The New York herald., 1869-12-08
NEW YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
The Discovery of Massachusetts Bay--A
Paper by Rev. II. Il. DE COSTA.

The Discovery of Massachusetts Bay--A
Paper by Rev. ID. II. DE Costa.
stated meeting OF the New York Historical
Society held last evening at the Library. corner
OF Eleventh street Second avenue the principal
attraction being the reading Of paper by the Rev.
Mr. De Costa on "Ths Discovery of Massachusetts
Bay.n The audience, though somewhat limited IN
numbers, was highly Intellectual
On being introduced by tho President OF the
society, Mr.. DE COSTA proceeded TO remark that It
seemed to most as II the subject had already been
sufficiently discussed. AS regarded the early his
tory Of Massachusetts,, everything that could bo
CLEANED was carefully garnered up. That there
should have been any omission seemed impossible
Last year that society had published volume on
Massachusetts,, and yet this subject was not touched
on. The early voyages along the New England coast
were not In the slightest way alluded TO- The North.
men Of the eleventh century must have been the
original discoverers OF Massachusetts Bay II the
lcelandic records were correct That the Mortimer
were familiar with this bay appears from the map
Of Stephanus, drawn up IN 1870. DIR. Cole, while
abou. tho larseness Of the scale on which the bay
was represented on the map. Any one who would
maps OF the sixteenth century, would zee at once
that the Europeans had nothing whatever to do with
the discovery OF Massachusetts, Bay. The author OF
that map, when it was compared with the French
and Spanish maps OF the seventeenth century, would
be found TO have had very distinct idea OF the New
EHRAuu COAST liub bpethSh htlo pluCeSUcl u
illustrate his subject IN large map.l AT what time
Cape Cod appeared IN the chartology or the world
could not now be determined. This old Icelandic
map was the only one before 1904 which, gave any
Intelligence OF Cape Cod. In 1909 the discovery by
Gosno OF Massachusetts Bay was said TO have been
made. Tho person to whom we were indebted for
that voyage was one John Aphonse, q French pilot.
That Alphonse also discovered Cape Goa and Cape
Ann Is beyond doubt for he was q scientilc man,
ana one In wnom the most implicit reliance could
be placed. II seemed clear, then, that John
Alphonse anticipated Gosno In the discovery OF
Massachusetts, Bay by at least sixty years.
Here this matter had been lying slumbering for
more than two hundred years. Hacketts version OF
the discovery, as compared with that OF Aphonsc,
could not be trusted at all. Alphonsc mentioned
IL In tho most modest manner possible. Its general
account OF that region written 1852 We learned
that the expedition left Rochelle April II, 1912 The
village OF st Oeno in the canton oil Cognsc In France,
mad Che honor OF Alphonse's birth, although the
Portuguese historical students had tried to claim him
as their countryman. At one time he was thrown
into prison by the French monarch because he had
dared to carry his head high and exhibit "a much
freedom as ne did. Had Alpnonse lived In our day
he would have been an ardent supporter or the peo
pie against tho crown. lie had lived IN ADVANCE OF
hs day In that respect, and 1t was not, therefore,
surprising that pilot OF his lofty stamp shoulc have
made the first voyage 10 Massachusetts Bay.