[s. B. DAWSON] THE VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS 16S 



known though they had been for hundreds of years, or to the countries 

 of southern Asia just opened up by the Portuguese. If the total length 

 of England and Scotland be compared on La Cosa's map with that of 

 France or Spain on a north and south line, they will be found to be the 

 same, but a glance at a modern map will show that while France and 

 Spain each extend through seven degrees of latitude, Great Britain ex- 

 tends through ten. And, again, we know the length of Cuba to be 720 

 miles, and the distance from Gibraltar point in Spain to the Bay of Biscay 

 to be 510 miles, but they are the same length on La Cosa's map. If La 

 Cosa knew Cuba, he knew Spain better. Even our own plane maps will 

 mislead unless the principles of their construction are carefully considered. 

 New York, on a Mercator chart, is exactly half wa}^ between Cape Eace 

 and Havana, but the real distances differ by more than two hundred 

 miles. In a previous part of this paper the distance from Cape Farewell 

 to Cape St. John was given at Y15 miles, but measured on a modern chart 

 with a scale it is very nearly the same as from Cape Eace to New 

 York, 1,025 miles; or from New York to Havana, 1,230 miles. In like 

 manner the west coast of Newfoundland is 316 miles long, but on the 

 chart Cape Breton and Nova Scotia together appear by the scale to 

 be the same length, though the true distance is 376 miles. In modern 

 maps the northern regions are unduly expanded in definite proportions 

 well known to students, but before Mercator's method came into use, the 

 longitudes were expanded out of proportion to the latitudes. Moreover 

 it must be observed that the basis upon which Archbishop O'Brien's 

 theory rests is arbitrary in all its extent. He states that the Spaniards 

 knew well, not only the latitude, but the length and breadth of Cuba. 

 The fact, however, is that the Spaniards at that time did not know any 

 one of these things. Upon the very map itself is the proof; for the lati- 

 tude of Cuba is from six to eight degrees too far north. He has not 

 observed that Cuba and Hispaniola are drawn entirely north of the 

 Tropic of Cancer, whereas they are entirely south of It. Not only on La 

 Cosa's map, but on all the maps down to 1520, Cuba is drawn north of 

 the tropic. It is so drawn on the Canerio map (1502), the Euysch 

 (1508), the Ptolemy (1511), the Peter Martyr (1511), the Ptolemy (1513), 

 the Eeisch (1515), the Schoner (1520), and on many of later date. 

 The reason is not far to seek, but it lies in those studies which the arch- 

 bishop considers to be not germane to the subject. On any modern map 

 the tropic just grazes Havana, the northei-nmost point of the whole 

 group of the larger i\.ntilies. Then the Spaniards did not know the 

 length of Cuba, for it is shown on La Cosa's map as no longer than 

 Hispaniola, whereas Cuba is nearly twice as long as Hayti. That they 

 did not know the breadth of Cuba is evident by inspection and com- 

 parison with a modern map, for the island is out of shape and proportion. 

 Moreover, the uncertainty existing then about the dimensions of Cuba is 



