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Page 39
Gomez commenced his exploration on the coast of South Carolina, and
proceeding thence northwardly, reached the Rio de la buelta, where,
as that name denotes, he commenced his return, on the island of Cape
Breton. He carefully observed the rivers, capes and bays, which
occur within those limits, entering the Chesapeake, Delaware, Hudson
and Penobscot, to which he gave appropriate names, derived from the
church calendar, or from some characteristic of the locality. He was
for a while encouraged to believe, in consequence of the great flood
of water which he found issuing from the Penobscot, or Rio de Gamos,
(Stag river), that he had there fallen upon the desired strait.
Though unsuccessful in the object of his search, he nevertheless
accomplished an important service for geographical science, in
determining that no such passage existed within the region he had
sailed. Taking in a cargo of Indians from the islands of the great
bay, he continued his course to the south, and running along the
coast of Florida, returned to Spain by way of Cuba. [Footnote: Peter
Martyr, Dec. VI. c. 10. Herrera, III, VIII. S. Cespedes, Yslario
General, in MS. Cespedes was cosmographer major of the Indies in
Seville and wrote many geographical works early in the seventeenth
century. His Yslario General, embracing a history of the islands of
the world, exists in the Biblioteca Nacional in Madrid.]
The authenticity of this voyage is established by Oviedo and Peter
Martyr both of whom were eyewitnesses of the Indians which Gomez
brought home and exhibited at Toledo. Both of these writers have
given short accounts of the voyage, which, as it was not successful
in the purpose for which it was undertaken and promised no returns
of gold, excited no public attention. The results were, however,
interesting to the hydrographers of Spain, who soon prepared charts
of the coast, according to his exploration, among which that made by
Diego Ribero, associate of Gomez at the junta of Badajos, and royal
cosmographer, will demand especial attention.
The voyage of Gomez and what he had accomplished became immediately
known to the world at large by printed publications. He arrived home
on his return in November 1525; and three months afterwards Oviedo
published his first work, addressed to the emperor, in which he
makes the following brief mention of the expedition.
"Shortly after that yowr Maiestie came to the citie of Toledo, there
arryved in the moneth of November, Stephen Gomes the pylot who the
yeare before of 1524 by the commandement of yowre maiestie sayled to
the Northe partes and founde a greate parte of lande continuate from
that which is cauled Baccaleos discoursynge towarde the West to the
XL and XLI degree, fro whense he brought certeyne Indians, of the
whiche he brought sum with hym from thense who are yet in Toledo at
this present, and of greater stature than other of the firme land as
they are commonlye. Theyr coloure is much like the other of the
firme lande. They are great archers, and go couered with the skinnes
of dyuers beastes both wylde and tame. In this lande are many
excellent furres, as marterns, sables and such other rych furres, of
the which the sayde pilot brought summe with hym into Spayne. They
have sylver and copper and certeyne other metalles. They are
Idolaters and honoure the soonne and moone, and are seduced with
suche superstitions and errours as are they of the firme."
[Footnote: Oviedo de la natural hystoria de las Indias. (Toledo, 15
Feby. 1526), fol. 14; and under the title of Relucion Sumaria, p.
16, in Barcia's Historiadores primitivas, tome 1. Translated in
Eden's Decades of the new worlde, fol. 213-14.]
The details of the exploration appear more distinctly upon the
charts which the royal cosmographers at Seville prepared, with the
names given to the prominent points of the coast. Two of these maps
are still extant, bearing the respective dates of 1527 and 1529, the
first by an anonymous cartographer, and the last by Ribero.
[Footnote: Both these maps, so far as they relate to America, have
been reproduced, with very valuable notes and illustrations, by Mr.
Kohl in Die beiden altesten general karten von Amerika. Weimar
1860.] The whole line of coast from the river Jordan, in latitude 33
degrees 10', visited by both the expeditions of Ayllon, to Cape
Breton, is laid down upon them with sufficient exactitude. The names
indicate the exploration to have been made by Gomez the whole
distance between those points; for no other navigator of Spain, in
the language of which they are given, had sailed within those limits
up to the time these maps bear date. The only question which has
been raised in this regard relates to the expeditions of Ayllon; but
the first of these, a joint descent upon the coast to carry off
Indians in 1520 by two vessels belonging to the licentiates Ayllon
and Matienzo of St. Domingo, proceeded no further than the Jordan,
as we learn from the testimony of Pedro de Quejo, the pilot of
Matienzo. [Footnote: Proceedings before the Auditors at St Domingo,
by virtues of a royal decree of Nov. 1525, in relation to the
dispute between Ayllon and Matienzo concerning their discovery,
preserved in MS. at Seville.] The expedition which Ayllon made
afterwards in 1526, in person, to the same coast, proceeded directly
to the river Jordan, and after remaining there a few days, ran
southwesterly along the coast to Gualdape or St Helena, where Ayllon
died, and from whence it thereupon immediately returned home to St
Domingo, without any further attempt at exploration. [Footnote: tom.
III. p 624. (Madrid 1853.) Mr. Kohl states (Discovery of Mains, 397)
that the ships of Ayllon made an extensive survey of the coast,
NORTH of the Jordan, soon after their arrival in the country. In
this he is in error; into which he appears to have been misled by
Navarrete, a part of whose language he quotes in a note, as that of
Oviedo. Navarret, referring to the portion of Oviedo's history, not
then (1899) published, as his authority, says on this point that
after leaving the river Jordan the ships of Ayllon proceeded to
Gualdape, "distante cuarenta o cicuenta leguas mas al norte" distant
forty or fifty leagues more to the north; whereas the language of
Oviedo, as contained in the recently published edition of his work,
is, "acordaron de yrse a pohlar la costa delante hacia la costa
accidental, e fueron a un grand rio (quarenta o quarenta e cico
leguas de alli, pocas mas o menos) que si dice Gualdape," (ut supra,
p. 628) they agreed to go and settle the coast further on towards
the west coast, and sent to a large river (forty or fifty-five
leagues from that place, a little more or less) which is called
Gualdape. The course of the coast at these points is northeast and
southwest. A westerly course was therefore to the SOUTH and not to
the north. Besides, Oviedo states that the Jordan was in latitude 33
degrees 40' and that Gualdape was the country through which the
river St. Helena ran, which he also calls the river of Gualdape, and
which in another part of his history he places in latitude 33
degrees N., and expressly stating that the Jordan was north of the
St. Helena, towards Cape Trafalgar, or Cape Fear (tom. II p. 144.)
Ayllon, therefore did not sail north of the Jordan, and the names on
the Ribero map, north of that river, are not attributed to his
expedition.]
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