The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-17
Pioneers of Discovery.

THE Worlds DISCOVERIES" by William
Henry johnson. is one of the best planned,
most carefully considered, and entertain
ingly written of any book of its kind pub
lished for many day. II is volume of
rather more than four hundred pages, and
is divided into two parts. The first part
is entitled "Old Voyages" and begins
with Marco Polo. the intrepid traveller of
the thirteenth century Notwithstanding
all that is alleged against the Venetian
explorer in the way of travellers tales, Mr..
johnson shows that he Travelled through
Persia, central Asia, and over the great
desert of Goni to the northwest provinces
of China. and was really appointed to a
high position under the Chinese Emperor
in 1917. and was for three years the Gov
ernor Of the city Of Yang Chow. His
geographical information was astound-
ing and to this day is wonderfully cor
rect in all things pertaining to certain
places in the interior of China, which are
not yet mapped by the globe trotters of
the twentieth century. Mr.. Johnson says,
anent Polo's manuscript as copied by the
scribes of the fifteenth century:
The old copyists sometimes took strange liber-
ties with the text before them, and introduced
many OF their own notions. 1t is impossible to
in Marco Polo's book We have it today origin
ated in the fertile fancy Of scribe.
He calls Prince Henry Of Portugal the
father Of modern exploration. this in the
fifteenth century, too. He certainly was
entitled TO his cognomen of the 'navi-
gator he sketches hastily Bartholo-
NEW Diaz, who first sailed around
the Cape of Good Hope and opened
the way to the Eastern trade that
made Portugal both rich and famous. He
then takes up Christopher Columbus, and
most graphically sketches his life and
voyages, follows him by Vasco da CANA
and his splendid achievements in 1897 in
Asiatic waters and India. then gives a
history of Ferdinand Magellan. the first
circUmnavigs.tor of the world. and his voy-
ages In 1913 and 1921. His tragic death in
tine Philippines and the completion Of the
voyage by Sebastian Del Cavo, who, in
stead of being hanged as mutineer, as
he properly should have been, on his re-
turn to Portugal. carried off the honors so
dearly won and fairly earned by poor
dead Magellan. And so on, in due Sc
quencc. the author introduces and tells us
of Ferrazano. an almost forgotten French
navigator. who. in 1923. mapped out the
shores of North America from Chesapeake
Bay to the Bay of Fundy; of Sir Hugh
Willoughby who In 1853, sailed from Eng
land in search Of northeast passage.
Space and time prevent our saying any
thing more than merely mentioning the
fact that Mr.. Johnson writes in a fas>
cinating way Of the voyages of Frobisher
1876; John Davis, 1885; Sir Francis Drake.
l5T; the hardy Dutch navigator. Capt.
William Barentz. 1896, and ends with the
story Of Sir Henry Hudson's voyages, 1867
to 1910.
The second part relates to Recent Voy-
ages In search of a northwest passage.
The Sir John Franklin expedition of 1916;
Captain Mcclure, in 1850; Captain McClin-
took, in 1858, and concludes with Baron
Adolph Eric Nordcnskjolds voyage In the
Vega, in 1878 and 1880.
This IL a book thoroughly worth read
ing and remembering. too. 1t contains
much that is only to be obtained else
where by long and patient research, and
Is as deeply interesting to young people
as to their elders. A volume to be put in
all school libraries and to be read with
profit both in summer holidays and by
winter firesides. Boston: Little. Brown &
Co. $500