NAV
(6ip)
NAV
of the Ship ; which is in a peculiar Senfe call'd Navigation, or Sailing. See Sailing.
In this retrained Senfe of the Word, Navigation is either Improper, or Proper.
The jirft, ufually call'd Coajiing, is where the Ports are on the fame, or a very neighbouring Coaft ; and where the Veffel is feldom out of fight of Land, or out of reach of Sounding. See Coasting.
In this, little elfe is required, but an Acquaintance with the Lands, the Compafs, and Sounding- Line 5 each of which fee in its Place, Compass and Sounding.
The latter is where the Voyage is long, and out in the main Ocean. In this, befides the Requisites in the former, are likewife required the ufe of hlcrca to i-'s Chart, Azimuth, and Amplitude Comfaffes, Log-Line, and other Inftruments for Celeftial Obfervations, as Quadrants, Foreftajfs, &c. See each Inftrument, &c. in its Place.
Navigation turns principally on four things; two whereof being known, the reft are eafily found from them by the Tables, Scales, and Charts.
Thefe four things are, the Difference in Latitude, Difference in Longitude, the Reckoning or Diflancc, and theCourfe or Rumb of the Wind.
The Latitudes are eafily found, and with fufficient Ac- curacy. See Latitude.
Nor is there any thing wanting to the Perfection of Na- vigation, but to determine the Longitude, .
The Mathematicians of many Ages have applied them- felves with the utmoft Afliduiry to fupply this grand Defi- deratum, but hitherto in vain ; notwithstanding the magni- ficent Rewards of fcveral Princes and States to the Dif- coverer.
For the various Methods that now occafionally obtain at Sea, fee Longitude.
The Comje and Vijtance, we have already obferved, are had by the Log-Line, or dead Reckuning, and the Compafs.
The Poets refer the Invention of the Art of Navigation to Neptune^ fome to Bacchus, others to Hercules, others to ^afon, others to3fi««J, who is laid to have made the firft Ship. See Ship. Hiftorians to the JEgmetes, the Phoenicians, Ty- rians, and the antient Inhabitants of Britain.
Some will have it, the firft hint was taken from the flight oftheKitej others, as Off ion de Fifcihus, Lib. I. from the Fifli call'd Nantelus, Others afcribe it to A ccident : But Scripture refers the Origin of fo ufeful an Invention to God himfelf, who gave the firft Specimen thereof in the Ark built by Noah under his Direction. For the Raillery the good Man underwent on account of his Enterprize, Shews evi- dently enough, the World was then ignorant of anything like Navigation, and that they even thought it impofiible.
However, Hiftory reprefents the Phoenicians, efpecially thofe of their Capital Tyre, as the firft Navigators 5 being urged tofeeka foreign Commerce by the Narrownefs and Poverty of the Slip of Ground they poffefs'd along the Coafts ; by the Conveniency of two or three good Ports 3 and by their natural Genius to Traffic.
Accordingly, Lebanon, and the other neighbouring Moun- tains furni filing them with excellent Wood for Ship-build- ing, in a iliort time they were Mafters of a numerous Fleet, which conftantly hazarding new Navigations, and fettling new Trades, they foon arrived at an incredible Pitch of Opulency and Populouinefs : info much as to be in a Con- dition to fend out Colonies =, the Principal of which was that of Carthage, which keeping up their Phoenician Spirit of Com- merce, in time not only equal'd Tyre itfelf, but vaftly fur- pafs'd it j fending their Merchant-Fleets thro* Hercules' & Pillars, now the Straights of Gibralter, along the Weftern Coafts of Africa and Europe j and even, if we believe fqme Authors, to America itfelf, the Difcovery whereof fo many Ages afterwards, has been fo glorious to the Spa- niards. See Commerce.
Tyre, whofe immenfe Riches and Power are reprefented in fuch lofty Terms both in facred and profane Authors, being deftroy'd by Alexander the Great 5 its Navigation and Commerce were transfer 'd by the Conqueror to Alexandn 'a, anew City, admirably fituated for thofe purpofes, propos'd for the Capital of the Empire of Ajia, which Alexander then meditated : And thus arofe the Navigation of the Egyptians, ■which was afterwards fo cultivated by the Ptohmys, that Tyre and Carnage (which laft, after having along time dif- puted Empire with the Romans, was at length fubdued) were quite forgot.
Eiybt being reduced into a Roman Province after the Battel of Aflium, its Trade and Navigation fell into the hands of Attgu ft its ', in whofe time Alexandria was'only infe- rior to Rome, and the Magazines of the Capital of the World wholly fupplied with Mcrchandifes from the Capital of Egypt.
At length, Alexandria itfelf underwent the Fate of Tyre and Carthage 3 being furpriz'd by the Saracens, who, in fpite of the Emperor Heraclius, overfpread the Northern Coafts of Africa, &c. whence the Merchants being driven,
Alexamhia has ever fmce been in a languishing State, thci ftill it have a coniiderable Part of the Commerce of tha Chriftian Merchants, trading to the Levant.
The Fall of Rome, and its Empire, drew along with it, not only that of Learning, and the polite Arts, but thar of Navigation; the Barbarians, into whole hands it fell, con- tenting themfelves with the Spoils of the Industry' of their Predeceflors.
But no fconcr were the more Brave among thofe Nations well fettled in their new Provinces, fome in Gaul, as the Pranks h others in Spain, as the Goths ; and others in Italy, as the Lombards 5 but they began to learn the Advan- tages of Navigation and Commerce, and the Method of ma- naging them, from the People they had fubdued ; and this with lb much fuccefs, that in a little time fome of them be- came able to give new Leflbns, and fet on foot new Infti- tutions for its Advantage.
Thus it is to the Lombards we ufually afcribe the Inven- tion and Ufe of Banks, Book-keeping, Exchange, and Ke- chattge, &c. See Bank, Exchange, gfc.
It does not appear which of the European People, aftet the Settlement of their new Mafters, firft took themfelves to Navigation and Commerce 5 fome think it began with the French, tho the Italians feem to have the jufteft Title to it ; and are accordingly ordinarily Iook'd on as the Reftorers. hereof, as well as of the politer Arts, which had been ban i- Jhed together, from the time the Empire was torn afunder.
"lis the People ofZtrt/jrhen, efpecially, and particularly tbofe of Venice and Genoa, who have the Glory of this Re- iteration 5 and it is to their advantageous Situation for Na- vigation, they in great meafure owe their Glory.
In the bottom of the Adriatic were a great number of mar Shy lilands, only feparated by narrow Channels, but thofe well fcreen'd, and almoft inacceftlble, the Refidence of fome Fiihermen, who here fupported themfelves by a little Trade of FiSh and Salt, which they found in fome of thefe lilands. Thither, then, the Veneti, a People Inhabi- ting that part of Italy along the Coafts of the Gulph, re- tir'd, when Alaric King of the Goths, and afterwards Attila King of the Huns, ravaged Italy,
Thefe new Ifianders, little meaning that this was to be their fixed Refidence, did not think of compofing any Body Politic 5 but each of thefeventy two Iftands of this little Archipelago, continued a long time under its feveral Mafters, and each made a diftinft Common-wealth : When their Commerce was become considerable enough to give Jea- loufy to their Neighbours, they began to think of Uniting into a Body. And it was this Union, firft begun in the fixth Century, but not compleated till the Eighth, that laid the fure Foundation of the future Grandeur of the State of Venice.
From the time of this Union, their Fleets of Merchant- Men were fent to all the Parts or the Mediterranean, and at laft to thofe of Egypt, particularly Cairo ; a new City, built by the Saracen Princes on the Eaftern Banks ot the Nile 5 where they traded for their Spices, and other Produces of the Indies.
Thus they fiourifii'd, increas'd their Commerce, their Navigation, and their Conquefts on the Terra fir ma, rill the famous League of Cambray in 1508, when a number of jea- lous Princes confpir'd to their Ruin 5 which was the more eafily effected by the Diminution of their Eafi-hidia Commerce, which the Portuguejt had gor a part of, and the French another.
Genoa, which had apply 'd itfelf to" Navigation at the fame time with Venice, and that with equal fuccefs, was a long time a dangerous Rival> deputed' with it the Empire of the Sea, and Shared with it the Trade to Ezypt, and other Parts both of the Eaft and Weft.
Jealoufy foon began to break out, and the two Republics coming to blows, 'twas three Centuries almoft continued War, e'er the Superiority was afcertain'd ; when towards the end of the fourteenth Century, the fatal Battel of Chioza ended the noble Strife : The Genoeje, who till then had ufually the Advantage, having now loft all ; and the Venetians almoft become defperate, at one happy Blow, beyond all Expectation, fecurd to themfelves the Empire of the Sea, and Superiority in Commerce.
About the fame time that Navigation was retriev'd in the Southern Parts of Europe, a new Society of Merchants was form'd in the North, which not only carried Commerce to the greateft Perfection it was capable of till the Difco- very of the one and other India, but alfo form'd a new Scheme of Laws for the Regulation thereof, which ftill obtain under the Name of Ufe and Cttjlom of the Sea.
This Society is that famous ASTociation of the Hans Towns, commonly fuppofed to have begun about the Year 11(14.. See Hans Towns.
The modern State of Navigation in England, Holland, France, Spain, Portugal, &c. is too popular to need a par- ticular Detail. SeeCoMMERCE and Company.
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