The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-05-06

has only begun 10 read this story or and Of civil
record than those relics which Ill recently have boea
either overlooked or misunderstood.
what point IN time or what degree Of knowledge NAV
be thus reached BY future discoveries and dedctons
from them field yet but little explored II would
be rash 10 hazard even guess Blu, /, IS well "a Know
what ground there is for rcsnmng that Vt Is possible
To learn anything That pre- historic period. And stu
in actual history even though ms records be
scurc and imperfect. or only traditions reduced to
writing, even though The period OF winch gain
only such imperfect information be, IN some respects,
legendary and romantic may. nevertheless proata.
bly, aud properly 80 further back than the ordinary
starting point by 1--WE hundred years.
Hitherto the legitimate commencement Of American
history has been held to be toward the oud the nf-
tcenth century. md all beyond fabulous inscrutabe
But there bold men and skiliul sailors before
Columbus. Ever sailed upon tho
possessed literature there have been glmpscs. some
iliusory oiher times distinct OF
mysterious world in tho Western Ocean, the subject Of
curious conjecture. OF vague prophecy and oftoncr,
perhaps. than Is supposed o. attempted discovery.
Though there was no permanent occupation and no
positive recognition OF This a new quarter OF the
globe I'll the Columbian crn the real supposed ap
proachcs 10 It's possession for The 500 previous years
appeal % much 20 human sympathy and are ms peril
tent to human progress the mythical periods OF tho
historical nations Of the Ola World
From discoveries made without design and In !gno-
rance OF their real character led IN tho grauat
progress OF events and the slow advance OF knowledge
70 that later time when the ocean traversed with
distinct and Intelligent purpose and with unhesatno
fath. The Mortimer. the Welsh, The Vonctlans--as-
sumng their narratives TO to wholly partially
while they were certain that they had sailed into I'M
known seas. and were cast upon lands and among
peoples beyond the accredited limits in
habilcd world also believed no doubt that they had
only reached the farther shores the outlying islands
OF the continent whence they came. The notions to
the shape and the. extent Of the earth that
period vague. even among The learned and tho
Of navigation was little developed that there was
not much speculation as 10 the possibility Of pencrat
Ing bcyond the known limits Of the continent and out
OF The tracks OF SHIPS All that mariners
dared to creep along the from hendand
10 hcadland with fair wind 10 goto places frequently
v.stcdr
Tho authors are OF the opinion that columbus, ike
the naviFntors Of Prince Henry meant to Ind new
route 10 the East, only IN fresh direction and he
dicd In the belief after four voyages 10 the New World
that the countries he had reached literally tho
West lndies-ihc coasts OF Asia approached from Tho
west The difference between HIM and those who
by chance crossed tho Atlantic before him was, that
he !mpclci by fcrvid religious faith and by
illusions drawn from scientific study, had boldly
sought TO explore the unknown on which they had
only been ignorantiy driven"
TIKI NAMING or ANKRcA.
The new theory OF how America came by its name 10
OF considerable Importance. We do not propose,
question which Is OF circumstantal rather than
positive evidence, and which probably will never be
dcnnitvcly settled Giving Veapucc the benefit OF the
douot there much in tho or,uitous circumstances Of
tho to explain this naming OF newly discovered
country BY men who, perhaps had never looked
upon the sea, and who may have known
different expeditions Of tho navigaiors Of Spain and
Portugal, aud still less OF the personal interest a.
tached their and their deeds The Duke Of
Lorraine patron OF learning; the young profcs
OF college undor his protection ambitious
oil literary fame and proud OF their literary labors;
would bring, doubt great credit TO 81. Die, IT. IN
Sa he Of The s
ccding years were not. ms had boon gnorantly sup
posci, the outlying islands and coasts OF India, but VI
n and unknown continent which separated Eu-
ropo from Asia. The conclusion, very likely.
jumped a,--a lucky guess OF over confident youth
rather than any superiority Of judgment Had these
young book makers lived IN Cadz Lisbon instead
OF the Vosgcs mountains, they might have hesatc 10
If Il had seon ed a. a hs
older cosmogrnphcrs aud navigators They rushed IN
where even Columbus hal not thought to
tread aud not only announced tho discovery
of continent but proposed TO Il
wadsecmllIcr tliyiacomylus) assuming this
date OF 1897 10 be correct--f II given the
letter Lud declared the Duke had received from Vos-
pncci-says IN his geographical work, tho ''Cosnlo.
world having been discovered by Americas may well be
called Amcrige, which Is much as To say the land Of
Amesicus or America" Again he says:-"But now
these parts extensively explored, and, will
be- by tho following lettcrs. another fourth has
been discovered by Americas yespuccius, which SEQ
reason why any should forbid To be named
Ameridge which Is as much 10 say tho land oi
Americas America from its discovercr Americus
who ia OF shrewd intellect; Tor Europe and Asia
have both Of them a feminine form OF name from the
OF women"
Now, in i49I vespucc, was It'll, residing at Seville
engaged fnctor partner IN commercial
house. In May OF the following year, lA9s,
Columbus sailed on his third voyage and for
several months previous vaspucc occupied IN
fitting tho ships for that expedition. II impos-
sibc, therefore, that he have gone 10 sea IN Nay,
1897. TO DC absent eighteen months That
yespucc was the dscovercs Of the American Continent
Is therefore, clearly untrue; although Il rs true that
his account OF such continental land IN tho West was
the one first published, and by his Jealous friends
81. Die, who attached his namc 10 t. In the
voluminous testimony that trial vespucc was not
named one for whom precedenco could DO Claimed,
while OJcda under whom Vespucci went on his nrst
voyage distinctly asserts than the mainland was dis
covered by Columbus.
Il a. ncvcrthalcss probably true that vespucc ex-
plorcd along tho American coast IN his several voyages
further than any navigator OF his time as he sailed
from about the my fourth degree Of south latitude 10
the peninsula Of Florida and possibly 10 Chesapeake
Bay the north. Whether the 81 Die editors really
believed whether tho dates Of his Voyages IN
changed as 10 make II appear that he was
also the nrst discovercr OF western continent
questions which may never be answered But the
lhey made OF his name was adopted IN various works
within tho next few years and thus In tho course Of
time America became Tho designation VI Tho Whole
LAxpisG or TIL. PILGRIMS
Tho date OF the landing OF the pilgrims has long boon
n bone oil contention among historians but u Is settled
very simply BY the authors Of this volume:
December IL, Old style; December a. New style,
~ 10y the " landing d .ne r''grm Fathers was
style erroncously mado tho I'D, instead Of the
2lst. The error, which has been perpetuatod ever
in the celebration Of the dav, arose, has been
supposed from the addition Of eleven days. instead oi
ten 10 mark inc difference between Old style and Now.
The explanation Is unsatisfactory, such blundcs
seems hardly likely 10 have occurred. rho error
probably came from mistake In punctuation, IN
Mounts Relation where the statement is: 'sAnd here
made rendezvous all that day, being saturday,
10 Of December, the Sabbath day wc rested and IN
Monday we sounded the harbor, 6r. There should
DO period afier Saturday" when u would read:
And here made rendezvous all that day, being
Saturday. 10 OF December. the Sabbath day, We
rested and on Monday &c. SATURDAY was certainly
tho OH, moi tho 10th, but when, In i7G5 IN Plymouth
they turned Mounts Refafon 10 nx the date Of tb
Incident and read tho record with It's erroneous pune
tuaton they Of called Monday the i2th, and,
adding ten days Tor difference Of styles, mado fore
fathers Day y tho I'D.
AN
Opposite page 400 IL the portrait OF the famous muL
berry tree. which Maryland what hc Charter OAK
IL TO Connecticut Mr.. Moran has done his best 70
make faithful portrait OF The old rec, and has sue
cecded Tho ircc stands at the biul Al 81 NaryS
ION tho highest part oil the blum stood mulberry
tree large enough even then 10 throw broad shade
about H. and visible for long distance up and
down tho river For than Two hundred ycars
aitcrwnrd Of foliage still crowned the pronon.
tory amt its dccayeu and packencd trunk lying where
" Tell years ago. yet marks the place OF 10
growth but 10 the edge Of tho bank than was
when the settlers rst stood around IT, for tho river
has changed and reduced the sandy cape Under this
trcc according vol authenticated tradition, LEONARD
Calvert mnde treaty win tho Indians Of the village.