New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-09

mans Green Co =,
rbere are few writer's TO whom 'ne a.,
i,ues as much Of its knowledge or hi,'''" .,.,,,
CT william Hunter. And this history wiz
certainly greatly increase the oeD'' ~
,,o,ur,e 10 a brilliant narrative or the eAii'e
80 - 49,. ,~roa+ st-uegle OF European nations
o. ~. control OF the Far East. ana we may
ao+ that those which 70 follow VIII eiNe
d, an eouallv fascinating way the later ac,s -
the drama which eliminated IN inc
rnent Of the British Indian Power
~. ooroent,on Of his task which the author
outlines IN the Introduction shows an au'i,''
ennrec,ation OF the real problems Oh @>"e-
INDIAN history. 1t has been cus'olli"''
-, .,o growth or the British Indian Empire
eN -, ., destiny scarcely wrought by
hr,,an hands" as the sudden thrush OF V'so'-
49,. occidental people into an "Asiatc VOID
.,o easv victory Of Western energy ana az
r,,n,strat,ve capacity over Oriental weakness
"a ,nisr,,,e Equally common is the beller 'ia'
-. English ACCOMPLISHED their task single
,N.,sed that their Eastern dominion was
founded in practical independence OF 'he re-
suits which other nations had achleNeu III '"'
same field These ideas. however, are as lar ae
nossbe from the facts. The success OF '"'
r-t4,sb conouerors was. as Sir William Hunter
rs "no sudden triumph but an indomltane
endurance during a century and hal1 or rus
i-ratiop and defeat; while the lnnlah fNp'le -
$50 far from being isolated fact IN me "orlus
history that IL may be said, with him. tha' Eng
land has acquired II as the resduary lesatee
OF an inheritance painfully amassed by Europe
,during the past four centuries" In the long
t,rd Nerce struggle FOR the wealth Of the Indies
,,ntcb followed rhe voyage OF Ia CANA, FIRST
nne European people and then another came 10
The front: but the course Of conquest was as a
whole continuous. and IN the end tha' natoh
.1riurnphed which proved itself best able 10 hoiu
what all had gained. The English. In word
3n large measure merely reaped what the
Portuguese. Dutch and French had sown. In
taking these sounder views q basis. IN aiming
10 exhibit the development 81 the British Asiatic
power as an integral part Of modern 1ndo-
,T,uroneau history and 10 trace. with constant
preference 10 the actual facts and conditions, the
successive steps by which It established
and consolidated STR William Hunter has
placed his work upon solid and enduring
foundation And If should he added that the
exhaustive and competent study Of original
sources and the soundness Of Judgment 20
which this volume hears witness. render his ar
count Of the facts and his generalization and
conclusions from them IN the highest degree
authoritative.
IN me frs. instalment ~ the book the nara
tive Is brought down from the closing % the
ancient routes 81 trade with India by the Turks
- The triumph q, The Dutch over the English
sn the Spice Islands From the FIRST Of these
events modern Ir6o- European history properly
dates for II has been ona long and finally sue
.essful effort n open UP new paths If commerce
With the Far East IN the place ~ those which
The Ottoman sources had barred The course
followed by this ancient trade - which Sir
william Hunter gives an exceedingly suggestive
account wss threefold. The northern tracks.
nv way ~ the Oxus and the Caspian. con-
verred on the Black Sea The middle route Law
through SYRIA to the Levant The southern
brought the products Of India by sea to Egypt
whence they passed 70 Europe by the mouth Of
the Nile From the earliest times the control
of these routes meant wealth and power. and
they have remained until the present among
the determining factors Of the worlds history
The possession OF the middle route in particular
bv the ancient Semitic peoples Of the Eastern
Mediterranean was most significant for civiliza-
ZION for it was the chief source Of the pros
r,aritv ~ Damascus Of Palestine and % Phoe
ricia and IS the key 70 the great periods of
their history: while by each route the riches 81
The Indies streamed out over the Western World
The complete capture Of the Syrian route hv
David and SOlomon-to give single but most
important illustration" forms the mercantile epic
Of Israel" and is the explanation Of her ancient
Greatness The record Of the rare and costly
products with which it adorned Jerusalem, and
.f the transit duties which II Welded 20 ne
king reads like a psalm rather than trade
catalogue" page 24) In fact the Old Tesla
1nent from beginning 20 end is full OF refer
ences 10 this trans SYRIAN commerce. and large
parts " It are wholly unintelligihle unless the
conditions % this trade and the fierce rivalries
cities. FOR example. which secured # after IT
was lost 20 Jerusalem gained with it The in
tense hatred ~ the Jews which IS broadly re
fected in the sacred books Tyre IS 10 be
oneulfed a place COR The spreading Of nets in
the midst - The sea Ire riches Of Damascus
shall be taken away: 1T shan be a ruinous
heap Rabbah the ancient hating place. half
way down the southern caravan route. shall
he stable FOR came's' The old rival
Idom. toward the Egyptian terminus forms
the subject of whole literature OF denuncia.
tor " page 26) The control of these great high
WAYS ~ commerce passed from one 70 another
Of The Powers which for centuries made Syria
and Asia Minor their haftle0elds. hut each IN
VARYING degrees. remained open to European
enterprise and p source # European wealth.
y the middle Of me fifteenth century how
ever. tlis lucrative traffic had practically
ceased for the Morgol and the Ottoman hordes
fa1 thrown themselves across both the Syrian
and the northern routes and before the century
closed rhe Turkish fleets had blockaded .he
Mediterranean outlets 81 the Indo- Egyptian
trade A great necessity thus arose among
Christian nations to search out new trade routes
70 India and in this commercial need Jay the
force which created the heroic age az explora-
ton. which led 20 the discovery If the New
World. the oircumnavgaton OF Africa and the
conquest ~ the Indies. and the long tragedy OF
the desperate struggle for the Northwest Pas
sage
The triumph q Europe was secured by the
bc ieS Nv