[thachbr] the CABOriAN DISCOVERY 295 



within him. But the scientitic soul asserted its sway, and he knew he 

 was in a region where the needle varied a little to the west, as it had long 

 been known in the old world to vary a little to the east. Columbus then 

 discovered, not the magnetic variation of the needle, but its declination 

 toward the west. John Cabot must have known of this phenomenon. It 

 is popularly believed that Sebastian Cabot had discovered it for himself 

 independently, and in ignorance of what Columbus had observed, and an 

 elaborate calculation has been made, and an imaginary agonic line has 

 been drawn by some scientists based on the supposed course of this first 

 voyage, as laid down on the map of 1544. Columbus, upon his return 

 fi'om his first voyage, told of his own observation of the comj^ass, and a 

 fact like that, interesting and vital to all navigators, must have reached 

 the ears of Cabot in a period ot four j^eai's. Some of the most dis- 

 tinguished writers believe that while Cabot thought he was sailing due 

 west, the declination of the needle drew him so far in a southerl}- direc- 

 tion as to land him on Cape Breton, several degrees south of Ireland. It 

 must be remembered that during the first portion of the voyage, Cabot's 

 vessel was subject to the easterly deviation of the compass, thus carrying 

 him north of vvest, and this would probably balance or counteract the 

 westerly deviation of the compass, to which the vessel may have been 

 subjected during the latter portion of the voyage. It is nearly certain 

 that Cabot was acquainted with the variation of the compass in Europe 

 and the east, and that he was also informed of the experience of Columbus 

 in finding its variation in western waters. Prof. Charles A. Schott, of 

 the United States Coast and G-eodetic Survey, perhaps the foremost 

 authorit}' in the world in this branch of scientific inquiry, writes me 

 that he does not believe any useful argument can be based on suppositions 

 involving the management of the compass by Cabot. 



There are three places, or rather regions, which contend for the 

 honour of first receiving the feet of the English discoverers. Cape Breton 

 is one. and the most southerly of the three. It is an island. Newfound- 

 land is another. It, also, is an island. Therefore, if Cabot landed on 

 either of these sites and returned without further landing on the main- 

 land, he could no more claim the honour of continental discovery than 

 Columbus, when he landed on Watling Island. The third site is in the 

 neighbourhood of the extreme north end of Labrador, near Cape Chud- 

 leigh. 



We have a measurement given us in Pasqualigo's letter, which may 

 aid us in this inquiry. You will recall he wrote to his brother on August 

 23, 1497, that '' the Venetian, our countryman, who went with a ship 

 from Bristol in quest of new islands, is returned, and says that 700 

 leagues hence he discovered land, the territoiy of the Grand Cham." If 

 we can determine how far from Bristol, or, generally sjieaking, from 

 England, the landfall was, we may be able to locate it with some degree 



