Retrofpect of Domeftic Literature.—Voyages, Travels, Sc. 
mankind, Magalhaens, whofe enterprifing 
_ perfeverance firft practically demonftrated 
the form of our planet, will be remem- 
bered with admiration and gratitude.” 
In the year 1513, the South Sea was 
firtt feen by Europeans from the Ifhmus 
of Darien ; and Captain Burney makes 
this remark on the origin of the name 
South Sea: ‘* The particular pofition of 
the coaft of that part of the American 
continent, from whence the fea on the 
other fide was fiift difcovered, appears to 
have (tamped on it the denomination of 
the South Sea. The Ifthmus of Darien 
lies nearly eaft and welt; confequently, 
there the two feas appear fituated, the 
one to the north, and the other to the 
fouth. If the new fea hid been firft dife 
covered from any any part to the fouth 
of the Bay of Panama, it would probably 
have received fome other appellation. A 
conlequence refulting from the name thus 
impoted has been, that the Atlantic Ocean, 
by way of contra-diftfnétion, bas ocealion- 
ally been called the North Sea, even in its 
moft fouthera part. A thip failing through 
the Strait of Magalhaens, has been faid 
to have pafled from the North Sea into the 
South Sea; or, vice verfa: and in the 
Dit. Encyclopédique, we mect with the 
following article—* Riviere de la Plata, 
qui prend - fource a Pérou et wa fe jet- 
ter dans la Mer du Nord, par le 35me 
deg. de lat. merid. The two feas, never- 
theleis, relative to each other, are north 
and fouth only in the neighbourhood of 
the Ithmus of Darien: in their general 
extent they are eait and weft.” 
The voyages. and difcoveries compre- 
hended in the contents of this volume, 
fubfequentiy to the voyage of Magal- 
haens, appear’ in the following crder: 
Piogrefs ot Difcovery on the Wettern 
Coatt of Amesica to.1524. Voyage of 
Loyala from Spain to tine Moluccas, ard 
of Saavedra from New Spain allo to the 
Moluccas. The Difcovery of California. 
Notices of various unfuccefsful or fruit- 
le{s Attempts to pafs through the Strait 
of Magalhaens into the South Sea. The 
Voyage of Grijaiva and Alvarado from 
Peru to the Moluccas. Francifco de U]- 
toa’s D:fcovery of .California being Part 
of the Continent. Voyage of Juan Ca- 
brillo to the exterior Coatt of Califorsia— 
Of Ruy Lopez de Villalobos from lew 
Spain to the Moluccas—Of Ladrilleios 
from Valdivia to the Strait—Of Miguel 
Lopez de Legafpi from New Spain to the 
Philippine Iflands. Difcovery of Iflands 
near the Continent of America. Difco- 
very of the Salomon Iflands, by Alvaro 
de Mendana, Enterprize of John Ox- 
, 
659 
nam, an Englifhman, in the South Sea. 
Reports, which obtained credit, concerning 
the Difcovery of a Southern Continent ; 
and the Voyage of Sir Francis Drake 
round the World, with witich the narracive 
part of the volume is concluded. é 
The materials for thefe relations are 
coll:é&ed ion a great meafure from the 
journals of the navigators themfelves 5 
but where thefe are not extant, from other 
early authorities. The voyage of Sir 
Francis Drake is narrated with great care 
from a comparifon of ali the accounts 
hitherto reccived, either in manufcript or 
in print. The Appendix contains ** Re- 
marks on the Projections of Charts, and 
particularly on the Degree of Curvature 
proper to be given to the Parallels of La- 
titude.”” This effay contains a great deal 
of the mot ufeful information; and the 
work is altogether executed with fuch 
care and accuracy, and dilplays fuch judg- 
ment and knowledge, that we fhall impa- 
tently expect the continuation of it. 
“The Progrefs of Maritime Difcovery, 
from the earliefi Period to the Clofe of 
the Eighteenth Century; forming an ex- 
tenjive Syftem of Hydrography. By JAMEs 
STANIER CLaRKE,@. R. S. Domeftic 
Chaplain to the Prince. With Plates and 
Maps.” 4 
Mr. Clarke muft have been a moft bold 
man even to have contemplared fuch an 
unde: taking as the prefent ; to have actu- 
ally fet his hand to it, muft have required 
the conicioulneis of uncommon powers, 
and uncommon perfeverance. 
The prefent quarto volume, containing 
very nearly a thouland pages, is to be fuc- 
ceeded. by fix others! §¢ The introduc- 
tion to this volume (fays Mr. Clarke) 
will be found to contain a progreffive me- 
moir of maritime difcoveries by the Cu- 
thites and, Phenicians, the Greeks, Car- 
thaginians, and Romans.’ The work it- 
felf, after fome illuftrations of commer. 
cial hiftory, in which, among other fub- 
jects, the doub‘ful progrefs of the north- 
ern mariners is glanced at, proceeds to 
review the early pericds of Portugueze 
hiftcry, prior to the fifteenth century; an 
account is then given of their moft dif- 
tinguifhed writers on Portugueze Afia 
ana America; and the hiftory of their 
difcoverics follows, from the reign of 
John I. in 1385, to the arrival of Da 
Gama, in 1498, on the coaft of Malabar, 
which compictes the firft great divifion of 
my labours. In the Appendix are many 
curious and fcarce tracts refoecting navi- 
gation, which are intended to elucidate 
the preceding pages.” 
‘Vo the iatrocu&ion and body of the 
oe ae work 
