PROCEEDINGS FOR 18«J6 XXVII 



planted. Other nations, such as France, profited by the great discovery. 

 That North America is now so largely occupied by an English speaking 

 population, with all their vast energies and accumulated wealth, has been 

 largely owing to the daring genius of Cabot who opened a ]:)athway to 

 the northern portion of the new hemisphere. But for Cabot, Spain might 

 have monopolized discovery in North as well as South America ; English 

 and French enterprise might have taken different directions and the his- 

 tory of North America been shaped in different fashion. 



" The genius and courage of Cabot were second onl}^ to those of Col- 

 umbus. He too pushed out in a little barque into the unknown waters of 

 one of the stormiest seas in the world, braving its perils, and opened the 

 way to new and boundless regions of natural wealth. Cartier, Marquette, 

 La Salle, followed as explorers. ' The Old Dominion.,' founded by Sir 

 Walter Ealegh, was the first of that cluster of colonies which finally 

 developed into the United States. Quebec was founded and the occupa- 

 tion of Canada commenced. All this was the outcome of Cabot's voyage 

 in 1497. As truly as Columbus pioneered the way in the south did Cabot 

 open the way to a far nobler civilization in the north, the developments 

 of which continue to expand before our eyes to-day. As Fiske has well 

 remarked in his ' Discovery of America,' ' The first fateful note that 

 heralded the coming English supremacy was sounded when John Cabot's 

 tin}' craft sailed out from Bristol Channel on a bright May morning of 



" It seems to me that it would not be creditable to the northern people 

 to permit the j^ear 1897 to pass without some worthy celebration in 

 grateful recollection of the man who first opened North America to Euro- 

 pean civilization. It would be no more than an act of tardy justice ; for 

 it is discreditable to England that one of the bravest of her sailors Avho 

 gave her a continent, has never yet had the smallest honour conferred on 

 his name, or the most insignificant recognition of the vast services he 

 rendered to his adopted country. He sleeps in an unknown grave and 

 no statue or monument has been raised to his memory. 



"Let us hope, then, that this reproach will soon be wiped away and 

 that arrangements will be made ere long for paying a becoming tribute 

 to one of the noblest names on the roll of England's great explorers. 



" There are strong reasons why Canada should lead the way in such a 

 celebration. It is perhaps impossible to decide with certainty as to the 

 landfall of Cabot, or to reach unanimity of opinion on that point We 

 must be guided by probabilities, as in many of the most important affairs 

 of life. But it seems to me that the preponderance of evidence is alto- 

 gether in favour of some part of the island of Cape Breton having been 

 the first land seen by Cabot. At all events his discoveries pioneered the 

 way for the original settlement of Canada, so that Canadians would fit- 

 tingly take the lead in a centenary celebration. Newfoundland was cer- 



