Editing Openai/69541e93-963c-8006-8646-ec89267bdcc0 (section)

==== All versions follow the same chronological voyage narrative. Verrazzano departs from Madeira in January 1524 with the Dauphine, survives a fierce Atlantic storm, and makes landfall on the North American coast. He then sails north along the coast, charting and naming new lands, and finally returns to France in July 1524. Major episodes appear in all versions: ====
* Landfall in the “New World” (Carolinas) – Verrazzano reaches a low-lying coast around latitude ~34° N (likely the North Carolina coast). He observes huge signal fires onshore and encounters the first Native Americans. The accounts uniformly describe how the Dauphine anchored off an open beach (no harbor available) and a cautious first contact ensued: the natives initially fled, but were enticed by friendly signs and gifts until some approached with curiosity and joytarpeia.us<ref>{{cite web|title=tarpeia.us|url=https://www.tarpeia.us/praeconium/giovanni-da-verrazano-s-letter-of-his-1524-voyage#:~:text=At%20first%20it%20appeared%20to,could%20stop%20with%20the%20ship|publisher=tarpeia.us|access-date=2025-12-31}}</ref>tarpeia.us<ref>{{cite web|title=tarpeia.us|url=https://www.tarpeia.us/praeconium/giovanni-da-verrazano-s-letter-of-his-1524-voyage#:~:text=coming%20to%20the%20seashore%2C%20but,of%20their%20life%20and%20customs|publisher=tarpeia.us|access-date=2025-12-31}}</ref>. Verrazzano notes their dark complexion, nakedness except for small animal-skin loincloths, and their marvel at the Europeans’ appearance and “whiteness”tarpeia.us<ref>{{cite web|title=tarpeia.us|url=https://www.tarpeia.us/praeconium/giovanni-da-verrazano-s-letter-of-his-1524-voyage#:~:text=coming%20to%20the%20seashore%2C%20but,of%20their%20life%20and%20customs|publisher=tarpeia.us|access-date=2025-12-31}}</ref>. All versions relate that Verrazzano briefly went ashore and made only limited observations of this first tribe’s customs due to the short staytarpeia.us<ref>{{cite web|title=tarpeia.us|url=https://www.tarpeia.us/praeconium/giovanni-da-verrazano-s-letter-of-his-1524-voyage#:~:text=They%20go%20completely%20naked%20except,nothing%20else%2C%20except%20that%20they|publisher=tarpeia.us|access-date=2025-12-31}}</ref>tarpeia.us<ref>{{cite web|title=tarpeia.us|url=https://www.tarpeia.us/praeconium/giovanni-da-verrazano-s-letter-of-his-1524-voyage#:~:text=We%20could%20not%20learn%20the,life%20we%20think%20is%20similar|publisher=tarpeia.us|access-date=2025-12-31}}</ref>.
* Coasting North – Outer Banks Incident – Continuing up the coastline, Verrazzano sees many inhabitants (indicated by numerous fires along the shore) and attempts to land a boat for fresh water. A dramatic incident occurs when a young sailor sent to shore with gifts is caught in the surf and washed ashore half-drowned. The natives perform a “magnificent deed” (in Verrazzano’s words): instead of harming him, they carry him to a fire, dry and warm him, and gently return him to his companions. This compassionate rescue – which Verrazzano clearly admires – is found in all versions. The open-minded tone of the letter is evident here: Verrazzano praises the natives’ kindness rather than portraying them as savages. All accounts then describe what the rescued sailor observed about this community (similar in appearance to the first group, with “glossy” dark skin and quick wit). Verrazzano names this land “Annunciata” (the Feast of the Annunciation, for March 25) and notes a curious geography: a narrow isthmus ~1 mile wide separating the Atlantic from what he believes to be another sea to the west (likely the Pamlico Sound), which he speculates might be the Pacific Ocean. This mistaken belief in a nearby “Sea of Verrazzano” connecting to China is recorded in all versions.
* Further Encounters and Naming of Lands – Proceeding northeast, Verrazzano explores another stretch of coast (perhaps the tidewater Mid-Atlantic region). He describes the land as even more beautiful and richly forested. In one encounter, his landing party finds only women and children (the men having fled): an old woman, a young woman, and their children. They give the old woman food, and then Verrazzano’s men decide to take a young boy with them “to carry back to France.” They attempt to bring the young woman as well (“who was very beautiful and tall”), but her cries and resistance force them to desist, and they leave her behind, taking only the boy. This incident – an example of Europeans capturing a native child – is frankly described in the letter. (Notably, Verrazzano does not moralize on it; the matter-of-fact tone is consistent across versions.) Verrazzano then continues north-northeast, naming regions as he goes. For example, he names one region Arcadia (for its idyllic forests) and another the “Costa di Lorena” (Coast of Lorraine) in honor of King Francis’s relatives. These names appear in the manuscript and Ramusio versions (often derived from Verrazzano’s marginal notes) and are preserved in the modern translation (usually bracketed with explanations).
* New York Harbor (“Angoulême” / “Santa Margarita”) – After sailing about 100 leagues further, Verrazzano finds “a very agreeable place” between prominent hills with a deep wide river – this is New York Harbor and the Hudson River estuary. All versions contain the first European description of New York Harbor. Verrazzano marvels at the large harbor and river (noting an 8-foot tidal rise) and the densely populated shores. The accounts describe how 30 or more native canoes approached the French boat on the harbor’s “beautiful lake-like” bay. Due to a sudden wind, Verrazzano’s crew leaves sooner than desired, bestowing names upon this important discovery: he names the surrounding land “Angoulême” (after Francis I’s title as Count of Angoulême) and the bay “Santa Margarita” (after the King’s sister, Marguerite). (These names and their royal references are explicitly noted in the manuscript; the modern translation includes them in brackets. They were known historically from Ramusio’s publication as well.)
'' Block Island (“Louisa”) – Continuing eastward ~80 leagues, Verrazzano observes a large triangular island about 10 leagues off the mainland, “full of hills” and fires (indicating a sizable native population). He baptizes it in the name of the King’s mother, ''Louise* (Aloysia). This is likely present-day Block Island, though Verrazzano overestimates its size. All versions mention this island naming. (Later maps labeled it “Luisa”upload.wikimedia.org<ref>{{cite web|title=upload.wikimedia.org|url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Verrazano%27s_voyage_along_the_Atlantic_coast_of_North_America%2C_1524_%28IA_verrazanosvoyage00verr%29.pdf#:~:text=,Luisa|publisher=upload.wikimedia.org|access-date=2025-12-31}}</ref>.)
'' Narragansett Bay (“Refugio”/Port Real) – Fifteen leagues further, Verrazzano finds an excellent harbor – Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island. Upon arrival, about 20 canoes filled with curious natives surround the ship at a short distance, shouting in wonder. After the French offer trinkets, the natives overcome their fear and eagerly come aboard the ship. Verrazzano describes an extended, friendly contact here. He meets two local “kings” (chiefs) – one about 40 years old, one ~24 – who are strikingly dignified and handsome. The chiefs wear well-crafted stag and lynx skins and jewelry (a “wide chain decorated with many colored stones”). Verrazzano is clearly impressed, calling these people “the most beautiful and have the most civil customs that we have found on this voyage.” Their complexion is described as bronze (some lighter, some tawny), with long black hair carefully groomed, and women who are equally shapely and attractive. All versions emphasize the gentle, generous nature of this Narragansett people. For example, they freely share food, paint their faces in festive colors when visiting the ship, and guided the Dauphine safely to anchor. Verrazzano spends 15 days in this harbor – the longest stop of the voyage. He provides detailed notes on their society: they live in large circular houses of bent saplings and woven mats, moving seasonally; they cultivate legumes (noting they sow by lunar phases like “ancients”); they treat wounds by cauterization; they mourn with loud laments in adversity. Such ethnographic detail appears richly in the Morgan manuscript and is preserved in the translations. Verrazzano even remarks that with skilled European craftsmen the resources (timber, stone) of this land could build great structures, implying its great potential. Throughout this section, Verrazzano uses respectful terms for the leaders and people – notably calling the chiefs “kings” and describing their nobles or elders in elevated terms. (In the Italian original he refers to their leading men as “gentiluomini” – i.e. ''gentlemen* – highlighting his '''Renaissance humanist respect''' for these indigenous allies.)
* New England and Nova Scotia (Hostile Encounter) – Sailing further northeast (~150 leagues, past Cape Cod’s “Armellini” shoals), Verrazzano’s crew encounters a colder region (the coast of Maine or Nova Scotia around 43°–45° N). The people here are markedly more hostile and wary. Verrazzano describes these northerners as “full of crudity and vices… barbarous” – in stark contrast to the courteous southerners. They wear heavier furs (bear, lynx, etc.) and do not cultivate crops (living by hunting and wild roots). All contact is limited: these natives refuse close interaction, only trading by sending goods on ropes from shore and signaling the French not to approach. When the French ran out of items to trade, the locals mocked them with rude gestures “like showing their buttocks”. Verrazzano even attempted landing 25 armed men by force; the natives responded with a volley of arrows and fled inland. The letter is candid about this failed interaction and the aggressive stance of this tribe. (Verrazzano surmises that this land is poor and its people uncivil partly due to the harsher climate and barren soil.) Soon after, around latitude 50° N (near Newfoundland, referred to as “the land the Britons found” – Cabot’s discovery), Verrazzano decides to end the exploration. His supplies are nearly depleted and he has charted “seven hundred leagues or more” of new coastline.
* Return to France and Conclusion – Verrazzano replenishes water and wood at Newfoundland and then sails home to Dieppe, France, arriving in July 1524. In closing the letter, he reflects on the larger mission. He admits he did not find a hoped-for westward route to Asia (“I did not expect to find such an obstacle of new land as I have found… I had expected to find some strait”). He discusses the contrast between ancient geographical theories and modern discoveries: the ancients believed the Atlantic directly connected to the Orient, but the voyage proves the existence of a vast new continent intervening. Verrazzano even speculates that this “New World” might be larger than Europe, Africa, and perhaps Asia itself. He asserts this new land is not connected to Asia or Africa (citing certain knowledge to that effect), though he allows it might join Europe far to the north (via a polar connection to Norway or Russia). Finally, he expresses hope that with royal support future voyages will reveal the full cosmography of the world and spread the Gospel “into every land,” echoing a Psalm in Latin. The letter ends with Verrazzano’s formal valediction and signature, “your humble servant Janus Verrazanus,” dated onboard Dauphine, July 8, 1524.

All three versions convey this same essential story and spirit: Verrazzano’s letter is at once a travelogue, a reconnaissance report for his patron, and a reflection on the New World’s promise. The structure and key content — from the initial landing to the final philosophical remarks — are consistent across the NHC translation, the Morgan manuscript, and Ramusio’s text. However, notable differences emerge in the wording, tone, and included details of each version, as examined below.