Show idea of the world columbus believed the solid part of the sphere to be larger than the liquid part and tho distance by the sunset road between the east indies and western europe to be less than it is but in those two capital errors lay the great incentive to the execution and success of his purpose had he known the vast planetary spaces covered by the waters tho continent interposed between his own europe and the land of diamonds gold and spices the difficulty and peril of the passage yet to be braved in the far regions of the antarctic pole in order to sail from our continental en drope to the oriental indies by the western way he would perhaps have shrunk back in alarm and dread emilio castelar in century |