VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS IN 1407 AND 1498. 71 



Jaan de la Cosa's Map, A.D. 1500. Don Pedro de Ayala, joint Spanish ambassador at 

 London, -wrote, on Jidy 25th, 1408, to liis sovereigns that he had procnred and wouhl send 

 a copy of John Calnit's chart of his tirst voyage. This map of Jnan de la Cosa is evidence 

 that Ayala fulfilled his promise. It is a manuscript map '*- made at tlic end of the year 1500, 

 by the eminent Biscayan pilot who, if not the erpial of Cidnmhus in nautical and cosmo- 

 graphical knowledge, was easily the second to him. Upon it there is a continuous coast- 

 line from Labrador to Florida showing that the claim made by Sebastian Cabot of having 

 coasted from a region of ice and snow to the latitude of Gibraltar was accepted as true by 

 La Cosa, whatever later Spanish writers may have said. Recent writers of authority have 

 arrived at the conclusion that, immediately after Columbus and Cabot had opened the way, 

 many independent adventurers visited the western seas ; for there are a number of geo- 

 graphical facts recorded on the earliest charts not easy to account for on any other 

 hypothesis. Dr. Justin Winsor shows tbat La Cosa, and otliers of tbe great sailors of the 

 earliest years of discovery, soon recognized that they had encountered a veritable barrier to 

 Asia consisting of islands, or an island of continental size, thi-ough which they had to find a 

 passage to the golden east. Their views were not however generally accepted, and it soon 

 got to be a maxim of the schools, Quicjuid prater Africain et Europam est, Asia est. Without 

 however stopping to discuss this point I would again call attention to the fact that the coast 

 line is continuous. If, as Stevens and Humboldt thought, Cabot had made a periplus of the 

 gulf of St. Lawrence — if he had got embayed in our waters — if he had sailed round Prince 

 Edward island (and beyond question he could never have suspected it to be an island unless 

 he had sailed round it) — if he had sailed along the north shore of the St. Lawrence from 

 Quebec to the straits of Belle-Isle and thence into the ocean and proved Xewfonndland 

 to be an immense island — it is impossible but that some trace of so remarkable an achieve- 

 ment should have l.)een recorded on some early map. On this map there is m^ lurking place 

 for Prince Edward island — no gulf — no inner sea — and what islands are laid down are very 

 small and are in the ocean. Tbat La Cosa based the northern part of his map upon Cabot's 

 discoveries is demonstrated by the English flags marked along the coast and the legend, 3Iar 

 desciibierto por Ingleses ; because no English but the Cabot expeditions had been there; 

 and what is evidently intended for Cape Race is called Cam de Ynglaterrn. The English 

 flags mark oft' the coast from that cape to what may be considered as Cape Hatteras. 

 Cabot, as before stated, confidently expected to reach Cathay. lie sailed for that as his 

 objective point and he was looking for a broad western ocean, so that narrow openings were 

 to him simply bays of greater or less depth. The sailors of those early voyages coasted from 

 headland to headland as plainly a[)pears from many of the maps upon wliich the recesses of 

 the sinuosities of the coast are not completed lines, and it must be borne in mind that in 

 sailing between ISTewfoundland and Cape Breton the bold and peculiar contours of both can 

 be seen at the same time. This is possible in anything like clear weather, but, in the bright 

 weather of midsummer day. Cape Ray would necessarily have been seen from St. Paul's and 

 the opening might well have been taken for a deep indentation of the coast. lîetween 

 Caro descubierto and Cavo St. Jorge such an indentation is shown on the map but tlic line is 

 closed showing that Cabot did not sail through. 



In studj'ing this remarkable map attention is at once aroused by tbe fact that from 

 Cavo de Ynglaterra to Cavo descubierto the coast is continuously named. In other words that 

 the south coast of ^Newfoundland is named, but not the east coast; whereas, in Reinel's 



