340 ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



of King Francis I., who was Charles of Orleans, Count of Angoulesme.. 

 Baye de Se. Maue, at the head of Northumberland Strait, doubt- 

 less, Sainte Marie, is probably an alternative name for St. Lunario, 

 for Cartier was in this bay on the 2nd of July, the day of the visitation 

 of the Virgin Mary, G. Soma, probably Miramichi bay, I cannot explain y 

 it is not in Cartier's narrative, nor does it appear on any other map. 

 2'erre de Michalman is, I believe, connected with the present Miramichi/ 

 La Bastille, also, is not in the narratives, and I cannot explain it ; but, 

 perhaps, an inscription on the original is its source. One of Cartier's 

 companions on his second voyage was of this name. This map is followed 

 by Mercator, 1569. The type map of this period is Cartier's own, and, 

 since that is lost, this of Desceliers, or else the Harleyan, must stand as 

 its nearest representative. 



Eeturning now to the Desliens map (Fig. 9), of which the inferioritj- 

 is manifest, we find the topograph}' markedh' inferior to the Desceliers, and 

 the names all corrupted. Moreover, it belongs to an entirely distinct 

 series, and is more closely related to the Portuguese maps than to the 

 French. All names are, however, recognizable, except ti^once de damas, 

 which is new, and which I cannot explain ; it occurs, also, upon several 

 other maps. Professor B. H. Nash, of Boston, has kindly sent me the 

 following suggestion upon these words : " You will allow me to call 

 your attention to two w^ords (not found in these technical meanings in 

 the general dictionaries of the Spanish language, but given in the Royal 

 'Dicionario mari'time Espanol.') These are, ' Tronco-e\ meridiano gradu- 

 ado en las cartas de marear; que se llama tronco de latitudes.' 'Damas, 

 es elti'tulo o' aditamento con que se distingue la parte del Oce'ano 

 Atla'ntico en que reinan las brisas o'vientos constantes del Este, y por 

 donde en consecuencia se dirigen las derrotas desde Buropa a' la Ame'rica 

 septentrional.' " The word may, therefore, not be a place name, but refer- 

 to a nautical figure on an original map. 



From this time on until the end of the period there are very numerous 

 maps showing the topography more or less distorted, and the Cartier 

 names more or less corrupted, with never a sign of an improvement, but 

 always degeneration. There were no new expeditions, and hence no new 

 facts, and the successive copyings accumulated and intensified the errors. 

 It is not profitable to attempt to examine these maps in detail, and I shall 

 but note the peculiarities of a few of the more important. 



In 1544 a map was published in Spain in the name of Sebastien 

 Cabot, which is now generally considered to be, if not a forgery, at least 

 altogether unworthy of its alleged author. There is a copious literature 

 upon it in works treating of the voyages of the Cabots. For our present 

 purpose it is enough to state that it is purely of the Cartier type in the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence, though in a corrupted state. Harrisse is of opinion 

 1 Fully discu.ssed in these Transactions (N.S.) II., ii., i^2. 



