New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-03-09

transmitted an account q the which tn. provl,c'
came over as Governor NTH nruchOns 10 coHuoeG free
AT last" Bancroft goes on 20 saw sner long effort
on the of October 1893 about seventy yeas after
Mahbass was fist occupied about 'huty after the
retentatves Of the people assembly and their self
estahiished' CHARTnR OF LIBERTIES gave Ne. YORK a
place ny the side Of Virginia and Mas,scbussts
Supreme legislative power such IT'S dselara-
ten sba forever be and reside IN The syer1ef
Gil and people met In General Assembly Every free
holder and freeman shall for Iepress alton without
restraint No freeman shall suffer but nv judgment OF his
isx shall be assessed on sn1 p.tenss whatever the
consent Of the Assembly No soldier shal be
qna1sIsd on the ishsen ants ssaIn'1 .her WI,
Jesus ChIt shsil a. any the be any ways sgueed or
questioned for any difference Of opni' D."
know not how it has happened that, in treating
this subject, had hardly launched my slender skill
when found it heading uD stream, Instead OF gid
ing gently Gown the current OF historical events
But now ! hardly regret IT'S caprice com
MERGED with the floating Of our flag from the
baiilemeLts Of MexlcO,-ihat is, l began at the
end and, DO doubt, it Will be regarded as alto
gether In keeping, that | should end a. the be-
SHINING But the events are the same, no matter
under which order OF chronology they are coasd
cred That little ekiff, If may be allowed to ex.
tend the figure for a moment, has s,emmed the flow
OF a certain prejudice which calls itself history has
overcome successfully even the rapids Of toe adj
verse tde-and now having reached, or aporoxi-
mated, he tranquil waters Of earlier times can
guide its onward course, with gentle and recreanve
labor, 10 the very well-sprngs OF American history
Having slapced at the period SUBSEQUENT TO the
adoption OF our Federal Constitution al the crcum
stances of its foTmatIon-at those OF the American
war of independence, which had preceded-st those
Of the earlier Colonies, especially of the three
primitive ones Virginia, Massac husette, and Mary
land row approach period anterior to the
Colonies themselves, namely, the period OF DIS
coveries. In this period al or nearly az, Is
in 1892 until the cate of the settlement OF the first
permane Colony at jamestown, Virginia, one
hundred and seventeen years hao passed away. To-
ward the close of the sixteenth century, several Ell.
forts had been made, under Protestant auspices,
BY Sir Walter Raleigh and his relative, Gilbert, to
maize a settlement on the Atlantic borders OF this
country These attempts proved unsuccessful.
Their projectors succeeded only in giving name
to the territory in which their experiment had
failed. They called it Virginia, a name intended,
10 soubt as compliment to Queen Elizabeth Bu'
within seventy years from the first voyage OF Co
lumbus. the coast had been visited, explored,
sketcbed in maps circulated IN Europe az the time
visited and explored, l say in all directions, north
and south, east and west, on the Atlantic and on
the Pacifc,-by scientific and daring navgators,
all Catholics, and all sailing under the flag Of
some Catholic power IN Europe: Quebec was
founded in 1871. And from The spot on which we
stand to the North Pole, France at that period was
III actual pOssessioD-n this sense, at least. that
there was no European power TO question her title
or disturb her occupancy. AND nom tnls spot 10
CAPE Horn, the same was true 10 regard to the &C.
cupstion and claim OF The Spaniards and Portu-
guese.
But as have spoken of the primitive Colonies, so
would now distinguish the primary DISCOVERIES OF
America from those who must take rank In the
secondary or tertiary class. Even Ia the primary
class, there must be no competition OF honor or
merit, rs regards one who stands out by himself
the first, alone Incompatible, peerless-Chrlsto
pher Columbus. But al a certain distance behind
him. there were three formidable rivals, desHous
OF seeming, at least, 10 share with him portion
OF that human glory which mas made his name I'M
mortal. You viii not DO surprised that all these
were Catholics, since at the period In which they
lived and struggled for fame, Professionalism had not
vet begun. But you will be struck win the fact,
that the three iInitatoIs and rivals of Columbus
were his own cOuntymen-ltalians. all Their
names were Cabot Gather and SOM Aneriso Yes
pucci, and veIazzani, the two latter natives OF
Florence and the former. though residing IN BRISTOL
in England, native OF Venice.
We cannot help regrettlng that the new heIn-
sphere cid not take the name OF the first dscovsrer
az as il would appear, il had name of It's own
that il was not called Columbia after the noble
Genoese sailor, instead of America, from Amerigo,
the FiOrentine. But after all, justice. In this re-
slect, has contr1ved to ESTABLISH court OF error
in the popular mind, whether in this land or IN Eu
rope, which rules that whenever You pronounce the
name Of America, every one thinks OF Columbus,
and no one OF Vespucci
Poor Columbus sailor himself, and as heir to the
pspsIs OF his fathern-aw, he had heard and read OF
VOL and their wonders not unlike In their pbioso-
phy (but of higher and different ORDER those which
tempted Douglas from his GTampIan hills tie Went
about from court to court, with heavy heart asking
permission to VISIT the western continent ano orns
back news. Counters, and even sovereigns, VINO
listened for moment to his pie ading said or thought
that the poo man was deTaDged. No. he was not out
he would have probably become so, II Providence
had not opened for him an occasion ana opportunity
to te at his the ory by practical experiment The di
fculty was want OF means to execute has PROJECT,
or perish In the effort IL the Court OF Spain ne mad
tho support OF one or two distinguished eccIesias
tics Columbus was a scientific enthusiast ana
such men are always eloquent when they speak OF
their favonte project. Still bis eloquence had
proved vain at many courts, and In the hnal almost
he Qlt Ma All .
fore Ferdinand and Isabella, that he touched achord
which vlbrated III the Utmost heart OF the ilustrous
and royal lady In that august presence ne mao
spoken of the anticipated glory and gain connected
with the success of his enterprise, but without ef
feet. But when he spoke OF The PROBABILITY OF the
existence of men maze after Gods image, VINO
saved believing in HIM, he meltes the heart Of
"Issbela the Catholic "sO that she lost all appre
Grafton of the jewels that adorned her person aud
her diadem, threw them so TO speak al me ieet OF
the emil us iast, and deemed ther vaue as nothing
compared with the mere possibility OF thelI being
Instrumental III bringing souls buried In the dark
ness OF Paganism TO the knowledge OF Chrs'
Ina few months afterwaid CoiuInous was seen
planting the cross on the island OF san and
takmg pesseIsion OF this Hemisphere In the name OF
Chjlst our Savior C' San SALVADOR aud OF SPAN.
look upon this scene as one OF the most
II not thrilling events recorded IN the annals OF the
human race But in this tltlepage and ffonuspiece
OF American history Columbus was not alone nus
partner in the glory was Isabella the Cathonc' .ne
meek the brave, the enlightened, the discreet the
beautiful Queen of CASTLE and Aiagon.
Five years from the date Of that event, namely IN
1897 John ard Sebastian Cabot were sent OUT oy
he British Government un6 er Henry the Seventh,
End made an extensive survey of this coass-crea'
ting thereby that title On which Queen Eiizaoein
based her right TO plant Colonies In this country
more than eighty years afterward
/ have row touched, merely touched, on the
promlnsnt points of American history, 20 lar as
my subject author xed or required me to DO 80,
from the first to the last page. / have reviewer
the validity Of ,he Imaginary claims on "nch
il is assumed that this is a Protestant county,
in presence. OF the Constitution and ali that mas
happened since its adopuon--in presence OF me
faith of ueaties--n presence OF the war OF freedom
and indepe ndeLce-in presence OF coloAal history
in p,esence of the period OF discoveries snteceoens
to colonial settlement. at least on these shores
ard as yet confess, have not discovered the nrs'
fac. or document which could warrant an' rdh' pos-
5. sssed of al ordinary amount OF true Information,