[s. E. DAWSON] THE VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS 11 



The contour of the ishmd of Cape Breton on the map of 1544 is 

 exceedingly inaccurate ; in fact it is not shown to be an island ; but the 

 prima vista marked on it is yet at its easternmost point as Mr. Harrisse 

 correctly noticed in his first book (see Appendix C, Cape North). The 

 writer, in advocating Cape Breton rather than Cape Percy, was guided 

 by the fact that Cape Bi-eton is not only the easternmost point, but is a 

 name which appears on all the old maps and is found in all the old writers 

 from 1514 down to the present day. Excepting Cape Eace there is no 

 name so persistent and, when it is considered how tenaciovisly names 

 given in earlj' daj^s cling to localities, even vinder the changing corrup- 

 tions of widely different languages, '* it will appear that the oldest and 

 the only invariably persistent name on the coast is far more likely to be 

 the landfall, seeing that it also conforms to all other conditions and that 

 so many other circumstances point to it. The distance in a direct line 

 between Cape Breton and Cape Percy is only fifteen miles, and, though 

 Cape Breton extends further to the east, there is not much to choose be- 

 tween them, were it not that Cape Percy is a new and recent name and that 

 the ancient name must indicate the ancient landmark. But the conclusive 

 argument in the writer's mind was from actual observation, that in sailing 

 into the Gulf either the high land of Newfoundland will be seen on the 

 right or the high land of Cape Enfumé on the left before Cape North will 

 be seen at all. It is like sailing into an acute angle, either one side or the 

 other will be seen before the apex. 



While pointing out a few of the writers from whom I have derived 

 the most assistance I should especially repeat my obligations to Mr. 

 Clements E. Markhams introduction to the volume of the Hakluyt Society 

 for 1893, and, quite recently, an article by the same writer in the Journal of 

 the Eoyal Cleographical Society for 1892 has fallen into my hands. 

 These seem to me to be the most fruitful contributions to the elucidation 

 of this vexed question. Mr. Markham concurs with M. D'Avezac in dwell- 

 ing on the cardinal importance of the map of Juan de La Cosa in the con- 

 troversy ; for in that most precious of all cartographical relics we have 

 beyond reasonable doubt, as Markham observes, a transcript of John 

 Cabot's own map. A reference to the monograph of 1894 will show how 

 strongly my argument leans upon that contemporary authority. 



While thus again acknowledging some of the sources from whence 

 my conclusions have mainly been gathered, I wovild also remark that all 

 who have reviewed or noticed my monograph of 1894 have overlooked 

 one or two points in it which I take the opportunity of again emphasizing, 

 and 1 do so because it is really in these wherein my method of investiga- 

 tion differs from that of everj^ predecessor. I did not, and do not now, 

 as some persons assume, build my conclusions on the so-called Cabot map 

 of 1544. I arrived at ni}' conclusions in a way which, strange though it 

 be, was not in this question followed before. I adopted the principle, so 



