I guess it's true that you can't always believe what you read, since we now know that neither John or Sebastian Cabot discovered anything; at least not in North America. The fact that Sebastian later took credit for the 1497 voyage of his father's (he would have only been about 13), is just one more reason to doubt anything said by either man.
In 1494, John Cabot; who was a slave trader; was primarily in search of human flesh and a passage to the riches of the Orient. He did find the slaves he needed, but though he thought that he had landed in China; it was only Newfoundland, which by then was "Old Found Land".
The following year he set sail with a larger fleet, and was offered all the prisoners, except traitors, that he required for his crew. Only one of the ships made it back safely. As for John, he was either lost at sea or killed in battle with the true owners of the land. If the elder Cabot did make it back to England, he was no doubt fired by his employers, since the trip from their perspective was a complete failure. The fact that England later used this fiasco to claim most of the Atlantic provinces by "Right of Discovery" is ridiculous. There is a reason why there are so many unanswered questions when it comes to the voyages of John Cabot. At the time, they were not worth recording, just as they should be now.
Quotations by Sebastian Cabot
affirmed it to be a thing more divine than human, to sail by the West into the East where spices grow, by a way that was never known before, by this fame and report there increased in my heart a great flame of desire to attempt some notable thing. And understanding by reason of the Sphere, that if I should sail by way of the North-west, I should by a shorter tract come into India, I thereupon caused the King to be advertised of my devise, who immediately commanded two Carvels to be furnished with all things appurtaining to the voyage, which was as far as I remember in the year 1496 in the beginning of summer.
"I began therefore to sail towards the North-west, not thinking to find any land than that of Cathay, and from thence to turn towards India, but after certain days I found that the land ran towards the North, which was to me a great displeasure. Nevertheless, sailing along by the coast to see if I could find any gulf that turned, I found the land still continent to the 56 degree under our Pole. And seeing that there the coast turned toward the East, despairing to find the passage, I turned back again, and sailed down by the coast of that land toward the Equinoctial (ever with intent to find the said passage to India) and came to that part of this firm land which is now called Florida, where my victuals failing, I departed from thence and returned to England, where I found great tumults among the people, and preparation for wars in Scotland: by reason whereof there was no more consideration had to this voyage.
"Whereupon I went into Spain to the Catholic king, and Queen Elizabeth, which being advertised what I had done, entertained me, and at their charges furnished certain ships, wherewith they caused me to sail to discover the coasts of Brazil, where I found an exceeding great and large river named at this present Rio de la plata, that is, the river of silver, into the which I sailed and followed it into the firm land, more than six score
leagues, finding it everywhere very fair, and inhabited with infinite people, which with admiration came running daily to our ships. Into this river run so many other rivers that it is in manner incredible. After this I made many other voyages."
A few misguided historians believe that the Cabots created an interest in the Newfoundland fisheries, but they were flourishing for more than a century before they visited it's shores.
By: Ivan Terence Sanderson
Published 1956 by Boston, Little, Brown
elements and the wrath of all the combined foreign fleets"
