The
Friendship Between The Emperor And The Caliph Seems In Other Cases To Have
Been Employed By The Former To
The advancement of the commercial
intercourse between Asia and Europe; for we are expressly informed, that a
Jewish merchant, a
Favourite of Charlemagne, made frequent voyages to
Palestine, and returned with pictures, - merchandize before unknown in the
west.
Hitherto we have viewed the Arabians chiefly as fostering and encouraging
commerce; but they also deserve our notice, for their attention to
geographical science and discoveries. From the period of their first
conquests, the caliphs had given orders to their generals to draw up
geographical descriptions of the countries conquered; and we have already
noticed some of these descriptions. In 833, A.D., the Caliph Almamon
employed three brothers of the name of Ben Schaker, to measure a degree of
latitude, first in the desert of Sangdaar, betweeen Racca and Palmyra, and
afterwards near Cufa, for the purpose of ascertaining the circumference of
the globe.
We now arrive at the era of a most important document, illustrative of the
commerce of the eastern parts of India and of China, with which we are
furnished by the Arabians: we allude to the "ancient Accounts of India and
China, by two Mahomedan travellers, who went to those parts in the ninth
century, translated from the Arabic by Renaudot." The genuineness and
authenticity of these accounts were for a long time doubted; but De
Guignes, from the Chinese annals, has completely removed all doubt on the
subject.
The most remarkable circumstance connected with this journey is, that in
the ninth century the Mahomedans should have been able to reach China; but
our surprise on this point will cease, when we consider the extent of the
Mahomedan dominions towards the east of Asia, the utmost limits of which,
in this direction, approached very nearly the frontiers of China. If,
therefore, they travelled by land, no serious difficulty would lie in their
way; but Renaudot thinks it more probable, that they proceeded thither by
sea.
According to these travellers, the Arabian merchants, no longer confining
themselves to a traffic at Ceylon for the commodities of the east of Asia,
traded to every part of that quarter of the globe, even as far as the south
coast of China. The account they give of the traffic with this latter
country, is very minute: "When foreign vessels arrive at Canfu, which is
supposed to be Canton, the Chinese take possession of their cargoes, and
store them in warehouses, till the arrival of all the other ships which are
expected: it thus happens that the vessels which first arrive are detained
six months. They then take about a third part of all the merchandize, as
duty, and give the rest up to the merchants: of these the emperor is the
preferable purchaser, but only for ready money, and at the highest price of
the market." One circumstance is particularly noticed, which proves, that
at this period the Arabians were numerous and respected in China; for a
cadi, or judge, of their own religion, was appointed to preside over them,
under the emperor. The Chinese are described as sailing along the coast as
far as the Persian Gulf, where they loaded their vessels with merchandize
from Bassora. Other particulars are mentioned, respecting their trade, &c.,
which agree wonderfully with what we know of them at present: they regarded
gold and silver merely as merchandize: dressed in silk, summer and winter:
had no wine, but drank a liquor made from rice. Tea is mentioned under the
name of _sak_ - an infusion of this they drank, and a large revenue was
derived from the duty on it. Their porcelaine also is described and
praised, as equally fine and transparent as glass. Every male child was
registered as soon as born; at 18 he began to pay the capitation tax; and
at 80 was entitled to a pension.
These Arabian travellers likewise supply us with some information
respecting the trade of the Red Sea. The west side of it was in their time
nearly deserted by merchant ships; those from the Persian Gulf sailed to
Judda on the Arabian coast of it: here were always found many small
coasting vessels, by means of which the goods from India, Persia, &c. were
conveyed to Cairo. If this particular is accurate, it would seem to prove
that at this period the canal between the Nile and the Red Sea, which had
been rendered navigable by Omrou, was regularly used for the purposes of
commerce.
In these accounts, the typhon, or whirlwind, so common in the Chinese seas,
is mentioned under that appellation: the flying fish and unicorn are
described; and we have notices of ambergrise, the musk, and the animal from
which it is produced: the last is mentioned as coming from Thibet.
The next Arabian author, in point of time, from whom we derive information
respecting geography and commerce, is Massoudi. He died at Cairo in 957: he
was the author of a work describing the most celebrated kingdoms in Europe,
Africa, and Asia; but the details respecting Africa, India, and the lesser
Asia, are the most accurate and laboured. The account we shall afterwards
give of the geographical knowledge of the Arabians, renders it unnecessary
to present any abstract, in this place, of the geographical part of his
work; we shall therefore confine ourselves to the notices interspersed
respecting commerce. The Arabians traded to nearly every port of India,
from Cashmere to Cape Comorin; and seem to have been protected and
particularly favoured in their commercial pursuits. In the year 877 a great
rebellion occurred in China, and the Arabian merchants had been massacred
at Canfn. According to Massoudi, however, in his time this city had
recovered from its disasters; confidence had revived; the Arabian merchants
from Bassora, and other ports in Persia, resorted to it; and vessels from
India and the adjacent islands. He also describes a route to China by land
frequented by traders:
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