The sun., 1896-07-05


America. In a,chapteY on the early days OF the
Fiorentine navigator Il is pointed out that tho
name was written Ameriso vespucci, and that
the Christian name was pronounced Amerigo,
not Amerigo. After acquiring good education
from an uncle who was an excellent Greek and
Latin scholar. Amerious. remaining In Florence,
was admitted a. . clerk into the great CONNER
cial house of the Medci subsequently he became
the agent for the house at Cadz, and there 10 ex-
tapt letter alleged to have been written by
him from that town Jan. 80, l492. The letter,
however. 10 not accepted as genuine. for
the reason that the paper 10 much more
modern than that used in thefifteeDth century.
Moreover, neither the writing in the body Of
tho letter nor the signature is like that OF Yes
pucius All We know with certainty about
this period of his life 10 that, in 1497. Vespu-
eius declared he had gone to Spain TO occupy
himself with commercial affairs. and that he
already had been following this business for
moro than four years. It will be remembered
that, in 1495, the sovereiRps, Ferdinand and
Isabella, issued decree which took from Co
lumbus the monopoly Of voyaging in tho Indies,
and made It possible for any native Spnniard,
within certain easy limitations, to Mt out an ex-
pedtion. Early In the year 14a7 Ferdinand de-
termlned upon an expedition In the New World
on his own account. At tho head Of the expo
youngest Of tho three Pinzon brothers Of Palos,
who had been In command of the little caravel
Nina ON tho first Columbian voyage. Another
member Of this expedition was Juan de Ia Cosa,
who had been part owner Of tho cnravol Santa
Maria, the flagship OF Columbus. He had re-
turned with the Admiral on the Nifa and It 10
also matter OF record that ho had formed one
Of the stat surrounding Columbus on the occa-
sion Of tho latter's second voyage In the follow
ing year. Tho exact function of vespucci on
tho expedition of 1897 10 not determined. Ao-
eordlng TO his own statement, no was solicited
TO go by the King. He does not any whore claim
that the expedition, or the feet, or any ship In
1t, was his. Mr.. Thncher notes. however. that
he possessed two qualifications which made his
services desirable. He understood astronomy
and tho use Of tho quadrants predecessor, the
astrolabe. Ills chief Recommendation. how
ever, In the speculative eyes Of tho King
would be his familiarity with CONNER
cial methods. and IL 10, therefore, pronounced
possible that he went m q sort Of supercargo.
to weigh out tho food and to weigh in the
gold. and to keep tally OF tho royal share. Ac-
cording to tho primitive italian text Of the
narration OF tho voyage, II was on May 10,
1497, that the little feet sailed out of
the port Of CadiA- Tho author Of tho narra-
tive states that tho feet took direct course
for the Canary Islands, whore they tarried for
eight days. Thence setting sail again. and bs-
ginning their course by west and quarter
southwest, they went on for thirty seven days
tho Latin text says twenty-seven days-until
they reached q land which they believed to bo
o continent, distant westerly from the Canaries
one thousand leagues. with tho North Pole ele-
waited 16s above tho horizon. and the instru-
ment showing q longitude Of T5' westward
from tho Canares. Mr.. Thacher shows that
II we mako an allowance OF error of single
degree in his latitude aud about So in his lon
gitude-not q great allowance considering tho
Instruments he usod-the lnndfall OF Vespu-
cius would be on the coast Of Honduras, not
far from Cape Graoias DIos. To tho question
how II came about that mono of tho islands in
tho Caribbean Sea was first sighted. and why
no mention was made Of the huge volcanic
mountains which rise above tho country to the
north, along which tho feet afterward trav-
elled, Mr.. Thachcr replies that dense fogs
prevail at certain periods. curtaining the land
from tho sea, and that . hundred ves-
sells might oreep near to the coast without sight
ing the outlying islands From Cape Gracias
Dios the course was northwest for two days.
when harbor sufficiently secure for the ships
was found. This 10 identified with n port near
Cape Cameron. because vespuoius, In speaking
of the coast between tho point first touched and
-
coast devoid of hills. and this term exactly
describes the coast line between Cape Gracias q
Dios and Cape Cameron. Travelling on again.
still along the coast, Vespucius and his com.
panions came to o country where they beheld q
village Of forty -four houses. built like Venice.
upon tho water. Many have located this
village In Campeche Bay. to the north of
Tabasco. Leaving this place. tho feet
sklrted the coast for eighty leagues Caeo
Italian miles,. when new people. different
IN speech and customs. was encountered. This
was In q province named Lariab. which Mr..
Thacher thinks was probably near Tampico in
Mexico. Now we come to q typographical error
which has brought the good name Of Americus
into disrepute. When tho passage last referred
TO was translated into the st. Die. Latin edition.
the word "Lariab" became "Paras." Now,
Colum bus, on the occasion of his third voyage,
in 1893, discovered tho Gulf of Paria. In 1899
Americas Vespucius sailed ON his second voy-
age with Alonzo do Ojeda, and on that eIpedi-
tion they visited the coast of PariA on the north
coast of South America as far tho Gulf of
MAracaibo. Suddenly. in the year 1907. a little
book was printed in the Vosgian Mountains
suggesting that the New World should be called
America, because It was discovered by Ameri-
Gus, and containing In the latter part the hsser-
tion that no was the first TO discover tho
province OF fhflh- w men attention was
called to this, one-half tho world said
Americas had tried to despoil Columbus of
tho honor duo him. and tho other half said
Amerlcus had simply mixed his dates and WAS
describing. after all. the O1cda expedition of
1490, and. therefore. was not n discoverer. but q
follower OF the Gepoese Admiral to the coast of
Paria. 1t is pointed ont by Mr.. Thacher that
the description given by Amoricus OF the coun-
try Of Lariab. In North America-a country tho
location of which on the coast Of Mexico is cor
rectly given, though incorrectly named on tho
Solinus map printed in l520-does not corre-
spond with the description which Columbus
gave of Parla, in South America more than
1000 miles away. The people OF Paria struck
Columbus and his companions as OF unusual
size. The people of Lariab were only Of medium
size in the eyes OF Americus. Tho description,
on tho other hand, of tho inhabitants OF the
country near Cape Cameron, which Columbus
gave In the account OF his voyage In 1902. docs
agree strikinRly with tho same description
given by Americus in 1407. That tho coun-
try visited by VespuCius In tho year last
named could not have been In South America