THE NEWFOUNDLAND FISHERY QUESTION. 23 1 



Morse, in his American Gazetteer, published at Boston, New Eng- 

 land, in 1798, says: — 



"Great Britaia derived her claim to North America from the first discovery by 

 Sebastian Cabot, in the name of Henry VII. of England, 1497. The country was, in 

 general, called Newfoundland. Northward, Britain might have extended h,er claims 

 to the Pole. 



Old Barclay, in his Universal Traveller, published in London, 

 1735, says :— 



' ' Sebastian Cabotti, a Venetian, being much addicted to the Study of Navigation, 

 well skilled in Cosmography, found means to lay his proposal for a shorter passage to 

 the East Indies before Hemy VII., who, approving, gave orders for fitting out two 

 ships. Cabot saw, about the soth deg. North Latitude, that which is now well known 

 by the name of Newfoundland ; and took three of the natives, who lived with him in 

 England a long time." 



Henry VII. granted, March 5th, 1496, his first patent, says Stow, 

 to, 



"John Gabote, Citizen of Venice, Lewes, Sebastian, and Santius, his sonnes." 



The Cabots are found resident at Bristol, and the son, Sebastian, it 

 is clear, was born there, and, about the age of four, was taken to, or 

 was at, Venice, of which his father was a native, but is, soon after, 

 found again in his natal city, Bristol, and several local records contain 

 mention of himself and other members of the family. The King's 

 patent stipulated that the two vessels, one named The Matthew, 

 which he furnished the means of equipping, should quit and return 

 to none other Port than that of Bristol. The voyage began upon St. 

 John the Baptist's Day, June 24th, 1497, and the return was made 

 upon August the 6th. Thus " Cabot saw the American Continent, 

 (North), before Columbus, or Amerigo Vespucci." It is clear, that, in 

 the Chart which Sebastian Cabot afterwards published, but which is 

 now lost, that his mention of the " New Isle " of St. John, meant 

 Newfoundland, as no other land can be affirmed as within the line 

 laid down. We have seen, above, that Cabot brought three natives 

 to England, and it is an ascertained fact, that, in the West Porch of 

 the Church of St. Mary-de-Redcliffe, (the most magnificent Parish 

 Church in Erlgland), remains the rib of a cow- whale, supposed to 

 have been there placed by Cabot, in 1497, as a trophy of his dis- 

 covery of Newfoundland. 



In the accounts of Henry VII.'s Privy Purse is found this entry 

 which can refer to no subject but Sebastian Cabot : — 



