventually fourteen In number.
only pointing out that they comprehended
such producers Of articles for export as FAX
spinners. tanners. shoemakers. smiths. and
locksmiths. Tho first OF all the Florentine
guilds to mako noteworthy progress were
those OF the cloth merchants and wool mcr-
chants. Both sold. aud ultimately both manu-
featured. woollen goods. In the youth OF
Dante the Florentines still clothed them
eO''~s - esho ~ NV W sAS
Italians being sufficiently advanced In the
thirteenth century to import stuHs for
THAR garments from tho East. Woollen
cloths. however,. soon began to be generally in
demand. but their manufacture was difficult
owing to tho bad quality OF tho Tuscan wool.
TO improve this two things were requisite In
which Tuscany was lacking. good agriculture
and sufficient rasturage. The neglect OF
agriculture md sheep raising by tho Italian
burghers was doubtless duo to tho raids and
devastation to which rural property was SO
long and 80 necessarily exposed. The COARSE
material which the Florentinc weaver at first
succeeded In producing soon ceased to satisfy
his customer. while. on the other hand. the
importation OF Hner wool imposed expenses
beyond the capacity OF n nnscont Industry.
There was. therefore. but ono course open at
first to the Norontinos namely to import UNI
dyed cloths from Flanders and Brabant. where
tho arts OF coloring wero hut llttlo understood.
and to prepare them In Italian dye shops
for the markets Of tho world. The SUI
perior but ill-dyed materials from Elan
ders arrived at Florence. and being there
admirably dressed and dyed. were subse-
quently exchanged In Asia for drugs. dyes.
spices. precious stones and other products OF
the East. A demand for Thorn arose eventually
In the markets OF France and England and
they even found their way back to the Low
Countries. which had originally exported them.
We should add that the guild OF wool s~plnners
and weavers arose in Florence as soon as
1t was possible to obtain wool from the Bar
barry coast and from Spain. Portugal. and Eng
land. About the middle OF the fourteenth
century the wool manufacturers oil Florence
numbered 300. and sent out from 1000 to
$4,000 pieces Of native cloth. while the guild
OF cloth merchants possessed twenty dye shops
which among them imported cloth to the value
OF 100000 forms. which was all sold In
Florence alone. but could have represented
only a small part OF the amount imported to
be Rfterwnrd despatched to foreign mar
kets. The two guilds divided labor between
them In such a way as not t, Interfere with ono
another. This Ii proved by q statute restrain.
ing the cloth merchants from dyeing any hut
foreign cloths. the wool merchants having dy-
ers OF their own. Florentine dyes. and es-
pecially a red one. soon became famous. and
were protected by minute and stringent regu-
lations. For n time the Florentinos were I'M
masters IN the art OF preparing
cloth Tor sale. and We read that they professod
a great contempt for tho English. Dutch. and
French. rs poor creatures With no business
faculty. But. intercourse producing competi-
tion. tho poor creatures became excellent
manufacturers In their turn. and the woollen
In Florence bcgali to anguish. At
this junctpro. luckily. silk weaving was intro
qucol by Lucchese eNlles. and the Florcntines
their capital and energy into tho new
channel thus opened. When. at the beginning |
Of the fifteenth century. they had heep taught !