The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1898-10-05

france. BOtn JneBe countries early hlJer
Columbus discovery began to question
the validity of the division by which the
whole of the New World was to be allot.
ted to Spain and Portugal. John Cabot,
a native of Venice. but in the English
service, discovered the continent near
the Gulf of st. Lawrence in 1897, and
was the first white man to see the main
land OF North America On subsequent
voyage he sailed along the Atlantic
coast from Cape Breton to Albemarie
Sound, claiming the whole region for
England. French fishermen in quest of
cod visited the banks OF Newfoundland
in 1904 and entered the St. Lawrence
1888, thinking the st. Lawrence River
was the long-looked-for west or north
west route to India, explored il as far as
the site of Montreal. Sir Francis Drake,
in 1878 80, sailed around South America
and up the Pacific as far as Oregon. The
first permanent English settlement on
until 1907, however, when that in James
town, Va, was established. Frances
first settlement was made near Quebec in
1908 This was more than 100 years
after Columbus discovery. Spain had
begun the work Of exploration and set
Element nearly century earlier. In the
work OF seizing and utilizing the new
lands, ON which national prestige and
power were largely dependent, Spain OBJ
tanned long lead over England and
France. Spain had Florida, Texas, Mex
leo, California and virtually all of Gem
trail and South America except Brazil
which Pope Alexander Wis demarka-
ton line Of 1894 and subsequent ex-
ploration and settlement gave to the
Portuguese. England, beginning with
the settlement at jamestown, started to
establish its claim TO territory on the
Atlantic coast from Maine to Florida,
while France, starting with the Quebec
settlement OF year later and the extern
sion of its explorations westward to the
center Of the continent and then south
ward, at length appropriated Canada and
the Mississippi Valley.
European politics had much influence
in determining the time and the charac-
ter Of the American colonization, and
the rivalries and conflicts which it incit-
ed had frequent reciprocal effect on
European politics, Harder fights were
waged between England and France than
between either OF these and Spain. The
attempts OF England or France to dis
possess Spain OF the tropical regions
which she had colonized or claimed were
comparatively few. The more northerly
regions appeared to have greater attrsc.
tions for them, and in this field each was
an earnest and persistent rival of the
other SPANS tremendous defeat in the
destruction of the invincible armada in
1888 was staggering blow to Spanish
power in Europe, but 1t did not mater
tally diminish the extent OF Spain's do
main in America. In fact, Spain held
on to most of its territory in America
until early in the present century. On
the other hand, frances defeat in the
seven years war (l756-63,) which ragged
in Europe, Asia and America, drove
France off the mainland OF the New
World, gave Canada and that part Of
Louisiana territory between the Allie
ghenies and the Mississippi TO England,
and was the cause OF the transfer OF the
part OF Louisiana west OF the Mississippi
TO Spain.
This war, with its disastrous effects on
Francs in Asia, as we'll as in America,
wrested from France the primary among
nations which Spain held from the days
Of Ferdinand and Isabella ON to the end
Of the reign OF Philip H., but which
France had most Of the time before Phil
lips 'eath in 1899 and the close OF the
war OF l756-6S France had a succession
Of highly capable rulers Henry ~,
Richslieu, who was the real head OF the
state in Louis Kills time; Mazarin,
Louis XIV.'s great Premier, and Louis
himself after Mazarin's DEATH In this
period. and they made their influence
felt In the worlds affairs. When Philip |