Commercial Prize of the Orient 403 



1,205 



1,439 



,40 I 



I I 



1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 

 POPULATION 

 ,(in millions) 



b 



I I 



1800'20 '40'6Q'80 1900 1800'20 ^O'eO'SO 1900 188o' 2°0' 50' 60'8( 



19 0 1800' 20' 40 '60'8 1900 1800'2O '40'60 



1.4 j 



0D>2(f 



gTBAMSKTPS 

 ( in millions of 



RAILROADS 

 (in thousands of 

 miles) 



TELEGRAPHS 

 ( in thousands of 

 miles) 



(in thousands of 

 miles) 



COMMERCE 

 (in "billions of 

 dollars) 



A Comparison of the Orient and the Remainder of the World in Area, Population, 

 Railroads, Telegraphs, and Commerce. See page 412 



which it introduced, aided commerce 

 and extended geographic knowledge. 



With the conquests of Alexander, by 

 which his empire was extended to In- 

 dia,, came a more intimate knowledge of 

 the Orient and its wonderful commer- 

 cial possibilities, and the ivory, the fine 

 woods, the spices, the jewelry and pre- 

 cious stones of that section, and the 

 silks and other products of China which 



then reached the markets of India were 

 freely exchanged for the cloths and furs 

 and tin and silver and amber of the Oc- 

 cident. Yet the slow rate of travel, and 

 therefore of commercial and geographic 

 research, even at that time, is shown by 

 the fact that the return of that portion 

 of Alexander's forces which traveled by 

 sea from the mouth of the Indus to the 

 head of the Persian Gulf and thence to 



