The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-10-22

omer and g%eoaraphor OF TINT time and
peraonal friend Of Columbus. and who died
six years Eftor him, was always willing W
accord svery claim OF originality 70 Colun-
bus THAI oonld pe desired. had been sent on
various expeditions. beginning ~ 1497 to
the west, In the aubo dinate positions for
which hs WAS equipped. and owing 70 the
extensive discoveries made therein. TO
which be held the key. the fruiss OF these
voyages In the way OF discovery were cred-
itsd to him without controversy.
1T was after his return from his third
voyage, made In 1901 II 1902, that ia the
spring OF 1908 he wrote q letter TO q friend
describing his discoveries aouth Of tho
yond the knowledge Of tho ancients, and
suggesting that it should BIO called the New
World. In this letter he made IL plain that
he did not have in mind tho islands com~
prising the West Indies, nor indeed the
pearl coast on the northern shores OF South
America, the honor of exploring which for
the first time he conceded to Co.
but the long expanse OF coast as far south
an Do south, from which point no struck
southeast and went to South Georgia island.
in latitude "a south, that should bs called
the New World.
1T was on his return from tins trip only
second to this frss trip of Columbus In i'm
portance, after having dared to cross the
equator, that Americas Vsspucci first pub
lished to the world that another continent
uNd Deeu uducu W VIC RlODo uA0 So}uhi-
bus, who lived only three years after the
publication of this letter, in common with
all the best informed geographers Of the
age. died ignorant Of the fact that the main
land he had visited years before WIS part OF
the same continent now brought to the
attention OF man.
Waldseemuller, In a small treatise called
'Coamographie Introductio." published in
1907, for the first time proposed to call this
new continent to the south. AMerica, after
Americus Vespucci, and crediting him with
the discovery of the same, and 1t seemed to
have met with the approval OF the geogra-
piers of the time and b.sn adopted. Vea-
pucci died in 1912. before any map or globe
had appeared following the suggestion Of
Wsldss emuller.
"Ihs earliest known map in which the
name America was applied to the northe. n
continent Of the western world was in that
of Msrcator. drawn in 1911. Here the name
is divided, the first three letters being
on North America, and the last four on
South America. This is also the first map
which recoanized the northern continent as
distinct from Asia with the broad Pacific
between them. 1t was some years before
Mercator's ideas on this point were adopted.
and only five years before the map of Bap-
tista Aganese, made at Venice. chung to the
idea of the beginning of the century of an
open sea to Asia dotted with islands, and
seven years after the appearance of the
Mercator ma Gastaldi published q mag
representing Mexico and Florida as parts OF
, Asia. and there were many other maps plo-
mulgated about this time carrying out the
same theory.
While Columbus led the way to a new
world, in that adventurous age when the
field of discovery was SO broad n pfomis-
ing. it 10 not probable that its discovery
by another would have been long deferred.
But nevertheless. we pause a moment
midst the busy affairs of our own time in
other fields to recall the deeds of one who
died in poverty and want. ignorant of the
blessing he bestowed on future generations
Though our hemisnhere bears the name Of
another, the New World and the Old bow
in homage and joins with us. the most
prosperous children of the lands he con-
quered in celebrating this four hundredtf
anniversary of an event unsurpassed il
! Importance, taking into consideration thu
|, events which nave followed, and which are
directly attributable to it, in all the recore
Of human achievement"