The morning call., 1892-08-19
THE DISCOVERIES.

The preparations which are being made
for the celebration of the fourth centennial
anniversary of the discovery of America
are moving students OF history to investi-
gate the respective claims of the several
discoveries. Mr.. John Boyd Thacher,
Commissioner from New York to the
Worlds Fair, is concerned lest in honoring
Columbus Americans would neglect to pay
proper tribute to him after whom their con-
tinent was named-Amerigo Vespucci.
Between Columbus and Vespucci period
of i've years elapsed. The former sailed on
August 8, 1892 %. s. and landed on Watlings
Island or Cat Island on October u %. S..
He returned home in the following year,
landing in Spain on March 15 1893. Yes
pucci sailed four years afterward on May
10. 1897, landed on the coast Of Honduras in
that summer. skirted the coast of the con-
tinent as far north as Hampton Roads and
made landings at intervals. In the same
year, 1897, Sebastian Cabot, an Englishman,
sailed from Bristol on May on a voyage of
discovery and returned to that port on
August g, having set foot on Labrador and
probably on Nova Scotia. At the very
time that NeSpucei was clasting along the
shores OF the CarOlinas and Virginia Cabot
was landing on the coast of what is now
Canada and Columbus was in Spain pre-
pairing for his third voyage TO the West
Indies. The real discovery of North
America thus occurred in 1897, not 1892,
Columbus never having set foot on the con-
tinent, and the name America is not. az so
many historians have ayerred, misnomer
Whether it was made By Nespneei or
by Cabot was at one time matter OF cor
troyersy in which Humboldt did not disdain
10 take part. The partisans OF the Italian
averred that be landed on the mainland
eighteen days before Cabot On the other
hand, the friends Of the Englishman deny
that Vespucci ever landed at all. Hum
b0ldJ took this latter view and showed BY
documents thatiif Vespucc did accompany
the voyagers of 1897 he did so as astronomer
and not as captain. The evidence on both
sides was summed up by Justin Winsor in
a volume published in 1856 Those who are
curious on the subject will fad therein all
that will ever be known on tie question.
In the last decade of the fifteenth century
the mania for voyages OF discovery was gen
eral among nayigators, but was not warmly
encouraged by sovereigns. Cabot received
from the King of England so in full re-
muneration for his discoveries; the miser-
able fate Of Columbus is well known to
ate Of the three. Whether he was or was
not the first discoverer of North America,
he certainly made many voyages and many
other discoveries, for which he was reward
ed with the Office Of Photo Major. and per-
mitted to spend his declining years in ease
al Seville. II never entered into the dull
minds Of the European monarchs that
these bold mariners were rendering TO civ
ilzation a service compared with which the
exploits of generals and admirals were
trhing.
Il Is but proper, as Mr.. Thacher suggests.
that in celebrating tie discovery Amerigo
Nespucci should be rememb ered as well as
Columbus Nor should Cabot be forgotten.
Him geographers have ignored in naming
new places. Only q couple Of post-Yilages
aud a cape on Lake Huron commemorate
the name Of him who first surveyed 1900
miles Of the coast of the continent
These intrepid sailors were probably not
the first strangers who set foot iG the land
we live ia. The evidence Of the landing of
the vikings, though mainly ciTcum stantial
and not fortified by contemporary proofs
in writing, is still intrinsically plausible. 1t
is more likely that the n0rthmen did land
than that they did not So the records Of
voyages by japanese and Chinese to the
west coast Of the continent, though unsatis-
factory TO the critical mind, have a SEM
blanee Of truth. II is quite probable that
daring oriental sailors did cross the ocean
ana effect landings on the shore of Cali
fornia or Oregon. The traces of japanese
intercourse, In prehistoric times, with Cen
trail America and Peru, are striking. We
cannot celebrate imaginary voyages nor
commemorate legendary heroes. That is
no reason, however. why we should neglect
the memory OF navigators who were un-
questionably historical personages.