CHAPTER IV.

The

Claims of John, and of Sebaftian, feverally stated, as to the bonour of being the first difcoverers. Sebaftian's portrait; arguments therefrom; his map; reafons bafed thereon. Hiftoric evidence and opinions. Additional reafons given in favour of a previous voyage. land firft difcovered, Nova Scotia, and not Newfoundland. The Ifle of St. John, Prince Edward's Island. The voyage of 1497, explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the river beyond Quebec; Continent difcovered fourteen months before Columbus. Return of the expedition.

OW arifes the queftion, as John Cabot's name ftands firft in this patent of 1495, and that of 1498 recites his name only, does it necef

farily follow that he failed with this first expedition, or was he merely the rich merchant adventurer, whofe forefight, money and character established the adventure and won for it the patronage of the mercenary king?

Many argue that he stayed and managed the business at home; certainly Sebastian gives us no hint of his father's prefence in either voyage; but, modeft, gentle and unaffuming, as all his life proves him to have been, speaks of the discovery ever in the first person and in the fingular number.

Our English hiftorians feem, in this matter, to have been entirely led astray by Hakluyt, who, copying from John Stow, perverted the text (thinking it was wrong), and placed the skill, talents, and seamanship of the fon, to the credit of the father.

This feems to have been done fimply because he found the father's name firft in the patent of 1495, and standing alone in the patent of 1497, and without the flightest defign on the part of the worthy prebendary to injure the fair fame of the fon.

And just as if one sheep jump the hedge the whole flock follow, fo have nearly all our naval hiftorians, copying and enlarging upon Hakluyt, got further and further from the truth; the tale of the three black crows has been verified in this cafe.

Hakluyt, vol. iii. p. 9.

Stow, 1605, 1631, and Hakluyt, vol.

iii. p. 9.

Now look at the two paffages fide by side:—

Stow, A. D. ed. 1605, pp. 804, alfo edit. 1631, pp. 483, fays This year Sebastian Gaboto, a Genoas fon, born at Bristol, profeffing himself to be expert in the knowledge of the circuit of the world, and islands of the fame, as by his charts, and other reasonable demonstrations he fhewed,"

&c. &c.

Hakluyt, profeffing to copy this, and giving it as his authority, does it thus:

"In the 13 year of King Henry VII., by means of one John Cabot, a Venetian, which made himself very expert, and cunning in knowledge of circuit of the world, and islands of the fame, as by a fea card, and other demonftrations reafonable he fhewed," &c. &c.

Strange to fay, after making this alteration. in the text, Hakluyt retains the original title of the paffage.

“A note of Sebaftian Cabot's firft difcovery of part of the Indies, taken out of the latter part of Robert Fabyan's Chronicle, not hitherto printed, which is in the custody of Mr. John Stow, a diligent preserver of antiquities."

An unpublished treatise of Hakluyt's, dated 1584, has recently been discovered (fee Wood's Maine Hift. Society, 1868), in which he vehe

mently appeals to the English government to engage in colonization, and he more than once affirms that the first discovery was made in 1496, and by Sebaftian Cabot. "A great part

of the continent as well as of the islands was firft discovered for the king of England by Sebastian Gabote, an Englishman, born in Briftowe, fon of John Gabote, in 1496; naye, more, Gabote discovered this large tracte of firm lande two yeares before Columbus faw any part of the continent."

We do not feek to rob John Cabot of a leaf of his laurels, or detract from his fame; he was the head of the firm, wife and prudent; and no doubt counfelled his fon and entered (con amore) into his plans.

It has never been hinted that all of the fons were engaged in this first voyage, but the prefumption is as likely that they, his partners, would do fo, as that the father, who was now getting into the fere and yellow leaf, would thus encounter dangers enough to frighten the youthful, and daunt the robust.

Sir G. Peckham, indeed, as copied by Hakluyt, fays: "In the time of the queen's grand

Maine Hift. Society, 1868. Hakluyt's heretofore unpublished treatife.

John Cabot

now an old man.

Sir G. Peckham.

to this.

father, Henry VII., of worthy memory, letters patent were, by his majesty, granted to Sir John Cabota, an Italian; to Lewis, Sebastian, and Sanctus, his three fons, to discover remote and barbarous heathen countries, which discovery was afterwards executed to the use of the crown of England in the said king's time by Sebastian and Sanctus."

The earliest English writers on the subject, as Stow, Willes, Eden, and Sir H. Gilbert, mention Sebaftian as the discoverer; fo alfo does Sanuto, the Venetian.

Thanks to the painstaking and fcholarly researches of Rawdon Brown, we have now, from the Venetian archives, irrefragable proof that in an expedition from England, under the aufpices of King Henry VII. in the year 1497, the continent was difcovered and taken poffeffion of for England.

The first notice is under date Auguft 24, "Alfo fome months ago his Majesty

1497.

inlands previous Henry VII. fent out a Venetian, who is a very good mariner, and has good skill in discovering new islands, and he has returned fafe, and has found two very large and fertile new islands;