1524-1528 Verrazzano enters New York harbor
In space of 100 leagues sailing we found a very pleasant place, situated amongst certain little steep hills; from amidst the which hills there ran down into the sea a great stream of water, which within the mouth was very deep, and from the sea to the mouth of same, with the tide, which we found to rise 8 foot, any great vessel laden may pass up....But because we rode at anchor in a place well fenced from the wind, we would not venture ourselves without knowledge of the place, and we passed up with our boat only into the said river, and saw the country very well peopled. The people are almost like unto the others, and clad with feathers of fowls of divers colors. They came towards us very cheerfully, making great shots of admiration, showing us where we might come to land most safely with our boat. We entered up the river into the land about half a league, where it made a most pleasant lake about 3 leagues in compass; on the which they rowed from the one side to the other, to the number of 30 of their small boats, wherein were many people, which passed from one shore to the other to come and see us. And behold, upon the sudden (as it is wont to fall out in sailing) a contrary flaw of wind coming from the sea, we were enforced to return to our ship, leaving this land, to our great discontentment for the great commodity and pleasantness thereof, which we suppose is not without some riches, all the hills showing mineral matters in them.
Giovanni da Verrazzano, 1485-1528: Verrazzano was an Italian navigator who, under the auspices of Frances' King Francis I, explored the northeast coast of North America from Cape Fear to New York harbor in 1524.
Morison, S. E. The Great Explorers -- The European Discovery of America, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978, p. 153.
