198 EOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



occupation of Baccalaos and Brazil by Portugal. The controversy set- 

 tled itself, in fact, and Portugal asserted her rights by a grant to Fagun- 

 dez in 1521. That grant covered the southern part of Baccalaos (Aca- 

 dia) ; as for Newfoundland, it was from the first conceded to Portugal. 



It is evident, from the efforts made by Charles V. to induce the King 

 of Portugal (ante p. 190) to join in crushing the expeditions of Cartier 

 and Eoberval, that the territory was at that period regarded as belong- 

 ing to Portugal, and, on the refusal of Portugal to take action, nothing 

 was done. Portugal was, in fact, too deeply interested in the east and 

 south, and did not stir or even protest against the expeditions of France 

 to the western world. The region of Baccalaos was tacitly relinquished. 



While Spain had claims in that region, and even while Portugal, her 

 partner in the world division, strongly adhered to her rights there, a real 

 duty devolved on Cabot to make no public statement of his special infor- 

 mation which might in any way conflict with the public policy of his 

 master ; but when the whole territory was abandoned by Sjîain, no such 

 necessity continued to exist, and although he could not alter the standard 

 map nor, of himself, give out in Spain a different map, there was nothing 

 to prevent him from communicating information to others in another 

 part of the empire not under the local laws of Spain. 



That the English had made discoveries in 1497-1498 was in fact 

 known all the while in Spain. Ferdinand knew it, for he had La Cosa's 

 map in A.I). 1500. Peter Martyr knew it in 1516, for he recorded then 

 that Cabot had sailed south to the latitude of the Strait of Gibraltar. 

 Eobert Thorne knew it in 1527, for the map he sent from Seville showed 

 the English on the coast down as far as 40°, and Gromara, in 1552, and 

 Eamusio, in 1556, record reports of previous years, making Cabot's dis- 

 coveries reach as far south as .38°. There was nothing new, then, in Cabot 

 fixing, in 1544, a landfall ut 46° ; there was nothing specially in that to 

 make a claim for England, for Cabot had often previously stated that an 

 expedition under the authority of Henry VII. had coasted south to 38°. 

 He had not concealed it in conversation, but he could not, as a public 

 officer of Spain, put it down on the official maps. When, however, the 

 territory was, in fact, thrown open, by Portugal allowing her claims to 

 fall into neglect, there certainly was no reason why he should abstain 

 from stating the truth, for, as a matter of fact, in 1544, all exclusive 

 claims had been abandoned and the whole of Baccalaos was open to the 

 world, for vessels of all nations resorted there. 



In giving information for this map, Cabot gave it to a subject of his 

 own monarch, to be published in one of that prince's cities, probably 

 Antwerp ; it bore upon it the imperial arms, and express reference is 

 made to Sebastian Cabot as chief pilot to his imperial majesty, and as 

 being authority for the map. The map bears no printer's name nor im- 

 perial privilege, but no one would be likely to be bold enough to put the 



