Public-domain ebook
by Jules Verne
Language: en1,761 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Travel·Travel Writing·History - Ancient
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #24777.
The work is a sweeping survey of the great explorers who have shaped humanity’s knowledge of the globe, from the ancient Carthaginian commander Hanno to the modern adventurers of the nineteenth century. Its opening explains that the author, Jules Verne, has enlisted the assistance of the eminent geographer Gabriel Marcel of the Bibliothèque Nationale to draw on original documents in several languages, ensuring a high degree of accuracy. The text then proceeds chapter by chapter, cataloguing celebrated travellers by era and region, offering concise accounts of their routes, discoveries and the cultures they encountered. The structure is encyclopedic, presenting names, dates and key places in a systematic fashion that invites the reader to trace the evolution of geographic knowledge across millennia.
Written in the measured, descriptive prose of the late‑nineteenth century, the book bears Verne’s characteristic blend of scholarly ambition and narrative clarity. Its tone is that of a learned guide rather than a novel, with a focus on factual detail and occasional vivid anecdotes, such as Hanno’s encounter with hostile natives and crocodiles. Readers who enjoy comprehensive reference works, the history of exploration, or the intellectual atmosphere of the Victorian scientific age will find this volume both informative and engaging.
The opening · free to read
PREFACE.
This narrative will comprehend not only all the explorations made in past ages, but also all the new discoveries which have of late years so greatly interested the scientific world. In order to give to this work--enlarged perforce by the recent labours of modern travellers,--all the accuracy possible, I have called in the aid of a man whom I with justice regard as one of the most competent geographers of the present day: M. Gabriel Marcel, attached to the Bibliotheque Nationale.
With the advantage of his acquaintance with several foreign languages which are unknown to me, we have been able to go to the fountain-head, and to derive all information from absolutely original documents. Our readers will, therefore, render to M. Marcel the credit due to him for his share in a work which will demonstrate what manner of men the great travellers have been, from the time of Hanno and Herodotus down to that of Livingstone and Stanley.
JULES VERNE.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
FIRST PART.
CHAPTER I. CELEBRATED TRAVELLERS BEFORE THE CHRISTIAN ERA.
HANNO, 505; HERODOTUS, 484; PYTHEAS, 340; NEARCHUS, 326; EUDOXUS, 146; CAESAR, 100; STRABO, 50.
PAGE Hanno, the Carthaginian--Herodotus visits Egypt, Lybia, Ethiopia, Phoenicia, Arabia, Babylon, Persia, India, Media, Colchis, the Caspian Sea, Scythia, Thrace, and Greece--Pytheas explores the coasts of Iberia and Gaul, the English Channel, the Isle of Albion, the Orkney Islands, and the land of Thule--Nearchus visits the Asiatic coast, from the Indus to the Persian Gulf-- Eudoxus reconnoitres the West Coast of Africa--Caesar conquers Gaul and Great Britain--Strabo travels over the interior of Asia, and Egypt, Greece, and Italy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
CHAPTER II. CELEBRATED TRAVELLERS FROM THE FIRST TO THE NINTH CENTURY.
PAUSANIAS, 174; FA-HIAN, 399; COSMOS INDICOPLEUSTES, 500; ARCULPHE, 700; WILLIBALD, 725; SOLEYMAN, 851.
Pliny, Hippalus, Arian, and Ptolemy--Pausanias visits Attica, Corinth, Laconia, Messenia, Elis, Achaia, Arcadia, Boeotia, and Phocis--Fa-Hian explores Kan-tcheou, Tartary, Northern India, the Punjaub, Ceylon, and Java--Cosmos Indicopleustes, and the Christian Topography of the Universe--Arculphe describes Jerusalem, the valley of Jehoshaphat, the Mount of Olives, Bethlehem, Jericho, the river Jordan, Libanus, the Dead Sea, Capernaum, Nazareth, Mount Tabor, Damascus, Tyre, Alexandria, and Constantinople--Willibald and the Holy Land--Soleyman travels through Ceylon, and Sumatra, and crosses the Gulf of Siam and the China Sea . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
CHAPTER III. CELEBRATED TRAVELLERS BETWEEN THE TENTH AND THIRTEENTH CENTURIES.
BENJAMIN OF TUDELA, 1159-1173; PLAN DE CARPIN, OR CARPINI, 1245-1247; RUBRUQUIS, 1253-1254.
The Scandinavians in the North, Iceland and Greenland--Benjamin of Tudela visits Marseilles, Rome, Constantinople, the Archipelago, Palestine, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Damascus, Baalbec, Nineveh, Baghdad, Babylon, Bassorah, Ispahan, Shiraz, Samarcand, Thibet, Malabar, Ceylon, the Red Sea, Egypt, Sicily, Italy, Germany, and France--Carpini explores Turkestan--Manners and customs of the Tartars--Rubruquis and the Sea of Azov, the Volga, Karakorum, Astrakhan, and Derbend . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
CHAPTER IV. MARCO POLO, 1253-1324.
I.
The interest of the Genoese and Venetian merchants in encouraging the exploration of Central Asia--The family of Polo, and its position in Venice--Nicholas and Matteo Polo, the two brothers--They go from Constantinople to the Court of the Emperor of China--Their reception at the Court of Kublai-Khan-- The Emperor appoints them his ambassadors to the Pope--Their return to Venice--Marco Polo--He leaves his father Nicholas and his uncle Matteo for the residence of the King of Tartary--The new Pope Gregory X.--The narrative of Marco Polo is written in French from his dictation, by Rusticien of Pisa . . . . . . . . 43
II.
Armenia Minor--Armenia--Mount Ararat--Georgia--Mosul, Baghdad, Bussorah, Tauris--Persia--The Province of Kirman--Comadi-- Ormuz--The Old Man of the Mountain--Cheburgan--Balkh--Cashmir-- Kashgar--Samarcand--Kotan--The Desert--Tangun--Kara-Korum-- Signan-fu--The Great Wall--Chang-tou--The residence of Kublai-Khan--Cambaluc, now Pekin--The Emperor's fetes--His hunting--Description of Pekin--Chinese Mint and bank-notes--The system of posts in the Empire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
III.
Tso-cheu--Tai-yen-fou--Pin-yang-fou--The Yellow River-- Signan-fou--Szu-tchouan--Ching-tu-fou--Thibet--Li-kiang-fou-- Carajan--Yung-tchang--Mien--Bengal--Annam--Tai-ping--Cintingui-- Sindifoo--Te-cheu--Tsi-nan-fou--Lin-tsin-choo--Lin-sing--Mangi-- Yang-tcheu-fou--Towns on the coast--Quin-say or Hang-tcheou-foo--Fo-kien . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
IV.
Japan--Departure of the three Venetians with the Emperor's daughter and the Persian ambassadors--Sai-gon--Java--Condor-- Bintang--Sumatra--The Nicobar Islands--Ceylon--The Coromandel coast--The Malabar coast--The Sea of Oman--The island of Socotra--Madagascar--Zanzibar and the coast of Africa-- Abyssinia--Yemen--Hadramaut and Oman--Ormuz--The return to Venice--A feast in the household of Polo--Marco Polo a Genoese prisoner--Death of Marco Polo about 1323 . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
CHAPTER V. IBN BATUTA, 1328-1353.
Ibn Batuta--The Nile--Gaza, Tyre, Tiberias, Libanus, Baalbec, Damascus, Meshid, Bussorah, Baghdad, Tabriz, Mecca and Medina-- Yemen--Abyssinia--The country of the Berbers--Zanguebar--Ormuz-- Syria--Anatolia--Asia Minor--Astrakhan--Constantinople-- Turkestan--Herat--The Indus--Delhi--Malabar--The Maldives-- Ceylon--The Coromandel coast--Bengal--The Nicobar Islands-- Sumatra--China--Africa--The Niger--Timbuctoo . . . . . . . . . . 77
CHAPTER VI. JEAN DE BETHENCOURT, 1339-1425.
I.
The Norman cavalier--His ideas of conquest--What was known of the Canary Islands--Cadiz--The Canary Archipelago--Graciosa-- Lancerota--Fortaventura--Jean de Bethencourt returns to Spain-- Revolt of Berneval--His interview with King Henry III.--Gadifer visits the Canary Archipelago--Canary Island or "Gran Canaria"-- Ferro Island--Palma Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
II.
The return of Jean de Bethencourt--Gadifer's jealousy-- Bethencourt visits his archipelago--Gadifer goes to conquer Gran Canaria--Disagreement of the two commanders--Their return to Spain--Gadifer blamed by the King--Return of Bethencourt--The natives of Fortaventura are baptized--Bethencourt revisits Caux--Returns to Lancerota--Lands on the African coast--Conquest of Gran Canaria, Ferro, and Palma Islands--Maciot appointed Governor of the archipelago--Bethencourt obtains the Pope's consent to the Canary Islands being made an Episcopal See--His return to his country and his death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
CHAPTER VII. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS, 1436-1506.
I.
Discovery of Madeira, Cape de Verd Islands, the Azores, Congo, and Guinea--Bartholomew Diaz--Cabot and Labrador--The geographical and commercial tendencies of the middle ages--The erroneous idea of the distance between Europe and Asia--Birth of Christopher Columbus--His first voyages--His plans rejected--His sojourn at the Franciscan convent--His reception by Ferdinand and Isabella--Treaty of the 17th of April, 1492--The brothers Pinzon--Three armed caravels at the port of Palos--Departure on the 3rd of August, 1492 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
II.
First voyage: The Great Canary--Gomera--Magnetic variation-- Symptoms of revolt--Land, land--San Salvador--Taking possession--Conception--Fernandina or Great Exuma--Isabella, or Long Island--The Mucaras--Cuba--Description of the island-- Archipelago of Notre-Dame--Hispaniola or San Domingo--Tortuga Island--The cacique on board the _Santa-Maria_--The caravel of Columbus goes aground and cannot be floated off--Island of Monte-Christi--Return--Tempest--Arrival in Spain--Homage rendered to Christopher Columbus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
III.
Second Voyage: Flotilla of seventeen vessels--Island of Ferro-- Dominica--Marie-Galante--Guadaloupe--The Cannibals--Montserrat-- Santa-Maria-la-Rodonda--St. Martin and Santa Cruz--Archipelago of the Eleven Thousand Virgins--The island of St. John Baptist, or Porto Rico--Hispaniola--The first Colonists massacred-- Foundation of the town of Isabella--Twelve ships laden with treasure sent to Spain--Fort St. Thomas built in the Province of Cibao--Don Diego, Columbus' brother, named Governor of the Island--Jamaica--The Coast of Cuba--The Remora--Return to Isabella--The Cacique made prisoner--Revolt of the Natives-- Famine--Columbus traduced in Spain--Juan Aguado sent as Commissary to Isabella--Gold-mines--Departure of Columbus--His arrival at Cadiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
IV.
Third Voyage: Madeira--Santiago in the Cape Verd Archipelago-- Trinidad--First sight of the American Coast in Venezuela, beyond the Orinoco, now the Province of Cumana--Gulf of Paria--The Gardens--Tobago--Grenada--Margarita--Cubaga--Hispaniola during the absence of Columbus--Foundation of the town of San Domingo-- Arrival of Columbus--Insubordination in the Colony--Complaints in Spain--Bovadilla sent by the king to inquire into the conduct of Columbus--Columbus sent to Europe in fetters with his two brothers--His appearance before Ferdinand and Isabella--Renewal of royal favour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
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