CONTENTS. 



fftOM THE EARLIEST TIMES TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN ERA. 



PAGE 



CHAPTER I. — The Purpose of this Work— The Ocean in the Scriptural Period 

 — The Marvels of the Sea — The Classic Legends — The Fantastic Notions enter- 

 tained of the North and the Equator — The Giant of the Canaries — The Sea of 

 Sea- Weed — The Spectre of the Cape — The Gradual Surrender of the Secrets of 

 the Sea — It becomes the Highway of Nations — Its Present Aspect — Its Poetical 

 Significance — Its Moral Lessons 19 



CHAPTER II.— The Origin of Navigation— The Nautilus— The Split Reed and 

 Beetle — The Beaver floating upon a Log — The Hollow Tree — The First Canoe 

 —The Floating Nutshell— The Oar— The Rudder— The Sail— The Tradition of 

 the First Sail-Boat 33 



CHAPTER III.— The Flood and the Building of the ^rK— The Arguments of 

 Infidelity against a Universal Deluge — The Material of which the Ark was 

 built — Its Capacity, Dimensions, and Form — Its Proportions copied in Modern 

 Ocean-Steamers 37 



CHAPTER IV. — The Ships, Commerce, and Navigation of the Phoenicians — 

 Their Trade with Ophir — Sidon and Tyre — Their Voyage round Africa — New 

 Tyre — A Patriotic Phoenician Captain — The Egyptians as a Maritime People 

 — Their Ships and Commerce — The Jews — Their Geography — Ideas upon the 

 Shape of the Earth — The World as known to the Hebrews 50 



CHAPTER V.— The Early Maritime History of the Greeks— The Expedition of 

 the Argonauts — The Vessels used in the Trojan War — Ship-Building in the 

 Time of Homer — The Poetic Geography of the Greeks — The Palace of the 

 Sun — The Marvels of a Voyage out of Sight of Land — The Geography of 

 Hesiod — Of Anaximander — Of Thales, Herodotus, Socrates, and Eratosthenes 

 — The Great Ocean is named the Atlantic T>8 



CHAPTER VI.— Construction of Greek Vessels— The Prow, Poop, Rudder, 

 Oars, Masts, Sails, Cordage, Bulwarks, Anchors— Biremes, Triremes, Quadri- 

 remes, Quinqueremes — The Grand Galley of Ptolemy Philopator — Roman Ves- 

 sels — Their Navy — Mimic Sea-Fights— The Five Voyages of Antiquity 69 



CHAPTER VII.— The Voyage of Hanno the Carthaginian— He sees Crocodiles, 

 Apes, and Volcanoes — The Voyage of Himilcon to Al-Bion — The Voyage and 

 Ignominious Fate of Sataspes the Persian — The Voyage of Pytheas the Pho- 

 cian — The Sacred Promontory — A New Atmosphere — Amber — Return Home 

 — The Veracity of Pytheas' Narrative — The Expedition of Nearchus the 



5 



