One of the wonders of the world, is to be found in tracing the _progress
of navigation_, from its small beginning, up to its present wonderful
condition and results. There is an old legend, that, ages ago, a piece
of reed floating on the water, first suggested the idea of navigation.
And if so, the next step might have been, the use of logs for crossing
rivers; then, the use of rafts; then, of canoes of hollowed logs; and
then, of artificial boats, of various forms and materials, some of wood,
some of skins, and some of bark. The earliest navigators on an extended
scale were the Phœnicians, who made voyages through the Mediterranean,
and along the northern coasts of Europe, and down the Red sea, as early
as the days of Solomon, one thousand years before the Christian era.
Their earliest attempts to navigate the waters, might perhaps be
represented in the following cut, in which several forms of boats may be
seen. Their larger and later vessels were somewhat of the shape of those
now in use, though more perhaps of the Dutch, than of the English or
American form. The sails of these vessels are said to have been
suggested by the little sea animal, called the _nautilus_. The vessels
themselves had no decks, and were not over twenty or thirty tuns’
burden. They had masts and rudders, and the prow was decorated with
paint and gilding, and represented the image of some god. The ships of
the Greeks and Romans, in after times, were larger, but they were
uncouth structures, managed with difficulty, and liable to numerous
accidents and hindrances. The war ships were nothing but large
row-boats. These were very long and narrow, like canoes. The cable and
anchor were later inventions. The latter at first was a large stone. In
the days of the Roman emperors, vessels of immense size were
occasionally built, but they were of little use, except for the
transportation of heavy objects. In the middle ages, navigation made
little progress; but about the close of the fifteenth century, its
strides were prodigious. The mariner’s compass had been invented, and
the sailor had now a guide over the mysterious ocean. Hence America was
discovered in 1492, though the three ships of Columbus were not so large
as our common schooners, and had no proper decks; so that it seems a
wonder to us, that with these comparatively small vessels he should have
ventured so far on the mighty deep. From his day to the present, there
has been a steady advance in ship-building. The forms of vessels have
been improved; their size greatly increased; and their number
multiplied, a thousand fold; so that if the great navigator were now
again to visit the earth, he would be astonished at the huge structures
built as packet and freight ships for crossing the ocean. For a long
time, the English took the lead in ship-building; but it is now admitted
that the fastest vessels in the world, as well as those of most graceful
appearance, are those built in the United States. In the cut above, is a
view of one of our large packet-ships, just ready to be launched from
the stocks. Vessels of this class may vary from fifteen hundred to two
thousand tuns’ burden; their main cabins are beautifully furnished with
mahogany and gilded carvings; and no expense is spared that may
contribute to their elegance, or the comfort of passengers.
[Illustration: THE LAUNCH OF A PACKET-SHIP.]