A. D. 1496. 13 



Indies or fpice-iflands, or China, then called Cathaya, whither fome tra- 

 vellers had gone over land in the nth, 12th, and 13th centuries. Ca- 

 bot having failed as far north as 674- degrees, the land which he firfl: 

 faw was the country between the mouth of the river of Canada and 

 Hudfon's Strait, and which he therefore named Prima Vifta [i. e. firfl 

 feen] which name it foon loft, and next got the name of Corterealis 

 from a Portuguefe, who, from Lifbon, fell in with that coaft in the year 

 1500, calling alfo the north part of it Eftotiland. After the French had 

 fettled in Canada, they called the whole country New France. Laftly, 

 from the Englifh difcoveries on the north parts of that country, deep 

 into the bay of Hudfon, it was called New Britain ; thou?;h the Portu- 

 guefe, in fome of their maps, call it Terra di Labrador, its only pro- 

 dud: hitherto being peltry, furs, and feathers *. 



The firft ftatute made in England, giving any particular diredions 

 concerning impotent beggars [i i. Hen. VII, c. 2.] direds, that every beg- 

 gar not able to work, fhall refort to the hundred where he laft dwelt, is 

 beft known, or was born ; and fhall there remain, upon pain of being 

 fet in the ftocks three days and three nights, with only bread and wa- 

 ter, and then fhall be put out of town. A poor relief this for thofe im- 

 potent people ! Yet as there were raonafteries and nunneries every 

 where, which had good incomes and warm kitchens, the poor had then 

 a nruch better chance than if they were now to be referred only to fuch 

 precarious relief. 



Foreigners refiding in England, having frequently been made deni- 

 zens by letters-patent from the king, whereby they had the fubftantial 

 benefit of paying no higher cuftoms, &:c. than natural born fubjeds, 

 they greatly abufed that privilege, by colouring the merchandize of o- 

 ther foreigners or merchants-ftrangers, by entering their merchandize 

 at the cuftom-houfes as their own proper goods. 



To obviate this fraud, a law was made [r 1 , Hen. VU, c. 14.] that all 

 merchants-ftrangers, made denizens by letters-patent or otherwife, 

 fhould hereafter pay fuch cuftoms and fubfidies for their goods and 



* As Mr. Anclerfon builds fo much upon the ' A. D. 1497, John Cabot, a Venetian, and 



priority of the difcovery of the continent of Ame- ' Seballian \\\i ion, with an EnghTli fleet, fet 



rica by Cabot in the fervice of England, it is a ' fail from Briftow, dilcovered that ifland, which 



pity that authors do not agree in the date of it. ' before that time no man had attempted, on 



But, without repeating the difcordant authorities ' the 24 ot June.' 

 of thofe who date it in 1496, 1498, and 1499, 



we may depend on the contemporary tellimony of Tins date (1497) has accordingly been adopt- 



aldeiman Fabian, who fays, tliat he failed in the ed by the judicious authors, Raynal, Forllcr, 



beginning of May, in the mayoralty of John Henry, Robertfon, &c. 



Tate (i. e. 1497), but returned in the fubfequent Without paying any attention to priority of 



mayoralty of William Purchafe, with three ya/tu- diicovtry, the jLuglifli could found their right, at 



^('j- from Newfoundland. Fox alfo quotes the fol- leall to a very great part of their lenitotics in A- 



lowing infcription, engraved near Newfoundland, meiica, on the much more honourable title of a 



in a map pubhfhed by iicbaitian, the fon of John purchafe from the abor^Vinal proprietors. M. 

 Cabot. 



