208 THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA 



in 1497 they sent John Cabot who, like Columbus, believed 

 that he could find the Spice Islands by sailing West, and 

 who hoped " to make London a greater place for spices 

 than Alexandria." He sailed North-West, discovered 

 a Newfoundland, and was believed to have won for England 

 " a great part of Asia without a stroke of a sword." The 

 Cape was the Portugal route, and the Straits were the 

 Spanish route, but Englishmen believed they would 

 find a North-West passage that would be much shorter 

 than these. In the days of Henry VIII. wise men urged 

 that England should give up her " attempts against 

 the terra firma " i.e. attempts to conquer France 

 " and travel by that way which it seems eternal provi- 

 dence has destined us, which is by sea." If Spaniards 

 and Portuguese would not suffer Englishmen to join 

 with them, " there will yet be region enough for all to 

 enjoy." 



Attempts to find a North-West passage failed. So, 



under Mary, Englishmen tried the North-East. Chancellor 



discovered, not Cathay, but Russia ; which seemed an 



The amazing novelty. The Muscovy Company was formed, 



Muscovy j unc ier Elizabeth, its famous commercial travellers, 



Company 



and the like Anthony Jenkinson, pushed across the Caspian to 

 ConT'an Persia, and opened trade with India. But this was a 

 trade with very long and troublesome route, and profits diminished. 

 And, at the same time, the old trade by way of the 

 Mediterranean was failing. The last " Venetian argosy " 

 was wrecked off the Isle of Wight in 1587. Then 

 English merchants strove to do their own trade. A 

 commercial treaty was made with the Sultan, and the 

 Levant Company was formed with permission to trade 

 as far as India. But Spain possessed sea-power in the 

 Mediterranean, and British trade became precarious. 

 And when in 1580 Philip of Spain became King of 

 the Portuguese, he put a stop to the large trade 

 in Oriental goods that had grown up between Lisbon, 

 Antwerp, and London. Dutchmen and Englishmen must 

 either go without their luxuries, or must send their own 

 ships to the East to get them. 



