“A letter which follows that of Verrazzano, gives, as it seems to us, a sufficient explanation of the origin of this manuscript.  It was written by a young Florentine, named Fernando Carli, and is addressed from Lyons to his father in Florence.  It mentions the arrival of Verrazzano at Dieppe, and contains several circumstances about him, which throw a new though still a feeble light upon parts of his history, hitherto wholly unknown.  It is by the discovery of this letter, that we have been enabled to form a sketch of him, somewhat more complete than any which has ever yet been given.

“The history of both manuscripts is probably as follows:  Carli wrote to his father, thinking, as he himself tells it, that the news of Verrazzano’s return would give great satisfaction to many of their friends in Florence.  He added at the same time, and this also we learn from his own words, a copy of Verrazzano’s letter to the king.  Both his letter and his copy of Verrazzano’s were intended to be shown to his Florentine acquaintances.  Copies, as is usual in such cases, were taken of them; and to us it seems evident that from some one of these the copy in the Magliabechian manuscript was derived.  The appearance of this last, which was prepared for some individual fond of collecting miscellaneous documents, if not by him, is a sufficient corroboration of our statement.” [Footnote:  Historical Studies:  by George Washington Greene, New York, 1850; p. 323.  Life and Voyages of Verrazzano (by the same), in the North American Review for October, 1837. (Vol. 45, p. 306).]

Adopting the Carli copy as the primitive form of the Verrazzano letter, and the Carli letter as the original means by which it has been communicated to the world, the inquiry is resolved into the authenticity of the Carli letter.  There are sufficient reasons to denounce this letter as a pure invention; and in order to present those reasons more clearly, we here give a translation of it in full: 

Letter of Fernando Carli to his Father. [Footnote:  The letter of Carli was first published in 1844, with the discourse of Mr. Greene on Verrazzano, in the Saggiatore (I, 257), a Roman journal of history, the fine arts and philology. (M.  Arcangeli, Discorso sopra Giovanni da Verrazzano, p. 35, in Archivio Storico Italiano.  Appendice tom.  IX.) It will be found in our appendix, according to the reprint in the latter work.]

In the name of God.

4 August, 1524.

Honorable Father: 

Considering that when I was in the armada in Barbary at Garbich the news were advised you daily from the illustrious Sig.  Don Hugo de Moncada, Captain General of the Caesarean Majesty in those barbarous parts, [of what] happened in contending with the Moors of that island; by which it appears you caused pleasure to many of our patrons and friends and congratulated yourselves on the victory achieved:  so there being here news recently of the arrival of Captain