1 



220 HISTORY OF THE SEA. 



thirteen ships of the line, the largest yet constructed, under 

 Lopez Soarez. Sea-battles now took place, in which the pro- 

 portions of the slain were one thousand infidels to seventy-five 

 Portuguese, — in which a single European vessel contended suc- 

 cessfully with myriads of the native barks. The sacrifice of 

 life was truly awful ; but gradually the whole eastern coast of 

 Africa, and, opposite to it, the whole western coast of India, 

 fell under Portuguese sway. 



The entire commerce of this quarter of the world was of 

 course revolutionized by these discoveries and conquests. Be- 

 fore this period the productions of the East had been carried to 

 Europe in the following manner. The city of Malacca, in the pen- 

 insula of the same name, was the central market to which came 

 the camphor of Borneo, the cloves of the Moluccas, the nutmegs 

 of Banda, the pepper of Sumatra, the gums, drugs, and per- 

 fumes of China, Japan, and Siam. These products were taken 

 by water, either in the clumsy boats of the natives or the more 

 solid vessels of the Moors, to the ports of the Red Sea, were 

 landed at Tor or at Suez, whence they were transported by cara- 

 vans to Cairo, and thence by the Nile to Alexandria, where 

 they were placed on board of vessels bound to all the ports of 

 Europe. Those intended for Armenia, Trebizonde, Aleppo, 

 Damascus, were taken by the Persian Gulf to Bassorah, and 

 thence distributed by caravans. The Venetians and Genoese 

 took their portion at Beyrout, in Syria. The East Indians 

 preferred the manufactures of Europe to gold and silver, and 

 consequently the trade was generally in the form of barter 

 and exchange. In addition to the products of Farther India 

 which we have mentioned must be added those of India 

 Proper, — the fabrics of Bengal, the pearls of Orissa, the 

 diamonds of Golconda, the cinnamon of Ceylon, the pepper of 

 Malabar. 



Thus, not only thousands of laborers, sailors, conductors of 

 caravans, saw themselves suddenly deprived of their livelihood 



