icable. People were afraid of going too far out
into the ocean. A ship which disappears in the offing seems to be going
down hill; and many people thought that if they were to get too far
down hill, they could not get back. Other notions, as absurd as this,
were entertained, which made people dread the "Sea of Darkness," as the
Atlantic was often called. Accordingly, Columbus found it hard to get
support for his scheme.

About fifteen years before his first voyage, Columbus seems to have
visited Iceland, and some have supposed that he then heard about the
voyages of the Northmen, and was thus led to his belief that land would
be found by sailing west. He may have thus heard about Vinland, and may
have regarded the tale as confirming his theory. That theory, however,
was based upon his belief in the rotundity of the earth. The best proof
that he was not seriously influenced by the Norse voyages, even if he
had heard of them, is the fact that he never used them as an argument.
In persuading people to furnish money for his enterprise, it has been
well said that an ounce of Vinland would have been worth a pound of talk
about the shape of the earth.

CRITICAL DAYS.

JOHN MILNER FOTHERGILL, M. D., an English physician. Born at
Morland in Westmoreland, April 11, 1841; died, 1888.

Columbus was an Italian who possessed all that determination which came
of Norse blood combined with the subtlety of the Italian character. He
thought much of what the ancients said of a short course from Spain to
India, of Plato's Atlantic Island; and conceived the idea of sailing to
India over the Atlantic. He applied to the Genoese, who rejected his
scheme as impracticable; then to Portugal; then to Spain. The fall of
Granada led to his ultimate success; and at last he set out into the
unknown sea with a small fleet, which was so ill-formed as scarcely to
reach the Canaries in safety. Soon after leaving them, the spirits of
his crew fell, and then Columbus perceived that the art of governing the
minds of men would be no less requisite for accomplishing the
discoveries he had in view than naval skill and undaunted courage. He
could trust himself only. He regulated everything by his sole authority;
he superintended the execution of every order. As he went farther
westward the hearts of his crew failed them, and mutiny was imminent.
But Columbus retained his serenity of mind even under these trying
circumstances, and induced his crew