Barren Grounds-Transparent Waters of Great Bear Lake— Fort Franklin-Bear Lake River-Lignite Formation of Mac- kenzie River Spontaneous Fire-Pipe-clay-Alluvial Islands at the Mouth of the Mackenzie-Copper Mountains-Copper- mine River Islands of the Arctic Sea-Arctic Shore-Cape Barrow-Galena Point-Moore's Bay-Bankes' Peninsula—Bar- ry's Island-Cape Croker-Point Turnagain—General Occur- rence of the New Red Sandstone-Hood's River-Wilberforce Falls Gneiss Formation-General Summary,.............. ENGRAVINGS. MAP of the Northern Coasts of America,... To face the Vignet VIGNETTE-Scene near Mount Coplestone, or Western Ter mination of the Rocky Mountains. Portrait of Hernan Cortes,................. Group of Esquimaux West of the Mackenzie River,....... Page 20 Rocky Mountain Goat, and Rocky Mountain Sheep,.... 34 Sabine's Gull,.. .38 PROGRESS OF DISCOVERY ON THE MORE NORTHERN COASTS OF AMERICA. CHAPTER I. Discovery of North America-Early Voyages of the Portuguese, French, and Spaniards. First Discovery of North America by John Cabot-Voyages of Sebastian Cabot-Of the Cortereals-Discovery of Labrador -French Discoveries-Voyages of Verazzano-Of Jacques Cartier-Discovery of Canada-Spanish Voyages of Discovery -Cortes-Ulloa-Alarchon--Viscaino. WHEN we peruse the lives of such men as De Gama and Columbus, and consider the complicated difficulties overcome by these early navigators, their imperfect means, and the dark and defective state of their knowledge, it is difficult to repress astonishment at the success which attended their exertions, and the magnitude and splendour of their discoveries. In reflecting, indeed, upon so great a theme as the revelation of a new world, it becomes us to raise our minds from the region of second causes to the awful contemplation of that Almighty Being, who con A founds the calculations of man by bringing stupendous results out of the feeblest human preparations; and it is one of the finest features in the character of Columbus, that he invariably acted under the conviction of being selected by God for the task which he at length accomplished; but the admiration with which we regard this great man, and that belongs, though in an inferior degree, to many of his contemporaries in the field of discovery, is enhanced rather than diminished by this union of simple and primitive faith with ardent genius and undaunted resolution. A former volume has been devoted to the description of the daring efforts which have been made to explore the Polar Seas; and we now proceed to direct our attention to another, and a no less interesting and important chapter in the history of human enterprise, the discovery of North America, and the progress of maritime adventure on the more northern coasts of this vast continent. Without detracting in any degree from the fame of Columbus, it may be mentioned as a remarkable circumstance, that although the admiral landed in Hispaniola as early as the 4th of February 1493, he did not ascertain the existence of the continent of South America till the 30th of May 1498; whilst there is certain evidence that, almost a year before, an English vessel had reached the shores of North America. As much obscurity hangs over the circumstances of this early voyage, and as I have arrived at a conclusion completely at variance with that adopted by a late acute writer,* it will be necessary to dwell with some minuteness on the history of this great event. *The author of the Memoir of Sebastian Cabot, pp. 50, 51, an anonymous work (London, 1831), which contains much ingenious The attention paid to navigation by the commercial states of Italy, and especially by the republics of Genoa and Venice, is familiar to all acquainted with the history of Europe during the fifteenth century. Italian merchants and agents of opulent commercial houses were found settled in every European state; and the impetus communicated to the human mind by the discoveries of the Portuguese and the Spaniards rendered the sciences of cosmography and navigation the most popular subjects of instruction which were taught in the schools. A devotion to them became fashionable among the noble and ardent youths, who associated with them all that was romantic and delightful; they were considered as the certain guides to daring and successful maritime adventure, and the handmaids to wealth and fame. It was about this momentous period, in the year 1494, that we find a Venetian, named John Cabot or Gabota, residing in the opulent city of Bristol. At what precise time he settled in England is not now discoverable; we only know that he left Italy for the purpose of devoting himself to the mercantile profession. He was one of those enthusiastic spirits upon whom the career of Columbus made a deep impression; and about a year after the return of the great Genoese from his first voyage, the merchant of Bristol appears to have embraced the idea that new lands might be discovered in the north-west, and a passage in all pro criticism and valuable research. It is, however, unhappily confused in its arrangement, and written throughout in a tone of asperity which, in the discussion of a subject of remote biography, is unpleasant and uncalled for. The author has been unjustly severe in his animadversions on the labours of Hakluyt, of whom a brief Vindication will be found at the end of this volume. |