Commercial Prize of the Orient 



Telegraph Lines of China in 1904 



became apparent that the water route 

 to the Far East lay at the south only. 



Finally, the theory of Grotius, that 

 the high seas should be open to the ves- 

 sels of all countries, prevailed, and then 

 the struggle among modern nations for 

 the commercial prize of the Orient was 

 renewed with a vigor, greater, if possi- 

 ble, than ever before. Ships came and 

 went at will over all seas and in all 

 directions Great commercial compa- 

 nies were formed and chartered by their 

 respective governments, their purpose 

 being to trade with the Orient, and they 

 gradually established trading stations 

 on the coasts of India, China, and the 

 islands of the East Indian archipelago. 

 The commerce by way of the Mediter- 

 ranean and the caravan routes rapidly 

 declined, and sailing vessels from the 

 countries of western Europe landed their 



merchandise and silver and gold at the 

 doors of the Orient, and returned laden 

 with silks, and ivory, and woods, and 

 spices, and with many other articles of 

 the Orient formerly considered too bulky 

 for transportation by the caravans of 

 earlier centuries. 



It may be interesting to pause for a 

 moment here to study the cause of the 

 anxiety of western men to find and main- 

 tain an all-water route to the Orient. 

 Of course, the mere contrast of the cost 

 of transportation by water with the cost 

 on land was of itself of great importance, 

 and especially at that time, when there 

 were no railways, but there were other 

 reasons. The land routes between west- 

 ern Europe and the Orient were ex- 

 tremely difficult. At the north the Ural 

 Mountains interposed an almost impass- 

 able barrier ; in the central region a 



