SKETCHES OF BRITISH . BOOK I. HISTORICAL SKETCH , INTRODUCTORY TO THE WHOLE. CHAPTER I. Discovery and Settlement of . The history of the world does not afford an epoch so glorious and important as the discovery of by Columbus in 1492. It formed, as is well known, an era that gave a new and adventurous direction to the views of Euro¬ pean nations; and, while the passion of enterprise sent bold and resolute spirits to the vast regions of the World, fresh discoveries enriched the sciences, and geography, astronomy, and navigation, became more satisfactorily known. VOL . I. A