654 MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS. 



land-mark between Lake Nicaragua and the Atlantic coast. After the 

 last voyage of Colombo of 1503 the name Amerrique spread so fast in 

 Europe among the sailors and common people tliat in 1515 it was gen- 

 erally adopted and used to designate the Kew World. Such are facts 

 which seem well established. 



Now we come to the singular and rather mysterious christeniug of 

 the New World at St. Die, in Lorraine. 



CONFUSION OF VESPUCCl'S CHRISTIAN NAME. 



The Christian name of Vespucci is an example of confusion unique 

 in history. Being an Italian, it was to be expected that his first name 

 would be given exactly by his countrymen ; on the contrary, they are the 

 authors of all the confusions. As far back as 1503, or 1504 at most, the 

 Italians Lorenzo Pier Francisco di Medicis, of Florence, and Giovanni 

 del Giocondo, of Verona, call Verpucci Alberimis, a Christian name well 

 known ; and even since, until a few years ago, Italians, and more espe- 

 cially Florentins, have persisted in calling him Alberico and even Alber- 

 tutio. I made diligent researches to know exactly Vespucci's Christ- 

 ian name. In a country like Tuscany and its capital Florence, where 

 so many erroneous and forged documents have appeared on Vespucci 

 in manuscripts, letters, printed books, and even inscriptions engraved 

 on marble that I was obliged to be very careful before accepting any 

 name that it should be well authenticated by indisputable docnnients. 

 After many researches I did not find anything certain until the appear- 

 ance of the first letter of Vespucci to Laurentio Petri de Medicis, with the 

 name Alhericus VesimtinH^'m 1504 or 1505. And in my second paper, 

 " Nouvelles Recherches sur I'Origiuedn nom d'Amerique" (Bulletin Soc. 

 de Geographic, p. 66, Paris, 1888), I say : "As long as the Christian name 

 of Vespucci has not been submitted to a very minute and exact control, 

 we must remain in doubt as to which is the true one, Alberico or 

 Amerigo.'''' - - - "The question has a certain importance, although 

 irs solution does not touch the vital and most important part of the 

 origin of the name America, which remains undecided between the 

 poetical license of Jean Basin and the indigenous name in the New 

 World of Amerrique. The decision of this point will involve Vespucci 

 more or less according to the help which he may have given, perhaps 

 without knowing it, to the christening at St. Die." 



It is true that I inclined then toward Alberico instead of Amerigo for 

 the Christian name of Vespucci, and in my second paper I have given 

 reasons which seemed to sustain that view ; saying, however, several 

 times in speaking of Amerigo, that it was either his true Christian name, 

 or only a surname or nickname. 



Diligent researches were continued to find proof if Ameiigo was truly 

 an Italian Christian name; for a learned Italian friend, who then 

 lived at Florence, wrote me that the name, unknown to him as a Chris- 

 tian name, even after the celebrity given the name by Vespucci, was not 

 used in Italy. • 



