Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/535

 CABOT 529 different parts of the city communicate with each other by narrow gates. The streets are narrow, and the houses, built of sun-dried bricks and wood, are two or three stories high, with flat roofs. The serais, or public inns, are numerous, but neither convenient nor elegant. The baths are filthy. The river is crossed by three bridges, one of which is a substantial struc- ture of brick and stone. The climate, from the proximity of snow-covered mountains and the elevation of the city, is severe during the win- ter, which begins in October and lasts through March. In this season the wealthy citizens remain within doors, but in summer they live almost entirely in the open air. The cara- vans between Persia and India pass through the city, and it is a place of considerable trade, being the emporium for the valley of the river. Its own industry, which is not important, con- sists chiefly in the manufacture of iron ware, leather, cotton, and shawls. Oabool was for a short time the capital of the emperor Baber. In 1738 it was taken by Nadir Shah and an- nexed to his Persian dominions. In 1774 Ti- mour, the son of Ahmed Khan, made it the capital of the Durrani empire, and it so re- mained until the downfall of the dynasty. Dost Mohammed Khan then took possession of it, and held it until he was ousted by the British in 1839. In 1842 the British destroyed the handsomest of the bazaars for which the city was celebrated, in punishment for the treachery of its inhabitants, and damaged the Bala Hissar. CABOT, George, an American senator, born at Salem, Mass., Dec. 3, 1751, died in Boston, April 18, 1823. After having made several voyages as master of a ship, lie was at the age of 25 chosen member of the provincial con- gress of Massachusetts, where he opposed an attempt to fix by law a maximum price for provisions. In 1788 he was a member of the state convention which adopted the federal constitution, and in 1789 was elected to the senate of the United States, where his knowl- edge of commerce and the laws of trade was of great service. He was appointed the first secretary of the navy, May 3, 1798, but de- clined. He belonged to the federal party, and in 1814 was president of the Hartford conven- tion, after which he retired from public life. CABOT. I. John, or Giovanni Caboto, or, in the Venetian dialect, ZUAN CALBOT or ZUAN CABOTO, the discoverer of the continent of North America. His name first occurs in the archives of Venice; on March 28, 1476, deni- zation was granted him after the customary residence of 15 years. The full entry of his denization would probably have named his birthplace ; but it is not to be found. In the year 1495, and probably for years before, he resided at Bristol with his wife, who was a Venetian woman, and three sons. At that time it had become the received opinion that the earth is a sphere, and that the shortest and readiest way of reaching the Indies was by sailing west. This opinion was confirmed by the voyage of Columbus, who was thought to have reached the outlying isles of the Indies. On March 5, 1496, John Cabot and his three sons obtained a patent from Henry VII., au- thorizing them or either of them, their heirs or their assigns, to search for islands, provinces, or regions in the eastern, western, or northern seas; and, as vassals of the English king, to occupy the territories that might be found, with an exclusive right to their commerce, on pay- ing the king a fifth part of all profits. Under this charter, John Cabot, some time in May, 1497, embarked in a single vessel, accompanied by his son Sebastian, and sailed west, as he said, 700 leagues, when, on June 24, he came upon land which he assumed to be a part of the dominions of the Grand Cham, but which was in reality the coast of Labrador. A letter of that year represents him as hav- ing sailed along the coast for 300 leagues; he landed, but saw no person, though he be- lieved the country not uninhabited. He plant- ed on the soil the banners of England and of Venice. On his return he discerned two isl- ands to the starboard, but, for want of provi- sions, did not stop to examine them. He reached Bristol in August. His discovery at- tracted great attention, and on Feb. 3, 1498, Henry VII. granted John Cabot special au- thority to impress six English ships at no high- er charges than were paid for ships taken for the king's service, to enlist companies of vol- unteers, "and theym convey and lede to the londe and iles of late founde by the seid John." This license has been erroneously called a sec- ond charter ; it was not so ; the charter of 1496 was still valid and sufficient. This license is the last record that has been found of the career of John Cabot. He himself made no voyage under it, from what cause can only be conjectured. Neither the time nor the place of his death, nor his age, is known. Neither is it known what country gave him birth. He was a Venetian only by denization. As he is found residing at Bristol, the conjecture would arise that he was born an Englishman ; but the license granted him in 1498 calls him " Ka- botto, Venecian," a phrase which in our day, and still more in those days of stricter feudal rule, clearly implies that he was not a natural born subject of the king of England. Had he been so, he would have been claimed as an Englishman. Thus not even the native coun- try of the discoverer of the North American continent can be ascertained. The authorities respecting John Cabot are, the Venetian ar- chives; the patent granted him in 1496; the license in 1498 ; a letter dated Aug. 23, 1497, from Lorenzo Pasqualigo, a merchant at Lon- don, to his brothers at Venice ; and the legend on the map of Sebastian Cabot, cited in Hak- luyt, giving June 24, 1497, as the date of the discovery of the continent. In 1566 there was at Oxford a copy of Sebastian Cabot's map on which the date of the legend was 1494. An- other copy with the same date has been discov-