N. joins Carthagena
in the west about the same latitude, and never reaches above 12 deg. N.
Were it not that the author immediately afterwards distinctly names
the coast of Paria, the latitude of the text would lead us to suppose
that he had been exploring the northern coast of Cuba. - E.
[10] Even supposing Americus to have coasted along the whole northern
shore of South America, from Trinidad to Costa-rica, the distance does
not exceed twenty-three degrees of longitude, and the coast of Paria
or Cumana is scarce 15 degrees. The number of leagues, therefore, in
the text is greatly exaggerated, unless we suppose them only to have
been Italian miles. - E.
[11] The relation of this voyage is so exceedingly vague that we have no
means of determining any of the places which were touched at. From the
resemblance of the name in the text to Haiti, or Aiti, this island may
possibly have been Hispaniola. - E.
[12] The author affects classical names for modern fire-arms, naming what
we have translated hand-guns balistae colubrinae. Cannon are
sometimes called tormenta bellica, and at other times machina
saxivoma - E.
SECTION II.
The Second Voyage of Americas Vespucius.
We set sail from Cadiz on our second voyage on the 11th of May 1499,
taking our course past the Cape Verds and Canaries for the island of
Ignis, where we took in a supply of wood and water: