. The magazine of American history with notes and queries. foundation on which that theory rests, which it is myintention here to put to final rest. But first I shall say a few word<j aboutthe actual landing spot. At present all evidence tends to point to aplace on Labrador, somewhere in the neighborhood of Mugford or CapeChidley, 550 to 6o° north. There still, however, remains a strong presump-tion in favor of Bonavista, or Cape St. John, on the coast of Newfoundland. As a Newfoundlander, reared in the tradition which has been heldfrom time immemorial, that Bonavista, happy sight ! was the
. The magazine of American history with notes and queries. foundation on which that theory rests, which it is myintention here to put to final rest. But first I shall say a few word<j aboutthe actual landing spot. At present all evidence tends to point to aplace on Labrador, somewhere in the neighborhood of Mugford or CapeChidley, 550 to 6o° north. There still, however, remains a strong presump-tion in favor of Bonavista, or Cape St. John, on the coast of Newfoundland. As a Newfoundlander, reared in the tradition which has been heldfrom time immemorial, that Bonavista, happy sight ! was the landfall, I feel loath to give it up without a struggle. It is still inpossession, and until fairly and irrevocably displaced by irrefutable argu-ments, we have a right to hold on to it, and bring forth every possibletitle of proof in favor of it. This I have done, and I leave it to myreaders to weigh the strength of the arguments. I will proceed at once tothe consideration of the voyages and the fixing of the landfall, leaving the 268 CABOT S LANDFALL. ILLUSTRATIVE MAP, DRAWN BY RIGHT REV. M. F. HOWLEY, , CABOTS LANDFALL 269 refutation of the Cape North theory till afterwards, as it follows almostlike a corollary from the former. The following are the only facts we knowconcerning the first voyage of Cabot (1497). We must carefully avoidapplying to the first voyage facts and statements belonging to the confounding of these data has hitherto been the cause of much con-fusion among writers, not only concerning Cabot, but all early navigators. The patent or commission of Henry VII. to John Cabot and his threesons, Louis, Sebastian, and Sanctius, is dated March 5, 1495, old style, asthis was previous to the correction of the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII.(1582). The year, according to the Julian calendar, began on March 25,hence this patent was given in the spring of 1496, as we would now callit. The expedition, however, did not, for some reason or other, set
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