1 64 NORTH AMERICA. 



America known as Labrador. It was inhabited by people 

 who traded with Greenland and Iceland. They sowed corn 

 and made beer. There is a tradition that they had some 

 knowledge of the latine tongue, and that several books in 

 that language were found in the library of one of their kings. 



The Basques and Bretons have also been considered as 

 frequenters of North America at about the same time. 



Now, I quote under, the following stanzas of TASSO, in 

 which, speaking of Hercules, he prophesies the discovery of 

 America by Christobal Colon : — 



Non oso di tentar l'alto Oceano 



Segno le mete en troppo breve chiostri, 



U ardir ristrinse dell ingegno umano, 



Tempo verra che fian d'Ecole i segni 



Favola vile ai naviganti industri 



Un nom delta Liguria, avra ardimento 



All incognito cor so esporsi in prima. 



Tasso xv. 25, 30-31. 



It is impossible to name Christobal Colon more ex- 

 plicitly than this. 



In August, 1492, Christobal Colon embarked at Palos 

 (Spain), and on the 12th of September of that year discovered 

 Hayti, one of the islands of the Antillae. 



That great discovery, which revolutionized the world, 

 was considered of such importance that Spain, Portugal, 

 France, England, Holland, and other countries sent numerous 

 expeditions to the Continent discovered by Colon, and called 

 New World. 



Cabot, Vespuci, Pinzon, Nino, Cortereal, Hogeda, 

 Nicuesa, Ancisus, Colmenares, Pedrarias Davila, 

 Nunez, Fernandez, Caizedo, Morantes, Igniguez, 

 Grifalva, Ponce de Leon, Magaglian, Cortez, Al- 

 varado, Quartier, Gutierrez, Pizarro, Almagro, 

 Ribald, Forbisher, Drake, Candish, Smith, Raleigh, 

 Mahu, Cordes, Hudson, Spilbergen, Corneliszon, 

 Lemaire, l'Hermite, Schapenham, Brewer, and many 

 others, explored AMERICA, and contributed greatly to our 

 knowledge of that Continent. 



Among all these distinguished travellers, SEBASTIEN 

 CABOT is the one mentioned by all authors as the first who 

 landed on the coast of Labrador (North America), on the 

 24th June, 1497 ! but ft must always be remembered that 

 Lief Erickson visited that land five hundred years before. 



The claim of England to her North American possessions 



