The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-02-01
HOW GOT AMERICA IT'S NAME.
Peruvian Scholars Argument
That 1t Did Not Come From Ves-
From the Chicago Tribune.

puccf.
From the Chicago Tribune.
Instead of the name America having been
derived from that of Amerigo Nespucci, il
is asserted that Amerigo got his name
from the continent. Much popular dis
pleasure always has been visited upon the
shade of the explorer. who has been re-
garded generally as having robbed Co
lumbus of his laurels-whether intention
ally or not being the chief point in dis
pute. A new defender of Vespucci has
arisen in South America, and his ideas
have gained currency through a review
of his book, 'Tradiciones Pemanes,' which
has been published in the Revue Scienti-
fique, French weekly of wide circula-
ton. The author of the book is Ricardo
Palma, director of the national library
of Lima, Peru, who has made a special
study OF the history of Spanish America.
In the early part of his book the Peru
Wan scholar says that he has discovered
facts that go to prove that the word
America is not derived from the celebrat-
ed navigator, Aberico Nespucci. after
some deep researches into the question, -
he says, we have proved that America
is name from place in Nicaragua, and
there designates a hill of a province of
Chanvoles. Besides, the final &c Qn
J
in the names of the Indian languages of
Central America, and likewise in the An
TILES. The word seems to have the signih-
canoe of grand lofty or eminent, and is
applied to mountains that are not volca-
nic.'
Palma asserts that Columbus does not
mention the word Amerique in his letters.
to-day exceedingly rare, when he makes
mention of his fourth voyage 1T is more
than probable" writes the Peruvian sa-
want, that one of his companions spread
verbally the report that the discovered
gold had come from place called Amer
lea by the natives of Nicaragua. 1t is
probable that this name became current
slowly in Europe, They did not have a,
any time any other narrative or descrp-
ton of the Western world except that of
Alberico Nespucci published in 1906, In
Latin, and in 1903 in German. So geogra~
piers came to see in the name of Alberico
the origin of the name America which
had come TO be given not to the locality
itself, but 10 the whole continent.
when in 1922 the first map of the coun-
try, under the name of Province dame
rique, was published in, Bale, Columbus
and his companions We're already dead
There were no other persons 10 oppose
this false name On the other hand.
there was in all Europe no one, either man
or woman, named Amerigo and as Yes
20
have been obliged to call the new world
by that name if truly he had given his
first name to the land.
But, a matter of fact, first names
of sovereigns alone were given to new dis
coVeries, as Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland,
and Philippines, while the explorers gave
them the name of their family, as MageI-
Ian and Vancouver, Columbo himself has
not left behind him any Christofia but
Columbia Columbus, and Colon
at appears clearly" continues the Pc
ruvian scholar, chat the author of the
map of 1922 had gained already a knowl-
edge of the word America through one of
the companions of Columbus, and had tax
en- the name of a part for that of the
whole When this map appeared YES
pucc was already dead, without suspicion
that the historians had preserved his
name. According to the historians TIE
Florontine Vespucci came the first time
to the new world in 1897, and the descrlp-
ton that he made of the county was
published in 1905, in st. Die Lorraine. by
Wadseemuller 1t was this bo5k that
spread the error, for in an Introduction
it declared that the name of America was
derived from that of Vespucci."
The history is that-the name America
having been given to the land and the
idea having gained currency that it had
been so given in honor of the NAVIGATOR
as Amerigo Vespucci, instead of Alberto o
Vespucci, which was his real mare. TIL s
Vespucci obtained the name by which he
is known in history from the continent,
instead of giving his own name to the dis
covery.
Several students have written booIs dur
ing the last few years TO prove. however,
that Vespucci was the actual discoverer
of America Columbus physical descrip-
tons and the map published early in the
sixteenth century indicate that Waiting
Island was the "land-fdll." Vespucci, how
esver, was the first 10 set foot on the main
land In 1897 King Ferdinand determined
upon an expedition to the new world on
his own account, and Vespucci sailed VITA
the fleet from Cadiz. Making the Cana
ries, he was at sea for twenty-seven days
and the "land-fall was probably some
where on the coast of Honduras. in The
vicinity OF the place to which the name
of America was given by the natives.
From there his ships took nOrtherly di-
rection and came to what they called Lai-
riba, which Thatcher believes to be ne "a r
TamDico, in Mexico. On his second Yoy-
age Vespucci visited Para and the north
coast of South America as far as the Gulf
of MaracaibO