PROCEEDINGS FOR 1897 CXXIII 



able." If, however, we read " every bay and river and gulf," it will be 

 evident that Cabot entered the Gulf of St. Lawrence, if he had not 

 thoroughly searched it the preceding year. In the log already referred 

 to, we see how the little ships crept along the shore, quite close to land, 

 from the distance of half a league to the length of two cables ; they did 

 not sail from headland to headland. Cabot, looking for a means of pass- 

 ing "to the other side," most assuredly hugged the shore, and could not, 

 on any reasonable hypothesis, have missed both the Straits of Belle Isle, 

 which are nearly thirty miles wide, and the entrance to the gulf, which 

 is over sixty. He could not fail to see this latter, nor would he fail to 

 investigate such a promising opening for a passage by the northAvest. 

 "When a preconceived theory can be upheld only bj" asking reasonable 

 men to become unreasonable, it should be abandoned, like other ])uerile 

 prejudices, and be replaced by one that may be discussed without under- 

 mining the basis of all scientific demonstration. The contention that 

 Cabot did not know of our gulf, founded as it is upon a palpable 

 absurdity, may be dismissed from serious consideration. Peter Martj'r' 

 who often had Sebastian Cabot a guest in his house, as he tells the Roman 

 Pontitf to whom he is writing, says Cabot, after having gone far north, 

 " went south along the Avinding course almost to the Straits of Gibraltar," 

 and then returned to England. Ivamusio's narrator, already cited, tells 

 us in Sebastian Cabot's words, that they went to the place called Florida, 

 and being short of provisions the}- returned to England. Although we 

 have no record of their return, it must have been in 1499. They could 

 not have gone over the 8,000 miles or more of ocean, and made the dili- 

 gent search the}^ did, in less than a year. Moreover, we know that in 

 1499 there were local disturbances of a somewhat serious nature in Eng- 

 land, and danger of war with Scotland at one time. Now, Sebastian 

 Cabot, in his report to Eamusio's Mantuan gentleman, says that " on his 

 return (to England) he found great popular tumults and uprisings, and 

 war in Scotland." Some recent writers, apparently more anxious to 

 belittle Sebastian Cabot than to elucidate the story of his voyages, have 

 accused him of untruthfulness in this statement ; but we have historic 

 evidence of its substantial accuracy.^ 



How far north did Cabot go on this voyage ? The answer to this 

 question has more than an academic interest lor tho.se who honour the 

 brave old navigator, and who are desirous that he should reap, even 

 at this late day, the glor}' of his achievements. Thei-e are some who say 

 Sebastian Cabot made a third voyage to these regions during the reign 

 of Henry VIII., and that it was then the latitude of 66° 30' or 67° 30' was 

 reached. It is outside the scope of this paper to discuss whether or not 



1 De rebus Oceanicis et Orbe Novo. Dec. III., Lib. VI. 

 For elucidation of thi.s interview see appendix D. 



