By thus proving the impossibility of Ancient America having been founded during this Expedition, and for the above reason,—we bring down upon ourselves the responsibility of proving, that when the Western Continent was first reached, Women were the associates of the Voyage! We bring this proposition forward for the purpose of proving to the reader, that it is not intended to establish this Romance of Time (i. e. Truth) upon idle or visionary grounds.
The group of Islands now left by the Tyrians were of a character, from their locality and natural produce, (and especially that one possessing the snow-crowned Peak,) not to be forgotten by the voyagers in relating "the dangers they had passed."
They now coasted along the shores of Morocco and Fez, and entering the Straits of Gibraltar, passed the Pillars of Hercules, and floated on the waters of their native Sea,—thus proving for the first time that the boundary Columns of Alcides had been erected in vain;—and also, that human ingenuity and perseverance will conquer, and bear down all the barriers erected by Superstition as the landmarks of human Intellect!
In their triumphant passage along the shores of the Mediterranean, Carthage would not be passed unvisited by the descendants of the same race, who had followed the fortunes of a Tyrian Princess, when driven from her own land by treachery and cruelty. Leaving the Republic of Carthage, (in which commercial storehouse they must have seen the germs of a future rival,) with what pride and joy must they have reached the Delta of the Nile?—and beyond those feelings, when Tyrus was seen from the round-top of a galley-mast,—or when from their native shore they received the united voice of a gladdened nation?
Three years of danger and unyielding courage, upon an extended field of Science, preserved the fame of Egypt's King, and gave new and brilliant glory to the Tyrians and their Sovereign.
Pharaoh-Necho had achieved his wish by the circumnavigation of the Continent, of which Egypt was the Capital, and this being the only object of the Egyptian, all discoveries of Islands, as forming no part of the African Continent, would therefore be claimed by the Tyrians as their own. The Fortunate Isles (i. e. Canaries) for instance,—and consequently Ithobalus and his successors, would be the rightful "Kings of those Islands" discovered during this voyage, and situated "beyond the Sea,"—and to be reached by passing through the Gates of Gades,—i. e. Straits of Gibraltar.
Even if Pharaoh had claimed the Isles discovered, it would have been useless, for he had no navy (if opposed by Tyrus) to support that claim. It is not probable that he would attempt it,—but even the supposition is set at rest, for the King of Babylon conquered Pharaoh-Necho and Egypt, only seven years after this voyage, for compelling him to raise the first Siege of Jerusalem. Pharaoh was receiving his annual tribute from the Jews: Nebuchadnezzar, therefore, instantly left Judæa and turned his warfare upon the Egyptians, [599 B. C.] captured all the treasure of the Nile, and returned triumphant to the Euphrates.
This Section will be concluded by producing the authority of Scripture (with the incident of Nature) to support the statement of Herodotus: and although the Prophets will be quoted, in this instance Prophecy itself has no bearing upon the subject,—their words upon this direct investigation only refer to that which had taken place, and consequently only of past record, and not for predictions of a future. This was the case with Jeremiah and Ezekiel, but,—not with Isaiah,—and upon this fact do we rest the Scriptural record of the successful accomplishment of this Voyage. Our argument is as follows,—viz., In the Prophecy by Isaiah already quoted [Book ii., ch. v.] there is no allusion whatever to this Expedition, and for the reason,—that Isaiah wrote of the doom of Tyrus 106 years before the period of this Voyage,—consequently the absence of all notice by this Sacred writer (the subject not being prophetical) proves at least that the naval enterprise was undertaken after the time in which he prophecied the downfall of the Tyrian Nation:—Following out this train of reasoning, any Prophet, therefore, who came after the Expedition, and in speaking, or writing, of Tyrus, should allude to it as having taken place,—for it would form another item in the gathered glory of Sidon's Daughter, and would be included in that long list of pride about to be cancelled by the Babylonian Conquest. The reader will find that the later Prophets did allude to this Voyage, and, also, to the cluster of Isles of which Teneriffe is the principal.
The first of these is Jeremiah, who prophesied the destruction of several offending Nations, in the first year of the reign of the King of Babylon, and the fourth of Jehoiakim, Monarch of Judæa,—this was in the beginning of the year 606 B. C. Now supposing that the Voyagers left Suez in the commencement of the year 609 B. C. and occupying three years in the enterprise,—would bring the defined period to the end of 607 B. C.—consequently Jeremiah wrote his words only a few Months after the triumphant issue, and discovery of "the Isles beyond the Sea,"—the account of which would speed through Judæa and the surrounding nations, as it had through Egypt and Tyrus. It is a remarkable circumstance, that in tracing back the history of this Voyage nearly 2500 years, that it should be found to have been alluded to only a few months,—perhaps weeks—after its accomplishment, and in the sacred page of Scripture: and it is still more singular, that writers upon this subject of record by Herodotus, should have passed it unheeded; as, also, the allusion by Ezekiel.
The Prophecy by Jeremiah concerning Judæa, as well as of Tyrus, will be quoted in order to shew the character of the approaching destruction. The last lines contain the allusion mentioned, having reference to the discovery of the Fortunate Isles.