A Book of Discovery by M. B. Synge (classic novels TXT) 📖

MAURO'S Map.     A Ship of Albuquerque's Fleet   From a very fine Woodcut in the British Museum.     A Ship of Java and the China Seas in the 16th century   From LINSCHOTEN'S Navigatio ac Itinerarium, 1598.     One of the first Maps of the Pacific   From DIEGO RIBERO'S Map, 1529.     Magellan's Fleet   From MERCATOR'S Mappe Monde, 1569.     A Ship of the 16th century   From AMORETTI'S translation of Magellan's Voyage round the World.     "Hondius his Map of the Magellan Streight"   From a Map by JODOCUS HONDIUS, about 1590.     The first Ship that sailed round the World   Magellan's Victoria, from HULSIUS'S Collection of Voyages, 1602.     Hernando Cortes, Conqueror of Mexico   After the original Portrait at Mexico.     The Battles of the Spaniards in Mexico   From an ancient Aztec Drawing.     Pizarro   From the Portrait at Cuzco.     Peru and South America   From the Map of the World, 1544, usually ascribed to SEBASTIAN CABOT.     Peruvian Warriors of the Inca Period   From an ancient Peruvian Painting.     Part of North America, showing Sebastian Cabot's Voyage to Newfoundland   From the Map of 1544, usually ascribed to CABOT.     Jacques Cartier   From an old Pen-drawing at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris.     Canada and the River St. Lawrence, showing Quebec   From LESCARBOT'S Histoire de la Nouvelle France, 1609.     New France, showing Newfoundland, Labrador, and the St. Lawrence   From JOCOMO DI GASTALDI'S Map, about 1550.     Ivan Vasiliwich, King of Muscovie   From an old Woodcut.     Anthony Jenkinson's Map of Russia, Muscovy, and Tartary   Published in 1562.     Greenlanders as seen by Martin Frobisher   From Captain BESTE'S Account of Frobisher's Voyages, 1578.     Sir Francis Drake   From HOLLAND'S Heroologia, 1620.     The Silver Map of the World   From Medallion in British Museum.     The Silver Map of the World   From Medallion in British Museum.     The Golden Hind at New Albion   From the Chart of Drake's Voyages.     The Golden Hind at Java   From the Chart of Drake's Voyages.     An Eskimo   From a Water-colour Drawing by JOHN WHITE, about 1585.     A Ship of the late 16th century   From Ortelius, 1598.     Nova Zembla and the Arctic Regions   From a Map in DE BRY'S Grands Voyages, 1598.     Barents in the Arctic—"Hut wherein we wintered"   From DE VEER'S Account of the Voyages of Barents, 1598.     Hudson's Map of his Voyages in the Arctic   From his Book published in 1612.     A Ship of Hudson's Fleet   From his Voyages, 1612.     Baffin's Map of his Voyages to the North   From original MS., drawn by BAFFIN, in the British Museum.     Sir Walter Raleigh     Raleigh's Map of Guinea, El Dorado, and the Orinoco Coast   From the original Map, drawn by RALEIGH, in British Museum.     The first Settlement at Quebec   From CHAMPLAIN'S Voyages, 1613.     The Defeat of the Iroquois by Champlain   From a Drawing in CHAMPLAIN'S Voyages, 1613.     An early Map of "Terra Australis" called "Java la Grande"   From the "Dauphin" Map of 1546.     The Wreck of Captain Pelsart's Ship, the Batavia, on the Coast of New Holland   From the Dutch account of PELSART'S Voyages, 1647.     Van Diemen's Land and two of Tasman's Ships   From the Map drawn by TASMAN in his "Journal."     Dampier's Ship, the Cygnet   From a Drawing in the Dutch edition of his Voyage Round the World, 1698.     Dampier's Strait and the Island of New Britain   From a Map in DAMPIER'S Voyages, 1697.     Chart of Behring's Voyage from Kamtchatka to North America   From a Chart drawn in 1741 by Lieut. WAXELL.     The Island of Otaheite, or St. George   From a Painting by WILLIAM HODGES.     A Maori Fort on the Coast between Poverty Bay and Cape Turnagain   From an Engraving in the Atlas to COOK'S first Voyage.     Captain Cook's Vessel beached at the Entrance of Endeavour River   From an Engraving in the Atlas to COOK'S first Voyage.     Captain James Cook   From the Painting by DANCE in the Gallery of Greenwich Hospital.     Port Jackson and Sydney Cove   From the Atlas to the Voyage de l'Astrolabe.     A Nile Boat, or Canja   From BRUCE'S Travels to Discover the Source of the Nile.     An Arab Sheikh   From BRUCE'S Travels.     The Camp of Ali, the Mohammedan Chief, at Benown   From a Sketch by MUNGO PARK.     Kamalia, a Native Village near the Southern Course of the Niger   From a Sketch by MUNGO PARK.     A Native Woman washing Gold in Senegal   From a Sketch by MUNGO PARK, made on his last expedition.     Vancouver's Ship, the Discovery, on the Rocks in Queen Charlotte's Sound   From a Drawing in VANCOUVER'S Voyage, 1798.     Parry's Ships, the Hecla and Griper, in Winter Harbour   From a Drawing in PARRY'S Voyage for the North-West Passage, 1821.     The North Shore of Lancaster Sound   From a Drawing in PARRY'S Voyage for the North-West Passage, 1821.     A Winter View of Fort Enterprise   From a Drawing, by WILLIAM BACK, in Franklin's Journey to the Polar Sea, 1823.     Franklin's Expedition to the Polar Sea on the Ice   From a Drawing, by WILLIAM BACK, in Franklin's Journey to the Polar Sea, 1823.     An Eskimo watching a Seal Hole   From a Drawing in PARRY'S Second Voyage for a North-West Passage, 1824.     Fort Franklin, on the Great Bear Lake, in the Winter   From a Drawing in FRANKLIN'S Second Expedition to the Polar Sea, 1828.     Franklin's Expedition crossing Back's Inlet   From a Drawing, by Lieut. BACK, in Franklin's Second Expedition to the Polar Sea, 1828.     The Boats of Parry's Expedition hauled up on the Ice for the Night   From a Drawing in PARRY'S Attempt to Reach the North Pole, 1828.     Major Denham and his Party received by the Sheikh of Bornu   From a Drawing by Major DENHAM.     The first European Picture of Timbuktu   From a Drawing in CAILLÉ'S Tomboctou, 1829.     Richard and John Lander paddling down the Niger   From a Drawing in the account of LANDER'S Travels, 1835.     The Rosses on their Journey to the North Magnetic Pole   From a Drawing in ROSS'S Second Voyage for a North-West Passage, 1835.     "Somerset House," Ross's Winter Quarters on Fury Beach   From a Drawing in ROSS'S Second Voyage for a North-West Passage, 1835.     Matthew Flinders     Cape Catastrophe   From FLINDERS' Voyages.     The Huts of the Crew of the Porpoise on the Sandbank, Wreck Reef   From FLINDERS' Voyages.     Captain Sturt at the Junction of the Rivers Darling and Murray   From the Narrative of Sturt's Expedition.     The Burke and Wills Expedition leaving Melbourne, 1860   From a Drawing by WILLIAM STRUTT, an acquaintance of Burke.     Burke and Wills at Cooper's Creek   From a Woodcut in a contemporary Australian account of the expedition.     Part of the Great Southern Ice Barrier   From ROSS'S Voyage in the Antarctic Regions.     Eskimos at Cape York watching the approach of the Fox   From McCLINTOCK'S Voyage in Search of Franklin.     The Three Graves on Beechey Island   From McCLINTOCK'S Voyage in Search of Franklin.     Exploring Parties starting from the Fox   From McCLINTOCK'S Voyage in Search of Franklin.     Livingstone, with his Wife and Family, at the Discovery of Lake Ngami   From LIVINGSTONE'S Missionary Travels.     The "Smoke" of the Zambesi (Victoria) Falls   After a Drawing in LIVINGSTONE'S Missionary Travels.     Burton in a Dug-out on Lake Tanganyika   After a Drawing by BURTON.     Burton and his Companions on the march to Victoria Nyanza   From a Humorous Sketch by BURTON.     The Ma-Robert on the Zambesi   After a Drawing in LIVINGSTONE'S Expedition to the Zambesi.     M'tesa, King of Uganda   From SPEKE'S Journey to Discover the Source of the Nile.     The Ripon Falls on the Victoria Nyanza   From SPEKE'S Journey to Discover the Source of the Nile.     Captains Speke and Grant     Baker and his Wife crossing the Nubian Desert   From BAKER'S Travels.     Baker's Boat in a Storm on Lake Albert Nyanza   From BAKER'S Albert Nyanza.     The Discovery of Lake Bangweolo, 1868   From LIVINGSTONE'S Last Journals, by permission of Mr. John Murray.     Livingstone at Work on his Journal   From a Sketch by H. M. STANLEY.     Livingstone entering the Hut at Ilala on the Night that he Died   From LIVINGSTONE'S Last Journals, by permission of Mr. John Murray.     The last Entries in Livingstone's Diary     Susi, Livingstone's Servant   From a Sketch by H. M. STANLEY.     Stanley and his Men marching through Unyoro   From a Sketch, by STANLEY, in Through the Dark Continent.     "Towards the Unknown": Stanley's Canoes starting from Vinya Njara   From Through the Dark Continent.     The Seventh Cataract—Stanley Falls   From Through the Dark Continent.     The Fight below the Confluence of the Aruwimi and Livingstone Rivers   From a Sketch, by STANLEY, in Through the Dark Continent.     Nordenskiöld's Ship, the Vega, saluting Cape Chelyuskin   From a Drawing in HOVGAARD'S Nordenskiöld's Voyage.     Menka, Chief of the Chukches     The Vega frozen in for the Winter   From a Drawing in HOVGAARD'S Nordenskiöld's Voyage.     The Potala at Lhasa   From KIRCHER'S China Illustrata.     Dr. Nansen   After a Photograph.     The Ship that went Farthest North: the Fram   From a Photograph.

A BOOK OF DISCOVERY

CHAPTER I A LITTLE OLD WORLD

No story is complete unless it begins at the very beginning. But where is the beginning? Where is the dawn of geography—the knowledge of our earth? What was it like before the first explorers made their way into distant lands? Every day that passes we are gaining fresh knowledge of the dim and silent past.

Every day men are patiently digging in the old heaps that were once the sites of busy cities, and, as a result of their unwearying toil, they are revealing to us the life-stories of those who dwelt therein; they are disclosing secrets writ on weather-worn stones and tablets, bricks and cylinders, never before even guessed at.

Thus we read the wondrous story of ancient days, and breathlessly wonder what marvellous discovery will thrill us next.

For the earliest account of the old world—a world made up apparently of a little land and a little water—we turn to an old papyrus, the oldest in existence, which tells us in familiar words, unsurpassed for their exquisite poetry and wondrous simplicity, of that great dateless time so full of mystery and awe.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.... And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God ... divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.... And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.... And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas."

Thus beautifully did the children of men express their earliest idea of the world's distribution of land and water.

THE GARDEN OF EDEN WITH ITS FOUR RIVERS THE GARDEN OF EDEN WITH ITS FOUR RIVERS.
From the Hereford Map of the World.

And where, on our modern maps, was this little earth, and what was it like? Did trees and