Evidence of French Discoveries of New York, etc. 313 



them." This inscription is put on the map near the present site of 

 Albany. Those who reject the claims of the French to the first dis- 

 covery of the river, say that these words refer to the French passing up 

 the river St. Lawrence, which river as on the map lies as near the 

 memorandum as the Hudson does. But when we remember t he mem- 

 orandum was written on board the Half Moon on the Hudson and 

 probably near Albany, with the St. Lawrence actually two hundred 

 miles away, the irresistible conclusion comes that it was up the Hud- 

 son that the French came to trade with the Mohawks. The men of 

 the Half Moon also found a fort on the island east of the lower portion 

 of the city, and a dilapidated chateau within it, and accordingly 

 named it Castle Island. Some have said that the Dutch built this 

 fort, forgetting that Hudson did not stay here long enough to build a 

 fort, and that the fort was found there. The Dutch and English his- 

 torians afterward attempted to conceal the real facts by suggesting 

 that the Spaniards, had erected it. But there is no evidence whatever 

 of a Spanish occupation. But as if to mock the claims of Hudson as 

 a discoverer, one year after the discovery of our noble river by Veraz- 

 zano, Estevan Gomez, as narrated by Peter Martyr, also ascended the 

 same river and has left on record a full account of his voyage. (Hud- 

 son's sailing directions, p. 37). Traces of French traders all along the 

 Hudson up to Cohoes are still found in the local names of French 



But the French did not colonize here. I have already stated that 

 they were too much occupied with wars to engage in founding colonies. 

 But they never for one minute abandoned their claims to the territory 

 which they had discovered. In February, 1685, M. de Callieres pre- 

 sents these claims of the French in a letter published in the Colonial 

 History of New York (vol. 9, p. 265) — claims based on the discoveries 

 before mentioned of Verazzano and Cartier. In 1686 the Marqu is Rem' 

 de Denonville substantiates the same claims on the basis of French dis- 

 coveries. (Colonial History of New York, vol. 9, p. 303.) In 1699 

 another memoir to the same effect was written and is given in vol. 9, 

 of the New York Colonial History, p. 701. 



The memoir of M. Bobe of March, 1723, is so interesting and to the 

 point, that I hope to be pardoned for quoting it in full. He says: 

 " The Bretons and Normans frequented the seas of North America 

 for fish as early as 1504. Francis I, stimulated by the example of the 

 Spaniards, sent Jean Verazan, in the year 1524, to make discoveries on 

 the northwest coast of the new world. Verazan discovered seven hun- 

 dred leagues of coast, from the 30th to the 50th degree of north lati- 

 40 



