Chap. III. the Russi 
Whales are found in the North Part of Hudfon^&-'^^y-, 
and not in the South, why then fliould we not think, 
or rather, how can we avoid thinking that they alio 
find a PalTage round into the warmer Seas ? 
Another ftrong Motive there is to believe that this 
Country, upon which Captain Behring touched 
fecond Expedition, muft be an Ifland, and not any lUch 
Continent as he is faid to have imagined, is 
being fo near Japan as himfelf places it, it is impoffible 
theSubjefts of that Empire fhould not have been long 
txao acquainted with it, and with its Inhabitants ; yet 
^e are well enough verfed in . the Japonefe Hiftory, to 
be thoroughly fatisfied they know of no fuch Conti- 
nent ; but on the contrary, have laid down two pretty 
larc^e Ifiands in this Trad, one of which, in all i roba- 
bility. Captain Behring coafted. If all the Space e- 
tween the North-eaft Continent of Afia, and the oppo- 
fite Continent of America, is partly Sea, and partly 
ifiands of feveral Sizes, we may very eafily account tor 
^heir remaining fo long unknown to the Spdniards in 
America, and in the Ea§f Indies, as well as molt or 
them are to the Japonefe •, whereas if the ^ 
America extended in fuch a Manner as the Rupi ns 
-feem to imagine it does, it muft appear almoft Im- 
poffibility that it Ihould not have been long ago diico- 
vered, confidering how often, in a long Series ot Yeais, 
the annual Ships from Manila to Aquapulco, nmYL nave 
been driven out of their ordinary Route (which it muft 
be confefled is not calculated for Difcoveries) either 
outward or homeward bound. Yet nothing of this 
ICind has been ever heard of ; but all the flying Stories 
■we have of Difcoveries made in thefe Tranfits, relate 
only to Ifiands, and thofe too none of the largeft, as 
appears from the Difficulty of meeting with them 
One might add to all this, that the Confideration of the 
vaft and enormous Extent of this new Continent, which 
upon this Suppofition would contain 140 Degrees of 
liongitude, renders it highly improbable, and this more 
efpecially, if we confider the Dilpofition of other Parts 
of the Globe, and particularly that Part of America, 
the Coafts on both Sides of which are pertedly well 
known. It was this uniform and wife Diftribution of 
Sea and Land, that firft induced Men of penetrating 
Parts and great Experience to expedf, that fo many 
different Paffages might be found from one Par^ of the 
Globe to the other j and as we fee that thefe Expedta- 
tions, have been perfedtly anfwered in refped to the Paf- 
fage into the South Seas by Cape Horn, and are now 
convinced that there is a Paffage by the North-eaft ; fo 
lift they are abfolutely certain of the contrary, it cannot 
be fuppofed that the ableft Cofmographers will be dift 
poffeffed of the Notions they have entertained of finding 
a Paffage by the North- weft, to which I hope I. have 
fully ftSwn, that thefe new Difcoveries are fo far from 
laifing an infuperable Bar, that on the contrary, they 
have made it more probable than it^ was before. For 
it muft be obferved, that the Advocates for a North- 
weft Paffage are very far from difputing any ^ of the 
X'’oints that are actually fettled by thefe Difcoveries, and 
are only engaged in a Controverfy about the Probabi- 
lity or Iniprobability of this imaginary Continent, which 
is no Part of thole Difcoveries, but a Suppofition raifed 
in Confequence of them, without any juft Grounds, 
If it fhould be enquired, .why, confidering the In- 
duftry and perfed Underftanding of Captain Behring, 
with refped to Matters of this Nature, he fhould be fo 
defirous of fetting up a Fidion, like this, without any 
juft Foundation or Authority, the Anfwer is not very 
diffcult. He wasinftruded to find fuch a Continent as 
we have already feen j fo that he fet out upon his firft 
F/xpedition^ mutha Frepoffeffion that perhaps he could 
iiever get over, -We have already feen in the Begin- 
ji.ingofthis Sedlon, that before the North-eaft Coafts 
Csf the Dominions were thoroughly known, a 
Notion prevailed, that poffibly they might he conti- 
j-iUed in fuch a Manner as to join and make the fame 
Continent with America jand when this was found to be 
fa He, notwithftanding their extending lo far into the 
other Hemifphere, then his other Opinion was taken up j 
V Q L. II, 141, 
A N Diftoveries. loay 
and becaufe Captain Behring had fully difcoverf d that 
there was an open Paffage round the North-eaft Con- 
tinent of AJia, by his firft Expedition, and the Confer ■ 
quences that attended it ; and becaufe in his lecond Ex- 
pedition he difcovered new Land ftill farther to the- 
Eaftward,ic was from thence prefumed, that this muft be 
Part of that Continent he was fent to look for, becaufe' 
had it been fo, he v/ould have fully executed, his Inftruc- 
tions, and have found v/hat t\\& Court oi Peter shourgh 
were defirous he fhould find. This’ is a very clear and 
candid Account of the Matter, and what I am inclined 
to flatter myfelf, v.'ill fatisfy every ftnfible and impartial 
Reader. • r n. -c 
But to make it ftill plainer and more fatisfacuory, ir- 
pofllble, I will beg Leave to cite a parallel Cafe, which 
has been frequently mentioned in the Courfe of this 
Collection. The great Chrifiopher Columbus, as wife a 
Man, and as expe^rienced a Colmographer as he was, 
when he firft framed his Scheme of Difcovery, propofed 
nothing more than to find out a new Routt# to the 
Eafi Indies by failing Weft, and when he met with 
the Bahama and Lucaya Hands, he flattered himfelf 
that he had obtained what he fought, that he had per-’- 
formed wh'at he promifed, and that he had put the 
Crowh of Spain in Poffeffion of a Part of the Indies ; 
and from this Perluafion, when the Error was difcover- 
ed, the Name of the Wefi-Indies arofe, to diftinguifh 
thefe new-found Countries from the old, of which they 
now appear to be no Part, Thus we fee ho'^ Columbus 
was deceived in iitiagining, that by failing diredlly 
Weft he could not fail of meeting that Eaftern Conti- 
nent, which was then the Object of the Wifhes and 
Searches of all Difcoveries, by which indeed he 
made a great and glorious Difcovery, that wilUnd 
ought to perpetuate his Name j but at the fame T. ime 
that he did this, he difcovered his Miftake, and that 
he was very far from having reached thole Countries 
for which he originally fought. Yet he ftill r^etained 
his firft Purpofe, and in fome Meafure his firft Notion j 
for when he heard of a great Continent lying ftill 
Weft from thofe Hands, his Hopes revived, but it was 
not long before he perceived that he was again mif- 
taken, and then finding there v/as a narrow Jjihmus 
which conneded the Northern and Southern Parts of 
this Continent, he flattered himfelf there might be ftill a 
Paffage, and under this Perfuafion he died. 
Now, as the Criticks fay, there is fomething divine 
even in the Dreams of Homer ', fo in refpefl; to the Sen- 
ments of Columbus, of whofe Memory I never fpeak 
but with the utmoft Reverence, there was always fome- 
thing great and noble j and if I might be indulged fo 
bold an Exprelfion, I would venture to fay that there 
was fomewhat of Truth in his Errors, and of Wifdom 
in his Miftakes \ for notwithftanding he was wrong with 
refpeft to Circumftances^ he was right in the main ; 
for had there been no fuch Continent as America, he 
might undoubtedly have failed, as he propofed, from 
Spain to the Indies, though hardly with fuch Veffels as 
thofe in which he made his firft Difcovery. However, 
it was upon his Thought that fucceeding Difcoverers 
built it was from his Difcourfes they colledfed thofe 
Lights that led them to all they afterwards performed ; 
and it was from the Scheme of Chrifiopher Columbus that 
Sir John Cabot, (for he was the Knight, and not his Son 
Sebafiian) took the Flint of a North-weft Paffage, which 
is yet undifcovered i that SebalUan Cabot frarhed his 
Defign of finding a North-eaft Paffage, which has 
been but of late known to be poffible ; and that 
Ferdinand Magellan gathered thofe Obfervations from 
whence he has fo confidently undertook, and fo happi- 
ly accompliftied, the finding a Paffage to the Spice Ifiands 
through the South Seas. 
In Matters of this Nature, as it is very eafy to mif- 
take, as well as very hard not to miftake, fo there is 
nothing fhameful or injurious to a Man’s Reputation, 
who from real Difcoveries falls into erroneous Suppofi- 
■ tions i the only Danger is, that the Fame and Credit 
of the Difcovery fhould give Weight and Authority 40 
fuch Suppofitionsfi and this makes it both neceffary 
and laudable to examine them with the ftridleft Atten-^ 
12 E tipn. 
