f his voyage in the Carthaginian annals. According to the
account of Festus, the voyage of Himilco lasted four months, or rather he
sailed for the space of four months, towards the north, and arrived at the
isles Ostrymnides and the coast of Albion. In the extracts given by Avienus
from the journal of Himilco, frequent mention is made of lead and tin, and
of ships cased with leather (or, more probably, entirely made of that
material, like the coracles still used by the Greenlanders, and even in
Wales, for crossing small rivers). In these parts, he adds, the East Rymni
lived, with whom the people of Tartessus and Carthage traded: we have given
this appellation to the inhabitants of the isles Ostrymnides, because in
the first part of the latter word, the Teutonic word, OEst, distinctly
appears.

Hanno was sent by the senate to explore the western coast of Africa, and to
establish Carthaginian colonies wherever he might deem it expedient or
advantageous. He sailed from Carthage with a fleet of 60 vessels, each
rowed with 50 oars, and had besides, a convoy containing 30,000 persons of
both sexes. He wrote a relation of his voyage, a fragment of a Greek
version of which is still remaining, and has lately been illustrated by the
learning and ingenuity of Dr. Falconer of Bath: his voyage is also cited by
Aristotle, Pomponius Mela, and Pliny. The era at which it was performed,
and the extent of the voyage, have given rise to much discussion. Isaac
Vossius fixes the date of it prior to the age of Homer: Vossius the father,
subsequent to it: Wesseling doubts whether it was even prior to Herodotus.
Campomanes fixes it about the 93d Olympiad: and Mr. Dodwell somewhere
between the 92d and the 129th Olympiad. According to Pliny, Hanno and
Himilco were contemporaries; the latter author mentions the commentaries of
Hanno, but in such a manner as if he had not seen, and did not believe
them.

With respect to the extent of his voyage along the western coast of Africa,
some modern writers assert, without any authority, that he doubled the Cape
of Good Hope: this assertion is made in direct unqualified terms by Mickle
the translator of the Lusiad. Other writers limit the extent of his
navigation to Cape Nun; while, according to other geographers, he sailed as
far as Cape Three Points, on the coast of Guinea. That there should be any
doubt on the subject appears surprising; for, as Dr. Vincent very justly
remarks, we have Hanno's own author