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290 General History of Europe Adriatic Sea, about two miles from the mainland. It was pro- tected from the waves by a long, narrow sand bar similar to those which fringe the Atlantic coast from New Jersey southward. Even before the Crusades Venice had begun to engage in foreign trade. Its enterprises carried it eastward, and it early acquired A SCENE IN VENICE Boats, called gondolas, are used instead of carriages in Venice; one can reach any point in the city by some one of the numerous canals, which take the place of streets. There are also narrow lanes along the canals, crossing them here and there by bridges, so one can wander about the town on foot possessions across the Adriatic and in the Orient. It also ex- tended its sway over a considerable part of the Italian mainland to the west of the city. 487. Height and Decline of Venice's Power. About the year 1400 Venice reached the height of its prosperity. It had a population of two hundred thousand, which was very large for those days. It had three hundred seagoing vessels, which went to and fro in the Mediterranean, carrying wares between the East and the West. It had a war fleet of forty-five galleys, manned