294 GOSSIP THE AFl'INITY OF RACES. 



of that adventurous and commercial people. With their assistance 

 he fitted out fleets from Ezion-geber, a port of the Ked Sea. Of 

 these ships some were bound for the western coast of the great 

 Indian continent ; others there is reason to believe turned tow^ards 

 Africa, passed the southern promontory, and returned home by the 

 Mediterranean to the port of Joppa." 



He thus considers it clearly proven '' that the navigation of the 

 Atlantic Ocean along the coast of Africa, both from the north and 

 south and even at a considerable distance from land, was well un- 

 derstood, and frequent in very remote ages ; and that if we inquire 

 into the nature of the winds and currents on the African coast, and 

 reflect on the various casualties to which ships at sea are liable, even 

 in the most favorable season of the year, we must admit that it not 

 only probably happened in some of those ancient expeditions, but 

 even that it was scarce possible not to happen, that vessels would be 

 driven by sudden gusts, or carried by adverse currents within the 

 verge of the trade winds ; in which case if they happened to lose 

 their masts, they must necessarily run before the wind towards Brazil 

 or the West Indies." 



He quotes two remarkable instances of this nature which have 

 happened in modern times — the first related by Capt. Glass, in his 

 history of the Canary Islands, who observes — *' that a small bark 

 bound from Lancerota to TenerifFe, was thus forced out of her 

 course, and obliged to run before the wind until she came within 

 two days sail of the coast of Caraccas, where she fortunately met 

 with an English cruiser which relieved her distress, and directed 

 her to the port of La Guaria. The other is told by Gumill (a 

 Spanish historian) which happened Dec. 1T31, while he was at the. 

 town of St. Joseph, in Trinidad, when a small vessel from Tene- 

 rifie, with six seamen, was driven into that island by stress of 

 weather, the crew reduced to the last extremity. To these instances 

 may be added the discovery by Columbus himself, of the stern post 

 of a vessel lying on the shore at Guadaloupe. Martyr also men- 

 tions that at a place called Quarequa, in the Gulf of Darien, Vasco 

 Nunez met with a colony of negroes, who from the smallness of 

 their number it was supposed bad not been long arrived upon that 



