308 Henry Stevens's Historical and Geographical 
to Alexandria nearer the sea. Finally, in 1453, Constantino- 
pe the Christian city of Constantine, fell into the hands of the 
urks, and with it the commerce of the Black Sea and the Bos- 
horus, the last of the old trading routes from the East to the 
We hristendom for a time was disconsolate, and could only 
“pray for the conterition of the Turks.” The whole of the car- 
rying trade passed into the hands of middle men or agents, who 
passed es without news, and India became more a land of 
aeettey than ever; but this apparent misfortune proved to be 
the beginning of a new and brighter era. 
The lea med Christians of Constantinople, with nothing but 
their heads and their books, fled in exile into Italy, and became 
its schoolmasters. At once began there the revival of learning, 
_ which soon extended throughout the West. ‘ Westward the 
course of empire takes its way.” The Medici pe oe of Italy, 
at Venice and Florence, welcomed these learned , an 
bought their precious manuscripts of ancient lore. “The gun- 
be ow to give confidence to mariners and teach them a 
Bias the old agers of trade overland were closed, they might 
venture on new ones over sea. In 1453, in western Europe 
there was no tea, no coffee, no tobacco, no Indian corn, no po- 
tatoes ; = ey of the necessities of o ur day were not even 
xuries. Though the Cauaien had failed in their 
Geamniciliate objeuis they had e ve ra the — of the oo 
waning, “preprary to yielding j its trade to Dorie the then 
ost rising and active maritime power. Prince Henry the Nav- 
09° 
Martin Vea ‘ieee to the otha of —e rof all he should dis- 
cover from t 1442 Rio del Oro was 
Mice no doubt, a strong additional motive power. The capa a 
ion of negro slavery, and the part it soon played in com- - 
