California and the North-west Coast. 249 



and it was extensively believed in England np to 1776. 

 Delisle's maps of 1750-55 were constructed on the theory 

 of the voyage having been a reality. Lacroix in 1773 de- 

 fends the truth of the account. As late as 1792, the 

 Spaniards sent a ship to discover the Rio del Reys, the only 

 authority for which was De Fonte's voyage. 



While the credit which was given to this voyage of De 

 Fonte by leading French and English geographers may 

 astonish us, we must remember the intensity of interest by 

 which it was stimulated, the desire to find a rapid pas- 

 sage to India by a northern route. Ou further investi- 

 gations, pursued by a rival French geographer, Robert De 

 Vaugondy and others, 1 it was pretty clearly established 

 that although there were De Fontes or De Fuentes in 

 Chili and Peru, yet there never was a Spanish or Portu- 

 guese admiral of the name of De Fonte, and that the re- 

 cords of Mexico and Spain contained no account of a similar 

 voyage having ever been performed at any period. It was 

 further established that there was no Spanish original manu- 

 script, and that the account of the voyage in the English 

 magazine of 1708 was a jeu d'esprit of the editor, Mr. Pe- 

 tiver, who was disposed to write a moon story on the most 

 interesting theme of the day, i. e., the remaining undis- 

 covered limits of the New World. And perhaps he hoped 

 by showing from pretended Spanish sources almost the cer- 

 tainty of water communication from Hudson's bay to the 

 Pacific, notwithstanding the Spaniards affirmed that there 

 was no passage, to induce farther voyages to Hudson's 

 bay for exploration. 



The fourth of the geographical legends sustained by De- 

 lisle and Buache in their maps was the traditional straits 



1 Observations critiques sur les nouvelles decouvertes de l'Admiral De La 

 Fuente. Par M. Robert de Vangondy, fils., Geog. ordinaire du Roi. Paris, 

 1753. 12°. 



[Trans. vi.~] 32 



