The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1898-10-05

AT the end OF the fifteenth century, at
the time of the discovery OF America,
there we're four great nations in the
world-Spain, the German Empire Tor
Austris,) France and England The great
est of these was Spain. At the begin
ming of the nineteenth century there
we're five great nations-France, Eng
land, Russia, Prussia and Austria. Spain
had by this time dropped into tie Sc
cond class At the end of the nineteenth
century there are five great powers
England, Germany (the new German
Empire, created in 1871, France, Russia
and the United States. Austria is APP
parently in process of disintegration, and
has comparatively little influence in the
worlds affairs. Italy, which in 1870 real
lied Cayour's aspiration in securing It's
ancient capital Of Rome, and which in
1857 was admitted into the triple alliance
the other partners being Germany and
Austria, is staggering under the load Of
taxation which her armament entails up
on her, and is probably destined, like
Spain, to play henceforth only a minor
role among the nations Two others
acquired world prominence for a time
but the time was short, and it is 80 far
distant that it is forgotten These coun-
tries are Portugal and Holland.
Wealth ordinarily brings power among
nations. Four hundred years ago lead
ing source of wealth among European
countries was in trade in the products OF
China and India, which were carried
through Western Asia by caravan or by
way OF the Red Sea and the Mediterra-
mean. Both these routes were either
through regions occupied by the Turks
or were bordered by such regions, and
the traffic was thus impeded and made
costly. Other routes to the Indies were
sought ON this account, and the necessity
for such routes became more imperative
when the Turks captured Constantinople
in 1853. Some navigators and traders
sought route by sailing south along
the west coast of Africa.
The Pt rtuguese gave more attention
to this particular search than any other
people, and the interest which Christen-
dom felt in getting route TO the far
East which could not be INSTRUCTED by
Turkish hostility impelled the Pope in
l442 to offer title to Portugal Of all the
lands she should discover which were
not owned by any other Christian nation.
Columbus, then in the service of Spain,
sought a route by going toward the west
across the Sea OF Darkness, as Europe
termed the unknown and mysterious ex-
panse Of ocean which we call the Allan
tic, and in his voyage in 1892 he thought
he found it. The Bahamas, which he
discovered, he and others thought were
part of India or near that continent, and
hence all the aboriginal inhabitants OF
the New Yorld were called Indians.
But Vasco da Cana, a Portuguese nav
igator, continuing the cruises along the
Airaican coast which his countrymen
had been prosecuting for many years, &C
length discovered a real ocean route TO
India by doubling the point of the Afri-
can continent which was soon appropr-
atelY called the Cape OF Good Hope.
This was in 1893, six years after Column
bus discovery OF the western hemis-
phere. But even before DAsGama made
this discovery OF the eastern route TO Iu-
dia around the western coast OF Africa il
was deemed necessary to provide before
hand for possible conflicts in claims TO
territory by these two countries. There
fore Pope Alexander vi in 1898. a year |
after Columbus first voyage 10 the west
side OF the Atlantic, made an allotment
to Spain OF all the territory west OF a
north and south line, 100 leagues west
of the Azores and Cape Verde islands,
the land to the east OF that meridian TO
be granted TO Portugal But Portugal
was dissatisfied with the share OF the
earth thus allowed her and the line was,
in l494, removed $40 leagues west OF
those islands. This arbitrary division had
important political consequences, for II
was with some subsequent discoveries
the basis OF Portugal's claim 10 Brazil.
But Spain quickly got 30 far ahead OF !