Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 1).djvu/14

CHAPTER VIII.

Constantinople, A.D. 718-1453: its increased prosperity—Manufactures
of Greece—System of taxation, and of expenditure—Fleets and
mode of warfare—Struggle for maritime supremacy—Scandinavians—Muscovites,
their trade and ships—Russians; their early commerce,
and attempts to capture Constantinople—Their ships—The
Normans, and their expeditions—Establish themselves in Italy, A.D.
1016—Amalfi—Futile attempts of the Normans to take Constantinople,
A.D. 1081-1084—Rise of Venice—The cause of its prosperity—Spread
of the Scythians, Huns, or Turks, A.D. 997-1028—The
Crusades, A.D. 1095-1099—Siege of Acre, A.D. 1189—Armistice,
A.D. 1192—Fourth Crusade, A.D. 1202—The effect of the Crusades
on the commerce of Constantinople, and on its fall—Power of
Venice, A.D. 1202; her ships join in the Crusade, which was afterwards
altered from its original design—They besiege and take Constantinople,
A.D. 1204—Commerce declines under the Latins, but
revives on the restoration of the Empire, A.D. 1261—Genoa—Genoese
settlement at Galata and Pera—Arrogance of the Genoese,
who at last rebel, A.D. 1348, and declare war, A.D. 1349—The
progress of the Turks, A.D. 1341-47—Their fleet—First use of
gunpowder and of large cannon—The Turks finally become masters
of the Eastern capital, A.D. 1453 Pages 222-252


CHAPTER IX.

Ancient galleys—Different descriptions—Their outfit—Beaks—Stern—Masts
and sails—Oars—Mode of rowing—Single-banked galleys—French
galley—General Melvill's theory—Charnock's theory—Vossius's
views—Mr. Howell's plan—Plan of Rev. J. O. W. Haweis
(Appendix No. 1)—Our own views—Biremes—Triremes—Quadriremes—Quinqueremes—Hexiremes
and larger galleys—Suggested
plan of placing the rowers—Summary 253-297


CHAPTER X.

Britain: its maritime position, and limited extent of over-sea trade—The
vessels of the ancient Britons, and the larger kind used by the
Veneti—Encouragement by law to construct superior vessels—Britain
and its inhabitants little known—Cæsar's reasons for
invading Britain—First invasion, B.C. 55—Size of his transports—Second
invasion, B.C. 54—Cæsar's preference for small vessels—Violent
storm, and great loss of ships—Final action on the banks of
the Thames—Cæsar makes terms with the Britons, and re-embarks
his legions—Advantages derived by the Britons from their intercourse
with the Romans—Conquest of Britain, A.D. 43: its state of
civilization—Speech of Caractacus—The course of commerce with