early australian voyages-第15部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

n　be　given。

If　it　be　demanded　what　certainty　I　have　that　spices　can　be　had　from　thence；　I　answer；　all　the　certainty　that　in　a　thing　of　this　nature　can　be　reasonably　expected：　　Ferdinand　de　Quiros　met　with　all　sorts　of　spices　in　the　country　he　discovered；　William　Schovten；　and　Jacques　le　Maire；　saw　ginger　and　nutmegs；　so　did　Dampier；　and　the　author　of　Commodore　Roggewein's　Voyage　asserts；　that　the　free　burgesses　of　Amboyna　purchase　nutmegs　from　the　natives　of　New　Guinea　for　bits　of　iron。　　All；　therefore；　I　contend　for；　is　that　these　bits　of　iron　may　be　sent　them　from　Old　England。

The　reason　I　recommend　settling　on　the　south　coast　of　Terra　Australis；　if　this　design　should　be　prosecuted；　from　Juan　Fernandez；　rather　than　the　island　of　New　Britain；　which　I　mentioned　before；　is；　because　that　coast　is　nearer；　and　is　situated　in　a　better　and　pleasanter　climate。　　Besides　all　which　advantages；　as　it　was　never　hitherto　visited　by　the　Dutch；　they　cannot；　with　any　colour　of　justice；　take　umbrage　at　our　attempting　such　a　settlement。　　To　close　then　this　subject；　the　importance　of　which　alone　inclined　me　to　spend　so　much　of　mine　and　the　reader's　time　about　it：

It　is　most　evident；　that；　if　such　a　settlement　was　made　at　Juan　Fernandez；　proper　magazines　erected；　and　a　constant　correspondence　established　between　that　island　and　the　Terra　Australis；　these　three　consequences　must　absolutely　follow　from　thence：　　1。　　That　a　new　trade　would　be　opened；　which　must　carry　off　a　great　quantity　of　our　goods　and　manufactures；　that　cannot；　at　present；　be　brought　to　any　market；　or　at　least；　not　to　so　good　a　market　as　if　there　was　a　greater　demand　for　them。　　2。　　It　would　render　this　navigation；　which　is　at　present　so　strange；　and　consequently　so　terrible；　to　us；　easy　and　familiar；　which　might　be　attended　with　advantages　that　cannot　be　foreseen；　especially　since　there　is；　as　I　before　observed；　in　all　probability　another　southern　continent；　which　is　still　to　be　discovered。　　3。　　It　would　greatly　increase　our　shipping　and　our　seamen；　which　are　the　true　and　natural　strength　of　this　country；　extend　our　naval　power；　and　raise　the　reputation　of　this　nation；　the　most　distant　prospect　of　which　is　sufficient　to　warm　the　soul　of　any　man　who　has　the　least　regard　for　his　country；　with　courage　sufficient　to　despise　the　imputations　that　may　be　thrown　upon　him　as　a　visionary　projector；　for　taking　so　much　pains　about　an　affair　that　can　tend　so　little　to　his　private　advantage。　　We　will　now　add　a　few　words　with　respect　to　the　advantages　arising　from　having　thus　digested　the　history　of　circumnavigators；　from　the　earliest　account　of　time　to　the　present；　and　then　shut　up　the　whole　with　another　section；　containing　the　last　circumnavigation　by　Rear…Admiral　Anson；　whose　voyage　has　at　least　shown　that；　under　a　proper　officer；　English　seamen　are　able　to　achieve　as　much　as　they　ever　did；　and　that　is　as　much　as　was　ever　done　by　any　nation　in　the　world。

It　is　a　point　that　has　always　admitted　some　debate；　whether　science　stands　more　indebted　to　speculation　or　practice；　or；　in　other　words；　whether　the　greater　discoveries　have　been　made　by　men　of　deep　study；　or　persons　of　great　experience　in　the　most　useful　parts　of　knowledge。　　But　this；　I　think；　is　a　proposition　that　admits　of　no　dispute　at　all；　that　the　noblest　discoveries　have　been　the　result　of　a　just　mixture　of　theory　with　practice。　　It　was　from　hence　that　the　very　notion　of　sailing　round　the　earth　took　rise；　and　the　ingenious　Genoese　first　laid　down　this　system　of　the　world；　according　to　his　conception；　and　then　added　the　proofs　derived　from　experience。　　It　is　much　to　be　deplored　that　we　have　not　that　plan　of　discovery　which　the　great　Christopher　Columbus　sent　over　thither　by　his　brother　Bartholomew　to　King　Henry　VII。；　for　if　we　had　we　should　certainly　find　abundance　of　very　curious　observations；　which　might　still　be　useful　to　mariners：　　for　it　appears　clearly；　from　many　little　circumstances；　that　he　was　a　person　of　universal　genius；　and；　until　bad　usage　obliged　him　to　take　many　precautions；　very　communicative。

It　was　from　this　plan；　as　it　had　been　communicated　to　the　Portuguese　court；　that　the　famous　Magellan　came　to　have　so　just　notions　of　the　possibility　of　sailing　by　the　West　to　the　East　Indies；　and　there　was　a　great　deal　of　theory　in　the　proposal　made　by　that　great　man　to　the　Emperor　Charles　V。　　Sir　Francis　Drake　was　a　person　of　the　same　genius；　and　of　a　like　general　knowledge；　and　it　is　very　remarkable　that　these　three　great　seamen　met　also　with　the　same　fate；　by　which　I　mean；　that　they　were　constantly　pursued　by　envy　while　they　lived；　which　hindered　so　much　notice　being　taken　of　their　discourses　and　discoveries　as　they　deserved。　　But　when　the　experience　of　succeeding　times　had　verified　many　of　their　sayings；　which　had　been　considered　as　vain　and　empty　boastings　in　their　lifetimes；　then　prosperity　began　to　pay　a　superstitious　regard　to　whatever　could　be　collected　concerning　them；　and　to　admire　all　they　delivered　as　oraculous。　　Our　other　discoverer；　Candish；　was　likewise　a　man　of　great　parts　and　great　penetration；　as　well　as　of　great　spirit；　he　had；　undoubtedly；　a　mighty　genius　for　discoveries；　but　the　prevailing　notion　of　those　times；　that　the　only　way　to　serve　the　nation　was　plundering　the　Spaniards；　seems　to　have　got　the　better　of　his　desire　to　find　out　unknown　countries；　and　made　him　choose　to　be　known　to　posterity　rather　as　a　gallant　privateer　than　as　an　able　seaman；　though　in　truth　he　was　both。

After　these　follow　Schovten　and　Le　Maire；　who　were　fitted　out　to　make　discoveries；　and　executed　their　commission　with　equal　capacity　and　success。　　If　Le　Maire　had　lived　to　return　to　Holland；　and　to　have　digested　into　proper　order　his　own　accounts；　we　should；　without　question；　have　received　a　much　fuller　and　clearer；　as　well　as　a　much　more　correct　and　satisfactory　detail　of　them　than　we　have　at　present：　　though　the　voyage；　as　it　is　now　published；　is　in　all　respects　the　best；　and　the　most　curious　of　all　the　circumnavigators。　This　was；　very　probably；　owing　to　the　ill…usage　he　met　with　from　the　Dutch　East　India　Company；　which　put　Captain　Schovten；　and　the　relations　of　Le　Maire；　upon　giving　the　world　the　best　information　they　could　of　what　had　been　in　that　voyage　performed。　　Yet　the　fate　of　Le　Maire　had　a　much　greater　effect　in　discouraging；　than　the　fame　of　his　discoveries　had　in　exciting；　a　spirit　of　emulation；　so　that　we　may　safely　say；　the　severity　of　the　East　India　Company　in　Holland　extinguished　that　generous　desire　of　exploring　unknown　lands；　which　might　otherwise　have　raised　the　reputation　and　extended　the　commerce　of　the　republic　much　beyond　what　they　have　hitherto　reached。　　This　is　so　true　that　for　upwards　of　one　hundred　years　we　hear　of　no　Dutch　voyage　in　pursuit　of　Le　Maire's　discoveries；　and　we　see；　when　Commodore　Roggewein；　in　our　own　time；　revived　that　noble　design；　it　was　again　cramped　by　the　same　power　that　stifled　it　before；　and　though　the　States　did　justice　to　the　West　India　Company；　and　to　the　parties　injured；　yet　the　hardships　they　suffered；　and　the　plain　proof　they　gave　of　the　difficulties　that　must　be　met　with　in　the　prosecution　of　such　a　design；　seem　to　have　done　the　business　of　the　East　India　Company；　and　damped　the　spirit　of　discovery；　for　perhaps　another　century；　in　Holland。

It　is　very　observable　that　all　the　mighty　discoveries　that　have　been　made　arose　from　these　great　men；　who　joined　reasoning　with　practice；　and　were　men　of　genius　and　learning；　as　well　as　seamen。　　To　Columbus　we　owe　the　finding　America；　to　Magellan　the　passing　by　the　straits　which　bear　his　name；　by　a　new　route　to　the　East　Indies；　to　Le　Maire　a　more　commodious　passage　round　Cape　Horn；　and　without　running　up　to　California；　Sir　Francis　Drake；　too；　hinted　the　advantages　that　might　arise　by　examining　the　north…west　side　of　America；　and　Candish　had　some　notions　of　discovering　a　passage　between　China　and　Japan。　　As　to　the　history　we　have　of　Roggewein's　voyage；　it　affords　such　lights　as　nothing　but　our　own　negligence　can　render　useless。　　But　in　the　other　voyages；　whatever　discoveries　we　meet　with　are　purely　accidental；　except　it　be　Dampier's　voyage　to　the　coasts　of　New　Holland　and　New　Guinea；　which　was　expressly　made　for　discoveries；　and　in　which；　if　an　abler　man　had　been　employed　in　conjunction　with　Dampier；　we　cannot　doubt　that　the　interior　and　exterior　of　those　countries　would　have　been　much　better　known　than　they　are　at　present；　because　such　a　person　would　rather　have　chosen　to　have　refreshed　in　the　island　of　New　Britain；　or　some　other　country　not　visited　before；　than　at　that　of　Timer；　already　settled　both　by　the　Portuguese　and　the　Dutch。

In　all　attempts；　therefore；　of　this　sort；　those　men　are　fittest　to　be　employed　who；　with　competent　abilities　as　seamen；　have　likewise　general　capacities；　are　at　least　tolerably　acquainted　with　other　sciences；　and　have　settled　judgments　and　solid　understandings。　These　are　the　men　from　whom　we　are　to　expect　the　finishing　that　great　work　which　former　circumnavigators　have　begun；　I　mean　the　discovering　every　part　and　parcel　of　the　globe；　and　the　carrying　to　its　utmost　perfection　the　admirable　and　useful　science　of　navigation。


It　is；　however；　a　piece　of　justice　due　to　the　memory　of　these　great　men；　to　ack