Celebrated Travels and Travellers Vol 1 First Part Chapter VII part 1 - Christopher Columbus.

William Tomko (0:01)

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Recording by William Tomko.

Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Volume 1 Exploration of the World by Jules Verne. First part, Chapter 7, Part 1

Christopher Columbus, 1436 to 1506

The year 1492 is an era in geographical annals. It is a date of the discovery of America. The genius of one man was fated to complete the terrestrial globe and to show the truth of Gaglioufis saying, Unus erat mundus, duos sint ait iste fuere.

The old world was to be entrusted with the moral and political education of the new. Was it equal to the task, with its ideas still limited, its tendencies still semi-barbarous, and its bitter religious animosities? We must leave the answers to these questions to the facts that follow. Between the year 1405, when Bethancourt had just accomplished the colonization of the Canary Islands, and the year 1492, what had taken place? We will give a short sketch of the geographical enterprise of the intervening years. A considerable impetus had been given to science by the Arabs, who were soon to be expelled from Spain and had spread throughout the peninsula. In all the ports, but more especially in those of Portugal, there was such talk of the continent of Africa and the rich and wonderful countries beyond the sea. A thousand anecdotes, says Michelet, stimulated curiosity, valor and avarice. Everyone wishing to see these mysterious countries, where monsters abounded and gold was scattered over the surface of the land. A young prince, Don Henry, Duke of Vesuvius, third son of John I, who was very fond of the study of astronomy and geography, exercised a considerable influence over his contemporaries. It is to him that Portugal owes her colonial power and wealth, and the expeditions so repeatedly made, which were vividly described and the results spoken of as so wonderful that they may have aided in awakening Columbus' love of adventure.

Don Henry had an observatory built in the southern part of the province of Algarve, at Sagres, commanding a most splendid view over the sea, and seeming as though it must have been placed there to seek for some unknown land, he also established a naval college where learned geographers traced correct maps and taught the use of the mariner's compass. The young prince surrounded himself with learned men, and especially gathered all the information he could as to the possibility of circumnavigating Africa, and thus reaching India.

Though he had never taken part in any maritime expedition, his encouragement and care for seaman gave him the sobriquet of the navigator, by which name he is known in history. Two gentlemen belonging to Don Henry's court, Juan González Zarco and Tristram Vaz-Tixtierra, had passed Cape Nun, the terror of ancient navigators, when they were carried out to sea, and passed near an island to which they gave the name of Porto Santo. Sometime afterwards, as they were sailing towards a black point that remained on the horizon, they came to a large island covered with splendid forests. This was Madeira.

In 1433, Cape Bojador, which had for long been such a difficulty to navigators, was first doubled by the two Portuguese sailors, Guilhanes and Gonzales Baldaya, who passed more than 40 leagues beyond it.

Encouraged by their example, Antonio Gonzales and Nuno Tristram, in 1441, sailed as far as Cape Blanco. Afit, says Faria e Sousa, that is generally looked upon as being little short of the labors of Hercules, and they brought back with them to Lisbon some gold dust taken from the Rio del Oro. In a second voyage, Tristram noticed some of the Cape de Verde Islands, and went as far south as Sierra Leone. In the course of this expedition, he bought from some moors off the coast of Guinea ten Negroes, whom he took back with him to Lisbon and parted with for a very high price, they having excited great curiosity. This was the origin of the slave trade in Europe, which for the next four hundred years robbed Africa of so many of her people, and was a disgrace to humanity. In 1441, Cana Mosto doubled Cape Verde and explored a part of the coast below it. About 1446, the Portuguese, advancing further into the open sea than their predecessors, came upon the group of the Azores. From this time, all fear vanished, for the formidable line had been passed, beyond which the air was set to scorch like fire. Expeditions succeeded each other without intermission, and each brought home accounts of newly discovered regions. It seemed as if the African continent was really endless, for the further they advanced towards the south, the further the cape they sought appeared to recede. Some little time before this, King John II had added the title of Seigneur of Guinea to his other titles, and to the discovery of Congo had been added that of some stars in the southern hemisphere hitherto unknown, when Diogo Cam, in three successive voyages, went further south than any preceding navigator, and bore away from Diaz the honor of being the discoverer of the southern point of the African continent. This cape is called Cape Cross, and here he raised a monument called a Padrao, or Padron in memory of his discovery, which is still standing. On his way back, he visited the king of Congo in his capital and took back with him an ambassador and numerous suite of natives who were all baptized and taught the elements of the Christian religion, which they were to propagate on their return to Congo.