A General History and Collection of Voyages and Travels, Vol. 6 | Page 4

deer much larger than ours. Its coasts produce vast
quantities of large fish, among which are great seals, salmons, soles
above a yard in length, and prodigious quantities especially of cod,
which are commonly called _bacallaos_[5]. The hawks, partridges, and
eagles of this island are all black."
[Footnote 3: Presuming that this discovery was Newfoundland, a name
nearly of the same import, perhaps the land first seen was what is now
called Cape Bonavista, in lat. 48° 50' N. long. 62° 32' W. from London.
In the text, there is every reason to believe that it is meant to indicate,
that Cabot named the island he discovered St Johns, and only the first
seen point of land Prima-Vista.--E.]
[Footnote 4: By this phrase is probably to be understood, the island
behind this first-seen cape named _Prima-Vista_.--E.]
[Footnote 5: Vulgari Sermoni, is translated by Hakluyt, _in the
language of the savages_; but we have given it a different sense in the
text, that used by Hakluyt having no sufficient warrant in the
original.--E.]
Besides the foregoing memorandum on the ancient map, Hakluyt gives
the following testimonies respecting the discovery of the northern part
of America, by Cabot.
SECTION II.
_Discourse by Galeacius Butrigarius, Papal Legate in Spain, respecting
the Discoveries in America, by Sebastian Cabot_[6].
Do you know how to sail for the Indies towards the northwest, as has
been lately done by a Venetian citizen, a valiant man and so learned in
all things pertaining to navigation and cosmography, that no one is
permitted to sail as pilot to the West Indies who has not received his
licence, he being pilot-major of Spain? This person, who resides in the
city of Seville, is Sebastian Cabot, a native of Venice, who is most
expert in these sciences, and makes excellent sea-charts with his
own-hands. Having sought his acquaintance, he entertained us in a
friendly manner, showing us many things, and among these a large map

of the world containing sundry navigations, both those of the Spaniards
and Portuguese. On this occasion he gave us the following information.
[Footnote 6: Hakluyt, III. 27. from the second volume of Ramusio.]
His father went many years since from Venice to England, where he
followed the profession of a merchant, taking this person his son along
with him to London, then very young, yet having received some
tincture of learning, and some knowledge of the sphere. His father died
about the time when news was spread abroad that Don Christopher
Columbus, the Genoese, had discovered the coasts of the Indies by
sailing towards the west, which was much admired and talked of at the
court of King Henry VII. then reigning in England, so that every one
affirmed that it was more attributable to divine inspiration than human
wisdom, to have thus sailed by the west unto the east, where spices
grow, by a way never known before. By these discourses the young
man, Sebastian Cabot, was strongly incited to perform some notable
and similar action; and conceiving by the study of the sphere that it
would be a shorter route for going to India, than that attempted by
Columbus, to sail by the north-west, he caused the king to be informed
thereof, who accordingly gave orders that he should be furnished with
two ships, properly provided in all things for the voyage. He sailed with
these from England in the beginning of summer 1496, if I rightly
remember, shaping his course to the north-west, not expecting to find
any other land intervening between and Cathay or Northern China. He
was much disappointed by falling in with land running toward the north,
the coast of which he sailed along to the lat. of 56° N. and found it still
a continent. Finding the coast now, to turn towards the east, and
despairing to find the passage to India and Cathay of which he was in
search, he turned again and sailed down the coast towards the
equinoctial line, always endeavouring to find a passage westwards for
India, and came at length to that part of the continent which is now
called Florida[7]. And his victuals running short, he bore away for
England; where he found the country in confusion preparing for war
with Scotland, so that no farther attention was paid to his proposed
discoveries.
[Footnote 7: Florida is here to be taken in the extended sense as at first
applied to the whole eastern coast of North America, to the north of the
Gulf of Mexico. The commencement of this voyage appears to have

been in search of a north-west passage; but Sebastian must have gone
far above 56° N. to find the land trending eastwards: He was probably
repelled by ice and cold weather.--E.]
He went afterwards into Spain, where he was taken into the