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Some　moderns＇89＇　have　imbibed　these　prejudices。　What　has　become；　say　they；　of　the　cities　described　by　Hanno；　of　which　even　in　Pliny's　time　there　remained　no　vestiges？　But　it　would　have　been　a　wonder　indeed　if　any　such　vestiges　had　remained。　Was　it　a　Corinth　or　Athens　that　Hanno　built　on　those　coasts？　He　left　Carthaginian　families　in　such　places　as　were　most　commodious　for　trade；　and　secured　them　as　well　as　his　hurry　would　permit　against　savages　and　wild　beasts。　The　calamities　of　the　Carthaginians　put　a　period　to　the　navigation　of　Africa；　these　families　must　necessarily　then　either　perish　or　become　savages。　Besides；　were　the　ruins　of　these　cities　even　still　in　being；　who　is　it　that　would　venture　into　the　woods　and　marshes　to　make　the　discovery？　We　find；　however；　in　Scylax　and　Polybius　that　the　Carthaginians　had　considerable　settlements　on　those　coasts。　These　are　the　vestiges　of　the　cities　of　Hanno；　there　are　no　others；　for　the　same　reason　that　there　are　no　others　of　Carthage　itself。

The　Carthaginians　were　in　the　high　road　to　wealth；　and　had　they　gone　so　far　as　four　degrees　of　north　latitude；　and　fifteen　of　longitude；　they　would　have　discovered　the　Gold　Coast。　They　would　then　have　had　a　trade　of　much　greater　importance　than　that　which　is　carried　on　at　present　on　that　coast；　at　a　time　when　America　seems　to　have　degraded　the　riches　of　all　other　countries。　They　would　there　have　found　treasures　of　which　they　could　never　have　been　deprived　by　the　Romans。

Very　surprising　things　have　been　said　of　the　riches　of　Spain。　If　we　may　believe　Aristotle；＇90＇　the　Phoenicians　who　arrived　at　Tartessus　found　so　much　silver　there　that　their　ships　could　not　hold　it　all；　and　they　made　of　this　metal　their　meanest　utensils。　The　Carthaginians；　according　to　Diodorus；＇91＇　found　so　much　gold　and　silver　in　the　Pyrenean　mountains；　that　they　adorned　the　anchors　of　their　ships　with　it。　But　no　foundation　can　be　built　on　such　popular　reports。　Let　us　therefore　examine　the　facts　themselves。

We　find　in　a　fragment　of　Polybius；　cited　by　Strabo；＇92＇　that　the　silver　mines　at　the　source　of　the　river　B？tis；　in　which　forty　thousand　men　were　employed；　produced　to　the　Romans　twenty…five　thousand　drachmas　a　day；　that　is；　about　five　million　livres　a　year；　at　fifty　livres　to　the　mark。　The　mountains　that　contained　these　mines　were　called　the　Silver　Mountains：＇93＇　which　shows　they　were　the　Potosi　of　those　times。　At　present；　the　mines　of　Hanover　do　not　employ　a　fourth　part　of　the　workmen；　and　yet　they　yield　more。　But　as　the　Romans　had　not　many　copper　mines；　and　but　few　of　silver；　and　as　the　Greeks　knew　none　but　the　Attic　mines；　which　were　of　little　value；　they　might　well　be　astonished　at　their　abundance。

In　the　war　that　broke　out　for　the　succession　of　Spain；　a　man　called　the　Marquis　of　Rhodes；　of　whom　it　was　said　that　he　was　ruined　in　gold　mines　and　enriched　in　hospitals；＇94＇　proposed　to　the　court　of　France　to　open　the　Pyrenean　mines。　He　alleged　the　example　of　the　Tyrians；　the　Carthaginians；　and　the　Romans。　He　was　permitted　to　search；　but　sought　in　vain；　he　still　alleged；　and　found　nothing。

The　Carthaginians；　being　masters　of　the　gold　and　silver　trade；　were　willing　to　be　so　of　the　lead　and　pewter。　These　metals　were　carried　by　land　from　the　ports　of　Gaul　upon　the　ocean　to　those　of　the　Mediterranean。　The　Carthaginians　were　desirous　of　receiving　them　at　the　first　hand；　they　sent　Himilco　to　make　a　settlement　in　the　isles　called　Cassiterides；＇95＇　which　are　imagined　to　be　those　of　Scilly。

These　voyages　from　B？tica　into　England　have　made　some　persons　imagine　that　the　Carthaginians　knew　the　compass：　but　it　is　very　certain　that　they　followed　the　coasts。　There　needs　no　other　proof　than　Himilco's　being　four　months　in　sailing　from　the　mouth　of　the　B？tis　to　England；　besides；　the　famous　piece　of　history　of　the　Carthaginian＇96＇　pilot　who；　being　followed　by　a　Roman　vessel；　ran　aground；　that　he　might　not　show　her　the　way　to　England；＇97＇　plainly　intimates　that　those　vessels　were　very　near　the　shore　when　they　fell　in　with　each　other。

The　ancients　might　have　performed　voyages　that　would　make　one　imagine　they　had　the　compass；　though　they　had　not。　If　a　pilot　was　far　from　land；　and　during　his　voyage　had　such　serene　weather　that　in　the　night　he　could　always　see　a　polar　star　and　in　the　day　the　rising　and　setting　of　the　sun；　it　is　certain　he　might　regulate　his　course　as　well　as　we　do　now　by　the　compass：　but　this　must　be　a　fortuitous　case；　and　not　a　regular　method　of　navigation。

We　see　in　the　treaty　which　put　an　end　to　the　first　Punic　war　that　Carthage　was　principally　attentive　to　preserve　the　empire　of　the　sea；　and　Rome　that　of　the　land。　Hanno；＇98＇　in　his　negotiation　with　the　Romans；　declared　that　they　should　not　be　suffered　even　to　wash　their　hands　in　the　sea　of　Sicily；　they　were　not　permitted　to　sail　beyond　the　promontorium　pulchrum；　they　were　forbidden　to　trade　in　Sicily；　Sardinia；　and　Africa；　except　at　Carthage：＇99＇　an　exception　that　proves　there　was　no　design　to　favour　them　in　their　trade　with　that　city。

In　early　times　there　had　been　very　great　wars　between　Carthage　and　Marseilles＇100＇　on　the　subject　of　fishing。　After　the　peace　they　entered　jointly　into　economical　commerce。　Marseilles　at　length　grew　jealous；　especially　as；　being　equal　to　her　rival　in　industry；　she　had　become　inferior　to　her　in　power。　This　is　the　motive　of　her　great　fidelity　to　the　Romans。　The　war　between　the　latter　and　the　Carthaginians　in　Spain　was　a　source　of　riches　to　Marseilles；　which　had　now　become　their　magazine。　The　ruin　of　Carthage　and　Corinth　still　increased　the　glory　of　Marseilles；　and　had　it　not　been　for　the　civil　wars；　in　which　this　republic　ought　on　no　account　to　have　engaged；　she　would　have　been　happy　under　the　protection　of　the　Romans；　who　were　not　the　least　jealous　of　her　commerce。

12。　The　Isle　of　Delos。　Mithridates。　Upon　the　destruction　of　Corinth　by　the　Romans；　the　merchants　retired　to　Delos；　an　island　which　from　religious　considerations　was　looked　upon　as　a　place　of　safety：＇101＇　besides；　it　was　extremely　well　situated　for　the　commerce　of　Italy　and　Asia；　which；　since　the　reduction　of　Africa　and　the　weakening　of　Greece；　had　grown　more　important。

From　the　earliest　times　the　Greeks；　as　we　have　already　observed；　sent　colonies　to　Propontis　and　to　the　Euxine　Sea　　colonies　which　retained　their　laws　and　liberties　under　the　Persians。　Alexander；　having　undertaken　his　expedition　against　the　barbarians　only；　did　not　molest　these　people。＇102＇　Neither　does　it　appear　that　the　kings　of　Pontus；　who　were　masters　of　many　of　those　colonies；　ever　deprived　them　of　their　own　civil　government。＇103＇

The　power　of　those　kings　increased　as　soon　as　they　subdued　those　cities。＇104＇　Mithridates　found　himself　able　to　hire　troops　on　every　side；　to　repair　his　frequent　losses；　to　have　a　multitude　of　workmen；　ships；　and　military　machines；　to　procure　himself　allies；　to　bribe　those　of　the　Romans；　and　even　the　Romans　themselves；　to　keep　the　barbarians　of　Asia　and　Europe　in　his　pay；＇105＇　to　continue　the　war　for　many　years；　and　of　course　to　discipline　his　troops；　he　found　himself　able　to　train　them　to　arms；　to　instruct　them　in　the　military　art　of　the　Romans；＇106＇　and　to　form　considerable　bodies　out　of　their　deserters；　in　a　word；　he　found　himself　able　to　sustain　great　losses；　and　to　be　frequently　defeated；　without　being　ruined；＇107＇　neither　would　he　have　been　ruined　if　the　voluptuous　and　barbarous　king　had　not　destroyed；　in　his　prosperous　days；　what　had　been　done　by　the　great　prince　in　times　of　adversity。

Thus　it　was　that　when　the　Romans　had　arrived　at　their　highest　pitch　of　grandeur；　and　seemed　to　have　nothing　to　apprehend　but　from　the　ambition　of　their　own　subjects；　Mithridates　once　more　ventured　to　contest　the　mighty　point；　which　the　overthrow　of　Philip；　of　Antiochus；　and　of　Perseus　had　already　decided。　Never　was　there　a　more　destructive　war：　the　two　contending　parties；　being　possessed　of　great　power；　and　receiving　alternate　advantages；　the　inhabitants　of　Greece　and　of　Asia　fell　a　sacrifice　in　the　quarrel；　either　as　foes；　or　as　friends　of　Mithridates。　Delos　was　involved　in　the　general　fatality；　and　commerce　failed　on　every　side：　which　was　a　necessary　consequence；　the　people　themselves　being　destroyed。

The　Romans；　in　pursuance　of　a　system　of　which　I　have　spoken　elsewhere；＇108＇　acting　as　destroyers；　that　they　might　not　appear　as　conquerors；　demolished　Carthage　and　Corinth；　a　practice　by　which　they　would　have　ruined　themselves　had　they　not　subdued　the　world。　When　the　kings　of　Pontus　became　masters　of　the　Greek　colonies　on　the　Euxine　Sea；　they　took　care　not　to　destroy　what　was　to　be　the　foundation　of　their　own　grandeur。

13。　Of　the　Genius　of　the　Romans　as　to　Maritime　Affairs。　The　Romans　laid　no　stress　on　anything　but　their　land　forces；　who　were　disciplined　to　stand　firm；　to　fight　on　one　spot；　and　there　bravely　to　die。　They　could　not　like　the　practice　of　seamen；　who　first　offer　to　fight；　then　fly；　then　return；　constantly　avoid　danger；　often　make　use　of　stratagem；　and　seldom　of　force。　This　was　not　suitable　to　the　genius　of　the　Greeks＇109＇　much　less　to　that　of　the　Romans。

They　destined　therefore　to　the　sea　only　those　citizens　who　were　not　considerable　enough　to　have　a　place　in　their　legions。＇110＇　Their　marines　were　commonly　fr