egs£a:^3cc«i:«;a£g:£jcag;£sgjgsy( % LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. % Chap. ....E,.i3.?.„.. ID UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, i \ ^ u..^ V. , 3eniam\c\ r^3^^^\^n Jie.L. easy but slow style of naval construction prevailed, until the white man came with sharp knives and hatchets. Then the 8 tedious process of buiuiiig gradually went out of use, since, with sharp tools, a canoe could be made from bark in a day. On this point, however, we have defi- nite statements. Lescarbot, who treats at large of the canoe in his work on "Nfew France," tells us that the north- ern and Canadian fashion is to build with bark; but that the peoj^le living between Nova Scotia and Florida have •' another fashion;" and he minutely describes the manner in which they burned out and shaped their canoes, as they did in the day of Verrazzano. Moreover, Cham- plain tells us himself that he sate the log canoes near Cape Ann, though he also mentions the bark canoe, which was then coming into vogue, the Indians being encouraged by the tools and the example of the white man; wdio also taught him to propel his canoe by means of sails, of which Jossleyn, for instance, gives an example. Champlain not only saw the log canoe, 9 but, at 8{ico, Le.scarbot also notes tlicni. SpeakiDg- of the French at that phice he says, "presently the Sea was seene all couerecl oner with their Eoatts, ladtn with nimble and Insly men holding them- selves vp straight in them: which wee cannot doe without danger, those Boates being nothing else hut frees ho/lowed out.'" (Purchas, Vol. 4, p. 1633.) We give this simply as one illustration of the w^oithlessness of the charges brought by Mr. Muri^hy against the Let- ter of Verrazzano. The " most remark- able omission of all," or the failure to speak of the hark canoe, is one of the proofs of its authentic.it I/. And if the charges in connection with well known matters are of this character, what ground is there for confidence in connections where knowledge is not so easily acquir- ed? Some reply to this query will be given at another time. It suffices to say for the present, that this elaborate Avork by Mr. Murphy appears to us as a grand 10 mistake. It does not even give correct teaching respecting the boundaries of New France, or Norombega; the narrative of Jean AUfonsce being mistranslated, latitude fort if -five being given for the " Cape of Norombega," which AUfonsce says is in fort i/ -one. The map drmvn to embody the blunder, with all the conclu- sions built upon it, therefore falls to the ground; like the charges brought against Verrazzano, in connection with the har- borage, overlooking the fact that many others met with similar experiences. All this may appear ungracious, but we speak in the interest of the truth. Assuming that the Carli version was the source of Ramusio's, Mr. Murphy attacks the author's veracity, because he says that, in a part of America the color of the natives was black and " not much different " from that of Ethiopians, though it is clear that it was different. If, however, we were to reject every old narrative on account of i^alpable exagge- 11 rations, we slioulcl have little material left. It would then fare hard with Car- tier who, in his voyage of 1534, puts tropical productions in Canada, and with Popliam, who (1607) made nutmegs grow in New England, and with Gosnold (1602) whose scribe makes certain men in Vineyard Sound black and ihin beard- ed, and with AVeymouth (1605) who makes the women of Maine black. Oth- erwise, .conceding for the time the as- sumption that the Carli version is the original, Mr. Murphy's objection is not criticism. One might as well tell us that the proprietor of Merry Mount was never in New England, because he says that tliiy have no coughs and colds there. Referring, however, the Ramusio and Carli versions, to an earlier version, as Ave have a perfect right to do, (though Avilling even that the matter should be decided by the Carli version alone, as the objections, if not corruptions, may be simply common exaggerations, like some 12 of those pointed out,) Ave shall then the more readily understand the dilierences in the two texts; since, for instance, Hakhiyt, when translatiug Allfonsce, makes him say that figs grow in Canada, while a second translation tells us that Canada extends to the land of Figuier. Without an original version to refer to, we might say that the latter was "worked over" from the former to conceal the author's ignorance; or that Mr. Murphy's version of Allfonsce, where he says that the natives of Norombega are ' ' large and handsome," is worked over from the coiTui^t edition of Allfonsce, of 1559, which declares that these people are small and hlackisli. Fortunately, how- ever, we have the original. But, in con- nection with the Carli version itself, we have an illustration of the manner in which language is perverted. For in- stance, that disinterested scholar, the late Dr. Coggswell, translates one passage from the Carli version as follows: "We 13 have ofteii seen the grapes which tlie^' i)rodiice very sweet and pleasant, and not unlike onr own 5" but Mr. Murphy's ver- si(jn itisists upoii the folloAving: "Be- cause ffffitiiit/ the fruit mcfuy fimea, we per- ceived it was sweet and pleasant, not different from ours." Thus wide are the departures already tnade Ivithin a feV years from ■ the version of C'arli^ and they indicate faintly the nature of the ticissitudes which have overtaken the (original Letter of VerrazzaiiO; It is therefore ib be regretted, so far afe pres- ent consequences inay be concet-ned, that the laligttage of the Florentine has been treated in wliai sfeemfs to uS such an un- fortunate Way; We close this brief notice by referring to the significant fact that Mr.- Murphy ^ive^ oHe pie'ce 6f teaching in his book,- (p. 145) ithich/ if triie, would hate ol^vi- ated the necessity of printing ah expen- sive and elegant octavo volume. The' leaching is this,- tlvat at the time Verraz- u ^zaiio, aecol-ding to his Letter, AVas explol'- ing America, he was actually engaged as a Corsair, capturing a ship on her way home from the Indies. But Mr. Mur- phy does not give us the date of cap- ture, which he would have done, if there had lofeeh aliy io give. The proof of this should have been upon the forefront of his book; though sucli proof would have been all the book needed. As it is, the teaching finds its own jDlace in an obscure corliei', only to spring upon the reader at the proper time, when warmed with supposit^oiis doubt. There is nothing in it. We believe, therefore, that when thor- oughly discussed, the Letter of Verrraz= zano, like the Voyage of the Zeni, Avill rise above all doubt, and that the names of Eamusio and Verrazzano, the Histo- rian and the Navigator, will alike stand together in the annals of America, to the end of time\ (Sbb^nBct* since the foregoing was put in type^ a copy of the '' E^vue Criiique'' has come to handj containing copies of two documents Ju&t discovered in the archives of Rouen, which show that Yerrazzano had a brother named Jerome. He was the author of the Map that indicates the voyagCi This brother has been treat- fed as a myth by some, in oi*der to discred- it both voyage and map; But the dis- covery shows that, May 11th, 1526, this Jerome was livings and that " Jerasme de Varasenne" was the bi-othei- alid heii' [frere d heritier) of the "Noble homme Jehan de Varasenne.'^ To ilhiStrate the eaSe with which a disputant with a theory adopts whatevei* appears to be in his faVor^ it may be 4 V i.. 'vrvv.AA-A.^ v\>_^^^ ill pointed out that the estimable author of the work under notice teaches tliat Mar- tin Pring, in 1(503, obtained a bark canoe at Martha's Vineyai-di lu this he follows the stoi'y rtet afloat in 11^97 l\v Belknap; In 1608 Martin Pring did not go around br soutii 6l Cape Odd; and therefore did not obtain any bark canoe or build any •* barricado " at Martha's Vinevard; p^^ .V' (V- ,«-i«!«fe<*.