points, and claimed this vast territory, which they termed Vir ginia, having made their first settlement at Jamestown.* 4. The Dutch laid claim to New Netherland, but made no settlement till 1613. The Rival Claims.-These four claims overlapped+ each other, and necessarily produced much confusion. When the first few settlements were separated by hundreds of miles of savage forests, this was of little account. But as the settlements increased, it became a source of constant strife, and was decided principally by the sword. Two Centuries of Exploration and One of Settlement.-These explorations had lasted during the fifteenth` and sixteenth centuries, and at the close of the sixteenth, the only permanent settlements were those of the Spaniards at St. Augustine and Santa Fé. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, permanent settlements multiplied. They were made by The FRENCH at Port Royal, N. S., The FRENCH at Quebec, The DUTCH at New York, in 1605; in 1607; in 1608; in 1613; The ENGLISH PURITANS at Plymouth, in 1620. * After this time, the English is the only nation that directly influences the history of the United States. The country was mainly settled by emigrants from Great Britain, and all the colonies in the next epoch became dependencies of that empire. ↑ It is noticeable that the English grants all extended westward to the Pacific ocean, the French southward from the St. Lawrence to the Gulf, and the Spanish northward to the Arctic Ocean. None of the European nations had any idea of the immense territory they were donating. Here lay the shaggy continent from Florida to the Pole, outstretched in savage slumber. On the banks of James river was a nest of woebegone Englishmen, a handful of fur-traders at the mouth of the Hudson, and a few shivering Frenchmen among the snowdrifts of Acadia; while amid still wilder desolation Champlain upheld the banner of France over the icy rock of Quebec. These were the advance guard of civilization, the messengers of promise to a desert continent. Yet, not content with inevitable woes, they were rent by petty jealousies and miserable quarrels, while each little fragment of rival nationalities, just able to keep up its own wretched existence on a few square miles, begrudged to all the rest the smallest share in a domain which all the nations of Europe could not have sufficed to fill.-Parkman. Summary of the History of the First Epoch, arranged in Chronological Order. 1492. Columbus discovered the New World, October 12, South America was discovered by Columbus, August 10, 1512. Ponce de Leon discovered Florida, April 6, 1513. Balboa saw the Pacific Ocean, September 29, 1519-21. Cortez conquered Mexico, 1520. Magellan discovered and sailed through the straits which bear his name, into the Pacific Ocean; and his vessel returning home by the Cape of Good Hope, had made the first circumnavigation of the globe, 1524. Verrazani explored the coast of North America, 1528. Narvaez explored part of Florida, 1534-35. Cartier discovered Gulf of St. Lawrence and ascended the river to Montreal, 1539-41. De Soto rambled over the southern States and in 1541 discovered Mississippi River 27 1540-42. Cabrillo explored California and sailed along the Pa cific Coast, 29 1541-42. Roberval attempted to plant a colony on the St. Law. rence, but failed,. 30 1562. Ribaut attempted to plant a Huguenot colony at Port 31 1564. Laudonniere attempted to plant another Huguenot col- 1565. Melendez founded a colony at St. Augustine, Florida; first permanent settlement in the United States, 1576-7. Frobisher tried to find a northwest passage; entered Baffin's Bay, and twice attempted to found a colony in Labrador, but failed, 1578-80. Drake sailed along Pacific Coast to Oregon; wintered in San Francisco, and circumnavigated the globe, . 1582. Espejo founded Santa Fé; second oldest town in the United States, . 1583. Gilbert attempted to reach the continent, but was lost at sea, 31 23 34 35 29 36 1583-7. Raleigh twice attempted to plant a colony in Virginia, but failed, 1602. Gosnold discovered Cape Cod, May 14, 1605. De Monts established a colony at Port Royal, Nova Sco- permanent 1608. Champlain planted a colony at Quebec; first permanent 1609. Hudson discovered Hudson River, Champlain discovered Lake Champlain, 1613. Settlement of New York by the Dutch,. 1620. Puritans settled at Plymouth; first English settlement References for Reading. Irving's Columbus· Parkman's Pioneers of France, Jesuits in North America, and Discovery of the Great West - Longfellow's Sir Humphrey Gilbert (Poem) — De Vere's Romance of American History -Abbott's Biography of Illustrious Men and Women-T. Irving's De Soto in Florida - Help's Spanish Conquest of America Biddle's Sebastian Cabot-Nicholls' John Cabot - Barlow's Vision of Columbus (Poem) and Poems on Columbus by Samuel Rogers and J. R. Lowell — Simm's Damsel of Darien (Poem)—Scribner's Monthly, Nov., 1874, art., Pictures from Florida Harper's Magazine, Nov., etc., 1874, art., The First Century of the Republic-Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella (Columbus) — Hawk's History of North Carolina (Lost Colony of Roanoke) Shea's Discovery and Exploration of the Mississippi Valley-Wallace's Fair God (Fiction) — Barnes's Centenary History of United States. and tell why each one- i membered. is to ame the French marinators and tell atin each is to the What Frenchsion made ssful attempts to finne America? There were located & what was th What Engishmen ss for attempts New World? Ge Raleigh's attempts. When & by whomes, Nict, Sibered, ? Who dises had lexion phot and the th Sawrence) |