[s. K DAWSON] THE VOYAGES OF THE CABOTS 21S- 



voyage back. We know by experience that the outward voyage ia 

 usually longer^than the return, and Cabot also had to face the prevailing 

 westerly winds for he himself told Soncino " that he wandei*ed for a 

 " long time until he hit on land." When, however, he turned to go home- 

 he had a straight, known course, and the chances are enormously in 

 favour of his having had a continuously fair wind. Some actual ex- 

 amples will assist in forming an opinion as to the length of the return 

 voyage and they will be taken from voyages under similar conditions. 

 On June 19, 1536, Cartier left Cape Eace and arrived at St. Malo on 

 July 6, in 19 days. In 1603 Champlain made the same passage in 18 

 days ; in 1607 he was 27 days from Canso to St. Malo. Canso is close to 

 Cape Breton, and if we allow John Cabot the extreme 27 days and the- 

 landfall be at Cape Breton, he will have had 16 days to spare for landing* 

 and examination of the country, and for wood and water, and refitting. 

 In speaking of the distance John Cabot himself put it at 15 days from 

 land to land, basing it, no doubt, on his run home from Cavo de Yngla- 

 terra. 'No one but Pasqualigo mentions coasting ; but Mr. Harrisse takes 

 his 300 leagues of coasting and doubles it, because he thinks that Cabot 

 retraced his course and went twice along the Labrador coast. It seems 

 to him so easy to saunter along there ! The coasting need not have de- 

 layed him if his landfall was Cape Breton. The south coast of New- 

 foundland is high and the water bold in its whole length. Its features 

 are clearly visible from a vessel sailing along, and Cabot was not making- 

 a survey, but a reconnaissance preparatory to a future expedition. 



The 10th chapter of Mr. Harrisse's last book is headed, "June not 

 the month of the landfall," and he throws it back into May. This navi- 

 gation along Labrador, from Hamilton inlet to Cape Chidley (from 54° ta 

 60°), was not, according to his last theory, late in June and early in July, 

 but late in May and early in June, because m his oj)inion "Cabot and hi» 

 " crew rested a while, and devoted some time to refitting or repairing 

 " their diminutive craft, as well as taking in wood and water, and renew- 

 " ing the stock of victuals, which could be done only by hunting and 

 " salting game on shore." ^" Very little wood could possibly be needed to 

 cook the food of eighteen men. They might have filled the '' Matthew " 

 up in half a day. Water, no doubt, they required, and the rest of the 

 day might have filled their casks; a pool on any iceberg off the coast of 

 Labrador would have supplied them. He told Soncino that the sea 

 swarmed with fish, and that they could be dipped up in a basket. What 

 better food could he have than the food of the fishermen of the locality 

 now? But then, at Labrador, he would be a month too early for the 

 cod to strike in. Possibly he might have got ducks or geese, but as for 

 caribou, they would not be down on the coast. Bears and seals, however, 

 might have been numerous. 



There is one strange thing -about 'all this sailing up and down the 

 Atlantic coast of Labrador — no mention is made in the contemporary 



