SEBASTIAN CABOT.

SEBASTIAN CABOT EXPLAINING HIS DISCOVERIES TO HENRY VII.

A FEW years before the accession of Henry VII. a spirit of maritime enterprize and adventure, for the discovery of new and unknown countries, had sprung up in some parts of Europe, which soon produced very great and surprising effects. The Portuguese in particular, animated and directed by their intelligent sovereign, John II. attempted to discover a passage by sea to the East Indies, to obtain a share in the trade of those countries, which had enriched the Venetians and other Italian states. In this attempt they sailed along and explored all the west coasts of Africa as far as the Cape of Good Hope, which they reached A. D. 1487; but there they stopped short, and proceeded no further in their discoveries for several years.

In the mean time, an extraordinary man had reasoned himself into a persuasion that there was a great continent and many islands beyond the Atlantic Ocean, and had formed the bold design of attempting the discovery of that new world. This was the justly celebrated Christopher Columbus, one of the most adventurous, intelligent, and sagacious sailors that ever lived, to whom mankind are indebted for bringing one half of the world acquainted with the other. Though Columbus was fully convinced himself, he knew it would not be easy to convince others of the existence of such a country, and that he could not attempt the discovery of it without the aid of some powerful prince or state. Being a Genoese by birth, he made his first application to the republic of Genoa, A. D. 1482; but that state declined embarking in the enterprize. He next apWORTHIES, No. 8.

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plied to John II. king of Portugal, who he knew to be intent on making discoveries. King John received him favourably, and seemed inclined to engage in the undertaking; but referred him to a committee of his council, with whom he was to settle all preliminaries. With this committee he had many meetings; they made many objections, and asked many questions, to which he returned answers with unsuspecting frankness. When they had obtained, as they imagined, all the information he was capable of giving, they privately fitted out a ship to make the discovery. Columbus, justly irritated at this ungenerous attempt to deprive him of the honour and profit of his project, which had cost him so much thought, expense, and toil, left the court of Portugal in disgust, A. D. 1484.

Not yet discouraged, he next repaired to the court of Spain, and sent his brother Bartholomew into England, to solicit the means of attempting the proposed discovery A. D. 1485. Bartholomew was unfortunately taken by pirates on his passage, who stripped him of every thing, and chained him to the oar. At length he made his escape, and arrived in England A. D. 1489, almost naked, and emaciated by his sufferings. In this situation, without credentials, without money, and without friends, he could not procure access to the king or his ministers; but endeavoured to support himself by making maps and sea charts. When he had recovered his health, and could make a decent appearance, he presented a map of the world to the king, which procured him an audience of that prince, and an opportunity of explaining the commission he had received from his brother. Henry heard him with attention, examined all circumstances, and thinking his success probable, he agreed to his proposals, and sent him back with an invitation to his brother to come into England; but before Bartholomew arrived in Spain, his brother Christopher had sailed on his second voyage to the islands he had discovered in the first. Thus it was by the misfortunes of Bartholomew Columbus, and not by the avarice of Henry VII. that the English lost the honour of being the first discoverers of the new world: but it may be justly doubted whether this was any real loss to them, or their posterity. Spain doth not seem to have gained either honour, power, population, or prosperity of any kind, but rather to have been a loser in all these respects by the discovery.

But though Henry and his subjects were thus deprived of the honour of being the first discoverers of the new world, they were determined to have a share in the discovery. John Cabot, a Venetian, had resided several years in Bristol, as a merchant and mariner, in which last capacity he had acquired great knowledge by many voyages. Having heard of the fame and success of Columbus, he presented proposals to Henry VII. for attempting similar discoveries. His proposals were readily accepted, and the king granted letters patent, March 5th, A. D. 1496, to him and his three sons, Lewis, Sebastian, and Sanctius, to sail with five ships under

English colours for the discovery of unknown countries, which had never been visited by any Christians, and granting to them and their heirs all the countries they discovered, to be held of the crown of England, reserving to himself and his heirs a fifth part of the net profits. Besides this, he fitted out a gallant ship for this expedition at his own expense, and some merchants of London and Bristol provided four smaller vessels. With this little fleet John Cabot sailed from Bristol in spring A. D. 1497, and directing his course to the north-west, on June 24th he discovered the island of Newfoundland, and soon after the island of St. John. He then sailed down to Cape Florida, and returned to Bristol with a good cargo and three natives of the countries he had discovered on board. He was graciously received, and knighted by Henry on his return. From this wellattested account it appears, that the English were the first discoverers of the continent of America; and therefore, according to the political casuistry of those times, had a better title than any other European nation to the possession of that quarter of the globe. That title, however, at the best, is very questionable.

SEBASTIAN CABOT, a navigator of great eminence and abilities, was born at Bristol about the year 1477. He was son of John Cabot, a Venetian pilot, who resided much in England, and particularly in the city of Bristol; and who was greatly celebrated for his skill in navigation. Young Cabot was early instructed by his father in arithmetic, geometry, geography, and those branches of knowledge which were best. calculated to form an able and skilful seaman: and by the time he was seventeen years of age, he had already made several trips to sea, in order to add to the theoretical knowledge which he had acquired, a competent skill in the practical part of navigation. The first voyage of any importance in which he was engaged, appears to have been that made by his father, for the discovery of unknown lands; and also, as it is said, of a north-west passage to the East Indies.

John Cabot was encouraged to this attempt by the discoveries of Columbus. In 1493 Columbus returned from his first expedition; and in 1495, John Cabot obtained from king Henry VII. letters patent, empowering him and his three sons, Lewis, Sebastian, and Sanctius, to discover unknown lands, and to conquer and settle them, for which they were to be admitted to many privileges; the king reserving to himself one-fifth part of the neat profits; and with this single restraint, that the ships they fitted out should be obliged to return to the port of Bristol. It was not till the year after these letters patent were granted, that any preparatious were made for fitting out vessels for the intended voyage; and then John Cabot had a permission from his majesty, to take six English ships in any haven of the realm, of the burden of two hundred tons and under, with as many mariners as should be willing to go with

him. Accordingly, one ship was equipped at Bristol, at the king's expense; and to this the merchants of that city, and of London, added three or four small vessels, freighted with proper commodities.

John Cabot, attended by his son Sebastian, set sail with this fleet in the spring of the year 1497. They sailed happily on their north-west course, till the 24th of June, in the same year, about five in the morning, when they discovered the island of Baccalaos, now much better known by the name of Newfoundland. The very day on which they made this important discovery, is known by a large map, drawn by Sebastian Cabot, and cut by Clement Adams, which hung in the privy gallery at Whitehall; whereon was this inscription, under the author's picture: "Effigies Seb. Caboti, Angli, Filii Jo. Caboti, Venetiani, Militis Aurati, &c." and on this map was likewise the following account of the discovery, the original of which was in Latin: "In the year of our Lord 1497, John Cabot, a Venetian, and his son Sebastian, with an English fleet, set out from Bristol, and discovered that island which no man before had attempted. This discovery was made on the four and twentieth of June, about five o'clock in the morning. This land he called Prima Vista (or First Seen), because it was that part of which they had the first sight from the sea. The island, which lies out before the land, he called the island of St. John, probably because it was discovered on the festival of St. John the Baptist. The inhabitants of this island wore beasts' skins, and esteemed them as the finest garments." To this Purchas adds, "In their wars they used bows, arrows, pikes, darts, wooden clubs, and slings. They found the soil barren in some places, and yielding little fruit: but it was full of white bears and stags, far larger than those of Europe. It yielded plenty of fish, and those of the larger kind, as seals and salmon. They found soles there above a yard in length, and great abundance of that kind of fish which the savages called baccalaos. They also observed there partridges, as likewise hawks and eagles; but what was remarkable in them, they were all as black as ravens."

The accounts of this voyage made by John Cabot, accompanied by his son Sebastian, are, in some respects, involved in much obscurity; and Sebastian is supposed to have made some voyages of dicovery without his father, in the reign of Henry VII. of which no narrations have been preserved. However, it appears that John Cabot, after the discovery of Newfoundland, sailed down to Cape Florida, and then returned with three Indians, and a good cargo, to England, where he was well received.

The discovery that he and his son had made, was, indeed, as Dr. Campbell observes, very important; "since, in truth, it was the first time the continent of America had been seen; Columbus being unacquainted therewith till his last voyage, which was the year following, when he coasted along a part of the isthmus of Darien."

After the voyage in which Newfoundland was discovered, there is a considerable chasm in the life of Sebastian Cabot; for we have no distinct accounts of what he performed for the space of twenty years together, though he probably made several voyages during that period. Nor have we any account at what time, or in what place, his father, John Cabot, died; though it is supposed to have been in England.

The next transaction concerning Sebastian Cabot, of which we meet with any mention, was in the eighth year of the reign of King Henry VIII. and our accounts relative to this are not very clear. But it seems he had entered into a close connexion with Sir Thomas Pert, then vice-admiral of England, and who procured him a good ship of the king's, in order to make discoveries. It is supposed, however, that he had now changed his route, and intended to have passed by the South to the East Indies ; for he sailed first to Brazil, and missing there of his purpose, shaped his course for the islands of Hispaniola and Porto Rico, where he carried on some traffic, and then returned, failing absolutely in the design upon which he went; not through any want either of courage or of conduct in himself, but from the timidity of his coadjutor, Sir Thomas Pert.

It was this disappointment which is supposed to have induced Sebastian Cabot to leave England, and go over into Spain. There he was treated with great respect, and appointed pilot-major, or chief pilot of Spain; and by his office entrusted with the reviewing of all projects for discovery; which at that period were numerous and important. His great capacity and reputation as a navigator, induced many opulent merchants to treat with him, in 1524, about a voyage to be undertaken at their expense by the new-found passage of Magellan to the Moluccas; and Cabot accordingly agreed to engage in the voyage.

He set sail from Cadiz, with four ships, about the beginning of April, 1525, first to the Canaries, then to the Cape Verd islands, and from thence to Cape St. Augustine, and the islands of Patos, or Geese; and near Bahia de Todos los Santos, or the bay of All Saints, he met a French ship. When he came to the island just mentioned, he was in great want of provisions; but the Indians treated him with much kindness, and supplied him with provisions for all his ships. This he returned by an act of base ingratitude, carrying off with him by force four sons of the principal persons of the island. He then proceeded to the river of Plate, having left ashore, on a desert island, Martin Mendez, his vice-admiral, captain Francis de Rojas, and Michael de Rojas, because they censured his conduct. He was now prevented from prosecuting his original design of going to the Spice Islands, both by a scarcity of provisions, and a mutiny among his men. He sailed, however, up the river of Plate, and about thirty leagues above the mouth he found an island, which he called St. Gabriel, about a league in compass, and