AMERICA, 
(except by the Spaniards in South America) for almoft 
a century from the time of its difcovery. 
It was not till the year 1524 that France attempted dif¬ 
coveries on the American coaft. Stimulated by his enter- 
pri/ing neighbours, Francis I. who poftefl'ed a great and 
affive mind, fent John Verrazano, a Florentine, to Ame¬ 
rica, for the purpofe of making difcoveries. He traverfed 
the coaft from latitude 28° to 50 0 north. In a fecond voy¬ 
age, fome time after, he was loft. The next year Stephen 
Gomez, the firft Spaniard who came upon the American 
coaft for difcovery, failed from Groyn, in Spain, to Cuba 
and Florida, thence northward to Cape Razo, in latitude 
46° degrees north, in fearch of a north-weft paffageto the 
Eaft Indies. 
In the fpring of 1534, by the direction of Francis I. a 
fleet was fitted out at St. Malo’s, in France, with defign 
to make difcoveries in America. The command of this 
fleet was given to James Cartier. He arrived at New¬ 
foundland in May of this year. Thence he failed north¬ 
erly ; and, on the day of the feftival of St. Lawrence, he 
found himfelf in about latitude 48° 30' north, in the midft 
of a broad gulf, which he named St. Lawrence. He gave 
the fame name to the river which empties into it. In 
this voyage, he failed as far north as latitude 51 0 , ex- 
pefting in vain to find a paftage to China. The next year 
he failed up the river St. Lawrence 300 leagues, to the 
great and fwift Fall. He called the country New France; 
built a fort, in which he fpent the winter, and returned in 
the following fpring to France. 
In 1542, Francis la Roche, lord of Robewell, was fent 
to Canada, by the French king, with three fhips and 200 
Mien, women, and children. They wintered there in a 
fort which they had built, and returned in the fpring. 
About the year 1550, a large number of adventurers failed 
for Canada, but were never after heard of. In 1598, the 
king of France commiftioned the marquis de la Roche to 
conquer Canada, and other countries not polfefted by any 
Chriftian prince. We do not learn, however, that la Roche 
ever attempted to execute his commiflion, or that any fur¬ 
ther attempts were made to fettle Canada during this cen¬ 
tury. On the 12th of May, 1539, Ferdinand de Soto, 
with 900 men, befides feamen, failed from Cuba, having 
for his objefl the conqueft of Florida. On the 30th of 
May he arrived at Spirito Santo, from whence he travel¬ 
led northward 450 leagues from the fea. Here he difeo- 
vered a river a quarter of a mile wide and 19 fathoms deep, 
on the bank of which he died and was buried, May 1542, 
aged forty-two years. Alverdo, his fucceftor, built feven 
brigantines, and the year following embarked upon the 
river. In feventeen days he proceeded down the river 400 
leagues, where he judged it to be fifteen leagues wide. 
From the largenefs of the river at that place of his em¬ 
barkation, he concluded its fource ntuft have been at leaft 
400 leagues above, fo that the whole length of the river, 
in his opinion, rauft have been more than 800 leagues. 
As he palled down the river, he found it opened by two 
mouths into the gulph of Mexico. Thefe circumftances 
led us to conclude, that this river, fo early difeovered, 
was the one which we now call the MiJJiffippi. On the 6th 
of January, 1549, king Henry VII. granted a penfion for 
life to Sebaftian Cabot, in confideration of the important 
fervices he had rendered to the kingdom by his difcove¬ 
ries in America. 
The admiral of France, Chatillon, early in the year 
1362, fent out a fleet under the command of John Ribalt. 
He arrived at Cape Francis, on the coaft of Florida, near 
which, on the firft of May, he difeovered and entered a 
river which he called May river. It is more than proba¬ 
ble that river is the fame which we now call St. Mary’s, 
which forms a part of the fouthern boundary of the Uni¬ 
ted States. As he coafted northward, he difeovered eight 
other rivers, one of which he called Port Royal , and failed 
up it feveral leagues. On one of the rivers he built a fort, 
and called it Charles, in which he left a colony under the 
dire&ion of captain Albert. The feverity of Albert’s 
VoLs I. No. 37. 
meafures excited a mutiny, in which, to the ruin of the 
colony, he was flain. Two years after, Chatillon fent 
Rene Laudonier, with three fhips, to Florida. In June 
he arrived at the river May, on which he built a fort, and, 
in honour to his king, Charles IX. he called it Carolina. 
In Auguft, this year, Capt. Ribalt arrived at Florida the 
fecond time, with a fleet of feven veflels to recruit tire co¬ 
lony, which, two years before, he had left under the di¬ 
rection of the unfortunate Capt. Albert. The September 
following, Pedro Melandes, with lix Spanifli (hips, pur- 
fued Ribalt up the river on which he had fettled, and, 
overpowering him in numbers, cruelly maflacred him and 
his whole company. Melandes, having in his way taken 
pofleflion of the country, built three forts, and left them 
garrifoned 1200 foldiers. Laudonier, and his colony on 
May river, receiving information of the fate of Ribalt, 
took the alarm, and eleaped to France. 
A fleet of three fhips, fent from France to Florida, in 
1367, under the command of Dominique de Gourges. 
The objeft of this expedition was to difpoflefs the Spa¬ 
niards of that part of Florida which they had cruelly and 
unjuftifiably feized three years before. He arrived on the 
coaft of Florida in April, 1568, and foon after made a 
fuccefsful attack upon the forts. The recent cruelty of 
Melandes and his company, excited revenge in the bread 
of Gourges, and roufed the tinjuftifiable principle of reta¬ 
liation. He took the forts; put moft of the Spaniards to 
the fword ; and, having burned and demolifhed all their 
fortreftes, returned to France. During the fifty years next 
after this event, the French enterpriled no fettlements in 
America. In 1576, Capt. Frobifher was fent to find out 
a north-weft paftage to the Eaft Indies. The firft land 
which he made on the coaft was a cape, which, in honour 
to the queen, he called Queen Elizabeth's Foreland. In 
coafting northerly he difeovered the (traits which bear his 
name. He profecuted his fearch for a paftage into the 
weftern ocean, till he was prevented by the ice, and then 
returned to England. In 1579, Sir Humphrey Gilbert 
obtained a patent from queen Elizabeth, for lands not yet 
poflefled by any Chriftian prince, provided he would take 
pofleflion within fix years. With this encouragement he 
failed for America, and on the firft of Auguft, 1583, an¬ 
chored in Conception Bay. Afterwards he difeovered and 
took pofleflion of St. John’s Harbour, and the country 
fouth. In purfuing his difcoveries, he loft one of his (hips 
on the ftioals of Sablon ; and, on his return home, a ftorm 
overtook him, in which he was unfortunately loft, and the 
intended fettlement was prevented. 
In 1384, two patents were granted by queen Elizabeth, 
one to Adrian Gilbert, the other to Sir Walter Raleigh, 
for lands not poflefled by any Chriftian prince. By the 
direction of Sir Walter, two (hips were fitted and fent out,, 
under the command of Philip Amidas and Arthur Bar- 
low. In July they arrived on the coaft, and anchored in 
a harbour feven leagues weft of the Roanoke. On the 
13th of July, they, in a formal manner, took pofleflion of 
the country, and, in honour of their virgin queen Eliza¬ 
beth, they called it Virginia. Till this time the country 
was known by the general name of Florida. After this 
Virginia became the common name for all North Ameri¬ 
ca. The next year, 1585, Sir Walter Raleigh fent Sir 
Richard Greenville to America,,with feven fhips. He 
arrived at Wococon Harbour in June. Having ftationed 
a colony of more than a hundred people at Roanoke, un¬ 
der the direction of Capt. Ralph Lane, he coafted north¬ 
erly as far as Chefapeak Bay, and returned to England. 
The colony under Capt. Lane endured extreme hardfhips, 
and muft have perifhed, had not Sir Francis Drake fortu¬ 
nately returned to Virginia, and carried them to England, 
after having made feveral conquefts for the queen in the 
Weft Indies and other places. A fortnight after, Sir 
Richard Greenville arrived with new recruits; and, al¬ 
though he did not find the colony which he had before 
left, and knew not but they had peri (lied, he had the rafti- 
nefs to leave fifty men at the fame place. The next year, 
S R ».< 87 « 
