CANADA HISTORY - DOCUMENTS EXPLORERS

1497 Letter from Bristol merchant John Day to the Lord Grand Admiral of Castile

Analysis of the Document - (The Document follows below the Analysis)

The 1497 Letter from Bristol merchant John Day to the Lord Grand Admiral of Castile provides one of the most detailed contemporary accounts of John Cabot's historic voyage to North America. Written shortly after Cabot’s return from his 1497 expedition, Day’s letter confirms that Cabot had discovered what was likely the coast of Newfoundland. Day’s account emphasized Cabot’s achievements and relayed the merchant community's excitement over the rich fishing grounds and potential new trade routes Cabot had identified.

For Canada, this letter has significant historical implications. It confirms England's early claim to North American territory and highlights the economic opportunities that would fuel further exploration and eventual colonization. Cabot’s discovery, as detailed in Day’s letter, represents the first step in England’s long-term presence in the northern Atlantic, a presence that would culminate in the establishment of Newfoundland as England’s first overseas colony.

The letter also hints at the global context of exploration. Day’s communication to the Lord Admiral of Castile underscores the competitive nature of European expansion, with nations vying for new territories and trade routes. In Canada’s early history, this competition between European powers would play a major role in shaping the political and economic landscape, particularly in the scramble for control of resources like fish and furs.

John Day’s letter, though brief, encapsulates the excitement and ambition of European exploration in the late 15th century. It reflects the strategic importance of Cabot’s discovery for England and hints at the larger imperial ambitions that would shape Canada’s development over the next several centuries. Cabot’s voyage, and Day’s subsequent report, would be instrumental in laying the foundation for England’s claims in the New World, which would evolve into the establishment of Canada as a British colony in the centuries to come.

In summary, John Day's letter is a key document in the annals of Canadian history. It represents not only the first recorded account of a European expedition to Canada but also the earliest spark of English interest in the northern territories of North America—a spark that would ignite a centuries-long struggle for control over what would become one of Britain’s most important colonies.

They found tall trees of the kind masts are made and other small trees and the country is very rich in grass.

They found a trail that went inland, they saw a site where fire had been made, they saw manure of animals which they thought to be farm animals, and they saw a stick half a yard long pierced at both ends, carved and painted with brazil (a red dye), and by such signs they believed the land to be inhabited.

Since he (Cabot) was with just a few people, he did not dare advance inland beyond the shooting distance of a cross-bow and, after taking in fresh water, he returned to his ship.

All along the coast they found many fish like those which in Iceland are dried in the open and sold in England and other countries and these fish are called in English stock-fish. Thus following the shore, they saw two tracks running on land one after the other.

But they could not tell if they were human beings or animals and it seemed to them that there were fields where they thought there might be villages and they saw a forest whose foliage looked beautiful.

It is considered certain that the cape of the said land was found and discovered in the past by the men from Bristol who found Brasil, as your Lordship well knows. It was called the Island of Brasil and it is assumed and believed to be the mainland that the men from Bristol found.