One theory is that the name of the Island of Montréal derives from Mont Réal, as the mountain's name was spelled in Middle French (Mont Royal in Modern French). However, Cartier's 1535 diary entry refers to le mont Royal. Another argument, mentioned by the Government of Canada on its website concerning Canadian place names, is that the name Montréal was adopted because a Venetian map from 1556 used the Italian name of the mountain, Monte Real. The name was first applied to the island and was unofficially applied to the city, formerly Ville-Marie, by the 18th century.