Or In
Imitation Of These, And Which Have Largely Contributed To Extend, And
Almost To Render Perfect, The Geography And Hydrography Of The
Terraqueous Globe, Are Intended To Form A Separate Division, In A
Subsequent Part Of Our Arrangement.
The accurate knowledge which we now possess of the form and dimensions
of this globe of earth and water
Which we inhabit, has been entirely
owing to the superior skill of the moderns in the mathematical sciences,
as applicable to the practice of navigation, and to the observation and
calculation of the motions of the heavenly bodies, for the ascertainment
of latitudes and longitudes. It would require more space than can be
conveniently devoted on the present occasion, to give any clear view of
the geographical knowledge possessed by the ancients, together with a
history of the progress of that science, from the earliest times,
neither do the nature and objects of the present Collection of Voyages
and Travels call for any such deduction, of which an excellent epitome
will be found in the History of Geography, prefixed to Playfair's System
of Geography.
The ancients laboured under almost absolute incapacities for making
extensive voyages or discoveries by sea, proceeding from ignorance of
the form and dimensions of the earth, and other causes. They were but
indifferently versed in the practical part of astronomy, without which,
and those instruments which have been invented almost exclusively by the
moderns, for measuring the paths, distances, and relative positions of
the heavenly bodies, it is impossible to launch out with any tolerable
success or safety on the trackless ocean. They were ignorant also of
that wonderful property of the magnet or loadstone, which, pointing
invariably towards the north, enables the modern mariner to know his
precise course, at all times of the day of night, though clouds and
thick mists may hide the luminaries of heaven from his observation,
which were the only means of direction known to the ancients.
Various systems and theories appear to have prevailed among the ancients
respecting the figure and motion of the earth; some justly enough
supposing it to be a ball or sphere, suspended in infinite space, while
others conceived it to be a flat surface, floating upon and surrounded
by an interminable ocean. The just conceptions of some ancient
philosophers, respecting the spherical figure of the earth, and its
diurnal motion around its own axis, were superseded by others of a more
popular nature, and forgotten for many ages. Lactantius and Augustine,
two fathers of the catholic church, unfortunately adopted the idea of
the earth being a flat surface, infinitely extending downwards;
grounding this false notion upon a mistaken interpretation of the holy
scriptures, or rather seeking assistance from them in support of their
own unphilosophical conceptions. So strongly had this false opinion
taken possession of the minds of men, in our European world, even after
the revival of learning in the west, that Galileo was imprisoned by the
holy inquisitors at Rome for asserting the sphericity of the earth, and
the doctrine of antipodes, and had to redeem his liberty and life, by
writing a refutation of that heretical doctrine, which satisfied the
inquisitors, yet convinced the world of its truth.
Columbus assuredly grounded his grand discovery of America upon the
knowledge of the earth being a sphere; and had not the new western world
intervened, his voyage had probably been the first circumnavigation. In
modern times, an idea has been advanced that Columbus only retraced the
steps of some former navigator, having seen certain parts of the grand
division of the world which he discovered, already delineated on a
globe. It were improper to enter upon a refutation of this idle calumny
on the present occasion; yet it is easy to conceive, that the possessor
of that globe, may have rudely added the reported discoveries of
Columbus, to the more ancient delineations. At all events, Columbus was
the first person who conceived the bold idea that it was practicable to
sail round the globe. From the spherical figure of the earth, then
universally believed by astronomers and cosmographers, in spite of the
church, he inferred that the ancient hemisphere or continent then known,
must of necessity be balanced by an equiponderant and opposite
continent. And, as the Portuguese had discovered an extensive track by
sailing to the eastwards, he concluded that the opposite or most
easterly coast of that country might certainly be attained, and by a
nearer path, by crossing the Atlantic to the westwards. The result of
this profound conception, by the discovery of America, has been already
detailed in the Second Book of this collection; and we now proceed in
this Fourth Book to detail the various steps of other navigators, in
prosecution of this grand design of surrounding the globe, in which many
curious and interesting discoveries have been made, and by which
geographical knowledge and practical navigation have been brought to
great degrees of perfection.
Before commencing the narrative appropriated for this division of our
arrangement, it is proper to give the following complete table of all
the circumnavigators, within the period assigned to the present portion
of this collection; with the names of the ports from which they sailed,
and the dates of their respective voyages, and returns. - Ed.
|Sailed from| |Returned.
1. Ferdinand, | Seville, | Aug. 10, 1519. | Sept. 8, 1522.
Magellan, | in Spain, | |
2. Sir Francis | Plymouth Sound, | Dec. 30, 1577. | Sept. 16, 1580.
Drake, | | |
3. Sir Thomas | Plymouth, | July 25, 1586. | Sept. 9, 1588.
Candish, | | |
4. Oliver van | Goeree, | Sept. 13, 1598. | Aug. 26, 1601.
Noord, | | |
5. George | Texel, | Aug. 8, 1614. | July 1, 1617.
Spilbergeny,| | |
6. Shouten and | Texel, | June 24, 1615. | July 1, 1617.
LeMair, | | |
7. Nassau | Goeree, | April 29, 1623. | Jan. 21, 1626.
fleet, | | |
8. Cowley,[A] | Achamack, in | Aug. 23, 1683. | Oct. 12, 1686.
| Virginia, | |
9. William | Achamack, | Aug. 28, 1683. | Sept. 16, 1691.
Dampier,[A] | | |
10. Dampier and | the Downs, | Aug. 9, 1703. | Aug. 1706.
Funnel, | | |
ll. Wood Rogers,| Bristol, | June 15, 1708.
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