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The Rhode Island Settlement, 88 The Pennsylvania Settlement, 97 Map Showing Routes of Cartier, Champlain, and La Salle, also French and English Possessions at the Time of the Last French War, 107 The English Colonies and the French Claims in 1754, 121 The French in the Ohio Valley, 123 Quebec and Surroundings, 138 Paul Revere's Ride, 167 Franklin's Journey from New York to Philadelphia, 178 Map Illustrating the Battle of Long Island, 196 Map Illustrating the Struggle for the Hudson River and the Middle States, 201 Map Showing the War in the South, 213 The Kentucky Settlement, 223 Map of Louisiana Purchase: also United States in 1803, 242 Map Illustrating Two of Andrew Jackson's Campaigns, 258 Map of the United States showing the Southern Confederacy, the Slave States that did not Secede, and the Territories, 297 Map Illustrating Campaigns in the West in 1862-63, 307 The United States Coast and the West Indies, 315 Portion of the Coast of China and the Philippine Islands, 325

From very early times there existed overland routes of trade between Europe and Asia. During the Middle Ages traffic over these routes greatly increased, so that by the fifteenth century a large and profitable trade was carried on between the West and the East. Merchants in Western Europe grew rich through trade in the silks, spices, and precious stones that were brought by caravan and ship from India, China, and Japan. But in 1453 the Turks conquered Constantinople, and by frequent attacks upon Christian vessels in the Mediterranean made the old routes unsafe. A more practicable one became necessary.

Already in the early part of the fifteenth century Portuguese sea-captains had skirted the western coast of Africa, and by the close of the century others of their number had rounded the Cape of Good Hope, in their search for a water route to the Indies. But Spain, at that time the most powerful nation of Europe, adopted a plan quite different from that of the Portuguese. What this plan was and how it was carried out, we can best understand by an acquaintance with the life and work of the great sea-captain and navigator, Christopher Columbus.

More than four hundred and fifty years ago there lived in the city of Genoa a poor workingman, who made his living by preparing wool for the spinners. Of his four sons, the eldest was Christopher, born in 1436. Young Christopher was not, so far as we know, very different from most other boys in Genoa. He doubtless joined in their every-day sports, going with them to see the many vessels that sailed in and out of that famous sea-port, and listening for hours to the stories of sailors about distant lands.

But he did not spend all his time in playing and visiting the wharves, for we know that he learned his father's trade, and in school studied, among other things, reading, arithmetic, grammar, geography, and map-drawing. We can easily believe that he liked geography best of all, since it would carry his imagination far out over the sea and to lands beyond the sea. In map-drawing he acquired such skill that when he became a man he could earn his living, when occasion demanded, by making maps and charts.

Beyond these facts little is known about the boyhood and youth of Columbus. Very likely much of his early life was spent upon the sea, sailing on the Mediterranean and along the west coast of Africa. Once he went as far north as England and perhaps even farther, but of this we are not certain.

In the course of many voyages he heard much of the work done by Portuguese sailors and discoverers, for Portugal was at that time one of the