and which were probably at first only fortified posts. Such, among others, was the immense citadel of Sarapan, where the caravans stopped after four days' march, carrying the precious merchandise which arrived by the Caspian to Cyrus. These establishments dated from a most remo e period. They have been attributed to the Argonauts, who were also said to have joined the Syros and the Araxes to the Caspian, for at first these two rivers, arrested in their course by a mountain, formed a great lake, without any communication with the It appears doubtful, whether a work of such magnitude could have been only executed by the princes of the country, interested in aiding the commerce which enriched them.

sea.

From the time of the Phoenicians silks come to Europe by the Black Sea. This assertion might appear uncertain at first, but it rests upon positive proof, for the inhabitants of the Isle of Cos had manufactures of silk from the time of Aristotle, four centuries before Jesus Christ! The Milesians, after having m de themscives masters of the most important points of the "Point Euxin," saw clearly that their commerce would become both more s able and more active, if they could gain a political importance in the country. There were already numerous colonies grouped about the Bosphorus, forming a compact population, which, becoming prosperous, ruled over part of the Crimea and beyond the Bosphorus. The Milesians, placing themselves at the head of a revolt against the Persians, being illy seconded, had their fleet destroyed, and lost their city. The inhabitants put to the sword, except a small number who were transported to the Persian Gulf. The disaster was a fatal blow to the commerce of the Black Sea: Afterwards the country was governed by kings, who neglecting commerce, developed in a remarkable degree is agricultural resources. While the kingdom of the Bosphorus flourished under the Levconides princes, the ci y of the Chersonesus, founded by the Heraclides, ruled the o her extremi y of the Crimea, and enjoyed a great prosyerity. Divisions arising in the interior of these Sates, they became enfeebled, and their king, consulting the interests of his people, abdicated in favor of Mi haradates Eupator. At the same time, the o her Greek establishments, situated on the eastern and northern shores of the Black Sea, suffered from continual attacks made by the barbarians. From the year 334 to the year 332 before our era, the whole face of the world was changed by the aud city of a young man, who died before the completion of his thirty-third year. Alexander, with a handful of soldiers, conquered Asia Minor, Phœnicia, Judea, Egypt, Persia, and a part of India.

There have been many suppositions as to the object which the Macedonian hero had in view. We shall only consider it in a commercial light. The foundation of Alexandria is a fact which does not call for a commentary. Alexander opened to Europe the commerce of the Indian seas and of Eastern Africa by a road which, if it was at the present day free and perfected as it ought to be, would cause the way by the Cape of Good Hope to be entirely abandoned. The foundation of Alexand: ia, although it did not ruin the commerce of the Black Sea, was prejudicial to it. The natural route of the productions of Western China, of Upper India, of Turkistan, was incontestably by the Aral, the Caspian, and Black Seas. But the ac

tivity of the relations established between Alexandria and Red Sea caused a diversion of the commerce of the Black Sea, and this diversion was also favored by the great rivers which traverse India from north to south. Alexander had perfectly appreciated the importance of each of these great arteries of the commerce of the East, and not to sacrifice that of the North to the South, he built the cities to the east and south of the Caspian, destined to increase the communication of the southern countries of India with the Black Sea. Seleucus, who after him ruled over the "Pont Euxin," or Black Sea, and Upper Asia, like his master, comprehended all the importance of this commerce. It was this that determined him to undertake the conquest of India. He had already taken from Sandrocottus several provinces in the kingdom of Magador, when the ambitious projec's of Demetrius and of Antigonus recalled him to Western Asia; he hastened to conclude a treaty with Sandrocottus, favorable to his plans of commerce, and sent soon after two ambassadors to the capitol of this prince, one of which was the celebrated historian Megasthenes.

This measure seems to have produced advantageous results, for Seleucus con'inued to take measures for the success of the commerce of the Black Sea. With this view he gave orders to the navigator Patrocles to explore the Caspian Sea, and at the time he was assassinated (227) he was taking measures to join the Caspian and Black Sea by means of a canal, which was to cross the Isthmus and unite the Kouban, which flowed into the Black Sea, with Kouma, a tributary of the Caspian. This canal must have crossed the country where learned men have since found so many traces of the ancient comunication between the two seas.

The immediate cuccessors of Seleucus did not prove themselves altogether worthy of their magnificent inheritance. Nevertheless, the commerce of the East with the Black Sea seems to have inspired Antiochus Soter, son of Seleucus, wi h the idea of founding the city of Antioch near the Oxus, on the route of the caravans of Bactres. It is also probable that his son, Antiochus Theos, was in some measure influenced by the recollection of the part the Milesians had acted in the Black Sea, and wished to attract them there again, when he delivered Miletus from the tyranny of Timarchus, and granted that city a special protection. Two great events which were accomplished under the reign of this prince, exercised a powerful influence upon the commerce of the Black Sea, These were the revolt of Arsaces, which detached from Syria a part of Meda, the country of the Parthes and Hyrcanie, and the foundation of the kingdom of Bactriana by Theodotus.

The riches of the last province, which counted, it is said, a thousand cities or strong places, attest the activity of the commerce of the East land. Theodotus endeavored to render this commerce still more flourishing by conquering the country of India near Bactriana. The alliance of his son and successor, Theodo'us II., with Arsaces, who ruled over the shores of the Caspian, facilitated the market of the precious merchandise of India. Even China must have contributed considerably to this commerce, for Theodotus seems even to have extended his Štates to the frontiers of that great empire-to the city of Sera, the emporium of the commerce of silk.

Euthydemus had usurped the crown of Bactriana, when Antiochus, surnamed the Great, the worthy inheritor of the projects and genius of Seleucus, undertook to recover the dominion of the provinces which had detached themselves from the Syrian Empire. The Parthians were the first whom he attacked. They resisted with so much courage that he thought it prudent to acknowledge their independence. He then marched against Euthydemus, who, after a long time spent in hostilities, made him understand that it was for his interest to allow an independent Greek kingdom to rise up at the extremity of his States, as a barrier to the invasion of the Scythæ. It appears, accord ing to Justinian, that there existed at the same time several small Greek States in India. These facts show how active and important must have been the commercial relations between India and the Black Sea, the highway of Greece, at a period when the Macedonian kings of Syriae were masters of the intermediate country.

Bactriana was governed by Eucratidas II., 147 years before Christ. This State, after having resisted under a preceding reign a formidable Indian invasion, at the very moment it appeared to have consolidated its powers, disappeared suddenly under a deluge of Tartars driven from the frontiers of China. Thus the communication between India, China, and the Black Sea, was momentarily intercepted. Great events were preparing in Western Asia, where the power of Seleucus had steadily declined from the time of Antiochus the Great. Mithridates claimed the empire of Asia, made preparations to attack the Roman Colossus, which weighed down Western Asia. In 187 he found himself master of the provinces bordering on the Black Sea, on the north and east, from Heraclea, in Bythnia, to the Dneiper.

The commerce of this sea had put him in possession of immense riches. He had a fleet of 400 vessels, and to the forces already under his command he joined those of Tigranes, king of Armenia. Rome sent against him successively, Sylla, Lucullus, and Pompey. Mithridates fell and the Black Sea became a Roman lake. Pompey was overwhelemed with astonishment at the riches of Mithridates and Tigranes. Fully understanding the quantity of gold, precious stones, luxurious manufactures, and rare productions of all sorts were the fruit of the commerce of the East, he took measures to facilitate its entrance into the Black Sea. He studied carefully the physical resources of the countries situated between Colchida and India. He was assured that it would require only seven days to transport the merchandize of India into Bactriana on the river Icarus, which empties into the Oxus; thus it would reach the Caspian by water, and bring it from there to the Black Sea. Pompey judging the route already mentioned, of ascending the Syros to Sarapanis and Phasis, to be the most advantageous, resolved to make it more practicable and more convenient.

This enterprise promised to be doubly useful, for at the time that it facilitated the arrival of the productions of the East, so much sought after in Europe, it would also be prejudicial to the commerce of Egypt, and hasten the moment when Rome should change the character of protectress of the Ptolemies for that of ruler of the valley of the Nile. The project of Pompey was not put into execution. Rome entered into the period of civil wars, and at the close Egypt belonged to her.

Augustus, master of the world, divided the empire with the people and the Senate, reserving Egypt for himself, which he made a part of his private domain, and gave it a special organization. The emperor himself appointed the governor, who could neither be a Senator nor an important political personage. Egypt remained an imperial rather than a Roman province, with few modifications, until Constantine.

Augustus, reserving to himself this privilege, secured the possession of all the breadstuffs of this country, famed for its fertili y, besides the monopoly of the commerce of India, of Arabia, and of Ethiophia. Succeeding emperors made every possible effort to develop its commerce, and soon the Red Sea was navigated in every direction by the imperial fleet. Thalon himself saw, under the reign even of Augustus, a fleet of 120 vessels leave Alexandria to ascend the Nile, and enter the Red sea by a canal. Unfortunately, the Emperors, masters of this commerce, weighed it down by exorbitant duties.

This of course had the effect, in a comparatively short time, of restoring the commerce of the East by the Black Sea to its former prosperity. Roman merchants imported into Colchidia the products of Upper India, China, Bactrinia, and Persia. Silk was the principal object of this commerce. In connection with this article of luxury, the West received also cotton, ebony, incense, rich stuffs, precious stones, and dye-stuffs. Pliny says, the merchants gained 100 per cent on these Asiatic productions.

The traffic in silk especially must have been very advantageous, as it was almost a monopoly, only a few packages coming occasionally by Alexandria, The Romans also received by the same route the iron of Siberia, which was considered superior to that of all other countries, and was used in the fabrication of all articles in iron where it was necessary to insure duration and solidity. The Issidonians also dealt in furs, which were much esteemed in the empire. It is probable they were brought from those vast countries now known under the name of Siberia, and was called by the ancients "the country of the Hyperboreans." The markets of Colchidia also abounded in gold, silver, the skins of Angora goats, and medical plants. The countries bordering on the Black Sea also furnished wheat, flax, hemp, salt, beaver skins, wax, fish oil, and thousands of slaves, for the Caucassian countries, from time immemorial, have carried on this detestable traffic.

It would, perhaps, be interesting to give a description of the commercial route which united the West with India and China. The caravans went to Ecbatana, (Hammedan,) crossing the Caspian Gates, (a narrow defile near Teheran in ancient Media,) they arrived at Kekatonpylos, capitol of the kingdom of Parthia. From whence they crossed Hyrcania, (Astrebad,) and passing by Djorjan, they arrived at Aria, (Herat,) which has always been a great centre of commerce. From here, turning northwards, the merchants arrived at Antioch, (Merou-Shek-Djehan,) capital of Morjiana. From this point the route was easterly quite to Baches, (Balk,) then took a north-east direction, probably to follow the course of the Oxus, the caravan crossed the Mount Comede (now Mount Belour) and the high table lands of Pumere, entered Lesser Thibet at the south-east, following the course

of the river Ladouk toward the north, arrived at a very remarkable place called the Tower of Stone. At a little distance from this place was the great rendes vous of the caravans, which assembled here in order to pass together with security the great chain of the Imaus, (Himalaya.) From this place nothing further is said of the route, except that there was a journey of seven months to arrive at the capital of Serica, which proves that the caravans from the west penetrated into the heart of China.

In the time of Ptolemy, the emperor of China, Ho-Ti, wishing to revive the commercial projects of his predecessors, sent an army to the shores of the Caspian and into Persia, and a little later the Emperor Antonius sent an ambassador to China. We must not forget that from the year B. C. 56, the Chinese authors speak of the arrival of Roman vessels in the port of Canton. Phasiana, the ancient Aea, on the Phasis, was then the great mart of Eastern commerce. There were 150 bridges over the Phasis, to facilitate the intercourse between the opposite shores, which whre covered with villas, inhabited by merchants, and immense warehouses, always protected by a body of Roman troops. They were also surrounded by a fosse to prevent the invasion of the mountaineers, whose cupidity was constantly excited. by the riches piled up in these establishments. The prosperity of Dioscurias, according to Pliny, was equally remarkable. It was frequen ed by merchants speaking 300 different languages, and the Romans were obliged to employ 130 interpreters. This city was the greatest slave market in the world, and Phasiana the greatest silk market of its time.

Before we show the decline of this commerce, we must examine particularly the relations the West with China. From the year B. C. 934, direct relations existed between China and the West, for in that year of the Emperor Mon-Wang, (the Magnificient King) went to visit a queen of the western country, called Si-Wang-Mon, or the Mo her of the Western King. The country inhabited by this queen is said to be Persia, by a historian and geographer of celebrity who lived in the second century before the Christian Era. It is said that the emperor, on his return, introduced horses into China. It appears the queen returned his visit. We will pass over some centuries, till we arrive at a period when we see the relations between Western and Middle Asia more clearly defined.

In the year B. C. 140, the Emperor Won-Ti, desirous of increasing the prosperity of his people by commerce, formed treaties with the mercantile countries situated west of China. These relations probably extended as far as the Caspian, for what we have already said proves that the emperor knew how to appreciate the importance of the commercial routes which united the extreme East with the Black Sea. Europe had already for some time demanded the productions of China. This naturally fixed the attention of Won-Ti, and we remark that from this time the Chinese historians began to register the events which took place in the West-such as the war of the Patria against the Scythiæ in B. C. 129, 128, 127, and the destruction of the Greek kingdom of Bactriana.

The conquest of Egypt by the Romans at a later period opened a new channel of communication with China, for we learn in the annals