Washington sentinel., 1898-08-13
= = SENTINEL
Rise and Progress of Navigation.


East, rose thereby into temporary
prosperity and renown. AS that
aggrandizing traffic vanished, heir
glory became as "the baseleSS fab
ric of vision" 1t was chiefly to
the resources accumulated from its
monopoly of the Eastern trade that
Tyre, single handed and unaided,
resisted so long and so successfully
the mightiest assaults of AleXan-
der, the Macedonian conqueror.
He deserted the fact with his eagle
eve; and, having accomplished the
conquest Of Egypt, ne resolved to
open through that co., lntry direct
communication with India, and to
replace Tyre by nobler empo-
rum for Eastern trade. To this
the celebrated city Of Alexandra
owes its foundation. And when
the conqueror reached the Indus,
with its tributaries, and supposed,
in the geographical ignorance that
prevailed, that they were merely
feeding streams of the Nile, his
biogTapher, Arrian, declares that
TIC vast llGEA GOlAAlAl bY ANNdA-
chus was equipped tor the specific
purpose of opening the direct in
tercourse between India and Alex
andria. So intent was Alexander
on this favorite project, that when,
after weeks of extreme anxiety, he
was at length relieved from all fear
OF the safety of his fleet, he burst
into tears, and exclaimed: by the
Libyan Ammon and the Grecian
love, | swear to thee that | am
made happier by this intelligence
than in being conqueror OF Asia;
for ! should have considered the
loss Of my fleet, and the failure Of
the enterprise It has undertaken,
as almost outweighing,in my mind,
all the glory | have acquired" He
did not live to witness the execu-
ton Of his magnificent design; but,
unler his immediate successors,
Alexandria soon beca me the chan
mel of communication between
Europe and Eastern Asia. Even
when it ceased to exercise sover,
eign power, and became politically
dependent on the so. called "MIs-
tress OF the World" it still main
tanned its proud position as the
commercial capital of the Empire;
while in opulence. splendor and
population it bade fair to rival, if
not outrival, the Eternal City
itself
After Rome sank into decrepi-
tude, Arabia once more sprang
into greatness. They carried with
them into SPAN their Ori, ntal Gus
toms and magnihc snce, whilst their
mercantile operations extended
from the Atlantic to China, and
from the interior of Africa to the
centre Of Siberia. There, too, the
Moorish princes, disregarding the
austerities prescribed by the
Koran, INDUCED in the highest
degree Of luxury. The productions
oi the East were, therefore, brought
into Spain by the Arabs. The
Spanish people caught the conta-
gion Of selfindulgence from their
enemies, while to the same source
they doubtless owed rehnements
which were not previously pos
sessed. After the great victory
obtained over the combined forces
of the Kings Of Granada and Nor
occo. near Tariia, in I34O, an i'm
mense booty was found in the camp
OF the conquered. Not only were
silks. cloth Of gold and precious
stones divided by the victors, but
so great was the quantity OF golo
and silver, both coined and in in
gots, that the value OF those metals
is said to have fallen one sixth, in
consequence, throughout the king
doms Of France and Spain. The
retention of the sumptuous habits
Of the East by the Moors is thus
fullv manifest. Nor were they
alone in this respect, In the same
period the SDaniards acquired a
taste for all that was rare in the
Oriental world. The streets ot
Seville were hung with silk and
cloth, and costly perfumes were
burned in the houses, when they
were passed through by Alfonso
XI. in 1884.
There is reason to believe thai
the various commodities of East
ern luxury were brought into
Spain chiefly by the Moors, and
that the supply Of them was dimin-
ished as this people and the Span
iards became more hostile and en-
bittered. The ultimate expulsion
ofthe Moors from Spain was there
fore one motive for seeking a new
course by the ocean to India. But
the Portuguese were the first to
expel the Moors from their domin-
ions, and even to pursue them to
distant shores; and hence they are
the first to claim our attention as
entering vigorously on maritime
discovery. John l., Of Portugal,
married the eldest daughter oil
John OF Gaunt, by whom he hac
several sons, of whom Don Henry
was the fifth. After serving with
great bravery under bis father al
the capture Of Ceuta, he acquired
much information from the Moor:
in reference to the seas and coast:
of Western Africa, which raised
and encouraged tine project 0
maritime discoveries; and these
became afterwards the almost ex
elusive pursuit of his active mind
He also obtained intelligence re
specting the nomadic tribes which