Items related to Cities of the world
Synopsis
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1881 Excerpt: ...her merchants repaired to Alexandria, and brought home Indian spices and Arabian perfumes. In the dark times that succeeded, Western Europe still obtained through Marseilles the products of the East. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries silk became au important article of trade. The union of Marseilles to France, in the seventeenth century, favoured its commercial prosperity. The era of independent cities was dying out, and Marseilles took its place in the new order of things as a maritime port of a great Power. Just before the Revolution 4,000 vessels annually brought the tribute of Asia, Africa, and America to the Old Port, and fleets were constantly sailing to those regions with the products and manufactures of France. The Revolution and the subsequent wars for a time severely damaged the trade of Marseilles, but the Restoration brought prosperity, which was considerably increased by the colonisation of Algeria. But the most marvellous growth of Marseilles has taken place since 1850. No other city in France has ever made such progress in so short a time, both as regards extension and embellishment of the city, and the colossal increase of its commercial importance. Marseilles is now the first trading town in France, and one of the ten or twelve most important in the world. The shipping in its harbours is double that of Havre, three times that of Bordeaux, or six times that of Nantes. Its trade, however, is subject to great variations, as it consists to a very considerable extent in the importation of wheat, which, of course, largely depends on the yield of the French harvests. Next in importance to cereals from the East, from Russia, and from the Danubian Provinces, are cattle from Algeria, Spain, and Italy, cottons from India and Egypt, wools and iion ...
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