GEOGRAPHY. 143 
. ing round the coast of Greenland jin search of his fa- 
‘ther, was driven by a storm a. ble way to the 
south-west, where he fell in with afterwards call- 
_ Subsequent voyages to the same place tend to confirm 
this opinion, par icularly that,of the Zeni, two noble 
land, corresponding in every respect with Vinland,; and 
reeing in many “ ints, es with Newfoundland in 
orth America. From. this. circumstance it has been 
inferred, that Columbus, in his anticipations of a west- 
ern continent, was guided by something more decisive 
than bare conjecture, But,,whatever truth there may 
be _in this supposition, it seems to be generally, admit- 
ted, that the Sass had at a very early period land- 
ed on the coast of America, , The’ consequences of the 
discovery however, were neither interesting nor import- 
ant. Europe still continued ignorant and inactive, or 
pre in pursuits. suited only to an age of ignorance 
barism. .Even when her energies. were awa- 
pe ee they promised to be productive of little 
of benefit to the cause of literature and science. ‘The pro- 
* fessed object of the crusades. was, in. itself chimerical, 
_ and it is difficult to say what advantage would. have re- 
sulted from them, they been completely successful. 
But though the immediate effects of, one fanatical ex- 
_ peditionsare still somewhat problematical, there can. be 
‘no doubt that they were ultimately beneficial in a com- 
mercial point of yiew.,. It was in, order) to supply the 
ec! ers with stores and ammunition, that the Genoese 
were first tempted to cultivate the art of ship-building, 
which for many centuries had been. almost. totally ne- 
glected, and to extend their short coasting expeditions 
to the most distant extremity. of the, Mediterranean. 
The same enterprising people having afterwards. suc; 
ceeded in re-establishing 
Constantinople. were: rewarded with certain exclusive 
Brivileges in the way of commerce. By this event, their 
rivals the Venetians, who had.shared with them the ad- 
_ vantages of a trade with India nearly by the'same route 
_as was formerly known to the Romans, were excluded 
from the navigation of the Black Sea. _The monopoly, 
however, was in this case beneficial to the cause of com, 
> merce. The Venetians, by concluding a treaty with 
the Sultan of Egypt, opened a communication with In= 
dia by the Red Sea; and Alexandria soon became the 
grand depot of commerce, as it had formerly been the 
retreat of literature and science. 
_ While the consequences of the crusades were thus 
t in exciting a spirit of enterprise in the com- 
th, mercial world, there were not wanting men who, actu- 
ated by motives very different from those of avarice or 
even curiosity, contributed from time to time to extend 
the boundaries of geography in the East. These con- 
en 
an 
kened by the crusading, mania towards, the end of the 
e Greeks on the throne of 
century. This celebrated traveller set out with his fa- _ History. 
ther Nicolas Paul, who had already acquired consider- “~y~-—” 
able reputation as a missionary to the East, and some hans cred 
Dominican monks in. 1271, and after 26 years spent in 4. D. 1271 
unremitted labour, during which time he not only tra- to 1297. 
versed. those countries that were already known, and 
explored many new regions on the continent of Asia, 
but also visited Borneo, Java, Sumatra, the Nicobar 
islands, Ceylon, Madagascar, and other islands in the 
Pacific and Indian Ocean, till then unknown to Euro- 
peans, returned to Italy, where he was soon after made 
prisoner ina war with the Genoese. _1t was during his 
captivity in Genoa, that he wrote the.account of his 
travels; a work which, though composed in a very ir- 
regularand confused manner, continued long to be the 
guide.of Europeans in all. matters relating to oriental 
countries. Of himself and his writings it has been just- 
ly observed, that he was the father of the modern geo- 
gtaphy of Asia; the Humboldt of the 13th century, 
pea the misfortunes of the latter part of his life, by 
preventing him from publishing, a more accurate and 
systematic account of his travels, have thrown a shade 
over the glory of his own name, and robbed science of 
the advantages which she might otherwise have derived 
from, his labours. ; 
_ Passing ‘over, the other events of the 13th and 14th Discoveries 
centuries,as presenting nothing very striking or import- of nod a 
ant, we hasten forward toa period of all others the thet poe 
most brilliant and interesting in the history of geogra- ginning of 
phical discovery. .About the beginning of the 15th the 15th 
century, the Portuguese began to attract the notice of century. 
the other Euro states, by the glory of their military 
exploits, and the fame of their naval discoveries, Hav- 
ing succeeded in driving out, their inveterate enemies 
and, oppressors the, Moors, they carried their arms into 
Africa, where their achievements. were such as might 
have been expected from a combination of every motive 
that could lead to. acts of fearless bravery. Religious 
zeal inflamed, them with the. desire of extirpating the 
enemies of the Christian faith ; avarice inspired 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 princi« 
les, The youthful adventurer of every country ranged 
Bimeelf under the standard of Portugal, and courted the 
obation of his mistress by di 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 a goon The coast of Africa 
as far as Cape Nun, been formerly. explored more 
than once; but all beyond that. was still enveloped in 
impenetrable darkness. The art of navigation, how 
ever, 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 with- 
in. the former limits. In ey | to extend their 
discoveries towards the south, the Portuguese fell in 
with, and. took possession of Madeira in 1420; and in Madeira. 
1438, e Nun was doubled for the first time by Gi-,A. D. 1420. 
lianez. It.is generally supposed, that in the same year 
the Azores, a asters Islands, were discovered, though 
on, this point geographers are by no means agreed, 
| The discoveries. of the Portuguese along the coast of Cape Vera 
Africa, though not very rapid, became after this period islands. 
progressive. In 1445 they reached the Senegal ; and 4-- 1456. 
in 1456 discovered the Cape Verd Islands. A short 
time after, this, Pierre de Cintra penetrated as far as 
Cape Mesurada, where the coast of Africa stretching 
