41 Benjamin Franklin [1760 
communication between Pekin in China and Peters- 
burg. And none of these instances of inland com- 
merce exceed those of the courses by which, at 
several periods, the whole of the trade of the East was 
carried on. Before the prosperity of the Mameluke 
dominion in Egypt fixed the staple for the riches 
of the East at Cairo and Alexandria (whither they 
were brought from the Red Sea), great part of those 
commodities were carried to the cities of Cashgar 
and Balk. This gave birth to those towns, that still 
subsist upon the remains of their ancient opulence, 
amidst a people and country equally wild. From 
thence those goods were carried down the Ami (the 
ancient Oxus) to the Caspian Sea, and up the Wolga 
to Astrachan; from whence they were carried over 
to and down the Don, to the mouth of that river; 
and thence again the Venetians directly, and the 
Genoese and Venetians indirectly, by way of Kaffa 
and Trebisond, dispersed them through the Mediter- 
ranean and some other parts of Europe. 
Another part of those goods was carried over land 
from the Wolga to the rivers Duna and Neva; from 
both they were carried to the city by Wisbuy in the 
Baltic (so eminent for its sea-laws); and from the 
city of Ladoga on the Neva, we are told, they were 
even carried by the Dwina to Archangel; and from 
thence round the North Cape. If iron and hemp 
will bear the charge of carriage from this inland 
country, other metals will, as well as iron; and cer- 
tainly silk, since three pence per pound is not above 
one per cent. on the value, and amounts to twenty- 
eight pounds per ton. If the growths of a country 
Ea 
«= B