1497. JOHN AND SEBASTIAN CABOTA. 35 



the fish in greatest abundance was of a kind called 

 by the natives baccallaos, a name by which the 

 country was afterwards known, and which a small 

 island on the eastern side still bears. The Dutch 

 and Germans have adopted the native name of 

 the cod-fish, by changing the latter / into j and 

 transposing the letters b and c, making the word 

 cabaljou. 



From an extract made by Hakluyt out of Fa- 

 bian's Chronicle, it would appear that the Cabots 

 brought home three of the natives of Newfound- 

 land. " These savages were clothed in beasts' 

 skins, and did eate raw flesh, and spake such 

 speach that no man could understand them; and 

 in their demeanour like to bruite beastes, whom 

 the king kept a time after." 



Sebastian Cabota finding, on his return from the 

 discovery of America, that the English government 

 was not disposed to prosecute the enterprize thus 

 happily begun, set out fo r Spain ; or, as Peter 

 Martyr saith, " he was called out of England by the 

 command of His Catholic Majesty of Castile, 

 where he was made one of the council for the 

 affairs of the New Indies ;" and he adds, '' Cabot 

 is my very good friend, whom I treat with famili- 

 arity, and delight to have frequently to keep me 

 company at my own house." 



Sebastian made several voyages in the service 

 of Spain, and among others discovered the Rio 



d2 



