Passing over the other events of the 13th and 14th cen turies, as presenting nothing very striking or important, we hasten forward to a period of all others the most brilliant and interesting in the history of geographical discovery. About the beginning of the 15th century, the Portuguese began to am act the notice of the other European states, by the glory of their military exploits, and the fame of their naval discoveries. Having succeeded in driving out their inveterate enemies and oppressors, the Moors, they carried their arms into Africa, where their achievements were such as might r.ave been expected from a combina tion of every motive that could lead to acts of fearless bra very. Religious zeal inflamed them with the desire of ex tirpating the enemies of the Christian faith ; avarice inspir ed them with the hope of sharing the treasures of a rich and powerful people ; and a spirit of chivalrous and roman tic gallantry threw a charm over military enterprise, more powerful perhaps than either of the other principles. The youthful adventurer of every country ranged himself under the standard of Portugal, and courted the approbation of his mistress by deeds of valour on the shores of Africa. Success in such circumstances could be neither slow nor uncertain, and every new victory led the way to a new ex pedition. The coast of Africa as far as Cape Nun, had been formerly explored more than once ; but all beyond that was still enveloped in impenetrable darkness. The art of navigation, however, from the discovery of the compass, was rapidly improving ; and the daring spirit of enterprise that had just been awakened, could no longer be confined within the former limits. In attempting to extend their dis coveries towards the south, the Portuguese fell in with, and took possession of Madeira, in 1420 ; and in 1433, Cape Nun was doubled for the first time by Gilianez. It is ge nerally supposed, that in the same year the Azores, or Wes tern Islands, were discovered, though on this point geo graphers are by no means agreed.
The discoveries of the Portuguese along the coast of Africa, though not very rapid, became after this period pro gressive. In 1445 they reached the Senegal ; and in 1456 discovered the Cape Verd Islands. A short time after this, Pierre de Cintra penetrated as far as Cape Mcsurada, where the coast of Africa stretching towards the east, pro mised a speedy accomplishment of the great object of all their expeditions, the circumnavigation of Africa. It was just at the dawn of these hopes, that the death of Prince Henry, the author of all the grand projects of the Portu guese, threatened to put an end to exertions equally ho nourable to his country, and beneficial to the interests of science. The spirit of the prince, however, had by this time been communicated to the nation, and the progress of discovery scarcely suffered any interruption. Prince's Island, St Thomas, and Annobon, were discovered in 1471; in 1484, Diego Cam entered the river Zaire, or Barbela, in the kingdom of Congo ; and finally in 1486, fifty-three years after Giliancz had first doubled Cape Nun, Barthelemy Diaz reached the southern point of Africa, which he named the Stormy Cape, but which King John II. afterwards more properly denominated the Cape of Good Hope.
While the slow progress of the Portuguese in exploring the west coast of Africa has generally been accounted for from the imperfect state of navigation at that period, it has also been considered by some geographers, as a conclusive argument against the pretended circumnavigation of Africa by the Phoenicians, it being quite incredible, in their opi nion, that the latter should have been able to accomplish in three years, twice as much as the Portuguese, with the as sistance of the compass, could effect in half a century. Without at all entering again into the merits of the ques tion, we would observe, that the conclusion drawn from the preceding fact is by no means legitimate. The Portuguese, in all their expeditions, seem to have confined themselves chiefly to the coast, where the compass could be of com paratively little use ; and there can be no doubt, we think, that in every thing connected with coasting navigation, the Phcenicians acquired, much greater skill and dexterity than the Portuguese could possibly have at the commence ment of their African expeditions. But to proceed with their discoveries.
In 1497, Vasco de Gama was dispatched for the purpose of exploring a passage to India by the Cape of Good Hope, at the same time invested with a commission to conclude a treaty with Prester John, whom the Portuguese supposed to be the prince of Abyssinia, or some other country on the eastern coast of Africa. That celebrated navigator, af
ter touching successively at Port Natal, Mosambique, and Melinda, obtained pilots at the last of these places, and tra versing the Arabian Sea, in 1498, landed at Calicut, on the Malabar coast, the whole of which he soon after explored. About 1506, succeeding navigators pushed their discoveries along the eastern coast of Africa, as far as the straits of Babelmandel, and thus completed the circumnavigation of that continent. In the same year they discovered Ceylon, and in 1511 established themselves in Malacca. Their dis coveries after this period are too numerous to be particu larized. It is enough to observe, that by 1520 they had vi sited the Sunda islands, the. Moluccas, Philippines, and in deed almost all the islands to the south-east and east of Asia, as far north as the thirtieth degree of latitude. Their _being prohibited from entering China, probably led to the discovery of many islands in the Pacific at a much earlier period than would have happened, had the Portuguese been permitted to open a commercial intercourse with that country.
While geographical discovery was making such rapid progress in the East, the West also had become the scene of very interesting and important events, by the vast and daring projects of Columbus. Hitherto the course of na vigators, in all voyages of discovery, had been determined by the direction of the coast, and was probably, for the most part, within sight of land ; but Columbus, leaving the guid ance of the shore, and trusting to the compass alone, ven tured across au ocean of unknown extent, in search of a continent whose existence was extremely doubtful. In or der still further to excite our admiration of this extraordi nary man, it has been 'said, that lie was strongly impressed with the idea of there being a great western continent, and attempts have even been made to point out the train of rea soning by which a man of genius might be naturally led to form such an opinion. We do not think, however, that the character and merits of Columbus require any adventitious support of this kind. If the circumstances to which we have already alluded respecting the adventure of the Zeni, in 1390, be well founded, it proves, that Columbus was not less distinguished for prudence than for intrepidity ; and if it be false, we apprehend that his adventure is to be as cribed to an error common to him with Aristotle and many of the ancients, that the eastern extremity of Asia was not far distant from the shores of Spain. But whatever was the origin or the nature of the opinion formed by Columbus on this subject, it is certain, that lie undertook his voyage un der a strong conviction of his ultimate success ; and it is a curious coincidence, that at the very time when Vasco de Gama was taking possession of the peninsula of Hindostan in the name of the King of Portugal, Columbus was adding a new continent to the kingdom of Spain. It is unnecessary here to detail the circumstances connected with the disco very of America, as we have already done so in another part of our work, (See Amenten and Cocumars.) We cannot, however, avoid noticing the striking contrast which the history of that period exhibits, between the specula tions of a few bold and aspiring individuals, and the childish prejudices which still enslaved the great bulk of mankind. While Columbus supposed that the nearest route to the eastern shores of Asia was by the western ocean, the Pope imagined, that, by a line of demarcation drawn on one side of the globe, he had completely separated the discoveries of the Spaniards and Portuguese ! Though Spain, in exploring a nearer passage to the East Indies, had discovered and taken possession of a new con tinent, she did not relax her endeavours to effect her first object. Accordingly, in 1520, Magellan was sent out on another voyage of discovery, when he succeeded in pass ing the extremity of South America by the strait which still bears his pane, and pursuing his voyage westward, reached the islands on the east coast of Asia. After his death, which happened at one of the Philippines, his com panions continued their course, and, after touching at the Moluccas, returned by the Cape of Good Hope, having ac complished the first navigation of the globe in 112 days. The attempts of the Spaniards to discover a passage by the north of America were not so successful. Some indeed have imagined, front their description of Strait of A nian, that it was Bhering's Straits which they had reached by the north-west ; but is it obvious that this strait was no other than Hudson's Strait, about the.position of which the navi gators of that period had brined some erroneous notions.