new continent. When the library of Baron de Walckenaër 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 "Juan de la cosa la fizo enel puerto de S: mja en año de. 1500."-Juan de la Cosa made it in the port of Santa Maria in the year 1500. A picture of St. Christopher bearing the Christchild across the water ornaments the space above the inscription. Most prominent of the islands of the "Mar Oceanus" delineated on the map are Cuba, Habacoa,* and La Española. The coast of South America, as far 'Examen critique de l'histoire de la géographie du nouveau continent et des progrès de l'astronomie nautique aux quinzième et seizième siècles. Par Alexandre de Humboldt. Paris, 1836. tome troisième. pp. 167, 174, 183. New York, 1866. Par Henri Harrisse. ' Vide Notes on Columbus. [By Henry Harrisse.] Jean et Sébastien Cabot, leur origine et leurs voyages. Paris, 1881. pp. 52, 103, 156. * Vide Historical and geographical notes, 1453-1530. By Henry Stevens. New Haven, 1869. 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 travellers on his back. While bearing, one day, a child across the swollen flood, he discovered that it was the Christ, hence his name Christophorus, 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."-Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo. cap. i. 'Abaco is one of the Bahama islands. as it had been explored, is well represented by the painstaking 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 (mar descubierta por inglese), to the Cape of England (Cavo de Inglaterra). As La Cosa had nothing else than his imagination to guide him in delineating the coast of North America between the field of the English discoveries and South America, his extension 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 meaningless colors." 'La Cosa's map, on three large sheets of paper, is contained in Les monuments de la géographie ou recueil d'anciennes cartes européennes et orientales * publiés en fac-similé de la grandeur des originaux par M. Jomard, membre de l'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. 1496-1498. 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 projector, 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 confidence 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 Columbus. He proposed to undertake the voyage at his 'Raccolta di navigationi 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: Senato Terra 1473-1477. tom. vii. p. 109. 186 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 undertaking 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. Likewise 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. fol. 16. Archives of Simancas. Capitulaciones con Inglaterra. Legajo ii. Calendar of letters, dispatches, and state papers relating to the negotiations between England and Spain, preserved in the archives of Simancas and elsewhere. Edited by G. A. Bergenroth. London, 1862. vol. i. p. 89. "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 hereafter ensuyng. And they shall during their lyves 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.3 Sailing westward from England 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. |
