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Show Columbus' Claim to Discovery of America Is Disputed; Document Credits Vespucci Definite proof that Amerigo Vespucci Ves-pucci discovered and landed on the American continent before Christopher Christo-pher Columbus-is stated to have been found in the private archives of a distinguished Florentine family, fam-ily, according to a Florence, Italy, United Press correspondent in the Chicago Daily News. Yellowed with age, the ancient document furnished information regarding re-garding the route which the Florentine Floren-tine navigator followed during his third voyage to the New World. It actually consists of a hitherto unpublished un-published letter from the navigator to Lorenzo Pierfra'ncesco de' Medici, Medi-ci, in whose service he had been a clerk. The letter also supplies information informa-tion regarding Vespucci's voyages across the Atlantic. The document was discovered by the Marquise Roberto Ridolfi, member mem-ber of the council of the state archives ar-chives and honorary bibliographical inspector. The well-known Italian historian revealed that the letter also con tained a statement proving that Vespucci landed on the shores of the American continent long before Columbus. Marquise Ridolfi has added that the interesting letter will soon be made public. Three other letters of Amerigo Vespucci, all of them addressed to Lorenzo de' Medici, were discovered discov-ered during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries. According to the best information available today, Vespucci first saw the sh ores of South America on June 16, 1497. Columbus, it is claimed, saw the continent opposite the island is-land of Trinidad on August 1, 1498. |