3. THE ERA OF EARLY DISCOVERY. The early history of Canada from 1497 to 1632 may for the sake of convenience be divided into four periods: (1) The period of the early ex plorations along the Atlantic seaboard, 1497 1533; (2) the discovery and occupation by the French of thegulf and river Saint Lawrence, 1534-43; (3) the rise of the fur-trade, 1544 1612; and (4) the first permanent colonization, 1613-32.
The Explorations along the Atlantic Sea Board, 1497-1531--The first European to set foot on British North America after the de parture of the Northmen in the 11th century was John Cabot (q.v.) of Bristol. Though born in Genoa, Cabot had removed in 1461 to Venice and by his naturalization in 1476 as a citizen of that republic had been able to trade to the Venetian factories throughout the Le vant. When on a voyage to Alexandria for spices he made up his mind to push on to Mecca, then the great mart for the transfer of eastern and western goods. He wished to learn the situation of the region where the spices grew. On questioning on this subject those in charge of the spice-caravans at Mecca, they told him that they received them from other caravans coming from further eastward to whom they had in turn been handed over by others coming from still more remote regions. It seemed clear to Cabot that the spices must grow on the very eastern confines of Asia. In that case would it not be more practical to bring them direct to Europe by sea across the western ocean? With this idea in mind Cabot removed with his family from Venice to London. In England he learned that in the summer of 1480 an attempt had been made by two ships from Bristol to find the island of Brazil to the west of Ireland. Under Cabot's direction fresh efforts were made to find both this island and that of the Seven Cities which should but form stepping-stones on the new route to Asia by the west. All was to no pur pose. NO islands or land of any sort could be discovered. Suddenly, however, in the sum mer of 1493 news reached England that an other Genoese, Christopher Columbus, had sailed out into the western ocean with three Spanish ships and had succeeded in reaching the Indies. Cabot and his friends were roused to fresh efforts. During Henry VII's visit to Bristol in the winter of 1495-96 Cabot pro ceeded to set before him the advantages to accrue to England could intercourse be opened between that country and Asia. Londoh would become in a short time a greater em porium for spices than was then Alexandria itself. As a result of this interview letters patent were issued on 5 March 1496, giving Cabot and his sons permission to sail to Asia under the English flag. Armed with these powers Cabot fitted out at Bristol a small vessel called the Mathew. Her crew consisted of but 18 men. Owing to various delays they were not able to set sail until Tuesday, 2 May 1497. Rounding Ireland, they first of all headed north and then west. After many weeks of varied winds, land was at length sighted at 5 o'clock on Saturday morning, 24 June. On the 53d day after leaving Bristol they had reached the most easterly point of Cape Breton Island. The royal banner was unfurled and as the ship's boat rounded her keel on the beach, perhaps of Mira Bay, John Cabot stepped ashore and in solemn form took possession of the land in the name of King Henry VII. No inhabitants were seen, but the sailors found snares set for game and a needle for making nets. It was, therefore, judged that the country was inhabited. As the climate was agreeable and the soil fertile, they were of opinion that they had reached that portion of the coast of Asia where grew the. spices Cabot had seen at Mecca. The modern Cape Breton was named °Cape Discover? and Scatari Island which lies opposite, "Saint John's Island,* as the day was the feast of Saint John the Baptist. Sailing north along Cape Breton Island they gave to Cape Ray the name of "Cape Saint George,* and called Saint Pierre, Miquelon and Langley islands the "Trinity group.* Since their pro visions were none too plentiful should the re turn voyage prove a long one, they spent no time in further exploration and early in July set sail for home from Cape Race which they named °England's Cape? Favored by the westerly winds of the North Atlantic, they made good progress and on Sunday, 6 August, the Mathew dropped anchor once more in Bristol harbor. Cabot hurried to Court and on the following Thursday, 10 August, was given a reward of 110 for his successful dis covery. According to Cabot's report he had found some 700 leagues to the west of Ireland the country of the Great Khan. Although silk and brazil-wood grew at the spot where he landed, it was his intention on the next voyage to proceed on down that coast till he reached Cipango, for in his opinion this was the region whence came the spices and precious stones he had seen at Mecca. Henry VII was de lighted and granted Cabot a yearly pension of #20. On 3 Feb. 1498 new letters patent were issued authorizing Cabot to prepare a fresh fleet of six vessels. In order to secure skilled sea men and probably also to hear news of what Columbus had done, Cabot about this time made a trip to Lisbon and Seville. In Lisbon he came across a certain Joao Fernandes, called "Labrador* because he owned land on the is land of Terceira. When Cabot informed this man of his discovery, Fernandes in turn told him how he himself had also visited a region to the west of Iceland and north of the point in Asia reached by Cabot. The latter's curios ity was roused. Here was perhaps a shorter of returning to Asia than by crossing again the dreaded western ocean. On Cabot's return to Bristol with Fernandes, a brief con sultation with the merchants of that town who had long traded to Iceland convinced everyone that this was the best route to take. By the beginning of May the two vessels manned by 300 men were in readiness. Since it was known that Cabot was taking the route via Iceland, °in his company sayled also out of Bristowe three or foure small ships fraught with sleight and grosse merchandizes, as course cloth, caps, laces, points and other trifles? Early in June they reached the east coast of Greenland a lit tle north of Cape Farewell. As Fernandes had already told them of this region they named it the "Labrador's Land? On coasting north along this desolate shore, they found the ice to grow steadily thicker and heavier and the cold to become more and more intense. It was also noticed that the coast trended continuaLy eastward. Finally on 11 June in lat. 67° the crews mutinied and refused tto proceeci further in that direction. Cabot was thereupon obliged to turn his ships about and to head back to the south. On reaching Cape Fare well, they sailed west and explored the south ern and also the western coast of Greenland. On meeting with ice again on the west coast they once more headed west until they arrived off the coast of the present Labrador, near the modern Table Hill in 57° 40Y. Since they had not penetrated to the bottom of Davis Strait they naturally supposed it was merely a if and that this coast was one with the Labrador's Land in the north. Following on down this coast, which in their opinion was that of Asia, they at length reached Cape Race and the region explored in the previous summer. Proceeding on toward the south they
coasted the shores of Nova Scotia and New England until they reached the bay of New York. They were now much struck by the distance westward they had come. The east coast of Greenland lies in 43° while the longi tude of Sandy Hook is 74°, which is only three quarters of a degree less than that of Cuba. Cabot could well say, therefore, that he had now "sayled in this tracte so farre towarde the weste, that he had the Ilande of Cuba on his left hande in maner in the same degree of longitude? They continued to coast the shores of New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland as far as the 38° parallel of latitude, at which point the low state of their provisions and the absence of any traces of eastern civilization induced them to come about and head back to Bristol, where they arrived late in the autumn of 1498. The results of this voyage proved such a disappointment that no fresh expedi tion was dispatched until 1501. Meanwhile Joao Fernandes returned to Portugal. On the island of Terceira, where he had his home, a Portuguese nobleman named Gasper Corte Real (q.v.) possessed considerable estates. This nobleman, who was much interested in the discoveries that were then taking place, seems to have put himself in communication with Fernandes. The result was that early in the spring of 1500 Corte-Real applied for and re ceived letters patent empowering him to un dertake an expedition to the northwest. Set ting sail from Lisbon early in that summer he reached the east coast of Greenland on 8 June. They proceeded to follow it northward until 29 June, when the ice-floes and icebergs in Denmark Strait forced them to head back toward the south. Rounding Cape Farewell they explored the southern and western coasts of Greenland, whence as the season was well advanced they once more returned to Lisbon. In the hope of discovering a region of a less wild and desolate nature, Gasper Corte-Real fitted out a fresh' expedition in the spring of 1501. They left Lisbon on 15 May and were nearing Cape Farewell when they came upon a large pack of field-ice, which forced them to alter their course to the northwest. At the end of several weeks they came in sight of the coast of our present Labrador in 58°. Following this mainland toward the south they came upon a band of Nasquapee Indians, who still inhabit Labrador. Thinking they would make good slaves they seized 50 of these natives and stowed them under the hatches. Continuing on down that coast they reached Conception Bay in Newfoundland early in September. It was then decided that the two vessels with the Indians on board should sail from here direct to Portugal while Gasper Corte-Real himself should proceed on down that coast in order to discover its connection with the islands discov ered near the equator by Columbus. The two caravels reached Lisbon in safety in the second week in October. Though the account of the discovery of this mainland and the appearance of its inhabitants excited considerable interest, more importance was attached to Gasper Corte Real's exploration of the region to the south. The autumn passed, however, without anything being seen of him or his vessel. In that sum mer an English expedition had been dispatched to the same coast by Joao Fernandes, now a naturalized Englishman, and several other Eng lish merchants, but on their return in the au tumn with three Indians they reported that they had seen nothing of Gasper Corte-Real. In January 1502 his rights were transferred to his brother Miguel, who left Lisbon on 10 May with three vessels to search for his lost brother. They reached Newfoundland toward the end of June and on the 24th of that month named the modern Saint John's, °the river Saint John," in commemoration of the feast of Saint John the Baptist. To facilitate the search each ship was ordered to visit a certain portion of the coast and to return to Saint John's by 20 August. Two of the vessels re turned at the date fixed but the vessel of Mi guel himself was never heard of more. An English expedition also visited the same coast in that year and on 20 September King Henry VII granted a pension of #10 each to two nat uralized Portuguese °in consideration of the true service which they have doors unto us to our singler pleasure as Capitaignes into the newe founde laude." No trace had been seen by them, however, of either of the missing Corte-Reals. In the hope of finding some trace of them, King Manoel dispatched two vessels to that coast in the summer of 1503, but neither these vessels nor those which were sent out in that year by the merchants of Bristol saw any trace of them. They were thereupon given up for lost. The rich codfishing on this coast had now become so well known that in 1504 the French and Bretons began to resort thither. Two years later a tax was laid on the cod from these parts taken to Portugal. The French rapidly increased in numbers and in 1512 when the first Spanish expedition to this coast was fitted out the latter got their pilots in Brittany. By 1519 the French fleet numbered 100 sail and included vessels from Dieppe all the way down to Bayonne. In 1520 Alvares Fagundes of Vianna in Portugal explored the region be tween Saint Pierre and Miquelon and the coast of Nova Scotia. On his return he received a grant of these regions from the King of Portu gal. It is possible that a colony was sent thither in 1525. In this same year the Em peror Charles V dispatched Estevan Gomez (q.v.), who had sailed with Magellan, to dis cover in the north a strait similar to the strait of Magellan in the south. Gomez explored the Bay of Fundy and then followed the coast southwards as far as the West Indies. On his return to La Corunna with a ship-load of In dians he was understood to say he had spices. The excitement was great for it was believed he had reached the Moluccas. Ultimately the mistake, which was due to the similarity of the words for slaves and spices in Spanish, was explained and afforded the Emperor and his court much amusement. In 1527 two English vessels, the Samson and the the latter being a three-masted barque of 250 tons' burden, were sent out to find a northwest passage. On meeting with icebergs at the mouth of Davis Strait they headed south. On 1 July in 52° a storm separated them and the Samson was never heard'of more. The Mary on reaching Saint John's on 3 Au gust found "eleven saile of Normans and one Brittaine and two Portugall Barkes and all a fishing." Finding no news here of the Samson, she continued her course to the south "often times putting her men on land to search the state of those unknowen regions." On one of these occasions the Italian pilot, who may pos sibly have been Giovanni Verrazano, who had explored this coast for Francis I in 1524, was killed by the Indians. In the middle of NO vember the reached the West Indies. Being refused permission to enter San Domingo, she set sail again for England. In the course of her voyage she had met more than 50 French, Portuguese and Spanish fish ing-vessels, which shows the proportions to which the cod-fishing on the Banks had then attained. Each year in fact the numbers in creased.