John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), a freelance Italian explorer, was contracted by England's Henry VII to find new lands, and a sea route to the Orient. Cabot set sail from Bristol, England in his ship the "Matthew" in 1497. When Cabot first saw land he reputedly said "O Buon Vista" ("Oh, Happy Sight!") giving rise to the name of the town and nearby Cape Bonavista. Cabot landed with "a crucifix and raised banners with the arms of the Holy Father and those of the King of England". The land was inhabited, as the expedition found a trail leading inland, a site where a fire had been, and "a stick half a yard long pierced at both ends, carved and painted with brazil".