Asia extended eastwards in an indefinite expanse. It was figured thus by Ptolemy, the last and greatest of the ancient geographers. He removed from his map the Atlanticum Mare Orientale (the eastern Atlantic), which had so long marked the confines of geographical research, and exhibited the continent as stretching far beyond the limits previously assigned to it. His knowledge did not enable him to delineate its eastern extremity, or the ocean beyond: he was therefore induced to terminate it by a boundary of "land unknown."

With Ptolemy ceased not only the advance of science, but even the memory of almost all that had been formerly known. The long night which succeeded the decline of the Roman empire was now closing in, and a dreary space intervened before its shadows were dispelled by the dawn of a brighter day than the world had yet witnessed.

The first gleam of light came from the East, where the Arabs pursued the study of geography with the utmost ardour. Their systems again revived the belief in a circumambient ocean, which bound the earth like a zone, and in which the world floated like an egg in a basin. That portion of this belt of waters which was imagined to flow round the north-eastern shores of Asia, they called by the name of "The Sea of Pitchy Darkness." The Atlantic had by the Greeks been regarded as a fairy scene, where the Islands of the Blest were placed, in which, under calm skies, surrounded by unruffled seas and amid groves of the sweetest odour, the favoured of the gods enjoyed everlasting peace and happiness. This fable found no place among the Arabs, who bestowed on that ocean the name of "The Sea of Darkness,"

and filled their imaginations with appalling pictures of its storms and dangers. Xerif al Edrisi, one of the most eminent of their geographers, who wrote about the middle of the twelfth century, observes,- "No one has been able to verify any thing concerning it, on account of its difficult and perilous navigation, its great obscurity, its profound depth and frequent tempests; through fear of its mighty fishes and its haughty winds; yet there are many islands in it, some peopled, others uninhabited. There is no mariner who dares to enter into its deep waters; or, if any have done so, they have merely kept along its coasts, fearful of departing from them. The waves of this ocean, although they roll as high as mountains, yet maintain themselves without breaking; for if they broke, it would be impossible for a ship to plough them."

But the mystery of this "Sea of Pitchy Darkness" was at length removed. Towards the end of the thirteenth century, the celebrated Venetian traveller, Marco Polo, succeeded in penetrating across the Asiatic continent, and reached the farthest shores of China. He brought back to Europe tales of oriental pomp and magnificence far beyond any previous conception. His work exercised the greatest influence on the minds of that age, which, prone to belief in marvellous stories, found unbounded gratification in the glowing descriptions of the wealth of those eastern countries; the extent and architectural wonders of their cities; the numbers and glittering array of their armies; and, above all, the inconceivable splendour of the court of the great Kublai Khan, his vast palaces, his guards, his gay summer-residences, with their magnificent gardens

watered by beautiful streams, and adorned with the fairest fruits and flowers. Among these visions of immeasurable riches, a prominent place was occupied by the sea which was found to be the eastern boundary of China. He drew a picture of it, widely differing from the gloom and tempests with which the Arabs had invested its waters. He spoke of its extent, so great," that, according to the report of experienced pilots and mariners who frequent it, and to whom the truth must be known, it contains no fewer than seven thousand four hundred and forty islands, mostly inhabited." As to their products, he told that no trees grew there that did not yield a fragrant perfume. He dwelt on the abundance of their spices and drugs, and summed up the whole by declaring, that "it was impossible to estimate the value of the gold and other articles found in these islands !" But all others were outshone by the more lavish splendours of Zipangu, the modern Japan. There, were to be found abundance of precious stones, and large quantities of pearls, some white, and others of a beautiful pink colour. The inhabitants were of a fair complexion, well made, and of civilized manners.

They have gold," it is said, " in the greatest plenty, its sources being inexhaustible; but as the king does not allow of its being exported, few merchants visit the country, nor is it frequented by much shipping from other parts. To this circumstance we are to attribute the extraordinary richness of the sovereign's palace, according to what we are told by those who have access to the place. The entire roof is covered with a plating of gold, in the same manner as we cover houses, or more properly churches,

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with lead. The ceilings of the halls are of the same precious metal; many of the apartments have small tables of pure gold, considerably thick; and the windows also have golden ornaments. So vast, indeed," exclaims the Venetian, are the riches of the palace, that it is impossible to convey an idea of them!"* Marco Polo was careful to explain, that the sea in which Zipangu and its neighbouring islands were placed was not a gulf or branch of the ocean, like the English or the Egean Seas, but a large and boundless expanse of waters.

Thus early was the Asiatic margin of the South Sea made known; but more than two centuries elapsed before its opposite boundary was reached, or a European ship was launched upon its waves.

The Atlantic shores of Africa were the first scenes of that career of modern discovery which characterized the spirit of the fifteenth century. The main object was the circumnavigation of that continent, in order to open a direct path to India, the grand source of commerce and wealth; and, under the auspices of Prince Henry of Portugal, this end was pursued with a steadiness and perseverance which produced the most important results. There was inspired a confidence, hitherto unfelt, in the art of navigation; its capabilities were much advanced, and the range of its enterprise extended far beyond all previous limits. A passion for maritime adventure was also spread throughout Europe, and men's minds were excited to daring undertakings and bold speculations. Attention was turn

* The Travels of Marco Polo, a Venetian, in the Thirteenth Century, translated from the Italian, with Notes by William Marsden, F.R.S. London, 1818. 4to, p. 569, et seq.

ed to the unknown waters of the Atlantic, and imagination wantoned in figuring the wealth, the wonders, and the mysteries of the lands that were hidden in its bosom. The fables of antiquity were revived; the Atalantis of Plato came again to be believed; and to its classic fictions were added the marvels of many a Gothic and monkish legend, and the visions of splendour seen in the glory of the setting sun. Yet all these glittering fancies failed to tempt any mariner to sail boldly forth into the ocean, and explore the secrets of its depths.

At length arose Christopher Columbus,—a man of whom it has been happily remarked, that the narrative of his life is the link which connects the history of the Old World with that of the New. From the study of ancient and modern geographers he became convinced of the existence of lands which might be reached by sailing westward. He argued that the earth was a sphere, and, following Ptolemy, he assigned to it a circumference of twenty-four hours. He estimated that fifteen of these were known to the ancients, and that what remained to be explored was occupied by the eastern countries of Asia and the sea seen by Marco Polo, which he believed to be identical with the Atlantic. He was therefore firmly assured, that, by proceeding westward across this ocean, he would arrive at the shores of the Asiatic continent and its neighbouring island of Zipangu, of which the glowing description left by the Venetian traveller seems to have constantly haunted his thoughts.

After many years of doubt and disappointment spent in soliciting various princes to engage in the en