Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
"He claimed the land for England and Christianity. . . . King Henry VII authorized Cabot to find and conquer lands of the 'heathen and infidels,' previously 'unknown to all Christians.' After an abortive first effort, Cabot set out from Bristol on May 20, 1497, in the Matthew with a crew of around fifteen sailors. . . . He set off on a second voyage in 1498 but was lost at sea and never returned. . . . but Cabot's discovery was the first step on England' path to a key role in the history of Canada and North America." [Furtado: 1001 Days]