NEW PAGE IN HISTORY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 22, 27 January 1911, Page 4

NEW PAGE IN HISTORY

AUSTRALIA'S DISCOVERER. WAS IT AMERIGO VESPUCCI? IMPORTANT FIND IN POLAND. A ROMANTIC STORY. It was recorded by cable last week that "Australia -was discovered in 1499 by Amerigo Vespucci, the Florentine." This is a discovery which Mr. Edward A. Petherick, of the Federal Government Library, claims to have made after researches extending over 40 years. Ho now makes this deiinite announcement for the first time, though nearly 14 years ago he announced, through the Melbourne Argus that he believed such to be the case. Recently, however, what Mr. Petherick regards to be the crowning proof was brought to light by a University professor at Cracow, in Poland (cays the Sydnoy Morning Herald). Mr. Petherick, who is known for his important bibliographical work and his library of Australiana, which he has presented to the Commonwealth as the nucleus of an Australasian Historical Museum, has been in communication with the Cracow professor, and he has his permission to publish the professor's researches, together with his own. MAPS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY. "Though I came as a delegate of the Science Congress from our Geographical Society, Melbourne," said Mr. Pether'ick to a representative of the Herald, "I was unable to be present at the reading of Mr. Collingridge's paper, being engaged at the *ioment with the Chancellor ol _ the University on another matter. Writers on the early discoveries of Australia atill have a hankering after those old ma.ppemondes of the sixteenth century, supposing these are evidence of French discoveries or of a knowledge of tho east coast of Australia. 4. French expedition from Dieppe reached Sumatra in 1529 ; and Bougainville in 1768 saw enough of the Barrier Reef in time to avoid being wrecked upon it a few months before Captain Cook passed inside it ; but no J) renchman made an earlier discovery on «hese coasts. ''More than a quarter of a century ago I drew attention, to the ruappemonde of Deslicns (1566), and the late Mr. Major, Keeper of the Maps in the British Museum, admitted that it settlod the question as to alleged French discoveries. The representations of the east coast of the 'Jave le Grand' (Australia) delineated in those maps are, I assert, very rough representations and repetitions of the east coast of South America, when that continent and our Australia were supposed to be one, before the Pacific Ocean was known. Magellan and his companions, passing through his 'Strait,' discovered an ocean 9000 miles wide, upsetting preconceived ideas of geographers and cartographers, and thus divided the original 'Terre Australe' into two continents, as ehown on these old French mappemondes — the coasts of the one continent being erroneously repeated. Both east coasts extend to 55 deg. S., with extreme east capes named 'Fremosa,' and a great river (tie Amazon) ; both &re bounded by a_ west coast with the place name 'Cattigara' of the Tndian Ocean repeated. That, in short, is tho explanation of these old lnapuemondee. GIANT TREES— AND A KANGAROO. "Australia was discovered 'in 1499. Going to tha Paris National Library in. 1884 to look at tha 1535 Globe, showing an Antarctic J Terra Atistralis,' discovered 1499»'1 ttonld not see jfc that day— the globe-room was closed. I have not seen it since, but your readers may see a representation of it in Mr. Collingrklge's book. In passing back^ however, through a corridor, very dimly lit, I noticed the Desliens mappemonde, where it Jiad been for thirty years, so my visit was not an unprofitable one. "Unable then, and with little inclination at any time to enter into controversy, J 1 always kept the subject in mind, because I had read in Peter Martyr's 'Decadea' of the discovery of a coast in 1499, in which trees grew ot such magnitude thai sixteen men standing around one could scarcely encompass it. That, I thought, must be southwest Australia, between King George's Sound, and Cape Letmwm. Amongst those big trees was found a monstrous beast, with the head of a fox, the hands of a man, th& tail of v monkey, and that provision of nature, a bag in which to carry its young. 'A kangaroo,' I exclaimed. The beast so described wan caught alivb with Ur young, but during the long voyage both died. The carcase of the dam was taken to tne Court of Ferdinand and Isabella in the year 1500 ; and was reported to have been brought from Brazil by the Pinzons^ — an error, I believed. "WHO WOULD BELIEVE IT?" "After further search I learned that the country of the big tree& was discovered by Diego de Lepa. That led to other finds, and opened up a vista, which I dared scarcely mention — tho probable discovery of Australia, by one whose namo is to-day, and has been ior nearly four centuries, on tho great western continents, Amerigo Vespucci. I had little doubt of the fact myself, but how to get anyone else to believe it? "The voyages published bofore those of Columbus, and still circulating under the name of Americus Vesputius, mention neither the names of voyagers nor ships; nor do they give routes or logs. The Southern Cross is scon and marvels described, but there ia nothing tangible in the stories. The writer says he intends to write the account of his four, voyages. I am inclined to believe that these stories are made up of mere gossip, and that they are spurious and unauthentic narratives. From the lack of evidence in those 'tales,' no historian has hitherto been able to decide with vhom Vespucci sailed, or where he sailed. It is known that he was out of Spain in 1498 and 1499 — the years De Lepe was absent. When Lepo returned home he went to Lisbon, and in company with Vespucci, to get another expedition fitted out. ,Why did they go to Lisbon? Because their discovery was made in the Eastern, or Portuguese, ■ hemisphere. De Lepe died in Lisbon. I Years afterwards, when Columbus's heirs were suing for their right* and privileges as discoverers in South Amej rica, the Government brought all the i evidence they could to support other claimants. One who had been with De Lepe, when asked where he had gone, I could only say that he had been farther south, than, any previous navigator. GREATER *THAN COLUMBUS. "Vespucci, who was then dead, was x friend of Columbus. His roputaton »» a navigator and mathematician was grettev than that of Columbu*, who was treated as a dreamer rather than a man of science. H» m«t Columbu* at Seville, and received from him a. letter for hi» son, then at the Court of Spain — a letter of t kindly introduction. A» w« all know, ' Vespucci was mada Pilot-Major of Spain, an appointment 1 which he held till his death in 1512. He | has been abused, and his character held i jup to reprobation for three hundred years for usurping th© discoveries of I his friend, Columbus. The placing of ! his name upon the Western Continent was an error, due to misunderstanding and misapprehension, and unknown to •him. The author of "Utopia" (attri-/

bufced to Sir Thomas More) assumes a meeting with Hylacoraylus, a, friend of Vespucci, and in their conversations places his discovery south of India. The Hunt-Lenox globe, now in the New York Library (shown in projection in the 'Ency. Brit., 9th edit., 'Art Globe), includes the outline of a continent east of Africa and Madagascai, and south of India. THE DISCOVERY IN POLAND. "Recently, a little globe of the same period (1508-10), forming part of the ornamentation of a clock, was taken out of its armillary sphere — wherein it had evidently been, covered for 400 years — and examined. It was in the Jagellon University of Cracotv, Poland — a. University which a year or two ago celebrated its 600 th anniversary. On that globe, 2£ inches only in diameter, Professor Tad. Estreicher noticed an outline south of India, similar to that on the Hunt-Lenox globe, but with the addition of these words :—: — "AMERICA NOVITER REPERTA." "Professor Estreicher published, as the result of his examination, a long paper arguing the discovery of Australia._ Upon- hearing of this, I placed myself in communication with him, and w© agreed that the evidence we had found tended towards the solution of, if it does not fully solve, an enigma of four centuries — perhaps the greatest enigma of modern geographical discovery. I have his permission to publish his researches with my c^wn, now extending over forty years. "Several projections of the little Jagellon globe, much magnified, were exhibited at last Friday evening's conversazione in the Great Hall of the University, as well as a portrait in oil of Amerigo, copied from an original of Titian. It is a typical, if not, as it could scarcely be, an authentic portrait of the eminent Florentine by the great Venetian, painter. This was obtained for me by Mr. Richard Thomsbn, agent for Messrs. Angus and Robertson, during his last visit to Europe."