Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) was a native of Genoa and a citizen of Venice, who obtained letters-patent from Henry VII of England in 1496 for a voyage of discovery. In the summer of 1497, he crossed the Atlantic and discovered the mainland of North America�probably the Labrador coast. On this achievement was based the claim of England to North America. The three documents contain all the evidence from contemporary witnesses whose information may have come from John Cabot himself.
The text is from the Hakluyt Society�s edition of Columbus� Journal.