188 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



^' mated the government," ^" insisted upon by Mr. Harrisse, is inconsistent 

 with the records of history and with the genius and traditions of the 

 Spanish nation. In my first paper I cited many authorities for my 

 belief, and the testimony is almost unanimous ; but while I feel that I am 

 unfortunate in having to diflfer from Mr. Harrisse on this jioint, I venture 

 to think that on closer examination it will be found that the difference 

 between us is more apparent than real. 



In 1503 there was established at Seville, in Spain, an immense state 

 institution called the Casa de la Contratacion de las Indias^ charged with 

 the administration of all matters relating to the new world, including 

 licensing of pilots, making of maps, and supervision of all nautical matters. 

 It was a department much resembling the English Board of Trade. In 

 1508, an official, or model, map was ordered to be compiled and kept there, 

 to which all maps were to conform, and a commission was appointed to 

 l^repare and supervise it. All pilots were compelled, under penalties, to 

 use copies of this official chart, and the grand pilot and certain others 

 were appointed to prepare copies which they sold. Kohl remarks that 

 they were kept in manuscript because the Spanish officials were desirous 

 of preventing their discoveries from being known. The maps were 

 stamped to witness their authentic character, and were kept locked up 

 un er two locks ; the grand pilot had one key, and the other was in 

 charge of another member of the commission. Mr. Harrisse informs us *^ 

 that the cartograjDhers of Spain, although for thirty years under the im- 

 mediate care of Sebastian Cabot, possessed no adequate geographical knowl- 

 edge of the northeast coast of America. These Sevillian maps, he adds,^^ 

 uniformly located the discoveries of the English far to the north of Labra- 

 dor, and even, in some cases, in Greenland, from 56° to 60° north — that is) 

 from the position of ISTain northwards to Cape Chidley. 



There was, therefore, in Spain an absolute intolerance of charts not 

 copied by the official cartographers from the official map, and if any 

 other person made a map it could not be used without first being sub- 

 mitted to the authorities of the Casa de Contratacion and approved by 

 them. This was in effect a censorship, and Sebastian Cabot was for a 

 long time the chief censor, and it was his duty to compel all Spanish 

 maps to conform to the standard official map. If, then, the Spanish maps 

 possess the general uniformity above stated, it is only what might be 

 expected under the conditions then existing. One of the notes of that 

 uniformity was the running of the English discoveries north of 56°. It 

 is of little avail in this controversy to say that Spain was not jealous of 

 other nations, because the essential point of the argument is practically 

 admitted. Spain would only permit the contours of the model map to be 

 issued to the world, and those contours were drawn in accordance with 

 the public policy of the Spanish nation. " The official map (Padron 

 *' 'Real) was apparently," says Mr. Harrisse (Dis. Am., 263), " the object 



