a vessel should be blown off the coast of Africa, and driven to this continent, is not surely impossible, though the course of winds must have strangely shifted since that time: but, without chart, or compass, or much astronomical skill, how was she to get back, to carry the intelligence? Our authors are not satisfied with this absurdity. They suppose the Phoenicians, not only to have made a voyage or two; but to have planted colonies here, and carried on a trade between the two continents. This would give us new ideas of their proficiency in the arts and sciences, which are subservient to navigation; but, without resorting to so invidious a topic, we may mention a single circumstance, which, it appears to us, will equally refute all the stories of early European colonies. Making every allowance for modern degeneracy, we suppose it will hardly be contended, that the ancients were completely proof against the original climate of the New World; and, if only a half or a third as many of them perished in their attempts at colonization, as were lost in those of more modern times, the facts would have become so notorious as to have enabled their historians to give us authentic statements, instead of obscure fables. The Welsh are the next claimants to the original discovery of America. In the year 1170, the sons of Owen Gwyneth are said to have contested the suc cession to North Wales; the eldest being 'counted 'unmeet to govern, because of the maim upon his 'face.' Madoc, one of the brothers, seems to have thought, that his own prospect was hopeless, or that it was hardly worth while to quarrel for so trifling a stake; and he resolved to seek some other region, where it would not be necessary to establish his title by force, or to maintain it by oppression. Sailing westward, from the northernmost point of Ireland, he came, at length, to a country, where, though he saw 'many strange things,' he found no inhabitants; and where, of course, he might rule, without the fear of competition or dethronement. He returned to provide himself with subjects; and, setting sail again, with a number of ships, is supposed to have planted a colony in the New World.* This tale only exists in the traditional poetry of the Welsh; and, though it found converts during the last century, the expedition of Lewis and Clarke has dissipated the fable of Welsh Indians up the Missouri. Sir John Mandeville, who wrote in the fourteenth century, has a still more extraordinary story, concerning an early British adventurer. He is endeavouring to prove, from his own experience, that the earth is round; and, since his speculations were published a * POWELL'S Hist. of Wales. Ap. HACKLUFT'S Voyages, vol. iii. pp. century before the voyages of Columbus, they must take from the latter the praise of originality, in suggesting the existence of new continents, or the circumnavigability of the globe. As the people to the north, he observes, guide themselves by the 'lode sterre;' so those of the south are guided by a similar star, called the 'antartyke.' 'For whiche cause, (he adds,) men may wel perceyve, that the lond and the see ben of rownde schapp and forme. For the partie of the firmament schewethe in o contree, that schewethe not in another contree. And men may well preven by experience and sotyle compassement of wytt, that zif a man fond passages be schippes, hat wolde go to serchen the worlde, men might go be schippe all aboute the worlde, and aboven and benethen.' He then shows much 'experience and sotyle compassement of wytt,' in proof of the fact; and concludes, as he began, that men may envirowne alle the erthe of alle the world, as well under as aboven, and turn azen to his contree, that hadde companye and schippynge and conduyt: and all weyes he scholde fynde men, londes, and yles, als wel as in this contree.' As an additional proof of his assertion, he subjoins the story just alluded to. 'And therefore,' he says, 'hath it befallen many times of a thing, (we drop the old orthography,) that I have heard counted, when I was young: how a worthy man departed some time from our country, for to go to search the world. And so he passed India, and the islands beyond India, where there are more than five thousand islands: and so long he went by sea and land, and so environed the world by many seasons, that he found an island, where he heard his own language spoken, calling on oxen in the plough, such words as men speak to beasts in his own country: whereof he had great marvel: for he knew not how it might be. But I say that he had gone so long, by land and by sea, that he was coming again environing; that is to say, going about to his own marches, 'zif he wold have passed forth, till he had founden his contree and his own knowleche.** The Chinese are, also, said to have visited America, before its discovery by Columbus. It was in the year 1270, that China was overrun by the Tartars; and it is supposed, that a body of one hundred thousand inhabitants, refusing obedience to their new masters, set sail, in one thousand ships, to find a new country, or perish in the enterprise. The origin of Mexico is thus ascertained; and, that the account might be confirmed to demonstration, some authors tell us, that the wrecks of Chinese vessels have been * JOHNSON'S History of the English Language. seen in Florida and Quivira.* We must question, whether this people were then sufficiently skilful in navigation to double Cape Horn; and we can find no good reason, why they should sail around the whole continent of South America, to arrive at a place, which might have been reached by so much shorter a route. Of all nations, the Chinese are the most obstinately attached to their own soil; and, when we add, that, though both they and the Tartars have historians for this period, no mention is made by either of so notable an event,† little credit, we think, can be given to the story. Next come the Norwegians. We have not been enabled to investigate the evidence of their claims; and, indeed, nearly all we know on the subject, is contained in a letter from Dr. Franklin to Mr. Mather, dated London, July 7, 1773. You have,' 'You have,' says he, 'made the most of your argument, to prove that America was known to the ancients. There is another discovery of it claimed by the Norwegians, which you have not mentioned, unless it be under the words 'of old viewed and observed,' page 7. About twenty-five years since, Professor Kalm, a learned Swede, was with us in Pennsylvania. He contended, that America was discovered by their northern people, long * HORN. ut sup. 1. iii. c. 4, 5; or HARRIS' Voyages, Introd. |