. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. THE NAME AMERICA. 657 truly authentic letter of Vespucci that had yet been found in Italy. It was discovered by Siguor Davari conservatore dell 'archivio Gonzoga di Mautova, and although very short—only seven lines—is luostiinpor- tant for it is wholly written by Vespucci, who was, as I have said be- fore, an excellent calligraphist. The date is : Syhilie die xxx decembris M"GCCC"LXXXXn (Sevilla, the 30 Dec, 1492), and consequentl
. Annual report of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Institution; Smithsonian Institution. Archives; Discoveries in science. THE NAME AMERICA. 657 truly authentic letter of Vespucci that had yet been found in Italy. It was discovered by Siguor Davari conservatore dell 'archivio Gonzoga di Mautova, and although very short—only seven lines—is luostiinpor- tant for it is wholly written by Vespucci, who was, as I have said be- fore, an excellent calligraphist. The date is : Syhilie die xxx decembris M"GCCC"LXXXXn (Sevilla, the 30 Dec, 1492), and consequently before the return of Colombo from his first voyage. The very distinct signature is: Ser. Amerigho Vespucci mer- chante fiorentino for - Sybilia. I have received a photograph of the letter and its address, by the courtesy of an Italian friend; and I here give the facsimile of it, as well as of the signature to a letter of Vespucci to the Cardinal Arch- bishop of Toledo, dated Sevilla, 9 December, 1508, which was published in facsimile by the Spanish Government in 1878. Those two letters are the only authentic ones we possess; and the signatures are too important in the question of the origin of the name America not to be carefully studied. -fTST^.. 'Sow we have, without any possible doubt, the Christian name of Vespucci, written by himself Amerigho with only one r and an h at the last syllable, in 1492; and Amerigo with only one r and no h in the Lihros de cuentes y despachos de armadas a Indian in 1495. Gilbert© Govi* thinks that it is the Italian Fra Giovanni del Giocondo, who translated and changed too freely Amerigho into Alberico. It is only a personal opinion, without any base to rest upon, for the original letter of Vespucci to Lorenzo Pierfrancisco de Medicis is unknown. Generally, translators do not alter and change the signatures of authors; and so long as wo have no positive proof to the contrary, we must say that Vespucci used for his Christian name, in 1502 o
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