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Page 24
The motive which led Ramusio to make this alteration is found in the
discourse of the French captain of Dieppe, in which it is stated
that this part of the coast was discovered by the Normands and
Bretons and the Portuguese, many years before the Verrazzano voyage.
Ramusio, as he informs us himself, translated that paper from the
French into the Italian and published it in the same volume, in
conjunction with the Verrazzano letter, which he remodelled. He thus
had the contents of both documents before him, at the same time, and
saw the contradiction between them. They could not both be true. To
reconcile them, alterations were necessary; and this change was made
in the letter in order to make it conform to the discourse. The fact
of his making it, proves that he regarded the letter as advancing an
indefensible claim.
It is also to be observed that in adopting the fiftieth parallel as
the extent of the discovery in the north, Ramusio obtained the
statement from the cosmography, showing that he had that portion of
the letter before him; and confirming the conclusion, expressed in a
previous section, that his version was composed from the Carli copy
of the letter, in which alone the cosmography occurs. Whether this
limit was so transposed by him for a purpose or not, may be a
question; but the origin of it cannot be disputed.
VI.
IV. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PEOPLE AND PRODUCTIONS OF THE LAND NOT
MADE FROM THE PERSONAL OBSERVATION OF THE WRITER OF THE LETTER. WHAT
DISTINCTIVELY BELONGED TO THE NATIVES IS UNNOTICED, AND WHAT IS
ORIGINALLY MENTIONED OF THEM IS UNTRUE. FURTHER ALTERATIONS OF THE
TEXT BY RAMUSIO.
We are brought now to the observations in reference to the people
and productions of the country. The communications which the
explorers had with the shore are not represented as having been
numerous, or their visits of long duration, the longest having been
one of three days, while they were riding at anchor off the coast of
North Carolina, and another of fifteen, spent in replenishing the
supplies for their ship, in the harbor in the great bay of
Massachusetts. These opportunities were however, it seems,
sufficient to have enabled them to study the characteristics of the
natives and to determine the nature of the vegetation at those
places; but the description given of both is very general. Not a
single person, sagamore or warrior, or even the boy who was carried
away to France, is designated by name, nor any object peculiar to
the region by its native appellation. Not an Indian word, by which a
locality or a tribe might be traced, occurs in the whole narrative.
Some familiar details are mentioned of Indian manners and customs,
which give the account the appearance of truth, but there is nothing
in them which may not have been deduced from known narratives of
earlier voyages to adjoining parts of America; while much that was
peculiar to the country claimed to have been discovered, and of a
character to compel observation, is omitted; and some particulars
stated which could not have existed.
In its incidents of Indian life it recalls the experiences of
Columbus. When the great discoverer first came to the island of
Hispaniola it is related, "they saw certaine men of the Islande who
perceiving an unknowen native comming toward them, flocked together
and ran into the thicke woodes, as it had bin hares coursed with
greyhoundes. Our men pursuing them took only one woman, whom they
brought, to the ships, where filling her with meate and wine, and
apparrelling her, they let her depart to her companie." Also, "their
boates are made only of one tree made hollow with a certain sharpe
stone, for they have no yron, and are very long and narrow." And
again, "when our men went to prayer, and kneeled on their knees,
after the manner of the Christians, they did the like also. And
after what manner soever they saw them pray to the crosse, they
followed them in all poyntes as well as they could." [Footnote: Peter
Martyr, Dec. LL in Eden.]. The Verrazzano letter tells us, in like
phrase, that when they landed at the end of fifty leagues from the
landfall, "we found that the people had fled to the woods for fear.
By searching around we discovered in the grass a very old woman and
a young girl of about eighteen or twenty, who had concealed
themselves for the same reason. We gave them a part of our
provisions, which they accepted with delight, but the girl would not
touch any." At the same place, it is added, "we saw many of their
boats made of one tree, without the aid of stone or iron or other
kind of metal." And to make the parallel complete, the letter
asserts of the natives, "they are very easy to be persuaded and
imitated us with earnestness and fervor in all which they saw us do
as Christians in our acts of worship." While they were taking in
their supplies and interchanging civilities with the Indians in the
harbor of the great bay, the following scene of royalty is described
as having occurred. "One of the two kings often came with his queen
and many gentlemen (gentili uomini) to see us for his amusement, but
he always stopped at the distance of about two hundred paces, and
sent a boat to inform us of his intended visit, saying they would
come and see our ship. This was done for safety, and as soon as they
had an answer from us, they came off and remained awhile to look
around; but on hearing the annoying cries of the sailors, the king
sent the queen with her maids (demizelle) in a very light boat to
wait near an island, a quarter of a league distant from us while he
remained a long time on board." This hyperbolical description of the
visit of the sachem of Cape Cod accompanied by the gentlemen of his
household and of his squaw queen with her maids of honor, has its
prototype in the visit paid to Bartholomew Columbus, during the
absence of his brother, the admiral, by Bechechio the king or
cacique of Xacagua and his sister, the queen dowager, Anacoana, who
are represented as going to the ship of the Adelantado in two
canoes, "one for himself and certayne of his gentlemen, another for
Anacoana and her waiting women." The astonishment which the natives
manifested at the appearance of the Dauphiny and her crew; their
admiration of the simple toys and little bells which were offered
them by the strangers; their practice of painting their bodies,
adorning themselves with the gay plumage of birds, and habiting
themselves with the skins of animals, seem all analogized, in the
same way, from the accounts given by Peter Martyr of the inhabitant
of the islands discovered by Columbus, and of the northern regions
by Sebastian Cabot. These traits of Indian life and character,
therefore, not having been peculiar to the natives of the country
described in the letter, and having been already mentioned in
earlier accounts of the adjoining parts of America, the description
of them here furnishes no proof of originality or of the truth of
the letter for that reason.
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