PREFACE I It would take up considerable space to enumerate all the printed books, pamphlets, etc., I have consulted in the course of completing this work. desire, however, to say that I have derived very considerable assistance from the several able works of Mr. Henry Harrisse; from Dr. Justin Winsor's Narr. and Crit. History of America, and his recent pamphlet on the Cabot controversies; from Professor John Fiske's work, The Discovery of America: Mr. H. F. Brownson's translation of Francesco Tarducci's book, a work which deals with, but leaves unsettled, several moot points in the history of John and of Sebastian Cabot; The Journal of Columbus, by Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., the president of the Royal Geographical Society (to whom we are indebted for a further contribution to the Cabot literature contained in an address recently delivered at a meeting of the society over which he presides); the very valuable monograph by Dr. S. E. Dawson, F.R.G.S., of Ottawa, published in 1894, together with a sequel thereto published last year; a contribution by Rev. Dr. Harvey, of St. John's, Newfoundland, published in Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society, for the years 1893–95. Among those who have given me advice and assistance are—the Right Hon. Professor Max Müller, of Oxford; Sir Clements R. Markham, K.C.B., who has spared me much of his valuable time in interchanging ideas as to the doubtful points in the history of the two voyages of 1497 and 1498; Dr. R. Garnett, C.B., of the British Museum; Dr. S. E. Dawson, of Ottawa, the most erudite of Canadian historians; Dr. Moses Harvey, of Newfoundland; Messrs. William George and John Latimer, both of Bristol, the two best authorities on all matters of historical interest pertaining to Bristol, from both of whom I have received valuable help; Mr. F. W. Coleman, the librarian of the Weston-super-Mare Free Library, who has kindly assisted me in the revision of the "Introduction"; Miss E. M. Walford, of London; Mr. C. W. Moule, Fellow and Librarian of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge; Mr. Miller Christy, of Chelmsford; Mr. E. E. Baker, F.S.A., of Weston-superMare; Mr. Lorin A. Lathrop, the American Consul at Bristol; and Mr. Frank George, of Park Street, Bristol. If I shall succeed in making plain to a few of my readers the facts relating to the important Cabotian discovery; if I shall succeed in making a permanent addition-however slight it may be—to the ever-increasing common stock of reliable information, I shall regard my labours, which have occupied a considerable time, as not having been quite barren of result. WESTON-SUPER-MARE, G. E. WEARE. INTRODUCTION CONTENTS Pp. 1-30 CHAPTER I The current belief (in the fifteenth century) in the existence of islands in the Atlantic Ocean called "St Brandon," "Brasil," "The Seven Cities," etc.-Allusions to the Expedition from Bristol (twelve years before Columbus embarked upon his first voyage) in quest of the mythical islands-The ancient belief in the existence of "The Fortunate Islands" and "The Isles of the Blest"-References to the origin, etc., of "Brasil" and the other mythical islands-Brandon Hill, Bristol, formerly known as St. Brandon Hill, with a hermitage or chapel thereon-References to William Wyrcestre, a fifteenth-century Chronicler, his family, etc.-Wyrcestre's notes as to Brandon Hill, the Expedition in search of "Brasil" in 1480, in a ship belonging to John Jay and anotherPedro de Ayala's reference to the Expedition from Bristol in search of the island of Brasil and the Seven Cities pp. 31-59 CHAPTER II References to the Papal Bull granted in the year 1493, which purported to divide all undiscovered lands between the Spanish and the Portuguese-Translation of the Papal Bull-The successful voyage of John Cabot in the Matthew, of Bristol, in the year 1497-Cabot's discovery of the continent of North America-The planting of the English flag on the continent by Cabot-The importance of Cabot's discovery-John Cabot's character-Tarducci's opinion of Cabot's adventure-Cabot's theory as to "the land of the Grand Khan"-References to Cabot's description of the land found by him-To whom should the credit of the dis |