connoitre in this direction; and it is said, that 
the Phenicians cleared the pillars of Hercules, passed 
the straits, and estahlished colonies and factories on 
several parts of the coast. But the accounts which 
we have received of all those expeditions, are so re- 
plete with fahles, and evident contradictions, that 
it is difficult to place in them any degree of confi- 
dence. 
According to Herodotus, a few Phenicians left the 
Red Sea during the reign of Necas, king of Egypt; 
and after a three years' voyage, returned to their 
country by the straits of Gibraltar, but they saw 
only the coast. Eudoxia, to avoid the wrath of 
Ptolemy Lathyrus, succeeded in the same enterprise; 
but no advantage was derived from her voyage. Sa- 
tas, in the time of Xerxes king of Persia, and Hanno 
and Himilcon, by order of the republic of Carthage, 
made similar attempts at discovery, by proceeding 
from the pillars of Hercules; but they failed in their 
undertaking. The Nasamones, or ancient inhabitants 
of the kingdom of Tunis, undertook a similar voy- 
age, though without success. Hence, all those navi- 
gators, and many others w^ho might be mentioned, 
far from aii'ording us information, only gave rise to 
doubts, and prove the general ignorance and fear 
which pervaded the ancient sailors. Certain it is, 
that if such expeditions did take place, the ships 
kept at a great distance from the continent : for wq 
have no proofs of the appearance of these people, much 
less theirresidence, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. 
The Romans, who were so ardent in extending 
their empire, did not succeed in lixing it on the west^ 
ern coast of Africa. It is believed that they pene- 
trated from the isthmus of Suez as far as the Niger, 
and thence to Mount Atlas. But if they reached 
this famous mountain, it certainly stopped their dis- 
coveries in that part of the world : for they thought, 
that under the torrid zone, the lands burned, and 
the rivers were torrents of fire; an opinion which was 
long credited, even by the learned men of thosa 
time;s; and when the Christians, who were the fir&t 
