With Respect To The Compass, We Have Already Stated All That Is Certainly
Known Respecting Its Earliest Application To The
Purposes of navigation.
The sea astrolobe, which is an instrument for taking the altitude of the
sun, stars, &c., is
Described by Chaucer, in 1391, in a treatise on it,
addressed to his little son, Louis; and Purchas informs us, that it was
formerly applied only to astronomical purposes, but was accommodated to the
use of seamen by Martin Behaim, at the command of John II., king of
Portugal, about the year 1487.
About the year 1418, when Prince Henry first began his plan of discovery,
Cape Nun, in latitude 28 deg. 40', was the limit of European knowledge on the
coast of Africa. With this part of the coast, the Portuguese had become
acquainted in consequence of their wars with the Moors of Barbary. In 1418,
two of Henry's commanders reached Cape Boyada in latitute 26 deg. 30'; but the
Cape was not actually doubled till 1434. The Canary islands were visited
during the same voyage that the Cape was discovered: Madeira was likewise
visited or discovered; it was first called St. Laurence, after the saint of
the day on which it was seen, and afterwards Madeira, on account of its
woods. In 1420, the Portuguese set fire to these woods, and afterwards
planted the sugar cane, which they brought from Sicily, and the vines which
they brought from Cyprus. Saw mills were likewise erected on it.
About the year 1432, Gonzalos was sent with two small vessels to the coast
of Africa on new discoveries. In 1434, Cape Boyada was doubled: in 1442,
the Portuguese had advanced as far as Rio-do-Ouro, under the tropic of
Cancer. On the return of the ships from this voyage, the inhabitants of
Lisbon first saw, with astonishment, negroes of a jet black complexion, and
woolly hair, quite different from the slaves which had been hitherto
brought from Africa; for, before this time, they had seized, and sold as
slaves, the tawny Moors, which they met with on the coast of Africa. In the
year 1442, however, some of these had been redeemed by their friends, in
exchange for negroes and gold dust. This last article stimulated the
avarice of the Portuguese to greater exertions, than Prince Henry had been
able to excite, and an African company was immediately formed to obtain it,
slaves, &c.; but their commerce was exclusively confined to the coast of
Africa, to the south of Sierra Leone. Dr. Vincent justly remarks, that
Henry had stood alone for almost forty years, and had he fallen before
these few ounces of gold reached his country, the spirit of discovery might
have perished with him, and his designs might have been condemned as the
dreams of a visionary. The importation of this gold, and the establishment
of the African company in Portugal, to continue the remark of the same
author, is the primary date, to which we may refer that turn for adventure
which sprung up in Europe, which pervaded all the ardent spirits in every
country for the two succeeding centuries, and which never ceased till it
had united the four quarters of the globe in commercial intercourse.
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