350 THE DISCOVERY OF AUSTRALIA 



discusses " the means of forming a settlement in Southern 

 lands." 



The glory of When the President of the Parliament of Dijon wrote 

 ery ' of the " utilities of discovery " he wrote not as a bagman 

 but as a gentleman of honour. The first thought must 

 be not of dividends but of glory ; the glory that belongs 

 to the hero who has greatly benefited both his country 

 and humanity. The discovery of Terra Australis will 

 be, not only the most useful, but also the most noble enter- 

 prise whereby a sovereign may make glorious his name. 

 " To add to the Globe a new world, to enrich the old 

 world with all the natural products, and all the useful 

 usages of the new world, this would be the effect of such 

 a discovery." How compare the glory of war with the 

 glory of so splendid a service to mankind ? What modern 

 King can compare his glory to the glory of Columbus 

 and Vespucci ? Are not the Phoenicians, who discovered 

 and civilised Europe, more famous than the conquering 

 Assyrians and Egyptians ? The princes of Portugal by 

 their studies, their constancy, their courage, their gener- 

 osity, made their tiny country great, and brought a renais- 

 sance to all Europe. And " it is not a paradox to say that 

 it is by geographical enterprises that a King may gain 

 the greatest glory, and that the most famous of modern 

 sovereigns will be he who will give his name to the Southern 

 World." 



It should be For this is work that must be done by the Head of a 

 State - Ifc is beyond the strength of an individual, and it is 

 beyond the spirit of a Commercial Company. For the 

 merchant has not the spirit of the gentleman. He seeks 

 immediate profit, and his only curiosity is curiosity for gain. 

 Hence the abandonment of Bouvet's enterprise. But a 

 State should take large and long views, and should pursue 

 its aims with persistency till they are achieved. It should 

 think in centuries, and should build for eternity. 1 Thus 

 a State can see the wisdom of making foundations deep 

 and strong. It can undertake discovery in the spirit 

 of pure curiosity, though this spirit may rightly be fortified 

 1 De Brosses, vol. ii. p. 368. 



