396 TRAVELS THROUGH 



.feem to wilh that America fhould bear his name 

 preferably to that of Americo Vefpucci^ have fol- 

 lowed this opinion. 



Whether thefe traditions are adopted or re- 

 jected, whether they are fabulous or true, it re- 

 mains inconteftible that the Americans have the 

 fame origin with us j among all their errors, they 

 have preferved fome ideas that have a great iimi- 

 larity with thofe, which have been tranlmicted to 

 us by writing : I fhall mention to you a piece of 

 an Englilh differtation on the population of 



America^ 



failing to the weftward firll met with the ifle of Fajal one of 

 the Jzore:-y all which iflands were afterwards called the Fie- 

 DiiJJi ifles from the firft inhabitants, which Martin Behaim 

 brought thither. He then returned, and obtained two fhips, 

 with which he cruized in the atlantic for fome time, and at 

 lall difcovered the fourth part of the world, and even went 

 as far as the ftraights, now called Straights of Magellan \ he 

 laid down all his difcoveries in a fea chart, which he pre- 

 fented to king Jlpkonfus the fifth, of Portugal. This fketch 

 afterwards fell into the hands of Chrifiopher ColutnbuSf a Ge- 

 noefe who was at Lisbon, and firft infpired him with a defire 

 of viuting thofe unknown countries. When he undertook 

 the voyage, he always followed the fame courfe whieh Mar- 

 tin Behaim had laid down on his chart, and performed the 

 voyage in as fhort a time as is done now. In the noble fa- 

 mily oi Behaim at Nurehberg, they Hill preferve among other 

 curiofities a globe drawn with a pen, and coloured by that 

 ibie navigator, zn which all his difcoveries are marked. F* 



