Venturing to North America(John Cabot)
|
In May 1497, Cabot sailed west from Bristol in a small ship, the Matthew, with a crew of 18 men. He sighted land on June 24. Cabot had probably reached either the island of Newfoundland, Canada, or Cape Breton Island, which is now part of Nova Scotia, Canada. He claimed the land for England. Cabot believed he had reached Asia. Although he did not find the riches he had hoped for, he did find the important fishing area now called the Grand Banks. The fish there were so plentiful that they could be caught by lowering a basket into the sea.
He landed on the American eastcoast at 24 June, 1497 , but his landing-place is a matter of much controversy. He went ashore to take possession of the land, and explored the coast for some time, probably departing at 20 July. On the homeward travel his sailors thought they were going too far north, so Cabot sailed a more southernly course, reaching Brittany instead of England. At 6 August he arrived back in Bristol.
|
In the mistaken belief that he had reached the northeast coast of Asia, Cabot returned to Bristol on Aug. 6, 1497. He reported that the land was excellent, the climate temperate, and the sea covered with enough fish to end England's dependence on Iceland's fish. In the midst of an enthusiastic welcome, he announced his plans to return to his landing place and from there sail westward until he came to Japan, the reputed source of spices and gems.
On Feb. 3, 1498, he received new letters patent for a second expedition.he departed again, with 5 ships this time. Except for one of the ships, that soon after depart made for an Irish port because of distress, nothing was heared of the expedition, or of John Cabot, ever since.
His son , Sebastian also followed in his footsteps and became an explorer.
|
A statue of the famed discoverer
|
John Cabot walked the shores of Newfoundland on May 2 1497, but we know that he wasn't the first to mark the ground with European footprints. The Vikings beat him to it by 500 years when they attempted to colonize L'Anse aux Meadows on the Great Northern Peninsula. But the adventures of the Norse explorers was long forgotten by 1497 and Cabot's landfall in Newfoundland captured the imagination of an Old World on the verge of a new age of discovery.
Biography................John Cabot
|
|
