New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-23
POPULAR OBSERVATIONS.
JoHN CABOT AND COLUMBUS.
80 ATTACK ON THE POSITION TAKEN BY J. II
HAMERSI.EY.
..o EDITOR of The Tribune.

80 ATTACK ON THE POSITION TAKEN BY J. H.
HAMERsrEY.
r. the Editor of The Tribune.
ctr. With amazement have just read in your
~ o,ters to the Editor" letter John Cabot or
ro,umbus?" by J. II. Hamersley. lie writes as IL
~ If tho facts about John and Sebastian Cabot
~. as well known and accessible the history
:, the battle of Bull Run. The fact U.s. and he
rs, know It if he knows anything about the
.se that scarcely any real fact Is known about
tho Cabot voyage or voyages and nothing what
.ver that can be relied fact is assumed TO be
Known about them by any historian who can be ac-
,ep,ed as authority by any one who is after facts
Ar Hamersley seems to rely almost exclusively on
pancroft's History OF the United States He
,ust know that to material facts Bancroft is
rot at all reliable. and that his statements are but
the rehash of earlier writers who had neither de-
sire nor ability 10 get the bottom facts.
All that is known about the Cabots and their Noy-
sges can be told in few words John Cabot was
native Of Genoa, Italy (as is believed of Colum
hus) and Sebastian, his son, was a native of Ven
lee John and his family went to Bristol, England.
IN 400 and John sailed on his first and possibly his
nnly voyage from Bristol In 1897. and discovered on
June q. 1897, what he supposed TO De the eastern
coast of China, or, he expressed 1t, "a point in
the territory OF the Grand Cham" For this dis
covery he was rewarded by King Henry VII of
England with a present of f10. This grant read it
.learly that It was not known believed that any
new continent had been discovered. Johns re-
2orter believed he had discovered "the isles of
Brazil fthls was believed to be n group OF islands
west OF ireland and placed on some early
Italian mapsl and the seven cities and the king
dom of the Great Khan" This belief was founded
on a story told by Marco Polo, and that the
real cause of not only Cabots but of Columbuss
exploring expeditions. This reporter also stated
that II Cabot had gone little to the southwest he
could find the wealthy island Of Cipango. This
also was founded on Marco Polos yarn Whether
Sebastian was with his father this voyage is
not known.
What is known as the second voyage was an eX-
pe6ition that sailed from Bristol England in April,
1875. Who commanded or sailed with the eXpodi-
ton is not known. One vessel of the fleet OF five
or six much damaged took refuge In an Irish port
NO one knows when if ever. the others got back,
nor do we hear anything moro of John Cabot" 1t
Is only probable that John sailed on this expedi-
tion and is supposed to have died on the voyage
,See Harrisse pp. 81, 80 and S22 This is all that
Is known as TO John Cabot and his voyages. Sc
bastian left England and went to Spain. and Is
supposed TO have remained there some years. AT
all events, he went from Spain 10 England again
IN l54s and sailed with feet fitted out 10 iind Il
northeast passage to China This voyage resulted
IN opening UP n trade with Russia via tho White
Sea Sebastian died III London, England. In l557 or
soon thereafter and this is all that il known OF Sc
bastian Cabot and his voyages 1t VIII thus be seen
or what slender threads Mr.. Hamersley hangs
his statement that John Cabot Is proved 10 be the
discoverer Of North America lie wants Bancroft
and his nctions 10 sink deeply into the hearts
and minds of every man. woman and child In the
United States and thus to be fooled into believing
a lie Please notice he talks of the discovery be-
longing to the Anglo-SaXon race, and states that
sebastian was native of Bristol. Both Jonn and
Sebastian were Italians. and were no more anglo
strength Of true history, assert that neither John
nor Sebastian Cabot had any idea or ever claimed
gent or any part of one Nor did they know that
they had done more than Columbus believed lie nad
lone-namey, run across islands outlying the east
Whether either Of the Gab9s VISITED any Sgo
lutely unknown nor can such 1aG De PrNDeu p o
some one Cor them. made a map or chart Of the
world as they understood 1t to lie west Of lrehI;
Ayola, agents of Spain, in England in 1871 or liss
and from an examination of it they concluded that
leagues from Bristol on either voyage map
isaGs %es d 1 reaSd
now supposed to be the island Of Cape Breton ana
,ss s he lama se aad he is on this
that the Cabot fiction is mostly built But this
in pb ~sS 1900 This La Coss had sailed with Co.
iumbus on his first and second voyages and knew
ali about his discoveries. and built his map or chart
on at!sss knowledge and on the story the Caoo,S
companions told when they h0 lived IN Spain sfe
Cosa showed an archPea;go where He o
foundland now Is, but the continental Coast 1Il
which this archipelago was supposed TO be may Do
Greenland. Labrador NEWFOUNDLAND or Nova SEQ
tia 1t is not by any means clear which, If either
was intended he shown. The RECORDS or tne
reign of Henry VII of England simply call the
island or place discovered or reported by Cabot
new found land " which applies as well TO an
island or archipelago to a continent
John Fiske more clearly than any other writer
that / have met with shows the obscurity OF the
whole discovery question, and feel that II IS very
unwlse for Mr.. Hamersley or any one else 70 as
sumo 10 teach the history of the discovery from
any writer earlier than Fiske That Ensland or
rather Bristol should wish the world to believe
that it's enpIoye. Cabot discovered America is to
be expected, but that any educated American pre-,
tends 10 so believe is amazing AT all events, IL VIII
MOI do for us TO swallow the yarns spun by Ban
croft and the partsans Of Cabot until they can
You NAV quite as reasonably believe the stories
told by Sir John Vaudeville or Baron Munchausen
~ " 49, 49, WILLIAM HENRY SMITH.
Chicago June 10. 1897.