have made England what she is, the mistress of the seas and the possessor of the most widely extended colonial empire the world has known. It is our duty to keep alive the honourable traditions of the British Navy, in which the country takes a special pride, as the model and standard of those of other countries, and that one of our public institutions which the jealous foreigner, even the German, that Sir Oracle' of the Continent, cannot teach us how to better. We should not place too much confidence in that 'silver streak' of sea which divides us from nations who have in array millions of armed men, but, as Cymbeline's queen says, trust rather to the natural bravery of our isle' than to the accident of its standing

'As Neptune's park, ribb'd and paled in

With rocks unscalable and roaring water;

With sands that will not bear our enemies' boats
But suck them up to the topmast.'

KENSINGTON,

April, 1881.

C. R. LOW.

CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

CHAPTER I.

The Vessels of the Ancients-Ship-building among the Phoenicians

-The Origin of the Sail, Rudder, Anchor, and Cable-Notes

on the Attic and Roman Triremes-Ancient Mariners and

their Superstitions-The Art of Navigation among the

Ancients

PACE

1-36

CHAPTER II.

Varieties of Craft in use in Ancient Babylonia-Sea-going Vessels

in the Persian Gulf-Chinese Junks and other Craft-Naviga-

tion among the Celestials-The Vessels of the Ladrone Islanders

and Peruvians.

37-69

CHAPTER III.

The Phoenicians and Carthaginians, and their Maritime Researches

-The Voyage of Jason-The Fleets of Solomon and the Land

of Ophir The Voyages of Scylax, Sataspes, and Jambulus-

-The Discoveries of Hanno-The Phoenicians in Cornwall-

State of Geographical Knowledge among the Ancients.

CHAPTER IV.

70-86

The Voyage of Næarchus from the Mouth of the Indus to the

River Karoon-Eudoxus' Attempt to circumnavigate Africa-

Early Trading Ventures to the Indian Ocean-Travellers'

Stories of the East-The Discovery of the Monsoons by

Hippalus-Ancient Roman Trading Fleets

87-104

CHAPTER V.

The Saracens as a Maritime Nation-The Narratives of Soleiman,

Massoudi, Abulfeda, Edrisi, and Ibn Batuta-The Traditional

Voyage to America of Madoc-The Search for the Land of Gog

and Magog

CHAPTER VI.

PAGE

105-117

The Art of Navigation among the Britons-Improvement in Ship-

building by Alfred and the Saxon Kings-King Alfred

despatches the First English Ship to the Arctic Regions-The

Discovery of the Faroe Islands and Iceland by the Norsemen

-Discovery and Colonisation of Greenland in the Eleventh

Century-Supposed Discovery of America--The Voyage of the

Zeno Brothers-The State of Navigation in the Middle Ages-

The Genoese and Venetians-The Rise of the Hanseatic League

-The Merchant Ships of the Middle Ages-The Introduction

of Aids to Navigation.

. 118-158

CHAPTER VII.

Prince Henry the 'Navigator,' and Portuguese Maritime Research

--Discovery of the Islands and Capes of West Africa-The

Legend of Prester John-Further Discoveries on the West

Coast of Africa-Diaz rounds the Cape of Good Hope 159-167

CHAPTER VIII.

Survey of European Intercourse with, and Knowledge of, India,

from the Time of Alexander the Great to the Landing of De

Gama at Calicut

168-191

CHAPTER IX.

The Voyage of Vasco de Gama to India-Cabral establishes the

First European Factory in India-Other Portuguese Expedi-

tions to India-Almeida appointed Viceroy of the Indies-

Discovery of Tristan da Cunha and Madagascar-Almeida is

succeeded as Viceroy by the great Albuquerque-His Career

and Conquests-Death and Character of Albuquerque -Decline

of the Portuguese Power in the East-The Establishment of

the Portuguese at Macao, and a Sketch of their Relations with

China-Portuguese Discoveries in the Far East-A Portuguese

Fleet traverses the Red Sea as far as Suez-Decline of Portugal

in the East

192-219

The Early Voyages of the English East India Company-Forma-

tion of the Dutch Settlements in the Far East-Brief History

of the French East India Company-Voyage of Commodore

Beaulieu-Rise and Progress of the French, Danish, and

Swedish East India Companies

220-245

CHAPTER XI.

Christopher Columbus and his Times-His First Voyage to

America in 1492, and Discovery of San Salvador-The First

Spanish Colony founded at Hispaniola-Columbus's Second

Voyage, and Discovery of Dominica, the Antilles, Porto Rico,

Cuba and Jamaica-Third Voyage of Columbus to the West

Indies, and Discovery of Trinidad and the Coast of South

America The Voyage of Americus Vespucci-Exploration of

the Coast of South America by Pinzon, and Discovery of Brazil

by Cabral-Columbus's Fourth Voyage and Exploration of the

Coast adjacent to the Isthmus of Panama-Death and Character

of Columbus

246-266

CHAPTER XII.

Sebastian Cabot and his Family-Discovery of Labrador and

Newfoundland-The Voyage and sad Fate of Gaspar de Corte

Real-Cabot explores the River La Plata-Jacques Carthier

colonises Canada-The Discoveries of Spanish Navigators-

The Voyage of Juan Ponce de Leon on the Coast of Florida,

and of Diego Velasquez in Central America-The Career of

Hernando Cortez as a Navigator-- Discovery of California by

Francisco de Ulloa-Nunez de Balboa sights the Pacific Ocean

-Magellan rounds South America, discovers the Ladrones and

the Philippines, where he is killed-The Expedition continues

the Voyage, and making various Discoveries of Islands, com-

pletes the First Circumnavigation of the Globe

CHAPTER XIII.

267-285

The Career of Pizarro-His Conquests and Discoveries-Orellana

sails down the Amazon-The Voyages of Juan Diaz de Solis,

Loyosa, Urdaneta, De la Torre and Saavedra-Exploration of

New Guinea by Saavedra-Discovery of the Bermudas-Voy-

age of Sebastian Cabot to the Plate River, of Alcazova to the