IN NORTHERN MISTS 



uel, it looks as though Caspar had made two voyages to 

 the land he had discovered, which is also confirmed by the 

 legend referred to on the anonymous Portuguese chart o£ about 

 1520. On the other hand, nothing is said about this voyage in 

 the letters of the two Italian ministers, or on the Cantino map. 

 It may seem natural to conclude that Caspar, after having 

 obtained his letters patent in May, 1500, set out on an ex- 

 pedition, the expenses of which were defrayed by himself and 

 his brother Miguel in partnership (cf. the letters patent to the 

 latter, above, p. 353). 



On his first voyage of 1500, Caspar had already discovered 

 " a part of " Newfoundland ; but we know nothing of what else 

 he may have accomplished on this expedition. He must have re- 

 turned to Lisbon by the same autumn. 



Encouraged by his success he then set out again with a 

 larger expedition in 1501, after April 21, at which date he 

 was still in Lisbon. This time the expenses were again borne 

 by himself and his brother Miguel in partnership. According 

 to the king's letters patent of January, 1502, he had three 

 ships on this voyage, of which two returned. This does not 

 agreje with the letters of the two Italian ministers, which 

 distinctly say that he left with two ships. But these letters, 

 it is true, do not mutually agree in their statements as to the 

 ships that had returned: Pasqualigo says that the ship arrived 

 at Lisbon on October 9 in one of his letters, on the 8th in the 

 other, and that it brought seven natives; while Cantino 

 says that the ship arrived on October 11 and brought fifty 

 natives to the king. As Pasqualigo says that the other ship 

 was expected daily with fifty natives, it has been thought 

 [cf. Harrisse] that this was the ship referred to by Cantino; 

 but in that case it is puzzling that two ministers in the same 

 city should have heard of two different ships, and that they 

 should both be ignorant of more than one ship having arrived, 

 although there was an interval of no more than two or three 

 days between each ship's arrival, and they are both writing 

 a week after that time. Besides, both mention that the 

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