The knowledge which the ancients possessed con cerning Africa was extremely limited. its northern provinces, indeed, were sufficiently known, and were at various times over-roll by the armies of Europe, or peopled by its colonies. Herodotus seems to have been well acquainted with this country, from Mount Atlas to Ethiopia above Egypt ; and had heard of the central river Niger, w hich he mentions as flowing to the cast. Egypt, the nursery of learning and civilization, main tained, at an early period, an intercourse with Europe and Asia ; and continued long the resort of the intelli gent and curious, from both these continents : Yet the adjacent country of Ethiopia was very imperfectly known.
The Carthaginians, an attire and enterprising people, penetrated by land into several of the interior provinces, with some of At hick they established a commercial in tercourse, while others they subjected to their empire. They sailed along the western coast almost to the tropic of Cancer ; and, planting several colonies, endeavoured to civilize the rude natives, and accustoin them to trade. A laudable curiosity, combined w ith the desire of com mercial advantage in prompting them to extend their discoveries on the African coast. A fleet, equipped by the authority of the senate, and the public expense, was intrusted to I ianno, who was directed to steer to wards the south, along the coast of Africa ; and appears to have advanced nearer the equinoctial line than any former navigator of that nation. The periplus of his voyage has been preserved, and, as its authenticity has been incontrovertibly established, (see 1:12.cprit desLoir. live xxi. c. 8. and Memoires de r.lcadcmie des Inscrip tions, tom. xxvi.) it may be regarded as a curious monu ment of the naval skill of the Carthaginians, and one of the most valuable remains of antiquity.
A still more wonderful voyage is said to have been ac tom plished some time before by a Pliontician fleet, which was fitted out by Necho, king of Egypt. Sailing by his dirtction, how a port in the Red Sea, about 6U4 years before, the Christian era, it proceeded along the eastern coast of Africa, doubled its southern promontory, and af ter a voyage of three years, returned by the Straits of (trades to the mouth of the Nile. This voyage, which is related 1w I I erodotus, who regards it as a fabulous talc, seems to derive conformation from the very circum stances which appeared to him the most incredible. a The relation of these Phoenicians," says he, " may ob tain credit from others—to me it seems unworthy of be lief,—for they declared, that, when sailing round Africa, they had the sun on their right hand." Their account was rejected For the same reason, by many of the most eminent historians and geographers of antiquity, who deemed it impossible, that the sun could any where as sume a position so different from that in which he had al ways appeared to themselves. What was regarded by the ancients as a convincing proof of the falsehood of these Phoenicians, has been converted by modern im provements in science, into the most irresistible evidence of their veracity. By what means, if not from actual observation, could they learn, that, in a certain latitude beyond the equinoctial line, the shadow of bodies Falls to the south ; and that Africa is an immense peninsula connected with no other continent, except at the isth mus of Suez ? It is idle to suppose, that they were led to these conclusions by ingenious conjecture ; or that, with no other reason than vanity, they hazarded them as facts to give an air of miracle to their voyage. In the state of astronomy, when the voyage was undertaken, no conclusions could have appeared more absurd ; and they must have been but awkward blunderers in romance, had they endeavoured to excite astonishment by fictions, which, among the learned at least, could only excite distrust. Yet we must not dissemble the difficulty of
reconciling our belief of such a voyage with the im perfect state of ancient navigation, and with the total ignorance of posterior geographers concerning the form or extent of the African continent, It was certainly possible, however, that the Phcenicians, at that time the most skilful and enterprising mariners in the world, might, by their usual cautious mode of coasting, reach its southern extremity, and proceed in the same man ner along its western shores, till they came at length into seas, with which they were better acquainted. Nor can it be wondered, if the perils and difficulties which they must have encountered in their voyage, and which, on their return, they would naturally represent in the strongest terms, should have deterred future navigators from such an arduous undertaking. It is even probable that the maritime jealousy, for which the Phcenicians were remarkable, would induce them to magnify their hardships and dangers, and to gtve such an imperfect account of their discoveries as could afford no direction to adventurers of other nations. Certain it is, that the circumnavigation of Arica was regarded, both by Greek and Roman geographers, rather as an amusing fiction, than as a real transaction, by which their knowledge was enlarged, or which was entitled to any influence on their opinions. So inaccurate were the ideas of this continent entertained, long alter the voyage of the Phoe nicians, even by men of extensive erudition, that Poly bins, the most learned and intelligent historian of an tiquity, informs us, that, in his time, it was not ascer tained whether Africa was a continued continent, stretch ing towards the south, or whether it was surrounded by the sea. Strabo was equally ignoraht at its (Orin ; and Ptolemy, the most inquisitive and best informed of the ancient geographers, supposed, that it stretched, with out interruption, to the south pole ; and so far mistook its true figure, that lie describes it as becoming broader and broader towards the south. Major who has investigated the subject with great accuracy, sup poses, that the ancients explored the western shores of Africa, as far as Sherboro Sound ; while M. Gosselin is of opinion, that they penetrated no farther than the cape and river of Nun, which, according w him, is the Nia of Ptolemy. The opinion of Rennet! appears more probable, and is, besides, supported by the authority of D'Anville, who supposed the mountains of Sierra Leona to be those which were denominated by the ancients, the Chariot of the Gods. Their knowledge or the eastern coast does not appear to have extended beyond the isle of Pemba, in Lat. 5° S. But Ptolemy, who resided in Egypt, seems to have possessed a more perfect acquaint ance with the interior parts of Africa, than has ever been attained by any succeeding geographer. The most re markable object in his description is the river Gir, which he represents as equal in length to the Niger, but flow ing from east to west, till it is lost in the same marsh, lake, or desert, in which the Niger disappears. It seems to be the same river which Edrisi, the Arabian geogra pher, denominates the Nile of the Negroes ; and which he describes as flowing towards the west, and disem boguing itself into an inland sea.