r Desert, and then it
exhibited a deep green to its most southern extremity." The Morea and
Grecian Archipelago now fell under their telescope, and gradually the
whole Mediterranean, and Arabian Gulf--the great media separating
Africa from Europe and Asia; "the political divisions of these
quarters of the world were of course undistinguishable, and few of the
natural were discernible by the naked eye. The Alps were marked by a
white streak, though less bright than the water." By the aid of the
glass they could just discern the Danube, the Nile, and "a river which
empties itself into the Gulf of Guinea," and which Atterley took to be
the Niger; but the other streams were not perceptible. The most
conspicuous object of the solid part of the globe was the great
Desert; the whole of Africa, however, appeared of a brighter hue than
either Asia or Europe.

"I was struck too, with the vast disproportion which the extent of the
several countries of the earth bore to the part they had acted in
history, and the influence they had exerted on human affairs. The
British islands had diminished to a speck, and France was little
larger, yet, a few years ago it seemed, at least to us in the United
States, as if there were no other nations on the earth. The Brahmin,
who was well read in European history, on my making a remark on this
subject, reminded me that Athens and Sparta had once obtained almost
equal celebrity, although they were so small as not now to be visible.
As I slowly passed the telescope over the face of Europe, I pictured
to myself the fat, plodding Hollander--the patient, contemplative
German--the ingenious, sensual Italian--the temperate Swiss--the
haughty, superstitious Spaniard--the sprightly, self-complacent
Frenchman--the sullen and reflecting Englishman--who monopolise nearly
all the science and literature of the earth, to which they bear so
small a proportion. As the Atlantic fell under our view, two faint
circles on each side of the equator, were to be perceived by the naked
eye. They were less bright than the rest of the ocean. The Brahmin
suggested that they might be currents; which brought to my memory Dr.
Franklin's conjecture on the subject, now completely verified by this
circular line of vapour, as it had been previously rendered probable
by the floating substances, which had been occasionally picked up, at
great distances from the places where they had been t