The story of Ponce de Leon's discovery of Florida in 1513, just four centuries ago, rests essentially upon a single text, the paraphrase of that explorer's relation, made by the historian Herrera and forming two chapters of his Historia General. The original relation is not known to be existent. That the charts of Ponce de Leon reached Spain and were used in the construction of other maps is evidenced by the cartographic appearance of Florida soon after his discovery, but Herrera seems to have had no knowledge of these charts, nor do well-known type maps like that of Ribero show clearly any first-hand acquaintance with the geographic records of Ponce de Leon. It is with some satisfaction, therefore, that one may direct attention to the less known Freducci map, of which Casanova published in 1894 a photographic reproduction and accompanying monograph,1 for in the Florida of the Freducci map appear nomenclature and geographic outlines that unmistakably derive from the charts of Ponce de Leon. The Freducci map is of Italian construction, having been made at Ancona by Conte Ottomanno Freducci. It is now without date, but Casanova fixes its time as 1514 or 1515. Its representation of Spanish American regions, drawn from Spanish sources, presents nomenclature only slightly touched by Italian influence. So soon was this map made

1 Carta Nautica di Conte di Ottomanno Freducci, in Publicaziones del R. Istituto di Studi Superiori, Florence, 1894. For ordinary reference to the chart Mr. Harrisse's tracing in Découverte et Évolution Cartographique de Terre Neuve, p. 81, will be sufficient. A later map by Freducci, reproduced in Kretschmer's atlas, copies the Florida of his early map, but so conventionalizes the outlines that their historical significance is destroyed.

after the Florida discovery of 1513 that there had not been time for any considerable recopying of Ponce de Leon's records. The Freducci Florida must have derived almost directly from the explorer's charts, and it may, consequently, be ranked as a source document supplementing the text of Herrera.

It is true that Herrera presents with his history a map showing the region of the West Indies and Florida, but that map has no relation to the historian's text concerning Ponce de Leon. It is a derivative map, showing outlines that have degenerated from their original sources through repeated copyings. As a source document it is without value as regards Florida discovery. The Freducci map, on the other hand, by preserving the data of Ponce de Leon, makes it possible to interpret the text of Herrera as it here follows in terms of the modern map and to give his narrative a preciseness of meaning not otherwise possible.

"Juan Ponce de Leon finding himself without office, through Juan Ceron and Miguel Diaz having been restored to those of the island of San Juan, and seeing himself rich, determined to do something with which to gain honor and increase estate; and as he had news that lands were found to the northward he resolved to go to explore toward that part; for which he equipped three vessels, well supplied with provisions, people, and seamen, which for the purpose of exploring are most necessary.2

"He sailed from the island on Thursday, in the afternoon, on the 3rd of March, setting out from the harbor of San German. He went to Aguada, in order to take from there his course. The night following he sailed to sea, to northwest a quarter by north, and the vessels proceeded eight leagues of a day's run, until the sun rose. They went on sailing until on Tuesday, the 8th of the said month, they came to anchor at the banks of Babueça, at an island that they call El Viejo, which is in twenty-two and one-half degrees. Next day they anchored in an islet of the Lucayos called Caycòs. Presently they anchored in another called La Yagùna, in twenty-four degrees. On the 11th of the same month they reached another island called Amaguayo, and there they were at stop for repairs. They passed on to the island called Maneguà, which is in twentyfour and one-half degrees. On the 14th they reached Guanahani, which is in twenty-five degrees and forty minutes, where they prepared one vessel for crossing the weatherward gulf of the islands of the Lucayos. This island Guanahani was the first that the admiral Don Christoval Colon discovered, and where, in his first voyage, he went on land and named it San Salvador. They set out

2 Ponce de Leon also obtained a royal patent authorizing him to discover, possess and colonize the island of Biminy. The text of this patent is in Colección de Documentos Inéditos, XXII: 26. A translation will be found in the American Catholic Historical Society Records for Dec., 1912.

from here, running northwest, and on Sunday, the 27th, which was the day of the Festival of the Resurrection, which commonly they call of Flowers,' they saw an island and did not examine it. And Monday, the 28th, they ran fifteen leagues by the same direction, and Wednesday they proceeded in the same way, and afterward, with bad weather, until, the 2nd of April, running to west-northwest, the water lessening to nine fathoms at one league from land, which was in thirty degrees and eight minutes, they ran along the length of coast seeking harbor and at night they anchored near the land in eight fathoms of water."

The region of the eastern Bahamas had found its way into Spanish maps before Ponce de Leon's voyage, with a varied nomenclature. Freducci's sources for this locality bore names differing from those in Herrera's relation, but in other maps than Freducci's may be found the names used by Ponce de Leon. The term 'baxos de Babueça' in the earlier years was applied to the series of shoals extending from Grand Turk Island easterly to Navidad Bank. In later years the term became restricted to the Mouchoir Carré Bank and finally became disused. El Viejo, Old Man, of Ponce de Leon's voyage, was Grand Turk, the only island on these banks suitable for anchorage. Maps of later times now and then applied the name to one of the small islets lying south from Grand Turk. In early maps the modern Caicos group is easily recognizable by its quadruplet of islands lying in chain. Which one of this group was the Caycòs of Ponce de Leon it would be somewhat rash to say, but the Ribero map and some others seem to attach the name more especially to the modern North Caicos. The next islands reached by the explorers, La Yagùna and Amaguàyo, will be sought in vain in the more familiar Spanish maps of the time. These names went out of use among Spaniards very early. The Silviati map, however, seems to identify them as Mariguana and Plana Cays respectively. The next island, Maneguà, is easily traced. Even Freducci carries its name. It is modern Samana. The island Guanahani, made famous by Columbus, is identified with Watling Island by modern students of the Columbian voyages, and the evidence of early Spanish maps bears out the conclusion. Later maps sometimes transferred the name to Cat Island. The foregoing identifications show that Ponce de Leon skirted the eastern side of the Bahamas. From Watling Island he bore northwesterly, seeing Eleuthera or Great Abaco in the distance, rounded the Little Bahama Bank, and striking almost directly west into unknown waters, found the Florida coast.

3 W. H. Tillinghast gives data on the cartography of Mouchoir Carré Bank in Harv. Univ. Lib. Bibliog. Contrib. No. 14.

4

Herrera says the landfall in Florida was at latitude 30° 8'. On turning back in Herrera's text it will be noted that El Viejo is given latitude 22° 30′ and Guanahani latitude 25° 40′. The true latitudes of these islands are otherwise on modern charts, however. The center of Grand Turk is at 21° 28′ and that of Watling at 24° 2'. Seemingly the record of latitudes made by Ponce de Leon gave him an excess reading of about one degree in latitude 21° 30′ and an excess of about 1° 40′ in latitude 24°. Assuming that his error increased toward the north in regular ratio, it becomes possible to construct a tentative scale of corrected latitudes wherewith to check the ten statements of latitude that Herrera offers. By this scale Grand Turk assumes its true position at 21° 28', Plana Cays take a tentative location of 22° 41' as against true latitude 22° 36′, Samana takes the tentative location of 23° 5', which is also true latitude, Watling assumes its true position of 24° 2′, and the Florida landfall takes tentative latitude 27° 40', a little north of Indian River Inlet. This must be approximately correct. The modern map shows that a vessel skirting Little Bahama Bank as did Ponce de Leon would reach the continent about here. The Freducci map, though showing no indicated latitudes, exhibits a coast which corresponds to that of the real Florida if the latter be terminated at about the latitude stated. The tentative scale, the implications of Herrera and the outlines of Freducci are in harmony on this point.

"And thinking that this land was an island they named it La Florida, because it had a very pretty view of many and cool woodlands, and it was level and uniform: and because, moreover, they discovered it in the time of the Flowery Festival [Pascua Florida] Juan Ponce wished to conform in the name with these two facts. He went on land to take information and possession. On Friday, the 8th, they made sail; they ran in the same direction, and Saturday they sailed to the south a quarter by southeast; and sailing by the same rhumb up to the 20th of April they discovered some huts of Indians, where they anchored. And the day following, all three vessels proceeding along the edge of the sea, they saw a current such that, although they had a great wind, they could not proceed forward, but backward, and it seemed that they were proceeding well; and in the end it was known that it was in such wise the current which was more powerful than the wind. The two vessels that found themselves nearest land anchored, but the current was so

4 The journals of the Cabrillo-Ferrelo exploration of the Pacific Coast in 1542 show a parallel instance of stated latitudes in excess of true latitude, the excess element of which increased as the explorers moved from south to north. Prof. George Davidson tabulates an analysis of these latitude records in his An Examination of the Early Voyages of Discovery and Exploration on the Northwest Coast of America, from 1539 to 1603, Appendix No. 7 to the Report of the Superintendent of the Coast and Geodetic Survey for 1886, pages 244-247.