The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-20
REV.J.C. FLETCHER'S LETTER
The Indianapolis Daily Journal Finds
Hearty Welcome in Naples.
KnowledgeSof America-Three
Mentions of America in His Plays-Why
He Did Not Write More About America

the Indianapolis Journal. and / wish to add my
voice to the printed opinions of some OF your In
diana contemporaries, that the State cannot do
without it l lend it to a great many travellers
who visit Naples, and who think as / do about
it. At this distance it's excellences are, in some
respects, more apparent than at home. What
strikes me is that it is newspaper which gives
acapital general view of things going on in the
Union, while Its telegraphic columns about
things in the old world are really much fuller
and more satisfactory than any journal contains
on this side of the water. Then, it's literary in
tellgence and society news, once week,
and its local news every day are
all very interesting to me, because like to keep
up with the times, and particularly with ''the
doings' of my native place. / was just two
years old when the name of Indiana Journal"
was given to the Western Censor and Emil
grants Guide newspaper founded by Hervey
Gregg and Douglass Mcguire, IN 1929 the year
of my birth. The first piece ever read from a
newspaper was short poem in the Indiana
Journal, and here, in this distant land, read
the same journal with the same title only with
''polis" added to the first word of the
heading. l rather think that am the oldest ma
tive reader of the Journal who was born within
the bounds of the old Corporation" for the
Harding boys-Mordecai and Noah-were born
just outside of it, down by the banks of White
river, near the junction with Fall creek. So
much for "reminiscences.
On the 23d OF May received the Journal of
May 10, and, among other things, read the
following item: 'It is related that, in recent
conversation with Edwin Booth, E. F. Thorne,
the actor, called his attention to the
fact that though America had been discovered
years before Shakspeare's time, the great au-
thor has not alluded to the new world anywhere
in his plays. Mr. Booth said that he had never
thought Of the omission before A great deal,
in days gone by, has been trumpeted in the
American press about Mr.. Booths library, his
Shakspearean studies. and his general culture.
l do not wish to bring doubt upon those news
paper reports, but / do doubt if Mr. Booth and
Mr. Thorne's conversation has been correctly
reported for, if there has been any fact stated
over and over again in connection with Shak
speare's works, it is that he did, in the Comedy
of Errors" the Merchant of Venice" and the
Tempest" refer to the new world. 1t is true
that there only few lines, but they are un-
Unstable in their allusion to America.
The Comedy of Errors" was written by
Shakespeare, according to Malone, in 1892; ae-
cording to Chamer and Drake. in 1891, only six
years after Admiral Sir Francis Drake had, OF
grand scale, robbed the Spaniards in his second
famous voyage. Indeed, the Comedy of Err
rors" was probably composed after brakes re-
turn with his immense spoil of gold jewels, and
other ''plunder," which he had taken in the
Canaries, Cape dc Verde, and San Domingo.
Hence Shakespeare brings in America" tine
very word the great dramatist uses in the COM
ical questions and answers of AntipholuS of SYRIA
cuse and Dromio of Syracuse, concerning the
fat wench who insisted on being the wife of
Dromio of Syracuse. Dromio described her as
spherical like globe; could find out countries
in her." Whereupon his master asks where,
upon her, would he find Ireland, England. Scot
land, Spain, and other countries, and finally
Antipholus of Syracuse asks "Where America
and the IndiesW Unto which Dromio of SYRIA
cuse replies 20! sir, upon her nose, all DER
embellished with rubies, carbuncles. sapphires,
declining their rich aspect to the hot breath of
Spain, who sent whole armadoes of Caracas to
ballast her nose" Shakespeare has here, evil
IDENTIFY, in mind the fruits of Admiral brakes
expeditions to America. and of his sinking or
burning on the coast of Spain hundred vessels
or more just before the sailing of the Spanish
armada.
In the Merchant of Venice" Shylock makes
one of Antonio's argosies to be in the Hispano-
American possessions. He hath third at Mex
leo" Now America" in the Comedy of Errors" is
very general, and may include all the discov
cries known in Shakspeare's day, from the ex-
plorations of old Frobisher in the north to Ma
gellan and Drake (who was the first to see Cape
HORNY in the extreme south. Mexico" in the
Merchant OF Venice" is more definite. but at
the time when the Merchant of Venice" was
composed it was the name of all the territory
from the Oregon river to the Isthmus of Pana-
ma. But most definite of all is the allusion to
the discoveries in the world, in the ITEM
pest In the Comedy of Errors" one of Shak-
speares very earliest plays, we have only refer
ence to the continent in general In the ''Mer-
chant of Venice" written five or six years after
the Comedy of Errors" we have Mexico par
ticularized; but in his latest play, the
Tempest" we have defniteness, for we
are told of the ''Vexed Bermoothes"
The passage in which this allusion to the New
World occurs is in Ariers reply to Prospero's
question Tempest" Act l, Scene q as to what
that active sprite had done with the Neapoltan
Kings ship. the rest of the feet, and the mari
ners. Ariel answers:
SAFELY in harbor
Is the Kings ship; in the deep nook where once
From the still vex'd Bermoothes; there she's hid.
The mariners all under matches stow'd,
Whom, with charm joined to their suffer'd labor,
have left asleep; and for the rest o the feet
Which dispersal. they all have met again.
Bound sadly home TO Naples"
From this very Naples l would like to write
you a few lines about this matter, and the prob
ability that Shakespeare knew all about America
that was known in his time.
The most important thing in connection with
the New World at the moment that he wrote
the Tempest" was that, but short time be-
fore the composition of this. his last DRAMA
there had been published in London an account
of dreadful storm and shipwreck which had
taken place on one of the Bermuda islands, and
it furthermore stated how Captain George Som
ers the leader OF the shipwrecked expedition,
had escaped with all his people safely to the
shore. where he found an island of unwoted
beauty and fertility, and climate which came
up to the popular notion Of paradise. OF course
all London was agog and the more 80 because
Somers further declared that the shipwrecked
crew preferred to remain and colonize the island,
and that there never were such inducements for
Englishmen to leave their cold foggy climate
and come out to the terrestrial Eden, where
there was plenty of land for every conner, in a
climate that allowed crops in every season of the
year.
Somers had been shipwrecked on one Of the