1803.] 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
OBSERVATIONS gy the ISLAND ANTILIA 
in the ancient CHART conflrufted by 
BIANCH! i” (4.36, aud on the DISCOVE- 
RY of AMERICA by COLUMBUS, 
T has been hitherto taken for granted, 
that the difcovery of America was 
owing to Chriffopher Columbus ; it 1s one 
of thofe points of hiftory, on which all 
authors are agreed, and which might have 
been confidered as one of the moft indif- 
putable. Neverthelefs, certain doubts 
have been raifed=on this fubjeé&t in thefe 
Jater times—doubts which have appeared 
not ill-founded to feveral of our literati, 
and which they have judged worthy of 
their attention. Citizen Buache, with a 
view to illuftrate this point, has lately ex- 
amined the famous chart of Bianchi*, 
made in the year 1436, in which is found 
a large ifland, named Antilia, fituated to 
the weft of the Azores Iflands, which 
proves, fay fome, that America: was 
known before the difcovery made of it by 
Chriftopher Columbus. ‘The chart of Bi- 
anchi has been known fince the year 1733, 
by the edition and commentaries of it that 
have been publifhed by Formaleoni, in the 
continuation of his work, intitled Saggio 
fulla Nautica Antica de Venexiani. 
The firft idea that prefents itfelf, ona 
view of this chart, wherein we, in fact, 
find a large ifland, named Antilia, placed 
to the weft of the Azores, and the begin- 
ning of another ifland, fituated to the north 
ef Antilia, named Vfola de la Max Sata- 
noxia, is that thefe two iflands are parts of 
America, or of fome of the iflands now 
known under the name of Antilles, as 
there exifts no other land in all the fpace 
comprehended’ between the Azores and 
America, The chart of Bianchi having 
been made in 1436, it would appear natu- 
ral to conclude, that America, or fome 
parts of it, were known before the voy- 
ages of Chriftopher Columbus. ‘This is 
alfo the opinion that was adopted by For- 
maleoni, but which cannot be fupported, 
after a ferious examination of the chart of 
Bianchi, compared with other monuments 
equally authentic, which it is equally ne- 
ceffary to confult. 
There exifts a letter+ of the learned Pa- 
‘ 
* This chart is,or lately was, in the library 
of St. Mark, at Venice. 
+ This letter is to be found in a work of 
the Jefuit Ximenes, intitled Del weccio e nu- 
ove Gnsinone Fiorentino; andina letter of M. 
Barros tothe authors of the Sournal des Sa~ 
vans, January, 1758. 
MonruLy Mac, No. 99. 
Obfervations on the Ifland Antilia. 
209 
olo Tofcanelli, author of the Czomon de 
Sainte Marie de Florence, dated June 25, 
14.74, in which mention is made of the ifle 
Antilia,, This letter was addreffed firft 
to Fernando Martinez, canon of Lifbon, 
who had confulted Tofcanelli, by order of 
the King of Portugal, on the poffibility of 
finding the Indies. It was fent afterwards 
to Chriftopher Columbus, in anfwer toa 
letter which he had written to Tofcanelli, 
on the voyage he was propofing to under- 
take. The only queftion in the letter of 
Tofcanelli relates to the route which -ap- 
pears to him the fhortelt to go to the In- 
dies, and to fuch parts of the Indies as 
may be thought the. richeft and the moft 
worthy ‘of difcovery. The fhorteft route, 
in his opinion; is, {peaking of Lifbon, to 
go directly weft, acrafs the Atlantic Ocean, 
and to-crofs, in the fame dire€tion, or onthe ° 
parallel of Lifbon, the third part nearly 
in the circumference of that parallel. At. 
that diftance, you find, fays he, the city of 
of Quifay or Quinfay (the capital of China 
in the time of Marco Paulo); you find 
alfo the ifle of Cipanga (now Japan), ex- 
tremely fertile in. gold, in pearls, and in 
precious ftones. It is in thete fame quar- 
ters that he places the ifle Antilia, when 
he fays—‘* And from the ifle of Autilia, 
that you know, and which you call Sette- 
Cita, to the famous ifle of Cipanga, is 
ten fpaces, which make 2500 miles, of 
226 leagues.’ It follows, irom this paf- 
fage, that, at the epoch of 1474, the ifle 
Antilia was known, at leaft to the King 
of Portugal, for whom the letter of Tof- 
canelli was written, and that it pafled 
then tor one of the richeft countries in 
the world. It likewife follows that, in 
the opinion of Tofcanelli, it was fituated 
in the eaftern parts of the Indies, which 
were then the country of wonders, or 
abounding with the molt valuable produc- 
tions. Itis probable that, according to 
the ideas of Tofcanelli, Chriftopher Co- 
lumbus gave the name of Antilles to the 
iflands of America, which he found in his 
firft voyage, and which he fuppofed to be 
the eaftern part of the Indies. It is after 
the charts of his time that Tofcanellt 
makes the calculations of the route which 
he indicates, and the Antilia of the chart 
of Bianchi can only be the Antilia men 
tioned in the letter of Tofcanelli.. It can- 
not then reprefent any part of America. 
To remove entirely the doubts that have 
been founded on this chart of Bianchi, it 
would have been fatisfaétory to find again 
in the ancient continent the names of An- 
tilia, and De la Man Satanoxia, contained 
in that chart. Citizen Buache has made 
Ee all 
