1467. CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 29 



of the new v/oild appeared to bim to be merely 

 conjectural. Indeed it is most unlikely that such 

 a discovery of Behaim either would or could be 

 concealed ; the ^clat which attended that of Colum- 

 bus is alone sufficient to disprove the pretensions 

 set up for Behaim. 



Though the map of Behaim was constructed 

 from the writings of Ptolemy, Pliny and Strabo, 

 and from the modern travels of Benjamin of 

 Tudela, Carpini, Rubruquis, and especially of 

 Marco Polo, yet the discoveries of the Portugueze 

 had made no inconsiderable addition to the know- 

 ledge of the globe, and a grand step in progressive 

 geography. His countrymen, however, not satis- 

 fied with what Behaim had sedulously collected 

 and digested, have gone beyond the Spaniards in 

 their attempt to rob Columbus of the honour of his 

 discovery ; and by fabricated documents to transfer 

 the merit of it to Behaim. According to the 

 pretensions set up by them, he not only made the 

 discovery of that part of America which is now 

 called Brazil, but anticipated ^lagelhanes in that 

 of the strait which bears his name ; nay, he even 

 anticipated the intention of Magelhanes by naming 

 the natives Patagonians, because the extremities 

 of their bodies were covered with a skin which 

 resembled the paws of a bear rather than the 

 hands and feet of human beings;* all of which is 



* " Our Captain-general, Magaglianes," says Pigafetta, *' gave 

 to these people the name of P«/fl!o^o;zi-- because they wore on their 



