[howlbyJ latest lights ON THE CABOT CONTROVERSY 209 



voyage. In 1534 Cartier left Blanc Sablon, in the Gulf of St. Law- 

 rence on the 15th August, late in the day, prohably towards evening, 

 and arrived in St. Malo, on the 5th day of September. That would 

 give about twenty days. But it is nearly three hundred miles further 

 than the voyage from the east coast of Newfoundland, and, moreover, 

 they had three days of dreadful storm and head winds, which reduces 

 the voyage to seventeen days. But the voyage of 1536 is more to 

 the point. Cartier left the harbour of Kenouse, near Cape Kace, on 

 tlie east coast of Newfoundland on the 19th aï June, in the evening, 

 and arrived at St. Malo on July Gth, that is to say in sixteen days! 

 But though the " homeward " voyage eould be done in fifteen or six- 

 teen days it is not so with the " outward " voyage, as I have said. 

 Now then, they were home in Bristol, according to Harrisse's calcu- 

 lation on the 5th of August. If they made the return voyage in 

 fifteen days they would have left the New-found-land on July 21st, 

 and having in our supposition made land on June 24th, they would have 

 at least twenty-six days of sojourn in the New-land instead of eight 

 days only as Harrisse's argues. 



New, could they do all that is required by facts in 26 days? I 

 maintain that they undoubtedly could. As to " refitting and repairing 

 their craft " — taking wood and water. That would not require more 

 than three or four days at most. The idea of " renewing their stock of 

 victuals, which could only be done by hunting and salting game," is 

 purely gratuitous. They may no doubt, partly for amusement, have done 

 some hunting while the men were repairing the ship. They could 

 also fish as much as they wished, while coasting or harbouring. But 

 we have no reason to suippose that they were short of provisions. The 

 whole voyage only lasted a little over three months. We know that on 

 the second voyage of Cabot, made in the following year 1498, the ships 

 were fitted out for a twelve months' voyage. We have reason to doubt 

 that the same precaution had been taken on this occasion; particularly 

 when we remember the long delay of fourteen months consumed in 

 preparing and fitting out for this first voyage. Let us then allow a 

 week for resting, repairing, taking wood and water, fishing and hunting, 

 etc., and we have still 20 days for coasting along the shore, three 

 hundred leagues. According to our calculation already made, 300 

 leagues would be about 800 miles. If they merely coasted along shore 

 by daylight, harbouring at night; since at that season of the year in 

 Newfoundland there are about eighteen hours of daylight out of the 

 tAventy-four, they could have actually coasted eighteen hundred miles, 

 or nearly eight hundred leagues in twenty days! But we do not sup- 

 pose that they did so; we give them ample time for entering harbours, 



Sec. II., 1903. 14. 



