HISTORY OF MARINE ARCHITECTURE.

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use among the ancients, certainly passed over the sea from different quarters at avery early period, and that too in vessels not merely contrived for the purpose oftransporting them, but even fitted for war as completely as the unskilful artist ofthose early times could equip them. Let it not, therefore, be taken for a contra-diction in us, if, while we are speaking of nations whose pursuits it is easy to tracewith certainty, we mention the more early fortuitous voyages of any adventurousindividuals unconnected with them. Phryxus, and his sister Helle, daughter ofAthamas king of Thebes, from whom the Hellespont, now better known as thepassage of the Dardanelles, derived its name, were wrecked in attempting tocross it in a ship, or vessel, called the Ram ; and from thence is explained tous the ancient mythological fable. This accident is supposed to have happenednearly fourteen hundred years before the Christian aera, and almost a centuryand an half before Tyre, the Phoenician capital, was built. Many other similarinstances might be adduced if necessary ; and if we consider a little, we shall notfind it within the bounds of possibility that the case should be otherwise, exceptin the opinion of those who are daring enough to dispute, or deny the funda-mental and leading principles of the Christian religion.

It is not, however, our intention to enter into any disquisition of that sort, orto say more, than that adhering to those principles, it is a self-evident fact, theknowlege of navigation, though in a very crude undigested state, must havepreceded the general population of such part of the world as was known evenat that time. This wonderful art, and the dispersion of mankind, as theyencreased in numbers, followed each other naturally, as cause and effect; forthough it might have been possible for continental colonization to have beencarried on to a very great extent without any aid at all from it, yet the absoluteinaccessibility, except by shipping, of some countries, which we know to have beenpeopled at a very early period, and the ease with which many others could becolonised through the assistance of this contrivance, or, more properly speaking,this science, very sufficiently prove its remote, and general use.

The Chinese date, whether with truth or no we cannot pretend to say, thefoundation of their kingdom from Fohi, who is with good reason to have flourishedvery soon after the deluge: but though we might be inclined to allow this withoutany violent stretch of belief, yet it is by no means so reconcileable to our under-standing, that Italy, France, Spain, and many other countries of inferior note,should have been peopled, and risen into consequence at the time reported byhistory or tradition, except through the intervention, and powerful assistance ofthis art.

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