| OCR Text |
Show Uh JVame "America," lllcardo Palma ot Lima, the director of tho National Library of Peru, baa published a book reviving and reviewing review-ing the old controversy a to tha origin of tho name "America," He contenda that this hemisphere waa not named after Alberlco Vespucci, but that the Florentine merchant' nam waa changed by a Kronen painter to "Amerlcua" In honor of his travail In the new world, then a German professor, profes-sor, either Ignorontly or wilfully, carried car-ried on tbo compliment, and from a nickname gar two continent their present title. Julea Marcon, In the bulletin of tho Porta Geographic! society so-ciety for January, 1889, conjectured thl origin of "America." Mr. Palms' review of the fact and evldeno maVr out n good case for Marconi's theory "AmcrlcV Is the native namo ot tha mountain range between Lake Nicaragua Nica-ragua nnd tho Muiqulto coast. Tha termination "le," ar "ac," Is common In natlvo place-names all around tho Caribbean Spanish voyager for year after Columbus were still searching search-ing for the water passage to India and for gold Iloth motive caused them to glvo particular attention to tha western end ot the Caribbean Bo the name "America" benmjjrroiltar long before It got Into book. Vespucci's account of hi voyages, published In 1601, was the first printed description of the mainland of tho new world It ran through many editions In eeveral languages, and brought Its author's name Into much notlco In tha Lain edition Vcipuccl'a namo waa Latinised Latin-ised Into "Albcrlcua Veapuclua" |
