The ocean, which every-where furrounds the habitable earth, as well as the various arms of the fea which feparate one region from another, though deftined to facilitate the communication between diftant countries, feem, at firft view, to be formed to check the progrefs of man and to mark the bounds of that portion of the globe to which nature had confined him. It was long, we may believe, before men attempted to pafs thefe formidable barriers, and became fo fkilful and adventruous as to commit themselves to the mercy of the winds and waves, or to quit their native fhores in queft of remote and unknown regions.

First attempts towards navigation.

Navigation and fhip-building are arts fo nice and complicated, that they require the ingenuity, as well as experience, of many fucceffive ages to bring them to any degree of perfection. From the raft or canoe, which firft ferved to carry a favage over the river that obftructed him in the chace, to the conftruction of a veffel capable of conveying numerous crew with fafety to a diftant coaft, the progress in improvement is immenfe. Many efforts would be made, many experiments would be tried, and much labour as wellas invention would be employed, before men could accomplish this arduous and important undertaking. The rude and

imperfect ftate in which navigation is ftill found among all nations which are not confiderably civilized, correfponds with the account of its progrefs, and demonftrates that, in early times, the art was not fo far improved as to enable men to undertake diftant voyages, or to attempt remote discoveries.

Introduction of commerce.

As foon, however, as the art of navigation became known, a new fpecies of correfpondence among men took place. It is from this æra, that we muft date the commencement of fuch an intercourse between nations as deserves the appellation of commerce. Men are, indeed, far advanced in improvement before commerce becomes an object of great importance to them. They muft even have made fome confiderable progrefs towards civilization, before they acquired the idea of property, and afcertain it fo perfectly, as to be acquainted with the moft fimple of all contracts, that of exchanging by barter one rude commodity for another. But as foon as this important right is established, and every individual feels that he has an exclufive title to poffefs or to alienate whatever he has acquired by his own labour and dexterity, the wants and ingenuity of his nature fuggeft to him a new method of increafing his acquifitions and enjoyments, by difpofing of what is fuper

men.

fluous in his own ftores, in order to procure what is neceffary or defiderable in thofe of other Thus a commercial intercourfe begins, and is carried on among the membres of the fame community. By degrees, they difcover, that neighbouring tribes poffefs what they themfelves want, and enjoy comforts of which they wish to partake. In the fame mode, and upon the fame principles, that domeftic traffic is carried on within the fociety, an eternal commerce is eftablished with other tribes or nations. Their mutual intereft and mutual wants render this intercourfe defirable, and imperceptibly introduce the maxime and laws which facilitate its progrefs and render it fecure. But no very extenfive commerce can take place between contiguous provinces, whofe foil and climate being nearly the fame, yield fimilar productions. Remote countries cannot convey their commodities by land, to thofe places, where on account of their rarity they are defired, and become valuable. It is no navigation that men are indebted for the power of tranfporting the fuperfluous ftock of one part of the earth, to fupply the wants of another. The luxuries and bleffings of a particular climate are no longer confined to itself alone, but the enjoyment of them is communicated to the moft diftant regions.

In proportion as the knowledge of the advantages derived from navigation and commerce continued to fpread, the intercourfe among na

tions extended. or the neceffity of procuring new fettlements, were no longer the fole motives of vifiting diftant lands. The defire of gain became a new incentive to activity, roused adventurers, and fent them forth upon long voyages, in fearch of countries, whofe products or wants might increase that circulation, which nourishes and gives vigour to commerce. Trade proved a great fource of discovery, it opened unknown feas, it penetrated into new regions, and contributed more than any other caufe, to bring men acquainted with the fituation, the nature and commodities of the different parts of the globe. But even after a regular commerce was establi fhed in the world, after nations were confiderably civilized, and the fciences and arts were cultivated with ardour and fuccefs, navigation continued to be fo imperfect, that it can hardly be faid to have advanced beyond the infancy of its improvement in the ancient world.

The ambition of conqueft,

Imperfection of navigation among the ancients.

Among all the nations of antiquity the ftru&ture of their veffels was extremely rude, and their method of working them very defective, They were unacquainted with fome of the great principles and operations in navigation, which are now confidered as the firft elements on which that fcience is founded. Though that property of the magnet, by which it attracts

ment of the Portuguese in the interior part of Brafil, where the Indians are numerous, and their original manners little altered by intercourfe with Europeans, was pleafed to fend me very full anfwers to fome queries concerning the character and inftitutions of the natives of America, which his polite reception of an application made to him in my name, encouraged me to propofe. Thefe fatisfied me, that he had contemplated with a difcerning attention the curious objects which his fituation prefented to his view, and I have often followed him as one of my beft inftructed guides.

M. Suard, to whofe elegant tranflation of the Hiftory of the reign of Charles V. Iowe the reception of that work on the continent, procured me anfwers to the fame queries from M. de Bougainville, who had opportunities of obferving the Indians both of North and South America, and from M. Godin le Jeune, who refided fifteen years among Indians in