6 National Oeograjphic Magazine. 



geography than that which facilitated the administration of their 

 empire. They were great road-builders, and laid out highways 

 from Rome to the farthest limits of their possessions. Maps of 

 their military roads were made, but little else. These exhibited 

 with accuracy the less and greater stations on the route from 

 Rome to India, and from Rome to the further end of Britain. 



Then came the decline and fall of Rome, and with it the com- 

 plete collapse of geographical knowledge. In the dark ages, 

 geography practically ceased to exist. In the typical map of 

 the middle ages, Jerusalem lay in the centre with Paradise on 

 the East and Europe on the West. It was not until, the close of 

 the dark ages that the spirit of discovery was re-awakened.. 

 Then the adventurous Northmen from Norway and Sweden 

 crossed the ocean to Iceland. 



From Iceland they proceeded to Greenland and even visited 

 the main-land of North America about the year 1000 A. D., 

 coasting as far south as New England; but these voyages led to 

 no practical results, and were forgotten or looked upon as myths, 

 until within a few years. For hundreds of years geography 

 made but little advance — and the discoveries of five centuries 

 were less than those now made in five years. In the fourteenth 

 or fifteenth century, the mariner's compass was introduced into 

 Europe from China, and it then became possible to venture upon 

 the ocean far out of sight of land. Columbus instead of coast- 

 ing from shore to shore like the ancient Northmen, boldly set sail 

 across the Atlantic. To many of his contemporaries it must have 

 seemed madness to seek the East by thus sailing towards the 

 West, and we need hardly wonder at the opposition experienced 

 from his crew. The rotundity of the earth had become to him an 

 objective reality, and in sublime faith he pursued his westward 

 way. Expecting to find the East Indies he found America in- 

 stead. Five centuries had elapsed since the Northmen had made 

 their voyages to these shores — and their labors had proved to 

 be barren of results. The discovery of Columbus, however, im- 

 mediately bore fruit. It was his genius and perseverance alone 

 that gave the new world to the people of Europe, and he is 

 therefore rightfully entitled to be called the discoverer of Amer- 

 ica. His discovery was fraught with enormous consequences, 

 and it inaugurated a new era for geographic research. The 

 spirit of discovery was quickened and geogi-aphic knowledge ad- 

 vanced with a great leap. America was explored ; Africa was 



