The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-29
HOW GOT AMERICA ITS NAME?
A Peruvian Scholars Argument That
 It Did Not Come From VeSpucci

| "A ESFuVldH SCHOlaT Argument lHel
 It Did Not Come From Vespucci.
 Instead of the name America having been derived from that of Amerlgo Yes pucci, it is asserted that Amerigo got 1 his name from the continent Mucf l popular dispeasure always has beer visited upon the shade of the explorer who has been regarded generally as having robbed Columbus of his laurels- whether Intentionally or not being the l chief point in dispute. A new defender | of Vespucci has arisen in South Ameri- | ca and his ideas have gained currency 1 through a review of his book 'Tradi- | clones Pemanes,'' which has been pub lished in the Revue Scentifique, a French weekly of wide circulation. 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 vian scholar Bays that he has discov- cred facts that go to prove that the word America is not derived from the celebrated navigator, Alberico Vespuc- ci. After some deep researches into the question" he says, Ave have proved that America is a name from place in Nicaragua, and there designates hill of a province of Chanvoles Besides, the final ic' Gin Spanish ica,' ique, or ico,) recurs often in the names laf the Indian languages of Central America and likewise in the Antilles. The word seems to lave the significance of grand lofty Or eminent, and is applied to r,1n nj tni ir,o ho ar n
 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. Tt is more than probable" writes the Peruvian savant, that one of bis com panions spread verbally the report that the discovered gold had come from place called America by the natives of Nicaragua. It is probable that this name became current slowly In Europe. They did not have at any time any oth- CT narrative or description of the west ern world except that of Alberico Ves- pucci, published in 1505 in Latin and in 1503 in German. So geographers came to see in the name of Alberico the ori- gin of the name America, which had come to be given not to the locality it. self, but to the whole continent.
 When in 1522 the first map of the country, under the name of Province d'Amerique, was published in Bale, Co., lumbus and his companions were all ready dead. There were no other per sons to oppose this false name. On the other hand, there was In all Europe no one, either man or woman named and as Vespucci called him. self Alberico they would have been obliged to call the new world by that name if truly he had given his first name to the land.
 But, as matter of fact, first nafnes of sovereigns alone were given to new discoveries, ts Georgia Louisiana, Ma ryland and Philippines, while the ex- plorers gave them the name of their family, as Magellan and Vancouver Columbo himself has not left behind him any Christefia, but Columbia, Co., lumbus and Colon.
 Tt appears clearly" continues the Peruvian scholar, that the author of the map of 1922 had gained already a of the word America through one of the companions of Co., umbus, and had taken the name Of a part for that of the whole. When this map appeared Vespucci was already lead, without suspicion that the histo- l 'ians had preserved his name. Accord ng to the historians, the Florentine Vespucci came the first tiffie to the new world in 1497, and the description that 1e made of the country was published | n 1505, in St. Die Lorraine, by Waldsee- muller. It was this book that spread | he error, for in an introduction 1t de- dared that the name of America was derived from that of Vespucci."
 The theory Is that-the name Ameri- "a having been given to the land and he idea having gained currency that it lad been so given in honor of the navi- yator-writers began to refer always to yespucci as Amerigo Vespucci, instead # Alberico Vespucci, which was his cal name. Thus Vespucci obtained the name by which he is known in history rom the continent, instead of giving lis own name to the discovery.
 Several students have written books turing the last few years to prove, how