A Libri GmbH A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels - Volume 03 Paperback

This volume specifically focuses on the history of navigation, discov-ery, and commerce, emphasizing the voyages undertaken to explore the NewWorld, particularly those made by Christopher Columbus and his contem-poraries. At the start of this volume, the author lays out his intention topresent a systematic history of America's discovery, beginning with a nar-rative written by Columbus' son, Don Ferdinand Columbus. This sectiondiscusses Columbus's motivations, early life, and the events leading to hisvoyages across the Atlantic. It also touches upon the various accounts of hisexpeditions, offering insights into the motivations and life of the iconic navi-gator, while also questioning the accuracy and integrity of rival accounts andcontributions from other explorers like Amerigo Vespucci. The narrativesets a tone of reverence for Columbus's contributions to exploration, whilealso addressing misconceptions and historical debates regarding his legacy.Overall, the opening portion establishes a foundation for a detailed explo-ration of the impact of these voyages on global history.With the generality of mankind, so far from imagining that there could beany such country as the new world or West Indies, the very notion of anysuch thing being supposed to existwas considered as extravagant and absurd,for every one believed that all to the westwards of the Canary islands was animmense and unnavigable ocean. Yet some of the ancients have left hintsthat such western lands existed. In the close of the second act of his tragedyof Medea, Seneca says, "The time will come, when the ocean shall becomenavigable, and a vast land or New World shall be discovered." St Gregory, inhis exposition of the Epistle of St Clement, says, "There is a new world, oreven worlds, beyond the ocean." We are informed by other authors, that aCarthaginian merchant ship accidentally discovered in the ocean, many days