The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-08-13

Director General like Stuyvesant or was h
a tailor like Hendrick Kip
John Cabot.
1t is strange that Englishmen have as We
given no sign OF an intention to com m emorat,
| the four hundredth anniversary OF Johr
Cabots discovery Of the continent OF Nortf
America. What Is more extraordinary. nj
Lnglishman has yet produced an ADEQUATE
| biography OF the navigator who disclosed the
| American mainland before 1t was seen by Co.
lumbus who made known the priceless fisher
| les OF Newfoundland. and who furnished the
| basis OF England's title to her possessions In
the New World. Until recently Americans al one
had borne witness by thor researches to an an
probation Of the magnitude OF Cabot's achieve
ments. In 1881 Mr.. Richard Bddle published
ut Philadelphia memoir OF Sebastian Cabot
which evinced extensive erudition and re-
markable acuteness OF mind The fault
OF tho work was its partially in favor
OF Sebastian and it's disposition to ig-
more the merits OF the father. In COM
paratively recent years the wol-known geo.
graphical scholar. Mr.. Henry Harrisse. has
brought out n book in every way worthy OF
the subject. under the title OF Jean ct Sebdstien
CdOot. There was room. however. for third
book on tho theme, and 1t was eminently
proper that 1t should come from an Italian
hand. seeing that John Cabot was an Italian
by birth and education. We are indebted to
Mr.. HENRY f. BRowNsoS OF Detroit for trans
lation OF what is modestly termed geoGra phi
cnl notice of John and Sebastian cabot by
Prof. FRANCISCO TARDUCCI. already known to
English readers by version OF his Life Of
Columbus. The author makes no secret OF
his indebtedness to Mr.. Biddle.a especially to
Mr.. Harrisse. but he does not agree with them
as to some controverted points. and it is for
that reason that his book deserves special ut
tention. We conilne ourselves to the seventy
eight pages devoted to the clder navigator.
because the figure OF John Cabot was
long envoloped in mystery and. when it
could be no longer wholly overlooked. was
left in the shadow in order to force the son
into the foreground. The questions which
Prof. Tarducci undertakes to an swer are these:
What was John Cabot's native land2 Did his
first discovery Of America take place in 4S4,
and what rart Of the American coast was it
that he first discoveredp After which the au-
thor proceeds to discuss the expedition OF
1897. and the preparations for that Of 1903.
which John Cabot did not live to carry out.
one word OF promise as to q matter tho
Significance OF which Is not dwelt upon by
Prof. Tarducci. namely. the route chosen by
Cabot and the consequences which must in
evitably have followed from the selection
There were three ways in which. at the close
of the fifteenth century. the unfolding OF the
New World to the Old was certain to be made
There were three routes by which America
could be reached. a southern. q central. and q |
northern. To begin with tho first named. 1t
might have been predicted that. as soon as
the Portuguese began tolmake voyages around
the Cape of Good Hope. 1t would befall
one OF them. under the concurrent impact OF |
winds and currents. to lie driven on |
the shores OF Brazil. This actually happened |
to one OF them. whose discovery OF |
Brazil. though it occurred only few |
years after the first voyage Of Column
bus. was entirely unintentionaL Tho Sec
ond route simply required a mariner to
profit by the knowledge that in the latitude
Of the Canary Islands winds blew steadily for
, certain season in a westerly direction. This
rs we know. was the course pursued by Co.
umbus. who went from Palos to the Canaries.
and. having reltted there. allowed the trade
winds to proDel him to tho bahama Islands
The third or northern route was much the
shortest. following. as it did. a small instead
If great circle. and it must have been famil-
ar to the 1celanders. who had been for CEN
uries in constant intercourse with Morse col
'nies in Greenland, and whose forefathsrs had
lot only discovered. but temporarily settled
,arts OF the mainland OF North America. 1t 10
rue that in Cabots day nearly five centuries
lad elapsed since the discovery OF Vineland
nd some time had passed since even the Morse
settlements in Greenland had been lost sight
T. but not only were these lands OF the West
escribed in sagas but the memory OF them
7ns fresh enough to linCer on the lips OF mon.
low The English port of Bristol had continual
commercial Intercourse with Iceland. and no
istorical records or traditional beliefs current
the one place could have been entirely I'M
nown in the other. 1t was at Bristol that John
abot conceived the idea OF northwest pas
age to lands in the west which had formerly
cen known and which still lived in legend
nd he embodied his convictions in a series OF
oyagcs begun before Colum bus set sail from
alos. and which must, sooner or later have
cen successful. whatever might have been
10 fate Of the Genoese explorer In a word.
10 role OF abot In the drama of discovery WAS
n independent ono. independent alike In con-
option and ach ievement. and. for that reason, |
0 deserves to rank by the side OF Columbus.
hsco do CANA. and Magellan In the worry
ont rank Of mariners.
What was John Cabot's native land? Prof
arducci undertakes to prove not only that he I
as citizen Of Venice. but that he was horn
the possessions of tho Venetian republic
o hold that he has proved the first point but |
8 agree with Mr.. Harrisse in considering 7
e second point not proven. Even the first I
lint was not easily established. so dense is
o obscurty in which everything relating to '
lbot Is wrapped. Puebla and Don Pedro de 7
Vala. who were the Spanish ambassadors to
lgland at the time of Cabots voyages call t
m Genoese. The former In his dispatches. Il
st describes him as "One like Columbus" C
ID afterward terms him another Genoese {
20 Columbus" Ayaa three times speaks OF v
bot as Genoese. Are these descriptions Il
lstwoithy2 The author examines this
estion at some length. but. without follow O
g him in detail. we may state his conclusion. ]
iich seems well founded, namely. that it was I
accident that Puebla attributed to Cabot a o
'noese nationality. and that Ayala accepted a
thont further inquiry the assertion OF his I,
low ambassador. We pass now to the Eng C
h chroniclers. and here We are confronted .
the extraordinary fact that during the first a
II of the sixteenth century the English Il
ronclers never mentioned the name of Ii
A..