!5oi-3, 



14 HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF NEWFOUNDLAND 



temporary account, had never been in America (15 21)^ — and 

 declared on Sebastian's authority, that it was not John but 

 Sebastian who was the discoverer, and that John died before 

 the discovery occurred. Thus Sebastian poisoned the wells 

 of history in order to glorify himself at his father's expense. 

 In the above account the testimony of those, who drank at 

 this tainted source, has been rejected.'' 

 Portuguese The scene shifts once more to Portugal. In 1499 King 

 under Manoel granted to Joao Fernandes, a husbandman {Lavrador) 

 took on of Terceira in the Azores, who had already (1492-5) explored 

 !'!lf^o'^' ^^ northern seas, a patent to discover and rule new islands 

 within the Portuguese sphere.' Such patents were common, 

 sometimes (1482) including 'the Seven Cities', and a similar 

 patent was granted to Caspar Cortereal, also of Terceira, who 

 in 1 50 1 explored Labrador from 58° N. lat. downwards to 

 Conception Bay or thereabouts in Newfoundland. Like their 

 Icelandic and English predecessors, the Portuguese approached 

 Newfoundland from the shores of Labrador; but unlike 

 Karlsevne and Cabot, Caspar meant business, and business 

 was the Portuguese equivalent for slaves ; so that when his 

 ships returned with fifty-seven kidnapped natives — who were 

 tattooed on their cheeks, and were therefore Nascaupi Indians 

 from Labrador — and with timber or news of timber in the 

 inlets of south-eastern Labrador, the king was glad. But 

 Caspar did not return. Next year his brother Miguel headed 

 a search-party, and examined the east coasts, and named the 

 east capes and harbours of Newfoundland, after which his 

 three vessels resorted to Cape Spear or St. John's Harbour 

 as their rendezvous, but returned home without Miguel. A 

 third search-party was organized and failed, after which there 



1 H. Harrisse, op. cit.f vol. iii, p. 749. 



2 Pietro Martire, Gomara, Ramusio, Fabyan, as cited by Hakluyt, 

 Stowe, Bacon, &c. 



3 E. do Canto, ' Quern deu o nome ao Labrador?', 1894, reprinted 

 from Archivo dos Azores, a periodical published at Ponta Delgada, 

 vol. xii, pp. 355-71 ; Ibid., Os Corte-Reaes, 1883, p. 73 ; Harrisse, Les 

 Corte-Real, p. 44 n. 



