Letter of July, 1524, in which the Florentine navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano reports to the King François I his accomplishments during his voyage of exploration of the North American coast (from the South Carolina to Nova Scotia)

 Dieppe, July 8, 1524

Your Most Serene Highness,

 Now that I have returned from my travels, I wish to relate all that we have discovered to Your Majesty.

We left the uninhabited Isle of Deserta (Ilhas Desertas), near the Island of Madera, on January 17, 1524. The crew of our ship, the Dalfina, was made up of fifty men. We had on board enough food and water, arms and other instruments of war, as well as naval munitions, to last for eight months on the high seas. We set off on a westward course, with a light, gentle wind blowing behind us from the east. We travelled eight hundred leagues (about 4800 kilometres) in just twenty – four days.  On the twenty fourth of February, at about four o’clock in the afternoon, we were hit by a storm so violent that I believe no sailor has ever seen the like.

Only by divine intervention and good fortune, and thanks also to the solidity of our glorious ship, were we able to withstand the blows of the waves and come through this misadventure safely. 

We proceeded on our course to the west, with a slight deviation to the north. In another twenty-five days we travelled another four hundred leagues (about 2400 kilometres), at which point we found ourselves before a land never before seen by man, ancient or modern. We approached to within a distance of a quarter of a league (one kilometre and a half) from the land, and at that distance were able to determine that it must be inhabited as there were large bonfires burning on the shores. As we found no port or inlet to dock our ship in, we put down our anchor offshore, and sent a boat toward the beaches. We were able to see a large number of people, who had apparently come down to observe our approach, but they fled as soon as we arrived at the shores. We tried to reassure them with all manner of friendly gesture. A few of the braver finally came forth, and expressed great joy at seeing us. They expressed amazement at our way of dressing, our appearance and the colour of our skin. We disembarked at that point, and were able to learn some thing about these people, their lives and their culture which I shall hereby report to Your Majesty.

These men were naked, except for the small skirt-like garment they used to cover their genitals. This they fashioned from the pelts of small, marten-like animals, which hung from their waists to their knees from a belt made of grass interwoven with animal tails. For the rest, they were nude as well as bare-headed. Some, however, wore feather headdresses.

The men and women are dark-skinned, not unlike Ethiopians, and have thick, black hair which they tie behind their necks. They are well-built, and of medium to above-average height when compared to us. They have broad chests and strong arms and legs, and on the whole, are very well proportioned. Their eyes are large and black, and have a quick and watchful look to them. Though they do not seem extraordinarily strong, they are swift and resistant runners. We were not able to discover more details of their lives, as we could only remain on land briefly, having left the ship with the rest of the crew aboard.

The shore, covered with a fine sand, rises to a height of fifteen feet, and is about fifty paces wide. Beyond, from its height above the sandy shore, the earth stretches away in beautiful plains and great forests. The woods are in some places thick, in others sparse, and the trees are so colourful and beautiful to behold that they are difficult to describe in words.

These lands are teeming with animals (deer, hare, etc.). There are lakes and ponds and a variety of birds plentiful enough to satisfy any hunter's fondest dream. The air is pure and wholesome, neither too hot nor too cold. The skies are clear and blue, and it seldom rains.

We continued our journey following the coast which curved westward (in an east to northeast direction). We soon noted a great number of large bonfires and throngs of people on the shore. As it was necessary for us to replenish our supply of fresh water, we put down our anchors off-shore, there again being no port. But at that spot, the sea beat down on the shore in gigantic waves, and it was impossible for the twenty-five men we had sent out in the boat to reach the land without great risk. The people on the beach had noticed what was happening, however, and rushed toward the approaching men with welcoming gestures, inviting them to disembark. What we saw next, Your Majesty, was an episode wondrous to observe. We sent one of our younger sailors out to swim to the shore and bring some trinkets as a peace offering. These objects were things like bells, mirrors and other little ornaments. The sailor was hit, however, by a wave so violent it threw him to the shore and left him there in a stunned state. Seeing this, the natives grabbed him by the head and arms and legs and dragged him up onto the beach. The sailor, feeling himself powerless, began to shout. The men then spoke to him in their language, and made gestures aimed at calming him. They laid him out on the ground, at the foot of a small hill, and studied him in amazement. After looking him up and down, they stripped him of his clothes. They then lit a great fire and moved him toward it. Seeing this, the other sailors on the boat became very much afraid, as they always are when something unfamiliar happens. They imagined that the natives meant to roast the sailor and eat him! In the meantime, the sailor had come to his senses. After remaining for some time among the natives, he made signs that he wished to return to the boat where we were waiting. They continued expressing their affection, touching and embracing him, but eventually took him back down to the sea. From a hill, they watched until he had climbed back into the boat.

The people we met here are dark-skinned, like those we encountered before. Their skin has a glossy sheen. They are of medium height, and though they do not seem exceptionally strong, they are gifted with a lively intelligence.

From this place we proceeded northward along the coast. After fifty leagues (about 300 kilometres), we came upon an even more beautiful place, covered with wide forests. Here we put down our anchor once again. Twenty of us penetrated the forest for about two leagues (12 kilometres), and once there, realized that the people had hidden themselves inland, in the forest.

The natives here seemed to be lighter-skinned than those we had encountered previously. They clothe themselves in grasses that hereabouts hang from the branches of the trees, and which they braid together with cords of hemp. They, like the others, are bare-headed. They nourish themselves principally on beans of various colours and sizes. They hunt and fish as well, using bows and snare traps. Their bows are made of hard wood. Their arrows they fashion of cane, with bones of fish or other animals as arrow-heads. The animals in these parts are more ferocious than are those in Europe, as they are continually molested by the many hunters. The boats we saw were built from a single tree trunk, twenty feet long and four feet wide. In their construction, no stone, iron or other metal is employed. In the whole two hundred leagues (1200 kilometres) we travelled along this coast, in fact, we never saw a single stone. To make their boats, they burn the inside of the tree trunk just enough to create a cavity. They use the same method to shape the prow and the stern so that the boat can plough through the waves of the seas.

The land here is similar to that we had seen before, in its contours and fertility, as well as its beauty. The forests, though not extremely thick, are full of trees of all sorts. The trees here are not, however, particularly fragrant, as we were now farther north, where the climate is colder. We noticed many wild grapevines climbing up the trees, as they do in the north of Italy. If these vines were to be cultivated, they would surely produce some excellent wines. I tasted the grapes on several occasions and found them flavourful and sweet. That the natives consider the grapes important can be seen from the fact that they clear the weeds from growing around them, so as to facilitate their germination. We saw wild roses, violets, and lilies, as well as many flowers and herbs we did not recognize as they were new to us. We did not have the occasion to see the houses as they were situated farther inland than where we ventured, but we concluded that they must be made of wood and vegetable fibres. There was good evidence, however, that many of the people sleep out in the open. We believe that to be true of many of the peoples we had seen before as well.

We stayed on at this spot, our anchors lowered at a short distance from the shore, there not being any ports at hand. After three days spent there, we set out along the coast, which we baptised Arcadia on account of its beauty. We followed a northeast course, moving along only during the day and putting down our anchors at night. The area was richly wooded and verdant, but we saw no ports. We did at times catch sight of streams of water and striking promontories.

One day, we saw a man come toward the seashore in order to observe us at closer range. He seemed suspicious of us, wondering who we were and what we were looking for. He kept us in sight, but would not let us approach him. A handsome, olive-skinned man, he was naked and had his hair tied behind his neck. There were twenty of us men on the shore, and we tried repeatedly to approach him. After a good deal of coaxing, we man-aged to come near enough to see that he extended toward us a burning stick, as if to offer us the gift of fire. As a response, we showed how we could produce sparks using our gunpowder. The sight made him tremble in terror. When we demonstrated how we could discharge the guns, he seemed paralysed with fear. He raised his finger to the heavens and made gestures as if he wished to bless us.

One hundred leagues (600 kilometres) beyond, we came to an enchanting spot. Here, we found a great river flowing down to the sea between two hills. We steered the ship up the river, and disembarked onto the shore, which we discovered to be thickly populated. The natives here were similar in aspect to those we had encountered before. Dressed in costumes of vari-coloured feathers, they drew near us, shrieking joyfully and indicating to us the best place to moor our boat.

At a distance of about fifteen leagues farther on, we came to another island, where we found a lovely inlet. Before we actually entered the inlet, we noticed that there were about twenty boats full of people, who surrounded our ship shouting in wonder. They came, however, to within only about fifty paces from us, from where they could observe our ship, our physical appearance and our clothing. They then let out a shout in unison to demonstrate their pleasure at our arrival. We tried to reassure them by imitating their gestures, at which they came close enough so that we were able to throw them some trinkets, such as little bells and mirrors. They picked up the trinkets and held them in their hands laughing. By this time, their fear had been dispelled, and they climbed aboard our ship.

Among this group, there were two kings of such manly vigour and beauty that it is difficult to describe them properly. The first was about forty years of age, and the other younger, about twenty-four. The elder of the two wore a deerskin embroidered in many patterns, like damask. He was bare-headed, with his hair bound at the nape of his neck with various laces. Around his neck he wore a large necklace of coloured stones. The younger king was dressed in a similar fashion. This group of people were the handsomest and best-dressed of all those we met on the entire voyage. They are taller than we are, and bronze-skinned, though some are paler and others tend toward a golden shade. Their facial features are finely-drawn, their hair long, black and well-groomed, and their eyes are black and flashing. Their mien is sweet, gentle and composed, reminiscent of the statues of antiquity. The women, no less handsome and shapely, are courteous, elegant and generally pleasing to behold. Both their physical appearance and their feminine modesty are all that might be asked of a human being. They are naked like the men, wearing only the same embroidered deerskins. Some wear bracelets of precious lynx skins on their arms. They are bare-headed, and braid their hair in two plaits which hang down their breasts. The adult, married women wear their hair in styles reminiscent of those seen on Syrian and Egyptian women.

Both the men and the women wear earrings of all sorts, in the oriental style. Many of them used polished pieces of copper for this purpose. It seems that these people prize copper over gold, preferring its colour. Among all the metals, in fact, they value gold the least. This is because they detest the colour yellow, their favourite colours being blue and red. Of all the gifts we offered them, they most appreciated the bells, and the blue glass crystals and other ornaments they could use as earrings and necklaces. They showed no interest in having drapes of silk or gold, nor of any other kind of cloth. The same was true for the metals like steel and iron. We showed them our firearms more than once, but they expressed scarcely any interest in them at all, and did not ask to have them. They merely admired the ingeniousness of their workmanship. They were similarly unimpressed with mirrors, and gave them back to us after brief inspection.

These people have a most generous nature, and in fact are ready to give away anything they own. We formed a strong bond of friendship with them. One day we were unable to bring the ship into the inlet because of bad weather, and were forced to put down our anchors at a distance of about one league from the shore. They came out to meet us in numerous boats, their faces painted many colours and radiating joy. They had brought along food for us to eat, and showed us where we should put down our anchor so that our ship would be safe. They came along with us and remained until we had finished. We stayed there in the inlet for a fortnight to supply ourselves with various things we had need of. Every day the natives came down to see the ship, bringing along their women, of whom they were very jealous. When the men came on board the ship, for example, they left the women behind in their boats, even when they were away for long periods of time. We begged them in every way possible to invite the women along, promising all manner of gifts, but they were adamant. The women stayed where they were, in the boats.

We made a few exploratory trips inland as much as five or six leagues (30 or 36 kilometres). There we found the land of an indescribable beauty, suitable for all kinds of cultivation, including grain, grapes and olives. There are open stretches of cultivable land as wide as twenty-five or thirty leagues (150-180 kilometres). The land is so fertile that it promises to give an excellent yield to any crop one might wish to sow. 

As regards the forests, they are not impenetrable. Even a large army would be able to cross them in one way or another. There are various types of tree, including oaks and cypresses as well as others not found in Europe. We saw plum trees, cherry trees, walnut trees and other trees bearing fruits we were not familiar with.

Animals abound: deer, lynx and other species, which the natives hunt with the bows and snare traps that are their chief weapons. They fashion the arrowheads with great skill, using emery, jasper, hard marble and other kinds of stone in place of iron. They use these hard stones for cutting down trees and making their boats from a single tree trunk as well. With great proficiency, they carve out a space large enough to hold fourteen or fifteen people comfortably. They use a short oar which is wider at one end, and paddle the boats with the sole force of their arms, moving forward quite rapidly but completely securely.

Inland, too, we were finally able to view their houses. They are built by simply bending tree branches into a semi-circular shapes, so that the result is a circular structure of about fourteen or fifteen paces in diameter. They are roofed with skilfully woven straw mats, which protect the inhabitants from the rain and the cold. We had no doubt that if these people had at their disposition the specialised tools we have, they would be capable of building magnificent edifices.

The entire coast at this point is lined with stone of one kind or another, which accounts for the many inlets and havens where we were able to moor.

The natives every now and then move their domicile from one place to another in order to find more fertile lands, or because they feel they have stayed too long in one spot. They take along only their woven mats, and in that way can build new houses rapidly. In each house lives the father with his family, which can be quite numerous. In some of the dwellings we counted as many as twenty-five to thirty people.

The people here nourish themselves principally on legumes, like those we met previously, but they produce them using much more sophisticated cultivation techniques. They take into consideration, for instance, the phases of the moon, the position of the stars, and other celestial influences learnt from the traditions passed down from their ancestors. Game and fish also play an important role in their diet.

A healthy breed, they live long lives, and rarely fall ill. When they are injured, they treat their wounds with fire, controlling themselves during the process without so much as making a sound. When they do finally die, it seemed to us, they die of old age.

They are a people with a deep sense of compassion and generosity toward others. When misfortune hits, they grieve deeply in the face of adversity, they bring up memories of better times. When a close relation dies, they mourn with a kind of lamenting similar to that heard in Sicily, but mixed with a sort of singing. This is the extent of what we learnt about them.

Fifty leagues (300 kilometres) toward the north, we came across a mountainous land, thickly forested in ever-greens of the types found in cold regions. The natives here were different from all the others we had met along our voyage. All the people we had met so far had impressed us with their openness and good manners. These, on the other hand, were coarse and cruel. They were so savage that we were never able, no matter what gestures we used, to have any sort of conversation with them. They wear the skins of bear, lynx, sea-dog or other animals. From the little we were able to learn from the visits we made to their houses, they seem to eat mainly game, fish and a kind of root which grows wild in these parts. They have no legumes, and in fact we saw no signs of cultivation at all. The land was so sterile that it would yield little or nothing in any case. The few times they accepted the idea of bartering some of their possessions for some of ours, they positioned themselves on a rocky part of the coast where the surf beat violently onto the shore. We stayed on the boat while they threw their wares out on ropes, shouting at us to give over our goods immediately and not to come ashore. From us they accepted only knives, fishing gear and sharp metals. They showed no interest in the trinkets which had so fascinated the others. When we had nothing left to barter, with out any provocation from our side, they began making the rudest and most dishonourable gestures and signs one could imagine. They bared their arses at us, for example, laughing uproariously the whole time.

The land they inhabit lies at a latitude of 43 and 2/3. One day, a group of twenty-five of us came ashore armed and ventured for two or three leagues (12-18 kilometres) inland. As we disembarked, the natives shot at us with arrows, then fled into the forest. We found nothing of interest apart from the great forests. Some of the hills might hold metal deposits: some of the natives wore copper ornaments in their ears.

We set off again, following the coast on a north-easterly course. The land here was less hostile, with many wide, un-forested stretches. Mountains gently descending toward the coast were visible in the distance. In one stretch, we came across thirty-two small mountainous islands lined up along the shore. We called the three largest "The Three Daughters of Navarre". The way the islands were situated in close proximity to one another left magnificent ports and channels, much like the ones found in the Adriatic, Illyria and the Dalmatian coast. We saw no native people here, but imagine that they are not vastly different from the ones we saw in the other zones we have described.

Proceeding on toward the north-east another one hundred fifty leagues (900 kilometres), we came to the lands which had been discovered by the English, at a latitude of fifty degrees. Finding ourselves short of naval equipment as well as food after having explored more than seven hundred leagues (more than 4200 kilometres) of terra incognita, we took on supplies of wood and water, having decided to return to France.

Because we did not understand the languages of the native peoples we met along the way, we were not able to understand what kind of spiritual beliefs they might hold. Signs and gestures did little to help us here. We concluded that they had no religious faith or law; that they did not believe in a prime cause or mover; that they did not worship the sky, stars, sun, moon or other heavenly bodies; and that they did not practice any kind of idolatry. There were no signs that they made ritual sacrifices or performed other acts of worship. There were no churches or temples in their villages where they might pray. We concluded that they professed no faith and lived instead in total freedom. The reason for this seems to be their pure simplicity. It is quite easy, in fact, to convert them. They imitated whatever we Christians did while practicing our religion with an enthusiasm and zeal no less fervent than ours.

The ship Dalfina, July 8, 1524

Humilis servitor Ianus Verazanus

 
To the merchants of Lyon Leonardo Tedaldi or 
Tomaso Sartini. Kindly send this to Bonacorso Ruscelli