in their more general aspects. In particular I have grouped the
great voyages of 1492-1521 round the search for the Spice Islands
as a central motive. It is possible that in tracing the Portuguese
and Spanish discoveries to the need of titillating the parched
palates of the mediævals, who lived on salt meat during winter and
salt fish during Lent, I may have unduly simplified the problem.
But there can be no doubt of the paramount importance attached
to the spices of the East in the earlier stages. The search for
the El Dorado came afterwards, and is still urging men north to
the Yukon, south to the Cape, and in a south-easterly direction
to "Westralia."

Besides the general treatment in the text and the special details
in the Appendix, I have also attempted to tell the story once more
in a series of maps showing the gradual increase of men's knowledge
of the globe. It would have been impossible to have included all
these in a book of this size and price but for the complaisance
of several publishing firms, who have given permission for the
reproduction on a reduced scale of maps that have already been
prepared for special purposes. I have specially to thank Messrs.
Macmillan for the two dealing with the Portuguese discoveries,
and derived from Mr. Payne's excellent little work on European
Colonies; Messrs. Houghton, Mifflin, & Co., of Boston, for several
illustrating the discovery of America, from Mr. J. Fiske's "School
History of the United States;" and Messrs. Phillips for the arms
of Del Cano, so clearly displaying the "spicy" motive of the first
circumnavigation of the globe.

I have besides to thank the officials of the Royal Geographical
Society, especially Mr. Scott Keltie and Dr. H. R. Mill, for the