Morning journal and courier., 1891-01-30
CCopyrighted.) LONG ISLAND SOUND.

London - Touching Our Coast A Valuable Paper Read by Captain 0. HI. Townshend Before the New Haven Colony Historical Society.
 (CoNTINUED.) In the so-called Cabot map of 1542 Sandy Hook is named c de St. Juan. Cape Cod is called Cape de Aracefe, and the back country between these points charted ''Norumbega;" these were the names by which this new, unexplored land and coast line seem to have been recognized by European countries at this period, while further northward the shores explored by Jacques Cartier, in 1884, and of which he took possession in the name of the King of France, were known for two centuries later as New France.
 Mercatore's map of the world gives the globe flat surface, and by his system of projection in proportional parts he locates in the right latitude and longitude o. S. St. John Sandy Hook), also called about this date Cabo de Arenass, and Cabo de Malabrigo Bad Shelter) for the southern part of Cape Cod, and he gives an inden- ture in the coast for Long Island Sound, which he names Baia Hondo, which am inclined to think is the first European name by which it was known to navi- gators. Of this important arm of the sea, called later by the Dutch East River, route, let me add, through which now more value passes in one direction than over any other water on the American coast.
 It is my opinion based on years of care ful study of this problem, that as late as the fifteenth century when European navi- gators were engaged exploring this section of the coast of New England, there was chain of islands along the coast. This coast line we locate south of line drawn from Plymouth, Massachusetts, to Newark river in New Jersey (and where Sandy Isl ands compounded from the remnant of the Glacial formation on which Professor Dana of Yale has enlightened us; and which deposits here and there clings to rocks) for base. Between these numer- open by the fowage of rivers and the move ments of tides, making this a system of islands. Cape Cod, Nauset Isle, the Vine yard Islands, Block and Long Islands and others adjacent thereto were thus con- structed by the elements into continu- ous chain of islands Of this we have al most positive evidence by the numerous portages and water passages across Cape Cod, which Gosnold claims to have dis covered in 1602, and which were known before his day and visited by the numerous fishing vessels, French and English, that frequented this coast and later by the Dutch explorer Block and his colleague Corstensen; the latter completed their. yoy- ages of exploration eastward of New9Am- sterdam and returned late in the fall of 1914 to Holland.
 It is a well known fact that before the settlement of Plymouth colony by the May flower Pilgrims in 1920 the French carried on extensive fisheries about Cape Cod coast (there Champlain had battle with the Indians) and journals of their voyages still extant, q have been told), are now ly- ing unpublished in the documentary de- partment of the record office, in the Chan nel Islands and western seaport towns of France.
 Though these island passages, constant communication was kept up between North and South Virginia as abundantly proved by Captain Thomas Bermer's voyage in 1919. Dermer was colleague of Captain John Smith. He made boat passage through Long Island sound to Virginia. While exploring the Cape Cod section he rescued two sailors, who were cast aways or deserters from the French fishing fleet which then annually voyaged to this vi cinity.
 This voyage and an excursion of Gov ernor Eaton and party proves the then ex istence of Cape Cod passage. Governor Eaton on this passage went to explore Roodenberg or Quinnipiac in the fall o 1637 by an open boat, according to vel ! sustained tradition, through Cape Coz ! passage which was then said to have exist l ed. The existence of such passage ha l always been accepted as a fact, and i | now verified by the writer, as will here after be shown.
 Among the records in the Lokas Kas o the state general in the royal archives . The Hague, Holland, there is deposited
 chart of Long Island sound, and with it report of Adrian Block, 8 captain in tn service of the East India company of Hol land. This chart shows his exploration of this arm of the sea, which were made b, in the spring of 1914. With these mono rial was presented to the state general ol the 18th of August, 1616, by the director of the New Netherland, praying for spe cial octroy according to the placaat o March 27, 1914, and the explorations ar referred to in the memorial as show made by schipper Cornelius Hen drixsen of Minnichendam in smal ! yacht of eight lasts (sixteen tons burthen named the "Onrust,'' (the Restless) whic the memorialists had caused to be built Ii New Netherlands.
 This ordinance of March 27, 1914, imme diately interested numerous merchants c
 Holland, and four ships were at once itte
 out for exploration in these parts, viz ' tLrTba Nir1 D 4Ia
 Tiger" and the Fortune" The last wer
 commanded by the before mentioned Car
 tains Block and Corstiaensen of Amstel
 dam. These commanders on arrival 6
 Manhattan started out expeditions to e1
 plore the numerous rivers and bays in thi
 vicinity. During one of these trips Block
 vessel was by accident burned, but he b. ing man of nerve and marked ability, Wh
 never turned aside from obstacles and wh
 was skilled in the numerous branches of hi profession, he at once commenced an
 pushed on to completion the constructio
 of a yacht of dimensions 424 feet fro1
 stem to stern, (over alD 38 feet keel an 115 breadth of beam, and measuring sixtee
 tons burthen, and in this (the first vess, constructed by Europeans in these water
 he proceeded late in the summer to e1
 plore the East river Gong Island Sound
 to the eastward of Manhattan; and we al
 told he sailed along the East river, t
 which he gave the name of ''The Hel gate" after branch of the river Schel in East Flanders, situated between th
 manors of Axel and Hulst
 ! After making the passage of Hell Cat
 (which was then and has been ever sine
 the terror of mariners) he launched out O
 the broad waters of Long Inland Sound
 leaving to the southward Long Island, the
 called Metoac or Serwanhacky CThe Ian
 of shelly, and, following the north shor
 eastward, he sighted river since name
 Hutchinson's river in Westchester. Nes
 the river, history tells us, was once th
 abode of an English family of this nam,
 whose home was the scene of an awf,
 tragedy, the destruction by Indians i
 1643 of their settlement, [Anne Neck1. IT
 settlement was located on lands bought
 the Dutch at Manhattan from Mir. Thoms
 Pell of New Haven for five hundre
 pounds. It was settled in part by u
 family of Mrs. Anna Hutchinson and othe
 members of company who were religio'
 exiles from the colony of MassachHset
 Bay and in 1888 took refuge in Rhode Islan,
 from whence, moved by fear that the
 home might become part of the colony Massachusetts bay, they in 1642 remove
 to Westchester.
 The islands of Stamford and Nerwal
 were also sighted and carefully explores
 To these Block gave the name of archipel
 goes. Farther eastward and near the ce, ter of Long Island Sound he discovert and located two islands about the positic
 of the middle grounds now off Stratfor
 On these lighthouse has been lately bui
 by the United States government (to maj
 this danger) for navigators, as these islan'