A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels — Volume 02 eBook
Robert Kerr
The merit and glory of these wonderful achievements
are unquestionably due to the Portuguese nation, and
the first and principal share to the sublime genius
of their illustrious prince, the infant DON HENRY,
Duke of Viseo and Grand Master of the order of
Christ, whose enlarged mind first planned the
fitting out of maritime expeditions for discovery,
and by the imitation of whose example all subsequent
discoveries have been accomplished. Every thing
of the kind before his time was isolated or accidental,
and every subsequent attempt has been pursued on scientific
or known principles, which he invented and established.
Although America was discovered by Columbus, in the
service of Spain, some years before the Portuguese
were able to accomplish their long sought route to
India; and although the discovery of America was performed
infinitely quicker than that of southern Africa and
the route to India, Columbus having accomplished his
design at the very first attempt, and even without
any previous knowledge of the countries he went in
search of; while the endeavours of the Portuguese
occupied a great number of years in almost fruitless
attempts, and extremely tedious progression; yet Don
Henry first set on foot the navigation of the ocean
through unknown seas, and inspired, other nations
with the idea of making discoveries of distant and
unexplored regions; and ultimately great as were the
discoveries of Columbus, they may be said to have
been accidentally made in the erroneous attempt to
go by a nearer route to the regions of which Don Henry
and his successors had long been in search.
These attempts of the Portuguese had been continued
for nearly fourscore years before any of their neighbours
seem to have entertained the most distant idea of
engaging in foreign discoveries, even viewing their
endeavours as downright knight-errantry, proceeding
from a distempered imagination, as well in the first
promoter as in those who continued to prosecute his
scheme. In a word, the relation of these discoveries
forms one of the most curious portions of modern history,
as comprizing a great number of the most extraordinary
transactions that ever happened in any period of the
world. For this reason they are well worthy of
being particularly narrated, that the curious may
be made acquainted with every successive step in such
important enterprizes, and by what almost insensible
degrees such vast undertakings were ultimately accomplished.
And as the intercourse of Europeans has operated a
great change in the countries to which they penetrated,
and upon their original inhabitants, so that both
now appear in a very different light from what they
did before these expeditions and discoveries; therefore,
every circumstance belonging to these transactions
deserves the most serious notice.
