Excerpt from History of the American RevolutionTee discovery of the western hemisphere, effected by the bold and persevering genius of Christopher Columbus, in the year 1492, gave a new impulse to European activity; and the splendid conquests of the Spaniards in the West Indies, and in South America, excited the emulation of the other maritime powers of Christendom. Our ancestors were not dilatory in their endeavors to enter upon this new path to glory and wealth; for we find that, in the year 1498, John Cabot, by virtue of a commission from Henry VIL, took formal possession, in the name of that mon arch, of a considerable portion of the conti nent of North America.No attempt, however, was made to estab lish a colony in that country till the reign of Queen Elizabeth, when Sir Humphrey Gil bert and Sir Walter Raleigh, in the years 1578 and 1584, formed settlements there.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy.

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