Such Are The Most Important Discoveries That Have
Been Made In Polynesia During The Last Century; But Besides These, Other
Discoveries Of Less Importance Have Been Made, Either By Navigators Who
Have Sailed Expressly For The Purpose, As Kotzebue, &C., Or By Accident,
While Crossing This Immense Ocean.
In consequence of the advances which the
Sandwich Islands have made in civilization, commerce, and the arts, there
is
Considerable intercourse with them, especially by the Americans; and
their voyages to them, and from thence to China, whither they carry the
sandal wood, &c. which they obtain there, as well as their voyages from the
north-west coast of America with furs to China, must soon detect any isles
that may still be unknown in this part of the Pacific Ocean.
Although, therefore, much remains yet to be accomplished by maritime
expeditions, towards the extension and correction of our geographical
knowledge, so far as the bearings of the coast, and the latitudes and
longitudes of various places are concerned, there seems no room for what
may properly and strictly be called discovery, at least of any thing but
small and scattered islands.
It is otherwise with the accessions which land expeditions may still make
to geographical knowledge; for though within these one hundred years the
European foot has trodden where it never trod before, and though our
geographical knowledge of the interior of Africa, Asia, and America, has
been, rendered within that period not only more extensive, but also more
accurate and minute than it previously was, yet much remains to be done and
known.
In giving a short and rapid sketch of the progress of discovery, so far as
it has been accomplished by land expeditions during the period alluded to,
we are naturally led to divide what we have to say according to the three
great portions of the globe which have been the objects of these
expeditions, viz. Africa, Asia, and America.
1. Africa. This country has always presented most formidable obstacles to
the progress of discovery: its immense and trackless deserts, its burning
and fatal climate, its barbarous and treacherous inhabitants, have united
to keep a very large portion of it from the intercourse, and even the
approach of European travellers. Even its northern parts, which are most
accessible to Europe, and which for 2000 years have been occasionally
visited by Europeans, are guarded by the cruel jealousy of its inhabitants;
or, if that is overcome, advances to any very great distance from the coast
are effectively impeded by natives still more savage, or by waterless and
foodless deserts.
The west coast of Africa, ever since it was ascertained that slaves, ivory,
gold dust, gums, &c. could be obtained there, has been eagerly colonized by
Europeans; and though these colonies have now existed for upwards of three
hundred years, and though the same love of gain which founded them must
have directed a powerful wish on those interior countries from which these
precious articles of traffic were brought, yet such have been the
difficulties, and dangers, and dread, that the most enthusiastic traveller,
and the most determined lover of gain, have scarcely penetrated beyond the
very frontier of the coast. If we turn to the east coast, still less has
been done to explore the interior from that side; the nature, bearings, &c.
of the coast itself are not accurately known; and accessions to our
knowledge respecting it have been the result rather of accident than of a
settled plan, or of any expedition with that view. The Cape of Good Hope
has now been an European settlement nearly two hundred years: the
inhabitants in that part of Africa, though of course barbarians, are
neither so formidable for their craft and cruelty, and strength, nor so
implacable in their hatred of strangers, as the inhabitants of the north
and of the interior of Africa; and yet to what a short distance from the
Cape has even a solitary European traveller ever reached!
But though a very great deal remains to be accomplished before Africa will
cease to present an immense void in its interior, in our maps, and still
more remains to be accomplished before we can become acquainted with the
manners, &c. of its inhabitants, and its produce and manufactures, yet the
last century, and what has passed of the present, have witnessed many bold
and successful enterprizes to extend our geographical knowledge of this
quarter of the globe.
As the sovereigns of the northern shores of Africa were, from various
causes and circumstances, always in implacable hostility with one another,
and as, besides this obstacle to advances into Africa from this side, it
was well known that the Great Desert spread itself an almost impassable
barrier to any very great progress by the north into the interior, it was
not to be expected that any attempts to penetrate this quarter of the globe
by this route would be made. On the other hand, the Europeans had various
settlements on the western coast: on this coast there were many large
rivers, which apparently ran far into the interior; these rivers,
therefore, naturally seemed the most expeditious, safe, and easy routes, by
which the interior might, at least to a short distance from the shore, be
penetrated.
But it was very long before the Senegal, one of the chief of these rivers,
was traced higher than the falls of Felu; or the Gambia, another river of
note and magnitude, than those of Baraconda. In the year 1723, Captain
Stebbs, who was employed by the Royal African Company, succeeded in going
up this river as far as the flats of Tenda. Soon afterwards, some
information respecting the interior of Africa, especially respecting Bonda,
(which is supposed to be the Bondou of Park, in the upper Senegal,) was
received through an African prince, who was taken prisoner, and carried as
a slave to America.
All the information which had been drawn from these, and other sources,
respecting the interior, was collected and published by Moore, the
superintendent of the African Company's settlements on the Gambia; but
though the particulars regarding the manners, &c. of the inhabitants are
curious, yet this work adds not much to our geographical knowledge of the
interior of this part of the world.
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