To De Soto belongs the honor of first discovering that mighty river of our wide continent. After resting two days, the adventurers went up the western shore of the Mississippi as far as New Madrid. The ensuing summer and winter were spent by them in the wilderness watered by the Arkansas and its tributaries, and in the spring of 1542 they returned to the Mississippi, at the mouth of the Wachita, where De Soto sickened and died, after appointing his successor.' In these painful and perilous journeyings, they had marched full three thousand miles.

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The death of their leader was a terrible blow to the followers of De Soto. They were now reduced to half their original number; and, abandoning all hopes of finding gold, or a wealthy people, they sought for Spanish settlements in Mexico. For many months they wandered over the prairies, and among the tributary streams of the Red River, as far as the land of the Comanches, when impassable mountain ranges compelled them to retrace their steps to the Mississippi. At a little below Natchez they remained until the following July [1543], engaged in constructing several large boats, in which they embarked. Reaching the Gulf of Mexico, they crept cautiously along its coast; and, on the 20th of September, the little remnant of De Soto's proud army, half naked and starving, arrived at a Spanish settlement near the mouth of the Panuco, thirty miles north of Tampico. This was the last attempt of the Spanish cotemporaries of Columbus to explore, or to make settlements within the present territory of the United States, previous to the appearance of the English3 in the same field. They were impelled by no higher motive than the acquisition of gold, and treachery and violence were the instruments employed to obtain it. They were not worthy to possess the magnificent country which they coveted only for its supposed wealth in precious metals; and it was reserved for others, who came afterward, with loftier aims, better hearts, and stronger hands, to cultivate the soil, and to establish an empire founded upon truth and justice. The Spaniards did finally become possessors of the southern portion of the Continent; and to this day the curse of moral. religious, and political despotism rests upon those regions.

CHAPTER III.

ENGLISH AND FRENCH DISCOVERIES.

WITH all its zealous vigilance, the Spanish court could not conceal the fact that a New World had been discovered, and over Continental Europe and the

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1 De Soto's followers sunk the body of their leader deep in the Mississippi, so that the Indians 2 Page 33. should not find it.

Page 46. While De Soto was engaged in this expedition, another, no less adventurous, was undertaken by Coronada, at the command of Mendoza, Viceroy of Mexico. He took with him, from the south-eastern shore of the Gulf of California, three hundred and fifty Spaniards, and eight hundred Indians. He penetrated the country to the head waters of the Rio del Norte, and onward It was a perilous, but into the great interior desert, as far as the fortieth degree of north latitude. fruitless expedition.

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British Isles, were spread the most extravagant tales of gold-bearing regions beyond the Atlantic Ocean. By means of a papal bull,' Portugal and Spain vainly attempted to secure to themselves a monopoly of oceanic navigation. But in all maritime countries, cupidity and curiosity urged men to brave both the perils of the sea and the thunders of the Vatican, in search of the western paradise and the regions of gold. Monarchs and wealthy subjects projected new expeditions. Among those whose zeal in the cause of maritime discovery was newly awakened, was Henry the Seventh of England, who had turned a deaf ear to the appeals of Columbus before his great first voyage."

The town of Bristol, in the west of England, was then one of the most important sea-ports in the realm; and among its adventurous mariners who had penetrated the polar waters, probably as far as Greenland, was Sebastian Cabot, son of a wealthy Venetian merchant of Bristol, whose father sought the aid of the king in making a voyage of discovery. Willing to secure a portion of the prize he had lost, Henry readily yielded to the solicitations of Cabot, and gave him and his sons a commission of discovery, dated March 16, 1496, which was similar, in some respects, to that which Columbus had received from Ferdinand and Isabella; but unlike his Spanish cotemporaries, the English monarch did not bear the expenses of the voyage. The navigators were permitted to go, at their own expense, "to search for islands or regions inhabited by infidels, and hitherto unknown to Christendom," and take possession of them in the name of the King of England. They were to enjoy the sole right of trading thither-paying to the King, "in lieu of all customs and imposts," a fifth of all net profits, and the same proportion of the products of all mines.

SEBASTIAN CABOT.

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According to recent discoveries made in searching the ancient records of England, it appears to be doubtful whether the elder Cabot, who was a merchant and a scientific man, ever voyaged to America. It is certain, however, that his son, Sebastian, accompanied, and, doubtless, commanded, the first expedition, which consisted of two vessels freighted by his father and others of Bristol and of London, and which sailed from the former port in May, 1497. They steered north-westerly until they encountered immense fields of ice westward of Cape Farewell, when they turned to the south-west, and on the 3d of July, of that year, discovered the rugged coast of Labrador. Passing Cape Charles, they saw Newfoundland; and, after touching at several points, probably as far southward as the coast of Maine, they hastened to England to announce the fact that they had first discovered a great western continent.

This is the name of special edicts issued by the Pope of Rome. They are written on parchment, and have a great seal attached, made of wax, lead, silver, or gold. The name is derived from the seal, bulla. On one side, are the heads of Peter and Paul, and on the other, the name of the Pope and the year of his pontificate. The seal of the celebrated golden bull of the Emperor Charles IV., was made of gold. That bull became the fundamental law of the German Empire, at the Diet of Nuremburg, A. D. 1536. 2 Page 37. 3 Note 1, page 39.

The skill and energy of young Cabot secured the confidence of his father and friends in his ability to command successfully; and the following year, although he was only twenty-one years of age, he was placed in charge of another expedition, fitted out by his family and some Bristol merchants, for the purpose of traffic, and of discovering a north-west passage to India, a desire for which had now taken hold upon the minds of the commercial world. Ice in the polar seas presented an impassable barrier, and he was compelled to go southward. He explored the coast from the frozen regions of Labrador to the sunny land of the Carolinas. Nineteen years afterward [1517] he navigated the northern waters, as far as the entrance to Hudson's Bay; and nine years later [1526], while in the service of the monarch of Spain,' he explored the coast of Brazil, discovered and named the great Rio de la Plata, and penetrated the southern continent, in boats, upon the bosom of that river, almost four hundred miles. To the Cabots, father and son, belong the imperishable honor of first discovering the coast of the United States, through at least ten degrees of latitude. Italy may claim the glory of having given birth to the two great discoverers, Columbus and Americus Vespucius, whose name our continent now bears; while Sebastian Cabot drew his first breath in England.2

The immense numbers and commercial importance of the cod fishes in the vicinity of Newfoundland, were first discovered and made known by the Cabots; and within five or six years after their first voyages, many fishermen went thither from England, Brittany, and Normandy, for those treasures of the deep. Every French vessel that went to America, was on a commercial crrand only, until 1523, when Francis the first fitted out four ships, for the purpose of exploring the coasts of the New World. He gave the command to John Verrazani, an eminent Florentine navigator. Verrazani sailed in December, 1523, but a tempest disabled three of his ships, and he was compelled to go with only one. He proceeded due west from the Madeiras on the 27th of January, 1524, and first touched the American Continent, in March following, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, in North Carolina. After seeking a good harbor for fifty leagues further south, he sailed northward, and

VERRAZANI.

1 Sebastian Cabot was born at Bristol, in 1467. He was invested with the honorable title of Chief Pilot of both England and Spain: and to him England is indebted for her first maritime connection with Russia, by the establishment of the Russian Trading Company, of which he was appointed governor for life. He published a map of the world, and also an account of his southern voyages. He died in 1557, at the age of 90 years.

2 King John of Portugal, like Henry of England, had refused to aid Columbus, and lost the great prize. After the return of the navigator, he felt a desire to fit out an expedition for discoveries in the New World, but the Pope having given to Spain the whole region westward, beyond an imaginary line three hundred leagues west from the Azores, he dared not interfere with the Spanish mariners. But when the northern voyages of the Cabots became known, King John dispatched an expedition in that direction, under Gasper Cortoreal, toward the close of the year 1500, for the ostensible purpose of seeking a north-west passage to India. Cortoreal coasted along the shores of Labrador several hundred miles, and then freighting his ship with fifty natives whom he had caught, he returned to Portugal, and sold his living cargo, for slaves. Finding the adventure profitable, he sailed for another cargo, but he was never heard of afterward. Almost sixty years later some Portuguese settled in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, and first imported cattle and swine there.

explored the coast from the Carolinas to Newfoundland. He anchored in the Bays of Delaware and New York,' the harbor of Newport, and probably that of Boston, and held intercourse with the natives, who were sometimes friendly and sometimes hostile. Verrazani gave the name of NEW FRANCE to the vast regions within the latitudes of the coasts which he had discovered. But at that time the French King was too much engrossed and impoverished by war with the Spanish monarch, to pay much attention to the important discoveries of Verrazani, or to listen to plans for future expeditions. Ten years elapsed before Admiral Chabon induced Francis to encourage another exploring enterprise, when a plan for making settlements in NEW FRANCE was arranged [1534], and James Cartier, a mariner of St. Malo, was appointed to the command of an expedition. He reached Newfoundland early in June, 1534. After exploring its coasts, he passed through the Straits of Belleisle, into the Gulf beyond, planted a cross with the arms of France upon it, on the shore of Gaspé inlet, and took possession of the whole country in the name of his king. After discovering the mouth of the great river of Canada, he sailed for France, in time to avoid the autumn storms on the American coast.

CARTIER'S SHIP.

ARMS OF FRANCE.

There was great joy at the French court, in the capital, and throughout the whole kingdom, because of the success of Cartier. He was commissioned for another voyage; and in May following [1535] he sailed for Newfoundland with three ships, accompanied by several young noblemen of France. They passed the Straits of Belleisle, and entered the Gulf on the day dedicated to St. Lawrence; and, on that account, Cartier gave the name of the martyr to the broad sheet of water over which they were sailing. They passed up the river which afterward received the same name, and mooring their ships at Quebec, proceeded in a pinnace and boats to Hochelaga, where Montreal now stands, then the capital of the Huron king. The natives were everywhere friendly and hospitable.

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The land in all that region was very level, except a high mountain in the rear of the Indian town. Cartier ascended to its summit, and was so impressed with the glorious view that he called it Mont-Real (royal mountain), which name the fine city at its base yet retains. After exchanging presents and friendly salutations with the Indians, they returned to Quebec, and passed the severe winter on board their ships. In the spring, after setting up a cross, and

1 Some authors say that Verrazani landed where the lower extremity of New York city is, and giving the natives some spirituous liquors, made many of them drunk. The Indians called the place Manna-ha-ta, or "place of drunkenness," and they were afterward called Manna-ha-tans. But this scene of intoxication probably occurred on board the Half-Moo the exploring ship of Hendrick Hudson. See page 59. 2 Pronounced Ke-bec. 3 Page 23.

taking formal possession of the country, they returned to France, having lost twenty-five seamen with the scurvy, a disease until then unknown. Their departure was disgraced by an act of treachery, which planted the seeds of hatred of the white people among the natives of the St. Lawrence. Cartier, under pretense of friendship, decoyed the hospitable Huron king on board one of his vessels and carried him off to France.

occurrence.

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The results of this voyage were little else than a series of disappointments. Cartier's report of the rigors of the winter and the barrenness of the land in precious stones and metals, was discouraging, and four years elapsed before another expedition was planned. At length, Francis de la Roque, better known as lord of Robertval, in Picardy, obtained permission of the king to make further discoveries, and to plant settlements in NEW FRANCE. The king invested him with the empty title of Viceroy of the whole country. Cartier's services being indispensable, he, too, was commissioned, but for subordinate command. He was ready long before Robertval's extensive preparations were completed, and being unwilling to bow to the new Viceroy's authority, he sailed, with five ships, in June, 1541, some months before the departure of his official superior. He had intended to take the Huron king back with him, but the broken-hearted monarch had died in France. It was an unfortunate The natives received Cartier first with coldness, and then showed open hostility. Fearing the Indians, the French built a fort upon the island of Orleans, a little below Quebec. There they passed the winter without accomplishing any important achievement, and in June following [1542], departed for France, just as Robertval arrived at Newfoundland, with two hundred persons. Robertval passed up the St. Lawrence, built two more forts near Quebec, endured a winter of great distress, and, abandoning the idea of settlement, returned to France in the spring of 1543. Six years afterward, he again sailed for the St. Lawrence, and was never heard of again. The discoveries of Verrazani and Cartier, and also of French fishermen, served as the foundation for a claim by France to the northern portion of the American continent. France was now convulsed by the conflicts of religious opinions. It was the era of the Reformation there. The doctrines and the teachings of Calvin and others, in opposition to the faith and practice of the Roman Catholic Church, had already arrayed great masses of the people in violent hostility to each other. The religious war was an absorbing idea, and for fifty years the French government made no further attempts at discovery or colonization. But private enterprise sought to plant a French settlement in the land discovered by D'Ayllon. The Huguenots, or French Protestants, who maintained the faith of early Christianity, were the weaker party in number, and felt the heavy heel of oppression. They had a powerful friend in Jasper Coligny, admiral of France, but a weak protector in the reigning monarch, Charles the Ninth. 3 Page 42.

1 Page 48.

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2 Note 14, page 62.