“The Strozzi Library is no longer in existence; but the manuscripts of that collection passed into the hands of the Tuscan government, and were divided between the Magliabechian and Laurentian libraries of Florence.  The historical documents were deposited in the former.  Among them was the cosmographical narration of Verrazzano mentioned by Tiraboschi, and which Mr. Bancroft expresses a desire to see copied for the Historical Society of New York.  It is contained in a volume of Miscellanies, marked “Class XIII.  Cod. 89.  Verraz;” and forms the concluding portion of the letter to Francis the First, which is copied at length in the same volume.  It is written in the common running hand of the sixteenth century (carrattere corsivo), tolerably distinct, but badly pointed.  The whole volume, which is composed of miscellaneous pieces, chiefly relating to contemporary history, is evidently the work of the same hand.

“Upon collating this manuscript with that part of the letter which was published by Ramusio, we were struck with the differences in language which run through every paragraph of the two texts.  In substance there is no important difference [Footnote:  In this statement Mr. Greene was mistaken, as will be manifested in a comparison of the two texts hereafter given, in which the difference of language will also appear.] except in one instance, where by an evident blunder of the transcriber, bianchissimo is put for branzino.  There is something so peculiar in the style of this letter, as it reads, in the manuscript of the Magliabechian, that it is impossible to account for its variations from Ramusio, except by supposing that this editor worked the whole piece over anew, correcting the errors of language upon his own authority. [Footnote:  Mr. Greene adds in a note to this passage:  “He did so also with the translation of Marco Polo.  See Apostolo Zeno, Annot. alla Bib.  Ital. del Fontanini, tom.  II, p. 300; ed. di Parma. 1804.”  There is another instance mentioned by Amoretti in the preface to his translation of Pigafetta’s journal of Magellan’s voyage, and that was with Fabre’s translation of the copy of the journal given by Pigafetta to the mother of Francis I. Premier voyage autour du monde. xxxii. (Jansen, Paris l’an ix.)] These errors indeed are numerous, and the whole exhibits a strange mixture of Latinisms [Footnote:  An instance of these Latinisms is the signature “Janus Verrazzanus,” affixed to the letter.] and absolute barbarisms with pure Tuscan words and phrases.  The general cast of it, however, is simple and not unpleasing.  The obscurity of many of the sentences is, in a great measure, owing to false pointing.

“The cosmographical description forms the last three pages of the letter.  It was doubtless intentionally omitted by Ramusio, though it would be difficult to say why.  Some of the readings are apparently corrupt; nor, ignorant as we are of nautical science, was it in our power to correct them.  There are also some slight mistakes, which must be attributed to the transcriber.