Chap. III. 
the Russian Difcoveries. 
recur to, and in all Probabdity it will not then be I treat this as an Argument of the Poffibility only 
thought a Crime that fuch Notions as thefe, once of fuch a Paffage, becaufe there are other Ways, by 
upon a Time, enter’d into a fpeculative Head, for the which thefe Fruits may be fuppofed to come; but then 
Benefit of thofe who confine their Thoughts intirely to there are infinitely greater Difficulties that lie in the 
Things prefent, and care not to look forward into Fu- Way of fuppofing other PalTages than can be poffibly 
turity, or to trouble themfelves with contriving Schemes objeded to this. I will name only one. There can be 
for the Service of Poflerity. no Reafon in the World affigned, if they come by any 
However I lliall conclude this Section, with a full other Paffage than this, of the North-weft why they 
Proof, that I am far enough from being bigotted to fhould not be found in other Places, and that in the 
any Syftem of my own. For after all that has been fame Plenty, or rather more fo, than in thefe Hands of 
advanced from Matters of Fa6l, from the Confidera- Scotland^ which is however a Faft, that I never heard 
tion of Behring's Difcoveries, from the Hints that we fo much as pretended. But be that as it will, and al- 
have received of fubfequent Difcoveries, and from the lowing that there are other Paffages by which they 
Confequences that we might rationally conclude may may come, it is at moft but poffible they fhould come 
attend them, it muft be acknowledged, that if we con- by thefe Paffages, and I think no Man that is a Judge 
tinue to profecute that Defign, which is the Glory of of the Subjeft, will deny, that till we have full Evi- 
the prefent Times ; I mean, the endeavouring to difco- dence of there being no fuch Thing as a North-weft 
ver a North-weft Paffage, we fhall infallibly deliver Paffage, it is likewife poffible they may come that Way. 
ourfelves from all Apprehenfions of feeing either the Now though in itfelf, this is no very weighty Argu- 
Eaji or the Weft- India Trade ingroffcd by any other ment, yet in Conjunction with others it may become 
Nation, but on the contrary, may have well grounded fo ; for in all Enquiries of this Nature, the firft Step in 
Hopes of extending our Commerce, and preferving our the moft regular and certain Method, is to prove 
naval Power to the lateft Times, and as long as we that the Thing fought for is poffible, and the next, 
fhall continue a Nation. that it is probable. 
That there have been probable Motives to eftablifh In Reference to this alfo, I think, I can offer another 
the Belief, and confequently to encourage our Endea- Argument, that is in a good Meafure new, and it is 
vours for finding out a North-weft Paffage, I have this. The moft judicious Cofmographers are unani- 
fhewn at large in its proper Place, have occafionally in- moufly of Opinion, from the wife Diftribution of Land 
lifted upon them cifewhere, and particularly in this very and Water, in the StruClure of this Globe, that not 
Se(5lion ; that all the Difappointments we have hitherto only the Centre of Motion, and the Center of Gravity, 
met with, ought not to deftroy this Belief, or deter us but the Center of Magnitude alfo is very nearly the 
from carrying our Enquiries as far as they will go, has fame, and confequently that the Center of the Convex 
I think been very clearly made out by others ; but whe- Superficies of the Sea is the true Center of the whole 
ther all that has been done and written upon this Subjedl, terreftrial Sphere. It was from this Argument, that 
will be fufficient to keep up that Spirit, which in the before any Difcovery was made of a Southern Conti- 
End muft bring this long-hid Secret to light, is in the nent, of which a large Account has been given in the 
Womb of Time. However, as no Man wiffies more former Volume, it was judged highly probable, that 
to fee it difclofed, or has done more within the narrow fuch a Continent there might be, and as we now very 
Sphere of his Capacity towards the promoting of it, well know, that fuch a Continent there is, it certainly 
without any Motive of Intereft than myfelf ; 1 cannot adds both Weight and Strength to this Way of Rea- 
but think it my Duty, though it may feem a little out foning. 
of the ordinary Manner of Writing, to finifh this Sec- Before it was known that the Continent of Jfta ex- 
tion, by giving the Reader notice of fome new Argu- tended fo very far to the North-eaft, we might with 
ments, perfuading the Poffibility, Probability, and Re- equal Probability have conjetftured, that either it really 
ality of this North-weft Paffage. was fo, or that the Continent of America proje61;ed very 
For who can tell into what Hands this Book may far to the Weft, in order to form a due Proportion be- 
fall ? Part of it has already travelled to the laft difco- tween Land and Sea. But now that the Thing is put 
vered Parts of Hudfon's Bay, and ferved for an agree- out of Difpute, on one Side, and we have all the Cur- 
able and not ufelefs Companion to the Gentleman who tainty that can be defired, that the North-Eaft Conti- 
carried it. It may be, that what I have farther to fay, nent of Afta, extends above thirty Degrees of Longi- 
will be no lefs fortunate, perhaps more fo, for what is tude into the other Hemifphere, there is the higheft: 
there impoffible, in fuppofing it may arnufe the leifure Probability, that the Balance of Sea is preferved on 
Hours of him, who is fo lucky as to make the Difco- the American Side, and that there is no fuch projedino- 
covery ? At leaft this I will hope, and in the Warmth of that Continent, as till this Difcovery was mad^ 
of that Hope, fet down thofe Reafons, that, to the beft might with equal Reafon have been prefumed. From 
of my Knowledge, have, in the long Courfe of this Dif- this Confideration therefore, one hath as good Caufe, 
pute been wholly omitted. as the Nature of the Thing will allow, to affert, that 
To begin then with an Argument of the Poffibility the Space between America and A/ia is chiefly Sea, as 
of fuch a Paffage, that learned Naturalift, and moft candid we adually know it to be, between America and Europe^ 
Enquirer after whatever had any Relation to rational on the other Side. 
Cofmography, Mx.Ray, in his excellent Difcourfe upon This will appear ftill the more probable, if we con- 
the Deluge, affures us, that Eaft-India Fruits have been fider the vaft Breadth of America from the Coafts of 
found walked on Shore, on the North-weft Hands of Canada^ or of Hudfon's Bay, to California^ and how 
Scotland. Now if this be a Fad, as I believe indifpu- ftrangely difproportionate this would be, if the Conti- 
table Evidence might be brought to prove it fuch, then nent Ihould be ftill extended farther on that Side to- 
I prefume, it may be ftil’d an Argument for the Pof- wards Afia. I cannot tell what Degree of Evidence 
Ability at leaft of fuch a Paffage. Whoever confiders this may carry to other People, but I confefs, it weighs 
how reafonable and how natural it is to fuppofe, that very much with me, and I flatter myfelf, that whoever 
thefe Fruits, of whatever Kind they be, are wafhed will ferioufly confider the Figure of the Globe, with 
from the neareft Indian Coafts, to that upon which the new Difcoveries of the Ruffians properly laid down 
they are found, will readily confefs, that a North-weft thereon, will incline to think as I do, and fee plainly, 
Paffage is the moft likely Way for them to come. If that the Suppofition of fuch an extended Continent 
we Ihould fuppofe that many Hands, i great and would in a great Meafure deftroy that Proportion be- 
fmall, are fcattered in the Space between America and tween Land and Sea, which, for the Caufes before af- 
Afia., then ^t might be more probable, becaufe fuch figned, we have the greateft Reafon to believe fhould 
Fruits might be prefumed to grow in thofe Hands, and be always preferved. If therefore this be fo, it caa- 
being driven to the Coafts of California., be forced by not be thought, that I carry Things too far, in alledg- 
the high Tides that are now known to flow there into ing that this is a probable Argument in Favour of a 
the Paffage, and fo round to the North-weft Hands North-we ft Paffage. 
before- mentioned . 
y o L, II. CXLIII, 
To 
12 H 
