tions of many, whofe names the peculiarity of his own fituation will not for obvious reafons permit him to mention, but for whofe friendship he thall ever retain the moft lively fentiments of efteem and gratitude. The Editor's thanks are likewife particularly due to feveral gentlemen of the fociety of Quakers, for the documents which have enabled him, with thorough conviction, to wipe off the odium which Mr. Chalmers, in his Annals, and the authors of the Modern Univerfal Hiftory, followed by Mr. Morfe, had thrown on the character of William Penn and the first fettlers of Pennfylvania, and en whofe authority they were by him inferted.

With refpect to the printed authorities which the Editor has followed, he has not only borrowed their ideas, but, where he had not the vanity to conceive himself capable of correcting it, he has adopted their language, fo that in a long narrative he has often no other claim to merit than what arifes from felection and a few connecting fentences: as, however, by this method it has often become difficult for an author to know his own, the Editor at once begs leave to fay, he has availed himself of the labours and abilities of the Abbé Raynal, Franklin, Robertfon, Clavigero, Jefferson, Belknap, Adams, Catesby, Buffon, Gordon, Ramfey, Bartram, Cox, Rush, Mitchel, Cutler, Imlay, Filfen, Barlow, Briot, Morfe, Edwards, and a number of others of lefs import, together with the tranfactions of the English and American philofophical focieties, American Mufeum, &c.

The Editor has particularly to request, that those who have taken this Work in Numbers, will, in justice to himself, as well as to the character of William Penn, deftroy the half-fheet, fignature P p vol. ii. page 289 to 296 inclufive, and fubftitute the half-sheet of the fame fignature, given în the last Number, in its stead-the same is requested refpecting the Conftitution of Pennsylvania and the other cancels marked.

1

The

The Editor has now only to deprecate the feverity of criticifm. It was impoffible, in felecting from fuch a variety of authors, to fecure uniformity of language without immense trouble; and from his fituation, which rendered an eafy communication with the Printer not only often difficult, but in many cafes impracticable, feveral typographical errors will, no doubt, occur to the reader, as well as fome others of a literary kind. -As thefe, however, do not affect facts, he has not added an errata, but left the whole to the candour and good fenfe of the reader, to whom he wishes, with fincerity, as much pleafure in the perufal, as himself has experienced in collecting and arranging the materials.

State Side of Newgate,
Jan. 21ft, 1795.

MIS.

UNIVERSITY

OF

CALIFORNI

DISCOVERY OF AMERICA.

Ir

IT is believed by many, that the ancients had fome imperfect notion of a new world; and feveral ancient authors are quoted in confirmation of this opinion. In a book afcribed to the philofopher Ariftotle, we are told that the Carthaginians discovered an island far beyond the pillars of Hercules, large, fertile, and finely watered with navigable rivers, but uninhabited. This island was diftant a few days failing from the Continent; its beauty induced the difcoverers to fettle there; but the policy of Carthage diflodged the colony, and laid a ftrict prohibition on all the subjects of the state not to attempt any future establishment. This account is alfo confirmed by an hiftorian of no mean credit, who relates, that the Tyrians would have fettled a colony on the new-difcovered ifland, but were oppofed by the Carthaginians for ftate reasons. Seneca, and other authors are alfo quoted in fupport of this belief. But however this may be, nobody ever believed the existence of this continent fo firmly as to go in queft of it; at least, there are no accounts well fupported that America received any part of its first inhabitants from Europe prior to the 15th century. The Welsh fondly imagine that their country contributed, in 1170, to people the New World, by the adventure of Madoc, fon of Owen Gwynedd, who, on the death of his father, failed there, and colonized part of the country. All that is advanced in proof is, a quotation from one of the British Poets, which proves no more than that he had diftinguished himself by fea and land. It is pretended that he made two voyages; that failing West, he left Ireland fo far to the North, that he came to a land unknown, where he faw many ftrange things; that he returned home, and, making a report of the fruitfulness of the new-difcovered country, prevailed on numbers of the Welsh of each fex to accompany him on a fecond voyage, from which he never returned. The favourers of this opinion affert, that feveral Welsh words, fuch as gwrando, "to hearken or liften;" the isle of Creafo, or "welcome;" Cape Breton, from the name of Britain; gynder, or," the white water;" and pengwin, or, "the bird with

a white head;" are to be found in the American language. But likeness of found in a few words will not be deemed fufficient to ef tablish the fact; efpecially if the meaning has been evidently perverted for example, the whole penguin tribe have unfortunately not only black heads, but are not inhabitants of the Northern hemifphere; the name was alfo bestowed on them by the Dutch, a pinguedine, from their exceffive fatnefs: but the inventor of this, thinking to do honour to his country, inconfiderately caught at a word of European origin, and unheard of in the New World. It may be added, that the Welsh were never a naval people; that the age in which Madoc lived was peculiarly ignorant in navigation; and the moft which they could have attempted must have been a mere coafting voyage

The Norwegians put in for a share of the glory, on grounds rather better than the Welsh. By their fettlements in Iceland and in Greenland, they had arrived within fo fmall a distance of the New World, that there is at least a poffibility of its having been touched at by a people fo verfed in maritime affairs, and fo adventurous, as the ancient Normans were. The proofs are much more numerous than those produced by the British Hiftorians; for the difcovery is mentioned in feveral of the Iflandic manufcripts. The period was about the year 1002, when it was vifited by one Biorn; and the discovery pursued to greater effect by Leif, the fon of Eric, the difcoverer of Greenland. It does not appear that they reached farther than Labrador; on which coaft they met with the Efquimaux, on whom they bestowed the name of Skrælingues, or dwarfish people, from their fmall ftature. They were armed with bows and arrows, and had leathern canoes, fuch as they have at prefent. All this is probable; nor fhould the tale of the German, called Tuckil, one of the crew, invalidate the account. He was one day miffing; but foon returned, leaping and finging with all the extravagant marks of joy a bon vivant could fhow, on discovering the inebriating fruit of his country, the grape: Torfæus even says, that he returned in a state of intoxication. To convince his commander, he brought feveral bunches, who from that circumftance named that country Vinland. It is not to be denied, that North America produces the true vine; but it is found in far lower latitudes than our ad.

*If the reader, however, wishes to examine this curious queftion ftill farther, he will meet with all that can be faid upon the fubject, in WILLIAMS's Enquiry into the truth of the tradition, concerning the Discovery of America by Prince Madog. 8vo.-See alfo IMLAY's Account of Kentuckey, page 377, 2d Edit.

venturers

venturers could reach in the time employed in their voyages, which was comprehended in a very small space. There appears no reason to doubt of the difcovery; but as the land was never colonized, nor any advantages made of it, it may fairly be conjectured, that they reached no farther than the barren country of Labrador. In short, it is from a much later period that we muft date the real difcovery of America*.

Towards the clofe of the 14th century, the navigation of Europe was fcarcely extended beyond the limits of the Mediterranean. The mariner's compafs had been invented and in common ufe for more than a century; yet with the help of this fure guide, prompted by the most ardent spirit of discovery, and encouraged by the patronage of princes, the mariners of those days rarely ventured from the fight of land. They acquired great applause by failing along the coaft of Africa and discovering fome of the neighbouring iflands; and after pushing their refearches with the greateft induftry and perfeverance for more than half a century, the Portuguese, who were the most fortunate and enterprifing, extended their difcoveries Southward no farther than the equator.

The rich commodities of the Eaft, had for feveral ages been brought into Europe by the way of the Red Sea and the Mediterranean; and it had now become the object of the Portuguese to find a passage to India, by failing round the Southern extremity of Africa and then taking an Eaftern courfe. This great object engaged the general attention of mankind, and drew into the Portuguese service adventurers from every maritime nation in Europe. Every year added to their experience in navigation, and feemed to promife a reward to their industry. The profpect, however, of arriving at the Indies was extremely diftant; fifty years perfeverance in the fame track, had brought them only to the equator, and it was propable that as many more would elapfe before they could accomplish their purpose, had not COLUMBUS, by an uncommon exertion of genius, formed a defign no less astonishing to the age in which he lived, than beneficial to pofterity.

Among the foreigners whom the fame of the difcoveries made by the Portuguese had allured into their fervice, was Chriftopher Colon or Columbus, a fubject of the republic of Genoa, Neither the time nor

In the 2d Vol. of the Tranfactions of the Philofophical Society at Philadelphia, Mr. OTTO, in a Memoir on the Discovery of America, ftrenuously contends, that one BEHEм, a German, difcovered the American Continent prior to its being difcovered by Columbus. For the ingenious arguments in fupport of this opinion, the reader is referred to the Memoir.