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The distance shows that, like Columbus, he reckons four miles to a league.
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"Ponente figliando una quarta di libeccio." Varnhagen makes this 0¼ S. O. A course W.S.W. for 1,000 leagues would have taken him to the Gulf of Paria, which is a little over 900 leagues W.S.W. from Grand Canary. He would not have reached land in 16°[ 68] N. and 70° W. even if he had steered the right course, and there had been no intervening land, by going 1,000 leagues. Such a distance would have left him 930 miles short of that position.
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Twenty-seven days (Latin version).
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Equal to 1333⅓ leagues of three geographical miles.
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70° W. of Canaria, or 85° W. of Greenwich, would be in the Pacific Ocean; but this is a specimen of Vespucci's romancing. There was no observation for longitude with instruments in those days. Columbus observed the time occasionally, when there was an eclipse, comparing it with the time at some place given in his almanac, but the result was too rough to be of any use.
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The part of the mainland in 16° is in the Gulf of Honduras. In his second voyage he alleges that he reached 15°, which is probably the reason why he chose 16° for a landfall on this voyage.
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Bombix.
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Coltroni. Varnhagen suggests the Spanish word colchones, mattresses; but coltroni is a good Italian word, and suitable.
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Yuca is a word in the language of the West Indian islanders for the root of Jatophra Manihot.
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Cazabi, the bread made from the same root.