“Weighing anchor,” reads the letter, “we sailed eighty leagues towards the east, as the coast stretched in that direction, and always in sight of it.  At length we discovered an island of triangular form, about ten leagues from the main land, in size about equal to the island of Rhodes, having many hills covered with trees and well peopled, judging from the great number of fires which we was all around its shores; we gave it the name of your majesty’s illustrious mother.  We did not land there, as the weather was unfavorable, but proceeded to another place, fifteen leagues distant from the island, where we found a very excellent harbor. * * * This land is situated in the parallel of Rome, being 41 degrees 41’ of north latitude.  It looks towards the south, on which side the harbor is half a league broad; afterwards, upon entering it between the east and the north it extends twelve leagues, [Footnote:  A slight correction of the translation of Dr. Cogswell, which is the one we have adopted, here becomes necessary.  It reads:  “upon entering it the extent between the east [misprinted coast], and north, is twelve leagues.”  The text is, “entrando in quello infra oriente e settentrione s’esteude leghe XII.”] and then enlarging itself it forms a very large bay, twenty leagues in circumference, in which are five small islands of great fertility and beauty, covered with large and lofty trees.  Among these islands any fleet, however large, might ride safely, without fear of tempests or other dangers.  Turning towards the south, at the entrance of the harbor on both sides there are very pleasant hills and many streams of clear water which flow down to the sea.  In the midst of the entrance, there is a rock of freestone, formed by nature and suitable for the construction of any kind of machine or bulwark for the defence of the harbor.”

This island is a mere fancy; none such exists any where upon this coast.  The distance which they thus ran easterly, of eighty leagues, would have carried them more than an hundred miles into the ocean beyond Cape Cod.  That distance, however, may be regarded only as approximate, because they possessed no means of determining longitude with accuracy, and therefore this, like all statements in the letter, of distances running east and west, is to be considered an estimate only, formed from the circumstances attending the sailing of the vessel, and liable to serious error.  But the island and bay were objects of actual observation, and are therefore to be regarded as they are described.  After leaving Long Island, which forms the coast in an easterly direction for a little over an hundred miles from the Hudson, only three islands occur, except some insignificant ones and the group of the Elizabeth islands all near the shore, in the entire distance to the easterly shore of Cape Cod, when the coast turns directly north.  They are all three somewhat