Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 3 (of 8): English Explorations and Settlements in North America 1497-1689
History
Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 3 (of 8): English Explorations and Settlements in North America 1497-1689
America -- Discovery and exploration; America -- History; United States -- History
It will be seen that the greater part of this is taken from Gomara, and
the writer had also read Peter Martyr and Ramusio, and from the latter
takes his year 1496. One statement,—namely, that Cabot came in sight
of land in 45 degrees north,—is original here, which would almost lead
one to suppose that Galvano had seen the _prima vista_ of Cabot’s map.
It will be noticed, near the beginning of the extract from Galvano,
that John Cabot is said to be the discoverer. Thus it stands in the old
English version as published by Hakluyt, but in the original Portuguese
it reads: “No anno de 1496 achandose hum Venezeano por nome Sebastiāo
Gaboto em Inglaterra,” etc. The substitution of John for Sebastian was
no doubt due to Hakluyt, who also made this marginal note: “The great
discovery of John Cabota and the English.”[53]
In this same year (1563) there was published in London an English
version from the French of Jean Ribault, entitled, _The whole and True
discoverie of Terra Florida_ (_englished the Flourishing Lande_), etc.,
giving an account of the attempt to found a colony at Port Royal in
the preceding year. The translation was made by Thomas Hacket, and was
reprinted by Richard Hakluyt in his _Divers Voyages_, in 1582.[54] In
referring to the preceding attempts at discovery and settlement of
those northern shores, he says:—
“Of the which there was one, a very famous stranger named Sebastian
Cabota, an excellent pilot, sent thither by King Henry, the year
1498, and many others, who never could attain to any habitation, nor
take possession thereof one only foot of ground, nor yet approach or
enter into these parts and fair rivers into the which God hath brought
us.”[55]
This passage from Ribault is cited principally for the date there
given, 1498, as the year of Sebastian Cabot’s visit to the northern
shores. It was not the year of the discovery, but was the year of the
second voyage. Where did Ribault pick up this date? No one of the
notices of Cabot’s voyage hitherto cited contains it. I have already
called attention to Peter Martyr’s language, in 1524, that Sebastian
Cabot discovered the Baccalaos twenty-six years before, from which by a
calculation that date is arrived at.[56]
In 1570 Abraham Ortelius published at Antwerp the first edition of
his celebrated _Theatrum orbis terrarum_, containing fifty-three
copperplate maps, engraved by Hogenberg.[57] In the beginning of
the book is a list of the maps which Ortelius had consulted, and he
mentions among them one by “Sebastianus Cabotus Venetus, Universalem
Tabulam: quam impressam æneis formis vidimus, sed sine nomine loci et
impressoris.” This would seem to describe, so far as it goes, the Cabot
map in the National Library, at Paris, which is a large engraved map of
the world, “without the name of the place or the printer.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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