Part 4

=Hudson’s Bay= and =Hudson’s Strait= were named after their re-discovery by Captain Henry Hudson while searching for the north-west passage in 1610. Prior to this date the Bay and the Strait had not been navigated since their original discovery by Cabot in 1512. =James’ Bay= honours the memory of James I., in whose reign it was completely explored. Quite a number of straits, gulfs, and bays bear the names of their respective navigators; therefore these need not detain us here. An exception exists in the case of =Barrow’s Strait=, which was so called by Captain Penny in compliment to John Barrow, the son of Sir John Barrow the traveller and statesman, in 1850. =All Saints’ Bay= was discovered by Vespucci on the Feast of All Saints in the year 1503. The =Gulf of St. Lawrence= was first explored, and the navigation of the long river of the same name commenced, on the Feast of St. Lawrence, 1500. The =Gulf of Carpentaria= preserves the memory of a Dutch captain named Carpenter who discovered it in 1606. =Torres Strait= received the name of the Spanish navigator, L. V. de Torres, to whom its discovery was due, in the year 1606. =Botany Bay= was so called by Captain Cook from the great variety of plants which he found growing on its shores when exploring it in the year 1770. The =St. George’s Channel= was named after the patron saint of England. The =Skagerrack= denotes the “crooked strait between the Skagen” (so called from the Gothic _skaga_, a promontory), which forms the northern extremity of Jutland and Norway. =Zuyder Zee= expresses the Dutch for the “south sea,” in relation to the North Sea or German Ocean. The =Bay of Biscay= takes its name from the Basque or Basquan, _i.e._, mountainous provinces, whose shores are washed by its waters. The =Strait of Gibraltar= honours the reputation of Ben Zeyad Tarik, a Moorish general who effected the invasion of Spain in the year 712 by obtaining possession of the apparently impregnable rock which has ever since borne the name, in consequence, of _Jebel al tarik_, the Mountain of Tarik. The =Bosphorus= is a Greek term composed of _bous_, an ox, and _porus_, a ford, alluding to the legend that when Io was transformed into a cow she forded this strait. The =Dardanelles= derive their name from the ancient city of Dardanus, founded by Dardanus, the ancestor of Priam, where the castle now stands on the Asiatic side.

By the term =Australia= is meant “the South,” and by =Australasia= “Southern Asia,” agreeably to the Latin _australis_, southern. Previous to its settlement by the British, Australia was known as =New Holland= owing to its discovery by the Dutch in the year 1606. The existing name of =New Zealand= likewise bears testimony to the deep-rooted affection of the Dutch navigators, and indeed of the Dutch people generally, for their native country--the word _Zeeland_, denoting sea-land, being significant of the low countries. =Tasmania= was originally known as =Van Dieman’s Land=, the name bestowed upon it by Abel Jansen Tasman, who discovered it in 1642, in compliment to the daughter of the Dutch governor of Batavia. The change of title was effected in 1853. =The Society Islands= received their name from Captain Cook in honour of the Royal Society; the =Friendly Islands=, on account of the friendly disposition of the natives; and =Christmas Island=, because he set foot upon it on Christmas Day, 1777. The naming of the =Sandwich Islands= by Cook conveyed a graceful compliment to Lord Sandwich, First Lord of the Admiralty. The =Philippine Islands=, discovered by Magellan in 1521, were named after Philip II. of Spain; and the =Caroline Islands= discovered by Lopez de Villalobos in 1543, after Charles V., Emperor of Germany and first King of Spain.

=Papua= is a Portuguese term for “frizzled,” in allusion to the enormous frizzled heads of hair worn by the natives; =Java= is a native Malay word signifying “the land of nutmegs;” =Sumatra=, a corruption of _Trimatara_, means “the happy land”; while =Borneo= comes from the Sanskrit _bhurni_, “land.” =Japan= is a European modification, brought about through the Portuguese _Gepuen_, of the native _Niphon_, compounded of _ni_, sun, fire, and _pon_, land, literally sun-land, or “land of the rising sun,” and signifying “the fountain of light.” =Formosa= is Portuguese for “beautiful”; whereas =Ceylon=, rendered in the Portuguese tongue _Selen_, is but part of the original Sanskrit _Sinhala-dwipa_, “the Island of Lions.” The =Mauritius=, when colonized by the Dutch, received the name of Maurice, Prince of Orange; and the =Isle of Bourbon=, when settled by the French, that of the Bourbon family. =Madagascar= is properly _Malagasy_, the Island of the Malagese, because the natives belong to the Malay race.

=Tierra del Fuego= expresses the Spanish for “land of fire.” The =Island of Desolation= was so designated by Captain Cook owing to the absence of all signs of life. =Hanover Island= honours the House of Hanover; and =Adelaide Island=, the queen of William IV.; while =Juan Fernandez= (also known as =Selkirk’s Island=, after Alexander Selkirk, its solitary inhabitant from September, 1704, to February, 1707), perpetuates the name of its discoverer in the year 1567. The =Ladrone Islands= merited this designation from the circumstance that when Magellan touched upon one of the lesser isles of the group in 1520 the natives stole some of his goods; whereupon he called the Islands the _Ladrones_, which is the Spanish for thieves. =Pitcairn’s Island= was discovered by Pitcairn in 1768. =Easter Island= was so denominated by Jacob Roggevin in consequence of his visit to its fertile shores on Easter Sunday, 1722; the island having previously been discovered by Captain Davis in 1686. =Vancouver Island= preserves the memory of Captain Vancouver, a midshipman under Captain Cook, who discovered it in 1792, while cruising about in search of a river on the west coast of North America. The =Aleutian Islands= expresses the Russian for “bald rocks.” =Queen Charlotte Island= was named in compliment to the queen of George III.; and =Prince of Wales Island=, after the Prince Regent, afterwards George IV. =Barrow Island=, discovered by Captain Penny in 1850, received the name of John Barrow, son of Sir John Barrow, the eminent statesman; while =Baring Island=, also discovered by Penny in the course of the same voyage, received the name of Sir Francis Baring, First Lord of the Admiralty. The =Parry Islands= and =Baffin Land= indicate the names of the famous Arctic navigators to whom their discovery was due. =Banks Land= was so called in compliment to Sir Joseph Banks, the eminent naturalist and President of the Royal Society.

=Newfoundland= is the only territory discovered by Cabot which has been allowed to retain its original name. =Rhode Island=, a corruption of the Danish _rood_, red, signifies Red Island, in allusion to its reddish appearance; whereas =Long Island= has reference to its long and narrow conformation. The =Bermuda Islands= were discovered by Juan Bermudez in 1522. =San Salvador= means “Holy Saviour.” This was the first land sighted by Columbus (October 11, 1492); he therefore gave it this name, as a token of thanksgiving. =Jamaica= is a corruption of _Xaymaco_, a native West Indian name signifying “the country abounding in springs.” =Cuba= and =Hayti= are also native names, the latter meaning “mountainous country.” The Island of =Barbadoes= derived its name from the Latin _barba_, a beard, in allusion to the beard-like streamers of moss always hanging from the branches of the trees. =Dominica= is indicative of the day of its discovery by Columbus, namely, Sunday, November 2, 1493; and =Porto Rico= is likewise Spanish for “rich port.” When Columbus first sighted the Isle of =Trinidad= he discerned three mountain peaks rising from the sea, thus conveying the impression of three distinct islands; but on approaching nearer he discovered that they formed one piece of land only; wherefore he gave the island the name of the Trinity, of which it was so eminently an emblem. But perhaps the most interesting of the West Indies in connection with the subject we are now discussing is =Tobago Island=, so called by Columbus from its fancied resemblance to the _Tobaco_, or inhaling tube of the aborigines, whence the word TOBACCO has been derived. =St. Kitt’s Island= is an abbreviation of St. Christopher’s Island, so called by Columbus in 1493 after his patron saint.

=Ascension Island= was discovered by the Portuguese on Ascension Day, 1501; and the =Isle of St. Helena= on the Feast of St. Helena, 1502. =Tristan d’Acunha= received the name of the Portuguese navigator who discovered it in 1651. The =Canary Islands= were originally so called on account of the numerous dogs, as well as of their unusual size (Latin _canis_, a dog), bred here. =Madeira= is a Portuguese term signifying timber; the inference being that this island was formerly covered by an immense forest. =Majorca= and =Minorca=, literally in accordance with the Latin _major_ and _minor_, the Greater and Lesser Island, are denominated also the =Balearic Islands= from the Greek _ballein_, to throw, because their inhabitants were anciently noted slingers. =Corsica= is a Phœnician word denoting “the wooded island”; =Sardinia= expresses the “land of the Sardonion,” a Greek term for a plant indigenous to this island; =Capri= signifies the “island of goats,” agreeably to the Latin _caper_, a he-goat; =Sicily= received its name from the _Siculi_, a tribe who settled upon it in early times; =Malta= was anciently _Melita_, “the place of refuge”; =Candia= comes from the Arabic _Khandæ_, “the island of trenches”; and =Cyprus= from the Greek _Kupros_, the name of a herb with which the island abounded; while =Rhodes= indicates an “island of roses,” in conformity with the Greek _rhodon_, a rose.

=Belleisle= is French for “beautiful island”; =Jersey= was originally _Czar’s-ey_, meaning “Cæsar’s Island,” so called by the Romans in honour of Julius Cæsar; the =Isle of Wight= denoted in the long, long ago the Island of the Wyts, or Jutes; just as =Gothland= indicated a settlement of the Goths. =Heligoland= expresses the Danish for “holy island settlement.” =Anglesea= is really a corruption of _Anglesey_, signifying, in accordance with the suffix _ey_, the Isle of the Angles [_see_ CHELSEA]. The =Isle of Man= is the modern designation of =Mona Island=, by which was meant, agreeably to the Celtic _mæn_, a stone “rocky island.” The =Hebrides= were anciently referred to by Ptolemy as the _Ebudæ_, and by Pliny as the _Hebudes_, denoting the “Western Isles”; the =Orkney Isles= expresses the Gaelic for the “Isles of Whales,” alluding to their situation; and the =Shetland Isles=, the Norse for the “Viking Island,” conformably with their native prenomen _Hyalti_, a Viking. The term VIKING, by the way, meaning a pirate, was derived from the _Vik_, or creek, in which he lay concealed. The name of =Iceland= needs no comment, further than that, perhaps, the north and west coasts of the island are frequently blockaded with ice, which has drifted before the wind from Greenland. =Spitzbergen= is literal Dutch for “sharp-pointed mountains,” referring to the granite peaks of the mountains, which are so characteristic of this group of islands; while =Nova Zembla= presents a strange mixture of the Latin and Slavonic, literally “new land.”

_THE MONTHS, AND DAYS OF THE WEEK._

The titles of the months are modernized forms of those in use among the Romans, namely:--=January=, in honour of Janus, a deity who presided over the beginning of everything; =February=, from the Latin word _febru_, to purify, because the purification of women took place in this month; =March=, after Mars, the God of War; =April=, from _aperio_, to open, this being the month in which the buds shoot forth; =May=, after Maia, the mother of Mercury, to whom sacrifices were offered on the first day of this month; =June=, from Juno, the queen goddess; =July=, the name given to this month by Marc Antony in honour of Julius Cæsar, who was born in it; =August=, named by Augustus Cæsar after himself, because in this month he celebrated three distinct triumphs, reduced Egypt to subjection, and put an end to the civil wars; while =September=, =October=, =November=, and =December= literally express the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth months of the old Roman Calendar, counted from March, which commenced the year previous to the addition of January and February by Numa in the year 713 B.C.

The Egyptian astronomers were the first to distinguish the days by names, when, as might have been expected, they called them after the Sun, the Moon, and the five planets, viz., Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn. Of these the two first and the last survive, but for the rest the names of as many gods of the Scandinavian mythology have been substituted. Nowadays, then, we have the following:--=Sunday=, originally signifying the day upon which the sun was worshipped; =Monday=, the day of the moon; =Tuesday= devoted to Tiw, the God of War; =Wednesday=, set apart for the worship of Odin, or Wodin, the God of Magic and the Inventor of the Arts; =Thursday=, the day of Thor, the son of Odin (or Wodin), and the God of Thunder; =Friday=, allotted to Frigga, the wife of Odin, and the Goddess of Marriage; and =Saturday=, the day of Saturn, one of the planets of the solar system.

_CREEDS, SECTS, AND DENOMINATIONS._

=Theism= and =Deism= both express a belief in God; the former term being derived from the Greek _Theos_, God, and the latter from the Latin, _Deus_, God. The =Theist=, however, admits the =Theocracy= or Government of God (Greek _Theos_, God, and _kratein_, to govern); the =Deist=, on the contrary, maintains that God in the beginning implanted in all His works certain immutable laws, comprehended by mankind under the name of the “Laws of Nature,” which act of themselves, and are no longer subject to the supervision of the Creator. =Pantheism= (from the Greek _pan_, all, everything, and _Theos_, God) is the religion which rejects a belief in a personal God, but recognizes Him in all the processes, and works, and glories, and beauties of Nature, and animated creation. Briefly, the =Pantheist= holds the doctrine that “God is everything, and everything is God.” The word =Atheism= comes from the Greek _Theos_, God, and the prefix _a_, without. An =Atheist=, therefore, practically answers to the description given by David in the opening line of _Psalm_ xiv., “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” =Agnosticism= is also Greek, in accordance with the prefix _a_, without, and _gnomi_, to know. An =Agnostic= is one whose belief is confined to that which he _knows_ and sees, and who rejects everything at all beyond his understanding. =Secularism=, derived from the Latin _seculum_, an age, a generation, is the term given to the principles advocated by Messrs. Holyoake in 1846, which professed an entire independence of religion, except so far as it pertains to this life. The =Secularist= aims at promoting the happiness of the community during the present life. His religion is that of this world, without troubling himself about possibilities concerning a life hereafter. Such views are closely allied to those set forth by John Stuart Mill (born 1806, died 1873) under the name of =Utilitarianism=, by which was meant, “the happiness of the greatest number.” This term was based upon the Latin _utilitas_, usefulness. =Spiritualism= expresses a belief in the soul’s immortality, as opposed to the doctrine of =Materialism=, which contends that the soul, or thinking part of man, is the result of some peculiar organization of matter in the body, with which it must necessarily die. =Rationalism= constitutes the doctrine which accepts the test of Reason and Experience in the pursuit of knowledge, particularly in regard to religious truth, rejecting the gift of Faith, Revelation, and everything connected with the supernatural or miraculous. This was the religion (!) of the French Revolutionists, who set up an actress to be publicly honoured as the “Goddess of Reason” in the Cathedral of Nôtre Dame on the 10th of November, 1793.

The earliest form of religion on the face of the earth was =Monotheism=, so called from the Greek _monos_, alone, only, and _Theos_, God; therefore signifying a belief in, and the worship of, one Only God. The word =Religion= is derived from the Latin _religare_, to bind. Hence, Religion implies obedience, submission, and an acknowledgment of certain orthodox doctrines regarding our duty to a Supreme Power. =Mosaism=, otherwise =Judaism=, denotes the religion of the Jews as enjoined in the laws of Moses. But even during that favoured period when God manifested Himself in various ways to the children of Israel, Idolatry prevailed. Let us consider what this word =Idolatry= really means. _Idol_ is a contraction of the Greek _eidolon_, the diminutive of _eidos_, a figure, an image, or that which is seen, derived from the verb _eidein_, to see; while =Idolater= is made up of the two Greek words, _eidolon_, and _latres_, one who pays homage, a worshipper. An Idolater, therefore, is a worshipper of images, or that which he sees. The Israelites, who prostrated themselves before the Golden Calf, were strictly Idolaters; so were the Egyptians, who worshipped the sun, the moon, the ox, the dog, the cat, the ibis, and the ichneumon; but the Greeks and Romans were scarcely Idolaters, because the mythological deities they worshipped were unseen--as unseen as is the True God Himself. Neither were they =Pagans=, which term, from the Latin _paganus_, a countryman, a peasant, based upon _pagus_, a country, a district, has nothing whatever to do with religion. The Greeks and Romans were, in fact, =Polytheists=, and their religion was =Polytheism=, signifying, in accordance with the Greek _polus_, many, and _Theos_, God, a belief in more gods than one. The more general description of the religion of the ancients is comprised in the term =Mythology=, written in the Greek _muthologia_, from _muthos_, a fable, and _logos_, a discourse.

Alluding to the =Fire Worshippers= of the East, who fall prostrate in adoration of the sun, it should be noted that these do not actually worship the sun, but God, whom they believe to reside in it. This Sun or Fire Worship, the religion of the =Parsees=, otherwise denominated =Zoroastrianism=, was introduced into Persia by Zoroaster about five hundred years before the Christian era. In short, the Parsees are the descendants of those who, in Persia, adhered to the Zoroastrian religion after the Moslem or Mahommedan conquest of their country, whence they were at length driven by Moslem persecution to migrate to India. The =Brahmins= are the priests or higher caste of the Hindoos, who, like the Burmese, the inhabitants of the adjacent country, =Burmah=, claim to be descended from _Brahma_, the supreme deity of the Hindoo religion. The =Buddhists= are the followers of Buddha, a Hindoo sage who founded the doctrine of =Buddhism= in the sixth century B.C. =Mahommedanism= is the religion founded by Mahommed, or Mahomet (born 571, died 632). The term =Koran=, or more properly _Al Koran_, “The Koran,” which constitutes the Bible of the Mahommedans, is Arabic for a “Reading,” a “thing to be read.” The native name of the Mahommedan religion is =Islam=, resignation and obedience to God, founded upon the verb _aslama_, to bend, to submit, to surrender. The Mahommedans of Turkey and Persia usually bear the style of =Mussulmans=, a corruption and the plural of the Arabic _muslim_, rendered into English as =Moslem=, and meaning a true believer, or one who holds the faith of Islam.

Our reference to Mahommedanism having carried us some six hundred years beyond the foundation of =Christianity= by Christ, we must of necessity retrace our steps. Reverting to the Jewish people contemporary with Jesus Christ and His disciples, a certain portion of these styled themselves =Pharisees= because they affected a greater degree of holiness than their neighbours. The name was derived from the Hebrew word _pharash_, separated. The =Nazarenes=, so called after “Jesus of Nazareth,” were a sect of semi-converted Jews, who, while believing Christ to be the long-promised Messiah, and that His nature was Divine as well as human, nevertheless continued the rites and ceremonies peculiar to Judaism. The =Gnostics=, otherwise the “Knowers,” pursuant to the Greek _gnomi_, to know, were those who tried to accommodate the Scriptures to the speculations of Plato, Pythagoras, and other ancient philosophers; having done which to their own satisfaction they refused all further knowledge on the subject. The =Aquarians= (Latin _aqua_, water) insisted upon the use of water in the place of wine in the Communion. The =Arians= were the followers of Arius, a presbyter in the Church of Alexandria, universally regarded as the first heretic. Soon after his death (in 336), which was ignominious in the extreme, the Arians renounced their errors, and were readmitted into the Church; but this gave offence to another section of the Christians under Lucifer, Bishop of Cagliari, styling themselves the =Luciferians=, who refused all communication with the reconverted heretics. The =Donatists= were the followers of Donatus, Bishop of Numidia; the =Macedonians=, of Macedonius, Patriarch of Constantinople; the =Apollinarians=, of Apollinarius, Bishop of Laodicea and Greek Christian philosopher. These various sects arose in the fourth century of the Church.

The term =Catholic=, derived from the Greek _Katholos_, compounded out of _Kata_, throughout, and _olos_, whole, signifies One, Universal. During the first nine centuries of Christianity the =Catholic Church= was indeed universal; but at that epoch it became necessary to distinguish between the Eastern or Greek Church, and the Western or Church of Rome, by adding the word “Roman” to the original Church founded by St. Peter and perpetuated by his successors the Popes. The =Greek Church=, which constitutes the orthodox religion of Greece, Moldavia, and Russia, differs principally from the Roman Catholic in regard to the Papal supremacy, and the doctrine of Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son. The employment of the full title of =Roman Catholic Church= is at all times necessary in England when alluding to Christian doctrine in order to avoid probable confusion with the Established Church of this country which retains in its Creed the designation of “The Holy Catholic Church.” This is because at the Reformation the =Church of England=, then styled the =Anglican Church=, professed to be the Catholic Church governed by the reigning monarch instead of the Pope of Rome.