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capacity at Bristol; he had long resided in England, and a successful negociation in which he had been employed in the year 1495, with the Court of Denmark, respecting some interruptions which the merchants of Bristol had suffered in their trade to Scotland, had been the means of introducing him to Henry VII."

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Mr. Henry Harrisse, in his splendid work on the Cabots (London, 1896), says: Englishmen having killed the Governor of Iceland in a riot, King Christian I. embargoed four British vessels laden with valuable merchandise. As Edward IV. made no reply to the complaints of the Danish monarch, the latter allowed the cargoes to be sold. This brought about an open war between the two nations. It is possible, therefore, that John Cabot may have been engaged by Bristol shipowners to prosecute their claims in 1495." Of course this is a mere matter of detail which may not be capable of strict proof; but it is beyond doubt that immense wealth was accumulated by the merchants of Bristol in connection with the trade carried on between that port and Iceland and the Northern Seas.

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"In 1450, we find by a treaty with Christian, King of Denmark (Rymer, tom ii. p. 264), three places prohibited us [English] from trading to, namely, Iceland, Halgeoland,' and Finmark"; this treaty, however, was 'dispensed with in favour of Canynges (Foedera, tom xi. p. 277), the Danish King allowing Canynges in consideration of the great debt due to him [Canynges] from his [the king's] subjects of Iceland and Finmark, to lade certain English ships with merchandize for those prohibited places, and there to lade fish and other

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ST. MARY REDCLIFF CHURCH, BRISTOL (NORTH VIEW) [This Illustration is taken from a Block kindly lent by Messrs. MACK & Co., of Bristol.]

goods in return: wherefore during his mayoralty of Bristol, because Canynges had done good service unto the King; he allowed the same to be done for two years to come in two ships" (Price's Canynges Family, pp. 100, 101). Although the evidence is not conclusive, there is yet a probability that the British merchants, in the reign of Henry VII., may have selected John Cabot for employment as their agent or factor abroad to look after their interests. It appears to be true that not only the Venetians, but the English also had recognised agents or factors abroad, for we find that King Henry VI. sent letters of commendation to the magistrates of Dantzic praying them to favour his factors established within their jurisdiction, and to advance the interests of "his beloved eminent merchant of Bristol" [William Canynges].1

1 William Canynges, a Bristol merchant, one of the richest English merchants in the reigns of Henry vi. and Edward IV. During the reign of Edward IV., William Canynges was compelled, as one of the richest merchants, to lend the king 3000 marks. According to Wyrcestre, p. 99, "Canynge employed 800 men for eight years; and his ships included Le Marie Canyng, 400 tons; Le Marie Redclive, 500; Le Marie and Johan, 900,† which had cost him 4000 marks; Le Gallyote, 50; Le Katerine, 140; Le Marie Batt, 220; Le Margaret of Tylnay, 200; besides a ship lost in Iceland of 160 tons burthen."

*

Barrett says: "On the floor of the chancel [of St. Mary Redcliff]

*Named after the beautiful Church of St. Mary Redcliff, in Bristol. Canynge devoted a large portion of his wealth to the completion of the Church of St. Mary Redcliff, of which noble edifice the architectural details were designed upon a style of cathedral magnitude. The church is rich in fifteenth century associations, and among its monuments will be found one erected to the memory of John Jay, whose family name is associated with the first recorded voyage in quest of the island of Brasil. Ante, p. 58.

There is reason to believe that the actual burthen is not here represented. It has been suggested that the measurements show the actual carrying capacity as represented by "tuns" of Spanish wine. It is impossible, however, to come to any certain conclusion.

History of Bristol, p. 586.

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The inevitable "fish story" having cropped up in connection with the Cabot history, it may be as well to give it a little passing attention. In the church of St. Mary Redcliff, according to Britton, the historian, there is an object of popular curiosity, traditionally called a rib of the noted DunCow, slain by Guy, Earl of Warwick; but it is more likely to be the rib of a whale, or of some other monstrous fish!" (sic). A variant of the story, told by many of the "old parishioners," described the "curiosity" as a rib of the "Dun-Cow"-it is desirable to be very precise in giving the details when matters of importance are involved-which supplied milk to the men who built the church. Another

is a large black marble stone with brass curiously laid in, and engraved with the figures of a man and woman, with six sons underneath the man and eight daughters under the woman, with the following inscription:-'Hic jacet Johannes Jay quondam vicecomes istius villæ, et Joanna uxor ejus; qui quidem Johannes, obiit die 15 mensis Maii, A.D. 1480, quorum animabus propitietur Deus, Amen.' This John Jay was a merchant of great eminence, as appears by William of Wyrcester, p. 267, and Joanna was sister to William of Wyrcester." In the year 1456-57, William Canynge was mayor, William Daine was sheriff, and Henry Chester and John Jay, senior, were bailiffs. In the year 1458-59 John Jay, junior, was one of the bailiffs of Bristol. In the year 1472-73, John Jay was sheriff.

The Jay family appear to have been connected with the parish of St. Mary Redcliff.* John Jay, whose will, dated 13th April 1468, was

*This church is one of the favourite visiting places for American and Canadian visitors to England. It contains a memorial of Sir William Penn, knight, the father of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania. Dr. Justin Winsor, the American historian, who visited the church many years since, made the following entry about the Penns in the visitors' book:-"When Admiral Penn died, the English Government voted him a large sum for his service; and when this was paid to his heirs, and a grant of land was made to his son, the Quaker William Penn, the latter, in settling in the country, named it, as he himself says, in memory of his father, Pennsylvania.-Justin Winsor, librarian of Harvard University." The admiral's armour and the tattered remains of some Dutch flags taken by him in a naval engage

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