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THE 
 
 Discoveries of America 
 
 TO THE YEAR 1 525 
 
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 ARTHUR JAMES WEISE, M.A. 
 
 5Sl 
 
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 G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
 
 NEW YORK : 27 & 29 WEST 23D STREET 
 LONDON: 25 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN 
 
 18S4 
 
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Entered, according to Act of Congress, in tlie yesi iSSj, by 
 
 ARTHUR JAMES WEISE 
 
 in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington 
 
 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
 
 a' 
 
 k^ 
 
 
 Press of 
 
 G. P. Ptttnani's Sons 
 
 New York 
 

 o 
 
 THIS WORK IS DEDICATED 
 BY THE AUTHOR 
 
 TO 
 
 THE MEMORY OF 
 
 HIS DECEASED "WIFE 
 
 CATHARINE V, UPDEGRAFF WEISE 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 It Is a fact that America in the early a^cs was one 
 of the inliabitcd parts of the earth. The I'^gyptians, 
 who were anionic tlie first of the peoples of the east- 
 ern hemisi^here to use letters and to write history, fur- 
 nisli tlie earliest knc)wn acxount of tlui inhabitants of 
 this continent. It is also a truth that some ancicmt 
 geoc^raphers and pliilosophers, who had no pf;rsonal 
 knowledi^e of the existence of a primitive people in 
 the western hemisphere, reg-arded the information re- 
 corded by the Egyptians as fictitious and incredible. 
 When Columbus proposed to g-o to this inhabited 
 realm beyond the western ocean almost all the learned 
 men of Portugal and Spain opposed the undertaking as 
 visionary, and not a few of them asserted that the navi- 
 gatr)r's opinions wen^ absurd, because, as they argued, 
 no one of all the seamen who had lived since the crea- 
 tion of the world had discovered land beyond Ilibernia. 
 
 The discovery of the continent and the subsequent 
 ex[;lorati(jns of the Spaniards not only confuted the 
 fallacious arguments of the learned men of the middle 
 ages but confirmed the statements of the E_i;^yi)tian 
 records descriptive of the civilization of the Atlantic 
 country. The tradition oi the peopling of the conti- 
 nent by thf: descendants of Euenor, tlie gocxl man l^e- 
 gotten in the beginning from the ground, and of the 
 residence of celestial beings among the inhaljitants 
 peculiarly confirms the account in the Bible of the 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 creation of the first man from the dust of the ground 
 and of his descendants having communications with 
 angels. 
 
 The asserted discovery of America by the North- 
 men rests more upon conjecture than evidence. It 
 appears that Columbus was not the discoverer of the 
 continent, for it was seen in 1497 not only by Giovanni 
 Caboto but by the commander of the Spanish fleet 
 with whom Amerigo Vespucci first sailed to the New 
 World. 
 
 The land of Francesca, discovered by Verrazzano in 
 1624, it will be seen, was early possessed by the 
 French, who built a fort near the Indian villaee where 
 now is the city of New York, and called the surround- 
 ing country La Terre d' Anormee Berge ; a geograph- 
 ical designation more significantly expressed in the 
 phraseology. The Land of the Palisades. 
 
 The writing of this work required the personal ex- 
 amination of many old and rare books, manuscripts, 
 and maps, besides the perusal of a large number of 
 recent papers and publications relating to its subject. 
 The task further demanded a careful review and com- 
 parison of the various statements of historical writers 
 concerning the voyages of the persons whom they be- 
 lieved to have been the discoverers of certain parts of 
 the coast of America, between Baffin's Bay and Tierra 
 del Fuego. 
 
 It seemed to me that some of the inforn^ation con- . 
 tained in the different works which I had examined 
 should be presented in the language of the writers or 
 in faithful translations so that the intended significance 
 of the information could be perceived by the reader. 
 I therefore have placed these excerpta before the 
 general reader and the critic in the belief that the 
 
PREFACE. vii. 
 
 citations will be appreciated. They will at least show 
 my desire that the judgments of those who examine 
 them should not be biased by any conclusions of my own. 
 My researches were for the most part made in the 
 General Library of the State of New York, in Albany. 
 The generous personal interest taken by the State's 
 distinguished librarian, Henry A. Homes, LL.D., in 
 placing before me the large number of works which I 
 desired to examine, was so constant and helpful that 
 it is a great pleasure for me to mention and acknowl- 
 edge his kind offices. I am also indebted to his 
 assistant, George Rogers Howell, for many official 
 courtesies. I also owe my thanks to George H. 
 Moore, LL.D., the erudite superintendent of the 
 Lenox Library, in the city of New York, to Frederick 
 Saunders, librarian of the Astor Library, to Jacob B. 
 Moore, librarian of the New York Historical Society, 
 and to Leopold Lindau, librarian of the American 
 Geographical Society. The offices of L'Abbe A. N. 
 Menard, vicar of the parish of St. Roch, Paris, 
 France ; of Padre Antonio Ceriani, prefect of the Am- 
 broslan Library, Milan, Italy ; of Jules Godeby, profes- 
 sor of French literature in the Rensselaer Polytechnic 
 Institute, Troy, New York ; and of Dr. Titus Munson 
 Coan, of New York City, place me under many obliga- 
 tions to these gentlemen. It is also a great pleasure 
 for me to acknowledge the generous favors of E. 
 Thompson Gale, of Troy, which permitted me to 
 accomplish the purposes that I had in view when, 
 eight years ago, I undertook my long-protracted task. 
 The kind offices of my friend, William H. Young, of 
 Troy, are also gratefully remembered. 
 
 Troy, N. Y., ArTHUR J AMES WeiSE. 
 
 March 27, 1884. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE. 
 Antiquity of the red race. An antediluvian people. Vestiges of an 
 
 ancient civilization in America. Records of Egypt. Manuscripts of 
 Solon, the great Greek legislator. Origin of the aborigines of the 
 western hemisphere. Founders of an empire. The tradition pre- 
 served by the Egyptians. Early navigation of the Atlantic Ocean. 
 Isolation of the people of the western continent. The Northmen. 
 Iceland found. Greenland explored. Saga of Eric the Red. Voy- 
 age of BJarni, Herjulf's son. Explorations of Leif, the son of Eric 
 the Red. Tradition concerning Thorfinn Karlsefne. Discovery of 
 Vinland. Its geographical situation. The stone tower at Newport. 
 Dighton rock. Voyages of the Welsh adventurer Madoc. Discoveries 
 of the Zeni brothers. Story of a Frisland fisherman. Estotiland. 
 Drogio I_50 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 Arrival of three strangely clad travellers in Venice. Their surprising dis- 
 closures. The book of Marco Polo. Marvellous wealth of Cathay. 
 Gold-covered palaces. Magnificent cities. Extensive traffic. The 
 empire of the Grand Khan. The travels of Sir John Mandeville. 
 Commerce of Europe restricted. Use of the mariner's compass. An 
 age of superstition. Points of the compass-card. Geographical en- 
 thusiasm of Prince Henry of Portugal. Explorations along the coast 
 of Africa. The astrolabe made useful to navigators. The Cape of 
 Good Hope reached ......... 51-69 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 Christopher Columbus's conception of finding a short and direct way to 
 India. His reasonable conclusions. Statements of ancient geogra 
 phers. The known parts of the world. Circumference of the eanh. 
 Inferences respecting pieces of wood and dead bodies cast upon the 
 islands lying off the west coast of Africa. Island of the Seven Cities. 
 Letter of Paolo Toscanelli. Distance to Cathay. Columbus's over- 
 tures to the king of Portugal. Bartolome Columbus visits England. 
 Christopher Columbus seeks aid in Spain. The opinion of the 
 learned men respecting his project. The friendly offices of Friar Juan 
 Perez. Luis de Saniangel's proposals to Queen Isabella. Columbus 
 commissioned to undertake a voyage to Cathay .... 70-93 
 
X TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The object of Columbus's voyage. His journal. His intention to make a 
 map of the lands of the ocean. The vessels of the fleet. They sail 
 from the port of Palos. The fears of the sailors. Variations of the 
 needle. The Sea of Sargasso. Incidents of the voyage. Discovery 
 of land. Island of San Salvador. Columbus's description of the 
 people and the islands. He believes that he had reached the con- 
 tinent of Asia, and that he was near the dominions of the Grand 
 Khan of Cathay. He sends embassadors to the sovereign of the 
 Orient. His letter to Rafael Sanchez. The high latitude to which 
 he sailed. A fort erected at La Navidad, on the island of Espanola. 
 The profits of the voyage. Columbus sets sail for Spain. Anchors 
 in the Tagus. Visits the king of Portugal. Returns to Spain. 
 Enthusiasm of the people. His reception at Barcelona . . 94-144 . 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Territorial privileges of Portugal and Spain. A line of demarkation 
 designated by Pope Alexander VI. The East and the West Indies. 
 Columbus's second voyage. The Caribbees. The Villa de la Nav- 
 idad burned. The town of Isabela built. Further explorations of 
 the coast of Cuba. Depositions taken that Columbus had reached the 
 dominions of the Grand Khan. The cemies of the people of Espaiiola. 
 The homeward voyage. Ignorance of pilots respecting latitude and 
 longitude. Columbus's compasses. Amerigo Vespucci's first voyage 
 to the New World. Lands on the coast of South America. Describes 
 the natives. The country of Lariab. Columbus's third voyage. He 
 surveys the continent. Explores the coast of La Tierra de Gracia, 
 Amerigo Vespucci's second voyage. Sails along the north coast of 
 South Ameri-ca. Traffics for pearls with the natives. Returns to 
 Cadiz. Columbus's last voyage. The edifices of Veragua. The 
 evidences of civilization. Writes that he reached the province of 
 Mango,, contiguous to Cathay. Dies at Valladolid. His nautical 
 chart. Juan de la Cosa's great ox-hide map .... 145-1S5 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 England sends ships to search for a navigable way to the Indies. The 
 first voyage of Giovanni Caboto. Pasqualigo's account of it. Dis- • 
 covery of the territory of the Grand Khan. The flag of England and 
 that- of St. Mark planted on the coast of the new country. Prima 
 Tierra Vista. The island of St. John. Caboto's second voyage. The 
 dispatches of Pedro de Ayala to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella 
 of Spain. The voyages of Sebastiano Caboto. His explorations 
 along the coast of Labrador. La Tierra de los Bacallaos. Sebastiano 
 Caboto's maps and manuscripts ....... 186-204 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The Portuguese reach the Indies. Land of the Holy Cross discovered by 
 Pedro Alvarez Cabral. Caspar Cortereal's voyages. Letter of Pietro 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS. xi 
 
 PAGE 
 Pasqualigo. Terra Verde. Amerigo Vespucci's third and fourth 
 
 voyages along the east coast of South America. Johann Ruysch's 
 
 map. Martin WaldseemuUer's suggestion. The name of America. 
 
 A fountain of vivific water. Juan Ponce de Leon explores the coast 
 
 of Florida. Vasco Nuiiez de Balboa beholds the Pacific Ocean. The 
 
 coast of Yucatan explored by Francisco Hernando de Cordoba. 
 
 The discoveries of Juan de Grijalva. The country of New Spain. 
 
 The expedition of Hernando Cortes. The magnificent presents sent 
 
 him by Montezuma. The populated provinces of Mexico. Great 
 
 cities. Large temples. Decorated idols. Cortes enters the city of 
 
 Mexico. Its palaces, markets, and arsenals. The horrible sacrifices 
 
 of the Mexicans. The siege of the city ..... 205-274 
 
 CHAPTER Vni. 
 The discoveries of Alonso Alvr.rez de Pineda. The project of Francisco 
 de Garay. An unfortunate undertaking. The discovery of the Mis- 
 sissippi River. The jurisdictions of Juan Ponce de Leon and Fran- 
 cisco de Garay. Another exploration of a part of the coast of North 
 America. Chicora. Duharhe. Tall people. Habits of the natives. 
 Tierra de Ayllon. The voyage of Fernam de Magalhaens. Dis- 
 covery of the Strait of the Eleven Thousand Virgins. The Pacific 
 Ocean. The Moluccas or Spice Islands reached. Voyage of Juan 
 Sebastian del Cano. The sarth circumnavigated. The congress of 
 Badajos 275-296 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 France emulates Portugal, Spain, and England. Discoveries of the 
 Bretons and the Normans. Exploration of the St. Lawrence River. 
 Giovanni da Verrazzano put in command of a fleet to sail to Cathay 
 by Francis I. The king of Portugal attempts to prevent the sailing 
 of the vessels. Storm in the North Sea, Departure of the Dauphine. 
 Verrazzano reaches the coast of North America. Designates his first 
 landing-place Diepa. Fruitless search for a harbor. Friendly, sav- 
 ages. Description of the country. Palmetto trees. Sails northward. 
 Explorations of the peninsula of Virginia. The Dauphine's anchorage 
 at Sandy Hook. Verrazzano explores the bays of New York. The 
 Grande River. Block Island. The Dauphine in Narragansett Bay. 
 Description of the natives. Exploration of the coast of Maine. Five 
 hundred and two leagues of land inspected, Francesca. Verrazzano's 
 geographical explanation of his voyage. Arrival of the Dauphine at 
 Dieppe 297-334 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 {Addenda.) 
 Circulation of the news of Verrazzano's remarkable discoveries. Fernando 
 Carli's letter to his father. The adverse opinion of the people con- 
 cerning Verrazzano's undertaking. The navigator regarded as another 
 Amerigo Vespucci, another Magellan. Three ships equipped to sail 
 to the Indies under the command of Verrazzano. His third voyage 
 
xii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 to the New Land. The indomitable Florentine falls a victim to 
 savage cruelty, liis body roasted and eaten, Ramusio's worthy 
 tribute. The navigator's great parchment map. The Maiollo map. 
 Hieronymus da Verrazzano's chart ...... 335-343 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 {Addenda.) 
 The French again search for a direct water-route to India. Voyages of 
 Jacques Cartier. The names given to the natives of the New Land. 
 Tlie peasants of New France. The Hudson explored in the sixteenth 
 century. The French name for the Palisades. The country of the 
 Grand Scarp. Manants Island. A small fort built by the French on 
 the site of New York City. The chateau on Castle Island, near the 
 site of Albany. The structure damaged by a freshet. The Mohawk 
 Indians show the ruins to the Dutch explorers of the river in the 
 seventeenth century. The Hollanders call it Fort Nassau. The 
 opinion of the Dutch inhabitants of Albany respecting the people who 
 built it 344-363 
 
 Index 365-380 
 
 COPIES OF RARE MAPS. 
 
 ■* I. — Delineation of the hyperborean regions by Sigurd Stephanius in 
 
 1570 22 
 
 "^ II. — A part of the map of the New World contained in the edition of 
 
 Ptolemy's geography printed in Strasburg in 1513. . . . 124 
 
 *J III. — .A part of the Cabot-map of 1544, in the Bibilotheque nationale, 
 
 Paris ........... 190 
 
 N IV. — Map of the New World contained in Peter Martyr's " Legatio 
 
 Babylonica," printed in 1511. ....... 220 
 
 ■\ V. — A tracing representing the limits of the discoveries of Juan Ponce 
 
 de Leon and Francisco de Garay. 1521 ..... 278 
 
 . VI. — A part of the map of the fourth part of the world contained in the 
 Cosmographie Universelle by Andre Thevet, printed in Paris 
 
 in 1575 304 
 
 A VII. — Map of Terre de la Franciscane in the cosmography of Jean Al- 
 
 phonse and Raulin Secalart, 1545 ...... 354 
 
 . VIII. — Map of a part of North America made by Giacomo de Gastaldi 
 
 in 1553 • . • 356 
 
 A IX. — A part of the map of the world made by Gerard Mercator in Du- 
 
 isburg in 1-569 ......... 360 
 
 -I X. — A part of the map of the world made by Juan de la Cosa in 
 
 1500 ......... cover-pocket 
 
 ■1 XI. — A part of the map of the world made by Johann Ruysch, con- 
 tained in the edition of Ptolemy's geography printed in Rome 
 in 1508 ......... cover-pocket 
 
 XII. — A part of the map of the world made by Visconte de Maiollo in 
 
 1527 ......... cover-pocket 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The oldest scriptures, sacred and profane, attest 
 the antiquity of the red race.' As early as the 
 antediluvian period this division of the human family 
 had taken possession of the islands and continent of 
 the western hemisphere, where it founded an empire, 
 the most famous and formidable of primeval times. 
 Great in political power, its commercial, agricultural, 
 and other economical interests were commensurably 
 vast and unparalleled. The skill of its architects and 
 engineers was exhibited in large and imposing edi- 
 fices and in extraordinary and extensive public works. 
 Aggressively belligerent, its armies overran parts of 
 Europe and Africa, exacting tribute, deposing and sub- 
 stituting rulers. 
 
 When the Spaniards, in the sixteenth century, began 
 to explore the interior of the continent of America 
 for gold, silver, and precious stones, they found popu- 
 lated provinces, great cities, temples, palaces, aque- 
 ducts, canals, bridges, and causeways. The astonished 
 adventurers also discovered the vestiges of an aborigi- 
 nal people, among which were many massive tablets 
 of stone covered with columns of strange hieroglyph- 
 ics and antique images, picturing a past civilization for 
 
 ^ The Hebrew for man is derived from the verb (DIN), to be red. 
 
2 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the rise and (growth of which modern archseoloeists 
 have not yet satisfactorily determined dates. 
 
 In the early ages of the world the Egyptians re- 
 corded whatever they deemed important and worthy 
 of preservation concerning the principal inhabitants 
 of the globe. These inquisitive chroniclers of antedilu- 
 vian traditions placed in their archives some remark- 
 able information respecting the original people of the 
 western hemisphere. The historical value of this in- 
 formation is enhanced by the fact that those parts of it 
 which seem to be the most improbable are supported 
 by similar statements in the Bible, while the less as- 
 tounding are verified by the discovery, on the conti- 
 nent of the so-called New World, of such remains as 
 those which are said to have existed in the country west 
 of the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. 
 
 About five hundred and seventy years before the 
 Christian era, Solon, the celebrated legislator of Greece, 
 visited Egypt, and while there became acquainted with 
 some of the erudite priests of the country.^ When the 
 latter communicated to him what they had learned 
 from the records concerning the ancient peoples of 
 the earth, the sage of Greece was so deeply impressed 
 with the unquestionable value of this stj-ange informa- 
 
 ' Solon, one of the seven sages of Greece, was born about the years, c. 639, 
 and died about the year B. c. 558. 
 
 Herodotus, the Greek historian, writing in the fifth century before the Chris- 
 tian era, says • " When these were subdued, and Croesus had joined them to the 
 Lydians, all the learned men at that time, especially those of Greece, resorted to 
 Sardis, which had then reached a high degree of eminence. Among them was 
 Solon, an Athenian, who, having made a code of laws for the Athenians at 
 their request, absented himself for ten years, having sailed away under pretense 
 of seeing the world, that he might not be compelled to abrogate any of the laws 
 he had established : for the Athenians could not do it themselves, as they 
 were bound by the most solemn oaths to preserve inviolate, for ten years, the 
 institutions of Solon. Therefore, having gone abroad for these reasons, as well 
 as to see the world, Solon had visited Amasis, in Egypt, and went trom 
 there to Croesus, at Sardis." — Herodotus : Clio xxix, xxx. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 3 
 
 tion that he committed it to writing, intending to use 
 it in an historical poem which he had undertaken to 
 compose.' On his return to Athens he was not per- 
 mitted the leisure that was needed to complete his 
 agreeable task.'' After his death, the compilations he 
 had made in Egypt were, for a long time, preserved by 
 his descendants, and at last became the property of 
 Plato, the Greek philosopher.^ The latter, when a 
 boy, had studiously perused his eminent ancestor's 
 manuscript, and when he had reached the last years 
 of his scholarly life he could not disengage his 
 thoughts from the conviction that it was his personal 
 duty to publish its rare information.'* In order, there- 
 fore, to give publicity to Solon's valuable compilations, 
 Plato, a short time before his own death, wrote that 
 part of the unfinished dialogue entitled "Critias, or the 
 Atlantic," in which appears the earliest known account 
 of the ancient people of the western hemisphere.^ 
 
 " When Solon interrogated the priests, who were 
 the most distinguished for their antiquarian knowledge, 
 he became aware that neither he nor any of the 
 Greeks knew much concerning the history of the first 
 ages of the world. On one occasion, for the purpose 
 
 ^Plutarch, the Greek biographer, says that Psenophis, the Heliopolitan, and 
 Senchis, the Saite, the most learned of the Egyptian priests, were the persons 
 who gave Solon this information. — Parallel Lives : Solon. 
 
 '"' If Solon * * * had not considered the writing of poetry a recreation, 
 but had made it, as others do, an actual employment, and had completed the 
 history which he had brought from Egypt ; and had not been forced to relin- 
 quish it by seditions and many other troubles in which he found his country 
 involved, I do not think that either Hesiod, Homer, or any other poet would 
 have acquired more extensive fame." — Plato : Timasus, or Concerning Nature. 
 
 ^ Plato was born about the year B. c. 430 and died about the year B. c. 348. 
 He traced his descent from Solon through his mother. 
 
 *" These very writings, indeed, were in the possession of my grandfather, 
 and are now in mine, having been made the subject of much study during 
 my boyhood." — Plato: Critias, or the Atlantic. 
 
 ' Plato : Critias, or the Atlanlic. 
 
4 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 of inducing the priests to relate some of their ancient 
 traditions he began to narrate the early history of his 
 own country. * * * Thereupon one of the eldest 
 priests exclaimed : ' Solon, Solon, you Greeks are but 
 children, and an aged Greek there is none ! ' Solon, 
 hearing this, asked, ' What do you mean ? ' The 
 priest replied : ' You are all youths in intelligence, 
 for you have no old beliefs transmitted by tradition, nor 
 any science hoary with age. * * * From the olden 
 time we have chronicled whatever has happened in 
 your country or in ours, or in any other region known 
 to us, — any action, noble or great or in any other way 
 remarkable, — and these records are preserved in our 
 temples, whereas you and other nations have but 
 lately been provided with letters and different things 
 required by states. * * * 
 
 " 'Many and great exploits of your state, therefore, 
 are here recorded, and call forth our admiration ; never- 
 theless, there is one in particular, which in magnitude 
 and heroism surpasses them all. For these records 
 relate that your state once checked the advance of a 
 mighty force which threatened all Europe and Asia, 
 moving upon them from the Atlantic Ocean. For at 
 that time this ocean was navigable ; and beyond the 
 strait [that of Gibraltar], which you in your language 
 call the* Pillars of Hercules, was an island larger than 
 Libya [Africa] and Asia put together.' At that time 
 sea-faring men could pass from it to the other islands, 
 and from them to the opposite continent, which ex- 
 
 ' The so-called Pillars of Hercules were the two mountains, Calpe and Abyla, 
 on the opposite sides of the Strait of Gibraltar. 
 
 " 1 wonder, therefore, at those," says Herodotus, " who have described the 
 limits of and divided Libya, Asia, and Europe, for the difference between them 
 is trifling : for in length Europe extends along both of them, but respecting 
 width, it is evidently not to be compared. Libya shows itself to be sur- 
 rounded by water, except so much of it as borders Asia." — Herodotus: Mel- 
 pomene xlii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 5 
 
 tended along the real ocean. For the sea [the Medi- 
 terranean] inside the strait, which we have already 
 mentioned, is like a bay with a narrow entrance, but 
 the other sea is rightly called an ocean, and the land, 
 which entirely surrounds it, may truly and correctly be 
 called a continent. In this large Atlantic island a 
 mighty and wonderful confederacy of kings was 
 formed, which subdued the whole island and many 
 other islands and parts of the continent. Besides this 
 it extended its rule, on our side, over Libya as far as 
 Egypt, and over Europe as far as Tyrrhenia.^ At 
 that time the united forces of this power undertook to 
 crush at one blow both your country and ours, and all 
 the other countries lying within the strait. ' " ^ 
 
 " ' In the beginning the gods divided the whole 
 earth, here and there, into large and small portions, that 
 they might obtain temples and sacrifices. In this way 
 Poseidon received as his portion the Atlantic island, 
 and begat children by a mortal woman (^'^^ ^rr/Tf/s 
 yvvaiKOi)^ and placed them on a part of the island 
 which we are about to describe.' " ^ 
 
 Incredible as this information concerning the resi- 
 dence of a person possessing a divine nature on the 
 earth and his matrimonial relationship with a woman 
 seems to be, there are some remarkable statements 
 in the traditions of the ancients respecting celestial 
 beings dwelling among men, and, by marriage with 
 their daughters, being the progenitors of an illustrious 
 offspring. The Hebrew patriarchs, it is said, had 
 personal communications with angels, at different times 
 and places. It is related that three, in human form, 
 partook of food given them by Abraham, under a 
 
 *Tyrrhenia or Umbria, in Italy, now Tuscany. 
 " Plato : Timseus, or Concerning Nature. 
 * Plato : Critias, or the Atlantic 
 
6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 tree, in the plain of Mamre.' Herodotus was told, 
 by certain Egyptians, that " gods had been the rulers 
 of Egypt and had dwelt among men ; and that one of 
 them always had the supreme power." ^ Moses, " who 
 was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians," 
 describing the people of the antediluvian world, writes : 
 
 " It happened, as men began to multiply on the face 
 of the earth and daughters were born to them, the 
 sons of the Elohim (DTl^^^H ''^D) [literally, the sons 
 of the eminent or mighty ones] saw the daughters of 
 man (D"i^^n nU12) that they were fair ; then they 
 took for wives among them all whom they loved. * 
 * * There were giants (DvDJ) on the earth in 
 those days, and also after that the sons of the Elohim 
 went in unto the daughters of man and they bare 
 children to them, the same became heroes (□"'"HD^) 
 who were of old, men of name (Q^ ''S^^i^)." ^ 
 
 " ' Toward the sea, in the middle of the island, was 
 a plain,' the priest continued, 'which was very at- 
 tractive and fertile. About fifty stadia from the centre 
 of the plain was a mountain with sloping sides.* On 
 this dwelt one of those men beo^otten from the s^round 
 in the beginning (xaTa dpxaS in yr^'i av6p&)v ysyovoTGOv), 
 Euenor by name.^ He lived there^ with his wife, 
 
 'Genesis xvi. 7 ; xviii. 1-8, 16-33 I xix. 1-22 ; xxxii. i, 2. 
 
 ^ Herodotus : Euterpe cxlii, cxliv. 
 
 ' Genesis vi. i, 2, 4. 
 
 " Soc. Do you know that heroes are half-gods ? 
 
 " Herm. What then ? 
 
 " Soc. All of them were doubtless begotten either from a god falling in love 
 with a mortal woman, or from a mortal man [falling in love] with a goddess." 
 — Plato : Cratylus, or Concerning the Correct Use of Words. 
 
 * A stadium is equal to 600 Greek or 625 Roman feet, or to 606 feet 9 inches 
 English measure. 
 
 ' Respecting the names of the persons appearing in the narrative Plato ob- 
 serves : " We must briefly warn you not to be surprised at hearing Hellenic 
 names given to the barbarians ; the cause of this you shall now hear. Solon, 
 intending to make use of tliis narrative in his poetry, made an investigation 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 7 
 
 Leucippe. They had an only daughter named Cleito. 
 When this girl reached womanhood, her father and 
 mother being- dead, Poseidon fell in love with her and 
 made her his wife. He encircled the hill on which she 
 lived with alternate girdles of land and water, greater 
 and less, making two of land and three of water, each 
 uniformly distant from the centre of the island, in order 
 to render her habitation inaccessible to men, for at that 
 time ships and sea-faring were unkno\Vn. Also by his 
 divine power he beautifully adorned the centre of the 
 island, causing two fountains to shoot upward from 
 beneath the earth, one of cold and the other of hot 
 water, and making all kinds of food to grow abundantly 
 on the earth. He begat and raised ten male children, 
 twins, and divided the Atlantic island into ten parts. 
 He gave to the first-born of the eldest twins, his 
 mother's habitation and the land surrounding it, this 
 being the largest and the best. He appointed him 
 king over the other children, making the latter princes, 
 and giving to each the control of many people and 
 extensive domains. He likewise gave names to all 
 of his offspring; to the eldest, the king, the name of 
 Atlas, in honor of whom both the island and the ocean 
 were called Atlantic.^ To the twin born after him 
 (who received for his portion the extreme part of the 
 island toward the Pillars of Hercules as far as the 
 region now called in that country Gadeirica), he gave 
 the appellation, which we Greeks call Eumelus, but the 
 people of that country Gadeira.^ He called the first of 
 
 mto the signification of the names, aad found that the early Egyptians who re- 
 corded these facts transferred these names into their own language ; and he 
 again receiving the meaning of each name transcribed it into our tongue." 
 
 ^ '' Ilaffa rj vijffo'S tots 7tekayo<^ fCjfK STroavvjAiav, 'ArXav- 
 mtov Xax^evJ' 
 
 ^ Gadeira, an ancient city built, it is said, by the Phoenicians, fifteen cen- 
 turies before the Christian era, on the site of Cadiz, Spain. 
 
8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the second-born twins, Ampheres, the second Eudse- 
 mon ; of the third pair, he called the first-born Mnesis, 
 and the second, Autochthon ; of the fourth pair, the 
 first Elasippus, and the younger Mestor ; and of the 
 fifth pair, to the first was given the name of Azaes, and 
 to the last, Diaprepes, 
 
 " ' For many generations these and their descendants 
 were the rulers and the inhabitants of the islands in 
 the ocean, and, as it has been said, they extended their 
 authority over all the country as far as Egypt and Tyr- 
 rhenia. By far the most distinguished was the race of 
 Atlas ; and the eldest king belonging to it always 
 handed down in succession the government to his 
 eldest son. All these kings in turn possessed immense 
 wealth, such as was never known to belong to royalty 
 or will be likely hereafter. They were provided with 
 all things which, in a city or elsewhere, are worth 
 having. Large revenues were received by them from 
 foreign countries under their rule, but the greatest re- 
 sources came from the island. First were such ores as 
 are due in mines in a crude condition, or need to be 
 smelted, particularly the metal orichalcum,'- which is 
 now known only by name, but formerly was of great 
 value. This was dug from the earth irt many parts of 
 the island, being prized above all the metals then 
 known, except gold. The island also produced an 
 abundance of wood for building purposes, and fur- 
 nished food for wild and tame animals. Vast numbers 
 of elephants were on the island, for there was abundant 
 subsistence for all animals which feed in marshes and 
 along lakes, on mountains and plains, and likewise for 
 this animal, which by nature is the largest and most 
 
 ' OpSlXCxXno?, ore of copper. From opSW?^ mountain, and ;j;«'Ako5'^ 
 brass. 
 
I3ISC0VERIES OF AMERICA. 9 
 
 voracious of all.^ And whatever fragrant plants the 
 earth produces, whether roots, or grasses, or woods, or 
 exuding gums, or flowers, or fruits, grew there and 
 were developed to perfection. The island besides pro- 
 duced such cultivated fruits and dry edible fruits as we 
 use for food and call vegetables ; also the fruits which 
 trees bear and are used for drinks, meats, and oint- 
 ments ; and those also which have a hard shell, used 
 in sport and pleasure, that are collected with trouble, 
 together with dainty fruits for dessert, which provoke 
 the appetite or please the sick ; — all these that once- 
 existing and tropic island, sacred and delightful, pro- 
 duced in surprising and infinite quantities. Obtaining 
 all these from the soil, the inhabitants employed them- 
 selves in building temples, royal palaces, harbors, and 
 wharves in all parts of the country, constructing them 
 as follows : 
 
 " * First of all, the people residing in and about that 
 ancient metropolis bridged over those girdles of water, 
 making a causeway to and from the royal palace. In 
 this place, which had been the residence of the gods 
 and their ancestors, they, at the beginning, erected the 
 palace ; and each [king] in turn, receiving it from his 
 predecessor, and further embellishing the ornamental 
 parts, continually surpassed the one before him, until 
 they made the building very attractive to the sight, on 
 account of its size and the beauty of its elaborations. 
 They dug a canal, beginning at the sea, three plethra"" 
 broad, a hundred feet deep, and fifty stadia in length, 
 to the outermost girdle, and thus made a channel to it 
 from the sea as into a harbor, by enlarging its mouth 
 sufficiently to admit the largest vessels. Besides this, 
 
 ^ The remains of mammoths or elephants, elephas priinigenus, have been ex- 
 humed in different parts of the continent of America. 
 ^ A plethron is equal to a hundred feet. 
 
10 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 they separated by aqueducts the girdles of land which 
 separated those of water, so that a trireme ^ could be 
 taken from one girdle of water to another, arching the 
 girdles of land to allow a water-way beneath them ; for 
 the banks of the girdles of land rose to a height con- 
 siderably above the water. And the greatest of these 
 girdles into which the sea flowed was three stadia in 
 width, and the girdle of land next to it was of the same 
 width. The second girdle of water was two stadia in 
 width and the second girdle of land the same. The 
 last girdle of water, environing the centre of the isl- 
 and, was only one stadium wide, and the island, on 
 which the king's palace stood, had a diameter of 
 five stadia. This island, as well as the girdles of 
 land, and the bridge (which was a plethron in width), 
 they inclosed on the sides with stone walls, erecting 
 towers and gates at intervals on the aqueducts where 
 the water passed through [the girdles of land]. The 
 stone for the walls they quarried within the limits of 
 the island, both in the centre, and inside and outside 
 the girdles ; one kind of it was white, a second black, 
 a third red ; and by thus quarrying they made at the 
 same time openings which served for two docks, having 
 likewise a covering of rock. Of the buildings, some 
 were of plain structure, while others they built of a 
 composite style of architecture, using the different 
 kinds of stone as pleased them most, thus realizing a 
 pleasure becoming their natures. And they covered 
 the whole circuit of the wall round the extreme outer 
 girdle with bronze, applying it as they would plaster. 
 The next wall inside of it they covered with melted tin, 
 and the wall round the citadel with orichalcum that has 
 a fiery resplendence. 
 
 ' A trireme, a large-sized boat willi three rows or benches of oars on its 
 sides. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. ii 
 
 " ' Further, the royal palace within the citadel was 
 constructed in the followinof manner : In the centre 
 of it a temple was erected, difficult of access, sacred 
 to Cleito and Poseidon, surrounded by an inclosure of 
 gold ; for on this spot they begat and raised the race 
 of the ten kings, and where also their descendants, 
 making annual collections from all the ten allotments, 
 offered seasonable sacrifices to each one. 
 
 *' ' The temple of Poseidon was a stadium in length, 
 three plethra in breadth, and of a proportionate height, 
 having a somewhat barbaric appearance. All the out- 
 side of the temple, except the pinnacles, they lined 
 with silver, but the pinnacles they covered with gold. 
 Respecting the interior, the ceiling was wholly of ivory, 
 variegated with gold and orichalctim, and all the other 
 parts, the walls, the pillars, and the pavements, they 
 covered with orichalctim. They also placed in the 
 temple golden statues. The one of the god stood in a 
 chariot driving with reins six-winged horses. It was 
 of such size that the head of the god touched the 
 ceiling, and surrounding the statue were a hundred 
 nereids on dolphins ; for the people of that day thought 
 that this was their number. The temple also contained 
 many other statues dedicated to private persons. On 
 the outside of the temple golden images were also 
 placed of all the men and women that were descended 
 from the ten kings, and many other large statues, both 
 of kings and of private people, both from the metropolis 
 and from the foreio^n countries over which the kines 
 had dominion. There was also an altar, in size and 
 elaboration corresponding to these ornaments ; and 
 there were palaces also whose grandeur was in 
 keeping with the greatness of the empire and also 
 with the splendor of the temple. 
 
12 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 ** ' They had fountains from cold and hot springs of 
 which there were many, the water being- suited in 
 every way to their use on account of its sweetness and 
 purity. Around these springs they made their resi- 
 dences and well-watered plantations, together with 
 their reservoirs, some open to the heavens, but the 
 others, for use in winter, roofed over for warm baths. 
 The kings' bathing-houses and those of private per- 
 sons were separated, as well as those of the women. 
 There were others for horses and other draught cattle, 
 each provided with the requisite means of cleanliness. 
 The stream flowing from these they conducted to the 
 grove of Poseidon, where there were all kinds of trees 
 reaching a wonderful height on account of the fertility 
 of the soil, and then led it away by aqueducts to the 
 outer girdles of water. There they also erected a 
 large number of temples, dedicated to many different 
 gods, and many gardens and gymnasia, one for men, 
 and others separately for horses, on the two girdles of 
 land. To test the speed of the horses there was a 
 race-course in the middle of the largest girdle of land, 
 a stadium in width, that extended around its entire cir- 
 cumference. Around it on all sides were barracks for 
 the household troops, corresponding to^ their number. 
 To the more faithful of these troops quarters were 
 assigned on the smaller girdle of land closer to the 
 citadel, while those who excelled all the others in loy- 
 alty had quarters given them within the citadel, near 
 the residences of the kings. The docks were filled 
 with triremes and the equipments for triremes ; and 
 the triremes were all adequately provided with them. 
 These were the arrangements for the protection of the 
 palace of the kings. On crossing the three outer har- 
 bors one found a wall which extended entirely around 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 13 
 
 the island, beginning- at the sea, everywhere fifty 
 stadia distant from the greatest girdle and harbor, and 
 inclosed the entrance to the canal and the entrance to 
 the sea. The whole of this part of the girdle of land 
 was covered with many and densely-built dwellings. 
 The canal and the largest harbor were filled with 
 vessels and traders, coming from all parts, and these, 
 on account of their number, made a babel of voices, a 
 commotion, arid a din all through the day and the 
 night. 
 
 " ' We have now related from memory a description 
 of the city and its ancient habitations ; now we must 
 attempt to describe the nature of the other parts of 
 the country and the employment of the people. First, 
 then, the whole region was said to be exceedingly 
 high and precipitous toward the sea, and the plain, 
 encircling the city, surrounded by mountains sloping 
 down to the sea, being level and smooth, extended 
 in one direction three thousand stadia, and the central 
 part, from the sea, more than two thousand stadia. 
 And this part of the island extended toward the south, 
 in an opposite direction from the north. The moun- 
 tains around it were, at that time, also celebrated, 
 exceeding in number, size, and attractiveness all those 
 of the present day ; having on them many hamlets 
 together with villages, as well as rivers, lakes, and 
 marshes, furnishing ample supplies of food for all cattle, 
 both tame and wild ; with timber of different kinds and 
 in great quantity for every special purpose. The plain, 
 by nature, being as described, was improved in the 
 following way by many kings through a long course of 
 time : It was almost square in extent, generally 
 straight and oblong, and where it terminated they 
 bounded it by digging a canal around it. Concerning 
 
14 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the depth, breadth, and length of which for a public 
 work, besides other concomitant undertakings, we can 
 scarcely believe what was said, still we must tell what 
 we learned. The canal was excavated to the depth of 
 a plethrum, and the breadth was a stadium in e very- 
 part, the entire excavation round the plain being ten 
 thousand stadia in length. This canal, receiving the 
 water of the streams coming from the mountains, con- 
 ducted it all around the plain and near to the city, and 
 finally to the sea. From above, likewise, straight 
 canals were cut about a hundred feet broad along the 
 plain, back into the canal near the sea; distant from 
 one another about one hundred stadia ; and it was by 
 these canals that timber from the mountains was 
 brought to the city, and on which the rest of the 
 shipping trade was done ; transverse canals of com- 
 munication beine cut into the others and toward the 
 city. Their harvest they gathered twice in a year ; in 
 winter availing themselves of the rains, and in summer 
 irrieatine the land from the canals. 
 
 " Tt was ordered for the men on the plain fit for mil- 
 itary service that each individual leader should have an 
 allotment of land ; each allotment amounting in extent 
 to a hundred stadia ; the whole number of allotments 
 being sixty thousand. It is said that many men from 
 the mountains and other parts of the country were 
 assigned, according to their dweUings and villages, cer- 
 tain tracts by their respective leaders. Each leader 
 was required to furnish for war the sixth part of a 
 war-chariot (to make the number often thousand), two 
 riding horses, and a two-horse chariot without a 
 driver's seat, having a mounted charioteer to guide 
 the horses, with another rider to dismount and fight at 
 the side of them ; also two heavy-armed men, two 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 15 
 
 archers, two slingers, three light-armed soldiers, the 
 same number of stone-shooters and javelin-men, be- 
 sides four seamen to make up the crews of one thou- 
 sand two hundred vessels. Thus were the military 
 affairs of this city arranged. Respecting those of the 
 nine other allotments, there were different regulations, 
 which it would be too tedious to narrate. 
 
 " ' The following were the systems of official ser- 
 vices and honors : Each of the ten kings ruled su- 
 preme over the people and the laws in his own allot- 
 ment and over his own city, constraining and punishing 
 whom he pleased.' As the law was handed down to 
 them, the government and commonwealth in each 
 allotment were regulated by the injunctions of Posei- 
 don. Inscriptions [of this law] were made by the first 
 [kings] on a column of orichalcum, which was placed 
 in the centre of the island, in the temple of Poseidon, 
 where the kings consulted together every fifth year, 
 (which they afterward changed to every sixth year,) 
 each king representing at these meetings the entire 
 kingdom and its subdivisions. The kings, when they 
 were assembled, deliberated on matters respecting the 
 common weal, and inquired what transgressions each 
 had committed, and each respectively rendered his 
 decision. Before they sat in judgment they gave one 
 
 * " This agreement of the traditions of the most diverse peoples manifests 
 itself in a striking manner when compared with the number assigned by the 
 Bible to the antediluvian patriarchs. There are ten in the account in Genesis, 
 and a singular persistence reproduces this number of ten in the legends of a very 
 great number of nations, whose primitive ancestors are still enveloped in the 
 mist of fables. * * * The preserved fragments of the celebrated historical 
 papyrus of Turin, containing a list of Egyptian dynasties traced in hieratic 
 writing, seem clearly to indicate that the editor of this canon gives ten gods, who 
 in the beginning ruled men." — Les Origines de 1' Histoire d' apres la Bible et 
 les Traditions des Peuples Orientaux, par Fran9ois Lenormant, professeur d' 
 archeologie pres la Bibliotheque nationale. Deuxieme edition, Paris, 1880. 
 pp. 214, 215, 227. 
 
i6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 another pledges, according- to the following custom : 
 The ten, when they were assembled in the temple, 
 after invoking the god to receive their sacrifice propi- 
 tiously, went swordless, with staves and nooses, among 
 the bulls grazing within the temple inclosure, and the 
 bull they took they brought to the column and slaugh- 
 tered it, the head of the bull being under the inscrip- 
 tions. Besides the laws on the column, there was a 
 malediction written containing denunciations of evil on 
 the disobedient. When, therefore, in compliance with 
 their laws, they sacrificed and burned all the limbs of 
 the bull, they filled a goblet with the blood of the 
 animal, and threw the remainder into the fire, in order 
 to purify the column. Afterward dipping from the 
 goblet with golden cups, they poured libations of 
 blood on the fire, and swore to do justice according to 
 the laws on the column, to punish any one who had 
 previously transgressed them, besides swearing that 
 they themselves would never afterward willingly trans- 
 gress the inscribed laws, or rule or obey any ruler 
 governing otherwise than according to his father's laws. 
 Then after invoking these denunciations on themselves 
 and their descendants, and after drinking from the cup 
 and depositing it in the temple of the god, and sitting 
 the necessary time at supper, they, as soon as it was 
 dark and the fire of the sacrifice had ceased to burn, 
 dressed themselves in beautiful dark-blue robes, and 
 sat down on the ground, near the embers of the sac- 
 rifice, over which they had sworn. All the fire in the 
 temple having been extinguished for the night, they 
 then mutually judged one another respecting any accu- 
 sation of transgressing the laws. After their acts of 
 judgment were ended, and daylight had come, they 
 inscribed their decisions on a golden tablet and depos- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 17 
 
 ited it and their dresses in the temple as memorials. 
 There were also many other special laws respecting 
 the privileges of the kings. The principal ones were 
 that they should never wage war upon one another, 
 that all should lend their aid when any attempt was 
 made in their cities to destroy the royal race, that they 
 should consult toQ^ether as their ancestors had done re- 
 specting the right course to be pursued in war and in 
 other matters, and that they should allot the govern- 
 ment of the empire to the Atlantic race. They did 
 not allow the king, however, any authority to put to 
 death any of his kinsmen, unless the execution was 
 approved by more than five of the ten.' "' 
 
 The priest also related that it was " about nine 
 thousand years ago that war was proclaimed between 
 those dwelling outside the Pillars of Hercules and all 
 those within them."^ Athens " was the leader of the 
 latter people and directed the operations of the war, 
 and the kinoes of the Atlantic island were the com- 
 manders of the forces of the former."^ 
 
 " 'But in a later age,' said the priest, *by extraordi- 
 nary earthquakes and deluges, bringing destruction in 
 a single day and night, the whole of your formidable 
 race was at once sunk under the earth, and the 
 Atlantic island in like manner plunged beneath the sea 
 and concealed from view; therefore that sea is, at 
 present, neither passable nor to be traced out, being 
 
 ^ Plato : Critias, or the Atlantic. 
 
 ^ " These figures of the mythic Egyptian chronology are still very imper- 
 fectly known to us — too little indeed to affirm any thing satisfactorily concern- 
 ing the principle of their construction, * * * We must, therefore, wait for 
 some new discovery, like that of a royal canon similar to the one of Turin, in 
 good condition, before we can make a thorough examination of the principle 
 of the cyclic periods with which Egypt began her annals. " — Les Origines de 
 r Histoire. Lenormant. p. 287. 
 
 ^ Plato : Critias, or the Atlantic. 
 
i8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 blocked up with a great depth of mud made by the 
 sunken island.' " * 
 
 The history of the Atlantic people as it was known 
 to the ancient Egyptians ends with this catastrophe. 
 The inference of the priest that the mud of the sub- 
 merged island made the Atlantic impassable is seem- 
 ingly an assertion without any basis of fact. Had he 
 said that the submergence of some of the islands west 
 of the Pillars of Hercules obliterated the marked sea- 
 path between the continents of the two hemispheres, 
 this statement would have strictly accorded with what 
 he had said before, that " sea-faring men, at that time, 
 could pass from it [the Atlantic island] to the other 
 islands, and from them to the opposite continent."^ 
 The disappearance of the islands, in sight of which sea- 
 men had steered their galleys, at once isolated the 
 peoples of the two hemispheres. Thus it happened, 
 in the course of centuries, that the aborigines of 
 
 ' Plato : Timceus, or Concerning Nature. 
 
 ^ The ships of the ancients, in the time of Herodotus, were vessels propelled 
 by oars and sails. Describing those used by the Egyptians on the Nile, he 
 says: "Their ships in which they convey merchandise are made of the 
 acacia, which in shape is similar to the Cyrenaean lotus, and its exudation is 
 gum. From this acacia they cut planks about two cubits in length, and join 
 them together as they do bricks, building their ships in the following manner : 
 They fasten the planks of two cubits length to stout ^d long ties ; when 
 they have thus built the hulls, they lay rowing benches across them. They make 
 no use of ribs, but caulk the seams inside with byblus. They make only one 
 rudder, and that is driven through the keel. They use a mast of acacia, and 
 sails of byblus. These vessels cannot sail against the current of the stream 
 unless a fair wind prevails, but are towed from the shore. They are thus carried 
 down the stream : There is a hurdle made of tamarisk, wattled with a band of 
 reeds, and a stone bored through the middle, of about two talents in weight ; 
 of these two, the hurdle is fastened to a cable, and let down at the prow of the 
 vessel to be carried on by the stream ; and the stone by another cable at the 
 stern ; and by this means the hurdle, by the stream bearing hard upon it, moves 
 quickly and draws along the ' baris', (for this is the name given to these vessels,) 
 but the stone, being dragged at the stern, and sunk to the bottom, keeps the 
 vessel in its course. They have a great number of these vessels, and some of 
 them carry many thousand talents." — Euterpe xcvi. 
 
 The vessels of the Phcenicians were of a better build, but they also were 
 fitted out with oars and sails. — Ezekiel xxvii. 3-g. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 19 
 
 America passed out of the recollection of the inhabi- 
 tants of the so-called Old World as an early-known 
 people. 
 
 The writer of the first book of the Bible relates 
 that when " Yahveh saw the wickedness of man was 
 great upon the earth and every imagination of the 
 thoughts of his heart only evil continually, '''' ''' * 
 it repented him of having made man on the earth, 
 and he was grieved in his heart. And Yahveh said, 
 ' I will exterminate man whom I have created from 
 the surface of the ground.' "^ The information con- 
 tained in these words of the learned Hebrew so closely 
 correspond to that imparted to Solon by the Egyptian 
 priest concerning the subsequent degeneracy of the 
 primitive people of the earth, that it would seem as 
 if it had been derived from the same source. " ' For 
 many generations,' said the priest, ' so long as the 
 god-nature continued in them, they remained obedient 
 to the laws and were happily influenced by it. But 
 when the divine nature became extinct by the domi- 
 nance and constant ascendency of the human, and the 
 habits of men overpowered them, * * * they de- 
 ported themselves in an unbecoming way. * * * 
 Therefore, Zeus, the god of gods, who rules justly 
 and searches out such things, perceiving an illustrious 
 people miserably depraved, and intending to inflict 
 punishment on them that they might become better 
 fitted to command their appetites and passions, col- 
 lected all the gods into their own most holy habitation, 
 vv^hich, being in the centre of the universe, commands 
 a view of all things having a part in generation ; and 
 having assembled them, he said * * * ' " ^ 
 
 ' Genesis vi. 5, 6, 7. 
 ^ Plato : Critias, or the Atlantic. 
 
 Vide The Works of Plato. Bohn's ed. London, 1849. vol. ii. Trans- 
 lated by Henry Davis, pp. 413-429. 
 
20 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 An inscription on the interior walls of the tomb of 
 Seti I. of Egypt contains a statement concerning a 
 council of the gods held to consider what punishment 
 should be visited upon the depraved descendants of 
 the eod Ra, which is similar to the declaration of the 
 last clause of Plato's unfinished dialogue.' Lenormant, 
 commenting upon the information contained in the 
 inscription, remarks : 
 
 " The Egyptians admitted a destruction of the primi- 
 tive men by the gods on account of their rebellion and 
 sins. This event was recorded in a chapter of the sacred 
 books of Tahout, — certain hermetic books of the Egyp- 
 tian priesthood, — that had been graven on the walls of 
 one of the most isolated rooms of the burial crypts of 
 King Seti I., at Thebes. The text of it has been pub- 
 lished and translated by Edward Naville.'' 
 
 " The scene is placed at the end of the reign of the 
 god Ra. * * * Incensed by the wickedness and 
 the crimes of the men whom he had begotten, the god 
 summons the other gods to consult with them in the 
 utmost secrecy, ' in order that mankind might not 
 know it, and that their hearts might not be dismayed.' 
 
 " Said Ra to Noun : ' Thou, the eldest of the gods, 
 of whom I am sprung, and you, ancient gods, behold 
 the men who have been begotten by me. They speak 
 words against me. Tell me what you would do in this 
 crisis. Behold, I have waited, and I have not destroyed 
 them before having heard your counsel.' " ^ 
 
 Singular as the fact may seem, the state, polity, 
 and genius of the people of the western hemisphere 
 
 ' The date of the accession of Seti I. or Sethos I. is variously given. M. 
 Champollion Figeac places it in 1473 B.C. Mure thinks it cannot be earlier 
 than 1410 nor later than 1400 B.C. 
 
 " Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archreology. t. iv. pp. 1-19. 
 
 •Les Origines de 1' Histoire. Lenormant. pp. 448, 449. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 21 
 
 described in the records of Egypt reappear in the 
 strange features of the civilization of Mexico, and in the 
 vestiges of its aborigines, which amazed the Spaniards 
 who accompanied Hernando Cortes into the interior 
 of the country, in the early part of the sixteenth cen- 
 tury. The remarkable accounts given by Bernal Diaz 
 and other contemporary writers respecting the people, 
 the kings, the cities, the palaces, the temples, and the 
 public works seen by the Spanish invaders, verify, in 
 many ways, the declarations of the Egyptian priests 
 concerninof the Atlantic race/ 
 
 For centuries after the disappearance of the islands 
 lying in the ocean west of the Pillars of Hercules, the 
 wide expanse of water, dashing its foaming surges on 
 the shores of the continents of the two hemispheres, 
 was not only unexplored but was deemed impassable. 
 Superstition filled its misty distances with frightful 
 chimeras and geographical absurdities. About the 
 beginning of the Middle Ages the vikings of Northern 
 Europe were venturing across the North Sea in their 
 single-masted, many-oared galleys. Until this time 
 the superstitious seamen of Scandinavia had not at- 
 tempted to sail beyond the sight of land to any great dis- 
 tance. Their first lessons in navigating the narrow 
 expanse of the the North Sea were taken when their 
 boats were unexpectedly carried away from the rugged 
 
 ^ Vide Historia Verdadera de la Conqvista de la Nueva-Espana, Escrita 
 por el Capitan Bernal Diaz del Castillo, vno de sus Conquistadores, En 
 Madrid, 1632. 
 
 Antiquities of Mexico : comprising fac-similes of ancient Mexican paint- 
 ings and hieroglyphics, preserved in the Royal libraries of Paris, Berlin, and 
 Dresden ; in the Imperial library at Vienna ; in the Vatican library ; in the 
 Borgian museum at Rome ; in the library of the Institute at Bologna ; and in 
 the Bodleian library at Oxford. Together with the monuments of New Spain, 
 by M. Dupaix ; with their respective scales of measurements and accompanying 
 descriptions. The whole illustrated by many valuable inedited manuscripts, 
 by Lord Kingsborough. In nine volumes. London, 1831-1848. 
 
22 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 coast of Norway by tempestuous winds to the Het- 
 land^ and Fer oe'' (Far islands). Whatever fears of 
 permanent exile on these unexplored islands may at 
 first have alarmed the deported Northmen, these 
 were dispelled by the cheering suggestion that when 
 the wind blew from the west they could return to their 
 own country. As soon as the wind blew eastwardly 
 they put to sea. Using their sails and oars they safely 
 reached the western shore of Scandinavia. Frequent 
 experiences of this kind in time emboldened the 
 Norwegian seamen to undertake voyages to the 
 westward islands in search of booty. Having no 
 compass to guide their galleys thither, they carried 
 with them hawks or ravens, and when uncertain re- 
 specting the course of their vessels, they let loose a 
 cast of these birds, which instinctively flew to the 
 nearest land. Thitherward they steered, and finding 
 that it was their destination or not, they secured what- 
 ever plunder they could and departed. Not unfre- 
 quently the vessels of the Norse sea-kings were lost 
 in storms on the wild waters of the Atlantic, or 
 wrecked on the inhospitable shores of remote islands. 
 It is said that Naddoddr, a Norwegian pirate, was 
 drifted in his ship by an adverse wind, in 860, to Ice- 
 land, which he called Sneeland (Snowland).^ It is 
 
 ' Now called the Shetland islands, but the name is printed on the early 
 maps Hetland ; from Swedish hct, hot, and land, land. The group lies about 
 180 miles from Norway, between 59° 50' and 60° 50' north latitude. 
 
 " The Fer 6e or Far islands lie about 170 miles northwest of the Shet- 
 land group, and are between 61° 20' and 62° 25' north latitude. The name is 
 derived ixQxa. fer, far, (Swedish,) and oe, islands. 
 
 ^ Iceland lies between latitude 6.3° 24' and 66° 33' N. and longitude 13° 
 31' and 24° 17' W. It is one hundred and sixty miles east of Greenland, six 
 hundred west of Norway, and two hundred and fifty northwest of the Fer oe, 
 or Far islands. 
 
SIGURUI STEPHANII TERRARUM HYPERBOREARUM DELINEATIO, 
 
 ANNO 1570. 
 
 Delineation of the Hyperborean Regions, by Sigurd Stephanus in the year 1570. (Size of the 
 
 original, 6| inches square.) 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 23 
 
 also related that when the famous viking, Floki, was 
 lost in his vessel in stormy weather, between the 
 islands of Faroe and Sneeland, in 865, he let fly three 
 ravens, one of which flew back to the Faroe islands, 
 the second returned to the ship, and the third winged 
 its way toward the more northerly island which the 
 perplexed Northman was seeking. This sturdy sea- 
 man described the new country as volcanic and sterile, 
 glacial and cold, and appropriately called it Island 
 (Iceland). His companions, however, reported that 
 they had found it to have a delightful climate and a 
 fertile soil. One, wishing to describe its general fruit- 
 fulness in a more attractive way, averred that " milk 
 dropped from every plant and butter from every 
 twig."' In a short time a course to Iceland was 
 marked out by the early rovers of the North Sea, who, 
 before the close of the ninth century, planted a colony 
 on the bleak coast of this icy island, the most westerly 
 land hitherto discovered by the fearless seamen of 
 Scandinavia.^ 
 
 But Iceland did not long remain the most remote 
 part of the western world known to the people of 
 Europe. Gunnbjorn, a Norwegian, driven westward in 
 his ship beyond Iceland, in a storm, in 876, descried 
 land looming up along the western horizon. In the 
 latter part of the tenth century, Eric the Red, whom 
 the public assembly of Iceland had declared an outlaw, 
 determined to go in search of the land seen by Gunn- 
 
 ^ History of the Northmen, by Henry Wheaton. London, 1831. pp. 17, 18. 
 
 Iceland, or the journal of a residence in that island, during the years 1814 
 and 1815, by Ebenezer Henderson, vol. i. Intro, pp. xv. and 308. 
 
 ' " Men of experience say, who have been born in Greenland, and have 
 recently come from Greenland, that from Stadt, in the north part of Norway, to 
 Horns, on the east coast of Iceland, is seven days' sailing directly westward." 
 — Antiqvitates Americanae, sive scriptores septentrionales rerum Ante-Colum- 
 bianaruna in America. Edidit Socielas Regia Antiqvariorum Septentrionalium. 
 Hafnias, 1837. Ivar Bardsen's treatise, p. 302. 
 
24 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 bjorn. He sailed from Iceland about the year 981, and 
 came in sight of the coast of Greenland, at a place 
 called MidjokuL' He then steered southward to see 
 whether the country were habitable. He passed the 
 first winter near the middle of the site of the eastern 
 settlement {cystri bygd)."" In the following summer 
 he reached the western uninhabited region {vestri 
 tibygd),'^ and gave names to many places. As soon as 
 the ice disappeared, at the close of the second winter, 
 and the sea was again navigable, he returned to Ice- 
 land, and called the country which he had explored 
 Graenland (Greenland), "because" he said, "people 
 will be influenced to immigrate to it, if the land bears 
 an attractive name." Among those whom Eric in- 
 duced to return with him as colonists to Greenland 
 was a Norwegian, named Herjulf. Thirty-five ships 
 {sJdpa) filled with emigrants set sail from Iceland for 
 the newly explored country, but only fourteen of the 
 vessels reached the places where the colonists were to 
 dwell. Eric the Red settled at Brattahlid, and Herjulf 
 erected his house on a cape called Herjulfsnes (Her- 
 julf's nose, or promontory).-* "This was fifteen vv^inters 
 
 ' " He who sails from Iceland [to Greenland] must steer his course from 
 Snefelsnes, which is twelve nautical miles {tholldt soes) farther to the west than 
 the mentioned Reychenes, and for a day and a night he will sail due west, but 
 then he must steer to the southwest to avoid the ice that adheres to Gunnbjorn's 
 rocks. Then he must hold his course one day and one night to the northwest, 
 which will bring him straight to that high land of Greenland called Hvarf, 
 under which lie the mentioned Herjulfsnes and Sand hafln." 
 
 " They who wish to sail direct from Bergen [in Norway] to Greenland with- 
 out touching Iceland, must sail due west until they find themselves twelve 
 nautical miles {xii tiger soes) south of Reychenes, a promontory on the south 
 coast of Iceland, and by holding this course toward the west they will come to 
 the high land of Greenland called Hvarf." — Antiq. Amer. Ivar Bardsen's 
 treatise, pp. 304, 305 ; 303, 304. 
 
 ' Bygd, inhabited land, a place of residence, an abode. 
 
 ^ ^h'S'^i ^'^ unpeopled tract, desert. 
 
 * " A day before you descry the said Hvarf you ought to see another high 
 mountain called Hvidserk. Under these two mountains — Hvard and Hvidserk 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 25 
 
 before Christianity was established by law in Iceland." ^ 
 Among the traditions preserved of the voyages of 
 the Northmen in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth 
 centuries, there are several that have caused con- 
 siderable controversy respecting the historical and 
 geographical value of the information contained in 
 them ; for a number of eminent writers have made 
 use of this information to show that the Northmen 
 were the first discoverers of America and the ex- 
 plorers of a large part of the eastern coast of the 
 continent.'' Althouorh these sagfas or legends of Ice- 
 land were unrecorded for several centuries, the manu- 
 scripts which now contain them are assumed to have 
 been written in a manner so precise that translations 
 of their text are presented to prove that the Norse 
 vikings not only made frequent voyages to America, 
 but that they have left definite and reliable informa- 
 tion respecting the parts of the coast visited by them. 
 
 — is a promontory {nes) called Herjulfsnes, near which is a harbor called Sand- 
 haffn. * * * The inhabited part of Greenland lying eastwartlly, next to 
 Herjulfsnes, is called Skagefjord." — Antiq. Amer. Ivar Bardsen's treatise, pp. 
 
 304.305- 
 
 * Christianity, it is said, was introduced in Iceland in the year looo. — 
 Antiq. Amer. pp. lo, ii, 14, and note b. The discovery of America by the 
 Northmen. By North Ludlow Beamish. London, 1841. pp. 47, 48. 
 
 ° The traditions of the voyages of Bjarni, the son of Herjulf, and of Leif, 
 the son of Eric the Red, are contained in a large folio of manuscripts found in 
 the seventeenth century, in a monastery on the island called Flato, north of 
 Breidafjord, in Iceland. This book of Flato was purchased, about the year 
 1660, by Bishop Brynjulf Sveinson of Skalholt, in Iceland, and was sent by him 
 as a gift to King Frederic III. of Denmark, and is now in the Royal Library 
 of Copenhagen. A part of the inscription on the first page of the volume 
 bears this translation : " This book, Jonn, the son of Hakon, owns. * * * 
 The priest, Jonn, the son of Thord, wrote out the narrative concerning Eric, 
 the traveller, and the histories of each of the Olafs ; and the priest, Magnus, 
 the son of Thorhall, wrote out that which follows, also that which precedes, 
 and illuminated the whole. God Almighty and the Holy Virgin Mary bless 
 those who wrote and him who dictated." 
 
 It is supposed that these traditions, which are finely engrossed in Ice- 
 landic on vellum, contained in the Codex Flateyensis, were compiled between 
 the years 1387 and 1395. — Antiq. Amer. pp. 1-4. 
 
26 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Other distinofuished writers consider these traditions as 
 too mythical and vague to be deemed vakiable, either 
 historically or geographically, and argue that what is 
 thought to describe the physical features and pro- 
 ductions of parts of the present territory of the eastern 
 coast of the United States describes the topography 
 and fruits of Greenland. A brief narration of the most 
 important particulars of the voyages of several of the 
 Northmen who have been regarded as the first discov- 
 erers of parts of the continent of America, will suffice 
 to show the grounds upon which rest many of the 
 arguments that have been advanced to support the 
 opinion that these persons had landed upon its shores 
 and explored a great extent of its Atlantic coast. 
 
 It is said in the sao-a of Eric the Red and of the 
 Greenlanders,' that when Herjulf sailed, in the spring 
 of 985, from Iceland to Greenland, his son Bjarni was 
 in Norway. When tlie latter, in the following summer 
 returned to Iceland, and learned that his father had 
 emigrated to the country recently explored by Eric 
 the Red, he determined to sail to it and pass the winter 
 with his father, as had been his custom for many years. 
 He evidently had some misgivings respecting the suc- 
 cess of the contemplated voyage, for he said to his 
 companions : " Our going there will be devoid of 
 common-sense, since not one of us has traversed the 
 Greenland Sea." "Nevertheless," as the tradition 
 runs, •' as soon as they had fitted for the voyage, they 
 intrusted themselves to the ocean, and made sail three 
 days, until the land passed out of their sight from the 
 water. But then the bearing winds ceased to blow, 
 and northern breezes and a fog succeeded. Then they 
 were drifted about for many days and nights, not 
 
 ' Thaettlr af Eireki Rauda ck Cracnlendivgum. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 27 
 
 knowing whither they tended. After this the light of 
 the sun was seen, and they were able to survey the 
 regions of the sky. Now they carried sail, and steered 
 this day before they beheld land." They sailed near 
 to it, and "soon saw that the country was not moun- 
 tainous, but covered with trees and diversified with 
 little hills. They left the land on their larboard side, 
 and let the stern turn from the shore. Then they 
 sailed two days before they saw another land [or 
 region], * * * They then approached it, and 
 saw that it was level and covered with trees. Then, 
 the favorable wind having ceased blowing, the sailors 
 said that it seemed to them that it would be well to 
 land there, but Bjarni was unwilling to do so. * * * 
 He bade them make sail, which was done. They 
 turned the prow from the land, and sailed out into the 
 open sea, where for three days they had a favorable 
 south-southwest wind. They saw a third land [or 
 region], but it was high and mountainous and covered 
 with glaciers. * * * They did not lower sail, but 
 holding their course along the shore, they found it to 
 be an island. Again they turned the stern against the 
 land, and made sail for the high sea, having the same 
 wind, which gradually increasing, Bjarni ordered the 
 sails to be shortened, forbidding the use of more 
 canvas than the ship and her outfit could conveniently 
 bear. Thus they sailed for four days, when they saw a 
 fourth land" [or region], which was Greenland, where 
 Bjarni found his father. "^ 
 
 Bjarni's discoveries, it is said, were often the sub- 
 ject of conversation among the Northmen. It is 
 further related that Leif, the son of Eric the Red, pur- 
 chased Bjarni's ship and set sail in it with thirty-five 
 
 '^Bjarni leitadi Graenlands. — Antiq. Amer. pp. 17-25. Discovery of 
 America. Beamish, pp. 47, 48. 
 
28 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 men from Brattahlid about the year looo to seek new 
 lands. Nothing is told in the tradition concerning the 
 direction in which these Northmen sailed, only that 
 " they first came to the land [or region] last seen by 
 Bjarni. They steered toward the shore, cast anchor, 
 put out the boat, and went on land, where they saw no 
 herbage. The whole country was filled with high icy 
 mountains, and fi'om the sea all the way to the icy 
 mountains was a plain of flat stones." Leif called the 
 region Helluland. ' 
 
 When Leif and his companions departed from 
 Helluland, it is related that they "put out to sea and 
 found another land [or region]. This was a level 
 country and covered with trees." Leif named it 
 Markland. ^ 
 
 As related in the saga, when they departed from 
 Markland, " they sailed on the high sea, having a 
 northeast wind, and were two days at sea before they 
 saw land. They steered toward it and touched the 
 island lying before the north part of the land. When 
 they went on land they surveyed it, for by good for- 
 tune the weather was serene. They found the grass 
 sprinkled with dew, and it happened by chance that 
 they touched the dew with their hands and carried them 
 to their mouths and perceived that it had a sweet taste 
 which they had not before noticed. Then they re- 
 turned to the ship and sailed through a bay lying be- 
 tween the island and a tongue of land running toward 
 the north. Steering a course to the west shore, they 
 passed the tongue of land. Here when the tide ebbed 
 
 ' From hella, a flat stone. 
 
 Certain writers believe that Newfoundland was called Helluland by the 
 Northmen. The island lies about six hundred miles south of Greenland. 
 
 ^ Nova Scotia is supposed by some writers to be the region named Mark- 
 land by the Northmen. It is about four hundred miles southwest of New- 
 foundland, 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 29 
 
 there were very narrow shoals. When the ship got 
 aground there were shallows of great extent between 
 the vessel and the receded sea. So great was the 
 desire of the men to go on land that they were unwill- 
 ing to stay on board until the returning tide floated 
 the ship. They went ashore at a place where a river 
 flowed out from a lake. When the tide floated the 
 ship, they took the boat and rowed to the vessel and 
 brouofht her into the river and then into the lake. 
 Here they anchored, carried the luggage from the 
 ship, and built dwellings. Afterward they held a con- 
 sultation and resolved to remain at this place during 
 the winter. Then they erected large buildings. There 
 were not only many salmon in the river but also in the 
 lake and of a larger size than they had before seen. 
 So great was the fertility of the soil that they were 
 led to believe that cattle would not be in want of food 
 during winter, or that wintry coldness would prevail, or 
 the grass wither much." 
 
 While the Northmen were passing the winter on 
 the shore of the unnamed lake, it happened one even- 
 ing that a Southern man, named Tyrker, did not 
 return with those who had been out exploring the 
 country. Those who went to search for the absent 
 man met him returning to the quarters. They were 
 surprised when he told them that he had found wine- 
 wood and wine-berries {vzjzvid ok vinber). " Is this 
 true, my teacher?" asked Leif. "It is really true," 
 Tyrker replied, "for where I was brought up there was 
 not wanting either wine-wood or wine-berries." They 
 passed this night in sleep, but on the following morning 
 Leif said to the men : " Two things are now to be 
 done on alternate days, gathering wine-berries or hew- 
 ing wine-wood and felling trees, {lesa vinber, edr 
 
30 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 hbggva vinvid ok fella morkina,) with which my ships 
 should be loaded." Having loaded the ship and the 
 spring approaching they prepared to depart. To desig- 
 nate the productions of the region, Leif called it Vin- 
 land (Wine-land). They then put to sea and had a 
 favorable wind until they came in sight of Greenland." 
 As a number of writers have assumed that the re- 
 gion of Vinland, where Leif and his companions win- 
 tered, was the country adjacent Mount Hope Bay, in 
 Rhode Island, the following description of a part of the 
 east coast of Greenland, given by Captain W. A. 
 Graah, who was sent there, in 1828, by the Danish 
 government to obtain information respecting the site 
 of the eastern settlement [eysti^i bygd), will likely afford 
 grounds for a more plausible conjecture that Vinland 
 was a region in Greenland : " August 30 [1829].— 
 The place we now were at was the Ekallumiut [be- 
 tween the sixty-third and sixty-fourth parallel of north 
 latitude], so often mentioned. The cove, the length 
 of which is between one and two cable-lengths, has on 
 both sides of it, but particularly on the eastern, fields 
 of considerable extent, covered with dwarf-willows, 
 juniper-berry, black crake-berry, and whortleberry 
 heath, the first-named growing to the height of two 
 feet, and the whole interspersed with a good many 
 patches of a fine species of grass, which, however, was 
 very much burnt by the heat of the sun, except in 
 the immediate vicinity of the brooks and rivulets that, 
 in great number, ran down the sides of the hills, and 
 intersected the level land in every direction. At the 
 the bottom of the cove stretches an extensive valley, 
 through which runs a stream abounding in char, [a 
 species of salmon,] and having its source in the glaciers, 
 
 ' Her Hefr Graenlendinga Thdtt. Antiq. Amer. pp. 26-40, Discovery 
 of America. Beamish, pp. 59-70- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 31 
 
 of which several gigantic arms reach down into the 
 valley from the height in the background. On the 
 banks of this brook the grass grew luxuriantly ; but 
 it was far from being, at many places, of a height fit for 
 mowing, so that even this spot, where grass was more 
 abundant than anywhere else perhaps along the whole 
 coast, does not seem calculated to furnish winter 
 fodder for any considerable number of cattle. Various 
 flowers, among which the sweet-smelling lychnis, 
 everywhere adorned the fields. * * * At this 
 really beautiful spot, the natives of the country round 
 assemble for a few days during their brief summer, to 
 feast upon the char that are to be got here in great 
 plenty and of a great size, the black crake-berry and 
 angelica, and to lay in a stock of them for winter use, 
 and give themselves up to mirth and merry-making."^ 
 It is further related, in the saga, concerning Vin- 
 land, that " the days are more equal there than in 
 Greenland or Iceland ; there the sun sets at eykt time 
 [eyktar-stad, 3:30 p.m.), and rises at day-meal time 
 {dagmdla-stad, breakfast-time), on the shortest day." ^ 
 
 * Narrative of an expedition to the east coast of Greenland, sent by order 
 of the king of Denmark, in search of the lost colonies, under the command of 
 Captain W. A. Graah, of the Danish royal navy. Translated from the 
 Danish by the late G. Go?don Macdougall, F.R.S.N.A, , for the Royal Geo- 
 graphical Society of London. London, 1837. pp. 106, 107. 
 
 ^ ' ' Meira var thar jafndaegri enn d Graenlandi edr Islandi, sdl hafdi thar 
 eyktarstad ok dagnidlastad tim skamdegi. " 
 
 " Dag-mal, n. {vide dagr), prop. ' day-meal' one of the divisions of the day, 
 usually about eight or nine o'clock, A.M. ; the Latin hora tertia is rendered by 
 ' er ver koUum dagmal, ' which we call d., Horn. [Homiliu-bok], 142 ; enn er 
 ekki lidit af dagmalum, Hom. (St.) 10. Acts 11, 15 ; in Gliim. [Viga-Gliims 
 Saga], 342, we are told that the young Glum was very lazy, and lay in bed till 
 day-meal every morning, cp. also 343 ; Hrafn. [Hrafnkels Saga] 28 and O. H. 
 L. [Olafs Saga Helga Legendaria] 18 — aeinum morni milli rismala ok dag- 
 mala — where distinction is made between rismal (;-m«^ /z'w^) and dagmal, so 
 as to make a separate dagsmark (q. v.) of each of them ; and again, a distinction 
 is made between 'midday' and dagmal, Isl. [Islenzkar], 11, 334. The dagmal 
 is thus midway between ' rising' and 'midday,' which accords well with the 
 
32 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 As there is no reliable information to indicate that 
 the Northmen of the tenth century had any instru- 
 ments by which they could accurately measure the 
 changing spaces of day and night, or that their ob- 
 servations of the sun gave them the knowledge of 
 astronomical time, an attempt to elucidate the exact 
 duration of the shortest day in Vinland from the vague 
 
 present use. The word is synonymous with dagver darmal, breakfast-time , and 
 denotes the hour when the ancient Icelanders used to take their chief meal, 
 opposed to nattmal, night-meal ox supper-tune, Fms. [Fornmanna Sogur], viii, 
 330 ; even the MSB. use dagmal and dagverdarmal indiscriminately ; cp. also 
 Sturl. [Sturlunga Saga] in, 4 C ; Rb. [Rimbegla], 452 says that at full moon 
 the ebb takes place ' at dagma-lum.' To put the dagmal at 7:30 A.M., as Pal 
 Vidalin does, seems neither to accord with the present use nor the passage in 
 Glum or the eccl. hora iertia, which was the nearest hour answering to the Icel. 
 calculation of the day. In Fb. [Flateyjar bok] 1,539, it is said that the sun set 
 at ' eykd ' {i. e. half-past three o'clock), but rose at ' dagmal,' which puts the 
 dagmal at 8:30 A.M. Compds. dagmala-stadr, m. the place of d. in the hofizon, 
 Fb. [Flateyjar bok]." 
 
 " Eykt, eykd, f. three or half-past three o'clock, P.M.; many commentaries 
 have been written upon this word, as by Pal Vidalin Skyr, Finn Johnson in H. 
 E. [Historia Ecclesiastica Islandise] 1. 153 sqq. note 6, and in Horologium, 
 etc. The time of eykd is clearly defined in K. Th. K. [Kristinnrettr Thorlaks 
 ok Ketils], 92 as the time when the sun has past two parts of the ' utsudr ' (q. v.) 
 and has one part left, that is to say, half past three o'clock, P.M.: it thus nearly 
 coincides with the eccl. Lat. no7ia (three o'clock, p.m.) ; and both eykt and nona 
 are therefore used indiscriminately in some passages. Sunset at the time of 
 ' eykd ' is opposed to sunrise at the time of ' dagmal,' q. v. In Norway ' ykt ' 
 means a luncheon taken about half-past three o'clock. But the passage in 
 Edda — that autumn ends and winter begins at sunset at the time of eykt — con- 
 founded the commentators who believed it to refer to the conventional Icel. 
 winter, which (in the old style) begins with the middle of October, and lasts six 
 months. In the latitude of Reykholt — the residence of Snorri — the sun at this 
 time sets about half-past four. Upon this statement the commentators have 
 based their reasoning both in regard to dagmal and eykt, placing the eykt at 
 half-past four.p.M., and dagmal at half-past seven, A.M., although this contra- 
 dicts the definition of these terms in the law. The passage in Edda probably 
 came from a foreign source, and refers not to the Icel. winter but to the as- 
 tronomical winter, viz., the winter solstice or the shortest day ; for sunset at 
 half-past three is suited not to Icel., but to the latitude of Scotland and the 
 southern parts of Scandinavia. The word is also curious from its bearing 
 upon the discovery of America by the ancients, vide Fb. [Flateyjar-bok] 1. c. 
 This sense {half -past three) is now obsolete in Icel., but eykt is in freq. use in 
 the sense of trihorium, a time of three hours ; whereas in the oldest sagas no 
 "passage has been found bearing this sense,— the Bs. [Biskupa Sogur] i, 3S5, 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 33 
 
 signification of the words eyktar-stad and ddgmdla-stad 
 would consequently be futile and unsatisfactory. Nev- 
 ertheless a number of scholars have attempted to de- 
 termine the length of the shortest day at the place 
 where the Northmen built their winter-quarters. Some 
 have given the day a measurement of six hours, others 
 seven, eight, and nine hours.^ These different lengths 
 
 446, and Hem. [Hemings-thattr] 1. c, are of the 13th and 14th centuries. In 
 Norway ykt is freq. used metaph. of all the four meal times in the day, morn- 
 ing-ykt, midday-)'kt, af ternoon-ykt (or ykt proper), and even-ykt. In old MSS., 
 Grag., K. Th. K. Hera. Heid. S. [Gragas, Kristinnrettr, Thorlaks ok Ketils, 
 Hemings-thattr, Heidarviga Saga], this word is always spelt eykd or eykth, 
 shewing the root to be ' auk ' with the fem. inflex. added ; it probably first 
 meant' the ^/^^-meal, answering to Engl, hutch, and thence came to mean the 
 time of day at which this meal was taken. The eccl. law dilates upon the word, 
 as the Sabbath was to begin at ' hora nana ' ; hence the phrase, eykt helgr dagr. 
 * * * 
 
 " Eyktar-stadr. m. the place of the stifi at half -past three, P.M.; meira var, 
 thar jafndaegri enn a Graenlandi edr Islandi, sol hafdi thar eyktar-stad ok dag- 
 mala-stad um skamdegi, Fb. [Flateyjar bok] i, 539, — this passage refers to the 
 discovery of America ; but in A, A. [Antiquitates Americans], 1. c, it is 
 wrongly explained as denoting the shortest day nine hours long, instead of 
 seven ; it follows that the latitude fixed by the editors of A. A. [Antiquitates 
 Americanee] is too far to the south." 
 
 "Dagr, m. * * * a day, * * * g^ the day is in Icel. divided ac- 
 cording to the position of the sun above the horizon ; these fixed traditional 
 marks are called dags-mork, day-marks, and are substitutes for the hours of 
 modern times, viz. ris-mal or midr-morgun, dag-mal, ha-degi, mid-degi or mid- 
 mundi, non, midr-aptan, natt-mal." 
 
 " Stadr, m., gen. stadar, dat. stad, and older stadi, pi. stadir ; * * * 3, 
 'stead,' place, abode." — An Icelandic-English dictionary based on the MS. col- 
 lections of the late Richard Cleasby, enlarged and completed by Gudbrand Vig- 
 fusson, M. A. Oxford, 1874. 
 
 ^ Thormod Torfason, or Torfasus, as his name is Latinized, in the addenda 
 of his History of Ancient Vinland (Historia Vinlandias Antiquss), printed at 
 Copenhagen, in 1705, explains the meaning of the words, saying that the sun in 
 Vinland, on the shortest day, was six hours above the horizon, which would im- 
 ply that this land lay between the fifty-eighth and sixty-first parallels of north 
 latitude. " Torfasus confirms his interpretation by the authority of Amgrim 
 Jonas, a learned Icelander who flourished at the end of the sixteenth and begin- 
 ning of the seventeenth century, and who was deemed a profound astronomer. 
 In his ' History of Greenland,' he thus renders the passage we are considering : 
 ' There is in Vinland no winter, no cold, no frost as in Iceland or Greenland ; 
 inasmuch as the sun, on the very day of the winter solstice (they had no dials 
 there), passes about six hours above the horizon.' Having cited this passage 
 
34 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 of the day involve the inference that Vinland was some- 
 where between the forty-first and sixty-first parallels 
 of north latitude. 
 
 It is related in another saga or legend that Vinland 
 was visited in the eleventh century by other Northmen.' 
 Among the number were Thorfinn Karlsefne, Snorro 
 Thorbrandson, Bjarni Grimolfson, and Thorhall Gam- 
 lason. It is said that the three ships which departed 
 from the western settlement, in the spring of 1007, had 
 on board one hundred and forty men (40 manna ok 
 hundrad). After sailing two days southward from 
 Bjanneyjar they reached Helluland. " Thence they 
 sailed two days, and turned from the south to the 
 southeast," and came to Markland. 
 
 When the Northmen departed from Markland, it is 
 said in the saga that ** they then sailed far to the 
 
 from Arngrim Jonas, Toifeus proceeds : ' This meaning I had long ago given 
 this passage, first on the authority (if I rightly understood him) of Bryniulf 
 Sveinson, the most learned of all the bishops of Skalkholt, to whom I was sent, 
 while yet a youth, in the year 1662, with royal letters from my gracious 
 master, King Frederick the Third, for the purpose of learning the genuine signi- 
 fication of the more difficult ancient words and phrases ; and, then, from the 
 necessary correspondence of the time of sunset with that of sunrise.'" — (The 
 Discovery of America by the Northmen. By E. Everett. North American Re- 
 view. January, 1S38. vol. xlvi. pp. 179-188. Vide Historia Vinlandise 
 Antiquae, seu partis Americis Septentrionalis. Per Thormodum Torfasum. 
 Havnise, 1705. Addenda. *■ 
 
 Professor Charles C. Rafn, secretary of the Royal Society of Northern Anti- 
 quaries, gives this rendition of the passage : "When the day is shortest the 
 sun there has a place (is above the horizon) from half-past seven before noon 
 till half-past four in the afternoon." — Antiq. Amer. p. 436. Vide Discov- 
 ery of America. Beamish, pp.64, 65. According to Prof. Rafn, the North- 
 men built their winter-quarters on the shore of Mount Hope bay, Rhode Island ; 
 the day, nine hours long, indicating the latitude of 41° 24' 10". 
 
 ' The saga of Thorfinn Karlsefne and Snorro Thorbrandson {Saga Tlior- 
 finns Karlsefnis ok Snorra Thorbrandssonar). This legend is written on vellum, 
 and is one of the valuable Icelandic manuscripts called the Arna-Magncean col- 
 lection, which is preserved in the library of the university of Copenhagen. 
 The manuscripts were bequeathed to the university by Arne Magnussen, or, as 
 his name is Latinized, Arnus Magnreus, an Icelandic scholar. The saga of 
 ' Thorfinn is supposed to have been compiled in the fourteenth century. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 35 
 
 southward along the coast and came to a promontory. 
 The land lay on the right and had a long sandy beach. 
 They rowed to it and found on a tongue of land the 
 keel of a ship. They called this point of land Kjalarnes 
 (Keel cape), and the beach Furdustrandir (Long 
 Strand), for it took a long time to sail by it. Then the 
 coast became sinuous. They then steered the ship 
 into an inlet. King Olaf Tryggvason had given Leif 
 two Scotch people, a man named Haki and a woman 
 named Hekja. They were swifter than animals. These 
 persons were in the ship with Karlsefne. When they 
 had sailed past Furdustrandir they put these Scots 
 ashore and ordered them to run to the south of the 
 country and explore it, and return within three days. 
 * * * They were absent the designated time. 
 When they returned, one brought a bunch of wine- 
 berries {vinberja kbngul), the other an ear of wheat 
 {hveitiax nysaict).^ When they were taken on board, 
 the ship sailed farther. They came into a bay, where 
 there was an island around which flowed rapid currents 
 that suggested the name which they gave it, Straumey 
 (Stream island). There were so many eider ducks on 
 the island that one could hardly walk about without 
 
 ^ In the treatise of Ivar Bardsen, it is said that in Greenland "is found 
 the best of wheat, (beste Uvede)." — Antiq. Amer. pp, 302-318. 
 
 The wild wheat [elymus arenarius) growing on the sand flats of Iceland 
 is thus described : " This plant, the melur oi the natives, is a kind of grass, 
 with a spike or ear four or five inches long, and generally appears in a sandy 
 soil. The sea-shore and tracts of volcanic ashes in the interior are equally 
 favorable to its growth, though it is principally from the latter that the seeds 
 used for bread are obtained ; and the natives regard it as a great gift wherewith 
 the wise Creator has blessed those mournful wastes. The harvest is in August, 
 when it become^ white in the ear, but as it is seldom fully ripe, it requires to 
 be dried before grinding. It is cut with a sickle, made iip in bundles, and 
 carried home on the backs of horses. It is then separated from the straw, 
 and ground in hand-mills cut out of a block of lava, into fine meal of a grayish 
 color." — Historical and descriptive account of Iceland, Greenland, and the 
 Faroe islands, pp. 385, 3S6. 
 
36 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 stepping on their eggs. They called this place Straum 
 fjord (Stream inlet). They took the cargo from the 
 ship and made preparations to remain there. They 
 had with them different kinds of cattle. They under- 
 took nothing but the exploration of the land. Without 
 having provided food beforehand they sustained them- 
 selves there durino- the winter. In the summer the 
 fishing was not good and they were in want of provi- 
 sions. Thorhall the hunter disappeared. They had 
 previously prayed to God to give them food, but they 
 were not supplied as quickly as they thought their 
 hunger demanded. They searched for Thorhall for 
 three days. At last they found him lying on the top 
 of a rock, looking up at the sky, gasping and mutter- 
 ing. They asked him why he was there. He said that 
 his presence there should not trouble them. They 
 prevailed on him to return home with them. A whale 
 was stranded there, and they found it and cut it up. 
 No one knew what kind of a whale it was, and when 
 the cook prepared a part ofit for them, they ate it and 
 all were made sick. Then Thorhall said: 'The red- 
 bearded [Thor, the god of thunder,] was more help- 
 ful than your Christ ; this [the whale meat] I have re- 
 ceived for my hymns which I sing of TJior, my pro- 
 tector ; seldom has he deserted me.' When they 
 heard this assertion, they cast the remainder of the 
 whale into the sea and resiQ[ned themselves to the 
 care of God. Then the weather favored them so that 
 they were able to row out to fish, and thereafter they 
 were not in want of food, for wild game was caught 
 on land and fish in the sea, and eggs were collected on 
 the island. * * * 
 
 " It is said that Thorhall resolved to go northward 
 along Furdustrandir to explore Vinland, but Karlsefne 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 37 
 
 determined to sail southward along the coast. Thorhall 
 fitted out his vessel under the island, having not more 
 than nine men to join him, for all the others went with 
 Karlsefne. Now when Thorhall carried water to his 
 ship, he sang these verses : 
 
 ' People told me when I came 
 Hither, all would be so fine ; 
 The good Vinland, known to fame, 
 Rich in fruits and choicest wine ; 
 Now the water-pail they send ; 
 To the fountain I must bend, 
 Nor from out this land divine 
 Have I quaffed one drop of wine.' 
 
 " When they were about to depart and had hoisted 
 sail, Thorhall again sang : 
 
 ' Let our trusty band 
 Haste to Fatherland ; 
 Let our vessel brave 
 Plough the angry wave, 
 While those few who love 
 Vinland, here may rove, 
 Or, with idle toil, 
 Fetid whales may boil. 
 Here on Furdustrand, 
 Far from Fatherland.' * * * 
 
 " It is now to be told of Karlsefne that he with 
 Snorro and Bjarni and their people sailed southward 
 along the coast. They sailed a long time until they 
 came to a river, which ran out from the land and 
 through a lake into the sea. The river was quite shal- 
 low, and no ship could enter it without high water. 
 Karlsefne sailed with his people into its mouth and 
 called the place Hop {ok kolludu i Hbpi).^ They 
 found fields of wild wheat {sjdlfsana hveitiakra) where 
 the ground was low, and wine-wood where it was 
 higher. * * * There was a great number of all kinds 
 
 ' From hdpa to recede. Hdp, a recess, haven, bay, inlet. 
 Certain writers assume this place Hop to be the country around Mount 
 Hope bay, in Rhode Island. 
 
38 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 of wild animals in the woods. They remained at this 
 place a half-month and enjoyed themselves, but did not 
 find any thing novel. They had their cattle with them. 
 Early one morning, when they were viewing the 
 country, they saw a great number of skin boats on the 
 sea. '^ * * The people in them rowed nearer 
 and with curiosity gazed at them. * * * These 
 people were swart [svartir^ and ugly, and had coarse 
 hair, large eyes, and broad cheeks. They remained a 
 short time and watched Karlsefne's people. They then 
 rowed away to the southward beyond the cape. 
 
 " Karlsefne and his people had erected their dwell- 
 ings above the lake. Some of the houses were near 
 the water and others were farther away. They re- 
 mained here during the winter.^ There was no snow, 
 and their cattle subsisted on the grass." 
 
 It is further related that when spring drew near the 
 natives again visited the Northmen and trafficked with 
 them. " The people preferred red cloth, and for this 
 they gave skins and all kinds of furs. They also wanted 
 to purchase swords and spears, but Karlsefne and 
 Snorro would not sell them any weapons. For a 
 whole skin the Skraelings {Skraeliiigar^ took a piece 
 of red cloth a span long, and bound it;^ around their 
 heads.^ In this way they bartered for a time. Then 
 the cloth began to diminish, and Karlsefne and his men 
 cut it into small strips not wider than one's finger, and 
 still the Skraelings gave as much for these as they 
 had for the larger pieces, and often more. " It hap- 
 pened that a bull, which Karlsefne had with him, ran 
 out from the wood and bellowed loudly. This frightened 
 the Skraelings so much that they rushed to their boats 
 and rowed away to the southward around the coast." 
 
 'This statement does not agree with the one preceding it, — that " they re- 
 mained at this place a half-month." 
 
 " Skiadino- ir, m. pi l-",-nuini,iux. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 39 
 
 Three weeks afterward a large number of Skrael- 
 ines returned in their boats utterinsf loud cries. " Karl- 
 sefne's men took a red shield and held it toward 
 them. The Skraelings leaped from their boats and 
 attacked them. Many missiles fell among them, for 
 the Skraelings used slings {valslb7tgur\ Karlsefne's 
 men saw that they had raised on a pole something 
 resembling an air-filled bag of a blue color. They 
 hurled this at Karlsefne's party, and when it fell to 
 the ground it exploded with a loud noise. This fright- 
 ened Karlsefne and his men so much that they ran 
 and fell back to the river, for it seemed to them that the 
 Skraelings were inclosing them on all sides. They did 
 not stop until they reached a rocky place where they 
 stoutly resisted their assailants. Freydis [the wife of 
 Thorvard] came out, and seeing Karlsefne's people re- 
 treating, cried out : ' Why do you run, stout men as 
 you are, before these miserable wretches, whom I 
 thought you could knock down as you do cattle ! If I 
 had weapons I know that I could fight better than 
 you ! ' They did not heed her words. Freydis then 
 attempted to keep up with them but could not. She 
 followed them to the woods. The Skraelings pursued 
 her. She found a dead man in the way. It was Thor- 
 brand Snorrason. A flat stone was sticking in his 
 head. His sword was by his side. She grasped it 
 and prepared to defend herself. The Skraelings came 
 toward her. She exposed her bosom and struck 
 her breast with the sword. The Skraehnes were 
 frightened and ran to their boats and rowed away. 
 Karlsefne and his men then came and praised her 
 courage. Karlsefne lost two men but the Skraelings 
 many more. * * * 
 
 " Karlsefne and his men now perceived that not- 
 
40 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 withstanding" the country was fruitful they would be 
 exposed to many dangerous incursions of its inhabi- 
 tants if they should remain in it. They therefore de- 
 termined to depart and return to their own land. They 
 sailed northward along the coast and found five 
 Skraelings clothed in skins sleeping on the sea-shore. 
 They had with them vessels containing marrow mixed 
 with blood. Karlsefne's men believed that they had 
 been banished from the country and they killed them. 
 After that they came to a cape and there were many 
 wild animals on it. * * =!= Then they reached 
 Straum fjord, where there was an abundance of every 
 thing which they desired. It is said by some that 
 Bjarni and Gudrid remained behind with one hundred 
 men, and did not go farther, but that Karlsefne and 
 Snorro went southward and forty men with them, and 
 that they were not longer in Hop than two months, 
 and that they returned from there the same summer. 
 
 * * * They inspected the mountains at Hop, which 
 they thought belonged to a range which extended in 
 two directions to the same distance from Straum 
 fjord. The third winter they were in Straum fjord. 
 
 * * * Snorro, the son of Karlsefne, was born here 
 the first autumn, and he was three years old when 
 they went away from Vinland. When they sailed from 
 Vinland they had a south wind and came to Mark- 
 land."^ 
 
 The Northmen it seems continued their visits to 
 Vinland as late as the fourteenth century. In the geo- 
 graphical treatise of Adam of Bremen, written in 1073, 
 the author says that it was told him by Sveyn Estrith- 
 son, King of Denmark, that Vinland was an island : 
 " Moreover he said that an island had been discov- 
 
 Antiq. Amer. pp. 136-163. Discovery of America. Beamish, pp. 87-103. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 41 
 
 ered by many in that ocean, which is called Vinland, 
 because vines grow spontaneously there, producing ex- 
 cellent wine. For that fruits abound there not havino- 
 been sown, we are assured not by any vague rumor 
 but by the trustworthy report of the Danes."' 
 
 The island of Vinland is described in an old geo- 
 graphical document as lying on the opposite side of a 
 channel, between it and Greenland : " Now is to be 
 told what lies opposite Greenland, out from the bay 
 already mentioned. Furdustrandir is the name of a 
 land. There are such hard frosts there that it is not 
 habitable as far as is known. South of it is Helluland, 
 which is called Skraeling's land. From there it is not 
 far to Vinland the good, which some think goes out 
 from Africa. Between Vinland and Greenland is 
 Ginnungagap which flows from the sea called Mare 
 Oceanum that encompasses the whole earth." ^ On a 
 map made by Sigurd Stephanius, an Icelander, in iS/o, 
 Helluland, Markland, Skraeling's land, and the prom- 
 ontory of Vinland are represented as parts of the 
 country now called Greenland.^ 
 
 No geographical information contained in the sagas 
 of Iceland and Greenland verifies the statement that 
 the Northmen discovered America and explored the 
 coast of a part of the present territory of the United 
 
 ' " Prceterea unam adhuc insulam recitavit a multis in eo repertam oceano, 
 qua dicitur Winland, eo quod ibi viies sponte nascantur, vinuvt optimum 
 ferentes. Nam et fruges ibi non seminatas habtmdare, non fabulosa opinione, 
 sed certa comperimus relatione Danosum." — M. Adamigesta Hammenburgensis 
 ecclesise pontiflcum. Edente M. Lappenburg. I. U. D. Reipublicse Ham- 
 burgensis tabulario. Monumenta Germanise historica. By George Henry 
 Pertz. Hannoveras, 1846. 
 
 ^ This fragment of a geographical or historical work is supposed to have 
 been written before the time of Columbus. — Gripla C. Antiq. Amer. pp. 280, 
 281, 293, 296. Discovery of America. Beamish, pp. 114, 115. 
 
 ' The map marked Tab. ii, is contained in the historical work entitled : 
 Gronlandia Antiqva, seu veteris Gronlandise Descriptio. * * * Authore 
 Thormodo Torfaeo. Havniae, 1715. p. 21. 
 
42 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 States. What tradition relates respecting the North- 
 men finding" wine-berries in Vinland does not make it 
 indubitably evident that they were the fruit now called 
 grapes.' The wine-wood that was cut and carried on 
 board of Leif's ship indicates that there was no large 
 timber in Vinland, and that the trees that were felled 
 were of a stunted growth as those that are now found 
 on the coast of Greenland. The statements respecting 
 the great number of eider ducks, the natives who were 
 frightened by the bellowing of a bull, the skin-boats 
 used by them, the want of food by the Northmen, 
 their eating the flesh of a stranded whale to escape 
 starvation, and the sarcastic laneuag'e of the sone sune 
 by Thorhall concerning Vinland being a land of wine, 
 clearly establish the fact that this country or region 
 was very near the Arctic circle. Further, all the early 
 maps of Greenland show Helluland, Markland, and 
 Vinland to be regions of that country. 
 
 The questionable interpretation of the characters 
 on the rock, lying in the water, on the east side of the 
 Taunton River, opposite Dighton, Massachusetts, by a 
 number of foreign antiquaries, is a notable exemplifi- 
 cation of the fictitious nature of the so-called evidence 
 that the Northmen discovered America ^and explored 
 a part of the eastern coast of the present territory of the 
 United States.'' The remarkable statement that the 
 
 ^ If they were grapes, it does not follow that they were found on the eastern 
 coast of the present territory of the United States. The French navigator, 
 Jacques Cartier, in September, 1535, found "vines laden as full of grapes as 
 could be all along the riuer [St. Lawrence], which rather seemed to haue bin 
 planted by mans hand than otherwise." — The third and last volume of the 
 voyages, navigations, trafifiques, and discoueries of the English nation. By 
 Richard Hakluyt. London, 1600. p. 218. 
 
 '^The rock writing, as interpreted by a» Indian, is an account of a battle 
 fought by the people of two tribes, and was engraved by some or one of the 
 members of the victorious party. — Archives of aboriginal knowledge. By Henry 
 R. Schoolcraft, i860, vol. i. pp. 112-124 ; vol. iv. pp. 119. Antiq. Amer. 
 PP- 373-403- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 43 
 
 round, stone-tower, at Newport, Rhode Island, men- 
 tioned by Governor Benedict Arnold In his will, made 
 in 1677, as " my stone-built windmill," was erected by 
 the Northmen, is also an instance of the infatuation of 
 the learned men who believed it to be a Norse monu- 
 ment.' 
 
 The supposition that the Welsh adventurer, Madoc 
 Guyneth, planted a colony on the Atlantic coast of 
 North America, in the twelfth century, rests on some 
 traditionary information in a history of Wales, published 
 in 1584.^ In this rare work it is related that the sons 
 of Owen Guyneth, King of North Wales, on the death 
 of their father, had many contentions respecting the 
 heirship to his estates and who should rule after him. 
 This strife mortified Madoc. In order to separate 
 himself from his quarrelling brothers he fitted out a 
 number of ships and sailed west, " leaving the coast of 
 Ireland so far north, that he came to an unknown land, 
 where he saw many strange things." He then re- 
 turned home and gave an account of the attractive 
 and fertile countries "he had seen without inhabitants." 
 He induced a number of men and women, who desired 
 to live peaceably, to emigrate to the western land. 
 The second voyage was safely made to the colony in 
 the "fair and large country." He returned again to 
 
 ^ Benedict Arnold, the first governor of Rhode Island, living at Newport, 
 in his will, dated December 20, 1677, directed that his body should be buried 
 at a certain spot, " being and lying in my land, in or near the line or path from 
 my dwelling-house leading to my stone-built windmill, in the town of Newport." 
 Another mill of similar construction is near Leamington, in the parish of Ches- 
 terton, in Warwickshire, England, where Benedict Arnold lived when a boy. 
 This mill was built according to a plan first introduced into England by Inigo 
 Jones. — History of New England, by John Gorham Palfrey. Boston, 1859. 
 vol. i. Note. pp. 57-59. 
 
 * History of Wales, written by Caradoc of Llancarvan, Glamorganshire, 
 in the British Language, translated into English by Humphry Llwyd, and pub- 
 lished by Dr. David Powel in the year 1584. 
 
44 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Wales for more colonists. Ten ships filled with emi- 
 grants shortly afterward set sail for the new settlement. 
 It is further related that many fictions were current 
 thereafter respecting- Madoc's discoveries in the un- 
 named country.' Meredith ap Rhees, a Welsh bard, 
 who died in 1477, has rehearsed in a number of verses 
 a part of the unsatisfactory tradition concerning Ma- 
 doc's voyage.'' As said by Baron von Humboldt : 
 " The deepest obscurity still shrouds every thing con- 
 nected with the voyage of the Gaelic chief, Madoc."^ 
 
 The story of a Frisland fisherman, in the history of 
 the discoveries of the Zeni brothers, published in i558, 
 is thought by some writers to be a true narrative of 
 this man's adventures on a part of the continent of 
 America, in the fourteenth century."* It is related that 
 Nicolo Zeno, a wealthy man, had a ship built, equipped, 
 
 ' " The most ancient Discouery of the West Indies by Madoc, the sonne of 
 Owen Guynetli Prince of North-wales, in tlie yeere 1170 : taken out of the his- 
 tory of Wales, lately published by M. Dauid Powel Doctor of Diuinity. * * * 
 Madoc another of Owen Guyneth his sonnes left the land in contention be- 
 twixt his brethren, & prepared certaine ships with men and munition, and sought 
 aduentures by Seas, sailing West, and leauing the coast of Ireland so farre 
 North, that he came vnto a land vnknowen, where he saw many strange 
 things, * * * 
 
 " Of the voyage and returne of this Madoc there are many fables fained, 
 as the common people doe vse in distance of place and length of time rather to 
 augment then to diminish : but sure it is there he was. And after he had re- 
 turned home, and declared the pleasant and fruitful! countreys that he had 
 scene without inhabitants, and vpon the contrary part, for what barren & wild 
 ground his brethren and nephewes did murther one another, he prepared a 
 number of ships, and got with him such men and women as were desirous to 
 Hue in quietnesse : and taking leaue of his friends, tooke his journey thither- 
 ward againe. * * * This Madoc arriving in that Western country, vnto his 
 people there, and returning back for more of his owne nation, acquaintance, & 
 friends to inhabit that faire & large countrey, went thither again with ten sailes, 
 as I find noted by Gutyn Owen." — Hakluyt. vol. iii. p. i. 
 
 ' Hakluyt. vol. iii. p. i. 
 
 ^ Kosmos : Entwurf einer physischen Weltbeschreibung. Alexander von 
 Humboldt. 1 845-1 858. Trans, by E. C. Otte. Bohn's ed. vol. ii. pp. 
 608, 609. 
 
 * The history of the voyages of the Zeni brothers was first published with 
 another work entitled : Dei Commentarij del Viaggio in Persia. Venezia, 1558. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 45 
 
 and manned at his own expense, and sailed in it from 
 Venice, " with the intention of visiting England and 
 Flanders." But in a storm his vessel was cast upon an 
 island called Frisland. ' "The crew were saved to- 
 gether with most of the ship's cargo. This occurred 
 in the year 1380. The inhabitants of the island, having 
 collected in considerable numbers, attacked the cheva- 
 lier and his men, who, being exhausted by the hard- 
 ships they had endured, and not knowing in what part 
 of the world they had been thrown, were unable to 
 resist them, much less to defend themselves with the 
 spirit that the emergency demanded. They would 
 have been treated, without doubt, in a most barbarous 
 manner, had it not fortunately happened that a power- 
 ful chieftain, with an armed force, was in their neigh- 
 borhood, who, learning that a large ship had been cast 
 upon the island, and hearing the noise and shouts of 
 the inhabitants as they rushed upon our poor mariners, 
 hastened forward, and putting the islanders to flight, 
 inquired of the Venetians, in Latin, of what nation they 
 were, and whence they had come. When informed 
 that they were from Italy, and natives of that country, 
 he was filled with joy and amazement. * * * Hq 
 was a great lord and possessed certain islands called 
 Porland, about a half-day's sail from Frisland, the 
 richest and most populous of all the islands of those 
 parts. This chieftain's name was Zichmni." 
 
 Nicolo Zeno then entered the service of this dis- 
 tinguished man. Some time afterward he wrote to his 
 brother Antonio, and related these incidents. The 
 latter visited Frisland, where he lived fourteen years. 
 On the death of Nicolo, which occurred four years 
 
 ' The name is evidently a designation for Iceland. Frislanda, the cold or 
 frozen land ; Anglo-Saxon, frysan ; Icelandic, ffiosa; Swedish, frysa; Danish, 
 fryse ; and land, land. 
 
46 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 after Antonio's arrival, he was appointed to take com- 
 mand of Zichmni's fleet. From letters written by 
 Antonio to his brother Carlo, the remarkable particu- 
 lars of the followinor- narrative are said to have been 
 compiled : 
 
 " Six and twenty years ago four fishing-boats put 
 out to sea from Frisland, and being overtaken by a 
 storm were drifted about for many days in a helpless 
 condition. When, at last, the tempest abated, they 
 descried an island called Estotiland,' lying more than 
 a thousand miles westward from Frisland. One of 
 the boats was cast upon its coast, and the six men 
 in it were taken by the inhabitants and conducted to a 
 fair and populous city, where the king sent for many 
 interpreters, but none could be found who understood 
 the language of the fishermen except one man who 
 spoke Latin, and who likewise had been cast by acci- 
 dent upon the same island. Ordered by the king, he 
 asked them who they were, and where they came from, 
 and when he reported their answer, the king desired 
 that they should remain in that country. Accordingly, 
 as they could not do otherwise, they obeyed his order, 
 and remained five years on the island, and learned the 
 language. One of them in particular visited different 
 parts of the island, and reports that it is a very rich 
 country, abounding in all good things. It is a little 
 smaller than Iceland but more fertile. In the middle 
 of it is a very high mountain, in which rise four rivers 
 which water the whole country. 
 
 " The inhabitants are a very intelligent people and 
 possess all the arts as we do ; and it is believed that 
 in time past they have had intercourse with our people, 
 for he said that he saw Latin books in the kind's 
 
 Estotiland seems to be an anomalous form of the name Scotland, from 
 Anglo-Saxon, scot ; Spanish and Portuguese, escote ; Italian, scotto. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 47 
 
 library, which they at the present time do not under- 
 stand. They have their own language and letters. 
 They have all kinds of metals, especially gold. Their 
 foreign intercourse is with Greenland, where they 
 import furs, brimstone, and pitch. He says that toward 
 the south there Is a great and populous country, very 
 rich in gold. They sow corn and make beer, which is 
 a kind of drink which northern people take as we do 
 wine. They have woods of vast extent. They con- 
 struct their buildings with walls, and there are many 
 towns and villages. They make small boats and sail 
 them, but they have not the loadstone, nor do they 
 know the north by the compass. For this reason these 
 fishermen were held in great esteem, insomuch that 
 the king sent them with twelve boats to the southward 
 to a country which they call Drogio ; but in their 
 voyage they had such stormy weather that they were 
 in fear for themselves. Although they escaped a mis- 
 erable death they afterward met a more painful one, 
 for they were taken into the country and the greater 
 number of them were eaten by the savages, who are 
 cannibals and consider human flesh very savory meat. 
 But as this fisherman and his remaining companions 
 were able to show them the way to catch fish with 
 nets, their lives were spared. Every day he would go 
 fishing in the sea and in the fresh waters, and take a 
 great number of fish, which he gave to the chiefs, and 
 thereby ingratiated himself so much into their favor 
 that he was greatly liked and held in high esteem 
 by all. 
 
 " As this man's fame spread among the different 
 tribes, there was a neighboring chief who was very 
 anxious to have him with him and to see how he prac- 
 tised his wonderful art of catchinor fish. With this 
 
 o 
 
48 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 object in view he made war on the other chief with 
 whom the fisherman was, and being more powerful 
 and a better warrior, he, at last, overcame him, and so 
 the fisherman was sent to him with the rest of his 
 companions. During the space of thirteen years that 
 he dwelt in those parts, he says, he was s^nt in this 
 manner to more than five-and-twenty chiefs, for they 
 were continually fighting among themselves, this chief 
 with that one, and solely for the purpose of having the 
 fisherman to dwell with them, so that wandering up 
 and down the country without any fixed abode, he be- 
 came acquainted with almost all those regions. He 
 says that it is a very great country, and, as it were, a 
 new world. The people are very rude and unculti- 
 vated, for they all go naked, and suffer bitterly from 
 the cold, nor have they the sense to clothe themselves 
 with skins of the animals which they take in hunting. 
 They have no kind of metal. They live by hunting, 
 and carry lances of wood, sharpened at the point. 
 They have bows, the strings of which are made of 
 beasts' skins. They are very fierce, and have deadly 
 wars with one another, and eat the flesh of their cap- 
 tives. They have chiefs and certain laws, but differing 
 in different tribes. The farther you go southwestward, 
 however, the more refinement you meet with, because 
 the climate is more temperate, but there they have 
 cities and temples dedicated to their idols, in which 
 they sacrifice men and afterward eat them. In those 
 parts they have some knowledge and use of gold and 
 silver. 
 
 " This fisherman after dwelling so many years in 
 those parts resolved to return home if possible to his 
 own country, but his companions, despairing of ever 
 seeing it again, gave him Godspeed, and remained 
 where they were. Accordingly he bade them farewell 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 49 
 
 and made his escape through the woods in the direc- 
 tion of Drogio, where he was welcomed and kindly 
 received by the chief of the place, who knew him and 
 was a great enemy of the neighboring chief. Thus 
 passing from one chief to another, being the same with 
 whom he had been before, he, at last, reached, after 
 a long time and many hardships, Drogio, where he 
 remained three years. Here by good fortune he 
 learned from the natives that some boats had ap- 
 peared off the coast, and hopeful of being able to carry 
 out his intention, he went to the beach, and found to 
 his great delight that the men on board the boats had 
 come from Estotiland. He immediately begged them 
 to take him back with them, which they willingly con- 
 sented to do. He understood the language of the 
 country which none of them could speak, and they 
 employed him as an interpreter. Afterward he traded 
 in company with them to such good purpose that he 
 became very rich, and having fitted out a vessel of his 
 own he returned to Frisland."' 
 
 When Zichmni heard the story of the returned 
 fisherman, it is said that he prepared a fleet to go to 
 the countries described by him. The fisherman dying 
 about the time that the vessels were ready to sail, 
 some of the seamen who had come from Estotiland in 
 his ship were taken to pilot them. An island called 
 Icaria was discovered, but no exploration of it could 
 be made on account of the hostility of Its inhabitants. 
 The fleet afterward proceeded to the coast of Green- 
 land, from which it sailed to Frisland. 
 
 ^ Dello Scoprimento dell 'Isole Frislanda, Eslanda, Engronelanda, Estoti- 
 landa, & Icaria, fatto per due fratelli Zeni, M. Nicolo il Caualiere, & M. An- 
 tonio, Libro Vno, col disegno di dette Isole. 
 
 The Voyages of the Venetian Brothers, Nicolo and Antonio Zeno to the 
 Northern Seas. By Richard Henry Major. London, 1873. Hakluyt Soc. 
 pub. pp. 1-24. 
 
50 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 The compiler of the history of the discoveries of 
 the Zeni brothers says : " This discovery [made by 
 the Frisland fisherman] Messere Antonio, in a letter to 
 his brother Messere Carlo, related, =5= * * saying 
 that we have changed some old words and the anti- 
 quated style, but have left the substance entire. * * 
 * Of these northern places, I [the compiler] have 
 thought it good to draw a copy of the sailing chart, 
 which I find I have among our family heirlooms, and, 
 although it is rotten with age, I have succeeded with 
 it tolerably well ; and to those who take pleasure in 
 such things, it will serve to throw light on the compre- 
 hension of that which without it could not be under- 
 stood so easily." 
 
 Inasmuch as it is difficult to disprove that the 
 names Frislanda, Engronelanda, and Estotilanda were 
 not early designations for Iceland, Greenland, and Scot- 
 land, the supposition that the unnamed Frisland fisher- 
 man passed thirteen years of his life on the continent 
 of America solely rests upon the particulars of the 
 story of his famous adventures as a maker of fishing- 
 nets. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 1 295-1487. 
 
 In the opulent and insular city of Venice, there 
 arrived, a few years before the close of the thirteenth 
 century, three strangely clad sun-embrowned men. If 
 any notice had been taken of them when they disem- 
 barked from the Mediterranean galley in which they 
 had come from Negropont, this attention had, it is 
 likely, been bestowed upon their odd garb and imper- 
 fect pronunciation of the Italian words which they used 
 while obtaining a boatman to convey them to that part 
 of the city known as the confine of S. Giovanni 
 Crisostomo. 
 
 The unique story respecting the return of these 
 famous travellers to Venice will always be deemed 
 the prologue that introduces the notable acts of the 
 explorers of the Atlantic coast territory of America 
 in the fifteenth century. It is therefore properly enti- 
 tled to a conspicuous place on the first pages of the 
 history of the discovery of America. Five centuries 
 ago it charmed the Venetians with its vivid colorings, 
 and gave to the Orient an entrancing vision that made 
 the name of Cathay for a time a synonym for an earthly 
 paradise. It pictured to them a far-off El Dorado, 
 abounding with gold, gems, and spicery, a country 
 naturally delightful and artificially magnificent. Amer- 
 ica lay in some of the navigable ways which were 
 sought by acquisitive Europeans to go to it, and thus 
 
 51 
 
52 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the return of Nicole, Maffeo, and Marco Polo, in 1295, 
 to Venice, after an absence of twenty-four years, is 
 inseparably linked to the great chain of events con- 
 necting it with the discovery of the new continent of 
 the western hemisphere.' Ramusio, the distinguished 
 Italian collector of information relating to voyages and 
 travels, has preserved the account of the strange 
 revelations made by the three travellers on their 
 return from Cathay.^ 
 
 " When they arrived here the same fate befell them 
 which happened to Ulysses, who, when he returned 
 after his twenty years' wanderings to his native Ithaca, 
 was recognized by none of his people. In like manner 
 these three gentlemen, who had been absent so many 
 years from their native city, were not identified by any 
 of their kinsfolk, who believed that they had been dead 
 for many years, as had been reported. They were 
 quite changed in appearance by the prolongation and 
 hardships of their journeys and by the trouble and 
 anxieties they had experienced ; and they had a certain 
 indescribable smack of the Tartar both in demeanor 
 and accent, having indeed almost forgotten their Ve- 
 netian tongue. Their clothes, too, were coarse and 
 shabby, and of a Tartar cut. They proceeded on their 
 arrival to their house, in this city, in the confine of S. 
 
 ' In 1260, the two brothers, Nicolo and Maffeo Polo, departed from Con- 
 stantinople, on a trading expedition to the Euxine Sea ; thence they travelled 
 through the western dominions of the Grand Khan of the Tartars. In 1269 
 they returned home with letters from this sovereign to Pope Clement IV. On 
 their arrival in Venice, Nicolo found that his wife had died in giving birth to 
 his son, Marco, then a lad of fifteen years. In 1271 the brothers (Maffeo 
 being a bachelor) again left home for the Orient, taking Marco with them. 
 In 1295 the three returned to Venice after an absence of twenty-four years. 
 
 ^ Giovanni Battista Ramusio was born at Tevisa in 1485. For a decade of 
 years he was secretary to the Venetian Council of Ten. His valuable collection 
 of voyages and travels, entitled " Raccolta di Navigationi e Viaggi," comprises 
 three volumes. Volume I. was published in 1554, volume II. in 1559, and 
 volume III. in 1556. Ramusio died in 1557. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 53 
 
 Giovanni Crisostomo, where you may see it to this 
 day. The house, which in those days was a lofty and 
 handsome palace, is now known by the name of the 
 Court of the Millions, for a reason which I will tell you 
 presently. 
 
 " When they reached the palace, they found it oc- 
 cupied by some of their relatives, and they had the 
 utmost difficulty in making the latter understand who 
 they were. For these good people seeing them to be 
 in appearance so unlike what they were formerly, and 
 in dress so shabby, flatly refused to believe that they 
 were those very gentlemen of the Polo family whom 
 they thought had been dead many years. So these 
 three gentlemen, — this is a story I have often heard 
 when I was a boy from the illustrious Messere Gasparo 
 Malpiero, a gentleman of very great age and a sena- 
 tor of eminent virtue and integrity, whose house was 
 on the canal of Santa Marianna, at the corner, over the 
 mouth of the brook of S. Giovanni Crisostomo, and 
 just midway among the buildings of the aforesaid Court 
 of the Millions, and he said he had heard the story from 
 his own father and grandfather, and from other old 
 men among the neighbors, — the three gentlemen, I say, 
 devised a scheme by which they should obtain at once 
 from their kinsfolk the recognition they desired, and 
 secure the honorable notice of the whole city ; and this 
 was it : 
 
 " They invited a number of their kindred to an 
 entertainment, which they purposely prepared with 
 great state and splendor in their house. When the 
 hour arrived for sitting down to table all three came 
 from their chambers clothed in crimson satin, fashioned 
 in long robes reaching to the ground, such as people in 
 those days wore within doors. And when water for 
 
54 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the hands had been served, and the guests were seated, 
 they took off these robes and put on others of crimson 
 damask, while the first suits were by their orders cut 
 and divided among the servants. Then after partaking 
 of some of the dishes they went out again and came 
 back in robes of crimson velvet, and when they had 
 again taken their seats, the second suits were divided 
 as the first. When dinner was over they did the like 
 with the robes of velvet, after they had put on dresses 
 of the ordinary fashion worn by their guests. These 
 proceedings caused much wonder and amazement 
 amone their relatives. But when the cloth had been 
 drawn, and all the servants had been ordered to retire 
 from the dining-hall, Messere Marco, the youngest of 
 the three, rose from the table, and going into another 
 chamber brought forth the three shabby dresses of 
 coarse stuff which they had worn when they first ar- 
 rived. Straightway they took sharp knives and began 
 to rip open some of the seams and welts, and to take 
 out of them many gems of the greatest value, such as 
 rubies, sapphires, carbuncles, diamonds, and emeralds, 
 all of which had been stitched up in these dresses in 
 a manner so artful that nobody could have suspected 
 the fact. For when they took leave of the Grand Khan 
 they changed all the wealth which he had bestowed 
 upon them for these rubies, emeralds, and other gems, 
 being well aware of the impossibility of carrying with 
 them so great an amount of gold on a journey so long 
 and so difficult. 
 
 " Now the exhibition of this large number of gems 
 and precious stones, all scattered over the table, threw 
 the guests into fresh amazement, insomuch that they 
 seemed quite bewildered and speechless. They now 
 saw that in spite of all their former doubts these were 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 55 
 
 really the honored and worthy gentlemen of the Polo 
 family as they had claimed to be, and they therefore 
 paid them the greatest honor and reverence. And 
 when the story became current in Venice, straightway 
 the whole city, gentle and simple, flocked to the house 
 to embrace them, and to make much of them, with 
 every conceivable demonstration of affection and re- 
 spect. 
 
 " On Messere Maffeo, who was the eldest, the 
 Venetians conferred the honors of an office which was 
 of great dignity in those days ; while the young men 
 came daily to visit and converse with the ever-polite 
 and gracious Messere Marco, and to ask him questions 
 about Cathay' and the Grand Khan, all of which he 
 answered with such kindly courtesy that every man felt 
 himself in a manner his debtor. And as it happened 
 that in the story, which he was constantly called on to 
 repeat, of the magnificence of the Grand Khan, he 
 would speak of his revenues as amounting to ten or 
 fifteen millions of gold ; and in like manner, when 
 recounting- other instances of ereat wealth in those 
 parts, he would always make use of the term millions, 
 so they gave him the nickname of Messere Marco 
 Millioni, an appellation which I have seen in the public 
 records of this republic where mention is made of him. 
 The court of his house, in the confine of S. Giovanni 
 Crisostomo, has always from that time been known as 
 the Corte del Millioni." ^ 
 
 ' China. " For about three centuries," says Yule, " the Northern provinces 
 of China had been detached from native rule, and subject to foreign dynasties ; 
 first to the Khitau, a people from the basin of the Sungari River, and supposed 
 (but doubtfully) to have bo^n akin to the Tunguses, whose rule subsisted for 200 
 years, and originated the name Khitai, Khata, or Cathay, by which for nearly 
 1000 years China has been known to the nations of Inner Asia, and to those 
 whose acquaintance with it was got by that channel." — The book of Ser Marco 
 Polo. By Henry Yule. London, 1875. Introd. p. 11. 
 
 * Ramusio ; Raccolta di navigationi e viaggi. vol. ii. Prefatione. 
 
56 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 These conversational descriptions respecting' the 
 remote dominions of the Grand Khan, with which 
 Marco Polo often interested the imaginative Venetians, 
 were to have a much wider field of influence in 
 another form, — one which was a most potent element 
 among the leading agencies which opened to the peo- 
 ple of Western Europe great pathways of discovery 
 and of commerce around the earth. In order to per- 
 ceive how these descriptions of Cathay led to the ex- 
 ploration of the Atlantic Ocean and the discovery of the 
 continent of America, the fortunes of Marco Polo must 
 be followed farther. It appears that shortly after his 
 return to Venice he was placed in command of a fleet, 
 which subsequently was captured by the Genoese in a 
 naval engagement. While confined in Genoa as a 
 prisoner of war, his remarkable adventures as an 
 explorer of remote eastern countries became known, 
 and he was often visited and questioned by inquisitive 
 people. Wearied by the frequent repetition of the story 
 of his wanderings in Cathay, he at last applied himself 
 to writing an account of his extensive journeys by the 
 aid of such notes and memoranda as he had taken while 
 in the East. Assisted by a Genoese gentleman, he 
 completed his curious and instructive narrative, which 
 was soon copied, translated into different languages, 
 and distributed among the people of Europe.' 
 
 ' Concerning Marco Polo, Humboldt remarks: " Jacquet, who was un- 
 happily too early removed by a premature death from the investigation of 
 Asiatic languages, and who, like Klaproth and myself, was long occupied 
 with the work of the great Venetian traveller, wrote to me, as follows, shortly 
 before his decease : ' I am as much struck as yourself by the composition of the 
 Milione. It is undoubtedly founded on the direct and personal observation of 
 the traveller, but he probably also made use of documents either officially or 
 privately communicated to him. Many things appear to have been borrowed 
 from Chinese and Mongolian works, although it is difficult to determine their 
 precise influence on the composition of the Milione ; owing to the successive 
 translations from which Polo took his extracts. Whilst our modern travellers 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 57 
 
 As justly claimed by Yule, Marco Polo was the 
 first traveller " to trace a route across the longitude 
 of Asia, naming and describing kingdom after king- 
 dom which he had seen with his own eyes ; the des- 
 erts of Persia, the flowering plateaux and wild gorges 
 of Badakhshan, the jade-bearing rivers of Khotan, the 
 Mongolian steppes, * * * the new and brilliant 
 court that had been established at Cambaluc ; the first 
 traveller to reveal China in all its wealth and vastness, 
 its mighty rivers, its huge cities, its rich manufactures, 
 its swarming population, the inconceivably vast fleets 
 that quickened its seas and its inland waters ; to tell us 
 of the nations on its borders with all their eccentricities 
 of manners and worship ; of Tibet with its sordid 
 devotees ; of Burma, with its golden pagodas and their 
 tinkling crowns ; of Laos, of Siam, of Cochin China, 
 of Japan, the Eastern Thule, with its rosy pearls and 
 golden-roofed palaces ; the first to speak of that mu- 
 seum of beauty and wonder, still so imperfectly ran- 
 sacked, the Indian archipelago, source of aromatics 
 then so highly prized and whose origin was so dark ; 
 of Java, the pearl of islands ; of Sumatra with its many 
 kings, its strange costly products, and its cannibal 
 races ; of the naked savages of Nicobar and Andaman ; 
 of Ceylon, the isle of gems, with its sacred mountain 
 and its tomb of Adam ; of India the great, not as a 
 dreamland of Alexandrian fables but as a country seen 
 and partially explored, with its virtuous Brahmans, 
 
 are only too well pleased to occupy their readers with their personal adventures, 
 Marco Polo takes pains to blend his own observations with the official data com- 
 municated to him, of which, as Governor of the city of Yangui, he was able to 
 have a large number.' (See my Asie Centrale, t. ii. p. 395.) The compiling 
 method of the celebrated traveller likewise explains the possibility of his being 
 able to dictate his book at Genoa, in 1295, to his fellow-prisoner and friend, 
 Messer Rustizielo of Pisa, as if the documents had been lying before him. 
 (Compare Marsden, Travels of Marco Polo, ^. :f.xxii\)." Humboldt: Cosmos. 
 Otte's trans, vol. ii, p. 625, Note. 
 
58 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 its obscene ascetics, its diamonds and the strange tales 
 of their acquisition, its sea-beds of pearl, and its power- 
 ful sun ; the first in medieval times to give any dis- 
 tinct account of the secluded Christian empire of 
 Abyssinia and the semi-Christian island of Socotra ; to 
 speak, though indeed dimly, of Zanzibar with its negroes 
 and its ivory, and of the vast and distant Madagascar, 
 bordering on the dark ocean of the South, with its rue 
 and other monstrocities ; and, in a remotely oppo- 
 site region, of Siberia and the Arctic Ocean, of dog- 
 sledges, white bears, and reindeer-riding Tunguses." ' 
 
 Never before had the people of Europe heard of 
 such extraordinary wealth and unlimited resources as 
 existed in the far-off countries visited by Marco Polo. 
 His novel descriptions of stately, gold-covered palaces, 
 of the royal magnificence of the entertainments of the 
 Grand Khan, of the intoxicating fragrance of an endless 
 profusion of rare flowers, of luscious fruits and sweet 
 spicery, of heavily laden argosies of valuable merchan- 
 dise floating on noble rivers, and of vast collections of 
 gold, silver, and precious stones, were read with the 
 most exaggerated conceptions of their reality. These 
 enchanting details respecting Cathay and the adjacent 
 countries were fully confirmed in the fourteenth century 
 by Sir John Mandeville, who, in 1322, departed from 
 England, and after an absence of thirty-four years in. 
 different countries returned to write, in Latin, in French, 
 and in English, a narrative of his extended travels."" 
 
 *Ser Marco Polo. Yule. Second ed. vol. i. pp. 103, 104. 
 
 ^ " I John Maundevylle, knight, alle be it I be not worlhi, that was born in 
 England, in the Town of Seynt Albones, passed the See, in the zeer of our Lord 
 Jesu Crist mcccxxii, in the Day of Seynt Michelle ; and hidre to have ben 
 long tyme over the See, and have seyn and gon thorghe manye dyverse Londes, 
 and many Provynces and Kingdomes and lies, and have passed thorghe Tar- 
 tarye, Percye, Ermonye, tlie litylle and the grete ; thorghe Lybye, Caldee, 
 and a gret partie of Ethiope ; thorghe Amazoyne, Inde the lasse and 
 the more, a gret partie ; and thorghe out many othere lies, that ben 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 59 
 
 Dazzled by the splendor of the Orient the people 
 of Western Europe were eager to enter into commercial 
 intercourse with the inhabitants of Cathay. But there 
 were innumerable barriers, both natural and political, 
 obstructing all the overland ways to the East. Chief 
 among the obstacles classed as political was the selfish 
 exclusiveness of the different governments possessing 
 the intervening territory. Had there been no national 
 opposition to the establishment of a protected system 
 of overland commerce between Western Europe and 
 Eastern Asia, the distance was too great to be travelled 
 over by slowly moving caravans. 
 
 As early as the year 1 343 the aggressive enterprise 
 of the Venetians had obtained from the sultan of 
 Egypt the exclusive privilege of sending ships to trade 
 in the ports of that country and of Syria. The mer- 
 chants of Venice thereupon established commercial 
 agencies at Alexandria and Damascus. Their factors 
 penetrated Central and Southern Asia, and became 
 active participants in the remunerative traffic of those 
 regions. The prized productions of the islands in the 
 Indian Ocean, such as pepper, cinnamon, cloves, and 
 other spices, were transported by them to Venice and 
 distributed through Europe. Although the ocean along 
 the western and southern coast of Africa to the East 
 was believed to be navigable, no attempt was made 
 in the fourteenth century to sail by it to the Moluccas 
 or Spice Islands. Concerning the early navigation of 
 the sea-path along the coast of Africa, from the Pillars 
 of Hercules to the Arabian Sea, Herodotus says that 
 when Necho, king of Egypt, " had ceased digging the 
 
 abouten Inde. * * * And zee schulleundirstonde, that I have put this Boke 
 out of Latyn into Frensche and translated it azen out of Frensche into Eng- 
 lyssche, that every Man of my Nacioun may undirstondeit." — MS. in Cottonian 
 library, marked Titus, c. xvi. The Voiage and Travaile of Sir John Maunde- 
 vile, Kt. By J. O. Halliwell. London, 1849. Prologue, pp. 4, 5. 
 
6o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 canal leading from the Nile to the Arabian Gulf, he 
 sent certain Phoenicians in ships, with orders to sail 
 between the Pillars of Hercules into the Northern 
 Sea [the Mediterranean], and so to return to Egypt. 
 These Phoenicians, taking their course from the Red 
 Sea, entered the Southern Ocean. On the approach 
 of autumn they landed in Libya [Africa] , and planted 
 some corn in the place where they happened to find 
 themselves. When this was ripe, and they had cut it 
 down, they again departed. Having thus consumed 
 two years, they in the third doubled the Pillars of 
 Hercules, and returned to Egypt. Their account may 
 obtain attention from others, but to me it seems in- 
 credible, for they affirmed, that having sailed around 
 Libya, they had the sun on their right hand. Thus 
 was Libya for the first time known." ' 
 
 Pliny, the celebrated encyclopedist of ancient times, 
 says that " while the power of Carthage was at its 
 height, Hanno published an account of a voyage which 
 he made from Gades [Cadiz, Spain], to the extremity 
 of Arabia.'' * * * Besides, we learn from Cornelius 
 Nepos, that one Eudoxus, a contemporary of his, when 
 he was fleeing from King Lathyrus, set out from the 
 Arabian Gulf, and was carried as far as Gades.^ And 
 long before him, Cselius Antipater informs us that he 
 had seen a person who had sailed from Spain to 
 -Ethiopia for the purpose of trade. The same Cor- 
 nelius Nepos, when speaking of the northern circum- 
 navigation, tells us that Q. Metellus Celer, the col- 
 league of L. Afranius in the consulship, but then a 
 
 * Herodotus: Melpomene xlii. 
 
 ' Caius Plinius Secundus, a Roman writer, born A. D. 23, and died A. D. 79. 
 
 Hanno's expedition was undertaken about 570 B. C. 
 
 ' Eudoxus of Cyzicus, a Greek navigator, lived about 130 B. c. Ptolemy 
 Lathyrus began his reign b. c. 117. Cornelius Nepos flourished in the cen- 
 tury before the Christian era. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 6i 
 
 proconsul in Gaul,' had a present made to him by the 
 king of the Suevi,^ of certain Indians, who, sailing 
 from India for the purpose of commerce, had been 
 driven by tempests to Germany." ^ 
 
 These statements were quoted in the fourteenth and 
 fifteenth centuries to support the growing belief that 
 India could be reached in a short time by sailing round 
 the coast of Africa. But the want of nautical instru- 
 ments restrained seamen from undertaking a voyage 
 which carried them beyond the sight of familiar coasts 
 and beneath new constellations. It was extremely 
 perilous for European navigators to attempt to sail to 
 India before they had acquired a knowledge of the use 
 of the mariner's compass and of the astrolabe. The 
 polarity of the magnet was known among oriental 
 nations several centuries before the Christian era. The 
 use of the magnetic needle for the guidance of vessels, 
 however, did not become popular in Europe until as 
 late as the fourteenth century."* The slowness with 
 which its use grew into favor with European seamen is 
 ascribable to the prevailing superstition which hung 
 
 ^ Supposed to have been in the year of the building of Rome, 691. 
 
 ' Suevi, the ancient inhabitants of that part of Germany between the Danube 
 and the Baltic Sea. 
 
 ^ Historia Naturalis. lib. ii. cap. Ixvii. 
 
 * " In Christian Europe the earliest mention of the use of the magnetic 
 needle occurs in the pfelitico-satirical poem, called La Bible, by Guyot, of 
 Provence, in 1 190, and in the description of Palestine by Jacobus, of Vitry, 
 Bishop of Ptolemais, between 1204 and 1215. Dante (in his Parad. xii., 29) 
 refers, in a simile, to the needle {ago) ' which points to the star.' " 
 
 "Navarrete, in Mm Discurso historico sobre los progresos del Arte de Nave- 
 gar en Espaiia, 1802, p. 28, recalls a remarkable passage in the Spanish Leyes 
 de las Partidas (II. tit. ix., ley 28), of the middle of the thirteenth century : 
 ' The needle, which guides the seaman in the dark night, and shows him, both 
 in good and bad weather, how to direct his course, is the intermediary agent 
 {medianerd) between the loadstone {la piedrd) and the north star.' * * * 
 See the passage in Las Siete Partidas del sabio Rey Don Alonso elix. (accord- 
 ing to the usually adopted chronological order, Alonso the Xth). Madrid, 
 1829. t. i. p. 473." — Humboldt: Cosmos, Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 629, and 
 note. 
 
62 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 like a darkening cloud over the minds of the people. 
 The stransfe conservatism of the aofe is well described 
 in a letter written, as it seems, in the year i258, by 
 Brunetto Latini, a learned Italian, Dante's tutor, to 
 Guido Cavalcanti of Florence. Speaking of his visit 
 to Roger Bacon, the English philosopher and monk, at 
 Oxford, England, he says : 
 
 " The Parliament being summoned to assemble at 
 Oxford, I did not fail to see Friar Bacon as soon as I 
 arrived, and [among other things] he showed me a 
 black ugly stone, called a magnet, which has the sur- 
 prising property of drawing iron to it ; and upon which, 
 if a needle be rubbed, and afterwards fastened to a 
 straw, so that it shall swim upon water, the needle will 
 instantly turn toward the pole-star ; therefore, be the 
 night ever so dark, so that neither moon nor star be 
 visible, yet shall the mariner be able, by the help of the 
 needle, to steer his vessel aright.^ 
 
 " This discovery, which appears useful in so great 
 a degree to all who travel by sea, must remain con- 
 cealed until other times, because no master-mariner 
 dares to use it lest he should fall under a supposition 
 of his being a magician ; nor would even the sailors 
 venture themselves out to sea under his command if 
 he took with him an instrument which carries so great 
 an appearance of being constructed under the influence 
 of some infernal spirit. A time may come when these 
 prejudices, which are of such great hindrance to re- 
 searches into the secrets of nature, will probably be no 
 more ; and then it will be that mankind shall reap the 
 benefit of the labors of such learned men as Friar 
 
 ' " La viagncte piere laide et noire. Ob ete fer voleniers se joint. Lon toiichet 
 oh une aguilct. Et en festue lon Jischie. Pitis lon victte en laigue et se tient 
 desus. Et la point se tome contre lestoille. Quant la nuit feit tenebrous et lon 
 ne "voie estoile ne lune, poet li mariner tenir droite voie." 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 63 
 
 Bacon, and do justice to diat industry and intelligence 
 for which he and they now meet with no other return 
 than obloquy and reproach." ^ 
 
 About the beginning of the fourteenth century, 
 Flavia Gioja of Amalfi, in Naples, devised what were 
 then known as the eight points of the superficies — the 
 four cardinal and the four intermediate points of the 
 compass-card.^ From this time forward the use of the 
 magnet gradually found favor with European seamen. 
 
 The most enthusiastic projector of voyages of dis- 
 covery undertaken to ascertain the character of the 
 land and water divisions of the earth, in the early part 
 of the fifteenth century, was Prince Henry, the son of 
 King John I. of Portugal.^ When twenty-one years of 
 age, he witnessed, In 141 5, the taking of Ceuta, on 
 the northern coast of Africa, opposite the southern ex- 
 tremity of Portugal. While at this opulent city, he 
 learned from its merchants and traders that the conti- 
 nent extended far southward and was inhabited by 
 many strange people. Fixing his residence on the 
 promontory of Sagres, at the southwestern extremity 
 of Portugal, he began to send the most experienced sea- 
 men in the service of Portugal to explore the western 
 coast of Africa. For a time Cape de Nao, in north lati- 
 tude, 28° 45' was considered the limit of safe navigation. 
 It was a common saying among Portuguese seamen, 
 
 ^ The Monthly Magazine, or British Register. London, 1802. vol. xiii. 
 part I. p. 449. The Life of Prince Henry of Portugal. By Henry Major. 
 London, 1868. pp. 58, 59. 
 
 ^ " We are told by Antonio Beccadelli, surnamed II Panormita from his 
 birthplace, Palermo, and who was a contemporary of Prince Henry, that sailors 
 were first indebted to Amalfi for the use of the magnet — '■Prima dedit nauiis 
 ustim magnelis Amalphis ' j and 'Ifiventrix prcBcIara fuit magnetis Amalphis.' 
 * * * Yhe former of these lines is quoted from II Panormita by Henricus 
 Brenemanus, in his Dissertatio de Republica Amalfitana, and Klaproth has 
 added the latter." Life of Prince Henry of Portugal. Major, p. 59. 
 
 *Dom Henrique was born at Oporto, March 4, 1394. 
 
64 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 that " He who should pass Cabo cle Nao, either will 
 return or not." ' Beyond it was Cape Bojador, in 26° 
 1 2' north latitude. This rocky headland, for a time, was 
 also deemed perilous and impassable. " Beyond this 
 cape " it was said, ** there is no people whatever ; 
 the ground is as barren as that of Libya, — no water, no 
 trees, no grass in it ; the sea is so shallow that at a 
 league from the land it is only a fathom deep ; the cur- 
 rents are so strong that a ship passing the cape cannot 
 return."^ The attempts made by Prince Henry's mari- 
 ners to double the two capes are thus commented upon 
 by Antonio Galvano, the Portuguese historian, 3 in his 
 treatise respecting the routes by which spices came 
 from India to the year i55o : " In those days none of 
 the Portuguese had yet passed Cabo de Nao in 29 de- 
 grees of latitude." But after it was doubled, " when 
 they came to another cape named Bojador, there was 
 not one of them that dared to risk his life beyond it. 
 The prince was exceedingly displeased with their want 
 of confidence and unmanly timidity." '^ Of the number 
 
 ' " Qiiem passar o Cabo de Nao, ou voltara ou nao." 
 
 * Chronica do descobrimento e conquista de Guine, escripta per mandado 
 de el Rey. D. Affonso V. sob a direc^ao scientifica e secundo as instruc9oes do 
 illustre infante D. Henrique, pelo chronista Gomes Eannes de Azurara, fiel- 
 mente transladada do manuscrito original contemporaneo que se conserva na 
 Bibliotheca Real de Pariz. Edited by the Visconde da Carreira, with introduc- 
 tion and notes by the Vicomte de Santarem. Paris, 1841. cap. viii. 
 
 'Antonio Galvano was born about the year 1502. In 1538 he was appointed 
 by the king of Portugal governor of the Moluccas or Spice Islands. He was 
 recalled about the year 1545, and died in 1557. 
 
 * Tratado, que compos o nobre & notauel capitao Antonio Galuao, dos 
 diuersos & desuayrados caminhos, por onde nos tempos passados a pimenta 
 & especearia veyo da India as nossas partes, & assi de todos os descobrimen- 
 tos antigos & modernos, que sao feitos ate a era de mil & quinhentos & 
 cincoenta. * * * Impressa em casa de Joam de Barreira impressor del rey 
 nosso senhor, na Rua de Sa Mameda. [Lisboa.] 
 
 Vide The discoveries of the world, from their first original unto the year 
 of our Lord 1555, by Antonio Galvano, governor of Ternate. Corrected, 
 quoted, and published in England, by Richard Hakluyt, (1610). Now re- 
 printed, with the original Portuguese text, and edited by Vice-admiral Bethune, 
 C. B. London, 1862. Hakluyt Society publication. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 65 
 
 of seamen that had made unsuccessful attempts to pass 
 the cape was Gil Eannes. Disappointed as Prince 
 Henry was by these failures to accomplish that which 
 he had ordered them to do, he nevertheless gave his 
 timorous navigators all the encouragement he could to 
 induce them to make other and more persistent efforts 
 to double the formidable headland. In 1434, he again 
 sent Gil Eannes to explore the coast beyond Cape 
 Bojador. Before the latter departed the prince en- 
 deavored to dispel the terrifying fancies that might 
 deter him from attempting to prosecute the undertak- 
 ine for which he was commissioned. " You cannot 
 incur such peril " said the prince, " that the promised 
 reward shall not be commensurate thereto. It is very 
 strange to me that you should be governed by a fear 
 of something of which you are ignorant, for if the 
 things reported had any authentication, I should not 
 find fault with you for believing them. The stories of the 
 four seamen driven out of their course to Flanders or 
 to the ports to which they were sailing are not to be 
 credited, for they had not and could not have used the 
 needle and the chart. But do you go notwithstanding, 
 and make your voyage without being influenced by 
 their opinions, and, by the grace of God, you will not 
 fail to secure, by your enterprise, both honor and com- 
 pensation."^ Gil Eannes followed the advice of his 
 sanguine patron, and succeeded the same year in doub- 
 ling Cape Bojador and in exploring a part of the coast 
 beyond it. 
 
 South of Cape Bojador it was believed that a zone 
 of scorching heat would be entered by vessels sailing 
 toward the equator. Pliny adverts to it in these 
 words : " The middle of the earth, over which is the 
 
 'Chronica do descobrimento e conquista de Guine. cap. ix. 
 
66 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 path of the sun, is parched and set on fire by the lu- 
 minary, and is consumed by being so near the heat. 
 There are only tv/o of the zones which are temperate 
 — those which lie between the torrid and the frigid 
 zones — and these are separated from each other, in con- 
 sequence of the scorching heat of the heavenly bodies."' 
 Conceiving this statement to be as fallacious as many 
 other declarations of the early geographers had been, 
 Prince Henry, in 1454, sent Luigi da Cadamosto, a 
 Venetian navigator, to explore the coast beyond Cape 
 Bojador so long invested with so many imaginary ter- 
 rors. In 1462 Pedro de Cintra sailed three hundred 
 miles beyond Sierre Leone. 
 
 As it was necessary for seamen to know the latitude 
 and longitude of the places to which they desired to 
 sail, another nautical instrument besides the mariner's 
 compass was needed by them."" The adaptation of an 
 instrument called the astrolabe, by which the latitudes 
 
 ' Historia Naturalis. lib. ii. cap. Ixviii. 
 
 ' The distance of a place, north or south of the equator, was determined by 
 ascertaining with the astrolabe the elevation of the pole of the heavens above 
 the plane of the horizon. 
 
 The distance of one place from another, east or west of a meridian, was 
 obtained by ascertaining the difference of time at the two points ; the difference 
 of time being one hour to each space of fifteen degrees of longitude. Although 
 a navigator in the latter part of the fifteenth century could determine with his 
 astrolabe the time of the place where he was in port, from the altitude of the sun 
 or other heavenly bodies, the want of an accurate chronometer made it impossi- 
 ble for him to know the exact time of a place elsewhere. Pigafetta, who 
 sailed round the world in 1519-1522, says in his treatise on naviga- 
 tion : " Pilots now are satisfied with knowing the latitude, and are so pre- 
 sumptuous that they refuse to hear longitude mentioned." — MS. in Ambro- 
 sian Library, Milan. 
 
 To obtain a practical solution of the difficulties which perplexed seamen in 
 determining the longitude of places, the Spanish government offered a thousand 
 crowns, in 1598, for an accurate method of ascertaining the time of distant 
 places. Not long afterward the government of the United Provinces of the 
 Netherlands offered ten thousand florins for similar information, and, in 1714, 
 the parliament of Great Britain passed an act proffering a gift of money to any 
 person who should discover the best means of ascertaining longitude. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. dj 
 
 of places could be determined, apparently originated 
 with King John II. of Portugal.^ 
 
 It is said that " when Prince Henry began the dis- 
 covery of Guinea that all mariners were accustomed to 
 sail along the coasts, and that they always steered their 
 courses by observing the physical features of the land, 
 which are still used as guides." ■ 
 
 "This method of navigating permitted them to make 
 voyages from place to place ; but when they wished 
 to sail in the open sea, losing sight of the coast and 
 standing out on the wide ocean, they perceived the 
 numerous errors they had made in calculating and 
 judging the day's run, for they had been accustomed 
 to allow so much way to the ship in the twenty-four 
 hours on account of the currents and the other myste- 
 ries of the sea, the facts of which are clearly demon- 
 strated by navigating by altitude. But as necessity is 
 the teacher of all arts, in the time of King John II., 
 the matter of navigation was assigned by him to Mas- 
 ter Roderic, and Master Joseph, a Jew, (who were his 
 physicians,) and to one Martin of Bohemia, a native of 
 those parts, who boasted of being a pupil of John of 
 Monteregius, a famous astronomer among the profes- 
 sors of that science,^ and these devised the way of navi- 
 gating by the sun's altitude, and they made tables of 
 
 ^ Joam II. of Portugal reigned from 148 1 to 1495. 
 
 "Astrolabes designed for the determination of time and geographical lati- 
 tudes by meridian altitudes, and capable of being employed at sea, underwent 
 gradual improvement from the time that the astrolabium of the Majorican 
 pilots was in use, which is described by Raymond Lully, in 1295, in his Arte 
 de navegar, till the invention of the instrument made by Martin Behaim, in 
 1484, at Lisbon, and which was, perhaps, only a simplification of the meteoro- 
 scope of his friend Regiomontanus." — Humboldt : Cosmos. Otte's trans, 
 vol. ii. pp. 630, 631. 
 
 "^ Martin Behaim was born in Nuremberg about the year 1459. His com- 
 mercial business induced him to visit Portugal about the year 1480, where, it is 
 said, he became a pupil of Johann MiiUer, known as Regiomontanus. He accom- 
 panied Diogo Cam to the Congo, in 14S4. Pie afterward resided on the island 
 of Fayal, one of the Azores, for a number of years. His celebrated terrestrial 
 
68 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 his declination such as are now used by navigators, 
 now more complete than they were at the beginning 
 when the great wooden astrolabes were first used."* 
 
 This novel and serviceable nautical instrument, first 
 made of wood and of a triangular shape, was soon in 
 <jeneral use on Portutruese vessels. The astrolabe was 
 improved from time to time. At the beginning of the 
 seventeenth century, when the French seaman, Samuel 
 de Champlain, was exploring'the St. Lawrence River 
 and its tributaries, it was a disk of brass, having one of 
 its faces marked with degrees and minutes. A brass 
 rule, called a label, with sight-holes, turning upon a 
 pivot at the centre of the instrument, moved over the 
 marked circumference of the disk. At the zenith part 
 of the instrument there was a small ring by which it 
 could be suspended from the thumb of the person taking 
 an observation. When used the astrolabe was turned 
 to the sun, so that his rays could freely pass through 
 the two sight-holes of the label. In this position the 
 altitude of the sun was indicated on the divided limb of 
 the instrument. Opposite the zenith point was a small 
 eyelet from which a weight could be suspended to keep 
 the instrument from shaking when used. 
 
 In the fifteenth century the day's run of a ship was 
 commonly reckoned by the pilot. In an old nautical 
 work it is said : " In order to know the speed of the 
 ship over the length of the course the pilot must set 
 down in his journal the progress the vessel has made 
 according to hours ; and to do this he must know that 
 the greatest distance that a ship advances in an hour is 
 four miles, and with feebler breezes, three or only 
 
 globe was constructed by him, at Nuremberg, about the year 1492. He died at 
 Lisbon, on the twenty-ninth of July, 1506. 
 
 'Asia de Joam de Barros dos fectos que os Portugueses fizcram no descob- 
 rimento & conquista dos mares & terras do Oriente. Impressa per Germao Gal- 
 harde em Lixboa : a xxviij. de Junho anno de m. v":, lij. dec. i. lib. iv. 
 cap ii. 
 
A representation of the astrolabe found in 1S67 in the county of North 
 Renfrew, province of Ontario, Canada, supposed to have been lost by 
 Champlain on his way to Ottawa in 1613. The diameter of the instrument 
 is "five inches and five-eights." Vide " Champlain's astrolabe." By A. 
 J. Russell. Montreal, 1879. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 69 
 
 two." ^ Time was measured by sand-glasses, or am- 
 polleias, as they were called by the Spaniards. Forty- 
 eight changes of these half-hour glasses equalled the 
 space of a day.^ 
 
 In 1487 the persistent enterprise of the Portuguese 
 in exploring a commercial route to India along the 
 west and south coasts of Africa was notably signalized 
 by the success attending the expedition commanded by 
 the adventurous seaman, Bartolomeu Dias. The in- 
 domitable zeal of this Portuguese mariner enabled him 
 to reach the southern extremity of Africa, where he 
 found a bold promonitory to which he gave the name 
 of Cabo Tormentoso, (the Stormy Cape,) commemora- 
 tive of the adverse winds and bad weather encountered 
 there. King John II., personally appreciating the good 
 fortune attending the explorations of the navigators of 
 Portugal in this direction during the previous seventy 
 years, in which time more than six thousand miles of 
 coast-line had been inspected by them, called the prom- 
 ontory discovered by Dias, Cabo de Boa Esperan9a 
 (the Cape of Good Hope).^ 
 
 ' Arte de nauegar. Por el maestro Pedro de Medina. Valladolld. 1545. 
 
 ''"I find the first mention of the application of the log in a passage of 
 Pigafetta's journal of Magellan's voyage of circumnavigation, which long lay 
 buried among the manuscripts in the Ambrosian Library at Milan. It is there 
 said that in the month of January, 1521, when Magellan had already arrived in 
 the Pacific, ' Seconda la misura che facevamo del viaggio colla catena a poppa noi 
 percorrevaino da to in 70 leghe algiomo,' [following the measure which we made 
 of our progress with the chain at the stern, we ran from sixty to seventy leagues 
 a day]. (Amoretti. Primo Viaggio intorno al Globo terracqneo ossia Naviga- 
 zione fattadal Cavaliere Antonio Pigafetta sulla squadra del Magaglianes, 1800. 
 p. 46.) What can this arrangement of a chain at the hinder part of the ship 
 {catena a poppa), ' which we used throughout the entire voyage to measure the 
 way,' have been except an apparatus similar to our log ? " — Humboldt : Cosmos. 
 Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 633. 
 
 *The Cape of Good Hope is in 34° 22' south latitude. 
 
 It is said that Dias found by the astrolabe that the cape was in 45° south 
 latitude, and that it was 3, 100 leagues distant from Lisbon. This distance, it is 
 related, Dias set down, league by league, on a marine chart, which he presented 
 to King John II. Historia General de las Indias. Bartolome de las Casas. 
 lib. i. cap. vii. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 1474-1492. 
 
 The success attending the voyages of the Portuguese 
 along the coast of Africa suggested to Cristoforo 
 Colombo ' (or Christopher Columbus, as he is more 
 commonly called by those speaking English), the possi- 
 bility of sailing by a shorter way to India in another 
 direction. Ferdinand Columbus, in his history of the 
 life and achievements of his father,^ makes no attempt to 
 
 * Cristoforo Colombo was born in the city of Genoa, about the year 1435. 
 His father, Dominico Colombo, was a wool-comber. The navigator married, in 
 Lisbon, Doiia Felipa, the daughter of Bartolomeo Monis de Perestrello, a dis- 
 tinguished mariner, who had been in the service of Prince Henry of Portugal. 
 
 Ferdinand Columbus, in his history of the life and achievements of his father, 
 remarks : " So it is that some, who would cast a cloud upon his fame, say he 
 was of Nervi, others of Cugureo, and others of Bugiesco, all small towns near 
 the city of Genoa, and upon its coast. Others, who wish to exalt him, say he 
 was a native of Savona, others of Genoa, and oth*s, more vain, make him of 
 Piacenza, in which city there are some honorable persons of his family and 
 tombs with the arms and inscriptions of the family of Colombi, this being the 
 common surname of his ancestors, though he, complying with the customs of the 
 country where he went to live and begin a new condition of life, altered the 
 word that it might be like the old name, and designated the direct from the 
 collateral line, calling himself Colon. * * * And the surname of Colon- 
 which he revived was appropriate, which in Greek signifies a member, and his 
 Christian name being Christopher, designate him as being a member of Christ, 
 by whom salvation was conveyed to those Indian people." — Histoire del Signore 
 Don Fernando Colombo, cap. i. 
 
 ''■ Fernando Colombo, an illegitimate son of the admiral, was born in Cor- 
 dova about the year 1487. After his father's discovery of the New World, he 
 was made page to Prince Juan, the son of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. 
 He accompanied his father in his fourth voyage, in 1502, and after the latter's 
 death, sailed twice to the West Indies. He was excellently educated, and was 
 the author of several works. His library, it is said, contained more than twenty 
 thousand books and manuscripts, which, after his death, became the property 
 of the cathedral of Seville. The manuscript of his history of the life of his 
 
 70 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 71 
 
 conceal this fact from publicity. With an apparent 
 intention to give all the information which might be 
 desired concerning the great discoverer's first thoughts 
 respecting the practicability of reaching Asia by sailing 
 in a westerly direction, he frankly tells what originated 
 them in the mind of the admiral. " As one thing leads 
 to another, and one thought to another, in this way, 
 while the admiral was in Portugal, he began to infer 
 that as the Portuguese sailed so far southward, it was 
 also feasible to steer westward, and that land might 
 likely be found in this direction. In order to be more 
 assured and satisfied in this matter, he began to review 
 the cosmographies which he had read, and to note what 
 astronomical reasons would support this theory.' That 
 
 father was lost before the work appeared in Spanish. It is said that Luis Colon, 
 duke of Veragua, a dissipated grandson of the navigator, went to Genoa about 
 the yean 568, taking Fernando's manuscript with him, and placed it in the hands 
 of Baltano de Fornari, by whom it was transferred to Giorgio Baptista Marini, 
 who had it translated into Italian, after which it was printed in Venice in this 
 language, and also in Latin. Alfonso de Ulloa's Italian translation of it was 
 published, in Venice, in 1571, entitled Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo ; 
 nelli quali s' ha particolare, & vera relatione della vita, & de 'fatti dell 'Ammi- 
 raglio D. Cristoforo Colombo, suo-padre. There are several English translations 
 of Fernando Colombo's history. Vide Collection of voyages and travels by 
 [A. & J.] Churchhill. London, 1732. vol. ii. pp. 499-628. Pinkerton's Col- 
 lection of voyages and travels. London, 1819. vol. ii. pp. 1-155. 
 
 ^ Columbus, in his investigations, no doubt, became informed concerning 
 the arguments advanced by the Greek astronomer, Anaximander, in the sixth 
 century before the Christian era, respecting the globular form of the earth. He 
 evidently read what Aristotle wrote in the fifth century of the Christian era : 
 " As to the figure of the earth, it must necessarily be spherical, * * * And, 
 moreover, from the visible phenomena, for if it were not so, the eclipses of the 
 moon would not have such sections as they have. For in the configurations in 
 the course of a month, the deficient part takes all different shapes ; it is straight, 
 and concave, and convex ; but in eclipses it always has the line of division con- 
 vex ; wherefore, since the moon is eclipsed in consequence of the interposition 
 of the earth, the periphery of the earth must be the cause of this by having a 
 spherical form. And again, from the appearance of the stars, it is clear not only 
 that the earth is round, but that its size is not very great ; for when we go a little 
 distance to the south or to the north, the circle of the horizon becomes palpably 
 different, so that the stars overheard undergo a great change, and are not the 
 same to those that travel to the north and to the south. For some stars are seen 
 
72 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 he might be more enlightened concerning his assump- 
 tjcn, he paid attention to what was said by people 
 respecting it, especially by seamen. His diligent investi- 
 gations soon led him to conclude that there were many 
 lands west of the Canaries and the Cape Verd Islands, 
 and that it was practicable to sail to and discover 
 them." ' 
 
 The remarkable aptitude displayed by Columbus 
 in formine his conclusions that the Atlantic Ocean was 
 navigable, and that ships might pass across its unex- 
 plored expanse to Cathay, was the natural expression 
 of his peculiar passion for geographical knowledge. In 
 a letter written to their Spanish majesties, King Ferdi- 
 nand and Queen Isabella, in i5oi, he says: "I went 
 to sea when quite young, and have continued my sea- 
 faring until now ; and this profession makes those who 
 follow it eager to discover the secrets of this globe. It 
 is now forty years that I have been sailing to all those 
 places which are at present visited, and I have dealt 
 and talked with learned people, ecclesiastics as well as 
 laymen, Latins, Greeks, Indians, Moors, and many 
 other people of different nations, and our Lord has 
 favored this inclination, and I have received from him 
 
 in Egypt and at Cyprus, but are not seen in the countries nortjj of them ; and the 
 stars that in the north are visible while they make a complete circu.it there [in 
 Egypt and at Cyprus], undergo a setting. So that from this it is manifest, not 
 only that the form of the earth is round, but also that it is not a very large sphere ; 
 for otherwise the difference would not be so obvious to persons making so small 
 a change of place. Wherefore we may judge that those persons who connect the 
 region in the neighborhood of the Pillars of Hercules with that toward India, and 
 who assert that in this way the sea is one, do not assert things very improbable. 
 They confirm this conjecture, moreover, by elephants, which are said to be of 
 the same species toward each extreme of the earth, as if this circumstance was 
 a consequence of the conjunction of the extreme parts. The mathematicians, who 
 try to calculate the measure of the circumference, make it amount to 400,000 
 stadia ; whence we infer that the earth is not only spherical, but that it is not 
 large compared with the magnitude of the other stars " — De "oelo. lib. iL 
 cap. xiv. 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. v. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 73 
 
 the spirit of understanding. He has made me very- 
 skillful in navigation, and to know much in astronomy, 
 in geometry, and mathematics. God has given me the 
 knowledge and the ability to portray the globe, and 
 also to delineate cities, rivers, islands, and ports in their 
 proper situation. During my life I have examined and 
 endeavored to see all books of cosmography, history, 
 and philosophy, and of the other sciences, so that our 
 Lord has sensibly opened my mind in order that I may 
 sail from here to the Indies, and has made me ex- 
 tremely anxious to do it."^ 
 
 Columbus's irrepressible desire to possess all the 
 information he could acquire respecting the navigable 
 water-ways of the Atlantic also led him to sail over the 
 sea-path to Iceland and to the south coast of Africa, at 
 the equator. In his geographical work, written " to 
 show that all the five zones are habitable," he says : 
 " * In February, 1467, I sailed myself a hundred leagues 
 beyond Thule, the northern part of which is seventy 
 degrees distant from the equator, and not sixty-three 
 degrees as some will have it to be ; nor does it lie upon 
 the line where Ptolemy's West begins, but much more 
 to the westward, and to this island, which is as large as 
 England, the English trade, especially those from Bris- 
 tol.^ At the time I was there the sea was not frozen, 
 but the tides were so great that in some places it 
 swelled twenty-six fathoms and fell as much.' The 
 truth is, that the Thule of which Ptolemy speaks lies 
 where he says, and this is called by the moderns Prize- 
 land." Again he says : " I have followed sea-faring for 
 twenty-three years without being on shore any space 
 of time worth mentioning, and I have seen all the East 
 and all the West, and have been to the North where 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. iv. 
 
 * Iceland lies between 63° 24' and 66° 33' north latitude. 
 
74 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 England is situated, and even to Guinea." He also 
 says that he went to sea when fourteen years old, and 
 ever after that led a sea-farino- life.'' 
 
 Among the motives influencing him to think that 
 he could sail to Cathay by the way of the Atlantic 
 Ocean were the statements of geographical writers. 
 By them it was said " that a great part of the globe 
 had already been travelled over, and there only re- 
 mained to be discovered and made known the space 
 lying between the eastern limits of India, known to 
 Ptolemy and Marinus, and the West, where are the 
 islands Azores^ and those of Cape Verd,^ the most 
 western lands yet discovered.* * * * ^Iq con- 
 
 ' Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. iv. 
 
 " The Azores or Western Islands, about eight hundred miles west of Portu- 
 gal, lie in an oblique line, northwest and southeast, between 36° 50' and 39° 
 50' north latitude and 24° 30' and 31° 20' west longitude. The Azores, fre- 
 quently called Terceiras, were discovered in 1439 by Josua van der Berg, a 
 Flemish merchant, who was carried in his ship to them in a storm. They were 
 named Azores from the number of goshawks found on them. They were not 
 inhabited when discovered. 
 
 ' The Cape Verd Islands, three hundred and twenty miles west of Cape 
 Verd on the west coast of Africa, lie between 14° 45' and 17° 13' north latitude 
 and between 22° 45' and 25° 25' west longitude. 
 
 * Claudius Ptolemceus, an Egyptian astronomer and geographer, lived, in 
 the second century at Alexandria. His System of Geography, [^r£0Oypa(pZHrf 
 ^Acpr]y7](jl?y) contained in eight books, was a standard work for fourteen 
 centuries. During the first part of the sixteenth century twenty-one editions 
 of the geography, with editions and emendations, were published. According to 
 Ptolemy, all the known part of the earth, from the first meridian, or the Canary 
 Islands, eastwardly, on the parallel of Rhodes, measured seventy-two thousand 
 stadia, or one hundred and eighty degrees, which he deemed to be the half of the 
 circumference of the globe. But the extent he was acquainted with was really 
 measured by one hundred and twenty degrees, which made the circumference 
 one third less than it is. 
 
 Marinus of Tyre, a Greek geographer, lived about 150 a.d. This cos- 
 mographer supposed that the country of the Seres, or Sinae (China), the far- 
 thest part of India known to the ancients, was fifteen hours, by the course of 
 the sun, or two hundred and twenty-five degrees east of the first meridian pass- 
 ing through the Fortunate (Canary) Islands. According to our present geo- 
 graphical measurements, the distance given by Marinus was not more than one 
 hundred and thirty degrees, leaving two hundred and thirty the remaining 
 distance from China eastwardly to the Canary Islands. Following the deduc- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 75 
 
 sidered that this space, lying between the eastern limits 
 [of India] known to Marinus and the islands of the 
 Cape Verd group, could not be more than a third part 
 of the great circumference of the globe, since Marinus 
 had gone toward the East fifteen hours of the twenty- 
 four into which the circumference of the earth is 
 divided, and therefore to go [still farther eastwardly] 
 to reach the Cape Verd Islands there were nine hours, 
 [of the circumference to be passed over], as it is said 
 that Marinus began his investigations in the West. * 
 * * He conceived that since Marinus had given 
 in his cosmography an account of fifteen hours or 
 parts of the globe eastwardly, and had not reached the 
 limits of the East, it followed that its bounds must be 
 much beyond, and consequently the farther the land of 
 the East extended eastwardly, the nearer this land was 
 to the Cape Verd Islands in the West, and that if the 
 space were chiefly water it might easily be sailed in a 
 few days, and if it were mainly land it would sooner 
 be discovered by sailing westward, because it would be 
 nearer to the Cape Verd Islands.^ * * * 'pj^^ 
 fifth reason, which induced him to believe that the dis- 
 tance this way was short, was the opinion of Alfragra- 
 nus and his followers, who make the circumference of 
 the srlobe much less than all other writers and cosmoQf- 
 
 tions of Marinus, there were only one hundred and thirty-five degrees of 
 distance between China, going eastwardly, and the Fortunate Islands. 
 
 * " Marinus, the Tyrian, misled by the length of time occupied in the navi- 
 gation from Myos Hormos to India, by the erroneously assumed direction of the 
 major axis of the Caspian from west to east, and by the over-estimation of the 
 length of the land route to the country of the Seres, gave the old continent a 
 breadth of 225°, instead of 129°. The Chinese coast was thus advanced to 
 the Sandwich Islands. Columbus naturally preferred this result to that of 
 Ptolemy, according to which Quinsay should have been found in the meridian 
 of the eastern part of the archipelago of the Carolinas. Ptolemy, in the Alma- 
 gest (ii. i), places the coast of Sinae at 180°, and in his Geography (lib. i. cap. 
 12) at 1775^°." — Humboldt : Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 645. Note. 
 
7^ DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 raphers, allowing fifty-six miles and two-thirds to a 
 degree.' Whence he inferred that as the entire cir- 
 cumference of the globe was of such an extent, the 
 third part was small, which Marinus left unknown. * 
 * * And Seneca, in his first book of nature, who 
 considers the knowledge of this world as nothing when 
 compared with that which is acquired in the next life, 
 says a ship may sail in a few days with a fair wind from 
 the coast of Spain to that of India. And if it be true, 
 as some believe, that Seneca wrote tragedies, we may 
 infer that he speaks of the same thing in the chorus of 
 his Medea: 
 
 ' Venient annis 
 Saecula seris, quibus Oceanus 
 Vincula rerum laxet, et ingens 
 Pateat tellus, Typhysque novos 
 Detegat orbes, nee sit terris 
 Ultima Thule,' 
 
 " * In the last years there will come an age in which 
 Ocean shall loosen the bonds of things ; and a great 
 land will be accessible ; and another Tiphys shall dis- 
 cover new worlds, and Thule shall no longer be the 
 extremity of the earth.' =* This prediction m^y be con- 
 sidered really fulfilled in the person of the admiral. 
 * * * Marco Polo, the Venetian, and John Man- 
 deville, in their travels say that they went much farther 
 eastward than Ptolemy and Marinus mention, who, 
 although they do not speak of the Eastern Sea, yet by 
 
 ' Alfraganius or Al Fergani, an Arabian astronomer, lived in the earlier 
 part of the ninth century. 
 
 "^ Medea, act. ii, 
 
 Lucius Annceus Seneca, a Stoic philosopher and tragic poet, was born at 
 Corduba, Spain, about 5 B.C., and died 65 a.d. 
 
 Tiphys was the name of the pilot of tbe ship of the Argonauts. 
 
 Thule, an island in the extreme part of Northern Europe, as known in the 
 time of Ptolemy. The island is supposed by some to have been the Shetland 
 Islands, by others the Faroe group, and by others Iceland. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. yj 
 
 the account they give of the East it may be assumed 
 that India is not far distant from Africa and Spain."' 
 
 Ferdinand Columbus further says that his father 
 expected to find, "before he came to India, a very 
 convenient island or continent, from which he might 
 pursue with more advantage his main design. This 
 hope was grounded upon the statements of many wise 
 men and philosophers, who believed that the greatest 
 part of this terraqueous globe was land, or that there 
 was more land than water, which, if true, he assumed 
 that between the coast of Spain and the limits of India 
 then known, there were many islands and a considera- 
 ble extent of main-land. * * * A pilot of the king 
 of Portugal, named Martin Vicente, told him that, being 
 at one time four hundred and fifty leagues westward of 
 Cape St. Vincent, he found and picked up In the sea a 
 piece of wood Ingeniously carved, but not with iron, 
 which led him to believe, as the wind had been blowing 
 from the west for several days, that the piece of wood 
 had drifted from some island lying toward the west. 
 Then one Pedro Correa, who had married the sister of 
 the admiral's wife, told him that at the island of Porto 
 Santo ^ he had seen another piece of wood, brought by 
 the same winds, as nicely carved as the piece already 
 mentioned, and that canes had been found there so 
 thick that each joint would hold more than four quarts 
 of wine, which reports he said he communicated to the 
 king of Portugal while talking to him about these 
 matters. The pieces of cane were shown to him. 
 There being no place in our parts where such cane 
 grew, he Inferred it to be true that the wind had 
 brouo-ht the cane from some neiehborine islands or else 
 from India. For Ptolemy, in the first book of his 
 
 ' Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. vi, vii. 
 
 ' Porto Santo, a small island northeast of the island of Madeira. 
 
78 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 geography, in the seventeenth chapter, says there is 
 such cane in the eastern parts of India. And some of 
 the people Hving on the islands, particularly on the 
 Azores, told him that when the west wind blew for a 
 long time the sea drifted some pieces of pine-wood 
 upon those islands, particularly on the islands Gratiosa 
 and Fayal, there being no pine-wood in all those parts, 
 and that the sea cast upon the island of Flores, another 
 of the Azores, the bodies of two dead men, who were 
 very broad-faced and different in appearance from Chris- 
 tians. At Cape Verd and thereabouts they said that 
 they once saw some covered canoes or boats which the 
 people believed were driven there by stress of weather 
 while the persons in them were going from one island 
 to another. Nor were these the only grounds he then 
 had which seemed reasonable, for there were those 
 who told him that they had seen some islands in the 
 western ocean. * * =!= These persons he did not 
 believe, because he discovered from their own words 
 and statements that they had not sailed one hundred 
 leagues to the westward, and that they had been de- 
 ceived by some rocks, thinking them to be islands ; or 
 else, perhaps, they were some of those floating islands 
 which are drifted about by the waves, and which the 
 sailors call aguados. * * * 
 
 " He says, moreover, that in the year 1484, a man 
 came to Portugal from the island of Madera ' to besf a 
 caraval of the king to discover a country which he af- 
 firmed he saw every year, and always after the same 
 manner, he agreeing with others who said they had 
 seen the island from the Azores. On this account the 
 
 ^The island of Madeira (Wood) lies off the west coast of Africa, between 
 32° 37' and 32° 52' north latitude and i6° 38' and 17° 16' west longitude. It is 
 thirty-four miles long. The island of Porto Santo is twenty-five miles north- 
 east of it. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 79 
 
 Portuguese placed some islands thereabouts on the 
 charts and maps made at that time ; and also because 
 Aristotle, in his book of wonderful things, affirms that 
 it was reported that some Carthaginian merchants had 
 sailed over the Atlantic Ocean to a most fruitful island. 
 * * * This island the Portuguese inserted in their 
 maps, calling it Antilla, and though they did not give 
 it the same situation designated by Aristotle, yet none 
 placed it more than two hundred leagues due west from 
 the Canaries and the Azores. Some believe it to be 
 the island of the Seven Cities peopled by the Portu- 
 guese at the time that Spain was conquered by the 
 Moors, in 714, at which time, they say, seven bishops 
 with their people embarked and sailed to this island, 
 where each of them built a city ; and in order that 
 none of their people might think of returning to Spain, 
 they burnt the ships, tackle, and all things necessary 
 for sailing.' * * * j^- ^^g ^jg^ g^j^^ ^.j^^^ jj^ ^^le 
 
 time of Prince Henry of Portugal, a Portuguese ship 
 was driven by stress of weather to this island of Antilla, 
 where the men went on shore, and were conducted by 
 the islanders to their church to learn whether or not 
 they were Christians and acquainted with the Roman 
 ceremonies. After perceiving that they were, the people 
 of the island importuned them to remain till their king 
 came, who was then absent, and who would be de- 
 lighted to see them and would give them many pres- 
 ents. * * * But the master and the seamen were 
 afraid of being detained, suspecting these people did 
 not wish to be discovered and might for this reason 
 ■ burn their ship. 
 
 * Various fictions were current in the middle ages respecting the situation 
 of the island of the Seven Cities, and a number of expeditions went in search 
 of it with unsuccessful results. Mercator, Ortelius, and Locke place the island 
 in 28° north latitude. 
 
8o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " On this account they returned to Portugal, hoping 
 to be rewarded by the prince for what they had done. 
 He reproved them severely and bid them return at 
 once to the island, but the master through fear ran 
 away from Portugal with the ship and men. It is re- 
 ported that while the seamen were at church on the 
 island the ship-boys gathered sand for the cook-room, 
 the third part of which they found to be pure gold. 
 * * * Seneca, in his fourth book, tells us that 
 Thucydides ' speaks of an island called Atlantica, 
 which in the time of the Peloponnesian war was en- 
 tirely, or the greater part of it, submerged ; whereof 
 Plato also makes mention in his Timseus."^ 
 
 While Columbus resided at Lisbon obtaining infor- 
 mation from geographers and seamen respecting the 
 feasibility of sailing westward to Cathay, he entered 
 into correspondence with Paolo Toscanelli, a Florentine 
 physician and astronomer.^ The latter sent him a copy 
 of a letter which he had written in Latin to Ferdinand 
 Martinez, a prebendary of Lisbon. The communica- 
 tion addressed to Columbus, is dated Florence, June 
 25, 1474. As translated the letter is as follows : 
 
 " To Christopher Colon, Paul, the physician, wishes 
 health. 
 
 " I apprehend your noble and earnest desire to sail 
 to those parts where spices grow, and therefore, in 
 answ^- to your letter, I send another, which some time 
 
 'Thucydides, a Greek historian, born B.C. 471. 
 
 '^Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. ix, x. 
 
 *" Paolo Toscanelli was so greatly distinguished as an astronomer that 
 Behaim's teacher, Regiomontanus, dedicated to him, in 1463, his work, De 
 Quadratura Circiili, directed against the Cardinal Nicolaus de Cusa. He con- 
 structed the great gnomon in the church of Santa Maria Novella at Florence, 
 and died in 1482, at the age of eighty-five, without having lived long enough to 
 enjoy the pleasure of learning the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope by Diaz, 
 and of the tropical part of the new continent by Columbus." — Humboldt : 
 Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 644. Note. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 8i 
 
 ago I wrote to a friend of mine, in the service of the 
 king of Portugal, before the wars of Castile, in answer 
 to one he wrote me by his highness's command, upon 
 the same subject. I also send you a sea-chart similar 
 to the one I sent him, which may satisfy your inquiries. 
 The copy of that letter is the following : 
 
 " To Ferdinand Martinez, canon of Lisbon, Paul, 
 the physician, wishes health. 
 
 " I am gratified to hear of your intimacy with the 
 most serene and magnificent king. Although I have 
 often spoken of the short distance by water from here 
 to the Indies where spices grow, which way, in my 
 opinion, is shorter than that taken along the coast of 
 Guinea, yet you inform me that his highness would have 
 me explain and demonstrate it in order that it may be 
 comprehended and tested. Although I could better 
 elucidate the configuration of the earth with a globe in 
 my hand, nevertheless, I will make the matter more easy 
 and intelligible by exhibiting the route on such a chart 
 as is used in navigation. I therefore send one to his 
 majesty, made and drawn with my own hand, on which 
 are delineated the extreme limits of the West, from Ice- 
 land, in the north, to the farthest part of Guinea, in the 
 south, with all the intermediate islands. Opposite, in 
 the West, the beginning of the Indies is delineated, 
 with the islands and places to which you may go, 
 representing how far you may steer from the north pole 
 toward the equator, and for ho w long a time, that is, how 
 many leagues you may sail before you come to' those 
 places where are to be found all kinds of spices and 
 precious stones. Do not think it strange if I call the 
 country where spices grow West, since they are general- 
 ly known to be produced in the East, because those who 
 shall sail westward will always find those places in the 
 
82 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 west, and they who travel by land eastward, will always 
 find those places in the east. The straight lines which 
 are drawn lengthwise on the chart show the distance 
 from west to east, and those which cross the former 
 show the distance from north to south. I have also 
 marked down on the chart several places in the Indies 
 where ships might put in during a storm or contrary 
 winds, or any other unlooked-for accident. Moreover, 
 to give you ample information concerning all the places 
 of which you desire to know something, you must 
 understand that only traders live or reside on these 
 islands, and that you will find there as large a number 
 of ships and sea-faring people engaged in merchandizing 
 as in any other part of the world, particularly in the 
 famous port of the city called Zacton, where, every 
 year, a hundred large ships carrying pepper, are loaded 
 and unloaded, besides many other vessels freighted 
 with different kinds of spices. ' This country is an ex- 
 ceedingly populous one, and there are many provinces, 
 kingdoms, and innumerable cities in it under the rule 
 of a sovereign called the Grand Khan, signifying king 
 of kings, who generally resides in the province of 
 Cathay. His predecessors greatly desired to have the 
 commerce and the friendship of Christians, and two 
 hundred years ago they sent embassadors to the pope, 
 to ask him to send them many learned men and doctors 
 to teach them our religion, but on account of some 
 obstacles the embassadors met with, they returned 
 without coming to Rome. Besides, there came an 
 
 ' Zacton, in China, is now called Tsiuenchau. " At this city " says Marco 
 Polo, " is the haven of Zayton, frequented by all of the ships from India, 
 * * * and by all the merchants of Manzi, for hither is imported the most 
 astonishing quantity of goods and of precious stones and pearls. * * * 
 For it is one of the two greatest havens in the world for commerce." — Ser 
 Marco Polo. Yule. Seconded, vol, ii. p. i86. On Ruysch's mapof 150S, Zaiton 
 is placed on the east coast of China, west of the island of Cuba. Vide map. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 83 
 
 embassador to Pope Eugene IV., who informed him of 
 the great affection which their princes and people bore 
 toward the Christians. I talked with him a long time 
 concerning the magnificence of the royal palaces, the 
 greatness of the country, the length and breadth of the 
 rivers. He told me many wonderful things respecting 
 a orreat number of towns and cities built on the banks 
 of the rivers, and that there were two hundred cities on 
 a single river, with marble bridges over it of great 
 length and breadth, and sustained by many pillars. 
 This country deserves to be made known as well as any 
 other, and there may not only be great profits realized 
 and many things of value obtained, but also gold, silver, 
 all kinds of precious stones, and spices in abundance, 
 which are not brought into our parts. And it is certain 
 that many wise men, philosophers, astronomers, and 
 other persons skilled in the arts, and very ingenious 
 men govern this vast country and command its armies. 
 On the chart, from Lisbon directly westward to the 
 great and famous city of Quisay, are twenty-six spaces, 
 each measuring two hundred and fifty miles. The city 
 is one hundred miles, or thirty-five leagues in circuit, 
 and within its limits are ten marble bridges. The name 
 Ouisay signifies city of heaven. "^ Wonderful things 
 are reported of the ingenuity of its inhabitants, its build- 
 ings and revenues. The space previously mentioned 
 is almost a third part of the circumference of the globe.^ 
 
 * The city is now called Hangchau, and is in the province of Chehkiang. 
 As described by Marco Polo, the city was "the finest and the noblest in the 
 world." — Ser Marco Polo. Yule. Second ed. vol. ii. p. 145. Quinsai 
 on Ruysch's map of 1508, is northwest of Zaiton. 
 
 ^ Antonio Pigafetta, in his Treatise on navigation, written about the year 
 1523, says : " The circumference of the earth is supposed to be divided into 
 three hundred and sixty degrees, and to each degree are assigned seventeen 
 leagues and a half ; the circumference of the earth is consequently six thousand 
 three hundred leagues. The land league is three miles, the sea league is 
 four." — MS. in Ambrosian library, Milan. 
 
84 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 The city is in the province of Mango, bordering on that 
 of Cathay, where the king usually resides. From the 
 island Antilla (which you call the Seven Cities, and of 
 which you have some knowledge), to the great island 
 of Cipango,' are ten spaces, which include two thousand 
 five hundred miles, or two hundred and twenty-five 
 leagues.^ The Island abounds with gold, pearls, and 
 precious stones ; and you should know that they cover 
 their temples and palaces with plates of pure gold. All 
 these thinofs are hidden and concealed, because the 
 way to them is unknown, and yet it may be sailed with 
 safety. 
 
 " Much more might be said, but having told you 
 that which Is most Important, and as you are learned 
 and have good judgment, I am satisfied that you will 
 understand what I have written without my adding 
 any thing further to these statements. This may sat- 
 
 ' Cipango (Japan), now called by the natives Dai Nippon or Dai Nihon, is 
 a group of islands lying between the twenty-third and fiftieth parallels of north 
 latitude and the one hundred and twenty-second and one hundred and fifty- 
 third meridians of east longitude. 
 
 ' From Lisbon, Spain, in 38° 42' north latitude and g° 8' west longitude 
 (first meridian at Greenwich), to Tokio, Japan, in 35° 40' north latitude and 
 139° 40' east longitude, the westward distance is about eleven thousand six 
 hundred statute miles ; and from Lisbon to Peking, China, in 39° 56' north 
 latitude and 116° 27' east longitude, about twelve thousand one hundred 
 miles. From Liverpool, England, to New York, on the sailing route, the dis- 
 tance is about three thousand and twenty-three miles, and from New York to 
 Canton, China, via the Isthmus of Panama and the Sandwich Islands, the dis- 
 tance is about ten thousand six hundred miles. 
 
 " As the old continent, from the western extremity of the Iberian peninsula 
 [Portugal], to the coast of China, comprehends almost 130° of longitude, there 
 remain about 230° for the distance which Columbus would have had to traverse 
 if he wished to reach Cathai (China); but less if he only desired to reach Zipangi 
 (Japan). This difference of 230°, which I have indicated, depends on the posi- 
 tion of the Portuguese Cape St. Vincent (11° 20' W. of Paris), and the far 
 projecting part of the Chinese coast, near the then celebrated port of Quinsay, so 
 often named by Columbus and Toscanelli (lat. 30° 28', long. 117° 47' E. of 
 Paris). * * * The distance of Cape St. Vincent from Zipangi (Niphon) is 
 22° of longitude less than Quinsay, therefore about 209° instead of 230° 53'." 
 — Humboldt: Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 264. Note. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 85 
 
 isfy your curiosity, it being as much as my time and 
 business permit me now to write. However, I remain 
 ever ready to satisfy and serve his highness to the 
 utmost in all the commands that he shall lay upon 
 me." ^ 
 
 " The admiral, now believing that his opinion was 
 excellently well grounded," says Ferdinand Columbus, 
 " resolved to be governed by it, and to sail across 
 the western ocean in quest of those countries. But 
 being aware that such an undertaking was only becom- 
 ing a monarch to espouse and to accomplish, he deter- 
 mined to propose it to the king of Portugal, because 
 he was the latter's subject. And though King John, 
 then reigning, gave ear to the admiral's proposals, yet 
 he hesitated to accept them on account of the great 
 burden and expense attending the exploration and 
 conquest of the western coast of Africa, called Guinea. 
 Little success had thus far rewarded this undertaking, 
 nor had he been able to double the Cape of Good 
 Hope, which name, some say, was given it instead of 
 Agesingue, its proper designation, because that was 
 the farthest they hoped to extend their explorations 
 and conquests, or, as others will have it, because this 
 cape gave them the expectation of better countries and 
 navigation. However, the king had but little inclina- 
 tion to invest any more money in discoveries ; and if 
 he gave any attention to the admiral, it was in conse- 
 quence of the excellent reasons he advanced to support 
 his opinion, which arguments so far convinced the king 
 that he had nothing else to do but to accept or to 
 reject the terms which the admiral proposed. For the 
 admiral, being a noble and magnanimous man, wished 
 to make an agreement that would be of some personal 
 
 'Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. viii. 
 
86 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 benefit and honor to himself, so that he would leave 
 behind him a notable reputation and a respected family, 
 such as became his achievements and memory. For 
 this reason the king", by the advice of one Doctor 
 Cazadilla,^ whom he greatly esteemed, determined to 
 send a caravel secretly to attempt that which the ad- 
 miral had proposed to him ; for if those countries were 
 in this way discovered, he thought that he would not 
 be obliged to bestow any great reward which might be 
 demanded. Having quickly equipped a caravel, he 
 sent it the way the admiral had proposed to go, for the 
 vessel was carrying supplies to the islands of the Cape 
 Verd group. But those he sent had not the knowledge, 
 perseverance, and energy of the admiral. After wan- 
 dering many days on the sea, they turned back to the 
 islands of Cape Verd, laughing at the undertaking, and 
 saying that it was unreasonable to think there should 
 be any land in those waters. This being told to the 
 admiral, * * * he determined to go to Castile 
 [Spain]. * * * But fearing that, if the king of 
 Castile should not favor his undertaking, he would be 
 forced to propose it to some other monarch, thereby 
 consuming much time, he sent his brother Bartolome 
 Columbus, who was with him, to England. =«= * * 
 On his way to England, Bartolome happened to fall 
 into the hands of pirates, who stripped him and his 
 companions. For this reason, and being sick and poor 
 in that country, it was a long time before he could 
 deliver his message. It was not until he had obtained 
 some money by making sea-charts that he began to 
 make certain proposals to King Henry VII., then 
 reigning, to Avhom he presented a map of the world. 
 * * * The king of England, having seen the map 
 
 ' Diego Orliz de Cazadilla, bishop of Ceuta, 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 87 
 
 and heard what the admiral offered to do for him, 
 readily accepted the overture and ordered him to be 
 sent for, * * * 
 
 " I will not now relate how Bartolome Columbus 
 conducted himself in England, but will return to the 
 admiral, who, about the end of the year 1484, stole se- 
 cretly out of Portugal with his son Diego for fear of 
 being detained by the king ; for the king having seen 
 how unsuited they were whom he had sent with the car- 
 avel, was inclined to restore the admiral to his favor, and 
 desired that he should renew his proposals ; but the 
 kine was not as eag^er to undertake their consideration 
 as the admiral was to get away ; therefore the king 
 lost that good opportunity and the admiral entered 
 Castile to try his fortune which was there to favor him. 
 Leaving his son in a monastery, called La Rabida, near 
 Palos, he went at once to the court of the catholic 
 king, which was then at Cordova, where, being affable 
 and an entertaining talker, he made friends of such 
 persons as were most favorably inclined to his under- 
 taking and fitted to persuade the king to espouse it. 
 Among these was Luis de Santangel, an Aragonian 
 gentleman, clerk of the allowances in the king's house- 
 hold, a man of great prudence and reputation. As the 
 undertaking demanded an examination by enlightened 
 men, and not meaningless words and favor, their high- 
 nesses intrusted the matter to the prior of Prado, after- 
 ward archbishop of Granada, and ordered him, to- 
 gether with some cosmographers, to make a thorough 
 investigation of the project and to report their opinions 
 respecting it.' But there was only a small number of 
 cosmographers at that time, and those who were called 
 together were not as enlightened as they should have 
 
 ^ This conclave of the learned men of Spain held its meetings in the 
 Dominican convent of St. Stephen, in Salamanca. 
 
88 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 been, nor would the admiral wholly explain his plans, 
 for fear he mieht be served as he had been in 
 Portugal and be deprived of his reward. For this 
 reason the answers they gave their highnesses were as 
 different as their judgments and opinions. Some said 
 that inasmuch as no information concerning those 
 countries had been obtained by the great number of 
 experienced sailors living since the creation, which was 
 many thousand years ago, it was not likely that the 
 admiral should know more than all the seamen that 
 were living or that had lived before that time. Others, 
 who were more influenced by cosmographical reasons, 
 said the world was so prodigiously great that it 
 was incredible that a voyage of three years would carry 
 him to the end of the East, where he proposed to go, 
 and to substantiate this opinion they brought forward 
 the statement of Seneca, who, in one of his works, by 
 way of argument, asserts that many wise men disagreed 
 about this question, whether or not the ocean were 
 boundless, and doubted if it could be traversed ; and 
 if it were navigable, whether habitable lands would be 
 found on the other side of the globe, and whether they 
 could be reached. They added that only a small part 
 of this terraqueous globe was inhabited, and that this 
 was in our hemisphere, and that all the remainder was 
 sea, and only navigable near the coasts and rivers. 
 
 Some admitted that learned men said it was pos- 
 sible to sail from the coast of Spain to the farthest 
 part of the West. Others argued, as the Portuguese 
 had done, about sailing to Guinea, saying that if any 
 man should sail directly westward, as the admiral pro- 
 posed, that he would not be able to return to Spain on 
 account of the roundness of the globe, confidently be- 
 lieving that whosoever should go out of the hemisphere 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 89 
 
 known to Ptolemy would go downward, and that then 
 it would be impossible to return, affirming that it would 
 be like climbing a hill, which ships could not accom- 
 plish in the stiffest gale. Although the admiral prop- 
 erly answered all these objections, yet the more cogent 
 his explanations were the less they comprehended him 
 on account of their ignorance, for when a man grows 
 familiar with false principles in mathematics for a long 
 time he cannot perceive the true, because of the erro- 
 neous impressions which were first imprinted on his 
 mind. In short, all of these men were governed by 
 the Spanish saying, St. Augustine doubts it ; for this 
 holy man, in his twenty-first book, chapter ninth, on 
 the city of God, asserts and considers that it is un- 
 reasonable to believe that there are antipodes, or any 
 passage from one hemisphere to another.^ 
 
 ^ " But as to the fable that there are antipodes — that is to say, men on the 
 opposite side of the earth, where the sun rises when it sets to us — men who 
 walk with their feet opposite ours, that is on no ground credible. And, indeed, 
 it is not afifirmed that this has been learned by historical knowledge, but by 
 . scientific conjecture, on the ground that the earth is suspended within the con- 
 cavity of the sky, and that it has as much room on the one side of it as on the 
 other ; hence they say that the part which is beneath must be inhabited. But they 
 do not remark that, although it be supposed or scientifically demonstrated that 
 the world is of a round and spherical form, yet it does not follow that the other 
 side of the earth is bare of water ; nor even, though it be bare, does it imme- 
 diately follow that it is peopled. For Scripture, which proves the truth of its 
 historical statements by the accomplishment of its prophecies, gives no false 
 information ; and it is too absurd to say that some men might have taken ship 
 and traversed the whole wide ocean, and crossed from this side of the world to 
 the other, and that thus even the inhabitants of that distant region are de- 
 scended from the first man." — Sancti Aurelii Augustini Hipponensis episcopi 
 operum. Tomus Septimus. Antwerpise. 1700. De Civitate Dei. lib. xvi. 
 cap. ix. The works of Aurelius Augustine, bishop of Hippo. Trans, by the 
 Rev, Marcus Dods. Edinburgh. 1871. 
 
 Lactantius, another theologian, in the fourth century, argued in the same 
 way : " Is it possible that men can be so absurd as to believe that the plants and 
 trees on the other side of the earth hang downward, and that men there have 
 their feet higher than their heads ? If you ask of them how they defend these 
 monstrosities, how things do not fall away from the earth on that side, they reply 
 that the nature of things is such that heavy bodies tend toward the centre, like 
 the spokes of a wheel, while light bodies, as clouds, smoke, fire, tend from the 
 
90 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " They further opposed the arguments of the ad- 
 miral by quoting those current fables respecting the 
 five zones, and other fictions, which they believed were 
 true. They therefore determined to condemn the en- 
 terprise as foolish and impracticable, and to declare 
 that it did not become the state and dignity of such 
 great sovereigns to be misled by such weak informa- 
 tion. Therefore, after much time had been spent in 
 considering the project, their highnesses answered the 
 admiral that they were then engaged in too many wars 
 and conquests, and especially in the conquest of 
 Granada, which was then occupying their attention, 
 and therefore it was not convenient for them to espouse 
 this new enterprise at that time ; nevertheless, another 
 opportunity might be given them when they could 
 more satisfactorily examine and accomplish that which 
 he proposed." ' 
 
 Chagrined as he may have been by this second 
 disappointment, Columbus, with that noble enthusiasm 
 which the personal consciousness of being in the right 
 begets, "determined to apply to the king of France, 
 to whom he had already written concerning the 
 project, intending, if he were not admitted to an audi- 
 ence there, to go to England afterward to search for his 
 brother, from whom he had not yet received any intelli- 
 gence. With this resolution he set out for the monas- 
 tery of La Rabida, to send his son Diego, whom he 
 had left there, to Cordova, and then proceed on his 
 journey. But in order that the thing which God had 
 decreed should come to pass, it was put in the heart of 
 Friar Juan Perez, guardian of that house, to befriend the 
 
 centre toward the heavens on all sides. Now I am really at a loss what to say 
 of those who, when they have once gone wrong, steadily persevere in their folly 
 and defend one absurd opinion by another." — Div. Institutiones. lib. iii. 
 ' Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xi, xii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 91 
 
 admiral, and to be so captivated with his project that he 
 became deeply concerned respecting his resolution and 
 the loss Spain would sustain by his departure. There- 
 fore he entreated the admiral not tp proceed any far- 
 ther, for he would himself go to the queen, hoping 
 that, as he was her father-confessor, she would be gov- 
 erned by what he should say to her. Although the ad- 
 miral was disappointed and disgusted with the discred- 
 itable action and judgment of the counsellors of their 
 highnesses, yet, being on the other hand very desirous 
 that Spain should reap the benefits of his undertaking, 
 he complied with the friar's desire and request, for he 
 considered himself a Spaniard, as he had long resided 
 in Spain prosecuting his undertaking and had begotten 
 children there, which was the reason for his rejection of 
 the offers made him by other sovereigns, as he declares 
 in a letter written to their highnesses [of Spain] in these 
 words: "That I might serve your highnesses, I have 
 refused to undertake with France, England, and Portu- 
 gal ; the letters from the sovereigns of which your 
 highnesses may see in the hands of Doctor Villalan." 
 
 " The admiral departed with Friar Juan Perez from 
 the monastery of La Rabida, near Palos, and went to 
 the camp of Santa Fe, where their catholic majesties 
 were carrying on the siege of Granada. The friar then 
 had an interview with the queen and so entreated her, 
 that she consented that the conferences respecting the 
 discovery should be renewed. But the opinions of the 
 prior of Prado and those of his followers were dis- 
 couraofingf, besides Columbus desired to be made 
 admiral and viceroy, and to have other compensations 
 deemed too considerable to be granted, because if he 
 succeeded in doing what he proposed, they thought 
 his demands were too exorbitant, ^nd in case he 
 
92 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 did not accomplish any thing, they considered it 
 foolish to bestow such titles ; consequently the matter 
 received no favorable decision. * * * These 
 things being of such importance, and their highnesses 
 refusing to grant them, the admiral took leave of his 
 friends, and proceeded toward Cordova to make prep- 
 arations for his journey to France, for he had deter- 
 mined not to return to Portugal, although the king had 
 written to him. * * * 
 
 " It was in the month of January, in the year 1492, 
 when the admiral departed from the camp of Santa Fe. 
 On that same day also Luis de Santangel, previously 
 mentioned, who did not approve of his going away, 
 but was very desirous to prevent it, went to the queen, 
 and using such words as his thoughts suggested to 
 persuade and enlighten her, said, he was surprised that 
 her highness, who had always a great fondness for all 
 matters of moment and consequence should now be 
 timid in favoring this undertaking, where so little was 
 hazarded that might contribute in many ways to the 
 glory of God and the propagation of religion. '^ * * 
 The queen, knowing the sincerity of Santangel's words, 
 answered, thanking him for his good advice and say- 
 ing she was willing to accept the proposals upon the 
 condition that the undertaking should be delayed until 
 she had more leisure after the war, and yet, if he thought 
 differently, she was satisfied that as much money as 
 was required to fit out a fleet, should be borrowed on 
 her jewels. But Santangel, perceiving that the queen 
 had condescended upon his advice to do what she had 
 refused all other persons, replied that there was no 
 need of pawning her jewels, for he would do her high- 
 ness that small service by lending his money. There- 
 upon the queen at once sent an officer post-haste to 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 93 
 
 bring the admiral back, who found him upon the bridge 
 of Pinos, two leagues from Granada. Although the 
 admiral was much disheartened by the disappointments 
 and delays he had met with in this undertaking, never- 
 theless, being informed of the queen's wish and inten- 
 tion, he returned to the camp of Santa Fe, where he 
 was graciously entertained by their catholic majesties, 
 and his commission and stipulations were intrusted to 
 their secretary, Juan de Coloma, who, by the command 
 of their highnesses, under their hand and seal, granted 
 him all the conditions and provisions which, as already 
 mentioned, he had demanded, without altering or sub- 
 tracting any thing in them."^ 
 
 ^ In a letter, addressed to the king and queen describing his fourth voyage, 
 Columbus remarks : ' ' For seven years I was at your royal court, where every 
 one to whom the enterprise was mentioned treated it as ridiculous, but now 
 there is not a man, down to the very tailors, who does not beg to be allowed to 
 become a discoverer." — Coleccion de los viages y descubrimientos, que hicieron 
 per mar los Espanoles desde fines del siglo xv., por Don Martin Fernandez de 
 Navarrete. Madrid, 1825. torn. i. p. 311. 
 
 Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap, xiii, xiv, xv. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1492-1493- 
 
 Sensibly impressed with the importance of his 
 undertaking, Columbus determined to keep a journal 
 of such observations and incidents as were most note- 
 worthy during the voyage. Governed by this inten- 
 tion, he made the following entry in his log-book, 
 when he set sail for the remote shores of Cathay : 
 
 " In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 " Whereas the most Christian, high, excellent, and 
 powerful rulers, the king and the queen of Spain and 
 of the islands of the sea, our sovereigns, this present 
 year, 1492, after your highnesses had ended the war 
 with the Moors ruling in Europe, the same having ter- 
 minated in the great city of Granada, where, on the 
 second day of January, this present year, I saw the 
 royal banners of your highnesses planted by force of 
 arms upon the towers of the Alhambra, the fortress of 
 that city, and beheld the Moorish king come out at the 
 gate of the city and kiss the hands of your highnesses 
 and of the prince, my sovereign, and in the present 
 month, on account of the information which I had given 
 your highnesses respecting the countries of India 
 and of a sovereign called the Grand Khan, signifying, 
 in our language, king of kings ; how, at different times, 
 he and his predecessors had sent to Rome soliciting 
 instructors to teach him our holy religion, and how the 
 holy father had never granted his request, whereby 
 
 94 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 95 
 
 great numbers of people were lost, believing in idola- 
 try and doctrines of perdition ; therefore your high- 
 nesses, as catholic Christians and sovereigns, who love 
 and promote the holy Christian religion, and are ene- 
 mies of the sect of Mahomet, and of all idolatry and 
 heresy, determined to send me, Christopher Columbus, 
 (Cristobal Colon,) to the previously mentioned coun- 
 tries of India, to see the said sovereigns, people, and 
 territories, and to learn their disposition and the proper 
 way of converting them to our holy religion ; and fur- 
 thermore, directed that I should not go by land to the 
 East, as is customary, but by a westerly route, in which 
 direction we have hitherto no certain evidence that any 
 one has gone. Therefore, after having expelled the Jews 
 from your dominions, your highnesses, in the same 
 month of January, ordered me to proceed with a suffi- 
 cient armament to the said regions of India, and for 
 that purpose granted me great favors and ennobled me, 
 that thereafter I might call myself Don and be high 
 admiral [almirante mayor) of the sea, and perpetual 
 viceroy and governor of all the islands and continent 
 which I might discover and acquire, or which may 
 hereafter be discovered and acquired in the ocean ; 
 and that this title should be inherited by my eld- 
 est son, and thus descend from generation to gen- 
 eration forever. Thereupon I left the city of Gra- 
 nada, on Saturday, the twelfth day of May, 1492, 
 and proceeded to Palos, a seaport, where I armed 
 three vessels very fit for such an expedition, and 
 having provided myself with an abundance of 
 stores and seamen, I set sail from this port on 
 Friday, the third of August, half an hour before 
 sunrise, and steered for the Canary Islands of your 
 highnesses, which are in the said ocean, thence to take 
 
96 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 my departure and proceed till I arrived at the Indies, 
 and perform the embassy of your highnesses to the 
 sovereio-ns there, and discharof-e the orders eiven. 
 Consequently, I have determined to write out daily a 
 minute account of the voyage respecting what I do and 
 see, and the passage, as hereafter will appear. More- 
 over, sovereign princes, besides recording each night 
 my progress during the day and the run made during 
 the night, I intend to make a new nautical chart (carta 
 nueva de navegar), in which I shall delineate all the sea 
 and the lands of the Ocean in their proper places under 
 their wind ; and, moreover, I shall compose a book and 
 represent the whole like a picture by latitude, from the 
 equator, and by longitude, from the West, wherefore it 
 will cause me to abstain from sleep and to make many 
 experiments in navigation, for these things will require 
 no little labor." ' 
 
 The vessels of the fleet were the ship {la nao), Santa 
 Maria,'' commanded by Columbus, and two caravels, 
 {carabelas,) La Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonso 
 Pinzon, and La Nina, by Vicente Yanes Pinzon, his 
 brother, both being natives and seamen of Palos. 
 "Being furnished with all necessaries and ninety men," ^ 
 says Ferdinand Columbus, " they set sail on the third of 
 
 ' " Tengo propdsito de hacer carta nueva de navcgar, en la cual situard ioda 
 la mar y tierras del mar Oceano en sus propios lugares dehajo su viento; y mas 
 componer tin libra, y poner todo por el semejante por pintura, par latiiiid del equi- 
 nocial y longitud del Occidente, y sobre todo cuinple miicho que yo olvide el suerio y 
 tiente mucho el navegar porque asi cumple, las cuales serdn gran irabajo." — 
 Coleccion de los viages y descubrimientos. Navarrete. torn. i. pp. 1-3. 
 
 * Columbus, speaking of the progress of the ship, on the twenty-fourth of 
 October, remarks : " I carried all the sail of the ship, the mainsail, and two 
 bonnets, the foresail, and the spritsail, and the mizzen and the main-top-sail. 
 Llevaba todas mis velas de la nao, macstra, y dos bonetas, y trinquete, y cebadera, 
 y mezana, y vela de gavia." A bonnet was a sail placed beneath the mainsail 
 in fine weather to increase the speed of a ship. 
 
 'On the pavement of the cathedral of Seville is inscribed: '' Con ires 
 galeras y ()o personas," with three galleys and ninety persons. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 97 
 
 August directly toward the Canaries, and from that time 
 forward the admiral was very careful to keep an accurate 
 journal of all that happened to him during the voyage, 
 specifying the wind that blew, how far he sailed with 
 it, the currents he found, and what he saw by the way, 
 whether birds or fishes, or other things. * * * 
 
 " The next day after the admiral's departure for the 
 Canary Islands, it being Saturday, the fourth of August, 
 the rudder of one of the caravels, of the one called La 
 Pinta, broke loose, and the caravel being compelled to 
 lie to, the admiral soon reached her side, but the wind 
 blowing hard he could render no assitance,as command- 
 ers at sea are obliofed to do to encourao^e those that are 
 in distress. This he did more promptly, as he conceived 
 that the unshipping of the rudder had been brought 
 about by the contrivance of the master to avoid going 
 on the voyage, as he had attempted to do before they 
 set sail." ' 
 
 At the Canary Islands, Columbus altered the sails 
 of the caravel La Nina, and made a new rudder for the 
 Pinta. On Thursday morning, the sixth of September, 
 the three vessels set sail from the island Gomera, of 
 the Canary group, " and stood away to the west." On 
 the following Sunday, at day-break, when the fleet was 
 nine leagues west of the island of Ferro,^ the sailors 
 " lost sight of land, and many, fearing that it would be 
 long before they should see it again, sighed and wept, 
 but the admiral, after comforting them with large prom- 
 ises of land and of wealth, to raise their hopes and 
 lessen their fears respecting the length of the voyage, 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xvi, xvii. 
 
 ' The island of Ferro is the most westerly of the Canary group. The Cana- 
 ries lie off the west coast of Africa, between 27° and 30° north latitude and 13° 
 and 19° west longitude. The principal islands are : Tenerifife, Grand Canary, 
 Palma, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gomera, and Ferro. Through the last island 
 the ancient geographers drew the first meridian of longitude. 
 
98 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 pretended that by his computation they had sailed only 
 fifteen leagues that day when they had really run 
 eighteen, he having determined to keep, during the voy- 
 age, his reckoning short, in order that the men might 
 not think that they were so far from Spain as they 
 were, should he openly set down the progress made 
 which he privately recorded.' 
 
 '• Continuing his voyage in this way, on Wednes- 
 day, the twelfth of September, about sun-setting, 
 being about one hundred and fifty leagues west of the 
 island of Ferro, he discovered a large piece of the 
 trunk of a tree of one hundred and twenty tons, which 
 seemed to have been a long time in the water. There 
 and somewhat farther the current set strongly toward 
 the northeast. When he had run fifty leagues farther 
 westward, on the thirteenth of September he found 
 at night-fall that the needle varied half a point toward 
 the northeast, and, at day-break, half a point more, by 
 which he understood that the needle did not point at 
 the north star, but at some other fixed and visible 
 point. This variation no man had observed before, 
 and therefore he had occasion to be surprised at it ; but 
 he was more amazed on the third day after this, when 
 he was almost one hundred leagues farther, for at night 
 the needles varied about a point to the northeast, and 
 in the morning they pointed upon the star." '^ 
 
 ' According to Columbus's statement, 56| miles were equal to a degree, and 
 four miles to a marine league. It has been assumed that the Italian mile used 
 in measurements by Columbus equalled 4,842 English feet, and the Italian 
 marine league 19,368 English feet. — Vide An attempt to solve the problem of 
 the first landing-place of Columbus in the New World. By Captain G. V. Fox, 
 Assistant Secretary of the United States Navy. United States Coast and 
 Geodetic Survey. Appendix No. 18. Report for 1880. Washington, 1882. 
 
 pp. 58. 59- 
 
 ' " On September 13, 1492, he had reached far enough to the westward to 
 come from a previously eastern declination within a region of westerly declina- 
 tion, and that on September 17 it amounted to a whole point (ii^°). This 
 constitutes his well-known discovery of a part of a line of no-declination. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 99 
 
 As they sailed on this westward course, they found 
 " more weeds than they had hitherto toward the north 
 as far as they could see, which weeds were sometimes 
 a solace to them, believing that they might come from 
 some land that was near, and sometimes they caused 
 dread, because they were so thick that in some measure 
 they impeded the ships, and fear making things worse 
 than they are, they apprehended that that might hap- 
 pen to them which is fictitiously reported of Saint Amaro 
 in the Frozen Sea, which it is said does not suffer ships 
 to stir backward or forward, and therefore they steered 
 away from the shoals of weeds as far as possible.* 
 
 " Two hundred and twenty-four leagues or, near enough for our purpose, 
 G72 nautical miles, west of the island of Gomera would place him on September 
 13, in latitude 28° 06' north, and in longitude 12° 42' + 17° 08' = 29° 50', ac- 
 cording to Bowditch, or if we take the position of the harbor of Sebastian near 
 the eastern point of Gomera Island, according to admiralty chart No. 1873, 
 viz. : latitude 28° 05' 5 and longitude 17° 06' 3 and considering that 11° 12' 
 correspond to 12° 42' of difference of longitude in that latitude, we have for 
 a point in the line of no-declination the latitude of 28° 05' and lonf^itude 
 29° 48'. In E. Walker's treatise on Terrestrial and Cosmical Magnetism, 
 Cambridge (England), 1866, p. 300, we read: ' The history of this line dates 
 from the 13th of September, 1492, when Columbus observed the needle pass 
 from the east to the west of the meridian, in latitude 28° N. longitude 28° W. 
 (probably roughly adding 11° of difference of longitude to 17° for longitude of 
 Gomera). According to my computation of the daily position of the Admiral's 
 flagship, and based upon his log-book, he was on September 13 in latitude 
 28° 21' longitude 29° 16'. * * * According to my computation of the 
 daily track, Columbus was on September 17, 1492, in latitude 27° 38' and in 
 longitude 36° 30', when he noted 11° west declination." — An inquiry into the 
 variation of the compass off the Bahama Islands, at the time of the landfall of 
 Columbus in 1492. By Charles A Schott. United States Coast and Geodetic 
 Survey. Appendix No. 19. Report for 1880. Washington, 1882. p. 5. 
 
 " Christopher Columbus has not only the merit of being the first to discover 
 a line without magnetic variation, but also of having excited a taste for the study 
 of terrestrial magnetism in Europe, by means of his observations on the progres- 
 sive increase of western declination in receding from that line." — Humboldt: 
 Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 656. 
 
 ' " Men also became acquainted with those great banks of sea-weed {Fuctis 
 natans), — the oceanic meadows which presented the singular spectacle of the 
 accumulation of a social plant over an extent of space almost seven times greater 
 than the area of France. T\\& great Fitctis Bank, the Marde Sargasso, extends 
 between 19° and 34° north latitude. The major axis is situated about 7° west 
 
100 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " The wind at this time blew at southwest, some- 
 times more and sometimes less west, which, though 
 contrary to their voyage, the admiral said he considered 
 a very good wind and a help to them, because the men, 
 continually grumbling, said that among the things 
 which increased their fears this was one, for the wind 
 being always astern, they should never have a gale in 
 those seas to carry them back ; and though sometimes 
 they found the contrary, they alleged that it was no 
 settled wind, and that not being strong enough to swell 
 the sea, it would never carry them back as far as they 
 had to sail. Although the admiral did whatever he 
 could to make them cheerful, telling them that the land 
 being now so near did not permit the waves to rise, 
 and using the best argument he could, nevertheless he 
 affirms that he stood in need of God's special help, as 
 Moses did when he led the Israelites out of Egypt, 
 who forbore laying violent hands upon him, because of 
 the wonders God wrought through him. The admiral 
 said that he was similarly protected in this voyage. On 
 the following Sunday the wind began to blow from the 
 west-northwest, with a rolling sea as the men wished, 
 and three hours before noon they saw a turtle-dove fly 
 over the ship, and in the evening they saw a pelican, a 
 river fowl, and other wild birds, and some crabs among 
 the weeds ; and the next day they espied another peli- 
 can, and several small birds which came from the 
 west, and small fishes, some of which the men of the 
 other vessels stuck with harpoons, because they would 
 not bite at the hook." ' 
 
 " As often as the men were deceived by these signs 
 
 of the island of Corvo. The lesser Fucus Bank lies in a space between the 
 Bermudas and the Bahamas. Winds and partial currents variously affect, ac- 
 cording to the character of the season, the length and circumference of these 
 Atlantic fucoid meadows." — Humboldt: Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 663. 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xviii, xlx. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. loi 
 
 of land, so often had they occasion to be suspicious 
 and to grumble and conspire together. They said the 
 admiral, for a foolish whim, intended to make him- 
 self a great lord at the hazard of their lives, and since 
 they had done their duty in trying their fortune, and had 
 gone farther from land and any succor than others had 
 done, that they ought not to destroy themselves, nor 
 proceed farther on the voyage, because if they did, 
 they should have reason to repent, for their provisions 
 would fall short and the sails of the ships would not 
 last, which they knew were already so impaired that it 
 would be difficult to retrace their course from where 
 they were ; and that none would condemn them for 
 returning, but that they would be regarded as very 
 brave men for going upon such an expedition and ven- 
 turing so far, and that the admiral being a foreigner, 
 and having nothing at stake, and as many wise and 
 learned men had condemned his opinion, there would 
 be nobody now to favor and defend him, and that they 
 should get more credit than he if they accused him of 
 ignorance and mismanagement, whatever he should 
 say for himself. And there were some who said that 
 to end all dispute, in case he would not consent to 
 return, that they could make short work of it and throw 
 him overboard, and report that while he was making 
 his observations he fell into the sea, and that no man 
 would trouble himself to inquire into the truth of the 
 matter ; which deed would hasten their return home 
 and preserve their lives. Thus they conducted them- 
 selves from day to day, grumbling, complaining, and 
 conspiring together. The admiral was not without ap- 
 prehensions of their inconstancy and evil intentions 
 toward him. Therefore, sometimes with fair words 
 and sometimes with a strong determination to expose 
 
I02 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 his life, putting them in mind of the punishment due 
 them if they hindered the voyage, he, in some measure, 
 quelled their fears and suppressed their evil designs. 
 To confirm the hope with which he had inspired them, 
 he reminded them of the previous signs and indica- 
 tions, assuring them that they would soon find land, 
 which they were so eager to see that they thought 
 every hour a year until they beheld it. * * * 
 
 "On Sunday morning [the thirtieth of Septem- 
 ber], four rush-tails came to the ship, and as they flew 
 there together, it was thought that land was near, es- 
 pecially when, not long afterward, four pelicans flew 
 by, and an abundance of weeds was seen, lying in a 
 line west-northwest and east-southeast, and also a 
 great number of those fishes they call emperadores, 
 which have a very hard skin and are not fit to eat. 
 However much the admiral regarded these signs, still 
 he never forgot those in the heavens and the course of 
 the stars. He therefore observed in this place, to his 
 great astonishment, that the stars of Charles's wain, at 
 night, appeared in the west, and in the morning they 
 were directly northeast, from which he inferred that 
 their whole night's course was but three lines or nine 
 hours — that is, so many parts of twenty-four, — and this 
 he did every night. He also perceived that at night- 
 fall the compass-needle varied a whole point to the 
 northwest, and at day-break it came right with the star. 
 These things confounded the pilots until he told them 
 that the cause of it was the circuit the star took about 
 the pole, which was some satisfaction to them, for this 
 variation made them apprehend some danger at such 
 an unknown distance from home, and in such strange 
 regions. * * * 
 
 " On Monday, the first of October, at sunrise, a 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 103 
 
 pelican came to the ship, and two more about ten in the 
 morning, and long beds of weeds extended from east 
 to west. That day, in the morning, the pilot of the 
 admiral's ship said that they were five hundred and 
 seventy-eight leagues west of the island of Ferro. The 
 admiral said, by his reckoning, they were five hundred 
 and eighty-four leagues ; but in secret he concluded it 
 was seven hundred and seven, which is one hundred 
 and twenty-nine leagues more than the pilot reckoned. 
 The other two vessels differed much in their computa- 
 tions, for the pilot of the caravel Nina, on the following 
 Wednesday afternoon, said they had sailed five hun- 
 dred and forty leagues, and the other of the caravel 
 Pinta said six hundred and thirty-four. * * * 
 
 " On Thursday afternoon, the fourth of October, a 
 flock of more than forty sparrows and two pelicans flew 
 so near the ship that a seaman killed one of them with 
 a stone ; and before this they had seen another bird 
 like a rush-tail, and another like a swallow, and a great 
 many flying-fish fell into the vessels. The next day 
 there came a rush-tail and a pelican from the west, and 
 great numbers of sparrows were seen. 
 
 " On Sunday, the seventh of October, about sun- 
 rise, some signs of land appeared westward, but being 
 undefined, no one said any thing, for fear of the con- 
 sequence of asserting what did not exist, and also for 
 fear of losing the thirty crowns which their catholic 
 majesties had promised as an annuity during the life 
 of him who should first discover land. In order to 
 prevent the men from crying land, land, at every turn, 
 as they would likely have done without cause to secure 
 the gift, it was ordered that whoever said he saw land, 
 if it were not ascertained to exist in three days from 
 that time, should lose the reward, even if afterward he 
 
104 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 should be declared to be the first discoverer of land. 
 All on board of the admiral's ship being thus fore- 
 warned, none dared to cry out land, but those in the 
 caravel Nina, which was a better sailer, and kept 
 ahead, once believing that they actually saw land, fired 
 a gun, and displayed their colors to indicate land. But 
 the farther they sailed the more their joyous expecta- 
 tions diminished and the indication of land disappeared. 
 However, it pleased God to give them soon after some 
 comforting assurances, for they saw great fiocks of large 
 fowl and others of small birds flying from the west 
 toward the southwest. Therefore, the admiral, being 
 now so far from Spain, and sure that such small birds 
 would not go far from land, altered his course, which 
 until that time had been westward, and stood to the 
 southwest, saying, that his reason for changing his 
 course was that he would deviate but a little from his 
 first intention and that he would be following the 
 example of the Portuguese, who had discovered the 
 greater number of their islands by means of such birds, 
 and more especially as the birds he saw flew generally 
 in the same direction. He also had always proposed 
 to himself to find land according to the place they were 
 in ; since, as they well knew, he had often told them 
 that he never expected to find land until he was seven 
 hundred and fifty leagues westward of the Canary 
 Islands, within which distance, he had further said, he 
 should discover Espanola, which, at this time, he 
 called Cipango. =i= * * 
 
 " On Monday, the eighth of October, there came 
 to the ship twelve singing-birds of several colors, and 
 after flying about the vessel, they held on their way. 
 They also saw from the vessels many other birds flying 
 toward the southwest, and that same night great 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 105 
 
 numbers of large fowls were seen, and flocks of small 
 birds coming- from the north, and flying after the others. 
 Besides they saw a good number of tunny-fish. In the 
 morning they saw a jay, a pelican, some ducks, and 
 small birds, flying the same way as the others had 
 done, and they perceived that the air was fresh and 
 odoriferous, as it is at Seville in April. But they 
 were now so eager to see land, that they had no faith 
 in any signs ; so that, on Wednesday, the tenth of 
 October, although they saw a great many birds pass 
 by during the day and at night, the men did not cease 
 to complain, or the admiral to censure them for their 
 want of confidence, declaring to them, that right or 
 wrong they must go farther to discover the Indies 
 for which purpose their catholic majesties had sent 
 them. 
 
 " The admiral being no longer able to withstand 
 the number that opposed him, it pleased God that on 
 Thursday afternoon, the eleventh of October, the men 
 took heart and rejoiced, because they had unquestion- 
 able signs that they were near land. Those on board 
 the admiral's ship saw a green rush float by the ship, 
 and then a large green fish of that class which go not 
 far from the rocks. Those on board the caravel Pinta 
 saw a cane and a staff, and picked up another staff 
 curiously wrought, and a small board, and an abundance 
 of fresh weeds washed from the shore. Those in the 
 caravel Nina saw similar things, and a branch of a 
 thorn full of red berries, which seemed to be recently 
 broken off". By these signs and by his own conscious- 
 ness, the admiral, being assured that he was near land, 
 made a speech to all the men in the evening, after 
 prayers, reminding them how merciful God had been 
 in bringing them on so long a voyage with such fair 
 
io6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 weather, and comforting them with indications which 
 every day were plainer and plainer. He begged them to 
 be very watchful that night, for they were aware that in 
 the first article of the instructions he had given each ship 
 at the Canary Islands, that he had ordered that when 
 they had sailed seven hundred leagues to the west, 
 without discovering land, that they should lie to from 
 midnight until daylight. Therefore, since they had not 
 yet obtained their desires in discovering land, they 
 should at least manifest their zeal by being watchful. 
 And inasmuch as he had the strongest assurances of 
 finding land that night, each should watch in his place ; 
 for besides the annuity of thirty crowns which their 
 highnesses had promised for a life-time to the one that 
 first saw land, to the same person he would give a 
 velvet doublet. 
 
 " After this, about ten at night, as the admiral was 
 in the great cabin, he saw a light on shore, but said it 
 was so obscure that he could not affirm it to be land, 
 though he called Pedro Gutierrez, and bid him observe 
 whether he saw the light, who said he did. Shortly 
 afterward they called Rodrigo Sanchez, of Segovia, to 
 look that way, but he could not see it, because he did 
 not come in time to the place where it might have 
 been seen. They did not see it more than once or 
 twice, which induced them to think that it mio-ht have 
 been a candle or a torch belonging to some fisherman 
 or traveller, who lifted it up and down ; or, perhaps, 
 that it was in the hands of people going from one 
 house to another, as the light vanished and suddenly 
 appeared again. * * * Being now very watchful, 
 they still held on their course, until about two in the 
 morning, when the caravel Pinta, which, being an ex- 
 cellent sailer, was far ahead, gave the signal of land, 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 107 
 
 which was first discovered by a sailor named Rodrigo 
 de Triana, when two leagues from the shore. But the 
 annuity of thirty crowns was not given to him by their 
 catholic majesties, but to the admiral, who had seen the 
 light in the darkness, signifying the spiritual light that he 
 was then spreading in those dark regions. Being now 
 near land, all the ships lay to, those on board thinking 
 it was a long time until morning, when they might see 
 what they had so long desired."^ 
 
 This island, says Bartolome de las Casas, the 
 Spanish historian,^ was " one of the Lucayos, called by 
 the Indians Guanahani. ^ Presently they descried 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xx, xxii. 
 
 The discovery of land was made on Friday morning, the twelfth of Octo- 
 ber, old style. According to the calendar of Julius Csesar, every fourth year had 
 three hundred and sixty-six days ; the others three hundred and sixty-five. Pope 
 Gregory XIII. changed this method of reckoning time by dropping ten days in 
 October, 1582, in order to bring back the day of the vernal equinox to the same 
 day, in the year 325, in which the council of Nice was convened. By an act 
 of the parliament of Great Britain, in 1751, eleven days, in September, 1752, 
 were dropped, and the third day of the month was reckoned the fourteenth of 
 the new style. This mode of reckoning time is called the itew style. 
 
 * Bartolome de las Casas was born at Seville, in 1474. In 1502 he made 
 his first voyage to the New World, and quitted its shores for the last time in 
 1547. His history of the Indies, — Historia general de las Indias, — written 
 between the years 1527 and 1562, was not printed until 1875—76, when it was 
 issued, in five volumes, at Madrid. Before his death, in 1566, he gave the 
 manuscript of this work to the convent of San Gregorio, at Valladolid, with the 
 request that it should not be published for forty years. A manuscript in Las 
 Casas's hand-writing, apparently an abridgment of Columbus's journal of his 
 first voyage, which the former evidently had made while obtaining material for 
 his history of the Indies, was found by Martin Fernandez de Navarrete, the 
 Spanish historian, in the archives of Spain, when making, about the year 1790, 
 researches for information respecting the marine history of Spain. 
 
 ^ This island is believed by Munoz to be Watling Island ; by Navarrete, 
 Grand Turk Island ; by Humboldt and Irving, Cat Island. The Bahamas lie 
 between the island of Hayti or San Domingo and the east coast of Florida, or 
 between 21° and 27° 30' north latitude and 70° 30' and 79° 5' west longitude. 
 The principal islands of the group are the Grand Bahama, Great and Little 
 Abaco, Andros, New Providence, San Salvador, Rum Cay, Great Exuma, Wat- 
 ling, Long, Crooked, Atwood's Key, Great and Little Magna islands. 
 
 The identity of the island is discussed at some length by Captain G. V. 
 Fox, of the United States Navy, who remarks : " The study that I gave to the 
 
io8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 people, naked, and the admiral landed in the boat, 
 which was armed, along with Martin Alonso Pinzon 
 and Vicente Yafiez, his brother, captain of the Nina. 
 The admiral bore the royal standard, and the two cap- 
 tains each a banner of the green cross, which all the 
 vessels had carried. The banner was emblazoned with 
 the initials of the names of the king and queen ' on 
 each side of the cross, with a crown over each letter. 
 When they came on the beach, they saw trees very 
 green, an abundance of water, and fruit of differ- 
 ent kinds. The admiral called the two captains and 
 the other men who had come on land, and Rodrigo de 
 Escovedo, notary of the fleet, and Rodrigo Sanchez de 
 Segovia, and said that he had summoned them to 'bear 
 witness that he, before all other men, took possession 
 (as in act he did) of that island for the king and the 
 queen, his sovereigns, making the requisite declarations 
 which are more at lar£;"e set down in the instrument 
 which they made there in writing." 
 
 The natives who collected around the Spaniards at 
 their landing are thus described by Columbus : " I per- 
 ceived that if they should have much friendship for us 
 that it was a people that could be emancipated and con- 
 verted to our holy religion better by love than by force. 
 I gave a number of them some red caps and some beads 
 of glass, which they placed around their necks, and 
 many other things of little value, with which they were 
 
 subject in the winter of 1878-79 in the Bahamas, which had been familiar 
 cruising-ground to me, has resulted in the selection of Samana or Atwood Cay 
 for the first landing-place. It is a little island, 8.8 miles east and west, 1.6 
 extreme breadth, and averaging 1.2 north and south. It has 8.6 square miles. 
 The east end is in latitude 23° 05' N.; longitude, 73° 37' west of Green- 
 wich. * * * Turk is smaller than Samana, and Cat very much longer." — 
 An attempt to solve the problem of the first landing-place of Columbus in the 
 New World. By Captain G. V. Fox, United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. 
 Appendix No. 18. Report for iSSo. Washington, 1882. pp. 43, 44. 
 ' F and Y : Fernando and Ysabel. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 109 
 
 much pleased, and they became so friendly that their 
 attachment seemed strange to us. Afterward they 
 came swimming to the boats of the ships, where we 
 were, bringing parrots and thread of cotton in hanks, 
 javelins, and many other things, which they exchanged 
 for other articles we gave them, such as glass beads 
 and little bells. Finally they took every thing and 
 gave whatever they had with good- will. But to me 
 they seemed to be a very poor people. They were 
 all naked, just as they were born, and even the women, 
 although I did not see but one young girl. All the 
 rest I saw were youths, but none more than thirty 
 years of age ; very well made, of good shape, and very 
 attractive faces ; their hair coarse as that of the tail of 
 a horse, and short, brought over the forehead to the 
 eyebrows, except a little on the back of the head, 
 which is longer and never cut. Some paint themselves 
 black, for they are of the color of those of the Canary 
 Islands — neither black nor white ; others paint them- 
 selves white or red, or with any color they find. Some 
 paint their faces, and some their bodies ; others only 
 their eyes or their noses. They carry no weapons and 
 they have no knowledge of them ; for when I showed 
 them swords they took them by the edge and they cut 
 themselves through ignorance. They have no iron. 
 Their javelins are rods without iron, and some of these 
 have at the end a fish-tooth, and others have other 
 things. All of them, as a class, are of a commanding 
 stature, and are good-looking, well formed. I saw 
 some marks of wounds on their bodies, and I asked by 
 signs what had caused them. They answered me in 
 the same way, that people came from the other islands 
 thereabout to capture them, and they defended them- 
 selves. I thouc^ht then, and still believe, that those 
 
no DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 people came from the continent, {tien^a Jirmey) to take 
 them prisoners. They ought to be good servants and 
 very capable, because I perceived that they repeated 
 very readily all that I told them, and I believe that 
 they would easily become Christians, for they seemed 
 to me as if they had no religion. If pleasing to our Lord, 
 I shall carry from this place, at the time of my departure, 
 six of them to your highnesses, in order that they may 
 learn to talk in our language. I did not see any animals 
 of any kind on the island, except parrots. * * * 
 " Soon after day-break [on Saturday, the thirteenth 
 of October,] many of these people came to the beach, as 
 I have said, all youths and of good stature, a very 
 handsome people ; their hair not curled, but straight 
 and coarse, like horse-hair, and all with faces and heads 
 much broader than any other race that I have seen ; 
 their eyes very beautiful and not small ; they were 
 not black, but the color of those of the Canaries, 
 nor ought it to be expected otherwise, for it is 
 east-west i^Lesteoueste) with the island Ferro of the 
 Canary group, on the same parallel.' * * * They 
 came to the ship in canoes, log-boats, made of the 
 trunks of trees, all of one piece, and fashioned in a 
 wonderful manner, considering the country. In some 
 of the large ones were as many as forty of forty-five 
 men, and in others that were smaller there was only 
 one person. They rowed with an oar resembling the 
 wooden shovel used by bakers, and went wonderfully 
 fast, and if the canoe upset, all swam and set it right 
 again, bailing it out with calabashes which they carried 
 with them. They brought balls of spun cotton, and 
 parrots, and javelins, and other things which it would be 
 tedious to describe, and which they parted with for 
 
 'The real position of this island, in respect to that of Ferro, is E. 5° N. 
 The port of Ferro is in latitude 27° 46' 2" N. and longitude 17° 54' 2" W. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. iii 
 
 any thing that was given them. And I was inquisitive 
 and endeavored to ascertain if they had gold, and I 
 saw some who wore small pieces hanging from holes 
 in their noses, and I learned by signs that, by going to 
 the south, or by going around the island to the south, 
 I would find a king who had large vessels made of 
 gold, and great quantities of the precious metal." ' 
 
 Columbus describing this island, which he named 
 San Salvador (the Holy Saviour), under whose protec- 
 tion he had made the discovery, continues : " This is 
 a large and level island, with extremely flourishing 
 trees, and streams of water. There is a large lake in 
 the middle of the island, but no mountains. It is 
 entirely covered with verdure and it is delightful to 
 behold. The natives are an inoffensive people, and so 
 desirous to possess any thing they saw with us that 
 they kept swimming off to the ships with whatever they 
 could find, and readily bartered for any article we saw 
 fit to give them in return, even such things as broken 
 platters and pieces of glass. I saw in this manner six- 
 teen balls of cotton thread, which weighed about 
 twenty-five pounds, exchanged for three Portuguese 
 ceutis.'' This traffic I forbade, and permitted no one 
 to take their cotton from them, unless I should order it 
 to be procured for your highnesses, if sufficient quan- 
 tities could be obtained. It grows on this island, but 
 from my short stay here I could not inform myself 
 fully respecting it. The gold they wear in their noses 
 is also found here. But not to lose time, I am deter- 
 mined to proceed and ascertain whether I can reach 
 Cipango (Japan). * * * 
 
 ^ Vide Personal narrative of the first voyage of Columbus to America. 
 From a manuscript recently discovered in Spain. Translated from the Spanish. 
 [By Samuel KettelL] Boston, 1827. pp. 33-38. 
 
 Historia general de las Indias. Por Bartolome de las Casas. lib. I. 
 cap. xxxix-xli. Coleccion de los viages y descubrimientos. Navarrele. tom. I. 
 
 'A coin of less value than a mill. 
 
112 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " In the morning, [Sunday, the fourteenth of Octo- 
 ber,] I ordered the boats to be manned and furnished, 
 and coasted along the island toward the north-north- 
 east, to examine that part of it, for we had landed first 
 on the eastern part. We soon discovered two 
 or three villages, and the people all came down to 
 the shore, calling to us, and giving thanks to 
 God. Some brought us water, and others food. 
 Others seeing that I was not disposed to land plunged 
 into the sea and swam to us, and we observed 
 that they interrogated us to know if we had come from 
 heaven. An old man came on board my boat. The 
 others, both men and women, cried with loud voices : 
 * Come and see the men who have come from heaven ! 
 Bring them food and drink ! ' Thereupon many of 
 both sexes came to the beach, every one bringing 
 something, giving thanks to God, prostrating them- 
 selves on the ground, and lifting their hands to heaven. 
 They called to us loudly to come on land, but I was 
 apprehensive on account of a reef of rocks, which, 
 except where there is a narrow entrance, surrounds the 
 whole island, although within there is depth of water 
 and space sufficient for all the ships of Christen- 
 dom. * * * 
 
 " After I had taken a survey of these' parts, I 
 returned to the ship. Setting sail, I discovered so 
 many islands that I knew not which to visit first. 
 The natives whom I had taken on board informed 
 me by signs that there were so many of' them that 
 they could not be numbered. They repeated the 
 names of more than a hundred. I determined to 
 steer for the largest, which is about five leagues from 
 San Salvador ; the others were at a greater or less 
 distance from this island. * * * 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 113 
 
 " We stood off and on during the night [of 
 Monday, the fifteenth of October], determining not to 
 come to anchor till morning, fearing to meet with shoals. 
 We continued our course in the morning, and as the 
 island was found to be six or seven leagues distant, 
 and the tide was against us, it was noon before we 
 arrived there. I found that part of it, toward San 
 Salvador, extending from north to south to be five 
 leagues, and the other side, along which we coasted, 
 running from east to west, to be more than ten leagues. 
 From this island, espying a still larger one to the 
 west, I set sail in that direction and kept on till night 
 without reaching the western extremity of the island, 
 where I eave it the name of Santa Maria de la 
 Concepcion. * * * j j-^q^ g^^- g^jj fQj. another 
 laree island to the west. * * * This island is 
 nine leagues distant from Santa Maria, in a westerly 
 direction. This part of it extends from northwest 
 to southeast, and it appears to be twenty-eight leagues 
 long, very level, without any mountains, as were San 
 Salvador and Santa Maria, having a good shore which 
 was not rocky, except a few ledges under the water, 
 where it is necessary to anchor at some distance out, 
 although the water is clear and the bottom can be 
 seen. * * * " This island he called Fernandina, 
 in honor of the king of Spain. 
 
 On Friday, the nineteenth of October, he descried 
 an island, " toward which," he remarks, " we directed 
 our course, and before noon all three of the vessels 
 arrived at the northern extremity, where a rocky islet 
 and reef extend toward the north, with another be- 
 tween them and the main island. The Indians on 
 board the ships called this island Saomete. I named 
 it Isabela [in honor of the queen]. It lies westerly 
 
114 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 from the island of Fernandina, and the coast extends 
 from the islet twelve leagues west to a cape I called 
 Cabo Hermoso, for it was a beautiful, round headland, 
 with a bold shore free from shoals. Part of the shore 
 is rocky, but the remainder of it, like most of the coast 
 here, a sandy beach. * * * This island is the 
 most beautiful that I have yet seen, the trees in great 
 numbers, flourishinsf and tall ; the land is higher than 
 the other islands, and exhibits an eminence, which, 
 though it cannot be called a mountain, yet it adds a 
 charm to the appearance of the island, and indicates 
 the existence of streams of water in the interior. 
 From this part toward the northeast is an extensive 
 bay, with many large and dense groves. * ♦ * j 
 am not solicitous to examine particularly every thing 
 here, which, indeed, could not be done in fifty years, 
 for it is my desire to make all possible discoveries, and 
 return to your highnesses, if it please our Lord, in 
 April. However, should I meet with gold or spices in 
 great quantity, I shall remain till I collect as much as 
 possible, and for this purpose I am only proceeding in 
 search of them." * * * 
 
 Under the date of Sunday, the twenty-first of 
 October, while at anchor off the island of Isabela, 
 Columbus writes : " I shall depart immediately, if the ' 
 weather serve, and sail round the island till I succeed 
 in meeting with the king, in order to see if I can 
 acquire any of the. gold which, I hear, he possesses. 
 Afterward I shall set sail for another very large island, 
 which I believe to be Cipango, according to the signs 
 I receive from the Indians on board. They call the 
 island Colba [Cuba], and say there are many large 
 ships and sailors there. Another island they call 
 Bosio, and inform me that it is very large. The others 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 115 
 
 that are on the course I shall examine on the way, and 
 accordingly as I find gold or spices in abundance, I 
 shall determine what to do. Nevertheless, I am 
 determined to proceed to the continent, and visit 
 the city of Guisay [the city of heaven, the residence 
 of the Grand Khan], where I shall deliver the letters of 
 your highnesses to the Grand Khan, and demand an 
 answer, with which I shall return. * * * 
 
 " Tuesday, the "twenty-third of October. * * * 
 It is now my determination to depart for the island of 
 Cuba, which I believe to be Cipango from the accounts 
 I have received here of the great number and riches of 
 the people. I have abandoned the intention of staying 
 here and sailing round the island in search of the 
 king, as it would be a waste of time, and I perceive 
 there are no gold mines to be found. * * * And 
 as we are going to places where there is great com- 
 merce, I judge it inexpedient to linger on the way, but 
 to proceed and survey the countries we meet with, till 
 we arrive at that one most favorable for our business. 
 It is my opinion that we shall find much profit there in 
 spices, but my want of knowledge in these articles 
 occasions me extreme regret, inasmuch as I see a 
 thousand kinds of trees, each kind with its particular 
 fruit, and as flourishing at this time as the fields in 
 Spain during the months of May and June. Likewise 
 a thousand kinds of herbs and flowers, of the proper- 
 ties of which I remain in ignorance, with the exception 
 of the aloe, which I have directed to-day to be taken 
 on board in large quantities for the use of your high- 
 nesses. * * * 
 
 " Wednesday, the twenty-fourth of October. * 
 * * At midnight weighed anchor and set sail from 
 Cabo del Isles of the island of Isabela, being in the 
 
ii6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 north part, where I had remained preparing to depart 
 for the island of Cuba, in which place the Indians tell 
 me I shall find great commerce, with abundance of gold 
 and spices, and large ships, and merchants. They 
 direct me to steer toward the west-southwest, which is 
 the course I am holdinsf. If the accounts which the 
 natives of the islands and those on board the ships 
 have communicated to me by signs (for their language 
 I do not understand) are credible, this must be the island 
 of Cipango, of which we have heard so many wonder- 
 ful things. According to my geographical knowledge 
 it must be somewhere in this neighborhood." 
 
 On Sunday, the twenty-eighth of October, Colum- 
 bus's ships arrived off the coast of Cuba and •' entered 
 an attractive river, free from shallows and all other ob- 
 structions. =5= * * The mouth of the river had a 
 depth of twelve fathoms of water, and a breadth suffi- 
 cient for ships to beat in. They anchored within the 
 river, and the admiral remarks that the scenery here 
 exceeded in beauty any thing he had ever seen, the 
 river being bordered with trees of the most beautiful 
 and luxuriant foliage of a peculiar appearance, and its 
 banks covered with flowers and fruits of different kinds. 
 Birds were here in great number singing most 
 charmingly. Numerous palm trees were seen, different 
 from those of Guinea and Spain, not having the same 
 kind of bark. They were of a moderate height and bore 
 very large leaves, which the natives used to cover their 
 houses. The land appeared quite level. The admiral 
 went ashore in a boat, and found two dwellings, which 
 he supposed to be those of fishermen, and that the 
 owners had fled. He found in one of them a dog un- 
 able to bark. Both houses contained nets of palm, 
 lines, horn fish-hooks, harpoons of bone, and other 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 117 
 
 implements for fishing, as also many fire-places, and each 
 house seemed sufficiently large to shelter a great num- 
 ber of people. The admiral gave orders that nothing 
 should be touched. * * * They returned on board 
 the boat and ascended the river some distance. '^ ''' 
 * The admiral declares this to be the most beautiful 
 island ever seen, abounding in good harbors and deep 
 rivers, with a shore upon which it appears the sea 
 never breaks high, as the grass grows down to the 
 water's edge, a thing that never happens where the sea 
 is rough. Indeed, a high sea they had not yet had 
 among these islands. This island, he says, is full of 
 attractive mountains, which are lofty, although not of 
 great range. The rest of the country is high, similar 
 to Sicily, abounding in streams, as they understood 
 from the Indians of Guanahani that were on board the 
 ships, who informed them by signs that it contained 
 ten large rivers, and that the island was so large that 
 with their canoes they could not sail round it in twenty 
 days. * * * Xhe Indians told them there were 
 mines of gold here and pearls. * * * They fur- 
 ther informed him that large vessels came there from 
 the Grand Khan, and that the main-land was distant a 
 voyage of ten days. The admiral named the river and 
 port San Salvador." Farther westward, along the 
 northern side of the Island, Columbus discovered the 
 rivers which he called Rio de la Luna (River of the 
 Moon), and the Rio de Mares (River of Seas). The 
 houses which were built on the shores of the latter 
 river, he says, were "the finest he had yet seen, and 
 thinks, the nearer he approaches the continent, they 
 will continue to improve. They were of a large size, 
 built in the shape of a tent, and each collection of them 
 appeared like a camp, without any order of streets, the 
 
ii8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 houses scattered here and there. Their interiors were 
 found very clean and neat, well furnished and set in 
 order. The houses were all built of fine palm branches. 
 They found here many statues shaped like women, and 
 numerous heads somewhat like masks, well made ; 
 whether these were used as ornaments, or objects of 
 worship, did not appear. Here, about the houses, 
 were small fowl originally wild, but now tame." 
 
 On Tuesday, the thirtieth of October, " they sailed 
 from the river which they had named Rio de Mares, and 
 standing to the northwest, discovered a cape covered 
 with palm trees, which the admiral called Cabo de Pal- 
 mas ; it is fifteen leagues distant from the place of their 
 departure. The Indians on board the Pinta signified to 
 the Spaniards, that beyond this cape was a river, and 
 from this river to Cuba was a distance of a voyage or a 
 journey of four days. The captain of the Pinta de- 
 clared that he understood Cuba to be a city, and that the 
 land here was a continent of great extent which 
 stretched far to the north ; also that the king of this 
 country was at war with the Grand Khan, whom the In- 
 dians called Cami, and his country or city, Fava and 
 other names. The admiral determined to steer for 
 this river, and to send a present and the letter of the 
 Spanish sovereigns to the king. * * * Seemingly 
 the admiral was forty-two degrees distant from the 
 equator toward the north, if the manuscript is not cor- 
 rupted from which I [Las Casas] have taken this 
 [information], and he says that he had undertaken to 
 go to the Grand Khan, who, he thinks, was near 
 there or in the city of Cathay of the Grand Khan, 
 which city is very large according to what ,was told 
 before he departed from Spain." 
 
 The vessels having returned on Wednesday to the 
 Rio de Mares from a short exploration of the coast, the 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 119 
 
 admiral at sunrise, on Thursday, sent some of his men 
 ashore " to visit the houses they saw there. They 
 found the inhabitants had all fled, but after some time 
 they espied a man. The admiral then sent one of his 
 Indians ashore, who called to him from a distance and 
 bade him not to fear any harm as the Spaniards were 
 a friendly people, not injuring any one nor belonging- 
 to the Grand Khan, but on the contrary had made 
 many presents of their goods to the inhabitants of the 
 islands. The natives, having ascertained that no ill 
 treatment was intended them, regained confidence, and 
 came in more than sixteen canoes to the vessels, bring- 
 ing cotton yarn and other things, which the admiral 
 ordered should not be taken from them, as he wished 
 them to understand that he was in search of nothing but 
 gold, which they called nucay. All day the canoes 
 passed between the ships and the shore. The admiral 
 saw no gold among them, but remarks that, having ob- 
 served an Indian with a piece of wrought silver in his 
 nose, he conceived it to be an indication of the exist- 
 ence of that metal in the country. The Indians in- 
 formed them by signs that within three days many 
 traders would come there from the interior to purchase 
 the goods of the Spaniards to whom the traders would 
 communicate news of the king, who, as far as could be 
 learned from the signs of the natives, resided at a 
 place that was a journey of four days from there. 
 They informed the Spaniards also that many persons 
 had been sent to tell the king respecting the admiral. 
 These people were found to be of the same race and 
 manners as those already seen, without any religion 
 that could be discovered. The Spaniards never saw 
 the Indians who were kept on board the vessels en- 
 gaged in any act of worship, but they would, when di- 
 
I20 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 rected, make the sign of the cross, and repeat the Salve 
 and Ave Maria, with their hands extended toward 
 heaven. The language is the same throughout these 
 islands and the people friendly toward one another, 
 which the admiral says he believes to be the case in 
 all the neighboring parts, and that they are at war with 
 the Grand Khan, whom they call Cavila, and his country 
 Bafan. These people go naked as the others. * * * 
 It is certain, says the admiral, that this is the continent, 
 and that we are in the neighborhood of Zayto and 
 Guinsay, a hundred leagues more or less distant from 
 the one or the other," ' 
 
 With his thoughts all aglow with his seeming 
 power to prove the correctness of his geographical 
 conjecture that he had reached the eastern coast of 
 Asia, Columbus sent from this place, on the second of 
 November, Rodrigo de Jerez of Ayamonte, and Luis 
 de Torres, a Jew, (the latter having lived with the 
 adelantado of Murcia, and who knew Hebrew, Chal- 
 daic, and some Arabic) and two Indians, into the 
 interior of the island, with letters to the Grand Khan 
 of Cathay. " He gave them strings of beads to pur- 
 chase provisions, and directed them to return within 
 six days. Specimens of spicery were intrusted to them 
 that they might know if any thing similar existed in 
 the country. He took care to instruct them how they 
 should inquire for the king, and what they were to say 
 to inform him that the king and queen of Castile had 
 
 ' From this point, says Humboldt, as related by Columbus's friend, the 
 Cura de los Palacios, " he proposed, if he had provision enough ' to continue his 
 course westward, and to return to Spain, either by water, by way of Ceylon 
 (Taprobane) rodeando iodo la tierra de los A'egros, or by land, through Jerusalem 
 and Jaffa.' * * * See the important manuscript of Andres Bernaldez, Cura 
 de la villa de los Palacios (Historia de los Reyes Catolicos, cap. 123). This 
 history comprises the years from 1488 to 1513. Bernaldez had received Colum- 
 bus into his house, in 1496, on his return from his second voyage." — Hum- 
 boldt : Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. p. 640, and note. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 121 
 
 dispatched him with letters and a present for his majesty. 
 Furthermore, the envoys were instructed to obtain 
 some knowledge of the country, and observe the ports 
 and rivers, with their distances from the place where 
 the ships lay. Here the admiral took this night the 
 altitude with a quadrant, and found that he was forty- 
 two degrees from the equator, and by his calculation 
 eleven hundred and forty-two leagues from Ferro, and 
 he was confident that it was the continent." ^ 
 
 Among the noticeable things which the embassa- 
 dors observed while journeying into the interior of 
 Cuba was the common use of tobacco by the natives. 
 " The two Spaniards," says Las Casas, " met upon 
 their journey great numbers of people of both sexes : 
 the men always with a firebrand in their hands and 
 certain herbs for smoking. These were dry and were 
 placed in a dry leaf, after the manner of those paper 
 tubes which the boys in Spain use at Whitsuntide. 
 Lighting one end, they drew the smoke by sucking at 
 the other. This causes drowsiness and a kind of in- 
 toxication, and according to the statement of the natives 
 relieves them from the feeling of fatigue. These tubes 
 they call by the name oi tabacos!' ^ 
 
 While waiting the return of the embassadors to the 
 Grand Khan, Columbus acquired some knowledge of 
 the productions of Cuba. " The soil is very fertile, pro- 
 ducing mantes, a root like a carrot, tasting like chest- 
 nuts. Beans are also found here but very dissimilar 
 to ours ; also cotton, growing spontaneously among 
 the mountains. I am of the opinion that it is gathered 
 at all seasons of the year, for I observed upon a single 
 
 ' The real distance is said to be eleven hundred and five leagues. — Vide Per- 
 sonal narrative of the first voyage of Columbus to America. [Kettell.] pp. 38-73. 
 
 ' Historia general de las Indias. Las Casas. cap. xlvi. Coleccion de los 
 viages y descubrimientos. Navarrete. torn. i. 
 
122 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 plant blossoms, buds, and open pods. A thousand 
 other productions I have also observed, which doubt- 
 less are of great value, but it is impossible for me to 
 describe them." 
 
 On the fifth of November, the party sent to the 
 Grand Kahn returned, and gave these particulars of 
 their journey : "After having travelled a dozen leagues 
 they came to a town containing about fifty houses, 
 where there were probably a thousand inhabitants ; 
 each house containing a large number of people. The 
 houses were built after the manner of larofe tents. The 
 inhabitants received them, after their fashion, with great 
 ceremony. The men and women flocked to behold 
 them, and they were lodged in their best houses. They 
 showed their admiration and reverence by touching 
 the strangers, kissing their hands and feet, and mani- 
 festing astonishment. They imagined them to be from 
 heaven, and signified as much to them. They were 
 feasted with such food as the natives had to offer. 
 Upon their arrival at the town the chief men of the 
 place led them by the arms to the principal building ; 
 here they gave them seats, and the Indians sat upon 
 the ground in a circle round them. The Indians who 
 had accompanied the Spaniards explained to the 
 natives the manner in which their Strang^ guests 
 lived, and gave a favorable account of their character. 
 The men then left the building, and the women entered, 
 and sat around the Spaniards as the men had 
 done. They kissed their hands and feet and examined 
 them to see .whether they were flesh and bone like 
 their own. * * * jsj^ village was seen upon the 
 road of a larger size than five houses. "^ ''>^ * Great 
 numbers of birds were observed, all different from 
 those of Spain except the nightingales, which delighted 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 123 
 
 them with their songs. Partridges and geese were 
 also found in great number. Of quadrupeds they saw 
 none except dogs that could not bark. The soil appeared 
 fertile and under good cultivation, producing the 
 fitames already mentioned and beans very dissimilar 
 to ours, as well as the grain called panic. They saw 
 large quantities of cotton, spun and manufactured. 
 A sinele house contained more than five hundred 
 arrobas^ of it. Four thousand quintals might be collect- 
 ed here yearly. * * * These people are inoffen- 
 sive and peaceable. They are unclothed, but the women 
 wear a slight coverino- about their loins. Their man- 
 ners are very decent, and their complexion not very 
 dark, but lighter than the inhabitants of the Canary 
 Islands. ' I have no doubt, most serene sovereigns,' 
 says the admiral, ' that were some proper, devout, and 
 religious persons to come among them and learn their 
 language, it would be an easy matter to convert them 
 all to Christianity, and I hope in our Lord that your 
 highnesses will devote yourselves with much diligence 
 to this object, and bring as great a multitude into the 
 church, inasmuch as you have exterminated those who 
 refused to confess the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.' 
 
 " ' I have observed that these people have no religion, 
 neither are they idolaters, but are a very gentle race, 
 without the knowledge of any iniquity. They neither 
 kill, steal, nor carry weapons, and are so timid that one 
 of our men can put a hundred of them to flight, al- 
 though they readily sport and play tricks with them. 
 They have the knowledge that there is a God above, 
 and are firmly persuaded that we have come from 
 heaven. They quickly learn such prayers as we re- 
 peat to them, and also to make the sign of the cross.' 
 
 * An arroba is equal to twenty-five pounds. 
 
124 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " Along the Rio de Mares, which I left last evening, 
 [Sunday, the eleventh of November,] there is undoubt- 
 edly considerable mastic, and the quantity might be 
 increased, for the trees when transplanted easily take 
 root. They are of a lofty size, bearing leaves and fruit 
 like the lentisk. The tree, however, is taller and has a 
 larger leaf than the lentisk, as is mentioned by Pliny, 
 and as I have myself observed in the island of Scio, in 
 the Archipelago. I ordered many of these trees to be 
 tapped in order to extract the resin, but as the weather 
 was rainy all the time I was on the river, I was unable 
 to procure more than a very small quantity, which I 
 have preserved for your highnesses. * * * Great 
 quantities of cotton might be raised here, and sold 
 profitably, as I think, without being carried to Spain, 
 but to the cities of the Grand Khan, which we shall 
 doubtless discover, as well as many others belonging to 
 other sovereigns. These may become a source of 
 profit to your highnesses by trading there with the 
 productions of Spain and of the other countries of 
 Europe. Here also is to be found plenty of aloe, 
 which, however, is not of very great value, but the 
 mastic assuredly is, as it is found nowhere else than in 
 th-e previously mentioned island of Scio, where, if I 
 rightly remember, it is produced to the amount of fifty 
 thousand ducats annually." 
 
 Columbus further remarks, that at this point, near 
 the river which he had called Rio del Sol, "he found 
 the weather somewhat cold, and, as it was in the win- 
 ter, he thought it not prudent to prosecute his discov- 
 eries any farther toward the north." ' 
 
 'Las Casas remarks : " From what he here relates, it appears that had he 
 proceeded farther northerly he would undoubtedly, in two more days, have dis- 
 covered Florida." — MS. of Las Casas. Vide Personal narrative of the first 
 voyage of Columbus to America. [Kettell.] pp. 73-S6. 
 
A copy of a part of the map of the New World (tabvla terre nove) contained in the edition 
 of Ptolemy's Geography printed at Strasburg in 1513. (This part of tlie original is gi inches 
 long.) 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 125 
 
 vSpeaking of his explorations along the coast of 
 Cuba, in his letter to Rafael Sanchez, the admiral says : 
 " I sailed along its coast toward the west, discovering 
 so great an extent of territory that I could not imagine 
 it to be an island, but the continent of Cathay. * * * 
 I continued on my course, still expecting to meet with 
 some town or city, but after having gone a great dis- 
 tance, and not arriving at any, and finding myself 
 proceeding toward the north, which I was desirous to 
 avoid on account of the cold, and, moreover, meeting 
 with a contrary wind, I determined to return to the south, 
 and therefore put about and sailed back to a harbor that 
 I had observed." ^ 
 
 On Monday, the twelfth of November, they had 
 sailed by sunset eighteen leagues, east by south, to a 
 cape which Columbus called Cabo de Cuba. " On the 
 following Wednesday he entered a spacious and deep 
 harbor," containing so many islands that they could not 
 be counted. * * * He declares that it is his opin- 
 ion these islands are the innumerable ones which, on 
 the maps, are placed at the extreme part of the East, 
 and says that he believes they contain great riches, 
 precious stones, and spicery, and extend far to the south, 
 spreading out on each side. He named this place La 
 Mar de Nuestra Senora, and the port, near the strait 
 that extends to these islands, Puerto del Principe." 
 
 On Wednesday, the twenty-first of November, 
 when the vessels were about eighty miles southeast of 
 Puerto del Principe, " the admiral " says Las Casas, 
 " found they were forty-two degrees north of the 
 equator as at Puerto de Mares,^ but he says here that 
 he has stopped using the quadrant until he should go 
 
 ' Letter of Columbus to Rafael (or Gabriel) Sanchez, dated Lisbon, March 
 14. 1493- 
 
 ^ ' ' Only 21° of latitude." — Navarrete. 
 
126 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 on land that he miofht mend it. From this statement 
 it would seem that he doubted that he was so far from 
 the equator, and he had reason, for it was not likely 
 
 since these islands are in degrees.' To know 
 
 whether the quadrant was in good working order, it is 
 said that he took an observation to see if he was north 
 as high as Castile ; and if this be true, and he was as 
 high as Florida, what is the situation of the islands 
 already mentioned ? ^ Moreover, it is said that the 
 heat w^as great. It is evident that if he were along 
 the coast of Florida, it should not have been hot, but 
 cold.3 And it is also manifest that in no part of the 
 world in the latitude of forty-two degrees is great heat 
 experienced except by some accidental cause, and even 
 this^-exception I [Las Casas] believe has never been 
 known." 
 
 A number of other places were sailed to by the 
 inquisitive navigator, which, in the chronological order 
 of their discovery, he named Puerto de Santa Cata- 
 lina, Cabo del Pico, Cabo de Campana, and Puerto 
 
 ; ' A blank space in the original. 
 
 "^ The island of Cuba lies between 19° 50' and 23° 10' north latitude, and 
 74° 7' and 84° 58' west longitude. Florida is about one hundred and thirty 
 miles north of Cuba. 
 
 ' The argument of Las Casas concerning the heat at forty-two degrees 
 north latitude is invalidated by Columbus's reasons for not sailing Rlrther to the 
 north. In his letter to Rafael Sanchez he says : " Finding myself proceeding 
 toward the north, which I was desirous to avoid on account of the cold, and, 
 moreover, meeting with a contrary wind, I determined to return to the south." 
 It would seem that Columbus was unable to satisfy his own doubts respecting 
 the latitude of the places in the North to which he had sailed. If he had not 
 mentioned that he was in doubt respecting the working condition of his quad- 
 rant, the question of his sailing as far north as the forty-second parallel would 
 be an important matter for geographical discussion. Navarrete says : "The 
 quadrants of that time measured the double altitude, and consequently the 
 forty-two degrees which Columbus says he was distant from the equator are to 
 be reduced to twenty-one north latitude, which is the parallel to which he had 
 sailed." — ViJe Coleccion de los viages y descubrimientos. Navarrete. tom. i. 
 pp. 44, 47, 62. Personal narrative of the first voyage of Columbus to America. 
 [Kettell.] p. 95. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 127 
 
 Santo. At this last-named harbor, on Saturday, the first 
 of December, "they planted a cross in the solid rock." 
 Thence he sailed to Cabo Lindo, and thence to Cabo 
 del Monte. On Wednesday, the fifth of December, 
 " he determined to leave Cuba or Juana,' which 
 hitherto he had taken for a continent on account 
 of its size, having sailed along the coast a hundred and 
 twenty leagues. He therefore left the shore and 
 steered southeast by east, as the land last discovered 
 appeared in that direction. He took this course be- 
 cause the wind always came round from the north to 
 northeast, and from there to east and southeast. It 
 blew hard and they carried all sail, having a smooth 
 sea and a current favoring them, so that from morning 
 to one in the afternoon they had sailed eight miles an 
 hour for nearly six hours. The nights here are said to 
 be nearly fifteen hours long. After this they went 
 ten miles an hour, and by sunset had sailed toward the 
 southeast eighty-eight miles, which are twenty-two 
 leagues." 
 
 On Thursday, the sixth of December, Columbus 
 " found himself four leagues from the harbor named 
 Puerto Maria." From this place he descried several 
 headlands to which he respectively gave the names of 
 Cabo del Estrella, Cabo del Elefante, and Cabo de 
 Cinquin. " There appeared to be between the two 
 last-mentioned capes a very wide channel, which the 
 sailors said separated an island from the mainland. 
 This island he named Tortuga. The land here ap- 
 peared high, and not mountainous, but even and level, 
 like the finest arable tracts. The whole or the o-reat 
 part of it seemed to be cultivated, and the plantations 
 
 ' Ferdinand Columbus says the admiral called the island of Cuba, Juana, 
 in honor of Prince Juan, heir of Castile. — Vide Histoire del S. D. Fernando 
 Colombo, cap. xxvi. 
 
128 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 resembled the wheat fields in the plain of Cordova in 
 the month of May." 
 
 In the evening the ships entered the harbor 
 " which he named Puerto de San Nicolas, for it was 
 the day of that saint." On Friday he found the har- 
 bor which he named Puerto de la Concepcion. This 
 harbor " is about a thousand paces or a quarter of a 
 league wide at the mouth, without a bank or a shoal, 
 but exceedingly deep to the edge of the beach. It 
 extends almost three thousand paces, with a fine clear 
 bottom. Any ship may enter it and anchor without 
 the least hazard. Here are two small streams, and 
 opposite the mouth of the harbor several plains, the 
 most beautiful in the world, resemblingf those of Cas- 
 tile, except that they surpass them. On this account 
 the admiral named the island Espanola." ' 
 
 On Wednesday, the twelfth of December, " a large 
 cross was set up at the entrance of the harbor upon a 
 beautiful spot upon the western side, 'as an indication,' 
 in the words of the admiral, * that your highnesses 
 possess the country, and particularly for a memorial of 
 Jesus Christ, our Lord, and the mark of Christianity.' 
 * * * The admiral here ascertained the lengrth of 
 the day and night, and found that from sunrise to sun- 
 set there passed twenty glasses of half an hour each, 
 although he says there may be some error in the cal- 
 culation, as the glass may not have been turned quickly 
 enough, or the contrary. He states further, that he 
 took an observation with the astrolabe and found the 
 latitude to be seventeen degrees. * * * 
 
 " The people here were all naked, king as well 
 
 * The island of Espanola, which the natives called Haiti, lies between 
 17° 36' and 19° 59' north latitude, and 68° 20' and 74° 38' west longitude. It 
 is about fifty miles east-southeast of Cuba and about seventy-five west-northwest 
 of Porto Rico. It is now called Ilayti or San Domingo. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 129 
 
 as subjects, the females showing no evidences of bash- 
 fulness. Both sexes were more handsome than those 
 they had hitherto seen. Their color was light, and if 
 they were clothed and protected from the sun and air 
 they would almost be as fair as the inhabitants of Spain. 
 The temperature of the air was cool and exceedingly 
 pleasant. The land is high, covered with plains 
 and valleys, and the highest mountains are arable. No 
 part of Castile could produce a territory comparable to 
 this in beauty and fertility. The whole island and that 
 of Tortuga are covered with cultivated fields, like the 
 plain of Cordova. In these they raise ajes, which are 
 slips set in the ground, at the end of which roots grow 
 like carrots. They grate these to powder, knead it, 
 and make it into bread of a very pleasant taste, like 
 that of chestnuts. The stalk is set out anew and pro- 
 duces another root, and this is repeated four or five 
 times. The largest and most excellent that had been 
 met with anywhere (the admiral says they are also 
 found in Guinea) were those of this island, being of the 
 size of a man's legf. The natives here, according to the 
 statement of the admiral, were stoutly built and coura- 
 geous, very different from the timid islanders of the 
 other parts ; agreeable in their intercourse and without 
 any religion. * * * They saw a native whom the 
 admiral took to be the governor of the district, and 
 whom the Indians called the cacique. He had a plate 
 of gold as large as one's hand, with which he seemed 
 desirous of bartering. He carried it to his house and 
 had it cut into pieces, which he traded away one by 
 one." 
 
 One of the caciques of the island sent a messenger 
 to Columbus bearing as a present to him " a girdle, to 
 which was attached, instead of a pouch, a mask having 
 the nose, tongue, and ears of beaten gold." 
 
130 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " I think," Columbus writes, " no one who has seen 
 these parts can say less in their praise than I 
 have said. I repeat that it is a matter of wonder to 
 see the things we have beheld, and the multitudes of 
 people in this island, which I call Espanola, and the 
 Indians Bohio. The natives are singularly agreeable in 
 their intercourse and conversation with us, and are not 
 like the others, who, when they speak, appear to be 
 uttering menaces. The figures of the men and women 
 are fine, and their color is not black, although they 
 paint themselves. The most of them paint themselves 
 red, others a dark hue, and others different colors, which, 
 I understand, is done to keep the sun from injuring 
 them. The houses and towns are very attractive, and 
 the inhabitants live in each settlement under the rule 
 of a sovereign or judge, to whom they pay implicit 
 obedience. These magistrates are persons of excellent 
 manners and great reserve, and give their orders by a 
 sign with the hand, which is understood by all the 
 people with surprising quickness." 
 
 On Monday, the twenty-fourth of December, as 
 Columbus's ship, the Santa Maria, was running along 
 the north side of Espanola, off the headland named 
 Punta Santa, " at the end of the first watch, about 
 eleven at night, when the vessel was about a league dis- 
 tant from the point of land, the admiral lay down to 
 sleep, having taken no rest for two days and a night. 
 As the sea was calm, the man at the helm left his post 
 to a boy, and also went off to sleep, contrary to 
 the explicit orders of the admiral, who had throughout 
 the voyage forbidden, in calm or storm, the helm to be 
 intrusted to a boy. The admiral was free from any 
 dread of rocks or shoals, for the Sunday before, when 
 he sent the sailors in boats to the king who had invited 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 131 
 
 him to visit him, they had passed three and a half 
 leagues to the east of Punta Santa, and had surveyed 
 the whole coast for three leagues beyond that point, 
 and ascertained where the vessels might pass, a 
 thing never done before in the whole voyage. But as 
 it pleased our Lord, at midnight there being a dead 
 calm and the sea perfectly motionless, as in a cup, the 
 whole crew, seeing the admiral had retired, went off to 
 sleep, leaving the ship in the care of the boy already 
 mentioned. The current carried her imperceptibly 
 toward the shoals in the neighborhood, upon which she 
 struck with a noise that could have been heard a league 
 off." 
 
 Although every thing was done to keep the damaged 
 vessel afloat by Columbus and the few men who re- 
 mained on board, " she opened between her ribs and 
 slowly settled down on the shoal." On the morning of 
 Christmas the ship was unloaded with the assistance of 
 the natives, who with their canoes conveyed the goods 
 in her to the beach. These were afterward stowed in 
 some houses which the cacique of the region had offered 
 to Columbus for that purpose. The same ruler after- 
 ward gave the admiral a large mask, with pieces of gold 
 at the ears, eyes, and other parts of it, and also some 
 jewels of the same metal. "All these things had a great 
 effect upon the admiral in assuaging his grief for the 
 loss of his ship, and he became convinced that our 
 Lord had permitted the shipwreck in order that he 
 might select this place for a settlement. 
 
 " 'And to this end,' he says, * so many favorable 
 things conspired, that it cannot be called a disaster, but 
 a great turn of good fortune, for if we had not run 
 aground, we should have kept off without anchoring 
 here, the place being in a large bay inside of two or 
 
132 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 three shoals. Neither should I otherwise have been 
 induced to leave any men in these parts during the 
 voyage ; even if I had, I could not have spared them the 
 needful provisions and materials for their fortification. 
 Many of my crew have solicited me for permission to 
 remain, and I have to-day [Wednesday, the twenty- 
 sixth of December] ordered the construction of a fort, 
 with a tower and a ditch, all to be well built, not that I 
 think such a fortification necessary as a defence against 
 the inhabitants, for I have already stated that with my 
 present crew I could subjugate the whole island, which 
 I believe to be larger than the kingdom of Portugal, 
 and twice as populous, but that I think it prudent, since 
 the territory is at such a distance from our country, and 
 that the natives may understand the genius of the 
 people of your highnesses and what they are able to 
 perform, so that they may be held in obedience by fear 
 as well as by love. For this purpose I have directed 
 that a quantity of timber for the construction of the fort 
 shall be provided, also bread and wine be left to suffice 
 for more than a year, seed for planting, the long-boat of 
 the ship, a calker, a carpenter, a gunner, a cooper, and 
 many other persons of the number of those who have 
 earnestly desired to serve your highnesses, and oblige 
 me by remaining here and searching for fhe gold 
 mine.' " 
 
 The admiral further remarks " that every piece of 
 the ship was saved, for not even so much as a thong, 
 board, or nail was lost, for she was as complete as 
 when she first sailed, except that which was lost by 
 cutting her to get out the casks and merchandise. 
 These were carried on shore and well secured, as has 
 already been mentioned. He adds that he hopes to 
 find, on his return from Castile, a ton of gold collected 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 133 
 
 by those who remained, by trading with the natives, 
 and that they will have succeeded in discovering- the 
 mine and the spices, and all these in such quantities 
 that before three years the king and queen may under- 
 take the recovery of the holy sepulchre. ' For I have 
 before proposed to your highnesses,' he writes, ' that 
 the profits of this undertaking should be employed in 
 the conquest of Jerusalem, at which your highnesses 
 smiled and said you were pleased, and had the same 
 inclination.' " 
 
 " He left on the island of Espafiola, which the In- 
 dians called Bohio, a fort and thirty-nine men, whom 
 he states to have been great friends of King Gua- 
 canagari. Over these he placed Diego de Arana, a 
 native of Cordova, Pedro Gutierrez, groom of the king's 
 wardrobe, and Rodrigo de Escovedo, a native of Seville 
 and nephew of Fray Rodrigo Perez, with all the 
 powers the king and queen had delegated to him. He 
 left them all the goods which had been sent for traffick- 
 ing, a great quantity, and every thing belonging to the 
 ship which had been wrecked. The goods he directed 
 should be traded away for gold." 
 
 In commemoration of the day of Christ's nativity, 
 on which his ship was wrecked at this place, he called the 
 settlement Villa de la Navidad (city of the Nativity). 
 He further writes in his journal that " he had heard 
 of another island behind that of Juana, toward the south, 
 in which there was a still greater quantity of gold, and 
 where it was found in grains of the size of a bean. 
 * * * This island was called by the Indians Ya- 
 maye." ^ 
 
 " It was the admiral's intention to coast farther 
 along the island of Espanola, which he might have 
 
 ' Apparently the original name of Jamaica. The island of Jamaica is about 
 eighty-five miles from Cuba. 
 
134 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 done upon his homeward course, but as he considered 
 that the captains of the two caravels were brothers, 
 namely, Martin Alonso Pinzon and Vicente Yanez, and 
 that they had a party attached to them, and that they and 
 their partisans had manifested considerable haughtiness 
 and avarice, disobeying his commands regardless of the 
 honors he had conferred upon them, which misde- 
 meanors, as well as the treachery of Martin Alonso, in 
 deserting him,' he had winked at, without complaining, 
 in order not to throw impediments in the way of the 
 voyage — he thought it best to return home as quickly 
 as possible. He adds that he had many faithful men 
 among his crews, but resolved to overlook for the time 
 the behavior of the refractory ones, and not at such an 
 unfavorable season undertake to punish them." 
 
 On Tuesday, the fifteenth of January, while the 
 caravels were anchored in the bay which he called the 
 Golfo de las Flechas (the Gulf of Arrows), he describes 
 the weapons of the natives. " The bows," he says, 
 " are equal in size to those of France and England, 
 and the arrows like the javelins used by the inhabitants 
 of the other islands, which are made of the stalks of the 
 cane while it is in seed. They are very straight, about 
 a yard and a half in length, and doubled, with a sharp 
 piece of wood, a span and a half long, at the end. At 
 the point of this some attach a fish's tooth, but the 
 most of them grass. * * * The bows of the In- 
 dians appear to be made of yew." The quantity of 
 sea-weed which he found growing in this bay led Colum- 
 bus to infer that the Indies were near the Canary 
 Islands, not more than four hundred leagues distant. 
 
 On Wednesday morning, the sixteenth of January, 
 
 ^ On the twenty-first of November, 1492, Martin Alonso Pinzon, in the 
 Pinta, had left the other vessels and remained away from them until the sixth 
 of January, 1493. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 135 
 
 they set sail from the Golfo de las Flechas, to go to the 
 island of Carib. "After sailing sixty-four miles, as they 
 estimated, the Indians on board signified that the island 
 was to the southeast, when they altered their course, 
 and proceeded in that direction, and after sailing several 
 leagues the wind freshened and blew very favorably 
 for their return to Spain. The crews began to grow 
 despondent at leaving their homeward course, on ac- 
 count of the leaky condition of the vessels, (for there 
 was no remedy for it but the help of God,) and the 
 admiral found himself constrained to change his course 
 again, and steer directly for Spain." "" 
 
 Columbus, afterward writing to Rafael Sanchez re- 
 specting his explorations along the coast of Espanola, 
 remarks that the island of Espanola is " greater in cir- 
 cuit than all of Spain, from Colibre in Catalonia, near 
 Perpignan, round the coast of the sea of Spain, along 
 Granada, Portugal, Galicia, and Biscay, to Fuenterabia, 
 at the cape of Biscay. * * * Each native, as far as 
 I can understand, has one wife, with the exception of 
 the king and princes, who are permitted to have as many 
 as twenty. The women appear to do more work than 
 the men. Whether there exist any such thing here 
 as private property, I have not been able to ascertain. 
 I have seen an individual appointed to distribute to 
 the others, especially food and such things. 
 
 " People of an extraordinary description I did not 
 see, neither did I hear of any, except those of the island 
 Caris, which is the second island on the way from 
 Espanola to India. This island is inhabited by a people 
 who are regarded by their neighbors as exceedingly 
 ferocious. They feed upon human flesh. These peo- 
 ple have many kinds of canoes with which they make 
 
 ' MS. of Las Casas. — Vide Personal narrative of the first voyage of Colum- 
 bus to America. [Kettell.] pp. 86-205. 
 
136 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 incursions upon all the islands of India, robbing and 
 plundering wherever they go. Their difference from 
 the others consists in their wearing long hair like that 
 of women, and in using bows and arrows of cane ; 
 these last constructed, as I have already related, by 
 fixing a piece of sharpened wood at the larger end. 
 On this account they are considered very ferocious by 
 the other Indians, and are much feared by them." ^ 
 
 Speaking of the pecuniary profits of the voyage 
 Columbus wrote : " I am enabled to promise the ac- 
 quisition, by a trifling assistance from their majesties, 
 of any quantity of gold, drugs, cotton, and mastic, 
 which last article is found in the island of Scio ; also, 
 any quantity of aloe, and as many slaves for the ser- 
 vice of the marine as their majesties may need. The 
 same may be said of rhubarb and a great variety of 
 other things which, I have no doubt, will be discovered 
 by those I have left at the fort, as I did not stop at any 
 single place, unless obliged to do so by the weather 
 with the exception of Villa de la Navidad, where we 
 remained some time to build the fort and provide the 
 necessary means for the defence of the place. 
 
 " Although the discoveries actually accomplished 
 appear great and surprising, yet I should have^ achieved 
 much more had I been furnished with a suitable fleet. 
 Nevertheless the great success of this undertaking is 
 not to be ascribed to my own merits, but to the holy 
 catholic faith and to the piety of our sovereigns, 
 the Lord often granting to men what they never 
 imagine themselves capable of accomplishing, even 
 that which appears impracticable, for he is accustomed 
 to hear the prayers of his servants and those who love 
 his commandments. In this way has it happened to me 
 
 ' Columbus's letter to Rafael Sanchez. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 137 
 
 that I have succeeded in an undertaking never before 
 accomplished by man." ^ 
 
 On Thursday night, the fourteenth of February, a 
 violent tempest arose, " the waves crossing and dash- 
 ing against one another so that the vessel [the Nina] 
 was overwhelmed, and not able to get out from between 
 them. The foresail was set very low, in order to carry 
 her somewhat out of her dangerous situation. They 
 stood under it for three hours, going twenty miles, 
 when the wind and sea increasing, they began to drive 
 before it, not having any other deliverance. At the 
 same time the Pinta, in which was Martin Alonso 
 Pinzon, began to scud likewise, and they soon lost sight 
 of her, although the two caravels made signals to each 
 other with lights, until from the fury of the storm they 
 were no longer visible." The fear of being lost now 
 overcame Columbus and his men. They prayed and 
 made many vows. " The admiral ordered that lots 
 should be cast for one of them [if they safely reached 
 land] to go on a pilgrimage to Santa Maria of Guada- 
 lupe and carry a wax taper of five pounds' weight. He 
 made them all to take an oath that the one on whom the 
 lot fell should perform the pilgrimage. For this pur- 
 pose as many peas were selected as there were persons 
 on board. One of the peas was marked with a cross, 
 and all were shaken together in a cap. The first who 
 put his hand into the cap was the admiral, and he drew 
 out the crossed pea. So the lot fell on him, and he 
 considered himself as bound to accomplish the pil- 
 grimage. Another lot was taken for a pilgrimage to 
 Santa Maria of Loretto, in the province of Ancona, 
 the territory of the pope, where is the house in which 
 Our Lady has performed so many miracles. This lot 
 
 ^ Columbus's letter to Rafael Sanchez. 
 
138 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 fell on a sailor of Puerto de Santa Maria, called Pedro 
 de Villa. The admiral promised to furnish him with 
 the money for his expenses, A third lot was deter- 
 mined upon for the selection of a person who should 
 watch a whole night in Santa Clara de Moguer, and 
 have a mass said there. This lot fell on the admiral. 
 After this he and all the crew made a vow to go in 
 procession, clothed in penitential garments, to the first 
 church dedicated to Our Lady which they should meet 
 with on arriving on land, and there pay their devotions. 
 Besides these general vows, every individual made a 
 private one, all expecting to be lost, so terrible was the 
 violence of the hurricane. Their danger was increased 
 by the want of ballast in the vessel, * * * which 
 the admiral had neglected to supply among the islands, 
 because he wished to husband his time in making dis- 
 coveries, and expected to take in ballast at the island 
 of Matinino, which he intended to visit. The only 
 thing that they could do in this emergency was to fill 
 with sea-water such empty casks as they could find, 
 and by doing this they obtained some relief. 
 
 " Here the admiral speaks of the circumstances 
 which caused him to fear that our Lord would suffer 
 them to perish, and of some which made him hope 
 that he would bring them safe to land, and not allow 
 the important information they were carrying to the 
 king and queen to be lost. He seems to have felt 
 the greatest anxiety to have his wonderful discovery 
 known, so that the world might be convinced that his 
 assertions had been correct and that he had accom- 
 plished what he had professed himself able to do. The 
 thought of this not being done gave him the greatest 
 disquietude, and he was constantly apprehending that 
 the most trifling thing might defeat his whole intention. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 139 
 
 He ascribes this to his want of faith and confidence in 
 a divine providence, but comforts himself by reflecting 
 upon the many mercies God had shown him in having 
 enabled him to succeed in his project, when so many 
 adversities and hindrances opposed him in Castile, and 
 afterward to accomplish his great discovery. And as 
 he had made the service of God the aim and business 
 of his undertaking, and as he had hitherto favored him 
 by granting all his desires, he indulges in the hope that 
 he will continue to favor him, and will give him a safe 
 return. He also remembered that God had delivered 
 him on the outward voyage, when he had much greater 
 reason to fear ; that the eternal God gave him reso- 
 lution and courage to withstand his men when they 
 conspired against him and with a unanimous and 
 menacinor determination resolved to turn back. With 
 these thoughts, and the consideration of other wonder- 
 ful favt)rs he had enjoyed, he says he ought not to be 
 in fear of the tempest ; but he adds that his apprehen- 
 sions and the anguish of his mind would not allow him 
 to rest. Besides, he continues, his anxiety was in- 
 creased by reflecting upon the condition of his two 
 sons whom he had left at their studies in Cordova, — 
 these would be left orphans in a foreign land, and the 
 king and queen being ignorant of the services he had 
 rendered them by the voyage, would not feel any 
 inclination to provide for them. On this account, and 
 that their highnesses might be informed that our Lord 
 had granted success to the undertaking in the discovery 
 of the Indies, and might know that storms did not pre- 
 vail in those regions (which was apparent from the 
 plants and trees growing down to the brink of the sea), 
 he devised the means of acquainting them with the 
 circumstances of the voyage in case they should perish 
 
140 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 in the storm. This he did by writing an account of it on 
 parchment, as full as possible, and earnestly entreated 
 the finder to carry it to the king and queen of Spain. 
 The parchment was rolled up in a waxed cloth and 
 well tied. A larsfe wooden cask beingf brought, he 
 placed the roll inside of it, and threw the cask into 
 the sea, none of the crew knowing what it was, but all 
 thinkinof that it was some act of devotion." ' 
 
 On the sixteenth of February the Nina reached the 
 Azores, and two days afterward was riding at anchor at 
 the island of Santa Maria. Departing from the Azores 
 on the twenty-fourth of February, the Nina again en- 
 countered another storm, which caused Columbus to 
 take refuse in the mouth of the river Taofus, on the 
 fourth of March. From this roadstead he sent a 
 courier overland to Spain bearing the intelligence of 
 his arrival at this haven on the coast of Portugal, and 
 another to the king of Portugal to ask permission to 
 anchor in the harbor of Lisbon. 
 
 When, on the sixth of March, it became known in 
 Lisbon, says Ferdinand Columbus, " that the ship came 
 from the Indies, such throngs of people went aboard 
 to see the Indians and to hear the news, that the ves- 
 sel could not contain them, and the water was covered 
 with boats, some of the people praising God for the 
 success of so great an undertaking, and others storming 
 because the Portuguese had lost the discovery through 
 the king's incredulity. ""' * * The next day the 
 kinof wrote to the admiral conofratulatinof him on his 
 safe return, and expressing the desire, since the admiral 
 was in his dominions, that he would visit him [at Val- 
 paraiso, nine leagues from Lisbon]. * '•' * The 
 king ordered all the nobility of his court to go out to 
 
 ' MS. of Las Casas. — Vide Personal narrative of the first voyage of Colum- 
 bus to America. [Kettell.] pp. 215-222. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 141 
 
 meet him, and when the admiral came into the pres- 
 ence of the king, he honored him by commanding him 
 to put on his cap and to sit down. The king, having 
 heard the particulars of his fortunate voyage, offered 
 him all he stood in need of for the service of their 
 catholic majesties, although he thought that as the 
 admiral had been a captain in the service of Portugal, 
 that the discovery belonged to him. To which the ad- 
 miral answered that he knew of no agreement by which 
 he could obtain it, and that he had strictly obeyed his 
 orders, which were that he should not go to the mines 
 of Portugal or to Guinea. The king said that it was 
 all well, and he did not doubt but justice would be 
 done. Having spent considerable time in this conver- 
 sation, the king commanded the prior of Crato, the 
 greatest man then about him, to entertain the admiral, 
 and show him all civility and respect, which was done 
 accordingly. Having remained there all Sunday, and 
 all Monday until after mass, the admiral took leave of 
 the king. * * * ^g j^^ ^^^ ^^ j^jg ^^y ^^ Lisbon, 
 
 he passed a monastery, where the queen was, who sent 
 him an earnest entreaty that he would not pass by without 
 seeing her. She was much pleased to see him, and 
 bestowed upon him all the favor and honor that were 
 due to the grreatest lord. That nig-ht a messeno;-er came 
 from the king to the admiral, to inform him that if he 
 wished to go by land to Spain he would attend him, 
 provide lodgings on the way, and furnish him all that 
 he might require, as far as the borders of Portugal. 
 
 " On Wednesday, the thirteenth of March, two 
 hours after daylight, the admiral set sail for Seville, 
 and, on Friday following, at noon, arrived at Saltes, 
 and came to anchor in the port of Palos,' from which 
 
 ^ Martin Alonso Pinzon had previously arrived in Galicia. 
 
142 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 he had departed on the third of August, the previous 
 year, 1492, seven months and eleven days preceding 
 his return." ' 
 
 Desiring as early as possible to make known his 
 return and his remarkable discoveries, Columbus, as 
 soon as his vessel came to anchor, sent letters to several 
 of his friends, in which he gave brief descriptions of 
 the people and of the islands which he had found, as 
 he believed, in the eastern part of Asia. One of these 
 letters, that addressed on the fourteenth of March to 
 Rafael or Gabriel Sanchez, treasurer of Spain, was 
 shortly afterward translated into Latin and printed at 
 Rome. The title given to the letter expresses the 
 popular belief respecting the situation of the discovered 
 islands : " A letter of Christopher Columbus, to whom 
 our age is greatly indebted, respecting the islands of 
 India lately found beyond the Ganges." ^ 
 
 Conscious of the greatness of his discovery, Colum- 
 bus enthusiastically closes his letter with these words : 
 " And now the king, the queen, the princes, and all 
 their dominions, as well as the whole of Christendom, 
 ought to give thanks to our Saviour, Jesus Christ, who 
 has granted us such an achievement and success. Let 
 
 * Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xli, xlii. 
 
 ' Epistola Christofori Colom : cui etas nostra muitu debit : de Insulis Indie 
 supra Gangem nuper inuetis. Ad quas perqrendas octauo antea mense au- 
 spicies & ere invictissimor' Fernadi & Helisabet Hispaniar' Regu missus 
 fuerat : ad magnificum dnm Gabrielem Sanchis eorunde Serenissimor' Regum 
 Tesaurariu missa : quia nobilis ac literatus vir Leander de Cosco ab Hispano 
 ideomate in latinum couertit tertio kal's Maii m.cccc.xciii Pontificatus Alexan- 
 dri Sexli anno primo. 
 
 A letter of Christopher Columbus, to whom our age is greatly indebted, 
 respecting the islands of India lately found beyond the Ganges. In search of 
 which he was sent eight months ago under the auspices and at the expense of 
 the most invincible Ferdinand and Isabella, sovereigns of Spain. Sent to the 
 magnificent lord, Gabriel Sanchez, treasurer of the same most serene king, and 
 which the noble and learned man, Leander de Cosco, translated from the 
 Spanish idiom into Latin. The third day of the calends of May, 1493. Pon- 
 tificate of Alexander VI., first year. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 143 
 
 processions be ordered, let solemn festivals be cele- 
 brated, let the churches be filled with boughs and 
 liowers." 
 
 When his father landed at Palos, "he was received 
 there," says Ferdinand Columbus, " by all the people 
 in procession, giving thanks to God for his fortunate 
 success, which, it was hoped, would contribute greatly 
 to propagate the Christian religion and enlarge their 
 majesties' dominions. All the inhabitants of the place 
 considered it a matter of no little fame that the admiral 
 had sailed from that port, and that most of the men he 
 had with him belonged to it, though many of them, 
 through [Martin Alonso] Pinzon's fault, had been mu- 
 tinous and disobedient. * * * The admiral then 
 proceeded toward Seville, intending to go from there 
 to Barcelona where their catholic majesties were. He 
 was compelled to tarry a little along the way thither, 
 though it were ever so little, to satisfy the curiosity of 
 the people where he went, who came from the neigh- 
 boring towns to the road along which he journeyed to 
 see him, the Indians, and the other things he brought. 
 Proceeding in this manner, he reached Barcelona about 
 the middle of April, having previously sent their high- 
 nesses an account of the good fortune attending his 
 voyage, which exceedingly pleased them, and they ap- 
 pointed him a most impressive reception as a man that 
 had performed for them an extraordinary commission. 
 All the court and city went out to meet him. Their 
 catholic majesties sat in public in great state, on costly 
 chairs, under a canopy of gold-cloth ; and when he ap- 
 proached to kiss their hands they arose as to a great 
 lord, and were unwilling to give him their hands, and 
 caused him to sit down by them. When he had given 
 them a brief account of his voyage, they permitted 
 
144 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 him to retire to his apartment, to which he was at- 
 tended by all the court. And he was so highly 
 honored and favored by their highnesses, that when 
 the king rode about Barcelona, the admiral was on one 
 side of him, and the Infante Fortuna on the other, for 
 before this, no one rode by the side of his majesty but 
 the Infante, who was his near kinsman."' 
 
 Galvano, speaking of the enthusiasm created by 
 Columbus's return, says : " Hereupon there arose so 
 extraordinary a desire to travel among- the Spaniards 
 that they were ready to leap into the sea to swim, if it 
 had been possible, unto these new lands." "^ 
 
 * Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xlii. 
 
 * Tratado, que compos o nobre & notauel capitao Antonio Galuao. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 i493-i5o6. 
 
 The Spanish sovereigns, in order to obtain the 
 privilege of extending their sway over the islands dis- 
 covered by Columbus, immediately sent embassadors 
 to Rome to request Pope Alexander VI. to confirm 
 the title of Spain to the recently found lands, for it 
 was then believed that the pope had sole and absolute 
 authority to dispose of all countries inhabited by 
 heathen peoples. Pope Martin V. and his successors 
 had already granted to the crown of Portugal the 
 possession of all the lands it might acquire by right of 
 discovery beyond Cape Bojador toward the East. Pope 
 Alexander VI., to reward the Spaniards for wresting 
 Spain from the Moors, issued a bull, on the fourth of 
 May, 1493, establishing a line of limitation, running 
 from the north to the south pole, distant one hundred 
 leagues west of the Azores and the Cape Verd Islands, 
 giving to Spain all the lands she had discovered or 
 might discover west of it, which had not been acquired 
 by any Christian power before the preceding Christ- 
 mas, and to Portugal all the territory, on the same 
 conditions, which lay east of it. These territorial con- 
 cessions of the pope caused the possessions of Spain, 
 in the western hemisphere, to be called the West In- 
 dies, and those of Portugal, in the eastern hemisphere, 
 the East Indies. The position of the line of demarka- 
 tion displeased the Portuguese. To settle the dispute 
 
 145 
 
146 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 which it caused, the two countries sent commissioners 
 to Tordesillas, Spain, who agreed, on the seventh of 
 June, 1494, that the position of the line should be 
 changed so that it should pass, north and south, three 
 hundred and seventy leagues west of the Cape Verd 
 Islands. 
 
 Meanwhile in Spain a fleet of seventeen ships had 
 been fitted out to sail to the Indies in the West. About 
 fifteen hundred Spanish adventurers took passage on 
 the different vessels, which were freighted with agri- 
 cultural and mining implements, horses, cattle, and 
 stores of various kinds, necessary for planting colonies 
 on the newly-discovered islands. Commanded by 
 Columbus, the fleet weighed anchor in the roadstead 
 of Cadiz, on Wednesday, the twenty-fifth of Septem- 
 ber, 1493, and thence sailed toward the West India 
 archipelago. 
 
 After a voyage of thirty-eight days the fleet reached 
 the island of Dominica. The approach of Columbus 
 to the field of his former explorations is thus described : 
 " On Saturday night, the second of November, the 
 admiral perceiving a great change in the sky and 
 winds, and having observed the heavy rains, and be- 
 lievinsf that he was near land, ordered most of the sails 
 to be furled, and commanded all to be upon the watch, 
 and not without cause for that same night, at day- 
 break, land was descried seven leagues to the west- 
 ward, a high mountainous island, which he called 
 Dominica (Sunday), because it was discovered on 
 Sunday morning. Shortly afterward he saw another 
 island, northeast of Dominica, and then another, and 
 another after that, more northward. For this blessing 
 which God had been pleased to bestow on them, all 
 the men assembled on deck and sang the Salve Regina.. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 147 
 
 and other prayers and hymns very devoutly, giving 
 thanks to God, because in twenty days after departing 
 from Gomera, [one of the Canary Islands,] they had 
 made that land, estimating the distance between them 
 to be between seven hundred and fifty and eight hun- 
 dred leagues. Finding: no convenient harbor in which 
 to anchor on the east side of Dominica, they stood for 
 another island, which the admiral called Marigalante, 
 which was the name of his ship." ^ Thence he pro- 
 ceeded northward " to a large island which he called 
 Santa Maria de Guadalupe, to honor her and the 
 request of the friars of the house of that name, to 
 whom he had made promise to call some island by the 
 name of their monastery. * * * Going ashore in 
 the boat to view a village which they had observed, 
 they found none of the inhabitants in it, the people 
 having fled to the woods, except some children to 
 whose arms they tied some baubles to allure their 
 fathers when they returned. In the houses they found 
 geese like ours, a great number of parrots, with red, 
 green, blue, and white feathers, as large as common 
 cocks. They also found pumpkins, and a kind of fruit 
 which looked like our green pine-apples, but much 
 larger, and inside full of solid substance like a melon, 
 and much sweeter both in taste and smell, that grew 
 on lonof stalks like lilies or aloes, wild about the fields. 
 * * * They also saw other kinds of fruit and herbs 
 different from ours ; beds of cotton nets (hamacas), 
 bows and arrows, and other things. * * * 
 
 " The next day, which was Tuesday, the fifth of 
 November, the admiral sent two boats ashore to 
 capture some natives who might give him a description 
 of the country, and tell him how far off and in what 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xlvi. 
 
148 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 direction Espanola lay. Each boat brought back a youth. 
 The youths agreed in saying that they were not of that 
 island, but of another called Borriquen, and that the 
 inhabitants of that island of Guadalupe were Caribbees 
 or cannibals, and had taken them prisoners from their 
 own island. Soon after the boats returning to shore, 
 to take up some Christians they had left there, six 
 women were found with them, who had fled from the 
 Caribbees, and came of their own accord aboard the 
 ships. * * * Q^Q Qf j-|^g women told them that 
 toward the south there were many islands, some in- 
 habited, others not, which both she and the other 
 women, severally called Giamachi, Cairvaco, Huino, 
 Buriari, Arubeira, Sixibei. But the continent, which 
 they said was very great, both they and the people 
 of Espanola called Zuanta [Yucatan ?], because in 
 former times canoes had come from that land to 
 barter. * * * fhe same women gave them infor- 
 mation where the island of Espaiiola lay ; for though 
 the admiral had inserted it in his sea-chart, yet for his 
 further information he desired to hear what the people 
 of that country said of it. * * * Then the admiral 
 landed and went to some houses, where he saw * * * 
 a great deal of cotton, spun and unspun, looms to 
 weave, a great number of men's skulls hung up, and 
 baskets filled with men's bones." ' 
 
 On his way to the island of Espanola, Columbus 
 discovered an island which he called San Juan Baptista, 
 but the Indians, Borriquen. On the twelfth of No- 
 vember he arrived off the north coast of Espanola. 
 On Thursday, the twenty-eighth of the same month, 
 the discoverer with his fleet entered the harbor of 
 the Villa de la Navidad, and found the place burnt and 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xlvi, xlvii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 149 
 
 deserted. The next morning " the admiral landed, 
 much concerned to see the houses and fort in ashes 
 and nothing left belonging to the Christians except 
 some ragged clothing and similar things as are found 
 in a place plundered and destroyed. Seeing no one 
 to question, the admiral went up a. river that was near 
 with some boats. * * * Havinsf found nothing 
 but some of the clothing of the Christians, he returned 
 to Navldad, where he saw the bodies of eight Chris- 
 tians, and of three other persons in the fields, whom 
 they recognized by their clothing, and they seemed to 
 have been dead about a month. While the Christians 
 were searching for some other tokens or writings of 
 the dead, a brother of the cacique, Guacanagari, came 
 with some Indians to talk with the admiral. These 
 could speak some words of Spanish, and knew the 
 names of all' the Christians that had been left there. 
 They related that the latter soon began to quarrel 
 among themselves, and each to take as much gold and 
 as many women as they could obtain. Pedro Gutierrez 
 and Escovedo thereupon killed a person named Diego, 
 and then they and nine others went away with their 
 women to a cacique, whose name was Caunaboa, who 
 was lord of the mines, and he killed them all. Then 
 many days afterward he came with a great number of 
 men to Navidad, where there was only Diego de 
 Arana with ten men, who had remained with him to 
 guard the fort, all the others being dispersed about the 
 island. The cacique, Caunaboa, coming there at night, 
 set fire to the houses where the Christians lived with 
 their women, and the Christians, being frightened, fled 
 to the sea, where eight were drowned, and three died 
 ashore, whose bodies they showed to them. Guacan- 
 agari undertook to defend the Christians, but he and 
 
ISO DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 his men were wounded and were compelled to flee for 
 their lives." " 
 
 About the ninth of December Columbus sailed east- 
 wardly from the site of the Villa de la Navidad, and 
 anchored before an Indian town, where he determined 
 to plant a colony. " He landed with all his men, pro- 
 visions and implements, which he had brought in the 
 ships of the fleet, at a plain, near a rock, on which a 
 fort could easily be built. Here he erected a town, 
 and called it Isabela, in honor of Queen Isabella. This 
 place was deemed very suitable, inasmuch as the 
 harbor was very large, though exposed to the north- 
 west, and had an attractive river a bow-shot from it, 
 from which canals of water might be cut to run through 
 the middle of the town, and beyond was an extensive 
 plain, from which the Indians said the mines of Cibao 
 were not very distant. For these reason^ the admiral 
 was eager to settle the colony. On account of the 
 fatigue of the voyage and that caused by his labor 
 here, he did not have time to write in his journal, from 
 day to day, what happened, as had been his habit. 
 He also fell sick, which interrupted his writing from 
 the eleventh of December to the twelfth of March, 
 1494. Meanwhile he administered the affairs of the 
 town according to his ability. He intrusted Alonso de 
 Hojeda with fifteen men to discover the mines of 
 Cibao. Afterward, on the second of February, twelve 
 ships of the fleet set sail for Castile, under the com- 
 mand of Antonio de Torres."" 
 
 In March Columbus with a body of armed men ex- 
 plored the country of Cibao. "It is rough and stony," 
 writes Ferdinand Columbus, " full of gravel, grassy, 
 and watered by several rivers in which gold is found. 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. 1. 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. li. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 151 
 
 The farther they went into the country the more 
 rugged and mountainous they found it. On the tops 
 of the mountains were grains of gold-sand, for, as the 
 admiral said, the great rains carry it down from the 
 summits of the mountains to the rivers in small sand. 
 * * * The admiral, perceiving that he was now 
 eighteen leagues from Isabela, and the country he had 
 left behind him very craggy, ordered a fort to be built 
 in a very pleasant and defensible place, which he called 
 the castle of San Tomas, to command the country 
 about the mines, and to be a place of safety for the 
 Christians who went there. The command of this new 
 fort he gave to Don Pedro Margarita, a person of 
 some importance, with fifty-six men, among whom 
 were men of all trades to erect the fort, which was 
 built with clay and timber, which made it strong 
 enough to resist the attack of any number of Indians 
 that might come against it. * * * On Sunday, 
 the twenty-ninth of March, Columbus arrived at Isa- 
 bela, where melons were already grown fit to eat, 
 although it was not more than two months after the 
 seed had been put into the ground. Cucumbers came 
 up in twenty days, and a wild vine of that country, 
 having been pruned, had produced grapes which were 
 good and large. The next day, being the thirtieth of 
 March, a farmer gathered ears of wheat, the seed of 
 which he had sown at the latter end of January. 
 There were also pease, but much larger than those 
 they sowed. All they sowed came up above the 
 ground in three days, and on the twenty-fifth day they 
 were eating them. The stones of fruit set in the 
 ground sprouted in seven days, and vine branches 
 shot out in the same time, and in twenty-five days 
 thereafter they gathered green grapes. * * * 
 
153 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " The admiral, having determined to go to discover 
 the continent, appointed a council to govern the island 
 in his absence. The persons composing it were Don 
 Diego Colon, the admiral's brother, with the title of 
 president ; F. Boyl [Friar Bull] and Pedro Fernandez 
 Corouel, regents ; Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal, rector 
 of Bacca, and Juan de Luxan, gentlemen of their 
 catholic majesties. * * * On Tuesday, the twenty- 
 ninth of April, the wind being favorable, Columbus 
 arrived at Cabo de San Nicolas, and thence crossed 
 over to the island of Cuba, running along the south 
 coast of it, and having sailed a league beyond Cabo 
 Fuerte, he put into a large bay which he called Puerto 
 Grande. '^ * * 
 
 "On Saturday, the third of May, the admiral re- 
 solved to sail from Cuba over to Jamaica, that he might 
 not leave it behind without knowing whether the re- 
 port of the abundance of gold there were true. The 
 wind being favorable, he discovered it on Sunday, 
 when he was less than half the distance to it. On 
 Monday he came to anchor, and thought it was the most 
 attractive of all the islands which he had seen in the 
 Indies. So many people, in large and small canoes, 
 came aboard his vessels that it was quite astonishing. 
 The next day he ran along the coast to search for 
 harbors. When the boats went to examine the 
 havens, there came out so many canoes and armed 
 men to defend the country, that the men in the 
 boats were forced to return to the ships, not through 
 fear, but to avoid making enemies of them. * * * 
 On Tuesday, the thirteenth of May, Columbus de- 
 termined to stand over again for Cuba to coast 
 along it, intending not to return until he had sailed 
 five or six hundred leagues, and was satisfied whether 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 153 
 
 it were a continent or an islanda * * * On 
 Friday, tl:ie thirteenth of June, the admiral perceiving 
 that the coast of Cuba ran far to the west, and that 
 it was a matter of the greatest difficulty to sail that 
 way on account of the infinite number of islands and 
 sand-bars that were on all sides of them, and he also 
 beginning to be in want of provisions, for which reason 
 he could not continue his voyage as he had intended, 
 he determined to return to the town he had besun to 
 build in Espanola. To supply himself with wood and 
 water, he anchored at the island Evangelista, which is 
 thirty leagues in circuit, and seven hundred from Do- 
 minica." ' 
 
 While Columbus was exploring the coast of Cuba, 
 near the island of EvangeHsta, on the twelfth of June, 
 it is said that he, for the purpose of furnishing indis- 
 putable evidence that he had reached the dominions of 
 the Grand Khan, sent Fernando Perez de Luna, his 
 notary, with four attesting witnesses, to the vessels, 
 and had each person on board to make a declaration 
 under oath that he was convinced that the land he saw 
 was a part of the continent of Asia, and that he be- 
 lieved any one could go from it by land to Spain.^ The 
 notary, when taking the depositions, it is said, informed 
 each person giving this testimony, that should he for 
 any malicious purpose afterward assert a different 
 opinion, he would, if an officer, be made to pay a 
 penalty of ten thousand maravedis for such an offence, 
 and if a person of lower rank, he would receive a 
 hundred lashes and have his tono^ue cut out.^ Strano-e 
 
 * Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. liii-lviii. 
 
 ' " Qtie esta tierra de Cuba ftiesa la iierra firme al comicnzo de las Indias y 
 fin d quien en estas partes quisiere venir de ILspafia por tierra." 
 
 ^ Informacion del escribano publico. Fernando Perez de Luna. Coleccion 
 de los viages y descubrimientos de los Espagnoles. torn. ii. pp. 143, 149. 
 
154 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 as it seems, it was Columbus's belief that this watery 
 expanse was really the gulf of the Ganges/ 
 
 Departing from the island of Evangelista, Columbus 
 returned alone the coast of Cuba to Cabo de Santa 
 Cruz, from which he steered to the island of Jamaica. 
 After leaving it, he discovered the two islands lying 
 off the east coast of Espanola, called respectively by 
 the Indians Adamanai and Mona. On the twenty- 
 ninth of September, 1494, he returned to Isabela. 
 
 The people of the island of Espanola having 
 acquired some knowledge of the Spanish language, 
 were able at this time to give Columbus considerable 
 information respecting their religion. From his con- 
 versations with them he was enabled to write the 
 following account of their peculiar image-worship : 
 " I could discover neither idolatry nor any sect among 
 them, though each one of their kings, who are very 
 many, as well in Espanola as on all the other islands 
 and continent, has a house apart from the town, in 
 which there is nothing but some carved, wooden 
 images that are called cemies. There is nothing 
 done in these houses but what is for the service of the 
 cemies, to which they repair to perform certain cere- 
 monies, and pray there, as we do in our churches. 
 In these houses they have a handsome, round table, 
 made like a dish, on which is some powder, which 
 they lay on the heads- of the cemies with a certain 
 ceremony. Then through a cane, that has two 
 branches, held to their own nostrils they snuff up 
 
 ' In August, 1495, Peter Martyr, writing to Cardinal Bernardino, says : 
 " Columbus asserts that this regioia is the continent of the Ganges of India, — 
 Indiae Gangetidis continentem earn esse plagam contendit Colonus." — Opvs, 
 epistolaru Petri Martyris Anglerii Mediolanesis Protonotarij Aplici atque a 
 cosilijs reru Indicaru : nuc pmu et natu y mediocri cura excursum : quod q de 
 preterstili venustate, nostroru quoque teporum histori loco esse poterit. Copluti 
 Anno dni MDXXX. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 155 
 
 this powder. The words they use none of our people 
 understand. The powder intoxicates them, and they 
 act as if they were drunk. They also give the image 
 a name, and I believe it is that of their father or 
 grandfather, or both ; for they have more than one, 
 and some more than ten, all in memory of their fore- 
 fathers, as I have already said. I have heard them 
 praise one more than another, and have observed 
 them to have more devotion, and show more respect 
 to one than another, as we do in processions in time 
 of want ; and the people and the caciques boast 
 among themselves of having the best cemies. When 
 they go to these cemies they shun the Christians, and 
 will not permit them to enter these houses. If they 
 suspect that they will come, they take their cemies 
 and hide them in the woods for fear that they should 
 be deprived of them. What is most ridiculous, they 
 have the habit of stealing one another's cemies. It 
 happened once that the Christians suddenly rushed 
 into a house with them, and the cemi cried out, speak- 
 ing in their language, which showed that it was arti- 
 ficially made. The cemi being hollow, they had at- 
 tached a tube to it, which tube extended to a dark 
 corner of the house, where a man was concealed with 
 boughs and leaves who had spoken through the tube 
 the words which the cacique had commanded him. 
 The Spaniards, suspecting something of the kind, 
 kicked down the cemi, and discovered that which has 
 been related. The cacique seeing that his deception 
 was known to the Spaniards, earnestly begged them 
 not to speak of it to his subjects or to the other 
 Indians, because he made them obedient by this arti- 
 fice. * * * Three large stones are also in the 
 possession of almost all the caciques, which are highly 
 
156 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 venerated by them and their people. The one they say 
 makes the corn and the grain to grow, the second 
 helps women in travail, and the third procures rain or 
 fair weather, whenever they desire to be benefited in 
 any one of these ways. I sent your highnesses three 
 of these stones by Antonio de Torres, and have three 
 more to bring with me. 
 
 " When these Indians die, they have several ways 
 of performing their obsequies. The manner in which 
 they bury their caciques is as follows : They open his 
 body and dry it at a fire in order to preserve it. Of 
 other persons they only take the head. They bury some 
 in caves or caverns, and place gourds of water and 
 bread at their heads. Others they burn in the house 
 where they die, and they do not permit them to 
 die naturally, but strangle them at their last gasp. 
 This is done to the caciques. Others are turned out 
 of the house, and are put in a hamac, which is their 
 bed, with bread and water at their heads, and they are 
 never visited again. Some who become dangerously 
 ill are carried to the cacique, who tells whether they 
 are to be strangled or not, and what he commands is 
 done. I have taken pains to learn what they believe, 
 and whether they know what becomes of them after 
 they are dead. This I inquired of Caunaboa, who was 
 the principal king of Espanola, an aged man, intelli- 
 gent and of much discernment. He and the rest 
 answered that they go to a certain valley, which every 
 great cacique supposes to be his country, where, they 
 affirm, they find their parents and all their ancestors ; 
 that they eat, have women, and enjoy themselves in 
 pleasures and pastimes. 
 
 " The admiral, having brought the island into a 
 peaceable condition, and built the town of Isabela, be- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 157 
 
 sides three forts in different parts of the country, deter- 
 mined to return to Spain. * * * He went on 
 board, on Thursday, the tenth of March, 1496, with two 
 hundred and twenty-five Spaniards and thirty Indians, 
 and sailed from Isabela, at daybreak, and steered alono- 
 the coast with two caravels, one called Santa Cruz, the 
 other La Nina, the same in which he went to discover 
 the island of Cuba. * * * Having supplied him- 
 self with bread, wood, and water, he set sail on 
 Wednesday, the twentieth of April, from the island of 
 Guadalupe, with the wind very scant, keeping near 
 the latitude of twenty-two degrees, for at that time 
 they had not found out the way of running away north 
 to catch the southwest winds." ^ 
 
 After sailing a month in the direction of Spain, 
 " although there were eight or nine pilots on board the 
 two vessels, yet none of them knew where they were ; 
 but the admiral was confident that they were only a 
 little west of the Azores." 
 
 Columbus, speaking of the movements of his com- 
 passes at this time, observes : " This morning the 
 Dutch compasses varied, as they formerly did, a point; 
 and those of Geneva, which previously agreed with 
 them, varied only a little, but after sailing east varied 
 more, which is a sign that we are one hundred leagues 
 or more west of the Azores, for when we were just one 
 hundred there were only a few weeds scattered in the 
 sea, and the Dutch needles varied a point, those of 
 Geneva cutting the north point, and when we are a 
 little farther east-northeast they will alter again." '^ 
 
 ^ Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. Iviii-lxiv. 
 
 ^ Columbus writing from Espanola in October, 1498, says : " Each time 
 that I sail from Spain to India, as soon as I have proceeded about a hundred 
 nautical miles to the west of the Azores, I perceive an extraordinary alteration 
 in the movement of the heavenly bodies, in the temperature of the air, and in 
 the character of the sea. I have observed these alterations with especial care, 
 
158 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. . 
 
 These noticeable differences in the variations of the 
 needles, Ferdinand Columbus says, the admiral assigned 
 to "the different kinds of loadstones used in making 
 them." * * * « jj^ t-i^jg way," he remarks, "they 
 continued their voyage, though all the pilots went like 
 blind men." Columbus, when near Spain, confidently 
 asserted that they would be in sight of the coast on the 
 following morning, which proved to be true, "for which 
 reason he was looked upon by the seamen as very ex- 
 pert and almost prophetic in sea affairs." ^ On Satur- 
 
 and I notice that the mariner's compass, whose declination had hitherto been 
 northeast, was now changed to nortliwest ; and when I had crossed this line, as 
 if in passing the brow of a hill, I found the ocean covered with such a mass of 
 sea-weed, similar to small branches of pine covered with pistachio nuts, that we 
 were apprehensive that for want of a sufficiency of water our ships would run upon 
 a shoal. Before we reached the line of which I speak, there was no trace of any 
 such sea-weed. On the boundary line, one hundred miles west of the Azores, 
 the ocean is found still and calm, being scarcely ever moved by a breeze. On 
 my passage from the Canary Islands to the parallel of Sierra Leone, we had 
 to endure a frightful degree of heat, but as soon as we had crossed the above- 
 mentioned line, the climate changed, the air became temperate, and the fresh- 
 ness increased the farther we proceeded." 
 
 " It is evident that the extract from the third voyage is but an amplification 
 of his first account, and expresses his conviction that west of the Azores, where 
 the declination was a little easterly, it changed to the westward, being nearly 
 zero at Corvo, and gradually increasing to one point or ii° W. , at a distance of 
 300 nautical miles W. of the longitude of Corvo. The position of Rosario on 
 the S.E. part of the island of Corvo is, according to the Carta Esf erica de las 
 Islas Azores, Madrid, 1855, in latitude 39° 41' and longitude 24° 53' west of 
 San Fernando, or in 31° 07' west of Greenwich (according to the* Contt. des 
 Temps), 100 leagues or 300 nautical miles west of this longitude would corre- 
 spond (in latitude 28°) to 5° 40', and would bring the Columbus line in longitude 
 36° 47' W." — An inquiry into the variation of the compass off the Bahama 
 Islands at the land fall of Columbus in 1492. By Charles A. Schott. p. 51. 
 
 ' Histoire del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. Ixiv. 
 
 " The necessity for attaching a special and well-informed astronomer to 
 every great expedition was so generally felt that Queen Isabella wrote to Colum- 
 bus on the 5th of September, 1493, ' that although he had shown in his under- 
 takings that he knew more than any other living being (cjue ninguno de los naci- 
 dos), she counselled him, nevertheless, to take with him Fray Antonio de 
 Marchena, as being a learned and skillful astronomer.' Columbus writes in the 
 narrative of his fourth voyage that ' there was only one infallible method of 
 taking a ship's reckoning, viz., that employed by astronomers. He who under- 
 stands it may rest satisfied ; for that which it yields is like unto a prophetic 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 159 
 
 da3^ the eleventh of June, 1496, the caravels arrived 
 in the port of Cadiz. 
 
 " The admiral," as soon as he had landed, "began to 
 prepare for his journey to Burgos, where he was favor- 
 ably received by their catholic majesties, who were 
 there celebrating the nuptials of Prince Juan, their son, 
 who married Margarita of Austria." 
 
 While Columbus was in Espanola, King Ferdinand 
 and Queen Isabella abrogated in part the concessions 
 granted him, and issued letters-patent on the tenth of 
 April, 1495, permitting any of their subjects to make 
 voyages of discovery to the Indies.' Commissioned by 
 their highnesses, Amerigo Vespucci'' went with a fleet 
 of four vessels, in 1497, to make discoveries. The ac- 
 
 vision {vision profeticd). Our ignorant pilots, when they have lost sight of land 
 for several days know not where they are. Tliey would not be able to find the 
 countries again which I have discovered. To navigate a ship requires the com- 
 pass (compas y arte) and the knowledge or art of the astronomer.' " — Humboldt : 
 Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. pp. 671-673. 
 
 * " That any individual among our subjects and natives, that desires, may 
 go hereafter (according to our pleasure and will) to discover islands and the 
 mainland in the said part of the aforesaid Indies, either to those already discov- 
 ered or to any other, and to traffic in them, provided it be not in the aforesaid 
 island of Espanola. He may buy from the Christians there or from those who 
 may hereafter be there any article and merchandise, provided it be not gold ; 
 and this he may and shall do with any suitable ship, provided that at the time 
 he leaves our kingdom he depart from the city of Cadiz, and there present him- 
 self before our officers. And they must carry thence in each of such vessels one 
 or two persons named by our officers. * * * ^^d it is our will and pleasure 
 that of all which the said persons shall find in the aforesaid islands and main- 
 land they shall have for themselves nine parts, and the tenth shall be our part." 
 — Vide Memorials of Columbus ; or a collection of authentic documents of that 
 celebrated navigator. London, 1823. pp. 88-95. 
 
 ' Amerigo Vespucci, the third son of Anastasio Vespucci and Elizabetta 
 Mina, was born in Florence, March 9, 1451. In his boyhood he attended the 
 school taught by his uncle, Giorgio Antonio Vespucci, a monk of the order of 
 St. Mark. About the year 1493 Vespucci went to Seville, and engaged in the 
 business of furnishing and equipping vessels for voyages of discovery. He died 
 in Seville, February 22, 1512. — Vide The life and voyages of Americus Vepucius. 
 By C. Edwards Lester and Andrew Foster. New York, 1846. Amerigo Ves- 
 pucci. Son caractere, ses ecrits (meme les moins authentiques), sa vie, et ses 
 navigations, par F. A. de Varnhagen. Lima, 1865. 
 
i6o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 count of the voyage is contained in a letter written by 
 him, in Lisbon, on the fourth of September, i5o4. The 
 publication of it made him famous as the discoverer of 
 the continent of America. Singular as it is true, the 
 palpable discrepancies found in the subsequent versions 
 of Vespucci's letter have led many scholars to discredit 
 the statements of the intelligent and enterprising Ital- 
 ian.* Vespucci thus writes respecting his first voyage : 
 
 " The king, Don Ferdinand of Castile, having 
 ordered four ships to discover new lands toward the 
 west, I was selected by his highness to go in the fleet 
 to aid in the discoveries.'' We departed from the port 
 of Cadiz on the tenth day of May, 1497, and took our 
 course across the great gulf of the ocean-sea.^ We 
 spent eighteen months on the voyage, and discovered 
 much main-land and an endless number of islands, 
 which were in great part inhabited. As these are not 
 spoken of by ancient writers, I think that they had no 
 knowledcre of them. * * * 
 
 " We reached a land which we judged to be firm 
 land, distant from the Canary Islands about a thousand 
 leagues more to the west, within the torrid zone, 
 because we found the north pole at an elevation of 
 sixteen deofrees above the horizon,* and that we were 
 more than seventy-five degrees west of the Canary 
 Islands as our instruments showed.^ We anchored 
 
 ' Vide Bibliotheca Americana Vetustissima. — A description of works 
 relating to America publislied between the years 1492 and 1551. [By Henry 
 Harrisse.] New York, 1866. pp. 55-68. 
 
 " " Electa per stia alteza che io fiissi in essa Jlocta per adiutare a discoprire." 
 
 ' " Fa}-(imo del p07-to di Calls adi 10 viaggio, 1497." 
 
 * Likely the double altitude, and therefore eight degrees of north latitude, or 
 near the mouths of the Orinoco River. 
 
 * " Una terra, cli' la gitidica'mo essere terra ferma : la quale dista dalle 
 isole d' Caiiaria piu alio occidenle a circha di mille leghe fuora dello habitato d' 
 renio della torrida zona : perche trouva'mo el polo del septentrione al zare fuora 
 del suo orizonte 16. gradi, &" piu occide' tale che le isole di Canaria, seed do che 
 niostrouajio e iiostri instrumenti 75, gradi" 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. i6i 
 
 our ships a league and a half from the coast. We got 
 out our boats, and, having manned and armed them, 
 we went on land. 
 
 " Before we went ashore we were greatly delighted 
 in seeing many people wandering along the beach. 
 We saw that they were naked and that they seemed 
 to be frightened when they beheld us, likely, as I sup- 
 posed, by seeing us clothed, and of a different stature 
 from their own. They retired to a mountain, and we 
 could not entice them to hold any intercourse with us, 
 notwithstanding we endeavored to induce them by 
 signs of peace and friendship. * ^ ^ 
 
 " We sailed to the northwest' in which direction the 
 coast extended, always in sight of land, seeing con- 
 tinually, during the voyage, people on the shore. After 
 sailing two days, we found a secure place for the ships, 
 and anchored half a league from the land. * * * The 
 natives were somewhat timid, and it was a long time 
 before we were able to dispel their fear and induce 
 them to come and talk to us. * * * Giving them such 
 things as looking-glasses, bells, beads, and other trifles, 
 we enticed a number of them to approach and enter 
 into friendly relations with us. * * * 
 
 " These people go entirely naked and wear not a 
 particle of clothing. They are of a medium size and 
 very well proportioned. Their skin is reddish like the 
 color of a lion's skin. * * * They do not allow any 
 hair to grow on their eyelids and eyebrows, nor on 
 any part of their bodies ; only on their heads, for they 
 think it very unbecoming. The men and women are 
 exceedingly quick in their movements, and are uncon- 
 
 " * Nauiga' mo per el viaestrale, che cbsi sicorreua la casta sempre a uista di 
 terra." 
 
 In Italy the different points of the compass were designated by the winds : 
 North, tramontana J northeast, ^n'f^ y east, levante ; southeast, jz'wccc' y south, 
 ostro ; southwest, libeccio ; -WQst, pone7tie ; northwest, maestro ox viaestrale. 
 
i62 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 strained in their deportment. They walk and run 
 rapidly. The women do not think it a difficult thing 
 to run a league or two. '" '^ * These people are excel- 
 lent swimmers. The women surpass the men, for we 
 have observed them many times swimming unaided, 
 fully two leagues out from land. 
 
 ** The weapons of these people are bows and 
 arrows. These are curiously made. They have no 
 iron or any other hard metal on them. They use 
 instead the teeth of animals or fish. * * * They 
 are expert bowmen, and hit with their arrows what- 
 ever they shoot at. The women in some parts of the 
 country handle the bow with considerable skill. Their 
 other weapons are lances and clubs with elaborately 
 carved heads. When they go to make war their wives 
 accompany them, not to fight, but to carry provision 
 on their backs. Sometimes a woman will convey a 
 burden in this manner thirty or forty leagues, which 
 the strongest men there cannot do as we have frequent- 
 ly observed. * * * 
 
 " These people, although they appear ignorant as 
 talkers, are very sagacious and crafty in any matter in 
 which they are interested. They do not talk much, 
 and when they do, it is in a low tone. * * * Their 
 languages differ so much that we found people living 
 within the space of a hundred leagues who could not 
 understand one another's speech. * * * They 
 do not partake of food at appointed times nor in 
 such quantities to satisfy them during equal intervals. 
 Whenever their appetites demand food, whether in 
 the middle of the night or day, it does not matter to 
 them, they appease their hunger. * * * They 
 take their food from earthen basins made by them, or 
 from gourds cut in half. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 163 
 
 " They sleep in certain nets made of cotton, very 
 large, suspended in the air. * * * These people 
 are clean and neat in their persons, for they are con- 
 tinually bathing. * * * They live together in 
 common, and make their houses like cottages, which 
 are very strongly built with the largest trees and cov- 
 ered with palm leaves. * * * We found one 
 which contained six hundred persons, and we saw the 
 occupants of thirteen houses, who must have numbered 
 four thousand souls. New sites for these houses are 
 selected every seven or eight years. When we asked 
 why they changed the location of their dwellings, they 
 said it was because the intense heat of the sun caused 
 painful diseases to spread among them when the 
 ground about their houses became permeated and foul 
 with filth ; which explanation seemed quite reasonable 
 to us. 
 
 " The riches of these people are the feathers of birds 
 of different colors, ornaments made of fish bones, and 
 white and green stones, with which they adorn their 
 cheeks, lips, and ears. * * * Some of these people, 
 when they inter their dead, place water and food at the 
 head of the corpse. * * * jj^ some parts of the 
 country there is a very inhuman custom of disposing 
 of a person about to die. His relatives carry him into 
 a great wood, and, fastening one of their sleeping nets 
 to two trees, put him in it. Having swung him in it 
 during the day, they, at the approach of night, depart 
 to their homes, leaving with him water and food suf- 
 ficient for his wants during the succeeding five or six 
 days. Should the ill man partake of the provisions 
 and recover sufficient strength to enable him to make 
 his way back to the village, his relatives honor his re- 
 turn with ceremony. * * * 
 
i64 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 *' For their infirmities they have various kinds of 
 medicine very different from those we use. * * * 
 I often observed that when a person was stricken 
 with fever and grew worse, that they bathed him with 
 much cold water from head to foot, and then built a 
 great fire around him, and made him walk about the 
 inclosed space for an hour or two until he became 
 quite fatigued, when they allowed him to sleep. Many 
 were cured by this treatment. * * * Blood-letting 
 is an art known to them. They do not take blood from 
 the arm except in the arm pit. They generally take 
 it from the loins or the calf of the leg. * * * They 
 have no erain seed nor corn, but use instead the root 
 of a tree, from which they make flour, which is very 
 o-ood, and which they call luca, and another wdiich they 
 call Cdsabi, and another which they call Ig7tami. Very 
 little meat is eaten by them except human flesh. 
 
 * * * They devour with fierce avidity their ene- 
 mies, whom they kill or capture, whether men or 
 women. They thought it very strange when they 
 
 learned that we did not eat the flesh of our enemies. 
 
 * * * 
 
 " We landed in a port ' where we found a village 
 built above the water like Venice. About forty-five 
 bell-shaped houses were erected here upon very large 
 piles, and connected one with the other by draw-bridges. 
 
 * * * When we were descried by the people they 
 were seemingly terrified, and to protect themselves 
 they immediately drew their bridges and shut them- 
 selves up in their houses. While we were observing 
 them and wondering at their actions, we beheld about 
 twenty- two canoes {canoe) approaching us from the 
 
 ' Evidently the Gulf of Coquibacoa, called shortly afterward by the 
 Spaniards the Gulf of Venezuela — the Gulf of Little Venice. — Vide Juan de la 
 Cosa's map in the cover-pocket. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 165 
 
 direction of the sea. These canoes are boats which 
 they use, and are made from a single tree. The people 
 in them rowed toward our boats, no little astonished 
 at our forms and clothing. As they kept at some 
 distance from us, we made signs to induce them to 
 come nearer. Failing to assure them of our peaceful 
 intentions, and seeing that they would not approach any 
 nearer, we rowed toward them. But they did not 
 remain where they were, but rowed to the land, where, 
 by signs, they intimated that we should wait for a short 
 time until they returned. 
 
 " They hastened away to a mountain, but did not 
 stay there any length of time. Returning they brought 
 with them sixteen young girls, and, entering their 
 canoes, rowed to us, and placed four girls in each of 
 our boats. We were much surprised at this. * * * 
 They then kept their canoes alongside of our boats, 
 and we were led to believe that these people were thus 
 manifesting their friendship. Not suspecting any thing 
 different, we observed a great number of people swim- 
 ming toward us from the houses. Then some old 
 women appeared at the doors of the houses shrieking 
 and pulling their hair as if in great distress. Suspect- 
 ing some treachery, we took up our arms. All at once 
 the girls in our boats plunged into the sea, and the 
 people in the canoes rowed away, shooting their arrows 
 at us. Those who swam to us carried lances with 
 them concealed under the water. Discovering their 
 treachery, we not only defended ourselves, but vigor- 
 ously attacked them. We upset in our boats many of 
 their canoes and killed many people. In a short time 
 those who were not hurt left their canoes and swam to 
 the shore. They had about fifteen or twenty killed 
 and wounded, and we five slightly wounded. * * * 
 
i66 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 We took two girls and two men prisoners. When we 
 entered their houses we found only two old women and 
 a sick man. We took from the houses many things of 
 little value, but did not burn the houses from humane 
 motives. 
 
 * * * 
 
 " This country is thickly inhabited and contains 
 a great many rivers. The animals in it are quite 
 different from those in our country, except the lions, 
 panthers, stags, hogs, goats, and deer, and some 
 of these are somewhat different from ours in form. 
 * * * But how can I describe the birds here, which 
 are so many and of so many kinds, and the color of 
 their feathers so different, that the sight of them 
 amazes one. 
 
 " The country is very attractive and fruitful, and 
 covered with very great woods and forests, in which 
 the trees are always green, for they never lose their 
 foliage. There are unnumbered fruits very different 
 from those in our country. This land lies within the 
 limits of the torrid zone, below the line describing the 
 tropic of Cancer, where the pole is elevated twenty- 
 three degrees above the horizon, at the end of the 
 second climate.' * * *' In this country we made 
 a baptismal font, and baptized many of the people, who 
 called us caribi, meaning men of great wisdom. 
 
 *' The country is called Lariab by the natives. We 
 sailed along its coast always in sight of land and 
 ran on the whole course toward the northwest eight 
 hundred and seventy leagues.^ * * * ^^Q found 
 
 ' " Quest a terra sta dentro del la tomda zona giuntamente, o di basso del 
 paralello, che descriue el tropica di cancer : done aha el polo dello orizonte 23 
 gradi net fine del secondo cly7na." 
 
 ' " Tanto che corremo dessa 870 leghe tutta uerso el tnaestrale." 
 The end of the second climate was at 8° 25' north latitude. Ptolemy, the 
 geographer, divided the surface of the globe, from the equator to the sixty- 
 sixth parallel, into zones, called climates, to represent the successive increase of 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 167 
 
 gold in some places but not much. The discovery 
 of the country and the knowledge that gold was 
 in it satisfied us. * * ■'' 
 
 " On our return we sailed toward the sea going 
 between the north and east, and after seven days we 
 reached some islands. * * * ^^Q landed on one 
 of them, where we found many people, who called the 
 island Iti [Hayti ?]. * * * We set sail for Spain 
 with two hundred and twenty-two slave-prisoners, 
 and arrived at the port of Cadiz on the fifteenth of 
 October, 1498,' where we were well received, and 
 sold our slaves. This is what happened to me in this 
 my first voyage that may be considered note- 
 worthy." "^ 
 
 " Shortly after the departure of the fleet with 
 which Vespucci went to the New World, Columbus 
 complained to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella 
 that the permission given by them in 1496 to those 
 who desired to go on voyages of discovery toward the 
 west was prejudicial to the privileges previously 
 granted him by their Spanish majesties. The latter 
 therefore revoked their letters -patent of the tenth of 
 April, 1495, on the second of June, 1497, declaring 
 that it should "have no force nor effect at any time, 
 or in any manner whatever, so as to be prejudicial to 
 the said admiral, and to whatever we have thus granted 
 and confirmed to him." ^ 
 
 fifteen minutes in the length of a mid-summer day. The first climate extended 
 to 4° 15', on the north side of the equator ; the second, from 4° 15' to 8° 25'; 
 and the third, to 12° 30'. 
 
 ^" JVoi alsi/acemo ue/a p, Spagna con 222 prigioni scJiiaui : df giugnetno 
 nel porta di Calls adl 15 doclobre 1498." 
 
 " Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci delle isole nuouamente trouate in quattro 
 suoi viaggi. Primo viaggio. 
 
 Vide Amerigo Vespucci. Varnhagen. pp. 34-48. Bibliotheca Americana 
 Vetustissima. [Harrisse.] pp. 55-68, 149, 150. 
 
 * Vide Memorials of Columbus, pp. 96, 97. 
 
i68 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 •' The fitting out of the fleet [for Columbus's third 
 voyage to the Indies] was delayed much longer than 
 was necessary through the negligence and bad man- 
 agement of the king's officers, and particularly that 
 of Don Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, archdeacon of 
 Seville. Hence it happened that Don Juan, who was 
 afterward bishop of Burgos, was, from that time on- 
 ward, a bitter enemy to the admiral and his affairs, 
 and was the chief person among those who brought 
 him into disgrace with their catholic majesties.' 
 * * * ^\iQ admiral made his preparations for the 
 voyage with all possible diligence, and on the thirtieth 
 of May, 1498, set sail .from the bay of San Lucar de 
 Berrameda, with six ships, freighted with provisions 
 and other necessaries for the relief of the planters in 
 Espanola and the peopling of that island." == 
 
 On Thursday, the fifth of July, Columbus steered 
 westward from the islands of Cape Verd, and on the 
 last day of the month altered his course and stood to 
 the north. " One day about noon as he was thus sail- 
 ing [off the coast of Venezuela, South America, north 
 of the mouths of the Orinoco river], Alonso Perez 
 Nirando, a sailor of the town of Huelva, while going 
 up to the round-top, saw the peaks of three mountains 
 to the westward, distant about fifteen leagues. Not 
 long afterward they beheld land extending northeast- 
 wardly as far as they could see. When they had 
 given thanks to God and said the Salve Rcgina and 
 other prayers used by seamen in times of distress or 
 joy, the admiral called the discovered island, la Isla de 
 
 ' At this time, says Ferdinand Columbus, "in order that Don Diego, my 
 brother, and I, who had served as pages to Prince Juan, who was now dead, 
 might not suffer by his delays or be absent from court until the time of his de- 
 parture, he [the admiral] sent us, on the second of November, 1497, from 
 Seville, to serve as pages to her majesty, Queen Isabella." 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. Ixv. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 169 
 
 Trinidad (the island of the Trinity), for he had thought 
 of giving this name to the first land they should find 
 on the voyage, and now God had graciously granted 
 him the si^ht of three mountains near tos^ether as has 
 been mentioned. The fleet stood directly west to reach 
 a point of land on the south side of the island, and then 
 coasted along that side of it until the anchors were 
 cast, five leagues beyond the cape, which Columbus 
 called Punta de la Galera (Point of the Galley), which 
 name was suggested by a rock on the headland, re- 
 sembling, at a distance, a galley under sail. On the 
 following morning, Wednesday, Columbus continued 
 his course westward, for there was only one cask of 
 water on board his ship, and one on each of the other 
 vessels, and at the last anchorage no convenient place 
 had been found to obtain more. At the next headland, 
 which he called Punta de la Playa (Point of the Strand), 
 the ships anchored and the crews went to a small 
 brook and obtained a supply of fresh water. No town 
 or people were seen here, although they had observed 
 many houses and towns along the coast. * * * 
 This day, which was the first of August, when the ves- 
 sels were sailing between Punta de la Galera and Punta 
 de la Playa, they .discovered the continent, distant 
 about twenty-five leagues as they guessed. Inasmuch 
 as they thought it was another island, they called it Isla 
 Santa (Holy Island)." 
 
 When the ships anchored at the southwestern ex- 
 tremity of the island of Trinidad, which point of land 
 Columbus called Punta del Arenal, " a large canoe," 
 the admiral writes, " came from the eastward, contain- 
 ing twenty-four men, all in the prime of life, fully armed 
 with bows, arrows, and shields. As I have said, they were 
 all young, well proportioned, and not dark black, but 
 
I70 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 whiter than any other Indians that I had seen. * * * 
 They wore their hair long and straight, cut in the 
 Spanish fashion. Their heads were encircled with 
 cotton scarfs elaborately colored, like the head-dresses 
 of the Moors. Some wore these scarfs round their 
 bodies as a covering in the place of breeches. When 
 I reached Punta del Arenal I found that the island of 
 Trinidad was separated from the land of Gracia {la 
 tierra de Graciaf by a strait two leagues wide. * * * 
 " I discovered beyond the point which I called 
 Punta de la Aguda, one of the most attractive countries 
 in the world, and very densely populated. * * * 
 Some of the natives immediately came in canoes to 
 the ship to request me in the name of their king to 
 come on land. When they saw that I paid no atten- 
 tion to them, they came in great numbers in their 
 canoes to the ship, many of them wearing pieces of 
 oold on their breasts, and some of them bracelets of 
 pearls on their arms. When I saw these I was ex- 
 ceedingly pleased, and I made many inquiries to learn 
 where the people found them. They informed me 
 that they were obtained in the neighborhood and also 
 at a place north of the country. * * * Desiring 
 to get some pearls like those I had seen, I sent some 
 men ashore for that purpose. * * * They related 
 that when the boats reached the shore, two chiefs, 
 whom they took for father and son, came to them from 
 the throng of the people and conducted them to a very 
 large house, at two springs, not round and tent-shaped 
 as the other houses. In this house were many seats, 
 on which they seated our men and themselves. They 
 
 "Although, according to Ferdinand Columbus's statement, his father 
 called the firm land (or rather an island) at the mouths of the Orinoco River, 
 Isla Santa (Holy Island), Columbus really called the continent. La Tierra de 
 Gracia (Land of Grace). 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 171 
 
 then caused bread to be brought with many kinds of 
 fruit and various wines, both white and red, not made 
 from grapes but apparently from different fruits. * * * 
 The men were congregated at one end of the buildino- 
 and the women at the other. Great vexation was felt 
 by both parties because they could not understand 
 each other's language, for they each desired to ask 
 questions concerning their respective countries." 
 
 Columbus, describing that part of South America 
 which he called Gracia, now known as Venezuela, and 
 also referring to the Orinoco River pouring its flood 
 of fresh water into the Gulf of Paria, which he called 
 Golfo de las Perlas (Gulf of Pearls), remarks : " I think 
 that if the mentioned river does not flow from the 
 earthly paradise that»it comes from a vast extent of 
 land in the south, of which nothing hitherto has been 
 known." 
 
 In the letter containing this information respecting 
 South America the admiral speaks of sending to King 
 Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, to whom the letter was 
 addressed, a map of the country {la pintura, de la 
 tier r a). ' 
 
 The channel between the island of Trinidad and the 
 land of Gracia (which the natives called Paria), Colum- 
 bus called la Boca de la Sierpe (the mouth of the Ser- 
 pent). The fleet then sailed from the Gulf of Paria 
 through its northern outlet, which Columbus called la 
 Boca del Drago (the mouth of the Dragon), and passed 
 by the cape which he called Cabo de las Conchas and 
 the island which he named Margarita. "Although," as 
 Ferdinand Columbus remarks, " the admiral saw that 
 
 * Letter from the island of Espanola. — Vide Select letters of Christopher 
 Columbus, with other original documents relating to his four voyages to the 
 New World. Translated and edited by R. H. Major. London, 1S70. Sec- 
 ond edition. Hakluyt Society pub. 
 
172 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the country of Paria extended much farther westward, 
 nevertheless he says that from that time forward he 
 could not give as good a description of it as he wished 
 on account of his eyes being too much inflamed by 
 constant watching. Therefore he was compelled to 
 obtain the most of his information concerning it from 
 the sailors and pilots." ^ 
 
 When Columbus arrived, at the end of August, at 
 the island of Espafiola, where he intended to recruit 
 his failing health, he found the colonists rebelling 
 against the authority of his brother Bartolome, whom 
 he had left there as adelantado, or lieutenant-gov- 
 ernor, when he sailed for Spain in 1496. Columbus 
 at once took steps to put an end to the sedition. 
 Meanwhile complaints were sent to their Spanish maj- 
 esties, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, who, to 
 adjust the differences existing between the two con- 
 tending factions, sent Francisco de Bobadilla to Es- 
 panola to discover the cause of the insurrection and to 
 punish by fine and imprisonment those whom he should 
 find culpable. Summoning the admiral to appear 
 before him at San Domingo, he, as soon as Columbus 
 arrived, ordered him to be put in irons and to be con- 
 fined in the fortress. Having drawn up certain charges 
 against Columbus, he sent him in chains to Spain. 
 About the middle of November, i5oo, the vessel 
 arrived at Cadiz. When the news of Columbus's hu- 
 miliation at the hands of Bobadilla became known, the 
 people everywhere censured the latter for the unwar- 
 ranted abasement of the distinguished discoverer. The 
 king and queen immediately sent orders for Columbus 
 to be set at liberty, and afterward received him with 
 many gracious acknowledgments of his important 
 
 ' Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. Ixv-lxxiii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 173 
 
 services, and publicly declared that Bobadilla should 
 account to them for his ill treatment.' 
 
 When the information contained in Columbus's 
 letter respecting the large and valuable pearls possessed 
 by the people of Paria became known in Spain a num- 
 ber of capitalists immediately fitted out a fleet to go to 
 the Land of Pearls. The command of the vessels was 
 given to Alonso de Hojeda, who had accompanied 
 Columbus on his second voyage. The cosmographer, 
 Juan de la Cosa, and Amerigo Vespucci went with 
 Hojeda. Vespucci, in his account of the voyage, says : 
 " We departed from the port of Cadiz, three ships in 
 company, on the sixteenth day of May, 1499. * * * 
 In forty-four days we arrived at a new land, which we 
 judged to be main-land, and the continuation of that 
 previously mentioned. It lay in the torrid zone south 
 of the equator, where the south pole is elevated five 
 degrees." They sailed from their first place of anchor- 
 age and ran southeastwardly along the coast forty 
 leao-ues. The stronsf currents runnino; from the south- 
 east to the northwest hindered the progress of the 
 vessels so much that the -explorers determined to 
 chano-e their course and to sail to the northwest. Fol- 
 lowing the trend of the coast in this direction, they, 
 after sailing some time, reached a beautiful bay, at the 
 entrance of which was a large island. About eighty 
 leagues beyond this harbor they entered another, 
 where they went on land and obtained one hundred 
 and fifty pearls and some gold from the friendly natives. 
 At another place the inhabitants of the country "had 
 their cheeks stuffed with a green herb which they were 
 continually chewing as animals chew their cud, so that 
 they were scarcely able to speak. Hanging from the 
 
 ' Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. Ixxiv-lxxxvii. 
 
174 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 neck of each native were two dried gourd-shells, one 
 filled with the herb which the people had in their 
 mouths, the other containing a white meal like chalk 
 dust. The natives carried small sticks which they 
 wetted at intervals in their mouths and then put them 
 into the meal and then into the gourds containing the 
 herb." Then they again filled their cheeks with the 
 herb. 
 
 At another place the explorers remained forty- 
 seven days, where they obtained " one hundred and 
 nineteen marks of pearls" in exchange for some 
 small trifles. From a native, Vespucci obtained an 
 oyster containing one hundred and thirty pearls. The 
 fleet sailed along the coast to where it was " fifteen 
 degrees north of the equator." Thence the explorers 
 steered for Espanola to obtain provisions. Departing 
 from the island on the twenty-second of July, i5oo, 
 they sailed for Spain, and arrived at the port of Cadiz 
 on the eighth of September.' 
 
 When Kins: Ferdinand and Oueen Isabella heard 
 that the Portuguese had reached India by sailing 
 around Africa, they commissioned Columbus to 
 explore the western coast of Paria, where he con- 
 ceived a navigable strait could be found throuofh 
 which the vessels of Spain might sail to Cathay. Four 
 caravels composed the fleet with which he sailed 
 from Cadiz on the ninth of May, i5o2. On the fifteenth 
 of June, the vessels came in sight of one of the Car- 
 
 'Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci. Secundo viaggio. — F/<A' Historic del S. 
 D, Fernando Colombo, cap. Ixxxiv. Coleccion de los viages y descubrimien- 
 tos, Navarrete. torn. iii. pp. 4-9 ; 543-545. 
 
 In December, 1499, Vincente Yanez Pinzon sailed from Palos, and came 
 in sight of the coast of Brazil at a point of land which he called Cabo Santa 
 Maria de la Consolacion. The same month Diego de Lepe sailed from Palos 
 and made discoveries south of this cape. Rodrigo de Bastidas sailed from 
 Cadiz in October, 1500, and explored the coast of Paria westward to the isthmus 
 of Darien. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 175 
 
 ibbean islands called by the natives Mantinino. 
 Thence they sailed to the island of Dominica, and 
 thence to Espanola. Departing, on the fourteenth 
 of July, from the port of Brazil, on the south side of 
 the island of Espanola, Columbus sailed toward the 
 Bay of Honduras, eastward of which he imagined was 
 a strait through which he might sail to the Indian 
 Ocean and reach Cathay. " We came to certain 
 islands," says Ferdinand Columbus, who had accom- 
 panied his father to the New World, " where we went 
 ashore on the largest, called Guanaia, whence those 
 that make sea-charts took occasion to call all those 
 islands Guanaia, which are almost twelve leagues from 
 the continent, near the province now called Honduras, 
 though the admiral then called it Cabo Casinas." 
 While the fleet was anchored in one of the roadsteads 
 of the group of islands called Guanaia, a large log- boat 
 crowded with Indians and filled with certain commod- 
 ities arrived there. Describing the capture of this 
 highly valued prize, Ferdinand Columbus remarks : 
 " Fortune so ordered it that a canoe, as long as a galley 
 and eight feet wide, all of one tree, and like the other 
 boats in shape, put in there, loaded with commodities 
 brought from the country toward the west and bound 
 for Nueva Espafia.^ In the middle of it was a covering 
 like an awning, made of palm leaves, resembling those 
 of the Venetian gondolas, which protected all beneath 
 it, that neither rain nor sea-water could wet the goods. 
 Under the awning were the women and children. 
 Although there were twenty-five men in the canoe, 
 they had not the courage to defend themselves against 
 those in our boats who pursued them. The canoe 
 being taken without any opposition it was brought to 
 
 * Nueva Espaiia (New Spain), was the name which the Spaniards gave to 
 Yucatan and Mexico when they first explored these countries. 
 
1/6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the adniiral's caravel. * * * H'e commanded that 
 such articles should be taken as were thoucfht to be 
 the most desirable and valuable, as quilts, shirts of 
 cotton without sleeves, curiously made and dyed with 
 different colors, apron- cloths, and large sheets in which 
 the Indian women in the canoe wrapped themselves as 
 the Moorish women, formerly in Granada, were in the 
 habit of doing. There were also long wooden swords, 
 with grooved edges on each side, in which sharp pieces 
 of flint were compactly fastened with thread and a^ 
 bituminous substance, and these cut naked men as 
 if they were made of steel ; also copper hatchets to cut 
 wood, like those of stone which the other Indians use ; 
 also bells of the same metal, and dishes and crucibles 
 to melt it in. For food they had such roots and grain 
 as the people of Espaiiola eat, and a kind of liquor 
 made of maize, like the English beer, and an abun- 
 dance of cacao-nuts, which in New Spain pass for 
 money, which they seemed to value very much, for 
 when they were brought aboard among the other 
 goods, I observed that when any of these nuts fell, the 
 Indians all stooped to pick them up, as if they were 
 thines of value. * * '^' Notwithstandino- the admiral 
 had heard so much from those in the canoe concerning 
 the great wealth, politeness, and ingenuity of the people 
 westward toward New Spain, yet thinking that he 
 could sail to those countries lying to the leeward, when 
 he thought fit from Cuba, he would not go that way at 
 this time, but adhered to his intention of discovering 
 a strait in the continent to pass into the South Sea,^ 
 by which he could sail to the countries that produce 
 spice. Therefore he resolved to sail eastward toward 
 Veraeua and Nombre de Dios, where he imacrined the 
 
 * Mar del Sur, the early Spanish name for the Pacific Ocean. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 177 
 
 strait to be. * * * He was deceived in the under- 
 taking, for he did not conceive it to be an isthmus, or 
 a narrow neck of land, as it really was, but a small bay 
 extending from sea to sea." ' 
 
 On the coast of Veragua, now the isthmus of 
 Panama or Darien, Columbus found the ruins of an 
 immense building covered with tables of stranee hiero- 
 glyphics and unique reliefs. These vestiges of an an- 
 cient civilization made so profound an Impression on 
 the mind of the admiral that he selected a curiously 
 elaborated piece of the wall, and brought it away in 
 one of his caravels. " This was the first place, in the 
 Indies," says Ferdinand Columbus," where they saw any 
 sign of an edifice. It was a great mass of wall of im- 
 agery seemingly composed of lime and stone. The ad- 
 miral ordered a piece of it to be brought away to show 
 the evidence of its antiquity."" 
 
 On the fifth of January, i5o3, they cast anchor near 
 a river which the Indians called Yebra, and the ad- 
 miral Belem or Bethlem. Westward of it was a river 
 which the natives called Verasfua. Columbus, havino- 
 determined to build a town at this point, began, about 
 the end of February, to erect " houses upon the river 
 of Belem, about a cannon-shot from its mouth, within a 
 trench, on the right bank of the river, at the mouth 
 of which there is a little hill. Besides these houses, 
 which were all of timber and covered with the leaves of 
 palm trees growing along the shore, another large 
 house was built to serve as a store-house and magazine, 
 in which were stored several cannon, some powder, 
 provisions, and other necessaries for the use of the 
 planters. * * * 
 
 " The customs of the Indians here are somewhat 
 
 ' Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. l:cxxviii-xc. 
 " Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xcii. 
 
178 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 similar to those of the natives of Espanola and the 
 neighboring islands ; but the people of Veragua and 
 its neighborhood, when they talk to one another and 
 eat turn their backs, and are always chewing an herb, 
 which, as we think," says Ferdinand Columbus, " makes 
 their teeth to decay and rot. Their food is fish ; these 
 they take with nets and hooks. * * * They have 
 an abundance of maize, which is a kind of grain grow- 
 ing in an ear, or hard head like millet, of which they 
 make white and red wine, as beer is made in England, 
 and mix their spice with it as pleases their palates. It 
 has a pleasant taste like a sharp, lively wine." ^ 
 
 " In Cariay and the adjacent country," says Co- 
 lumbus, " there are great enchanters of a very dreadful 
 kind. * * * J saw there, built on a mountain, a 
 sepulcher as large as a house and elaborately sculp- 
 tured. The body lay uncovered with the face down- 
 ward. The people told me of other very excellent 
 works of art. * * * They said that there were 
 great mines of copper in the country, of which metal 
 they make hatchets and other manufactured articles, 
 both cast and soldered. They also make forges from 
 it, and all the apparatus of goldsmiths, and also cru- 
 cibles. The inhabitants wear clothes. I saw in that 
 province large sheets of cotton elaborately and skill- 
 fully made, and others very delicately colored with 
 pencils. They informed me that in the interior, 
 towards Cathay, that the people there have them inter- 
 woven with gold. * * * One thing I dare declare, 
 for there are many to attest it, that in the land of Ve- 
 ragua I saw more indications of gold in the two first 
 days [of my stay there] than I had found during four 
 years in Espanola." * 
 
 * Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xciv-xcvi. 
 
 * Vide Select letters of Christopher Columbus. Major. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 179 
 
 The Spaniards, however, were soon attacked by the 
 natives, and were in such distressing circumstances 
 that Columbus was compelled to abandon his purpose 
 of leaving a colony on this part of the continent and to 
 take his men on board the ships and to return to Es- 
 panola. Speaking of the return-voyage, Ferdinand 
 Columbus writes : "Thus rejoicing that we were all 
 together again, we sailed along the coast eastward. 
 Although all the pilots were of the opinion that we 
 might return to San Domingo by standing away to 
 the north, nevertheless the admiral and his brother 
 knew that it was requisite to run a considerable dis- 
 tance along this coast before they steered across the 
 gulf that is between the continent and Espanola, at 
 which our men were displeased, thinking that the ad- 
 miral designed to sail directly for Spain, whereas he 
 neither had provisions nor were his ships fit for the 
 voyage.' But as he knew best what was to be done, 
 
 * Columbus, in his letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, from 
 Jamaica, dated July 7, 1503, says : " This is the account I have to give of my 
 voyage. The men who accompanied me vv^ere a hundred and fifty in number, 
 among whom were many considered to be pilots and good sailors, but none of 
 them can explain whither I went nor whence I came. The explanation is 
 simply this : I sailed from a point above the port of Brazil, and while I was in 
 Espanola, a storm prevented me from following my intended route, for I was 
 compelled to go wherever the wind drove me. At the same time I became very 
 sick, and there was no one who had sailed in these parts before. However, 
 after some days the wind and sea became tranquil, but there were rapid currents. 
 I put into a harbor at the island called Isla de las Bocas, and afterward steered 
 for Tierra-firme. However, it is impossible to give a correct account of all our 
 movements, for I was carried away by the current for many days without 
 seeing land. 
 
 " I ascertained, notwithstanding, by the compass and by observation, that I 
 was running parallel with the coast of Tierra-firme. No one could tell under 
 what part of the heavens we were, nor at what time I changed my course for 
 the island of Espanola. The pilots thought we had arrived at the island of St. 
 John, whereas it was the land of Mango, four hundred leagues westward of the 
 place mentioned by them. Let them answer and say if they know where 
 Veragua is situated. I assert that they can give no other information than that 
 they went to lands where there was plenty of gold, and this they can surely 
 affirm ; but they do not know the way to return there for it. They would be 
 
i8o "DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 we held on our course until we came to Porto Bello, 
 where we were obliged to leave the ship Biscaina, on 
 account of its leaky condition, being all worm-eaten 
 through and through. Steering along the coast, we 
 passed by the port we called Retrete, and a country 
 near which there were many small islands, which the 
 admiral called Las Barbas, but the Indians and pilots 
 call that the territory of the cacique Pocorosa. We 
 held on this course ten more leagues to the last land 
 we saw of the continent, called Marmora, and on Mon- 
 day, the first of May, i5o3, we stood to the north. 
 
 * * * Although all the pilots said we should be 
 east of the Caribbee islands, yet the admiral feared we 
 should not make Espanola, which proved to be true. 
 
 * * * We reached an Indian town on the coast of 
 Cuba, called Mataia, where, having obtained some re- 
 freshment, we sailed for Jamaica."' 
 
 On his return to the island of Jamaica, in June, 
 1 503, Columbus, describing his voyage along the 
 isthmus of Darien, wrote to King Ferdinand and 
 Queen Isabella, saying : " On the thirteenth of May 
 I reached the province of Mango, which is contiguous 
 to that of Cathay, and thence I steered for the island of 
 
 obliged to go on a voyage of discovery as if they had never been there before. 
 There is a way of reckoning [ihe course and distance sailed] derived from 
 astronomy which is trustworthy and safe, and a sufficient guide to any one who 
 understands it. This resembles prophetic vision. 
 
 "The vessels of India do not sail except with the wind abaft. This is done, 
 not because they are badly built or clumsy, but because the strong currents in 
 those parts, together with the wind, make it impracticable for them to sail with 
 the bowline {con bolina), for in one day they would lose as much way as they 
 might have made in seven. For a similar reason I could not use caravels, 
 even though they were Portuguese lateens. This is the reason for their [the 
 vessels of India] not sailing except with a favorable wind, and they will some- 
 times remain in port, waiting for one, seven or eight months at a time, nor is 
 this particularly strange, for the same occurs often in Spain." — FzoV Select letters 
 of Christopher Columbus. Major. 
 
 * Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. xcvn-c. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. i8i 
 
 Espanola." ' Peter Martyr =" also seems to have held 
 the opinion that Columbus's explorations were along- the 
 continent of Asia. Writing in i5io, the first decade 
 of the New World, he remarks : " The opinion of 
 Christopher Columbus respecting the magnitude of the 
 sphere and the opinions of the ancients concerning the 
 under-navigatlon of the world seem to be adverse. 
 Nevertheless the parrots and many other things 
 brought from there indicate that the islands savor only 
 of India, eitherbeing near it or else of the same nature." ^ 
 With this fourth voyage, the zealous and en- 
 thusiastic navisrator ended his life-work. On the 
 twelfth of September, 1 5o4, Columbus for the last time 
 
 * Letter from Jamaica, July 7, 1503. 
 
 ^ Pietro Martive d' Anghiera, commonly called Peter Martyr, a descendant 
 of an illustrious Milanese family originally from Anghiera, on the eastern shore 
 of Lake Maggiore, in upper Italy, was born in 1455 at Arona, on the western 
 border of the lake. He was carried to the baptismal font by a friar of the 
 Dominican order and christened with the name of Peter, that of the martyr of 
 1252, whose feast-day falls on the twenty-ninth of April. In 1477, he went to 
 Rome to fit himself for the priesthood. There he became acquainted with the 
 Castilian embassador, the Count of Tendilla, and was induced to return with him 
 to Spain, in 1487. From King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella he received a 
 number of honoring commissions. He followed the royal standard through 
 two campaigns. In 1501 he was sent to Egypt to conciliate the sultan. He 
 returned to Spain in August, 1502. The mission to Egypt furnished him with 
 some of the material for his Latin work, entitled : "P. Martyris Angli Medio- 
 lanensis opera Legatio Babylonica, Oceani decas, poemata, epigrammata." 
 In 1505 he was made prior of the cathedral of Granada. Pope Leo X. 
 honored him with the office of apostolical prothonotary. As a royal counsellor 
 in the affairs of the Indies he acquired a very extensive range of information 
 respecting the early voyages of discovery made to the New World. His work : 
 " De Orbe Novo Petri Martyris ab Angleria Mediolanensis protonotarij Cesaris 
 senatoris decades," contains valuable historical matter. His letters, eight hun- 
 dred and more, in the collection entitled " Opus epistolarum," the first dated 
 January r, 1488, the last May, 1525, throw considerable light upon the numerous 
 facts relating to the voyages of Columbus and other navigators of his time. 
 His "Legatio Babylonica" was first printed at Seville (Hispalis) in 1511 ; his 
 " De Orbe Novo " and letters at Alcala (Complutum) in 1530. He died in 1525, 
 and was entombed in the cathedral of Grenada. 
 
 ^ Quanuis huius Christophori Coloni opinio, magnitudini sphaere (&^ opinion, 
 veterum de siibnauigabili orbe, videatiir adiiersari, psitiaci tamen inde absportatii 
 atque alia mnUa, vel propinqtiitate vel nahira solum Jndictim has insulas sapere 
 indicant." — De Orbe Novo decades, dec. i. cap. i. 
 
i82 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 set sail from the attractive field of his numerous ex- 
 plorations and arrived at San Lucar, on the seventh of 
 November, broken down in health, aged, and the vic- 
 tim of many unjust accusations and bitter disappoint- 
 ments. Two years afterward, on the twentieth of May, 
 i5o6, he died at Valladolid, being about seventy years 
 old, leaving to another the discovery, by the way of the 
 west, of a navigable route to the remote coast of 
 Cathay. 
 
 As intended by him, when he set sail on his first 
 vogage, Columbus afterward made a map on which 
 he delineated " all the sea and the lands of the ocean- 
 sea " [del mar Oceamts) discovered by him.' Although 
 the admiral's chart is lost, there are several maps ex- 
 tant, which, in part, represent the islands of Juana, 
 Jamaica, Espanola, and the smaller ones, as he evidently 
 had outlined them on his new sailing chart {carta 
 nueva de navegar\ A map of the world, in the Estense 
 library, at Modena, made between the years i5oi and 
 i5o4,'' and the map of the New World (iabvla terre 
 nove), in the edition of Ptolemy's geography, printed 
 in i5i3, at Strasburg,^ exhibit the islands, discovered 
 by Columbus on his first voyage, and of \vhich he 
 speaks in his journal of 1492 and 1493. The high 
 latitudes In which he placed the Rio de Mares and 
 other rivers of Juana, when he made his discoveries 
 
 ' ' ' Tengo prcpSsito de hacer carta nueva de navegar, en la ciial sihiard ioda 
 la mar y tierras del mar Ocianus en sus propios higaj-es dchajo sit vienio." — Co- 
 leccion de los viages y descubrimientos. Navarrete. torn. i. p. 3. 
 
 ' Vide Geographic du moyen age, etudiee par Joachim Lelewel. Atlas. 
 Bruxelles, 1850. Orbis typus universalis, 1501-1504. Hydrographia charta 
 marina Portugalensium. Planche xliii. p. xiii. 
 
 ^ Claudii Ptolemei viri Alexandrini mathematicae disciplinae philosophi 
 doctissimi geographiae opus novissima traductione e Graecorum archetypis 
 castigatissime pressum : cseteris ante lucubratorum multo praestantius. * * * 
 Anno Christ! Opt. Max. mdxiii. Marcii xii. Pressus hie Ptolemreus Argen- 
 tinae vigilantissima castigatione, industriaque Joannis Schotti urbis indigenae. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 183 
 
 " toward the north," are designated on these maps. 
 On the Ptolemy map the name c doffun de abril at the 
 southeast point of Cuba appears to designate the same 
 cape as that of c de fvndabril on the map of the world 
 made by Johann Ruysch, the German cartographer, con- 
 tained in the edition of Ptolemy's geography, printed 
 at Rome in i5o8.' Both of these mispelled names 
 are evidently anomalous forms of the Spanish desig- 
 nation, C de Fuenterabia. The names on Ruysch's 
 representation of the island of Cuba correspond more 
 closely to the Spanish orthography of the designations 
 given by Columbus to the places he visited than those 
 which are inscribed on the two maps previously 
 mentioned." 
 
 The earliest map extant representing the territory 
 discovered in the western hemisphere is a map of the 
 world drafted by the Spanish cartographer, Juan de la 
 Cosa.3 It was found by Baron de Walckenaer in the 
 possession of a dealer in old books and wares, from 
 whom he bought it for a small sum of money. Baron 
 von Humboldt shortly afterward made its discovery 
 known in his notable work on the geography of the 
 
 ' Vide Map : Universalior cogniti orbis tabula ex recentibus confecta 
 observationibus : in cover-pocket. 
 
 The somewhat similar inscriptions on the maps of 1501-1504 and 1513 : 
 ITec terra cum adiacentiF htsulis inuenta est per Columbu ianuensem ex inandato 
 Regis Castelle." — This land with the adjacent islands was discovered by Colum- 
 bus, a Genoese, by the command of the king of Spain, — are authoritative decla- 
 rations that the admiral was the discoverer of the represented territory. 
 
 ^ Ruysch has printed on his map these words on a scroll, on the west side 
 of Cuba : " hvc vsq naves ferdinadi regis hispanie pvenervt," — As far as 
 this place the ships of Ferdinand, king of Spain, come. 
 
 "Juan de la Cosa, in 1493, accompanied Columbus, on his second voyage, 
 as a cartographer. In 1499 he explored the coast of Paria with Alonso 
 de Hojeda and Amerigo Vespucci. In November, 1509, he again sailed with 
 Hojeda to South America, and heroically met his death while defending him- 
 self, when surrounded by a party of assailing savages, in the village of Yur- 
 baco, in the province called Castilla del Oro by the Spaniards. 
 
iS4 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 new continent/ When the library of Baron de Walcke- 
 naer was sold, in Paris, in 1853, La Cosa's map was 
 purchased for the queen of Spain for four thousand 
 and twenty francs. It is now in the Naval museum, 
 in Madrid.' The famous map-maker drafted the whole 
 world, as then known, on an ox-hide, five feet nine 
 inches long by three feet wide, on a scale of fifteen 
 Spanish leagues to a degree. The map is attractively 
 colored and brightened with gold. It may rightly be 
 called the geographical frontispiece of the history of 
 the discovery of America.^ 
 
 The map bears the inscription ** yuan de la cosa la 
 fizo end puerto de S : mj"' en ano de. i^ooJ' — ^Juan de 
 la Cosa made it in the port of Santa Maria in the year 
 1 5oo. A picture of St. Christopher bearing the Christ- 
 child across the water ornaments the space above the in- 
 scription.3 Most prominent of the islands of the " Mar 
 Oceanus " delineated on the map are Cuba, Habacoa,'' 
 and La Espanola. The coast of South America, as far 
 
 * Examen critique de 1' histoire de la geographic du nouveau continent et 
 des progres de 1' astronomic nautique aux quinzieme et seizieme siecles. Par 
 Alexandre de Humboldt. Paris, 1S36. tome troisieme. pp. 167, 174, 183. 
 
 ' Vide Notes on Columbus. [By Henry Harrisse.] New York, 1866. 
 Jean et Sebastien Cabot, leur origine et leurs voyages. Par Henri Harrisse. 
 Paris, 1881. pp. 52, 103, 156. 
 
 ' FiVt? Historical and geographical notes, 1453-1530. By Henr)^ Stevens. 
 New Haven, iS6g. p. 11. 
 
 ^St. Christopher, it is said, after he was baptized by the bishop of Antioch, 
 took up his abode in a desert, near a rapid stream, over which he carried trav- 
 ellers on his back. While bearing, one day, a child across the swollen flood, 
 he discovered that it was the Christ, hence his name Chrisiophorus, the 
 Christ-bearer. 
 
 Speaking of his father's name, Ferdinand Columbus remarks: "As St. 
 Christopher is reported to have received that name because he carried Christ 
 over the deep waters with great danger to himself, whence came the name of 
 Christopher, and as he conveyed over the people whom no other could have 
 carried, so Admiral Christophorus Colonus, imploring the assistance of Christ 
 in that dangerous voyage, went over safely himself and his company, that those 
 Indian nations might become citizens and inhabitants of the church triumphant 
 in heaven." — Historic del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. i. 
 
 * Abaco is one of the Bahama islands. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 185 
 
 as it had been explored, is well represented by the pains- 
 taking map-maker." 
 
 La Cosa, having seen a copy of the map made by 
 Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot), to display the fields of 
 the English discoveries of 1497 and 1498, attempted 
 to show in what part of the New World they were. 
 As outlined by him, the land explored by Cabot 
 trends eastwardly from the sea discovered for the 
 English {inar descuhierta por inglesc), to the Cape of 
 England (Cavo de Inglaterra). As La Cosa had 
 nothing else than his imagination to guide him in deline- 
 atinof the coast of North America between the field 
 of the English discoveries and South America, his ex- 
 tension of the main-land from the one to the other has 
 no .geographical significance. Unable to determine 
 definitely the position and extent of the territory of the 
 New World, La Cosa projected it as accurately as his 
 information respecting the explored parts of its sinuous 
 coast gave him knowledge. Ignorant of the limits of 
 the New Land he honorably darkens that part which 
 might be deemed its cartographic development with 
 several shades of meanincrless colors.^ 
 
 o 
 
 ' La Cosa's map, on three large sheets of paper, is contained in Les monu- 
 ments de la geographic ou recueil d' anciennes cartes europeennes et orientales 
 * * * publics en fac-simile de la grandeur des originaux par M. Jomard, 
 memhre de 1' institut de France, Paris. Imprimerie de Beau, a Saint-Ger- 
 main-en-Laye. 
 
 ^ Vide Section of La Cosa's map in the cover-pocket. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1 496- 1 498. 
 
 The notable part which England took in searching 
 for a navigable passage to Cathay, by exploring the sea 
 toward the west, was incited by the success attending 
 the explorations of Columbus in the New World. For 
 it is said that when the news reached England that the 
 Genoese seaman had discovered the coasts of India 
 there was great talk in the court of King Henry VII., 
 and that men declared with much admiration that it 
 was more divine than human to sail toward the west 
 to go to the East where spices grow.^ The bold pro- 
 jector, who obtained for England the distinguished 
 honor of being the second European power to enter 
 the western hemisphere with her ships, was Giovanni 
 Caboto (John Caboto), a Venetian,^ who had lived a 
 number of years in London. With confessed con- 
 fidence he explained to King Henry and his learned 
 counsellors the grounds of his belief that the eastern 
 coast of Asia could be reached by sailing in a direct 
 westward course from England, and how this course 
 would be a shorter way than the one taken by Colum- 
 bus. He proposed to undertake the voyage at his 
 
 * Raccolta di navigation! e viaggi. Ramusio. vol. i. fol. 374. 
 
 ' Little is known concerning the early history of Giovanni Caboto. In the 
 archives of Venice is the record of his naturalization, dated March 28, 1476, 
 which shows that he had lived in that city more than fifteen years before the 
 privilege of citizenship was granted to him. Archives of Venice : Senate Terra 
 1473-1477. tom. vii. p. 109. 
 
 1S6 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 187 
 
 own expense should the king grant him the necessary 
 license. 
 
 These overtures of Caboto appear to have been 
 made about the beginning of the year 1496. Ruy 
 Gonzales de Puebla, the Spanish ambassador, residing 
 in England, having learned what Caboto had proposed 
 to King Henry, at once communicated the information 
 to their majesties, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella 
 of Spain. Their royal highnesses, in a letter to their 
 representative at the English court, dated at Tortosa, 
 the twenty-eighth of March, 1496, thus refer to what 
 he had written them : 
 
 " You say that a person like Colon has come there 
 to place before the king of England another under- 
 taking similar to that of the Indies, without prejudice 
 to Spain or Portugal. If in this way he helps him, he 
 will be as free to go to the Indies as we were. We 
 believe that this undertaking is thrown in the way of 
 the king of England by the king of France in order 
 to withdraw him from his other affairs. See that the 
 king" of England be not deceived in this or in a similar 
 matter. The French will endeavor as best they can 
 to lead him into such enterprises, inasmuch as they are 
 very uncertain, and are not easily prosecuted. Like- 
 wise see that those * * * ' he is not able to 
 undertake this thing without prejudice to us and the 
 king of Portugal." ^ 
 
 On the fifth of March, 1496, King Henry VII. 
 complied with Caboto's request as set forth in the 
 following petition : 
 
 ' An effaced part of the dispatch. 
 
 ^ Archives of Simancas. Capitulaciones con Inglaterra. Legajo ii. 
 fol. 16. 
 
 Calendar of letters, dispatches, and state papers relating to the negotiations 
 between England and Spain, preserved in the archives of Simancas and else- 
 where. Edited by G. A. Bergenroth. London, 1S62. vol. i. p. 89. 
 
i88 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " To the kyng our souvereigne lord 
 
 " Please it your highnes of. your moste noble and 
 haboundant grace to graunt unto John Cabotto, citezen 
 of Venes, Lewes, Sebestyan and Sancto his sonneys 
 your gracious lettres patentes under your grete seale 
 in due forme to be made according to the tenour. here- 
 after ensuyng. And they shall during their ly ves pray 
 to god for the prosperous continuance of your moste 
 noble and royale astate long to enduer." ^ 
 
 The letters-patent granted to Giovanni Caboto and 
 his sons, Lodovico, Sebastiano, and Sanctus, to his and 
 their heirs and deputies, commissioned them to sail, 
 with five ships of any burden, under the banners, flags, 
 and ensigns of England, to all parts, regions and gulfs 
 of the eastern, the western, and the northern seas, in 
 order to seek, discover, and explore whatever islands, 
 countries, regions, or provinces of the heathen and of 
 the infidels, in whatever part of the world they were 
 situate, which were then unknown to all Christians. 
 As set forth in the document, the cost and expense of 
 the expedition were to be defrayed by Caboto and his 
 sons.'' 
 
 With this commission Giovanni Caboto set sail 
 from the port of Bristol, in the spring of 1497, with two 
 ships, one of which was named the Matthew. ^ Sailing 
 westward from Eno-Jand he reached a land which he 
 believed to be that of Cathay, where he planted the 
 flag of England and that of Venice. Having explored 
 the coast of the country for three hundred leagues, he 
 returned to England, where the news of his discoveries 
 was enthusiastically received by the interested people. 
 
 * Public Records. Bill number 51. 
 
 'Hakluyt. vol. iii. pp. 4, 5. Rymer's Foedera. London, 1727. fols. 
 595. 596. 
 
 ' The history and antiquities of the city of Bristol. By William Barrett. 
 1789. p. 172. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 189 
 
 A brief description of this voyage is contained in a 
 a letter written by Lorenzo Pasqualigo, in London, on 
 the twenty-third of August, 1497, to his brothers, 
 Alvise and Francesco, residing in Venice : 
 
 " The Venetian, our countryman, who went with a 
 ship from Bristol to search for a new island, is re- 
 turned, and says that seven hundred leagues from here 
 he discovered firm land {^Terra fenna), the territory of 
 the Grand Khan. He coasted for three hundred 
 leagues and landed ; saw no human beings, but he has 
 brought here to the king certain snares which had 
 been set to catch game, and a needle for making nets ; 
 he also found some felled trees, by which he judged 
 there were inhabitants. He returned to his ship in 
 doubt, and he was three months on the voyage, and on 
 his return saw two islands to starboard, but would not 
 land, time being precious, as he was short of provisions. 
 This has greatly pleased the king. He [Caboto] says 
 that the tides are slack there and do not flow as they 
 do here. 
 
 " The king has promised him, in the spring, ten 
 ships, armed to his order, and at his request has con- 
 ceded him all the prisoners, except those confined for 
 high treason, to man his fleet. The king has also 
 given him money with which he may amuse himself 
 until that time, and he is now in Bristol with his sons 
 and his wife, who is also a Venetian.' His name is 
 Juam Talbot and he is called the great admiral. 
 Great honor is paid him ; he dresses in silk, and 
 these English run after him like insane people, so 
 that he can enlist as many of them as he pleases, 
 and a number of our own rogues besides. 
 
 " The discoverer of these places planted on this 
 
 * In the privy-purse accounts of King Henry VII. is this entry : " Aug. 
 10, 1497. To hym that found the new Isle, lo £,." 
 
190 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. • 
 
 newly found land a large cross, with one flag- of Eng- 
 land and another of Saint Mark, on account of his 
 being a Venetian, so that our banner has floated very- 
 far afield." ' 
 
 Raimondo di Soncino, the minister of the duke 
 of Milan, at the court of England, in a letter, written 
 on the twenty-fourth of August, 1497, also speaks of 
 the return of Caboto, saying that he " found two very 
 large and fertile islands, having likewise discovered 
 the Seven Cities, four hundred leagues from England, 
 on the western passage. This next spring his majesty 
 intends to send him with fifteen or twenty ships." ^ 
 
 The discovery of the two islands mentioned by Son- 
 cino is spoken of in two inscriptions placed on a large 
 map of the world, preserved in the National library in 
 Paris. The Spanish inscription reads : " This land 
 was discovered by loan Caboto, a Venetian, and by 
 Sebastian Caboto, his son, in the year of the birth of 
 our Saviour, Jesus Christ, m.cccc. xcilii [m.cccc. xcvii?], 
 on the twenty-fourth of June, in the morning, to which 
 they gave the name. Prima tierra vista (First land 
 seen), and to a large island, which is by the said land, 
 they gave the name of Sant Joan (Saint John), because 
 it was discovered the same day." ^ 
 
 i 
 
 * Diarii di Marin Sanuto. torn. i. fol. 374. MS. in Marciana library, 
 Venice. 
 
 Calendar of state papers and manuscripts relating to English affairs in the 
 archives and collections of Venice and other libraries of northern Italy. Edited 
 by Ravvdon Brown. London, 1864. vol. ii. p. 262. 
 
 "Sforza archives, Milan. Calendar of state papers. London, 1864. vol. 
 ii. p. 260. 
 
 ' " E sta tierra fue descubierta por loan Caboto Veneciano, y Sebastian Caboto 
 su hijo, anno del nascimierte de nuestro Saluador Icsu Christo de m. cccc. 
 xciiii. a neinte y quairo de lunio por la mannami, ala qual pusieron nobre 
 prima tierra tiista, y a una isla grade que esta par de la dha tierra, le pusieron 
 nombre sdnt loan, por auer sido descubierta el mismo dia." — Tabla primera. 
 No. 8. 
 
 The Latin inscription, which seems to be a translation of the Spanish one, 
 
opy of a part of Ihc map of lll( 
 
 .rkl ill tbc Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, known as the Cabot map of 1544. (Tin 
 larger than this copy.) 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 191 
 
 The map, on the margin of which this inscription 
 appears, seems to be a copy of one made by Sebastiano 
 Caboto, in 1 644, if the following statement of another 
 Spanish inscription placed on the chart be true : " Se- 
 bastian Caboto, captain and chief pilot of his sacred 
 christian catholic majesty, the emperor, Charles V. of 
 that name, and king, our sovereign, made this large 
 planisphere, in the year of the birth of our Saviour, 
 Jesus Christ, 1 544, drawn with degrees of latitude and 
 longitude, and with winds like a marine chart, copying 
 in part the maps of Ptolemy, and in part those of the 
 modern discoverers, Spaniards as well as Portuguese, 
 and in part those made by his father and by him." ' 
 
 As will be seen on the map, the inscription Prima 
 tierra uista is placed opposite the tract of land on the 
 forty-eighth parallel of north latitude, now known as 
 Cape Breton Island. Evidently to obviate a miscon- 
 ception respecting the situation of the land first de- 
 scribed, the words prima uista (first seen) are inscribed 
 on the peninsula to which the former inscription di- 
 rects the eye. On this map also is seen a large island, 
 
 reads : " Terram hanc olim nobis claiisam, aperuit, loannes Cabotus Veneius, 
 necno Sebastiamts Cabotus eiits fiUus, anno ab orbe redempto 1494. die uero 24. 
 luly. hora 5. sub dilticiclo, qua terra primu tdsa??t appellarut &= Insula qiianda 
 magna ei opposita. Insula diui loannis nominarut, qtiippe quae solenni die festo 
 diui loannis aperta ftcit." — Tabula prima. No. 8. 
 
 "John Caboto, a Venetian, and also Sebastian Caboto, his son, made the 
 land accessible which formerly was closed to us, in the 3'ear of the redemption 
 of the world 1494 [1497 ? J, on the twenty-fourth day of July [June ?] at five 
 o'clock in the morning, which land he called the first seen, priiittim visum, and 
 a large island opposite to it, he named the island of Saint John, because it was 
 found on the day of the feast of Saint John." 
 
 * ''Sebastian Caboto capitan, y piloto mayor de la S. c. c. m.. del luiperador 
 don Carlos quinto deste nombre, y Rey miesfro semior hizo eita Jigtira extensa 
 en pla7io, anno del nasciem" de nro saluador lesu Christo de m.d. xliiii. amtos, 
 tirada por grades de latitud y longitud con sus nientos como carta de marear, 
 iimiaizdo en parte al Ptolomeo, y en parte alos modei-nos dcscohridores, asi Espan- 
 noles como Portugueses, y parte por su padre, y por el descubierto." — Retulo del 
 auctor. 
 
192 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 lying northwest of the land of Prima Vista, bearing the 
 name, Y^ de S. Juan (Island of St. John). 
 
 In a letter written in London, on the eighteenth of 
 December, 1497, by Raimondo di Soncino to the duke 
 of Milan, a very interesting account is given of Caboto's 
 explorations in the western hemisphere : ' Perhaps, 
 your excellency in the press of so much business will 
 not be disturbed to learn that his majesty [King 
 Henry VII.] has gained a part of Asia without a 
 stroke of the sword. In this kingdom is a popular 
 Venetian called Messer Joanne Caboto, a man of con- 
 siderable abihty, most skillful in navigation, who having 
 seen the most serene kings, first him of Portugal, then 
 him of Spain, that they had occupied unknown islands, 
 thought to make a similar acquisition for his majesty 
 [the king of England]. And having obtained the 
 royal privileges which gave him the use of the land 
 found by him, provided the right of possession was re- 
 served to the crown, he departed in a little ship, from 
 the port of Bristol, In the western part of this kingdom, 
 with eighteen persons who placed their fortunes with 
 him. Passing Ibernia [Ireland] more to the west and 
 then ascending toward the north, he besran to navio^ate 
 the eastern part of the ocean. Leaving (for some 
 days) the north to the right hand, and having wan- 
 dered enough he came at last to firm land {terra 
 fcrma) where he planted the royal banner, took pos- 
 session for his highness, made certain marks and 
 returned. 
 
 "The said Messer Joanne, as he Is a foreigner and 
 poor, would not be believed, if his partners, who are 
 all Englishmen and from Bristol, did not testify to the 
 truth of what he tells. This Messer Joanne has the 
 representation of the world on a map {in una carta). 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 193 
 
 and also on a globe {171 una sphera soli da), which he 
 has made, and he shows by them where he arrived, 
 and going toward the East, has passed much of the 
 country of Tanais. 
 
 " And they say that the land is fertile and temperate, 
 and think that red-wood [el brasilio) grows there, and 
 the silks, and they affirm that there the sea is full of 
 fish that can be taken not only with nets, but with fish- 
 ing-baskets, a stone being placed in the basket to sink 
 it in the water, and this, I have said, is told by the said 
 Messer Joanne. 
 
 " And the said Englishmen, his partners, say that 
 that they can bring so many fish that this kingdom 
 will have no more business with Islanda (Iceland), and 
 that from that country there will be a very great trade in 
 the fish which the)^ call stock-fish {stochfissi). But Messer 
 Joanne has his thoughts directed to a greater under- 
 dertaking, for he thinks of going, after this place is oc- 
 cupied, along the coast farther toward the East until 
 he is opposite the island called Cipango, situate in the 
 equinoctial region, where he believes all the spices 
 of the world grow, and where there are also gems. 
 And he says that he was once at Mecca, where from 
 remote countries spices are carried by caravans, and 
 that those carrying them being asked where those 
 spices grew, said they did not know, but that they 
 came with other merchandise from remote countries to 
 their home by other caravans, and that the same infor- 
 mation was repeated by those v/ho brought the spices 
 in turn to them. And he argues that if the oriental 
 people tell to those of the south that these things are 
 brought from places remote from them, and thus from 
 hand to hand, presupposing the rotundity of the earth, 
 it follows that the last carry to the northern, toward 
 
194 DISCOVERIES OF AMEPvICA. 
 
 the west. And he tells this in a way that makes it 
 quite plain to me and I believe it. And what is a 
 greater thing, his majesty, who is learned and not 
 prodigal, places confidence in what he says, and since 
 his return, provides well for him, as this Messer Joanne 
 tells me. 
 
 " And in the spring he says that his majesty will arm 
 some ships and will give him all the criminals so that 
 he may go to this country and plant a colony there. 
 And in this way he hopes to make London a greater 
 place for spices than Alexandria. And the principals 
 of the business are citizens of Bristol, great mariners 
 that now know where to go. They say that the voy- 
 age will not take more than fifteen days, if fortune 
 favors them after leaving Ibernia. I have talked with a 
 Burgundian, a companion of Messer Joanne, who af- 
 firms the same, and who is willing to go, since the ad- 
 miral {almirante), as Messer Joanne is already styled, 
 has given him an island, and has also given another to 
 his barber, a Genoese, and they regard the two as 
 counts, and my lord, the admiral, the chief And I be- 
 lieve that some poor Italian friars will go on the voy- 
 age, who have the promise of being bishops. And I, 
 being a friend of the admiral, if I wished to go, could 
 have an archbishopric." ' 
 
 In order to secure the king's permission to go on 
 the proposed voyage, Giovanni Caboto again addressed 
 a petition to King Henry VII., requesting his majesty 
 to grant him letters-patent to fit out six ships, in any 
 of the ports of England, and " theym convey and lede 
 to the Londe [land] and Isles of late founde " by him. 
 The request was granted, and the king, on the third 
 day of February, 1498, in the thirteenth year of his 
 
 ' Archives of Milan. Annuario scientifico. Milan, 1866. p. 700. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 195 
 
 reign, ^ licensed him to take six ships as he desired, and 
 " all suche maisters,^ maryners, pages, and subjects" as 
 would willingly " goo and pass with hym in the same 
 shippes to the seid Londe or Iles."^ 
 
 Having obtained his letters-patent, Giovanni Ca- 
 boto, in a short time, had five ships manned and pro- 
 visioned for one year. Early in the summer of 1498 
 he set sail to return to the field of his first explorations. 
 Pedro de Ayala,'^ in a letter dated London, July 2 5, 
 1498, addressed to their Spanish majesties, King Fer- 
 dinand and Oueen Isabella, writes as follows concerninof 
 Caboto's second voyage : " I think your highnesses have 
 already heard that the king of England has equipped 
 a fleet in order to discover certain islands and firm 
 land {tie7^rafirme), which they have told were discov- 
 ered by certain persons of Bristol, who fitted out some 
 ships during the past year for the same purpose. I 
 have seen the map which the discoverer has made, 
 who is another Genoese like Colon, and who has been 
 in Seville and in Lisbon soliciting aid for this under- 
 taking. The people of Bristol have, for the last seven 
 years, sent every year two, three, or four caravels to 
 search for the island of Brazil [Red- wood], and the 
 Seven Cities, according to the fancy of this Genoese. 
 The king determined to send the fleet, because in the 
 past year they brought certain news of having found 
 
 ' The thirteenth year of the reign of Henry VII. began on the twenty-fifth 
 of August, 1497. 
 
 " Henry VII., 1498, March 22. To Lanslot Thirkill of London, upon 
 a Prest for his shipp going towards the new Ilande, £. 20. — Item delivered to 
 Launcelot Thirkill going towards the new He in Prest, £. 20. — April i. Item 
 to Thomas Bradley and Louncelot Thirkill going to the new Isle, £. 30. — To 
 John Carter going to the newe He in reward 40. s." — Excerpta historica. 
 London, 1S31. pp. 116, 117. 
 
 * Public Records. Bill number 6. Hakluyt. vol. iii. p. 5. Memoir of 
 Sebastian Cabot. [Richard Biddle.] Phila. 1831. pp. 74, 75. 
 
 * Pedro de Ayala, the Spanish Ambassador, was sent to London in 1497. 
 
196 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 land. The fleet consists of five ships that carried pro- 
 vision for one year. The news has come that the 
 vessel in which Friar Buil ' went has returned to Ire- 
 land in great distress, the ship being leaky. The Gen- 
 oese has continued his voyage. I have seen the course 
 he steered and the extent of it, and I think that what 
 they have found or what they are in search of, is what 
 your highnesses already possess, for it is the cape 
 which was given to your highnesses by the convention 
 with Portugal. It is expected that they will return 
 toward September. I write this because the king of 
 England has spoken to me on the subject, and he 
 thinks that your highnesses will be greatly interested 
 in it. I think the land is not farther distant than four 
 hundred leagues. I told him that in my opinion the 
 land was already in the possession of your highnesses, 
 and though I gave my reasons he did not like them. 
 I believe that your highnesses are already informed of 
 this matter, and I do not now send the chart or map of 
 the world which that man has made, for in my opinion 
 it is false, since it makes it appear as if the land in 
 question were not the said islands." "" 
 
 The history of Giovanni Caboto terminates with 
 the information contained in Pedro de Ayala's letter. 
 Nothing definite is known respecting his death. 
 
 From the ambiguous and contradictory information 
 furnished by contemporaneous writers concerning the 
 voyages of Sebastiano Caboto, it appears that he sailed 
 to the New Land, either in the years 1497 and 1498, 
 with his father — or in 1499, in command of a fleet of 
 vessels fitted out in the port of Bristol, England. For 
 
 " Bernardo Buil, a Benedictine monk, who accompanied Columbus on his 
 second voyage, in 1493, and returned to Spain in 1494. 
 
 'Archives of Simancas. Tratado con Inglaterra. Leg. ii. Calendar of 
 letters, dispatches, and state papers. London, 1862. vol. i. pp. 176, 177. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 197 
 
 it is said that, in the fourteenth year of King Henry's 
 reign/ Sebastiano Caboto set sail on a voyage to an 
 island where he knew he could obtain many things of 
 value : " This year one Sebastian Gabato a genoas 
 Sonne borne in Bristow professing himselfe to be 
 experte in knowledge of the circute of the worlde 
 and Ilandes of the same as by his Charts and other 
 reasonable demonstrations he shewed, caused the 
 king to man and victual a shippe at Bristow to 
 search for an Ilande whiche he knewe to be replen- 
 ished with rich commodities : in the ship diverse 
 merchaiintes of London adventured smal stockes, 
 and in the company of this shippe, sayled out of 
 Bristow three or foure smal shippes fraught with 
 slight and grosse wares as course cloth, caps, laces, 
 points." "" 
 
 Peter Martyr, speaking of the voyage, says : " He 
 fitted out two ships in England at his own expense, 
 and with three hundred men steered toward the north, 
 until, in July, he found vast icebergs floating in the 
 sea and almost perpetual daylight, though on the land 
 the snow and ice had melted. Therefore he was com- 
 pelled to turn the sails, as he says, and to go toward 
 the west, and yet he held to the south, the shore bend- 
 ing, that he almost reached the degree of the latitude 
 of the strait of Hercules, and proceeded so far to the 
 west that he may have had the island of Cuba on his 
 
 'The fourteenth year of the reign of Henry VII. began August 2i, 149S, 
 and ended August 21, 1499. 
 
 * The Chronicle of England, from Brute vnto this present yeare of Christ 
 1580. By John Stow. London, 1580. p. 862. 
 
 Robert Fabian, from whose work Stow obtained the information concern- 
 ing Caboto's voyage, was the author of the " Chronicle of England and France," 
 or, as he called it, "The concordance of stories." He was born in London 
 about the year 1450. Besides being an alderman of the city, he was one of its 
 sheriffs m 1493. He died in London in 1512, and was buried in St. Michael's, 
 Cornhill. 
 
198 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 left hand, being almost to its degree of longitude.^ 
 Steering along this coast, which he called Bacallaos, 
 he found, as he says, the currents of the sea running 
 toward the west, but gently, as those found by the 
 Spaniards navigating, in the southern waters. It is 
 not only likely to be true, but it may be accepted as a 
 fact, that between these regions [Bacallaos and the 
 West Indies] there is a great space still unexplored 
 that offers a way [to the East], where the water flows 
 from east to west. These currents, I think, are made 
 to flow round the earth by the impulsion of the heavens, 
 and are not thrown up and swallowed again by De- 
 morgorgon breathing.^ Perhaps, they may be caused, 
 as it is said, by influx and reflux. 
 
 ** Cabotto himself called these regions Baccallaos 
 {Baccallaos Cabottus ipse terras illas appellavit), because 
 in the sea there he found great shoals of certain large 
 fish resembling tunnies, which name was given them by 
 the natives.3 These fish were so numerous that some- 
 
 ' " Qitare coacitcs ftiit, tiii ait, vela vertere et occidentem iseqti tetcnditque 
 tamen ad meridiem, liltore sese inctw-jante , tit Hcrculei freii latitttdine fe7-} 
 gradtts a:quarit ad occidentemqtie profcctiis iantum est, tit Cubam instilam b, 
 IcBua longitiidine gradutiin pene parent habiierit." 
 
 The Strait of Gibralter (Strait of Hercules) is in 36° north latitude. 
 
 ' Demorgorgon, the spirit of the earth. 
 
 ' The name bacallaos, or baccallaos, is evidently derived from the Gjeek word 
 f3aHi]Xo?, a large, lusty fellow. Names similar to this appellation were used 
 by the Greeks as early as the third century of the Christian era. Athenseus, in 
 his work entitled AsiTtvO?oq)lGTai (the learned men at supper), presents 
 this information respecting certain fish: " They say that they are usually caught 
 in couples, and that one is always found following at the tail of the other ; and, 
 therefore, from the fact of one following close on the tail of the other, some 
 ancients call men who are intemperate and libidinous by the same name. * * * 
 Euthydemus, in his work on Cured Fish, says : ' Some call this fish [the cod] 
 the bacchus, and some the gelaria, and some the hake.'" — The Deipnosophists 
 or banquet of the learned of Athenzeus. Literally translated by C. D. Yonge. 
 London, 1854. vol. ii. pp. 442, 496. 
 
 Great numbers of the common cod [tnorrhtia vulgaris] are annually caught 
 on the fishing-banks off the coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. This fish 
 is very prolific. It is said that eight millions of eggs have been counted in the 
 roe of a female cod. Cod are sometimes caught that weigh ninety pounds. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 199 
 
 times they retarded the progress of his ships. He 
 found the people of these regions covered only with 
 skins, but the natives were not wholly destitute of 
 reason. He also relates that in these regions there is 
 a great number of bears which eat fish. They plunge 
 into the water where they see a shoal of fish and fasten 
 their claws between the scales of the fish, and in this 
 way convey them to the shore, where they devour 
 them. The hunger of the bears being appeased, 
 they do not annoy men. He declares further that in 
 many places he saw copper {prichalcuni) among the 
 natives."^ 
 
 Gomara, the Spanish historian, says : " But he who 
 made this land more widely known was Sebastian 
 Gaboto, a Venetian.^ He equipped two ships in Eng- 
 land (he having been taken there when he was little), 
 {do tratava desde peqzieno,) at the cost of King Henry 
 VII., who desired the trade in spices the same as the 
 king of Portugal. Others say at his own expense, 
 and that he promised King Henry to go by the north 
 to Cathay, and to bring spices there in less time than 
 the Portuguese from the south. He also went to see 
 if there was any land in the Indies on which a colony 
 
 * De Orbe Novo decades, dec. iii. cap. vi. 
 
 ' The birthplace of Sebastian Caboto's is not definitely known. Richard 
 Eden, in his translation of the Decades of the New World of Peter Martyr, 
 says that Sebastiano Caboto told hira that he was born at Bristol, England ; and 
 Gasparo Contarini, the embassador of Charles V., avers that he informed him 
 that Venice was his birthplace. It is conjectured that he was born about the 
 year 1476. On the twentieth of October, 1512, Sebastiano Caboto was ap- 
 pointed a sea-captain by King Ferdinand of Spain. In the service of Charles 
 v., he sailed on the fifth of April, 1526, to search for a navigable strait along 
 the coast of South America. On this voyage, in 1527, he explored the Rio de 
 la Plata. In July, 1530, he returned to Spain. In 1548 he went to England, 
 where he died some time after the year 1557. — Vide The Decades of the Newe 
 Worlde or West India, Translated into Englysshe by Richarde Eden. Lon- 
 doni, 1555. f. 255. Dispatch of Contarini from Valladolid, December 31, 1522. 
 MS. Marciana library, Venice, cod. loig. cart. 2S1-283, Jean et Sebastien 
 Cabot. Harrisse. pp. 109-133. 
 
200 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 might be settled. He took three hundred men and 
 steered a course by the way of Iceland, above the 
 cape of Labrador, going as far as fifty-eight degrees, 
 though he says much farther, stating that in the month 
 of July it was so extremely cold and that there were so 
 many icebergs floating in the sea, that he did not dare 
 to go farther. * * * So Caboto, having inspected 
 the cold and strange country, changed his course to 
 the west, and returning again to the Baccalaos {los 
 Baccalaos), he followed the coast as far as thirty-eight 
 degrees, and then returned to England." ' 
 
 Galvano, the Portuguese historian, says that when 
 Sebastiano Caboto returned from the north, he dimin- 
 ished "the altitude till he came to thirty-eight degrees, 
 and from there returned to England. Others will have 
 it that he went as far as the point of Florida, which is 
 in twenty-five degrees." " 
 
 In the discourse of Sir Humphrey Gilbert respect- 
 ing "a new passage to Cataia," it is said: "Further- 
 more, Sebastian Cabota by his personall experience, 
 and trauell, hath set foorth, and described this passage, 
 in his Charts, whiche are yet to be seene in the 
 Queenes Maiesties priuie Gallerie, at Whitehall, who 
 was sent to make this discoverie by King Henrie the 
 seauenth, and entered the same fret: affirming, that he 
 sailed very far westward, with a quater of the North, 
 
 ^ Primera y segunda parte de la historia general de las Indias con todo el 
 descubrimiento y cosas notables que han acaecido dende que se ganaron ata et 
 aiio de 1551. [Por Francisco Lopez de Gomara.] ^aragoga, 1552. primera 
 parte, cap. de los Bacallaos. 
 
 Francisco Lopez de Gomara was born at Seville in 15 10. Hernando 
 Cortes, on his return to Spain after the conquest of Mexico, made Gomara his 
 chaplain. Gomara's General history of the Indies (La historia general de las 
 India';), and the Conquest of Mexico and New Spain (Laconquista de Mexico, 
 y de la Nueua Espana), were first published at Saragossa, (,^arag09a). Spam, m 
 1552. Gomara died about the year 1560. 
 
 ' Tratado, que compQs o nobre & notauel capitao Antonio GaluSo. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 201 
 
 Oil the north side of Terra de Labrador' the eleuenth 
 of June, vntil he came to the septentrional latitude 
 of 6jy2 degrees and finding the seas still open 
 said that he might, and would have gone to Cataia, if 
 the mutinieofthe Maister and Mariners had not ben." =" 
 
 It is further related that in the eighteenth year of 
 the reign of King Henry VII. ,3 three Indians were 
 brought to England from the islands discovered by 
 Sebastiano Caboto : " Thys yeare, were brought vnto 
 the Kyng three men taken in the new founde Hands, 
 by Sebastian Gabato, before named in Anno 1468, 
 these men were clothed in Beastes skinnes, and eate 
 raw Flesh, but spake such a language as no man could 
 vnderstand them, of the which three men, two of them 
 were seene in the Kings Court at Westminster two 
 yeares after, clothed, like Englishmen, and could not 
 bee discerned from Englishmen." ■* 
 
 The field of the discoveries of Giovanni Caboto, 
 represented on the map made by Juan de la Cosa, in 
 1 5oo, and on the one of 1 544, in the National library, in 
 Paris, was apparently the Atlantic coast of Cape Breton 
 Island s and of Nova Scotia. The part of the penin- 
 sula designated Prima Vista, (First Seen,) on the map 
 of 1 544, appears to be the same as that which on La 
 Cosa's chart is denominated Cavo de Inglaterra (Cape 
 of England).. The coast, from Cape Breton southwest- 
 
 1 Xerra de Lavrador, Portuguese : Land of the Farmer. 
 
 ' A Discovrse of a Discouerie for a new Passage to Cataia. Written by 
 Sir Hvmfrey Gilbert, Knight. Imprinted at London by Henry Middleton for 
 Richarde Ihones. 1576. sig. D iii. 
 
 ^ The eighteenth year of the reign of King Henry VII. began August 21, 
 1502, and ended August 21, 1503. 
 
 * Chronicle of England. Stow. p. 875. 
 
 * Cape Breton Island lies between 45° 27' and 47° 41' north latitude. Its 
 greatest length is one hundred miles, and its greatest breadth eighty-five miles. 
 The island is isolated from the mainland by the Strait of Canso, which is 
 twenty-one miles long, and from one mile to one and a half in width. Cape 
 North is about sixty miles from Cape Ray, Newfoundland. 
 
202 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 ward to the Bay of Fundy, the sea discovered for the 
 EngHsh {mar descubierta por inglese),^ is dehneated by 
 La Cosa with approximate accuracy. 
 
 The information given by Peter Martyr, Gomara, 
 and Galvano respecting the voyage of Sebastiano Ca- 
 boto, makes the fact evident that the latter sailed north- 
 westwardly along the coast of Labrador almost to the 
 sixtieth parallel, where he was so far to the west 
 " that he had the island of Cuba on his left hand " and 
 had nearly reached the longitude of the island. On 
 his return, after running along the coast of Baccallaos, 
 he sailed southward, but too far east of the mainland 
 to see its coast, and reached the latitude of the thirty- 
 eighth parallel ; whence he steered for England. If 
 Sebastiano Caboto had explored any part of the present 
 coast of the United States he certainly would have 
 imparted some information respecting its physical 
 features, its inhabitants, its flora and fauna, to the in- 
 quisitive chroniclers of his age. The descriptions of 
 the regions explored by him only apply to the more 
 northern parts of the continent, represented on the 
 map of 1 544, to which territory was given the name 
 La Tierra de los Bacallaos (Land of Codfish). ^ On 
 the planisphere of 1544, the following statement is in- 
 
 'The representation of the coast of Cape Breton Island and of Nova Scotia 
 as trending eastward and westward, as delineated on La Cosa's map, evidently 
 exemplifies the incorrect conjecture made by Giovanni Caboto respecting the 
 situation of the first land seen by him. Columbus's delineation of the island of 
 Cuba, as having an east coast that extended far toward the north, was a similar 
 personal assumption which afterward was found to be false. 
 
 * " These regi5s are cauled Terra Florida and Regio Baccalearum or Bac- 
 challaos of the which you may reade sumwhal in this booke in the vyage of the 
 woorthy owldeman yet lyuing Sebastiane Cabote, in the vi. booke of tlie thyrde 
 Decade. But Cabote touched only in the north corner and most barbarous parte 
 hereof, from wliense he was repulsed witli Ise in the monelh of July. Neuer the 
 lesse, the west and south partes of these regions haue sence byn better searched 
 by other." — The Decades of the Newe Worlde or West India. Eden. The 
 preface to the reader, ci. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 203 
 
 scribed concerning the country discovered by Sebas- 
 tiano Caboto. " The people wear clothes made of the 
 skins of animals, use bows and arrows, lances, darts, 
 knob-headed clubs, and slings in their wars. The 
 country is very sterile. In it are many white bears, 
 and deer as large as horses, and many other animals 
 of the same class ; also immense numbers offish such 
 as soles, salmon, very large lings, a yard in length, and 
 many other kinds of fish, but the most numerous are 
 those called bacallaos. In this country there are fal- 
 cons as black as ravens, eagles, partridges, linnets, and 
 many other birds of different kinds." ^ 
 
 " This much concerning Sebastiano Gabotes dis- 
 couerie may suffice for a present cast," says Hakluyt, 
 " but shortly, God willing, shall come out in print all 
 his owne mappes and discourses, drawne and written 
 by himselfe, which are in the custodie of the worship- 
 full master Willia Worthington, one of her Maiesties 
 Pensioners who (because so worthie monumentes 
 shoulde not be buried in perpetuall obliuion) is very 
 willing to suffer them to be ouerseene and published in 
 as good order as may bee, to the encouragement and 
 benefite of our Countriemen." " The English collector 
 also remarks that " the map of Sebastiano Caboto cut 
 by Clement Adams, concerning the discovery of the 
 the West Indies, * * * [is] to be seene in her 
 
 *" La genie della andan uestidos de pieles de animales, tcsan en sus giterras 
 arcos, y Jlechas, lancas, y dardos, y unas porras de palo, y Jiondas. Es tierra muy 
 steril, ay en ella mtichos orsos plancos, y cieritos mtiy grades coino catiallos, y 
 otras muchas animales, y semeianiemete ay pescadoinfinito, sollos ; sal/noes lengu. 
 ados, muy grandes de tiara en largo y otras miichas diuersidades de pescados, y la 
 mayor viultitud dellos se dizen baccallaos, y asi mismo ay en la dha tierra Hal- 
 cones prietos como cueruos Aguillas, Perdices, Pardillas, y otras mtichas aues 
 de diuersas maneras." — Tabla primera. No. 8. 
 
 * William Worthington was joined to Sebastiano Caboto in the pension given 
 by Philip and Mary, May 29, 1557. Rymer. vol. xvi. p. 466. Divers voyages 
 touching the discouerie of America. 
 
204 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Maiesties priuie gallerie at Westminster, and in many 
 other anchient merchants houses." ^ 
 
 Although three hundred years have passed since 
 Hakluyt promised the early publication of Sebastian© 
 Caboto's maps and discourses, they are still covered 
 with the pall of oblivion.^ 
 
 ' Navigations, voyages, and discoveries, p. 6. 
 
 ^Richard Ilakluyt was born at Yatton, England, in 1553. He took a 
 remarkable interest in geography and navigation, and for a time held a pro- 
 fessor's chair of these branches at Oxford. In 15S2 his " Divers voyages touch- 
 ing the discouerie of America and Hands adiacent vnto the same," was published 
 in London. He was also the author of " A particular discourse concerninge the 
 greate necessitie and manif olde comodyties that are like to growe to this Realme 
 of England by the Westerne discoueries lately attempted, written in the year 
 1584." In 1589, he published his celebrated work, entitled : The principal 
 navigations, voiages, and discoveries of the English nation, made by sea or 
 oucr Land, to the most remote and farthest distant quarters of the earth at any 
 time within the compasse of these 1500 yeeres. Deuided into three Seuerall 
 parts, according to the positions of the Regions whereunto they were directed. 
 This work was further enlarged in 1599 ^^^ 1600. He was appointed preben- 
 dary of Westminster in 1605. He died October 23, 1616, and was buried in 
 Westminster Abbey. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1497-1521. 
 
 While the vSpanish and the English expeditions had 
 failed to find the attractive shores of Cathay by sailing 
 westwardly across the Atlantic, the Portuguese were 
 more fortunate in their long-continued attempts to 
 reach the dominions of the Grand Khan by sailing 
 eastwardly. Restricted by the papal decree to the pros- 
 ecution of her voyages of discovery on the east side 
 of the line of demarkation, Portugal zealously persisted 
 in seeking along the coast of Africa a way to the 
 Orient. Vasco da Gama, an intrepid navigator, was 
 placed in command of an expedition, and sailed from 
 Lisbon, in March, 1497, in the path marked out by 
 Bartolomeu Dias, in 1487. When Da Gama came to 
 the Cape of Good Hope, or the Stormy Cape (Cabo 
 Tormentoso), he realized that the windy headland was 
 rightly named. The hazardous attempts which he re- 
 peatedly made to pass the stormy promontory so im- 
 pressed his sailors with his extreme venturesomeness 
 that they endeavored to persuade him to turn back. 
 It is said that this made Da Gama comport " himself 
 very angrily, swearing that if they did not double the 
 cape, he would stand out to sea again as many times 
 until the cape was doubled, or there should happen 
 whatever should please God." Having achieved his 
 bold purpose, on the twenty-second of November, 
 1497, Da Gama made himself famous in reaching the 
 
 205 
 
2o6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 remote coast of India, on the seventeenth of May, 
 1498, and entered the harbor of Calicut,' three days 
 afterward. Returning on the homeward voyage, he 
 arrived at Lisbon, about the beginning of September, 
 
 1499. 
 
 To perfect and enjoy the privileges of her inaugu- 
 rated commerce with India, Portugal immediately 
 fitted out a fleet of merchantmen to carry her commod- 
 ities to the distant country over the sea-path explored 
 by her daring navigators. Pedro Alvarez Cabral was 
 given command of thirteen ships, with which he sailed on 
 the ninth of March, i5oo, with instructions to hold his 
 course out at sea at some distance from the coast of 
 Africa, in order to avoid the troublesome currents and 
 delaying winds which had previously deterred mariners 
 from encountering the perils of the unexplored route 
 near the main-land. Cabral proceeded southward, but 
 near the Cape Verd Islands lost sight of one of his 
 ships, and while seeking her he lost his course. For- 
 tunately, on Wednesday afternoon, on the twenty- 
 second of April, he descried the summit of a round and 
 hieh mountain on the eastern coast of Brazil, which he 
 called Monte Pascoal.^ Perceiving the next morning 
 that he had anchored opposite the mouth of a river, 
 he sent Nicolao Coelho to examine it. From this an- 
 chorage he sailed in search of a safe harbor, and on 
 Saturday, the twenty-fifth of April, found the roadstead 
 which he called Porto Seguro, which was in seventeen 
 
 'Calicut is on the west coast of India, in 11° 15' north latitude, and 75° 50' 
 east longitude. 
 
 Paesi nouamente retrouati. Et Nouo Mondo da Alberico Vesputio Flor- 
 entine intilulato. Stampato in Vicentia cu la impressa de MgrO Henrico 
 Vicentino: & diligente cura & industriade Zamaria suo fiol nel mcccccvii. a di 
 iii de Nouember. lib. ii. cap. li-lx. The three voyages of Vasco da Gama. 
 From the Lendas da India of Caspar Corvea. Translated from the Portuguese 
 by Henry E. J. Stanley. London, 1S79. Hakluyt. Soc. pub. 
 
 " Fide Ruysch's map of 1508. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 207 
 
 decrees of south latitude, accordinor to the observation 
 made there. On the first of May a large wooden cross 
 was erected to which was affixed the declaration of 
 Cabral's discovery of the country for the king of Portu- 
 gal. Cabral, having dispatched Caspar de Lemos with 
 a small vessel to Lisbon with the report of his dis- 
 covery, set sail, on the third of May, for India. Cabral 
 called the discovered country Terra de Vera Cruz 
 (Land of the True Cross), which name was shortly 
 afterward changed to Terra de Santa Cruz (Land 
 of the Holy Cross), and subsequently Brazil was 
 substituted for it.^ 
 
 In the year i5oo the Portuguese sailed in a differ- 
 ent direction to seek a short route to Cathay. The 
 Portuguese historian, Galvano refers to the expedition, 
 saying : " In this same year i5oo it is said that Caspar 
 Cortereal^ begged permission of King Emmanuel to 
 discover the New Land (Terra Nova). He departed 
 from the island Terceira with two ships equipped 
 at his own expense, and he sailed to that region which 
 is in the north in fifty degrees of latitude, which is a 
 land now called after his name. He returned home 
 in safety to the city of Lisbon. Sailing a second 
 time on this voyage the ship was lost in which he 
 went, and the other vessel came back to Portugal. 
 His brother Miguel went to seek him with three 
 ships at his own cost, and when they came to that 
 coast, and found so many entrances of rivers and 
 havens, each ship entered a different river, with this 
 regulation and command, that they all three should 
 meet ao;-ain on the twentieth of August. The other 
 
 ^ Paesi Nouamente retrouati. lib. iii. cap. Ixi-lxxxiiii. Raccolta di navi- 
 gation! e viaggi. Ramusio. vol. i. fol. 132-139. Coleccion de los viages y 
 descubiimientos. Navarrete. torn. iii. pp. 94, loi. 
 
 ' Caspar Cortereal was the son of Joao Vaz Cortereal, who, it is said, had 
 previously made a voyage to the Land of Bacalhao (Terra de Bacalhao). 
 
208 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 two ships did as commanded, and they, seeing that 
 Miguel Cortereal came not on the appointed day nor 
 afterward in a certain time, returned to this reahn and 
 never heard any thing more concerning him. * =^ * 
 But that country is called Terra dos Cortereals unto 
 this day." ' 
 
 Damiao de Goes, the Portuguese historian, says 
 Cortereal, called this region Terra Verde (Greenland), 
 on account of its remarkable verdure, and the vast 
 forests stretching all along the coast. "^ 
 
 Ramusio, speaking of the exploration of the coast 
 of North America says : " In the part of the New 
 World, which runs toward the north and northwest, 
 opposite our habitable part of Europe, many captains 
 have navigated, and the first (by that which one 
 knows), was Gaspar Cortereale, a Portuguese, who, in 
 i5oo, went with two caravels intending to find some 
 strait of the sea whence by a shorter voyage than that 
 taken around Africa he would be able to go to the 
 Spice Islands. He sailed so far forward that he came 
 to a place where it was extremely cold, and he found, 
 in the latitude of sixty degrees, a river closed with 
 snow, to which he gave the name, calling it Rio 
 Nevado. But he had not sufficient courage to pass 
 much beyond it. The whole of this coast, which runs 
 two hundred leaijues from Rio Nevado as far as to the 
 port of Malvas, in fifty-six degrees, he saw full of 
 people and along it many dwellings." ^ 
 
 The earliest account of Gaspar Cortereals voyage 
 of i5oi, from which he never returned, is contained in 
 
 ' Tratado, que compos o-nobre & notauel capitao Antonio Galuao. 
 
 '"//«;«« ten-a que por senmtilo frcsca e de graiidcs aruoredos como o sao 
 todas as que jazcm pera aqtiella baiida llie pos name terra verde." — Chronica do 
 felicissitno rei Dom Emanuel. Lisboa, 1566. tomo i. fol. 65. 
 
 * Raccolta di navigationi e viaggi. Ramusio. vol. iii. fol. 346. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 209 
 
 a letter written by Pietro Pasqualigo, the Venetian 
 ambassador at the court of Portugal, to his brothers 
 in Italy, dated October 19, i5oi. The writer says : 
 " On the eighth of the present month, one of the two 
 caravels which his most serene majesty sent the past 
 year under the command of Caspar Corterat, arrived 
 here, and reports the finding of a country distant west 
 and northwest, two thousand miles, heretofore quite 
 unknown. 
 
 " They ran along the coast between six hundred 
 and seven hundred miles without arriving at its termi- 
 nation, on which account they concluded it to be the 
 same continent that is connected with another land 
 which was discovered last year in the north, but which 
 the caravel could not reach on account of the ice and 
 the vast quantity of snow, and they are confirmed in 
 this belief by the multitude of great rivers they found, 
 which certainly could not proceed from an island. They 
 report that this land is thickly peopled, and that the 
 houses are built of very long beams of timber, and cov- 
 ered with the skins of fishes. They have brought 
 hither along with them seven of the inhabitants, includ- 
 ing men, women, and children ; and in the other 
 caravel, which is looked for every honr, they are bring- 
 ing fifty more. These people, in color, figure, stature, 
 and expression, greatly resemble gypsies. They are 
 clothed with the skins of different beasts, but chiefly of 
 the otter, wearing the hair outside in summer, and next 
 to the skin in winter. These skins, too, are not sewed 
 together, nor shaped to the body in any fashion, but 
 wrapped around the arms and shoulders as they were 
 taken from the animals. * * * On this account 
 their appearance is wholly barbarous ; yet they are 
 very sensible to shame, gentle in their manners, and 
 
2IO DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 better made in their arms, legs, and shoulders than can 
 be expressed. Their faces are punctured in the same 
 manner as the Indians ; some have six marks, some 
 eight, some fewer. They use a language of their own, 
 but it is understood by no one. Moreover, I believe 
 that every possible language has been addressed to 
 them. They have no iron in their country, but manu- 
 facture knives out of certain kinds of stones, with which 
 they point their arrows. 
 
 " They have also brought from this island a piece 
 of a broken sword inlaid with gold, which we can pro- 
 nounce undoubtedly to have been made in Italy; and 
 one of the children had in his ears two pieces {todini) 
 of silver, which likewise appear to have been made in 
 Venice, a circumstance inducing me to believe that 
 their country belongs to the continent, since it is 
 evident that if it were an island where any vessel 
 had touched before this time we should have heard 
 of it.' 
 
 " They have plenty of salmon, herring, cod, and 
 other fish of the same kind. They have an abun- 
 dance of timber, principally pine, fitted for masts and 
 yards of ships, on which account his serene majesty 
 anticipates the greatest profit from this country, both 
 in providing timber for ships, of which he, at present, 
 stands in great need, and from the men that inhabit it, 
 who appear admirably fitted to endure labor, and will 
 probably be the best slaves which have been found up 
 to this time. 
 
 ** This arrival appeared to me to be an event 
 of which it was right to inform you ; and if on 
 the arrival of the other caravel I receive any ad- 
 
 "• It seems that the writer was ignorant of the fields of the discoveries of the 
 English in 1497 and 1498. Giovanni Caboto, the Venetian navigator, no doubt 
 had made the presents found in the possession of the inhabitants. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 211 
 
 ditional information, it shall be transmitted to you in 
 like manner." ' 
 
 Caspar Cortereal, who was expected to return to 
 Lisbon in the second caravel, never reached Portugal. 
 Miguel, his brother, sailed from Lisbon in May i5o2, 
 with three ships, to search for Caspar and the missing 
 vessel, but he was never heard of again, and it was 
 conjectured that both of the brothers had been slain 
 by the savages from whom they had taken so many 
 of their relatives to serve as slaves in Portugal. 
 
 No little enthusiasm was created at the court of 
 Portugal by Cabral's report of the discovery of the 
 Land of the True Cross. King Emmanuel at once 
 ordered three vessels to be equipped to sail to the 
 new country. Having heard of the voyages made 
 by Amerigo Vespucci to the Land of Pearls (Terra 
 delle Perle), he wrote to Vespucci in Seville, and solic- 
 ited him to enter his service. The illness of the ex- 
 plorer did not then permit him to accept the tempting 
 offer of the king of Portugal. However, when he 
 was afterward visited by the king's ambassador, Ciuli- 
 ano di Bartolomeo del Ciocondo, Vespucci consented 
 to go to Lisbon and to be commissioned by King 
 Emmanuel to accompany the fleet that was prepared 
 to sail to Terra de Vera Cruz. His departure from 
 Spain, he says, was a matter of regret to all who knew 
 him, because there he was honored, and there the king 
 had a right to claim his services.^ Narrating the inci- 
 dents of his third voyage to the New World, Vespucci 
 writes : 
 
 ^ Paesi nouamente retrouati. lib. vi. cap. cxxvi. — Vide Letter of Alberto 
 Cantino. Archives of Modena. Cancelleria ducale. Dispacci dalla Spagna. 
 Jean et Sebastien Cabot. Harrisse. pp. 262-264. 
 
 * " Che fu tenuia a titale la mia uenuia da qttanti miconosceuano : perche 
 miparii di Casiiglia, doue mi era facto ho7iore, 6^ il re miteneua i' buona pos^ 
 sessione." 
 
212 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 ** We departed from the port of Lisbon, three ships 
 in company, on the tenth of May, i5oi, and took our 
 course directly for the Grand Canary Islands. * * * 
 From there we sailed to the coast of Ethiopia, and ar- 
 rived at the port called Beseneghe, in the torrid zone. 
 
 * * * We left this port of Ethiopia and steered to 
 the southwest. * * * In sixty-seven days we 
 reached land lying seven hundred leagues southwest 
 of that port. * ^- * 'pj-j^ season was very unfavor- 
 able for the voyage, particularly when we approached 
 the equator, where, in the month of June, it is winter. 
 
 * ''• '^'' It pleased God, however, to show us a new 
 country on the seventeenth of August. Then we 
 anchored at the distance of a half league from the 
 coast. We got out our boats and went on land to see 
 if the country were inhabited, and if it were, by what 
 class of people. We found that it was inhabited by a 
 people of a lower condition than that of beasts. 
 :;: :i: =!: ^y^ ^ook posscsslou of it in the name of his 
 majesty. It lies five degrees south of the equator. 
 
 * * * We sailed in a southeasterly direction, on a 
 line parallel with the coast, making many landings, but 
 never discovering any natives who could converse 
 with us. Runninof on this course, we found the land 
 made a turn to the southwest. As soon as we doubled 
 the cape, which we named the Cape of St. Augustine, 
 we began to sail to the southwest. * '^' '^' This 
 cape is eight degrees south of the equator." ' 
 
 While the explorers were sailing along the east 
 coast of Brazil, they arrived at a place where they 
 anchored five days. " Here " says Vespucci, " we 
 found carmine stems very large and green, and some 
 already dry on the tops of the trees. We left 
 
 ' S/a q'sto catio 8. f^radi fuori della liiiea equinoctiale tierso lausiro." 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 213 
 
 this port, always sailing to the southwest in sight 
 of the land, making many anchorages and treating 
 with innumerable people. We went so far toward the 
 south that we were beyond the tropic of Capricorn 
 where the south pole is elevated thirty-two degrees 
 above the horizon. We had entirely lost sight of the 
 Little Bear, and the Great Bear was very low, almost on 
 the verge of the horizon.' We steered by the stars of 
 the south pole, which are many, and much larger and 
 brighter than those of our pole. I traced the figures 
 of the greater part of them, particularly those of the 
 first and greater magnitude, giving an explanation 
 of the circuits which they made around the pole, 
 together with a description of their diameters and 
 semi-diameters, as may be seen in my four journeys. 
 We ran about seven hundred and fifty leagues along 
 this coast. * * * We saw a great number of red- 
 wood (verzino) and cassia trees, and of those which 
 produce myrrh. * * * We found ourselves in 
 such a high southern latitude, that the south pole 
 was elevated above the horizon fifty-two degrees. 
 * * * -£i^Q ^qI^ |-qj^ ^]^g seventh of April, i5o2] 
 
 was so severe that no one in the fleet could endure 
 it. * * * We agreed that the superior captain "" 
 should make signals for the fleet to turn about, 
 and that we should depart from this land and steer 
 'our course in the direction of Portuo^al." 
 
 After touching at the port of Sierra Leone, 
 and at the Azores, the explorers reached the 
 
 ' " Tanto fumo uerso laustro, chegia stauamo fuora dd tropica di capricorno : 
 a donde el polo del Meridione salzaua sopra lo Orizonie 32. gradi : et di gia 
 kauamo perduio del tucto loTsa viinore, 6^ la maggiore chi staua molto bassa, 
 &" quasi cisimonstrazia aljiiie delle orizonte." 
 
 * Andre Gongalves, it is said, had command of the fleet. — Vide O Brazil 
 no seculo xvi. Estudos de Capistrano de Abreu. Rio de Janeiro, i88o. pp. 
 9-23- 
 
214 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 port of Lisbon on the seventh day of September, 
 i5o2/ 
 
 Vespucci was again sent by the king of Portugal, 
 in i5o3, with a fleet of six ships commanded by Gon- 
 9alo Coelho, to discover an island " toward the east 
 called Melaccha, which we know lies in the sea," says 
 Vespucci, " thirty-three degrees from the south pole." 
 Departing from the port of Lisbon on the tenth of 
 May, the vessels stood for the Cape Verd Islands. 
 After going to Sierra Leone on the coast of Africa, 
 the fleet sailed toward the southwest. On this course 
 one of the vessels struck on a rock, and was aban- 
 doned by the crew. On the east coast of Brazil, the 
 fleet entered the harbor which the Portuguese called 
 the Bay of All Saints (Bahia de todos os Santos). At 
 a harbor two hundred and sixty leagues farther south, 
 or in eiMiteen des:rees south latitude, a fortress was 
 erected, and garrisoned with twenty-four men. The 
 fleet then sailed for Portugal, and entered the port of 
 Lisbon on the eighteenth of June, i5o4.^ 
 
 The opinion of Columbus that a strait could be 
 found to the south or southwest of Cuba through which 
 ships might sail to Cathay, induced Vicente Yanez Pin- 
 zon and Juan Diaz de Soils in i5o6 to search along the 
 coast bordering the Bay of Honduras for a navigable 
 passage to the Indian Ocean. ^ They held the same 
 course as the admiral, says Herrera, " and sailing as far 
 as the islands Giianajos steered westward as far as 
 Golfo Dulce, but did not see it, for it lies hid. However, 
 they observed the inlet the sea makes between the 
 land that forms the bay and the coast of lucatan. 
 
 • Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci. Terzo viaggio. — Vide Tratado, que com- 
 pQs o nobre & notauel Capitao Antonio Galuao. 
 
 ' Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci. Quarto viaggio. — Fii/c Chronica do felicis- 
 simo rei Dom Emanuel. Damiao de Goes, tomo i. fol. 65. 
 
 * Ferdinand Columbus gives 1508 as the date of the voyage. 
 
• DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 215 
 
 ♦ * * From where they descried the Sierras of 
 Caria, they steered northward and discovered a great 
 part of the main-land of lucatan." ' 
 
 The unique and pecuharly shaped map made by the 
 German cartographer, Johann Ruysch, contained in the 
 edition of Claudius Ptolemy's geography, printed at 
 Rome, in i5o8,^ is the earliest engraved chart on which 
 appear the fields of discovery, in the western hemi- 
 sphere, entered by Columbus, Cabot, Cortereal, Cabral, 
 Vespucci, and other early explorers of the coast of the 
 new continent. 
 
 Geographically ignorant of the longitude of the dis- 
 covered part of North America, then called the New 
 Land (Terra Nova), Ruysch represents it as if it were 
 a part of the eastern coast of Asia, between the two 
 hundred and eio;htieth and the three hundredth meridi- 
 ans. Better informed respecting its latitude, he de- 
 lineates it as extending from the forty-fifth to the fifty- 
 fifth parallel of north latitude.^ Immediately north of 
 
 ' Historia general de los hechos de los Castellanos en las islas tierra firme 
 del mar oceano escrita por Antonio de Herrera. Madrid, 1601-1615. dec. i. 
 lib. vi. cap. xvii. Historia del S. D. Fernando Colombo, cap. Ixxxix. Colec- 
 cion de los viages y descubrimientos. Navarrete. torn. iii. p. 46. 
 
 Antonio de Herrera y Tordesillas was born in Cuellar, in Spain, in 1549, 
 and died in 1625. His General history of the acts of the Spaniards on the 
 islands and continent of the ocean-sea, is divided into eight decades, from 
 1492 to 1554, contained in four volumes, the first one of which was published 
 in Madrid, in 1601. 
 
 ^ Claudius Ptolemy. In hoc opere haec continentvr geographiae CI. 
 Ptolemiasi a plurima uiris utriusque linguae doctiss. emedata : & cu archetypo 
 graeco ab ipsis collata. Schemata cu demostrationibus suis correcta a Marco 
 Beneuentauo monacho coelestino, & loanne Cotta Veronensis iuris mathematicis 
 consultissimis * * * Nona & universalior orbis cogniti tabula loa 
 Ruysch Germano elaborata. * * * Anno Virginei Partvs mdviii. Rome. 
 
 The map is twenty-two by sixteen inches. The copy of one half of the fan- 
 shaped map ill the cover-pocket is a reduced fac-simile of the original section. 
 
 'The names inscribed along the coast of Terra Nova are: C. Glaciato 
 (Ice cape), Baia de Rockas (Bay of Rocks), R. Grado, In. Biccalavras (Cod- 
 fish island), C. de Portogesi (Cape of the Portuguese), Barbatos In., and 
 Bicrgetv In. 
 
2i6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the New Land is the Greenland Sea (Sinus Grvenlan- 
 tevs), and beyond it, Greenland (Grvenlant), discovered 
 by the Northmen. South of the New Land, between 
 the fortieth and twenty-fifth parallels is the unnamed 
 and falsely represented island of Cuba, on the west side 
 of which is a scroll bearing the information : "As far 
 as this the ships of Ferdinand, king of Spain, have 
 come." South of this island and that of Espaiiola 
 (Spagnola) is the discovered part of South America, 
 then denominated the Land of the Holy Cross or the 
 New World (Terra Sancti Crucis sive Mundus Novus). 
 The inscription on the represented territory embraces 
 the following information : " At different places this 
 region is inhabited, and it is supposed by many to be 
 another world. Women and men appear either entirely 
 naked or clad with interwoven leaves and the feathers 
 of birds of various colors. They live together in com- 
 mon without any religion or king. They are continu- 
 ally at war among themselves. They eat the human 
 flesh of captives. They exercise so much in the salu- 
 brious air that they live more than one hundred and 
 fifty years. They are rarely sick, and then they cure 
 themselves solely with the roots of plants. Here lions 
 are born, and serpents and other terrible monsters 
 found in the forests. Very large quantities of pearls and 
 gold are in the mountains and rivers. From here 
 Brasil-wood, or verzini, and cassia are carried away by 
 the Portuguese." Below this inscription is another 
 which contains the following statement : " Portuguese 
 navigators have inspected this part of this land, and 
 have sailed as far as the fiftieth degree of south latitude 
 without seeing the southern limit of it." 
 
 On the scroll on the western part of the delineated 
 territory of South America this information is in- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 217 
 
 scribed : " As far as this Spanish navigators have 
 come, and they have called this land, on account 
 of its greatness, the New World. Inasmuch as they 
 have not wholly explored it nor surveyed it farther 
 than the present termination, it must remain thus im- 
 perfectly delineated until it is known in what direction 
 it extends." 
 
 On the upper part of the right margin of the map 
 the following fiction respecting the configuration of the 
 earth at the north pole is inscribed, " It is said in 
 the book concerning the fortunate discovery^ that at 
 the arctic pole there is a high magnetic rock, thirty- 
 three German miles in circumference. A suroinof sea 
 surrounds this rock, as if the water were discharged 
 downward from a vase through an opening. Around 
 it are islands, two of which are inhabited." 
 
 North of Greenland is another inscription contain- 
 ing a popular fiction of the dangers besetting ships in 
 the Arctic Ocean : " Here a suro-insf sea begins ; here 
 the compasses of a ship do not hold, nor are ships 
 which have iron about them able to turn about." 
 Among the perils of the Greenland Sea were the de- 
 ceptions practised by the savages inhabiting the islands 
 in it : " It is said that those who came formerly in 
 ships among these islands for fish and other food were 
 so deceived by the demons that they could not go on 
 land without danger." 
 
 The four voyages of Amerigo Vespucci had ac- 
 quainted him with so many unknown peoples and 
 places in the New World that he was induced by his 
 own inclinations and the suggestions of his friends to 
 write an account of the explorations of the different 
 
 * The voyage of Nicholas de Lynna, a Franciscan monk, to the regions 
 near the north pole. — Vide Hakluyt. vol. i. pp. 121, 122. Inscription on 
 Mercator's map of the world of 1569. 
 
2i8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 expeditions with which he had been sent by the 
 sovereigns of Spain and Portugal. In his letter, dated 
 in Lisbon, the fourth of September, i5o4,' he speaks 
 of the intended publication of his voyages in a volume 
 in the style of a geography {up. ttolume in stilo geo- 
 gra/ia), and calls the composition {zibaldone), " Le 
 Quattro Giornate " (The Four Journeys). 
 
 The earliest known work containing an account of 
 Vespucci's four voyages is entitled " Cosmographiae 
 introductio" (Introduction to geography), printed in 
 St. Die, in Lorraine, on the twenty-sixth of April, 
 1 507.^ This rare Latin book was the work of a 
 German scholar named Martin Waldsee-miiller, a pro- 
 fessor of geography in the gymnasium in St. Die,^ 
 who having translated his surname into Hylacomylus ^ 
 affixed this Greek pseudonym to his writings. On 
 the reverse page of the fifteenth leaf of Hylacomy- 
 lus's Introduction to geography is the notable sugges- 
 tion that the land in the western hemisphere visited 
 by Amerigo Vespucci should be called Amerige 
 or America. The enthusiastic geographer, having 
 described Europe, Asia, and Africa, remarks : 
 
 "And as now these parts have been more widely 
 surveyed, and another fourth part has been found by 
 
 ' Lettera di Amerigo Vespucci delle isole nuoumente trouate in quattro 
 suoi viaggi. — Vide Amerigo Vespucci. Varnhagen. pp. 33-64. Bibliotheca 
 Americana vetustissima. [Harrisse.] pp. 149, 150. 
 
 'Cosmographiae introdvctio cvm qvibvsdam geometriae ac astronomiae 
 prinoipiis ad eam rem necessariis. Insuper quatuor Americi Vespuccij naui- 
 gationes Vniversalis cbosmographiae descriplio tam in solido qzplano eis etiam 
 insertis quae Ptholomeo ignota a nuperis reperta sunt. * * * Finitu. vij. 
 kl' Maij. Anno supra sesqui Millesium. vij. 
 
 ^ Baron von Humboldt furnishes the information that Martin Waldsee- 
 miiller of Freiburg, diocese of Constantius, was a student under the rectorship 
 of Conrad Knoll of Griiningen, the seventh of December, 1490, and had estab- 
 lished a bookstore at St. Die, shortly before 1507. — Examen critique de 1' his- 
 toire de la geographie du nouveau continent. Humboldt, vol. iv. pp. 104-106. 
 
 * Hylacomylus, the forest-lake miller. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 219 
 
 Americus Vesputius (as will be perceived by what fol- 
 lows), I can not see why any one can justly forbid 
 the calling of this part Amerige or America, that is, 
 the land of Americus, from Americus, the discoverer, 
 an intelligent man, as Europe and Asia have taken 
 their names from women."' 
 
 The name America in a short time became a 
 popular designation for the continent in the western 
 hemisphere.^ 
 
 ^ " Nuc vo <Sr' he partes sunt latius lustratae &= alia quarta pars per Afner- 
 ieu Vesputiu (vt in sequentibus audieticr) inuenta est qua non video cur quis 
 iure vetet ab America inuentore sagacis ingenij viro Amerigen quasi Americi 
 terra siue Americain dicendd : czl ^ Europa (5r= Asia a mulieribus sua sortita 
 sini nomina." 
 
 Herodotus, speaking of the designations of the other divisions of the earth, 
 says : " Nor can I conjecture for what reason these different names have been 
 given to the earth, which is one, and those derived from tlie names of women. 
 * * * Nor can I learn the names of those wlio made this division, nor 
 whence they derived the appellations. Libya [Africa] is said by most of the 
 Greeks to take its name from a native woman of the name of Libya ; and Asia, 
 from the wife of Prometheus. But the Lydians claim this name, saying that 
 Asia was called after Asius, son of Cotys, son of Manes, and not after Asia, 
 the wife of Prometheus ; from whom also a tribe of Sardis is called the 
 Asian tribe. Whether Europe, then, is surrounded by water is known by no 
 man, nor is it clear whence it received this name, nor who gave it, unless we 
 will say that the region received the name from the Tyrian Europa, and that it 
 was previously without a name like other regions, for she evidently belonged to 
 Asia, and never came into the country which is now called Europe by the 
 Grecians, and only passed from Phoenicia to Crete, and from Crete to Lycia." 
 — Herodotus : Melpomene xlv. 
 
 ^ Until recently the map made by Petrus Apianus (Peter Benewitz), in the 
 Polyhistor of C. Julius Solinus, printed in Vienna, in 1520, was supposed to be 
 the earliest on which the name of America was engraved. However, the dis- 
 covery, in France, in iSSo, of a copy of the " Cosmographiae introductio," 
 printed by Jean de la Place, without a title or coloplion-date, containing a map 
 of the world, supposed to have been made by Ludovicus Boulenger, between the 
 years I5i4and 1520, disentitled the former to its celebrity. The map is divided 
 into twelve sections or gores which can be cut and pasted on a globe. The 
 represented territory of North and South America is shown in two divisions, 
 separated by a large body of water, between the tenth and twentieth parallels 
 of north latitude. The word " Nova" appears on the northern division ; and 
 on the southern, " America noviter reperta." A similar inscription it is said is 
 on a cartographic representation. of the world, in Vienna, made in 1509: " Une 
 semblable appellation se lit sur la projection, ^galetneni iniprimde en fuseaux, d' 
 
220 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Although Vespucci repeatedly mentions in his 
 letter that he held subordinate positions under the 
 superior captains commanding the different fleets with 
 which he had sailed to the New World, twenty-one 
 years after his death he was unjustly accused by 
 Johannes Schoner, in a little geographical work, as 
 having contrived to have the continent called by his 
 name/ Schoner's imputation was evidently caused 
 by a spirit of ill-will, for he attempted, it would seem, 
 to lessen the importance of the discoveries made by 
 Spain and Portugal, by placing on a globe, made 
 by him in i520, this inscription designating South 
 America : " America vel Brasilia sive papagalli terra " 
 (America or Brasil or the land of parrots)/ Later still 
 a number of writers in turn undertook to defame Ves- 
 pucci by asserting that he did not make the voyage of 
 1497, and to support their arguments quoted the 
 erroneous statements of the different versions of his 
 letter. The assumptions of these writers, however, 
 are not corroborated by the Italian text of Vespucci's 
 letter, in part presented on the preceding pages, nor 
 are they verified by later researches in the archives of 
 Spain and Portugal.^ 
 
 When the Spaniards were exploring the West India 
 
 un globe ierrestre a la date de 1 509 qui fait partie dc la collectione de M. le 
 gindral de Haiislab a Vienne." — Jean et Sebastien Cabot. liaiiisse. p. 182. 
 Note, 
 
 ' '^ Americus Vesputius maritima loca Indies superiotis ex Hispaniis navigio 
 ad ocridejttcvi perlustrans, earn parterii qua; stiperioris Indiw est credidit esse 
 Insttlam quam a suo 7tomine vocari instituit." — loannis Schoneri Carolostadii 
 opvscvlvm geographicvm ex diversorum libris ac cartis. [Nuremberg, 1533.] 
 
 " Schoner's globe is still preserved in the library of Nuremberg. 
 
 ' Historia general de los hechos de los Castellanos en las islas tierra firme 
 del mar oceano. Herrera. dec. i. lib. iv. cap. i, ii. Amerigo Vespucci. 
 Varnhagen. pp. 33-64. Bibliotheca Americana. [Harrisse.] pp. 62-68, 
 149,150,304,305. O Brazil no seculo xvi. Capistrano de Abreu. pp. 1-39. 
 Descobrimento do Brasil e sea deseuvolvimento no seculo xvi. Capistrano de 
 Abreu. Rio dc Janeiro, 1883. pp. 17-66. 
 
s 
 
 c? 
 
 P 
 
 9- 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 «S 
 
 Q ^ 
 
 
 
 Q X 
 
 2 c 
 
 Xi o 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 221 
 
 archipelago a report became current that on one of 
 the more northward islands there was a fountain, the 
 water of which possessed extraordinary virtues. Peter 
 Martyr heard the rumor, and wrote, in i5ii, to the 
 bishop of Rome, saying : " There is an island about 
 three hundred and twenty-five leagues from Espan- 
 ola, as they say who have searched for it, named 
 Boiuca or Agnaneo, on which is a never-failing 
 spring of running water of such marvelous efficacy 
 that when the water is drunk, perhaps, with some 
 attention to diet, it makes old people young again. 
 And here I must beg your holiness not to think that 
 this is said jestingly or thoughdessly, for they have 
 reported it everywhere as a fact, so that not only all 
 the common people but also the educated and the 
 wealthy believe it to be true." ^ 
 
 The island of Boiuca appears to be partly outlined 
 on the small map in Peter Martyr's " Legatio Baby- 
 lonica," printed at Seville in i5ii. It is designated 
 on the latter as a part of the island of Beimeni, — 
 " Isla de beimeni parte." ^ 
 
 Among those who gave credence to the fiction of 
 the marvellous virtues of the spring of Boiuca was Juan 
 Ponce de Leon, a Spanish cavalier, who had attained 
 considerable military fame in the West Indies.^ He 
 had sailed from Spain In 1493 to Espanola in one of 
 the ships of Columbus's second expedition. In i5o9 he 
 took part in the subjugation of the Island of Borrlquen, 
 afterward called Porto Rico, of which he was made 
 
 * De Orbo Novo decades, dec. ii. cap. x. 
 
 " The map is found on the reverse page of the forty-fifth leaf of Peter 
 Martyr's rare book, entitled : P. Martyris Angli Mediolanensis opera Legatio 
 Babylonica, Oceani decas, poemata, epigrammata. Impressum Hispali cu summa 
 diligencia Jacobu Corumberger, Alemanu. Anno Millesimo quingentissimo. 
 xi. meso vero Aprili. The chart measures seven and a half by eleven inches. 
 
 ^ Juan Ponce was born at Leon, Spain, about 1460. 
 
222 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 governor. Beguiling himself with the hope that he 
 could renew the vigor of his youth by bathing in the 
 stream of life-giving water, and at the same time add 
 honor to his name by becoming the discoverer of the 
 island on which the fountain was said to be, Juan Ponce 
 fitted out three vessels and sailed from the port of St. 
 German, Porto Rico, on Thursday, the third of March, 
 i5i2, to search for the island Boiuca, which some called 
 Bimini. "It is certain," says Herrera, the Spanish his- 
 torian, " that Juan Ponce de Leon besides intending to 
 make new discoveries, as all the Spaniards at that time 
 aspired to do, was also intent on finding the fountain 
 of Bimini and a river in Florida; the Indians of Cuba 
 and Espanola affirming that old people bathing them- 
 selves in them became young again, and it was a fact 
 that many Indians of Cuba, firmly believing that there 
 was such a stream, had found that island not long 
 before the Spaniards, and had passed over to Florida 
 in search of the river, and there built a town, where 
 their descendants reside to this day. This report so 
 affected all the princes and caciques in those parts that 
 it was a hobby to find a river which wrought such a 
 wonderful change as made old people young, so that 
 there was not a river or a brook, scarcely a lake or a 
 puddle, in all Florida, in which they did not ^athe 
 themselves." ' 
 
 The explorations and discoveries of Juan Ponce are 
 thus described by Herrera : " On Sunday, the 
 twenty-seventh of March, the day of the Feast of the 
 Resurrection, commonly called the Feast of Flowers, 
 {(jue era Dia de Pascuade Resitrrcccion, que comunmente 
 diceit de Floi^es^ they saw an island and passed by it. 
 On Monday, the twenty-eighth, they steered in the 
 
 ' Historia general. Herrera. dec. i. lib. ix. cap. x. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 223 
 
 same direction, fifteen leagues, until Wednesday, when 
 the weather became foul. They then stood west-north- 
 west until the second of April. The water grew 
 shallower until they came into nine fathoms, a league 
 from the land, which was in thirty degrees and eight 
 minutes. Thinking this land was an island they called 
 it La Florida, because it had a very pretty landscape 
 of many green groves, and it was level and regular, and 
 because they discovered it at the time of the Floral 
 Feast {Pascua Florida)."- Juan Ponce wished the 
 name to conform to these two facts. He went on land 
 to learn the language and to take possession. 
 
 " On Friday, the eighth, they sailed again the same 
 way, and on Saturday, south by east, until the twen- 
 tieth, when they saw some Indian huts from the place 
 where they had cast anchor. The next day the three 
 ships sailed along the coast and entered a current 
 which was so swift that it drove them back, althousfh 
 they had the Wind strong." The two ships, near the 
 land, dropped their anchors, but the force of the stream 
 was so great that it strained the cables. The third 
 vessel, a brigantine, being farther out, either found no 
 bottom or was not sensible of the current, which carried 
 her so far from the shore that they lost sight of her, 
 although the day was bright and the weather fine. 
 
 "Juan Ponce being called by the Indians went 
 ashore and the latter at once undertook to possess 
 themselves of the boat, the oars, and the arms. This 
 was tolerated till one of the Indians stunning a sailor 
 with a stroke of a cudgel on the head, when the Span- 
 iards were compelled to fight. They had two of their 
 
 ' The Indians called this region Cautio. Historia general. Herrera. 
 dec. i. lib. ix. cap. x. 
 
 ^ The Gulf Stream, which at this point is quite deep and narrow, has a 
 velocity varying from four to five miles an hour. 
 
224 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 men wounded with darts and arrows pointed with sharp 
 bones, and the Indians received little injury. Night 
 parting them, Juan Ponce, with considerable difficulty, 
 got his men together and sailed thence to a river, 
 where they wooded and watered, and waited for the 
 brigantine. Sixty Indians came to attack them, one 
 of whom was taken to give information and to learn 
 the Spanish language. The river they called Rio de 
 la Cruz, (River of the Cross), planting there a stone 
 cross, bearing an inscription."' 
 
 On the twenty-third of September, after having 
 coasted in different directions along the Flowery Land, 
 Juan Ponce determined to return to Porto Rico. Be- 
 fore he set sail, he sent Juan Perez de Ortubia to make 
 a further search for the rejuvenating fountains on the 
 island of Bimini. Not long after Juan Ponce's return 
 to Porto Rico, Ortubia arrived there and reported that 
 he had found the island, but not the wonderful spring.'' 
 
 ' " On Sunday, the eighth of May, they doubled the Cape of Florida, giv- 
 ing it the name of the Cape of the Currents (Cabo de Corrientes), because they 
 are stronger there than the wind, and came to an anchorage near a town called 
 Abaioa. All this coast, from the Point of Reefs (Punta de Arracifes) to the 
 Cape of the Currents, trending north and south one point to the eastward, is 
 clean, and has six fathoms water, the cape lying in twenty-eight degrees fifteen 
 minutes. They sailed on till they met with two islands to the southward, in 
 twenty-seven degrees, one of which, being a league in compass, they named 
 Santa Marta, and took in water there. * 
 
 " On Friday, the thirteenth of May, they sailed along a shoal and a row of 
 islands as far as the island which they called Pola, lying in twenty-six degrees 
 and a half. Between the shoal and the row of islands and the continent is a 
 spacious sea, like a bay. 
 
 " On Sunday, the day of the Feast of the Holy Spirit, the fifteenth of May, 
 they coasted ten leagues along a row of small islands as far as two white ones, 
 and they called them all the Martyrs, (las Martires), because the high rocks, at 
 a distance, look like men suffering, and the name has suited them well on account 
 of the large number of persons who have since been lost there. The rocks lie 
 in twenty-six degrees fifteen minutes. The ships held on, sometimes north and 
 sometimes northeast, until the twenty-third of May ; and on the twenty-fourth 
 tney ran along the coast to the southward as far as some small islands which 
 lay out at sea, and still they did not perceive that it was the main-land." 
 
 ' Ilistoria general. Ilerrera. dec. i. lib. ix. cap. x, xii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 225 
 
 Juan Ponce de Leon went to Spain and obtained 
 from the crown the appointment of adelantado of 
 Bimini and Florida. When he heard, while living at 
 Porto Rico, the reports of the success of Hernando 
 Cortes in Mexico, he fitted out, in i52i, two ships, and 
 sailed to Florida to take possession of it and to settle 
 a colony on its attractive shores. But the natives val- 
 iantly opposed the occupation of their country and 
 drove the ambitious invader, with the loss of many 
 men, to his ships. Juan Ponce was wounded in the 
 thigh by an arrow. The vessels sailed to Cuba, where 
 the impoverished and disabled Spaniard not long after 
 died.^ 
 
 The exploration of Central America was continued 
 in i5ii by Vasco Nunez de Balboa, a native of Xeres 
 de los Caballeros, Spain, who had accompanied Rod- 
 rigo de Bastidas when he sailed on his voyage of dis- 
 covery to the New World, in October, i5oo. In i5io 
 the Indian village on the isthmus of Darien, west of 
 the Gulf of Uraba, was made the seat of the ofovern- 
 ment of this part of the continent by the Spaniards, 
 and called Santa Maria de la Antisfua del Darien. 
 Vasco Nunez de Balboa was appointed alcade of the 
 new colony. This ambitious and avaricious adven- 
 turer penetrated the dense forest belting the northern 
 coast of the isthmus, and invaded the interior, where 
 he found a wealthy cacique, named Comogre. The 
 Indian chief entertained Vasco Nunez and his four- 
 score followers with generous hospitality in his 
 large and attractive palace, a wooden building one 
 hundred and fifty paces long and eighty wide. He 
 presented his indigent guest with four thousand 
 ounces of golden ornaments and sixty slaves. " This 
 
 * Primera y segunda parte de la historia general de las Indias. Gomara. 
 cap. X. 
 
226 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 gold, with as much more obtained at another place," 
 says Peter Martyr, " our men weighed on the porch of 
 Comogre's palace, to separate the fifth part due to the 
 king's exchequer, for it was a law that the fifth part of 
 the gold, pearls, and precious stones should be given 
 to the royal treasurer, and the remainder be divided 
 among the discoverers. While our men were wran- 
 gling and contending about the division of the gold, the 
 eldest son of Comogre, the cacique, who was present 
 and whom we commended for wisdom, approached 
 with some appearance of anger him who was weighing 
 the treasure, and struck the balances with his fist, scat- 
 tering the gold all over the porch." Pointing south- 
 ward toward the mountains, he told them that beyond 
 those sierras was a great sea, on which people sailed 
 with ships as large as theirs, and that the adjacent 
 country contained great quantities of gold. 
 
 Balboa heard this surprising announcement with 
 delight, and, ambitious to be honored as the discoverer 
 of the unnamed sea and the country abounding with 
 rich mines, began to plan to go there and achieve the 
 notoriety that would make his name forever famous. 
 On the first of September, i5i3, Vasco Nunez, with 
 one hundred and ninety men and a number of Indian 
 guides, embarked at Santa Maria de la Antigua and 
 set sail in a brigantine for the Indian village of Coyba. 
 Here he began his toilsome and dangerous march 
 across the isthmus. After enduring untold hardships 
 the pertinacious Spaniard and his small body of way- 
 worn followers arrived at the foot of the Sierra de 
 Quarequa, intercepting the view of the unseen ocean.' 
 
 * Ten years before this, says Humboldt, "Columbus distinctly learned, 
 when he was coasting along the eastern shores of Veragua, that to the west of 
 this land there was a sea ' which in less than nine days' sail would bear ships to 
 the Che}-sonesus aurea of Ptolemy and to the mouth of the Ganges.' In the 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 227 
 
 While climbing the rugged slope of the intervening 
 mountain, on the twenty-fifth of September, Balboa 
 commanded his men to halt and to remain where they 
 were until he had reached the summit and surveyed 
 the wide expanse of the great ocean billowing between 
 the isthmus and the remote shores of India. When 
 the enthusiastic Spaniard ascended to the top of the 
 mountain and beheld the Mar del Sur (Sea of the 
 South), he fell upon his knees and thanked God for 
 honoring him as its discoverer, " as he was a man of 
 moderate ability, little knowledge, and humble birth." 
 Calling to his men to come to him, he ordered them, 
 after surveying the discovered sea, to construct a 
 wooden cross, and to plant it where he had kneeled 
 and rendered thanks for the honor conferred on him. 
 A mound of stones was built near the cross as a monu- 
 ment to commemorate the discovery of the ocean and 
 the adjacent country for his majesty, the king of Spain. 
 Descending the southern slope of the mountain, Balboa 
 and his followers made their way to the shore of the 
 bay, which he called San Miguel, where the proud 
 discoverer, with a banner embellished with the picture 
 of the Holy Virgin and Child and the insignia of Spain, 
 marched into the sea, and took possession of it in the 
 name of his sovereign, King Ferdinand. Having ex- 
 plored a part of the southern coast of the isthmus, 
 Vasco Nunez and his men reentered the wilderness 
 and arrived at Santa Maria de la Antigua on the nine- 
 teenth of January, i5i4. 
 
 same Carta rarissima, which contains the beautiful and poetic narration of a 
 dream, the admiral says that ' the opposite coasts of Veragua, near the Rio de 
 Belen, are situated relatively to another, as Tortosa on the Mediterranean and 
 Fuenterabia in Biscay, or as Venice and Pisa.' The great ocean, the South 
 Pacific, was even at that time regarded as merely a continuation of the Sinus 
 magmis{jueycx? KoXno?) of Ptolemy, situated before the golden Chersonesus, 
 whilst Cattigara and the land of the Sines (Thinae) were supposed to constitute 
 its eastern boundary." — Humboldt : Cosmos. Otte's trans, vol. ii. pp. 642, 643. 
 
228 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 In the following year Caspar Morales and Francisco 
 Pizarro crossed the isthmus with sixty men, and visited 
 the island which Balboa had called Isla Rica. In i5i6, 
 Vasco Nunez de Balboa, ambitious of obtaining greater 
 fame, and having two hundred men and considerable 
 money at his command, transported the timber, rig- 
 ging, and other appendages of two brigantines across 
 the isthmus, and after putting the vessels in sailing 
 condition, launched them upon the recently discovered 
 ocean. After a short cruise among the islands near 
 Isla Rica, Balboa returned to the Spanish settlement at 
 Ada, on the north coast, where he was arrested on 
 some false charges and -put in irons by Pedrarias Davila, 
 "as a traitor and an usurper of the territories of the 
 crown of Spain." The enmity of Pedrarias was so bit- 
 ter toward the innocent officer that the Spanish gover- 
 nor of Darien ordered Balboa to be executed. In r 5 1 7, 
 at the age of forty-one years, in the plaza of Ada, the 
 discoverer of the South Sea was publicly beheaded.' 
 
 To further explore the coast of Brazil, it is said that 
 Juan Diaz de Solis sailed from Lepe, Spain, on the 
 eighth of October, i5i5. Descrying the continent at 
 Cape San Roque, in five degrees south latitude, he 
 steered southward along the coast to Rio de Janeiro, 
 (River of January,) in twenty- three degrees soutli lati- 
 tude. Thence he coasted farther southward and en- 
 tered a large bay of fresh water, which he called Mar 
 Dulce, that was afterward called Rio de la Plata. While 
 exploring this stream, De Solis, with some of his crew, 
 went on land, and while ashore was attacked by the 
 natives, and falling into their hands he and his men 
 were roasted and devoured. The vessel returned to 
 
 ' Historia general. Herrera. dec. i. lib. x. cap. i, ii, iv. dec. ii. lib. i. 
 cap. iv, xi. De Orbe Novo decades. Martire, dec. iii. cap. ii, iii, vi, x. 
 dec. iv. cap. vi. dec. vii. cap. x. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 229 
 
 Cape St. Augustine, and having loaded with Brazil- 
 wood, sailed to Spain. ' 
 
 The greed of gold, silver, and pearls, — the master 
 passion governing Spanish capitalists and the horde of 
 moneyless adventurers at this time in the New World, — 
 was the cause of the fitting out of three vessels, in 1 5 1 7, 
 to eo in search of new countries west of the island of 
 Cuba. This fleet, under the command of Francisco 
 Hernando de Cordoba, set sail, with one hundred and 
 ten soldiers, about the beginning of February, from 
 San Cristobal, on the north side«of .the island, and after 
 a voyage of twenty-one days came in sight of the 
 northeastern part of the peninsula of Yucatan, where 
 an Indian town was seen, to which the Spaniards gave 
 the name El Gran Cairo. Near this place three 
 temples, built of stone and lime, were found, in which 
 were many clay idols " some of them having terrible 
 shapes, seemingly representing Indians committing 
 horrible offences. In these temples," says Bernal Diaz 
 del Castillo,'' who was connected with the expedition, 
 " we also found wooden boxes containing other gods 
 with hellish faces, several small shells, some ornaments, 
 three crowns, and a number of trinkets, some in the 
 shape of fish, others in the shape of ducks, all made of 
 an inferior kind of gold. Seeing all these things, the 
 gold and the good architecture of the temples, we felt 
 overjoyed at the discovery of the country." At a town, 
 v/hich the Spaniards called San Lazaro, although they 
 
 ' Historia general, Herrera. dec. ii. lib. i. cap. vii. 
 
 ^ Bernal Diaz del Castillo, a native of Medina del Campo, Spain, came to 
 the New World, in 15 14, with Pedro Arias de Avila, who had been appointed 
 governor of Terra Firma. He sailed with Cordoba and Grijalva on their ex- 
 peditions of discovery, and was with Cortes in his Mexican campaign, and par- 
 ticipated in more than a hundred engagements. He was regidor of the city of 
 Guatemala, where, on the twenty-sixth day of February, 1568, he completed 
 his True history of the conquest of New Spain. 
 
230 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 were aware that the Indians called it Campeachy, they 
 were invited to land by the inhabitants, " who wore 
 fine mantles made of cotton." " They took us " Diaz 
 remarks " to some large edifices, which were strongly 
 built of stone and lime and were in many ways attrac- 
 tive. These were temples, the walls of which were 
 covered with figures representing snakes and all kinds 
 of gods. About an altar we saw several fresh spots of 
 blood. On some of the idols there were fissures like 
 crosses. There were some paintings representing 
 groups of Indians. All these greatly astonished us, 
 for we had neither seen nor heard of such thincfs 
 before." 
 
 While the explorers were taking in water, near a 
 village called Potonchan, now Champoton, on the 
 western side of the peninsula, where there were some 
 wells, maize-plantations, and stone buildings, the in- 
 habitants visited them. "They all wore cotton cuirasses 
 which reached to their knees. They were armed with 
 bows, lances, shields, and swords. The latter," Diaz 
 further remarks, " were shaped like our broad swords, 
 and are wielded with both hands." They also had 
 slings for throwing stones. They had bunches of 
 feathers on their heads, and had their bodies decorated 
 with white, brown, and black colors. Speaking of an 
 engagement which the Spaniards had with the natives, 
 Diaz says : " As soon as it was daylight we saw more 
 companies of armed natives moving toward the coast 
 with flags. They wore feather head-dresses, and were 
 provided with drums, bows, lances, and shields. They 
 joined themselves to the others who had arrived in the 
 night. They divided themselves into corps, surrounded 
 us on all sides, and began to assail us with so many 
 arrows, lances, and stones, that more than eight of our 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 231 
 
 men were wounded in the first onset. They then 
 rushed furiously forward and attacked us man to man ; 
 some with their lances, others with their swords and 
 arrows, and with such terrible impetuosity that we were 
 compelled to show them opposition. We dealt them 
 many a good thrust and blow, continuing at the same 
 time an incessant fire with our matchlocks and cross- 
 bows ; for while some loaded others fired. At last, by 
 heavy blows and thrusts we forced them back, but they 
 did not retreat farther than was necessary to keep 
 us strongly surrounded. * * * Perceiving how 
 closely we were hemmed in on all sides by the enemy, 
 who not only kept getting fresh troops but were plenti- 
 fully supplied in the field with meat, drink, and num- 
 bers of arrows, we soon concluded that all our valiant 
 fighting would not benefit us. All of us were wounded. 
 Many were shot through the neck, and more than fifty 
 of our men were killed. In this critical position we 
 determined to cut our way manfully through the 
 enemy's ranks and get to the boats, which fortunately 
 lay on the coast near us. We therefore resolutely 
 closed our ranks and broke through those of the enemy. 
 You should then have heard the whizzing of their 
 arrows, the terrible yells of the Indians, and how they 
 incited one another to fight. * * * Many of our 
 men were wounded while climbing into the vessel, 
 especially those who clung to its side, for the Indians 
 pursued us in their canoes, and persistently assailed 
 us. With the utmost exertion and the help of God 
 we escaped from the hands of this people." 
 
 " Our vessels," Diaz further relates, " were taken to 
 Santiago of Cuba, where the governor [Diego Velas- 
 quez] resided. Here the two Indians were brought on 
 shore whom we had taken with us from Punta de 
 
232 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Cotoche, as already related, called Melchorejo and 
 Juanillo. When, however, we brought forth the box 
 with the crowns, the golden ducks, the fish, the idols, 
 more noise was made about them than they really 
 merited, so that they became the common topics of 
 conversation throughout the islands of St. Domingo 
 and Cuba; indeed, the report concerning them reached 
 Spain. There it was said that none of the discovered 
 countries were as rich as this one, and in none had 
 there been found houses built of stone. The earthen 
 gods, it was said, were the heathen relics of ancient 
 times ; others ventured to affirm that they [the people 
 of Yucatan] were the descendants of the Jews who 
 had been shipwrecked off this coast, whom Titus and 
 Vespasian had driven from Jerusalem. * * * Diego 
 Velasquez closely questioned the two Indians whether 
 there were any gold-mines in their country. They 
 answered in the affirmative ; and when they were shown 
 some of the gold-dust found in the island of Cuba, they 
 said there was an abundance of it in their country. 
 This was not true, for it is well known that there are 
 no gold-mines on the Punta de Cotoche, or anywhere 
 in the whole of Yucatan. They were likewise shown 
 the beds in which the seeds of that plant are sown 
 from whose root the cassava-bread is made, which in 
 Cuba is called yiua. They assured us that the same 
 plant grew in their country, and was called by them 
 tale. As the cassava-root in Cuba is called yucay and 
 the ground in which it is planted by the Indians tale, 
 so from these two words orio^inated the name of the 
 country, Yucatan ; for the Spaniards, vdio were stand- 
 ing around the governor at the time that he was speak- 
 ing to the two Indians, said : ' You see, sir, they call 
 their country Yucatan.' And from this circumstance 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 233 
 
 the country retained the name of Yucatan, although 
 the natives call it by a different name." ' 
 
 " It was in the year of our Lord i5i8," says Diaz, 
 " after Diego Velasquez had heard the good account 
 we gave of the newly-discovered country called Yuca- 
 tan, that he determined to send another expedition to 
 it. For this purpose he selected four vessels, among 
 which were the two in which we soldiers had accom- 
 panied Cordoba on our late voyage to Yucatan, pur- 
 chased at our expense. * * * Our account that 
 the houses in the newly-discovered country were built 
 of stone and lime had originated an extraordinary 
 conception of its riches, besides the Indian Mel- 
 chorejo had indicated by signs that it contained 
 gold-mines. All these things created a great desire 
 among the inhabitants and soldiers on the island 
 [Cuba] who possessed no official authority over the 
 Indians to go in search of a rich country like this one ; 
 consequently, in a very short time, we mustered two 
 hundred and twenty men." 
 
 Commanded by Juan de Grijalva, the vessels sailed 
 on the first of May, i5i8,fromtheport of Santiago, Cuba. 
 After touching at different points, the fleet at last 
 arrived off the coast of Champoton, on the west side 
 of Yucatan, where the Indians had attacked the Span- 
 iards on the last voyage and had driven them to their 
 vessels. Here they had another engagement with the 
 natives, but the Spaniard's were victorious and put the 
 enemy to flight. They then proceeded southward to 
 
 ' Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva Espana. Escrita por el 
 Capital! Bernal Diaz del Castillo, vno de sus conquistadores. En Madrid, 1632. 
 cap. i-vi. 
 
 Vide The memoirs of the conquistador, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, written 
 by himself, containing a true and full account of the discovery and conquest of 
 Mexico and New Spain. Translated from the original Spanish by John In- 
 grim Lockhart. London, 1844. vol. i. chap. i-vi. 
 
234 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the bay called La Boca de Terminos, where Diaz relates 
 " we found temples built of stone and lime, full of idols 
 made of wood or clay, with other figures, some repre- 
 senting women, some serpents ; also the horns of 
 various kinds of wild animals. We concluded that 
 an Indian village was near it. * * * \\[q have, 
 however, deceived ourselves, for the district was en- 
 tirely uninhabited." 
 
 At a promontory, beyond the bay, tov/ard the 
 west, about thirty Indians visited the explorers, bring- 
 ing with them broiled fish, fowl, fruit, and maize- 
 bread. " They also," Diaz relates, " brought pans 
 filled with red-hot embers, on which they strewed 
 incense, and perfumed us all. After this ceremony 
 was ended they spread some mats on the ground, over 
 which they laid a piece of cotton cloth. On this they 
 put some trifling ornaments of gold in the shape of 
 ducks and lizards, with three necklaces made of gold. 
 * * * They next presented us with some man- 
 tles and waistcoats, such as they wore, and begged of 
 us to accept them, saying that they had no more gold 
 to give us, but that farther toward the setting of the 
 sun there was a country where it was found in great 
 abundance, at the same time often repeating the word 
 Culba, and Mexico. We however did not understand 
 what they meant." 
 
 At a town called Aguajaluco they saw Indians 
 hurrying to and fro with large shields made of large 
 tortoise-shells, which glittered so brilliantly in the 
 sun that some of the Spaniards thought that they 
 were of inferior gold. At an island, beyond one 
 which they called Isla Blanca, Diaz relates : " We 
 found two houses which were strongly built of stone 
 and lime. Both were ascended by flights of steps, and 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 235 
 
 had altars, on which stood several abominable idols, to 
 which, on the previous evening, five Indians had 
 been sacrificed. Their dead bodies still lay there, cut 
 open, with the arms and legs chopped off, while every 
 thinof near was besmeared with blood. We contem- 
 plated this sight in utter astonishment, and gave the 
 island the name of Isla de'los Sacrificios." 
 
 At another island farther to the west, Diaz says : 
 " We found a temple on which stood the great 
 and abominable-looking god Tetzcatlipuca, surround- 
 ed by four Indians, dressed in wide, black cloaks, 
 their hair hanging as our canons or Dominicans 
 wear it. These were the priests, who had that 
 very day sacrificed two boys, whose bodies they 
 had cut open and then offered their bleeding hearts 
 to this horrible idol. They were about to perfume 
 us in the same way they had done their gods ; but 
 though the perfume smelled like our incense, we 
 would not permit them so shocked we were at the 
 sight of the two boys whom they had recently killed, 
 and we were disgusted with their abominations. Our 
 captain questioned Francisco, the Indian whom we had 
 brought with us from the Rio de Banderas, concerning 
 the purport of all these things, for he seemed to be an 
 intelligent person, we having, at that time, as I have 
 already stated, no interpreter. Our captain interro- 
 gated him by signs. Francisco answered that this 
 sacrifice had been ordered by the people of Culua ; 
 but, as it was difficult for him to pronounce this word, 
 he repeatedly said, Olua, Olua. In honor of our com- 
 mander, whose Christian name was Juan, and as the 
 day was the feast of St. John, we gave this small island 
 the name of San Juan de Ulua." 
 
 Sailing northward along the coast of Mexico, " we 
 
236 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 first came," says Diaz, " in sight of Tusta, and two days 
 after, of the more elevated mountains of Tuspa, both 
 of wliich take their names from two towns close to 
 these mountains. Along this part of the coast we saw 
 a number of towns lying from six to nine miles inland. 
 It is now the province of Panuco." On account of the 
 approach of winter, the scarcity of provisions, and the 
 leaky condition of one of the vessels, the explorers 
 determined to return to Cuba ; Pedro de Alvarador 
 having previously set sail for the island. 
 
 Speaking of their subsequent explorations in the 
 vicinity of the mouth of the Guacasualco River (now 
 called Rio Coatzacoalcos, In Tehuantepec), the Spanish 
 writer says : ** As soon as the inhabitants of Guacas- 
 ualco and the* neighboring districts learned that we 
 offered our goods for barter, they brought us all their 
 golden ornaments, and took in exchange green glass 
 beads, on which they set a high value. Besides orna- 
 ments of gold, each Indian had with him a copper axe, 
 which was very highly polished, with the handle curi- 
 ously carved, that served equally as an ornament and, 
 on the field of battle, as a weapon. At first we thought 
 that these axes were made of an inferior kind of gold. 
 Therefore we began to take them in exchange, and in 
 the space of two days collected more than six hundred, 
 with which we were no less pleased, as long as we were 
 ignorant of their real value, than the Indians were with 
 our glass beads. * * * ^y^ ^^^ g^jj f^^ Cuba, and 
 arrived there in the space of forty days. * * * We 
 were most graciously welcomed by the governor, Diego 
 Velasquez, who was highly delighted with the additional 
 gold we brought him. Altogether, it was well worth 
 4,000 pesos ; so that, with the 16,000 brought over by 
 Alvarado, the whole amounted to 20,000 /)rsos.^ Some 
 
 * " The dollar of exchange Ijieso de platd) is worth 8 reals of old plate, o-t 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 237 
 
 made this sum greater, some less ; but one thingr is 
 certain, the crown officials took only the fifth of the 
 last-mentioned sum. When they were about to take 
 the fifth also of the Indian axes, which we had mis- 
 taken for gold, they grew exceedingly angry on finding 
 them only to be of a fine quality of copper. This 
 caused the people to laugh at our trading transac- 
 tions." ' 
 
 Immediately after the return of Juan de Grijalva, 
 in i5i8, from this voyage, Diego Velasquez, the 
 governor of Cuba, issued orders for the fitting out of 
 a larger fleet than the one commanded by the former 
 officer. Respecting the person who was to have com- 
 mand of this expedition, Diaz says that " the matter 
 was secretly settled with Hernando Cortes, by two 
 confidants of Diego Velasquez, Andres de Duero, 
 secretary to the governor, and Almador de Lares, the 
 royal treasurer. * * * Duero and the royal treas- 
 urer, therefore, employed all their cunning to influence 
 the governor. They took every opportunity of plac- 
 ing Cortes in the most favorable light, extolling his 
 great courage, in a word, declared him to be the most 
 capable person whom he could intrust with the 
 command. * * * Their efforts were crowned 
 with success, for Diego Velasquez conferred the 
 appointment of captain-general of the expedition on 
 that gentleman. * * * After Hernando Cortes 
 had been appointed captain, he immediately began to 
 collect all kinds of arms and ammunition, as match- 
 locks, crossbows, powder, and the like. With the same 
 
 15 reals 2 maravedis vellon. * * * The value of the peso of plate, or dol- 
 lar of exchange, in English silver coin, is sgid." [about seventy-four cents 
 United States money]. — The universal cambist and commercial instructor. 
 By Patrick Kelly. London, 1811. vol. i. pp. 388, 389. 
 
 ' Histovia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva Espaiia. Diaz. cap. 
 viii-xvi. — Vide The memoirs of the conquistador, Lockhart. chap, viii-xvi. 
 
238 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 diligence he took care to provide a large stock of 
 goods to barter, and other necessaries for our expedi- 
 tion." On the eighteenth of February, i5i9, the fleet 
 was on its way toward the west. On the island of 
 Cozumel, near the eastern coast of Yucatan, Cortes re- 
 viewed his troops. " Without counting the pilots and 
 marines," says Diaz, " our number amounted to five 
 hundred and eight men. There were one hundred 
 and nine sailors, and sixteen horses. * * * q^j- 
 squadron consisted of eleven vessels of different ton- 
 naee. * * * The number of crossbow men was 
 thirty-three, and of those bearing matchlocks thirteen. 
 To these add our heavy guns and four falconets, and 
 a great quantity of powder and balls. Respecting the 
 precise number of crossbow men I cannot aver, 
 though it matters not whether there were a few more 
 or less. * * * J have now said all that need be 
 respecting our armament ; indeed, Cortes was very 
 particular about the merest trifles in these preparations. 
 " As Cortes paid attention to every circumstance, 
 he ordered me and Martin Camos of Biscay into his 
 presence, and asked us what our opinion was of the 
 word Castilaiiy Casiilan, which the Indians of Cam- 
 peachy had so often repeated when we landed there, 
 under the command of Francisco Hernandez de Cor- 
 doba. We again informed him of every transaction 
 that had taken place there. He said that he had often 
 turned this matter over in his mind, and could not help 
 thinking but that the inhabitants must have some 
 Spaniards among them, and he thought it would not 
 be amiss to question the caciques of Cozumel upon this 
 subject. This Cortes accordingly did, and desired 
 Melchorejo, who by this time had gained some little 
 knowledge of the Spanish, and perfecdy understood 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 239 
 
 the language of Cozumel, to question the chiefs about 
 it. The statements made by them were aHke, and 
 plainly indicated that there were several Spaniards in 
 the country, whom they had seen ; that they as slaves 
 served the caciques, who lived a march of two days 
 inland ; and that it was within a few days that some 
 Indian merchants had talked to them." Some days 
 afterward Cortes learned that the two Spaniards were 
 Geronimo de Aguilar and Gonzalo Guerrero. Aguilar 
 being informed of the presence of the Spaniards 
 joined them and served Cortes in the important posi- 
 tion of an interpreter.^ 
 
 When the Spaniards were in camp at the island of 
 San Juan de Ulua, Cortes was visited, on Easter-day, 
 by one of the farmer-generals of the Mexican empire, 
 named Teuthlllle. " He was accompanied " says Diaz, 
 " by another person of distinction called Quitlalpitoc. 
 We subsequently learned thatthey were governors of the 
 provinces of Cotastlan, Tustepec, Guazpaltepec, Tlata- 
 teteclo, and other districts lately subdued. They were 
 followed by a great number of Indians carrying presents 
 of fowls and plants. Teuthlllle, having ordered the 
 others to stand aside, advanced to Cortes and bowed 
 three times very reverentially in the Indian fashion, 
 
 * " He said, though still in broken Spanish, that his name was Geronimo 
 de Aguilar, and was a native of Ecija. About eight years ago he had been ship- 
 wrecked with fifteen men and two women, on a voyage between Darien and the 
 island of St. Domingo. * * * fhe ship struck against a rock, and they 
 had not been able to get her off again. The whole of the crew then got into 
 the boat, with the hope of reaching the island of Cuba or Jamaica, but were 
 driven on the coast of Yucatan, where the Calachionies had taken them prisoners 
 and distributed them among the people. The most of his unfortunate com- 
 panions had been sacrificed to their gods. Some had died of grief and the 
 women had pined away, being worn out by the hard labor of grinding which 
 they had forced them to do. He had been doomed to be sacrificed to their 
 idols, but had made his escape at night, and fled to the cacique, with whom he 
 had been living. * * * jje had tried to induce Gonzalo Guerrero to leave 
 the Indians, but had failed." 
 
240 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 which he did when he turned toward us standing 
 nearest him. Cortes cordially welcomed them, after 
 which he embraced them. He desired them to tarry 
 a while and told them that he would o-'ive them a 
 
 o 
 
 definite answer [in reply to the question which their 
 sovereign, the great Montezuma,' had sent them to ask : 
 who the Spaniards were and what they came to seek 
 in his country]. Meanwhile Cortes ordered the altar 
 to be arranged as prettily as possible. Francisco 
 Bartolome and Father Juan Diaz performed mass. The 
 two governors and the principal personages of their 
 smle were present during the services, after which 
 Cortes partook of dinner with them. 
 
 " After the table had been cleared, Cortes assisted 
 by Aguilar and Dona Marina^ entered into conversa- 
 tion with the Mexican officials and the caciques, telling 
 them, that we were Christians, the subjects of the 
 greatest monarch of the world, named Emperor 
 Charles,^ that he had many great personages among 
 his subjects and servants, that we had come by his 
 command to their country, of which and its powerful 
 sovereign, who then reigned, his majesty had long 
 before heard. Cortes speaking of himself said that he 
 was desirous to become the friend of their sovereign, 
 arid had to disclose many things to him, in the name 
 of his majesty, the emperor, which their monarch would 
 listen to with delight. In order that a good under- 
 standing might be established between him [Cortes] 
 and his [Montezuma's] subjects, they should acquaint 
 him with the place where this monarch resided, that 
 
 * The name is spelled by Diaz " Monte9iiina." 
 
 " All Indian woman presented to Cortes by the cacique of Tabasco. She 
 had readily learned to speak in Spanish, and being conversant with the language 
 of the Mexicans, was of great value to Cortes, who made her his secretary and 
 then his mistress. 
 
 * Charles v. ascended the Spanish throne in 1516. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 241 
 
 he [Cortes] might pay his respects to him and make 
 the necessary disclosures. Teuthlille answered in a 
 rather imperious tone, saying : ' Inasmuch as you 
 have lately arrived in this country, it would be more 
 becoming that before desiring an interview with my 
 monarch, you should accept this present, which we 
 have brought you in his name, and then disclose your 
 wishes to me.' He then took from a box, a quantity 
 of gold-trinkets, of beautiful and artistic workmanship, 
 and more than twenty packages of stuffs very prettily 
 made of white cotton and feathers. These they pre- 
 sented to Cortes, besides various other costly gifts 
 which, on account of the number of years that has in- 
 tervened, I cannot now remember, together with pro- 
 visions, as fowl, fruit, and dried fish. Cortes accepted 
 all these with a pleased expression, and presented these 
 gentlemen in return with glass beads resembling bril- 
 liants, and other things that we had brought from Spain. 
 He begged them to request the inhabitants of the dif- 
 ferent districts to begin trading with us, for we pos- 
 sessed various articles which we desired to exchange 
 for gold. This they promised to do. 
 
 " Cortes then ordered an arm-chair, beautifully 
 painted and adorned with inlaid work, to be brought, 
 also some pieces of precious stones, wrapped in cotton 
 cloth, perfumed with musk, a necklace of imitation 
 pearls, a scarlet cap, with a medal, on which was repre- 
 sented the holy St. George on horseback, with lance 
 in hand, killing the dragon. Cortes then addressed 
 Teuthlille, and said that he presented the chair to his 
 monarch, Montezuma, that he might sit in it when he 
 should pay him a visit, and the string of pearls to wind 
 around his head on the same occasion, all of which 
 presents were from our sovereign, the emperor, who 
 
242 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 had sent them to Montezuma in token of friendship 
 and as a proof of the esteem in which he held him. 
 Cortes further remarked that Teuthlille should inform 
 us where and when he, Cortes, could personally have 
 an audience with the monarch. Teuthlille accepted 
 the presents, and said in reply that his master, Monte- 
 zuma, as he also was a great monarch, would in turn 
 be equally delighted to learn something about our 
 great emperor ; that he would hasten to lay the pres- 
 ents before him, and to return with his answer. 
 
 " Teuthlille had with him very skillful painters, for 
 there were such in Mexico, and he ordered them to 
 paint the portrait and entire person of Cortes, with the 
 dress he wore ; also the pictures of all the other chief 
 officers, the soldiers, our ships, horses, Dona Marina, 
 and Aguilar, even our two dogs, the cannon, the balls, 
 In short, every thing that they could see that belonged 
 to us. The paintings they took along with them to 
 show to their monarch." 
 
 After an absence of about six or seven days, Teuth- 
 lille returned, as Diaz further observes, " with more 
 than a hundred Indian porters, all heavily laden, 
 accompanied by a great Mexican cacique, who, in 
 countenance, stature, and deportment, greatly resem- 
 bled Cortes, and on that account had been selected by 
 his monarch to accompany the deputation. For, as it 
 was related, when Teuthlille presented the picture 
 representing Cortes, all the grandees who were 
 present with their monarch, Montezuma, immediately 
 observed that he resembled a person of distinction 
 named Ouintalbor. This was the same person who 
 now accompanied Teuthlille. We therefore called one 
 the Cortes of this place, and the other the Cortes of 
 . that place. We must now, however, tell what the em- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 243 
 
 bassadors did when they came into the presence of 
 Cortes. First of all they touched the ground at his 
 feet with their hands. They then perfumed him and 
 all the Spaniards who were present, with pans made 
 of clay. Cortes gave them a very cordial reception, 
 and desired them to sit down at his side. Quintalbor, 
 the cacique, was commissioned to discuss matters joint- 
 ly with Teuthlille. The two, therefore, told Cortes 
 that he was most welcome to visit their. country, and 
 after considerable talking on both sides, they produced 
 the presents"' sent him by Montezuma. As is further 
 related by the Spanish historian, Juan de Torquemada, 
 a contemporary of Diaz, " the embassador of Monte- 
 zuma ordered mats to be spread on the ground before 
 Cortes, and over them some cotton cloth, on which he 
 arranged the presents, comprising many cotton shirts, 
 and great quantities of other cotton stuffs, beautifully 
 manufactured, and interwoven with feathers of the 
 most splendid colors. There were shields made of 
 the purest white stuffs, decorated with feathers, gold, 
 silver, and pearls, surpassing everything in beauty and 
 skilled workmanship that ever was seen. There was 
 also a helmet, tastefully carved .out of wood, filled with 
 grains of gold ; also a casque, made of thin plates of 
 gold, decorated with tassels, and with stones resembling 
 the emerald. There were numerous large bunches of 
 feathers of different colors, set in silver and gold ; 
 fans for keeping off flies, made of the rarest feathers ; 
 a thousand lockets of gold and silver of the most curious 
 and beautiful workmanship ; bracelets and military 
 decorations of gold and silver, splendidly embossed 
 with green and bright yellow feathers ; leather made 
 of deer skin, curried and colored in the best possible 
 
 * Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva Espana. Diaz. cap. 
 xix-xxxix. — Fiat The memoirs of the conquistador. Lockhart. chap. xxx-xxxi:c. 
 
244 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 manner ; shoes and sandals of the same leather, 
 sewed with thin gold-wire, and the soles of beautiful 
 white and blue stone. There were other kinds of 
 shoes, very tastefully made of cotton ; mirrors of mar- 
 casite, globular-shaped, of the size of one's fist, and 
 most ingeniously set in gold, the small frame itself 
 being very valuable, and worthy of the acceptance of 
 any crowned head ; coverings and curtains to beds, 
 manufactured of variously colored cotton, more glossy 
 and of a finer texture than silk ; a number of other gold 
 and silver trinkets ; a necklace of gold, decorated with 
 more than a hundred emeralds, rubies, and various or- 
 naments of gold ; a second necklace of many large 
 pearls and emeralds, all of the most exquisite work- 
 manship ; numerous gold trinkets in the shape of frogs 
 and animals ; jewels in the form of medals. The cases 
 were even more valuable than the precious stones they 
 contained. There was also a quantity of large and 
 small grains of gold. The most valuable of these 
 presents, however, were two round plates, one of gold, 
 on which was a sun with rays and the zodiac. This 
 weighed more than one hundred marks.' The other 
 plate was of silver, which in a similar manner repre- 
 sented the moon. It weighed about fifty marks. The 
 two disks were massive and of the thickness of the 
 Spanish coin of four silver reals, and as large as car- 
 riage-wheels. Those who saw these splendid presents 
 said that, without considering the beautiful workman- 
 ship, the value of the gold and silver alone amounted 
 to twenty-five thousand castellanos de oro ; so that the 
 full value of all these presents may rightly be estimated 
 at fifty thousand ducats." ' 
 
 '"The Castilian mark weighs 3557 English troy grains." — The universal 
 cambist. Kelly, vol. i. pp. 391, 292. 
 
 Primera parte de los veinle ivn llbros rituales i monarchia Indiana com- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 245 
 
 " When Ouintalbor, the great cacique, and Teuth- 
 lille, presented these gifts to Cortes," as Diaz further 
 relates, " they begged him to accept of them in the 
 same spirit of friendship with which their monarch 
 sent them, and to distribute them among his teules.^ 
 Thereupon they began to tell what their monarch had 
 particularly commissioned them to say, which was as 
 follows : ' He, Montezuma, was delighted with the 
 arrival of such courageous men in his provinces, for, 
 according to the accounts he had received, and judging 
 from the occurrence at Tabasco [where Cortes had had 
 an engagement with the natives], we certainly must be 
 
 puesto por Juan de Torquemada, En Madrid, 1723. lib. iv. cap. xvii. fol. 
 389. 390. 
 
 " The ducat of exchange {ducado de plata) is worth 11 reals, maravedi of 
 old plate, or 20 reals 25];| maravedis vellon. * * * xhe value of the 
 ducat of plate in English silver coin is 4^. t\d. [or one dollar and one cent in 
 United States moneyj. " — The universal cambist. Kelly, vol. i. pp. 38S-392. 
 
 Diaz gives this description of the presents : " The first was a disk about 
 the size of a carriage-wheel, representing the sun, the entire plate being of the 
 finest gold and of the most beautiful workmanship, — a most extraordinary work 
 of art, which, according to the account of those who weighed it, was worth more 
 than twenty thousand pesos de oro. The second was a disk, even larger than 
 the former, of massive silver, representing the moon, with rays and figures on 
 it, and of great value. The third was a casque, filled with grains of pure gold 
 as they were found in the mine, worth about three thousand /^jcij, which gold 
 was of more importance to us than if it had been ten times this value, for we 
 were now assured that there were rich gold-mines in the country. Among the 
 other presents there were thirty golden ducks in every way resembling the living 
 fowl, very elaborately made. Besides, there were figures of lions, tigers, dogs, 
 and monkeys. There were also ten chains with lockets, all of gold, and of the 
 most costly workmanship ; a bow with the string and twelve arrows ; two staffs 
 like those used by justices, five palms in length ; all of which were made of the 
 purest gold. They also brought small cases containing the most beautiful green 
 feathers, interwoven with gold and silver, and fans similarly made, and figures 
 of all kinds of game made of gold." 
 
 Peter Martyr, who had inspected the presents, says : "Si quid unquam 
 honoris humana ingenia in huiuscejnodi ariibus sunt adepta, principaiiun iitre 
 merito isia consequentur. Aurum, gemniasqiie non admiror quidem, qua irtdus- 
 tria, quove studio superet opus mater iam, slupeo. Mille figiiras et fades mille 
 prospexi quae scribera nequeo. Quid oculos hominum sua pulchritudine aeqtte 
 possit allice7-e meo iudiciovidimmquam. — De Orbe Novo decades, dec. i. cap. xi. 
 
 ' Teules, according to Diaz, meant gods or celestial beings. 
 
246 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 brave men. He wished very much to see our great 
 emperor who was so powerful, of whom, although 
 residing at so great a distance, he had already gained 
 some knowledge, and he would send him a present of 
 some valuable stones. He was likewise ready to 
 furnish us with every thing we might require during 
 our stay. Respecting Cortes visiting him, the under- 
 taking should not engage our thoughts, for it was not 
 necessary, and would be attended with great diffi- 
 culties.' 
 
 " Cortes thanked them most sincerely for their 
 kindness, gave each several shirts made of Holland 
 linen, some blue beads, and other trifles, and requested 
 them when they returned to their great monarch to 
 tell him that our emperor and master would deem it 
 very unkind, after we had come from such distant 
 countries and crossed such vast seas, solely with the 
 intention of paying our respects to Montezuma, if we 
 returned without accomplishing this object. He 
 wished, therefore, to proceed to his residence, and 
 to receive personally his commands. The embassadors 
 answered that they would convey these messages to 
 their monarch, and that a visit to him was unnecessary. 
 Cortes thereupon gave them out of our poverty a cup 
 of Florentine workmanship, gilded and ornamented 
 with wreaths of leaves in relief, and the shirts made of 
 Holland linen, and other things, all of which were to 
 be presented to Montezuma, together with Cortes's 
 message. The two emissaries then departed, while 
 Quitlalpitoc alone remained behind in our camp, com- 
 missioned, as it appeared, by the two other officials of 
 Montezuma, to provide provisions for us from the 
 neighboring districts. 
 
 "After the Mexican embassadors had taken their 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 247 
 
 departure, Cortes ordered two vessels to sail farther 
 northward and explore the coast. The command of 
 these was given to Francisco de Montejo, with orders 
 to follow the same course taken by Grijalva. * * * 
 Montejo departed, and sailed to the Rio Grande, near 
 Panuco, as far as we had gone with Grijalva. On 
 account of the strong currents he could not proceed 
 any farther. He therefore returned to San Juan de 
 Ulua. * * * 
 
 " One morning the Indians, who had dwelt near us 
 in huts, and had furnished us with provisions and 
 brought gold to barter, secretly departed with Quitlal- 
 pitoc. This, we subsequently learned, was done by 
 the orders of Montezuma. He had forbidden all inter- 
 course with Cortes, believing that he was obeying the 
 commands of his idol-gods. These were named Tetz- 
 catlipuca and Huitzilopochtli ; the former being the 
 god of hell, and the latter the god of war, to whom 
 Montezuma daily sacrificed a number of children in 
 order that the gods might disclose to him what he 
 should do with us. He intended to take us prisoners 
 should we not re-embark — employing some to educate 
 children, and sacrificing the others. His idol-gods, as 
 we afterward learned, advised him not to listen to 
 Cortes, and to pay no attention to the message that 
 we had sent him respecting the cross and the image of 
 the Blessed Virgin. This was what caused his men to 
 go away so secretly. 
 
 " This being the condition of affairs, we daily ex- 
 pected that hostilities would begin, and we were 
 therefore the more vigilant. It happened one day, 
 while I was standing sentinel on the sand-hills with 
 another soldier, that we espied five Indians coming 
 along the shore. Not to alarm the camp with so 
 
248 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 trifling- a matter, we allowed them to advance. They 
 all appeared very good-humored, made their obeisance 
 to us after their fashion, and requested us, by signs, to 
 conduct them to the camp. Thereupon I said to my 
 companion : ' I will take them there, while you remain 
 where you are,' for at that time my legs were not so 
 infirm as they are now, in my old age. When I pre- 
 sented them to Cortes, they manifested the utmost 
 reverence, and continually repeated the word Lopchtcio, 
 Lopelucio, which in the Totonac language means lord, 
 great god. In dress and language these people 
 differed entirely from the Mexicans whom Montezuma 
 had sent to our camp. They had large holes bored in 
 their under-lips, in which they wore pieces of a 
 speckled, blue stone, or thin plates of gold. The holes 
 in their ears were quite large, from which depended 
 similar ornaments. Neither Aguilar nor Dona Marina 
 understood their language. The latter asked them 
 whether there were any naeyavatos or interpreters 
 with them. Thereupon two of them answered that 
 they understood the Mexican language. Then the 
 talking began. They bid us welcome, and said that 
 their ruler had sent them to inquire who we were, and 
 that he would be delighted to be of any use to such 
 powerful men as we were. They said that they would 
 have waited on us earlief, if they had not shunned the 
 people of Culhua, namely, the Mexicans (meaning as 
 much as villains), who had been with us. It is likely 
 that these people had heard of our battles at Tabasco 
 and Potonchan. They at least knew that the Mexi- 
 cans had secretly departed from us three days before 
 this time. Cortes learned many things from them 
 which were of the greatest importance to him, particu- 
 larly the information respecting the enemies and oppo- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 249 
 
 nents of Montezuma. Cortes, therefore, was very 
 friendly to these people. He gave them a number of 
 presents, and desired them to return to their ruler and 
 to tell himthat he would in person shortly visit him." 
 
 The indomitable commander now advanced north- 
 ward along the coast as far as Chiahuitzla, near the 
 roadstead where his ships were anchored. A short 
 distance from this place Cortes began to build the city 
 to which he gave the name Villa Rica de Vera Cruz 
 (the Rich Town of the True Cross). From the port of 
 the new city, Cortes, on the twenty-sixth of July, i5ig, 
 dispatched a ship to Spain, under the command of 
 Alonso Puertocarrero and Francisco de Montejo, car- 
 rying letters to the emperor, Charles V., with accounts 
 of the invasion of New Spain. With these communi- 
 cations were sent some of the presents that Cortes had 
 received, besides several cotton and agave-scrolls of 
 Mexican hierogylphics. " Our agents took charge of 
 the letters," Diaz remarks, " and were bound by a 
 promise not to touch at the Havannah under any pre- 
 text whatever, or to enter the harbor of El Marien, 
 where Francisco de Montejo had possessions. This 
 was done in order that Diego Velasquez might not 
 receive any intelligence of our movements." 
 
 The resolute officer, having ordered his ships to 
 be destroyed, began about the middle of August his 
 march toward the city of Mexico,^ with his small band 
 of about five hundred followers, fifteen horsemen, and 
 seven pieces of artiller}^ He took with him thirteen 
 hundred native warriors from Cempoalla, besides a 
 thousand porters to transport the camp-baggage, pro- 
 visions, and munition. 
 
 ' From Villa Rica de Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico the distance waS 
 about one hundred and seventy-five miles. By the route of the Mexican rail- 
 road the distance from the present city of Vera Cruz to the city of Mexico is 
 two hundred and sixty-three miles. 
 
250 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. . 
 
 In the province of Xocotlan the invaders came to 
 an Indian town called by the Spaniards Castilblanco, 
 governed by a cacique who was subject to Montezuma. 
 The hospitable ruler described to Cortes the situation 
 of the city of Mexico, which was built on an island 
 surrounded by water, and approachable on foot by 
 three bridged causeways. 
 
 "A certain place in this province," says Diaz, " I 
 shall never forget. Here a vast number of human 
 skulls were piled in the best manner imaginable. 
 There must have been more than one hundred thou- 
 sand ; I repeat, more than one hundred thousand. In 
 the same orderly way the remaining human bones 
 were piled in another corner of the square. The latter 
 it would have been impossible to count. Besides these 
 bones there were human heads hanging from beams 
 on both sides of the square." On the first, second, and 
 fifth days of September, near the village of Tehuaca- 
 cinco, Cortes had victorious engagements with the 
 Tlascallans. 
 
 " It also happened," Diaz further remarks, " that 
 the powerful king of Mexico, Montezuma, either in the 
 great goodness of his heart, or because he began to 
 fear our approach to his metropolis, dispatched five 
 men of distinction to our camp in the province of 
 Tlascalla to congratulate us on our advance, and to 
 assure us of the great delight he felt when he heard of 
 the splendid victories we had gained over such large 
 armies. This message was sent with a valuable pres- 
 ent of gold trinkets, differently elaborated, worth about 
 one thousand pesos, and also packages of cotton stuffs, 
 as much as twenty men could carry. He also wished 
 us to know, that it was his desire to become a subject 
 of our emperor, that he was greatly pleased to learn 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 251 
 
 tl^.at we were so near his metropolis, and that he was 
 every way well-disposed toward Cortes and all the 
 icicles, his brothers. He likewise wished to be told by 
 us what annual tribute in gold, silver, jewels, and cot- 
 ton stuffs he was to forward to our great emperor, 
 which tribute would save us the trouble of comino- to 
 Mexico, adding that he should indeed be pleased to 
 see us, but that our march would be a hazardous un- 
 dertakingthrough a sterile and rocky country, and that 
 the fatigues which we should have to undergo grieved 
 him the more when he considered how impossible it 
 was for him to remove the hindrances from the way," 
 Cortes shortly afterward marched into the city of 
 Tlascalla, where, when they entered it, " the streets 
 and balconies could scarcely contain the number of 
 men and women " who welcomed them. " Delio-ht 
 was depicted on every countenance," and " twenty 
 baskets full of roses " were " presented to Cortes and 
 the soldiers, whom the citizens thought were officers, 
 and particularly to those who were on horseback." 
 Here Cortes was told by one of the principal men of 
 the place " that Montezuma had strong garrisons in 
 every town, besides the warriors who marched out 
 from the metropolis to the field of battle. Every 
 province was compelled to pay him tribute in gold, 
 silver, feathers, precious stones, cotton stuffs, as well 
 as Indians of both sexes, some of whom he took Into 
 his service, and some he sacrificed. He was a mon- 
 arch so powerful and wealthy that he accomplished 
 and obtained all he desired. His palaces were filled 
 with riches and chalchihuis stones,' which he seized 
 wherever he went. In short, all the wealth of the 
 country was In his possession." 
 
 ' A stone of a light green color. 
 
252 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Cortes was further told that the city of Mexico 
 " was abundantly supplied with fresh water from the 
 spring of Chapultepec, which was about two miles 
 from the city, whence the water was partly conveyed 
 to the houses by means of pipes, and partly in boats 
 through the canals, when it was sold in small quanti- 
 ties to the inhabitants. Respecting the weapons of 
 this nation, they included two-edged lances that were 
 projected by means of a thong and penetrated any 
 cuirass. The warriors were excellent marksmen with 
 the bow and arrow, and carried pikes with blades of 
 flint, which were very ingeniously made, and were as 
 sharp as razors. Besides these weapons, they carried 
 shields, and wore cotton cuirasses. There was also a 
 great number of sllngers, who were provided with 
 round stones, long pikes, and sharp swords which were 
 wielded with both hands. 
 
 " To explain all these things, the caciques ex- 
 hibited large pieces of ncquen,^ on which were pic- 
 tured their battles and their art of warfare. When 
 Cortes and we considered that we had gained suffi- 
 cient information concerning these things, the conver- 
 sation turned to subjects of greater importance. Our 
 friends told us how and whence they came into this 
 country, and how they settled there ; how it had hap- 
 pened, notwithstanding their nearness to the Mexi- 
 cans, that they resembled them so little, and lived in 
 perpetual warfare with each other. A tradition was 
 also handed down from their forefathers that in 
 ancient times a race of men and women lived here 
 who were immense in stature with large bones, and 
 who were a very bad and evil-disposed people, 
 whom they had mostly exterminated by continual war, 
 
 ' Paper made from the leaves of the maguey or agave-plant. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 253 
 
 and the few that had been spared, had in the course 
 of time died. 
 
 " In order to give us a conception of the huge 
 frames of these people, they dragged forth a bone, or 
 rather a thigh-bone, of one of the giants, which was very- 
 strong, and measured the length of a man of good 
 stature. This bone was still entire from the knee to 
 the hip-joint. I measured it with my own person, and 
 found it to be of my own length, although I am a man 
 of considerable height. They showed us many similar 
 pieces of bones, but they were all worm-eaten and de- 
 cayed. We, however, did not doubt for a moment, 
 that the country was once inhabited by giants. Cortes 
 remarked that we ought to forward these bones 
 to his majesty in Spain at the very earhest oppor- 
 tunity." 
 
 Montezuma agfain sent embassadors to Cortes 
 bearing presents. They said " that their monarch 
 could not but feel astonished that we " as Diaz re- 
 lates, " had made so long a stay among a poor and 
 uncivilized people, who were not fit for slaves, but so 
 viciously disposed, so treacherous and thievish, that 
 some day or night when we least apprehended it they 
 would kill us merely for the sake of plunder. Monte- 
 zuma begged us to visit his city, where, at least, we 
 might enjoy the good things it offered, even though 
 these should be below our deserts, and not equal to 
 what he could wish. * * * Cortes thanked the 
 embassadors in a very flattering manner for their 
 civilities and the expressions of friendship they had 
 conveyed to him from their monarch, and he desired 
 them to tell their sovereign that in a short time he 
 would pay his respects to him." 
 
 At Cholula, to which Cortes next marched, a plot 
 
254 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 was concocted to kill the Spaniards, but being warned, 
 they were on their guard and severely punished the 
 inhabitants for their treacherous conduct." Describing 
 the city, Diaz says : " Cholula had more than a hundred 
 very high towers, they were all cites or temples, in 
 which human sacrifices were offered and idols stood. 
 The principal temple was even higher than the one in 
 the city of Mexico, though the latter was really mag- 
 nificent and very high. The temple [at Cholula] is 
 said to have contained one hundred courts, and an 
 idol of enormous dimensions, (the name of which I 
 have forgotten), which was in great repute, and people 
 came from various places to sacrifice human beings to 
 it and brinof offerinofs for the dead. I well remember 
 when we first entered the city and beheld the elevated 
 white temples, how the whole place reminded us all of 
 Valladolid.' * * * j must add a word or two re- 
 specting the wooden cages we saw in this city. They 
 were constructed of heavy timber, and filled with grown 
 men and little boys, who were fattening for the sacri- 
 fices and feasts. Cortes ordered these diabolical cages 
 to be pulled down, and sent the prisoners to their 
 homes." 
 
 While Cortes was on his way to the city of Mexico 
 from Cholula, another embassy from Montezuma biet 
 him, bringing him again presents of gold and cotton 
 fabrics. Montezuma desired the embassadors to 
 express his regrets for the many hardships which 
 Cortes was compelled to endure on his wearisome 
 journey to see his person, that he would send to the 
 port on the coast a great quantity of gold, silver, and 
 jewels for the emperor, that he would present Cortes 
 
 ' Cortes conjectured the city contained twenty thousand houses. The 
 temple of Quetzaicoall was built on a terraced mound about two hundred feet 
 high, and was reached by ascending one hundred and twenty steps. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 255 
 
 himself with four loads of gold, and one load for each 
 of his companions, but that he forbade him to enter 
 the city of Mexico, as all his troops were under arms 
 to oppose him. " On this occasion " says Diaz, " Cortes 
 again told the embassadors that he was surprised that 
 their sovereign, who had called himself our friend so 
 often and was so powerful a monarch, should so fre- 
 quently change his mind, to desire a thing one day 
 and not want it the next. Respecting the presents of 
 gold for our emperor and ourselves, Cortes told them 
 that we were thankful for Montezuma's kind inten- 
 tions, and also for the gifts they brought with them, 
 and that he would certainly some day render their 
 monarch valuable services in return. He asked them 
 if it were right after we had advanced within so short 
 a distance of the metropolis to return home without 
 fulfilling our monarch's commission. He said that 
 Montezuma should place himself in our position and 
 consider, had he sent embassadors to a monarch of his 
 own rank, whether he would be pleased, if they re- 
 turned home after going almost to his palace without 
 seeing that monarch or fulfilling their commission to 
 him. * * * Therefore he begged that their mon- 
 arch would not thereafter send any more embassadors 
 with such messages. Cortes further said that he was 
 determined to see and speak to Montezuma per- 
 sonally, and to inform him of the object of our mission. 
 All that we asked w^as only an audience, for the 
 moment our stay in his metropolis became Irksome to 
 him we would depart and return to the place whence 
 we had come. * * * "With this answer Cortes 
 sent the embassadors back to their monarch, and we 
 continued our march. * * * 
 
 " After Montezuma learned our answer to his mes- 
 
256 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 sage he dispatched his nephew, Cacamatzin, prince of 
 Tezcuco, to us, in great pomp to bid us welcome. 
 ■■i-. ♦ * 'pj-jg conference being ended, we continued 
 our march. We were accompanied by the caciques 
 and their numerous attendants, besides all the inhabi- 
 tants of the neighborhood, who had come to meet us, 
 so that we could hardly move for the vast crowds of 
 people. 
 
 " The next morning we reached the broad high 
 road of Iztapalapan, from which we for the first time 
 beheld the number of cities and villages built in the 
 lake [of Tezcuco], and the still greater number of large 
 towns on the main-land and along the level causeway, 
 which ran in a straight line to the city of Mexico. 
 Our astonishment was exceedingly great, and we could 
 not but remark to one another, that all the buildings 
 resembled the fairy castles of which we read in Amadis 
 of Gaul ; so high, majestically, and splendidly did the 
 temples, towers, and houses of the city, all built of 
 massive stone and lime, rise above the water of the 
 lake. Indeed, many of our men believed what they 
 saw was the creation of a dream. And the reader 
 must not be surprised at the manner in which I have 
 expressed myself, for it is impossible to speak com- 
 posedly of things which we have never before seen or 
 heard of, or could have dreamed of. * * * We 
 now entered the city of Iztapalapan, where we were 
 quartered in palaces of large dimensions surrounded 
 by spacious courts, and built of hewn stone, cedar, and 
 other sweet-scented wood. All the apartments were 
 curtained with cotton drapery. 
 
 " After we had seen all these things we visited the 
 gardens adjoining the palaces, which were so exceed- 
 ingly attractive that I could not gratify myself enough 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 257 
 
 by walking about in them and contemplating the num- 
 ber of trees which exhaled the most delightful odors, 
 and the rose-bushes, the different flower-beds, and the 
 fruit-trees which stood along the paths. Here was a 
 pond of fresh water connected with the lake by a small 
 canal. The canal was constructed of stone of different 
 colors, and decorated with numerous figures, and was 
 wide enough to hold the laro-est canoes. In the basin 
 various kinds of water-fowl were swimminof to and 
 fro, and every thing was so charming and so beautiful 
 that we could find no words to express our astonish- 
 ment. * * * But now there is not a vestiee of all 
 these things remaining, and not a stone of the beauti- 
 ful city left in its place. * * * Iztapalapan was a 
 city of considerable magnitude, built partly in the 
 water and partly on the land. Its site is now all dry 
 land, and where vessels once sailed to and fro seeds 
 are sown and harvests gathered. Indeed, the whole 
 face of the country is so completely changed that he 
 who had not seen these places previously, would hardly 
 believe that waves had once rolled over the spot where 
 fertile maize-plantations are now, so wonderfully has 
 every thing been changed here in a short space of 
 time. 
 
 " On the following morning we left Iztapalapan, ac- 
 companied by all the principal caciques already men- 
 tioned. The road on which we marched was eight 
 paces wide, and, if I rightly remember, ran straight 
 to the city of Mexico. Notwithstanding the breadth 
 of the causeway it was much too narrow for the great 
 throngs of people that were constantly arriving from 
 different places to gaze at us, and we could hardly 
 move forward. Besides the tops of all the temples and 
 towers were crowded with spectators, and below them 
 
258 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the lake was covered with canoes filled with Indians, 
 
 for all the people were eager to catch a glimpse of us. 
 
 And who can wonder at this curiosity, for neither rpen 
 
 like us nor horses had ever been seen here before. 
 
 " When we surveyed all this splendor we scarcely 
 
 knew what to think, and we doubted whether all that 
 
 we beheld were real. A succession of large cities 
 
 stretched along the banks of the lake [of Tezcuco], 
 
 from which much larger ones rose magnificently above 
 
 the water. Innumerable canoes were plying near us. 
 
 At regular intervals we crossed new brido-es, and be- 
 ts o 
 
 fore us lay the great city of Tenustitlan Mexico in all 
 its grandeur.' And we, who were beholding this 
 spectacle, who were passing through this dense con- 
 course of human beings, were a mere handful of men, 
 in all four hundred and fifty, our minds filled with the 
 warnings of the inhabitants of Huexotzinco, Tlascalla, 
 and Tlalmanalco, and the caution they had given us 
 not to expose our lives to the treachery of the Mexi- 
 cans. I ask the kind reader to reflect a moment, and 
 then to say whether he believes any men in this world 
 ever attempted so bold an undertaking. 
 
 " When we had arrived at a place where another 
 narrow causeway led toward Cojohuacan we were met 
 by a number of caciques and distinguished personages, 
 all attired in rich raiment. They had been dispatched 
 by Montezuma to meet us and bid us welcome in his 
 name. As a manifestation of their good-will they 
 touched the ground with their hands and kissed it. 
 We now halted for a few minutes to permit the princes 
 
 ' The name of the city is written Tenustitlan Mexico by Diaz. It is 
 spelled Tenuchlitlan Mexico by some Spanish writers. 
 
 " In the spelling of the names of Indian chiefs, the townships, and of the 
 provinces, we have mostly followed Torquemada, who is considered more cor- 
 rect on this point, for he lived fifty years in New Spain." — The memoirs of the 
 conquistador. Lockhart. Preface, vol. i. p. vi. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 259 
 
 of Tezcuco, Iztapalapan, Tlacupa, and Cojohuacan, to 
 get in advance to meet Montezuma, who was slowly 
 approaching, surrounded by other grandees of the kino-- 
 dom, seated in a splendid portable chair. When 
 we arrived at a place near the city, where there 
 were several towers, the monarch raised himself 
 in his chair, supported by a number of distinguished 
 caciques, who held over his head a canopy of very 
 great value, decorated with green feathers, gold, silver, 
 chalchihuis stones and pearls. The bordering of the 
 canopy ornamented with these things was exceedingly 
 attractive. 
 
 " Montezuma, according to his habit, was richly 
 attired. His half boots were profusely decorated with 
 jewels, the soles were of solid gold. The four grandees 
 who supported him were also richly clad. They must 
 have put on this clothing somewhere on the road, 
 before they went to attend Montezuma, for they were 
 not so magnificently dressed when they first came to 
 meet us. Besides these distinguished caciques, there 
 were many other grandees around the monarch, some 
 of whom held the canopy over his head while others 
 again occupied the road before him, and spread cot- 
 ton cloths that his feet might not touch the bare 
 ground. No one of his attendants ever looked at 
 him full in the face. Every one in his presence stood 
 with eyes downcast, and it was only his four nephews 
 and cousins, who supported him, that dared to look up. 
 
 " When it was announced to Cortes that Montezu- 
 ma was approaching, he alighted from his horse and 
 advanced to meet him. Many compliments passed 
 between them. Montezuma welcomed Cortes, who, 
 through Dona Marina, said, in turn, that he hoped his 
 majesty was in good health. If I still remember rightly. 
 
26o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Cortes, who had Dona Marina next to him, wished to 
 concede the place of honor to the monarch, who, how- 
 ever, would not accept of it, but yielded it to Cortes, 
 who then took a necklace of precious stones of very 
 beautiful colors and shapes, strung upon gold wire and 
 perfumed with musk, and placed it on the neck of Mon- 
 tezuma. Our commander was then about to embrace 
 him, but the grandees, who surrounded Montezuma, 
 held back Cortes's arms, for they considered the act 
 improper. Our general then desired Dona Marina to 
 tell the monarch that he [Cortes] congratulated him- 
 self exceedingly on his good fortune of having seen so 
 powerful a monarch face to face, and to thank him for 
 the honor of coming to meet us. Montezuma replied 
 in very appropriate words, and ordered his two 
 nephews, the princes of Tezcuco and Cojohuacan, to 
 conduct us to our quarters. He then returned to the 
 city, accompanied by his two other relatives, the princes 
 of Cuitlahuac and Tlacupa, and the other grandees of 
 his large retinue. As they passed, we observed how 
 all those who composed his majesty's escort held their 
 heads bent forward, no one daring to lift up his eyes in 
 his presence, and also the deep veneration with which 
 he was reo-arded. * * * 
 
 " We were quartered in a large building where there 
 was room enough for us all. "" * * Near it were 
 temples and Mexican idols. This building had been 
 purposely selected for us because we were termed 
 teules, or were thought to be, and that we might dwell 
 among the gods as among our equals. The apart- 
 ments and halls were very spacious, and those set 
 apart for our general were furnished with carpets. 
 Each one of us had a separate bed, which could not 
 have been better furnished for a gentleman of the first 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 261 
 
 rank. Each apartment was swept clean, and the walls 
 were newly plastered and decorated. 
 
 " When we had entered into the great court-yard of 
 this palace, Montezuma came to Cortes, and, taking 
 him by the hand, conducted him to the apartments 
 where he was to lodge, which had been prettily deco- 
 rated after the fashion of the country. He then hung 
 about his neck a chased necklace of gold, most curi- 
 ously wrought with figures of crabs. The Mexican 
 grandees were greatly amazed at all these uncommon 
 favors which their monarch bestowed upon our gen- 
 eral. 
 
 " Cortes returned the monarch many thanks for so 
 much kindness, and the latter took leave of him with 
 these words : ' Malinche,' you and your brothers 
 must now do as if you were at home, and take some 
 rest after the fatigues of the journey.' He then re- 
 turned to his palace, which was near." This was on 
 the eighth of November, i5ig. Later in the day 
 Montezuma again visited Cortes, and held a long con- 
 versation with him. On the following day Cortes had 
 an audience with Montezuma in his palace. 
 
 " The mighty Montezuma," Diaz further observes, 
 " may have been about this time in the fortieth year of 
 his age. He was tall, slender, and thin ; but his body 
 was well-proportioned. His complexion was not very 
 brown, almost the same as that of the inhabitants. 
 His hair was not long, excepting where it hung thickly 
 over his ears, which were hid by it. His black beard, 
 though thin, was handsome. His face was somewhat 
 long, but he had a cheerful countenance, and his fine 
 
 'This name, says Diaz, was given to Cortes "because our interpreter, 
 Dona Marina, was always near him, particularly when embassadors arrived, 
 and in our negotiations with the different caciques she interpreted for both 
 parties. They therefore called him the captain of Marina, and contracted that 
 appellation into the word Malinche." 
 
262 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 eyes had an expression of amiability or of ill-will 
 according to his humor. He was particularly clean in 
 appearance, and took a bath every evening. Besides 
 a number of concubines, who were all daughters of 
 note and rank, he had two lawful wives of royal ex- 
 traction, whom, however, he visited secretly without 
 any one daring to observe him, except his most confi- 
 dential servants. * * * jj^ ^.j^^ hslls adjoining his 
 private apartments there was always a guard of two 
 thousand men of high station in waiting, with whom, 
 however, he never held any conversation unless to give 
 them orders or to receive some intelligence from them. 
 * * * In cold weather when he dined a large fire was 
 made of the charcoal of the bark of trees, which emitted 
 no smoke but a delightful perfume. That his majesty 
 might not feel any discomfort from the heat of the fire, 
 a screen was placed between him and it, made of gold, 
 and adorned with the different figures of their gods. 
 The chair on which he sat was somewhat low. It was 
 filled with soft cushions and beautifully carved. The 
 table was higher, and suited to the seat. The former 
 was covered with white cloths, one of which was large. 
 Four very neat and pretty women held before the 
 monarch a round pitcher, called by them xicales, 
 filled with water to wash his hands. The wate^ was 
 caught in other vessels, and then the young women 
 presented him with towels to dry his hands. Two other 
 women brouQrht him maize-bread baked with eees. 
 Before Montezuma began to dine, a wooden screen, 
 elaborately gilded, was placed before him, that no one 
 might see him while eating. Then the young women 
 stood at a distance. Four elderly men of high rank 
 came to his table, whom he addressed from time to 
 time , or asked them some question. Sometimes he 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 263 
 
 would offer them a plate of his food, which was consid- 
 ered a mark of great favor. The gray-haired, aged 
 men, that were so highly honored, were, as we subse- 
 quently learned, his nearest relatives, his most trust- 
 worthy counsellors, and chief justices. Whenever he 
 ordered any viands to be given them, they ate stand- 
 ing with the greatest reverence, not daring to look at 
 him full in the face. The dishes in which the food was 
 served were of variegated and black porcelain, made at 
 Cholula. While the monarch was at table his courtiers 
 and those who were waiting in the adjoining halls 
 maintained strict silence. * * * 
 
 " Sometimes during dinner he had ugly hump- 
 backed dwarfs to act as buffoons and perform antics 
 for his amusement. At other times he had jesters 
 to enliven him with their witticisms. Others again 
 danced and sung before him. Montezuma took great 
 delight in these entertainments, and ordered the 
 broken victuals and pitchers of cacao-liquor (choco- 
 late) to be distributed among the performers. When 
 he had dined the four women took away the cloths 
 and brouo^ht him water to wash his hands. Durino- 
 this interval he conversed a little with the four old 
 men, and then left the table to enjoy his afternoon- 
 sleep. 
 
 " After the monarch had dined, dinner was served 
 for the men on duty and the other officers of his house- 
 hold. I often counted more than one thousand dishes 
 on the table of the kinds already mentioned. Then 
 followed, according to the Mexican custom, the froth- 
 ing" i^S^ of cacao-liquor, as many as two thousand, 
 after which came different kinds of fruit in ereat abun- 
 dance. Then the women dined who superintended 
 the baking department, and those who made the cacao- 
 
264 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 liquor, with the young women who waited upon the 
 monarch. * * * 
 
 " Besides these servants were many butlers, house- 
 stewards, treasurers, cooks, and superintendents of 
 maize-magazines. '^' * '"'' I had almost forgotten 
 to mention, that while the monarch dined two other 
 young women of great beauty brought him small 
 cakes, as white as snow, made of eggs and other 
 nourishing ingredients, on plates covered with clean 
 napkins ; also a long-shaped loaf made of very sub- 
 stantial things, and pachol (a wafer-cake). They then 
 brought him three beautifully painted and gilded tubes 
 filled with liquid-amber and an herb called by the In- 
 dians tabaco. After the dinner had been removed and 
 the sineinof and dancinor ended, one of these tubes was 
 lighted. The monarch drew the smoke into his mouth, 
 and after he had done this a short time he would fall 
 asleep. 
 
 " At this time a celebrated cacique, whom we called 
 Topia, was Montezuma's chief steward. He kept an 
 account of the whole of Montezuma's revenue, in large 
 books of paper which the Mexicans called amatl. A 
 house was filled with these large account-books. 
 
 " Montezuma had also two arsenals filled with arms 
 of all kinds, many of which were ornamented with'gold 
 and precious stones. The arms comprised shields of 
 different sizes, swords, and a broad-sword wielded with 
 both hands, the edge of flint so extremely sharp that 
 the swords cut much better than our Spanish ones. 
 There were also lances, longer than ours, pointed at 
 the end, a fathom long, set with several sharp flints. 
 The pikes are so very sharp and hard that they will 
 pierce the strongest shield, and cut like a razor ; so 
 that the Mexicans even shave themselves with these 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 265 
 
 flints. There were also excellent bows and arrows, 
 pikes with single and double points, and suitable thongs 
 to project them ; slings, with round stones purposely 
 made for them ; also large shields, so ingeniously made 
 that they could be rolled up when not wanted. These 
 shields are unrolled on the field of battle, and com- 
 pletely cover the whole body from the head to the 
 feet. We also saw a great many kinds of cuirasses 
 made of quilted cotton, which were adorned on the 
 outside with soft feathers of different colors, and looked 
 like uniforms. We also saw morions and helmets con- 
 structed of wood and bones, adorned with feathers. 
 There were artificers always at work, who continually 
 augmented this store of arms ; and the arsenals were 
 under the care of certain persons, who also superin- 
 tended the manufacturing departments. * * * 
 
 '* I will now advert to another subject, and acquaint 
 my readers with the fine arts of the Mexicans. I will 
 first speak of the sculptors, and the gold and silver- 
 smiths who were skillful in working and smelting gold. 
 The latter would have astonished the most celebrated 
 of our Spanish goldsmiths. They were many, and the 
 most expert lived at a place called Ezcapuzalco, about 
 four miles from Mexico. The next in proficiency were 
 very skillful masters in cutting and polishing precious 
 stones and the calchihttis stone, which resembles the 
 emerald. These were followed by the great masters 
 in painting, and the decorators in feathers, and the 
 wonderful sculptors. Even now there are still living 
 in Mexico three Indian artists, named Marcos de 
 Aguino, Juan de la Cruz, and El Crespello, who 
 severally have attained so high a place in the art of 
 painting and sculpture, that each may be compared to 
 an Apelles, or to our contemporaries, Michael Angelo 
 and [Alonso] Berruguette. 
 
266 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " The women were remarkably skillful in weaving 
 and embroidery, and they made quantities of the 
 finest stuffs, interwoven with feathers. The common 
 stuffs for daily use came from certain districts in the 
 province of Costatlan, which lay on the north coast, 
 not far from Vera Cruz, where we first landed with 
 Cortes. 
 
 " The concubines in the palace of Montezuma, who 
 were all daughters of distinguished men, were em- 
 ployed in manufacturing the most beautiful stuffs, inter- 
 woven with feathers. Similar fabrics were made by 
 certain women who dwelt secluded in cloisters as our 
 nuns. * ^= * Montezuma had in his service a 
 great number of stone-cutters, masons, and carpenters, 
 who were only employed about the royal palaces. Here 
 I must not forget to speak of his gardens for the 
 cultivation of flowers, trees and vegetables, of which 
 there were various kinds. In these gardens were 
 many baths, wells, basins, and ponds full of limpid water, 
 which regularly ebbed and flowed. These gardens 
 were made more attractive by innumerable species of 
 small birds, which sang among the trees. The gardens 
 of medicinal plants and vegetables may also be men- 
 tioned. They were cultivated by a large body of gar- 
 deners. All the baths, wells, ponds and buildings were 
 substantially constructed of stone, as were also the 
 theatres where the singers and dancers performed. 
 
 " We had been four days in the city of Mexico," 
 Diaz further remarks, " and neither our commander 
 nor any of us had, during this time, left our quarters, 
 except to visit the gardens and buildings adjoining 
 the palace. Cortes therefore determined to view the 
 city, and to visit the great market and the chief temple 
 of Huitzilopochtli. He accordingly sent Geronimo de 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 267 
 
 Aguilar, Dona Marina, and one of his pages, named 
 Orteguilla, who, by this time, understood a little of the 
 Mexican language, to Montezuma, to request his per- 
 mission to inspect the different buildings of the city. 
 Montezuma readily granted us permission to go where 
 we pleased, although he was apprehensive that we 
 might intentionally injure the one or the other of his 
 idols. He therefore determined to accompany us with 
 some of his principal officers, and, for this purpose, left 
 his palace with a showy retinue. * * * 
 
 " Our commander, attended by the greater part of 
 our horsemen and foot-soldiers, all well armed, as we 
 were at all times, proceeded to the Tlatelulco. By com- 
 mand of Montezuma, a number of caciques met us on 
 our way thither. When we arrived in this immense 
 market, we were greatly astonished to see the vast 
 number of people, the profusion of merchandise ex- 
 posed for sale, and the admirable police-system, and 
 the order that everywhere existed. The grandees 
 who accompanied us drew our attention to the smallest 
 circumstance, and gave us an explanation of all we 
 saw. Each class of merchandise had a separate place 
 for its sale. We first visited those divisions of the 
 market set apart for the sale of gold and silver wares, 
 jewels, cloths interwoven with feathers, and other 
 manufactured goods, where also slaves of both sexes 
 were sold. The slave-market was upon as great a scale 
 as the Portuo^-uese market for nesfro slaves at Guinea. 
 To prevent the slaves from running away, they were 
 fastened by halters around their necks, though some 
 were allowed to walk at larore. Next to these divisions 
 were the dealers in coarser wares, cotton, twisted 
 thread, and cacao. In short, all kinds of commodities 
 produced in New Spain [Yucatan and Mexico] were 
 
268 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 here to be found. The market reminded me of my 
 native town of Medino del Campo at fair-time, where 
 each kind of merchandise has a separate street as- 
 signed for its sale. In one place were sold the stuffs 
 manufactured of ncquen, as ropes and sandals. In 
 another place, the sweet maguey root, ready-cooked, 
 was offered for sale, and various other things made 
 from this plant. In another part of the market were 
 exposed the skins of tigers, lions, jackals, otters, red 
 deer, wild cats, and of other animals of prey. Some 
 of the skins were tanned. A particular space was 
 assigned to the venders of fowls, turkeys, ducks, rab- 
 bits, hares, deer, and dogs ; also a space to the fruit- 
 sellers, pastry-cooks, and tripe-mongers. Not far from 
 these were exposed all kinds of earthenware, from the 
 largest jars to the smallest pitchers. Next were the 
 dealers in honey and honey-cakes, and other sweet- 
 meats. Next to these were the timber-merchants, fur- 
 niture-dealers, with assortments of tables, benches, 
 cradles, and all kinds of wooden implements, all sepa- 
 rately arranged. * * * g^i- ^\^y si^ould I so mi- 
 nutely detail every article exposed for sale in this great 
 market? If I enumerated every thing singly, I should 
 never get to the end of the list. And yet I have not 
 mentioned the paper, which in this country is called 
 amatl, the tubes filled with liquid-amber and tobacco, 
 the various sweet-scented salves, and similar things, or 
 the various seeds which were exposed for sale in the 
 porticoes of this market, or the medicinal herbs. 
 
 " In the market-place there were courts of justice, 
 to which three judges and several constables were ap- 
 pointed, who inspected the goods exposed for sale. I 
 had almost forgotten to mention the salt, and those 
 who made the flint-knives ; also the fish, and a kind of 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 269 
 
 bread made of the mud or scum collected from the sur- 
 face of the lake, and eaten in that form, and which has 
 a taste similar to that of cheese/ Besides, there were 
 instruments of brass, copper, and tin ; cups and painted 
 pitchers of wood. * * * 
 
 " On our way to the great temple, while passing- 
 through the court-yards adjoining the market, we saw 
 a number of merchants, who dealt in gold-dust as it 
 came from the mines, which was exposed for sale in 
 tubes made of large goose-bones, so thin and white 
 that the gold shone through them. The value of these 
 tubes of gold was estimated according to their length 
 and thickness, and were taken in exchange for so 
 many mantles, xiquipiles'^ of cacao-nuts,^ slaves, or for 
 other merchandise. 
 
 " On quitting the market, we entered the spacious 
 court-yards surrounding the chief temple. These ap- 
 peared to include more ground than the market-place 
 at Salamanca, and were inclosed by a double wall con- 
 structed of stone and lime. The yards were paved 
 with large white flag-stones, extremely smooth, and 
 where there were none, a brown plaster had been 
 used. The court-yards were kept so very clean that 
 there was not the smallest particle of dust or straw to 
 be seen anywhere. 
 
 " Before we ascended the steps of the great temple, 
 Montezuma, who was sacrificing on the top to his 
 idols, sent six priests and two of his principal officers 
 to conduct Cortes up the steps. There were one hun- 
 dred and fourteen steps to the summit, and as they 
 feared that Cortes would experience the same fatigue 
 
 ' It is said that the slimy substance mentioned by Diaz was called tecuitlatl, 
 the excrement of stone. It was variously fashioned, and dried in the sun. 
 
 ^ Xiquipiles, according to Torquemada, expressed the number of 8,000 of 
 any thing. 
 
 ^ Cacao-beans were used by the Mexicans in lieu of small coin. 
 
2;o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 in mounting as Montezuma had, they desired to assist 
 him by taking hold of his arms. Cortes, however, 
 would not accept the proffered aid. When we had 
 reached the summit of the temple, we walked across a 
 platform where many large stones were lying, on 
 which those who were doomed for sacrifice were 
 stretched out. Near these stood a large idol, in the 
 shape of a dragon, surrounded by various other abomi- 
 nable figures, with a quantity of fresh blood in front of 
 it. * * * 
 
 " This infernal temple, from its great height, com- 
 manded an extensive view of the surrounding country. 
 From it we could see the three causeways leading to 
 the city, — that one from Iztapalapan, by which we had 
 entered the city four days before ; that one from Tla- 
 cupa, along which we took our flight eight months 
 after, when we were driven out of the city by the new 
 monarch, Cuitlahuatzin ; the third, the one from Tepea- 
 quilla. We also saw the aqueduct, which extended 
 from Chapultepec, and supplied the city with fresh 
 water. We could also distincdy see the bridges across 
 the openings in the causeways, through which the 
 waters of the lake ebbed and flowed. The lake was 
 crowded with canoes conveying provisions, manufac- 
 tured articles, and other merchandise to the city. 
 We also observed that the only means of intercourse 
 between the houses in this city, and between those of 
 all the other towns built in the lake, was by draw- 
 bridges or canoes. In all these cities the beautiful 
 white-plastered temples rose above the smaller ones, 
 like many of the towers and castles in our Spanish 
 cities. The view from the top of the temple, it may be 
 imagined, was a splendid sight. 
 
 " After we had sufficiendy gazed upon this mag- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 271 
 
 nificent picture, we again turned our eyes toward the 
 great market, and beheld the vast number of buyers 
 and sellers who thronged it. The bustle and noise 
 caused by this multitude of human beings was so great 
 that it could be heard at a distance of more than four 
 miles. Some of our men, who had been at Constanti- 
 nople and at Rome and had travelled through the 
 whole of Italy, said that they never had seen a market- 
 place of such large dimensions, or which was so well 
 regulated, or so crowded with people as this one in 
 Mexico. * * * 
 
 " We were conducted to a small temple with one 
 room, in which we saw two bases resembling altars, 
 decked with coverings of extreme beauty. On each of 
 them stood a gigantic, bulky-looking figure. The one 
 on the right hand represented the god of war, Huitzil- 
 opochtli. This idol had a very broad face with dis- 
 torted and terrible eyes, and was covered with jewels, 
 gold, and pearls, fastened with a paste made from a 
 certain root. Large serpents, also, covered with gold 
 and precious stones, wound round the body of this 
 monster, which held in one hand a bow, and in the 
 other a bunch of arrows. Another but smaller idol, 
 its page, standing by its side carried the monster's 
 short spear and golden shield, studded with precious 
 stones. Around Huitzilopochtli's neck were figures 
 representing human faces, and hearts made of gold 
 and silver and decorated with blue stones. In front 
 of him stood several perfuming pans containing copal, 
 the incense of the country ; also the hearts of three 
 Indians, who had been killed that day. The hearts 
 v/ere consumino- before him as a burnt-offerine. The 
 walls of the temple and the whole floor were almost 
 black with human blood, and the stench was highly 
 offensive. 
 
2/2 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " On the left hand stood another fieure of the same 
 size as HuitzilopochtH. Its face resembled very much 
 that of a bear. Its shining eyes were made of tetzcat, 
 the reflecting-glass of the country. This idol, like its 
 brother HuitzilopochtH, was covered with precious 
 stones, and v/as called Tetzcatlipuca. This was the god of 
 hell. * * '*' A circle of figures wound round its body, 
 resembling diminutive devils with serpents' tails. The 
 walls and floor around this idol were also besmeared 
 with blood, and the stench was greater than that of a 
 Spanish slaughter-house. Five human hearts had that 
 day been offered to him. On the very top of this 
 temple stood another ; the wood-work of which was 
 exceedingly elaborate and richly carved. In this tem- 
 ple there was another idol, half man and half lizard, 
 completely covered with precious stones ; half of this 
 figure was hidden from view. We were told that the 
 concealed half was covered with the seeds of every 
 plant on the earth, for this idol was the god of seeds 
 and fruits. * * * in the temple was a drum of 
 enormous dimensions, the sound of which was so deep 
 and solemn that it was appropriately called the drum 
 of hell. The drum-head was made from the skin of 
 an enormous serpent. The sound of the drum could 
 be heard eight miles. The platform of the temple was 
 covered with a variety of hellish objects, — large and 
 small trumpets, great slaughtering knives, the burnt 
 hearts of Indians who had been sacrificed, — every 
 thing being clotted with coagulated blood, terrible to 
 view and filling the mind with horror. ''' * * 
 
 "If I remember rightly, this temple occupied a 
 space of ground on which we could have placed six of 
 the largest buildings commonly found in our country. 
 The building had the form of a pyramid, on the sum- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 273 
 
 mit of which was the small temple with the idols. * * * 
 " Cortes and the rest of us at last grew weary with 
 the inspection of so many idols and the implements 
 used for sacrifices, and we returned to our quarters ac- 
 companied by a great number of the chief men and 
 caciques, whom Montezuma had ordered to attend 
 us." 
 
 It is unnecessary here to follow farther the move- 
 ments of the conquerors {conquistadores) of New 
 Spain. The beautiful and famous metropolis of Mex- 
 ico, twenty-two months after Cortes and his followers 
 had entered it, was in ruins, filled with the innumerable 
 dead bodies of its heroic defenders. The siege of the 
 city lasted ninety-three days, ending the 13th of Au- 
 gust, 1 52 1. When the terrible drama ended, Cortes 
 permitted those of its inhabitants who had not been 
 killed, starved, or stricken with disease, to leave the 
 charnel city. " The causeways," says Diaz, " were 
 crowded for three days and nights with men, women, 
 and children, on their way to the main-land. These 
 poor beings were much emaciated, and had a death- 
 like appearance. * * '^ The houses were found 
 filled with dead bodies. * * * The soil in the 
 city looked as if it had been ploughed, for the famished 
 inhabitants had dug every root out of the ground, and 
 had even peeled the bark from the trees to appease 
 their hunger. We did not find any fresh water in the 
 city, for that in all the wells was salty. During the 
 horrible famine the Mexicans had not eaten the flesh 
 of their countrymen, although they greedily devoured 
 that of the Tlascallans and Spaniards. Certainly no 
 people in this world ever suffered so much from hun- 
 ger, thirst, and the horrors of war, as the inhabitants 
 of this great city." As the emperor's share of the 
 
274 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 booty, Cortes sent to Spain two vessels carrying 
 eighty-eight thousand pesos of gold in bars, and the 
 wardrobe of Montezuma. " The latter," Diaz observes, 
 " was a valuable present, and well worthy of our great 
 emperor's acceptance, for it embraced jewels of the great- 
 est value, pearls of the size of hazel-nuts, and various 
 precious stones, the number of which my memory will 
 not permit me to designate. At the same time were 
 sent the bones of the giants which we found in the 
 temple of Cojohuacan, which were similar to those 
 given to us by the Tlascallans that we had previously 
 sent to Spain." ' 
 
 * I listeria verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva Espafia. Diaz. cap. 
 xxxix-clix. — Vide The memoirs of the conquistador. Lockhart. chap, xxxix- 
 clix. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 i5r8-i524. 
 
 That' part of the coast of the continent, now in- 
 cluded in the territory of the states of Texas, Louisi- 
 ana, Mississippi, Alabama, and the westerly portion of 
 Florida, was first discovered and explored by Alonso 
 Alvarez de Pineda. The fleet which this Spaniard 
 commanded was fitted out by Francisco de Garay, the 
 wealthy governor of the island of Jamaica, who had 
 accompanied Columbus to the New World in 1493. 
 Bernal Diaz, in his history of the conquest of New 
 Spain, thus speaks of this expedition : *' In the year 
 i5i8, when the report of our having discovered this 
 country, under Cordoba and Grijalva, and of the twenty 
 thousand pesos which came into the hands of Diego 
 Velasquez, had spread through the whole of the West 
 Indies," and when Garay "received information of a 
 new expedition that was destined for New Spain, under 
 Hernando Cortes, he [Francisco de Garay] was seized 
 with a great desire likewise to discover some new 
 countries, and certainly he had more wealth at his 
 command than we to fit out a fleet for such a purpose. 
 He had learned considerable about the riches of the 
 new countries from our old chief pilot Alaminos, and 
 how thickly populated the provinces were on the river 
 Panuco ; and as several other sailors, who had accom- 
 panied us on those expeditions, confirmed what Ala- 
 minos had told him, he thought that it was to his ad- 
 
 275 
 
276 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 vantage to request his majesty to grant him the per- 
 mission to make further discoveries on the river 
 Panuco, and to appoint him governor of all the lands 
 he should discover. For this purpose he dispatched 
 his major-domo, Juan de Torralva, to Spain, with letters 
 and presents for those who at that time administered 
 the affairs of the Indies, soliciting them to procure him 
 the appointment mentioned. 
 
 " His majesty was at the time in Flanders, and the 
 president of the council of the Indies, Don Juan 
 Rodriguez de Fonseca, bishop of Burgos and titular 
 archbishop of Rosano, with the two licentiates Zapata 
 and Vargas, and the secretary Lopez de Conchillos, 
 managed the affairs of the Indies as they pleased. 
 Garay therefore easily obtained the appointment of 
 adelantado and governor of the provinces bordering 
 on the river San Pedro and San Pablo, and of all 
 the countries he should discover. By virtue of this 
 appointment he fitted out three vessels, having on 
 board two hundred and forty men, including a strong 
 body of cavalry, cross-bowmen, and musketeers. The 
 chief command of this fleet he gave to Alonso Alvarez 
 de Pineda.' " 
 
 It is further related that the explorers set sail in 
 1 5 19, toward " the peninsula of Florida, in twenty-five 
 degrees of north latitude, for Florida appeared to them 
 to be a very attractive island, and they thought that it 
 was better to settle on islands than on the main-land, 
 because they could more easily conquer the natives 
 and keep them in subjection. They landed, but the 
 people of Florida killed so many of them that they did 
 not dare to settle there. They then sailed along the 
 coast and came to the river of Panuco, five hundred 
 
 ' Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva Espana. Diaz. cap. Ix, 
 clxii. — F/t/^ The memoirs of the conquistador. Lockhart. chap. Ix, clxii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 277 
 
 leagues from the peninsula of Florida, measured on a 
 course alonof the coast. The natives attacked them 
 at every place. Many of them were killed at Chila 
 [near the mouth of the river Panuco], where the natives 
 flayed and eat those who fell into their hands, and hung 
 up the skins in their temples to commemorate their 
 valor." ^ 
 
 Diaz further observes : ** While we were lying at 
 Villa Segura, Cortes was informed by letters that one 
 of the vessels which Garay had fitted out for the pur- 
 pose of forming settlements on the river Panuco had 
 arived at Vera Cruz. This vessel was commanded 
 by a certain Comargo, and had on board more than 
 sixty soldiers, who were all in bad health, with their 
 bodies greatly swelled. This Comargo gave the par- 
 ticulars of the unfortunate termination of Garay 's expe- 
 dition to the river Panuco. 
 
 " The Indians had massacred the commander-in- 
 chief, Alonso Alvarez de Pineda, and all his soldiers 
 and horses, and then had set fire to his vessels. Co- 
 margo alone had been fortunate enough to escape 
 with his men on board of one of the vessels, and 
 had steered for Vera Cruz, where the explorers ar- 
 rived half famished, for they had not been able to 
 procure any provisions from the enemy. This Co- 
 margo, it was said, had taken the vows of the order 
 of the Dominicans. 
 
 ** Comargo and his men, by moderate advances, 
 at last arrived at Villa Segura, for they were so 
 weakened that they could scarcely move along. When 
 Cortes saw in what a terrible condition they were, 
 he commended them to our care, and showed Co- 
 margo and all his men every possible kindness. If I 
 
 ' Tratado, que compQs e nobre & notauel capitao Antonio Galuao. 
 
2;8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 remember rightly, Comargo died soon after, and also 
 several of his men." ' 
 
 The fields of the explorations of Alonso Alvarez 
 de Pineda, Juan de Grijalva, PVancisco Hernandez de 
 Cordoba, and Juan Ponce de Leon are represented on 
 a traced map of the coast of the continent and of the 
 new lands {traza de las castas de tierra-fimie y de las 
 tief'ras 7iucvas), made in i52i, to define the limits of 
 the jurisdictions of Juan Ponce Leon, Francisco de 
 Garay, and Diego Velasquez. ' 
 
 On the peninsula of Florida, delineated on the map, 
 is inscribed in Spanish : " Florida called Bimini, which 
 Juan Ponce discovered." West of it is a broken line 
 and this inscription : "As far as this Juan Ponce dis- 
 covered." At some distance farther west is another 
 line of limitation and this explanation : " From here 
 Francisco Garay began to discover." West of this is 
 the early designation of the Mississippi River, " Rio del 
 Espiritu Santo " (River of the Holy Spirit). South- 
 war4 beyond the mouth of the Panuco River is a third 
 broken line and the inscription : " As far as this 
 place Francisco de Garay discovered toward the west, 
 and Diego Velazquez toward the east as far as Cabo 
 de las Higueras, wliich the Pinzons discovered, and the 
 population has given it to them." 
 
 According to these incmoranda and the statements 
 of Herrera, the Spanish historian, Juan Ponce de Leon 
 
 ' In June, 1523, Francisco de Garay sailed wilh a fleet and a large number 
 of troops from Jamaica to take possession of the province of Panuco, of which 
 he had been appointed governor. He failed to accomplish his purpose, and 
 died in the city of Mexico, at the end of December, 1523. Historia verdadera 
 de la conquista de la Nueva Espaiia. cap. cxxxiii, clxii. Vide The memoirs 
 of the conquistador. Lockhart. chap, cxxxiii, clxii. 
 
 * Coleccion de los viages y descubrimientos. Navarrete. torn. iii. pp. 
 64-69; 147-153- 
 

DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 279 
 
 explored the eastern coast of Florida from La Cruz, 
 south of the thirty-first parallel, to a point on the south- 
 western coast, perhaps as far as Appalachee Bay. 
 Alonso Alvarez de Pineda's explorations, it would seem, 
 began at Appalachicola Bay and ended at the Panuco 
 River. ^ 
 
 The more northerly part of the eastern coast of 
 Florida and coast of the present state of Georgia were 
 inspected by the officers and crews of two vessels, 
 equipped in i520 in the port of La Plata, San Do- 
 mingo, by seven citizens of that island. The ships 
 were fitted out to sail among the Bahama Islands to 
 kidnap Indians to work in the mines and on the plan- 
 tations. Among the projectors of the expedition was 
 Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon. ^ When the kidnapers 
 arrived among the Bahama Islands they found them 
 depopulated. " They determined," it is said, " to go 
 farther toward the north to search for a new country 
 
 ' The situation of certain places along the coast of the present states of 
 Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, is thus described by 
 Gomara : " From Santa Elena to Rio Seco, in 31°, are other forty leagues, 
 and thence to La Cruz are twenty, and thence to Canaveral, forty ; and from 
 Punta Canaveral, in 28°, are other forty to Punta de la Florida (the peninsula 
 of Florida). * * * This is in 25°, which is twenty leagues in length, and 
 from it are a hundred or more leagues to Ancon bajo, which is fifty leagues 
 from Rio Seco, from east to west, across Florida. From Ancon bajo they esti- 
 mate it to be a hundred leagues to Rio de Nieves, and thence to that of Flores 
 more than twenty, from which river it is seventy leagues to the Bay of the Holy 
 Spirit (Baya del Espiritu Sancto), called by another name. La Culata (the breech 
 of a gun), which river flows out into the ocean thirty leagues, and is in 29°, and 
 thence it is more than seventy to Rio de Pescadores. From Rio de Pescadores, 
 in 28" 30', are a hundred leagues to Rio de las Palmas, near which cfosses the 
 tropic of Cancer ; thence to Rio Panuco are more than thirty leagues ; and 
 thence to Villa Rica or Vera Cruz, seventy leagues." — Primera y segunda parte 
 de la historia general de las Indias. Gomara. cap. xii. 
 
 ' Lucas Vasquez de Ayllon, a native of Toledo, Spain, was one of the 
 licentiates appointed by King Ferdinand to act as auditors of the royal court of 
 appeal (audiencia), afterward sitting in San Domingo. In Jilarch, 1520, Ayllon 
 went willi Pamfilo de Naiwaez to New Spain, who was sent there by Diego 
 Velasquez to administer the affairs of that country. When Ayllon landed in 
 Mexico he became so inimical to the purposes of Velasquez that Narvaez put 
 him under arrest and sent him back to Cuba, where he arrived in August, 1520. 
 
28o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 rather than return without any slaves. They reached 
 a country called Chicora and Gualdape, in thirty-two 
 degrees of north latitude"; where there was a cape, 
 afterward called Cabo de Santa Elena (Cape of Saint 
 Helen), and the Rio Jordan (River Jordan).' 
 
 " When our men steered toward the shore," Peter 
 Martyr relates, " the inhabitants, astonished at the 
 sight of the ships, imagined that some monster was 
 approaching. In order to satisfy their curiosity they 
 flocked in great numbers to the shore. When our 
 people were about to land with their boats the Indians 
 ran rapidly away. As they fled our men pursued. 
 Some of the youngest and the fastest runners overtook 
 two of the natives, a man and a woman. They brought 
 these to the ships, dressed them, and gave them their 
 liberty. Impressed by this evidence of good-will the 
 Indians returned in crowds to the beach. The king of 
 the country, learning how our men had dealt with the 
 man and the woman, and seeing the new and costly 
 garments upon them (for the Indians only clothe them- 
 selves with the skins of lions or of other animals), sent 
 fifty of his people to ours bearing the productions of 
 the country. When visited by our people he was 
 friendly and hospitable. When they expressed a 
 desire to see the surrounding country he gave them 
 guides and guards. Wherever they went the inhab- 
 itants came reverently to them with presents as unto 
 gods to be adored, especially when they saw them 
 having beards, and clothed with linen and silken gar- 
 ments. But what! The Spaniards violated the laws 
 of hospitality. For by craft and various cunning 
 
 ■• " So designated," says Herrera. " because Jordan was the name of one of 
 the captains or masters of the ships." 
 
 Primera y segunda parte de la historia general de las Indias. Gomara. 
 cap. vii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 281 
 
 devices, after they had seen all that they wished, they 
 so managed that on an appointed day the Indians 
 visited the ships to inspect them. When the vessels 
 were crowded with these innocent people, the anchors 
 were weighed and the sails hoisted, and the Indians 
 were carried away mourning into servitude. Instead 
 of friends they made the people of those regions 
 enemies, and having found them contented they left 
 them miserable, having taken children from parents, 
 and husbands from wives. Of the two ships one only 
 returned, the other was never seen again. It was con- 
 jectured that all on board were drowned, the guilty 
 and the guiltless, for it was an old ship. * * * 
 
 " While they were there they explored the two 
 principal regions, Chicora and Duharhe. * * * 
 They say that the people of Chicora are half black or 
 tawny as our farmers are, burned and tanned by the 
 sun. The men allow their hair to grow long, which 
 often extends down to their girdles. The hair of the 
 women is much longer. Both sexes bind up their 
 hair. The men have no beards. Whether or not they 
 are so naturally or so by art is unknown ; however, 
 they take great pride in having smooth faces. * * * 
 Leaving Chicora they went to the other side of the 
 bay, and took possession of the region called Du- 
 harhe." 
 
 Peter Martyr further observes that Ayllon had been 
 a persistent solicitor at the court of Spain, and that he 
 wanted to obtain letters-patent to go again to these 
 countries " to plant a colony there.' * * * Hq 
 
 ' Ayllon, in 1523, was made governor {adelantadd) of the provinces and 
 islands of Suache, Chicora, Xapira, Tatancal, Anicatiye, Cocayo, Guacaya, 
 Xoxi, Sona, Pasqui, Arambe, Xamunambe, Huag, Tanzaca, Yenyohol, Paor, 
 Yamiscaron, Carixagusignanin and Anoxa, that were said to lie between the 
 thirty-fifth and thirty-seventh parallels of north latitude. In 1524 it is said 
 that he sent two ships to some of these places. In July, 1526, he sailed him- 
 
282 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 brouofht one of the natives of Chicora with him. * * * 
 While he remained [in Spain] prosecuting- his business, 
 I sometimes had Ayllon, the master, and the Chicoran, 
 his servant, as my guests. The Chicoran is not a dull 
 person nor superficially intelligent. He has learned 
 the Spanish language passably well. The things 
 which Ayllon showed me, written by his men and re- 
 ported by the Chicoran, that are strange and remark- 
 able, I will relate. * * * Ayllon says the natives 
 there [in Duharhe] are white, which also Franciscus, 
 the tawny Chicoran, asserts, and that they have long 
 yellow hair hanging down to their ankles. 
 
 *' These people have a king of giantdike proportions, 
 called Datha, and they say that the queen, his wife, is 
 not much smaller. * * * This kino; beine asked 
 why he and his wife were so remarkably tall and the 
 other people not, replied that their height was not 
 hereditary, but that it had been caused by violent 
 treatment. While they were infants in the charge of 
 nurses their parents sent for those practicing the art, 
 who anointed their limbs for a number of days with 
 certain decoctions of herbs to soften their tender 
 bones, which in time became as pliable as lukewarm 
 wax. They then stretched their limbs, often leaving 
 them almost dead. Thereupon the nurses, who'^had 
 been fed with certain strength-producing meats, suckled 
 
 self from Espanola, with six vessels, having on board five hundred men and 
 ninety horses. Diego Miruelo, the pilot of this fleet, it is said, failed to find 
 the coast of Chicora, which he had visited in 1520. The natives, where the 
 Spaniards landed, manifested toward them the greatest friendliness, and so de- 
 ceived Ayllon with their unbounded hospitality that he sent two hundred of his 
 men into the interior on an exploring expedition. While they were sleeping 
 the savages fell upon them and murdered them to a man. They then attacked 
 those near the ships, who, being outnumbered, fled before their assailants. 
 One hundred and fifty escaped, and in a suffering condition returned to San 
 Domingo. It is further related that Ayllon died on the eighteenth of October, 
 1526. — Coleccion de los viages y descubrimientos. Navarrete. tom. lii. pp. 
 
 69-74 ; 153-160. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 283 
 
 them, the infants being covered with warm cloths. 
 When they had again regained their vigor the practi- 
 tioners again twisted and pulled their bones as they 
 had previously done. This treatment was repeated 
 from time to time until their limbs were lengthened so 
 much that when they reached maturity they had the 
 desired tallness. * * * 
 
 " There is another region near Duharhe called Xa- 
 pida. In it they say pearls and a precious stone re- 
 sembling a pearl are to be found, which the natives 
 highly prize. In all the country explored by them 
 there were herds of deer kept like cattle with us. The 
 deer fawn at home, and there they also rear their 
 young. These deer, when free, wander and pasture in 
 the woods during the day and at night return to their 
 young. They are confined in pens and allow them- 
 selve to be milked. * * * The people fatten many 
 kinds of fowl, as chickens, ducks, geese, and the like. 
 Their bread is maize, the same as that of the people of 
 the islands. * * * The grain of the maize is like our 
 panic of Insubria, [in Italy,] but in size like pease. 
 They sow another kind of corn called Xathi. They 
 believe it is millet. * * * The natives have several 
 varieties of potatoes, but they are small. * * * The 
 Spaniards speak of many regions which they think are 
 under the government of one and the same king, — 
 Hitha, Xamunabe, Tihe. 
 
 " In this country they say there is a caste of priests 
 differing from the people. These priests are held in 
 great reverence by the inhabitants of the surrounding 
 country. The natives of this regipn cut their hair, 
 leaving only two curled locks hanging down in front of 
 their ears, Vv^hich locks they tie under their chins. The 
 Spaniards explored many regions of this great country, 
 
284 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 which tracts they called Arambe, Guacaia, Quohathe, 
 Tanzacca, Pahor. The inhabitants are all somewhat 
 tawny and swart. None of them have any knowledge 
 of letters, but they possess many traditions which they 
 preserve and relate in rhymes and songs. They exer- 
 cise themselves in dancing and skipping, and find much 
 amusement in playing ball, for they are very nimble 
 and skillful. The women sew and spin, and although 
 for the most part they are dressed in the skins of wild 
 animals, they have cotton and make thread from the 
 fibres of certain tough plants, as our hemp or flax. 
 There is another resfion called Inzio-nanin." ' 
 
 According to Gomara's geographical description 
 of the coast of North America, the explorations of the 
 Spaniards who discovered Tierra de Ayllon (the Land 
 of Ayllon) extended from the Cape of St. Helen, in 32°, 
 northwardly forty leagues to the River Jordan. If Cape 
 St. Helen were a point of land near the mouth of the 
 Combahee River, the river Jordan was likely the Santee 
 River, in South Carolina. ^ 
 
 Among the most renowned of the various maritime 
 achievements which gave great fame to Spanish enter- 
 prise in seeking for a sea-path to Cathay by sailing 
 toward the west, was that of the circumnavigation 
 of the globe in the years 1 5 19-1522. The remarkable 
 voyage was begun by Fernam de Magalhaens, a 
 Portuguese navigator. The first account of the expe- 
 dition was written by Antonio Pigafetta, an Italian 
 chevalier, who accompanied Magalhaens. Pigafetta's 
 connection with the exploration is explained by him in 
 the opening chapter of his history of the voyage : •' I 
 
 ' De Orbe Novo decades, dec. ii. cap. vii. 
 
 * " Thence to Puerto del Principe are more than a hundred leagues, and from 
 it to the Rio Jordan, seventy, and thence to Cabo de Santa Elena, which is in 
 32°, there are forty leagues." — Primera y segunda parte de la historia general 
 de las Indias. Gomara. cap. xii. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 285 
 
 learned that a squadron of five vessels were under 
 equipment at Seville, destined for the discovery of the 
 Molucca Islands from which we get our spices, and 
 that Fernam de Magalhaens/ a Portuguese gentleman, 
 and a commander of the order of St. lao^o de la 
 Spata, who had already more than once traversed the 
 ocean with great reputation, was made captain-general 
 of the expedition.^ Therefore I immediately repaired 
 to Barcelona to request permission of his majesty to be 
 one of the number of persons to go on this voyage. 
 My request was granted." 
 
 The interested historian then relates : ** The 
 captain-general, Fernam de Magalhaens, had deter- 
 mined to undertake a long voyage across the ocean 
 where the winds are violent and storms quite frequent. 
 He also resolved to take a course not yet explored by 
 any navigator, but this bold purpose he was cautious 
 in disclosing lest some one should try to dissuade him 
 from it by magnifying the risk he would run and thus 
 dishearten his men. Besides the dangers common to a 
 voyage like this one was the disadvantageous cir- 
 cumstance that the four other vessels under his 
 command were in charge of captains inimical to him 
 solely because he was a Portuguese and they were 
 Spaniards." 
 
 The fleet sailed from the port of Seville, on Mon- 
 day morning, the tenth of August, i5i9, The five 
 ships proceeded southwardly along the coast of Africa, 
 passed between Cape Verd and the islands of the 
 
 'Pigafetta writes the name " Magaglianes," the Portuguese "Magal- 
 haens," the Spaniards " Magallanes," and the French " Magellan." The Eng- 
 lish follow the French spelling. 
 
 ' Fernam de Magalhaens was born at Oporto, about the year 1470. After 
 entering the Portuguese navy, he sailed to the East Indies and served 
 under Affonso d' Albuquerque. He returned to Spain about the year 
 1517. 
 
286 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Cape Verd group, and after reaching Sierra Leone, 
 stood for the coast of Brazil. 
 
 " After we crossed the equator," says Pigafetta, 
 " we lost sight of the north star. We then steered 
 south-southwest, making for Terra del Verzino (Land 
 of Red wood), in latitude twenty-three degreeii thirty 
 minutes south latitude.' This country is a continua- 
 tion of that in which Cape St. Augustine is situated, 
 in eight degrees thirty minutes south latitude." 
 
 The squadron entered the port now known as that 
 of Rio Janeiro on St. Lucy's day, the thirteenth of 
 December. 
 
 " The land of Brazil, which produces every thing in 
 abundance, is as large as Spain, France, and Italy 
 united. It is one of the countries acquired by the 
 king of Portugal. The people of Brazil are not 
 Christians, nor are they idolaters, for they worship 
 nothing. * * * They go entirely naked, the 
 women as well as the men. Their houses are longf 
 cabins, which they call doi. They lie on cotton-nets 
 called hammocks fastened at the ends to two strong 
 posts. Their fire-places are on the ground. Their 
 dots frequently contain a hundred men, with their 
 wives and children, consequently there is always con- 
 siderable noise in these houses. "" * * 
 
 ** The people of Brazil, both men and women, paint 
 their bodies and particularly their faces in a singular 
 manner with different figures. They have short, 
 woolly hair on their heads, but none on other parts of 
 their bodies, for they pluck it out. They have a dress 
 made of the interwoven feathers of the parrot, and so 
 arranged that the large quills of the wings and tail 
 form a girdle about their loins, giving the wearer a 
 
 ' Before Brazil was discovered, red wood was brought to Europe from Asia 
 and Africa. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 287 
 
 unique and grotesque appearance. Almost all the 
 men have their lower lips pierced with three holes, 
 through which they thrust a slender cylindrical stone 
 about two inches long. The women and children do 
 not wear this cumbersome ornament. '^' * * Their 
 color is more of an olive than a black." 
 
 After anchoring thirteen days in the port of Rio 
 Janeiro, the fleet coasted southward to the mouth of 
 the Rio de la Plata, where, as Pigafetta relates : "Juan 
 de Solis, while on a similar voyage of discovery, was 
 with sixty of his crew devoured by cannibals, in whom 
 they placed too much confidence." 
 
 At the beginning of winter, in the month of May, 
 1 520, the fleet reached the port of St. Julian, " in forty- 
 nine degrees thirty minutes," where they anchored for 
 five months.^ Here the explorers were visited by a 
 number of criants. Pisj'afetta, describingf one of the 
 visitors, remarks : " This man was so prodigiously 
 large that our heads scarcely reached to his waist. 
 He had an attractive appearance. His face was broad 
 and painted red, with the exception of a circle of 
 yellow round his eyes and two spots, figured like 
 hearts, on his cheeks. His hair, which was thin, was 
 whitened with some kind of a powder. His coat, or 
 rather his mantle, was made of furs, well sewed to- 
 gether, taken from an indigenous animal, which after- 
 ward we had an opportunity to see. This animal [the 
 guanaco] has the head and ears of a mule, the body of 
 a camel, the legs of a stag, and the tail of a horse, and, 
 
 ' In the edition of Ptolemy's geography, printed at Rome in 1508, it is said : 
 "The Land of the Holy Cross diminishes all the way to south latitude 37^ ; 
 although, according to navigators who have explored it, it is said all the way 
 to south latitude 50° ; of which remaining part no description is found. — 
 Terra SajicicB Crucis decrescit usque ad latitudinem 211° ci.ust.\ quamqitam ad 
 Archiploi usque ad 50° austj;, navigarint, ut ferunt ; qiiam reliquain por- 
 iionem dcscriptam noii reperi." cap. xiv. 
 
288 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 like the latter, neighs. This man also wore shoes 
 made of the skin of the same animal. In his left hand 
 he carried a short and heavy bow ; the string, some- 
 what thicker than a lute's, was made of an intestine of 
 the animal already mentioned. In his other hand he 
 held arrows made of short reeds, with feathers at one 
 end, similar to our arrows, and at the other, instead of 
 iron, a white and black flint. * * * 
 
 "The women are not as tall as the men, but they 
 are much stouter. ""' * * They paint and dress in 
 the same manner as their husbands, and use the thin 
 skin of an animal to cover their nakedness. They 
 were, in our judgment, far from handsome, neverthe- 
 less their husbands seemed jealous. * * * 
 
 " Savage as these Indians are, they are not without 
 their medicaments. When they have a pain in the 
 stomach, in place of an active medicine they thrust an 
 arrow far down the throat to cause them to vomit. 
 :H * * jf |-j-^gy have the headache, they make a 
 gash in their forehead, and do the same with other 
 parts of their body where they suffer pain, to draw 
 from the affected part a considerable quantity of 
 blood. * * * 
 
 " Their hair is cut circularly, like that of monks, but 
 it is longer, and they confine it round the head with a 
 cotton-string, in which bandage they place their arrows 
 when they go hunting. * * «■ jj appears that 
 their religion is limited to adoring the devil. They 
 pretend that when one of them is on the point of 
 death, ten or twelve demons appear dancing and sing- 
 ing around the dying person. * *^ * These peo- 
 ple, as I have already said, clothe themselves with the 
 skin of an animal, and also cover their huts with the 
 same kind of skin. They transport their huts, for they 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 289 
 
 have no fixed place of abode, and wander about 
 from place to place like gypsies. They hve on 
 raw meat and a sweet root called capac. '' * '•= 
 Our captain gave these people the name of Patago- 
 nians. * * * 
 
 " Scarcely had we anchored in this roadstead before 
 the four captains of the other vessels plotted to murder 
 the captain-general. These traitors were Juan of 
 Carthagena, inspector of the fleet, Luis de Mendoza, 
 the treasurer, Antonio Cocca, the. paymaster, and 
 Caspar de Casada. The plot was discovered. The 
 first named was flayed alive, and the second stabbed 
 to the heart. Caspar de Casada was forgiven, but in 
 a few days he was again treacherous. Then the captain- 
 general (who did not dare to take Casada's life, as he 
 was made a captain by the emperor,) drove him from 
 the fleet and left him in the country of the Patagonians, 
 with a priest, his accomplice. * * * 
 
 " We planted a cross on the summit of a neighbor- 
 ing mountain, which we named Monte Cristo, and took 
 possession of the country in the name of the king of 
 Spain. * * * 
 
 " Continuing our course toward the south, on the 
 twenty-first of October, in fifty-two degrees, we dis- 
 covered a strait, which we called the Strait of the 
 Eleven Thousand Virgins (xi. mila Vergini), in honor 
 of the day. This strait, as it will hereafter appear, is 
 four hundred and forty miles, or one hundred and ten 
 leagues long, and about a half league wide, more or 
 less.^ It extends to another sea, which we named the 
 Pacific Ocean (Mar pacifico). The strait lies between 
 lofty mountains covered with snow, and the channel 
 
 ^ The eastern entrance to the strait lies between the Cape of the Virgins, on 
 the north, and the Cape of the Holy Spirit, on the south, and is about twenty 
 miles wide. The strait is three hundred and fifteen miles long. 
 
290 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 was so deep that we were compelled to anchor close 
 to the shore.' * '"^ * 
 
 " The whole of the crew were so fully persuaded 
 that this strait had no western outlet, that we should 
 have left it unexplored had it not been for the profound 
 scientific knowledge of the captain-general. Skillful 
 as he was intrepid, he knew that he had to sail through 
 a very secluded strait which he had seen marked on a 
 chart, in the archives of the king of Portugal, drawn 
 by that most excellent man, Martin of Boemia.^ 
 
 " As soon as we entered the strait, imagined to be 
 only a bay, the captain sent the two ships, the San 
 Antonio and La Concepcion, in advance to explore it 
 to its termination or to where it extended, while we, 
 in the ships La Trinidad and La Victoria, remained at 
 its mouth.3 
 
 "Two days passed before the vessels returned that 
 had been sent to examine the bottom of the bay. We 
 beo-an to conjecture that they had been engulfed dur- 
 ing the tempest which had occurred, for seeing smoke 
 on shore we imagined that those who had the good 
 fortune to escape had kindled fires to inform us of their 
 existence and distress. But while in this painful sus- 
 pense we saw the ships coming toward us under full 
 sail and with their flags flying. * * '" When we 
 learned from those on board that they had seen the 
 
 *On the Maiollo map of 1527, the following inscription is placed near the 
 delineated strait: " Streito doute pasas Magaianes Portogese per andare in le 
 isole de Maluchi de le spesarie de Re de Spania," the strait passed by Ma;^aianes, 
 a Portuguese, to go to the Molucca Islands for spices for the king of Spain. 
 
 ^ " II capitano-generalc, die sapeva de dover fare la sua navegazione per into 
 streto inolto ascoso, como vile ne la thcsararia del re de Portugal in una carta 
 fata per qtiellg exccUentissijuo htionio Martina di Boemia." 
 
 The chart was evidently one drafted to exhibit tlie field of the explorations 
 of Cabral and other Portuguese navigators along the eastern coast of Brazil. 
 
 ^ The fifth vessel, the Santiago, while exploring the coast, when the other 
 ships were at anchor in the harbor of St. Julian, was wrecked. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 291 
 
 prolongation of the bay, or, more correctly, of the 
 strait, we sailed to them to continue our voyage on 
 this course, if possible. 
 
 " When we had entered into the third bay, which I 
 have already mentioned, we saw two openings, or 
 channels, the one running to the southeast, the other 
 to the southwest. * * * Xhe captain-general sent 
 the two vessels, the San Antonio and La Concepcion, 
 to the southeast to examine whether or not this chan- 
 nel terminated in an open sea. The first set sail im- 
 mediately under press of canvas, not choosing to wait 
 for the second, which the pilot wished to leave behind, 
 for he had intended to avail himself of the darkness of 
 the night to retrace his course and return to Spain by 
 the same way he had come. 
 
 "This pilot was Estevan Gomez, who hated Magal- 
 haens, for the sole reason that when Magalhaens came 
 to Spain to lay his project before the emperor of go- 
 ing to the Moluccas by a western route, Gomez him- 
 self had already requested, and was on the point of 
 obtaining, some caravels for an expedition of which he 
 would have had the command. This expedition had 
 for its object new discoveries, but the arrival of Magal- 
 haens prevented his request from being granted, and 
 he only obtained the subaltern position of pilot. His 
 disaffection was further increased by the thought of his 
 serving under a Portugese. In the course of the night 
 he conspired with the other Spaniards on board the 
 ship. They put in irons and even wounded the cap- 
 tain, Alvaro de Meschita, the cousin-german of the 
 captain-general, and carried him to Spain." ' 
 
 ' Gomez, after deserting the squadron with the San Antonio, returned to 
 the port of St. Julian, and there took on board Caspar de Casada and the priest 
 whom Magalhaens had put on shore. On Gomez's return to Spain, the sixth of 
 May, 1521, he told " the emperor that Magalhaens was crazy and had lied to 
 
292 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 When the strait was explored to its termination, 
 the cape where the strait ended was called, says Piga- 
 fetta, " II Cabo Deseado " (The Desired Cape). 
 
 On Wednesday, the twenty-eighth of November, 
 i520, the three ships left the strait and entered the 
 unexplored expanse of the Pacific. "In the course of 
 three months and twenty days," Pigafetta observes, 
 "we traversed nearly four thousand leagues on the 
 ocean called by us the Pacific, on account of our not 
 having experienced during this period any tempestu- 
 ous weather. In this long space of time we did not 
 descry any land, except two desert islands. On these 
 we saw nothing but birds and trees, therefore we 
 named them, Isole Sfortunato' (The Unfortunate 
 Islands). * * * Xhe two islands are two hundred 
 leagues apart. The first lies in fifteen degrees south 
 latitude, the second in nine deo^rees. According to the 
 measure which we made of the voyage with the chain 
 at the poop, we ran daily about sixty to seventy 
 leagues.^ If God and the Holy Mother had not 
 granted us a fortunate voyage we should all have 
 perished from hunger on so vast a sea. I do not think 
 that any one will hereafter venture on a similar voy- 
 ao^e.^ 
 
 " If we had continued on a western course on" the 
 same parallel after leaving the strait we should have 
 circumnavigated the globe without seeing any land 
 except that extending from the Cape of the Eleven 
 
 his majesty, for he did not know where Banda was nor the Moluccas." 
 —Letter of Transylvanus and Castanheda. 
 
 ' Spanish, Las Islas Desdichados. 
 
 * " Seconda la niisw-a che facevamo del viaggio colla catena a poppa, noi 
 percorrcvamo da 60 in 70 leghe algiorno." 
 
 ' Sir Francis Drake followed Magalhaens a half century later. The 
 former departed from England on the thirteenth of December, 1577, and re- 
 turned there on the third of November, 1580. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 293 
 
 Thousand Virgins, at the eastern head of the strait, in 
 the Ocean Sea (Mar oceano), to Cabo Deseado, at 
 the western end, in the Pacific Sea (Mar pacifico). 
 The two capes are in fifty-two degrees south latitude. 
 
 " The antarctic pole has not as many stars as the 
 arctic. At the former a large number of small stars 
 cluster together which form two nebulcs. They are 
 separated from each other and are somewhat dim. In 
 these nebul(E are two large and brilliant stars which 
 move very little. These indicate the antarctic pole. 
 Although the needle declined somewhat from the arctic 
 pole it still oscillated toward it, but not with the same 
 force as when in the northern hemisphere. When the 
 captain-general out at sea directed the course in which 
 the pilots should steer, he asked them in what direction 
 they steered. All of them replied that they bore in 
 the direction in which he had ordered them. He then 
 informed them that their course was wronof and di- 
 rected them to correct the needle, because, as they 
 were in the southern hemisphere, it had not the same 
 power to designate the true north as in the northern 
 hemisphere. When we got out in the open sea, we 
 saw, in the west, a cross of five very bright stars. 
 
 " We steered northwest by west till we reached the 
 equator in one hundred and twenty-two degrees of 
 longitude, w^est of the line of demarkation. * * * 
 After we crossed the equator we steered west by north. 
 We then ran two hundred leagues toward the west, 
 when, changing our course again, we ran west by 
 south until we reached thirteen decrees of north lati- 
 tude. We proposed by this course to reach Cape 
 Catticara which geographers have placed in this lati- 
 tude, but they are mistaken, for this cape lies twelve 
 degrees more toward the north." ' 
 
 ' Cape Cattigara was, according to Ptolemy, in one hundred and eighty 
 
294 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 From the islands, which Magalhaens called " Isole de 
 Ladroni," ' the three ships stood toward the Philippine 
 Islands, where, on one called Matan, the captain-gen- 
 eral was killed in an engagement with the natives, on 
 the twenty-seventh of April, i52i. It was at the 
 island of Zubu, near the former, " in ten degrees north 
 latitude," that Magalhaens, before his death, received 
 the first intelligence respecting the Molucca Islands. 
 On Wednesday, the sixth of November, i52i, the 
 ships came in sight of the long-sought Spice Islands, 
 and on Friday, the eighth of November, i52i, the 
 Victoria and the Trinidad arrived at the island of Ta- 
 dore. "We now," Pigafetta remarks, "returned 
 thanks to God and manifested our joy by firing a 
 round from all of our large guns. It will not excite as- 
 tonishment that we should be elated, when it is con- 
 sidered that we had been at sea twenty-seven months, 
 wanting two days, and had visited numerous islands in 
 search of those we had reached. 
 
 "The Portuguese had reported that the Molucca 
 Islands lay in the middle of an impassable sea, full of 
 shallows, and were surrounded by a cloudy, foggy at- 
 mosphere. We, however, found the contrary, and 
 never had less than a hundred fathoms water all the 
 way to the Molucca Islands." The latter were five"" m 
 number : Tarenate, Tadore, Mutir, Machian and 
 Bachian.^ When afterward cloves were found on the 
 adjacent islands, the name Moluccas, was applied to all 
 the islands lying between the Philippines and Java. 
 
 degrees of longitude from the Canaries and south of the equator. It is nov/ 
 known as Cape Comorin, being the southern extremity of Hindostan, in north 
 latitude 8° 5', and in east longitude 77° 30'. 
 
 * Spanish, de los Ladrones. The Ladrone Islands, aljout twenty in num- 
 ber, lie between 13° and 21° north latitude, and 144° and 146° east longitude. 
 
 'The Moluccas or Spioe Islands, more than two hundred in number, lie 
 between 3° north and 9" south latitude, and 122° and 133° east longitude. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 295 
 
 After a short sojourn at the Spice Islands, the return 
 voyage was made by the ship La Victoria alone, com- 
 manded by Juan Sebastian del Cano,' who set sail from 
 Tadore on the twenty-first of December, i52i, the 
 ship La Concepcion having been burned at the island 
 Bohol, and La Trinidad having been left at the Moluc- 
 cas in a leakinof condition. Followinof the route alono- 
 the coast of Africa, the ship La Victoria arrived at 
 Seville, on Monday, the eighth of September, i52 2, she 
 having sailed in the entire voyage, according to Piga- 
 fetta's computation, fourteen thousand six hundred 
 leagues. Thus passed into history the wonderful 
 achievement of the first circumnavioration of the earth 
 in three years and twenty-nine days.^ 
 
 The signal success of the maritime enterprise of the 
 Spaniards engendered a spirit of jealousy among the 
 Portuguese. The feeling of being overshadowed by 
 their persistent rival in reaching the Indies by the way 
 of the West led them to accuse the Spaniards of en- 
 croaching on their commercial route to the Spice 
 Islands, and of breaking the treaty of Tordesillas. 
 The Spaniards in defence claimed that the Molluccas 
 or the Spice Islands, found by Magellan's companions, 
 were not within the limits of the territory of the Portu- 
 guese as defined by the papal bull. 
 
 To settle these national differences the notable con- 
 
 * Juan Sebastian del Cano was honored for the notable part he took in this 
 famous voyage by being permitted to display, as his coat of arms, the figure of 
 a globe, on which was inscribed ; " Pritmis circumdedisii 7?ie." 
 
 "^ Primo viaggio intorno al globo terracqueo ossia ragguaglio della naviga- 
 zione alle indie orientali per la via d' occidente fatta dal cavaliere Antonio 
 Pigafetta patrizio Vicentino sulla squadra del Capit. Magaglianes negli anni 
 1519-1522 ora publicato per la prima volta, tratto da un codice MS. della 
 Biblioteca Ambrosiana di Milano e corredota di note da Carlo Amoretti. In 
 Milano, 1800. — Vide Tlie first voyage round the world by Magellan, translated 
 from the accounts of Pigafetta and other contemporary writers. By Lord 
 Stanley of Alderley. London, 1874. Hakluyt Soc. pub. Vide Pinkcrlon's 
 voyages and travels, vol. i. pp. 288—381. 
 
296 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 gress of Badajos was convened in the spring of 1524. 
 The king of each country sent to it special commis- 
 sioners, among which number were Fernando Colum- 
 bus, Sebastian Cabot, Diego Ribero, and Estevan 
 Gomez. For a number of days the two parties angrily 
 disputed concerning the indefinite position of the line 
 of demarkation as established by the treaty of Torde- 
 sillas in 1494. It was a question not easily decided 
 where among the Cape Verd Islands the point was, 
 through which, at the distance of three hundred and 
 seventy leagues from it, the line of limitation passed to 
 the poles, for the group of the Cape Verd Islands occu- 
 pies a space in extent from east to west of about one 
 hundred and fifty miles. 
 
 Wherever, east or west, they decided this point 
 should be established each party was aware that so 
 much space would be gained or lost on the opposite 
 side of the earth by the one or the other of the two 
 countries. The congress, after many exciting disputa- 
 tions, finally ended its session on the last day of May, 
 without reaching any decision respecting the position 
 of the papal line of limitation. The admission that 
 Spain had full title to the Spice or Molucca Islands and 
 that Portugal had acquired the right of possession of a 
 part of Brazil, were the chief concessions made by fhis 
 contentious body of learned men.' 
 
 * Primera y segund^ parte de la historia general de las Indias. Gomara. 
 cap. X. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 1 504-1 524. 
 
 The competitive zeal which Portugal, Spain, and 
 England had displayed, in searching for a short water- 
 way to the eastern coast of Asia, in time quickened 
 the ambition of France to emulate these maritime 
 powers in discovering a desirable route across the 
 Atlantic to the vast domains of the Grand Khan of 
 Cathay. The Gulf of St. Lawrence, as early as the 
 year i5o4, was frequented by the fishing vessels of 
 France. The exploration of the coast of the New 
 Land, north of the present Atlantic territory of the 
 United States of America, is described by a famous 
 French sea-captain of Dieppe, in 1539. 
 
 " The said land, that part running east and west 
 [Cape Breton Island and Nova Scotia ?], was dis- 
 covered about thirty-five years ago by the Bretons 
 [Britons ?] and Normans ; hence this land has been 
 called the Cape of the Bretons [Britons ?]. 
 
 " The other part [Newfoundland ?] running north 
 and south from Cape Ras to Cape Buona- Vista, in- 
 cluding nearly seventy leagues, was discovered by the 
 Portuguese, and the remainder, as far as the Gulf of 
 Castiles [north of the Strait of Belle Isle], and still 
 farther, was discovered by the said Bretons [Britons.?] 
 and Normans.' 
 
 ' According to Jacques Cartier's statement, the Q^pe of Buona Vista was 
 in 48° 30' north latitude. 
 
 297 
 
298 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA 
 
 " About thirty-three years ago, a ship of Honfleur 
 first went there, of which vessel Jean Denis was cap- 
 tain, and Gamart, of Rouen, pilot. In the year i5o8, 
 a ship of Dieppe, called La Pensee, owned by Jean 
 Ango, father of the captain and viscount of Dieppe, 
 sailed there, the master or patron of the said ship 
 being Thomas Aubert, and he was the first person 
 who brought here people from that country. " ' 
 
 In company with the Pensee, another ship, com- 
 manded by Giovanni da Verrazzano, also sailed from 
 the port of Dieppe. The two entering the river of St. 
 Lawrence, ascended it to the distance of eighty leagues. 
 The exploration of the river is thus described : "The 
 people of Dieppe continued their commercial inter- 
 course with the East Indies. When they heard of the 
 discoveries which the Spaniards had made in America, 
 they found their emulation incited, and they equipped 
 two vessels to discover whether that part of the world 
 did not extend its coast to the north. They intrusted 
 the command of the ships to two of their most skillful 
 captains, named Thomas Aubert and Jean Verassen. 
 These two ships sailed from Dieppe at the beginning 
 of the year i5o8, and discovered the same year the 
 St. Lawrence River, to which they gave the name of 
 Saint Lawrence because they began to ascend it on 
 this saint's day [the tenth of August]. They explored 
 the river for more than eighty leagues, finding the 
 inhabitants friendly, with whom they made very profit- 
 able exchanges for peltries." " 
 
 ' Raccolta di navigationi e viaggi. Ramusio. vol. iii. fol. 359. 
 
 * " Les Dieppois coiitinuoient leiir commerce dans les Indes Orientales, lors- 
 quils apprirent les d^cotivertes que les Espagnols avoient faites en Amerique : 
 leur Emulation s^en trouva piquie, &= ils armerent deux vaisseaux, pour coiinottre 
 si cette parti e du monde ne s'etendoit pas dti c6le du Nord ; ils en coufiirent 
 le co7)imandctnent a deiix de leurs plus habiles Capitaines, nommis Thomas 
 A ubert 6^ Jean Verassen. Ces deux navires partirent de Dieppe au commence- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 299 
 
 As related in the chronicle of Eusebius, printed at 
 Paris in i5i2, it appears that Aubert and Verrazzano, 
 on their departure from the New Land, carried to 
 France a number of natives. Under the date of i5o9, 
 it is said : " Seven wild men were brought from that 
 island (which is called the New Land) to Rouen with 
 their canoe, clothing, and weapons. They are of a 
 sooty color, with thick lips, and bearing marks on the 
 face drawn like blue veins along the cheek-bones from 
 the ear to the middle of the chin ; with black hair and 
 coarse like a horse's mane ; having no beard through- 
 out the whole life ; no hair on any part of the body, 
 except on the head and eyebrows. They wear a 
 girdle to cover their nakedness, in which girdle is a 
 sort of pouch ; they form a dialect with their lips ; 
 religion they have none. Their canoe is bark, which 
 a man can lift on his shoulders with one hand. Their 
 weapons are large bows, the strings being intestines 
 or sinews of animals ; their arrows are canes barbed 
 with flint or fish-bone. Their food is boiled flesh ; 
 their drink water. Of bread and wine and money 
 they have not the least use. They go naked or clad 
 in the skins of beasts, — ^bears, deer, sea-calves, and the 
 like. Their country, parallel to the seventh climate,^ 
 is nearer the West^ than France is farther from it." ^ 
 
 meiit de 1508, ^ dicouvrirent, la 7nime anne'e, le Fleuve Saint-Laurent , attquei 
 Us donnirent ce nom, parce que ce fut ce jou7'-la qnils co)n7nench-ent a le 
 remonter ; ce qtiils firent jusqu' a phis de qtiatre-vingt lieues, irouvant des ha- 
 bitants affables, avec lesquels Us jirent des echanges les plus avantageux en pelle- 
 tcries." — Memoires chronologiques pour servir a 1' historic de Dieppe at a celle 
 de la navigation Frangoise. Jean Antoine Desmarquets. A Paris, 17S5. torn. 
 i. pp. 99, 100. 
 
 * " One of thirty regions or zones of the earth, parallel to the equator, cor- 
 responding to the successive increase of a quarter of an hour in the length of 
 the midsummer day." 
 
 ^ West coast of Ireland. 
 
 ^ Eusebii Caesariensis episcopi chronicon. * * * In alma Parisioru 
 academia. Millesimo quingentesimo duodecimo Idibus vero lunij. fol. 172. 
 
300 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Although for a number of years, at the beginning- 
 of the sixteenth century, this part of North America 
 was visited by Enghsh, French, and Portuguese sea- 
 men, it appears that no navigator had yet sailed along 
 the peculiarly marked and sinuous coast of the new- 
 continent between the thirty-fourth and the forty-fifth 
 parallels of north latitude. Fortunately for France, 
 Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine, who, in i5o8, 
 had sailed with Aubert to the New Land, was sent a 
 second time on a voyage of discovery toward the 
 west.' As pertinently said by Asher : " What Cada- 
 mosta had done for Portugal, Columbus for Spain, 
 John Cabot for England, that Verrazzano did for 
 France." ' 
 
 The history of Verazzano's second visit to America 
 rightly begins with the attempt of the king of Portugal, 
 in 1 523, to impede the sailing of the vessels preparing 
 for the voyage. The means which King John III. of 
 Portugal employed to frustrate this undertaking are 
 partly described by D'Andrada, the Portuguese his- 
 torian. He says : "At that time the king was told by 
 some Portuguese doing business in France that one 
 Joao Varezano [Giovanni da Varrazzano], a Florentine, 
 offered himself to Francis to discover other kino^doms 
 in the East, which the Portuguese had not found, anS 
 that in the ports of Normandy a fleet was making 
 ready, under the patronage of the admirals of the coast 
 and the dissimulation of Francis, to plant a colony in 
 Santa Cruz, called Brazil, discovered and laid down by 
 the Portuguese on the second voyage to India.^ Ac- 
 cordingly, he [King John III.] sent to France an em- 
 
 ' Giovanni da Verrazzano, the son of Pier Andrea da Verrazzano, was 
 bom at Florence about the year 14S0. 
 
 * Henry Hudson, the navigator. By G. M. Asher. London, 1S60. 
 ■ Hakhiyt Society pub. Introduction, p. 79. 
 
 * The voyage of Pedro Alvarez Cabral, in 150a 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 301 
 
 bassador, Joao da Silveyra, son of Fernao da Silveyra, 
 who delayed his going no longer than was necessary 
 to get ready." ^ 
 
 On his arrival at the court of France, Silveyra 
 pursued his investigations respecting the expedition, 
 and on the twenty-fifth of April, 1523, wrote to King 
 John III., saying : 
 
 " By what I hear Master Joao Verazano, who is 
 going on the discovery of Cathay, has not left up to 
 this date for want of opportunity, and because of dif- 
 ferences, I understand, between himself and men; and 
 on this point, although knowing nothing positively, I 
 have written my doubts in accompanying letters. I 
 shall continue to doubt, unless he take his departure." "^ 
 Silveyra, according to what is said by D'Andrada, 
 " accomplished nothing he had in hand except to delay 
 the voyage of the Florentine." 
 
 Notwithstanding the secret machinations of the 
 king of Portugal, four vessels were finally fitted out 
 and placed under the command of Verrazzano, " to 
 discover new lands." Late in the year 1523, the fleet 
 set sail, but having encountered a severe storm in the 
 North Sea, all the ships were disabled, and Verrazzano, 
 having returned to Brittany to repair the two barques, 
 La Normandle and La Dauphine, afterward sailed 
 in the Dauphine to the New Land.^ 
 
 When he returned to France, he VvTOte an inter- 
 esting letter to Francis L, king of France, dated " on 
 board the ship La Dauphine, in the port of Dieppe, in 
 
 ' Cronica do muyto alto e muyto poderoso rey destes regnos de Portugal 
 Dom Joao o III. deste nome. Francisco d'Andrada. Lisboa, 1613. part. i. 
 cap. 13, 14. 
 
 ^ Letter of Joao da Silveyra to Dom Joao III. Arcliivo de Torre de 
 Tombo. Corp. Cliion. part. i. ma. 29. doc. 54. 
 
 * The ship La Dauphine is spoken of in the Italian text of Verrazzano's 
 letter as " /a nave Daljina." Dalfina is the feminine form of the Italian word 
 daljino, a dolphin. 
 
302 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Normandy, July 8, i524." ' In this communication Ver- 
 razzano relates what had happened to his fleet in the 
 North Sea, how he had carried out the orders of the 
 kino- by sailing in the Dauphine toward the west to go 
 to Cathay, where and when he discovered a new land 
 never before seen by men of ancient or modern times. 
 He then describes the people inhabiting the country, 
 speaks of its various productions, mentions the peculiar 
 physical features of its coast, tells how many leagues he 
 had sailed along it, and concludes with a brief review 
 of the discoveries made to the year i524 in the west- 
 ern hemisphere. His remarks concerning his failure 
 to find a convenient harbor where he first descried 
 land, of his unsuccessful search for one south of the 
 thirty-fourth parallel, of his steering afterward toward 
 the north in quest of a haven, and of his disappoint- 
 ment in this direction, are so applicable to the peculiar 
 features of this part of the eastern coast of the United 
 States, that it is easy to perceive that he faithfull}^ pic- 
 tures the shores of South Carolina and North Carolina, 
 along which he began his explorations. The compari- 
 sons he makes respecting the natives, the flora, the 
 
 ' A manuscript containing the Italian text of Verrazzano's letter was found in 
 1837, by G. W. Greene, consul from the United States at Rome, in the Maglia- 
 becchian library of Florence, in a volume of miscellanies, marked " Class'xiii. 
 Cod. 89. Verraz." With this letter was another written by Fernando Carli to 
 his father, dated Lyons, August 4, 1524. As Carli remarks in his communication 
 that it inclosed a copy of Verrazzano's letter to Francis I., it is believed tliat the 
 transcript he speaks of is the copy found in the Magliabecchian library. — Vide 
 Life and voyages of Verrazzano, by G. W. Greene. North American Re- 
 view, vol. xlv. October, 1837. 
 
 Ramusio placed in the third volume of his collection of voyages and travels 
 a condensed form of Verrazzano's letter, entitled "The relation of Giovanni da 
 Verrazzano, Florentine, to the most Christian king of France, Francis I., of 
 the land l)y him discovered in the name of his majesty ; written at Dieppe, 
 July 8, 1524. — Al Christianissimo Re Di Francia Francesco Prinio, Reliitione 
 di Giovanni da Veri'azano Fioirniino della terra per liti scoperta in name di sua 
 Maesta scriltain Dieppa, adi 8. Lu^^lio M.D.XXIIH." — Raccolta di navigalioni e 
 viaggi. RamusiQ. vol. iii. fol. 350. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 303 
 
 fauna, the climate, and the harbors of the more north- 
 ern part of the coast, prove that he had travelled exten- 
 sively in other parts of the world, and that he was 
 well informed concerning the things he commented 
 upon in his letter. His geographical knowledge is 
 far in advance of that of the scientific men of his time, 
 and he constantly shows that he was practically ac- 
 quainted with all the known means which were then 
 used to ascertain longitude, latitude, and the measure- 
 ment of distances. His opinion that the Orient ex- 
 tended around to the New Land was well founded, 
 since it was not known until the eighteenth century 
 that Behring's Strait separated America from Asia. 
 His reasoning concerning the dimensions of the new 
 continent, that if its breadth corresponded to the extent 
 of its sea-coast it doubtless exceeded Asia in size, is 
 logically correct. Verrazzano's hopefulness that infor- 
 mation of a more satisfactory character respecting the 
 extent of the territory of the New Land would be ob- 
 tained by other explorers, shows that he was less 
 thoughtful of the brilliancy of his own achievements 
 than he was of the more desirable and important re- 
 sults of future voyages to that part of the present coast 
 of the United States, between the thirty-fourth and 
 forty-fifth parallels, of which he is rightfully entitled to 
 be regarded the discoverer. Verrazzano wrote :' 
 
 " Most Serene Sire : 
 
 " After the past fortune on the northern coasts I 
 did not write to your most serene and Christian 
 majesty concerning the success of the four vessels 
 ordered to the ocean to discover new lands, thinking 
 
 ^The copy of Verrazzano's letter has this superscription : "■ II Capitano 
 Giovanni da Verrazzano, Jiorentino di Normandie, al la sej-enissima corona di 
 Francia, dice" : — Captain Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine, from Nor- 
 mandy, to the most serene crown of France, says. 
 
304 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 that you would be informed of all : how, by the im- 
 petuous stress of the winds, we were compelled, with 
 only the ships La Normandie and La Dauphine, in a 
 damaged condition, to put back to Brittany, where 
 they were mended. Your serene majesty has heard 
 of the wandering course we made with these, armed 
 as in war, along the shores of Spain, and afterward of 
 the new purpose to pursue, with the Dauphine alone, 
 the first voyage, from which having returned, I will 
 give your serene majesty an account of what we dis- 
 covered/ 
 
 " From the desert-rock ^ in the sea, near the island 
 of Madeira of the most serene king of Portugal, we 
 departed with the said Dauphine, on the seventeenth 
 
 ^ Hakluyt's translation of the letter published by Ramusio, in 1556, begins 
 with these words . 
 
 " I wrote not to your Maiesty, most Christian King, since the time we 
 suffered the Tempest in the North paries, of the successe of the foure sliippes, 
 which your Maiestie sent forth to discouer new lands by the Ocean, thinliing 
 your Maiestie had bene already duely enformed thereof. Now by these pres- 
 ents I will give your Maiestie to understand how by the violence of the Windes 
 we were forced with tlie two shippes, the Norman and the Dolphin (in such 
 euill case as they were), to land in Britaine. Wliere after wee had repayred 
 them in all poynts as was needful, and armed tliem very well, we took our 
 course along the coast of Spaine, which your Maiestie shall understand by the 
 profile that we receiued thereby. Afterwards with the Dolphin alone we deter- 
 mined to make discouerie of new Countries, to prosecute the Nauigation we 
 had already begun, which I purpose at the present to recount unto to jiour 
 Maiestie, to make manifest the whole proceeding of the matter. 
 
 " The 17 of January, the yeere 1524, by the Grace of God, we departed 
 from the dishabited rocke by the isle of Madeira {Alii, ly. Gcnaro, 1524. Dio 
 gratia partimmo dallo scogUo dishabitaio), appertaining to the king of Portugal, 
 with 50 men, with victuals, weapons, and other ship-munition very well pro- 
 uided and furnished for eight months ; and sailing Westward with a faire East- 
 erly winde {per Ponente naiiigando C07t vento di Lctiante assai piaceuole), in 25 
 dayes we ran 500 leagues, and the 20 of Februarie {alii 20 Febraro), we were 
 ouertaken with as sharpe and terrible a tempest as euer any saylers suffered, 
 whereof with the diuine helpe and mercifuU assistance of Almighty God, and 
 the goodnesse of our shippe, accompanied with the good happe of her fortunate 
 name we were delivered." — F'/a'^ Voyages. London, 1600. vol. ii. p. 295. 
 
 " One of three islands lying in a row from north to south, southeast of the 
 island of Madeira, in north latitude 32° 30', off the west coast of Africa. The 
 islands are called Ilhas Dezertas, and are only inhabited by sea-fowl. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 305 
 
 of the past month of January, with fifty men, furnished 
 with provisions, arms, and other martial instruments, 
 and naval stores for eight months. Sailing westwardly, 
 an easterly wind blowing pleasantly and moderately, 
 we ran in twenty-five days 800 leagues.' On the 
 fourteenth of February [il di 14 Febbrajd), we en- 
 countered a storm as severe as any one navigating 
 ever experienced, from which we were enabled 
 with divine help and goodness to escape, to the 
 praise of the glorious and fortunate name of the 
 ship, which endured the violent waves of the sea, and 
 we pursued our voyage, continuing toward the west, 
 holding a little to the north. In twenty-five more days 
 {in venti cinque altri giorni), we ran 400 other leagues, 
 when there appeared a new land, never before seen by 
 men In ancient or modern times. 
 
 " At first it seemed to be somewhat low. On ap- 
 proaching it within a quarter of a league, we saw by 
 the large fires made on the shore that it was inhabited. 
 We observed that the coast trended toward the south, 
 and we inspected it to discover some harbor which we 
 might enter with the ship to examine the nature of the 
 land, but for fifty leagues along it we could not find a 
 convenient haven where we could safely stay. Seeing 
 
 ^In Verrazzano's geographical explanation of the voyage, he assigns 62J 
 miles to a degree and 4 miles to a marine league. According to this data, 15I 
 marine leagues equal a degree. On Thevet's map of the fourth part of the 
 world, printed in 1575, is a scale of leagues which shows that a marine league 
 was double the length of a French league. With this information it is easy to 
 ascertain the length of a degree in French leagues of Verrazzano's day ; 31^^ 
 according to his explanation, equalling a degree. Columbus made 56I miles 
 equal an equinoctial degree and 60 miles equal to 15 leagues. Pigafetta assigned 
 17^ leagues to a degree. "The land-league is three miles," he says, "the 
 sea-league is four." The modern nautical league is one-twentieth of a degree, 
 or three equatorial miles 01 3.45785 statute miles. A sea-mile, according to the 
 United States standard, is equal to 1. 152664 common statute or land-miles. 
 One degree of longitude at the equator is equal to 6g. 160 land-miles. A French 
 geographical league, according to Verrazzano's reckoning, equals 2-^- land-miles 
 of the United Stales standard. 
 
3o6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the coast continued to run toward the south, we deter- 
 mined to turn and go back to the north, where we 
 found the same want of harbors as we ascended the 
 coast." 
 
 The New Land {Nuova Terra), discovered by Ver- 
 razzano, was first seen by him on the tenth of March, 
 {old style) being that part of the coast of the con- 
 tinent now included in the present territory of North 
 Carohna, north of Cape Fear,' on the thirty-fourth par- 
 allel of north latitude. It appears that Verrazzano had 
 thought of finding land on his way to the Indies, for 
 he says : " My intention in this voyage was to reach 
 Cathay, on the extreme coast of Asia, expecting, how- 
 ever, to find in the newly discovered land some such 
 obstacle as I found." 
 
 " Ordering a boat to carry us ashore, we beheld," 
 says Verrazzano, " many people who had collected on 
 the beach. Seeing us approaching, they fled. Some, 
 however, turned and gazed at us with much curiosity. 
 Assuring them by various signs, a number came near, 
 manifesting great delight in scrutinizing the peculiarities 
 of our clothing, figure, and whiteness. They indicated 
 by signs where we could most easily land with the 
 boat, and proffered us some of their food. What we 
 were able to learn of their life and customs while' on 
 land, I will briefly relate to your majesty. 
 
 " They go nearly naked, wearing only about the 
 loins some skins of small animals similar to the 
 martens. A girdle of woven grass encircles the body, 
 to which they fasten the tails of animals, which hang 
 down as far as the knees. All the rest of the body is 
 nude, as is also the head. Some of them wear drapery 
 in like manner made of the feathers of birds. The color 
 
 ' Cape Fear is in 33° 48' noi-tli lalitiule. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 307' 
 
 of these people is black (iieri), not very different from 
 that of the Ethiopians. Their hair is black and thick, 
 but not very long ; it is worn tied back upon the head 
 in the form of a little tail.' In person they are of good 
 proportion, of middle-stature, a little above our own, 
 broad across the breast, strong in the arms, and well- 
 formed in the legs and other parts of the body ; the 
 only exception to their good looks is that they have 
 broad faces, but not all of them, for we saw many 
 who had sharp ones, with large black eyes and a 
 fixed expression. They are not very strong in body, 
 but acute in mind, active and swift of foot as far as 
 we could perceive by observation. They greatly re- 
 semble in these two last particulars the_ people of 
 the East, especially those of the remote regions. We 
 were not able to learn much concerninof their habits on 
 account of our short stay on land and the distance of 
 our ship from the shore." 
 
 Verrazzano designated his first landing-place on 
 the coast of the New Land by calling it Diepa, the 
 Italian form of the French name Dieppe, that of the 
 port from which he had sailed to make discoveries in 
 the western hemisphere. Visconte de Maiollo, on his 
 map of the world made in 1627, places the name Diepa 
 on the coast of Francesca, a little north of Terra 
 Florida.^ 
 
 Describing his next place of anchorage, Verrazzano 
 says : " We found not far from this people another, 
 whose mode of life we judged to be similar to that of 
 
 ' The translation of Verrazzano's letter by Joseph G. Cogswell, contained 
 in the New York Historical Society's collections, second series, vol. i. pp. 37- 
 54, will be followed hereafter, except when a better rendering may be presented. 
 
 ^ Vide section of Maiollo map in the cover-pocket. The scale of latitudes 
 on the margin of this part of the map has been appended to indicate the posi- 
 tion given to places by Visconte de Maiollo. A similar scale is engraved on 
 another part of the rare map. 
 
3o8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 the former. The whole shore is covered with fine sand 
 about fifteen feet deep, rising in the form of little hills 
 about fifty paces broad. Ascending farther, we found 
 several arms of the sea which, entering through inlets, 
 washed the shore on each side as the coast trends. 
 An extensive country appears, rising somewhat above 
 the level of the sandy beach in beautiti.il fields and 
 broad plains, covered with immense forests, more or 
 less dense, the foliage of the trees being of various 
 colors, too attractive and charming to be described. I 
 do not believe that these are like the Hercynian forest, 
 or the rough solitudes of Scythia, or the northern 
 regions full of vines and trees, but growing with palms,' 
 laurels, cypresses, and other varieties of trees unknown 
 in Europe, which exhale a very sweet fragrance a 
 great distance. We could not examine them closely 
 for the reasons already mentioned, and not on account 
 of any difficulty in traversing the woods, which, on the 
 contrary, are easily penetrated. 
 
 " As the Orient stretches around to this country," 
 I do not think that it Is devoid of the same kind of 
 drugs and aromatic liquors, nor of other resources as 
 gold and the like, which the color of the earth indi- 
 cated.3 The country abounds with many animals as 
 deer, stags, hares, and the like. It is plentifully Sup- 
 plied with lakes and ponds of running water, and with 
 a great variety of birds, fit and useful for every kind of 
 pleasant and delightful sport. This land lies in 34°. 
 
 ' Palmetto trees. 
 
 * It was not until 172S that this conception of the navigator was disproved. 
 Then Vitus Behring discovered tlie strait whicli divides the two continents. 
 The distance between East Cape in Asia and Cape Prince of Wales on the con- 
 tinent of America is forty-five miles. 
 
 * '^Ne pensiamo participando dello oriente per la circtimferenza sieno senza 
 qualche drogheria o liquore ai-ornatico, et altre divitie oro ed altro del quale colore 
 la terra tulla tcnde." 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 309 
 
 The air is salubrious, pure, and of a temperature 
 neither hot nor cold. There are no impetuous winds 
 in these regions, the most prevalent being the north- 
 west and west, 
 
 " When we were there in summer-time the sky- 
 was clear with little rain, and if fogs and mists were at 
 any time driven in by the south wind, they quickly 
 disappeared, and the sky became again serene and 
 bright. The sea is tranquil and not stormy. Although 
 the whole coast is low and without harbors, it is not 
 dangerous to navigate, being free from rocks and bold, 
 so that within four or five fathoms from the shore 
 there are twenty-four feet of water at all times of tide, 
 and this depth uniformly increases as you go farther 
 into the sea. The holding ground is so good that no 
 ship can part her cable, however strong the wind may 
 be, as we proved by experience, for while riding at 
 anchor on the coast we were overtaken by a gale in 
 the beginning of March, when the winds are high, as is 
 usual in all countries, and we found our anchor broken 
 before it started from its place or moved at all." 
 
 " March being the season in our southern climate, 
 when vegetation of all kinds is putting forth," says an 
 American writer, residing in South Carolina, " the 
 woods presented to the stranger a greater variety of 
 charms than he had ever beheld. The trees, green 
 and beautiful with the living verdure of our early 
 spring, were bending down v/ith rich clusters of golden 
 jessamine, which spread their rich perfume over the 
 whole air, while the underbrush embraced a collection 
 of aromatic shrubs and wild flowers, which might easily 
 be mistaken for the rich spices of oriental production." ' 
 
 After inspecting the sandy, harborless shore of On- 
 
 * Historical collections of South Carolina. By B. R. Carroll, vol. i. p. xxi. 
 
3IO DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 slow Bay, Verrazzano sailed eastwardly in order to 
 double Cape Lookout, in 34° 37' north latitude. " We 
 set sail from this place," he says, " continuing to coast 
 along the shore, which we found turned to the west, 
 [east in the direction in which he was sailing]. The 
 inhabitants were numerous, for we saw every-where 
 many fires.' While at anchor on this coast, there being 
 no harbor to enter, we sent the boat to the shore with 
 twenty-five men to obtain water, but it was impossible 
 to land without endangering the boat, on account of 
 the very high surf thrown upon the shore by the sea, 
 as it was an open roadstead.^ Many natives came to 
 the beach, and signified by various friendly signs that 
 we might trust ourselves on land. One of their noble 
 deeds of friendship deserves to be made known to your 
 majesty. A young sailor was attempting to swim 
 ashore through the surf to carry them some knick- 
 knacks, as little bells, looking-glasses, and similar 
 trifles, when after approaching near to three or four 
 natives and casting them the things and turning about 
 to get back to the boat, he was overturned by the 
 waves and so dashed by them upon the beach that he 
 lay there as if he were dead. When the people saw 
 him in this condition they ran and took him up by the 
 head, legs, and arms, and carried him some distance 
 from the surf. The young man, finding himself borne 
 off in this way, uttered very loud shrieks in fear and 
 dismay, while they answered as best they could in 
 their language, intimating that he had no cause for 
 fear. Afterward they laid him down at the foot of a 
 little hill, where tuey took off his shirt and trousers, and 
 
 ' In Ramusio's text the word is oriente, east. Raccolta di navigalioni e 
 viaggi. Ramusio. vol. ii. fol. 350. 
 
 It was the custom of the aborigines to set fire to the underbrush in spring to 
 enable them to hunt and to inclose game within the limits of the burning wood. 
 
 ' The harbor of Beaufort was too far inland to be seen by Verrazzano. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 311 
 
 examined him, expressing the greatest astonishment 
 at the whiteness of his skin. Our sailors in the boat 
 seeing a great fire kindled and their companion placed 
 very near it, full of fear, as is usual in all cases of a 
 novel character, imagined that the natives were about 
 to roast him for food. But as soon as he had recovered 
 his strength, after a short stay with them, and had 
 shown by signs that he wished to return to the boat, 
 they affectionately hugged him and accompanied him 
 to the beach, where leaving him, they withdrew to a 
 little hill, that he might feel more free, and watched 
 him until he was safe in the boat. This young man 
 reported that these people were black as the others, 
 that they had shining skin, middle-stature, but sharper 
 faces and very delicate bodies and limbs, and that they 
 were inferior in strength but quicker in thought. This 
 is all he observed." 
 
 After this adventure, which likely occurred some- 
 where on the coast near the thirty-sixth parallel, per- 
 haps in the vicinity of Roanoke Island, North Caro- 
 lina, Verrazzano steered northwardly, and while sailing 
 at night passed by the entrance to Chesapeake Bay 
 and anchored off the coast of Virginia, some distance 
 north of Cape Charles, which is in 37° 3'. 
 
 "Departing from this place [the coast of North 
 Carolina], and always following the coast which trended 
 toward the north, we came," says Verrazzano, "in the 
 space of fifty leagues to another land, which appeared 
 very beautiful and full of large forests. We approached 
 it and going ashore with twenty men, went back from 
 the coast about two leagues, and found that the people 
 had fied and hid themselves in the woods in fear. By 
 searching around we discovered in the grass a very 
 old woman with a young girl of about eighteen or 
 
312 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 twenty years of age, who had concealed themselves 
 for the same reason. The old woman carried two in- 
 fants on her shoulders, and behind her neck a litde boy 
 about eight years old. When we came upon them 
 they began to shriek and make signs to the men who 
 had fled to the woods. We gave them a part of our 
 provisions, which they accepted with delight, but the 
 girl would not touch any, every thing we offered to 
 her being thrown down in great anger. We took the 
 litde boy from the old woman to carry him with us to 
 France, and would have taken the girl also, who was 
 very beautiful and very tall, but it was impossible on 
 account of the piercing shrieks she uttered, when we 
 attempted to lead her away. Having to pass some 
 woods, and being far from the ship, we determined to 
 leave her and only take the boy. We found these 
 people fairer i^piii bianchi) than those we had passed. 
 From certain grasses hanging from the branches of 
 trees, they make their clothing ; the grasses being 
 woven together with threads of wild hemp. Their 
 heads were uncovered and of the same shape as the 
 other natives we had seen. Their food is a kind of 
 pulse which abounds there, different in color and in 
 size from ours, and of a very pleasant taste. Besides 
 they use birds and fish for food, which they take with 
 snares, and bows made of hard wood. Their arrows 
 are reeds, in the ends of which they fasten the bones 
 of fish and of animals. The animals in these regions 
 are wilder than those in Europe by being more fre- 
 quently molested by those hunting them. We saw 
 many of their boats constructed of a single tree, 
 twenty feet long and four feet wide, fabricated without 
 the use of stone or iron or other metal. Along the 
 whole coast which we explored for the space of two 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 313 
 
 hundred leagues, we saw no stone of any sort. To 
 hollow out the log they burn as much of it as will form 
 the concave part of the boat, and also form the ends 
 which are to be the prow and stern, to make the boat 
 float well. The land in situation, fertility, and beauty 
 is like the other, covered with forests, filled with dif- 
 ferent kinds of trees but not such fragrant ones, since 
 the region is farther north and colder." 
 
 While exploring the peninsula of Virginia, the 
 warm-hearted and sympathetic Florentine was pleas- 
 ingly reminded of his own delightful country by seeing 
 many wild grape-vines festooning the tall forest trees. 
 He observed that the savages carefully removed the 
 shading shrubbery near the prolific vines, so that the 
 ripening rays of the sun could fall on the green fruit. 
 
 " We saw in this country," he says, "many vines 
 growing naturally, entwining themselves about the 
 trees, climbing as they do in Cisalpine Gaul, which, if 
 they were dressed in the right way of cultivation by 
 husbandmen, they would produce without doubt the 
 best of wines, because often the fruit of that drinking 
 is agreeable and sweet, seeing it is not different from 
 our own, i^perche piu volte ilfrutto di qitello beeiido, veg- 
 gendo suave e dolce noii dal nost7^o differente). The 
 vines are held in high estimation by the inhabitants, 
 for they take away all the surrounding concealing 
 shrubbery to enable the fruit to grow.^ 
 
 * In Hakluyt's translation of the text of Ramusio's condensed copy of Ver- 
 razzano's letter is the following respecting the vines of Virginia : "We saw in 
 this country many vines growing naturally, which, growing up, took holde of 
 the trees as they doe in Lombardie, which if by husbandmen they were dressed 
 in good order, without all doubt they would yeeld excellent wines ; for hauing 
 oftentimes scene the fruit thereof dryed ; which was sweete and pleasant, and 
 not differing from ours, we thinke that they doe esteeme the same, because 
 in euery place where they growe, they take away the under branches growing 
 round about, that the fruit thereof may ripen the better." — Voyages. Hakluyt. 
 vol. ii. p. 297. 
 
314 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " We also found," Verrazzano further relates," wild 
 roses, violets, lilies, and many kinds of plants and 
 fragrant flowers differing from our own. We cannot 
 describe the habitations of the people as the structures 
 were in the interior, but from various indications we 
 concluded they were formed of trees and shrubs. 
 There were also many signs which led us to suppose 
 that the inhabitants often sleep in the open air without 
 any covering but the sky. We are ignorant of their 
 other habits. We believe, however, that all the people 
 we were among live in the same way." 
 
 When Verrazzano w^as on land with the twenty 
 men, he crossed the narrow peninsula of Virginia and 
 beheld the wide expanse of Chesapeake Bay.' This 
 great body of water, stretching toward the north and 
 south as far as he could see, and spreading westward to 
 an unknown distance, led the surprised explorer to 
 imagine that it was a part of the Indian Ocean, i^Mare 
 Indicum), by which, if there were a navigable entrance 
 to it, he might sail to Cathay." Ignorant of the fact that 
 he had already passed at night the channel leading to this 
 expanse of water, Verrazzano entertained the thought 
 that he mis^ht discover one alonof the coast farther 
 northward. AlthouQ^h he determined not to sail as^ain 
 at night along the New Land, and resolved to inspect 
 its coast more closely thereafter, he failed to find a 
 passage to the assumed western sea, when he sailed 
 northward. After returning to France, he made a map 
 
 * Chesapeake Bay " extends 190 miles from its mouth, into the States of 
 Virginia and Maryland ; it is from 7 to twenty miles broad, and generally 9 
 fathoms deep." 
 
 The peninsula is " about 60 miles long, and from 10 to 15 wide, and 
 bounded toward the sea by a string of low sandy islets. The waters of the 
 Chesapeake enter the sea between Cape Charles and Cape Henry, forming a 
 strait of fifteen miles in width." — Gazetteer of Virginia and the District of 
 Columbia. By Joseph Martin. 1835. pp. 23, 18. 
 
 ^ Vide Maiollo map of 1527 in the cover-pocket. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 315 
 
 on which he represented this sea separated from the 
 Atlantic Ocean by a narrow neck of land, similar in out- 
 line and situation to the northern part of the peninsula 
 of Virginia. This is corroborated by Hakluyt, the 
 English collector, who says : " Master John Verazanus, 
 which had been thrise on that coast, in an olde excel- 
 lent mappe which he gave to King Henrie the eight, 
 and is yet in the custodie of Master Locke, doth so lay 
 it out."' 
 
 Verrazzano's brother, Hieronymus, also made a map 
 of New France, on which he placed this explanatory 
 inscription respecting this part of the coast, which he 
 also delineates as a narrow tract of land : " From this 
 eastern sea [the Atlantic] one beholds the western sea ; 
 there are six miles of land between them." ^ The Sea 
 of Verrazzano [Afare de Verrasana), represented on 
 the fan-shaped map made by Michael Locke, in i582," 
 was, as Hakluyt affirms, " according to Verazanus 
 plat," which " laieth out the sea makinge a litde necke 
 of land in 40 degrees of latitude much like the streyte 
 necke or istmus of Dariena."^ 
 
 Sailing northwardly from the peninsula of Virginia, 
 Verrazzano proceeded leisurely along the coast 
 searching for an entrance to the so-called western 
 sea. Although he does not speak of entering Dela- 
 ware Bay, there is no testimony to contradict the asser- 
 tion that he explored it. Describing his voyage along 
 the coasts of the present states of Maryland, Delaware, 
 and New Jersey, Verrazzano writes : " After hav- 
 ing remained here three days, riding at anchor 
 
 * " Epistle dedicatorie " to Hakluyt's Divers voyages, 15S2. 
 
 ^ " Da qussto mare orientale si vede il mare occideniale j sono 6 miglia di 
 terra infra F uno a I' altro." 
 
 ^ Hakluyt's Particular discourse, 1584. 
 
 Tlie English collector illustrates his Divers voyages with Locke's map, 
 which the English cartographer dedicated to Sir Philip Sidney. 
 
3i6 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 off the coast [of Virginia], for we could not find a 
 harbor, we determined to depart, sailing always 
 along the shore, which trended to the northeast, only 
 navigating in day-time and coming to anchor at night." 
 
 About the last of April, i524, the Dauphine arrived 
 ofT the low point of land, now called Sandy Hook, 
 designated on Maiollo's map of i52y as C. de S. Maria 
 (Cape of St. Mary).' Seeing the convenient haven 
 north of it, Verrazzano changed the vessel's course and 
 slowly sailed into the spacious roadstead. Having 
 found a suitable riding-place, the French barque cast 
 her anchor in the sight of a multitude of interested 
 natives, who from the neighboring hills witnessed the 
 first mooring of a European ship in the tranquil waters 
 of the large bay. 
 
 The ship's boat being manned, Verrazzano began 
 to explore the mouth of the great river, as he designated 
 the channel now called the Narrows. Eajjer to know 
 the destination of the strange explorers, the curious 
 natives thronged the shores of Staten and Lons: islands 
 as Verrazzano and his men passed up the Narrows in 
 mid-stream toward the upper bay, which the enthusiastic 
 Italian denominated a very beautiful lake. Entering 
 the commodious bay, Verrazzano hastily surveyed its 
 islands and inlets, the mouth of the noble river»flowing 
 into it, and the distant highlands dimly defined along 
 the northern horizon. Describing his short exploration 
 of the upper bay of New York, Verrazzano writes : 
 
 " At the end of one hundred leagues we discovered 
 a very delightful place among some small hills, eminen- 
 ces, between which ran a very great river {iina graii- 
 dissima riviera) to the ocean, which was deep within 
 to the mouth, and from the sea to the enlargement of 
 
 ' Sandy Hook light-house is in 40° 27' 39" north latitude. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 317 
 
 the bay the rise of the tide was eight feet, and through 
 it any heavy ship can pass/ 
 
 " As in good duty we did not wish to run the risk 
 of penetrating the coast without knowledge of the mouth 
 of the river, we took the boat and entered the river with- 
 in the country where we found it to be thickly inhabited 
 and the people resembling the others we had seen, 
 adorned with birds' feathers of different colors, comine 
 toward us with evident delight, uttering very loud cries 
 of admiration, indicating, if we had to land with the 
 boat, where it was most safe. We entered the said 
 river within the country about half a league, where 
 we saw it formed a most beautiful lake (tm bellissimo 
 lago), about three leagues in compass, upon which we 
 saw boats, thirty in number, moving from one part to 
 another with innumerable people, who passed from 
 shore to shore to see us.^ Very suddenly, as is wont 
 to happen to those navigating, an impetuous contrary 
 wind blew in from the sea, compelling us to return to 
 the ship. We departed from this region with much 
 displeasure on account of its extent and attractiveness, 
 for we believed that it was not without some resources 
 of wealth as all the hills indicated the existence of 
 minerals in them." 
 
 ' At Sandy Hook, a low, sandy point of land, eighteen miles from the city 
 of New York, are two ship-channels through wliich vessels of the heaviest 
 tonnage can pass. Immediately north of Sandy Hook is the spacious road- 
 stead called the Lower Bay. Between Staten Island, north of it, and Long 
 Island is the Narrows, a channel about one mile and a half long by one wide. 
 North of it is the Upper Bay or harbor of New York. 
 
 ^ The Upper Bay or harbor of New York, about eight miles long by five 
 wide, lies between the mouth of the Hudson River on the norlh and the 
 Narrows on the south. From the bay, vessels can pass into the East River 
 and thence to Long Island Sound, between Long Island and the main-land. 
 Westward is Newark Bay, through which vessels can pass from the Upper Bay 
 of New York, thence into Staten Island Sound, thence into Raritan Bay and 
 the Lower Bay. The rise and fall of the tide in the harbor of New York is 
 about four and a half feet. 
 
3i8 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 As a geographical designation for the very great 
 river {ima grandissima riviera), the name Grande 
 (Great) River was used by some of the most celebrated 
 map-makers of Europe, during the sixteenth century. 
 In the seventeenth century, when the Dutch took 
 possession of this part of New France, the Dutch syn- 
 onym, " Groote," was substituted for the Italian desig- 
 nation. The Spaniards, who explored the coast of 
 North America after Verrazzano had inspected it, gave 
 different names to the river. 
 
 Henry Hudson was induced to explore the Grande 
 River by Captain John Smith, who believed that the 
 English navigator could find a strait connecting it with 
 the western sea (Mare Indicum) delineated on Verraz- 
 zano's map. In the summer of 1609, when Hudson 
 attempted to sail to Asia by a passage north of Novaya 
 Zemlya, and was compelled to abandon the project 
 on account of the barrier of ice surrounding the island, 
 it is said he placed before the officers and crew of the 
 Half Moon (Halve Maen), the choice of one of two pro- 
 posals. Respecting the proposals of which they had the 
 consideration, the Dutch historian. Van Meteren, thus 
 speaks : " Master Hudson gave them their choice of 
 two things, the first was to go to the coast of America, 
 at the fortieth degree of latitude, mostly incited to this 
 by letters and maps which a certain Captain Smith had 
 sent him from Virginia, and on which he showed him 
 a sea by which he might circumnavigate their southern 
 colony [Virginia] from the north, and from there pass 
 into a western sea. The other proposal was to seek 
 the passage by Davis's Strait." ' 
 
 Hudson, besides knowing the situation of the noble 
 
 ' Belgische ofte Nederlandsclie oorlogen ende geschiedenissen beginnende 
 van 't jaer 1595 tot 1611. — Door Emanuel van Meteren. 1611. Lock xxx. 
 fol. 327. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 319 
 
 stream, was also informed that it was called the Great 
 (Grande) River. Robert Juet, the journalist of the 
 voyage of 1609, recording the incidents of the last 
 day's exploration of the river, writes : " Within a 
 while after, we came out also of the p-reat mouth of 
 the great RiuerT ^ 
 
 De Laet, the Dutch historian, writing in 1625, 
 mentions the fact that the Dutch used the name 
 " Great " for the river in preference to all the other 
 appellations designating it : " The great north river 
 of New Netherland was called by some the Manhattes 
 river, from the people who dwell near its mouth ; by 
 others, Rio de Montaignes (River of the Mountains), 
 but by our countrymen it was mostly called ' de groote 
 rieviere ' (the Great river)." ^ As early as the year 
 1624, the name " Hudson's River" was inscribed on 
 maps to designate the stream discovered by Verraz- 
 zano.3 
 
 Sailing from the mouth of the Grande River, be- 
 tween the Cape of Saint Mary (C. de S. Maria) and 
 the point of land denominated Anguileme'* on Maiollo's 
 map of 1 527, Verrazzano coasted along the south side 
 of Long Island for fifty leagues, at the end of which 
 he passed the eastern extremity of the island, now 
 
 ^ Purchas his Pilgrimes. vol. iii. p. 595. 
 
 ^ '' De groote noordt rievier van Nieiiw-Nederlandt wordt hy eenighe 
 gkenoemt de Manhattes rieviere naer volckeren die by naer aent begin ofte de 
 mout van de rieviere luoonen y by andere oock Rio de Montaigne ; dock hy de onse 
 wordt nieest genoemt de groote rieviere." — Nieuwe Wereldt. Door Johannes de 
 Laet. Tot Leyden, 1625. Boeck iii. cap. ix. 
 
 ^ Vide map entitled : 't Noorder deel van West-Indien, contained in the 
 rare work in Dutch : West-Indische Spieghel. Door Alhanasium Inga, 
 Penien, van Cusco, Amsterdam, 1624. The map-maker's name, A. Goos, 
 is inscribed on the chart. 
 
 * Angouleme, a town on the Charente River, in France, sixty-six miles 
 northeast of Bordeaux. Angouleme, with the territory of Angoumois, was 
 governed from the ninth to the fourteenth century by counts. Francis I., be- 
 fore he became king of France, was Comte d' Angouleme. 
 
320 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 called Montauk Point. While seeking, during a storm, 
 a port of refuge eastward of Long Island, Verrazzano 
 discovered the island now called Block Island, which 
 he describes as triangular in form, and in size about 
 equal to the island of Rhodes." Block Island lies 
 southwest of Narragansett Bay, and is about eight 
 miles lonor and about five miles broad at its widest 
 part. Verrazzano called it Luisa, the name of the 
 mother of King Francis I., Louise, the daughter of 
 Philippe, duke of Savoy. The orthography of the 
 Italian name, as presented by Visconte de Maiollo 
 on his map of the world of 1627, was soon corrupted 
 by map-makers, and on a number of charts of the six- 
 teenth century it is inscribed " Brisa " and " Briso." 
 The names " Claude " and " Claudia " appear on some 
 maps as designations for it, used most likely, in honor 
 of Claude, the wife of Francis I., the first being the 
 French orthography of the appellation, and the latter 
 the Italian. 
 
 The departure of the Dauphine from the mouth of 
 the Grande River, Verrazzano thus describes : " Weigh- 
 ing anchor, we sailed fifty leagues toward the east, as 
 the coast trended in that direction, and always in sight 
 of it. At the end of the course Vve discovered an 
 island of a triangular form about ten leagues from tlib 
 main-land, in size about equal to the island of Rhodes, 
 having many hills covered with trees, and well peo- 
 pled, judging from the great number of fires we saw 
 all around it. We gave it the name of your majesty's 
 illustrious mother. We did not land on it, as the 
 weather was unfavorable." 
 
 Sailing northeasterly from Block Island, the Italian 
 explorer beheld the coast of the main-land, and an- 
 
 * The island of Rhodes, lying olT the southwest coast of Asia Minor, be- 
 tween 35" 50' and 36° 30' north latitude, has an area of about 452 squaie miles. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 321 
 
 chored the Dauphine in Narragansett Bay, Rhode 
 Island. Speaking of the discovery of the commodious 
 bay, designated on Maiollo's map by the ItaHan name, 
 " Refugio," Verrazzano says : 
 
 " We proceeded to another place fifteen leagues 
 distant from the island, where we found a very excel- 
 lent harbor. Before entering it we saw about twenty 
 small boats filled with people, who came to the ship 
 with various cries and wonderment. But they would 
 not approach nearer than fifty paces. Stopping, they 
 looked at the structure of the ship, our persons, and 
 dress. Afterward they all cried out loudly together, 
 signifying that they were delighted. By imitating 
 their signs we inspired them with a measure of confi- 
 dence, so that they came near enough for us to toss 
 them some little bells and glasses and many toys, 
 which they took and looked at laughing, and then 
 came on board without fear. Amone them were two 
 kings more attractive in form and stature than can be 
 described. One was about forty years old, the other 
 about twenty-four, and they were dressed in the fol- 
 lowinof fashion. 
 
 " The elder king had the skin of a deer wrapped 
 around his nude body, artificially made with various 
 embroideries to decorate it. His head was bare. His 
 hair was bound behind with various bands, and around 
 his neck he wore a large chain ornamented with many 
 stones of different colors. The younger king was like 
 him in appearance. This was the finest-looking people 
 and the handsomest in their costumes that we found 
 in our voyage. They exceed us in size, and are of a 
 very fair complexion {sono di colore bianchissimo) ; 
 some of them incline more to a white, and others to a 
 tawny color. Their faces are sharp ; their hair is long 
 
322 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 and black, on the adornment of which they bestow 
 great care. Their eyes are black and keen ; their 
 demeanor is gentle and attractiv^e, very much like that 
 of the ancients. I say nothing to your majesty of the 
 other parts of the body that are all in good proportion 
 as belong to well-formed men. 
 
 "The women resemble them in size, and are very 
 graceful and handsome, and quite attractive in dress 
 and manners. They had no other clothing except a 
 deer-skin, ornamented as were the skins worn by the 
 men. Some had very rich lynx-skins upon their arms, 
 and wore various ornaments upon their heads, braided 
 In their hair, which hung down upon their breasts. 
 Others wore different ornaments, such as those of the 
 women of Egypt and Syria. The older and the mar- 
 ried people, both men and women, wore many orna- 
 ments in their ears, hanging down in Oriental fashion. 
 
 " We saw on them pieces of wrought copper, which 
 is more esteemed by them than gold, the latter being 
 deemed the most ordinary of metals, yellow being a 
 color much disliked by them. Blue and red are the 
 colors which they value most highly. Of the things 
 which we gave them, they preferred the bells, azure 
 crystals, and other toys, which they hung in their ears 
 and about their necks. They do not value or desire to 
 have silk or gold-drapery, or other kinds of cloth, nor 
 Implements of steel or iron. When we showed them 
 our weapons, they expressed no admiration, and only 
 asked how they were made. The same indifference 
 was manifested when they were given the looking- 
 glasses, which they with smiles returned to us as soon 
 as they had looked at them. They are very generous, 
 giving away whatever they have. 
 
 " We formed a great friendship with them, and one 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 323 
 
 day we entered into port with our ship, having before 
 rode at the distance of a league from the shore, as the 
 weather was unfavorable. They came to the ship with 
 a number of their little boats, with their faces painted 
 with different colors, manifesting real signs of joy, 
 bringing us of their provisions, and signifying to us 
 where we could best ride in safety with our ship, 
 and keeping with us until we had cast anchor. 
 
 " We remained among them fifteen days to pro- 
 vide ourselves with many things of which we were in 
 want, during which time they came every day to see 
 our ship, bringing with them their wives, of whom they 
 were very careful, for, although they came on board 
 themselves, and remained a long while, they made 
 their wives stay in the boats, nor could we ever get 
 them on board by any solicitations or any presents we 
 could make them. One of the two kings, however, 
 often came with his queen and many attendants to see 
 us for his amusement. But he always stopped on land 
 at the distance of about two hundred paces from us, 
 and sent a boat to announce his intended visit, saying 
 they would come and see our ship. This was done 
 for safety, and as soon as they had received our an- 
 swer, they came and remained some time to look 
 around. On hearing the annoying cries of the sailors, 
 the king sent the queen, with her attendants, in a very 
 light boat to wait, near an island, a quarter of a league 
 distant, while he remained a long time on board, talk- 
 ing with us by signs, and expressing his fanciful no- 
 tions about every thing in the ship, and asking the use 
 of all. After imitatinsf our modes of salutation, and 
 tasting our food, he courteously took leave of us. 
 Once, when our men remained two or three days on 
 a small island near the ship for their various necessi- 
 
324 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 ties, as sailors are wont to do, he came with seven or 
 eight of his attendants to inquire about our movements, 
 often askinof us if we intended to remain there lonof, 
 and offering us every thing at his command. Some- 
 times he would shoot with his bow, and run up and 
 down with his people, making great sport for us. We 
 often went five or six leagues into the interior, and 
 found the country as pleasant as can be conceived, 
 adapted to cultivation of every kind, whether of corn, 
 wine, or oil. There are open, plains twenty-five and 
 thirty leagues in length, entirely free from trees or 
 other obstructions, and so fertile that whatever is sown 
 there will yield an excellent crop. On entering the 
 woods, we observed that they might all be traversed 
 by any large army. The trees in them v/ere oaks, cy- 
 presses, and others unknown in Europe. We found, 
 also, apples, plums, filberts, and many other fruits, but 
 of a difTerent kind from ours. The animals, which are 
 in great numbers, stags, deer, lynx, and many other 
 kinds, are taken with snares and by bows ; the latter is 
 the principal weapon of the natives. Their arrows are 
 beautifully made. For points they use emery, jasper, 
 hard marble, and other sharp stones instead of iron. 
 They also use the same kind of sharp stones in cutting 
 down trees, and with them construct their boats of single 
 logs, hollowed out with admirable skill, and sufficient- 
 ly commodious to seat ten or twelve persons. Their 
 oars are short, with broad blades, and are rowed by 
 the force of the arms, with the greatest care and as 
 rapidly as they wish. 
 
 " We saw their dwellings, which are circular in form, 
 about ten or twelve paces in circumference, made of 
 logs split in half, without any regularity of architecture, 
 and covered with roofs of straw, nicely put on, which 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 325 
 
 protect them from wind and rain. Tliere is no doubt 
 that they would build stately edifices if they had work- 
 men as skillful as ours, for the whole sea-coast abounds 
 with shining stones, crystals, and alabaster, and on this 
 account it has dens and retreats for animals. They 
 change their habitations from place to place, as circum- 
 stances of situation and season may require. This is 
 easily done, for they have only to take with them their 
 mats, and they have other houses immediately pre- 
 pared. 
 
 " The father and the whole family dwell together 
 in one house. In some of their houses we saw twenty- 
 five or thirty persons. Their food is pulse, as that of 
 the other people, which is here better than elsewhere, 
 and more carefully cultivated. In the time of sowing 
 they are governed by the moon, which they think ef- 
 fects the sprouting of the grain. They have many 
 other ancient customs. They live by hunting and 
 fishing, and they are long lived. If they fall sick * 
 * * ' they cure themselves without medicine, with 
 the heat of fire. Death comes to them at last from 
 extreme old age. We judged them to be very affec- 
 tionate and charitable toward their relatives, for they 
 make loud lamentations in their adversity, and in their 
 misery call to remembrance all their good deeds. 
 When they die their relations mutually join in weep- 
 ing mingled with singing for a long while. This is all 
 that we could learn of them. 
 
 " This region is situated on the parallel of Rome, 
 in 4i| degrees, as I shall narrate hereafter to your 
 serene majesty.^ At present I shall describe the situa- 
 tion of this place. At its south end the channel is nar- 
 
 * Blank space in the original copy. 
 
 'Newport is in 41° 29', and the city of Providence in 41° 49' 22" north 
 latitude. 
 
326 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 row and a half league wide. It extends, between east 
 [south ?], and north, twelve leagues. Then it enlarges 
 and forms a very spacious bay twenty leagues in cir- 
 cuit, in which are five small islands, very fertile and 
 attractive, and covered with high trees. The bay is so 
 spacious that between these islands any number of 
 vessels might ride at ease without fear of tempests and 
 and other dangers. At the entrance of the bay, farther 
 south, there are very attractive hills on both sides of 
 the channel, and many streams of clear water flow 
 from the eminences into the sea. In the middle of the 
 mouth there is a rock of freestone {iino scoglio di viva 
 pictra)y formed by nature and suitable for the construc- 
 tion of any kind of machine or bulwark for the defence 
 of the haven." 
 
 Verrazzano's description of Narragansett Bay, 
 named Port du Refuge on Gastaldi's map of i553,^ is 
 so accurate that without any other information it would 
 be easy to determine the situation of the place where 
 for fifteen days, ending the sixth of May {old style), he 
 and his crew held familiar intercourse with the friendly 
 Indians inhabitinof the islands and the main-land in the 
 vicinity of the anchorage of the Dauphine. The lati- 
 tude of the bay given by Verrazzano cannot be gainsaid."" 
 
 ' Vide Gastaldi's map. 
 
 'As described by a late writer ; "Narragansett Bay is one of the most 
 beautiful sheets of water in the United States ; it is unrivalled for its navigable 
 advantages, affording at all times a safe and ready communication witli the 
 ocean ; and its shores, which are indented with innumerable bays and inlets 
 containing many excellent harbors. This bay * * * extends more 
 than thirty miles into the interior of the state, and for this distance affords 
 superior advantages for ship-navigation. The whole extent of the bay and 
 river, from Point Judith to Providence, is about thirty-six miles. The average 
 breadth of the lower section of the bay is nearly ten miles ; but the upper part 
 is narrow. Exclusive of the islands, of which there are about fifteen in num- 
 ber, and some of considerable extent, the waters of the bay comprise an area of 
 about one hundred and thirty square miles." — Gazetteer of Connecticut and 
 Rhode Island. 1S19. pp. 302, 303, 349, 359, 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 327 
 
 Departing, on the sixth of May, from Port du 
 Refuge, the Dauphine sailed on a southeasterly course to 
 pass the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. 
 Having steered fifty leagues in this direction, Verraz- 
 zano found the coast to trend toward the north, which 
 he followed until he again cast anchor off the coast of 
 Maine, a little north of the forty-third parallel. 
 
 The wary aborigines of this part of the New Land 
 would not venture near the Dauphine, nor could they be 
 induced to part with their commodities until they were 
 remunerated with such thingfs as were most useful to 
 them. The landing of twenty-five men from the vessel 
 provoked an attack, and yet after this show of hostility 
 the Indians fled to the woods. 
 
 Speaking of his departure from Narragansett Bay, 
 Verrazzano writes : " Having supplied ourselves with 
 every thing necessary, on the sixth of May \old style\y 
 w^e departed from the port, and sailed one hundred and 
 fifty leagues, keeping close enough to the coast not to 
 lose it from our sight. The character of the country 
 appeared much the same as before, but the mountains 
 were a little higher, and in all appearance rich in 
 minerals. 
 
 " We did not stop to land, as the weather was very 
 favorable for pursuing our voyage, and the country 
 presented no variety. The shore stretched to the east, 
 and fifty leagues beyond more to the north, where we 
 found a more elevated country, full of very dense woods 
 of pine, cypress, and the like, indicative of a cold 
 climate. 
 
 ** The people were entirely different from the others 
 we had seen, whom we had found kind and gentle, but 
 these were so rude and barbarous that we were unable, 
 by any signs we could make, to hold any communica- 
 
328 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 tion with them. They clothe themselves with the skins 
 of bears, wolves, lynx, marine, and other animals. Their 
 food, which we inferred from several visits to their 
 dwellings, is obtained by hunting and fishing. They 
 have certain vegetables which are roots of spontaneous 
 growth. They have no pulse, and we saw no signs of 
 its cultivation. The land appears sterile and unfit for 
 the growth of fruits or grain of any kind. If we wished 
 at any time to traffic with them, they came to the sea- 
 shore and stood upon the rocks, from which they low- 
 ered down by a cord to our boats beneath whatever 
 they had to barter, continually crying out to us not to 
 come nearer, and instantly demanding from us that 
 which was to be given in exchange. They took from 
 us only knives, fish-hooks, and sharpened steel. No 
 regard was paid to our courtesies. When we had 
 nothine left to exchangee with them, the men at our 
 departure made the most brutal signs of disdain and 
 contempt possible. Against their will, we penetrated 
 two or three leagues into the interior with twenty-five 
 men. When we came to the shore, they shot at us 
 with their arrows, uttering the most horrible cries, and 
 afterward fleeing to the woods. In this region we 
 found nothing extraordinary except vast forests, and 
 some metalliferous hills as we inferred, for we saw that 
 many of the people wore copper ear-rings." 
 
 Following the trend of the coast of Maine, Verraz- 
 zano found along this part of his course for the space 
 of fifty leagues, numerous islands, thirty-two of which, 
 near the main-land, were high and attractive. Among 
 them he saw many excellent roadsteads and navigable 
 channels. 
 
 Describing his exploration along the coast of Maine, 
 Verrazzano remarks : " Departing from this place 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 329 
 
 [perhaps in the vicinity of Cape Neddock], we kept 
 along the coast steering to the northeast, and found 
 the country more pleasant and open, free from woods, 
 and far in the interior we saw lofty mountains, but 
 none which extended to the shore. 
 
 ** Within fifty leagues we discovered thirty-two 
 small and attractive islands, all near the main-land. 
 They were so high and so disposed as to afford as fine 
 harbors and channels as those that are in the Adriatic 
 Gulf, near Illyria and Dalmatia. We had no inter- 
 course with the people, but we judge that they were 
 similar in disposition and habits to those we were last 
 among. 
 
 " After sailing between east and north the distance 
 of one hundred and fifty more leagues, and finding our 
 provisions and naval stores nearly exhausted, Vvre took 
 in wood and water, and determined to return to France, 
 having discovered five hundred and two, that is to say, 
 seven hundred leagues of new land {avendo discoperto 
 leghe ^02 cioeleghe yoo piu di nucva terra)!' 
 
 The distance of seven hundred leagues Verrazzano 
 reckoned in the following way, as explained by him in 
 his geographical exposition of the voyage : " In addi- 
 tion to the 92 degrees we ran toward the west from 
 our point of departure before we reached land on the 
 thirty-fourth parallel, we have to count 300 [French] 
 leagues, which we ran northeastwardly and 400 nearly 
 east along the coast before we reached the fiftieth par- 
 allel of north latitude." Measured directly north from 
 the thirty-fourth parallel to the fiftieth, the space in- 
 cludes sixteen degrees, which multiplied by 313^ 
 French leagues, which at that time equaled a degree 
 of latitude, the product of 5oo French leagues is 
 obtained.' Two leagues added to these, for the dis- 
 
 'See note, page 293. 
 
330 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 tance sailed directly south of the thirty-fourth parallel, 
 make 5o2 French leagues, or about eleven hundred 
 and four land-miles, the geographical extent of the 
 coast explored by Verrazzano/ The New Land 
 [Niiova Terra), discovered by Verrazzano, was as early 
 as the year i527 delineated on a map of the v/orld 
 and denominated Francesca. This Italian name it bore 
 for a number of years until the French geographical 
 designation La Nouvelle France (New France) was 
 substituted for it.' 
 
 Concluding his description of the new country, Ver- 
 razzano remarks : " As to the religious faith of all these 
 tribes, not understanding their language, we could not 
 learn either by signs or gestures any thing certain. It 
 seemed to us that they had no religion or laws, nor any 
 knowledge of a First Cause or Mover, — that they wor- 
 shipped neither the heavens, stars, sun, moon, nor the 
 other planets. We could not learn if they v^^ere given 
 to any kind of idolatry, or offered any sacrifices or 
 supplications, or if they have temples or houses of 
 
 * The distance given by the Spanish historian, Francisco Lopez de Gomara, 
 in 1552, from the Point of Baccalaos, in 48' 30' to Cape St. Helen, in 32° north 
 latitude, is more than seven hundred and sixty Spanish leagues, measured as 
 the coast trended : " From the Point of Baccallaos are set down eight hundred 
 and seventy leagues to Florida, counting as follows : From the Point of Baccal- 
 laos which is in 48° 30' are seventy leagues of coast to La Baya del Rio, whieh 
 is in more than 45°. Thence are seventy to another bay called Isleos which is 
 in less than 44°. From Baya Isleos to Rio Fonda are seventy leagues, and 
 thence to Rio de las Gamas, are other seventy, both rivers being in 43°. From 
 Rio de los Gamas are fifty leagues to Cabo Bajo, and thence to Rio de San An- 
 ton, they reckon more than a hundred leagues. From Rio de San Anton are 
 eighty leagues along the shore of a gulf to Cabo de Arenas, which is in nearly 
 39°, thence to Puerto del Principe are more than a hundred leagues, and from 
 it to Rio Jordan seventy, and thence to Cabo de Santa Elena, which is in 32°, 
 there are forty leagues. From Santa Elena to Rio Seco, which is in 31°, are 
 forty leagues." — La historia general de las Indias. Gomara. cap. xii. 
 
 * The name Francesca is used on the Maiollo map of 1527. Hieronymus 
 da Verrazzano called the region " Verrazaiia sen Gallia nova" — ^Verrazana or 
 New Gaul. By some French writers it was denominated in the sixteenth cen- 
 tury, ' ' Terre Francesque. " 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 331 
 
 prayer in their villages. Our conclusion was that they 
 had no religion, but lived without any. This seems to 
 be the result of ignorance, for they are very easily per- 
 suaded, and imitated us with earnestness and fervor in 
 all that they saw us do as Christians in our acts of de- 
 votion." 
 
 Verrazzano added to this general description of his 
 remarkable discoveries,, an elaborate cosmographical 
 explanation of the situation of the New Land. His 
 geometrical elucidation of the distances sailed by the 
 Dauphine, shows how desirous he was to make plain 
 the geography of the vast continent, which he and 
 others had partly explored. He says : 
 
 •' It remains for me to place before your serene 
 majesty a cosmographical description of the voyage. 
 As I have already said, we departed from the desert- 
 rocks, lying in the extreme part of the West known to 
 the ancients, and in the described meridian near the 
 Fortunate Islands, on the thirty-second parallel from 
 the equator of our hemisphere, and sailed from it west- 
 wardly to where we found the first land, 1,200 leagues 
 or 4,800 miles, reckoning according to nautical custom 
 four miles to a [marine] league.^ * * •» During 
 
 * " This distance," he remarks, "calculated geometrically upon the ratio 
 that three and one seventh times the diameter of a circle is equal to its circum- 
 ference, gives 925^*2/3% degrees. For if we take ii4xt degrees as the chord of 
 an arc of a great circle, we have by the same ratio gsf f |f degrees as the chord 
 of an arc on the parallel of 34°, being that on which we first made land, and 
 3^'^TFTS degrees as the circumference of the whole circle, passing through this 
 plane. Allowing then, as actual observations show, that 62^ terrestrial miles 
 correspond to a celestial degree, we find the whole circumference of SOOj^gyg- 
 degrees, as just given, to be 18,759^^^5 n^iles, which, divided by 360, makes the 
 length of a degree of longitude on the parallel of 34° to be SS-j'yy^a miles, and 
 that is the true measure. Therefore, by a right line to the said rock which 
 stands in 32°, we have to calculate the distance, the said 1,200 leagues which 
 we have found, from the thirty-fourth parallel, from west to east, hence I 
 should have run ()~-f^^.}ii^^ degrees, and this many therefore we have sailed to 
 the West, which was not known to the ancients." 
 
 IMIT X 37 == 360. 3°°tV7S X 7 "^ 22 =■ 9SjsSg- SooIeW X 62J = iS.ysgji's- 18,7555^^ 
 ^ 560 = S25''ij%. 4,Soo by 52/oVi = gzjVsWs- 
 
332 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 our voyage we had no lunar eclipses or similar celestial 
 phenomena. We therefore determined our progress 
 from the difference of longitude, which we ascertained 
 by various instruments, taking the sun's altitude from 
 day to day, and by calculating geometrically the dis- 
 tance run by the ship from one horizon to another. 
 All these observations, as also the ebb and flow of the 
 tide in all places, were noted down in a little book, 
 which may prove serviceable to navigators. They 
 are communicated to your majesty with the hope of 
 promoting science. 
 
 " My intention in this voyage was to reach Cathay, 
 on the extreme coast of Asia, expecting, however, to 
 find in the newly discovered land some obstacle as I 
 found, yet I did not doubt that I should sail by some 
 passage to the eastern ocean. It was the opinion of 
 the ancients that our eastern ocean of India was an ex- 
 panse of water without any intervening land. Aristotle 
 supports it by arguments founded on various proba- 
 bilities, but it is contrary to later belief and false by 
 observation. The discovered country, of which the 
 ancients knew nothing, is another world compared with 
 that which was before known, being evidently larger 
 than our Europe together with Africa, and, perhaps, 
 Asia, if one rightly estimate its extent, as shall now 
 be explained briefly to your majesty."^ He then 
 
 ^ " The Spaniards have sailed south beyond the equator, on a meridian 
 2o|f§f J degrees west of the Fortunate Islands to the latitude of 54° and there 
 still found land. Turning about they steered northward on the same meridian 
 and along the coast to the eighth parallel, and then along the coast more to the 
 west, and north to the latitude of 21° [31° ?J, without finding a termination to the 
 continent. They estimated the distance run as SglH^T which added to the 
 2offtSf ^'■^'^ i'"'^ make lio|*J|f, but this may vary somewhat from the truth. 
 We did not make this voyage, and therefore cannot speak from experience. 
 We calculated it geometrically from the observations furnished by many naviga- 
 tors, who have made the voyage and affirm the distance to be 1600 leagues, due 
 allowance being made for the deviations of the sliip from a straight course by 
 reason of contrary winds. I hope that we shall now obtain accurate informa- 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 333 
 
 speaks of the Spaniards sailing as far south as the Strait 
 of Magellan and as far north as the twenty-first parallel 
 without findinor a termination to the continent. * ""' '^" 
 
 O 
 
 " But to return to ourselves : — in the voyage which 
 we have made by the order of your majesty, in addi- 
 tion to the ninety-two degrees we ran toward the west 
 from the point of our departure before we reached land 
 on the thirty-fourth parallel, we have to count 300 
 leagues which we. sailed northeastwardly, and 400 
 nearly east along the coast before we reached the 
 fiftieth parallel of north latitude, the point where we 
 turned our course from the shore toward home. Be- 
 yond this point the Portuguese had sailed as far north 
 as the arctic circle without comlnsf to the end of the 
 continent. Adding the degrees of south latitude ex- 
 plored, which are fifty- four, to those of the north, 
 which are sixty-six, the sum Is one hundred and twenty 
 decrees, and therefore more than are included in the 
 latitude of Africa and Europe, for the north point of 
 Norway, the extremity of Europe, is in 71° north 
 latitude, and the Cape of Good Hope, the southern 
 extremity of Africa, is in 36° south latitude, and their 
 sum is only one hundred and six degrees. If the 
 breadth of this newly discovered country correspond to 
 the extent of its sea-coast, it doubtless exceeds Asia in 
 size. In this way we find that the land forms a much 
 larger part of our globe than the ancients supposed, 
 who maintained, contrary to mathematical reasoning, 
 that it was less than the water, whereas actual experi- 
 ence proves the reverse, so that judging In respect to 
 extent of surface, the land covers apparently as much 
 space as the water.' 
 
 tion on these points, by new voyages to be made on the same coasts." — Vide 
 MaioUo map of 1527. 
 
 * Verrazzano's argument is based upon the supposition that the extent of the 
 
334 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 " I hope to point out and explain more clearly and 
 satisfactorily the great extent of the New Land or New- 
 World, of which I have been speaking. Asia and 
 Africa, we know, are joined together and are connected 
 with Norway and Russia with Europe, which disproves 
 the idea of the ancients that all this northern part had 
 been navigated from the promontory of Cimbri [Den- 
 mark] eastward as far as the Caspian Sea. They also 
 maintained that the whole continent was surrounded 
 by two oceans, lying east and west of it, which seas in 
 fact do not surround either of the two continents, for as 
 we have already seen the land in the western hemi- 
 sphere at 54° south latitude extends eastwardly an un- 
 known distance, and that the land north of the equator, 
 beyond the sixty-sixth parallel, turns to the east and 
 does not terminate at the seventieth parallel.^ 
 
 " In a short time, I hope we shall have more satis- 
 factory information concerning these things by the aid 
 of your serene majesty, whom I pray Almighty God to 
 prosper in lasting glory, that we may see the most 
 important results of this our geography in the fulfill- 
 ment of the holy words of the gospel. 
 
 " On board the ship Dauphine, in the port of Dieppe, 
 in Normandy, the 8th day of July, 1524. 
 
 " Your humble servant, * 
 
 " Janus Verazzanus." 
 
 land of the new conlinent was greater than it really was, for at this time the 
 Pacific coast of the New Land had not been explored. Verrazzano believed 
 that the New World extended much farther westward than it does. 
 
 ^ Tierra del Fuego, south of the Strait of Magellan, had not yet been ex- 
 plored, and it was not known how far it extended, or in what direction. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 [Addenda.) 
 i524-i526. 
 
 The safe return of Verrazzano to France and his 
 remarkable discoveries along the new continent were 
 immediately heralded through Europe. The letter 
 which he wrote on his arrival at Dieppe was at once 
 eagerly copied and the transcripts widely circulated. 
 In less than a month's time the news of the navigator's 
 extensive explorations was spread over France, and 
 became a prominent topic of conversation. The com- 
 mercial advantages likely to accrue to France by the 
 important discovery of a country thickly populated and 
 rich in drugs, furs, and metals were everywhere dis- 
 cussed, and Verrazzano's presence at the chief centres 
 of trade was much desired that more information 
 might be obtained respecting the people and the pro- 
 ductions of the New Land. 
 
 A Florentine, named Fernando Carli, a person 
 well acquainted with Verrazzano's former voyages, was 
 in Lyons at the time when the surprising intelligence 
 reached that city. He obtained a copy of Verrazzano's 
 letter, and sent it to his father in Florence, inclosed 
 in the following communication : 
 
 " In the name of God. 
 
 " August 4, 1624. 
 "Honored Father: — 
 
 " Considering that when I was in the army in 
 
 335 
 
336 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 Barbary, at Gierbe, the news was sent you every day 
 by the illustrious gentleman, Don Hugo de Moncada, 
 captain-general of his Cesarean majesty in those bar- 
 barous parts, what followed contending with the Moors 
 of that island, which seemed to have pleased our 
 patrons and friends ; and also the congratulatory news 
 of the subsequent victory ; [I now send you] the 
 news [which] has recently reached this place, of the 
 arrival of Captain Giovanni da Verrazzano, our Floren- 
 tine, at the port of Dieppe, in Normandy, with his 
 ship, the Dauphine, with which he sailed from the 
 Canary Islands, the last of January, to go in search of 
 new lands for this most serene crown of France, in 
 which enterprise he displayed very noble and great 
 courage in undertaking such an unknown voyage with 
 only one ship, a caravel of hardly tons burden,' with 
 only fifty men, with the intention, if possible, to 
 discover Cathay, steering a course through climates 
 other than those frequented by the Portuguese in going 
 to it by the way of Calicut, by keeping more to the 
 northwest and north, believing that, although Ptolemy, 
 Aristode, and other cosmographers assert that no land 
 is to be found toward such climates, he would never- 
 theless find land there, which God has permitted him, 
 as he distinctly describes in his letter to his serene 
 majesty, a copy of which is inclosed in this communi- 
 cation. After spending many months in exploring, he 
 asserts that he was compelled to return for want of pro- 
 visions from that hemisphere into this one, having been 
 seven months on the voyage, showing a very great 
 and rapid passage, having accomplished a wonderful 
 and most extraordinary undertaking in the opinion of 
 those who understand the navigation of the globe. 
 
 ' The number of tons is not mentioned. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 337 
 
 " At the beginning of the voyage there was an un- 
 favorable opinion formed concerning it, many thinking 
 that there would be no more news respecting him and 
 his vessel, and that he would be lost on that side of 
 Norway, in consequence of the great ice which is in 
 the northern ocean/ However, the great God, as the 
 Moor said, in order to give us every day proofs of his 
 infinite power, and to show how admirable is this 
 mundane sphere, has disclosed to him a breadth of 
 land, as you will perceive, of great extent, as shown 
 by good reasoning and by degrees of latitude and 
 lonofitude. 
 
 " He declares and shows it to be greater than 
 Europe, Africa, and a part of Asia ; therefore a new 
 world {ergo mzmdus novus)\ and this exclusive of what 
 the Spaniards have discovered in several years in the 
 West ; as it is hardly a year since Fernando Magellan 
 returned, who discovered a great country with one 
 ship out of the five sent on the discovery, from which 
 he brought spices much more excellent than the com- 
 mon kind, and of his other ships no news has tran- 
 spired for five years. They are supposed to be lost.'^ 
 
 " What this our captain has brought he does not 
 state in his letter, except a very young boy taken from 
 those countries ; but it is supposed he has brought a 
 sample of gold, which they do not value in those parts, 
 and of drugs and other aromatic liquors, in order to 
 confer here with several merchants after he shall have 
 
 ^ According to Carli's statement, Verrazzano at first attempted to sail to 
 the west by going through the North Sea. Here, as Verrazzano relates, his 
 vessels were disabled, and he proceeded southward toward the desert-rock, 
 whence he steered toward the west in quest of new lands. 
 
 * Carli evidently was not well informed concerning Magellan's expedition, 
 for altliough he speaks of the five ships of the fleet, and of the return of the 
 one commanded by Del Cano, he appears to be ignorant of the death of 
 Magellan, and of the arrival of Estevan Gomez, in 1521, with the ship San 
 Antonio. 
 
338 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 been in the presence of his most serene majesty. 
 And at this hour he should be with the king, and from 
 choice should come here soon, as he is much desired, 
 in order to be conversed with ; moreover, here he will 
 find his majesty, the king, our sire, who is expected in 
 three or four days/ And we hope that his serene 
 majesty will intrust him with a half dozen good vessels, 
 and that he will go on the voyage. If our Francisco 
 Carli be returned from Cairo, advise him to go at a 
 venture on this voyage with him, for I believe they 
 were acquainted at Cairo, where he [Verrazzano] was 
 for several years, and not only in Egypt and Syria, 
 but almost in all parts of the known world. On ac- 
 count of his merits, he is regarded as another Amerigo 
 Vespucci, another Magellan, and even more than they. 
 We hope that, being provided with other good ships 
 and vessels, well-built and properly provisioned, he 
 will discover and develop a profitable traffic, and will, 
 our Lord God preserving his life, do honor to our 
 country in acquiring immortal fame and memory. 
 Alderotto Brunelleschi, who started with him, and by 
 chance turned back unwilling to accompany him 
 farther, will, when he hears this news, be discon- 
 tented. ^ 
 " Nothing else now occurs to me, as I have ad- 
 vised you by others what is necessary. I commend 
 myself constantly to you, praying you to impart this 
 to our friends, not forgetting Pier Francisco Daga- 
 ghiano, who, in consequence of being an experienced 
 person, will take much pleasure in it, and commend me 
 to him. Likewise to Rustichi, who will not be dis- 
 
 ■ King Francis wrote to his parliament, on the second of July, 1524, say- 
 ing: " I am going to Lyons to prevent the enemy from entering the kingdom, 
 and I can assure you that Charles de Bourbon is not yet in France." — llislorie 
 de Fran9ois Premier. Gaillard. Paris, 1769. torn. iii. p. 172. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 339 
 
 pleased, if he delight, as usual, in learning matters of 
 cosmography. God guard you from all evil. 
 
 ** Your son, 
 
 " Fernando Carli, 
 
 " In Lyons."' 
 
 The notable success attending Verrazzano's voyage 
 in 1524, it seems, induced the celebrated navigator to 
 undertake another in i526. For the furtherance of 
 this project, he and five other persons entered into an 
 agreement in which it was stipulated that Philippe 
 Chabot, baron of Apremont, knight of the Order of 
 the King, governor and lieutenant-general of Bur- 
 gundy, admiral of France and of Brittany,^ was to fur- 
 nish him with two galleons then at Havre de Grace, 
 and a ship belonging to Jean Ango of Dieppe, ^ of sev- 
 enty tons burden, and that the admiral was also to equip 
 and victual them for the voyage to the New Land. 
 The three vessels were to be ready to sail within two 
 months.'^ Before setting sail on this voyage, Verraz- 
 zano, on Friday, the eleventh of May, i526, gave to 
 his brother, Hieronymus, and Zanobus de Rousselay,^ 
 
 ^ Lettera di Fernando Carli a suo padre. Archivo storico Italiano ossia 
 raccolta di opere e docuraenti fiuora inediti o divenuti rarissimi risguardanti 
 la storia d' Italia. Appendice. tomo ix. Firenze. Gio. Pielro Vieusseux, 
 diretlore-editore al suo gabinetto scientifico letterario. 1853. 
 
 " Philippe Chabot, Sieur de Brion, admiral of France, was given command 
 of the French marine, March 23, 1526. 
 
 ^ Ango & Son was a noted firm of ship-builders in Dieppe. 
 
 * Twenty thousand pounds, Tours currency, were to be advanced to meet 
 the expenses of the undertaking. The admiral of France contributed four 
 thousand pounds, Guillaume Preudhomme, general of Normandy, two thou- 
 sand ; Pierre Despinolles, one thousand ; Jean Ango, two thousand ; Jacques 
 Boursier, two thousand ; and Verrazzano (Jehan de Varesam, as his name is 
 written in the agreement), chief pilot, two thousand pounds. Verrazzano, hav- 
 ing agreed to provide competent pilots for the other two vessels, was to receive 
 one sixth of all the goods which should be brought back, and one tenth of any 
 booty taken at sea from the Moors, or other enemies of France. Foutelte col- 
 lection. XXX. 770. fol. 60. Bibliotheque nationale. Paris. 
 
 ' Zanobus de Rousselay. a merchant of Rouen, in a legal instrument, dated 
 
340 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 a power of attorney by which they were empowered to 
 act for him in any matter pertaining to his interest ; 
 and also, on the following day, a similar instrument to 
 Adam Godeffroy of Rouen, which authorized him to 
 transact certain business for the navigator.' In each 
 of these legal instruments, Verrazzano is named " Jehan 
 de Varasenne, nobleman, captain of the ships equipped 
 to go on the voyage to the Indies." 
 
 The French sea-captain, Jean Ribaut, in his report 
 to Admiral Gaspard de Coligni, of his first voyage to 
 Florida, in i562, says that Verrazzano, after his return 
 to France, in 1624, " neuer ceassed to make suite vutil 
 he was sent thither againe, where at last he died." "" 
 
 The voyage of i526 was the third made by Ver- 
 razzano to America : the first in i5o8, with Thomas 
 Aubert ; the second, in i524, in the Dauphine. This 
 fact is corroborated by the well-informed English col- 
 lector, Hakluyt, who says that he " had been thrise on 
 that coast." ^ 
 
 Of Verrazzano's death, Ramusio gives this account : 
 "In the last voyage which he made, having gone on 
 "land with some of his men, he and they were all put 
 to death by the inhabitants, and in the presence of 
 those who were on board the ship were roasted and 
 devoured. Such was the terrible death of this valiant 
 gentleman, who, had not this misfortune happened 
 him, would, by the great knowledge and experience 
 which he had of maritime affairs and of navigation, 
 
 September 30, 1526, gave bonds that " Messire Jehan de Veirassane " was en- 
 titled " to defend a certain clametir de karo, obtained against him by Guillaume 
 Eynoult, called Cornete, living in Dieppe." The bonds were placed in the 
 hands of Fremyn Poree and Robert Tassel, sergeant royal, at Rouen, until the 
 matter could be legally settled. MS. in archives of Rouen. 
 
 * Foutette collection. xxx. 770. fol. 60. Bibliotheque nationale. 
 Paris. 
 
 ' Ilakluyt's Divers voyages, 1582. 
 
 ' " Epistle dedicalorie " to Divers voyages. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 341 
 
 attended and favored by the large liberality of King 
 Francis, have discovered and made known to the 
 world, all that part of the earth up to the north pole, 
 and would not have been contented with only the ex- 
 ploration of the coast, but would have attempted to 
 penetrate far inland, and as far as he could go. 
 
 " Many who had known and conversed with him, 
 have told me that he had declared that it was his 
 intention to persuade the most Christian king to send 
 from these parts a goodly number of people to settle 
 in some places of the new country which are of a tem- 
 perate climate and very fertile soil, with very beautiful 
 rivers and harbors capable of holding any fleet. 
 
 ** Settlers in these places would be the means of 
 effecting many good results, and among others that of 
 bringing those barbarous and ignorant tribes to know 
 God and our most holy religion, showing them how to 
 cultivate the land, transporting some of the animals of 
 Europe to those vast plains ; and finally, in time, dis- 
 covering the inland parts, and seeing whether or not 
 among the many islands in that part of the world any 
 passage to the South Sea exists, or that the West 
 Indies extend as far north as the pole. 
 
 "This and so much has been related respecting the 
 achievements and efforts of this brave gentleman, and 
 in order that his memory may not be buried and his 
 name pass into oblivion, we have desired to give to 
 the light the little information that has come into our 
 hands." "■ 
 
 Hakluyt, speaking of the map which Verrazzano 
 had made and presented to King Henry VIIL of 
 England, which as late as the year i584 was still pre- 
 served by an English cartographer, says : " There is a 
 
 ' Raccolta di navigationi e viaggi, Ramusio. Discorso sopra la ntiova 
 Francia. vol. iii. fol. 438. 
 
342 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 mighty large olde mappe in parchemente, made as yt 
 shoulde seeme, by Verarsanus, traced all alonge the 
 coaste, from Florida to Cape Briton, with many Italian 
 names, which laieth cute the sea, makinge a little necke 
 of land in 40 degrees of latitude much like the streyte 
 necke or istmus of Dariena." The English collector 
 also refers to a globe which he believed Verrazzano 
 made : " There is an old excellent globe in the Queens 
 privie gallery at Westminster, which also semeth to be 
 of Verarsanus makinge, having the coaste in Italian, 
 which laieth oute the very same straite necke of lande 
 in the latitude of 40 degrees, with the sea joyninge 
 harde on bothe sides, as it dothe on Panama and 
 Nombre di Dios ; which were a matter of sincrular 
 importance, yf it shoulde be true, as it is not unlikely." ^ 
 
 Although the *' mighty large olde mappe in parche- 
 mente " of Verrazzano's drafting is lost, there are sev- 
 eral maps extant which seemingly represent the terri- 
 tory of North America as it was delineated by him. 
 The rarest and the most valuable of these is a vellum- 
 map of the world in the Ambrosian Library at Milan, 
 made in i527. It is five feet seven inches long and 
 one foot eleven inches wide, and bears this inscription : 
 " Vescoiite de Maiollo conposiiy hanc car tan. In yanua 
 anno dny, J^S^y, die xx. decenbrisJ' (Visconte dd 
 Maiollo composed this chart, in Genoa, in the year 
 of the Lord, i527, the twentieth day of December). 
 The narrow isthmus, near the fortieth parallel, and 
 the " number of Italian names" from " Tera Florida" 
 to "C. de Bertoni " on this map, fully agree with 
 Hakluyt's description of Verrazzano's chart.^ 
 
 Hieronymus, the brother of the navigator, it seems, 
 
 ' Hakluyt's Particular discourse, 1584. 
 
 ' In the cover-pocket is a copy of the part of the Maiollo map representing 
 the continent in the western hemisphere. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 343 
 
 also made a map of the New Land, which, It is conjec- 
 tured, he drafted in 1529/ The original is a plani- 
 sphere delineated on parchment, fifty-one by one hun- 
 dred and two inches. This map is in the Borgian 
 museum in Rome. The inscription : " Hieronimus de 
 Verrazanus faciebat" (Hieronimus de Verrazano made 
 it), permits the inference that the map was not the one 
 which Hakluyt described, for had Hieronymus da 
 Verrazzano's name been inscribed on it, the Enelish 
 collector, it seems, would have mentioned the fact. 
 The representation of the so-called Western Sea, or 
 " Mare Indicum " (the Chesapeake Bay), with the ex- 
 planatory inscription on Hieronymus da Verazzano's 
 map, indicates that he had some knowledge of the 
 cartographic features of his brother's c^art, and of the 
 geographical memoranda recorded in the little book 
 which the latter speaks of in his letter to King Francis 
 I., and which he thought would be serviceable to other 
 navio^ators.^ 
 
 ' The inscription on the chart contains this information : " Verrazana seu 
 Gallia nova quale discopri 5 amii fa Giovanni di Verrazzano fiorentino per 
 ordine et comandameto del Chrysiiattnissiino Re di Francia " (Verrazana or New 
 Gaul, which Giovanni di Verrazano, a Florentine, discovered five years ago, by 
 the order and commandment of tlie most Christian king of France). 
 
 ^ The value of the map made by Hieronymus da Verrazzano is fully dis- 
 cussed in Notes on Giovanni da Verrazano, and on a planisphere of 1529 illus- 
 trating his American voyage in 1524, with a reduced copy of the map, by 
 James Carson Brevoort. New York, 1874. 
 
 Vide Voyage of Verrazzano : A chapter in the early history of maritime 
 discovery in America. By Henry C. Murphy. New York, 1S73. 
 
 Vide Verrazano, the Explorer : being a vindication of his letter and voyage, 
 with an examination of the map of Hieronimo da Verrazano and a dissertation 
 upon the globe of Vlpius. By B. F. De Costa. New York, iS8o. 
 
CHAPTER XL 
 
 [Addenda.) 
 1526-1614. 
 
 After the death of Verrazzano, the French, for a 
 time, made no attempt to search along the coast of the 
 new continent for a short and chrect way to Cathay. 
 The losses sustained by the projectors of the expedi- 
 tion of 1 526, Ribaut says, gave "small courage to 
 sende thither agayne, and was the cause that this laud- 
 able enterprise was left of, vntill the yeere 1534, at 
 which time his Maiestie [Francis I.] (desiring alwayes 
 to enlarge his kingdome, countreys, and dominions, 
 and the aduauncing the ease of his subiectes), sent 
 thither a Pilote of S. Mallowes, a Briton, named James 
 Cartier, well seene in the art and knowledge of Nauiga- 
 tion, and especially of the North parts, commonly called 
 the new land, led by some hope to find passage that 
 waies to the south seas." ' 
 
 The two ships commanded by Cartier sailed from 
 the port of St. Malo, on the twentieth of April, 1534. 
 
 ' The true and last discouerie of Florida made by Captain John Ribaiilt in 
 the 3'eere 1562. Dedicated to a great noble man of Fraunce, and translated 
 into Englishe by one Thomas Hackit. Hakluyt's Divers voyages. 1582. 
 
 Tiie whole and true discoverye of Terra Florida (Englished, the Florishing 
 Land) conleyning as well the wonderful straunge Natures and Maners of the 
 People, with the mervylous Commodities and Treasures of the Country ; as 
 also the pleasaunt Fortes and Havens, and Wayes thereunto never found out 
 before the last year, 1562. Written in French by Captain Ribauld, the fyrst 
 that whollye discovered the same, and now newly set forthe in Englishe, the 
 XXX. of May, 1563. 
 
 344 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 345 
 
 Reaching Newfoundland on the tenth of May, Cartier 
 began to search for a navigable channel to India. 
 Three months were passed in exploring the coast of 
 Labrador and the Strait of Belle Isle and a part of the 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence. On the fifteenth of August, 
 Cartier set sail for France, and arrived in the port of 
 St. Malo, on the fifth of September. In the following 
 year, Cartier sailed again to New France and explored 
 the St. Lawrence River to the island of Hochelaga, the 
 site of the city of Montreal. It is said that he was 
 told by the natives that from there it was only " a 
 month's sailing to go to a land where cinnamon and 
 cloves are gathered."^ Returning from this voyage, 
 Cartier reached St. Malo on the sixth of July, 1536.'' 
 
 The first explorers of the new continent called its 
 inhabitants by different names. Columbus and his 
 Spanish companions, imagining the field of their dis- 
 coveries to be in Eastern Asia, named the aborigines 
 Indians (Indios), believing them to be natives of India. 
 Seven of the people of Canada, carried to France, in 
 1 5o9, were described by a contemporaneous Latin writer 
 as wood or wild men {Jioinines sylvestres)? The French, 
 it appears, called the natives of New France manants 
 or fnananSy and paysans, peasants, the former name 
 being used in the middle ages as a designation for un- 
 intelligent people or those of low condition. The 
 name manants was likewise a designation for persons 
 of this class living in villages and on farms. Manants 
 
 * Voyages. Hakluyt. vol. iii. p. 232. 
 
 ^ Brief recit, and succinate narration de la nauigation faicte es ysles de 
 Canada, Hochelage, and Saguenay & autres, auec particulieres meurs, lan- 
 gaige & cerimonies des habitans d' icelles : fort delectable a veoir. Auec priui- 
 lege. On les uend h. Paris au second pillier en la grand salle du Palais, & en 
 la rue neufue Nostre dame a 1' enseigne de lescu de Frace, par Ponce Roffet 
 diet Fancliuer & Anthoine le Clerc freres. 1545. 
 
 * " Septem hoies syluestres ex ea isula {que ieiTa noua dicit) RotJiomagu ad- 
 duciisuni." — Eusebii Caesariensis episcopi chronicon. Paris. 1512. p. 172. 
 
346 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 properly speaking were the natives of a place, and the 
 hahitans were those who came to it to reside.' The 
 French appellation nituianis or vianaiis not only fitly 
 expressed the low condition of the natives of New 
 France, but it also gave prominence to the fact that 
 they dwelt in villages and were indigenous people. 
 The French, as late as the year 1677, called the old 
 Indians, or rather the descendants of the Senecas, 
 paisaiis, peasants.^ The Italians also called the natives 
 of North America peasants, /^^j-^^/^z.^ 
 
 The Manants living on the island on which the city 
 of New York is built, were very friendly to the French 
 who came to the Grande River, in the sixteenth 
 century, to traffic for furs. The Hollanders, however, 
 found them to be quite hostile in the following century. 
 De Laet, the Dutch historian, describing the natives of 
 the Groote River in 1625, remarks : " On the east side, 
 upon the main-land, dwell the Manhattans, a bad race 
 of savages, who have always been very obstinate and 
 
 ^ *^ Manatit, s. j?i. Paysan habitant en un village on en tine metairie a la 
 campagne. Indigena,incola riisticiis. * * * O^t appelle proprement inanans, 
 ceux qui sont originaires du lieu ; iSr' habitans, ceux qui y sontvenus demeurer." 
 — Dictionnaire Trevoux. Nancy, 1740. 
 
 ^^ Manant (ina-nafi), s. m. 1° Terme d^ ancienne pratique. Habitant d^ un 
 bourg ou d' tin village. * * * 2° Absolument, dans le langage ordinaire, niais 
 archaique, tin paysan. * * * '^° Atijourd' hui, par extension, homme grassier, 
 mal dleve.'" — Dictionnaire de la langue Francaise. Par E. Littre, de 1' acade- 
 mic Francaise. Paris, 1S74. 
 
 " " The French call the Maques, les Aniuez, the Oneydes, les Onoyants, 
 the Onondagas, les Montagneurs, * * * the Caiougas, les Petuneurs, the 
 Senegues, les Paisans." — Observations of Wenworth Greenhalgh in a journey 
 from Albany to ye Indyans westward. 1677. London documents in the office 
 of the Secretary of State, Albany, N. Y. vol. iii. p. 167, 
 
 ' " This region is called by the peasants {paesani) Norumbega." — 
 Raccolta di navigationi e viaggi. Ramusio. vol. iii. fol. 353, 
 
 " Quando per sua buona tientura intese da paesani, che erano giunto alia 
 marina alcuni nauiglia." " Here by good luck he heard from the natives that 
 some boats had arrived off the coast." — Dello Scoprimento dell' Isole Frislanda, 
 Eslanda, Engronelanda, Estotilanda, & Icaria, fatto per due fratelli Zeni. — 
 Vide Voyages of the Venetian brothers. Major, p. 24. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 347 
 
 unfriendly toward our countrymen." ' He also says 
 that Hudson, in 1609, called the Great River " Man- 
 hattes from the name of the people who dwelt at its 
 mouth." ^ 
 
 The wrong spelling of the French term manant 
 began with a misconception of its proper pronuncia- 
 tion. The Dutch thinking that the t was sounded, 
 pronounced the name man-ant, whence " manhat^' 
 " 7nan-atk," " man-ad," and other strange forms of the 
 name. Wassenaer, the Dutch historian, in 1624, 
 speaking of the Indian tribes of New Netherland, 
 says : " The Manhates are situated at the mouth " of 
 the Mauritius River.^ De Laet writes the name Man- 
 hattes, Manatthans, Manatthanes, and Manhattans.-* 
 De Vries, the Dutch navigator, who could speak 
 French, spells the appellation Menates and Minates.^ 
 In the deposition of Catelyn Trico, a French woman, 
 who emigrated from Holland, in 1624, to New Nether- 
 land, the term is written Mannantans.^ Besides these 
 
 ^ Nieuwe Wereldt. Door Johannes de Laet. Tot Leyden. 1625. boek. 
 iii. cap. ix. 
 
 - Novus Orbis, seu descriptionis Indiae Occidentalis, autore Joanne de 
 Laet. Antuerpiensi, 1633. lib. iii. capk vii. 
 
 When the island in 1625 was purchased from the Manants by the agents 
 of the Dutch West India Company, the transaction is spoken of in a letter 
 addressed to their high mightinesses, the Lords States General of the 
 United Netherlands, as follows: "Our people have bought the island Man- 
 hattes from the Wilden (wild men) for the value of sixty guilders [about 
 twenty-four dollars]." — Holland documents, in the office of the Secretary of 
 State, Albany, N. Y. vol. i. p. 155. 
 
 ^ HistorischeVerhaeldoor Nicolaes a Wassenaer. Amsterdam. 1621-1632. 
 deel vi. fol. 144. 
 
 * Nieuwe Wereldt. boeck. iii. cap. ix. Novus Orbis. lib. iii. cap. ix. 
 
 ^ Korte hislorial ende journals. Door David Pietersz. de Vries. Hoorn, 
 1655. pp. 146, 151. 
 
 ^ New York Colonial MSS. xxxv. 
 
 Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer, describing in 1632 the coast of 
 America in the vicinity of St. John's River, New Brunswick, writes : "I was at 
 four islands near the river St. John. * * * Farther west there are other islands, 
 one of which extends six leagues, which is called by the savages, Mena»e." 
 
348 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 peculiar changes the name has many other anomalous 
 forms.* 
 
 When the first French explorers sailed along that 
 massive bulwark of trap-rock, now called The Pali- 
 sades, rising on the west side of the Grande River to 
 varying altitudes from two to five hundred feet above 
 the level of the stream, and ranging northward and 
 southward a distance of more than ten miles, they were 
 peculiarly impressed with its grandeur, and figuratively 
 called it L' Anormee Berge, (The Grand Scarp.) 
 
 The adjective anormee and the noun berge definitely 
 describe the steep and extensive wall of stone which 
 borders the noble river, now bearing the name of a 
 later explorer. Anorme, an obsolete form of the ad- 
 jective enorme, signifies that which is grand, vast, 
 majestic." The noun berge, besides meaning an 
 elevated border of a river, a scarp of a fortification, a 
 steep side of a moat or of a road, is a designation for 
 certain rocks elevated perpendicularly above the 
 
 Opposite this word, Champlain writes on the marginal space, " L'isle de Man- 
 tha7ie" adding a ^and an h to the second syllable of the words. — Les voyages 
 de la Nouvelle France occidentale, dicte Canada, faits par le Sr. de Champlain, 
 Sanctongeois. Paris, 1632. chap. ii. p. 58. 
 
 * In different historical works and documents the following modes of 
 spelling the word appear : Manatans, Manates, Manate, Manath, Manathans, 
 Manathe, Manathes, Manatte, Manetto, Menates, Minates, Manhates, Man- 
 hatas, Manna-hatta, Manhattes, jVIanahattes, Manahatta, Mahates, Manahatas, 
 Manahatans, Manahata, Manhatens, Manhathans, Manhatoes, Manhatoos, 
 Manhatos, Manhattans, Manhatten, Manhattoes, Manhattons, Manhattos, 
 Manhuttons, Manahactas, Manchatas, Manades, Manadoes, Manados, Menade, 
 Monhatous, Munhaddon, and Manhattan. — Vide General index to documents 
 relating to the colonial history of the State of New York. 
 
 ' " AnormS, /e, &" anormal, adj. Ces viots ne sontplits en usage. Borel dit 
 qtCils signifient qui est contre la rdgle commune, 6^ qn^ dno7-me vient de ces 
 mots. * * * Knorme, adj. m &" f. Prodigieux, ixcessif. Immanis, inwien- 
 sus." — Dictionnaire Trevoux. 
 
 " Par extension de la signification moj-ale a la signification physique, ex- 
 traordinaire par sa grosseur ou par sa grandeur. Un dnorme bloc de 
 granit. * * * Rem. Quand inorme signifie excessif en grandeur ou en 
 grosseur, il se met avant on aprh son substantif." — Dictionnaire de la langue 
 Fran^aise. Littre. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 349 
 
 water/ In an old French lexicon it is said : " They 
 likewise call in marine phraseology bh^ges or barges 
 those great rocks, rugged and perpendicularly elevated, 
 that is to say, uprightly and plumb, as the berges or 
 barges of Olone : such rocks as are Scylla and Charyb- 
 dis, toward Messina." ^ 
 
 A more appropriate name could not have been se- 
 lected to designate geographically this part of New 
 France than that of The Land of the Grand Scarp {La 
 Terre cC Anormee Berge), or, in more familiar phrase- 
 ology. The Land of the Palisades. The words, scarp 
 and paHsade, are terms of fortification. The first des- 
 ignates the steep slope below the parapet of a fortifica- 
 tion, next to the ditch ; the second an upright row of 
 strong stakes set firmly in the ground in front of the 
 counter-scarp, on the opposite side of the moat from 
 the scarp. 
 
 The mispronunciation of the peculiar geographical 
 name was evidently the cause of its orthography being 
 obscured so soon after it was used as the designation 
 for the elevated border of the Grande River. The more 
 frequent use thereafter of enorme for anorine made the 
 term more unfamiliar. It would seem also that when 
 the name should have been written La Terre (T Enorme 
 Berge, that it was inscribed. La Terre de JVormeberge. 
 
 ^ " Berge {be?'-/), s. f. i°. Bord relevi, escarpi, dhtne riviere, a'u7t fossi, 
 d" tin chemin. 2°. Terme de ?narine. Certains rockers elevh h pic stir 
 r eau * * * 
 
 ''' Etym. Espagn. et ital. barga, Diez ne veut pas qiC il soit d' origine 
 germanique, et il en rapproche le kytnri bargodi, surplomber, bargod, bord. 
 Cependant le bas-lalin berga, garde, defense {<jid vient de V allemand bergen, 
 defendre, protege)-), ji aitrait-il pas pu donner, par une serie de sens, defense, 
 fortification, meule, et finalemejit bord escarpd?" — Dictionnaire de la langue 
 Fran^aise. Little. 
 
 * " On appelle aussi en terme de Mer, bhges, ou barges, les grands rochers, 
 dpres (St' rilevez a pic ; c'est-a-dire, droitement df a plomb, covime les berges 'ou 
 barges d' Olone ; telles sont Sylla Sif Cajybde vers Messiite" — Dictionnaire 
 Trevoux. 
 
3^o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 The change of the quahfying term to a word of two 
 syllables, as iiorom, noriim, nurum, and norim, ren- 
 dered the name more ambiguous. In like manner the 
 noun berge was corrupted, being spelled be7gue, hega, 
 berg, and bagra. In this way the territorial designation 
 became La Terre de Norumbega, La Tcrre de Norcm- 
 bcgue, La Tein^e de Norombeige, and La Terre de Norcm- 
 bergue, and its meaning and derivation incomprehensi- 
 ble to the descendants of its originators. 
 
 Gerard Mercator, on a terrestrial globe, [globus 
 terrae), made in 1 541, represents the Grande River as if 
 its channel were filled with anormee beiges, which he 
 designates with the misspelled narhe " Anorum.bega." ' 
 On a map of the world, made about the year 1548, for 
 King Henry II. of France, the appellation " Anoro- 
 bagra" designates the river of the Grand Scarp. "" 
 
 In the sixteenth century proper names less peculiar 
 in construction than the appellation L' Anormee Berge, 
 were written very irregularly. It is said by Disraeli 
 that Leicester subscribed his name eight different 
 ways, and that Villers is spelled fourteen times differ- 
 ently in the deeds of the family. Lower mentions 
 that the name of Malnwaring, has the remarkable num- 
 ber of one hundred and thirty-one variations in differ- 
 
 'Gerard Mercator was born at Rupelmonde, in East Flanders, on the fifth 
 of "March, 1512. Mercator is the Latinized form of his German name, Krevier, 
 a tradesman, merchant. After studying at Bois-le-Duc, in Brabant, he entered 
 the university of Louvain. lie selected for his profession the manufacture of 
 mathematical instruments and the art of drawing and engraving. His carto- 
 graphic fame began wilh the engraving of a map of Palestine, in 1537. Next 
 followed a map of Flanders, in 1540. Then in 1541, a large terrestrial globe, 
 •which he dedicated to the '' lllusUiss Djio Nicolao Pcrreuoto, Domino a Granu- 
 ella" ; the original drawings of which are preserved in the Royal library of 
 Belgium, in Brussels. In 1552, Mercator removed from Louvain to Duisburg, 
 where, in 1569, he made his famous map of the world. He died in December, 
 
 1594. 
 
 ^ The original map is now in the possession of the count of Crawford and 
 
 Balcarres, Scotland. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 351 
 
 ent documents. Even in this age of dictionaries the 
 spelling of uncommon geographical names does not 
 always conform to their orthography. A record has 
 been kept for a number of years of the different ways 
 in which the name of the city of Cohoes, in the state 
 of New York, has been spelled on letters addressed to 
 that post-office, and the extraordinary number of one 
 hundred and ninety- seven changes in the form of the 
 appellation has been registered. 
 
 There seems to be but a sino^le statement that mieht 
 be used to support an assertion that the natives of the 
 country of New France originated the name " Norum- 
 bega." It is in Ramusio's Italian translation of the 
 French sea-captain's description of Francesca, in which 
 it is said: " This region is called by the peasants Nor- 
 umbega." Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere, a well- 
 informed French naval officer, who had command of a 
 French fort in Florida, in i564, contradicts the asser- 
 tion that the name was transferred from an early map 
 of the eastern coast of Asia, saying: " It is called by the 
 moderns Terre de Norumberge." Andre Thevet, the 
 French geographer, who sailed along its coast in i556, 
 declares that his countrymen called the Grande River 
 " Norombegue," and the Indians, " Aggoncy." 
 
 One of the earliest accounts of the Land of the 
 Grand Scarp extant is in the discourse of the unnamed 
 sea-captain of Dieppe, written in 1539. Describing 
 the country of Francesca, he says : " Beyond Cape 
 Breton there is a region contiguous to this cape, the 
 coast of which extends west and a quarter southwest 
 as far as the region of Florida, and it stretches full 
 five hundred leagues, v/hich coast was discovered 
 fifteen years ago, by Monsieur Giovanni da Verrazzano, 
 in the name of King Francis and of Madame, the 
 
352 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 regent, and this region is called by many the land of 
 the French {la Francese), and likewise by the Portu- 
 guese, and its termination toward Florida is in 78° west 
 longitude and 30° north latitude,' 
 
 '• The inhabitants of this domain are a tractable 
 people, amiable and agreeable. The country abounds 
 v/ith all kinds of fruit. Oranges and almonds grow in 
 wild forests, with many different varieties of odoriferous 
 trees. This region is called by the peasants [paesani) 
 Norumbega, and between it and Brazil there is a large 
 gulf, extending west as far as the ninety-second merid- 
 lan. ^ 
 
 In 1540 Jacques Cartier again sailed to New 
 France and ascended the St. Lawrence River. Jean 
 Francois de la Roque, Sieur de Roberval, was placed 
 in command of this expedition, and, by letters-patent, 
 dated January i5, 1640, was commissioned viceroy 
 and lieutenant-o-eneral of the new lands belonofine to 
 France in the western hemisphere. Jean Alphonse, 
 an experienced navigator, a native of Saintonge, near 
 the town of Cognac, France, accompanied Sieur de 
 Roberval as chief pilot.^ 
 
 In the manuscript of the cosmography of Raulin 
 Secalart, written about the year i545, preserved in the 
 
 ' The edict of Francis I., appointing his mother, Louise of Savoy, regent, 
 is dated October, 17, 1524, but before tliis time she had virtually assumed in 
 part the direction of tlie government, 
 
 "^ The large gulf is that which is now called the Gulf of Mexico. 
 
 " A discourse of a great French sea-captain of the town of Dieppe concerning 
 the voyages made to the New World of the West Indies called New France, 
 from the fortieth to the forty-seventh parallel under the arctic pole, and con- 
 cerning the country of Brazil, Guinea, Isle of St. Lawrence and that of Suma- 
 tra as far as the French caravels and ships have sailed." — Discorso d' vn gran 
 capitano di mare Francese del Lvogno di Dieppa. Raccolta di navigationi et 
 viaggi. Ramusio, vol. iii. fol. 353. 
 
 ' Les voyages auantureaux dv capitaine Ian Alfonce, Sainctongeois. Auec 
 Priuilege du Roy, A Poitiers, au Pelican par Ian de Marnef, 
 
 Jean Alphonse died about the year 154S. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 353 
 
 National library, in Paris, is a short description of the 
 coast and people of La Terre d' Anormee Bero-e/ 
 The writer, evidently Jean Alphonse, very faithfully 
 describes Long Island Sound, the eastern entrance to 
 the Grande River, when he says : " This river is wider 
 than forty leagues of latitude at its mouth, and within, 
 the width is as much as thirty or forty leagues, and it 
 is full of islands, which extend ten or twelve leagues in 
 the sea, and it is very dangerous on account of rocks 
 and swashings." These observations are remarkably 
 consonant with those of a later writer : " Long Island 
 Sound, a Mediterranean Sea, separating the island 
 from the main-land of Connecticut, is connected with 
 the ocean at each end of the island and affords a shel- 
 tered line of navigation of about one hundred and 
 twenty miles in extent. *^ * * Opposite Harlem 
 River is the noted pass or strait called Hell-Gate, 
 which is crooked, and from the numerous rocks, islands, 
 eddies, and currents, is somewhat difficult and daneer- 
 dus." ^ 
 
 The identity of the river called by the French 
 writer " Norombegue," now the Hudson, is satisfactor- 
 ily established by the statement that the water of the 
 river is salty to the height of forty leagues or eighty- 
 eight miles. This fact is incontrovertible. The 
 Hudson is salty or brackish beyond the city of Pouo-h- 
 keepsie, which is about ninety-three miles north of 
 Sand Hook.3 The assertion could not be verified 
 
 ' The two first leaves of the manuscript are lost and with them the title of 
 the work. Inasmuch as the subject of ihe work is defined in what may be said 
 is the preface, and as the manuscript at the beginning and at the end bears the 
 names of " Jehan Allefonsce " and " Raulin Secalart, cosemographe de Honne- 
 fleur, 1545," the title of the work may be reconstructed and written : Cosmogra- 
 phie de Jehan Allefonsce et Raulin Secalart. 1545. The manuscript is a folio of 
 one hundred and ninety-four leaves. It is designated MS. No. 676. 
 
 ^ Histoiy of Long Island by Benjamin F. Thompson. 1843. p. 26, 
 ^ The tide flows up the Hudson as far as the city of Troy, about one hundred 
 and seventy-four miles from the ocean. 
 
354 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 were it assumed that the description applies to the 
 Penobscot, or the Kennebec, or the Merrimack, or the 
 Connecticut River. It would seem that the writer 
 speaks of the Palisades bordering the west side of the 
 river, opposite the Indian village of " Norombegue," 
 when he says : " On the side toward the west of the 
 said town there are many rocks which extend to the 
 sea, about fifteen miles." 
 
 " I say that the Cape of St. John, called Cape Bre- 
 ton, and the Cape of the Franciscan, are northeast and 
 southwest, and range a point from an east and west 
 course, and there are one hundred and forty leagues 
 on the course, and which makes one cape, called the 
 Cape of Norombegue. The said cape is in forty-one 
 degrees of the height of the arctic pole. The said 
 coast [/. e. of Connecticut] is all sandy, * * ^' ' fiat, 
 
 * An undeciphered word in the manuscript. 
 
 " Je ditz que le cap de Saint J than, diet Cap a Breton, et le cap de la Fi-an- 
 ciscane, sont nord-est et sud-oucst et pi-cnneiit iin quart de est a oiiest, et y a en 
 la route cent quarante licues et icy faict ung cap appcle le cap de N^orornbegtie. 
 Le diet cap est par quarante et ting dcgrcz de la haulteur du polle artique. La 
 dicte caste est iouie sableuse * * * basse, sans nulle viontaigne. Et au long 
 laquelle coste y a plusieurs isles de sable et coste fort dangereuse de bancs et rochiers, 
 
 " Les gens de ceste coste et de Cap h Breton sont maulvaiscs gens, puissa7is, 
 grandz Jlcschicrs, et sont gens qui vivent de poissons et de chair, et out aulc'^n 
 motz et parlcnt quasi le inesme langaige de ceux de Canada et sont grajid peuple. 
 Et ceux de Cap a Breton vont donner la guerre a ceulx de la Terre j:cufve quand 
 ils peschent et pour nulle chose ne saulveroycnt la vie a ung hojume quand ils lif 
 prennent, si iiest jeune enfant on jeune file et sont si crucls que si prcnnent 
 ung homme poriant barbe, ilz luy couppcnt les mcvtbrcs et Ics portent a leurs 
 femmes et enffans, affui d' estre vengez en cela. Et y a entre eux force pelleier- 
 ies de toustes bestes. 
 
 " Audela dii cap de K'orombigiie descend la riviere dudict Koromblgue, 
 environ vingt et cinq lieucs du cap. La dicte riviere est large de plus de 
 quarante lieues de latitude en son entrtfe et ceste largeur au dedans bicn irentc on 
 quarante lieues et est ioute pleine d' isles qui entnnt bieii dix ou douze licues en 
 la mer et est fort dangereuse de rochers et baptures. La dicte riviere est par 
 quarante et deux degrcz de la haultettr du polle artique. 
 
 ' ' A udedans de la dicte riviere quinze lieues y a une ville qui s' appelle Ko- 
 rombhgue et y a en el'e de bonnes gens et y a force pelleterics de toutes bestes. Les 
 gens de la ville sont vestuz de pelleterics, portans manteatilx de martres. fe me 
 double que la dicte rivihre va entrer en la rivikre de Hochelaga, car elle est sallc'e 
 
mr* ''^x\ N 
 
 
 
 Ph 
 
 o 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 355 
 
 without any mountain. And along this coast there are 
 many isles of sand and the coast very dangerous on 
 account of banks and rocks. 
 
 " The people of this coast and of Cape Breton are 
 an ill-disposed race, powerful, great arrow-makers, and 
 live on fish and on flesh, and are not talkative, and 
 speak almost the same language as those of Canada, 
 and are a great people. And those of Cape Breton go 
 to make war upon those of the New Land when they 
 are fishing, and not for any thing do they spare the life 
 of any one when they take him, unless it is a young 
 boy or a young girl ; and they are so cruel that if they 
 take a man having a beard, they cut off his legs and 
 arms and carry them to their wives and children, in 
 order to be avenged in that way. And there are among 
 them many peltries of all animals. 
 
 " Beyond the Cape of Norombegue, the river of the 
 said Norombegue descends about twenty-five leagues 
 from the cape. The said river is wider than forty 
 leagues of latitude at its mouth [entrance of Long 
 Island Sound], and within, this width is as much as 
 thirty or forty leagues, and it is full oi isles which 
 stretch out ten or twelve leagues in the sea [or Sound], 
 and it is very dangerous on account of rocks and 
 swashings. The said river is in forty-two degrees of 
 the height of the arctic pole. 
 
 " Up the said river, fifteen leagues, there is a town 
 which is called Norombegue, and there is in it a good 
 
 plus de qtiarante lietics en dedans selon la diet des gens de la ville, Les gens 
 parlent beaucoiip de motz qui approuchent du latin et adorent le soldi et soni belles 
 getis et grandz hommes. La terre de Norombegue est katilte et bonne. 
 
 " Enavant et audefa de la dicte riviere cent cinqiiante lieues y a une isle qui 
 j' appelle la Vermondc qui est par les trente et trois degrez de la haullenr du polle 
 artique, Et du couste devers louest de la dicte ville, y a forces rochiers qui s' avan- 
 cent dans la mer hien quinze lieues, et du coste vers le nort y a une anse en laquelle 
 y a une petite isle laquelle est fort subjecte a tempester et n' y pent habiter " — 
 Cosmographie de Jehan Allefonsce et Raiilin Secarlart. J545 fol. 184-189. 
 
356 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 people, and they have many peltries of all kinds of 
 animals. The inhabitants of the town are dressed in 
 skins, wearing mantles of martens. I think that the 
 said river runs into the river Hochelaga [the St. Law- 
 rence], for it is salt for more than forty leagues up, 
 according to the statement of the people of the town. 
 The people use many words which resemble the Latin, 
 and they worship the sun, and are a handsome people, 
 and large framed. The land of Norombegue is high 
 and good. 
 
 " Before and on this side of the said river, one 
 hundred and fifty leagues, there is an island called 
 Vermonde [Bermuda ?] which is in about thirty-three 
 degrees of the height of the arctic pole.' And on the 
 west side of the said town there are many rocks which 
 extend to the sea, about fifteen leagues, and north of 
 it there is a bay, in which there is a small island, which 
 is often subject to tempests and cannot be inhabited." 
 
 While Jean Alphonse was exploring the coast of 
 La Terre d' Anormee Berge (which at this time geo- 
 graphically included all the country between the Grande 
 River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence), he ascended the 
 Grande River to the height of its navigation, from 
 which point he inferred that the stream extended to 
 the St. Lawrence, as it is represented on the ma|) 
 made by Giacomo de Gastaldi, a Piedmontese cartog- 
 rapher, about the year i553." " I have been at a 
 bay as far as forty-two degrees, between Norumbega 
 
 * The Bermudas or Somers's islands lie between 32'' 14' and 32° 25' north 
 latitude, and 64" 38' and 64° 52' west longitude. In 1522, Juan Bermudez, a 
 Spaniard, while on a voyage from Spain to Cuba, was wrecked on them. In 
 1609 Sir Geor,ge Somers, sailing to Virginia, met with a similar misfortune 
 among them. They are said to number three hundred and sixty-five, and are 
 formed by coral reefs. The principal islands are Bermuda or Long Island, St. 
 George's, Ireland, Somerset, and St. David's Island. 
 
 ' The map is contained in the third volume of Ramusio's Raccolta di navi- 
 gation! e viaggi. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 357 
 
 and Florida, and I have not searched the end thereof, 
 and I know not whether it [the river] pass through; 
 
 * * ''^' I doubt not but [the river] Norumbega en- 
 tereth into the river of Canada, and unto the sea of 
 Saguenay." ^ 
 
 This opinion, that the Hudson was an outlet of the 
 St. Lawrence, was held by the Dutch as late as the 
 year 1625, for De Laet observes : "Judging from ap- 
 pearances this river extends to the great river of St. 
 Lawrence, or Canada, since our skippers assure us 
 that the natives come to the fort [on the site of Al- 
 bany] from that river." ^ 
 
 Ren6 Goulaine de Laudonniere, a French officer, 
 commanding Fort Caroline, on the river May, in 1664., 
 gives, in his notable history of Florida, a short account 
 of Verrazanno's discoveries in 1524.3 He says that 
 the French planted in the New Land " the ensigns and 
 arms of the king of France, so that the Spaniards 
 themselves, who were there afterward, have called this 
 country French land {itome ce pais terre Francesque). 
 
 * * * The east part of it is named by the moderns 
 Terre de Norumberge, which ends at the Gulf of Ca- 
 mas, which separates it from the island of Canada.""* 
 
 Not long after the discovery of Francesca by Ver- 
 razzano, French barques were making voyages to its 
 
 * Voyages. Hakluyt. vol. iii. pp. 239, 240. 
 " Nieuwe Wereldt. boek iii. cap. ix. 
 
 ' In the dedication of Laudonniere's notable history to Sir Walter Ra- 
 leigh, dated March i, 1586, the delayed publication of the work is thus ad- 
 verted to : "It having been suppressed and forgotten for nearly twenty years, 
 I have, with the diligence of Mr. Hakluyt, a gentleman well-versed in geo- 
 graphical history and in various languages and sciences, disinterred it, as it 
 were, from the tomb, where it has lain so long in useless repose, and brought it 
 before the world." M. Basanier, the publisher, says he followed the te.\t of the 
 manuscript literatim, without any emendation or changes. 
 
 * " That which is toward the arctic or north pole is called New France 
 insomuch as in the the year 1524, Jean Verrazano, a Florentine, was sent by 
 King Francis I. and Madame, the regent, his mother, to the new countries, on 
 
358 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 coast, some to obtain cod-fish and others furs. As re- 
 lated by Jean Alphonse, the people of the village of 
 L' Anormee Berge had " many peltries of all kinds of 
 animals." The large quantities of beaver, otter, and 
 other skins obtained from the Manants, dwelling at the 
 mouth of the Grande River, induced the speculative 
 Frenchmen engaged in the traffic to erect at this 
 point a small fort, where their factors might reside and 
 more advantageously enlarge their purchases of furs. 
 The Indian village, on the island on which the city of 
 New York is built, was picturesquely situated on the 
 border of the deep, limpid lake, then covering the sites 
 of the plots of ground included between the lines of 
 Elm, Baxter, Worth, and Franklin streets. Near the 
 south end of the lake (which extended as far as the in- 
 tersection of Centre and Duane streets and emptied 
 into the Hudson at Canal Street) was a small island. 
 Eligible, and opposite the tongue of land on which the 
 Manants dwelt, the French fur factors selected it as the 
 
 which he landed and explored the whole coast extending from the tropic of 
 Cancer, namely, from the twenty-eighth to the fiftieth degree, and still more 
 toward the north. 
 
 " He planted at this place the ensigns and arms of the king of France, so 
 that the Spaniards themselves, who were there afterward, have called this 
 country French land. It extends in latitude from the twenty-fifth to the fifty- 
 fourth degree toward the north ; and in longitude, from the two hundred and 
 tenth to the three hundred and thirtieth degree. The east part of it is called 
 by the moderns the land of Norumberge, which ends at the Gulf of Gamas, 
 which separates it from the island of Canada." 
 
 " Celle qui est vers le pole Arctique ou Septentrion, est nommee la 7touuelle 
 France , potir autaht que /' an mil cinq ccs vingt qtiaire, yean Verrazano Flor- 
 entin fiit enuoyd par le Roy Francois premier, df par Madame la Regenie sa 
 mere aux terres neuues, ausquellcs ilprit terre or' descouurit ioute la coste qui 
 est depuis le Tropiqiie de Catice7; a scauoir depuis le vingt-huictiesme degre iusques 
 au cinqtiantiesme : (Sr" encore plus deuers le North. II planta en ce pais les en- 
 seignes, &" armoiries du Roy de Frace : de sorte que les Espagnols mesmes qui y 
 furent depuis ont name ce pais terre Francesque. * * * La partie Orientate d^ 
 icelle est nommee par les modemes terre de Norumberge, laquelle abortit au Golphe 
 de Gamas, qui la separe d' auec V Isle de Canada." — L' historie notable de la 
 Florida sitvee es Indes Occidentales. Par le Capitaine Laudonni^re. Mise 
 en lumiere par M. Basanier. Paris, 15S6. pp. i, 2. 
 

 V ^^ >^' 
 
 
 Copy of a part of a map of the city of New York made by James Lyne in 1728. 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 359 
 
 site of the fortified trading house which they erected 
 and called Le Fort d' Anormee Berge (The Fort of the 
 Grand Scarp).' 
 
 The French geographer, Andre Thevet, who sailed 
 along the coast of La Terre d' Anormee Beree, in 
 1 556, besides corroborating some of the precedlncr 
 statements respecting the discovery of New France, 
 and mentioning the fact that the Grande River was 
 called by his countrymen the river of " Norombeo-ue," 
 and by the Indians " Aggoncy," says": " Having left 
 Florida on the left hand with a great number of 
 islands, islets, gulfs, and capes, a river presents itself, 
 one of the beautiful rivers that are in the world, 
 which we named Norombegue, and the Indians Ag- 
 goncy, and which is marked on some marine charts 
 Grande river.^ Several other beautiful rivers enter 
 
 ' The Dutch, when they took possession of Manants Island, in the seven- 
 teenth century, called the lake het Versch water (the Fresh water). The island 
 on which the French built the fort was, in 1728, selected as the site of a pow- 
 der-house, which was erected there to isolate it from common intruders. John 
 Fitch, in the summer of 1796, navigated his small steamb.oat on the Fresh 
 water lake.— FzV/^ History of the city of New York. By D^vid T. Valentine. 
 1S53. pp. ir, 2S2-2S4. History of the city of New York. By Mrs. Martha J. 
 Lamb. New York and Chicago, 1877-1S80. vol. ii. pp. 423, 424, 565, 736. 
 Documentary history of New York. vol. ii. p. 603. 
 
 * Andre Thevet was born at Angouleme, France, about the second year of 
 ^ the sixteenth century. He visited Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Palestine, and on 
 his return to France, in 1554, published an account of his travels. In July, 
 1555, he accompanied Chevalier Villegagnon to Brazil to plant a colony there 
 of French Protestants. When Thevet arrived at Rio Janeiro in November, he 
 was taken sick, and to hasten his recovery he embarked for France on the last 
 day of January, 1556. The vessel sailed on the home voyage northward along 
 the coast of North America as far as Newfoundland. Thevet died in Paris" 
 November 23, 1590. He was the author of the following works: " Cos- 
 mographie du Levant," Lyons, 1554; " Les singulairites de la France antarc- 
 tique, autrement nommee Ame'rique, et de plusieurs autres tSrres et iles de'cou- 
 vertes de notre temps," Paris, 1556; " Discours de la bataille de Dreux," 
 Paris, 1563 ; " Cosmographie universelle, illustree de diverses figures des choses 
 les plus remarquables vues par I'auteur," Paris, 1571 ; and " Les vrais portraits 
 et vies des hommes illustres, grecs, latins, et paiens, recueille's d« leurs tableaux, 
 livres, medailles, antiques et modemes," Paris, 1584. 
 
 ^ Aggoncy ox Aggonzi %\gxi\^&A i\i&\iQzA. Voyages. Hakluyt. vol i'i n 
 231. _ J . iJ. 
 
36o DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 this one, on which formerly the French had built a 
 small fort about ten or twelve leagues up it, which fort 
 was surrounded by fresh water that empties into the 
 river, and this place was called the fort of Norom- 
 begue." ' 
 
 The site of the fort of L' Anormee Berge is indicated 
 by Gerard Mercator on his celebrated map of the 
 world, made at Duisburg, Germany, in 1569. The 
 famous cartographer not only designates the situation 
 of the French fort on the east side of the Grande River 
 with a conventional sign used by map-makers, but 
 also inscribes the name "Norombega" immediately 
 over it. As is seen, he outlines the Grande River to 
 the height of its navigation, at the confluence of the 
 Mohawk, as far as the French had explored it.^ 
 
 It seems that the French fur merchants undertook to 
 build, about the year 1 640, a chateau or castle, at the 
 
 ' ^'Ayaiit laisse la Florida a main gaiilche, aiiec grand nonibre d' Isles, 
 Isleites, Gottlplu's, ^ Proinonioires, se presente I'vne dcs belles riiiiercs qui soil en 
 totite la ierre, ndinee de nous Norombegue, 6f des Barbares Aggoncy, (^ marquee 
 en quclques Cartes marines riuiere grande. II entre plusieurs autres belles 
 riuieres dans ceste cy, b' sur laquelle iades les Francois feirent bastir vn petit 
 fort, quelqiie dix ou douze lieucs en icelle, lequel estoit emiii-one d' eau doulce, qui 
 se va desgorger das icelle : &f/tit nommee ceste place le fort de Norombegue." — La 
 cosmograpliie vniverselle. D' Andre Thevet. A Paris, 1575. torn. ii. chap, 
 iii. fol. 1008, b. 
 
 "^ The copy of Mercator's map preserved in the National library, in Paris,* 
 which is entitled " A ova et aiicta orbis icr7-ae descriptlo at usum navigantituji 
 emendetd accovimodata," measures seventy-eight and a half inches by fifty 
 inches. On this map is represented the earth in piano, i\\Q meridians being 
 paralleled and the parallels of latitude straight lines, according to those 
 principles of projection known as Mercator's projection. Respecting the latter, 
 he says, in an inscription on the chart : " On account of which considerations, 
 we have increased gradually the length of the degrees of latitude toward each 
 pole proportionate to the increase of the parallels beyond the length which 
 they have on the globe, relatively to the equator : — " Quibus consideratis, 
 gradtis latitudimnn versus utrurnque polum paulatitn auximus pro incremento 
 parallelorum supra ralionem quant habint ad acqttinoctialem," Abraham 
 Ortelius, the eminent cartographer, speaks of this map of Mercator's as "his 
 never-enough-praised universal chart, — Sua nunquam satis laudata tmiversalis 
 tabula." 
 
Saf 
 
 A part 
 
Sdguenai 
 
 ator's map of ihe 
 
 Ills de la geographii 
 orientales, public's en fac-simile." par iM. Jomard, Paris. 
 
 1 d'anciennes cartes europcennes et 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 361 
 
 heio^ht of the naviVation of the Grande River. As it 
 appears, they selected a site for the building on the 
 long, low island lying in the bay, on the west side of 
 the river, near the present southern limits of the city 
 of Albany. The walls of the castle and its protecting 
 earthworks were almost completed when a great 
 freshet inundated the island and damaged the structure 
 so much that the French abandoned the occupation of 
 the island. Jean Alphonse evidently refers to the 
 abortive undertaking, when describing the situation of 
 the Indian village at the mouth of the Grande River, he 
 says : " North of it there is a bay, in which is a small 
 island that is often subject to storms, [those causing 
 freshets,] and cannot be inhabited." The island bore 
 the name of Castle Island for more than a century there- 
 after, but it is now known as Van Rensselaer's Island. 
 The fact that the French had ascended the Grande 
 River to the heigrht of its navioration to trade with the 
 Indians long before Henry Hudson explored it, is cor- 
 roborated by still stronger testimony than that already 
 presented. One of the earliest maps representing the 
 territory of Nieu Nederlandt (New Netherland), or 
 that part of New France which the French had called 
 La Terre d' Anormee Berge, is the figurative chart 
 presented to their high mightinesses, the Lords States 
 General of the United Netherlands, on the eleventh 01 
 October, 16 14, by a number of Dutch merchants,, 
 praying for a special license to navigate and traffic 
 within the limits of this part of North America.^ Upon 
 this map, m.ade in 1614, are inscribed "curious notes 
 and memoranda concerning the natives of the country, 
 which the well-informed discoverer of the chart inti- 
 
 ' A copy of this chart in the general library of the State of New York, at 
 Albany, is entitled : " The Original Carte Figurative, of which the above is 
 an accurate fac-simile, was found on the 26th of June, 1841, in the Locket-kas, 
 of the States General, in the Royal archives at the Hague." 
 
362 DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 
 
 mates were written by one of the Dutch companions 
 of Henry Hudson, who accompanied the Enghsh 
 navigator, on the voyage of 1609.' One of these ex- 
 planatory notes contains the undeniable testimony that 
 the French were the discoverers of the Grande River, 
 and that they had been trading with the Mohawks 
 long before the Half Moon sailed up the river. The 
 plain language of the inscription makes all explanation 
 oi its meaning unnecessary : " But as far as one can 
 understand by what the Maquaas [Mohawks] say and 
 show, the French come with sloops as high up as their 
 country to trade with them." ^ 
 
 Amonor the things which were shown to the Dutch 
 explorers by the friendly Mohawks to confirm what 
 they had said concerning the French, were the con- 
 spicuous ruins of the unfinished castle. The sagacious 
 Hollanders, not unlikely thinking that the dilapidated 
 building might b^ repaired with little expense, and 
 made useful to them as a trading house, should they 
 be licensed by the government of the Netherlands to 
 return there to trade for furs with the Indians, took 
 measurements of its walls and outworks. These memo- 
 randa they also inscribed on the map of New Nether- 
 land. The castle, as described on the chart, was fifty- 
 eight feet wide between the walls, and built in the form 
 of a square, surrounded by a moat eighteen feet wide. 
 
 * " This map," says John Romeyn Brodhead, the historian, " is un- 
 doubtedly one of the most interesting memorials we have. It is about three 
 feet long, and shows, very minutely, the course of the Hudson River from 
 Manhattan to above Albany, as well as a portion of the sea-coast ; and con- 
 tains, likewise, curious notes and memoranda about the neighboring Indians, — 
 the work, perhaps, of one of the companions of Hudson * * * and made 
 within five years of the discovery of our river, its fidelity of delineation is 
 scarcely less remarkable than its high antiquity." — Address of J. Romeyn 
 Brodhead, November 20, 1844. Coll. New York Historical Soc. 1845. p. 16. 
 
 * " Ma so velc men heeft connen verstaeit uyi i seggen ettde bediiyen van de 
 Maquaas so comen de Franfoyseit ?net sloiipeii tot bovein aen haer land met 
 haerluy handelen." 
 
DISCOVERIES OF AMERICA. 363 
 
 The interior building was thirty-six feet long and 
 twenty-six wide/ 
 
 Although the Dutch explorers never left any defi- 
 nite information that they were personally the build- 
 ers of the fortification on Castle Island, yet by naming 
 it Fort Nassau, in honor of the stadtholder, Maurice, 
 prince of Orange and of Nassau, they permitted his- 
 torians to infer that they had constructed it, even be- 
 fore they had been privileged by the government of 
 the Netherlands to occupy the country. 
 
 As late as the year 1680, the Dutch residents of 
 Albany were unenlightened respecting the nationality 
 of the builders of the fort, some supposing that the 
 Spaniards had erected it. This assumption was not 
 generally credited, as there were no facts known that 
 would verify the presence of the Spaniards in this 
 part of the country. The two Labadist missionaries, 
 Jasper Dankers and Peter Sluyter, who visited Albany 
 in 1680, thus speak of the fort on Castle Island, and of 
 the conjecture concerning the people who had built it : 
 " In the afternoon [Sunday, April 28th] we took a 
 walk to an island upon the end of which there is a fort 
 built, they say, by the Spaniards. That a fort had been 
 there is evident enough from the earth thrown up, but 
 it is not to be supposed that the Spaniards came so far in- 
 land to build forts when there are no monuments of them 
 to be seen on the sea-coasts, where, however, they 
 have been according; to the tradition of the Indians." ^ 
 
 ' ''^ Fort van Nassoureen is binnen de wallen 58 voeten wydt in V viercant 
 de gracht is wydt iS voeten." Fort Nassau is 58 feet wide between the walls 
 and built as a square ; the moat is 18 feet wide. " 't hitjs is 36 voeten lanch en 
 26 ivytin t fort." The house in the fort is 36 feet long and 26 wide. 
 
 " Journal of a voyage to New York and a tour in several of the American 
 colonies in 1679 and 1680, by Jasper Dankers and Peter Sluyter of Wiewerd in 
 Friesland. Translated from the original MSS. in the Dutch for the Long 
 Island Historical Society by Henry C. Murphy. Memoirs of Long Island Hist. 
 Soc. 1867. vol. i. p. 318. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 Abaco, Great and Little, 107, 184. 
 
 Abaioa, town, 224. 
 
 Aborigines, I, 18, ig. {See Lzdians.) 
 
 Abraham, 5. 
 
 Abreu, Capistrano de, 213, 220. 
 
 Abyla, mountain, 4. 
 
 Abyssinia, 58. 
 
 Ada, 228. 
 
 Adam, tomb of, 57. 
 
 Adam of Bremen, 40, 41. 
 
 Adaminai, island, 154. 
 
 Adams, Clement, 203. 
 
 Ethiopia, 60, 212. 
 
 Africa, 4. 5, 59, 60, 61, 63, 64, 69, 
 
 70, 73. 77. 85, 219. 
 Afranius, L., 60. 
 Agave, 249, 252. 
 Agesingue, 85. 
 Aggoncy, 351, 359, 360. 
 Agnaneo, island, 221. 
 Aguados, 78. 
 Aguajaluco, 234. 
 Aguilar, Geronimo de, 239, 240, 242, 
 
 267. 
 Aguino, Marcos de, 265, 
 Ajes, 129. 
 Alabama, 275. 
 Alaminos, 275. 
 
 Albany, N. Y., 357, 361, 362, 363. 
 Albuquerque, Affonso d', 285. 
 Alderley, Lord Stanley of, 295. 
 Alexander VI., Pope, 142, 145. 
 Alexandria, 59, 194. 
 Alfonce, Jan, {See Alphottse.) 
 Alfragranus, 75, 76. 
 Allfonsce, Jehan, {See Alphoiise.) 
 Aloe, 124, 136. 
 Alonso X., 61. 
 
 Alphonse, Jean, 352, 353-356, 353. 
 Altars, 235. 
 
 Alvarador, Pedro de, 236. 
 Amalfi, 63. 
 Amasis, 2. 
 Amatl, 264, 268. 
 Amber, 264, 268. 
 America, name, 218, 219. 
 
 Amerige, name, 218, 219. 
 
 Amorciti, Carlo, 295. 
 
 Amplieres, 8. 
 
 Ampollettas, 69. 
 
 Anaximander, 71. 
 
 Ancon bajo, 279. 
 
 Andaman, 57. 
 
 Andrada, Francisco d', 300, 301. 
 
 Andros, island, 107. 
 
 Angelo, Michael, 265. 
 
 Angels, 5. 
 
 Anghiera, 181. 
 
 Ango, Jean, 298, 339. 
 
 Ango & Son, 339. 
 
 Angouleme, 319. 
 
 Animals, domesticated, 109, I16, 123, 
 
 147, 231, 26S, 283. 
 Animals, wild, 8, 166, 202, 215, 258, 
 
 308, 324. 
 Anicatiye, 281. 
 Aniues, les, 346. 
 Anormee Berge, L', 348, 349, 350, 
 
 351 ; le fort d' 359, 360. 
 Anoxa, 281. 
 Antediluvians, i, 6. 
 Antilla, island, 79, 84. 
 Antipater, Cselius, 60. 
 Antipodes, 88, 89. 
 Antiquaries, Royal Soc. of Northern, 
 
 23. 33. 34. 
 Apianus, Petrus, 219. 
 Appalachee Bay, 279. 
 Appalachicola Bay, 270. 
 Aqueducts, i, 10, 12, 252, 270. 
 Arabian Gulf, 60. 
 Arabian Sea, 59. 
 Arambe, 281, 284. 
 Arctic Ocean, 217. 
 Aristotle, 71, 332, 336. 
 Arna-Magnoean collection, 34. 
 Arnold, Governor Benedict, 43, 
 Arona, 18 r. 
 
 Arrana, Diego, 133, 149. 
 Arroba, 123. 
 Arrows. {See Indians.) 
 Arsenals, 264. 
 
 365 
 
366 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Asher, G. M., 300. 
 
 Asia, 4, 57, 142, 153, 192, 215, 219; 
 
 wife of Promelheub, 219. 
 Asius, 2ig. 
 
 Astrolabe, 66-68, 79, 125, I23. 
 AlhenDsus, 198. . 
 Athens, 17. 
 Atlantic empire, 5, 8, 17'; island, 
 
 4-21, 80 ; ocean, early navigation 
 
 of, 4, 59 ; name, 7 ; impassaljle, 
 
 17, 18, 21 ; navigated, 72, 79, 80, 
 
 89 ; race, 17. 
 Atlas, 7, 8. 
 
 Atwood's key, 107, 108. 
 Aubert, Thomas, 298, 299. 
 Autochthon, 8. 
 Avila, Pedro Arias de, 229. 
 Axes, 236, 237. 
 Ayala, Pedro de, 195. 
 Ayllon, Lucas Vasquez de, 279, 281, 
 
 282, 284. 
 Azaes, 8. 
 Azores, 67, 74, 78, 79, 140, 145, 157, 
 
 158, 213. 
 
 Bacallaos or baccallaos, land of, 197, 
 
 200, 202, 330. 
 Bachian, inland, 294. 
 Bacon, Roger, 62. 
 Badajos, congress of, 296. 
 Badakhshan, 57. 
 Bahamas, the, 107. 
 Bahia de todos os Santos, 214. 
 Bakelos, name, 198, 203. 
 Balboa, Vasco Nuiiez de, 225-228. 
 Banda, 292. 
 
 Bardsen, Ivar, treatise of, 23, 
 Barges or berges, 248, 349. 
 Barrett, William, 188. 
 Barros, Joam de, 68. 
 Bartolome, Francisco, 240. 
 Basanier, M., 357, 358. 
 Bastidas, Rodrigro de, 174, 225. 
 Baths, 12, 266. 
 Baya Isleos, 330. 
 Beamish, North Ludlow, 25. 
 Bear, the Great and Little, 213. 
 Bears, 199, 202. 
 Beaufort, N. C., 310. 
 Behaim, Martin, 67, 80, 290. 
 Behring's Strait, 303, 30S. 
 Behring, Vitus, 30S. 
 Beimeni, island of, 221, 224, 278. 
 Belem, 177. 
 
 Belle Isle, Strait of, 297, 345. 
 Bells, 176. 
 
 Beneventanus, Marcus, 215. 
 Benewitz, Peter, 219. 
 Berg, Joshua van, 74. 
 Bergenroth, G. A., 187. 
 Bermudas, 356. 
 
 Bermudez, Juan, 356. 
 
 Bernaldez, Andres, 120. 
 
 Bernardino, Cardinal, 154, 
 
 Berruguette, Alonso, 265. 
 
 Beseneghe, 212. 
 
 Bettilem, 177. 
 
 Bethune, Vice-admiral, 64, 
 
 Bible, La, 61. 
 
 Biddle, Richard, 195. 
 
 Bimini, fountain of, 222, 224 ; island 
 
 of, 224, 278. 
 Birds, 100, 103, 104, 105, 109, 116, 
 
 122, 123, 147, 166, 181, 203, 308. 
 Bjanneyjar, 34. 
 
 Bjarni, voyages of, 25-27, 37, 40. 
 Block Island, 320. 
 Blood-letting, 164, 29S. 
 Bobadilla, Francisco de, 172. 
 Boemia, Martin of, 290. 
 Bohemia, Martin of, 67. 
 Bohio or Bosio, 1 14, 130, 133. 
 Boiuca, 221. 
 
 Borrequen, island of, 148, 221. 
 Boulenger, Ludovicus, 219, 
 Bourbon, Charles de, 338. 
 Boursier, Jacques, 339. 
 Bows. {Si'e Indians.) 
 Bradley, Thomas, 195, 
 Brahmans, 57. 
 Brass, 8, 269. 
 Brattahlid, 24, 28. 
 Brazil, 173, 206, 207, 212, 213, 2T4, 
 
 216, 220, 228, 2&6, 300, 352, 359 ; 
 
 island of, 195 ; port of, 175, 179. 
 Brazil-wood, 216, 229, 2S6. 
 Breidafjord, 25. 
 Bretons, 297. 
 
 Brevoort, James Carson, 343. 
 Bridges, 164, 25S, 270. 
 Brisa or Briso, island, 320. 
 Bristol, 73, 18S, 189, 192, 194, 195, 
 
 196, 197, 199. 
 Britons, 297. 
 Brittany, 301, 304. 
 Brodhead, John Komeyn, 362. 
 Brown, Ravvdon, igo. 
 Brunelleschi, Alderotto, 338. 
 Bull, Friar Bernardo, 152, ig6. 
 Burma, 57. 
 Bygd, 24. 
 
 Cabo Bajo, 330. 
 Cabo Casinas, 175. 
 Cabo de Arenas, 330. 
 Cabo de Boa Esperanfa, 6g. 
 Cabo de Campana, 126. 
 Cabo de Cinquin, 127. 
 Cabo de Corrienies, 224. 
 Cabo de Cuba, 125. 
 Cabo de las Conchas, 171. 
 Cabo de las Iliguaras, 278. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 1^7 
 
 Cabo del Elefante, 127. 
 
 Cabo del Estrella, 127. 
 
 Cabo del Isles, 115. 
 
 Cabo del Rlonte, 127. 
 
 Cabo del Pico, 126. 
 
 Cabo de Palmas, 1 18. 
 
 Cabo de San Nicolas, 152. 
 
 Cabo de Santa Elena, 279, 2S0, 284, 
 
 330. 
 Cabo Deseado, 292, 293, 
 Cabo Fuerte, 152. 
 Cabo Hermoso, 114. 
 Cabo Eindo, 127. 
 Cabo Santa Ciuz, 154. 
 Cabo Santa Maria de la Consolacion, 
 
 174. 
 
 Caboto, Giovanni, his proposals to 
 Henry VIE of England ; sails from 
 Bristol, iSS ; his voyage, 188, 1S9 ; 
 Prima Tierra Vista, igo ; island of 
 Sant Joan, 190 ; maps, 185, iqi, 
 192 ; Soncino's account of his dis- 
 coveries, 192-194 ; his globe, 193 ; 
 Cabot's second voyage, 194, 195 ; 
 described, 195, 196 ; field of his dis- 
 coveries, 185, 201, 210, 300. 
 
 Caboto, Ludovicus (Lewis), i83. 
 
 Caboto, Sanctus, 188. 
 
 Caboto, Sebastiano, his voyages, ig6- 
 199 ; extent of his explorations, 200, 
 202 ; his maps and discoveries, 203, 
 204 ; congress of Badajos, 296. 
 
 Cabo Tormentoso, 69, 205. 
 
 Cabot, {See Caboto.^ 
 
 Cabral, Pedro Alvarez, 206, 207. 
 
 Cacamatzin, prince of, 256, 260. 
 
 Cacao, 267 ; liquor, 263 ; nuts, 176, 
 269. 
 
 Cadamosto, Luigi da, 66, 300, 
 
 Cadiz, 7, 60. {See Gades.) 
 
 Csesar, calendar of Julius, 107. 
 
 Caiougas, 346. 
 
 Calachionies, 239. 
 
 Calicut, 206, 336. 
 
 Calpe, mountain, 4. 
 
 Cam, Diugo, 67. 
 
 Cambaluc, 57. 
 
 Camos, Martin, 238. 
 
 Campeachy, 230, 23S. 
 
 Canada, 345, 354, 355 ; river of, 357 ; 
 island of, 357, 358. 
 
 Canals, 9, 10, 13, 14, 252. 
 
 Canary Islands, 72, 74, 79, 95, 97, 
 104, 134, 158, 160. 
 
 Caiiaveral, 279. 
 
 Cannibals. {See Indians.) 
 
 Canoes. {See hidiaiis.) 
 
 Cano, Sebastian del, 295. 
 
 Canso, Strait of, 201. 
 
 Cantino, Alberto, 211. 
 
 Capac, 289. 
 
 Cap de la Franciscane, 354. 
 
 Cape Bojador, 64, 66, 145. 
 
 Cape Breton, 342, 351, 354, 355. 
 
 Cape Breton Island, 191, 201, 297. 
 
 Cape Briton. {See Cape Breton.) 
 
 Cape Buona Vista, 297. 
 
 Cape Catticara, 293. 
 
 Cape Charles, 314. 
 
 Cape Comorin, 294. 
 
 Cape de Bertoni. {See Cape Breton.) 
 
 Cape de Nao, 63, 64. 
 
 C. de S. Maria, 316, 319. 
 
 Cape Fear, 306. 
 
 Cape Henry, 314. 
 
 Cape Eookout, 310. 
 
 Cape Neddock, 329, 
 
 Cape North, 201. 
 
 Cape of England, 185, 201, 
 
 Cape of Florida, 224. 
 
 Cape of Good Hope, 69, 85, 205, 323. 
 
 Cape of Norombegue, 354, 355. 
 
 Cape of St. John, 354. 
 
 Cape of St. Mary, 316, 319. 
 
 Cape of the Bretons, 297. {See Cape 
 
 Breton.) 
 Cape of the Franciscan, 354. 
 Cape of the Holy Spirit, 289. 
 Cape of the Virgins, 289, 292. 
 Cape Prince of Wales, 308. 
 Cape Ras, 297, 
 Cape Ray, 201. 
 
 Cape St. Augustine, 212, 229, 286. 
 Cape St. Roque, 228. 
 Cape St. Vincent, 77, 84. 
 Cape Verd, 74, 78. 
 Cape Verd Islands, 72, 74, 75, 86, 
 
 145, 146, 168. 
 Caradoc of Elancarvan, 43, 
 Caravels, 96, 180. 
 Caria, sierras of, 215. 
 Cariay, 178. 
 Caribbees, 148. 
 Caribbean Islands, 174. 
 Caribi, 160. 
 Caris, island of, 135, 
 Carixagusignanin, 281. 
 Carli Fernando, 302, 335. , 
 Carli Francisco, 338. 
 Carolinas, archipelago, 85. 
 Carpets, 260. 
 
 Carreira, Visconde da, 64. 
 Carroll, B. R., 309. 
 Carthagena, Juan de, 2S9. 
 Carthaginian merchants, 79 
 Cartier, Jacques, 42, 344, 345, 352. 
 Cartier, John, 195. 
 Carvajal, Alonzo Sanchez de, 152. 
 Casada, Caspar de, 289, 292. 
 Casas, Bartolome de las, 107, iiS, 
 
 126. 
 Caspian Sea, 75, 334. 
 
368 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Cassava, 242, 
 
 Cassia, 213, 2i6, 
 
 Castellanos de Oro, 250. 
 
 Castilblanco, 250. 
 
 Castilla del Oro, 183. 
 
 Castle Island, 361, 362, 363. 
 
 Cathay, 51, 58, 72, 74, 82, 84, 118, 
 
 125, 174, 175, 178, 180, 182, 186, 
 
 188, 199, 201, 205, 207, 284, 297, 
 
 301, 306, 332, 336. 
 Cat Island, 107, 108. 
 Cattigara, 227. 
 Caunaboa, 149, 156. 
 Causeways, 256, 257, 258, 270. 
 Cautio, 223. 
 Cavalcanti, Guido, 62, 
 Cavo de Inglaterra, 185, 20I. 
 Cazabi, 164. 
 
 Cazadilla, Diego Ortiz de, 86. 
 Celer, Q. Metellus, 60. 
 Cemies, 154, 155. 
 Cempoalla, 249. 
 Ceuta, 63. 
 Ceylon, 57. 
 Chabot Philippe, 339. 
 Chalchihuis stones, 251, 259, 265. 
 Champlain, Samuel de, 68, 347, 348. 
 Champoton, 230, 233. 
 Chapultepec, 252, 270, 
 Charles V., of Spain, 191, 199, 240, 
 
 249. 
 Charles's wain, I02. 
 Charybdis, 349. 
 Chehkiang, 83. 
 Chersonesus aurea, 226, 227. 
 Chesapeake Bay, 314, 343. 
 Chiahuitzla, 249. 
 Chicora, 280, 281, 282. 
 Chila, 277. 
 
 China, 55, 57, 74, 75, 82, 84. 
 Cholula, 254. 
 Churchhill, collections of A. and J., 
 
 71- 
 Cibao, mines of, 150. 
 Cimbri, 334. 
 Cinnamon, 345. 
 Cintra, Pedro de, 66. 
 Cipango, 84, 204, III, I14, 115, 116, 
 
 193- 
 Circumnavigation of the earth, 295. 
 Claude, wife of Francis I, 320. 
 Claude or Claudia, island, 320. 
 Cleasby, Ricliard, 33. 
 Cleito, 7, II. 
 Clemeni IV., Pope, 52. 
 Climates, 166, 299, 336. 
 Cloves, 294, 345. 
 Cocayo, 281. 
 Cocca, Anionia, 289. 
 Cochin Cinna, 57. 
 Codfish, 198, 202, 203. 
 
 Coelho Goncalo, 215. 
 
 Coelho Nicolas, 206. 
 
 Cogswell, Joseph G., 307, 
 
 Cohoes, N. Y., 351. 
 
 Cojohuacan, 258, 274, prince of, 260. 
 
 Colba, 114. 
 
 Colibre, 135. 
 
 Coligni, Admiral Gaspard de, 340. 
 
 Coloma, Juan de, 93. 
 
 Colombo, Cristoforo. {See Christo- 
 pher Cohimbtts.) 
 
 Colombo, Dominico, 70. 
 
 Colombo, Fernando. {See Ferditiand 
 Columbus.) 
 
 Colon, Cristobal. {See Christopher 
 Columbus^ 
 
 Colon, Diego. {See Diego Columbus.') 
 
 Colon, Luis, 71. 
 
 Columbus, Bartolome', 86, 87, 172. 
 
 Columbus, Christopher, birthplace, 
 70 ; parents, 70 ; sea-faring, 72, 
 73 ; geographical knowledge, 74— 
 8c ; correspondence with Toscan- 
 elli, 80 ; proposals to King John 
 II., of Portugal, 85; sends his 
 brother to England, 86 ; goes to 
 Spain, 87 ; his project discussed at 
 Salamanca, 87-go ; its considera- 
 tion postponed by Ferdinand and 
 Isabella, go ; intends to go to 
 France, go ; befriended by Friar 
 Juan Perez, 90, 91 ; another con- 
 ference, 91 ; unfavorable decision 
 91 ; Luis de Santangel's help, 92 
 Columbus commissioned, 93-95 
 intends to make a sea-chart, 96 
 sails from Palos, g6 ; keeps his 
 reckoning short, g8 ; observes the 
 variations of the magnetic needle, 
 g3, 99 ; conduct of his crew, 100- 
 102 ; discovers island of Guana- 
 hana, 107 ; his landing, 108 ; the 
 people, loS-ilo ; calls the island 
 San Salvador, m ; discovers the 
 islands of Snnta Maria de la Con- 
 cepcion, Fernandina, Isabela, and 
 Cuba, 113-116; believes he has 
 reached Asia, 120 ; sends embassa- 
 dors to the Grand Khan of Cathay, 
 120 ; productions of Cuba, 121 ; 
 natives, 122, 123; returns from the 
 north, 124 ; his high latitiules, 126 ; 
 explores the coast of Espaiiola 127, 
 128 ; its natives, productions, and 
 soil, 128-130; builds Villa de la 
 Navidad, 132, 133 ; sails for 
 Spain, 135 ; the voyage, 137 ; 
 anchors in the Tagus, 140 ; visits 
 the king of Portugal, 141 ; arrives 
 at Palos, 141; celebration of his dis- 
 coveries, 142-144. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 369 
 
 Columbus's second voyage, 146 ; dis- 
 covers the islands of Dominica, 
 Marigalante, Sanla Maria de Guad- 
 alupe, 146, 147 ; his sea-chart, 
 148 ; arrives at Villa de la Navidad, 
 148 ; builds the town of Isabela 
 and castle of San Tomas, 150, 151 ; 
 appoints a council, 152 ; coasts 
 Cuba, 152 ; believes it to be Asia, 
 153 ; sails for Spain, his compasses, 
 157 ; his pilots, 158 ; arrives at 
 Cadiz, 159 ; goes to Burgos, 159 ; 
 his privileges prejudiced, 167. 
 Columbus's third voyage, 168 ; dis- 
 covers the island of Trinidad, 169 ; 
 sees the continent, 169 ; Tierra de 
 Gracia, 170 ; enters the Gulf of 
 Paria, 171 ; map of the country, 
 171 ; reaches EspaHola, 172 ; sent 
 in chains to Spain, 172. 
 
 Columbus's fourth voyage, 174 ; dis- 
 covers the island of iNIantinino, 175; 
 reaches Espariola, 175 ; sails to the 
 Guanaia islands, 175 ; captures a 
 canoe laden with Indian commodi- 
 ties, 175 ; explores the coast of 
 Veragua, 177-1S7, 226, 227 ; sails 
 to Jamaica, 180 ; returns to Spain, 
 182 ; dies at Valladolid, 182 ; his 
 map, 182, 183, 300. 
 
 Columbus, Diego, 87, 90, 152, 168. 
 
 Columbus, Ferdinand, 70, 71, 168. 
 
 Comargo, 277, 278. 
 
 Combahee River, 284. 
 
 Comogre, 225. 
 
 Compass. {See Mariner s compass.) 
 
 Conchillos, Lopezde, 276. 
 
 Connecticut, 253, 354 ; river, 354. 
 
 Contarina, Gasparo, 199. 
 
 Copper, 8, 10, iii, 176, 178, 199, 
 236, 237, 269, 322, 328. 
 
 Coquibacoa, Gulf of, 164. 
 
 Cordoba, Francisco Hernando de, 
 229, 233, 238, 278. 
 
 Corn, 283. 
 
 Coronel, Pedro Fernandez, 152. 
 
 Correa, Pedro, 77. 
 
 Cortereal, Ga>par, 207-211. 
 
 Cortereal, Joao Vaz, 207 
 
 Cortereal Miguel, 207, 208, 21 1. 
 
 Cortes, Hernando. Diego Velasquez 
 appoints him captain-general, 237 ; 
 sails to the island of Cozumel, 238 ; 
 receives embassadors from Monte- 
 zuma, 239 ; the presents, 243-245 ; 
 explores the coast of Mexico, 247 ; 
 builds Villa Rica de Vera Ciuz, 
 249 ; begins his march toward the 
 city of Mexico, 249 ; engagements 
 with the Tlascallans, 250 ; eniers 
 Tlascalla, 251 ; marches to Cho- 
 
 lula, 253 ; escorted into the city of 
 Mexico by Montezuma, 259-261 ; 
 visits the market-place and the tem- 
 ple of Huitzilopochtli, 267-272 ; 
 beseiges the city, 273 ; sends pre- 
 sents to the emperor, 274. 
 
 Corvea, Caspar, 206. 
 
 Corvo, island, 100, 158. 
 
 Cosa, Juan de la, 173, 183, 184, 1S5, 
 
 201. 
 
 Cosco, Leander de, 142. 
 
 Cotastlan, 239, 266. 
 
 Cotta, Joannes, 215. 
 
 Cotton, log, no, in, 119, 121, 123, 
 
 124, 136, 148, 176, 178, 265, 284. 
 Cotys, 219. 
 Coyba, 226. 
 Cozumel, 238, 239. 
 Crato, prior of, 141. 
 Crawford and Balcarres, count of, 350. 
 Critias, or the Atlantic, 3. 
 Croesus, 2. 
 
 Crooked Island, 107. 
 Crosses, 230. 
 Cruz, Juan de la, 265. 
 Cuba, 114, 115, 116, it8, 126, 127, 
 
 128, 152, 153, 154, 184, 197, 202, 
 
 216, 232. 
 Cuitlahuac, prince of, 260. 
 Cuitlahuatzin, 270. 
 Culba, 232. 
 Culhua, 248. 
 Culua, 235. 
 Cusa, Cardinal Kicolaus de, So. 
 
 Dagaghiano, Pier Francisco, 338. 
 
 Dagmala-stad, 31-33. 
 
 Datha, 2S2. 
 
 Damascus, 59. 
 
 Dankers, Jasper, 363. 
 
 Darien, isthmus, 174, 177, 225, 226, 
 
 227, 228, 315, 342. 
 Davila, Pedrarias, 228. 
 Davis, Henry, 19. 
 Davis's Strait, 318. 
 
 Declination, line of, 98, gg, 102, 158. 
 De Costa, B F., 343. 
 Degree, measures of, 76, 83, 9S. 
 Delaware Bay, 315. 
 Demons, 217, 28S. 
 Demorgorgon, 198. 
 Denis, Jean, 29S. 
 Denmark, 334. 
 
 Desmarquets, Jean Antoine, 299. 
 Despinolles, Pierre, 339. 
 Diaprepes, 8. 
 
 Dias, Hartholomeu, 6g, 205. 
 Diaz, Bernal, 21, 229 ; Father Juan, 
 
 240. 
 Diepa or Dieppe, 297, 298, 307, 334, 
 
 351. 352. 
 
370 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Dighton rock, 42. 
 
 Disraeli, 350, 
 
 Dods, Marcus, 89, 
 
 Dogs, 123, 26S. 
 
 Dominica, island of, 146. 
 
 Dona Marina, 240, 242, 259, 260, 261, 
 
 267. 
 Drake, Sir Francis, 2g2. 
 Drogio, island of, 47, 49. 
 Ducats, 244, 245 
 Duero, Antlres de, 237. 
 Duharhe, 281, 2S3. 
 Duisburg, 360. 
 Dwarfs, 263. 
 
 Eannes, Gil, 65. 
 
 Eannes de Azurara, Gomes, 64. 
 
 Earth, globular form of, 71, 88, 193; 
 
 circumference of, 74, 75, 83; circum- 
 navigation of, 295. 
 East Cape, 30S. 
 East Indies, 145. 
 East River, 317. 
 Eden, Richard, igg. 
 Egypt, priests of, 2, 3, 21 ; invaded, 
 
 5, 8 ; gods rule in, 6, 15 ; stars seen 
 
 in, 72. 
 Egyptians, chroniclers, 2, 4, 15 ; 
 
 chronology of, 17 ; ships of, 18 ; 
 
 hermetic books of, 20. 
 Eider-ducks, 35. 
 Ekallumiut, 30. 
 Elasippus, 8. 
 El Crespello, 265. 
 Elephants, 8, g. 
 El Gran Cairo, 22g. 
 El Marien, 249. 
 Elohim, 6. 
 Emeralds, 244. 
 Emmanuel, king of Portugal, 207, 
 
 211. 
 England, 73, 74, 186, 188. 
 Eric, the Red, 23, 24 ; the wanderer, 
 
 25- 
 Escovedo, Rodrigo de, 108, 133, 149. 
 Espaiiola, 104, 128, 130, 133, 135, 148, 
 
 154, 159, 172, 175, 179, 182, 184. 
 Espiritu Santo, Rio del, 278 ; Baya 
 
 del, 279. 
 Estotiland, 46, 49, 50. 
 Estrithson, Sveyn, king of Denmark, 
 
 to. 
 Ethiopia, 60, 2I2. 
 Eudasmon, 8. 
 Eudoxus, 60. 
 Euenor, 6, 7. 
 Eugene IV., Pope, 83, 
 Eumelus, 7. 
 Europa, 219. 
 Europe, 4, 5, 219. 
 Eusebius, 299, 345, 
 
 Euthydemus, 198. 
 
 Euxine Sea, 52. 
 
 Evangelista, island of, 1 53, 154. 
 
 Everett, E., 34. 
 
 Eyktar-stad, 31-33. 
 
 Eynoult, Guillaume, 340. 
 
 Ezcapuzalco, 265. 
 
 Fabian, Robert, 197. 
 
 Faroe islands, 22, 23. 
 
 Fayal, island of, 67, 68. 
 
 Ferdinand, king of Spain, 70, 72, 142, 
 
 143, 144, 159, 160, 168, 172, 187, 
 
 igS, 216. 
 Fernandina, 113. 
 Fish, 198, 202, 209, 241. 
 Fitch, John, 359. 
 Flateyensis, codex, 25. 
 Flato, 25, book of, 25. 
 Floki, the viking, 23. 
 Flores island, 78. 
 Florida, 124, 126, 200, 223-225, 275, 
 
 276, 277, 278, 279, 307, 330, 342, 
 
 344, 351, 352, 357, 358. 
 Flowers, g, 115, 116, 251, 266, 309, 
 
 314- 
 Fonseca, J^ian Rodriguez de, 168, 276. 
 Fornari, Baltano de, 71. 
 Fort Caroline, 357. 
 Fort Nassau, 363. 
 
 Fortunate Islands, 74, 75, 331, 332. 
 Foster, Andrew, 159, 
 Fowls, 268, 283. 
 Fox, G. v., 98, 107, 108. 
 Francis I., king of France, 300, 301, 
 
 319, 320, 338, 344, 351, 352, 357, 
 
 358. 
 Francesca, 307, 330, 351. 
 Frederic III. of iJenmark, 25, 34. 
 Freydis, 39. 
 Frisland, island of, 45, 46, 4g, 50, 73; 
 
 story of a fisherman of, 44, 46-50. 
 Frizeland, 73. 
 Fruits, g, 115, 116, 147, 166, 171, 241, * 
 
 263, 324, 352. 
 Fucus natans, gg, 100. 
 Fuenterabia, 135, 183, 227. 
 Fuerteventura, island of, g7. 
 Fundv, Bay of, 201. 
 Furdustrandir, 35, 41. 
 
 Gadeira, 7. 
 
 Gadeirica, 7. 
 
 Galleys, 21. 
 
 Galicia, 135, 141. 
 
 Gallia Nova, 343. 
 
 Galvano, Antonio, 64, 144, 200. 
 
 Gnma, Vasco da, 205, 206. 
 
 Gamart of Rouen, 2g8. 
 
 Gamlason, Thorhall, 34. 
 
 Gamas, Gulf of, 357, 358. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 371 
 
 Ganges, 142, 154, 226. 
 
 Gardens, 12, 256, 257, 266. 
 
 Garay, Francisco de, 275, 278, 
 
 Gastaldi, Giacomo de, 326, 356. 
 
 Gaul, 61. 
 
 Georgia, State of, 279. 
 
 Germany, 61. 
 
 Giants, 6, 252, 253, 274, 282, 287. 
 
 Gilbert, Sir Humplirey, 200, 201. 
 
 Ginnungagap, 41. 
 
 Gioja, Flavia, 63. 
 
 Godeffroy, Adam, 340. 
 
 Gods, divide the earth, 5 ; marry the 
 daughters of man, 5 ; rule in Egypt, 
 6, 15 ; half-gods, 6. 
 
 Goes, Damiao de, 208. 
 
 Golfo de las Flechas, 134, 135. 
 
 Golfo de las Perlas, 171. 
 
 Golfo Dulce, 214 
 
 Gold, III, 115, 116, 117, 132, 136, 
 149, 151, 167, 178, 179, 216, 226, 
 229, 234, 236, 243, 251, 265, 269, 
 274. 
 
 Gomara, Francisco Lopez de, 199, 
 200. 
 
 Gomera, island of, 97, 99, 
 
 Gomez, Estevan, 291, 296. 
 
 Goncalves, Andre, 213. 
 
 Graah, Captain W. A., 30, 31. 
 
 Gracia, Tierra de, 170. 
 
 Greenland, from Iceland, 22 ; discov- 
 ered, 24 ; eastern district in, 25 ; 
 sea of, 26, 216, 217 ; from New- 
 foundland, 28. 
 
 Grain, 23, 176, 178, 268, 283, 325. 
 
 Grand Canary, 97. 
 
 Grande River, 318, 319, 320, 346, 348, 
 351, 353, 356. 358, 359, 360. 
 
 Grand Khan of Cathay, 52, 54, 55, 56, 
 58, 82, 94, 115, 117, 118, 120, 124, 
 
 153. 189. ■ 
 
 Grand Scarp, the, 348. 
 Grand Turk Island, 78. 
 Grapes, 42, 151, 313. 
 Gratiosa, island, 107. 
 Great Exuma Island, 107. 
 Greco, wind, 161. 
 Greece, invasion of, 5. 
 Greeks, early civilization of the, 4, 
 Greene, G. W., 302. 
 Greenhalgh, Wentworth, 346. 
 Gregory XIII., calendar of Pope, 
 
 107. 
 Grijalva, Juan de, 233, 237, 247, 278. 
 Grimolfson, Bjarni, 34. 
 Groote River, 318, 319, 346. 
 Guacanagari, 149. 
 Guacasualco River, 236. 
 Guacaya, 28 r, 284. 
 Guadalupe, 147, 14S, 157. 
 Gualdape, 280. 
 
 Guanaco, the, 287. 
 Guanahani, the island, 107. 
 Guanaia islands, 175, 214. 
 Guatemala, 229. 
 Guazpaltepec, 239. 
 Gudrid, 40. 
 
 Guerrero, Gonzalo, 239. 
 Guinea, 64, 67, 74, 81, 85, 88, 352, 
 Guisay, 115, 120. {^See Quinsay.) 
 Gulf of Castles, 267. 
 Gulf of Coquibacoa, 164. 
 Gulf of Gamas, 357, 358. 
 Gulf of Mexico, 352. 
 Gulf of St. Lawrence, 297. 
 Gulf of Venezuela, 164. 
 Gulf Stream, the, 223. 
 Gunnbjorn, the Norwegian, 23 ; sker- 
 ries, 24. 
 Gutierrez, Pedro, 107, 133, 149. 
 Guyneth, Madoc, 43 ; Owen, 43, 44. 
 Guyot, 61. 
 
 Habacoa, 184, 
 
 Hackit, Thomas, 344. 
 
 Haki, 35. 
 
 Hakluyt, Richard, 42, 44, 64, 203, 204, 
 
 357. 
 Hakon, Jonn, son of 25. 
 Half Moon, 362. 
 Hamacas, 147, 156. 
 Hammocks, 147, 156, 163, 286. 
 Hangchau, 83. 
 Hanno, 60. 
 Harlem River, 353. 
 Harrisse, Henry, 160, 184. 
 Hatchets, 176. 
 
 Hauslab, M. le general de, 220. 
 Havannah, the, 249, 
 Hawks, 22. 
 Hayti, 128, 167. 
 Hekja, 35. 
 Hell-Gate, 353. 
 Helluland, 28, 34, 41, 42. 
 Henderson, Ebenezer, 23. 
 Flenry, prince of Portugal, 63, 64, 65, 
 
 66, 67, 70, 79. 
 Henry II. of France, 350. 
 Henry VII., king of England, 86, 
 
 186, 187, 192, 194, 195, 196, 197, 
 
 199, 200, 201 ; VIII., 315, 341. 
 Herbs, 115, 147, 173, 174, 178. 
 Hercules, pillars of, 4, 7, 17, 18, 21, 
 
 59, 60, 72, 197, 198. 
 Herjulf, 24. 
 Herjulfsnes, 24, 25, 
 Herodotus, 2, 59. 
 Heroes, 6. 
 Herrera y Tordesillas, Antonio de, 
 
 215- 
 Hetland, 22. 
 Hieroglyphics, I, 177, 249. 
 
372 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Hitha, 283. 
 
 Hochelaga, 345 ; river of, 354, 356. 
 
 Hojeda, Alouzo de, 150, 173, 1S3. 
 
 Holy Sepulchre, 133. 
 
 Honduras, ISay of, 175, 214. 
 
 Ilonfleur, 29S. 
 
 Hop, 37, 40. 
 
 Horns, 23. 
 
 Horses, 12. 
 
 Huag, 281. 
 
 Hudson, Henry, 318, 361, 362. 
 
 Hudson River, 316, 317, 318, 319, 269 
 -272, 353. 357. 362. 
 
 Huexotzinco, 258. 
 
 Huitzilopochtli, idol, 247 ; temple of, 
 267. 
 
 Humboldt, Friedrich Heinrich Alex- 
 ander von, 44, 56, 57, 183. 
 
 Hvarf, 24. 
 
 Hvidserk, 24, 25. 
 
 Hylacomylus, 218. 
 
 Iberian peninsula, 84. 
 
 Ibernia, 192, 194. 
 
 Icaria, 49. 
 
 Iceland, 22, 23, 24, 25, 45, I93, 199, 
 (See Island.) 
 
 Ignami, 164. 
 
 Incense, 235. 
 
 India, 57, 61, 69, 70, 74, 75, 77, iSl, 
 206. 
 
 Indian Ocean, 314. 
 
 Indians {See also Manants, Paesani, 
 Paysans, Wild Men, IVilden), an- 
 cestors, 252, 253 ; axes, 236, 237, 
 324 ; ball-players, 284 ; bows and 
 arrows, 134, 136, 162, 202, 2 10, 
 230, 252, 265, 287, 288, 299, 312, 
 
 324, 355 ; burial, 156, 163 ; ca- 
 ciques, 129, 240, 258, 259, 267 ; 
 cannibals, 135, 148, 164, 216 ; ca- 
 noes, no, 119, 135, 164, 165, 175, 
 258, 299, 312, 313, 324 ; carpenters, 
 266 ; carpets, 260; cities, 251, 254, 
 256, 258, 270; clothing, 123, 170, 
 176, 178, 201, 202, 209, 216, 230, 
 234, 235, 243, 280, 284, 286, 287, 
 288, 298, 306, 312, 317, 321, 322, 
 
 325, 356; clubs, 162, 202; color, 123, 
 129, 130, 161, 169, 209, 2S1, 2S2, 
 284, 287, 299, 307, 311, 312, 321 ; 
 concubines, 262, 266 ; courts, 268 ; 
 cuirasses, 230, 252, 263 ; daris, 
 202 ; dwellings, 116, 117, 130, 163, 
 164, 170, 209, 225, 286, 288, 314, 
 324, 325 ; edifices, 230, 256, 257, 
 258, 260, 261, 272; enchanters, 178, 
 217 ; eyes, no, 307, 322 ; fabrics, 
 170, 176, 178, 234, 241, 243, 
 244, 250, 254, 256, 265, 266, 267 ; 
 faces, no, 287, 307, 311, 321 ; 
 
 fans, 245 ; farmer-generals, 239 ; 
 feather-work, 216, 230, 24T, 245, 
 259; fishing-hooks, n6, 17S ; fish- 
 ing-nets, 116, 178, 189 ; flags, 230 
 food, I2g, 162, .164, 176, 201, 232 
 234, 241, 262, 364, 268, 288, 299, 
 312, 325, 328; friendliness, 108, 
 29S, 306, 310, 311, 316, 317, 321, 
 322, 352, 355 ; furniture, 244, 260, 
 268 ; giants, 252, 253, 282, 287 ; 
 goldsmiths, 265 ; hair, 109, no, 
 136, 161, 170, 2S1, 282, 283, 2S6, 
 2S7, 288, 299, 307, 321, 322 ; ham- 
 mocks, 147, 156, 163, 2S6 ; helmets, 
 243, 265 ; hieroglyphics, i, 177, 
 249; idols, 118, 154, 155, 229, 230, 
 232, 234, 235, 247, 270, 271, 272 ; 
 implements, 176, 189, 236, 237, 
 324; javelins, 109, no, 134; kid- 
 naped, 279, 2S0, 281 ; kings, 216, 
 323 ; knives, 268 ; lances, 162, 202, 
 230, 231, 252, 264; language, 120, 
 162, 201, 210, 299, 355, 356 ; lapi- 
 daries, 265; liquors, 263; longevity, 
 216 ; magistrates, 130 ; markets, 
 267, 271 ; masks, 129 ; medicine, 
 164, 216, 288, 325 ; merchandize, 
 267, 26S ; mirrors, 244 ; money, 
 
 176, 269 ; morions, 265 ; musical 
 instruments, 230, 272 ; name, 345 ; 
 oars, no, 324; occupation, 12, 13, 
 14, 15, 178, 264, 265, 266, 267, 
 26S ; ornaments, in, 119, 163, T70, 
 225, 229, 234, 236, 241, 243, 244, 
 248, 250, 267, 274, 287, 321, 322, 
 328 ; palaces, 225, 256, 266; paper- 
 makers, 252, 264 ; painters, 242, 
 265 ; painted faces, 109, 130, 210, 
 230, 286, 287, 288, 299, 323 ; paint- 
 ings, 230, 252 ; phlebotomy prac- 
 tised, 164, 288 ; pikes, 252, 264 ; 
 pipes, 264 ; plantations, 230, 257 ; 
 police-system, 267 ; priests, 235, 
 269, 283 ; pulilic works, g, 10, 252, > 
 256, 257, 258, 270; religion, no, 
 119, 123, 154, 155, 156, 216, 229, 
 286, 2S8, 299, 230, 331, 356 ; sac- 
 rifices, 16, 235, 239, 247, 254, 270- 
 272 ; sculptors, 265 ; sculptures, 
 
 177, 178, 229, 230; sepulchre, 17S; 
 servants, 264 ; shields, 230, 234, 
 243, 252, 264, 265; shoes, 244, 28S; 
 silversmilhs, 265 ; slaves, no, 136, 
 167, 210, 225, 267, 269 ; slings, 
 202, 230, 252 ; snares, 189. 324 ; 
 songs, 2S4, 325; spinners, 109, no; 
 staiure, 109, no, 129, 161, 209, 
 307, 311, 321, 356; sione-cutteis, 
 266; superstitions, 156; swonls, 
 176, 230, 231, 252, 264 ; tanners, 
 268; temples, li, 12, 229, 230, 234, 
 
INDEX. 
 
 373 
 
 235, 254, 260, 270, 271 ; theatres, 
 266 ; thread, 267, 284, 311 ; to- 
 bacco, 121, 264, 268 ; traditions, 
 252, 284, 363 ; traffic, 13, log, no, 
 III, 129, 174, 298, 32S ; utensils, 
 162, 262 ; villag-es, 13, 112, 117, 
 122, 130 ; wares, 263, 267, 268,269 ; 
 warlike, 355 ; warriors, 12, 14, 15, 
 230, 231, 251, 252 ; weaving, 266 ; 
 wines, 171, 178 ; wives, 162, 262, 
 323 ; women, 122, 129, 162, 171, 
 262, 281, 284, 2S8, 311, 312, 322. 
 
 Indies, Si, 134, 159, 1S7. 
 
 Infante Fortuna, 144. 
 
 Insubria, 2S3. 
 
 Inzignanin, 284. 
 
 Ilhas Dezertas, 304. 
 
 Ireland, 192, 194, 196 ; island of, 
 356. (See Hernia.) 
 
 Isabela, island of, 113, 115 ; town of, 
 150, 154, 156, 157. 
 
 Isabella, queen of Spain, 72, gi, 92, 
 93, 142, 158, 159, 167, 168, 172, 
 187, 195. 
 
 Isla Blanca, 234. 
 
 Isla de las Bocas, 179. 
 
 Island, 23, 55, (See Ice/and.) 
 
 Isla Rica, 228. 
 
 Isla Santa, 169. 
 
 Isole de Ladroni, 294. 
 
 Isole Sfortunato, 292. 
 
 Ithaca, 52. 
 
 Iti, island of, 167. 
 
 luca, 164. 
 
 lucatan, 215. (See Yucatan.) 
 
 Iztapalapan, 256, 270. 
 
 Jackals, 268. 
 
 Jacobus, 61. 
 
 Jacquet, 56. 
 
 Jamaica, 133, 152, 154, 180, 182. 
 
 Japan, 57, 84, in. 
 
 Java, 57, 294. 
 
 Jerez of Ayamonte, Rodrigo de, l2o. 
 
 Jerusalem, conquest of, 133. 
 
 Jesters, 263. 
 
 John I. king of Portugal, 63 ; II.. 67, 
 
 69, 85 ; III,, 300, 301. 
 Jomard, M., 185. 
 Jonas, Arngrim, 33. 
 Jones, Inigo, 43. 
 Jordan River, 280, 284. 
 Joseph, Master, 67. 
 Juan, Prince, 70, 159, 168. 
 Juana, island, 127, 182. 
 Juanillo, 232. 
 Juet, Robert, 319. 
 
 Karlsefne, Snorro, 40 ; Thorfinn, 34, 
 
 36, 37. 38, 39. 40. 
 Kelly, Patrick, 237. 
 
 Kennebec River, 354. 
 
 Kettell, Samuel, in, 126. 
 
 Khotan, 57. 
 
 Kingsborough, collection of Lord, 21. 
 
 Kjalarnes, 35. 
 
 Klaproth, 56. 
 
 Knoll, Conrad, 218. 
 
 La Baya del Rio, 330. 
 
 Labrador, cape of, 199 ; land of, 200, 
 
 202, 345. 
 La Boca de la Drago, 171 ; Sierpe, 
 
 171 ; de Terminos, 234. 
 La Cruz, 279. 
 Lactantius, 89, 90. 
 La Culata, 279. 
 Ladrone islands, 294. 
 Laet, Johannes de, 319, 346, 347. 
 La Isla de Trinidad, 168, 169, 170. 
 Lake Maggiore, 181. 
 Lamb, Mrs. Martha J., 359. 
 Land of Ayllon, 284. 
 Land of Codfish, 197, 200, 202, 207. 
 Land of Cortereal, 208. 
 Land of Fire, 334. 
 Land of Grace, 170. 
 Land of Pearls, 173. 
 Land of Red wood, 2S6. 
 Land of the Farmer, 200. 
 Land of the Grand Scarp, 349-351. , 
 Land of the Holy Cross, 287. 
 Land of the Palisades, 349. 
 La Nouvelle France, 330. 
 Lanzarote, island, 97. 
 Lares, Almadorde, 237. 
 La Ribida, 87, go 91. 
 Laos, 57. 
 Lapidaries, 265. 
 La Plata, port of, 279. 
 Lappenburg, M., 41.. 
 Lariab, country of, 166. 
 Las Barbas, islands, 180. 
 Las Islas Desdichados, 292. 
 Lateens, 180. 
 Lathyrus, 60. 
 Lalini, Brunetto, 62. 
 Latitude, 66-68 
 Laudonniere, Rene Goulaine de, 351, 
 
 367. 
 Leagues, land, 83, 305 ; sea, 83, 305, 
 
 329. 331. 
 Leather, 243. 
 Leicester, earl of, 350. 
 Leif, son of Eric the Red, 25, 27, 30, 
 
 35. 42. 
 Lelewel, Joachim, 182. 
 Lemos, Caspar de, 207 
 Lenormant, Francois, 15. 
 Leo X. Pope, 181. 
 Leon, Juan Ponce de, 221, 223-225, 
 
 278. 
 
374 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Lester, C. Edwards, 159. 
 
 Leucippe, 17. 
 
 Levanle, wind, 161. 
 
 Lepe, Diego de, 174. 
 
 Libeccio, wind, 161. 
 
 Libya, 4, 5, 59, 60, 64, 219. 
 
 Line of declination, 98, 99, 102, 158. 
 
 Line of demarkation, 145, 296. 
 
 Lings, 203. 
 
 Lions, 268. 
 
 Liquors, 171, 176, 178. 
 
 Lisbon, 83, 84. 
 
 Littre, E., 246. 
 
 Liverpool, 84. 
 
 Llwyd, Humphry, 43. 
 
 Locke, Michael, 79, 315. 
 
 Lockhart, John Ingrim, 233, 
 
 London, 186, 194, 197. 
 
 Longitude, 66-68, 332. 
 
 Long Island, N. Y., 316, 317, 319, 320. 
 
 Long Island, West Indies, 107, 356. 
 
 Long Island Sound, 317, 353, 355. 
 
 Looms, 148. 
 
 Louise of Savoy, 320, 351, 352, 357, 
 
 358; 
 Louisiana, 275. 
 Luisa, island of, 320. 
 Lully, Raymond, 67. 
 Luna, Fernando Perez de, 153. 
 Luxan, Juan de, 152. 
 Lynna, Nicholas de, 217. 
 Lynx, 322, 324, 328. 
 
 Machian, island, 294. 
 
 Madagascar, 58. 
 
 Madeira, island, 78, 304. 
 
 Madoc, Guyneth, 43, 44. 
 
 Maestrale, wind, 161. 
 
 Maestro, wind, 161. 
 
 Magalhaens, Fernam de, 69, 2B4-294, 
 
 337- 
 Magellan: {See Magalhaens.) 
 Magellan's Strait, 289, 290, 291, 292, 
 
 293. 333- 
 Magnetic needle, 61-63, 65, 98, 99, 
 
 102, 157, 158, 217, 293. 
 Magnetism, terrestrial, 98, 69, 158, 
 
 217. 
 Magua, island. Great and Little, 107. 
 Maguey, plant, 252 ; root, 268 
 Magnussen, Arne, 34. 
 Maine, 327, 328, 329. 
 Mainwaring, 350. 
 Maiollo, Visconte de, 307, 342. 
 Maize, 176, 178, 230, 234, 283. 
 Major, Richard Henry, 49, 171. 
 Malincha, 261. 
 Malpiero, Gasparo, 53, 
 Malvas, port of, 208. 
 Mames, 121, 123. 
 Mamre, 6. 
 
 Mandeville, Sir John, 58, 76. 
 
 Mango, 84, 179, 180. 
 
 Manants or Manans, 345, 346, 347, 
 348, 358, {See Indians.) 
 
 Manants Island, 359. 
 
 Manhattan, 362. 
 
 Manhattans, 346. 
 
 Manhattes, 347; island of, 347; river 
 of, 319. 
 
 Mantinino, island, 175, 
 
 Manzi, 82. 
 
 Maques, or Maquaas, 347, 362. 
 
 Maravedi, 245. 
 
 Marchena, Fray Antonio de, 158. 
 
 Mar del Sur, 176, 227, 228, 
 
 Mar de Sargasso, 99, 100. 
 
 Mar Dulce, 228. 
 
 Marede Verrazana, 315. 
 
 Mare Oceanum, 41, 96, 182, 184, 293. 
 
 Margarita, Don Pedro, 151. 
 
 Margarita, island, 171. 
 
 Margarita of Austria, 159. 
 
 Marigalante, island, 147. 
 
 Mariner's compass, 61-63, 98, 99, 
 102, 157, 158, 161, 293, 296. 
 
 Mar Indicum, 314, 343. 
 
 Marini, Giorgio Baptista, 71. 
 
 Marinus of Tyre, 74, 75, 76. 
 
 Mark, a weight, 174, 244. 
 
 Markland, 28, 34, 40, 41, 42. 
 
 Marmora, 180. 
 
 Marnef, Jan de, 352. 
 
 Mar pacifico, 289, 292, 293. 
 
 Martens, 306, 356. 
 
 Martha's Vineyard, 227. 
 
 Martin, Joseph, 314. 
 
 Martinez, Ferdinand, 80, 81. 
 
 Martin V, Pope, 145. 
 
 Martin of Bohemia, 67, 290. 
 
 Martire d' Anghiera, Pietro, 154, 181, 
 197, 221, 
 
 Martires, islands of las, 224. 
 
 Martyr Peter. {See Pietro Martire d' 
 Anghiera.) 
 
 Mastic, 124, 136. 
 
 Mataia, iSo. 
 
 Matan, island, 294. 
 
 Maurice, prince of Orange and Nas- 
 sau, 363. 
 
 Mauritius River, 347. 
 
 May River, 357. 
 
 Mecca, 193. 
 
 Medea, 76. 
 
 Medina, Pedro de, 69. 
 
 Mediterranean Sea, 5, 60. 
 
 Melchorejo, 232, 233, 238. 
 
 Melaccha, island of, 214. 
 
 Mendoza, Luis de, 289. 
 
 Mercator, Gerard, 76, 350. 360. 
 
 Mercator's projection, 360. 
 
 Meredith ap Rhees, 44. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 375 
 
 Merrimack River, 354. 
 
 Meschita, Alvaro de, 291, 
 
 Mestor, 8. 
 
 Meteran, Emanuel van, 318. 
 
 Mexico, 21, 175, 234, 235, 249, 250, 
 
 252, 256-274, Gulf of, 352. 
 Midjokul, 24. 
 
 Miles, sea and land, 76, 98. 305, 331. 
 Millet, 283. 
 Minielo, Diego, 282. 
 Mississippi, state, 275 ; river, 278, 279. 
 Mnesis, 8. 
 
 Mohawk River, 360, 
 Moluccas, islands, 59, 64, 294, 296. 
 Mona, island, 154. 
 Moncado, Don Hugo de, 336. 
 Montagneurs, les, 346. 
 Montauk Point, 320. 
 Monte Cristo, 289. 
 Montejo, Francisco de, 247, 249. 
 Monte Pascoal, 206, 
 Monteregius, John of, 67. 
 Montezuma, 240, 241, 242, 243, 245, 
 
 247, 250, 251, 259, 260-273. 
 Montreal, 345. 
 Moors, 79, 94, 145. 
 Morales, Caspar, 228, 
 Moses, 6. 
 
 Mount Hope Bay, 30, 34, 37. 
 Muller, Johann, 67. 
 Murphy, Henry C, 343, 363. 
 Mutir, island, 294. 
 Myos Hormos, 75. 
 Myrrh, 213. 
 
 Naddoddr, 22. 
 
 Nantucket, 327. 
 
 Napkins, 264. 
 
 Narragansett Bay, 320, 321, 325, 326. 
 
 Narrows, The, 316, 317. 
 
 Narvaez, Pamfilo de, 279. 
 
 Navarrete, Martin Fernandez de, 61, 
 107. 
 
 Navidad, Villa de la, 133, 136, 148, 
 149. i50. 
 
 Naville, Edward, 20. 
 
 Necho, 59. 
 
 Negropont, 51. 
 
 Nepos, Cornelius, 60. 
 
 Nequen, 252, 268. 
 
 Newark Bay, 317. 
 
 Newfoundland, 28, igS, 201. 
 
 New France, 330, 345, 352, 357, 361. 
 
 New Caul, 330. 
 
 New Land, 185, 207, 297, 299, 306, 
 330, 334- 344, 355. 
 
 New Netherland, 319, 347, 361. 
 
 Newport, stone tower of, 43 ; situa- 
 tion, 325. 
 
 New Providence, island, 107. 
 
 New Spain, 21, 175, 176,249. 
 
 New World, 206, 216, 217, 334. 
 
 New York City, 84 ; bays, 316, 317 ; 
 site, 347, 358. 
 
 Nicobar, 57. 
 
 Nile, navigation of, 18 ; canal from, 
 60. 
 
 Nirando, Alonso Perez, 168. 
 
 Nomhre de Dios, 176, 342. 
 
 Normans, 297. 
 
 Norombegue, cape of, 354, 355 ; town 
 of, 355. 356 ; river of, 355, 356, 
 357, 359. 360. 
 
 North America, 185. 
 
 North Carolina, 302, 306, 311. 
 
 Northmen, galleys of, 21, 24 ; de- 
 ported, 22 ; voyages, 25-41. 
 
 North Sea, 21, 301, 302. 
 
 Norumbega, 346, 351, 352, 356, 360. 
 
 Norway, 22, 23, 24, 333, 334. 
 
 Noun, the god, 20. 
 
 Nova Scotia, 28, 198, 201, 297. 
 
 Novaya Zemlya, 318. 
 
 Nucay, 119. 
 
 Nuestra Senora, La Mar de. 125. 
 
 Nueva Espana, 21, 175. 
 
 Nuova Terra, 306-330. 
 
 Nuremberg, 67, 68. 
 
 Olafs, 55. 
 
 Clone, 349. 
 
 Oneydes, 346. 
 
 Onondagas, 346. 
 
 Onoyants, les, 346. 
 
 Onslow Bay, 309. 
 
 Crichalcum, 8, 10, 11, igg. 
 
 Orinoco River, 160, 168, 170, 171. 
 
 Orteguilla, 267. 
 
 Ortelius, Abraham, 79, 360. 
 
 Ortubia, Juan Perez de, 224. 
 
 Ostro, the wind, 161. 
 
 Otte, E. C, 44. 
 
 Otters, 268. 
 
 Oxford, 62. 
 
 Pachol, 264. 
 
 Pacific Ocean, 289, 292, 293. 
 
 Paesani, 346, 352. 
 
 Paisans or paysans, 345, 346. 
 
 Palisades, the, 348. 
 
 Palfrey, John Corham, 43. 
 
 Palos, 87, 95, 96. 
 
 Palma, island, 97. 
 
 Palmetto trees, 308. 
 
 Panama, isthmus, 177, 342. 
 
 Panic, 123. 
 
 Panuco, province, 236, 247; river, 
 
 275, 276, 277, 278, 279. 
 Paor, 28 1, 284. 
 Paper, 252, 264. 
 Paria, Culf of, 171; country of, 172, 
 
 173. 
 
376 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Pascua Florida, 223. 
 
 Pasqualigo, Alvise, 189 ; Francesco, 
 
 189 ; Lorenzo, 189 ; Pietro, 209. 
 Pasqui, 2S1. 
 Patagonians, 2S9. 
 Pearls, 117, 170, 173, 174, 2i6, 226, 
 
 243, 259 271, 274, 283. 
 Peasants, 345, 352. {See Indians.) 
 Peking, 84. 
 
 Peltry, 298, 355, 356, 358. 
 Penobscot River, 354. 
 Perestrello, Bartolomco Monis de, 70. 
 Perez, Friar Juan, 90, 91 ; Fray Rod- 
 
 rigo, 133- 
 Perpignan, 135. 
 Persia, 44, 57. 
 Pertz, George Henry, 41. 
 Peso, 236. 
 
 Peter, the Martyr, 181. 
 Petuneurs, les, 346. 
 Pliilippe, duke of Savoy, 320. 
 Philippine Islands, 294. 
 Phoenicians, 7, 18, 59, 60. 
 Pigafetta, Antonio, 66, 69, 83, 284, 
 
 295. 
 Pillars of Hercules, 4, 7, 15, 17, 18, 
 
 21, 59, 60, 72. 
 Pilots, 67, 102, 103, 157, 158, 179. 
 Pineda, Alonso Alvarez de, 275-279. 
 Pinkerton's collections, 71. 
 Pinzon, Martin, Alonso, 77, 96, io3, 
 
 134. 137. 141. I43i 174 ; Vicente 
 
 Yanez, 96, 108, 134, 214, 278. 
 Pisi, 227. 
 
 Pizzaro, Francisco, 228. 
 Place, Jean de la, 219. 
 Plato, 3, So. 
 Plethron, 9. 
 Pliny, 60, 65. 
 Plutarch, 3. 
 Porcorosa, 180. 
 Point Judith, 326, 
 Pola, island, 224. 
 Pole, antarctic, 293 ; arctic, 293. 
 Polo, Maffeo, 52, 53, 54, 55 ; Marco, 
 
 52, 53, 54. 55. 56. 57, 58. 76, 82, 
 
 83; Nicolo, 52, 53, 54, 55. 
 Ponente, wind, 161. 
 Pontonchan, 239, 248. 
 Porcelain, 363. 
 Poree, Fremyn, 340. 
 Porland, 45. 
 
 Port du Refuge, 326, 327. 
 Porto Bello, 180. 
 Porto Rico, 128, 221. 
 I'orto Santo, island, 77, 78. 
 Porto Seguro, 206. 
 I'ortugal, 84, 196. 
 I'oseidon, 5, 7, ii, 15. 
 Potatoes, 283. 
 Poughkeepsie, 353. 
 
 Powel, David, 43, 44. 
 
 Prado, prior of, 87, 91. 
 
 Preudhomme, Guillaume, 339. 
 
 Prima Tierra Vista, igo, 191. 
 
 Providence, 325, 326. 
 
 Psenophis, 3. 
 
 Ptolemy, 73, 74, 75, 77, 1S2, 191, 
 
 215, 336. 
 Puebla, Ruy Gonzales de, 187. 
 Puertocarrero, Alonso, 249. 
 Puerto de la Concepcion, 128. 
 Puerto del Principe, 125, 330, 
 Puerto de Mares, 125. 
 Puerto de San Nicolas, 128. 
 Puerto de Santa Catalina, 126. 
 Puerto Grande, 152. 
 Puerto Maria, 127. 
 Puerto Santo, 126. 
 Pumpkins, 147. 
 Punta de Arenal, 169, 170. 
 Punta de Arracifes, 224. 
 Punta de Cotoche, 221, 232. 
 Punta de la Aguda, 170. 
 Punta dela Galera, 169. 
 Punta de la Playa, 169. 
 Punta Santa, 130, 131. 
 
 Quetzalcoatl, temple of, 254. 
 Quinsay, 75,83, 84, 115, 120. 
 Quintalbor, 242, 243, 245. 
 Quitlalpitoc, 239, 245, 246, 247. 
 Quohathe, 284, 
 
 Ra, the god, 20. 
 
 Race-course, 12. 
 
 Rafn, Charles C., 34. 
 
 Raleigh, Sir Walter, 357. 
 
 Ramusio, Giovanni Battista, 52, 
 
 Raritan Bay, 317. 
 
 Ravens, 22, 23. 
 
 Razors, 264. 
 
 Real, money, 244, 245. 
 
 Red race, i. 
 
 Red Sea, 60. 
 
 Red wood, 193, 213, 286. 
 
 Refugio, 321. 
 
 Regiomontanus, 67, 80. 
 
 Retrete, port, 180. 
 
 Reychenes, 24. 
 
 Rhodes, island of, 320. 
 
 Ribauld. {See Ribaiit.) 
 
 Ribault. {See Ribaut.) 
 
 Ribaut, Jean, 340, 344. 
 
 Ribero, Diego, 296. 
 
 Rio Coatzacoalcos, 236. 
 
 Rio de Banderas, 235. 
 
 Rio de Belen, 227. 
 
 Rio de Flores, 279. 
 
 Rio de Janeiro, 228. 
 
 Rio de la Cruz, 224. 
 
 Rio de la Plata, 228, 287. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 377 
 
 Rio de las Gamas, 330. 
 
 Rio de las Palmas, 279. 
 
 Rio del Espiriiu Sanio, 27S, 279. 
 
 Rio del Sol, 124. 
 
 Rio de Luna, 117. 
 
 Rio de Mares, 117, 118, 124, 182. 
 
 Rio de Montaignes, 319. 
 
 Rio de Neves, 279. 
 
 Rio de Pescadores, 279. 
 
 Rio de San Anton, 330. 
 
 Rio Fondo, 330. 
 
 Rio Grande, 247. 
 
 Rio Janeiro. 286, 287. 
 
 Rio Jordan, 280, 284, 330. 
 
 Rio Nevado, 208. 
 
 Rio Panuco, 275, 276, 277, 278. 
 
 Rio Seco, 279, 330, 
 
 Roanoke, island, 311. 
 
 Roberval, Sieur de, 352. 
 
 Roderic, Master, 67. 
 
 Roffet, Ponce, 345. 
 
 Roque, Jean Francois de la, 352. 
 
 Rousselay, Zanobus de, 339. 
 
 Rum Cay, island, 107. 
 
 Rustichi, 338. 
 
 Rustizielo, 57. 
 
 Ruysch, Johann, 215. 
 
 Rymer's Foedera, 188. 
 
 Saint Amaro, gg. 
 
 St. Augustine, 8g. 
 
 St. Christopher, 184. 
 
 St. David's island, 356. 
 
 St. Die, 218. 
 
 St. George's island, 356. 
 
 St. Germain, port of, 222. 
 
 St. lago de la Spata, 285. 
 
 St. John's island, W. Indies, I7g ; 
 
 Canada, igo, 192. 
 St. Julian, port of, 287, 2go. 
 St, Lawrence, Gulf of, 297 ; isle of, 
 
 352 ; river of, 290, 291, 292, 2g3, 
 
 298, 333- 
 St. Malo, 344, 345. 
 St. Lucy's day, 2S6. 
 Saga of Eric the Red, 26 ; of Thorfinn 
 
 Karlsefne, 34. 
 Sagres, 63. 
 
 Saguenay, 345 ; sea of, 357. 
 Salamanca, 87. 
 Salmana, island, 108. 
 Salmon, 29, 30. 
 Sanchez, Rafael, 125, 142. 
 Sand-glass, 69. 
 Sand-haffn, 24, 25. 
 Sandwich islands, 75. 
 Sandy Hook, 316, 317, 353. 
 San Juan de Ulua, 235. 
 Salt, 268. 
 Saltes, 141, 
 San Domingo, 128, 172, 179, 232. 
 
 San Juan Baptista, island, 148. 
 
 San Lazaro, 229. 
 
 San Lucar de Barrameda, 168, 182. 
 
 San Miguel, bay of, 227. 
 
 San Pablo River, 276. 
 
 San Pedro River, 276. 
 
 San Salvador, Cuba, 117 ; island, 107, 
 III. 
 
 Santa Elena, cape of, 279, 289, 284, 
 
 Santa Fe, 91, 92, 93. 
 
 Santa Maria de la Antigua del Darien, 
 225, 226, 227, 228. 
 
 Santa Maria de Guadalupe, island, 
 147- 157. 
 
 Santa Maria de la Concepcion, 113. 
 
 Santa Maria, island, 140 ; port, 184. 
 
 Santa Marta, island, 224. 
 
 Santangel, Luis de, 87, 92. 
 
 Santarem Visconte de, 64. 
 
 Santee River, 184. 
 
 Santiago, Cuba, 231, 233. 
 
 Sant Joan, island, 190, 192, 
 
 ^an Tomas, fort of, 151. 
 
 Santonge or Santongeois, 34S, 352. 
 
 Saomete, island, 113. 
 
 Sardis, 2, 219. 
 
 Scandinavia, seamen of, 21, 22, 23. 
 
 Schooner, Johannes, 220. 
 
 Schoolcraft, Henry R., 42. 
 
 Schott, Charles A., gg, 158. 
 
 Schotti, Joannis, 182. 
 
 Scio, island, 124. 
 Scotland, 46. 
 Scylla, 34g. 
 
 Sea-weed, gg, 100, 134. 
 Sebastian, harbor of, gg. 
 Secalart, Raulin, 352, 353. 
 Sanchis, 3. 
 
 Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, 76, 80, 88. 
 Senecas, Indians, 346. 
 Seres, 74, 75. 
 Seti I., of Egypt, 20. 
 Seven Cities, 7g, 84, igo, igs. 
 Seville, 141, 143, 285. 
 Shetland Islands, 22. 
 Ships, Egyptian, 18 ; Phoenician, 18 ; 
 Northmen, 24 ; speed of, 68 ; of In- 
 dia, 180. 
 Siam, 57. 
 Siberia, 58. 
 
 Sidney, Sir Philip, 315. 
 Sierra de Quarequa, 226. 
 Sierra Leone, 66, 158, 213, 286. 
 Silver, 119, 243, 251, 265. 
 Silveyra, Fernao de, 301. 
 Sinae, 74. 
 Sines, 227. 
 Sirocco, 161. 
 Skagefjord, 25. 
 Skalholt, 25. 
 Skraelings, 38, 39, 40. 
 
378 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Skraelings' land, 41, 
 
 Skulls, 250. 
 
 Slaves, Indian, 167. 
 
 Sluyter Peter, 363. 
 
 Smith, Captain John, 318. 
 
 Sneeland, 221. 
 
 Snefelsnes, 24. 
 
 Snorrason, Thorbrand, 39. 
 
 Snoro, Thorbrandson, 34. 
 
 Socotra, 58. 
 
 Soles, 203. 
 
 Solinus, C. Julius, 219. 
 
 Solis, Juan Diaz de, 214, 287. 
 
 Solon, 2, 3, 6. 
 
 Somerset island, 356, 
 
 Somers, Sir George, 356. 
 
 Somer's Island, 356. 
 
 Sona, 28. 
 
 Soncino, Raimondo di, 190, 192. 
 
 South America, 160, 166, 167, 169, 
 
 170, 173, 184, 185. 
 South Carolina, 284, 302, 309. 
 South Sea, 176, 226, 227, 228. 
 Spain, early voyages from, 60. 76, 77 ; 
 
 conquered, 79. 
 Spices, 59, 64. 
 
 Spice Islands, 59, 64, 294, 295, 296. 
 Stadium, 6. 
 
 Stanley, Henry E. J., 206. 
 Staten Island, 316, 317 ; Sound, 317. 
 Stephanius, Sigurd, 41. 
 Steppes, Mongolian, 57. 
 Stevens, Henry, 184. 
 Stock-fish, 193. 
 Stow, John, 197. 
 Strait of Belle Isle, 345. 
 Strait of Magellan, 289, 290, 291, 292, 
 
 293. 333- 
 Strait of the Eleven Thousand Virgins, 
 
 289. 
 Straumey, 35. 
 Straumfjord, 36, 40. 
 Style, old and new, 107. 
 Suache, 28. 
 Suevi, 61. 
 Sumatra, 57, 352. 
 Sveinson, Bishop Brynjulf, 25, 34. 
 
 Tabasco, 240, 245, 248. 
 Tadore, island, 294. 
 Tahout, sacred books of, 20. 
 Tale, 232. 
 Tanias, 193. 
 Tanzaca, 281, 284. 
 Tarenate, island, 294. 
 Tassel, Robert, 340. 
 Tacancal, 281. 
 Tehuacacinco, 250. 
 Tendilla, count of, 181. 
 Teneriffe, 97. 
 Tepeaquilla, 270. 
 
 Terceira, 74, 207. 
 
 Terra de Lavrador, 200, 202. 
 
 Terra delie Perle, 211. 
 
 Terra del Verzino, 286. 
 
 Terra de Santa Cruz, 207, 216, 289, 
 
 300. 
 Terra de Vera Cruz, 207, 211. 
 Terra dos Cortereals, 208. 
 Terra Florida, 307, 342, 344. 
 Terra ferma, 189, 192. 
 Terra Nova, 207, 215, 354. 
 Terra Sanctae Crucis, 287. 
 Terra Verde, 208. 
 Terra d' Anormee Berge, La, 349, 
 
 353, 356, 357- 
 Terre de Norumberge, 357, 358. 
 Terre Francesque, 330, 357, 358. 
 Terre Netifve, 354. 
 Tetzcat. 272. 
 
 Tetzcatlipuca, the god, 235, 247, 272. 
 Teules, 245, 251, 260. 
 Teuthlille, 239, 241, 242, 243, 245. 
 Texas, 275. 
 Tezcuco, lake, 256. 
 Theatres, 266. 
 Thebes, 20. 
 
 Thevet, Andre, 351, 359, 360. 
 Thinae, 227. 
 Thirkill, Launcelot, 195. 
 Thompson, Benjamin ¥., 353. 
 Thor, the god, 36. 
 
 Thorbrandson, Snorro, 34, 37, 39, 40. 
 Thord, Jonn, son of, 25. 
 Thorhall, 36, 37, 42. 
 Thorvard, 39. 
 Thucydides. 80. 
 Thule, 73, 70. 
 Tibet, 57. 
 
 Tierra de Ayllon, 284. 
 Tierra de Gracia, 170, 171, 
 Tierra del Fuego, 334. 
 Tierra de los Bacallaos, 197, 200, 202, 
 
 207. 
 Tierra firme, lio, 179. 
 Tigers, 268, 
 Tihe, 283. 
 Tin, 269. 
 Tiphys, 76. 
 Titus, 232. 
 Tlacupa, 260, 270. 
 Tlalmanalco, 258. 
 Tlascalla, 250, 251, 258. 
 Tlatateteclo, 239. 
 Tlateluco, the, 267, 
 Tobacco, 121, 264, 268. 
 Tordesillas, 146, 295, 296. 
 Torfeeus, or Torfason, Thormod, 33, 
 
 34. 41- 
 Tokio, 84. 
 
 Torquemada, Juan de, 243. 
 Torralva, Juan de, 276. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 379 
 
 Torres, Antonio de, 150, 156 ; Luis 
 
 de, 120. 
 Tortosa, 1S7. 
 Tortuga, island, 127. 
 Toscanelli, Paolo, 80. 
 Tramontana, wind, 161. 
 Trees, 12, 108, 114, 115, 116, 124, 
 
 163, 166, 189, 209, 212, 223, 266, 
 
 308, 309, 324, 326, 327, 352. 
 Triana, Rodrigo de, 107. 
 Trico, Catelyn, 347. 
 Trinidad, island of, 168, 169, 170, 
 
 171. 
 Trireme, 10, 12. 
 Troy, N. Y., 353. 
 Tryggvason, King Olaf . 35. 
 Tsiuenchau, 82. 
 Tunguses, 58. 
 Turk Island, 107, 108. 
 Turkeys, 268. 
 Turin, papyrus of, 15. 
 Tuspa, 236. 
 Tusta, 236. 
 Tustepec, 239. 
 Tyrker, 29. 
 Tyrrhenia, 5, 8. 
 
 Ubygd, 24. 
 UUoa, Alfonso de, 71, 
 Ulysses, 52. 
 Uraba, Gulf of, 225. 
 
 Valentine, David T., 359. 
 
 Valladolid, 182. 
 
 Valparaiso, 140. 
 
 Van Rensselaer Island, 361. 
 
 Vargas, 276. 
 
 Varnhagen, F. A. de, 159. 
 
 Vegetables, 9, 121, 123, 129, 147, 
 
 151, 164, 176, 232, 268, 283, 288. 
 Velasquez, Diego, 231, 232, 233, 236, 
 
 237, 278, 359. 
 Venezuela, 164, 168, 171. 
 Venice, 51, 59, 164, 188, 199, 227. 
 Vera Cruz, 249, 266, 277 ; land of, 
 
 207, 211. 
 Veragua, 176, 177, 178, 179, 226, 227. 
 Vermonde, isle de, 355, 356. 
 Verrazana seu Gallia nova, 330. 
 Verrazzano, Giovanni da : Varasenne, 
 
 Jean de, 340 ; Varesam, Jehan de, 
 
 339 ; Varezano, Joao, 300 ; Verar- 
 sanus, 342 ; Verassen, Jean, 298 , 
 Verazano, Joao, 3(^1 ; Verazanus, 
 John, 315; Verrassane, Jehan de, 
 
 340 ; Verrazano, Jean, 357, 358. 
 First voyage to America, 298, 299 ; 
 
 second voyage, 300 ; his ship, 
 301, 304 ; letter to Francis I., 
 301-303 ; discovers land, 305, 
 306 ; map, 314, 315 ; on penin- 
 
 sula of Virginia, 314 ; Sea of 
 Verrazzano, 315 ; enters New- 
 York Bay, 316 ; discovers the 
 Hudson, 317 ; gives a name to 
 Block Island, 320 ; anchors in 
 Narraganselt Bay, 321-326 ; sails 
 along the coast of Maine, 327- 
 329 ; extent of land discovered, 
 329, 351. 357 ; geographical ex- 
 planation, 331 ; news of his re- 
 turn, 335 ; unfavorable opinions 
 concerning the voyage, 337 ; his 
 former voyages, 338 ; agreement 
 for a third voyage to America, 
 339 ; his death, 340, 341 ; map 
 and globe, 341, 342. 
 Verrazzano, Hieronymus da, 315, 
 
 339 ; map, 315, 330, 343. 
 Verrazzano, Pier da, 300. 
 Verzino, 213, 216. 
 Vespasian, 232, 
 
 Vespucci Amerigo, his first voyage, 
 160 ; reaches the continent of 
 America, 160 ; explorations, 161- 
 165 ; land of Lariab, 166 ; island 
 of Iti, 167 ; returns to Spain, 167. 
 Vespucci's second voyage, 173 ; ex- 
 plorations along the coast of South 
 America, 174 ; returns to Spain, 
 
 174. 
 
 Vespucci's third voyage, 212 ; explores 
 the east coast of Brazil, 213 ; re- 
 turns to Lisbon, 214. 
 
 Vespucci's fourth voyage, 214 ; sails 
 southward along the coast of Brazil, 
 214 ; Bay of All Saints, 214 ; returns 
 to Portugal, account of his four voy- 
 ages, 217, 218 ; his name given to 
 the continent, 218, 219 ; false im- 
 putations, 220. 
 
 Vicente, Martin, 77. • 
 
 Vieusseux, Geo. Pietro, 339. 
 
 Vigfusson, Gudbrand, 33. 
 
 Vikings, 21. 
 
 Villa, Pedro de, 138. 
 
 Villa de la Navidad, 133, 136, 148, 
 149, 150. 
 
 Villalan, Doctor, 91. 
 
 Villa Rica de Vera Cruz, 249, 279. 
 
 Villa Segura, 277. 
 
 Villegagnon, Chevalier, 359. 
 
 Villers, 350. 
 
 Vinland discovered, 30 ; shortest day 
 in, 31-34 ; island, 41 ; promontory, 
 41. 
 
 Virginia, peninsula of, 313, 314, 311;, 
 318. 
 
 Vision, prophetic, 15S, 180. 
 
 Vries, David Pieterse, 347. 
 
 Walckenaer, Baron de, 183. 
 
38o 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Waldseemtiller, Martin, 218. 
 Walker, E., 99. 
 Wassenaer, Nicolaes a, 347. 
 Watling Island, 107. 
 Wells, 266. 
 
 Western Sea, 315, 343. 
 West Indies, 145, 203. 
 Westminster, 201, 203. 
 Wheat, in Vinland, 35, 37 ; in Green- 
 land, 35 ; in Iceland, 35, 
 Wheaton, Henry, 23. 
 Whitehall, 200. 
 Wilden, 347. 
 Wild-men, 345, 347. 
 Wine, 171, 178. 
 Wine-berries, 29, 35, 42. 
 Wine-land, 30. 
 Wine-wood, 29, 37, 42. 
 Worthington, William, 203. 
 
 Xamunabe, 2S3. 
 Xamunambe, 281. 
 Xapida, 283. 
 Xapira, 281. 
 Xathi, 283, 
 Xicales, 262. 
 Xiquipiles, 269. 
 Xocotlan, 250. 
 
 Xoxi, 281. 
 
 Yahveh, sees the wickedness of man, 
 
 19. 
 Yamaye, island of, 133. 
 Yebra River, 177. 
 Yenyohol, 281. 
 Yonge, C. D., 198. 
 Yuanta, 148. 
 Yuca, 232. 
 Yucatan, 148, 175, 214, 215, 229, 230, 
 
 232, 233, 239. 
 Yule, Henry, 55, 57. 
 Yurbaco, 183. 
 
 Zacton, or Zayton, 82, 120. 
 
 Zamiscaron, 28. 
 
 Zanzibar, 58. 
 
 Zapata, 276. 
 
 Zeno, Antonio, 45, 46, 50 ; Carlo, 45, 
 
 50 ; Nicolo, 44, 45, 46. 
 Zeni brothers' voyage, 44, 49, 50. 
 Zeus, assembles the gods, 19. 
 Zichmni, 45, 49. 
 Zipangi, 84. {See Cipango.) 
 Zodiac, 244. 
 Zubu, island, 294. 
 
 THE END. 
 
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