Knickerbocker's History of New York Vol. 1 Book I Chapter III

In which the origins of the American continent are pondered with a blend of learned conjecture and lively humour, tracing back to the patriarch Noah and his three sons who divided the earth among themselves, leaving America an unexplored and unassigned land. The narrative gently satirises the often tedious labour of historians while setting the stage for the true adventure of discovery and settlement that awaits beyond the mere act of first sighting the new world.