Initial commit of ebook 77820 filesHEAD main

author: www-data <www-data@mail.pglaf.org> 2026-01-30 16:00:07 -0800
committer: www-data <www-data@mail.pglaf.org> 2026-01-30 16:00:07 -0800
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+<body>
+<div style='text-align:center'>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 77820 ***</div>
+
+<div class="transnote">
+<p>Transcriber’s Note: In keeping with the author’s note that “Such
+misspellings as a Spanish scholar will readily recognize as the
+blunders of the Spanish printer I have not thought it necessary to
+notice”, errors in the Spanish parts of the text have been left as
+printed. Some evident blunders of the English printer have, however,
+been corrected.</p>
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<p class="titlepage">WORKS ISSUED BY<br>
+<span class="larger gothic">The Hakluyt Society.</span></p>
+
+<p class="titlepage">SELECT<br>
+LETTERS OF<br>
+CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS,<br>
+<span class="smaller">ETC.</span></p>
+
+<p class="titlepage smaller">M.DCCC.LXX.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="INSTRUCTIONS_TO_BINDER">INSTRUCTIONS TO BINDER.</h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><a href="#frontispiece">Portrait of S. Christopher</a> to face Title.</p>
+
+<p><a href="#map1">Herrera’s map</a> and <a href="#map2">Bahama Islands, modern</a>, opposite each other,
+between pp. lx and lxi; the first at top, the second at bottom,
+both reading the same way.</p>
+
+<p><a href="#map3">Juan de la Cosa’s map</a> to face page lxiii.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp48" id="frontispiece" style="max-width: 40.625em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/frontispiece.jpg" alt="">
+</figure>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">SELECT</span><br>
+LETTERS<br>
+<span class="smaller">OF</span><br>
+<span class="larger">CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS,</span><br>
+<span class="smaller">WITH OTHER ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS,<br>
+RELATING TO HIS</span><br>
+FOUR VOYAGES<br>
+<span class="smaller">TO</span><br>
+<span class="larger">THE NEW WORLD.</span></p>
+
+<p class="titlepage"><span class="smaller">TRANSLATED AND EDITED BY</span><br>
+<span class="smcap">R. H. MAJOR, F.S.A., etc.</span>,<br>
+<span class="smaller">KEEPER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MAPS AND CHARTS IN THE BRITISH MUSEUM,<br>
+AND HON. SEC. OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.</span></p>
+
+<p class="titlepage gothic">Second Edition.</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+  <div class="poetry">
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">“Tu spiegherai, Colombo, a un novo polo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Lontane sì le fortunate antenne,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Ch’ a pena seguirà con gli occhi il volo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">La Fama ch’ ha mille occhi e mille penne.</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Canti ella Alcide e Bacco, e di te solo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Basti a’ posteri tuoi ch’alquanto accenne;</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Chè quel poco darà lunga memoria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Di poema dignissima e d’ istoria.”</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse right"><i>Tasso.—Gerusalemme Liberata.</i> Canto xv, 32.</div>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="titlepage">LONDON:<br>
+PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.<br>
+<span class="smaller">M.DCCC.LXX.</span></p>
+
+<p class="titlepage smaller">T. RICHARDS, 37, GREAT QUEEN STREET.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="COUNCIL"><span class="smaller">COUNCIL<br>
+<span class="smaller">OF</span></span><br>
+THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY.</h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<table>
+  <tr>
+    <td colspan="3"><span class="smcap">SIR RODERICK IMPEY MURCHISON, Bart.</span>,
+    K.C.B., G.C.St.S., F.R.S., F.R.G.S., D.C.L., Mem. Imp. Acad. Sc. St.
+    Petersburgh, Corr. Mem. Inst. Fr. etc., etc., <span class="smcap">President</span>.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr class="pad-top">
+    <td class="in2 nw"><span class="smcap">Rear-Admiral C. R. DRINKWATER
+    BETHUNE, C.B.</span>,</td>
+    <td>}</td>
+    <td rowspan="2" class="valign nw"><span class="smcap">Vice-Presidents.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in2"><span class="smcap">The Right Hon. SIR DAVID DUNDAS</span>,</td>
+    <td>}</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Rev. G. P. BADGER, F.R.G.S.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">J. BARROW, Esq., F.R.S.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">E. H. BUNBURY, Esq.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">LORD ALFRED CHURCHILL.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Rear-Admiral R. COLLINSON, C.B.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Sir WALTER ELLIOTT, K.S.I.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">General C. FOX.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">W. E. FRERE, Esq.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Captain J. G. GOODENOUGH, R.N.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">CHARLES GREY, Esq.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">EGERTON VERNON HARCOURT, Esq.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">JOHN WINTER JONES, Esq., F.S.A.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">R. H. MAJOR, Esq., F.S.A.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Sir CHARLES NICHOLSON, Bart.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Sir WILLIAM STIRLING MAXWELL, Bart.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">Major-General Sir HENRY C. RAWLINSON, K.C.B.</span></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">The LORD STANLEY of Alderley</span>.</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr class="pad-top">
+    <td class="in4" colspan="3"><span class="smcap">CLEMENTS R. MARKHAM,
+    Esq., Honorary Secretary</span>.</td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<p class="dedication"><span class="allsmcap">TO<br>
+THE HONOURED AND BELOVED</span><br>
+MEMORY<br>
+<span class="allsmcap">OF HIS EXCELLENCY</span><br>
+<span class="mid">THE COUNT DE LAVRADIO,</span><br>
+<span class="allsmcap">LATE<br>
+ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY AND MINISTER PLENIPOTENTIARY OF</span><br>
+HIS MOST FAITHFUL MAJESTY<br>
+<span class="allsmcap">AT THE COURT OF ST. JAMES’S,<br>
+ETC., ETC., ETC.,<br>
+A WARM APPRECIATOR OF<br>
+THE EXALTED MERITS OF</span><br>
+COLUMBUS,<br>
+<span class="allsmcap">THE FOLLOWING PAGES<br>
+ARE REVERENTLY INSCRIBED BY</span><br>
+THE EDITOR.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Hakluyt_Page_i">[i]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="PREFACE">PREFACE.</h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>It has been thought desirable by some of the leading
+members of our Council that I should avail myself of
+the opportunity offered by this second Edition of the
+<i>Select Letters of Columbus</i>, to lay before the Society
+a correspondence in which I have endeavoured to
+vindicate the character of the Society’s early productions,
+and especially the first edition of this work,
+from a most unjustifiable attack made upon them by
+Mr. Froude in the <i>Westminster Review</i> in 1852, and
+<i>repeated</i> in the second volume of that gentleman’s
+<i>Short Studies on Great Subjects</i>, printed in 1867, and
+<i>reprinted</i> in a popular edition in the same year.
+The letters themselves will convey to the reader the
+whole of the facts, minus only the bitterness and
+ferocity of Mr. Froude’s attack.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p class="center"><i>The Athenæum, July 13th, 1867.</i></p>
+
+<p class="right">“British Museum, July 3rd, 1867.</p>
+
+<p>“Will you allow me to appeal against a wrong done to the
+Hakluyt Society in general, and to myself in particular, in
+a work now very extensively read?</p>
+
+<p>“In the second volume of Mr. Froude’s <i>Short Studies on
+Great Subjects</i>, at page 102, is an article on ‘England’s
+Forgotten Worthies,’ in which the author makes an attack
+on the Hakluyt Society, the bitter expressions of which need
+not be repeated here. It is headed by the titles of three of
+the Society’s early publications, and the first he states to be
+<i>The Observations of Sir Richard Hawkins, Knt., in his Voyage
+in the South Sea in 1593</i>. Reprinted from the edition of
+1622, and <i>edited by R. H. Major, Esq., of the British Museum</i>;
+<span class="pagenum" id="Hakluyt_Page_ii">[ii]</span>whereas I had nothing to do with the editing of that work.
+This done, at page 108, Mr. Froude says: ‘<i>The Editor of
+the Letters of Columbus</i> (which I did edit in 1847) <i>apologizes
+for the rudeness of the old seaman’s phraseology. Columbus,
+he tells us, was not so great a master of the pen as of the
+art of navigation. We are to make excuses for him. We
+are put on our guard, and, warned not to be offended, before
+we are introduced to the sublime record of sufferings under
+which a man of the highest order was staggering towards
+the end of his earthly calamities; although the inarticulate
+fragments in which his thought breaks out from him, are
+strokes of natural art, by the side of which literary pathos is
+poor and meaningless.</i>’ I warmly deny that I apologized
+for Columbus’s language. So far from it, I repeatedly expressed
+my sympathy with and admiration of his manly and
+touching record of his sufferings. What I did apologize for
+was any mischievous result which might possibly have
+accrued, though I do not think it did accrue, to my own
+diction from that occasional want of connectedness in the
+original which I had to contend with in translating. The
+two things are manifestly different, and it is not pleasant to
+find the reader’s highest sympathies appealed to in order to
+bring down greater condemnation on me for a fault that I
+had never committed. But I should not trouble you with
+such a personal matter, were it not that, having fabricated
+this handle for censure on me, Mr. Froude makes it a hook
+for the following criticism on the Hakluyt Society: ‘<i>And
+even in the subjects which they select, they are pursued by
+the same curious fatality</i>,’ the selection blamed being that of
+<i>Drake’s Last Voyage in 1595</i>, edited from the original MSS.
+Then, after magisterially condemning this elsewhere unblamed
+selection as a ‘<i>fatal</i>’ sin, Mr. Froude proceeds to say, at the
+foot of page 109, ‘<i>But every bad has a worse below it, and
+more offensive than all these is the Editor of “Hawkins’s
+Voyage to the South Sea,”</i>’—and if the reader refers to the
+head of the article for the name of <i>this most offensive editor</i>,
+he will, as I have already said, find my name, who never
+had anything to do with it. It is true that on page 110 the
+name of the real editor, Admiral Bethune, occurs; but as
+Mr. Froude’s article is a reprint from the <i>Westminster Review</i>
+of 1852 (not 1853, as Mr. Froude again blunders in saying),
+there has been time enough for that gentleman to correct
+the injurious errors into which he had fallen. Although
+naturally annoyed at this treatment of my name, I left the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Hakluyt_Page_iii">[iii]</span>offence unnoticed at the time; but now that, after a lapse
+of fifteen years, it is reprinted, with all faults in a widely-circulated
+publication, I call on Mr. Froude to correct his
+mis-statements.</p>
+
+<p>“I am, happily, able to state, from the experience of
+twenty years, that the estimate of the Hakluyt Society’s
+publications by the literary world is far from supporting
+Mr. Froude in his supercilious treatment of that Society.
+Whatever opinion, however, those publications may deserve,
+it is the duty of a critic to be correct, and the greater the
+severity, the greater the need of correctness; but when a
+critic lashes not only one’s self, but one’s friends, by means
+of misrepresentations and blunders of his own making,
+what does that critic deserve?</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="smcap">R. H. Major.</span>”</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p class="center"><i>The Athenæum, July 20th, 1867.</i></p>
+
+<p class="right">“5, Onslow Gardens, July 15, 1867.</p>
+
+<p>“I am sorry to have given Mr. Major cause to complain
+of me. Should my <i>Essays</i> be reprinted, the mistake which
+he points out shall be corrected; and I can only regret the
+injustice which meanwhile is done to his name. At the same
+time the only error which I can acknowledge is confined to
+the title of a work which stands at the head of the article.
+In the article itself the volumes criticised are assigned to
+their proper editors.</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="smcap">J. A. Froude.</span>”</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p class="center"><i>The Athenæum, July 27th, 1867.</i></p>
+
+<p class="right">“British Museum, July 23, 1867.</p>
+
+<p>“I beg to thank Mr. Froude for his courteous expression
+of regret for what, I am quite sure, was done inadvertently,
+and I would thankfully accept his promise of reparation if it
+were extended to all the mischief that is being done to me.
+Unfortunately for me, <i>two editions</i> of Mr. Froude’s <i>Essays</i>
+have been issued this year, <i>the second this very month</i>, in a
+<i>cheap and popular form</i>; thus diffusing and prolonging, in
+the most effectual manner, an injustice to my name which
+has existed for fifteen years, and postponing indefinitely the
+chance of reparation in a future edition.</p>
+
+<p>“Under such circumstances, I read with regret that, while
+acknowledging one error, Mr. Froude does not also acknowledge
+what everyone else sees clearly and condemns, the injustice
+of his censure on me with respect to Columbus, and
+which he makes a ground for censure on the Hakluyt
+Society. That Society stands too high to need any defence
+<span class="pagenum" id="Hakluyt_Page_iv">[iv]</span>from its former Honorary Secretary, but I may be excused
+for specially asking that this censure may be expunged; for
+I have a letter from Mr. Bancroft, who was Ambassador here
+at the time, in which he eulogizes, in terms so warm that I
+may not repeat them, the spirit in which I had written both
+of the sufferings of Columbus, and of the touching language
+in which he had recorded them. This is exactly the contrary
+of what Mr. Froude’s two editions are telling everybody that
+I have done.</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="smcap">R. H. Major.</span>”</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Now that, in revising my translation for this second
+edition, I have again gone through the texts of Columbus’s
+letters, I uncompromisingly repeat the expression
+which in 1847 I used <i>solely</i> in exculpation
+of any mischievous result to my own diction from the
+disconnectedness of the original, viz., that “Columbus
+was not so great a master of the pen as of the art of
+navigation.” Whether my judgment on this point
+be of more or less weight than Mr. Froude’s is of no
+moment whatever; but it is of moment that the mischievous
+effect of a savage criticism, built up on the
+critic’s own blunders, should be neutralized as far as
+possible. The reader has the realities of the whole
+case before him, and may judge for himself.</p>
+
+<p class="right">R. H. M.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_i">[i]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="INTRODUCTION">INTRODUCTION.</h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>Nearly three thousand years have passed since the
+wisest of men declared that there was nothing new
+under the sun. The saying has held good to the
+present day, for men are perpetually finding out
+that their recent discoveries had been already made,
+but under circumstances which did not reveal the
+full value of that which had been discovered. No
+greater examples of this truth can be adduced than
+in the history of the Atlantic, of America, and
+of Australia. Until the days of Prince Henry the
+Navigator, the Atlantic was so unknown that it
+justly bore the name of the “Sea of Darkness;” and
+yet, during the previous two thousand years occasional
+glimpses of light had in fact been thrown
+upon the face of that mysterious ocean. “Nil novi
+sub sole” was still an indisputable proverb. In the
+researches into the Atlantic originated by Prince
+Henry, Columbus took part, and hence, as we shall
+presently more fully see, derived the idea of the
+great importance of explorations to the West. Within
+one hundred years of the triumphant rounding by
+Prince Henry’s navigators (in 1434) of Cape Bojador,
+which till then had been the limit of Atlantic exploration,
+the Portuguese had discovered both the
+eastern and western shores of the continental island
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ii">[ii]</span>of Australia. And yet till recently men knew not
+that they owed the knowledge either of America
+or of Australia&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_1" href="#Footnote_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> to the initiatory efforts of a Prince
+with whose name, in fact, they were almost entirely
+unacquainted.</p>
+
+<p>Such facts show the great injustice done to the
+originators of great explorations who, working with
+the smallest means, really deserve the highest meed
+of honour.</p>
+
+<p>Yet in the estimate of merit it must be conceded
+that priority, immense as are its claims, is not all-absorbent.
+Columbus, as we shall presently see,
+was anticipated in the discovery of America, and
+yet such were the special virtues brought to bear
+upon the execution of his great achievement, that,
+as Humboldt has eloquently said, “the majesty of
+grand recollections seems concentred” on his illustrious
+name. The peculiar value of the following
+letters, descriptive of the four important voyages of
+Columbus, is that the events described are from the
+pens of those to whom the events occurred. In them
+we have laid before us, as it were from Columbus’s
+own mouth, a clear statement of his opinions and
+conjectures on what were to him great cosmical
+riddles—riddles which have since been solved mainly
+through the light which his illustrious deeds have
+shed upon the field of our observation. In these
+letters also we trace the magnanimity with which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_iii">[iii]</span>Columbus could support an accumulated burthen of
+undeserved affliction. It is impossible to read without
+the deepest sympathy the occasional murmurings
+and half suppressed complaints which are uttered in
+the course of his letter to Ferdinand and Isabella,
+describing his fourth voyage. These murmurings
+and complaints were wrung from his manly spirit
+by sickness and sorrow, and though reduced almost
+to the brink of despair by the injustice of the
+king, yet do we find nothing harsh or disrespectful
+in his language to the sovereign. A curious
+contrast is presented to us. The gift of a world could
+not move the monarch to gratitude; the infliction of
+chains, as a recompense for that gift, could not provoke
+the subject to disloyalty. The same great heart
+which through more than twenty wearisome years of
+disappointment and chagrin gave him strength to
+beg and to buffet his way to glory, still taught him
+to bear with majestic meekness the conversion of
+that glory into unmerited shame.</p>
+
+<p>The translated documents are seven in number.
+Five of them are letters from the hand of Columbus
+himself, describing respectively his first, third, and
+fourth voyages. Another, describing the second
+voyage, is by Dr. Chanca, the physician to the fleet
+during that expedition, and the seventh document
+is an extract from the will of Diego Mendez, one
+of Columbus’s officers during the fourth voyage, who
+gives a detailed account of many most interesting
+adventures undertaken by himself, but left undescribed
+by Columbus.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_iv">[iv]</span></p>
+
+<p>I shall not pause here to enter into the important
+bibliography of these documents, which has no charm
+for many readers, and is therefore placed at the end
+of this introduction. A series of original documents
+of such importance might appear to need but few
+words of introduction or recommendation, since the
+entire history of civilisation presents us with no
+event, with the exception perhaps of the art of printing,
+so momentous as the discovery of the western
+world; and, independently of the lustre which the
+grandeur of that event confers upon the discoverer,
+there is no individual who has rendered himself, on
+the score of personal character and conduct, more
+illustrious than Christopher Columbus. There have,
+nevertheless, not been wanting those, who, from
+various motives, and on grounds of various trustworthiness,
+have endeavoured to lessen his glory, by
+impeaching his claim to the priority of discovery, or
+by arguing that the discovery itself has proved a
+misfortune rather than advantage to the world at
+large. By way, therefore, of vindicating the value of
+the original documents here translated, a brief account
+of such pretensions to prior discovery as have
+been at different times put forth, may not be thought
+superfluous.</p>
+
+<p>The oldest story which seems possibly to bear reference
+to what we call the “new world” is related
+by Theopompus.</p>
+
+<p>Theopompus lived in the fourth century before
+the Christian era; in a fragment of his works preserved
+by Ælian is a conversation between Silenus
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_v">[v]</span>and Midas, King of Phrygia, in which the former
+says that Europe, Asia, and Africa were surrounded
+by the sea, but that beyond this known world was
+an island of immense extent, containing huge animals
+and men of twice our stature, and long-lived in proportion.
+There were in it many great cities whose
+inhabitants had laws and customs entirely different
+from ours. Fabulous as the story is as a whole, we
+cannot escape from the thought that it suggests,
+though vaguely, a notion of the real existence of a
+great western country. This idea is strengthened
+by the remarkable story related to Solon by a priest
+of Sais from the sacred inscriptions in the temples,
+and presented to us by Plato in his Timæus and
+Critias, wherein he speaks of an island called Atlantis,
+opposite the Pillars of Hercules, larger than
+Africa and Asia united, but which in one day
+and night was swallowed up by an earthquake and
+disappeared beneath the waters. The result was
+that no one had since been able to navigate or
+explore that sea on account of the slime which the
+submerged island had produced. Many as have
+been the doubts and conjectures to which this narrative
+has been subjected by the learned in ancient
+and modern times, it is a remarkable fact
+that Crantor, in a commentary on Plato quoted by
+Proclus, declares that he found this same account
+retained by the priests of Sais three hundred years
+after the period of Solon, and that he was shown
+the inscriptions in which it was embodied. It is
+also deserving of notice that precisely in that part
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_vi">[vi]</span>of the ocean described in the legend we find the
+island groups of the Azores, Madeira, the Canaries,
+and a host of other rocks and sand-banks, while the
+great bank of varec, or floating seaweed, occupying
+the middle portion of the basin of the North Atlantic,
+and covering, according to Humboldt, an area about
+six times as large as Germany, has been reasonably
+regarded as explanatory of the obstacle to navigation
+to which the tradition refers.</p>
+
+<p>Various have been the speculations respecting the
+original colonisation of the western hemisphere.
+Athanasius Kircher, in his <i>Prodromus Coptus and
+Œdipus Ægyptiacus</i>, gives the Egyptians the credit
+of colonising America, as well as India, China, and
+Japan, grounding his argument upon the religious
+worship of the sun, moon, stars, and animals. Edward
+Brerewood, at pages 96 and 97 of his <i>Enquiries
+touching the Diversity of Languages</i>, contends, and
+he is far from being alone in his opinion, that the
+Americans are the progeny of the Tartars. Marc
+Lescarbot, in his <i>Histoire de la Nouvelle France</i>,
+maintains that the Canaanites, when routed by
+Joshua, were driven into America by storms, and
+that Noah was born in America, and after the flood
+showed his descendants the way into their paternal
+country, and assigned to some of them their places of
+abode there; while Hornius, in his treatise <i>De originibus
+Americanis</i>, after touching upon the various conjectures
+here quoted, animadverts on the presumption
+and folly of Paracelsus, when he states that a
+second Adam and Eve were created for the peopling
+of the western world.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_vii">[vii]</span></p>
+
+<p>The first specific statement, however, of a supposed
+migration from the shores of the old world to those
+of the new, is that which the elder De Guignes presumes
+to be demonstrable from the relation given by
+a Chinese historian, Li-Yen, who lived at the commencement
+of the seventh century. (See <i>Mémoires
+de l’Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres</i>,
+vol. 28, p. 504.) The said historian speaks of a
+country, named Fou-sang, more than forty thousand
+<i>li</i>&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_2" href="#Footnote_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> to the East of China. He says that they who
+went thither started from the province of Leaton,
+situated to the north of Peking; that after having
+made twelve thousand li, they came to Japan;
+that travelling seven thousand li northward from
+that place, they arrived at the country of Venchin,
+and at five thousand li eastward of the latter,
+they found the country of Tahan, whence they journeyed
+to Fou-sang, which was twenty thousand li
+distant from Tahan. From this account De Guignes
+endeavours, by a long chain of argument, to prove
+that the Chinese had pushed their investigations into
+Jeso, Kamtschatka, and into that part of America
+which is situated opposite the most eastern coast of
+Asia.</p>
+
+<p>This surmise of De Guignes has been answered by
+Klaproth, in a paper which appeared in the <i>Nouvelles
+Annales des Voyages</i> (tom. 51, 2ᵉ serie, p. 53). His
+arguments go to show that the country named Fou-sang
+is Japan; and that the country of Tahan,
+situated to the west of Asiatic Vinland, can only be
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_viii">[viii]</span>the island of Saghalian. Humboldt observes upon
+this subject, that the number of horses, the practice
+of writing, and the manufacture of paper from the
+Fou-sang tree, mentioned in the account given by
+the Chinese historian, ought to have shown De
+Guignes that the country of which he spoke was
+not America.</p>
+
+<p>The presumed discovery of America which comes
+next in chronological rotation, is that by the Scandinavians,
+the earliest <i>printed allusion</i> to which occurs
+in Adam of Bremen’s <i>Historia Ecclesiastica Ecclesiarum
+Hamburgensis et Bremensis</i>, published at Copenhagen,
+1579, 4to. The Baron Von Humboldt has
+asserted that the merit of first recognising the discovery
+of America by the Northmen, <i>belongs indisputably</i>
+to Ortelius, who, in his <i>Theatrum Orbis
+Terrarum</i>, with unjust severity says, that Christopher
+Columbus had done nothing more than to place
+the new world in a permanently useful and commercial
+relationship with Europe. The ground upon which
+the priority is claimed for Ortelius, is that the first
+edition of his work came out in 1570, although the
+reference which Humboldt himself gives is to an
+edition of 1601 which was after the death of Ortelius,
+and the earlier editions do not contain the chapter on
+the Pacific Ocean in which the passage occurs. It is
+true that in the <i>Bibliotheca Hulthemiana</i> the edition
+of 1601 is said to have been revised and augmented
+by Ortelius before his death in 1598, but, even if the
+assertion was made by Ortelius, and not by the
+editor of his work after his death, it still leaves perfectly
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ix">[ix]</span>unimpeached the claim to priority of the
+Copenhagen edition of Adam of Bremen in 1579.
+Adam of Bremen’s work was written soon after the
+middle of the eleventh century, and was followed in
+the next half century by the <i>Historia Ecclesiastica</i>
+of Ordericus Vitalis, who also speaks of the country
+visited by the Scandinavians. Abraham Mylius, in
+his <i>Treatise de Antiquitate Linguæ Belgicæ</i>, Leyden,
+1611, makes all Americans to be sprung from Celts;
+stating that many Celtic words were to be found in
+use there; and with more reasonable showing affirms
+that the coast of Labrador was visited by wanderers
+from Iceland. Hugo Grotius, in his <i>Dissertatio de
+Origine Gentium Americanarum</i>, (Paris, 1642, 8vo.),
+follows Mylius, and states that America was colonised
+by a Norwegian race, who came thither from Iceland,
+through Greenland, and passed through North
+America down to the Isthmus.</p>
+
+<p>The earliest <i>printed detail</i> of these discoveries is
+given by the Norwegian historian, Thormodus Torfæus,
+in a work entitled <i>Historia Vinlandiæ Antiquæ,
+ex Antiquitatibus Islandicis in lucem producta</i>,
+(Hauniæ, 1705, 12mo.) But in the invaluable work
+by Professor Rafn, published in 1837 by the Danish
+Royal Society of Antiquaries, under the title of <i>Antiquitates
+Americanæ</i>, the manuscripts which record
+these discoveries are given at length in the original,
+accompanied by a Latin translation, and careful and
+learned geographical illustrations. The following is
+a summary of the principal events recorded in this
+highly interesting volume, and the geographical
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_x">[x]</span>inferences are those supplied by the professor himself.</p>
+
+<p>Irish Christians were the first Europeans, which we
+know from well established history, to have migrated
+into and inhabited Iceland. Close upon the end of
+the eighth century this island was visited by Irish
+hermits; but the first discovery of it by the Northmen
+was made by a Dane named Gardar, of Swedish
+origin, in the year 863. The regular colonisation of
+the country was commenced in 874 by Ingolf, a
+Norwegian, and was carried on continuously for the
+space of sixty years by some of the most influential
+and civilised families of Scandinavia. In 877 the
+mountainous coast of Greenland was for the first
+time seen by a man named Gunnbiorn, but it was
+in 983 that this country was first visited by Eric
+Rauda, or Eric the Red, son of Thorwald, a Norwegian
+noble, who had been condemned to a
+banishment of three years for killing Eyolf his neighbour.
+After three years absence, he returned to Iceland,
+and in order to hold out an inducement to
+colonisation, named the newly discovered country
+Greenland, intending by that name to express the
+richness of the woods and meadows with which it
+abounded. Amongst those who had accompanied
+Eric was a man named Heriulf Bardson, who established
+himself at Heriulfsnes. Biarne, the son of
+the latter, finding, on his return home from a trading
+voyage to Norway, that his father had quitted Iceland,
+resolved upon following him, though he, as well
+as those who had accompanied him, were quite unacquainted
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xi">[xi]</span>with the Greenland sea. Soon after leaving
+Iceland they met with northerly winds and fogs,
+and were carried they knew not whither: the weather
+clearing, they found themselves near a flat woody
+country, which, not corresponding with the descriptions
+of Greenland, they left to larboard. After five
+days’ sailing with a south-west wind, they came to a
+mountainous country, covered with glaciers, which
+they found to be an island; but as its appearance
+was not inviting, they bore away from the island, and
+standing out to sea with the same wind, after four
+days’ sailing with fresh gales, they reached Heriulfsnes
+in Greenland.</p>
+
+<p>Some time after this, in the year 1000, Lief, son of
+Eric the Red, equipped a ship with thirty-five men
+to make a voyage of discovery, with the view of examining
+the new found lands more narrowly. They
+came to a land were no grass was to be seen, but
+everywhere there were vast glaciers, while the space
+intervening between these ice mountains and the shore
+appeared as one uninterrupted plain of slate. This
+country they named Helluland, <i>i. e.</i> Slate-land (Newfoundland).
+Thence they stood out to sea again, and
+reached a level wooded country, with cliffs of white
+sand. They called this country Markland, <i>i. e.</i> Woodland
+(Nova Scotia). Again they put to sea, and after
+two days’ sail reached an island, to the eastward of
+the mainland, and passed through the strait between
+this island and the mainland. They sailed westward,
+and landed at a place where a river, issuing from a
+lake, fell into the sea. Here they wintered and built
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xii">[xii]</span>houses, which were afterwards called Leifsbuder
+(Leifsbooths.) During their stay, one of their number,
+named Tyrker, a German, happened to wander
+some distance from the settlement, and on his return
+reported that he had found vines and grapes. These
+proving to be plentiful, Lief named the country Vinland
+or Vineland (New England), and in the ensuing
+spring returned to Greenland. In the year 1002,
+Thorwald, Lief’s brother, being of opinion that the
+country had been too little explored, borrowed his
+brother’s ship, and with the assistance of his advice
+and instructions, set out on a new voyage. They
+arrived at Liefsbooths, in Vinland, remained there
+for the winter, and, in the spring of 1003, Thorwald
+sent a party in the ship’s long boat on a voyage of
+discovery southwards. They found a beautiful and
+well-wooded country, with extensive ranges of white
+sand, but no traces of men, except a wooden shed
+which they found on an island lying to the westward.
+They returned to Liefsbooths in the autumn. In the
+summer of 1004, Thorwald sailed eastward and then
+northward, past a remarkable headland enclosing a
+bay, and which was opposite to another headland.
+They called it Kialarnes (Keel-Cape). Continuing
+along the east coast, they reached a beautiful promontory,
+where they landed. Thorwald was so
+pleased with the place that he exclaimed, “Here is
+a beautiful spot, and here I should like well to fix
+my dwelling.” He had scarcely spoken before they
+encountered some Skrellings (Esquimaux) with whom
+they fell to blows, and a sharp conflict ensuing, Thorwald
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</span>received a mortal wound in his arm from an
+arrow. He died, and was buried by his own instructions
+on the spot which had excited his admiring
+remark, the language of which appeared prophetic
+of a longer stay there than he had at first contemplated.</p>
+
+<p>The most distinguished, however, of all the first
+American discoverers is Thorfinn Karlsefne, an Icelander,
+whose genealogy is carried back in the old
+northern annals to Danish, Swedish, Norwegian,
+Scottish, and Irish ancestors, some of them of royal
+blood. In 1006 this chieftain visited Greenland, and
+there married Gudrida, the widow of Thurstein (son
+of Eric the Red), who had died the year before in an
+unsuccessful expedition to Vinland. Accompanied
+by Snorre Thorbrandson, also a man of illustrious
+lineage, Biarne Grimolfson of Breidefiord, and Thorhall
+Gamlason of Austfiord, he set sail in the spring
+of 1007 with three ships for Vinland.</p>
+
+<p>They had in all one hundred and sixty men, and
+as they went with the intention of colonising, they
+took with them a great variety and quantity of live
+stock. They sailed, first, to the Tresterbyd, and
+afterwards to Biarney (Disco); then to Helluland,
+where they found an abundance of foxes; and thence
+to Markland, which was overgrown with wood, and
+plentifully stocked with a variety of animals. Proceeding
+still in a south-westerly direction, with the
+land on the right, they came to a place where a frith
+penetrated far into the country; off the mouth of it
+was an island, on which they found an immense
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xiv">[xiv]</span>number of eyder ducks, so that it was scarcely possible
+to walk without treading on their eggs. They
+called the island Straumey (Stream Isle) from the
+strong current which ran past it, and the frith they
+called Straumfiordr (Stream Frith). Here Thorhall
+and eight others left the party in quest of Vinland,
+but were driven by westerly gales to the coast of
+Iceland, where some say that they were beaten, and
+put into servitude. Karlsefne, however, with the
+remaining one hundred and fifty men, sailed southwards,
+and reached a place were a river falls into the
+sea from a lake; large islands were situated opposite
+the mouth of the river; passing these, they steered
+into the lake, and called the place Hop. The low
+grounds were covered with wheat growing wild; and
+the rising grounds with vines. Here they stayed till
+the beginning of the year 1008, when finding their
+lives in constant jeopardy from the hostile attacks of
+the natives, they quitted the place, and returned to
+Eric’s fiorde. In 1011 a ship arrived in Greenland,
+from Norway, commanded by two Icelandic brothers
+named Helge and Finnboge: to these men, Freydisa,
+a natural daughter of Eric the Red, proposed a voyage
+to Vinland, stipulating that they should share
+equally with her the profits of the voyage. To this
+they assented, and it was agreed that each party
+should have thirty able-bodied men on board the
+ship, besides women; but Freydisa secretly took
+with her five men in addition to that number. They
+reached Liefsbooths in 1012, and wintered there;
+when a discussion arising, Freydisa had the subtlety
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xv">[xv]</span>to prevail on her husband to massacre the brothers
+and their followers; after the perpetration of which
+base deed they returned to Greenland in the spring
+of 1013.</p>
+
+<p>In his expedition to Vinland in 1007, Thorfinn
+Karlsefne had been accompanied by his wife, Gudrida,
+who bore him a son, Snorre, who became the
+founder of an illustrious family in Iceland, which
+gave that island several of its first bishops. Among
+these may be mentioned the learned Bishop Thorlak
+Runolfson, to whom we are principally indebted for
+the oldest ecclesiastical code of Iceland, written in
+the year 1123. It is also probable that the accounts
+of the voyages were originally compiled by him.</p>
+
+<p>The notices given in these old Icelandic accounts,
+of the climate, soil, and productions of the new
+country are very characteristic. It is curious that
+Adam of Bremen, in the eleventh century, though
+himself not a northman, states, on the authority of
+Svein Estridson, the King of Denmark, a nephew of
+Canute the Great, that the country of Vinland got
+its name from the vine growing wild there, and for
+the same reason the English re-discoverers gave the
+name of Martha’s Vineyard to the large island close
+off the coast.</p>
+
+<p>It is fortunate that in these ancient accounts they
+have preserved the statement of the course steered
+and the distance sailed in a day. From various ancient
+Icelandic geographical works it may be gathered
+that the distance of a day’s sailing was estimated at
+from twenty-seven to thirty geographical miles—German
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</span>or Danish—of which fifteen are equal to a
+degree, and are consequently equivalent to four
+English miles. From the island of Helluland, afterwards
+called little Helluland, Biarne sailed to Herjulfsnes
+(Ikigeit), in Greenland, with strong south-westerly
+winds, in four days. The distance between
+that cape and Newfoundland is about one hundred
+and fifty miles, which, if we allow for the strong
+south-westerly gales, will correspond with Biarne’s
+voyage; while the well-known barrenness of the flats
+of Newfoundland corresponds with the Hellue, or
+slates, which suggested the name the Northmen gave
+to the island.</p>
+
+<p>Markland being described as three days’ sail south-west
+of Helluland, appears to be Nova Scotia; and
+the low and level character of the country, covered
+with woods, tallies precisely with the descriptions of
+later writers.</p>
+
+<p>Vinland was stated to be two days’ sail to the
+south-west of Markland, which would be from fifty-four
+to sixty miles. The distance from Cape Sable
+to Cape Cod is reckoned at about two hundred and
+ten English miles, which answers to about fifty-two
+Danish miles; and in the account given by Biarne
+of their finding many shallows off the island to the
+eastward, we recognize an accurate description of
+Nantucket, and Kialarnes must consequently be
+Cape Cod. The Straumfiordr of the Northmen is
+supposed to be Buzzard’s Bay, and Straumey, Martha’s
+Vineyard, though the account of the many eggs
+found there, would seem to correspond more correctly
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xvii">[xvii]</span>with Egg Island, which lies off the entrance of Vineyard
+Sound.</p>
+
+<p>Krossanes is probably Gurnet Point. The Hóp
+answers to Mount Hope’s Bay, through which the
+Taunton river flows, and it was here that the Leifsbooths
+were situated.</p>
+
+<p>The ancient documents likewise make mention of a
+country called Huitramannaland (Whiteman’s Land),
+otherwise Irland it Mikla (Great Ireland) supposed to
+be that part of the coast of North America, including
+North and South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
+There is a tradition among the Shawanese Indians,
+who emigrated some years ago from Florida and settled
+in Ohio, that Florida was once inhabited by white
+people, who possessed iron instruments. The powerful
+chieftain, Are Marson of Reykianes, in Iceland,—according
+to the account given by his contemporary
+Rafn, surnamed the Limerick trader,—was driven to
+Huitramannaland by storms in 983, and was baptised
+there. Are Frode likewise (the first compiler of the
+Landnama, and a descendant in the fourth degree
+from Are Marson) states that his uncle, Thorkell
+Gellerson, had been informed by Icelanders that Are
+Marson had been recognised in Huitramannaland,
+and was held in high respect there. This statement
+therefore shows that there was an occasional intercourse
+in those days between the Orkneys and Iceland,
+and this part of America.</p>
+
+<p>It is further recorded in the ancient MSS. that the
+Greenland bishop Eric went over to Vinland in the
+year 1121; but nothing more than the fact is stated,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xviii">[xviii]</span>and it simply corroborates the supposition of intercourse
+between the countries. Again, in the year
+1266, a voyage of discovery to the Arctic regions of
+America is said to have been performed, under the
+auspices of some clergymen of the bishopric of Gardar
+in Greenland; and from the recorded observations
+made by the explorers, would seem to have been carried
+to regions whose geographical position has been
+more accurately determined by our own navigators,
+Parry and the two Rosses. The next recorded discovery
+was made by Adalbrand and Thorwald Helgason,
+two Icelandic clergymen, in the year 1285. Contemporaneous
+accounts state that they discovered a
+new land to the westward of Iceland, supposed to
+have been Newfoundland. The last record preserved
+in the ancient Icelandic MSS. relates a voyage from
+Greenland to Markland, performed by a crew of
+seventeen men, in the year 1347. The account written
+by a contemporary nine years after the event, induces
+the belief that intercourse between Greenland and
+America had been maintained as late as the period
+here mentioned, for he speaks of Markland as a
+country still known and visited in those days.</p>
+
+<p>The obscurity of many portions of these narratives
+leaves much to be cleared up with reference to this
+interesting subject; but their general truthfulness
+being corroborated by the traces of the residence and
+settlement of the ancient northmen exhibited in the
+inscriptions discovered in Kinkigtorsoak, Greenland,
+and Massachusetts, no room is left for disputing the
+main fact of the discovery.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_xix">[xix]</span></p>
+
+<p>Between this period and the date of the first voyage
+of Columbus, the coast of America is reported to have
+been visited by the Arabians of the Spanish Peninsula,
+the Welsh, the Venetians, the Portuguese, and
+also by a Pole in the service of Denmark.</p>
+
+<p>The Arabian expedition is described both by Edrisi
+and by Ibn-al-Wardi. It appears to have been undertaken
+by eight persons of the same family, called the
+Almagrurins or the Wandering Brothers, who having
+provided themselves with everything requisite for a
+long voyage, swore they would not return till they
+had penetrated to the extreme limits of the Sea of
+Darkness. They sailed from the port of Aschbona or
+Lisbon, and steered towards the south-west, and at
+the end of thirty-five days arrived at the island of
+Gana or Sheep Island. The flesh of the sheep of
+this island being too bitter for them to eat, they put
+to sea again, and after sailing twelve days in a
+southerly direction, reached an island inhabited by
+people of a red skin, lofty stature, and with hair of
+thin growth but long and flowing over their shoulders.
+The inhabitants of this island told them that persons
+had sailed twenty days to the west without discovering
+land, and the Arabian brothers, diverted from
+the pursuit of their hardy enterprise by this discouraging
+account, retraced their course, and returned
+safely to Lisbon. From this description the elder de
+Guignes inferred that the Arabs had either reached
+the eastern coast of America, or at least one of the
+American islands; an opinion, however, which appears
+to have as little to sanction it, as his above
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xx">[xx]</span>mentioned conjecture that the Chinese had discovered
+the west coast of America in the fifth century. The
+Baron von Humboldt concurs with the opinion expressed
+by the learned orientalist Tychsen in his
+<i>Neue oriental und exegetische Bibliothek</i>, and repeated
+by Malte Brun, that the island reached by
+the Arab wanderers was one of the African islands.
+This conclusion is drawn from the circumstance that
+the Guanches, the original people of the Canary
+group, were a pastoral race, and also possessed the
+same external characteristics as the islanders here
+described. Moreover, the fact that the king of the
+island had an interpreter who spoke Arabic, together
+with the circumstance that the red men had sailed
+westward for a month without seeing land, strongly
+corroborates the opinion advanced. The precise date
+of this voyage is unknown, but Humboldt presumes
+that it must have been considerably anterior to the
+expulsion of the Arabs from Lisbon in 1147; because
+Edrisi, whose work was finished in 1153, speaks of
+the occurrence as if it were by no means recent.</p>
+
+<p>It is but upon a slight foundation, that the Welsh
+have pretended to raise a claim to the discovery; but
+slight as it is, there is certainly enough to render a
+decidedly negative assertion on the subject to the
+full as presumptuous as one decidedly affirmative
+would be. But as we have no concern with mere
+conjectures, we must in candour narrate, as succinctly
+as possible, the grounds upon which these
+pretensions have been founded.</p>
+
+<p>The first account of this discovery is found in
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxi">[xxi]</span>Humphrey Llwyd’s translation of the <i>History of
+Wales</i>, by Caradoc of Llancarvan, published by Dr.
+Powell in 1584. According to him the occurrence
+took place as follows:—On the death of Owen
+Gwynedd, prince of North Wales, in 1169, a contention
+arose amongst his numerous sons respecting the
+succession to the crown, when Madawe, or Madoc,
+one of their number, seeing his native country was
+likely to be embroiled in a civil war, deemed it more
+prudent to try his fortune abroad. In pursuance of
+this object he sailed with a small fleet of ships to
+the westward, and leaving Iceland on the north,
+came at length to an unknown country, where everything
+appeared new and uncommon and the manner
+of the natives different from all that he had ever
+seen. The country appearing to him, from its fertility
+and beauty, to be very desirable for a settlement, he
+left most of his own men behind him, (amounting,
+according to Sir Thomas Herbert, to a hundred and
+twenty), and returning to Wales, persuaded a considerable
+number of the Welsh to go out with him
+to the newly discovered country, and so with ten
+ships he again departed, and bade a final adieu to
+his native soil. This account of the historian Caradoc
+of Llancarvan is the only affirmative written
+document the story has upon which to ground its
+claim to authenticity, with the exception of an ode,
+written by a Welsh bard, Meredyth ab Rhys, who
+died in 1477, fifteen years before Columbus’s first expedition,
+in which an allusion is made to the event.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_3" href="#Footnote_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxii">[xxii]</span>A circumstance which would appear to confirm the
+truth of Madoc’s voyages, is a peculiar resemblance
+that has been found between some of the American
+dialects and the Welsh language; but, as Dr. Robertson
+reasonably remarks, the affinity has been observed
+in so few instances, and in some of these is so obscure
+or so fanciful, that no conclusion can be drawn from
+the casual resemblance of a small number of words.
+Dr. Williams adduces in confirmation of his favourite
+idea the authorities of Lopez de Gomara, Hornius,
+and Peter Martyr, pretending that they assert that
+traces of Christianity were found among the Americans
+by the Spaniards, as well as that there was
+a tradition among the Mexicans, that many years
+before a strange nation came amongst them, and
+taught them a knowledge of God. His references
+however appear entirely incorrect.</p>
+
+<p>Another pretension to an early discovery of America
+has been founded upon an account given in a
+work published in Venice by Francesco Marcolini
+in 1558, entitled “<i>Dello scoprimento dell’ Isole Frislanda,
+Eslanda, Engrovelanda, Estotilanda, ed Icaria,
+fatto sotto il Polo Artico da due fratelli Zeni, M.
+Nicolò il K. e M. Antonio</i>.” The substance of the
+account is, that in 1380, Nicolò Zeno, a Venetian
+noble, fitted out a vessel at his own cost, and made
+a voyage to the north, with the intention of visiting
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxiii">[xxiii]</span>England and Flanders, but was driven by a storm to
+Friseland, now proved to be the Færoe Archipelago.
+Being rescued from the attacks of the natives by
+Zichmni, a neighbouring prince, Zeno entered into
+the service of the latter, and assisted him in conquering
+Friseland and other northern islands. He shortly
+after dispatched a letter to his brother Antonio, requesting
+him to find means to join him; whereupon
+the latter purchased a vessel, and succeeded in reaching
+Friseland, where he remained fourteen years.
+During his residence there he wrote to his brother
+Carlo in Venice, and gave an account of a report
+brought by a certain fisherman, about a land to the
+westward. This account stated that about twenty-six
+years before, the fisherman, when out at sea with
+four fishing boats, was overtaken by a tempest, which
+drove them about for many days, and at length cast
+them on an island called Estotiland, about a thousand
+miles from Friseland. The inhabitants conveyed
+them to a fair and populous city, where the king sent
+for many interpreters to converse with them, but
+none that they could understand, until a man was
+found, who had likewise been cast away upon the
+coast, and who spoke Latin. They remained several
+days upon the island, which was rich and fruitful,
+abounding with all kinds of metals, and especially
+gold. Though much given to navigation, they were
+ignorant of the use of the compass, and finding the
+Friselanders acquainted with it, the king of the place
+sent them with twelve barques to visit a country to
+the south, called Drogeo. They had nearly perished
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxiv">[xxiv]</span>in a storm, but were cast away upon the coast of
+Drogeo. The fisherman described this Drogeo as a
+country of vast extent, and that the inhabitants were
+naked and eaters of human flesh. He remained
+many years in the country, and became rich with
+trafficking between Estotiland and the main land,
+and subsequently fitted out a vessel of his own, and
+made his way back to Friseland. His narrative induced
+Zichmni to undertake a voyage thither, in
+which he was accompanied by Antonio Zeno. It was
+unsuccessful: landing on an island called Icaria, they
+were roughly treated by the inhabitants, and a storm
+afterwards drove them on the coast of Greenland.</p>
+
+<p>This account was placed in the hands of Marcolini
+by Nicolò Zeno, a descendant of the family of the
+explorers, but it had to be made from fragments, he
+himself having, when a boy, from ignorance torn up
+a considerable quantity of the original documents,
+which were letters written by Antonio Zeno to Carlo
+his brother. In spite of a considerable amount of
+fable and exaggeration, defects which enter into the
+majority of early accounts of travel, it is scarcely to
+be believed that Nicolò Zeno the younger invented
+this voyage. He was a man of the highest reputation,
+as may be seen by the encomium passed on him
+by Francesco Patrizio; see <i>Della Historia dieci Dialoghi
+di M. Francesco Patrizio</i>, Venetia, 1560, 4to.,
+p. 30 verso. It is well known that the Venetians
+had made yearly voyages to the north of Europe for
+at least two centuries before the period in question,
+and the most important part of Zeno’s publication,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxv">[xxv]</span>viz., the map, the original of which is stated to have
+hung up in his palace since the date of the discovery,
+bears evidence of a knowledge, however imperfect, of
+Scandinavian geography. The graduation of this
+map was inserted by Nicolò Zeno the younger himself,
+and although inaccurate enough to cause much
+perplexity to geographers, there is no doubt that
+Greenland was laid down on it with more correctness
+than on any map preceding the date of its publication.
+No map before that time shews the Island
+of Frisland with names thereon tallying with the
+names of the Færoe islands. No map before 1558
+shews the discoveries of the Northmen in America,
+nor were any of the Sagas known to the Venetians
+before that time; nor do any books previous to that
+period set forth the geography of those parts from
+which Nicolò Zeno could have stolen information.
+Moreover the correspondence of the Zeno map with
+surveys much later, as in Davis’s Straits, is highly
+corroborative of its genuineness. Mr. Kohl, in his
+most valuable <i>Documentary History of Discovery
+of the East Coast of North America</i>, printed by
+the Maine Historical Society, 1869, 8vo., suggests
+that Icaria is Helluland or Newfoundland; Estotiland,
+Markland or Nova Scotia; and Drogeo, Vinland
+or New England: and he further justly remarks
+that, assuming that the map is genuine, “it is the
+first and oldest known to us on which some sections
+of the continent of America have been laid
+down.”</p>
+
+<p>On an anonymous map in Weimar of the date of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxvi">[xxvi]</span>1424, and on a map by Andrea Bianco,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_4" href="#Footnote_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> in the
+library of St. Mark, bearing the date of 1436, is laid
+down a large extent of land, five or six hundred
+leagues west of Gibraltar, above which is written the
+word “Antillia.” With reference to this subject,
+Martin Behaim, on his globe of 1492, says, “In the
+year 734, after the conquest of Spain by the Mahometans,
+this island Antillia was discovered and settled
+by an archbishop from Oporto, who fled to it in
+ships with six other bishops and other Christian men
+and women. They built there seven towns, from
+which circumstance it has also been called Septem
+Citade, the island of the seven cities. In the year
+1414 a Spanish vessel came very near to it.” Of the
+island of S. Brandan also, which is laid down on charts
+of the fourteenth century, Behaim says, “In the
+year 565, Saint Brandan, an Irish bishop, arrived
+with his vessel on this island, saw there most wonderful
+things, and returned afterwards to his country.”
+Another of these fancied islands in the Atlantic
+was the island of Brazil. So strong was the belief in
+the existence of these islands, that we find it stated
+by Pedro de Ayala, a Spanish envoy in England writing
+to the sovereigns in 1498, that the Bristol men
+had sent out every year from 1491 (before Columbus’s
+first great discovery) to 1497, two, three, or four caravels
+every year in search of the islands of Brazil and
+the seven cities, at the instigation of John Cabot.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxvii">[xxvii]</span></p>
+
+<p>The following passage occurs in Sir John Barrow’s
+<i>Chronological History of Voyages in the Arctic Regions</i>,
+which, if it stated a defensible truth, would
+present another claim, anterior to that of Columbus,
+to the discovery of America. The passage is headed
+“Cortereals, 1500”;—</p>
+
+<p>“The Portuguese, not content with having discovered
+a route to India, by sailing round the tempestuous
+extremity to Africa, soon after engaged in
+an equally dangerous enterprise: that of finding a
+route to India and the Spice Islands, by sailing
+westward round the northern extremity of America.
+This bold undertaking was reserved for the <span class="smcap">Cortereals</span>,
+the enlightened disciples of the school of
+Sagres. The first navigator of the name of Cortereal,
+who engaged in this enterprise, was John Vaz Costa
+Cortereal, a gentleman of the household of the infant
+Dom Fernando, who, accompanied by Alvaro Martens
+Homem, explored the northern seas, by order of king
+Affonso the Fifth, and discovered the <i>Terra de Baccalhaos</i>
+(the land of cod fish), afterwards called Newfoundland.
+This voyage is mentioned by Cordeiro,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_5" href="#Footnote_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a>
+but he does not state the exact date, which however
+is ascertained to have been in 1463 or 1464; for, in
+their return from the discovery of Newfoundland, or
+Terra Nova, they touched at the island of Terceira,
+the captaincy of which island having become vacant
+by the death of Jacomo Bruges, they solicited the
+appointment, and in reward for their services the request
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxviii">[xxviii]</span>was granted, their patent commission being
+dated in Evora, 2nd April, 1464.”</p>
+
+<p>It will be seen by the wording of this passage, that
+Sir John Barrow has fallen into the inaccuracy of asserting
+that, in 1463 or 1464, Cortereal was engaged
+in the enterprise of finding a route to India and the
+Spice Islands by sailing westward round the northern
+extremities of America. We must presume that the
+Portuguese were aware of the existence of the American
+continent, before they could conceive the idea of
+sailing westward round its northern extremity. The
+patent commission of the appointment of Cortereal
+and Homem to the government of Terceira does not
+specify that the service for which it was granted,
+was the discovery of Newfoundland; and, moreover,
+at the end of Faria y Sousa’s <i>Asia Portuguesa</i>, there
+is a list of all the armadas which sailed from Lisbon
+on voyages of discovery between 1412 and 1640,
+and this expedition is passed by in silence; so that
+the validity of the whole statement hangs on the
+authority of Cordeiro: but the account is altogether
+so extremely improbable, from the very silence of
+Portuguese writers of the time on so important a
+subject, as to leave Cortereal but small chance of a
+successful rivalry with Sebastian Cabot.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_6" href="#Footnote_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a></p>
+
+<p>The last on the list of those who have been said to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxix">[xxix]</span>precede Columbus in the discovery of America is a
+Polish pilot, named John Szkolny, whose name has
+been erroneously Latinized by Hornius, Zurla, Malte
+Brun, Wytfliet, and Pontanus, “Scolvus,” or “Sciolvus.”
+He was in the service of Christian II of Denmark
+in the year 1476. He is said to have landed
+on the coast of Labrador, after having passed along
+Norway, Greenland, and the Friseland of the Zeni.
+Upon this subject Von Humboldt thus expresses
+himself: “I cannot hazard any opinion upon the
+statement made to this effect by Wytfliet, Pontanus,
+and Horn. A country seen <i>after</i> Greenland may,
+from the direction indicated, have been Labrador. I
+am, however, surprised to find that Gomara, who
+published his <i>Historia de las Indias</i> at Saragossa, in
+1553, was cognizant even at that time of this Polish
+pilot. It is possible that when the codfishery began
+to bring the seamen of southern Europe into more
+frequent connexion with those of the north, a suspicion
+may have arisen that the land seen by Szkolny
+must have been the same as that visited by John
+Sebastian Cabot in 1497, and by Gaspar Cortereal
+in 1500. Gomara says what is in other respects not
+quite correct, <i>that the English took much pleasure in
+frequenting the coast of Labrador, for they found
+the latitude and climate the same as that of their
+native land, and the men of Norway have been there
+with the pilot, John Scolvo, as well as the English
+with Sebastian Cabot</i>. Let us not forget that Gomara
+makes no mention of the Polish pilot with reference
+to the question of the predecessors of Columbus,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxx">[xxx]</span>though he is malignant enough to assert that it is in
+fact impossible to say to whom the discovery of the
+New Indies is due.”&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_7" href="#Footnote_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a></p>
+
+<p>In the American Philosophical Transactions for
+1786, is a letter addressed to Dr. Franklin by Mr.
+Otto of New York, in which he not only asserts that
+the illustrious cosmographer Martin Behaim discovered
+the Azores, but quotes a passage, from what
+he calls an authentic record, preserved in the archives
+of Nuremberg, the tenor of which is as follows:—“Martin
+Behem, traversing the Atlantic Ocean for
+several years, examined the American Islands, and
+discovered the strait which bears the name of Magellan,
+before either Christopher Columbus or Magellan
+navigated those seas; and even mathematically delineated
+on a geographical chart for the king of
+Lusitania, the situation of the coast around every
+part of that famous and renowned strait.” He also
+quotes passages from the <i>Nuremberg Chronicle</i>, and
+from Cellarius, in confirmation of this statement.
+Don Cristóbal Cladera, in his <i>Investigaciones Historicas</i>,
+says that, in order to refute these statements,
+he procured from Nuremberg a description of Behaim’s
+globe, together with historical notes on the life and
+family of that geographer, and upon examining these
+and the unpublished works of the Academia de las
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxi">[xxxi]</span>Ciencias de Lisboa, he became convinced that the
+observations of Mr. Otto were totally unfounded;
+and De Murr, who has well investigated the question,
+assures us that the passage quoted by Mr. Otto from
+the <i>Nuremberg Chronicle</i> was not to be found in the
+German translation of that work by George Alt in
+1493. Moreover, the real globe of Behaim, made in
+1492, does not contain any of the islands or shores of
+the New World; a fact which sets at rest the two
+questions of Behaim’s earlier discovery, or of Columbus
+gaining his information from Behaim.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_8" href="#Footnote_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a></p>
+
+<p>From the series of evidences contained in the preceding
+accounts, the fact that America had been
+visited by European adventurers before the time of
+Columbus is rendered too certain to admit of contradiction
+even from the most sanguine advocate of
+the glory of the great discoverer. But, on the other
+side, it cannot be denied that the discovery of
+Columbus, however much later in date, deserves the
+meed of highest honour, as being the result of
+sagacity, judgment and indomitable perseverance,
+and as having been carried on with an energetic
+endeavour to bring into active operation the incalculable
+advantages which it opened up to the
+world at large. To vindicate the correctness of
+this statement, it will be well to give a brief sketch
+of his eventful life, and to pourtray as briefly as
+we may the high qualities to which, far more than
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxii">[xxxii]</span>to accidental circumstances, the glory of this great
+discovery is due. The retrospect of his history will
+at the same time shew, that while every previous
+discovery was attributable to accident, the greater
+portion of the accidental or uncontrollable circumstances
+in the life of Columbus were such as, instead
+of assisting him, tended to thwart him at every step
+of his painful career.</p>
+
+<p>It is generally agreed that his father was a wool
+weaver or carder. There is reason, however, to presume
+that though his parentage was humble, he was
+descended from a family of consideration. On this
+subject his son, Don Ferdinand, denies&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_9" href="#Footnote_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> with great
+indignation an assertion which occurs in a curious
+life of the admiral, inserted in the “<i>Psaltertium Octuplex
+Augustin Justiniani</i>,” Genoa, 1516, folio, under
+the comments on the nineteenth psalm, that he was
+“vilibus ortus parentibus,” and complains that he is
+falsely called a mechanic.</p>
+
+<p>The date of his birth is a “vexata quæstio,” which
+it would be well that we should here examine. For
+settling a disputed question of the kind no process
+seems so sure as the comparing of statements made
+by the same individual, if he be a good authority, at
+different times and under different circumstances.
+The following are two statements made by Columbus
+himself at entirely different periods and in an entirely
+different shape, and yet both having the same result.
+They are recorded by his son, Fernando, in the Biography
+of his father, and are as follows: “In his
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxiii">[xxxiii]</span>book of his first voyage [1492] he says, ‘I was upon
+the sea twenty-three years without being off it any
+time worth the speaking of, and I saw all the East
+and all the West, and may say towards the North or
+England, and have been at Guinea. Yet I never saw
+harbours for goodness like those of the West Indies,’
+and a little further he says, ‘That he took to the sea
+at fourteen years of age and ever after followed it.’”
+Now we know for certain that he escaped from Lisbon
+and came to Andalusia at the close of 1484; that
+during his stay in Portugal he had made many
+voyages to Guinea, but that from 1484 until his first
+great voyage in 1492 he was engaged, not at sea, but
+in endeavouring to secure the interest of the Spanish
+sovereigns in his important project. If then we add
+his twenty-three years of almost constant sea-going
+to fourteen, his age when he first went to sea, we
+have thirty-seven years to deduct from 1484, and we
+find 1447 to be the date of his birth. Again in 1501,
+many years later, he writes to the Spanish sovereigns
+as follows: “I went to sea very young and have continued
+it to this day; ... it is now forty years that I
+have been sailing to all those parts at present frequented.”
+What “very young” meant he had already
+told us; viz., 14, which added to 40 makes 54; and
+this total deducted from 1501, the date at which he
+writes, leaves the same date for his birth as that
+resulting from his former statement, viz., 1447. But
+for the sake of attaining as near to accuracy as possible,
+we must not overlook another statement made
+in 1503 by Columbus himself in his letter to Ferdinand
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxiv">[xxxiv]</span>and Isabella, describing his fourth voyage. He
+there says “I was twenty-eight years old when I
+came into Your Highnesses service, and now I have
+not a hair upon me that is not grey.” It was in
+1484 that he went to Spain, and then, as we have
+seen, terminated those three-and-twenty years of
+almost uninterrupted sea-faring life of which he
+speaks. Now, if he were then only eight-and-twenty,
+he must have first gone to sea at the age of five instead
+of fourteen, as he himself informs us. Moreover,
+by that reckoning he would have been only fifty
+when he died, in 1506, an age entirely incompatible
+with the statement of Bernaldez, the Cura de los
+Palacios, who knew Columbus so well, that he died
+<i>in senectute bonâ</i>, at the age of seventy, more or less.
+It is intelligible that such a remark should be made
+of a man of sixty, who had passed through hardships
+so exhausting to the mind and body as those which
+had marked the life of Columbus, but scarcely even
+of him at the age of fifty. It is clear, then, that a
+mistake has been made in this number 28, but if for
+it we write 38, it will make the date of Columbus’s
+birth to be 1446. We have, however, to bear in
+mind that the two statements previously made by
+him were of a very general character, in which no
+month or part of a year was specified. It would
+therefore seem that, on his own showing, we shall be
+safe in placing the date of his birth 1446-47, which
+agrees with the inference of the learned and judicious
+Muñoz, who places it “por los años 1446,”
+although he does not show the process by which he
+arrives at his conclusion.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxv">[xxxv]</span></p>
+
+<p>With respect to the birthplace of our illustrious
+navigator, were we to enter into the complex discussions
+of those who, with different arguments of more
+or less plausibility, place it in Genoa, Nervi, Savona,
+Pradello, Cogoleto, Quinto, Bogliasco, Albisola, Chiavara,
+Oneglia, or the castle of Cuccaro in Monferrato,—we
+should but launch upon a sea of difficulties,
+with little hope of a successful voyage. It is difficult
+to withhold credence from the strong assertion made
+twice by Columbus in his will, dated 22nd February
+1498, that he was born in the city of Genoa; namely,—“I,
+being a native of Genoa”; and “I desire my
+said son Diego, or the person who may succeed to
+the said inheritance, always to keep and maintain
+one person of our lineage in the city of Genoa ... because
+from thence I came, and there I was born.”&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_10" href="#Footnote_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a>
+But in like manner we know that Leonardo, who
+was born at Vinci, persisted in calling himself a
+Florentine.</p>
+
+<p>Having early evinced a strong inclination for the
+study of geography, geometry, and astronomy, Columbus
+found at the college of Pavia an excellent opportunity
+of gaining a more than superficial acquaintance
+with the principles of those sciences, and at the same
+time acquired considerable proficiency in the Latin
+language. The maritime position and commercial engagements
+of his native city doubtless suggested and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxvi">[xxxvi]</span>fostered much of that propensity for a nautical life,
+that he exhibited at so early an age; and although it
+appears from several historians that for a short time
+he worked at his father’s trade, yet this must have
+been simply during his earliest boyhood, for by his own
+account he commenced the life of a mariner at fourteen
+years of age. The piratical character of the sea-faring
+life of those days necessarily exposed its followers to
+unceasing hardships and dangers, and the severity of
+this early discipline must have most materially tended
+to render available and permanent those distinguished
+qualities which have subsequently gained for him the
+admiration of the world: indeed, no career could have
+been better calculated to develope his peculiar genius,
+or add fuel to those enthusiastic aspirations which
+characterised him to the close of his life.</p>
+
+<p>From the period of his going to sea, which was
+about the year 1460 until the year 1472, we meet with
+no distinct mention of his name; although in a letter
+written by him to their Majesties, in 1495, he says:
+“<i>It happened to me that king Réné (whom God has
+taken to himself) sent me to Tunis to capture the
+galley Fernandina, and on arriving at the island of
+San Pedro, in Sardinia, I learned that there were
+two ships and a caracca with the galley, which so
+alarmed the crew that they resolved to proceed no
+further, but to return to Marseilles for another vessel
+and more people; upon which, being unable to force
+their inclination, I yielded to their wish, and having
+first changed the points of the compass, spread all
+sail, for it was evening, and at daybreak we were
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxvii">[xxxvii]</span>within the cape of Carthagena, while all believed for
+a certainty that they were going to Marseilles.</i>” The
+date of this occurrence is unknown, but the expedient
+of Columbus to alter the point of the needle, reminds
+us of his subsequent stratagem, of altering his reckoning,
+to appease his discontented crew during his first
+great voyage of discovery.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1472, however, we have evidence of his
+having been in Savona, from the fact of his signature
+having been found appended to the will of one Nicolò
+Monleone, under date of the 20th March of that year.
+The document is preserved in Savona, among the
+notarial archives.</p>
+
+<p>In 1474 we find his name mentioned in a letter
+addressed by Ferdinand king of Sicily to Louis king
+of France, the title of which runs thus: “<i>Literæ à
+Ferdinando Rege Siciliæ ad Ludovicum XI, Galliæ
+Regem, per Fæcialem missæ, quibus quæritur, quod
+Christophorus Columbus triremes suas deprædatus
+sit, postulatque sibi ablata restitui. Datum in Terra
+Fogiæ die 8 Decembr. 1474.</i>” Then follows a letter
+in five lengthy clauses, in which it is stated that the
+said vessels were attacked and taken:—“<i>A Columbo,
+qui quibusdam navibus præest, Majestatis vestræ
+subdito.</i>”</p>
+
+<p>The title of Louis’s reply runs thus: “<i>Responsio
+Ludovici XI quibus promittit restitutionem, excusat
+tamen Columbum, quod jus sit in Oceano capere
+naves ab hostilibus terris venientes et saltem bona
+hostium inde auferre.</i>” These letters are given by
+Leibnitz, in his <i>Codex Juris Gentium Diplomaticus,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxviii">[xxxviii]</span>Prodromus</i>, art. 16 and 17; but on the correction of
+Nicolas Toinard, he acknowledges, in the preface to
+his <i>Mantissa Codicis</i>, that he had erroneously inserted
+the Christian name “Christophorus.”</p>
+
+<p>Toinard’s correction went to shew that Leibnitz
+had confounded the name of Guillaume de Caseneuve,
+surnamed Coulomp, Coulon, or Colon, as the Spaniards
+called him, with that of the illustrious discoverer.
+This acknowledgment by Leibnitz of his error might
+seem to render useless any reference to the letters in
+question; but as Christopher Columbus is stated by
+his son, Don Ferdinand, to have been of the same
+family as the pirate here mentioned, and also to have
+been engaged at sea with him and his nephew, it
+becomes interesting to examine what record exists of
+these illustrious pirates, and to see how far the assertion
+of Don Ferdinand bears the semblance of correctness.
+This Caseneuve, or Colon, is called by
+Duclos, in speaking of the very circumstance which
+occasioned these letters, in his <i>Histoire de Louis XI</i>,
+“<i>Vice-Amiral de France, et le plus grand homme de
+mer de son temps.</i>” And Zurita, in his <i>Libro 19 de
+los Anales de Aragon</i>, calls him, “<i>Colon, capitan de
+la Armada del Rey de Francia</i>.” Garnier, in his
+<i>Histoire de France</i>, thus relates the circumstance:
+“<i>Guillaume de Casenove, Vice-Amiral de Normandie,
+connu dans notre histoire sous le nom d’Amiral
+Coulon, s’était rendu formidable sur toutes les mers
+de l’Europe, où il exerçait le métier d’armateur:
+dans une de ses courses il s’empara de deux riches
+frégates chargées pour le compte des plus riches
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xxxix">[xxxix]</span>négocians de Naples, de Florence, et de plusieurs
+autres villes d’Italie, qui tout sollicitèrent vivement la
+restitution de cette importante prise.</i>”</p>
+
+<p>Another exploit, in which this Colon was successfully
+engaged, was the taking of eighty Dutch ships
+returning from the herring fishery, in the Baltic, in
+1479. Again, another sea-fight related by Marc Antonio
+Sabelico, in the eighth book of his tenth Decade,
+is quoted by Don Fernando, where Columbus the
+younger (described by Sabelico as the nephew, but by
+Zurita as Francis, the son of the famous corsair),
+intercepted, between Lisbon and Cape St. Vincent,
+four richly laden Venetian galleys, on their return
+from Flanders. Fernando further asserts that his
+father (Christopher) was present in this engagement,
+and that after a desperate contest, which lasted from
+morning till evening, the hand-grenades and other
+fiery missiles used in the battle, caused a general conflagration
+among the vessels, which having been lashed
+together with iron grapplings, could not be separated,
+and the crews were compelled to leap into the water
+to escape the fire. He then goes on to say that “his
+father, who was a good swimmer, finding himself at
+the distance of two leagues from the land, seized an
+oar, and by its aid succeeded in reaching the shore.
+Whereupon, learning that he was not far from Lisbon,
+where he knew he should find many natives of Genoa,
+he went thither, and meeting with a gratifying reception,
+took up his abode in that city.” The engagement
+here described is shown by various French historians
+to have taken place in 1485, and as it is certain that
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xl">[xl]</span>Columbus was in Lisbon prior to 1474 (for in that
+year he has a letter addressed to him in that city by
+Paolo Toscanelli, in reply to one written by himself
+from the same place), this relation by Don Ferdinand
+assumes a very apocryphal aspect.</p>
+
+<p>With respect to his other statement, that his father
+was of the same name and family as these two renowned
+corsairs, it is to be remarked that neither he
+nor any of the subsequent historians who have claimed
+this needless honour for the great discoverer, appears
+to have been acquainted with the real name of the
+pirates; and as Caseneuve was the strict family name
+of the latter, and Coulon merely a superadded surname,
+we may fairly conclude that the claim to consanguinity
+has no other foundation than the identity
+in the Spanish language of Columbus’s patronymic
+with the distinguishing surname of the French vice-admiral.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>Chronique Scandaleuse</i> (folio 109) this Caseneuve
+is said to have had a very handsome mansion,
+named Gaillart-Bois, in the neighbourhood of
+Notre Dame d’Escouys, in Normandy, at which Louis
+XI made a stay of two or three days in the month of
+June 1475, and returned thither also in the following
+month and stayed there some time. Spotorno suggests
+that his name of Coulon may have been derived
+from a place so called in the province of Berri; so
+that, in addition to the evidence that he was not of
+the same name or family with Christopher Columbus,
+there arises strong reason to believe that he was in
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xli">[xli]</span>reality a Frenchman:&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_11" href="#Footnote_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> in which case it becomes probable
+that an event which has been generally attributed
+to him, or to his still more renowned relative
+François Caseneuve, would be with greater correctness
+ascribed to the Genoese navigator, Christopher Columbus.
+It appears that, in a letter dated Terra
+d’Otranto, 2nd October, 1476 (preserved, according to
+Bossi, in the royal archives at Milan), addressed to the
+Duke of Milan by two illustrious gentlemen of that
+city,—the one Guid’Antonio Arcimboldo, and the
+other Giovanni Giacomo Trivulzio—the following
+story is related. It says that the captain of the Venetian
+fleet, when stationed off Cyprus to defend the
+island, had twice encountered a <i>Genoese</i> ship, called
+the “Nave Palavisina,” which he had taken to be a
+Turkish caracca; and in these two engagements one
+hundred and twenty of the Turks and Genoese had
+been killed, and in the Venetian squadron thirty had
+been killed, and two hundred wounded. The captain
+appears to have had doubts whether he might not
+have done wrong, and caused offence to the duke of
+Milan, who might perhaps be an ally of the Genoese:
+he therefore goes on to say that his only desire had
+been to meet with his enemies (the Turks) and plunder
+them; and adds, in confirmation of that assertion,
+that “a year before he had met with three times as
+many galleys, who spoke no evil of his good name, and
+that he found Columbus with ships and galleys, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xlii">[xlii]</span>had cheerfully let him pass by, upon which the cry was
+raised of ‘Viva San Georgio,’ and nothing further
+passed between them.” The Columbus here mentioned
+is shewn, by the cry of “Viva San Georgio,” and by the
+general tenour of the Venetian captain’s letter, to have
+been a Genoese, and with a Genoese crew; and as it
+appears probable that the Caseneuves were Frenchmen,
+and would in all probability sail with French
+crews, it leaves strong reason to presume that the
+Genoese captain here mentioned was Christopher
+Columbus, who is allowed by all his early historians
+to have been engaged in the Mediterranean about the
+period referred to.</p>
+
+<p>His son, Ferdinand Columbus, distinctly states
+that, “it was in Portugal that the admiral began to
+surmise, that, if the Portuguese sailed so far south,
+one might also sail westward, and find lands in that
+direction.”</p>
+
+<p>The period of Christopher Columbus’s sojourn in
+Portugal was from 1470 to the close of 1484, during
+which time he made several voyages to the coast of
+Guinea in the Portuguese service. While at Lisbon
+he married Felipa Moñiz de Perestrello, daughter of
+that Bartollomeu Perestrello to whom Prince Henry
+had granted the commandership of the island of
+Porto Santo. For some time Columbus and his wife
+lived at Porto Santo with the widow of Perestrello,
+who, observing the interest he took in nautical
+matters, spoke much to him of her husband’s expedition,
+and handed over to him the papers, journals,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xliii">[xliii]</span>maps, and nautical instruments, which Perestrello
+had left behind him.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_12" href="#Footnote_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a></p>
+
+<p>“It was not only,” says Ferdinand Columbus (see
+<i>Vida</i>, cap. 8), “this opinion of certain philosophers,
+that the greatest part of our globe is dry land, that
+stimulated the admiral; he learned, also, from many
+pilots, experienced in the western voyages to the
+Azores and the Island of Madeira, facts and signs
+which convinced him that there was an unknown land
+towards the west.” Martin Vicente, pilot of the
+King of Portugal, told him that at a distance of four
+hundred and fifty leagues from Cape St. Vincent, he
+had taken from the water a piece of wood sculptured
+very artistically, but not with an iron instrument.
+This wood had been driven across by the west wind,
+which made the sailors believe, that certainly there
+were on that side some islands not yet discovered. Pedro
+Correa, the brother-in-law of Columbus, told him,
+that near the island of Madeira he had found a similar
+piece of sculptured wood, and coming from the same
+western direction. He also said that the King of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xliv">[xliv]</span>Portugal had received information of large canes
+having been taken up from the water in these parts,
+which between one knot and another would hold nine
+bottles of wine; and Herrera (Dec. 1, lib. 1, cap. 2)
+declares that the king had preserved these canes, and
+caused them to be shown to Columbus. The colonists
+of the Azores related, that when the wind blew
+from the west, the sea threw up, especially in the
+islands of Graciosa and Fayal, pines of a foreign species.
+Others related, that in the island of Flores
+they found one day on the shore two corpses of men,
+whose physiognomy and features differed entirely
+from those of our coasts. Herrera, perhaps from the
+MSS. of Las Casas, says, that the corpses had broad
+faces, different from those of Christians. The transport
+of these objects was attributed to the action of
+the west winds. The true cause, however, was the
+great current of the Gulf or Florida stream. The
+west and north-west winds only increase the ordinary
+rapidity of the ocean current, prolong its action
+towards the east, as far as the Bay of Biscay, and
+mix the waters of the Gulf stream with those of the
+currents of Davis’ Straits and of North Africa. The
+same eastward oceanic movement, which in the fifteenth
+century carried bamboos and pines upon the
+shores of the Azores and Porto Santo, deposits annually
+on Ireland, the Hebrides, and Norway, the
+seeds of tropical plants, and the remains of cargoes
+of ships which had been wrecked in the West Indies.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_13" href="#Footnote_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a></p>
+
+<p>While availing himself of these sources of information,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xlv">[xlv]</span>Columbus studied with deep and careful attention
+the works of such geographical authors as supplied
+suggestions of the feasibility of a short western
+passage to India. Amongst these, the <i>Imago Mundi</i>
+of Cardinal Pierre d’Ailly (Petrus de Aliaco) was his
+favourite, and it is probable that from it he culled
+all he knew of the opinions of Aristotle, Strabo, and
+Seneca, respecting the facility of reaching India by a
+western route. Columbus’s own copy of this work
+is now in the cathedral of Seville, and forms one of
+the most precious items in the valuable library,
+originally collected by his son Ferdinand, and bequeathed
+to the cathedral on condition of its being
+constantly preserved for public use. It contains
+many marginal notes in his own handwriting, but of
+comparatively little importance.</p>
+
+<p>The fondness of Columbus for the works of Pierre
+d’Ailly, a Frenchman, has caused a recent French
+writer, M. Margry, to put forth the empty pretension
+that the discovery of America was due to the
+influence of French teaching, whereas, not only was
+the <i>Imago Mundi</i> itself a compilation from ancient
+authors, but the first edition was not printed till
+many years after Columbus had devoted himself to
+the purpose which ended in his great discovery, for
+his famous correspondence with Toscanelli, of which
+I shall presently speak, occurred in 1474. M. Margry,
+indeed, <i>asserts</i>, but without giving his authority, that
+in the Columbian Library at Seville are D’Ailly’s
+treatises <i>printed at Nuremberg in 1472</i>. This is in
+contravention of all the bibliographers—Panzer,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xlvi">[xlvi]</span>Ebert, Hain, Serna Santander, Lambinet, and Jean
+de Launoy.</p>
+
+<p>The earliest date assigned to the first edition of
+the <i>Imago Mundi</i>, is <i>about</i> 1480 by Serna Santander,
+1483 (?) by Lambinet, while Jean de Launoy, in his
+<i>Regii Navarræ Gymnasii Parisiensis Historia</i>,
+Parisiis, 1677, tom. ii, page 478, distinctly gives
+it the date of 1490. Humboldt, who had Columbus’s
+copy in his hands, and who, as the subject was especially
+his own, cannot be suspected of sleeping
+over such an important point, adopts De Launoy’s
+date of 1490, while Lambinet gives the queried
+date of 1483 from actual collation with another
+work printed in that year, at Louvain, in the very
+identical type, by John of Westphalia. In the
+recently published second volume of the <i>Ensayo de
+una bibliotheca de libros españoles raros</i>, por Don
+Bartolomé Gallardo, is a list of the books in the
+Columbian Library, but D’Ailly’s <i>Imago Mundi</i> is
+not therein mentioned, although his <i>Quæstiones</i>,
+printed much later by Jean Petit at Paris, a far less
+important book, is inserted. The omission is to be
+regretted, as we might have hoped for some illustrative
+comments from the author.</p>
+
+<p>But perhaps it may be suggested that Columbus
+may have possessed, or seen, a <i>manuscript</i> copy of
+Pierre d’Ailly at a yet earlier period. We will willingly
+suppose it for the sake of the argument; but
+even then the reasoning will fail, for I find that the
+very portion of the <i>Imago Mundi</i>, written in 1410,
+which is assumed to have supplied the inspiration
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xlvii">[xlvii]</span>for the discovery of America, and which Columbus
+quoted in his letter to Ferdinand and Isabella from
+Haiti in 1498, is <i>taken by Pierre d’Ailly, without
+acknowledgment, almost word for word, from the
+“Opus Majus,” of Roger Bacon</i>, written in 1267, a
+hundred and forty-three years before, as will be seen
+at page 183 of that work, printed Londini, 1733,
+fol. See Humboldt, <i>Examen Critique</i>, tom. i, pp.
+64-70.</p>
+
+<p>Unfortunately Roger Bacon was not a Frenchman,
+but there remains for M. Margry the consolatory fact
+that no Englishman is likely to avail himself of the
+circumstance which I have just enunciated, to claim
+for his countrymen the honour of having inspired
+Columbus with the idea which led to the discovery
+of America, although, by M. Margry’s process of
+reasoning, he might do so if he would. True, Roger
+Bacon had been a student in the University of Paris;
+but this fact did not communicate the character of
+French inspiration to the ancient authors whose
+statements he quotes. True also (but this is a circumstance
+either unknown to or unnoticed by M.
+Margry), Ferdinand Columbus tells us that his
+father was principally influenced in his belief of the
+smallness of the space between Spain and Asia, by
+the opinion of the Arab astronomer, Al Fergani, or
+Alfragan, to that effect; and it is further true that
+Alfragan is further treated of by Pierre d’Ailly, in
+his <i>Mappa Mundi</i>. This is a separate work from the
+<i>Imago Mundi</i>, although it happens to have been
+printed with it, at a period which we have shown to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xlviii">[xlviii]</span>be posterior to Columbus’s correspondence with
+Toscanelli, in 1474.</p>
+
+<p>It follows, therefore, that either: 1st, the great
+explorer obtained his knowledge of Alfragan’s opinion
+through one of the Arabo-Latin translations, to which
+he seems to have had recourse during his cosmographical
+studies in Portugal and Spain (see Humboldt,
+<i>Examen Critique</i>, tom. i, p. 83), in which case
+French influence is eliminated; or 2ndly, he derived
+it from a manuscript of Pierre d’Ailly before 1474,
+which there is no evidence to show; or 3rdly, he derived
+it from the printed copy of Pierre d’Ailly, in
+which case the influence of Alfragan on his mind
+could not have been primarily suggestive, but only
+corroborative of conclusions to which he had come
+several years before that book was printed. And in
+either of the two latter cases, the information supplied
+by Alfragan would not become French because
+adduced by a Frenchman, unless we introduce into
+serious history a principle analogous to the old conventional
+English blunder of giving to the toys
+manufactured in Nuremberg the name of “Dutch
+toys,” because imported through Holland.</p>
+
+<p>The suggestions derived from these works were corroborated
+by the narratives of Marco Polo and Sir
+John Mandeville, whose reports of the vast extent of
+Asia eastward led to the reasonable inference, that
+the western passage to the eastern confines of that
+continent could not demand any considerable length
+of time. The natural tendency of his thoughts to
+nautical enterprise being thus fostered by the works
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xlix">[xlix]</span>that he studied, and by the animating accounts of
+recent adventurers, as well as by the glorious prospects
+which the broad expanse of the unknown world
+opened up to his view, we find that in the year 1474
+his ideas had formed for themselves a determined
+channel, and his grand project of discovery was
+established in his mind as a thing to be done, and
+done by himself. The combined enthusiasm and
+tenacity of purpose which distinguished his character,
+caused him to regard his theory, when once formed,
+as a matter of such undeniable certainty, that no
+doubts, opposition, or disappointment, could divert
+him from the pursuit of it. It so happened that
+while Columbus was at Lisbon a correspondence was
+being carried on between Fernam Martins, a prebendary
+of that place, and the learned Paolo Toscanelli,
+of Florence, respecting the commerce of the
+Portuguese to the coast of Guinea, and the navigation
+of the ocean to the Westward. This came to the
+knowledge of Columbus, who forthwith despatched
+by an Italian, then at his house, a letter to Toscanelli,
+informing him of his project. He received an answer
+in Latin, in which, to demonstrate his approbation of
+the design of Columbus, Toscanelli sent him a copy
+of a letter which he had written to Martins a few
+days before, accompanied by a chart, the most important
+features of which were laid down from the
+descriptions of Marco Polo. The coasts of Asia were
+drawn at a moderate distance from the opposite
+coasts of Europe and Africa, and the islands of Cipango,
+Antilla, etc., of whose riches such astonishing
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_l">[l]</span>accounts had been given by this traveller, were
+placed at convenient spaces between the two continents.</p>
+
+<p>While all these exciting accounts must have conspired
+to fan the flame of his ambition, one of the
+noblest points in the character of Columbus had to
+be put to the test by the difficulty of carrying his
+project into effect. The political position of Portugal,
+engrossed as it was with its wars with Spain, rendered
+the thoughts of an application for an expensive
+fleet of discovery worse than useless, and several years
+elapsed before a convenient opportunity presented
+itself for making the proposition.</p>
+
+<p>Meanwhile Columbus was not idle. In the year
+1477, he tells us, in a letter quoted by his son, Don
+Ferdinand, that “<i>he sailed a hundred leagues beyond
+the island of Thule, the southern part of which is distant
+from the equinoctial line seventy-three degrees,
+and not sixty-three, as some assert; neither does it lie
+within the line which includes the west of Ptolemy,
+but is much more westerly. To this island, which is
+as large as England, the English, especially those
+from Bristol, go with their merchandize. At the
+time that I was there the sea was not frozen, but
+the tides were so great as to rise and fall twenty-six
+fathoms. It is true that the Thule of which Ptolemy
+makes mention lies where he says it does, and by the
+moderns it is called Frislanda.</i>” Whether the Færoe
+islands [see ante, <a href="#Page_xxiii">page xxiii</a>], or Iceland, was alluded
+to is uncertain, for nothing more is known of the
+voyage than is contained in this letter. It is moreover
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_li">[li]</span>supposed by his son, as has been already stated,
+that he passed a considerable portion of his time at
+sea, with one or both of the famous pirates of the
+same name, who were so many years engaged in the
+Levant; but upon the whole of this portion of his
+history there rests an impenetrable cloud of obscurity.</p>
+
+<p>About the year 1480, by the joint labours of the
+celebrated Martin Behaim and the prince’s two physicians,
+Roderigo and Josef, who were the most able
+geographers and astronomers in the kingdom, the
+astrolabe was rendered serviceable for the purposes
+of navigation, as by its use the seaman was enabled
+to ascertain his distance from the equator by the
+altitude of the sun.</p>
+
+<p>Shortly after this invaluable invention Columbus
+submitted to the king of Portugal his proposition of
+a voyage of discovery, and succeeded in obtaining an
+audience to advocate his cause. He explained his
+views with respect to the facility of the undertaking,
+from the form of the earth, and the comparatively
+small space that intervened between Europe and the
+eastern shores of Asia, and proposed, if the king
+would supply him with ships and men, to take the
+direct western route to India across the Atlantic.
+His application was received at first discouragingly,
+but the king was at length induced, by the
+excellent arguments of Columbus, to make a conditional
+concession, and the result was that the proposition
+was referred to a council of men supposed
+to be learned in maritime affairs. This council, consisting
+of the above-mentioned geographers, Roderigo
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lii">[lii]</span>and Josef, and Cazadilla, bishop of Ceuta, the king’s
+confessor, treated the question as an extravagant
+absurdity. The king, not satisfied with their judgment,
+then convoked a second council, consisting of
+a considerable number of the most learned men in
+the kingdom; but the result of their deliberations
+was only confirmative of the verdict of the first junta,
+and a general sentence of condemnation was passed
+upon the proposition. As the king still manifested
+an inclination to make a trial of the scheme of Columbus,
+and expressed a proportionate dissatisfaction with
+the decisions of these two juntas, some of his councillors,
+who were inimical to Columbus, and at the
+same time unwilling to offend the king, suggested a
+process which coincided with their own views, but
+which was at once short-sighted, impolitic, and ungenerous.
+Their plan was to procure from Columbus
+a detailed account of his design under the pretence
+of subjecting it to the examination of the council, and
+then to dispatch a caravel on the voyage of discovery
+under the false pretext of conveying provision to the
+Cape Verde Islands. King John, contrary to his
+general character for prudence and generosity, yielded
+to their insidious advice, and their plan was acted
+upon, but the caravel which was sent out, after
+keeping on its westward course for some days, encountered
+a storm, and the crew, possessing none of
+the lofty motives of Columbus to support their resolution,
+returned to Lisbon, ridiculing the scheme in
+excuse of their own cowardice. So indignant was
+Columbus at this unworthy manœuvre, that he resolved
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_liii">[liii]</span>to leave Portugal and offer his services to some
+other country, and towards the end of 1484 he left
+Lisbon secretly with his son Diego. The learned and
+careful Muñoz states his opinion that he went immediately
+to Genoa, and made a personal proposition to
+that government, but met with a contemptuous refusal;
+at any rate, we are positively informed by
+Fernando Columbus that his father went to Spain at
+the close of 1484. A curious surmise is expressed
+in a note to Sharon Turner’s <i>History of England in
+the Middle Ages</i>, in which the supposition is propounded
+of the possible identity of Christopher
+Columbus with a person named Christofre Colyns,
+who is recorded in some grants in the Harleian MSS.
+to have been military commandant of Queenborough
+castle, in the isle of Sheppy, in 1484 and 1485.
+This man is distinctly stated in the same grants to
+have held that post in April 1485, and it may be
+reasonably conjectured that the cessation of his office
+would not take place till the accession of Henry
+VII, in August in that year, which leaves but little
+time for his making his way to Genoa, and subsequently
+reaching Spain, so as to make his application
+to that court. Moreover, the impoverished condition
+in which Columbus presented himself at the convent
+de la Rabida was very incompatible with the probable
+pecuniary position of a person, who is described by
+the grants in question not only to have held the prominent
+station already mentioned, but to have had
+a ship given him, with an annuity of £100, and an
+especial grant of money to enable him to supply
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_liv">[liv]</span>himself with habiliments of war. These considerations,
+combined with the statement of Fernando
+Columbus just referred to, show that the supposition
+proposed by Mr. Turner cannot be regarded as
+tenable.</p>
+
+<p>The interesting story of Columbus’s visit to the
+Franciscan convent of Santa Maria de Rabida forms
+the first incident that we find recorded of him
+after his arrival in Spain. It is well known that
+the lively interest which the worthy prior of that
+convent, Fray Juan Perez de Marchena, took in his
+guest, was the means, through the anticipated influence
+of his friend Fernando de Talavera, of first
+leading Columbus to the Spanish court, under the
+hope of obtaining the patronage of the king and
+queen. Talavera, who was prior of the monastery of
+Prado, and confessor to the queen, possessed great
+political interest. Juan Perez took advantage of this
+influential position of his friend, and addressed him
+a letter by the hands of Columbus, strongly recommending
+the project of the latter to his favourable
+consideration, and requesting his advocacy of it before
+the sovereigns. It was in the spring of 1486 that
+Columbus first ventured to the Spanish court in the
+hope of gaining a favourable audience. On reaching
+Cordova, however, he had the mortification to find
+that Talavera, upon whose influence he mainly relied,
+regarded his design as unreasonable and preposterous.
+The court also was at that time so engrossed with
+the war at Granada, as to place any hope of gaining
+attention to his novel and expensive proposition out
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lv">[lv]</span>of the question. At length, at the close of 1486,
+the theory of Columbus, backed as it was by his
+forcible arguments and earnest manner, gained weight
+with the most important personage at court next to
+the sovereigns themselves. This was Mendoza, archbishop
+of Toledo, and grand cardinal of Spain; who,
+pleased with the grandeur of the scheme and the
+fervent but clear-headed reasoning of Columbus,
+adopted his cause, and became his staunch protector
+and friend. Through his means an audience was
+procured with the sovereigns, and the result of the
+interview was the expression of a favourable opinion,
+qualified by the necessity of an appeal to the judgment
+of the literati of the country. But here again
+Columbus found himself in a painful predicament,
+which it required all his knowledge and prudence to
+escape from with safety. He was examined at Salamanca
+by a council of ecclesiastics, and had to propound
+opinions which appeared to be at variance
+with the descriptions contained in the sacred Scriptures,
+and that at a period when the expression of
+any sentiment approaching to heresy exposed its
+owner to the persecution of the newly established
+Inquisition. The ignorance of cosmography, and the
+blind conclusions drawn from various misinterpreted
+texts of Scripture, formed mighty impediments to
+the pleadings of Columbus, and he began to find
+himself in danger of being convicted not only of
+error, but of heresy. One learned man of the number,
+however, Diego de Deza, tutor to prince John,
+and afterwards archbishop of Seville, appreciated the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lvi">[lvi]</span>eloquent and lucid reasonings of the adventurer, and
+aiding him with his own powers of language and
+erudition, not only gained for him a hearing, but
+won upon the judgments of some of the most learned
+of the council. Nevertheless, so important a question
+could not be hastily decided; and the result of
+the united pedantry and sluggish superstition of
+the learned body, was to expose the question to
+protracted argumentation or neglect, while Talavera,
+who was at its head, and from whom Columbus had
+hoped to receive the greatest assistance, was too busied
+with political matters to bring it to a conclusion. At
+length, in the early part of 1487, the deliberations
+of the council were brought to a stand-still by the
+departure of the court to Cordova, and were not resumed
+till the winter of 1491. During this wearisome
+period the bustle and excitement of the
+memorable campaign against the Moors, with its
+alternations of triumphant festivity, together with
+the marriage of the princess Isabella to the prince
+Alonzo, heir apparent of Portugal, were far too engrossing
+to admit of much attention being given to
+the schemes of Columbus.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_14" href="#Footnote_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> At the close, however,
+of the year 1491, the learned conclave appears to
+have recommenced its consultations; but upon being
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lvii">[lvii]</span>called upon by the sovereigns for a decision, a report
+was returned to Talavera that the scheme was considered
+by the general vote of the junta too groundless
+to be recommended. Accordingly Talavera was
+commanded to inform Columbus that the cares and
+expenses of the war precluded the possibility of their
+highnesses engaging in any new enterprises, but that
+when it was concluded, there would be both the will
+and the opportunity to give the subject further consideration.
+Regarding this as nothing better than
+a courteous evasion of his application, he retired
+wearied and disappointed from the court, and, but
+for an attachment which he had formed at Cordova
+which made him reluctant to leave Spain, he would
+in all probability have repaired to France, under the
+encouragement of a favourable letter which he had
+received from that quarter.</p>
+
+<p>The ensuing period till 1492 was spent in a succession
+of vexatious appeals to the Spanish court, during
+which he had to contend with every obstacle that
+ignorance, envy, or a pusillanimous economy could
+suggest.</p>
+
+<p>At length having overcome all difficulties, he set
+sail with a fleet of three ships on the 3rd of August
+1492, on his unprecedented and perilous voyage. The
+ordinary difficulties which might be expected to occur
+in so novel and precarious an adventure were seriously
+aggravated by the alarming discovery of the variation
+of the needle, as well as by the mutinous behaviour
+of his crew; and his life was upon the point of being
+sacrificed to their impatience, when the fortunate
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lviii">[lviii]</span>appearance of land, on the morning of the 12th of
+October, converted their indignation into compunction,
+and their despondency into unbounded joy.</p>
+
+<p>With reference to the identity of the first landing
+place of Columbus in America, I too readily adopted
+in 1847 the conclusions of Navarrete that the Great
+Turk, the northernmost of the Turk islands, was
+the true landfall. I did so under the following
+process of reasoning. My predecessors in the consideration
+of the subject had been the learned Juan
+Bautista Muñoz in 1793, Navarrete in 1825, Washington
+Irving in 1828, and the Baron Alexander
+von Humboldt in 1837. It was the opinion of
+Muñoz that Guanahani was Watling’s Island. Navarrete,
+as just shown, placed it in the Grand Turk,
+far to the east, while Washington Irving and Humboldt
+made it to be Cat Island to the west. Such
+different conclusions, formed by thoughtful men from
+an examination of the diary of Columbus and other
+early documents, caused me to set a great value upon
+any modern reconnaissance of the locality which
+might throw a fuller light upon these documents and
+perhaps show which of the conclusions was correct.
+Now, it so happened that a communication made a
+short time previously to the New York Historical
+Society by Mr. Gibbs, a resident on Turk’s Island,
+presented several points of evidence strongly confirmative
+of the correctness of Navarrete’s deductions.
+The most important of Mr. Gibbs’s arguments were
+the following. Columbus states in his journal that
+there were several islands in sight from Guanahani.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lix">[lix]</span>From the island now called San Salvador, Mr. Gibbs
+found no land visible. The journal speaks of soundings
+to the eastward of Guanahani: there were none
+to the eastward of San Salvador. All the marks
+wanting at San Salvador were found at Turk’s
+Island. The journal describes Guanahani as well
+wooded, and having much water; a large lake in the
+centre, and two several running streams flowing into
+the sea. Turk’s Island has about one-third of its
+surface covered with lakes of salt and fresh water;
+and a few years before vessels had sailed into one of
+the ponds. Although the island was now without
+trees, Mr. Gibbs recollected some remains of a forest
+existing in his youth. Moreover the journal makes
+no allusion to the Great Bahama Bank, which must
+have been passed in approaching San Salvador.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_15" href="#Footnote_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a>
+As Mr. Gibbs’s personal observation thus appeared
+to corroborate the deductions of Señor de Navarrete,
+I yielded to this combination of evidence and so submitted
+it to the reader. Since that time, however,
+we have seen other arguments advanced, in which
+local investigation, as well as the examination of the
+early documents, have resulted in conclusions as
+divergent as those which preceded them. Captain
+Becher, R.N., of our own Hydrographic Office, in his
+<i>Landfall of Columbus</i>, published London, 1856,
+examining the question from a seaman’s point of view,
+fell in with the opinion formed by Muñoz in 1793,
+that Guanahani was Watling’s Island, while Señor de
+Varnhagen, in his <i>La verdadera Guanahani de Colon</i>,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lx">[lx]</span>published at Santiago, 1864, maintains the unique
+opinion that it was the island of Mayaguana.</p>
+
+<p>Under these circumstances it has become a duty
+in me to revise my old opinion; and while the process
+to which I shall resort will, as I hope, finally
+settle this much vexed question, it is happily one
+which will not lay me open to the charge of presumption
+in giving a judicial verdict where men of
+such high renown have differed. I congratulate
+myself on having found a means of enabling the
+reader to judge for himself by a very simple mode
+of examination. Annexed is a fac-simile of Herrera’s
+map of the Bahama Islands, as laid down from the
+original documents in the handwriting of Columbus
+and his contemporaries, to which, as official historiographer
+of the Indies in the sixteenth century, Herrera
+had exclusive access; and side by side with it
+is a map, reduced from the Admiralty survey, showing
+those islands as now known, and with their
+modern names. I indulge the hope that no one will
+contest the identification&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_16" href="#Footnote_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> of the respective islands
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxi">[lxi]</span>laid down in the old map with those which I have
+set forth as their correlatives in the modern one, and
+if so, the Guanahani of Columbus will be plainly
+seen to be Watling’s Island. The correctness of this
+identification is not only confirmed, but made easily
+perceptible, by the fact that certain islands of the
+series have retained their ancient names without
+change from the beginning, thus affording stations
+for comparison which reduce the chances of error to
+a minimum. This map of Herrera’s is of especial
+value for the purpose, because while it embodies the
+information contained in the map of the pilot Juan
+de la Cosa, who was with Columbus in his second
+voyage (1493-96); it has the advantage over the latter
+in having been made nearly a century later, and so contains
+the entire chain of islands, many of which had
+not been explored at the time when De la Cosa laid
+down his map in 1500. For the satisfaction of the
+reader, however, a reduction of that part of De la
+Cosa’s map which shows these islands is here given.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="map1" style="max-width: 62.5em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/map1.jpg" alt="">
+  <figcaption>
+    <p>BAHAMA ISLANDS<br>ANTONIO DE HERRERA<br>1601.</p>
+  </figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="map2" style="max-width: 62.5em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/map2.jpg" alt="">
+  <figcaption>
+    <p>BAHAMA ISLANDS<br>MODERN</p>
+  </figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<table>
+  <tr>
+    <th>Herrera</th>
+    <th></th>
+    <th>Modern</th>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Bahama</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Gᵗ. Bahama Iᵈ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Bimini</i></td>
+    <td>}</td>
+    <td rowspan="2" class="valign"><i>Andros Iˢ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Habacoa</i></td>
+    <td>}</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Cabeça de los Martires</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Cay Sal Bank</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Yucayoneque</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Gᵗ. Abaco Iᵈ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Cigateo</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Eleuthera</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Curateo</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Little S. Salvador</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Guanima</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>S. Salvador or Cat Iᵈ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td class="nw"><i>Anonymous between Habacoa &amp; Yuma</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Great Exuma</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Guanihana</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Watlings Iᵈ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Yuma</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Yuma</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Samana</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Samana</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Xumeto</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Crooked Iᵈ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Yabaque</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Acklin’s Iᵈ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Mayaguana</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Mariguana</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Caycos</i></td>
+    <td>}</td>
+    <td rowspan="2" class="valign"><i>The Caycos Group</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Amana</i></td>
+    <td>}</td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Canciba</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Turks Iˢ.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Abreojo</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Mouchoir Carré</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Canaman</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Silver Plate Bank</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Macarey</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Navidad or Ship B.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Mira por vos</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Miraporvos</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>Ynagua</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Gᵗ. Inagua</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td><i>La Tortuga</i></td>
+    <td></td>
+    <td><i>Tortuga</i></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>But while it is hoped that the identity of Guanahani
+with Watling’s Island will be admitted to be
+authoritatively established by this comparison, it
+would be wanting in respect to those who have put
+forth other claims not to show, I will not say the
+ground on which these claims were advanced, but
+rather, for brevity’s sake, the points at which their
+arguments fail. I adopt this plan on the principle that a
+chain is no stronger than its weakest link. Of all these
+I fear none occupies so disadvantageous a position as
+His Excellency Senhor de Varnhagen; for having unfortunately
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxii">[lxii]</span>adopted for his <i>protégée</i> an island (Mayaguana),
+which is represented <i>together with</i> the island
+of Guanahani both on De la Cosa’s and Herrera’s maps,
+I regret to say that he seems to me to be <i>ipso facto</i>
+put out of court, since no reasoning whatever could
+by any possibility make identical two islands so
+markedly distinct that several other islands are
+shown to lie between them. Washington Irving, in
+advocating Cat Island, or the island at present called
+St. Salvador, as the genuine Guanahani, adduces an
+examination of the route of Columbus by Commander
+Alexander Slidell Mackenzie of the U.S.
+navy, but which being principally addressed to the
+disproval of Navarrete’s Turk’s Island, fails to establish
+Cat Island as the real landfall in contradistinction
+to Watling’s Island. In examining this
+route I observe a startling inaccuracy, which underlies
+the whole question. It is stated that Columbus describes
+the island as <i>very large</i>. On referring to
+Columbus’s logbook in Navarrete, I find it, on the
+contrary, called an “isleta,” or islet, <i>i. e.</i> <i>small</i> island,
+a term which could scarcely be applied to an island
+forty-two miles long and the loftiest of the Bahamas,
+which Cat Island is, whereas it would be correctly
+applied to Watling’s Island, which is only twelve
+miles long, cut up by salt water lagoons, separated
+from each other by small woody hills. At the close,
+reference is made to the identity preserved to Cat
+Island as San Salvador with that given by Columbus,
+and a remonstrance against disturbing the
+ancient landmarks. But this is a <i>petitio principii</i>,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxiii">[lxiii]</span>inasmuch as at the period when the name of San
+Salvador was first continuously applied to Cat Island,
+viz., the middle of the seventeenth century, both
+map makers and sailors were possessed of no better
+materials, nor even so good, as ourselves, for coming
+to an accurate determination. Humboldt, in accepting
+the conclusions of Commander Mackenzie as
+adopted by Irving, thinks them confirmed by the
+map of Juan de la Cosa, of which I have given an
+extract. But here I would observe that the attention
+of the illustrious philosopher was bent on the
+point to which Mackenzie’s paper was directed, viz.,
+the disproval of Turk’s Island, and not to a discrimination
+between Cat Island and Watling’s Island
+for the true landfall. A glance will show that the
+imperfectness of the Bahama group in Juan de la
+Cosa’s map renders it perfectly inadequate for settling
+so minute a question.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp100" id="map3" style="max-width: 62.5em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/map3.jpg" alt="">
+  <figcaption>
+    <p>JUAN DE LA COSA<br>1500.</p>
+  </figcaption>
+</figure>
+
+<p>It is needless to dwell here upon the events
+which followed this discovery, as they are for the
+most part described in the letter here translated.
+The main result of the voyage was the discovery of
+the islands of St. Salvador, Santa Maria de la Concepcion,
+Exuma, Isabella, Cuba, Bohio, the Archipelago
+off the south coast of Cuba (which he names the
+Jardin del Rey, or King’s Garden), the islands of
+St. Catherine and Hispaniola, on which latter Columbus
+erected the fortress of La Navidad, and
+established a colony. Finally, on the 16th of January,
+he began to steer his course for Spain, and he was
+already near the Azores when, on the 12th February,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxiv">[lxiv]</span>the wind came on to blow violently, with a heavy sea,
+and on the following day a frightful tempest broke
+upon them, which obliged them to scud under bare
+poles. The storm continuing with unabated violence,
+on the night of the 14th of February the two caravels
+parted company, each following the course where the
+fury of the tempest drove them. The sailors, giving
+themselves up for lost, offered up prayers and vows;
+while the admiral, full of gloomy apprehensions that,
+after all, his discovery might turn to nought, and his
+two sons be left destitute, wrote upon parchment the
+account of the voyage, addressed it to the king of
+Spain, with a promise, written outside, of one thousand
+ducats to whomsoever would deliver it unopened.
+He then wrapped the packet up in waxed cloth, and
+put it into the middle of a cake of wax, and after
+inclosing it in a barrel well hooped and stopped up,
+he threw it into the sea. He also placed on the poop
+of his own vessel a similar barrel, with the same
+account enclosed, in order that if the ship went to
+the bottom the barrel might float, and the narrative
+be saved. During this period Columbus passed
+three days and nights without sleep, and with scanty
+and bad food, so that when, on the 18th, he arrived
+at St. Mary’s, one of the Azores, he felt his limbs
+quite crippled with exposure to the cold and wet.
+There was a small church there, in a solitary place,
+dedicated to the Virgin. Columbus, with the view
+of discharging the vows made during the storm,
+sent half of his people on shore to the church, but
+the Portuguese Governor of the island took them all
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxv">[lxv]</span>prisoners, seized their boat, and would have attacked
+Columbus’s own vessel, by orders, as he said, received
+from his court, but for the firmness with which the
+latter confronted him. Columbus indignantly asserted
+his own rank and office, showed his letters
+patent sealed with the royal seal, and threatened
+the Governor with the vengeance of the Castilian
+government. After a few days, during which Columbus
+was driven from his anchorage and had to
+beat about in great danger, the Governor, who in
+the interval had thought better of the matter,
+liberated the prisoners and allowed the caravel to
+proceed on her course. The state of the weather
+was most terrible; the sea ran mountains high; the
+lightnings rent the clouds, and the violence of the
+winds was such that the vessel was obliged to scud
+under bare poles, in which state she arrived, at last,
+in the Tagus, near Lisbon, on the 4th of March.
+Columbus immediately wrote a letter to the King of
+Portugal, then at Valparaiso, informing him that he
+was not come from Guinea but from the Indies, and
+requesting protection for his caravel, and permission
+to bring it up to Lisbon. Not only was this granted,
+but Columbus was immediately invited to Valparaiso
+and was received by the monarch and his courtiers
+with the highest honours. There were not
+wanting, however, some who would gladly have slain
+him to prevent his going to Castile as the bearer of
+such great and glorious news. The magnanimity of
+the king prevented this injustice, and leaving Portugal
+in safety, on the 13th of March, Columbus
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxvi">[lxvi]</span>arrived on the 15th at the little port of Palos, from
+whence he had sailed on the 3rd of August in the
+preceding year. Meanwhile Pinzon, the captain of
+the other caravel, who in the late storm had been
+driven into Galicia, wished to anticipate the admiral,
+but an express order from the court, forbidding him
+to come without Columbus, made him actually die
+of spite and chagrin. The reception of Columbus in
+Spain was such as the grandeur and dignity of his
+unrivalled achievement deserved, and his entrance
+into Barcelona was scarcely inferior to a Roman
+triumph.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_17" href="#Footnote_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxvii">[lxvii]</span></p>
+
+<p>Very shortly after his arrival the papal bull was
+obtained, which fixed the famous line of demarcation,
+determining the right of the Spanish and Portuguese
+to discovered lands. This line was drawn
+from the north to the south pole, at a hundred leagues
+west of the Azores and Cape de Verde islands; the
+discoveries to the westward were to belong to Spain,
+and those to the eastward to Portugal.</p>
+
+<p>The seductive adulation of the court and the people
+did not, however, divert the thoughts of Columbus
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxviii">[lxviii]</span>from the preparations for a second expedition. A
+stay of five months sufficed to make all ready for
+this purpose; but these preparations gave rise to a
+malignant feeling towards him on the part of Juan
+Rodriguez Fonseca, Bishop of Badajos, which eventually
+led to such disgraceful ill-usage of the admiral
+as will remain a stain upon the character of Spain
+while the name of Columbus exists in the memory
+of man.</p>
+
+<p>On the 25th September 1493, Columbus took his
+departure from Cadiz, with a fleet of three large
+ships of heavy burthen, and fourteen caravels, and
+after a pleasant voyage reached the island of Dominica
+on the 3rd of November. The letter of Dr. Chanca,
+here translated, gives an interesting description of a
+considerable portion of the events of this voyage,
+but it is to be regretted that his account terminates
+so abruptly, and the “memorial” of Columbus to the
+sovereigns adds but few incidents of moment to the
+narrative. We should be straining the necessary
+limits of a mere introduction to these translated
+documents, were we to undertake to lead the reader
+through the various history of this eventful period of
+the life of Columbus. Such a task has been rendered
+perfectly unnecessary by the much admired work of
+Washington Irving. Suffice it that we state, that
+the principal geographical information supplied by
+this voyage consists in the discovery of the Caribbee
+Islands, Jamaica, an Archipelago (named by Columbus
+the Queen’s Gardens, supposed to be the Morant
+Keys), Evangelista, or the Isle of Pines; and the
+island of Mona.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxix">[lxix]</span></p>
+
+<p>He sailed with his fleet finally for Spain on the
+28th of April, 1496, and after nearly two months’
+struggle against the trade-winds (during which provisions
+became so reduced, that there was talk of killing,
+and even eating the Indian prisoners), reached
+the bay of Cadiz on the 11th of June. The emaciated
+state of the crew when they disembarked, presenting
+so mournful a contrast with the joyous and triumphant
+appearance which they were expected to make, produced
+a very discouraging impression upon the opinions
+of the public, and reflected a corresponding depression
+upon the spirits of Columbus himself. He
+was reassured, however, by the receipt of a gracious
+letter from the sovereigns inviting him to the court,
+which was the more gratifying to him that he had
+feared he had fallen into disgrace. He was received
+with distinguished favour, and had a verbal concession
+of his request to be furnished with eight ships
+for a third voyage. He was doomed, however, to
+have his patience severely tried by the delay which
+occurred in the performance of this promise, which
+was partly attributable to the engrossing character of
+the public events of the day, and partly to the machinations
+of his inveterate enemy, the bishop Fonseca.</p>
+
+<p>It was not till the 30th of May 1498, that he set
+sail from San Lucar, with six of the eight vessels
+promised, the other two having been despatched to
+Hispaniola, with provisions, in the beginning of the
+year. When off Ferro he despatched three of his
+six vessels to the same island, with a store of fresh
+supplies for the colony, while with his remaining three
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxx">[lxx]</span>he steered for the Cape Verde Islands, which he
+reached on the 27th of June. On the 5th of July
+he left Boavista, and proceeded southward and westward.
+In the course of this voyage the crews suffered
+intensely from the heat, having at one time
+reached the fifth degree of north latitude, but at
+length land was descried on the 31st of July,—a
+most providential occurrence, as but one cask of
+water remained in the ship. The island they came
+to formed an addition to his discoveries; and as the
+first land which appeared consisted of three mountains,
+united at their base, he christened the island,
+from the name of the Trinity, La Trinidad. It was
+in this voyage that he discovered terra firma,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_18" href="#Footnote_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> and
+the islands of Margarita and Cubagua. His supposition
+that Paria had formed the original abode of
+our first parents, is curiously described in our translated
+letter; and to a careful observer the sagacity
+of his mode of reasoning is perceptible even in a
+speculation so fanciful as this. On reaching Hispaniola
+(to which he was drawn by his anxiety on
+account of the infant colony), he had the mortification
+to find that his authority had suffered considerable
+diminution, and that the colony was in a state of
+organized rebellion. He had scarcely, by his active
+and at the same time politic conduct, brought matters
+to a state of comparative tranquillity, when a new
+storm gathered round him from the quarter of the
+Spanish court. The hatred of his ancient enemies
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxi">[lxxi]</span>availed itself of the clamour raised against him by
+some of the rebels who had recently returned to
+Spain, and charges of tyranny, cruelty, and ambition
+were heaped unsparingly upon him. The king and
+queen, wearied with reiterated complaints, at length
+resolved to send out a judge, to inquire into his conduct,—injudiciously
+authorizing him to seize the
+governorship in the place of Columbus, should the
+accusations brought against him prove to be valid.
+The person chosen was Don Francisco de Bobadilla,
+whose character and qualifications for the office are
+best demonstrated by the fact, that, on the day after
+his arrival in Hispaniola, he seized upon the government
+before he had investigated the conduct of
+Columbus, who was then absent; he also took up
+his residence in his house, and took possession of all
+his property, public and private, even to his most
+secret papers. A summons to appear before the new
+governor was despatched to Columbus, who was at
+Fort Concepcion; and in the interval between the
+despatch of the summons and his arrival, his brother,
+Don Diego, was seized, thrown into irons, and confined
+on board of a caravel, without any reason being
+assigned for his imprisonment. No sooner did the
+admiral himself arrive, than he likewise was put in
+chains, and thrown into confinement. The habitual
+reverence due to his venerable person and exalted
+character, made each bystander shrink from the task
+of fixing the fetters on him, till one of his own domestics,
+described by Las Casas as “a graceless and
+shameless cook,” filled up the measure of ingratitude
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxii">[lxxii]</span>that he seemed doomed to experience, by riveting the
+irons, not merely with apathy, but with manifest
+alacrity. In this shackled condition he was conveyed,
+in the early part of October, from prison to the ship
+that was to convey him home; and when Andreas
+Martin, the master of the caravel, touched with respect
+for Columbus, and deeply moved at this unworthy
+treatment, proposed to take off his irons, he declined
+the offered benefit, with the following magnanimous
+reply: “Since the king has commanded that I
+should obey his governor, he shall find me as obedient
+in this as I have been to all his other orders; nothing
+but his command shall release me. If twelve years’
+hardship and fatigue; if continual dangers and frequent
+famine; if the ocean first opened, and five times
+passed and repassed, to add a new world, abounding
+with wealth, to the Spanish monarchy; and if an infirm
+and premature old age, brought on by these services,
+deserve these chains as a reward, it is very fit
+I should wear them to Spain, and keep them by me as
+memorials to the end of my life.” This in truth he
+did; for he always kept them hung on the walls of
+his chamber, and desired that when he died they
+might be buried with him.</p>
+
+<p>His arrival in Spain in this painful and degraded
+condition produced so general a sensation of indignation
+and astonishment, that a warm manifestation
+in his favour was the immediate consequence. A
+letter (here translated), written by him to Doña
+Juana de la Torre, a lady of the court, detailing the
+wrongs he had suffered, was read to queen Isabella,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxiii">[lxxiii]</span>whose generous mind was filled with sympathy and
+indignation at the recital. The sovereigns hastened
+to order him to be set at liberty, and ordered two
+thousand ducats to be advanced, for the purpose of
+bringing him to court with all distinction and an
+honourable retinue. His reception at the Alhambra
+was gracious and flattering in the highest degree;
+the strongest indignation was expressed against
+Bobadilla, with an assurance that he should be immediately
+dismissed from his command, while ample
+restitution and reward were promised to Columbus,
+and he had every sanction for indulging the fondest
+hopes of returning in honour and triumph to St.
+Domingo. But here a grievous disappointment
+awaited him; his re-appointment was postponed
+from time to time with various plausible excuses.
+Though Bobadilla was dismissed, it was deemed
+desirable to refill his place for two years, by some
+prudent and talented officer, who should be able to
+put a stop to all remaining faction in the colony,
+and thus prepare the way for Columbus to enjoy the
+rights and dignities of his government both peacefully
+and beneficially to the crown. The newly-selected
+governor was Nicolas de Ovando, who,
+though described by Las Casas as a man of prudence,
+justice, and humanity, certainly betrayed a
+want both of generosity and justice in his subsequent
+transactions with Columbus. It is possible
+that the delay manifested by the sovereigns in redeeming
+their promise might have continued until
+the death of Columbus, had not a fresh stimulant to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxiv">[lxxiv]</span>the cupidity of Ferdinand been suggested by a new
+project of discovering a strait, of the existence of
+which Columbus felt persuaded from his own observations,
+and which would connect the New World
+which he had discovered with the wealthy shores of
+the east. His enthusiasm on the subject was heightened
+by an emulous consideration of the recent
+achievements of Vasco da Gama and Cabral, the
+former of whom had, in 1497, found a maritime
+passage to India by the Cape, and the latter, in
+1500, had discovered for Portugal the vast and opulent
+empire of Brazil. The prospect of a more direct
+and safe route to India than that discovered by da
+Gama, at length gained for Columbus the accomplishment
+of his wish for another armament; and, finally,
+on the 9th of May, 1502, he sailed from Cadiz on
+his fourth and last voyage of discovery.</p>
+
+<p>It is painful to contrast the splendour of the fleet
+with which Ovando left Spain to assume the government
+of Hispaniola, with the slender and inexpensive
+armament granted to Columbus for the purpose of exploring
+an unknown strait into an unknown ocean,
+the traversing of whose unmeasured breadth would
+complete the circumnavigation of the globe. Ovando’s
+fleet consisted of thirty sail, five of them from ninety
+to one hundred and fifty tons burden, twenty-four
+caravels of from thirty to ninety tons, and one bark
+of twenty-five tons; and the number of souls amounted
+to about two thousand five hundred. The heroic and
+injured man, to whose unparalleled combination of
+noble qualities, the very dignity which called for all
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxv">[lxxv]</span>this state was indebted for its existence, had now in
+the decline of his years and strength, and stripped
+both of honour and emolument, to venture forth
+with four caravels,—the largest of seventy, and the
+smallest of fifty tons burthen—accompanied by one
+hundred and fifty men, on one of the most toilsome
+and perilous enterprises of which the mind can form
+a conception.</p>
+
+<p>On the 20th of May he reached the Grand Canary,
+and starting from thence on the 25th, took his
+departure for the west. Favoured by the trade
+winds, he made’a gentle and easy passage, and
+reached one of the Caribbee Islands, called by the
+natives Matinino (Martinique), on the 15th of June.
+After staying three days at this island, he steered
+northwards, and touched at Dominica, and from
+thence directed his course, contrary to his own original
+intention and the commands of the sovereigns,
+to St. Domingo. His reason was that his principal
+vessel sailed so ill as to delay the progress of
+the fleet, which he feared might be an obstacle to
+the safety and success of the enterprise, and he
+held this as a sufficient motive for infringing the
+orders he had received. On his arrival at San Domingo,
+he found the ships which had brought out
+Ovando ready to put to sea on their return to Spain.
+He immediately sent to the governor to explain that
+his intention in calling at the island was to procure
+a vessel in exchange for one of his caravels, which
+was very defective; and further begged permission
+for his squadron to take shelter in the harbour, from
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxvi">[lxxvi]</span>a hurricane, which, from his acquaintance with the
+prognostics of the weather, he had foreseen was
+rapidly approaching. This request was ungraciously
+refused; upon which Columbus, though denied shelter
+for himself, endeavoured to avert the danger of
+the fleet, which was about to sail, and sent back
+immediately to the governor to entreat that he would
+not allow it to put to sea for some days. His predictions
+and requests were treated with equal contempt,
+and Columbus had not only to suffer these
+insulting refusals and the risk of life for himself and
+squadron, but the loud murmurings of his own crew
+that they had sailed with a commander whose position
+exposed them to such treatment. All he could
+do was to draw his ships up as close as possible to
+the shore, and seek the securest anchorage that
+chance might present him with. Meanwhile the
+weather appeared fair and tranquil, and the fleet of
+Bobadilla put boldly out to sea. The predicted
+storm came on the next night with terrific fury, and
+all the ships belonging to the governor’s fleet, with
+the exception of one, were either lost, or put back
+to San Domingo in a shattered condition. The only
+vessel that escaped was the one which had been
+freighted with some four thousand gold pieces, rescued
+from the pillage of Columbus’s fortune. Bobadilla,
+Roldan, and a number of the most inveterate enemies
+of the admiral, perished in this tremendous
+hurricane, while his own fleet, though separated and
+considerably damaged by the storm, all arrived safe at
+last at Port Hermoso, on the south of San Domingo.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxvii">[lxxvii]</span>He repaired his vessels at Port Hermoso, but had
+scarcely left the harbour before another storm drove
+him into Port Brazil, more to the westward. On the
+14th of July he left this port, steering for terra firma,
+and on the 30th discovered the small island of Guanaga
+or Bonacca, a few leagues east of the bay of Honduras.
+He continued an eastern course, and discovered the
+cape now known as Cape Honduras. While moving
+along this coast, he experienced one of those frightful
+tempests to which the tropics are liable, and of which
+he gives so impressive a description in the letter we
+have translated. At length, after forty days’ struggle
+to make as much as seventy leagues from the cape
+of Honduras, he reached a cape, by doubling which
+he found a direct southward course open, offering
+at the same time an unobstructed navigation and
+a favourable wind. To commemorate this sudden
+relief from toil and danger, Columbus named this
+point Cape <i>Gracias a Dios</i>, or “Thanks to God.” A
+melancholy occurrence took place on the 16th of September,
+while they were anchored off this coast. The
+boats had been sent up a large river to procure supplies
+of wood and water, when, on returning, the
+encounter of the sea with the rapid current of the
+river caused so violent and sudden a commotion, that
+one of the boats was swallowed up, and all on board
+perished. On the 25th of September he reached
+Cariay, or Cariari, where he stayed till the 5th of
+October. The next point was the Bay of Carumbaru,
+which was the first place on that coast where he met
+with specimens of pure gold. Leaving this bay on
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxviii">[lxxviii]</span>the 17th of October, he sailed along the coast of
+Veragua, and here he was informed by the Indians
+of the wealthy country of Ciguare, which he supposed
+to be some province belonging to the Grand Khan,
+and also of a river ten days’ journey beyond Ciguare,
+which he conceived to be the Ganges. On the 2nd
+of November he discovered Puerto Bello, in which
+harbour he was detained till the 9th by stormy
+weather; when, continuing his course eastward, he
+reached, near the end of the month, a small harbour, to
+which he gave the name of El Retrete, or the Cabinet.
+It was here that a continuance of stormy weather, in
+addition to the murmurs of his crew at-being compelled
+to prosecute an indefinite search, with worm-eaten
+ships, against opposing currents, determined
+Columbus on relinquishing his eastward voyage for
+the present, and to return in search of the gold mines
+of Veragua. But on altering his course to the westward,
+he had the mortification to find the wind for
+which he had long been wishing, come now, as if in
+direct opposition to his adopted course, and for nine
+days he was exposed to so terrible a storm that it was
+a marvel how his crazy vessels could outlive it. At
+length, after a month’s anxiety and suffering, they
+anchored, on the day of the Epiphany, at the mouth
+of a river called by the natives Yebra, but which
+Columbus named Belem, or Bethlehem. Here a
+settlement was formed, and here occurred the sad
+disasters and conflicts with the natives, which he
+describes in his letter from Jamaica, and in which
+the faithful and zealous Diego Mendez proved an
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxix">[lxxix]</span>eminently efficient assistant to his much loved master.
+The history of this unhappy voyage, the toils and
+perils of which were aggravated to Columbus by extreme
+bodily suffering, closes by his reaching Jamaica,
+where he would in all probability have perished, but
+for the devotedness and activity of Mendez. The
+highly interesting description of that brave man’s
+exploits on behalf of Columbus, has been quoted by
+Navarrete from his will, and is here translated.
+When at length, through the agency of Mendez, two
+ships arrived from Hispaniola to the assistance of the
+admiral, he was enabled, on the 28th of June, 1504,
+to leave his wrecked vessels behind him, and start
+with revived hopes for San Domingo, which he reached
+on the 13th of August. His sojourn there was not,
+as may be judged, calculated to afford him satisfaction
+or pleasure. The overstrained courtesy of the governor
+offered but a poor alleviation to the rush of rankling
+feelings which the past associations and present
+desolation of the place summoned up to his mind.</p>
+
+<p>On the 12th of September he set sail for Spain,
+and the same tempestuous weather which had all along
+tended to make this his last voyage the most disastrous,
+did not forsake him now. The ship in which
+he came home sprung her mainmast in four places in
+one tempest, and in a subsequent storm the foremast
+was sprung, and finally, on the 7th of November, he
+arrived, in a vessel as shattered as his own broken
+and care-worn frame, in the welcome harbour of San
+Lucar.</p>
+
+<p>The two years which intervened between this
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxx">[lxxx]</span>period and his death present a picture of black ingratitude
+on the part of the crown to this distinguished
+benefactor of the kingdom, which it is truly
+painful to contemplate. We behold an extraordinary
+man, the discoverer of a second hemisphere, reduced
+by his very success to so low a state of poverty that,
+in his prematurely infirm old age, he is compelled to
+subsist by borrowing, and to plead, in the apologetic
+language of a culprit, for the rights of which the very
+sovereign whom he has benefited has deprived him.
+The death of the benignant and high-minded Isabella,
+in 1505, gave a finishing blow to his hope of obtaining
+redress, and we find him thus writing subsequently to
+this period to his old and faithful friend Diego de
+Deza:—“It appears that his majesty does not think
+fit to fulfil that which he, with the queen, who is now
+in glory, promised me by word and seal. For me to
+contend for the contrary, would be to contend with
+the wind. I have done all that I could do: I leave
+the rest to God, whom I have ever found propitious
+to me in my necessities.” The selfish and cold-hearted
+Ferdinand beheld his illustrious and loyal
+servant sink, without relief, under bodily infirmity,
+and the palsying sickness of hope deferred; and at
+length, on the 20th of May 1506, the generous heart
+which had done so much without reward and suffered
+so much without upbraiding, found rest in a world
+where neither gratitude nor justice is either asked or
+withheld.</p>
+
+<p>His body was in the first instance buried at Valladolid,
+in the parish church of Santa Maria de la
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxi">[lxxxi]</span>Antigua, but was transferred, in 1513, to the Cartuja
+de las Cuevas, near Seville, where a monument was
+erected over his grave with the memorable inscription,—</p>
+
+<p class="center allsmcap">A CASTILLA Y A LEON<br>
+NUEVO MUNDO DIÓ COLON.</p>
+
+<p>In the year 1536, both his body, and that of his
+son Diego, who had been likewise buried in the
+Cartuja, were transported to St. Domingo, and deposited
+in the cathedral of that city. From hence
+they were removed to Havannah in 1795, on the
+cession of Hispaniola to the French, and the ashes of
+the immortal discoverer now quietly repose in the
+cathedral church of that city.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_19" href="#Footnote_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxii">[lxxxii]</span></p>
+
+<p>But injustice, unhappily, was not buried with Columbus
+in the tomb. It was but one twelvemonth
+after his death that an attempt was made, and only
+too successfully, to name the new world which he
+had discovered, after another, who was not only his
+inferior, but his pupil in the school of maritime enterprise.
+In an obscure corner of Lorraine, at the
+little cathedral town of St. Dié, a cluster of learned
+priests, who had there established a printing-press
+under the auspices of René II, Duke of Lorraine,
+suggested to give to the newly discovered continent
+the name of the Florentine, Amerigo Vespucci, whose
+nautical career did not commence till after Columbus
+had returned from his second voyage to the western
+hemisphere. The first time that the name of Amerigo
+came into notice was in the year 1504, when Johann
+Ottmar published at Augsburg the <i>Mundus Novus</i>,
+a description of Vespucci’s third voyage, now extremely
+rare, embodied in a letter addressed by Vespucci
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxiii">[lxxxiii]</span>himself to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de’ Medici.
+In this voyage, which occupied from May
+1501 to September 1502, he was in the service of
+Portugal, and explored the coasts of South America
+as far as beyond the fifty-second degree. But it was
+not till May, 1507, when Columbus had been a
+twelvemonth dead, that the world was informed of
+four voyages professed to have been made by Vespucci,
+of which the one just mentioned was only the
+third, the two former having been made, as he states,
+in the service of Spain. As the first of these was
+asserted to have taken place between May 20th,
+1497, and October, 1499 [say 1498], and, if correct,
+would involve the discovery by him not only of the
+north coasts of South America, but a large extent of
+the coast of North America also, and that in priority
+of the claims both of Cabot and Columbus as regards
+the discovery of the American continent, it has been
+a matter of keen interest to many to examine minutely
+the correctness of Vespucci’s claim to having
+made this voyage.</p>
+
+<p>It would be out of place here to enter into the
+complicated arguments in which this question is involved;
+but I have elsewhere shown&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_20" href="#Footnote_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> on how frail a
+tenure the claim in question is founded. In the
+same place I have also traced in detail the mode
+adopted for giving to the New World the name of
+Vespucci instead of that of Columbus, who, by the
+exercise of such transcendently superior qualities had
+earned for himself that honour. I will here sketch
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxiv">[lxxxiv]</span>it in brief. Vespucci was an intimate friend of the
+Giocondi family, one of whom, the celebrated architect,
+Fra Giovanni Giocondi, who built the bridge of
+Nôtre Dame at Paris, was the translator into Latin of
+Vespucci’s letter to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de’
+Medici describing his third voyage. A young Alsatian,
+named Mathias Ringmann, who was at this time
+pursuing his studies in Paris, appears to have made
+the acquaintance of this Giocondi and to have carried
+back with him into Alsace an admiration for
+Vespucci and his achievements, which showed itself
+in his editing at Strasbourg in 1505, Giocondi’s
+translation of Vespucci’s letter, accompanied by some
+laudatory verses in Latin by himself. Now in the
+neighbouring province of Lorraine, one of the canons
+of the cathedral at St. Dié, Walter Lud, who was
+secretary to René II, Duke of Lorraine, had already
+for many years established a gymnasium or college
+under the duke’s auspices, and also a printing-press.
+Ringmann, better known in literature by the pseudonym
+of Philesius, became professor of Latin at the
+college and corrector of the press in the printing-office.
+On the 25th of April, 1507, <i>a year after the
+death of Columbus</i>, one of the members of this little
+clique, named Martin Waldseemüller, otherwise
+known as Hylacomylus, produced from this press a
+small work entitled <i>Cosmographiæ Introductio</i>, to
+which was appended a Latin translation of Vespucci’s
+four voyages, as described by himself and addressed
+to Duke René II, although it can be shown
+by the contents to have been really intended for
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxv">[lxxxv]</span>Pietro Soderini, Gonfaloniere of Florence, who had
+been Vespucci’s schoolfellow. In my <i>Life of Prince
+Henry the Navigator</i>, I have ventured to suggest
+the process by which these letters, intended for another,
+came to be addressed to Duke René, and that
+suggestion supplies the solution of some riddles, there
+treated of, which it would be out of place to speak of
+here. We have seen the connection of the Giocondi
+with Vespucci. We have seen, also, the connection of
+Ringmann with the work of Fra Giovanni Giocondi
+and his interest in the glory of Vespucci. This interest
+he infuses into the little circle of St. Dié, and we
+can imagine their pleasure at having the opportunity
+of blazoning forth to the world, from their own
+printing-press, a story which would throw so bright
+a reflection on the obscurity of their secluded valley.
+But in the little book thus issued, not only were
+printed for the first time four voyages of Vespucci,
+but also a suggestion was made that from his
+name, Amerigo, should be given the name of “Amerige”
+or “America” to the newly-discovered western
+world. In September of the same year, 1507, appeared
+a re-issue of the same book; and in 1509 a
+new edition of it was issued from the printing-press
+of Johann Grüninger of Strasburg. In this same
+year, 1509, three years before the death of Vespucci,
+the name of America appears, as if it were already
+accepted as a well-known denomination, in an anonymous
+work entitled <i>Globus Mundi</i>, printed also at
+Strasburg. But although this work is anonymous,
+it was my good fortune to detect from the colophon,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxvi">[lxxxvi]</span>in which occur the words “Adelpho Castigatore,”
+that the source of the suggestion of the name of
+America in the one case, and of the adoption of the
+suggestion in the other, are either identical or in close
+proximity, inasmuch as the already mentioned re-issue
+of the <i>Cosmographiæ Introductio</i> in 1509, has in the
+colophon, “Johanne Adelpho Mulicho Argentinensi
+Castigatore.” Now, Mulicho merely means native of
+Muhlingen, near Strasburg, and this Adelphus, so
+named, was a physician established in that city, and
+reviser of both the one work and the other.</p>
+
+<p>The first place in which we find the name of America
+used a little further a-field, is in a letter dated
+Vienna, 1512, from Joachim Vadianus to Rudolphus
+Agricola, and inserted in the <i>Pomponius Mela</i> of
+1518, edited by the former. The expression used is
+“America discovered by Vesputius.”&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_21" href="#Footnote_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> But although
+this Vadianus, whose real name was Joachim Watt,
+writes from Vienna in 1512, I find that he was a
+native of St. Gall, whence in 1508, being then twenty-four
+years old, he went to the High School of Vienna.
+His learned disputations and verses gained him the
+chair of the professorship of the liberal arts at that
+school, and he subsequently studied medicine, of
+which faculty he obtained the doctorate. This attachment
+to the study of medicine recalls to my mind
+a fact which awakens a suspicion that he may have
+been a personal friend of John Adelphus, just referred
+to, and if so, of the little confraternity of St. Dié.
+Before Adelphus established himself in Strasburg, he
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxvii">[lxxxvii]</span>had practised as a physician at Schaffhausen, and
+this at the time when Joachim Watt was a young
+man, still resident at St. Gall, which is distant from
+Schaffhausen seventy English miles, a distance which
+would offer very little hindrance to Swiss intercommunication.
+Whether this suspicion be worth anything
+or no, I advance it as a possible clue to yet
+further researches which may show the process by
+which this spurious appellation of America became
+adopted, through the efforts of a small cluster of men
+in an obscure corner of France.</p>
+
+<p>The earliest engraved map of the new world yet
+known as bearing the name of America, is a mappe-monde
+by Appianus, bearing the date of 1520, annexed
+to the edition by Camers of the Polyhistoria
+of Julius Solinus (<i>Viennæ Austr.</i>, 1520), and a
+second time to the edition of <i>Pomponius Mela</i> by
+Vadianus, printed at Basle in 1522. The earliest
+manuscript map hitherto found bearing that name, is
+in a most precious collection of drawings by the hand
+of Leonardo da Vinci, now in Her Majesty’s collections
+at Windsor, to which, from an examination of
+its contents, I have assigned the date of 1513-14.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_22" href="#Footnote_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a></p>
+
+<p>I have thus endeavoured to unravel the intricate
+story of a great and irreparable injustice. No one
+can deny to Vespucci the credit of possessing courage,
+perseverance, and a practical acquaintance with
+the art of navigation; but he had never been the
+commander of an expedition, and had it not been
+for the great initiatory achievement of Columbus, we
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxviii">[lxxxviii]</span>have no reason to suppose that we should ever have
+heard his name.</p>
+
+<p>“To say the truth,” as has been well remarked by
+the illustrious Baron von Humboldt, “Vespucci shone
+only by reflection from an age of glory. When compared
+with Columbus, Sebastian Cabot, Bartolomé
+Dias, and Da Gama, his place is an inferior one.
+The majesty of great memories seems concentrated
+in the name of Christopher Columbus. It is the
+originality of his vast idea, the largeness and fertility
+of his genius, and the courage which bore up against
+a long series of misfortunes, which have exalted the
+Admiral high above all his contemporaries.”</p>
+
+<p>A tardy tribute has been at length paid to his
+memory by his fellow-citizens of Genoa, and the first
+stone of a monument in commemoration of his achievements
+was laid in that city on the 27th of September,
+1846, and completed in 1862. There is now serious
+talk of his canonization.</p>
+
+<p>Among the many so-called portraits of Columbus,
+too numerous to be detailed here, but for elaborate
+notices of which the reader is referred to the works
+mentioned at foot,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_23" href="#Footnote_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> there is not one that can be regarded
+as unquestionably authentic. It was at the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_lxxxix">[lxxxix]</span>suggestion of my friend M. Ferdinand Denis, the
+distinguished Librarian of the Ste. Geneviève in
+Paris, that I have inserted as the frontispiece to this
+volume a chromolithograph fac-simile of the St. Christopher
+on the famous map of Juan de la Cosa,
+Columbus’s pilot, made in 1500. My friend most
+reasonably suggests that, in this case, St. Christopher
+represented Christopher Columbus carrying the Christian
+faith across the Atlantic, and that the face would
+be a portrait. In corroboration of his idea, I may
+quote the words of Herrera, whose possession of the
+Columbian documents enabled him to speak with
+accuracy. He says, “Columbus was tall of stature,
+with a long and imposing visage. His nose was
+aquiline; his eyes blue; his complexion clear, and
+having a tendency to a glowing red; the beard and
+hair red in his youth, but his fatigues early turned
+them white.” The cap and costume seem also less
+those of the saint than of the sailor. It is to my
+late revered and dear friend, His Excellency the
+Count de Lavradio, that I am indebted for procuring
+the coloured photograph from the original map on his
+visit to Madrid in 1869. The chromolithograph has
+been prepared in Berlin.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_1" href="#FNanchor_1" class="label">[1]</a> The Society possesses, in my <i>Early Voyages to Terra Australis</i>,
+printed in 1859, the evidence of these discoveries; and in
+my <i>Prince Henry the Navigator</i>, published in 1868, will be seen
+the procession of these discoveries from the Prince’s efforts.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_2" href="#FNanchor_2" class="label">[2]</a> The <i>li</i> is about one-tenth of the common league.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_3" href="#FNanchor_3" class="label">[3]</a> The most strenuous advocate for the truth of the tradition
+that America was discovered by Prince Madoc, was Dr. John
+Williams of Sydenham, who wrote two tracts on the subject
+in the year 1791 and 1792, which, if betraying a little of the bias
+of prejudice, yet manifest a degree of research that does great
+credit to his industry and zeal.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_4" href="#FNanchor_4" class="label">[4]</a> A copy of this map is given in the second vol. of Sastre’s
+<i>Mercurio Italico</i>, Lond. 1789, 8vo., and a photograph of it was
+published in Venice in 1869 by H. F. and M. Münster.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_5" href="#FNanchor_5" class="label">[5]</a> The work quoted is Cordeyro’s <i>Historia Insulana das Ilhas a
+Portugal sugeytas no Oceano Occidental</i>, Lisbon 1717.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_6" href="#FNanchor_6" class="label">[6]</a> For a demonstration that the discovery of the east coast of
+North America was made by Sebastian Cabot in 1497, a year
+before Columbus reached the terra firma, I must refer the reader
+to a paper of mine read before the Society of Antiquaries on
+May 5, 1870, and now being printed for the <i>Archæologia</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_7" href="#FNanchor_7" class="label">[7]</a> Humboldt has fallen into an error in saying that Joachim
+Lelewel, in his <i>Pisma pomniejsze geogr. historyczné</i>, 1814, has
+recently called up fresh attention to this Polish pilot. The editor
+has examined the work carefully from beginning to end, and does
+not find the name even once mentioned, although the page to
+which reference is made contains allusions to early discoveries.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_8" href="#FNanchor_8" class="label">[8]</a> A copy of this globe is given in Dr. F. W. Ghillany’s
+<i>Geschichte des Seefahrers Ritter Martin Behaim</i>, Nürnberg, 1853,
+4to.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_9" href="#FNanchor_9" class="label">[9]</a> <i>Historie del S. D. Fernando Colombo</i>, cap. iv.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_10" href="#FNanchor_10" class="label">[10]</a> “<i>Siendo yo nacido en Genova”; and “mando al dicho Don
+Diego, mi hijo, a la persona que heredare el dicho mayorazgo que
+tenga y sostenga siempre en la Ciudad de Genova una persona de
+nuestro linage ... pues que della salí y en ella nací.</i>”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_11" href="#FNanchor_11" class="label">[11]</a> Another Caseneuve, probably of this family, is said by De
+Bry to have been captain of the fourth expedition of the French
+to Mexico, in the year 1567.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_12" href="#FNanchor_12" class="label">[12]</a> Las Casas, in his <i>History of the Indies</i>, tells us distinctly that
+Columbus derived much information from Perestrello’s maps and
+papers, and adds that “in order to acquaint himself practically
+with the method pursued by the Portuguese in navigating to the
+coast of Guinea, he sailed several times with them as if he had
+been one of them.” Las Casas says that he learned this from
+the admiral’s son Diego, adding that “some time before his
+famous voyage Columbus resided in Madeira, where news of
+fresh discoveries was constantly arriving, and this,” he says,
+“appeared to have been the occasion of Christopher Columbus
+coming to Spain, and the beginning of the discovery of this
+great world” (America).</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_13" href="#FNanchor_13" class="label">[13]</a> Humboldt, <i>Examen Critique</i>, vol. ii, p. 246-251.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_14" href="#FNanchor_14" class="label">[14]</a> It was shortly after this period that Bartholomew Columbus
+was sent by his brother to king Henry VII, to offer his services
+in a voyage of navigation; the king is said to have received the
+offer “con allegro volto”—“with a cheerful countenance”; but
+his acceptance of the proposition was rendered null by Columbus
+having in the interim attached himself to the service of
+queen Isabella.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_15" href="#FNanchor_15" class="label">[15]</a> Vide <i>Athenæum</i> for 1846, page 1274.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_16" href="#FNanchor_16" class="label">[16]</a> While agreeing with Captain Becher in the identification of
+Guanahani with Watling’s Island, I find that officer entirely at
+issue with the Diary of Columbus in making him anchor near the
+N.E. end of the island, and then sail round its northern point.
+In a detailed Paper on this subject, read by me on the 16th of
+September of this year, at the Meeting of the Geographical
+Section of the British Association at Liverpool, I had the honour
+of proving for the first time that the first anchorage of Columbus
+in the New World was off the S.E. point of Watling’s Island, a
+position which entirely tallies with all his movements as mentioned
+in the Diary.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_17" href="#FNanchor_17" class="label">[17]</a> The following remark by Mr. George Sumner was kindly
+supplied to me by that gentleman in 1847, as an interesting
+item connected with this period of the history of Columbus:—</p>
+
+<p>From the brilliant description given by Irving and Prescott
+of the arrival of Columbus at Barcelona, and of his reception
+there by the Catholic sovereigns, it seemed to me as probable
+that some contemporary account of this arrival and reception, as
+well as of the sojourn of Columbus, might be found at Barcelona;
+and, while there in the spring of 1844, I searched the admirably
+arranged archives of Aragon, and also those of the city of Barcelona,
+for such notice, but without any success. I could not so
+much as find a mention of the name of Columbus.</p>
+
+<p>The <i>Dietaria</i>, or day book, of Barcelona, notices the arrival of
+ambassadors, the movements of the king and queen, and even
+records incidents of as trifling note as those which in our day
+serve to fill the columns of a court journal; yet not a word
+appears in regard to Columbus.</p>
+
+<p>How account for this silence? Is it another evidence of the
+old feeling of jealousy between the Aragonese and Castilians, of
+which the student of Spanish history meets so many proofs?
+Such was the opinion to which I was forced, and such I found
+also was the interpretation given to it by the intelligent Archevero,
+who had himself gone over this ground a few years since
+at the request of Navarrete. The voyage of Columbus was undertaken
+at the expense and for the benefit of the crown of Castile.
+It was not to Aragon, but to Castilla and Leon, that Columbus
+gave a new world, and as the Aragonese did not profit
+directly by this gift, they saw fit to treat it and its donor with
+scornful silence.</p>
+
+<p>In one of the notes to the great work of Capmany,—<i>Memorias
+sobre la ciudad de Barcelona</i>, 1789—he gives a list of distinguished
+men who have enjoyed the hospitality of the city, and among
+them places the name of Columbus, making no allusion however
+to any contemporary account of his sojourn there.</p>
+
+<p>In the <i>Dietaria</i> of Barcelona, under date 15th November 1492,
+is the following entry:—“The king, queen, and primogenito,
+entered to-day the city, and lodged in the palace of the bishop
+of Urgil in the Calle Ancha.” This is followed by a description
+of the festivities which followed. “1493, 4th February.—King
+and queen went to Alserrat. 14th—King and queen returned to
+Barcelona.”</p>
+
+<p>As there appears no notice of the king having changed his
+abode after taking possession of the palace in the Calle Ancha,
+it was probably there that Columbus recounted to Isabella his
+adventures and his success. The American pilgrim may still, in
+the beautiful Alcazar of the Moorish kings, recall the figure of
+the discoverer of his land, standing in the presence of the Catholic
+sovereigns of Spain;—in the cotton-spinning town of Barcelona
+the besom of modern improvement has long since swept away
+the palace of the bishop of Urgil.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_18" href="#FNanchor_18" class="label">[18]</a> It is well known that Columbus was preceded in the discovery
+of terra firma by John Cabot in 1497.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_19" href="#FNanchor_19" class="label">[19]</a> I am indebted to Mr. George Sumner for the following copy
+of the inscription on the tomb of Fernando Columbus, in the
+pavement of the cathedral of Seville, and for the note which
+accompanies it:—</p>
+
+<p>“Aqui yaze el M. Magnifico S. D. Hernando Colon, el qual
+aplicó y gastó toda su vida y hazienda en aumento de las letras, y
+juntar y perpetuar en esta ciudad todos sus libros de todas las
+ciencias, que en su tiempo halló y en reducirlo a quatro libros.
+Falleció en esta ciudad a 12 de Julio de 1539 de edad de 50 años
+9 meses y 14 dias, fue hijo del valeroso y memorable S. D. Christ.
+Colon primero Almirante que descubrió las Yndias y nuevo
+mundo en vida de los Cat. R. D. Fernando y D. Ysabel de gloriosa
+memoria a 11 de Oct. de 1492 con tres galeras y 90 personas,
+y partió del puerto de Palos a descubrirlas a 3 de Agosto
+antes, y Bolvió a Castilla con victoria a 7 de Maio del Año Siguiente
+y tornó despues otras dos veces ā poblar lo que descubrió.
+Falleció en Valladolid à 20 de Agosto de 1506 años.</p>
+
+<p class="center allsmcap">“ROGAD A DIOS POR ELLOS.”</p>
+
+<p>Beneath this is described, in a circle, a globe, presenting the
+western and part of the eastern hemispheres, surmounted by a
+pair of compasses. Within the border of the circle is the same
+inscription as that which was placed over Columbus himself at
+the Cartuja, with the exception of the word “mundo” being
+placed before, instead of after, the word “nuevo”.</p>
+
+<p>Throughout all Spain I know of no other inscription to the
+memory of Columbus. At Valladolid, where he died, and where
+his body lay for some years, there is none that I could discover,
+neither is there any trace of any at the Cartuja, near Seville, to
+which his body was afterwards transferred, and in which his
+brother was buried.</p>
+
+<p>It is a striking confirmation of the reproach of negligence, in
+regard to the memory of this great man, that in this solitary inscription
+in old Spain, the date of his death should be inaccurately
+given.</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="allsmcap">G. S.</span></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_20" href="#FNanchor_20" class="label">[20]</a> See <i>Life of Prince Henry the Navigator</i>, pp. 367 to 379.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_21" href="#FNanchor_21" class="label">[21]</a> “Americam a Vespuccio repertam.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_22" href="#FNanchor_22" class="label">[22]</a> See <i>Archæologia</i>, vol. xl, 1866.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_23" href="#FNanchor_23" class="label">[23]</a> Carderera (Valentin): Informe sobre los retratos de Cristóbal
+Colon, su trage y escudo de Armas. Imprenta de la Real Academia
+de la historia. Madrid. 1851. Small 4to.</p>
+
+<p>Feuillet de Conches (F). “Portraits de Christophe Colomb,” extrait
+de la Revue contemporaine, T. xxv, 95ᵐᵉ livraison in 8ᵒ, and in
+the “Revue Archéologique,” an article by Mr. Isidore de Lœwenstern,
+on the Mémoires of MM. Jomard et Carderera respecting
+the portraits of Columbus.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_xc">[xc]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="A_POEM">A POEM<br>
+<span class="smaller">COMPOSED BY GIULIANO DATI IN 1493,<br>
+[FROM COLUMBUS’S FIRST LETTER,]<br>
+<span class="smaller">And sung in Florence to announce the discovery of the New World.</span></span></h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<h3>LA LETTERA DELLISOLE CHE HA TROVATO NUOVAMENTE
+IL RE DISPAGNA.</h3>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+  <div class="poetry">
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Omnipotente idio, che tucto regge,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">donami gratia chio possa cantare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">allaude tua &amp; di tu sancta legge,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cosa che piaccia achi stara ascoltare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">maxim al popol tuo &amp; alla tua grege,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">el qual nō resta mai magnificare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">como al ꝕsēte ha fatto nella Spagna,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">delle isole trovate cosa magna.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Io ho gia lecto degli antichi regi</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; principi signori stanti in terra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">del re della soria &amp; facti egregi,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; lebactaglie loro &amp; la gran guerra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; delle giostre gli acquistati pregi</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di Bello lessi &amp; selmio dir nō erra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">de persi, medi, &amp; degli ateniensi,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Dāfinione &amp; gli altri egregi immēsi.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et de lacedemoni le grandi entrate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di Labores di Oreste &amp; daltri assai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">del Principe Gisippo cose late,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come si legge so che inteso lhai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di Tholomeo piu cose smisurate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; del gran Faraone come saprai.</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di judici &amp; de regi de giudei,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che afaccia parlavano con lei.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xci">[xci]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et de latini lessi, &amp; degli albani,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; di quel fiesolano Re Atalante,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">de regi &amp; consolati de romani,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; de tribuni lessi cose tante,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dedeci viri electi tanti humani,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; degli īmperadori potrei dir quāte</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cose chi tengo nel mio pecto fisse.</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝓ che sarian nel dir troppo plisse.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">che sio volesse tucti efacti dire</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">disopra nominati &amp; altri assai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">certo farei latua mente stupire</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">maximi alcuni che nō ludiron mai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃ste cose alte degne magne et mire</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che se tu leggi tu letroverrai</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">invernacula lingua &amp; ī latino,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">si come narra un decto dagostino.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Ma chi potessi leggere nel futuro</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">duno Alexādro magno papa sexto,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">della sua creatione il modo puro,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">grato a ciascūo anessū mai molesto,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; del primanno suo il magno muro,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nō glipuo nessuno esser infesto</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sesto alexādro pappa borgia ispano,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">justo nel giudicare &amp; tucto humano.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et chi leggesi poi del sua Ferrādo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">christianissimo rege xꝕiani</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che lisabella tiene al suo comādo,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">unica sposa sua, che nelle mani</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tanti reami indota allui donando,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">gliha dati ītendi ben cō pēsier sani,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che glie re della spagna &amp; di castella</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; di leon tolecto villa bella.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xcii">[xcii]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Simile re di cordube chiamato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; poi dimutia re mipar che sia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; digalitia re incoronato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dalgarbe re &amp; tienla in sua balia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">re digranata sai che conquistato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">diragona signor &amp; divalēzia pia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">conte mipar che sia dibarzalona,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; disicilia re isola buona.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Di quāta altura principe mipare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; disardigna tien la signoria,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; di corsica sifa simil chiamare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di q̃lla parte che glha in sua balia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; conte di serdeina appellare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; dirosello conte par che sia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">simile re mi pare che dimaiorica,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">l’altro reame e poi della minorica.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et poi signor dibiscaia &amp; molina,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">delalsesiras signor chiamato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dellasturias terra peregrina,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝓ tucto il mondo q̃sto e nominato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tucto fedele della legge divina,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi altro crede e mal dallui trattato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come sivede che nō e mai satio,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dimarrani giudei far ogni stratio.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Pero il signore lha semꝕ īvicto facto,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che si puo uno agusto nominare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ogni sua lega triegua legge o pacto,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">mai nō sividde dallui maculare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lui nō derise mai savio ne macto</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">limosine per dio sempre fa fare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">della chiesa zeloso a tucte lhore</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come fedel, xꝕiano, &amp; pio signore.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xciii">[xciii]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Come mōstra lamagna ābascieria,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che glha mandato adar lubidiēza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">al suo sesto Alexādro anima pia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che mai sivide tal magnificenza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">in tucte cose la sua signoria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dimōstrā aver fra gli altri grā potēza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ī q̃sti magni ābascidor sispechi</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi nol credessi nōcti ꝕsti orecchi.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Se io volessi e sua titoli dire,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">o auditore io ti potrei tediare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">de sua reame io ti farei stupire,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sol que che lisabelela volse dare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">indota a q̃sto Re o questo sire,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">quando luso ꝓ marito pigliare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃sta isabella e dispagna Regina,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">honesta doña savia &amp; peregrina.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Hor vo tornar almio primo tractato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dellisole trovate incognite a te</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">in q̃sto anno presente q̃sto e stato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nel millequatrocento novātatre,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">uno che xꝕofan colōbo chiamato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che e stato in corte del prefato Re</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ha molte volte questo stimolato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">el Re ch’cerchi acrescere il suo stato.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Dicendo, signor mio, io vo cercare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝓ che comprēdo che ce molta terra</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nostri antichi nō seppō trovare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; spero dacquistarle senza guerra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">se vostra signoria si vuol degnare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ajuto darmi che so que non erra</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lamente mia spera nel signore</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chimbrieve cidara rengo &amp; honore.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xciv">[xciv]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Voi mectetē la roba io la persona</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">non sara vostra signoria disfacta,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ispesse volte la fortuna dona</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝓ picol prezo assai &amp; non e macta</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che sua sperāza tucto il mōdo sprona</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">savio e colui che dicercar sadacta</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝑ che dice elvāgelio ī legge nuova</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che chicercādo va spesso truova.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Hō poi ch’ lebbe ilre piu volte udito</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; facto carisposta sorridendo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">xꝕofano ripigliando come ardito</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃sto āno il re secōdo ch’ io cōprēdo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">prese di dargli aiuto per partito</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; disse il tuo sperare oggi cōmēdo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">piglia una nave cō due carovelle</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di q̃ste mie armate le piu belle.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et comādo de poi che gli sia dato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">danari &amp; roba q̃l che fa mestiero,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; poi dimolta gēte acompagnato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">divotamente &amp; cō buō pensiero,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">al sommo dio che fu racomandato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; alla madre sua &amp; sancto piero,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; prese q̃ste cose, &amp; poi licentia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dalre &amp; laregina &amp; sua clementia.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et navico piu giorni per perduto,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cō pena, con affanni &amp; grāde stento,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">pensa che na in mare no e mai tuto,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma semꝕ cōbactēdo ī acqua &amp; uēto</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝓdesi spesso elguadagno eltrebuto,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; nōgli gioua dire io menepento</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma come piacqꝫ adio ch’ mai nōerra</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">in trentatre giornate pose in terra.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xcv">[xcv]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et messe dua desua huomini armati</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">a cercar ꝑle terre che han trouate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">seforce siscoprissin qualche aguati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma caminaron ben per tre giornate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nōsi furon mai indrieto uolti,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; nō trouaron mai uille o brigate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">si che simarauiglia che camina</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; piu chi e restato alla marina.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Ma niēte di manco quella terra</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">era di uari fructi molto ornata,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">se chi ha scripto i qua neldir nōerra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">mōtagne e ue daltura ismisurata,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; molti fiumi lacircūda &amp; serra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">doue trouorun poi molta brigata,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sēza pāni, uestite, o arme, o scudi</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma tucti emēbri loro si erano nudi.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Saluo chalcuna donna che coperte</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tiene leparte genitale immonde,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cō bambagia tessuta, &amp; di po certe</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lhauen coperte con diuerse frōde,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; come uidon questi lediserte</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">forte fuggendo ciascun fina scōde,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; questi dua in drieto si tornauano,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; axꝕofano lo facto racontauano.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et xꝕofano &amp; glialtri dismontati</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">armati tucti il paese cercando</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">isole molte &amp; huomini trouati</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come tu intenderai qui ascoltando</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; glistendardi del Re ha rizati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; a ciascuno il suo nome mutando,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come dira questa pistola magna,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">da xꝕofano scripta al Re di spagna.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xcvi">[xcvi]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Perchio so, signor mio, ch’ grā piacer̃</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">hara la uostra magna signoria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">quando potra intendere o sapere,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">delle cose che io presi in mia balia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝑ uirtu del signore &amp; suo potere,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; simil della madre sua maria,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dal partir mio a trētatre giornate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">molte isole &amp; grā gēte iho trouate.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Lisola prima chio trouai, signore,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">io lho ꝑ nome facta nominare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">isola magna di san Saluadore,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; la seconda poi feci chiamare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">conceptio Marie a suo honore,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di poi laterza feci baptezare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">per uostra signoria ch’ tāto ornata</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">isola ferrandina lho nominata,</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et la quarta Isabella fo chiamare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝑ la Regina che tānto honorata,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; alla quinta il nome uolsi dare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che lisola Giouanna fia chiamata,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; la festa dun nome uolsi ornare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che cōgruo miparse a q̃lla fiata,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che Laspagnuola qlla sichiamasse,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">per che mipar che cosi meritasse.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Enomi son dellisole trouate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nel india, signor mio, como uiscriuo,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; questa &amp; laltre sopra nominate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">notitia auoi nedo signor mio diuo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">trecēto uc̄tun miglio ho caminate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; peruenuto alfin colsancto uliuo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dalla giouāna alla spagnuola elmar̃</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cīquātaquattro miglia largo apare.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xcvii">[xcvii]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et per septentrione lanauicai</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cinquantaquattro miglia dimarina,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">doue che alla spagna io arriuai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">inuerso loriente sauicina,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; per lalinea recta io caminai</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">da onde la spagnuola li confina</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">son c̄iquecēsessantaquattro miglia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">e lalargheza che q̄sta isola piglia.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et q̄sta &amp; tucte laltre e molto forte,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma q̄sta sopra laltre par fortissima,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">potresi inanzi dare a tucte morte</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ una parte sacquisti piccolissima,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">certo questo eildestino qsto e lesorte,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ uostra signoria fan felicissima,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">e dotata di fructi molte &amp; uarie,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; liti, &amp; porti, &amp; cose necessarie,</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et molti fiumi, &amp; maxime mōtagne,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che son dalteza molto smisurate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">arbori, fonte, uccegli, &amp; cose magne,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chauostri tempi no san mai trouate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">certo lamente mia signor ne piagne,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">per lalegreza delle cose ornate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di tucte cose cie se io non erro,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">saluo ch’ nōsi truoua acciaio o ferro.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Sonci di septe o uer docto ragioni</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di palme che mifan marauigliare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; se alzando gliocchi poni</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">pini uison che laria par toccare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">passere lusignuoli &amp; altri doni,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nonsi potre mai tucto narrare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">della bambagia un pondo ce infinito</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; daltre cose assai ce inquesto lito.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xcviii">[xcviii]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Arbori cison duna ragion fioriti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">del mese di novembre chenoi siano</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come ī ispagna, &amp; ne suo degno liti,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">liarberi sō elmagio, elmōte, elpiano,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">si che no altri stiano tucti stupiti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝑ labōdantia che trouata habbiano,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sonci gli arberi uerdi &amp; and lelor foglie,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi credo che nō pdā mai lespoglie.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Di reubarbaro ce tanta abōdantia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; dicenamo daltra spetieria,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">loro &amp; largento, el metallo ciauāza,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">maxime un fiume che per q̃sta uia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nō puo questa terra farne senza,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">doue ho trouato cō mia fantasia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che dimoltoro e piena quella rena,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sicome lacqua di quel fiume mena.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Simil, signore, io uiuoglio auisare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che inq̄stisola ce molta pianura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">doue difizi molti sipuon fare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; castelle cipta cō magne mura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nō bisogna poi di dubitare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ne dhauer chi cista nulla paura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">molte terre cison da feminare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; depascer lebestie &amp; nutricare.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Ho po trouati certi fiumicelli,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ tucti menano oro &amp; nō gia poco,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; molti porti grādi &amp; da far belli,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che abōdanza ce dacqua diloco,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lherbe &amp; leselue facte co pennelli</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō son si belle &amp; nō cisusa foco,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">glhuomini sono affabile formati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">timidi semꝕ &amp; alfuggir parati.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_xcix">[xcix]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Sonci assai uille ma son picoolecte,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dhuomini &amp; dōne son tucte calcate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">glihabitacoli qui son capānecte</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">semplici sono &amp; credule brigate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; ben che sieno nudi stāno necte,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">si che signor dibuona uoglia state,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; credon che no siā di cielo ī terra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">mādati per cāpargli dogni guerra.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Portano alcun certe cāne appuntate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">socto lebraccia come noi lespade,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">archi cō frecce dicanne tagliate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; uāno īsieme assai come lesquadr̃</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di capegli &amp; di barbe molto ornate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō son micidial persone o ladre,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma tucto q̃l ch’ glhiāno ī lor potere</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">celodarebbon ꝓ farci piacere.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et parmi che cifia grā diferenza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">da questa isola a q̃lla di Giouāna</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">darbori, fructi, and dherbe &amp; diꝕsēza,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nōci manca senon la sancta māna,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">doro ce tanto cha uostra potenza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi guerra far sipensa ī uan safāna</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">oltre alla roba acquistate lhonore,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tucti son prōti acreder al signore.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Questi popoli grādi &amp; infiniti,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come ꝑ segni ciāno dimōstrato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ledōne &amp; lor figluoli &amp; lor mariti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ciascuno spera desser baptezato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">priego il signor iesu che puo glīuiti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">apossedere el suo regno beato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di quāto ben cagion signor sarete</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">coluostro auxilio che dato mhauete.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_c">[c]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Iho menati qui certi indiani</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ cōprēdā di q̃sta alcun līguaggio</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tal che parlando con cēni dimani</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃lcū diq̃sti ch’e piu sperto &amp; saggio</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dicon di farsi a noi tucti xꝕiani</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tal chiho ꝕso signor mio uātaggio</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; di legname una bastia fo fare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; lagente uimecto per guardare.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et forniti glilascio per uno anno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">darme diuectouaglia ben chi spero</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nō haranno molestia ne dāno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝑ che gli lascio cō un buon pensiero,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">humili mansueti tucti stanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sich’ auxilio iluostro signor chiero,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">mandimi uostra signoria piacente</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">allaude del signore omnipotente.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Chi nō uede signor lisole degne,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; lericheze o nobil creatura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; lauarieta darbori &amp; legne,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; deglhuomini &amp; dōne lor figura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō sa ch’ sia delmōdo lesue ī segne,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi nō esce delcerchio di sua mura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō puo perfectamente idio laudare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi nō gusta lecose che sa fare.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Signor mio dolce, lapiaceuoleza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di q̃sta gente io non saprei narrare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">per una stringa che poco sipreza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">uolson tanto oro aun diquesti dare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ tre ducati &amp; mezo o che richeza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">hare potuto inqueste parte fare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma io ho comādato alla mia gente</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che ciascun doni &amp; nō pigli niēte.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ci">[ci]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Per far lor grata uostra signoria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dimolta roba io ho facto donare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di quella dimie gente &amp; della mia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come scodelle &amp; piacti damāgiare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; uetri &amp; pauni chera in mia balia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">senza riserbo alcuno per me fare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝓ chio glho conosciuti tante grati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">iglho come fedeli &amp; buō tractati.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Vero e ch’ sono assai prōti alfugire</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">per che non sono usati di uedere</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">gente che usin panni da uestire,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma per che uegan noi tucto sapere,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ciascun diloro ciadora come sire,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; lalor roba da mangiare o bere,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō ho ueduto fare ne tuo ne mio,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma lauita comune alparer mio.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Volsano ancora ꝓ una bocte trista,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; per un pezo darco che nō uale,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tre once doro darmi &amp; similmista,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tanta bambagia che mezo quintale,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma poi chi hebbi questa cosa uista</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">parsemi dipigliar niente male,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; ho cōmesso aciaschedun de mia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chedipigliare niente ardito sia.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Nō e fra loro alcuna briga o secta,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma pacifici tucti insieme stanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di parole &amp; ni facti mai saspecta,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di far uēdecta alcūa īgiuria o dāno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">beato a q̃llo che seguir sidilecta,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">acompagnati abraccio semꝕ uāno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">io glho uisti si buoni recti &amp; grati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che abuō fine idio glhara chiamati.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cii">[cii]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Nō e fra loro idolatria nessuna,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tucti lemani al ciel tengono alzate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō adoran pianeti, o sole, o luna,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma lelor mente al ciel tucte leuate.</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dicon la gloria ī ciel esser sol una,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dellaqual patria credon ch’ mādate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lenostre barche siano &amp; noi ī terra,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">a far pace colciel dogni lor guerra.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Io nho cō meco semꝕ alcū menato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">equali feci per forza pigliare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃ndo alprīcipio ī terra fui smōtato,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">non potendo inaltra forma fare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">pelueloce fuggir mai ascoltato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō era lemie uoci olmio parlare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; q̃sti che per forza allhor pigliai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">son per amor uenuti sempre mai.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Semꝕ mangiare, o bere, &amp; adormire,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">acanto a me io glho si ben tractati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ gliaferman ꝑ certo &amp; usan dire</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ dalregno del ciel no siā mādati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">uanocci inanzi gridando uenire,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">debba ciascuno auedere ebeati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">si chalpresente ognū corre auedere</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; portan tucti damāgîare &amp; bere.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Da luna isola allaltra q̃sti uāno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cō certe barche che inquesta isola e,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lequal dun legno solo facte stanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; son chiamate queste canoe,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sō lūghe strecte &amp; par quasi uolādo</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">andare achiunche messo dētro ce,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">bench’ sien grossamente lauorate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cō sassi &amp; legni &amp; ossi son cauate.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_ciii">[ciii]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et hōne uista alcuna tāto grāde</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che octanta persone cista dentro,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; ciascūo hal suo remo &amp; leumāde</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nauica q̃sti &amp; con buon sētimeto</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">la roba luno allaltro li sispande</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃l chio uscriuo signor nulla mēto</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; uanno baractando tucti quāti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come sefussin quasi mercatanti.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Inqueste isole tucte nominate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō ho ueduta nulla differenza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dincarnati diuisi o dibrigate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma tucti quasi son duna presenza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; dun cōstume tucti cōstumate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">huomini &amp; dōne sō pie dicremēza,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tucti hāno una loquela &amp; un parlar̃</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che uifarē, signor, marauigliare.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Che par che util cosa questa sia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">acōuerrirgli a nostra sancta fede.</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che come scriuo auostra signoria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ciascun disposto ce, &amp; gia lacrede</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dique che han uista lapresenza mia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">no glho tucti ueduti de siuede</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’glie margior giouāna senza sotia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che nōe linghilterra con lascotia.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Son duo ꝓuincie chio nō ho certate,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">secondo che q̄sti altri decto hāno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">una cene la qual queste brigate.</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dican che quelle gente che uistāno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">son con le code tucte quante nate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; Anaan elnome posto lehanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">poi caminai ꝓ la spagnuola ciglia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝑ cinquecēsessantoquattro miglia.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_civ">[civ]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Doue e lauilla laqual io pigliai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">doue io feci larocca o uer bastia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che la piu bella che io uedessi mai,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come iho scripto a uostra signoria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">non miricorda se adir uimandai</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">inquesta brieue epistolecta mia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">elnōe ch’ io lho posto &amp; forse auisto</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">natiuita del nostro Iesus Xꝕo.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">In queste isole tucti questi stāno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">contenti duna dōna ciascheduno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma q̄sti principali tucti mhanno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">uēti lequal son date lor per uno.</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; luno allaltro mai torto nō fanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che a cio far nō ce pronto nessuno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; nelle cose tucte da mangiare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nulla diuision uiueggo fare.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et ben che i q̄ste parti caldo sia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lastate eluerno ce digran freddura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma ꝑ che mangiā molta spetieria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lacarne loro alfreddo molto dura</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">inquesta parte nulla cosa ria,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sitruoua diche questi habbin paura,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">saluo che ce unisola allentrare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">dellindia per uoler qui arriuare.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">In nella quale sta gente uillana</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">da q̄sti nō mipar che siano amati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ꝑ ch’ dice māgiā carne humana,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">pero nō son da questi qui prezati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">hanno assai legni q̄sta gente strana,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">da nauicare &amp; hanno gia rubati,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">aquesti di scorrendo dogni banna</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cō archi ī mano &amp; cō frecce dicāna.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cv">[cv]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Non e da q̄sti a quegli differenza,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">senō innecapegli che q̄gli hanno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">lunghi come ledōne &amp; dipresenza</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">son come q̄sti &amp; fāno molto dāno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">aq̄ste ch’ son ꝑpro essa clemenza,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">si che ingelosia sempre nestanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma spero che lauosira signoria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">sapra purgare una tal maltaia.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Una isola cie decta mactanino,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nella qual le donne sole stanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; questo iniquo popol glie uicino,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; ausar con q̄ste spesso uanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma q̄sto popol tucto feminino</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">exercitio di dōne mai nō fanno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma cō gliarchi trahēdo tuctauia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che par per cerbo una grā fantasia.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et uanno queste ben tucte coperte,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō gia di pāni lini, o lani, o ueli,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma derbe &amp; giūchi, &amp; q̄ste cose certe</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">son che di qua nq̃e lēzuoli o teli</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">unaltra isola poi legente offerte,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">femine &amp; maschi nascō senza peli,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">manzi uoglia cōfuso esser nel dire</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi uoglia alcuna cosa preterire.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Et dove q̄sti senza peli sono,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">piu oro cie chihabbia ācor trouata</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di q̄l chi scriuo o parlando ragiono,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">signore, io ne son ben giustificato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">auostra signoria un magno dono</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">iho per portar meco preparato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">di tucti q̄sti luoghi iuo menare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">gente che possin cio testificare.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cvi">[cvi]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Pero, giusto signor, di Spagna degno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">stia uostra signoria dibuona uoglia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chīho cresciuto tāto iluostro regno,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’ chi ua īuida po crepar didoglia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">doro &amp; dargento passarete el segno</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tel ch’ trarra elnimico di sua soglia,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ma q̃l chi so ch’ molto piu prezate</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">son queste gēte a xꝕo preparate.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Reubarbero assai &amp; aloe,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">Mastice, cinamono, &amp; spetierie,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">tanta richeza, signor mio, qui e</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che discaccia da me leuoglie rie,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">piu allegreza, signor mio, fare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">si fussi certo che per tucte uie</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃sta scripta uenissi asaluamento</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nel mōdo no sare huom piu-cōtēto.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Nō miacascaltro degno mio signore</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">scriuere auostra magna signoria,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">raccomandomi a q̃lla a tucte lhore,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">laqual cōserui ilfigluol di Maria</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">parato semꝕmai per uostro amore</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">amecter q̃sta breue uita mia</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">aquindici de febraio q̃sta sife</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nel mille quattrocento nouāta tre.</div>
+    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Magnifici &amp; discreti circūstanti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">q̃sta e gran cosa certo da pensare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ch’l nostro redēptor̃ cō tucti esancti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">nō resta mai legratie sue mandare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">douerebbon di q̃sto tucti quanti</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">ebaptizati a x̃po festa fare,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">chi ue chi uimādo &amp; chi ue andato</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">prepari dio alsuo regno beato.</div>
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cvii">[cvii]</span>    </div>
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">Questa ha cōposto de dati Giuliano</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">apreghiera del magno caualiere</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">messer Giouanphilippo ciciliano,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che fu di Sixto quarto suo scudiere</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">&amp; commessario suo &amp; capitano,</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">a q̄lle cose che fur di mestiere</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">allaude del signor sicanta &amp; dice</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">che ciconduca al suo regno felice.</div>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+<p class="center">¶ FINIS LAUS DEO.</p>
+
+<p class="center">¶ Finita lastoria della īuētione delle nuoue isole dicānaria<br>
+īdiane tracte duna pistola dixꝕofano colōbo, &amp; ꝓmesser<br>
+Giuliano dati tradocta dilatino ī uersi uulgari allaude<br>
+della christiana religione &amp; aꝕghiera delmagnifico<br>
+caualiere messer Giouāfilippo del ignamine<br>
+domestico familiare dello illustrissimo<br>
+Redispagna xꝕianissimo a<br>
+di. xxvi. doctobre.<br>
+14.93.</p>
+
+<p class="center"><i>Florentie.</i></p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_cviii">[cviii]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="BIBLIOGRAPHY">BIBLIOGRAPHY.</h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<p>In this bibliographical notice I do not propose to
+deal with any editions of the first letter of Columbus
+beyond the “Incunabula,” which I arrange in the
+order of their publication, as ascertained from an
+examination of the documents themselves.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>1. ¶ Epistola Christofori Colom: cui etas nostra multū
+debet: de | Insulis Indie supra Gangem nuper inuētis. Ad
+quas perqꝫren- | das octauo antea mense auspiciis &amp; ere invictissimor’
+Fernādi &amp; | Helisabet Hispaniar’ Regū missus
+fuerat: ad magnificum dñm | Gabrielem Sanchis eorundē
+serenissimor’ Regum Tesaurariū | missa: quā nobilis ac
+litteratus vir Leander de Cosco ab Hispa | no ideomate in
+latinum cōuertit tertio kal’s Maii m.cccc.xciii | Pontificatus
+Alexandri Sexti Anno primo.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Small 4to. This edition, which, as I shall presently
+show, is the <i>editio princeps</i>, was printed by Stephen
+Plannck at Rome in 1493. It consists of four leaves,
+printed in gothic type, and has 33 lines in a full page.
+Copies are in the Grenville and King’s Libraries in
+the British Museum.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>2. ¶ Epistola Christofori Colom: cui etas nostra multum
+debet: de | Insulis Indie supra Gangem nuper inuētis. Ad
+quas perquiren | das octauo antea mense auspiciis &amp; ere
+inuictissimorum Fernandi | ac Helisabet Hispaniar’ Regū
+missus fuerat: ad Magnificū dñm | Gabrielem Sanches:
+eorundem serenissimorum Regum Tesau | rariū missa: Quā
+generosus ac litteratus vir Leander de Cosco ab | Hispano
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cix">[cix]</span>idiomate in latinū cōuertit: tertio Kalen’ Maij M.cccc. |
+xc.iij. Pontificatus Alexandri Sexti Anno Primo. | 4to.</p>
+
+<p>End:—¶ Impressit Rome Eucharius Argenteus [Silber]
+Anno dñi. M.ccccxciij.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Three leaves, printed in gothic letter. 40 lines in
+a page. A copy is in the Grenville Library.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>3. ¶ Epistola Christofori Colom: cui etas nostra multū
+debet: de | Insulis Indie supra Gangem nuper inuentis. Ad
+quas perqui | rendas octauo antea mense auspicijs &amp; ere
+invictissimi Fernan | di Hispaniarum Regis missus fuerat:
+ad Magnificum dñum Ra | phaelem Sanxis: eiusdem serenissimi
+Regis Tesaurariū missa: | quam nobilis ac litteratus
+vir Aliander de Cosco ab Hispano | ideomate in latinum
+conuertit: tertio kal’s Maij. M.cccc.xciij. | Pontificatus
+Alexandri Sexti Anno Primo.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Small 4to. Gothic letter; four leaves, 34 lines in
+a full page. This edition is supposed to have been
+printed by Stephen Plannck at Rome, about 1493.
+3 or 4 copies are known; two are in the General
+Library and Grenville Library, British Museum.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>4. De Insulis inuentis | Epistola Cristoferi Colom (cui etas
+nostra | multū debet: de Insulis in mari Indico nup’ |
+inuētis. Ad quas perquirendas octauo antea | mense: auspicijs
+et ere Invictissimi Fernandi | Hispaniarum Regis
+missus fuerat | ad Magnificum dñm Raphaeleꝫ Sanxis:
+eiusdē sere | nissimi Regis Thesaurariū missa. quam
+nobi | lis ac litterat’ vir Aliander đ Cosco: ab His | pano
+ydeomate in latinū conuertit: tercio k’ls | Maij. M.cccc.xciij.
+Pontificatus Alexandri | Sexti Anno Primo.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Small 8vo. Gothic character; ten leaves, 26 and 27
+lines in a page. The title above given is preceded
+by a leaf bearing on the recto the arms of Spain,
+“Regnū hyspanie”—on the verso the cut of the
+“Oceanica Classis”. There are 6 woodcuts—the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cx">[cx]</span>“Oceanica Classis”, being repeated. A copy is in
+the Grenville Library.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>5. Epistola de insulis de | nouo repertis. Impressa |
+parisius in cāpo gaillardi.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Small 4to. Gothic letter; four leaves, 39 lines in a
+full page. This edition was printed by Guy Marchand
+about 1494. Brunet states that the only copy known
+is that formerly belonging to M. Ternaux-Compans,
+now the property of Mr. John Carter Brown.</p>
+
+<p>This edition was reprinted in 1865, “Lettre de
+Christophe Colomb sur la découverte du Nouveau-Monde,
+publiée d’après la rarissime version latine
+conservée à la Bibliothèque Impériale. Traduite en
+Français, commentée et enrichie de notes puisées aux
+sources originales par Lucien de Rosny. 8vo., Paris,
+1865.”</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>6. Epistola de Insulis noui | ter repertis. Impressa
+parisius In campo gaillardi.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Small 4to. Gothic letter; four leaves, 39 lines in a
+page. The above title is in two lines, the first printed
+in a larger character. Underneath is the device of the
+printer, “Guiot Marchant”—two cobblers at work,
+one cutting the leather, the other making it up.
+This edition was printed by Guy Marchand at Paris,
+about 1494.</p>
+
+<p>A copy is in the Bodleian Library. A fac-simile
+made by Mr. John Harris, sen., is in the British
+Museum; the impression was limited to five copies.</p>
+
+<p>All the foregoing editions have at the end the
+Latin Epigram in eight verses of R. L. de Corbatia,
+(a pseudonym for Leonardus de Carninis, Bishop
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxi">[cxi]</span>of Monte Peloso in Naples). In this edition, below
+the epigram, on the same page, is a woodcut
+of the Angel appearing to the Shepherds. Mr.
+Lenox has given a fac-simile of this in the Appendix
+to <i>Syllacius</i>. The title on the recto of the following
+leaf (sig. a, ij) is the same as in the Roman editions,
+having the name of Ferdinand without that of
+Isabella. It ends with the words: “Vale. Ulisbone
+pridie Idus Marcij.”</p>
+
+<p>A “pictorial” edition of the Latin letter, in 4to.,
+was printed in 1494. It is appended to a work by
+Carolus Verardus, “In laudem Serenissimi Ferdinandi
+Hispaniar’ regis.... Et de Insulis in mari Indico nuper
+inuentis.”</p>
+
+<p>The work is printed on fifteen pages in Roman characters,
+and probably at Basle, by B. de Olpe. The
+woodcuts are the same as those used in the small
+8vo. edition printed about 1493 (see No. 4).</p>
+
+<p>No sooner did this letter make its appearance in
+print in the year 1493, than the narrative it contained
+was put forth in Italian ottava rima by Giuliano
+Dati, one of the most popular poets of the day;
+and there is reason to believe that it was sung about
+the streets to announce to the Italians the astounding
+news of the discovery of a new world. (See <i>ante</i>, <a href="#Page_xc">p. xc</a>.)</p>
+
+<p>The only copy of this curious and valuable poem
+known at the time of the issue of the first edition of
+this work in 1847 is that which I now reprint.</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>¶ La lettera dellisole che ha trouato nuovamente il Re
+dispagna.</p>
+
+<p>End:</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxii">[cxii]</span></p>
+
+<p>¶ Finita lastoria della iuētione del | le nuoue isole dicānaria
+īdiane trac | te duna pistola dixp̃ofano colōbo &amp; |
+ꝑmesser Giuliano dati tradocta di la | tino ī uersi uulgari
+allaude della ce | lestiale corte &amp; aconsolatione della |
+christiana religione &amp; ap̃ghiera del magnifico caualiere
+messer Giouā | filippo del ignamine domestico fa | mīliare
+dello illustrissimo Re dispa | gna xp̃ianīssimo a di. xxvi.
+docto | bre. 14.93. Florentie.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>4to. Printed in Roman characters on four leaves, in
+double columns. The poem consists of 68 stanzas in
+<i>ottava rima</i>. Beneath the single-line title is a woodcut
+representing the landing of Columbus, and King
+Ferdinand seated on his throne on the <i>opposite shore</i>.
+This is the only copy known.</p>
+
+<p>Since 1847 another edition has been acquired by
+the British Museum, bearing the following title:—</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>¶ Questa e la hystoria della inuentiōe delle diese Isole
+di Cannaria In | diane extracte duna Epistola di Christofano
+Colombo &amp; per messer Giu | liano Dati traducta
+de latino in uersi uulgari a laude e gloria della cele |
+stiale corte &amp; a consolatione della christiana religiōe &amp;
+apreghiera del ma | gnifico Caualier miser Giouanfilippo
+Delignamine domestico familia | re dello Sacratissimo Re
+di spagna Christianissimo a di. xxv. doctobre. |
+M.cccclxxxxiii. |</p>
+
+<p>End: <span class="smcap">Finis</span></p>
+
+<p class="center">Joannes dictus Florentinus.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>4to. Printed in gothic characters, in double
+columns, and, without doubt, at Florence. A complete
+copy should contain four leaves. The copy in
+the British Museum, the only one of this edition
+hitherto discovered, is, unfortunately, deficient in two
+leaves—viz., the second and the third. It is printed
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxiii">[cxiii]</span>in a very rude type on coarse paper, and was evidently
+a popular edition, sold at a very small price.
+This edition presents many variations from the other,
+both in the orthography and language; <i>e.g.</i>, the
+opening stanza, which may be compared with that
+given in the present edition.</p>
+
+<div class="poetry-container">
+  <div class="poetry">
+    <div class="stanza">
+      <div class="verse indent0">LOīpotente idio ch’l tulto regge</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">mi presti gr̃a chi possa cantare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">allaude sua e di sua sancta legge</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">cosa che piaza achi stara ascoltare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">maxime alpopul suo &amp; a sua gregge</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">elqual non cessa mai magnificare</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">come al presente afacto nela spagna</div>
+      <div class="verse indent0">delle isole trouate cosa magna.</div>
+    </div>
+  </div>
+</div>
+
+<p>This edition omits the final stanza, which is little
+else than the colophon of the other versified:—</p>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p class="center">Questa ha cōposta de’ dati Giuliano<br>
+etc. <span class="spacer">etc.</span> etc.</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<blockquote>
+
+<p>Eyn schön hübsch lesen von etlichen insslen | dīe do in
+kurtzen zyten funden synd durch dē | künig von hispania.
+vnd sagt vō grossen wun | derlichen dingen die in dē selbē
+insslen synd.</p>
+
+<p>End:</p>
+
+<p>Getruckt zŭ strassburg vff gruneck vō meīster Bartlomess
+| küstler ym iar. M.cccc.xcvij. vff sant Jeronymus
+tag.—</p>
+
+</blockquote>
+
+<p>Small 4to. Seven leaves, 30 lines in a page. Beneath
+the title is a woodcut representing the apprehension
+of Christ in the garden; this is repeated on
+the verso of the last leaf. This edition is very rare.
+A copy is in the Grenville Library.</p>
+
+<p>Besides the foregoing we are in possession of a
+photo-zincographic fac-simile published at Milan in
+1866, by the Marquis Gerolamo d’Adda, of an early
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxiv">[cxiv]</span>printed edition of the Spanish original, in the Ambrosian
+Library in that city. It bears no printer’s
+name or place or date of publication, but it is unquestionably
+of the fifteenth century, and is considered
+by bibliographers to be of the date of 1493.
+Señor Pascual de Gayangos (in a valuable paper,
+entitled “La Carta de Cristóbal Colon al Escribano
+Luis de Santangel”, printed in the Madrid Journal,
+<i>La America</i>, under date of 13th April, 1867) suggests
+that it was printed in Lisbon.</p>
+
+<p>We have also in Navarrete’s <i>Coleccion de Viages</i>,
+printed at Madrid 1825, vol. i, pp. 167-175, what
+professes to be an attested literal rendering of a copy
+of Columbus’s letter in Spanish to the Escribano de
+Racion (whom we know from Argensola’s <i>Anales de
+Aragon</i> to be Luis de Santangel), in the Archives at
+Simancas.</p>
+
+<p>And, further, we have a printed version of a copy
+of the first letter in Spanish MS., discovered by His
+Excellency Senhor de Varnhagen in Valencia, and
+published by him in that city in 1858, under the
+title of <i>Primera Epistola del Almirante Don Christobal
+Colon ... a D. Gabriel Sanchez Tesorero de Aragon</i>.
+As editor, Senhor de Varnhagen assumed the
+pseudonym of D. Genaro H. de Volafan; and last
+year His Excellency published at Vienna a little
+work, the nature and contents of which are explained
+by its title, which is as follows:—“Carta de Cristóbal
+Colon enviada de Lisboa a Barcelona en Marzo de
+1493. Nueva Edicion Critica: Conteniendo las variantes
+de los diferentes textos, juicio sobre estos, reflexiones
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxv">[cxv]</span>tendentes a mostrar a quien la Carta fue
+escrita, y varias otras noticias, por el Seudónimo de
+Valencia.”</p>
+
+<p>Be it observed that in all these the <i>titles</i> are supplied
+by the respective editors, and consequently
+have no authority beyond the weight of each editor’s
+individual opinion. I have carefully collated the
+three documents, and the result is a certain conclusion
+that neither one nor the other is a correct
+transcript of the original letter. The grounds for
+this conclusion are, that while no two of them entirely
+agree <i>inter se</i>, every one of them exhibits certain
+special errors which, as I shall presently demonstrate,
+<i>could</i> not have been in the original. The apparent
+rashness of this assertion will disappear if the
+reader will accompany me in my effort to detect
+which of the printed Latin editions which we possess
+is to receive the distinction of <i>editio princeps</i>. Various
+have been the opinions on this subject. Mr.
+Lenox, following Brunet, has given the lead to the
+edition which I have ventured to place <i>fourth</i>. Mr.
+Harrisse, in his elaborate <i>Notes on Columbus</i>, gives the
+first place to that which stands <i>third</i> in my series, and
+His Excellency Senhor de Varnhagen assigns priority
+to the edition which I make to be the <i>second</i>. That to
+which I assign the distinction of taking the lead has
+the <i>second</i> place given to it by Senhor de Varnhagen,
+and the <i>third</i> by Brunet, Mr. Lenox, and Mr. Harrisse.
+In offering a conclusion so much at variance with my
+predecessors, my only means of escaping the charge
+of presumption (but that I hope is an effectual one),
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxvi">[cxvi]</span>is neither to adopt the opinion of any one else nor to
+offer any opinion of my own, but to reduce the matter
+to demonstration by facts either within or connected
+with the documents themselves.</p>
+
+<p>On examination of the titles it will be seen that
+the six editions resolve themselves by several very
+strongly marked features into two distinct groups.
+One of these groups, embracing four of the editions,
+is characterized by remarkable inaccuracy in three
+separate points—all four exhibiting all these inaccuracies
+in common; while the remaining two, being
+free from them, stand clearly defined into a distinct
+group by themselves.</p>
+
+<p>Thus; the titles of the editions numbered 3, 4, 5,
+6, all speak of Columbus being sent out under the
+auspices and at the expense of Ferdinand, King of
+Spain, without reference to the name of Queen Isabella.
+They all describe the letter as addressed to
+the Treasurer “Sanxis,” instead of “Sanchez,” whose
+Christian name they pervert from “Gabriel” to “Raphael.”
+Furthermore, they all convert the Christian
+name of the translator from “Leander” to “Aliander.”</p>
+
+<p>The titles of the editions numbered 1 and 2, on the
+contrary, give the names of both the sovereigns, call
+the Treasurer in No. 2 Sanches, in No. 1 “Sanchis,”
+but not Sanxis, and rightly name the translator
+“Leander de Cosco.”</p>
+
+<p>Now there is no difficulty in showing which of
+these groups has the merit of correctness, or which
+the demerit of incorrectness.</p>
+
+<p>It is perfectly well known that in 1493 Ferdinand
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxvii">[cxvii]</span>and Isabella held the common title of <i>Reyes de
+España</i>. Whether “Sanches” or “Sanxis” should be
+the correct form of spelling the name of a Spaniard
+who was treasurer to the Spanish sovereigns, it
+would be waste of time to question, and that his
+Christian name was Gabriel and not Raphael, we
+have clear evidence from an independent document
+in the Archives of Simancas, dated December 1495,
+for which the reader is referred to Navarrete’s <i>Coleccion
+de Viages</i>, vol. iii, p. 76, line 16, where he is
+called “El tesorero Gabriel Sanchez”. His name is
+also mentioned more than once by Zurita in his
+<i>Anales de Aragon</i>.</p>
+
+<p>The question then arises whether the palm of
+priority is to be conceded to the correct or to the
+incorrect form. Now all these six titles agree in
+stating that the original Spanish letter of Columbus
+was <i>sent</i> to the Treasurer Royal. But for a letter to
+be sent, it must carry an address, and if Columbus
+inserted in such address the Treasurer’s name, he,
+who knew Spanish so well, would not have insulted
+that dignitary by converting his surname of Sanchez
+into Sanxis, or his Christian name of Gabriel into
+Raphael. But even if we suppose that he omitted
+the name altogether, as is probable, and simply
+superscribed his letter with the title of the Treasurer,
+the fact still remains that the translator or editor of
+the first edition derived the information that the
+letter was so sent, directly from the Treasurer himself,
+who at least knew his own name and would not
+allow it to be transmitted for publication (if Columbus
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxviii">[cxviii]</span>had been guilty of the blunder) under the form of
+“Raphael Sanxis.” Nor would he, holding a high
+official post, have been guilty of the <i>maladresse</i> of
+omitting the name of the queen in the description of
+his own title. Now of our two groups of printed
+letters it is indisputable that that one must take
+precedence which comes immediately in connection
+with the original source, and as that source is at the
+same time the head-quarters of correctness, it follows
+that correctness must be the criterion of priority.</p>
+
+<p>We thus find our six candidates for the glory of
+“editio princeps” reduced to two. Now these two
+issued from two different printing presses. One of
+them is printed by Argenteus, <i>i.e.</i>, Silber, and bears
+his name with the imprint, “Rome, 1493.” The other
+is without printer’s name or place or date of publication,
+but is indisputably from the printing press of
+Stephanus Plannck, as may be seen by comparing
+it with a work of Benedictus de Nursia of the same
+date, entitled <i>“Incipit libellus de conservatione sanitatis
+secundum ordinem alphabeti distinctus per eximium
+doctorem magistrum Benedictum compositus.”
+Impressum Rome per magistrum Stephanum Planck,
+Anno Domini mccccxciii, quarto nōn Maii.</i> In this
+and other works from the same press the form and
+type precisely correspond with those of our letter.</p>
+
+<p>Now these two editions of Plannck and Silber were
+either printed simultaneously or not. Instances of
+the same work being printed by two different printers
+on the same day do occur. One example is before
+me of this happening in this very year 1493. The
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxix">[cxix]</span>work is entitled, “<i>Illustris et Reverendi Domini
+Nicolai Mariæ Estensis Episcopi Hadriensis oratio
+pro consanguineo suo inclyto Hercule Estensi Ferrariæ
+duce secundo</i>.” One edition in Roman character
+bears the colophon, <i>Romæ impressa per mgrm
+Plannck: Julio Campello Spoletino procurante.
+Anno Salvatoris mcccclxxxxiii. Nonis Januariis.</i>
+The other, in Gothic character, bears precisely the
+same title and the same colophon, with the difference
+of the words, <i>impressa per magistrum Andream
+Fritag</i>. Both are small quarto, of the size of our
+two editions of the letter of Columbus.</p>
+
+<p>But here it must be observed that there was
+apparently a special object in resorting to this exceptional
+procedure, viz., the production simultaneously
+of one edition in Roman and another in Gothic
+types, to suit the tastes of purchasers. In the case
+before us, however, the question of this motive does
+not arise, for both Plannck’s and Silber’s editions
+are in Gothic type; and any way it is clear that, in a
+case of the kind, the same text would be handed to
+each printer to set up, as any patent discrepancies
+between the two would be to the self-stultification of
+the editor. Now, in the case of the Columbus letter,
+such patent discrepancies do occur; by which I mean
+no mere printer’s blunders, but deliberate alterations
+of Latin expressions, as for example “ambularunt”
+in Plannck is “ambulaverunt” in Silber;
+“serenissimos Reges nostros,” correct Latin in Plannck,
+is “serenissimorum regum nostrorum,” making bad
+grammar, in Silber. This fact of itself I contend disproves
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxx">[cxx]</span>simultaneity of production. But side by side
+with these discrepancies we observe the repetition in
+the one, of eccentricities or inaccuracies occurring in
+the other, as in the words “quom,” “benivolentia,”
+and “nanque.” The former, though not incorrect, is
+quaint and unusual, but the two latter are faulty
+peculiarities, and their occurrence, in both editions,
+side by side with deliberate alterations, proves the
+one to be copied from the other either by the hand
+of the transcriber or of the compositor. This fact
+once established, I have to call attention to the following
+remarkable difference between the two editions.
+In the Plannck edition the distance sailed by Columbus
+along the north coast of Hispaniola is stated as
+<span class="allsmcap">DLXIIII</span> miles. In Silber’s the same figures occur
+minus the <span class="allsmcap">D</span>, and with no space left for the letter to
+have fallen out. Now it being understood that one
+of these is a copy from the other, whether through a
+transcriber’s or a compositor’s hand, if we suppose
+that the Silber edition, which was minus the <span class="allsmcap">D</span>, appeared
+first, we must perceive that the error is one
+which no special knowledge could enable the editor
+or printer of the other to suspect, much less to rectify,
+and yet in the Plannck edition we should find it so
+rectified. Whereas if the Plannck edition be supposed
+to be the first, we have no such difficulty to
+encounter, but simply meet (in the Silber edition)
+with a negligent omission of a letter, which may so
+easily happen. The next enquiry, of course, is, which
+number is right, 564 or 64 miles? Fortunately we
+have the means of answering this question with certainty,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxi">[cxxi]</span>for as we possess two copies, or copies of copies,
+of the original Spanish letter, we find that the translator,
+Leander de Cosco, converted the leagues of the
+Spanish original into miles by multiplying them,
+though ignorantly, by three; and in one of these two
+copies, which can in other respects be shown to be
+far more correct than its fellow, these leagues are
+stated as 188, which correspond exactly with 564
+miles. It must be clear, then, that the edition containing
+the number 564 was derived from the original
+accounts, while that which contained the number 64
+had allowed the <span class="allsmcap">D</span> to be lost. The result I submit to be
+that Plannck’s edition must claim the palm to priority.</p>
+
+<p>To this conclusion it has been objected by a friend
+that the argument is not complete, inasmuch as Cosco
+the translator, may have sent his translation to Rome,
+with instructions that a copy thereof should be made,
+and that, as the work was of importance, two printers
+should at once be employed in printing from the two
+copies; that the copyist may have thought fit to make
+the alterations which appear between the two, or,
+failing him, that these alterations may have been
+made by the compositor of one of them. To which I
+reply that the deviations in the Silber edition are all
+on the side of ignorance, and not such as could have
+been made by an original translator. To take the
+most notable example: in Plannck’s edition occurs
+this passage, already slightly referred to, “quæ res
+perutilis est ad id quod Serenissimos Reges nostros
+exoptare præcipue reor.” “Which thing is very useful
+for the object which I think that our most serene
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxii">[cxxii]</span>Sovereigns principally desire.” Here we find the
+right grammatical construction of the accusative before
+the infinitive mood, just as the translator would
+write it. In Silber’s edition the sentence stands
+thus: “quæ res perutilis est ad id quod Serenissimorum
+regum nostrorum exoptare præcipue reor,” a
+change showing such ignorance of grammatical construction
+that it could not have been the work of the
+translator. I contend that, under such circumstances,
+even if it should be assumed (though there is no
+warranty for such assumption) that the two editions
+were printed simultaneously, Plannck’s edition would
+justly take the lead on account of its more immediate
+derivation from the original translation.</p>
+
+<p>But before I leave this subject I must call attention
+to a notable fact, which opens up the question whether
+the real <i>editio princeps</i> has perished, or not as yet
+come to our knowledge. It happens that the length
+of the north coast of Hispaniola is <i>twice</i> stated by
+Columbus in this letter. The <i>first</i> mention of it is
+given correctly in Plannck’s edition as “milliaria
+dlxiiii,” which I have already shown to be a right
+number, while in Silber the “d” is lost, and the number
+stands “lxiiii.” The <i>second</i> mention of the length
+of the coast is given <i>alike incorrectly by both</i> as dxl.
+This fact, brought into combination with those evolved
+by our comparison of the two texts, not only corroborates
+the non-originality and secondary position of
+Silber’s edition, but it raises a question as to whether
+Plannck’s was not preceded by another which has never
+come to our knowledge, in which both numbers were
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxiii">[cxxiii]</span>correctly given. It might be conjectured that Columbus
+himself wrote the second number incorrectly, but
+here the different Spanish texts come valuably to our
+aid, and the curious circumstance that the translator
+Cosco converted the leagues of the Spanish into miles
+in the Latin, supplies a most welcome means of
+solving the riddle. Another document, the contemporaneous
+rhythmical version of the letter by Giuliano
+Dati, will also be of great service in the examination
+of the subject. For the sake of clearness I
+will tabulate them, and distinguish the correct numbers,
+where they occur, by italics.</p>
+
+<table class="borders">
+  <tr>
+    <th></th>
+    <th>Ambrosian text.</th>
+    <th>Valencia MS.</th>
+    <th>Simancas MS.</th>
+    <th>Plannck’s edition.</th>
+    <th>Silber’s edition.</th>
+    <th>Dati.</th>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>First mention.</td>
+    <td>clxxviii leguas.</td>
+    <td><i>ciento e ochenta y ocho leguas.</i></td>
+    <td>ciento e setenta y ocho leguas.</td>
+    <td>milliaria <i>dlxiiii</i>.</td>
+    <td>miliaria lxiiii.</td>
+    <td><i>cinquecensessanta quattro miglia.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+  <tr>
+    <td>Second mention.</td>
+    <td><i>clxxxviii leguas.</i></td>
+    <td>ciento treinta y ocho leguas.</td>
+    <td>ciento treinta y ocho leguas.</td>
+    <td>milliaria dxl.</td>
+    <td>miliaria dxl.</td>
+    <td><i>cinquecensessanta quattro miglia.</i></td>
+  </tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>From this table it will be seen that the erroneous
+one hundred and thirty-eight leagues do not tally
+with the erroneous five hundred and forty miles; but
+the most striking fact that this table presents to our
+notice is that the <i>Dati poem</i> is the only one of these
+documents that has the number right in both places;
+and it might at first sight appear a very simple and
+easy thing for Dati to see that what was right measurement
+in the one case must be the right measurement
+in the other, even although the other copyists
+had failed to realise this fact. But not so. Dati composed
+his poem from the Latin translation, and if the
+edition from which he worked had been as faulty as
+that of Plannck, now under notice, he could have had
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxiv">[cxxiv]</span>no means of deciding which number was right, the
+dlxiiii of the first mention, or the dxl of the second.
+We have the means of knowing, but only because we
+possess the various copies of the Spanish, which state
+the distance in leagues. The necessary conclusion then
+is that Dati worked from a copy either MS. or printed,
+in which the number was right in both places; and
+this conclusion is corroborated by the fact that, of the
+Spanish documents, the Valencia MS. shows the number
+right in the first mention, and the Ambrosian
+text shows it right in the second. Furthermore, I
+observe that Dati, who distinctly states that his poem
+was “tradocta di latino,” gives the letter the date of
+Feb. 15th, a date which occurs in the Spanish, but not
+in the Latin texts which we possess. It follows,
+therefore, that if he worked from a printed text, that
+edition is lost to us.</p>
+
+<p>But there remains the alternative that he worked
+from the MS. Latin translation, and that the latter
+had been fully rendered from the original Spanish,
+but was afterwards modified by the compositor in setting
+it up in type. That such was in reality the
+case the reader will find proved beyond all dispute
+at the close of this disquisition. It therefore remains
+that, while there is no reason to suppose that an
+edition is lost, the edition by Plannck, consisting of
+four leaves, with thirty-three lines to the page, must
+take the lead among those which are known to us.</p>
+
+<p>But now we come to the very interesting subject
+of the original Spanish. Columbus’s manuscript
+letter is lost, and the only representatives of it with
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxv">[cxxv]</span>which we are acquainted are the manuscript copies
+already mentioned at Simancas and Valencia, published
+respectively by Navarrete and Senhor de Varnhagen,
+and the valuable printed text in the Ambrosian
+Library, for the reproduction of which by photo-zincography
+all who are interested in the subject are
+so deeply indebted to the enlightened liberality of the
+Marquis d’Adda. The two former transcripts are
+confessedly made at a much later date, while to the
+latter bibliographers give the credit of the date of
+1493. At the end of the Simancas copy is the expression:
+“Esta carta envio Colon al Escribano de
+Racion de las islas halladas en las Indias e otra de sus
+altezas.” This office of Escribano de Racion was held
+by Luis de Santangel. The Valencia copy had no
+such sentence at the end, but simply bore the title:
+“Carta del Almirante á D. Gabriel Sanches.” The
+Ambrosian text photo-zincographed by the Marquis
+d’Adda bore a similar expression at the end to that
+of the Simancas copy, but with a difference; thus:
+“Esta carta embio Colon al Escrivano de Racion de
+las Islas halladas en las Indias. Contenida a otra de
+sus altezas.” Under these circumstances the Marquis
+d’Adda, accepting the pre-supposed fact that Columbus
+had addressed two similar letters to the two above-named
+officials, very naturally regarded the Ambrosian
+text as derived from the Simancas MS. A collation
+of the three texts, <i>inter se</i>, and with the Latin
+translation of Cosco, exhibits, however, the following
+results:—the Valencia MS. addressed to Gabriel
+Sanchez is almost a verbatim repetition of the Simancas
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxvi">[cxxvi]</span>text addressed to the Escribano de Racion,
+while the Ambrosian text also addressed to the Escribano
+de Racion agrees with the Latin text addressed
+to Gabriel Sanchez in certain forms of expression,
+which are entirely different from those used in common
+in the Valencia and Simancas MSS. to describe the
+same thing. This perplexing result has been stated
+by Senhor de Varnhagen in the little work published
+last year already referred to, and I can confirm
+it by actual careful collation of all the four documents.
+The <i>prima facie</i> inference from this fact
+would, I think, be that the Escribano de Racion and
+Gabriel Sanchez, either really were, or by some mistake
+had been taken to be, identical. A very high
+authority on such a subject, Senor de Gayangos, in
+the learned article already referred to, distinctly
+maintains the dispatch of two letters to the said two
+officials, whereas Senhor de Varnhagen not only limits
+the dispatch to one single address, but goes so far as
+to conclude that the Spanish printed text, from which
+he believes the Latin to be translated, is in fact the
+letter addressed to the sovereigns, with the change
+only of “vuestras” into “sus.” But as his Excellency
+has given much careful thought to this matter,
+and has, under the guidance of a most judicious criticism,
+supplied an amended text, derived from a collation
+of the different texts, it is but justice to him
+and to the subject itself to give a literal translation
+of his remarks. This is the more requisite as I shall
+have to submit some facts which seem to me to lead
+to conclusions differing from some of those arrived at
+by my learned friend.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxvii">[cxxvii]</span></p>
+
+<p>His Excellency says: “We hold it for certain that
+the said <i>primitive</i> edition (the Ambrosian) which we
+have had the opportunity of seeing in Milan, <i>must
+have given origin</i> to the text published in Rome the
+25th April&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_24" href="#Footnote_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> of that same year (1493) by Cozco, who
+perhaps from not being able to transfer easily to the
+Latin the last part of it, cut it off. The said fact is
+principally <i>shown</i> by the mistake of the date of 14th
+(instead of 4th) of March, which could not be in the
+letter of Columbus, as he had left Lisbon before that
+day; nor would it be reasonable to suppose that the
+error would be repeated in the same manner, if said
+original had been kept in sight. Still less could the
+repetition of such a mistake be conceived, if the original
+manuscript were different.”</p>
+
+<p>Now, before we proceed to an examination of this
+matter, the first thing requisite is to lay before the
+reader a specific difference which exists between the
+Spanish and the Latin texts. In the Spanish (I quote
+from the Ambrosian text) the letter closes thus:
+“Esto segun el fecho asi en breve. Fecha en la calavera
+sobre las Yslas de Canaria a xv de Febrero mil
+et quatrocientos et noventa y tres años.”</p>
+
+<p>Then comes a</p>
+
+<p class="center">“Nyma que venia dentro en la carta.”</p>
+
+<p>“Despues desta escripto y estando en mar de Castilla
+salyo tanto viento conmigo sul y sueste que me
+ha fecho descargar la navios por cosi (correr?) aqui en
+este puerto de Lysbona oy, que fue la mayor maravilla
+del mundo. Adonde acordé escrivir a sus altezas. En
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxviii">[cxxviii]</span>todas las Yndias he siempre hallado los tenporales como
+en Mayo, adonde yo fuy en xxxiii dias et volvi en
+xxviii, salvo questas tormentas me han detenido xiiii
+dias corriendo por esta mar. Dizen aqua todos los
+honbres de la mar que jamas ovo tan mal yvierno no
+ni tantas perdidas de naves, fecha a xiiii dias de
+marco.</p>
+
+<p>“Esta carta embio Colon al Escrivano de racion de
+las Islas halladas en las Indias. Contenida a otra
+de sus altezas.”</p>
+
+<p>For those who need it, the translation will be found
+in our printed text at page 18.</p>
+
+<p>The Latin translation ends very differently; thus:
+“Hæc ut gesta sunt sic breviter enarrata. Vale.
+Ulisbone, pridie Idus Martii.”</p>
+
+<p>Now the reader will observe that in the above
+“nyma” or postscript, Columbus states that on the
+day of his reaching Lisbon he resolved to write to
+their Highnesses, and we know from his diaries that
+that day was the 4th of March, and yet at the end
+the postscript is dated the 14th of March, a day on
+which we know, from the said diaries, that he was off
+Cape St. Vincent on his way from Lisbon to Spain,
+which he was then on the point of reaching at the
+harbour of Palos.</p>
+
+<p>The Latin, it will be perceived, repeats this discrepancy
+in a more distinct shape, by bringing the name
+of Lisbon immediately into connection with the 14th
+of March, of which the words: “pridie Idus Martii”
+are the equivalent.</p>
+
+<p>With these specialities in his mind, the reader will
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxix">[cxxix]</span>be able with greater clearness to follow the following
+disquisition:—</p>
+
+<p>The perfectly sound piece of criticism by Senhor de
+Varnhagen, which we have just read, is based upon
+the accepted premiss that it was on the 4th of March
+that Columbus dispatched to the King and Queen
+the letter describing his voyage, with the nema attached.
+The words of the “nema” itself make such
+an inference highly reasonable. It states that “el
+viento me ha fecho descargar los navios por correr
+aqui en este puerto de Lisbona <i>hoy</i> ... adonde acordé
+de escribir a sus altezas.”—“The wind made me unload
+the ships to run into this port of Lisbon to-day
+... where I resolved to write to their Highnesses.”
+The diary shows that this day was the 4th of March,
+and hence, <i>prima facie</i>, the date of “14th of March” in
+the nema would appear to be not written by Columbus,
+but a blunder of the printer of the Ambrosian
+text. This natural inference <i>appears</i> confirmed, I
+find, by the distinct statement of Ferdinand Columbus
+that on his father’s arrival in Lisbon on the 4th—“Subito
+espedì un corriero a’ Re Catolici con la
+nuova della sua venuta”—“he immediately dispatched
+a courier to the Catholic Sovereigns with the news of
+his arrival.”</p>
+
+<p>Now, supposing, for I do not take it for granted,
+that this statement of Fernando’s, written many years
+after, was correct, and that his father carried out his
+intention of writing to the Sovereigns from Lisbon,
+that statement does not tell us that he then <i>sent on
+the account of his voyage</i>; and if we inquire a little
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxx">[cxxx]</span>further, we have good reason to suppose that he did
+<i>not</i> forward it on that day. There is no mention in
+his Diary of his so doing, although the act would
+be of sufficient importance to call for mention. He
+was in a country where his success in the cause of
+Spain was regarded with intense animosity. He was
+ignorant of the whereabouts of the Sovereigns, and
+in prospect of an early arrival in Spain, when he
+both would gain the necessary information, and could
+send on his precious missive in perfect safety. In
+harmony with these suggestions of mine, I find that
+Herrera, the historiographer, who had in his charge
+all the Columbian documents, states that on Wednesday,
+the 13th March, Columbus left Lisbon for Seville
+in his caravel. On Thursday, the 14th, before daybreak,
+he was off Cape St. Vincent. On Friday, the
+15th, at mid-day, he entered the port of Palos, whence
+he had sailed on the 3rd of August of the previous
+year. <i>And having learned that the Catholic Sovereigns
+were at Barcelona</i>, he at first thought of going
+there in his caravel; but subsequently resolving
+not to go to Barcelona by sea, he <i>announced his arrival
+to the Catholic Sovereigns, and sent a summary of
+what had happened to him, reserving the more complete
+narrative for their immediate presence</i>. The
+<i>reply</i> reached him in Seville, and contained expressions
+of joy at his safe arrival and at the success of
+his voyage, offered him rewards and honours, and
+commanded him to make haste to go to Barcelona.
+Now, it will be remembered that Columbus’s narrative
+was already written, and dated February 15th or
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxi">[cxxxi]</span>18th, and only waiting to be despatched, and had attached
+to it the nema, which Mr. Gayangos tells us
+was a piece of paper placed on the outside of a letter
+like a padlock, and over which the seal was put. On
+this nema, beyond all question, was the date of March
+4th; and if, as I gather from Herrera’s statement,
+Columbus dispatched this narrative of his voyage, not
+from Lisbon on the 4th March, but from Palos on the
+15th, or the 16th, it is not unlikely that on the 14th,
+when he was nearing the Spanish harbour from which
+he was looking forward to be able to dispatch it in
+safety, he should have altered the remote date of the
+4th, which agreed with the wording of the nema at the
+time of writing it, into the later date of the 14th, which
+was more in accordance with the date of dispatch. We
+know that the letter to the Sovereigns was enclosed
+in the letter to the Escribano de Racion; and the
+sentence printed at the end of the Ambrosian text
+bears the aspect of an endorsement of the letter by
+that officer’s secretary. The date of the Sovereigns’
+reply from Barcelona, March 30th, is in entire harmony,
+as regards lapse of time, with the dispatch of
+Columbus’ letter from Palos on the 15th or 16th
+of the month. The Latin translation was completed
+on the 29th April, a full month after the arrival of the
+letter in Barcelona. There was plenty of time, therefore,
+it is true, for the letter to have been printed in
+Spanish, and for that Spanish to have served for the
+translation into Latin; but if my suggestion, as derived
+from the above data, be correct, that the alteration
+of 4 to 14 on the nema was made by Columbus himself,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxii">[cxxxii]</span>my friend Senhor de Varnhagen’s conclusion that
+the Spanish printed text <i>must</i> have served for that
+translation becomes a <i>non sequitur</i>. Such alteration
+by Columbus would naturally lead to the erroneous
+“ulisbone, pridie idus Martii” in the Latin text, without
+the intervention of the Spanish printed text, in
+which that alteration would of course also be copied.</p>
+
+<p>I have stated these facts to show that the occurrence
+of March 14th both in the Ambrosian text and
+the Latin translation, does not, as Senhor de Varnhagen
+concluded, prove of necessity that the latter
+was derived from the former, but from a common
+origin, to wit, in all probability the original MS. of
+Columbus. But now that I have shown that the
+Latin <i>need not</i> have been derived from the Ambrosian,
+I proceed to show that it <i>could not</i> have been so.</p>
+
+<p>In the Ambrosian we find Guanahani spelt Guanaham;
+the island of Matinino called Matremonio, etc.,
+while in the Latin text we find the first name correctly
+written Guanahani, Matinino is more nearly
+correctly written Mateunin; and we have the name
+of an island, Charis, which is left out in the Spanish
+altogether. But as the Latin translator possessed no
+special knowledge by which he could make such corrections,
+it is clear that the Ambrosian text could
+not have served as the basis for the Latin; whereas
+if the two were derived from a common source, the
+errors of the Ambrosian text would be those of its
+copyist, while the accurate rendering of the corresponding
+passages in the Latin would be the result,
+not of correction, as Senhor de Varnhagen suggests,
+but of attention to the original.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxiii">[cxxxiii]</span></p>
+
+<p>Upon this head Senhor de Varnhagen writes as
+follows:—</p>
+
+<p>“The Latin texts contain a correction of the words
+Guanahanin, Charis (Caribes or Caraibes), and Mateunin
+(Matinino); but these corrections, if perchance
+it should be proved that they were made at the time
+of the first edition, and not afterwards (which we cannot
+here examine, not having the different editions
+at hand), may have been pointed out by the editor
+himself in sight of the original after the publication
+of the printed text; or by Columbus himself, on receiving
+it on his road to Barcelona, in order that some
+correct copies might be sent to Rome, by way of
+communicating the news of the discovery that had
+been made, with the view of obtaining the famous
+Bull from Alexander VI.”</p>
+
+<p>Now it is pretty clear that the Latin translation
+had nothing in the world to do with the Papal bull.
+The name of <i>De</i> Cosco indicates that the translator
+was a Spaniard—and it is reasonable to assume that
+a Spaniard would be selected to translate from Spanish
+into Latin—; therefore we may fairly suppose that
+the translation was made in Spain. It was not completed
+till the 29th of April—tertio kalendas maii—(not
+the 25th, an error of Navarrete’s, which Senhor
+de Varnhagen has adopted), and the first bull was
+issued on the 3rd of May. The interval of four days
+is scarcely sufficient to allow of the formal dispatch
+of the document to Rome, its presentation and the
+drawing up of the bull, much less if it had to undergo
+revision by Columbus, still less if it be a question
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxiv">[cxxxiv]</span>of correction of printed proofs set up in type at Rome
+in that short interval. It is tolerably evident, then,
+that the Latin was sent to Rome, not to the Pope,
+but only for printing. If, therefore, the missive to
+the Pope was in Spanish, and included this letter,
+the corrections by Columbus or by Sanchez, suggested
+by Senhor de Varnhagen, would have been far better
+applied to the Spanish than to the Latin, instead of
+the reverse, as suggested.</p>
+
+<p>It should, however, be borne in mind that in those
+days proofs were not sent out for revision: but as a
+doubt may reasonably be entertained on this point,
+on the score of the many imaginable possibilities that
+may not have been foreseen or taken into consideration
+in this criticism, I will now proceed to demonstrate
+that the Spanish and the Latin printed texts
+certainly are derived from different, though similar,
+documents. That they should be similar is natural,
+the one being written by Columbus from the other,
+with such trivial changes as may have dropped from
+his pen in transcribing.</p>
+
+<p>First: we have a Spanish text, the endorsement of
+which shows it to have been sent to the Escribano de
+Racion. That this officer was Luis de Santangel we
+know for certainty from Argensola’s <i>Anales de Aragon</i>,
+lib. 1, cap. 10, p. 99, <i>et seq.</i>, where he tells us
+that when the King looked coldly on Columbus’s proposals,
+because the royal finances had been drained by
+war, Isabella offered her jewels for the enterprise;
+but this was rendered needless, as “Luis de Santangel,
+Escrivano de Racion de Aragon, advanced
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxv">[cxxxv]</span>seventeen thousand florins for the expenses of the
+Armada.” This leaves no room for doubt that Columbus
+should immediately send a copy of his letter
+to Santangel. In it was enclosed the copy addressed
+to the Sovereigns.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_25" href="#Footnote_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> This text sent to Santangel consisted
+of a letter dated February 15th, and a postscript,
+announcing the arrival off Lisbon on the 4th, subsequently
+altered to the 14th March.</p>
+
+<p>Secondly: we have a Latin text, distinctly stated
+to have been translated from a letter addressed to the
+Royal Treasurer, Gabriel Sanchez. We have thus
+clearly two letters addressed to two persons, but to
+annihilate this duality Senhor de Varnhagen suggests
+“Why not suppose that this last name, Gabriel
+Sanxis, which Cosco thought it necessary to announce,
+was the result of his own verifications? He would
+inquire in Rome of the Catholic delegates the name
+of the Escribano de Racion, and they would give him
+that of the Treasurer General.” But this is inventing
+<i>one surmise</i> to fortify <i>another</i>, whereas Senhor de
+Varnhagen’s own zealous research had provided evidence
+to prove a contrary <i>fact</i>. The Marquis d’Adda
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxvi">[cxxxvi]</span>has kindly sent me a photo-lithograph of a fragment
+of an Italian version of this letter, of which His Excellency
+Senhor de Varnhagen had found the title in
+the catalogue of the Ambrosian Library. This fragment
+distinctly states it to have been a copy of one
+“sent by the Grand Treasurer to his brother, Joane
+Sanxis.”</p>
+
+<p>Thus, beyond all question, it is proved that Columbus
+addressed these two several letters to these two
+different persons, from one of which the Spanish text
+was printed, and from the other the Latin translation
+was made and subsequently printed. And having
+reached this point, we see clearly that my suggestion
+of Columbus having altered the date of 4th
+March to 14th <i>must</i> have been correct; and, furthermore,
+that he copied the date of “14th,” on whichever
+of these two letters was written last, because, while it
+stands March 14th <i>in totidem verbis</i> in one, it is
+rendered “pridie idus Martii” (which means the same
+thing) in the translation from the other. We see in
+this date “Ulisbone, pridie idus Martii,” a proof that
+the copy from which the Latin was made, consisted,
+like the original of the Ambrosian Spanish text, of a
+complete letter with the “nema” added, because the
+place Lisbon is derived from the language at the beginning
+of the nema, and the date from Columbus’s
+alteration at the end. Although the printer, Plannck,
+inserted nothing of the “nema” beyond the said place
+and date, which he placed at the end of the body of
+the letter in lieu of February 15th, we have a clear
+proof that De Cosco had really translated the letter
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxvii">[cxxxvii]</span>and nema as they stand in the Spanish, for when we
+come to look into Dati’s poem, which he distinctly
+states to be translated from the Latin, we find <i>the
+date of February 15th retained, but no allusion to the
+contents of the nema, which, being detached, had evidently
+not reached his hands</i>. This fact, and others
+observable in his text, especially when examined in
+combination with the Italian, which also came from
+the Sanchez original, show that Dati worked from
+Cosco’s manuscript translation. As to whether of the
+two printed texts, the Ambrosian Spanish or Plannck’s
+Latin, can claim priority, we have no present means
+of deciding, but that the preference is due to the
+Spanish under critical correction is manifest, since it
+has been exposed to modifications from a compositor
+only, while the Latin has passed through the two
+ordeals of a translation and a compositor’s alterations.
+For this reason I have adopted the Spanish in my
+text, observing that it replaces the very worst Latin
+text which I could have adopted, viz., that taken by
+Navarrete from the <i>España Illustrada</i>. The faults
+in the Ambrosian text are many and great, and this
+has led Señor de Gayangos to suggest that it was
+printed, not in Spain, but in Portugal, probably Lisbon.
+An opinion from one so eminent has great
+weight, but while yielding to none in sincere respect
+for the judgment of my distinguished friend, I confess
+I think that the circumstances of the letter point, as
+Senhor de Varnhagen has stated, to Barcelona for the
+place of printing. Mr. Winter Jones, the Principal
+Librarian of the British Museum, and late Keeper of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxviii">[cxxxviii]</span>the Department of Printed Books, whose bibliographical
+knowledge is so well known, tells us that he
+recollects having seen the initial letter S, which commences
+the Ambrosian text, but, in spite of great research,
+I have failed to find it or the corresponding
+type in any work in our vast library. It is here well
+to remark that no kind of <i>fac-simile</i> is so baulking
+to bibliographic comparison as the photographic.
+The respective sizes of the letters are altered, and
+the outline is rendered broken and rotten. A <i>fac-simile</i>
+of this same letter, done by the hand, was published
+in Milan in 1863, in the sixteenth volume of
+the <i>Biblioteca Rara</i> of G. Daelli, and gives the type
+a far firmer appearance than that in the photograph.
+It is obvious that an opportunity is afforded of correcting
+the mistakes in the Ambrosian text from the
+other texts which we possess. This has been done
+with great skill and judgment by Senhor de Varnhagen
+by collation with the Simancas, the Valencia,
+and the Latin texts; to these aids I have added the
+Italian poem of Giuliano Dati, and the Italian fragment,
+for which I have been indebted to the kindness
+of the Marquis d’Adda.</p>
+
+<p>We possess no detailed description of the second
+voyage of Columbus from his own hand. That which
+is here printed is the translation of a letter addressed
+to the Chapter of Seville by Dr. Chanca, a native of
+that city, who was physician to the fleet in this voyage,
+and was an eye-witness of the events that he
+related. For this reason it is preferred to two other
+accounts in Latin which are in existence, but which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxxxix">[cxxxix]</span>have both been made up from hearsay. One of these
+occurs in the second book of the <i>Decades</i> of Peter
+Martyr of Anghiera, published first at Seville (Hispali)
+in 1511, and afterwards at Alcala de Henares
+(Compluti) in 1516, and often subsequently printed.
+The other is a compilation by Nicolò Scillacio, of Messina,
+who, while studying philosophy at Pavia in
+1494 (?), and living with Giovanni Antonio Biretta,
+received from Spain, from a certain nobleman named
+Guglielmo Coma, a description of the recent discoveries
+of Columbus. This, as Mr. Lenox tells us, he
+translated into Latin, and inserted such other accounts
+as were then universally current, but without
+changing or adding anything. Mr. James Lenox, of
+New York, who is the possessor of one of the only
+two copies of this work known (the other being in
+the possession of the Marquis Trivulzio of Milan), and
+who states that it was first published in 1494, or
+early in 1495, reprinted it in 1859, with a translation
+by the Rev. John Mulligan, giving as an appendix
+my translation of Doctor Chanca’s letter, as printed in
+the first edition of the present work in 1847. It is
+obvious that this work of Scillacio’s, which is a pedantic
+compilation, cannot compare for authenticity
+with the account of Dr. Chanca; while the latter contains
+more incidents, and is more agreeably written
+than the narrative of Peter Martyr.</p>
+
+<p>This letter by Dr. Chanca was copied by Navarrete (as
+he himself says at the end of the letter in his work) from
+a manuscript in the possession of the Royal Academy
+of History at Madrid, written in the middle of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxl">[cxl]</span>sixteenth century, and was amongst the collection of
+papers referring to the West Indies, collected by Father
+Antonio de Aspa, a monk of the order of St.
+Jerome, of the monastery of the Mejorada, near Olmedo.—This
+document was unpublished previous to
+Navarrete’s compilation. A copy was taken from the
+original by Don Manuel Avella, and deposited in the
+collection of Don Juan Bautista Muñoz, and from that
+copy, after collation with the original manuscript, the
+transfer was made by Navarrete into his valuable
+work. This letter is followed by a Memorial respecting
+the second voyage, addressed to the sovereigns by
+Columbus, through the intervention of Antonio de
+Torres, governor of the city of Isabella. At the close
+of each chapter or item is affixed their highness’s
+reply. The document was taken by Navarrete from
+the Archives of Seville.</p>
+
+<p>The two letters next in order in the present translation,
+are from the hand of Columbus himself, and
+are descriptive of the events of the third voyage. The
+first, addressed to the Sovereigns, was taken by Navarrete,
+under careful collation by himself and Muñoz,
+from a manuscript in the handwriting of the bishop
+Bartolomé de la Casas, found in the archives of
+the duke del Infantado. The second, addressed to the
+nurse of Prince John, is taken from a collection of
+manuscripts, relating to the West Indies, made by
+Muñoz, and deposited in the Real Academia de la
+Historia at Madrid. The text was collated by Navarrete
+with a copy inserted in the Codice Colombo-Americano,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxli">[cxli]</span>said to have been written in the monastery
+of Santa Maria de las Cuevas in Seville.</p>
+
+<p>The letter by Columbus, descriptive of his fourth
+voyage, was taken by Navarrete from a manuscript
+in the king’s private library at Madrid, written in the
+handwriting of the middle of the sixteenth century,
+and probably the same copy as that which Pinelo, at
+page 61 of his <i>Biblioteca Occidental</i>, 4to., 1629,
+describes as having been made by Don Lorenzo
+Ramirez de Prado, from an edition in 4to., which
+does not appear to be now in existence. It was
+translated into Italian by Constanzo Bayuera of
+Brescia, and published at Venice in 1505, and, on
+account of its extreme scarcity, was republished, with
+some learned comments, by Morelli, the librarian of
+St. Mark’s at Venice, in 1810.</p>
+
+<p>That it had been printed in Spanish is asserted
+both by Pinelo and by Fernando Columbus.</p>
+
+<p>It is presumed that the manuscript from which
+Navarrete made his copy was that made by Ramirez
+de Prado, because it had been removed to the king’s
+library, from the Colegio Mayor de Cuenca, in Salamanca,
+where the papers of Ramirez had been deposited.</p>
+
+<p>I must not close this bibliographical notice without
+tendering my warmest thanks to my friends, William
+Brenchley Rye, Esq., the learned Keeper of the
+Printed Books in the British Museum; and Robert
+Edmund Graves, Esq., one of the most accomplished
+of his Assistant-Librarians;—to the former for most
+kindly making out the foregoing list of incunabula of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxlii">[cxlii]</span>the first letter, and the latter for very valuable help
+in my search for collateral texts by which to fortify
+my conclusions in the toilsome examination which I
+have here brought to a termination.</p>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_24" href="#FNanchor_24" class="label">[24]</a> It should be 29th. The mistake is copied from Navarrete.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_25" href="#FNanchor_25" class="label">[25]</a> In pursuance of his idea that not two, but only one letter,
+was despatched to head-quarters, Senhor de Varnhagen has
+translated the words of the endorsement “Contenida a otra de
+Sus Altezas.”—“Contenida <i>en</i> otra, etc.” and then, reasoning
+from the impossibility of Columbus showing such familiarity with
+the Sovereigns, argues, that the letter was in fact addressed to
+them only. With all respect I submit that the natural rendering
+is “Contenida la otra de Sus Altezas”; Angl. “Contained the
+other of their Highnesses”; or, as it would be clearer in French,
+“Y contenue l’autre de Leurs Altesses;” and Santangel appropriately
+appears as bearer of the missive to the Sovereigns.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxliii">[cxliii]</span></p>
+
+<h1><span class="smaller">SELECT LETTERS<br>
+<span class="smaller"><span class="smaller">OF</span></span></span><br>
+CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.<br>
+<span class="smaller"><span class="smaller">ETC.</span></span></h1>
+
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_cxliv">[cxliv]</span></p>
+
+<div class="transnote hide">
+Transcriber’s Note: In the original, the English text was printed
+at the top of each page with the Spanish text below. This is not
+practical to reproduce in an e-text, so the English is given first,
+followed by the Spanish.
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_1">[1]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="FIRST_VOYAGE_OF_COLUMBUS">FIRST VOYAGE
+OF COLUMBUS.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_26" href="#Footnote_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a></h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="english">
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>A Letter sent by Columbus to [Luis de Santangel] Chancellor
+of the Exchequer [of Aragon], respecting the Islands
+found in the Indies, enclosing another for their Highnesses.</i></h3>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Sir</span>,—Believing that you will take pleasure in hearing of
+the great success which our Lord has granted me in my
+voyage, I write you this letter, whereby you will learn how
+in thirty-three days’&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_27" href="#Footnote_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> time I reached the Indies with the fleet
+which the most illustrious King and Queen, our Sovereigns,
+gave to me, where I found very many islands thickly peopled,
+of all which I took possession without resistance, for
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_2">[2]</span>their Highnesses by proclamation made and with the royal
+standard unfurled. To the first island that I found I gave
+the name of <i>San Salvador</i>,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_28" href="#Footnote_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> in remembrance of His High
+Majesty, who hath marvellously brought all these things to
+pass; the Indians call it <i>Guanaham</i>. To the second island
+I gave the name of <i>Santa-Maria de Concepcion</i>;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_29" href="#Footnote_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> the third I
+called <i>Fernandina</i>;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_30" href="#Footnote_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a>
+    the fourth, <i>Isabella</i>;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_31" href="#Footnote_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a>
+    the fifth, <i>Juana</i>;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_32" href="#Footnote_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a>
+and so to each one I gave a new name. When I reached
+<i>Juana</i>, I followed its coast to the westward, and found it
+so large that I thought it must be the mainland,—the province
+of <i>Cathay</i>; and, as I found neither towns nor villages
+on the sea-coast, but only a few hamlets, with the inhabitants,
+of which I could not hold conversation, because they all
+immediately fled, I kept on the same route, thinking that I
+could not fail to light upon some large cities and towns. At
+length, after the proceeding of many leagues, and finding that
+nothing new presented itself, and that the coast was leading
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_3">[3]</span>me northwards (which I wished to avoid, because winter
+had already set in, and it was my intention to move southwards;
+and because moreover the winds were contrary), I
+resolved not to wait for a change in the weather, but returned
+to a certain harbour which I had remarked, and from
+which I sent two men ashore to ascertain whether there was
+any king or large cities in that part. They journeyed for
+three days and found countless small hamlets with numberless
+inhabitants, but with nothing like order; they therefore
+returned. In the meantime I had learned from some other
+Indians whom I had seized, that this land was certainly an
+island; accordingly, I followed the coast eastward for a
+distance of one hundred and seven leagues, where it ended
+in a cape. From this cape, I saw another island to the eastward
+at a distance of eighteen leagues from the former, to
+which I gave the name of <i>La Española</i>.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_33" href="#Footnote_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> Thither I went,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_4">[4]</span>and followed its northern coast to the eastward (just as I
+had done with the coast of <i>Juana</i>), one hundred and seventy&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_34" href="#Footnote_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a>-eight
+full leagues due east. This island, like all the others,
+is extraordinarily large, and this one extremely so. In it
+are many seaports with which none that I know in Christendom
+can bear comparison, so good and capacious that it is
+wonder to see. The lands are high, and there are many
+very lofty mountains with which the island of <i>Cetefrey</i> cannot
+be compared. They are all most beautiful, of a thousand
+different shapes, accessible, and covered with trees of a thousand
+kinds of such great height that they seemed to reach
+the skies. I am told that the trees never lose their foliage,
+and I can well understand it, for I observed that they were
+as green and luxuriant as in Spain in the month of May.
+Some were in bloom, others bearing fruit, and others otherwise
+according to their nature. The nightingale was singing
+as well as other birds of a thousand different kinds; and
+that, in November, the month in which I myself was roaming
+amongst them. There are palm-trees of six or eight
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_5">[5]</span>kinds, wonderful in their beautiful variety; but this is the
+case with all the other trees and fruits and grasses; trees,
+plants, or fruits filled us with admiration. It contains
+extraordinary pine groves, and very extensive plains. There
+is also honey, a great variety of birds, and many different
+kind of fruits. In the interior there are many mines
+of metals and a population innumerable. <i>Española</i> is a
+wonder. Its mountains and plains, and meadows, and fields,
+are so beautiful and rich for planting and sowing, and rearing
+cattle of all kinds, and for building towns and villages.
+The harbours on the coast, and the number and size and
+wholesomeness of the rivers, most of them bearing gold,
+surpass anything that would be believed by one who had not
+seen them. There is a great difference between the trees,
+fruits, and plants of this island and those of <i>Juana</i>. In this
+island there are many spices and extensive mines of gold
+and other metals. The inhabitants of this and of all the
+other islands I have found or gained intelligence of, both
+men and women, go as naked as they were born, with the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_6">[6]</span>exception that some of the women cover one part only with
+a single leaf of grass or with a piece of cotton, made for
+that purpose. They have neither iron, nor steel, nor arms,
+nor are they competent to use them, not that they are not
+well-formed and of handsome stature, but because they are
+timid to a surprising degree. Their only arms are reeds
+cut in the seeding time,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_35" href="#Footnote_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> to which they fasten small
+sharpened sticks, and even these they dare not use; for on
+several occasions it has happened that I have sent ashore
+two or three men to some village to hold a parley, and the
+people have come out in countless numbers, but, as soon as
+they saw our men approach, would flee with such precipitation
+that a father would not even stop to protect his son;
+and this not because any harm had been done to any of
+them, for, from the first, wherever I went and got speech
+with them, I gave them of all that I had, such as cloth and
+many other things, without receiving anything in return,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_7">[7]</span>but they are, as I have described, incurably timid. It is
+true that when they are reassured and have thrown off this
+fear, they are guileless, and so liberal of all they have that
+no one would believe it who had not seen it. They never
+refuse anything that they possess when it is asked of them;
+on the contrary, they offer it themselves, and they exhibit so
+much loving kindness that they would even give their hearts;
+and, whether it be something of value or of little worth that
+is offered to them, they are satisfied. I forbade that worthless
+things, such as pieces of broken porringers and broken
+glass, and ends of straps, should be given to them; although,
+when they succeeded in obtaining them, they thought they
+possessed the finest jewel in the world. It was ascertained
+that a sailor received for a leather strap a piece of gold
+weighing two <i>castellanos</i>&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_36" href="#Footnote_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> and a half, and others received for
+other objects of far less value, much more. For new <i>blancas</i>&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_37" href="#Footnote_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a>
+they would give all that they had, whether it was two or three
+<i>castellanos</i> in gold or one or two arrobas&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_38" href="#Footnote_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a> of spun cotton.
+They took even bits of the broken hoops of the wine barrels,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_8">[8]</span>and gave, like fools, all that they possessed in exchange,
+insomuch that I thought it was wrong, and forbade it. I
+gave away a thousand good and pretty articles which I had
+brought with me in order to win their affection; and that
+they might be led to become Christians, and be well inclined
+to love and serve their Highnesses and the whole Spanish
+nation, and that they might aid us by giving us things of
+which we stand in need, but which they possess in abundance.
+They are not acquainted with any kind of worship,
+and are not idolaters; but believe that all power and, indeed,
+all good things are in heaven; and they are firmly
+convinced that I, with my vessels and crews, came from
+heaven, and with this belief received me at every place at
+which I touched, after they had overcome their apprehension.
+And this does not spring from ignorance, for they are very
+intelligent, and navigate all these seas, and relate everything
+to us, so that it is astonishing what a good account they are
+able to give of everything; but they have never seen men with
+clothes on, nor vessels like ours. On my reaching the Indies,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_9">[9]</span>I took by force, in the first island that I discovered, some of
+these natives, that they might learn our language and give me
+information in regard to what existed in these parts; and it
+so happened that they soon understood us and we them, either
+by words or signs, and they have been very serviceable to us.
+They are still with me, and, from repeated conversations that
+I have had with them, I find that they still believe that I come
+from heaven. And they were the first to say this wherever
+I went, and the others ran from house to house and to the
+neighbouring villages, crying with a loud voice: “Come,
+come, and see the people from heaven!” And thus they all,
+men as well as women, after their minds were at rest about
+us, came, both large and small, and brought us something
+to eat and drink, which they gave us with extraordinary
+kindness. They have in all these islands very many canoes
+like our row-boats: some larger, some smaller, but most of
+them larger than a barge of eighteen seats. They are not so
+wide, because they are made of one single piece of timber,
+but a barge could not keep up with them in rowing, because
+they go with incredible speed, and with these canoes they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_10">[10]</span>navigate among these islands, which are innumerable, and
+carry on their traffic. I have seen in some of these canoes
+seventy and eighty men, each with his oar. In all these
+islands I did not notice much difference in the appearance of
+the inhabitants, nor in their manners nor language, except
+that they all understand each other, which is very singular,
+and leads me to hope that their Highnesses will take means
+for their conversion to our holy faith, towards which they
+are very well disposed. I have already said how I had gone
+one hundred and seven leagues in following the sea-coast of
+<i>Juana</i> in a straight line from west to east: and from that
+survey I can state that the island is larger than England
+and Scotland together, because, beyond these one hundred
+and seven leagues, there lie to the west two provinces which
+I have not yet visited, one of which is called <i>Avan</i>, where
+the people are born with a tail. These two provinces cannot
+be less in length than from fifty to sixty leagues, from what
+can be learned from the Indians that I have with me, and
+who are acquainted with all these islands. The other,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_11">[11]</span><i>Española</i>, has a greater circumference than all Spain, from
+Catalonia by the sea-coast to Fuenterabia in Biscay, since
+on one of its four sides I made one hundred and eighty-eight
+great leagues in a straight line from west to east. This is
+something to covet, and when found not to be lost sight of.
+Although I have taken possession of all these islands in the
+name of their Highnesses, and they are all more abundant
+in wealth than I am able to express; and although I hold
+them all for their Highnesses, so that they can dispose of
+them quite as absolutely as they can of the kingdoms of
+Castile, yet there was one large town in <i>Española</i> of which
+especially I took possession, situated in a locality well
+adapted for the working of the gold mines, and for all kinds
+of commerce, either with the main land on this side, or with
+that beyond which is the land of the great Khan, with which
+there will be vast commerce and great profit. To that city
+I gave the name of <i>Villa de Navidad</i>, and fortified it with a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_12">[12]</span>fortress, which by this time will be quite completed, and I
+have left in it a sufficient number of men with arms,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_39" href="#Footnote_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> artillery,
+and provisions for more than a year, a barge, and a sailing
+master skilful in the arts necessary for building others. I
+have also established the greatest friendship with the king
+of that country, so much so that he took pride in calling me
+his brother, and treating me as such. Even should these
+people change their intentions towards us and become
+hostile, they do not know what arms are, but, as I have said,
+go naked, and are the most timid people in the world; so
+that the men I have left could, alone, destroy the whole
+country, and this island has no danger for them, if they only
+know how to conduct themselves. In all those islands it
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_13">[13]</span>seems to me that the men are content with one wife, except
+their chief or king, to whom they give twenty. The women
+seem to me to work more than the men. I have not been
+able to learn whether they have any property of their own.
+It seemed to me that what one possessed belonged to all,
+especially in the matter of eatables. I have not found in
+those islands any monsters, as many imagined; but, on the
+contrary, the whole race is very well-formed, nor are they
+black, as in Guinea, but their hair is flowing, for they do not
+dwell in that part where the force of the sun’s rays is too
+powerful. It is true that the sun has very great power
+there, for the country is distant only twenty-six degrees from
+the equinoctial line. In the islands where there are high
+mountains, the cold this winter was very great, but they
+endure it, not only from being habituated to it, but by eating
+meat with a variety of excessively hot spices. As to savages,
+I did not even hear of any, except at an island which lies the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_14">[14]</span>second in one’s way in coming to the Indies.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_40" href="#Footnote_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> It is inhabited
+by a race which is regarded throughout these islands as extremely
+ferocious, and eaters of human flesh. These possess
+many canoes, in which they visit all the Indian islands, and
+rob and plunder whatever they can. They are no worse
+formed than the rest, except that they are in the habit of
+wearing their hair long, like women, and use bows and
+arrows made of reeds, with a small stick at the end, for want
+of iron, which they do not possess. They are ferocious
+amongst these exceedingly timid people; but I think no
+more of them than of the rest. These are they which have
+intercourse with the women of Matenino,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_41" href="#Footnote_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a> the first island one
+comes to on the way from Spain to the Indies, and in which
+there are no men. These women employ themselves in no
+labour suitable to their sex; but use bows and arrows made
+of reeds like those above described, and arm and cover
+themselves with plates of copper, of which metal they have a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_15">[15]</span>great quantity. They assure me that there is another island
+larger than <i>Española</i>, in which the inhabitants have no hair.
+It is extremely rich in gold; and I bring with me Indians
+taken from these different islands, who will testify to all
+these things. Finally, and speaking only of what has taken
+place in this voyage, which has been so hasty, their Highnesses
+may see that I shall give them all the gold they
+require, if they will give me but a very little assistance;
+spices also, and cotton, as much as their Highnesses shall
+command to be shipped; and mastic, hitherto found only in
+Greece, in the island of Chios, and which the Signoria&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_42" href="#Footnote_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> sells
+at its own price, as much as their Highnesses shall command
+to be shipped; lign aloes, as much as their Highnesses shall
+command to be shipped; slaves, as many of these idolators
+as their Highnesses shall command to be shipped. I think
+also I have found rhubarb and cinnamon, and I shall find
+a thousand other valuable things by means of the men
+that I have left behind me, for I tarried at no point so long
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_16">[16]</span>as the wind allowed me to proceed, except in the town of
+<i>Navidad</i>, where I took the necessary precautions for the
+security and settlement of the men I left there. Much more
+I would have done if my vessels had been in as good a
+condition as by rights they ought to have been. This is
+much, and praised be the eternal God, our Lord, who gives
+to all those who walk in his ways victory over things which
+seem impossible; of which this is signally one, for, although
+others may have spoken or written concerning these countries,
+it was all mere conjecture, as no one could say that he
+had seen them—it amounting only to this, that those who
+heard listened the more, and regarded the matter rather as
+a fable than anything else. But our Redeemer hath granted
+this victory to our illustrious King and Queen and their
+kingdoms, which have acquired great fame by an event of
+such high importance, in which all Christendom ought to
+rejoice, and which it ought to celebrate with great festivals
+and the offering of solemn thanks to the Holy Trinity with
+many solemn prayers, both for the great exaltation which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_17">[17]</span>may accrue to them in turning so many nations to our holy
+faith, and also for the temporal benefits which will bring
+great refreshment and gain, not only to Spain, but to all
+Christians. This, thus briefly, in accordance with the events.</p>
+
+<p>Done on board the caravel, off the Canary Islands, on the
+fifteenth of February, fourteen hundred and ninety-three.</p>
+
+<p>At your orders.</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="smcap">The Admiral.</span></p>
+
+<p>After this letter was written, as I was in the sea of
+Castile, there arose a south-west wind, which compelled me
+to lighten my vessels and run this day into this port of
+Lisbon, an event which I consider the most marvellous thing
+in the world, and whence I resolved to write to their Highnesses.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_18">[18]</span>In all the Indies I have always found the weather
+like that in the month of May. I reached them in thirty-three
+days, and returned in twenty-eight, with the exception
+that these storms detained me fourteen days knocking
+about in this sea. All seamen say that they have never
+seen such a severe winter nor so many vessels lost.</p>
+
+<p>Done on the fourteenth day of March.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="spanish">
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Esta Carta embió Colon al Escrivano de Racion de las Islas
+halladas en las Indias. Contenida la otra de Sus Altezas.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Señor, por que se que aureis&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_43" href="#Footnote_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a> plazer de la grand victoria que
+nuestro señor me ha dado en mi vyaie, vos escriuo esta por la qual
+sabreys commo en xxxiij dias pase a las jndias&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_44" href="#Footnote_44" class="fnanchor">[44]</a> con la armada que
+los illustrissimos Rey et reyna, nuestros señores, me dieron, donde
+yo falle muy muchas Islas pobladas con gente syn numero. Y
+dellas todas he tomado posession por sus altezas con pregon y
+vandera real estendida, y non me fue contradicho. A la primera que
+yo falle puse nombre Sant Saluador, a comemoracion de Su Alta
+Magestad, el qual marauillosamente todo esto andado;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_45" href="#Footnote_45" class="fnanchor">[45]</a> los jndios
+la llaman Guanaham. A la segunda puse nombre la ylsa de santa
+Maria de Concepcion. A la tercera Ferrandina. A la quarta la
+Ysabella. A la quinta la isla Juana, et asy a cada vna nombre
+nueuo. Quando yo llegue a la Juana segui yo la costa della al
+poniente y la falle tan grande que pense que seria tierra firma, la
+prouincia de Catayo, y como no falle asi&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_46" href="#Footnote_46" class="fnanchor">[46]</a> villas y lugares en la costa
+de la mar, salvo pequeñas poblaciones, conla gente de las quales
+non podia hauer fabla, por que luego fuyan todos, andaua yo
+adelante por el dicho camino, pensando de no errar grandes
+Ciudades o villas, y al cabo de muchas leguas visto que no hauia
+innovacion y que la costa me leuaua al setentrion, de adonde mi
+voluntad era contraria, por que el yuierno era ya encarnado,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_47" href="#Footnote_47" class="fnanchor">[47]</a> yo
+tenia proposito de hazer del&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_48" href="#Footnote_48" class="fnanchor">[48]</a> al austro y tanbien el viento me dio
+adelante, determine de no aguardar otro tiempo, y bolui atras
+fasta un señalado puerto da donde enbie dos hombres por la tierra
+para saber si auia rey o grandes ciudades. Andouieron tres iornadas
+y hallaron infinitas poblaciones pequeñas y gente sin numero, mas
+no cosa de regimiento, por lo qual se boluieron. Yo entendia
+harta de otros jndios que ya tenia tomados commo continuamente
+esta tierra era isla, et asi segui la costa della al oriente ciento y siete
+leguas faste donde fazia fin: del qual cabo vi&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_49" href="#Footnote_49" class="fnanchor">[49]</a> otra isla al oriente,
+distincta&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_50" href="#Footnote_50" class="fnanchor">[50]</a> de esta diez o ocho leguas, a la qual luego puse nombre la
+Spañola, y fui alli y segui la parte del setentrion asi commo de la
+Juana al oriente, clxxviij&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_51" href="#Footnote_51" class="fnanchor">[51]</a> grandes leguas&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_52" href="#Footnote_52" class="fnanchor">[52]</a>
+    por linia recta del
+oriente asi commo de la Juana, la qual y todas las otras son fortissimas&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_53" href="#Footnote_53" class="fnanchor">[53]</a>
+en demasiado grado, y esta en estremo; en ella ay muchos
+puertos enla costa dela mar, sin comparacion de otros que yo sepa
+en christianos, y sartos, y buenos, y grandes, que es marauilla. Las
+tierras della son altas y en ella muy muchas sierras y montañas
+altissimas sin comparacion de ysla de centre.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_54" href="#Footnote_54" class="fnanchor">[54]</a> Son todas fermossimas
+de mill. fechuras y todas andabiles y llenas de arboles de mil
+maneras y altas y pareçen que llegan al cielo; y tengo por dicho
+que jamas pierden la foia, segun lo puede comprehender que los
+vi tan verdes y tan hermosos commo son por Mayo en Spaña, y
+dellos stavan floridos, dellos con fruto, y dellos en otro termino
+segun es su calidad; y cantaua el ruiseñol&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_55" href="#Footnote_55" class="fnanchor">[55]</a>
+    y otros paxaricos&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_56" href="#Footnote_56" class="fnanchor">[56]</a> de
+mil maneras en el mes de nouienbre por alli donde yo andaua. Ay
+palmas de seys&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_57" href="#Footnote_57" class="fnanchor">[57]</a> o de ocho maneras, que es admiracion verlas por
+la disformidad fermosa dellas; mas asi commo los otros arboles y
+frutos et yeruas. En ella ay pinares a marauilla, e ay canpiñas
+grandissimas et ay mjel, y de muchas maneras, de aues y frutas muy
+diversas. En las tierras ay muchas minas de metales et ay gente
+inestimable numero. La spañola es marauilla; las sierras y las
+montañas y las uegas y las campiñas y las tierras tan fermosas y
+gruesas para plantar et senbrar, para criar ganados de todas suertes
+para hedificios de villas y lugares. Los puertos de la mar aqui no
+hauria creancia sin vista, et delos rios muchos y grandes y buenas
+aguas, los mas delos quales traen oro. En los arboles et frutos et
+yeruas ay grandes diferencias de aquellas de la Juana. En esta ay
+muchas specierias&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_58" href="#Footnote_58" class="fnanchor">[58]</a> y grandes minas de oro y d’otros metales. La
+gente desta jsla et de todas las otras que he fallado y hauido,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_59" href="#Footnote_59" class="fnanchor">[59]</a> in
+aya hauido noticia, andan todos desnudos, hombres et mugeres, asi
+commo sus madres los paren, avnque algunas mugeres se cobijan
+vn solo lugar con vna sola foia de yerua o vna cosa&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_60" href="#Footnote_60" class="fnanchor">[60]</a> de algodon
+que para ellos fazen. Ellos no tienen fierro ni azero ni armas, ni
+son para ello; no porque no sea gente bien dispuesta et de fermosa
+estatura, saluo que son muy temerosos a marauilla. No tienen
+otras armas saluo las armas de las cañas, quando estan con la
+simiente, a la qual ponen al cabo vn palillo agudo, et no osan usar
+de aquellas, que muchas vezes me ha acaescido enbiar a tierra dos
+o tres honbres alguna villa para hauer fabla, y salir a ellos dellos
+sin numero, et despues que los veyan llegar, fuyan a no aguardar
+padre a hijo, y esto no porque a ninguno se aya fecho mal; antes a
+toda cabo a donde yo ay estado et podido auer fabla, les he dado
+de todo lo que tenia, asi paño commo otras cosas muchas, sin
+recebir por ello cosa alguna; mas son asi temerosos sin remedio.
+Verdad es que despues que aseguran y pierden esta miedo, ellos
+son tanto sin engaño y tan liberales delo que tienen que no lo
+creerian sino el que lo viese. Ellos de cosa que tengan pidiendo
+gela, iamas dizen de no; antes conuidan la persona con ello, y
+muestran tanto amor que darian los coraçones, et quieren sea cosa
+de valor quien sea de poco precio luego por qualquiera cosica de
+qualquiera manera que sea que sele de por ello, sean contentos.
+Yo defendi que no se les diesen cosas tan siuiles commo pedaços
+de escudillas rotas, y pedaços de vidrio roto, y cabos de agugetas:
+aunque quando ellos esto podran llegar,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_61" href="#Footnote_61" class="fnanchor">[61]</a> los parescia auer
+la mejor joya del mundo: que se açerto auer vn marinero por
+vna agugeta de oro de peso de dos castellanos y medio, y otros
+de otras cosas que muy menos valian, mucho mas. Ya por blancas
+nuevas dauan por ellas todo quanto tenian auer que&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_62" href="#Footnote_62" class="fnanchor">[62]</a> fuesen dos
+ni tres castellanos de oro o vna arroua&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_63" href="#Footnote_63" class="fnanchor">[63]</a> o dos de algodon fylado.
+Fasta los pedaços delos arcos rotos de las pipas tomauan y dauan
+lo que tenian commo bestias, asy que me parescia mal. Yo lo
+defendi y daua yo graciosas mil cosas buenas que yo leuaua,
+por que tomen amor y allenda desto se faran&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_64" href="#Footnote_64" class="fnanchor">[64]</a> cristianos, que se
+jnclinan al amor y servicio de sus altezas y de toda la nacion
+castellana, y procuran de aiuntar&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_65" href="#Footnote_65" class="fnanchor">[65]</a> de nos dar de las cosas que tienen
+en abundancia que nos son neçessarias. Y no conocian ninguna
+seta nin ydolatria, saluo que todos creen que las fuerças y el bien
+es en el cielo. Y creyan muy firme que yo con estos nauios y gente
+venia del cielo, y en tal catamiento me recibian&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_66" href="#Footnote_66" class="fnanchor">[66]</a> en todo cabo
+despues de auer perdido el miedo. Y esto no precede porque
+sean ygnorantes, saluo de muy sotil ingenio y hombres que
+nauegan todas aquellas mares, que es marauilla la buena cuenta
+quellos dan de todo, salvo porque nunca vieron gente vestida ny
+semejantes nauios. Y luego que legue a las jndias en la primera
+ysla que halle, tome por fuerça algunos dellos para que deprendiesen
+y me diesen notia delo que auia en aquellas partes, et asy
+fue que luego entendiron, y nos a ellos, quando por lengua o señas,
+y estos han aprouechado mucho. Oy en dia los traygo que siempre
+estan de proposito que vengo del cielo por mucha conuersacion
+que ayan auido conmigo, y estos eran los primeros a pronunciarlo
+adonde yo llegaua; y los otros andauan corriendo de casa en
+casa, y alas villas çercenas con bozes altas, venid, venid a ver la
+gente del cielo. Asi todos, hombres commo mugeres, despues de
+auer el coraçon seguro de nos, venian&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_67" href="#Footnote_67" class="fnanchor">[67]</a> que no quedauan grande ni
+pequeño, y todos trayan algo de comer y de beuer que dauan con
+un amor marauilloso. Ellos tienen todas las yslas muy muchas
+canoas a manera de fustes&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_68" href="#Footnote_68" class="fnanchor">[68]</a> de remo, dellas maioras, dellas menores
+y algunas y muchas son mayoras que vna fusta de diez et ocho
+bancos. No son tan anchas porque son de vn solo madero, mas
+vna fusta no terna con ellas al remo porque van que no es cosa
+de creer, y con estas nauegan todas aquellas yslas que son
+jnnumerables, y traten sus mercaderias. Algunas destas canoas
+he visto con. lxx. y lxxx. honbres en ella, y cada vno con su remo.
+En todas estas yslas no vide mucha diuersidad de la fechura dela
+gente ni en las costumbres ni en la lengua, saluo que todos se
+entienden, que es cosa muy singular, para lo que espero que determinaren
+sus altezas para la conversacion&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_69" href="#Footnote_69" class="fnanchor">[69]</a> dellos de nuestra santa
+fe a la qual son muy dispuestos. Ya dixe commo yo hauia andada
+c. vij. leguas por la costa de la mar por la derecha liña de ocidente
+a oriente por la ysla Juana, segun el qual camino puedo desir que
+esta isla es mayor que inglaterra y escosia juntas por que allen
+de destas c. vij. leguas, me queda de la parte de poniente dos
+prouincias que yo no he andado; la vna de las quales llaman
+Auan,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_70" href="#Footnote_70" class="fnanchor">[70]</a> adonde nascen la gente con cola, las quales prouincias no
+pueden tener en longura menos de l. o lx. leguas, segund puede&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_71" href="#Footnote_71" class="fnanchor">[71]</a>
+entender destos jndios que yo tengo, los quales saben todas las
+yslas. Esta otra española en cierco tiene mas que la españa toda
+desde colunya&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_72" href="#Footnote_72" class="fnanchor">[72]</a> por costa de mar fasta fuente rauia en vi scaya
+pues en vna quadra anduue clxxxviij.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_73" href="#Footnote_73" class="fnanchor">[73]</a> grandes leguas por recta
+linia de occidente a oriente. Esta es para desear, et vista, es para
+nunca dexar; enla qual puesto que de todas tenga tomada possession
+por sus altezas, y todas sean mas abastadas delo que yo se y
+puedo dezir, y todas las tengo por de sus altezas qual dellas
+pueden disponer commo y tan complidamente commo delos
+Reynos de castilla. En esta española en el lugar&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_74" href="#Footnote_74" class="fnanchor">[74]</a> mas conuenible
+y meyor comarca para las minas del oro y de todo trato, asi dela
+tierra firme de aqua commo de aquella de alla del grand can,
+adonde aura&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_75" href="#Footnote_75" class="fnanchor">[75]</a> grand trato et grand ganança, he tomado possession
+de vna villa grande, ala qual puse nombre la villa de Nauidad. Y
+en ella he fecho fuerça y fortaleza que ya a estas horas estara del
+todo acabada, y he dexada en ella gente que abasta para semejante
+fecho, con armas y artellarias et vituallas por mas de un año; y
+fusta y maestro de la mar en todas artes para fazer otras, y grande
+amistad con el rey de aquella tierra en tanto grado que se preciaua
+de me llamar y tener por hermano; y aunque le mudasse&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_76" href="#Footnote_76" class="fnanchor">[76]</a>
+la voluntad a offender esta gente, el ni los suyos no saben que
+sean armas y andan desnudos commo ya he dicho: son los mas
+temerosos que ay en el mundo, asi que solamente la gente que alla
+queda, es para destroir toda aquella tierra, y es ysla syn peligro de
+sus personas sabiendo se regir. En todas estas yslas me parece que
+todos los honbres sean contentos con vna muger, y a su mayoral
+o rey dan fasta veynte. Las mugeres me parece que trabaian
+mas que los honbres, ni he podido entender si tenien bienes propios,
+que me parecio ver que aquello que vno tenia todos hazian parte,
+en especial de las cosas comederas. En estas yslas fasta aqui no he
+hallado honbres mostrudos, commo muchos pensauan; mas antes
+es toda gente de muy lindo acatamiento, ny son negros commo en
+guinea, saluo con sus cabellos corredios,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_77" href="#Footnote_77" class="fnanchor">[77]</a> y no se crian adonde ay
+jnpeto&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_78" href="#Footnote_78" class="fnanchor">[78]</a> demasiado delos rayos solares. Es verdad quel sol tiene
+alli grande fuerça, puesto que es didistinta&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_79" href="#Footnote_79" class="fnanchor">[79]</a> dela linia inquinocial
+xxvi. grandes. En estas islas adonde ay montañas, ay tenida&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_80" href="#Footnote_80" class="fnanchor">[80]</a> a
+fuerça el frio este yuierno, mas ellos lo sufren por la costumbre
+que con la ayuda delas viandas que comen con&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_81" href="#Footnote_81" class="fnanchor">[81]</a> especias muchas y
+muy calientes en demasia. Asy que mostruos no he hallado
+jnnoticia,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_82" href="#Footnote_82" class="fnanchor">[82]</a> saluo de una ysla&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_83" href="#Footnote_83" class="fnanchor">[83]</a>
+    que es aqui en la segunda a la entrada
+de las jndias, que es poblada de vna gente que tienen en todas las
+yslas por muy ferozes, los quales comen carne humana.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_84" href="#Footnote_84" class="fnanchor">[84]</a> Estos
+tienen muchas canaos, con las quales corren todas las yslas de
+jndia: roban y toman quanto pueden. Ellos no son mas difformes
+que los otros, saluo que tienen en costumbre de traer los cabellos
+largos commo mugeres, y vsan arcos y flechas de las mismas
+armas de cañas con vn palillo al cabo, por defecto de fierro, que
+no tienen. Son feroses entre estos otros pueblos que son en demasiado
+grado couardes, mas yo no lo tengo a nada mas que a los
+otros. Estos son aquellos que tratan con las mugeres de matremonio,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_85" href="#Footnote_85" class="fnanchor">[85]</a>
+que es la primera ysla partiendo despaña para las jndias
+que se falla, enla qual no ay honbre ninguno. Ellas no vsan exercicio
+femenil, saluo arcos y flechas commo los sobredichos de
+cañas, y se arman y cobijan con lamines de arambre, de que tienen
+mucho. Otra ysla me seguran mayor que la española, en que las
+personas no tienen ningun cabello. En esta ay oro sin cuenta, y
+desta y de las otras traigo comigo jndios para testimonio. Y conclusion
+a fablar desto solamente que sea fecho este viage, que fue
+si de corrida que pueden ver sus altezas que yo les dare oro quanto
+ovieren&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_86" href="#Footnote_86" class="fnanchor">[86]</a> menester con muy poquita ajuda que sus altezas me daran,
+agora specieria y algodon quanto sus altezas mandaran cargar, y
+almastica&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_87" href="#Footnote_87" class="fnanchor">[87]</a> quanta mandaran cargar, et dela qual fasta oy no se ha
+fallado, saluo en grecia enla ysla de xio, y el señorio la vende commo
+quiere, y liguñaloe quanto mandaran cargar, y esclavos quanto
+mandaran cargar et seran delos ydolatres.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_88" href="#Footnote_88" class="fnanchor">[88]</a> Y creo auer hallado
+ruybaruo y canela y otras mil cosas de sustancia fallare, que
+auran fallado la gente que yo alla dexo, por que yo no me he
+detenido ningun cabo, en quanto el viento me aya dado lugar de
+nauegar, solamente en la villa de Nauidad en quanto dexe asegurado
+et bien asentado; y ala verdad mucho mas ficiera si los nauios me
+siruieran commo razon demandaua. Esto es harto&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_89" href="#Footnote_89" class="fnanchor">[89]</a> y eterno dios
+nuestro señor el qual da a todos aquellos que andan su camino
+victoria de cosas que parecen inposibles: y esta señaladamente
+fue la vna; porque avnque destas tierras ayan fallado o escripto,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_90" href="#Footnote_90" class="fnanchor">[90]</a>
+todo va por conlectura sin allegar devista, saluo comprendiendo
+a tanto que los oyentes los mas escuchauan y juzgauan mas por
+fabla que por poca&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_91" href="#Footnote_91" class="fnanchor">[91]</a> cosa dello.</p>
+
+<p>Asy que pues nuestro redentor dio victoria a nuestros illustrissimos
+rey et reyna y a sus reynos famosos de tan alta cosa,
+adonde toda la christianidad deve tomar alegria y fazer grandes
+fiestas, y dar gracias solennes a la santa trinidad con muchas
+oraciones solennes por el tanto enxalçamiento que auran, en
+tornandose&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_92" href="#Footnote_92" class="fnanchor">[92]</a> tantos pueblosa nuestra santa fe, y despues por los
+bienes temporales; que no solamente a la españa mas a todos
+los cristianos ternan aqui refrigerio y ganancia. Esto segun el
+fecho asi en breue&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_93" href="#Footnote_93" class="fnanchor">[93]</a>. Fecha enla calauera&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_94" href="#Footnote_94" class="fnanchor">[94]</a>
+    sobre las yslas de canaria&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_95" href="#Footnote_95" class="fnanchor">[95]</a>
+a xv.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_96" href="#Footnote_96" class="fnanchor">[96]</a> de febrero, Mill. y quatrocientos y nouenta y tres años.</p>
+
+<p>Fara&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_97" href="#Footnote_97" class="fnanchor">[97]</a> lo que mandereys&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_98" href="#Footnote_98" class="fnanchor">[98]</a>.</p>
+
+<p class="right"><span class="smcap">El Almirante.</span></p>
+
+<p>Nyma&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_99" href="#Footnote_99" class="fnanchor">[99]</a> que venia dentro en la carta.</p>
+
+<p>Despues desta escripto:&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_100" href="#Footnote_100" class="fnanchor">[100]</a> y estando en mar de Castilla salyo
+tanto viento conmigo sul y sueste que me ha fecho descargar
+los nauios por cori&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_101" href="#Footnote_101" class="fnanchor">[101]</a> aqui en esto puerto de lysbona oy, que fue la
+mayor marauilla del mundo. Adonde acorde escriuir a sus altezas.
+En todas las yndias he siempre hallado los tenporales&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_102" href="#Footnote_102" class="fnanchor">[102]</a> commo en
+mayo. Adonde yo fuy en xxxiij.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_103" href="#Footnote_103" class="fnanchor">[103]</a>
+    dias y bolui en xxviij.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_104" href="#Footnote_104" class="fnanchor">[104]</a> salvo
+questas tormentas me han detenido xiiij.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_105" href="#Footnote_105" class="fnanchor">[105]</a> dias corriendo por esta
+mar. Dizen aqua todos los honbres dela mar que jamas ouo tan
+mal yuierno, no ni tantas perdidas de naues.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_106" href="#Footnote_106" class="fnanchor">[106]</a> Fecha a. xiiij dias
+de marco.</p>
+
+<p>Esta carta embio Colon al escrivano Deracion delas Islas
+halladas en las Indias. Contenida a otra&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_107" href="#Footnote_107" class="fnanchor">[107]</a> de sus Altezas.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_26" href="#FNanchor_26" class="label">[26]</a> The original spelling of the Ambrosian text, with all its faults, is
+here preserved, with the exception of the separation of words fused together,
+and the addition of punctuation and capitals for the sake of clearness.
+Suggested corrections from the other texts will be placed at the
+foot of each page, V. standing for Valencian text; S. for Simancas
+text; I. for Italian text; L. for Latin; D. for Dati. Such misspellings
+as a Spanish scholar will readily recognize as the blunders of the Spanish
+printer I have not thought it necessary to notice.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_27" href="#FNanchor_27" class="label">[27]</a> From the 8th of September when Columbus sailed from the Canaries,
+to the 11th of October when he first saw land, was thirty-three
+days.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_28" href="#FNanchor_28" class="label">[28]</a> Watling’s Island.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_29" href="#FNanchor_29" class="label">[29]</a> Long Island.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_30" href="#FNanchor_30" class="label">[30]</a> Great Exuma.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_31" href="#FNanchor_31" class="label">[31]</a> Saometo or Crooked Island.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_32" href="#FNanchor_32" class="label">[32]</a> Cuba.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_33" href="#FNanchor_33" class="label">[33]</a> Hispaniola or San Domingo.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_34" href="#FNanchor_34" class="label">[34]</a> It should be 188 leagues. See <a href="#BIBLIOGRAPHY">Bibliographical Notice</a>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_35" href="#FNanchor_35" class="label">[35]</a> These canes are probably the flowering stems of large grasses, similar
+to the bamboo or to the arundinaria used by the natives of Guiana for
+blowing arrows.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_36" href="#FNanchor_36" class="label">[36]</a> An old Spanish coin, equal to the fiftieth part of a mark of gold.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_37" href="#FNanchor_37" class="label">[37]</a> Small copper coins, equal to about the quarter of a farthing.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_38" href="#FNanchor_38" class="label">[38]</a> One <i>arroba</i> weighs twenty-five pounds.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_39" href="#FNanchor_39" class="label">[39]</a> There appears to be a doubt as to the exact number of men left by
+Columbus at Española, different accounts variously giving it as thirty-seven,
+thirty-eight, thirty-nine, and forty. There is, however, a list of
+their names included in one of the diplomatic documents printed in
+Navarrete’s work, which makes the number amount to forty, independent
+of the governor Diego de Arana, and his two lieutenants Pedro Gutierrez
+and Rodrigo de Escobedo. All these men were Spaniards, with the exception
+of two; one an Irishman named William Ires, a native of Galway,
+and one an Englishman, whose name was given as Tallarte de Lajes, but
+whose native designation it is difficult to guess at. The document in
+question, was a proclamation to the effect that the heirs of those men
+should, on presenting at the office of public business at Seville, sufficient
+proof of their being the next of kin, receive payment in conformity with
+the royal order to that purpose, issued at Burgos, on the twentieth of
+December, 1507.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_40" href="#FNanchor_40" class="label">[40]</a> Dominica.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_41" href="#FNanchor_41" class="label">[41]</a> Martinique.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_42" href="#FNanchor_42" class="label">[42]</a> Of Genoa. The island of Chios belonged to the Genoese Republic
+from 1346 to 1566.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_43" href="#FNanchor_43" class="label">[43]</a> Habreis.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_44" href="#FNanchor_44" class="label">[44]</a> V. “pasé de las Islas de Canaria a las Indias.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_45" href="#FNanchor_45" class="label">[45]</a> V. and S. “ha dado.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_46" href="#FNanchor_46" class="label">[46]</a> V. “ahi.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_47" href="#FNanchor_47" class="label">[47]</a> So in all the texts. Senhor de Varnhagen suggests “entrado” for
+“encarnado.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_48" href="#FNanchor_48" class="label">[48]</a> So in all the texts. Senhor de Varnhagen suggests “hacerme.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_49" href="#FNanchor_49" class="label">[49]</a> V. and S. “habia otra isla;” L. “aliam insulam prospexi.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_50" href="#FNanchor_50" class="label">[50]</a> V. and S. “distante.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_51" href="#FNanchor_51" class="label">[51]</a> V. “ciento e ochenta y ocho.” S. “ciento e setenta y ocho.” I.
+“cento otanta otto leghe.” L. “miliaria dlxiiii.” D. “cinquecensessantaquattro
+miglia.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_52" href="#FNanchor_52" class="label">[52]</a> V. “leguas la cual y todas.” S. “leguas por via reta del oriente asi
+como de la Juana, la cual y todos.” I. “leghe por la dritta linea del
+oriente cosi como de la Zouana.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_53" href="#FNanchor_53" class="label">[53]</a> V. “fertilisimas.” S. “fortisimas.” I. “feralissime.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_54" href="#FNanchor_54" class="label">[54]</a> V. “Teneryfe.” S. “Cetrefrey.” I. “Santaffer.” L. omitted.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_55" href="#FNanchor_55" class="label">[55]</a> V. and S. “ruiseñor.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_56" href="#FNanchor_56" class="label">[56]</a> V. and S. “pajaros.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_57" href="#FNanchor_57" class="label">[57]</a> V. and S. “seis.” I. “setto.” L. “septem.” D. “septe.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_58" href="#FNanchor_58" class="label">[58]</a> V. and S. “especies.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_59" href="#FNanchor_59" class="label">[59]</a> V. and S. “y ha havido.” I. “ho travado ho inteso.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_60" href="#FNanchor_60" class="label">[60]</a> V. “cofia.” S. “cosa.” I. “cosa.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_61" href="#FNanchor_61" class="label">[61]</a> V, “llevar.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_62" href="#FNanchor_62" class="label">[62]</a> V. and S. “aunque.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_63" href="#FNanchor_63" class="label">[63]</a> V. and S. omitted.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_64" href="#FNanchor_64" class="label">[64]</a> V. “façan.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_65" href="#FNanchor_65" class="label">[65]</a> V. and S. “ayudar.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_66" href="#FNanchor_66" class="label">[66]</a> V. and S. “reciben.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_67" href="#FNanchor_67" class="label">[67]</a> V. and S. “venieron.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_68" href="#FNanchor_68" class="label">[68]</a> “fustas.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_69" href="#FNanchor_69" class="label">[69]</a> V. and S. “conversion.” L. “conversionem.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_70" href="#FNanchor_70" class="label">[70]</a> V. “Nhan.” S. “Cibau.” L. “Anan.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_71" href="#FNanchor_71" class="label">[71]</a> V. and S. “puedo.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_72" href="#FNanchor_72" class="label">[72]</a> V. “Colibre.” S. “Colunia.” L. “Colonia.” Misread from an
+abridged word in the original, which the sense of the passage would
+make “Catalonia.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_73" href="#FNanchor_73" class="label">[73]</a> V. and S. “ciento treinta y ocho.” L. “miliaria dxl.” D.
+“cinquecensessantoquattro miglia.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_74" href="#FNanchor_74" class="label">[74]</a> V. and S. “en lugar.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_75" href="#FNanchor_75" class="label">[75]</a> V. and S. “habra.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_76" href="#FNanchor_76" class="label">[76]</a> V. and S. “mudasen.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_77" href="#FNanchor_77" class="label">[77]</a> V. and S. “correndios.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_78" href="#FNanchor_78" class="label">[78]</a> V. “effeto.” S. “espeto.” Navarrete says that in old Spanish
+“espeto” meant a “spit.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_79" href="#FNanchor_79" class="label">[79]</a> V. and S. “distante.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_80" href="#FNanchor_80" class="label">[80]</a> V. and S. “ahi tenia fuerza.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_81" href="#FNanchor_81" class="label">[81]</a> V. and S. “como son.” L. “quibus vescuntur.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_82" href="#FNanchor_82" class="label">[82]</a> V. and S. “ni noticia.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_83" href="#FNanchor_83" class="label">[83]</a> V. “isla de Quarives.” L. “insula Charis nuncupata.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_84" href="#FNanchor_84" class="label">[84]</a> V. and S. “viva.” L. “humana.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_85" href="#FNanchor_85" class="label">[85]</a> V. “que tomaban las mugeres de Matinino.” S. “que trocaban
+las mugeres de matrimonio.” L. “qui coeunt cum quibusdam feminis
+quæ insulam Mateunim habitant.” D. “isola decta Matanino.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_86" href="#FNanchor_86" class="label">[86]</a> V. and S. “hobieren.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_87" href="#FNanchor_87" class="label">[87]</a> V. and S. “almasiga.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_88" href="#FNanchor_88" class="label">[88]</a> In the corrupt edition of the Latin translation reprinted by Navarrete
+from the <i>España Illustrada</i>, this word is rendered “hydrophilatorum.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_89" href="#FNanchor_89" class="label">[89]</a> V. and S. “cierto.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_90" href="#FNanchor_90" class="label">[90]</a> V. and S. “fablado otros.” L. “scripserunt vel locuti sunt.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_91" href="#FNanchor_91" class="label">[91]</a> V. and S. “otra.” L. “prope videbatur fabula.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_92" href="#FNanchor_92" class="label">[92]</a> V. and S. “ayuntandose.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_93" href="#FNanchor_93" class="label">[93]</a> V. and S. “esto segundo ha fecho ser muy breve.” L. “hæc ut
+gesta sunt sic breviter enarrata.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_94" href="#FNanchor_94" class="label">[94]</a> V. and S. “carabela.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_95" href="#FNanchor_95" class="label">[95]</a> V. “la isla de Sa. Maria.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_96" href="#FNanchor_96" class="label">[96]</a> V. “18.” This latter date is the only one which corresponds with
+the fourteen days, mentioned in the postscript, during which Columbus
+was detained at sea by the weather previously to his reaching Lisbon
+on the 4th of March.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_97" href="#FNanchor_97" class="label">[97]</a> V. “Para.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_98" href="#FNanchor_98" class="label">[98]</a> V. “mandaredes.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_99" href="#FNanchor_99" class="label">[99]</a> S. “Anima.” V. The entire nema wanting. The same in L.
+and D.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_100" href="#FNanchor_100" class="label">[100]</a> S. “escrita.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_101" href="#FNanchor_101" class="label">[101]</a> S. “correr.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_102" href="#FNanchor_102" class="label">[102]</a> S. “tiempos.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_103" href="#FNanchor_103" class="label">[103]</a> S. “noventa y tres.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_104" href="#FNanchor_104" class="label">[104]</a> S. “setenta y ocho.” Both are wrong. It should be forty-eight,
+from January 16 to March 4.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_105" href="#FNanchor_105" class="label">[105]</a> S. “trece.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_106" href="#FNanchor_106" class="label">[106]</a> S. “los quatro.” Columbus really arrived at Lisbon on the 4th of
+March. For an explanation of this discrepancy, see <a href="#BIBLIOGRAPHY">Bibliographical Notice</a>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_107" href="#FNanchor_107" class="label">[107]</a> S. “Indias e otra.”</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="english">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_19">[19]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="SECOND_VOYAGE_OF_COLUMBUS">SECOND VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS.</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>A Letter addressed to the Chapter of Seville by Dr. Chanca,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_108" href="#Footnote_108" class="fnanchor">[108]</a>
+native of that city, and physician to the fleet of Columbus,
+in his second voyage to the West Indies, describing the
+principal events which occurred during that voyage.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Most noble sir,—Since the occurrences which I relate in
+private letters to other persons, are not of such general interest
+as those which are contained in this epistle, I have
+resolved to give you a distinct narrative of the events of our
+voyage, as well as to treat of the other matters which form
+the subject of my petition to you. The news I have to communicate
+are as follows: The expedition which their Catholic
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_20">[20]</span>Majesties sent, by Divine permission, from Spain to the
+Indies, under the command of Christopher Columbus, admiral
+of the ocean, left Cadiz on the twenty-fifth of September,
+of the year &#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_109" href="#Footnote_109" class="fnanchor lacuna">[109]</a>, with wind and weather favourable
+for the voyage. This wind lasted two days, during which
+time we managed to make nearly fifty leagues. The weather
+then changing, we made little or no progress for the
+next two days; it pleased God, however, after this, to restore
+us fine weather, so that in two days more we reached
+the Great Canary. Here we put into harbour, which we
+were obliged to do, to repair one of the ships which made a
+great deal of water; we remained all that day, and on the
+following set sail again, but were several times becalmed,
+so that we were four or five days before we reached Gomera.
+We had to remain at Gomera one day to lay in our stores of
+meat, wood, and as much water as we could stow, preparatory
+to the long voyage which we expected to make without seeing
+land: thus through the delay at these two ports, and being
+calmed the day after leaving Gomera, we were nineteen or
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_21">[21]</span>twenty days before we arrived at the Island of Ferro. After
+this we had, by the goodness of God, a return of fine weather,
+more continuous than any fleet ever enjoyed during so
+long a voyage; so that leaving Ferro on the thirteenth of
+October, within twenty days we came in sight of land: and
+we should have seen it in fourteen or fifteen days, if the
+ship <i>Capitana</i> had been as good a sailer as the other vessels;
+for many times the others had to shorten sail, because
+they were leaving us much behind. During all this time we
+had great good fortune, for throughout the voyage we encountered
+no storm, with the exception of one on St. Simon’s
+eve, which for four hours put us in considerable jeopardy.</p>
+
+<p>On the first Sunday after All Saints, namely, the third
+of November, about dawn, a pilot of the ship <i>Capitana</i>
+cried out “The reward, I see the land!”</p>
+
+<p>The joy of the people was so great, that it was wonderful
+to hear their cries and exclamations of pleasure; and they
+had good reason to be delighted, for they had become so
+wearied of bad living, and of working the water out of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_22">[22]</span>ships, that all sighed most anxiously for land. The pilots of
+the fleet reckoned on that day, that between leaving Ferro
+and first reaching land, we had made eight hundred leagues;
+others said seven hundred and eighty (so that the difference
+was not great), and three hundred more between Ferro and
+Cadiz, making in all eleven hundred leagues; I do not
+therefore feel as one who had not seen enough of the water.
+On the morning of the aforesaid Sunday, we saw lying before
+us an island, and soon on the right hand another appeared:
+the first&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_110" href="#Footnote_110" class="fnanchor">[110]</a> was high and mountainous, on the side nearest to
+us; the other&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_111" href="#Footnote_111" class="fnanchor">[111]</a> flat, and very thickly wooded: as soon as it
+became lighter, other islands began to appear on both sides;
+so that on that day, there were six islands to be seen lying
+in different directions, and most of them of considerable
+size. We directed our course towards that which we had
+first seen, and reaching the coast, we proceeded more than
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_23">[23]</span>a league in search of a port where we might anchor, but
+without finding one: all that part of the island which met our
+view, appeared mountainous, very beautiful, and green even
+up to the water, which was delightful to see, for at that season
+there is scarcely any thing green in our own country. When
+we found that there was no harbour there,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_112" href="#Footnote_112" class="fnanchor">[112]</a> the admiral decided
+that we should go to the other island, which appeared
+on the right, and which was at four or five leagues distance:
+one vessel however still remained on the first island all that
+day seeking for a harbour, in case it should be necessary to
+return thither. At length, having found a good one, where
+they saw both people and dwellings, they returned that night
+to the fleet, which had put into harbour at the other island,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_113" href="#Footnote_113" class="fnanchor">[113]</a>
+and there the admiral, accompanied by a great number of
+men, landed with the royal banner in his hands, and took
+formal possession on behalf of their Majesties. This island
+was filled with an astonishingly thick growth of wood; the
+variety of unknown trees, some bearing fruit and some
+flowers, was surprising, and indeed every spot was covered
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_24">[24]</span>with verdure. We found there a tree whose leaf had the
+finest smell of cloves that I have ever met with; it was like
+a laurel leaf, but not so large: but I think it was a species
+of laurel. There were wild fruits of various kinds, some of
+which our men, not very prudently, tasted; and upon only
+touching them with their tongues, their countenances became
+inflamed,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_114" href="#Footnote_114" class="fnanchor">[114]</a> and such great heat and pain followed, that
+they seemed to be mad, and were obliged to resort to refrigerants
+to cure themselves. We found no signs of any people
+in this island, and concluded it was uninhabited; we remained
+only two hours, for it was very late when we landed, and on the
+following morning we left for another very large island,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_115" href="#Footnote_115" class="fnanchor">[115]</a> situated
+below this at the distance of seven or eight leagues. We
+approached it under the side of a great mountain, that seemed
+almost to reach the skies, in the middle of which rose a peak
+higher than all the rest of the mountain, whence many
+streams diverged into different channels, especially towards
+the part at which we arrived. At three leagues distance,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_25">[25]</span>we could see an immense fall of water, which looked of
+the breadth of an ox, and discharged itself from such a
+height that it appeared to fall from the sky; it was seen from
+so great a distance that it occasioned many wagers to be laid
+on board the ships, some maintaining that it was but a series
+of white rocks, and others that it was water. When we came
+nearer to it, it showed itself distinctly, and it was the most
+beautiful thing in the world to see from how great a height
+and from what a small space so large a fall of water was discharged.
+As soon as we neared the island the admiral ordered
+a light caravel to run along the coast to search for a
+harbour; the captain put into land in a boat, and seeing some
+houses, leapt on shore and went up to them, the inhabitants
+fleeing at sight of our men; he then went into the houses
+and there found various household articles that had been left
+unremoved, from which he took two parrots, very large and
+quite different from any we had before seen; he found a great
+quantity of cotton, both spun and prepared for spinning, and
+articles of food, of all of which he brought away a portion;
+besides these, he also brought away four or five bones of
+human arms and legs. On seeing these we suspected that
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_26">[26]</span>we were amongst the Caribbee islands, whose inhabitants
+eat human flesh; for the admiral, guided by the information
+respecting their situation which he had received from the
+Indians of the islands discovered in his former voyage, had
+directed his course with a view to their discovery, both because
+they were the nearest to Spain, and because this was
+the direct track for the island of Española, where he had left
+some of his people. Thither, by the goodness of God and the
+wise management of the admiral, we came in as straight a
+track as if we had sailed by a well known and frequented
+route. This island is very large, and on the side where we
+arrived it seemed to us to be twenty-five leagues in length.
+We sailed more than two leagues along the shore in search of
+a harbour. On the part towards which we moved appeared
+very high mountains, and on that which we left extensive
+plains; on the sea coast there were a few small villages, whose
+inhabitants fled as soon as they saw the sails. At length after
+proceeding two leagues we found a port late in the evening.
+That night the admiral resolved that some of the men should
+land at break of day in order to confer with the natives, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_27">[27]</span>learn what sort of people they were; although it was suspected,
+from the appearance of those who had fled at our
+approach, that they were naked, like those whom the admiral
+had seen in his former voyage. In the morning several detachments
+under their respective captains sallied forth; one
+of them returned at the dinner hour, with a boy of about
+fourteen years of age, as it afterwards appeared, who said that
+he was one of the prisoners taken by these people. The
+others divided themselves, and one party took a little boy,
+whom a man was leading by the hand, but who left him and
+fled; this boy they sent on board immediately with some of
+our men; others remained, and took certain women, natives
+of the island, together with other women from among the
+captives who came of their own accord. One captain of this
+last company, not knowing that any intelligence of the people
+had been obtained, advanced farther into the island and lost
+himself, with the six men who accompanied him: they could
+not find their way back until after four days, when they lighted
+upon the sea shore, and following the line of coast returned to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_28">[28]</span>the fleet.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_116" href="#Footnote_116" class="fnanchor">[116]</a> We had already looked upon them as killed and
+eaten by the people that are called Caribbees; for we could
+not account for their long absence in any other way, since
+they had among them some pilots who by their knowledge of
+the stars could navigate either to or from Spain, so that we
+imagined that they could not lose themselves in so small a
+space. On this first day of our landing several men and
+women came on the beach up to the water’s edge, and gazed
+at the ships in astonishment at so novel a sight; and when
+a boat pushed on shore in order to speak with them, they
+cried out “tayno tayno,” which is as much as to say, “good,”
+and waited for the landing of the sailors, standing by the boat
+in such a manner that they might escape when they pleased.
+The result was, that none of the men could be persuaded to
+join us, and only two were taken by force, who were secured
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_29">[29]</span>and led away. More than twenty of the female captives were
+taken with their own consent, and other women natives of the
+island were surprised and carried off: several of the boys,
+who were captives, came to us fleeing from the natives of the
+island who had taken them prisoners. We remained eight
+days in this port in consequence of the loss of the aforesaid
+captain, and went many times on shore, passing amongst the
+dwellings and villages which were on the coast; we found a
+vast number of human bones and skulls hung up about the
+houses, like vessels intended for holding various things.
+There were very few men to be seen here, and the women informed
+us that this was in consequence of ten canoes having
+gone to make an attack upon other islands. These islanders
+appeared to us to be more civilised than those that we had
+hitherto seen; for although all the Indians have houses of
+straw, yet the houses of these people are constructed in a
+much superior fashion, are better stocked with provisions,
+and exhibit more evidences of industry, both on the part of
+the men and the women. They had a considerable quantity
+of cotton, both spun and prepared for spinning, and many
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_30">[30]</span>cotton sheets, so well woven as to be no way inferior to those
+of our country. We inquired of the women, who were prisoners
+in the island, what people these islanders were: they
+replied that they were Caribbees. As soon as they learned
+that we abhorred such people, on account of their evil practice
+of eating human flesh, they were much delighted; and,
+after that, if they brought forward any woman or man of the
+Caribbees, they informed us (but secretly), that they were
+such, still evincing by their dread of their conquerors, that
+they belonged to a vanquished nation, though they knew
+them all to be in our power.</p>
+
+<p>We were enabled to distinguish which of the women were
+natives, and which were captives, by the Caribbees wearing
+on each leg two bands of woven cotton, the one fastened
+round the knee, and the other round the ankle; by this means
+they make the calves of their legs large, and the above-mentioned
+parts very small, which I imagine that they regard as
+a matter of prettiness: by this peculiarity we distinguished
+them. The habits of these Caribbees are brutal. There are
+three islands: the one called Turuqueira; the other, which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_31">[31]</span>was the first that we saw, is called Ceyre;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_117" href="#Footnote_117" class="fnanchor">[117]</a> the third is called
+Ayay: there is a resemblance among the natives of all these,
+as if they were of one race, and they do no injury to each other;
+but each and all of them wage war against the other neighbouring
+islands, and for the purpose of attacking them, make voyages
+of a hundred and fifty leagues at sea, with their numerous
+canoes, which are a small kind of craft made out of a single
+trunk of a tree. Their arms are arrows, in the place of iron
+weapons, and as they have no iron, some of them point their
+arrows with tortoise-shell, and others make their arrow heads
+of fish spines, which are naturally barbed like coarse saws:
+these prove dangerous weapons to a naked people like the
+Indians, and may cause death or severe injury, but to men of
+our nation they are not very formidable. In their attacks
+upon the neighbouring islands, these people capture as many
+of the women as they can, especially those who are young and
+beautiful, and keep them as concubines; and so great a
+number do they carry off, that in fifty houses no men were
+to be seen; and out of the number of the captives, more
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_32">[32]</span>than twenty were young girls. These women also say that
+the Caribbees use them with such cruelty as would scarcely
+be believed; and that they eat the children which they bear
+to them, and only bring up those which they have by their
+native wives. Such of their male enemies as they can take
+alive, they bring to their houses to make a feast of them, and
+those who are killed they devour at once. They say that
+man’s flesh is so good, that there is nothing like it in the
+world; and this is pretty evident, for of the bones which we
+found in their houses, they had gnawed everything that could
+be gnawed, so that nothing remained of them but what was
+too tough to be eaten: in one of the houses we found the
+neck of a man, undergoing the process of cooking in a pot.
+When they take any boys prisoners, they dismember them,
+and make use of them until they grow up to manhood, and
+then when they wish to make a feast they kill and eat them,
+for they say that the flesh of boys and women is not good to
+eat. Three of these boys came fleeing to us thus mutilated.</p>
+
+<p>At the end of four days arrived the captain who had lost
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_33">[33]</span>himself with his companions, of whose return we had by this
+time given up all hope; for other parties had been twice sent
+out to seek him, one of which came back on the same day
+that he rejoined us, without having gained any information
+respecting the wanderers: we rejoiced at their arrival, regarding
+it as a new accession to our numbers. The captain
+and the men who accompanied him brought back some women
+and boys, ten in number. Neither this party, nor those who
+went out to seek them, had seen any of the men of the island,
+which must have arisen either from their having fled, or possibly
+from their being but very few men in that locality; for,
+as the women informed us, ten canoes had gone away to make
+an attack upon the neighbouring islands. The wanderers had
+returned from the mountains in such an emaciated condition,
+that it was distressing to see them. When we asked them how
+it was that they lost themselves, they said that the trees were
+so thick and close that they could not see the sky. Some
+of them who were mariners had climbed the trees to get a
+sight of the stars, but could never see them, and if they had
+not found their way to the sea coast, it would have been impossible
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_34">[34]</span>to have returned to the fleet. We left this island
+eight days after our arrival.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_118" href="#Footnote_118" class="fnanchor">[118]</a> The next day at noon we saw
+another island,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_119" href="#Footnote_119" class="fnanchor">[119]</a> not very large, at about twelve leagues distance
+from the one we were leaving. The greater part of the
+first day of our departure we were kept close in to the coast
+of this island by a calm, but as the Indian women whom we
+brought with us said that it was not inhabited, but had been
+dispeopled by the Caribbees, we made no stay in it. On that
+evening we saw another island:&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_120" href="#Footnote_120" class="fnanchor">[120]</a> and in the night finding
+there were some sand-banks near, we dropped anchor, not
+venturing to proceed until the morning. On the morrow
+another island&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_121" href="#Footnote_121" class="fnanchor">[121]</a> appeared, of considerable size, but we touched
+at none of these because we were anxious to convey consolation
+to our people who had been left in Española; but it
+did not please God to grant us our desire, as will hereafter
+appear. Another day at the dinner hour we arrived at an
+island&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_122" href="#Footnote_122" class="fnanchor">[122]</a> which seemed worth the finding, for judging by the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_35">[35]</span>extent of cultivation in it, it appeared very populous. We
+went thither and put into harbour, when the admiral immediately
+sent on shore a well manned barge to hold speech
+with the Indians, in order to ascertain what race they were,
+and also because it was necessary to gain some information
+respecting our course; although it afterwards plainly appeared
+that the admiral, who had never made that passage
+before, had taken a very correct route. But as matters of
+doubt should always be brought to as great a certainty
+as possible by inquiry, he wished the natives to be communicated
+with, and some of the men who went in the
+barge landed and went up to a village, whence the inhabitants
+had already withdrawn and hidden themselves. They
+took in this island five or six women and some boys, most
+of whom were captives, like those in the other island; for,
+as we learned from the women whom we had brought with
+us, the natives of this place also were Caribbees. As this
+barge was about to return to the ships with the capture
+which they had made, a canoe came along the coast containing
+four men, two women, and a boy; and when they saw
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_36">[36]</span>the fleet they were so stupified with amazement, that for a
+good hour they remained motionless at the distance of nearly
+two gunshots from the ships. In this position they were
+seen by those who were in the barge and also by all the
+fleet. Meanwhile those in the barge moved towards the
+canoe, but so close in shore, that the Indians, in their perplexity
+and astonishment as to what all this could mean,
+never saw them, until they were so near that escape was impossible;
+for our men pressed on them so rapidly that they
+could not get away, although they made considerable effort
+to do so.</p>
+
+<p>When the Caribbees saw that all attempt at flight was
+useless, they most courageously took to their bows, both
+women and men; I say most courageously, because they
+were only four men and two women, and our people were
+twenty-five in number. Two of our men were wounded by
+the Indians, one with two arrow-shots in his breast, and
+another with one in his side, and if it had not happened that
+they carried shields and wooden bucklers, and that they soon
+got near them with the barge and upset their canoe, most of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_37">[37]</span>them would have been killed with their arrows. After their
+canoe was upset, they remained in the water swimming and
+occasionally wading (for there were shallows in that part),
+still using their bows as much as they could, so that our men
+had enough to do to take them: and after all there was one
+of them whom they were unable to secure till he had received
+a mortal wound with a lance, and whom thus wounded they
+took to the ships. The difference between these Caribbees
+and the other Indians, with respect to dress, consists in their
+wearing their hair very long, while the others have it clipt
+irregularly and paint their heads with crosses and a hundred
+thousand different devices, each according to his fancy;
+which they do with sharpened reeds. All of them, both the
+Caribbees and the others, are beardless, so that it is a rare
+thing to find a man with a beard: the Caribbees whom we
+took had their eyes and eyebrows stained, which I imagine
+they do from ostentation. It gave them a more formidable
+appearance. One of these captives said, that in an island
+belonging to them called Cayre&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_123" href="#Footnote_123" class="fnanchor">[123]</a> (which is the first that we
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_38">[38]</span>saw, though we did not go to it), there is a great quantity
+of gold; and that if we were to take them nails and tools
+with which to make their canoes, we might bring away as
+much gold as we liked. On the same day we left that island,
+having been there no more than six or seven hours; and,
+steering for another point of land&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_124" href="#Footnote_124" class="fnanchor">[124]</a> which appeared to lie in
+our intended course, we reached it by night. On the morning
+of the following day we coasted along it, and found it to
+be a large extent of country, but not continuous, for it was
+divided into more than forty islets.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_125" href="#Footnote_125" class="fnanchor">[125]</a> The land was very high
+and most of it barren, an appearance which we have never
+observed in any of the islands visited by us before or since:
+the surface of the ground seemed to suggest the probability
+of its containing metals. None of us went on shore here,
+but a small latteen caravel went up to one of the islets and
+found in it some fishermen’s huts; the Indian women whom
+we brought with us said they were not inhabited. We proceeded
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_39">[39]</span>along the coast the greater part of that day, and on
+the evening of the next we discovered another island called
+Burenquen,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_126" href="#Footnote_126" class="fnanchor">[126]</a> which we judged to be thirty leagues in length,
+for we were coasting along it the whole of one day. This
+island is very beautiful and apparently fertile: hither the
+Caribbees come with the view of subduing the inhabitants,
+and often carry away many of the people. These islanders
+have no boats nor any knowledge of navigation; but, as our
+captives inform us, they use bows as well as the Caribbees,
+and if by chance when they are attacked they succeed in
+taking any of their invaders, they will eat them in like manner
+as the Caribbees themselves in the contrary event would
+devour them. We remained two days in this island, and a
+great number of our men went on shore, but could never
+get speech of the natives, who had all fled, from fear of the
+Caribbees. All the above-mentioned islands were discovered
+in this voyage, the admiral having seen nothing of them in
+his former voyage. They are all very beautiful and possess
+a most luxuriant soil, but this last island appeared to exceed
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_40">[40]</span>all the others in beauty. Here terminated the islands, which
+on the side towards Spain had not been seen before by the
+admiral, although we regard it as a matter of certainty that
+there is land more than forty leagues beyond the foremost of
+these newly discovered islands, on the side nearest to Spain.
+We believe this to be the case, because, two days before we
+saw land, we observed some birds called rabihorcados (or
+pelicans), marine birds of prey which do not sit or sleep upon
+the water, making circumvolutions in the air at the close of
+evening previous to taking their flight towards land for the
+night. These birds could not be going to settle at more
+than twelve or fifteen leagues distance, because it was late
+in the evening, and this was on our right hand on the side
+towards Spain; from which we all judged that there was
+land there still undiscovered; but we did not go in search
+of it, because it would have taken us round out of our intended
+route. I hope that in a few voyages it will be discovered.
+It was at dawn that we left the before-mentioned
+island of Burenquen,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_127" href="#Footnote_127" class="fnanchor">[127]</a> and on that day before nightfall we
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_41">[41]</span>caught sight of land, which though not recognized by any
+of those who had come hither in the former voyage, we believed
+to be Española, from the information given us by the
+Indian women whom we had with us: and in this island we
+remain at present.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_128" href="#Footnote_128" class="fnanchor">[128]</a>
+    Between it and Burenquen&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_129" href="#Footnote_129" class="fnanchor">[129]</a> another
+island appeared at a distance, but of no great size. When
+we reached Española the land, at the part where we approached
+it, was low and very flat,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_130" href="#Footnote_130" class="fnanchor">[130]</a> on seeing which, a general
+doubt arose as to its identity; for, neither the admiral
+nor his companions, on the previous voyage, had seen it on
+this side.</p>
+
+<p>The island being large, is divided into provinces; the
+part which we first touched at, is called Hayti; another province
+adjoining it, they call Xamaná; and the next province
+is named Bohio, where we now are. These provinces are
+again subdivided, for they are of great extent. Those who
+have seen the length of its coast, state that it is two hundred
+leagues long, and I, myself, should judge it not to be
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_42">[42]</span>less than a hundred and fifty leagues: as to its breadth, nothing
+is hitherto known; it is now forty days since a caravel
+left us with the view of circumnavigating it, and is not yet
+returned.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_131" href="#Footnote_131" class="fnanchor">[131]</a> The country is very remarkable, and contains a
+vast number of large rivers, and extensive chains of mountains,
+with broad open valleys, and the mountains are very
+high: it does not appear that the grass is ever cut throughout
+the year. I do not think that they have any winter in
+this part, for at Christmas were found many birds-nests,
+some containing the young birds, and others containing
+eggs. No four-footed animal has ever been seen in this or
+any of the other islands, except some dogs of various colours,
+as in our own country, but in shape like large house-dogs;
+and also some little animals, in colour, size, and fur, like a
+rabbit, with long tails, and feet like those of a rat; these
+animals climb up the trees, and many who have tasted them,
+say they are very good to eat:&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_132" href="#Footnote_132" class="fnanchor">[132]</a> there are not any wild
+beasts. There are great numbers of small snakes, and some
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_43">[43]</span>lizards, but not many; for the Indians consider them as
+great a luxury as we do pheasants: they are of the same
+size as ours, but different in shape. In a small adjacent
+island&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_133" href="#Footnote_133" class="fnanchor">[133]</a> (close by a harbour called Monte Christo, where we
+stayed several days), our men saw an enormous kind of
+lizard, which they said was as large round as a calf,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_134" href="#Footnote_134" class="fnanchor">[134]</a> with a
+tail as long as a lance, which they often went out to kill:
+but bulky as it was, it got into the sea, so that they could
+not catch it. There are, both in this and the other islands,
+an infinite number of birds like those in our own country,
+and many others such as we had never seen. No kind of
+domestic fowl has been seen here, with the exception of
+some ducks in the houses in Zuruquia; these ducks were
+larger than those of Spain, though smaller than geese,—very
+pretty, with flat crests, most of them as white as snow,
+but some black.</p>
+
+<p>We ran along the coast of this island nearly a hundred
+leagues, concluding, that within this range we should find
+the spot where the admiral had left some of his men, and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_44">[44]</span>which we supposed to be about the middle of the coast. As
+we passed by the province called Xamaná, we sent on shore
+one of the Indians, who had been taken in the previous voyage,
+clothed, and carrying some trifles, which the admiral
+had ordered to be given him. On that day died one of our
+sailors, a Biscayan, who had been wounded in the affray with
+the Caribbees, when they were captured, as I have already
+described, through their want of caution. As we were proceeding
+along the coast, an opportunity was afforded for a
+boat to go on shore to bury him, the boat being accompanied
+by two caravels to protect it. When they reached the
+shore, a great number of Indians came out to the boat, some
+of them wearing necklaces and ear-rings of gold, and expressed
+a wish to accompany the Spaniards to the ships;
+but our men refused to take them, because they had not received
+permission from the admiral. When the Indians
+found that they would not take them, two of them got into
+a small canoe, and went up to one of the caravels that had
+put in to shore; they were received on board with great
+kindness, and taken to the admiral’s ship, where, through
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_45">[45]</span>the medium of an interpreter, they related that a certain
+king had sent them to ascertain who we were, and to invite
+us to land, adding that they had plenty of gold, and also of
+provisions, to which we should be welcome. The admiral
+desired that shirts, and caps, and other trifles, should be
+given to each of them, and said that as he was going to the
+place where Guacamari dwelt, he would not stop then, but
+that on a future day they would have an opportunity of seeing
+him, and with that they departed. We continued our route
+till we came to an harbour called Monte Cristi, where we
+remained two days, in order to observe the position of the
+land; for the admiral had an objection to the spot where his
+men had been left with the view of forming a station. We
+went on shore therefore to observe the formation of the
+land. There was a large river of excellent water close by;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_135" href="#Footnote_135" class="fnanchor">[135]</a>
+but the ground was inundated, and very ill-calculated for
+habitation. As we went on making our observations on the
+river and the land, some of our men found two dead bodies
+by the river’s side, one with a rope round his neck, and the
+other with one round his foot: this was on the first day of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_46">[46]</span>our landing. On the following day they found two other
+corpses farther on, and one of these was observed to have a
+great quantity of beard. This was regarded as a very suspicious
+circumstance by many of our people, because, as I have
+already said, all the Indians are beardless. This harbour is
+twelve leagues from the place where the Spaniards had been
+left under the protection of Guacamari, the king of that province,
+whom I suppose to be one of the chief men of the
+island. After two days we set sail for that spot, but as
+it was late when we arrived,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_136" href="#Footnote_136" class="fnanchor">[136]</a> and there were some shoals,
+where the admiral’s ship had been lost, we did not venture
+to put in close to the shore, but remained that night at a
+little less than a league from the coast, waiting until the
+morning, when we might enter securely. On that evening,
+a canoe, containing five or six Indians, came out at a considerable
+distance from where we were, and approached us
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_47">[47]</span>with great celerity. The admiral believing that he insured
+our safety by keeping the sails set, would not wait for them;
+they, however, perseveringly rowed up to us within gunshot,
+and then stopped to look at us; but when they saw
+that we did not wait for them, they put back and went away.
+After we had anchored that night at the spot in question,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_137" href="#Footnote_137" class="fnanchor">[137]</a>
+the admiral ordered two guns to be fired, to see if the Spaniards,
+who had remained with Guacamari, would fire in return,
+for they also had guns with them; but when we received
+no reply, and could not perceive any fires, nor the
+slightest symptom of habitations on the spot, the spirits of
+our people became much depressed, and they began to entertain
+the suspicion which the circumstances were naturally
+calculated to excite. While all were in this desponding
+mood, and when four or five hours of the night had passed
+away, the same canoe which we had seen in the evening,
+came up, and the Indians with a loud voice addressed the
+captain of the caravel which they first approached, inquiring
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_48">[48]</span>for the admiral; they were conducted to the admiral’s vessel,
+but would not go on board till he had spoken to them, and
+they had asked for a light, in order to assure themselves
+that it was he who conversed with them. One of them was
+a cousin of Guacamari, who had been sent by him once before:
+it appeared, that after they had turned back the previous
+evening, they had been charged by Guacamari with
+two masks of gold as a present; one for the admiral, the
+other for a captain who had accompanied him on the former
+voyage. They remained on board for three hours, talking
+with the admiral in the presence of all of us, he showing
+much pleasure in their conversation, and inquiring respecting
+the welfare of the Spaniards whom he had left behind.
+Guacamari’s cousin replied, that those who remained were
+all well, but that some of them had died of disease, and others
+had been killed in quarrels that had arisen amongst them:
+he said also that the province had been invaded, by two
+kings named Caonabó and Mayreni, who had burned the
+habitations of the people; and that Guacamari was at some
+distance, lying ill of a wound in his leg, which was the occasion
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_49">[49]</span>of his not appearing, but that he would come on the
+next day. The Indians then departed, saying they would
+return on the following day with the said Guacamari, and
+left us consoled for that night. Next morning we looked for
+Guacamari’s arrival; and, meanwhile, some of our men landed
+by command of the admiral, and went to the spot where the
+Spaniards had formerly been: they found the building which
+they had inhabited, and which they had in some degree fortified
+with a palisade, burnt and levelled with the ground;
+they found also some rags and stuffs which the Indians had
+brought to throw upon the house. They observed too that
+the Indians who were seen near the spot, looked very shy,
+and dared not approach, but, on the contrary, fled from
+them. This we thought did not look well; for the admiral
+had told us that in the former voyage, when he arrived at
+this place, so many came in canoes to see our people, that
+there was no keeping them off; and as we now noticed that
+they were suspicious of us, it gave us a very unfavourable
+impression. We threw trifles, such as buttons and beads,
+towards them, in order to conciliate them, but only four, a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_50">[50]</span>relation of Guacamari’s and three others, took courage to
+enter the boat, and were rowed on board. When they were
+asked concerning the Spaniards, they replied that all of
+them were dead: we had been told this already by one of
+the Indians whom we had brought from Spain, and who had
+conversed with the two Indians that on the former occasion
+came on board with their canoe, but we had not believed it.
+Guacamari’s kinsman was asked who had killed them: he
+replied that king Caonabó and king Mayreni had made an
+attack upon them, and burnt the buildings on the spot,
+that many were wounded in the affray, and among them
+Guacamari, who had received a wound in his thigh, and had
+retired to some distance: he also stated that he wished to
+go and fetch him; upon which some trifles were given to
+him, and he took his departure for the place of Guacamari’s
+abode. All that day we remained in expectation of them,
+and when we saw that they did not come, many suspected
+that the Indians who had been on board the night before,
+had been drowned; for they had had wine given them two
+or three times, and they had come in a small canoe that
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_51">[51]</span>might be easily upset. The next morning the admiral went
+on shore, taking some of us with him; we went to the spot
+where the settlement had been, and found it utterly destroyed
+by fire, and the clothes of the Spaniards lying about
+upon the grass, but on that occasion we saw no dead body.
+There were many different opinions amongst us; some suspecting
+that Guacamari himself was concerned in the betrayal
+and death of the Christians; others thought not, because
+his own residence was burnt: so that it remained a
+very doubtful question. The admiral ordered all the ground
+which had been occupied by the fortifications of the Spaniards
+to be searched, for he had left orders with them to
+bury all the gold that they might get. While this was being
+done, the admiral wished to examine a spot at about a
+league’s distance, which seemed to be suitable for building
+a town, for there was yet time to do so;—and some of us
+went thither with him, making our observations of the land
+as we went along the coast, until we reached a village of
+seven or eight houses, which the Indians forsook when they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_52">[52]</span>saw us approach, carrying away what they could, and leaving
+the things which they could not remove, hidden amongst
+the grass, around the houses. These people are so degraded
+that they have not even the sense to select a fitting place to
+live in; those who dwell on the shore, build for themselves
+the most miserable hovels that can be imagined, and all the
+houses are so covered with grass and dampness, that I wonder
+how they can contrive to exist. In these houses we
+found many things belonging to the Spaniards, which it
+could not be supposed they would have bartered; such as a
+very handsome Moorish mantle, which had not been unfolded
+since it was brought from Spain, stockings and pieces
+of cloth, also an anchor belonging to the ship which the admiral
+had lost here on the previous voyage; with other
+articles, which the more confirmed our suspicions. On examining
+some things which had been very cautiously sewn
+up in a small basket, we found a man’s head wrapped up
+with great care; this we judged might be the head of a
+father, or mother, or of some person whom they much regarded:
+I have since heard that many were found in the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_53">[53]</span>same state, which makes me believe that our first impression
+was the true one. After this we returned. We went
+on the same day to the site of the settlement; and when we
+arrived, we found many Indians, who had regained their
+courage, bartering gold with our men: they had bartered
+to the extent of a mark: we also learned that they had shown
+where the bodies of eleven of the dead Spaniards were laid,
+which were already covered with the grass that had grown
+over them; and they all with one voice asserted that Caonabó
+and Mayreni had killed them; but notwithstanding all
+this, we began to hear complaints that one of the Spaniards
+had taken three women to himself, and another four, from
+whence we drew the inference that jealousy was the cause
+of the misfortune that had occurred. On the next morning,
+as no spot in that vicinity appeared suitable for our making
+a settlement, the admiral ordered a caravel to go in one
+direction to look for a convenient locality, while some of us
+went with him another way. In the course of our explorations,
+we discovered a harbour of great security; the neighbourhood
+of which, so far as regarded the formation of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_54">[54]</span>land, was excellent for habitation; but as it was far from
+any mine of gold, the proximity of which was very desirable,
+the admiral decided that we should settle in some
+spot which would give us greater certainty of attaining that
+object, provided the position of the land should prove equally
+convenient. On our return, we found the other caravel
+arrived, in which Melchior and four or five other trustworthy
+men had been exploring with a similar object. They reported
+that as they went along the coast, a canoe came out to them
+containing two Indians, one of whom was the brother of
+Guacamari, and was recognised by a pilot who was in the
+caravel. When he questioned them as to their purpose,
+they replied that Guacamari sent to beg the Spaniards to
+come on shore, as he was residing near, with as many as
+fifty families around him. The chief men of the party then
+went on shore in the boat, and proceeding to the place
+where Guacamari was, found him stretched on his bed, complaining
+of a severe wound. They conferred with him, and
+inquired respecting the Spaniards; his reply was in accordance
+with the account already given by the others, viz.—that
+they had been killed by Caonabó and Mayreni, who
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_55">[55]</span>also had wounded him in the thigh. In confirmation of
+his assertion, he showed them the limb bound up, on
+seeing which, they concluded that his statement was correct.
+At their departure he gave to each of them a jewel of gold,
+according to his estimate of their respective merits. The
+Indians beat the gold into very thin plates, in order to
+make masks of it, and set it in a cement which they make
+for that purpose. Other ornaments they make of it, to wear
+on the head and to hang in the ears and nostrils, and for
+these also they require it to be thin. It is not the costliness
+of the gold that they value in their ornaments, but its
+showy appearance. Guacamari desired them by signs as well
+as he was able, to tell the admiral that as he was thus
+wounded, he prayed him to have the goodness to come to
+see him. The sailors told this to the admiral when he
+arrived, and he resolved to go the next morning, for the
+spot could be reached in three hours, being scarcely three
+leagues distance from the place where we were; but as it
+would be the dinner-hour when we arrived, we dined before
+we went on shore. After dinner, the admiral gave
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_56">[56]</span>orders that all the captains should come with their barges
+to proceed to the shore, for already on that morning, previous
+to our departure, the aforesaid brother of Guacamari
+had come to speak to the admiral to urge his visit. Then
+the admiral went on shore accompanied by all the principal
+officers, so richly dressed that they would have made a distinguished
+appearance even in any of our chief cities: he
+took with him some articles as presents, having already received
+from Guacamari a certain quantity of gold, and it
+was reasonable that he should make a commensurate response
+to his acts and expressions of good-will: Guacamari
+had also provided himself with a present. When we arrived,
+we found him stretched upon his bed, which was made of
+cotton net-work, and, according to their custom, suspended.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_138" href="#Footnote_138" class="fnanchor">[138]</a>
+He did not arise, but from his bed made the best gesture of
+courtesy of which he was capable. He showed much feeling;
+with tears in his eyes lamented the death of the Spaniards, and
+began by explaining to the best of his power, how some died
+of disease, others had gone to Caonabó in search of the mine
+of gold, and had there been killed, and that the rest had
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_57">[57]</span>been attacked and slain in their own town. According to
+the appearance of the dead bodies, it was not two months
+since this had happened. He then presented the admiral
+with eight marks and a half of gold, five or six hundred
+pieces of jewellery of various colours, and a cap with similar
+jewel-work, which I think they must value very highly,
+because in it was a jewel which was presented with great
+reverence. It appears to me that these people put more
+value upon copper than gold. The surgeon of the fleet and
+myself being present, the admiral told Guacamari that we
+were skilled in the treatment of human disorders, and wished
+that he would shew us his wound. He replied that he was
+willing; upon which I said it would be necessary that he
+should, if possible, go out of the house, because we could
+not see well on account of the place being darkened by the
+throng of people; to this he consented, I think more from
+timidity than inclination, and left the house leaning on the
+arm of the admiral. After he was seated, the surgeon approached
+him and began to untie his bandage; then he told
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_58">[58]</span>the admiral that the wound was made with a <i>ciba</i>, by which
+he meant with a stone. When the wound was uncovered,
+we went up to examine it: it is certain that there was no
+more wound on that leg than on the other, although he cunningly
+pretended that it pained him much. Ignorant as we
+were of the facts, it was impossible to come to a definite
+conclusion. There were certainly many proofs of an invasion
+by a hostile people, so that the admiral was at a loss
+what to do. He with many others thought, however, that
+for the present, and until they could ascertain the truth,
+they ought to conceal their distrust; for, after ascertaining
+it, they would be able to claim whatever indemnity they
+thought proper. That evening Guacamari accompanied the
+admiral to the ships, and when they showed him the horses
+and other objects of interest, their novelty struck him with
+the greatest amazement: he took supper on board, and returned
+that evening to his house. The admiral told him
+that he wished to settle there and to build houses; to which
+he assented, but said that the place was not wholesome, because
+it was very damp: and so it most certainly was.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_59">[59]</span></p>
+
+<p>All this passed through the interpretation of two of
+the Indians who had gone to Spain in the last voyage,
+and who were the sole survivors of seven that had embarked
+with us; five died on the voyage, and these but narrowly
+escaped. The next day we anchored in that port: Guacamari
+sent to know when the admiral intended leaving, and
+was told that he should do so on the morrow. The same
+day Guacamari’s brother, and others with him, came on
+board, bringing gold to barter: on the day of our departure
+also they bartered a great quantity of gold. There were
+ten women on board, of those which had been taken in the
+Caribbee islands, principally from Burenquen, and it was
+observed that the brother of Guacamari spoke with them;
+we think that he told them to make an effort to escape that
+night; for certainly during our first sleep they dropped
+themselves quietly into the water, and went on shore, so
+that by the time they were missed they had reached such a
+distance that only four could be taken by the boats which
+went in pursuit, and these were secured when just leaving
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_60">[60]</span>the water: they had to swim considerably more than half a
+league. The next morning the admiral sent to desire that
+Guacamari would cause search to be made for the women
+who had escaped in the night, and that he would send them
+back to the ships. When the messengers arrived they
+found the place forsaken and not a soul there; this made
+many openly declare their suspicions, but others said they
+might have removed to another village, as was their custom.
+That day we remained quiet, because the weather was unfavourable
+for our departure. On the next morning the
+admiral resolved that as the wind was adverse, it would be
+well to go with the boats to inspect a harbour on the coast at
+two leagues distance further up,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_139" href="#Footnote_139" class="fnanchor">[139]</a> to see if the formation of
+the land was favourable for a settlement; and we went
+thither with all the ship’s boats, leaving the ships in the
+harbour. As we moved along the coast the people manifested
+a sense of insecurity, and when we reached the spot
+to which we were bound all the natives had fled. While we
+were walking about this place we found an Indian stretched
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_61">[61]</span>on the hill-side, close by the houses, with a gaping wound
+in his shoulder caused by a dart, so that he had been disabled
+from fleeing any further. The natives of this island
+fight with sharp darts, which they discharge from cross-bows
+in the same manner as boys in Spain shoot their small
+arrows, and which they send with considerable skill to a
+great distance; and certainly upon an unarmed people these
+weapons are calculated to do serious injury. The man told
+us that Caonabó and his people had wounded him and burnt
+the houses of Guacamari. Thus we are still kept in uncertainty
+respecting the death of our people, on account of the
+paucity of information on which to form an opinion, and the
+conflicting and equivocal character of the evidence we have
+obtained. We did not find the position of the land in this
+port favourable for healthy habitation, and the admiral
+resolved upon returning along the upper coast by which we
+had come from Spain, because we had had tidings of gold
+in that direction. But the weather was so adverse that it
+cost more labour to sail thirty leagues in a backward direction
+than the whole voyage from Spain; so that, what with
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_62">[62]</span>the contrary wind and the length of the passage, three
+months had elapsed before we set foot on land. It pleased
+God, however, that through the check upon our progress
+caused by contrary winds, we succeeded in finding the best
+and most suitable spot that we could have selected for a
+settlement, where there was an excellent harbour&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_140" href="#Footnote_140" class="fnanchor">[140]</a> and
+abundance of fish, an article of which we stood in great
+need from the scarcity of meat. The fish caught here are
+very singular and more wholesome than those of Spain.
+The climate does not allow the fish to be kept from one day
+to another, for all animal food speedily becomes unwholesome,
+on account of the alternate heat and damp.</p>
+
+<p>The land is very rich for all purposes. Near the harbour
+there are two rivers; one large,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_141" href="#Footnote_141" class="fnanchor">[141]</a> and another of moderate
+breadth somewhat near it: the water is of a very remarkable
+quality. On the bank of it is being built a city called
+Marta,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_142" href="#Footnote_142" class="fnanchor">[142]</a> one side of which is bounded by the water with a
+ravine of cleft rock, so that at that part there is no need of
+fortification; the other half is girt with a plantation of trees
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_63">[63]</span>so thick that a rabbit could scarcely pass through it; and so
+green that fire will never be able to burn it. A channel has
+been commenced for a branch of the river, which the
+managers say they will lead through the middle of the
+settlement, and will place on it mills of all kinds requiring
+to be worked by water. Great quantities of vegetables
+have been planted, which certainly attain a more luxuriant
+growth here in eight days than they would in Spain in
+twenty. We were frequently visited by numbers of Indians,
+among whom were some of their caciques or chiefs, and
+many women. They all came loaded with <i>ages</i>,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_143" href="#Footnote_143" class="fnanchor">[143]</a> a sort of
+turnip, very excellent for food, which we dressed in various
+ways. This food was so nutritious as to prove a great
+support to all of us after the privations we endured when at
+sea, which in truth were more severe than ever were suffered
+by man; and as we could not tell what weather it would
+please God to send us on our voyage, we were obliged to
+limit ourselves most rigorously with regard to food, in order
+that, at all events, we might at least have the means of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_64">[64]</span>supporting life: this <i>age</i> the Caribbees call <i>nabi</i>, and the
+Indians <i>hage</i>. The Indians barter gold, provisions, and
+every thing they bring with them, for tags of laces, beads,
+and pins, and pieces of porringers and dishes. They all, as
+I have said, go naked as they were born, except the women
+of this island, who some of them wear a covering of cotton,
+which they bind round their hips, while others use grass
+and leaves of trees. When they wish to appear fulldressed,
+both men and women paint themselves, some black, others
+white and various colours, in so many devices that the effect
+is very laughable: they shave some parts of their heads, and
+in others wear long tufts of matted hair, which have an
+indescribably ridiculous appearance: in short, whatever
+would be looked upon in our country as characteristic of a
+madman, is here regarded by the highest of the Indians as
+a mark of distinction.</p>
+
+<p>In our present position, we are in the neighbourhood of
+many mines of gold, not one of which, we are told, is more
+than twenty or twenty-five leagues off: the Indians say that
+some of them are in Niti, in the possession of Caonabó,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_65">[65]</span>who killed the Christians; the others are in another place
+called Cibao, which, if it please God, we shall see with our
+eyes before many days are over; indeed we should go there
+at once, but that we have so many things to provide that we
+are not equal to it at present. One third of our people have
+fallen sick within the last four or five days, which I think
+has principally arisen from the toil and privations of the
+journey; another cause has been the variableness of the
+climate; but I hope in our Lord that all will be restored to
+health. My idea of this people is, that if we could converse
+with them, they would all become converted, for they
+do whatever they see us do, making genuflections to the
+altars, and at the Ave Maria and the other parts of the
+devotional service, and making the sign of the cross. They
+all say that they wish to be Christians, although in truth
+they are idolaters, for in their houses they have many kinds
+of figures: when asked what such a figure was, they would
+reply it is a thing of <i>Turey</i>, by which they meant “of
+Heaven.” I made a pretence of throwing them on the fire,
+which grieved them so that they began to weep: they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_66">[66]</span>believe that everything we bring comes from heaven, and
+therefore call it <i>Turey</i>, which, as I have already said, means
+heaven in their language. The first day that I went on
+shore to sleep, was the Lord’s day. The little time that we
+have spent on land, has been so much occupied in seeking
+for a fitting spot for the settlement, and in providing
+necessaries, that we have had little opportunity of becoming
+acquainted with the productions of the soil, yet although
+the time has been so short, many marvellous things have
+been seen. We have met with trees bearing wool, of a
+sufficiently fine quality (according to the opinion of those
+who are acquainted with the art) to be woven into good
+cloth; there are so many of these trees that we might load
+the caravels with wool, although it is troublesome to collect,
+for the trees are very thorny,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_144" href="#Footnote_144" class="fnanchor">[144]</a> but some means may be
+easily found of overcoming this difficulty. There are also
+cotton trees as large as peach trees, which produce cotton
+in the greatest abundance. We found trees producing wax
+as good both in colour and smell as bees-wax and equally
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_67">[67]</span>useful for burning, indeed there is no great difference
+between them. There are vast numbers of trees which
+yield surprisingly fine turpentine, and a great abundance of
+tragacanth, also very good. We found other trees which I
+think bear nutmegs, because the bark tastes and smells like
+that spice, but at present there is no fruit on them;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_145" href="#Footnote_145" class="fnanchor">[145]</a> I saw
+one root of ginger, which an Indian wore hanging round
+his neck. There were also aloes; not like those which we
+have hitherto seen in Spain, but no doubt they are of the
+same kind as those used by our doctors.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_146" href="#Footnote_146" class="fnanchor">[146]</a> A sort of cinnamon
+also has been found; but, to speak the truth, it is not so
+fine as that with which we are already acquainted in Spain.
+I do not know whether this arises from ignorance of the
+proper season to gather it, or whether the soil does not produce
+better. We have also seen some yellow mirabolans;
+at this season they are all lying under the trees, and have a
+bitter flavour, arising, I think, from the rottenness occasioned
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_68">[68]</span>by the moisture of the ground; but the taste of such parts
+as have remained sound, is that of the genuine mirabolan.
+There is also very good mastic. None of the natives of
+these islands, as far as we have yet seen, possess any iron;
+they have, however, many tools, such as hatchets and axes,
+made of stone, which are so handsome and well finished, that
+it is wonderful how they contrive to make them without the
+use of iron. Their food consists of bread, made of the roots
+of a vegetable which is between a tree and a vegetable, and
+the <i>age</i>, which I have already described as being like the
+turnip, and very good food; they use, to season it, a spice
+called <i>agi</i>, which they also eat with fish and such birds as
+they can catch of the many kinds which abound in the island.
+They have, besides, a kind of grain like hazel-nuts, very
+good to eat. They eat all the snakes, and lizards, and spiders,
+and worms, that they find upon the ground; so that, to my
+fancy, their bestiality is greater than that of any beast upon
+the face of the earth. The admiral had at one time determined
+to leave the search for the mines until he had first
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_69">[69]</span>dispatched the ships which were to return to Spain&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_147" href="#Footnote_147" class="fnanchor">[147]</a> on
+account of the great sickness which had prevailed among the
+men, but afterwards he resolved upon sending two bands
+under the command of two captains, the one to Cibao,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_148" href="#Footnote_148" class="fnanchor">[148]</a> and
+the other to Niti, where, as I have already said, Caonabó
+lived. These parties went, one of them returning on the
+twentieth, and the other on the twenty-first of January.
+The party that went to Cibao saw gold in so many places that
+one scarcely dares state the fact, for in truth they found it in
+more than fifty streamlets and rivers, as well as upon their
+banks; so that, the captain said they had only to seek throughout
+that province, and they would find as much as they wished.
+He brought specimens from the different parts, that is, from
+the sand of the rivers and small springs. It is thought, that
+by digging as we know how, it will be found in greater pieces,
+for the Indians neither know how to dig nor have the means
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_70">[70]</span>of digging more than a hand’s depth. The other captain
+who went to Niti, returned also with news of a great quantity
+of gold in three or four places; of which he likewise
+brought specimens.</p>
+
+<p>Thus, surely, their Highnesses the King and Queen may
+henceforth regard themselves as the most prosperous and
+wealthy Sovereigns in the world; never yet, since the creation,
+has such a thing been seen or read of; for on the return
+of the ships from their next voyage, they will be able to
+carry back such a quantity of gold as will fill with amazement
+all who hear of it. Here I think I shall do well to
+break off my narrative. I think those who do not know me
+who hear these things may consider me prolix, and somewhat
+an exaggerator, but God is my witness, that I have not
+exceeded, by one tittle, the bounds of truth.</p>
+
+<p>The preceding is the translation of that part of Doctor
+Chanca’s letter, which refers to intelligence respecting the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_71">[71]</span>Indies.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_149" href="#Footnote_149" class="fnanchor">[149]</a> The remainder of the letter does not bear upon the
+subject, but treats of private matters, in which Doctor Chanca
+requests the interference and support of the Chapter of Seville
+(of which city he was a native), in behalf of his family and
+property, which he had left in the said city. This letter
+reached Seville in the month of &#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_150" href="#Footnote_150" class="fnanchor lacuna">[150]</a> in the year fourteen
+hundred and ninety-three.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="spanish">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="SEGUNDA_VIAGE_DE_COLON">SEGUNDA VIAGE DE COLON.</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>La Carta del Doctor Chanca, que escribió a la Ciudad de Sevilla.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Muy magnífico Señor: Porque las cosas que yo particularmente
+escribo á otros en otras cartas no son igualmente comunicables
+como las que en esta escritura van, acordé de escribir distintamente
+las nuevas de acá y las otras que á mi conviene suplicar á vuestra
+Señoría, é las nuevas son las siguientes: Que la flota que los Reyes
+Católicos, nuestros Señores, enviaron de España para las Indias é
+gobernacion del su Almirante del mar Océano Cristóbal Colon por
+la divina permision, parte de Caliz á veinte y cinco de Setiembre
+del año de <a class="lacuna" href="#Footnote_109">[109]</a> años con tiempo é viento
+convenible á nuestro camino, é duró este tiempo dos dias, en
+los cuales pudimos andar al pie de cincuenta leguas: y luego nos
+cambió el tiempo otros dos, en los cuales anduvimos muy poco ó
+no nada; plogó á Dios que pasados los dias nos tornó buen tiempo,
+en manera que en otros dos llegamos á la Gran Canaria donde tomamos
+puerto, lo cual nos fue necesario por reparar un navío que
+hacia mucha agua, y estovímos ende todo aquel dia, é luego otra
+dia partimos é fizonos algunas calmerías, de manera que estovímos
+en llegar al Gomero cuatro ó cinco dias, y en la Gomera fue necesario
+estar algun dia por facer provisiones de carne, leña é agua
+la, que mas pudiesen, por la larga jornada que se esperaba hacer sin
+ver mas tierra: ansi que en la estada destos puertos y en un dia
+despues de partidos de la Gomera, que nos fizo calma, que tardamos
+en llegar fasta la isla del Fierro, estovimos diez y nueve ó veinte
+dias: desde aqui por la bondad de Dios nos tornó buen tiempo, el
+mejor que nunca flota llevó tan largo camino, tal que partidos del
+Fierro á trece de Octubre dentro de veinte dias hobimos vista de
+tierra: y vieramosla á catorce ó quince si la noa Capitana fuera
+tan buena velera comos los otros navíos, porque muchas veces los
+otros navíos sacaban velas porque nos dejaban mucho atras. En
+todo este tiempo hobimos mucha bonanza, que en él ni en todo el
+camino no hobimos fortuna, salvo la víspera de S. Simon que nos
+vino una que por cuatro horas nos puso en harto estrecho. El
+primero domingo despues de Todos Santos, que fue á tres dias de
+Noviembre, cerca del alba, dijó un piloto de la nao Capitana:
+albricias, que tenemos tierra. Fue el alegría tan grande en la gente
+que era maravilla oir las gritas y placeres que todos hacian, y con
+mucha razon, que la gente venian ya tan fatigados de mala vida y
+de pasar agua, que con muchos deseos sospiraban todos por tierra.
+Contaron aquel dia los pilotos del armada desde la isla de Fierro
+hasta la primera tierra que vimos unas ochocientas leguas, otros
+setecientas é ochenta, de manera que la diferencia no ere mucha,
+é mas trescientas que ponen de la isla de Fierro fasta Caliz, que
+eran por todos mil é ciento; ansí que no siento quien no fuese satisfecho
+de ver agua. Vimos el Domingo de mañana sobredicho, por
+proa de los navíos, una isla y luego á la man derecha parecio otra:
+la primera era la tierra alta de sierras por aquella parte que vimos,
+la otra era tierra llana, tambien muy llena de árboles muy espesos,
+y luego que fue mas de dia comenzó á parecer á una parte é á otra
+islas; de manera que aquel dia eran seis islas á diversas partes, y
+las mas harto grandes. Fuimos enderezados para ver aquella que
+primero habiamos visto, é llegamos por la costa andando mas de
+una lagua buscando puerto para sorgir, el cual todo aquel espacio
+nunca se pudo hallar. Era en todo aquello que parecia desta isla
+todo montaña muy hermosa y muy verde, fasta el agua que era
+alegria en mirarla, porque en aquel tiempo no hay en nuestra tierra
+apenas cosa verde. Despues que allí no hallamos puerto acordó
+el Almirante que nos volviesemos á la otra isla que parescia á la
+mano derecha, que estaba desta otra cuatro ó cinco leguas. Quedó
+por entonces un navío en esta isla buscando puerto todo aquel dia
+para cuando fuese necesario venir á ella, en la cual halló buen puerto
+é vido casas é gentes, é luego se tornó aquella noche para donde
+estaba la flota que habia tomado puerto en la otra isla, donde decendió
+el Almirante é mucha gente con él con la bandera Real en
+las manos, adonde tomó posesion por sus Altezas en forma de derecho.
+En esta isla habia tanta espesura de arboledas que era
+maravilla, é tanta diferencia de árboles no conocidos á nadie que
+era para espantar, dellos con fruto, dellos con flor, ansí que todo
+era verde. Allí hallamos un arbol, cuya hoja tenia el mas fino olor
+de clavos que nunca ví, y era como laurel, salvo que no era ansi
+grande; yo ansí pienso que era laurel su especia. Allí habia frutas
+salvaginas de diferentes maneras, de las quales algunos no muy
+sabios probaban, y del gusto solamente tocándoles con las lenguas
+se les hinchaban las caras, y les venia tan grande ardor y dolor que
+parecian que rabiaban, los cuales se remediaban con cosas frias.
+En esta isla no hallamos gente nin señal della, creimos que era
+despoblada, en la cual estovimos bien dos horas, porque cuando
+allí llegamos era sobre tarde, é luego otro dia de mañana partimos
+para otra isla que parescia en bajo desta que era muy grande, fasta
+la cual desta que habria siete ú ocho leguas, llegamos á ella hácia
+la parte de una gran montaña que parecia que queria llegar al cielo,
+en medio de la cual montaña estaba un pico mas alto que toda la
+otra montaña, del cual se vertian á diversas partes muchus aguas,
+en especial hácia la parte donde ibamos: de tres leguas paresció un
+golpe de agua tan gordo como un buey, que se despeñaba de tan
+alto como si cayera del cielo: parescia de tan lejos, que hobo en los
+navíos muchas apuestas, que unos decian que eran peñas blancas y
+otros que era agua. Desque llegamos mas á cerca vídose lo cierto,
+y era la mas hermosa cosa del mundo de ver cuan alto se despeñaba
+é de tan poco logar nacia tan gran golpe de agua. Luego que llegamos
+cerco mandó el Almirante á una carbela ligera que fuese costeando
+á buscar puerto, la cual se adelantó y llegando á la tierra
+vido unas casas, é con la barca saltó el Capitan en tierra é llegó á
+las casas, en las cuales halló su gente, y luego que los vieron
+fueron huyendo, é entró en ellas, donde halló las cosas que ellos
+tienen, que no habian llevado nada, donde tomó dos papagayos muy
+grandes y muy diferenciados de cuantos se habian visto. Halló
+mucho algodon hilado é por hilar, é cosas de sus mantenimientos,
+é de todo trajo un poco, en especial trajo cuatro ó cinco huesos de
+brazos é piernas de hombres. Luego que aquello vimos sospechamos
+que aquellas islas eran las de Caribe, que son habitadas de gente
+que comen carne humana, porque el Almirante por las señas que
+le habian dado del sitio destas islas, el otro camino, los indios de
+las islas que antes habian descubierto, habia enderezado el camino
+por descubrirlas, porque estaban mas cerca de España, y tambien
+porque por allí se hacia el camino derecho para venir á la isla
+Española, donde antes habia dejado la gente, á los cuales, por la
+bondad de Dios y por el buen saber del Almirante, venimos tan
+derechos como si por camino sabido é seguido vinieramos. Esta
+isla es muy grande, y por el lado nos pareció que habia de luengo
+de costa veinta é cinco leguas: fuimos costeando por ella buscando
+puerto mas de dos leguas; por la parte donde ibamos eran
+montañas muy altas, á la parte que dejamos parecian grandes
+llanos, á la orilla de la mar habia algunos poblados pequeños, é
+luego que veian las velas huian todos. Andadas dos leguas hallamos
+puerto y bien tarde. Esa noche acordó el Almirante que á la madrugada
+saliesen algunos para tomar lengua é saber que gente era,
+no embargante la sospecha é los que ya habian visto ir huyendo,
+que era gente desnuda como la otra que ya el Almirante habia visto
+el otro viage. Salieron esa madrugada ciertos Capitanes; los unos
+vinieron á hora de comer é trageron un mozo de fasta catorce años,
+á lo que despues se sopo, é él dijo que era de los que esta gente
+tenian cativos. Los otros se dividieron, los unos tomaron un mochacho
+pequeño, al cual llevaba un hombre por la mano, é por huir
+lo desamparó. Este enviaron luego con algunos dellos, otros quedaron,
+é destos unos tomaron ciertas mugeres naturales de la isla,
+é otras que se vinieron de grado, que eran de las cativas. Desta
+compañía se apartó un Capitan no sabiendo que se habia habido
+lengua con seis hombres, el cual se perdió con los que con él iban,
+que jamas sopieron tornar, fasta que á cabo de cuatro dias toparon
+con la costa de la mar, é siguiendo por ella tornaron á topar con la
+flota. Ya los teniamos por perdidos é comidos de aquellas gentes
+que se dicen los Caribes, porque no bastaba razon para creer que
+eran perdidos de otra manera, porque iban entre ellos pilotos,
+marineros que por la estrella saben ir é venir hasta España, creiamos
+que en tan pequeño espacio no se podian perder. Este dia
+primero que allí decendimos andaban por la playa junto con el agua
+muchos hombres é mugeres mirando la flota, é maravillándose de
+cosa tan nueva é llegándose alguna barca á tierra á hablar con ellos,
+diciéndolos <i>tayno tayno</i>, que quiere decir <i>bueno</i>, esperaban en tanto
+que no salian del agua, junto con él moran, de manera que cuando
+ellos querian se podian salvar: en conclusion, que de los hombres
+ninguno se pudo tomar por fuerza ni por grado, salvo dos que se
+seguraron é despues los trajeron por fuerza allí. Se tomaron mas
+de veinte mugeres de las cativas, y de su grado se venian otros
+naturales de la isla, que fueron salteadas é tomadas por fuerza.
+Ciertos mochachos cabtivos se vinieron á nosotros huyendo de los
+naturales de la isla que los tenian cabtivos. En este puerto estovimos
+ocho dias á causa de la perdida del sobredicho Capitan,
+donde muchas veces salimos á tierra andando por sus moradas é
+pueblos, que estaban á la costa, donde hallamos infinitos huesos de
+hombres, é los cascos de las cabezas colgados por las casas á manera
+de vasijas para tener cosas. Aquí no parescieron muchos hombres;
+la causa era, segun nos dijeron las mugeres, que eran idas diez canoas
+con gentes á saltear á otras islas. Esta gente nos pareció mas pulítica
+que la que habita en estas otras islas que habemos visto, aunque
+todos tienen las moradas de paja; pero estos las tienen de mucho
+mejor hechura, é mas proveidas de mantenimientos, é parece en
+ellas mas industria ansi veril como femenil. Tenian mucho algodon
+hilado y por hilar, y muchas mantas de algodon tan bien tejidas que
+no deben nada á las de nuestra patria. Preguntamos á las mugeres,
+que eran cativas en esta isla, que qué gente era esta; respondieron
+que eran Caribes. Despues que entendieron que nosotros aborreciamos
+tal gente por su mal uso de comer carne de hombres,
+holgaban mucho, y sí de nuevo traian alguna muger ó hombre de
+los Caribes, secretamente decian que eran Caribes, que allí donde
+estaban todos en nuestro poder mostraban temor dellos como gente
+sojuzgada, y de allí conocimos cuáles eran Caribes de las mugeres
+é cuáles nó, porque las Caribes traian en las piernas en cada una
+dos argollas tejidas de algodon, la una junto con rodilla, la otra
+junto con los tobillos; de manera que les hacen las pantorrillas
+grandes, é de los sobredichos logares muy ceñidas, que esto me
+parece que tienen ellos por cosa gentil, ansi que por esta diferencia
+conocemos los unos de los otros. La costumbre desta gente
+de Caribes es bestial: son tres islas, esta se llama Turuqueira,
+la otra que primero vimos se llama Ceyre, la tercera se llama
+Ayay; estos todos son conformidad como si fuesen de un linage,
+los cuales no se hacen mal: unos é otros hacen guerra á
+todas las otras islas comarcanas, los cuales van por mar ciento é
+cincuenta leguas á saltear con muchas canoas que tienen, que son
+unas fustas pequeñas de un solo madero. Sus armas son frechas en
+lugar de hierros; porque no poseen ningun hierro, ponen unas puntas
+fechas de huesos de torgugas los unos, otros de otro isla ponen
+unas espinas de un pez fechas dentadas, que ansi lo son naturalmente,
+á manera de sierras bien recias, que para gente desarmada,
+como son todos, es cosa que les puede matar é hacer harto daño;
+pero para gente de nuestra nacion no son armas para mucho temer.
+Esta gente saltea en las otras islas, que traen las mugeres que pueden
+haber, en especial mozas y hermosas, las cuales tienen para su
+servicio, é para tener por mancebas, é traen tantas que en cincuenta
+casas ellos no parecieron, y de las cativas se vinieron mas de veinte
+mozas. Dicen tambien estas mugeres que estos usan de una crueldad
+que parece cosa increible; que los hijos que en ellas han se
+los comen, que solamente crian los que han en sus mugeres naturales.
+Los hombres que pueden haber, los que son vivos llevánselos
+á sus casas para hacer carnicería dellos, y los que han muertos
+luego se los comen. Dicen que la carne del hombre es tan buena
+que no hay tal cosa en el mundo; y bien parece porque los huesos
+que en estas casas hallamos todo lo que se puede roer todo lo tenian
+roido, que no habia en ellos sino lo que por su mucha dureza no se
+podia comer. Allí se halló en una casa cociendo en una olla un
+pezcuezo de un hombre. Los mochachos que cativan cortanlos el
+miembro, é sirvense de ellos fasta que son hombres, y despues
+cuando quieren facer fiesta mátanlos é cómenselos, porque dicen que
+que la carne de los mochachos é de las mogeres no es buena para
+comer. Destos mochachos se vinieron para nosotros huyendo tres
+todos tres cortados sus miembros. E á cabo de cuatro dias vino el
+Capitan que se habia perdido, de cuya venida estabamos ya bien
+desesparados, porque ya los habian ido á buscar otras cuadrillas
+por dos veces, é aquel dia vino la una caudrilla sin saber dellos
+ciertamente. Holgamos con su venida como si nuevamente se
+hobieran hallado: trajo este Capitan con los que fueron con él diez
+cabezas entre mochachos y mugeres. Estos ni los otros que los
+fueron á buscar, nunca hallaron hombres porque se habien huido,
+ó por ventura que en aquella comarca habia pocos hombres, porque
+segun se supo de las mugeres eran idas diez canoas con gentes á
+saltear á otras islas. Vino él é los que fueron con él tan destrozados
+del monte, que era lástima de los ver: decian, preguntándoles
+como se habien perdido, dijeron que era la espesura de los arboles
+tanta que el cielo no podian ver, é que algunos de ellos, que eran
+marineros, habian subido por los árboles para mirar el estrella é
+que nunca la podieron ver, é que si no toparan con el mar fuera
+imposible tornar á la flota. Partimos desta isla ocho dias despues
+que allí llegamos. Luego otro dia á medio dia vimos otra isla,
+no muy grande, que estaria desta otra doce leguas; porque el
+primero dia que partimos lo mas del dia nos fizo calma, fuimos
+junto con la costa desta isla, é dijeron las Indias que llevabamos que
+no era habitada, que los Caribes la habian despoblado, é por esto
+no paramos en ella. Luego esa tarde vimos otra: á esa noche,
+cerca desta isla, fallamos unos bajos, por cuyo temor sorgimos,
+que no osamos andar fasta que fuese de dia. Luego á la mañana
+paresció otra isla harto grande: á ninguna destas no llegamos
+por consolar los que habian dejado en la Española, é no plogó á
+Dios segun que abajo paracerá. Otro dia á hora de comer llegamos
+á una isla é pareciónos mucho bien, porque parecia muy poblada,
+segun las muchas labranzas que en ella habia. Fuimos allá
+é tomamos puerto en la costa: luego mandó el Almirante ir á
+tierra una barca guarnecida de gente para si pudiese tomar lengua
+para saber que gente era, é tambien porque habiamos menester
+informarnos del camino, caso quel Almirante, aunque nunca habia
+fecho aquel camino, iba muy bien encaminado segun en cabo
+pareció. Pero porque las cosas dubdosas se deben siempre buscar
+con la mayor certinidad que haberse pueda, quiso haber allí lengua,
+de la cual gente que iba en la barca ciertas personas saltaron en
+tierra, llegaron en tierra á un poblado de donde la gente ya se
+habia escondido. Tomaron allí cinco ó seis mugeres y ciertos
+mochachos, de las cuales las mas eran tambien de las cativas
+como en la otra isla, porque tambien estos eran de los Caribes,
+segun ya sabiamos por la relacion de las mugeres que traiamos.
+Ya que esta barca se queria tornar á los navíos con su presa que
+habia fecho por parte debajo; por la costa venia una canoa en
+que venian cuatro hombres é dos mugeres é un mochacho, é desque
+vieron la flota maravillados se embebecieron tanto que por una
+grande hora estovieron que no se movieron de un lugar casi dos
+tiros de lombarda de los navíos. En esto fueron vistos de los que
+estaban en la barca é aun de toda la flota. Luego los de la barca
+fueron para ellos tan junto con la tierra, que con el embebecimiento
+que tenian, maravillándose é pensando que cosa seria, nunca
+los vieron hasta que estovieron muy cerca dellos, que no les pudieron
+mucho huir aunque harto trabajaron por ello; pero los
+nuestros aguijaron con tanta priesa que no se les pudieron ir.
+Los Caribes desque vieron que el hoir no les aprovechaba, con
+mucha osadia pusieron mano á los arcos, tambien las mugeres
+como los hombres; é digo con mucha osadia porque ellos no eran
+mas de cuatro hombres y dos mugeres, é los nuestros mas de
+veinte é cinco, de los cuales firieron dos, al uno dieron dos frechadas
+en los pechos é al otro una por el costado, é sino fuera
+porque llevaban adargas é tablachutas, é porque los invistieron
+presto con la barca é les trastornaron su canoa, asaetearan con
+sus frechas los mas dellos. E despues de trastornada su canoa
+quedaron en el agua nadando, é á las veces haciendo pie, que allí
+habia unos bajos, é tovieron harto que hacer en tomarlos, que todavía
+cuanto podian tiraban, é con todo eso el uno no lo pudieron
+tomar sino mal herido de una lanzada que murió, el cual trajeron
+ansi herido fasta les navíos. La diferencia destos á los otros
+indios en el hábito, es que los de Caribe tienen el cabello muy
+largo, los otros son tresquilados é fechas cien mil diferencias en
+las cabezas de cruces, é de otras pinturas en diversas maneras,
+cada uno como se le antoja, lo cual se hacen con cañas agudas.
+Todos ansi los de Caribe como los otros es gente sin barbas, que
+por maravilla hallarás hombre que las tenga. Estos Caribes que
+allí tomaron venian tiznados los ojos é las cejas, lo cual me parece
+que hacen por gala, é con aquello parescian mas espantables; el
+uno destos dice que en una isla dellos, llamada Cayre, que es la
+primera que vimos, á la cual no llegamos, hay mucho oro; que
+vayan allá con clavos é contezuelas para hacer sus canoas, é que
+traerán cuanto oro quisieren. Luego aquel dia partimos de esta
+isla, que no estariamos allí mas de seis ó siete horas, fuemos para
+otra tierra que pareció á ojo que estaba en el camino que habiamos
+de facer: llegamos noche cerca della. Otro dia de mañana
+fuimos por la costa della: era muy gran tierra, aunque no era
+muy continua, que eran mas de cuarenta y tantos islones, tierra
+muy alta, é la mas della pelada, la cual no era ninguna ni es de
+las que antes ni despues habemos visto. Parescia tierra dispuesta
+para haber en ella metales: á esta no llegamos para saltar en
+tierra, salvo una carabela latina llegó á un islon de estos, en el
+cual hallaron ciertas casas de pescadores. Las Indias que traiamos
+dijeron que no eran pobladas. Andovimos por esta costa lo
+mas deste dia, hasta otro dia en la tarde que llegamos á vista de
+otra isla llamada Burenquen, cuya costa corrimos todo un dia:
+juzgábase que ternia por aquella banda treinta leguas. Esta isla
+es muy hermosa y muy fértil á parecer: á estu vienon los de
+Caribe á conquistar, de la cual llevaban mucha gente; estos no
+tienen fustas ningunas nin saben andar por mar; pero, segun
+dicen estos Caribes que tomamos, usan arcos como ellos, é si por
+caso cuando los vienen á saltear los pueden prender tambien se los
+comen como los de Caribe á ellos. En un puerto desta isla estovimos
+dos dias, donde saltó mucha gente en tierra; pero jamas podimos
+haber lengua, que todos se fuyeron como gente temorizadas de
+los Caribes. Todas estas islas dichas fueron descubiertas deste
+camino, que fasta aquí ninguna dellas habia visto el Almirante el
+otro viage, todos son muy hermosas é de muy buena tierra; pero
+esta paresció mejor á todos: aquí casi se acabaron las islas que
+fácia la parte de España habia dejado de ver el Almirante, aunque
+tenemos por cosa cierta que hay tierra mas de cuarenta leguas
+antes de estas primeras hasta España, porque dos dias antes que
+viesemos tierra vimos unas aves que llaman rabihorcados, que son
+aves de rapiña marinas é ni sientan ni duermen sobre el agua,
+sobre tarde rodeando sobir en alto, é despues tiran su via á buscar
+tierra para dormir, las cuales no podrian ir á caer segun era tarde
+de doce ó quince leguas arriba, y esto era á la man derecha donde
+veniamos hasta la parte de España; de donde todos juzgaron allí
+quedar tierra, lo cual no se buscó porque se nos hacia rodeo para
+la via que traiamos. Espero que á pocos viages se hallará. Desta
+isla sobredicha partimos una madrugada, é aquel dia, antes que
+fuese noche, hobimos vista de tierra, la cual tampoco era conocida
+de ninguno de los qua habian venido el otro viage; pero
+por las nuevas de las indias que traiamos sospechamos que era la
+Española, en la cual agora estamos. Entre esta isla é la otra de
+Buriquen parecia de lejos otra, aunque no era grande. Desque
+llegamos á esta Española, por el comienzo de alla era tierra baja
+y muy llana, del conocimiento de la cual aun estaban todos dubdosos
+si fuese la que es, porque aquella parte nin el Almirante ni
+los otros que con él vinieron habian visto, é aquesta isla como es
+grande es nombrada por provincias, e á esta parte que primero
+llegamos llaman Hayti, y luego á la otra provincia junta con esta
+llaman Xamaná, é á la otra Bohio; en la cual agora estamos; ansi
+hay en ellas muchas provincias porque es gran cosa, porque segun
+afirman los que la han visto por la costa de largo, dicen que habrá
+doscientas leguas: á mi me parece que á lo menos habrá ciento
+é cincuenta; del ancho della hasta agora no se sabe. Alla es ido
+cuarenta dias ha á rodearla una carebela, la cual no es venida
+hasta hoy. Es tierra muy singular, donde hay infinitos rios grandes
+é sierras grandes é valles grandes rasos, grandes montañas: sospecho
+que nunca se secan las yerbas en todo el año. Non creo
+que hay invierno ninguno en esta nin en las atras, porque por
+Navidad se fallan muchos nidos de aves, dellas con pájaros, é dellas
+con huevos. En ella ni en las otras nunca se ha visto animal
+de cuatro pies, salvo algunos perros de todas colores como en nuestra
+patria, la hechura como unos gosques grandes; de animales
+salvages no hay. Otrosí, hay un animal de color de conejo é de
+su pelo, el grandor de un conejo nuevo, el rabo largo, los pies é
+manos como de raton, suben por los árboles, muchos los han comido,
+dicen que es muy bueno de comer: hay culebras muchas
+no grandes; lagartos aunque no muchos, porque los indios hacen
+tanta fiesta dellos como hariamos allá con faisanes, son del tamaño
+de los de allá, salvo que en la hechura son diferentes, aunque en
+una isleta pequeña, que está junto con un puerto que llaman
+Monte Christo, donde estovimos muchos dias, vieron muchos dias
+un lagarto muy grande que decian que seria de gordura de un
+becerro é atan complido como una lanza, é muchas veces salieron
+por lo matar, é con la mucha espesura se les metia en la mar, de
+manera que no se pudo haber dél derecho. Hay en esta isla y en
+las otras infinitas aves de las de nuestra patria, é otras muchas
+que allá nunca se vieron: de las aves domésticas nunca se ha
+visto acá ninguna, salvo en la Zuruquia habia en las casas unas
+ánades, las mas dellas blancas como la nieve é algunas dellas negras,
+muy lindas, con crestas rasas, mayores que las de allá, menores
+que ánsares. Por la costa desta isla corrimos al pie de cien
+leguas porque hasta donde el Almirante habia dejado la gente,
+habria en este compás, que será en comedio ó en medio de la isla.
+Andando por la provincia della llamada Xamaná, en derecho
+echamos en tierra uno de los indios quel etro viage habian llevado
+vestido, é con algunas cosillas quel Almirante le habia mandado
+dar. Aquel dia se nos murió un marinero vizcaino que habia seido
+herido de los Caribes, que ya dije que se tomaron, por su mala
+guarda, ó porque ibamos por costa de tierra, dióse lugar que
+saliese una barca á enterrarlo, é fueron en reguarda de la barca
+dos carabelas cerca con tierra. Salieron á la barca en llegando
+en tierra muchos indios, de los cuales algunos traian oro al cuello,
+é á las orejas; querian venir con los cristianos á los navíos,
+é no los quisieron traer, porque no llevaban licencia del Almirante;
+los cuales desque vieron que no los querian traer se metieron
+dos dellos en una canoa pequeña, é se vinieron á una carabela
+de las que se habian acercado á tierra, en la cual los recibieron
+con su amor, é trajéronlos á la nao del Almirante, é dijeron, mediante
+un interprete, que un Rey fulano les enviaba á saber que
+gente eramos, é á rogar que quisiesemos llegar á tierra, porque
+tenian mucho oro é le darian dello, é de lo que tenian de comer:
+el Almirante les mandó dar sendas camisas é bonetes é otras cosillas,
+é les dijo que porque iba á donde estaba Guacamarí non se
+podria detener, que otro tiempo habria que le pudiese ver, é con
+esto se fueron. No cesamos de andar nuestro camino fasta llegar
+á un puerto llamado Monte Cristi, donde estuvimos dos dias para
+ver la disposicion de la tierra, porque no habia parecido bien al
+Almirante el logar donde habia dejado la gente para hacer asiento.
+Decendimos en tierra para ver la dispusicion: habia cerca de allí
+un gran rio de muy buena agua; pero es toda tierra anegada é
+muy indispuesta para habitar. Andando veyendo el rio é tierra
+hallaron algunos de los nuestros en una parte dos hombres muertos
+junto con el rio, el uno con un lazo al pescuezo y el otro
+con otro al pie, esto fue el primero dia. Otro dia siguiente hallaron
+otros dos muertos mas adelante de aquellos, el uno destos
+estaba en disposicion que se le pudo conocer tener muchas barbas.
+Algunos de los nuestros sospecharon mas mal que bien, é
+con razon, porque los indios son todos desbarbados, como dicho
+he. Este puerto está del lugar donde estaba la gente cristiana
+doce leguas: pasados dos dias alzamos velas para el lugar donde
+el Almirante habia dejado la sobredicha gente, en compañía de
+un Rey destos indios, que se llamaba Guacamarí, que pienso ser
+de los principales desta isla. Este dia llegamos en derecho de
+aquel lugar; pero era ya tarde, é porque allí habia unos bajos
+donde el otro dia se habia perdido la nao en que habia ido el Almirante,
+no osamos tomar el puerto cerca de tierra fasta que otro
+dia de mañana se desfondase é pudiesen entrar seguramente:
+quedamos aquella noche no una legua de tierra. Esa tarde, viniendo
+para allí de lejos, salió una canoa en que parescian cinco ó
+seis indios, los cuales venian á prisa para nosotros. El Almirante
+creyendo que nos seguraba hasta alzarnos, no quiso que los
+esperasemos, é porfiando llegaron hasta un tiro de lombarda de
+nosotros, é parabanse á mirar, é desde allí desque vieron que no
+los esperabamos dieron vuelta é tornaron su via. Despues que
+surgimos en aquel lugar sobredicho tarde, el Almirante mandó
+tirar dos lombardas á ver si respondian los cristianos que habian
+quedado con el dicho Guacamarí, porque tambien tenian lombardas,
+los cuales nunca respondieron ni menos parescian huegos ni
+señal de casas en aquel lugar, de lo qual se desconsoló mucho la
+gente é tomaron la sospecha que de tal caso se debia tomar.
+Estando ansi todos muy tristes, pasadas cuatro ó cinco horas de
+la noche, vino la misma canoa que esa tarde habiamos visto, é
+venia dando voces, preguntando por el Almirante un Capitan de
+una carabela donde primero llegaron: trajéronlos á la nao del
+Almirante, los cuales nunca quisieron entrar hasta que el Almirante
+los hablase; demandaron lumbre para lo conocer, é despues
+que lo conocieron entraron. Era uno dellos primo del Guacamarí,
+el cual los habia enviado otra vez. Despues que se habian
+tornado aquella tarde traian caratulas de oro que Guacamarí enviaba
+en presente; la una para el Almirante é la otra para un
+Capitan quel otro viage habia ido con él. Estovieron en la nao
+hablando con el Almirante en presencia de todos por tres horas
+mostrando mucho placer, preguntándoles por los Cristianos que
+tales estaban: aquel pariente dijo que estaban todos buenos,
+aunque entro ellos habia algunos muertos de dolencia é otros de
+diferencia que habia contecido entre ellos, é que Guacamarí estaba
+en otro lugar ferido en una pierna é por eso no habia venido,
+pero que otro dia vernia; porque otros dos Reyes, llamado el uno
+Caonabó y el otro Mayrení, habian venido á pelear con él é que
+le habian quemado el logar; é luego esa noche se tornaron diciendo
+que otra dia vernian con el dicho Guacamarí, é con esto nos
+dejaron por esa noche consolados. Otro dia en la mañana estovimos
+esperando que viniese el dicho Guacamarí, é entretanto
+saltaron en tierra algunos por mandado del Almirante, é fueron
+al lugar donde solian estar, é halláronle quemado un cortijo algo
+fuerte con una palizada, donde los Cristianos habitaban, é tenian
+lo suyo quemado é derribado, é ciertas bernias é ropas que los
+indios habian traido á echar en la casa. Los dichos indios que
+por allí parecian andaban muy cahareños, que no se osaban allegar
+á nosotros, antes huian; lo cual no nos pareció bien porque
+el Almirante nos habia dicho que en llegando á quel lugar salian
+tantas canoas dellos á bordo de los navíos á vernos que no nos
+podriamos defender dellos, é que en el otro viage ansí lo facian;
+é como agora veiamos que estaban sospechosos de nosotros no
+nos parecia bien, con todo halagándoles aquel dia é arrojándolos
+algunas cosas, ansi como cascabeles é cuentas, hobo de asegurarse
+un su pariente del dicho Guacamarí é otros tres, los cuales entraron
+en la barca é trajéronlos á la nao. Despues que le preguntaron
+por los Cristianos dijeron que todos eran muertos, aunque
+ya nos lo habia dicho un indio de los que llevabamos de
+Castilla que lo habian hablado los dos indios que antes habian
+venido á la nao, que se habian quedado á bordo de la nao con su
+canao, pero lo ne habiamos creido. Fue preguntado á este pariente
+do Guacamarí quien los habia muerto: dijo que el Rey de
+Canoabó y el Rey Mayrení, é que le quemaron las cosas del lugar,
+que estaban dellos muchos heridos, é tambien él dicho Guacamarí
+estaba pasado un muslo, y él que estaba en otro lugar y que
+él queria ir luego allá á lo llamar, al cual dieron algunas cosas, é
+luego se partió para donde estaba Guacamarí. Todo aquel dia
+los estobimos esperando, é desque vimos que no venian, muchos
+tenian sospecha que se habian ahogado los indios que antenoche
+habian venido, porque los habian dado á beber dos ó tres veces
+de vino, é venian en una canoa pequeña que se los podria trastornar.
+Otro dia de mañana salió á tierra el Almirante é algunos
+de nosotros, é fuemos donde solia estar la villa, la cual nos vimos
+toda quemada é los vestidos de los cristianos se hallaban por
+aquella yerba. Por aquella hora no vimos ningun muerto. Habia
+entre nosotros muchas razones diferentes, unos sospechando que
+el mismo Guacamarí fuese en la traicion ó muerte de los Cristianos,
+otros les parecia que no, pues estaba quemada su villa, ansí
+que la cosa era mucho para dudar. El Almirante mandó catar
+todo el sitio donde los Cristianos estaban fortalecidos porquel los
+habia mandado que desque toviesen alguna cantidad de oro que
+lo enterrasen. Entretanto que esto se hacia quiso llegar á ver á
+cerca de una legua do nos parecia que podria haber asiento para
+poder edificar una villa porque ya era tiempo, adonde fuimos
+ciertos con él mirando la tierra por la costa, fasta que llegamos á
+un poblado donde habia siete ú ocho casas; las quales habian
+desamparado los indios luego que nos vieron ir, é llevaron lo que
+pudieron é lo otro dejaron escondido entre yerbas junto con las
+casas, que es gente tan bestial que no tienen discrecion para
+buscar lugar para habitar, que los que viven á la marina es maravilla
+cuan bestialmente edifican, que las casas enderedor tienen
+tan cubiertas de yerba ó de humidad, que estoy espantado como
+viven. En aquellas casas hallamos muchas cosas de los Cristianos,
+las cuales no se creian que ellos hobiesen rescatado, ansí
+como una almalafa muy gentil, la cual no se habia descogido de
+como la llevaron de Castilla, é calzas é pedazos de paños, é una
+ancla de la nao quel Almirante habia allí perdido el otro viage, é
+otras cosas, de las cuales mas se esforzó nuestra opinion; y de
+acá hallamos, buscando las cosas que tenian guardadas en una
+esportilla mucho cosida é mucho á recabdo, una cabeza de hombre
+mucho guardada. Allí juzgamos por entonces que seria la
+cabeza de padre ó madre, ó de persona que mucho querian. Despues
+he oido que hayan hallado muchas desta manera, por donde
+creo ser verdad lo que allí juzgamos; desde allí nos tornamos.
+Aquel dia venimos por donde estaba la villa, y cuando llegamos
+hallamos muchos indios que se habian asegurado y estaban rescatando
+oro: tenian rescatado fasta un marco: hallamos que
+habian mostrado donde estaban muertos once cristianos, cubiertos
+ya de la yerba que habia crecido sobre ellos, é todos hablaban
+por una boca que Caonabó é Mayreni les habian muerto; pero
+con todo eso asomaban queja que los Cristianos uno tenia tres
+mugeres, otro cuatro, doude creemos quel mal que les vino fue
+de zelos. Otro dia de mañana, porque en todo aquello no habia
+logar dispuesto para nosotros poder hacer asiento, acordó el Almirante
+fuese una carabela á una parte para mirar lugar conveniente,
+é algunos que fuimos con él fuimos á otra parte, á do hallamos
+un puerto muy seguro é muy gentil disposicion de tierra
+para habitar, pero porque estaba lejos de donde nos deseabamos
+que estaba la mina de oro, no acordó el Almirante de poblar sino
+en otra parte que fuese mas cierta si se hallase conveniente disposicion.
+Cuando venimos deste lugar hallamos venida la otra
+carabela que habia ido á la otra parte á buscar el dicho lugar
+en la cual habio ido Melchior e otros cuatro ó cinco hombres
+de pro. E yendo costeando por tierra salió á ellos una canoa en que
+venian dos indios, el uno era hermano de Guacamarí, el cual fue
+conocido por un piloto que iba en la dicha carabela, é preguntó
+quien iba allí, al cual, dijeron los hombres principales, dijeron que
+Guacamarí les rogaba que se llegasen á tierra, donde él tenia su
+asiento con fasta cincuenta casas. Los dichos prencipales saltaron
+en tierra con la barca é fueron donde él estaba, el cual fallaron
+en su cama echado faciendo del doliente ferido. Fablaron
+con él preguntándole por los Cristianos: respondió concertando
+con la mesma razon de los otros, que era que Caonabó é Mayreni
+los habian muerto, é que á él habian ferido en un muslo, el cual
+mostró ligado: los que entonces lo vieron ansí les pareció que era
+verdad como él lo dijo: al tiempo del despedirse dió á cada uno
+dellos una joya de oro, á cada uno como le pareció que lo merescia.
+Este oro facian en fojas muy delgadas, porque lo quieren
+para facer carátulas é para poderse asentar en betun que ellos
+facen, si así no fuese no se asentaria. Otro facen para traer en
+la cabeza é para colgar en las orejas é narices, ansí que todavía
+es menester que sea delgado, pues que ellos nada desto hacen por
+riqueza salvo por buen parecer. Dijo el dicho Guacamarí por
+señas e como mejor pudo, que porque él estaba ansí herido que
+dijesen al Almirante que quisiese venir á verlo. Luego quel Almirante
+llegó los sobredichos le contaron este caso. Otro dia de
+mañana acordó partir para allá, al cual lugar llegariamos dentro
+de tres horas, porque apenas habria dende donde estábamos allá
+tres leguas; ansí que cuando allí llegamos era hora de comer;
+comimos ante de salir en tierra. Luego que hobimos comido
+mandó el Almirante que todos los Capitanes viniesen con sus
+barcas para ir en tierra, porque ya esa mañana antes que partiesemos
+de donde estábamos habia venido el sobredicho su hermano
+á hablar con el Almirante, é á darle priesa que fuese al
+lugar donde estaba el dicho Guacamari. Allí fue el Almirante á
+tierra é toda la gente de pro con él, tan ataviados que en una
+cibdad prencipal parecieran bien: llevó algunas cosas para le
+presentar porque ya habia recibido dél alguna cantidad de oro, é
+era razon le respondiese con la obra é voluntad quel habia mostrado.
+El dicho Guacamarí ansí mismo tenia aparejado para
+hacerle presente. Cuando llegamos hallámosle echado en su cama,
+como ellos lo usan, colgado en el aire, fecha una cama de algodon
+como de red; no se levantó, salvo dende la cama hizo el semblante
+de cortesia como él mejor sopo, mostró mucho sentimiento
+con lágrimas en los ojos por la muerte de los Cristianos, é comenzó
+á hablar en ello mostrando, como mejor podia, como unos
+murieron de dolencia, é como otros se habian ido á Caonabó á
+buscar la mina del oro é que allí los habian muerto, é los otros
+que se los habian venido á matar allí en su villa. A lo que parecian
+los cuerpos de los muertos no habia dos meses que habia
+acaecido. Esa hora el presentó al Almirante ocho marcos y medio
+de oro, é cinco ó seiscientos labrados de pedreria de diversos
+colores, é un bonete de la misma pedrería, lo cual me parece deben
+tener ellos en mucho. En el bonete estaba un joyel, lo cual
+le dió en mucha veneracion. Paraceme que tienen en mas el
+cobre quel oro. Estábamos presentes yo y un zurugiano de armada;
+entonces dijo el Almirante al dicho Guacamarí que nosotros
+eramos sabios de las enfermedades de los hombres que nos
+quisiese mostrar la herida: él respondió que le placia, para lo
+cual yo dije que seria necesario, si pudiese, que saliese fuera de
+casa, porque con la mucha gente estaba escura é no se podria ver
+bien; lo cual él fizo luego, creo mas de empacho que de gana;
+arrimándose á el salió fuera. Despues de asentado, llego el
+zurugiano á él é comenzó de desligarle: entonces dijo al Almirante
+que era ferida fecha con ciba, que quiere decir con piedra.
+Despues que fue desatada llegamos á tentarle. Es cierto que no
+tenia mas mal en aquella que en la otra, aunque él hacia del
+raposo que le dolia mucho. Ciertamente no se podia bien determinar
+porque las razones eran ignotas, que ciertamente muchas
+cosas habia que mostraban haber venido á él gente contraria.
+Ansimesmo el Almirante no sabia que se hacer: parescióle, é á
+otros muchos, que por entonces fasta bien saber la verdad que se
+debia disimular, porque despues de sabida, cada que quisiesen, se
+podia dél recibir enmienda. E aquella tarde se vino con el Almirante
+á las naos, é mostráronle caballos é cuanto ahí habia, de
+lo cual quedó muy maravillado como de cosa estraña á él; tomó
+colacion en la nao, é esa tarde luego se tornó á su casa: el Almirante
+dijo que queria ir á habitar allí con él é queria facer
+casas, y él respondió que le placia, pero que el lugar era mal sano
+porque era muy humido, é tal era él por cierto. Esto todo pasaba
+estando por intérpretes dos indios de los que el otro viage habian
+ido á Castilla, los cuales habian quedado vivos de siete que metimos
+en el puerto, que los cinco se murieron en el camino, los
+cuales escaparon á uña de caballo. Otro dia estuvimos surtos en
+aquel puerto; é quiso saber cuando se partiria el Almirante: le
+mandó decir que otro dia. En aquel dia vinieron á la nao el
+sobredicho hermano suyo é otros con él, é trajeron algun oro para
+rescatar. Ansí mesmo el dia que allá salimos se rescató buena
+cantidad de oro. En la nao habia diez mugeres de las que se
+habian tomado en las islas de Cariby; eran las mas dellas de
+Boriquen. Aquel hermano de Guacamarí habló con ellas: creemos
+que les dijo lo que luego esa noche pusieron por obra y es
+que al primer sueño muy mansamente se echaron al agua é se
+fueron á tierra, de manera que cuando fueron falladas menos iban
+tanto trecho que con las barcas no pudieron tomar mas de las
+cuatro, las cuales tomaron al salir del agua; fueron nadando mas
+de una gran media legua. Otro dia de mañana envió el Almirante
+á decir á Guacamarí que le enviase aquellas mugeres que
+la noche antes se habian huido, é que luego las mandase buscar.
+Cuando fueren hallaron el lugar despoblado, que no estaba persona
+en el: ahí tornaron muchos fuerte á afirmar su sospecha,
+otros decian que se habria mudado á otra poblacion quellos ansí
+lo suelen hacer. Aquel dia estovimos allí quedos por que el tiempo
+era contrario para salir: otro dia de mañana acordó el Almirante,
+pues que el tiempo era contrario, que seria bien ir con
+las barcas á ver un puerto la costa arriba, fasta el cual habria
+dos leguas, para ver si habria dispusicion de tierra para hacer
+habitacion; donde fuemos con todas las barcas de los navíos dejando
+los navíos en el puerto. Fuimos corriendo toda la costa,
+é tambien estos no se seguraban bien de nosotros; llegamos á
+un lugar de donde todos eran huidos. Andando por él fallamos
+junto con las casas, metido en el monte, un indio ferido de una
+vara, de una ferida que resollaba por las espaldas, que no habia
+podido huir mas lejos. Los desta isla pelean con unas varas
+agudas, las cuales tiran con unas tiranderas como las que tiran
+los mochachos las varillas en Castilla, con las cuales tiran muy
+lejos asaz certero. Es cierto que para gente desarmada que pueden
+hacer harto daño. Este nos dijo que Caonabó é los suyos lo habian
+ferido, é habian quemado las casas á Guacamarí. Ansí quel poco
+entender que los entendemos é las razones equívocas nos han
+traido á todos tan afuscados que fasta agora no se ha podido
+saber la verdad de la muerte de nuestra gente, é no hallamos en
+aquel puerto dispusicion saludable parer hacer habitacion. Acordó
+el Almirante nos tornásemos por la costa arriba por do habiámos
+venido de Castilla, porque la nueva del oro era fasta allá.
+Fuenos el tiempo contrario, que mayor pena nos fue tornar treinta
+leguas atrás que venir desde Castilla, que con el tiempo contrario
+é la largueza del camino ya eran tres meses pasados cuando
+decendimos en tierra. Plugó á nuestro Señor que por la contrariedad
+del tiempo que no nos dejó ir mas adelante, hobimos de
+tomar tierra en el mejor sitio y dispusicion que pudieramos escoger,
+donde hay mucho buen puerto é grrn pesquería, de la cual
+tenemos mucha necesidad por el carecimiento de las carnes.
+Hay en esta tierra muy singular pescado mas sano quel de España.
+Verdad sea que la tierra no consiente que se guarde de
+un dia para otro porque es caliente é humida, é por ende luego
+las cosas introfatibles ligeramente se corrompen. La tierra es
+muy gruesa para todas cosas; tiene junto un rio prencipal é otro
+razonable, asaz cerca de muy singular agua: edificase sobre la
+ribera dél una cibdad Marta, junto quel lugar se deslinda con el
+agua, de manera que la metad de la cibdad queda cercada de
+agua con una barranca de peña tajada, tal que por allí no ha menester
+defensa ninguna; la otra metad está cercada de una arboleda
+espesa que apenas podrá un conejo andar por ella; es tan
+verde que en ningun tiempo del mundo fuego la podrá quemar:
+hase comenzado á traer un brazo del rio, el cual dicen los maestros
+que trairán por medio del lugar, é asentarán en él moliendas
+é sierras de agua, é cuanto se pudiere hacer con agua. Han
+sembrado mucha hortaliza, la cual es cierto que crece mas en
+ocho dias que en España en veinte. Vienen aquí continuamente
+muchos indios é caciques con ellos, que son como capitanes dellos,
+é muchas indias: todos vienen cargados de <i>ages</i>, que son
+como nabos, muy excelente manjar, de los cuales facemos acá
+muchas maneras de manjares en cualquier manera; es tanto
+cordial manjar que nos tiene á todos muy consolados, porque de
+verdad la vida que se trajo por la mar ha seido la mas estrecha
+que nunca hombres pasaron, é fue ansí necesario porque no sabiamos
+que tiempo nos haria, ó cuanto permitiría Dios que estoviesemos
+en el camino; ansí que fue cordura estrecharnos, porque
+cualquier tiempo que viniera pudieramos conservar la vida. Rescatan
+el oro é mantenimientos é todo lo que traen por cabos de
+agujetas, por cuentas, por alfileres, por pedasos de escudillas é de
+plateles. A este <i>age</i> llaman los de Caribi <i>nabi</i>, é los indios <i>hage</i>.
+Toda esta gente, como dicho tengo, andan como nacieron, salvo
+las mugeres de esta isla traen cubiertas sus verguenzas, dellos con
+ropa de algodon que les ciñen las caderas, otras con yerbas é
+fojas de árboles. Sus galas dellos é dellas es pintarse, unos de
+negro, otros de blanco é colorado, de tantos visajes que en verlos
+es bien cosa de reir; las cabezas rapadas en logares, é en logares
+con vedijas de tantas maneras que no se podria escrebir. En
+conclusion, que todo lo que allá en nuestra España quieren hacer
+en la cabeza de un loco; acá el mejor dellos vos lo terná en
+mucha merced. Aquí estamos en comarca de muchas minas de
+ora, que segun lo que ellos dicen no hay cada una dellas de veinte
+ó veinte é cinco leguas: las unas dicen que son en Niti, en
+poder de Caonabó, aquel que mató los cristianos; otras hay en
+otra parte que se llama Cibao, las cuales, si place á nuestro
+Señor, sabremos é veremos con los ojos antes que pasen muchos
+dias, porque agora se ficiera sino porque hay tantas cosas de proveer
+que no bastamos para todo, porque la gente ha adolecido en
+cuatro ó cinco dias el tercio della, creo la mayor causa dello ha
+seido el trabajo é mala pasada del camino: allende de la diversidad
+de la tierra; pero espero en nuestro Señor que todos se
+levantarán con salud. Lo que parece desta gente es que si lengua
+toviesemos que todos se convertirian, porque cuanto nos veen
+facer tanto facen, en hincar las rodillas á los altares, é al Ave
+Maria, é á las otras devociones é santiguarse: todos dicen que
+quieren ser cristianos, puesto que verdaderamente son idólatras,
+porque en sus casas hay figuras de muchas maneras; yo les he
+preguntado que es aquello, dicenme que es cosa de <i>Turey</i>, que
+quiere decir del cielo. Yo acometi á querer echarselos en el fuego
+é haciaseles de mal que querian llorar: pero ansi piensan que
+cuanto nosotros traemos que es cosa del cielo, que á todo llaman
+<i>Turey</i>, que quiere decir cielo. El dia que yo salí á dormir en tierra
+fue el primero dia del Señor: el poco tiempo que habemos gastado
+en tierra ha seido mas en hacer donde nos metamos, é buscar las
+cosas necessarias, que en saber las cosas que hay en la tierra, pero
+aunque ha sido poco se han visto cosas bien de maravillar, que se
+han visto árboles que llevan lana y harto fina, tal que los que
+saben del arte dicen que podrán hacer buenos paños dellos. Destos
+árboles hay tantos que se podrán cargar las carabelas de la lana,
+aunque es trabajosa de coger, porque los árboles son muy espinosos;
+pero bien se puede hallar ingenio para la coger. Hay infinito
+algodon de árboles perpetuos tan grandes como duraznos. Hay
+árboles que llevan cera en color y en sabor, é en arder tan buena
+como la de abejas, tal que no hay diferencia mucha de la una á la
+otra. Hay infinitos árboles de trementina muy singular é muy
+fina. Hay mucho alquitira, tambien muy buena. Hay árboles
+que pienso que llevan nueces moscadas, salvo que agora estan sin
+fruto, é digo que lo pienso porque el sabor y olor de la corteza es
+como de nueces moscadas. Vi una raiz de gengibre que la traía
+un indio colgada al cuello. Hay tambien linaloe, aunque no es de
+la manera del que fasta agora se ha visto en nuestras partes;
+pero no es de dudar que sea una de las especias de linaloes que
+los dotores ponemos. Tambien se ha hallado una manera de canela,
+verdad es que no es tan fina como la que allá se ha visto, no
+sabemos si por veutura lo hace el defeto de saberla coger en sus
+tiempos como se ha de coger, ó si por ventura la tierra no la lleva
+mejor. Tambien se ha hallado mirabolanos cetrinos, salvo que
+agora no estan sino debajo del árbol, como la tierra es muy humida
+estan podridos, tienen el sabor mucho amargo, yo creo sea del
+podrimiento; pero todo lo otro, salvo el sabor que está corrompido,
+es de mirabolanos verdaderos. Hay tambien almástica muy
+buena. Todas estas gentes destas islas, que fasta agora se han
+visto, no poseen fierro ninguno. Tienen muchas ferramientas,
+ansi como hachas é azuelas hechas de piedra tan gentiles é tan
+labradas que es maravilla como sin fierro se pueden hacer. El
+mantenimiento suyo es pan hecho de raices de una yerba que es
+entre árbol é yerba, é el age, de que ya tengo dicho que es como
+nabos, que es muy buen mantenimiento: tienen por especia, por
+lo adobar, una especia que se llama <i>agi</i>, con la cual comen tambien
+el pescado, como aves cuando las pueden haber, que hay infinitas
+de muchas maneras. Tienen otrosí unos granos como avellanas,
+muy buenos de comer. Comen cuantas culebras é lagartos é
+arañas é cuantos gusanos se hallan por el suelo; ansi que me
+parece es mayor su bestialidad que de ninguna bestia del mundo.
+Despues de una vez haber determinado el Almirante de dejar el
+descobrir las minas fasta primero enviar los navíos que se habian
+de partir á Castilla, por la mucha enfermedad que habia seido en
+la gente, acordó de enviar dos cuadrillas con dos Capitanes, el uno
+á Cibao y el otro á Niti, donde está Caonobó, de que ya he dicho,
+las cuales fueron é vinieron el uno á veinte dias de Enero, é el otro
+á veinte é uno: el que fue á Cibao halló oro en tantas partes que
+no lo osa hombre decir, que de verdad en mas de cincuenta arroyos
+é rios hallaban oro, é fuera de los rios por tierra; de manera que
+en toda aquella provincia dice que do quiera que lo quieran buscar
+lo hallarán. Trajo muestra de muchas partes como en la arena
+de los rios é en las hontizuelas, que estan sobre tierra, creese que
+cabando, como sabemos hacer, se hallará en mayores pedazos,
+porque los indios no saben cabar ni tienen con que puedan cabar
+de un palmo arriba. El otro que fue á Niti trajo tambien nueva
+de mucho oro en tres ó cuatro partes; ansi mesmo trajo la muestra
+dello. Ansi que de cierto los Reyes nuestros Señores desde agora
+se pueden tener por los mas prósperos é mas ricos Príncipes del
+mundo, porque tal cosa hasta agora no se ha visto ni leido de
+ninguno en el mundo, porque verdaderamente á otro camino que
+los navíos vuelvan pueden llevar tanta cantidad de oro que se
+puedan maravillar cualesquiera que lo supieren. Aquí me parece
+sera bien cesar el cuento: creo los que no me conocen que oyeren
+éstas cosas, me ternán por prolijo é por hombre que ha alargado
+algo; pero Dios es testigo que yo no he traspasado una jota los
+términos de la verdad.</p>
+
+<p>Hasta aquí es el treslado de lo que conviene á nuevas de aquellas
+partes é Indias. Lo demas que venia en la carta no hace al caso,
+porque son cosas particulares que el dicho Dotor Chanca, como
+natural de Sevilla, suplicaba y encomendaba á los del Cabildo de
+Sevilla que tocaba á su hacienda y á los suyos, que en la dicha
+cibdad habia dejado, y llegó esta á Sevilla en el mes de <a class="lacuna" href="#Footnote_150">[150]</a>
+año de mil é cuatrocientos énoventa y tres años.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_108" href="#FNanchor_108" class="label">[108]</a> Doctor Chanca was appointed physician to Columbus’s fleet by a
+dispatch of the 23rd of May, 1493; and on the 24th, the chief accountants
+were instructed to pay him salary and rations as scrivener in the
+Indies. Señor de Navarrete, who saw the manuscript, “Historia de la
+Reyes Católicos,” says that its author, Andres Bernaldez, Cura de los
+Palacios, makes mention of Dr. Chanca, and had this same narration
+before him, as may be seen in the one hundred and twentieth chapter
+of his history.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_109" href="#FNanchor_109" class="label">[109]</a> A similar gap in the original: it should say <i>of the year 1493</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_110" href="#FNanchor_110" class="label">[110]</a> The island of Dominica, so called from having been discovered on
+a Sunday.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_111" href="#FNanchor_111" class="label">[111]</a> The island Marigalante, so called from the name of the ship in
+which Columbus sailed.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_112" href="#FNanchor_112" class="label">[112]</a> Dominica has no harbours, but there are several good roadsteads on
+the western side.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_113" href="#FNanchor_113" class="label">[113]</a> Marigalante.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_114" href="#FNanchor_114" class="label">[114]</a> The fruit of the manchineal, which apparently produces similar
+effects.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_115" href="#FNanchor_115" class="label">[115]</a> Guadaloupe.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_116" href="#FNanchor_116" class="label">[116]</a> It was Diego Marquez, the caterer, who with eight other men went
+on shore into the interior of the island, without permission from the
+admiral, who caused him to be sought for by parties of men with trumpets,
+but without success. One of those who were sent out with this
+object, was Alonzo de Hojeda, who took with him forty men, and on
+their return they reported that they had found many aromatic plants, a
+variety of birds, and some considerable rivers. The wanderers were not
+able to find their way to the ships until the eighth of November. (M.
+F. Navarrete’s note, from Bartholomeo de las Casas’ Manuscript History,
+chap. 84.)</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_117" href="#FNanchor_117" class="label">[117]</a> This island, called further on Cayre, is most probably the “Charis”
+or “Carib” referred to on page 14, which the log of the first voyage
+makes to be next to and westward of Matenin, which latter all evidence
+shows to be Martinique. Dominica, therefore, will be Charis or Ceyre.
+Turuqueira and Ayay, probably the two islands which form Guadaloupe.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_118" href="#FNanchor_118" class="label">[118]</a> Tuesday the 12th of November.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_119" href="#FNanchor_119" class="label">[119]</a> The island Montserrat. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, c. vii.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_120" href="#FNanchor_120" class="label">[120]</a> The admiral called it Santa Maria la Redonda. See <i>ibid.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_121" href="#FNanchor_121" class="label">[121]</a> Santa Maria la Antigua. See <i>ibid.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_122" href="#FNanchor_122" class="label">[122]</a> The island of St. Martin. See <i>ibid.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_123" href="#FNanchor_123" class="label">[123]</a> Dominica, see <a href="#Footnote_117">note, p. 31</a>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_124" href="#FNanchor_124" class="label">[124]</a> The island of <i>Santa Cruz</i>, where they anchored on Thursday the
+fourteenth of November. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, cap. vii.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_125" href="#FNanchor_125" class="label">[125]</a> The admiral named the largest of these islands <i>St. Ursula</i>, and all
+the others <i>The eleven thousand Virgins</i>. See <i>ibid.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_126" href="#FNanchor_126" class="label">[126]</a> The island of <i>Porto Rico</i>, to which the admiral gave the name of
+<i>St. John the Baptist</i>. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, cap. vii.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_127" href="#FNanchor_127" class="label">[127]</a> Porto Rico.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_128" href="#FNanchor_128" class="label">[128]</a> On Friday, the twenty-second of November, the admiral first caught
+sight of the island of Española. See Herrera, Dec. 1. L. 2, cap. vii.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_129" href="#FNanchor_129" class="label">[129]</a> Mona Island.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_130" href="#FNanchor_130" class="label">[130]</a> Apparently between Point Macao and Point Engaño, which is flat.
+The higher land of the north coast commences at Point Macao.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_131" href="#FNanchor_131" class="label">[131]</a> On the parallel of 18° 25′ the island has an extreme length of 400
+miles, and its extreme breadth may be taken at 150 on the meridian of
+71° 20′.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_132" href="#FNanchor_132" class="label">[132]</a> In all probability a species of <i>capromys</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_133" href="#FNanchor_133" class="label">[133]</a> Cabras or Goat Island, close to “el Fraile” in the Bay of Monte
+Cristi.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_134" href="#FNanchor_134" class="label">[134]</a> An alligator.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_135" href="#FNanchor_135" class="label">[135]</a> The river Yaque.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_136" href="#FNanchor_136" class="label">[136]</a> The admiral anchored at the entrance of the harbour of Navidad,
+on Wednesday, the twenty-seventh of November, towards midnight,
+and on the following day put into the harbour. See Herrera, Dec. 1.
+L. 2, cap. viii and ix.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_137" href="#FNanchor_137" class="label">[137]</a> The Bay of Caracol, four leagues west of Fort Dauphin.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_138" href="#FNanchor_138" class="label">[138]</a> This is the earliest mention of a hammock.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_139" href="#FNanchor_139" class="label">[139]</a> Port Dauphin.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_140" href="#FNanchor_140" class="label">[140]</a> Port Isabelique, or Isabella, ten leagues to the east of Monte Christi.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_141" href="#FNanchor_141" class="label">[141]</a> The river Isabella.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_142" href="#FNanchor_142" class="label">[142]</a> The infant city of Isabella.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_143" href="#FNanchor_143" class="label">[143]</a> Yams.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_144" href="#FNanchor_144" class="label">[144]</a> A species of the natural order <i>Bombaceæ</i>; perhaps the <i>Eriodendron
+anfractuosum</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_145" href="#FNanchor_145" class="label">[145]</a> These were probably trees of the laurel tribe, the bark of which is
+generally spicy like cinnamon. The cinnamon mentioned below was
+probably also one of these and not true cinnamon.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_146" href="#FNanchor_146" class="label">[146]</a> Barbadoes aloes, still considered as of inferior quality to those of
+Socotra.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_147" href="#FNanchor_147" class="label">[147]</a> In fact he sent twelve vessels under the command of Antonio de
+Torres, who set sail from the port of Navidad, on the second of February,
+1494, charged with an account of all that had occurred. (Navarrete.)</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_148" href="#FNanchor_148" class="label">[148]</a> This was Alonzo de Ojeda, who went out with fifteen men, in the
+month of January 1494, to seek the mines of Cibao, and returned a few
+days after with good news, having been well received everywhere by the
+natives. (Navarrete.)</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_149" href="#FNanchor_149" class="label">[149]</a> It is to be regretted, Navarrete here justly remarks, that Dr.
+Chanca should not have described the subsequent occurrences in Hispaniola,
+which are very important, and which have been related by cotemporary
+historians.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_150" href="#FNanchor_150" class="label">[150]</a> A similar gap in the original. The date of the year is a mistake.
+This letter might have been brought by the ships commanded by Torres,
+and consequently must have been written at the end of January, 1494,
+after the expedition of Ojeda. (Navarrete.)</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="english">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_72">[72]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="MEMORIAL">MEMORIAL.</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Memorial of the results of the Second Voyage of the Admiral,
+Christopher Columbus, to the Indies, drawn up by him for
+their Highnesses King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella;
+and addressed to Antonio de Torres, from the City of
+Isabella, the 30th of January, 1494. The reply of their
+Highnesses is affixed at the end of each chapter.</i>&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_151" href="#Footnote_151" class="fnanchor">[151]</a></h3>
+
+<p>The report which you, Antonio de Torres, captain of the ship
+<i>Marigalante</i>, and Governor of the city of Isabella, have to
+make, on my behalf, to the King and Queen our sovereigns,
+is as follows:</p>
+
+<p>Imprimis: after having delivered the credentials which
+you bear from me to their Highnesses, you will do homage
+in my name, and commend me to them as to my natural
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_73">[73]</span>sovereigns, in whose service I desire to continue till death;
+and you will furthermore be able to lay before them all that
+you have yourself seen and known respecting me.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses accept and acknowledge the service.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Although, by the letters which I have written to
+their Highnesses, as well as to Father Buil and to the Treasurer,
+a clear and comprehensive idea may be formed of all
+that has transpired since our arrival; you will, notwithstanding,
+inform their Highnesses, on my behalf, that God has
+been pleased to manifest such favour towards their service,
+that not only has nothing hitherto occurred to diminish the
+importance of what I have formerly written or said to their
+Highnesses; but on the contrary I hope, by God’s grace,
+shortly to prove it more clearly by facts; because we have
+found upon the sea shore, without penetrating into the interior
+of the country, some spots showing so many indications of
+various spices, as naturally to suggest the hope of the best results
+for the future. The same holds good with respect to the
+gold mines; for two parties only, who were sent, out in different
+directions to discover them, and who, because they had
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_74">[74]</span>few people with them, remained out but a short time, found,
+nevertheless, a great number of rivers whose sands contained
+this precious metal in such quantity, that each man took up
+a sample of it in his hand; so that our two messengers returned
+so joyous, and boasted so much of the abundance of
+gold, that I feel a hesitation in speaking and writing of
+it to their Highnesses. But as Gorbalan, who was one of
+the persons who went on the discovery, is returning to
+Spain, he will be able to relate all that he has seen and
+observed; although there remains here another individual,—named
+Hojeda, formerly servant of the Duke of
+Medinaceli, and a very discreet and pains-taking youth,—who
+without doubt discovered, beyond all comparison, more
+than the other, judging by the account which he gave of
+the rivers he had seen; for he reported, that each of them
+contained things that appeared incredible. It results from
+all this, that their Highnesses ought to return thanks to God,
+for the favour which He thus accords to all their Highnesses’
+enterprises.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses return thanks to God for all that is recorded,
+and regard as a very signal service all that the Admiral has
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_75">[75]</span>already done, and is yet doing; for they are sensible that,
+under God, it is he who has procured for them their present
+and future possessions in these countries; and as they are
+about to write to him on this subject more at length, they refer
+to their letter.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will repeat to their Highnesses what I have
+already written to them, that I should have ardently desired
+to have been able to send them, by this occasion, a larger
+quantity of gold than what they have any hope of our being
+able to collect, but that the greater part of the people we
+employed fell suddenly ill. Moreover, the departure of this
+present expedition could not be delayed any longer, for two
+reasons: namely, on account of the heavy expense which
+their stay here occasioned; and because the weather was
+favourable for their departure, and for the return of those
+who should bring back the articles of which we stand in the
+most pressing need. If the former were to put off the
+time of their starting, and the latter were to delay their departure,
+they would not be able to reach here by the month
+of May. Besides, if I wished now to undertake a journey to
+the rivers with those who are well,—whether with those who
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_76">[76]</span>are at sea, or those who are on land in the huts,—I should
+experience great difficulties, and even dangers; because, in
+traversing three or four-and-twenty leagues, where there are
+bays and rivers to pass, we should be obliged to carry, as
+provision for so long a journey, and for the time necessary
+for collecting the gold, many articles of food, etc., which
+could not be carried on our backs, and there are no beasts
+of burden to be found, to afford the necessary assistance.
+Moreover, the roads and passes are not in such a condition
+as I should wish for travelling over; but they have already
+begun to make them passable. It would be also extremely
+inconvenient to leave the sick men here in the open air, or in
+huts, with such food and defences as they have on shore;
+although these Indians appear every day to be more simple
+and harmless to those who land for the purpose of making
+investigations. In short, although they come every day to
+visit us, it would nevertheless be imprudent to risk the loss
+of our men and our provisions, which might very easily
+happen, if an Indian were only, with a lighted coal, to set
+fire to the huts, for they ramble about both night and day;
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_77">[77]</span>for this reason, we keep sentinels constantly on the watch
+while the dwellings are exposed and undefended.</p>
+
+<p><i>He has done well.</i></p>
+
+<p>Further, as we have remarked that the greatest part of
+those who have gone out to make discoveries, have fallen
+sick on their return, and that some have even been obliged
+to abandon the undertaking in the middle of their journey,
+and return, it was equally to be feared that the same would
+occur to those who were at the time enjoying good health,
+if they were also to go. There were two evils to fear:—one,
+the chance of falling ill in undertaking the same work, in a
+place where there were no houses nor any kind of protection,
+and of being exposed to the attacks of the cacique called
+Caonabo, who, by all accounts, is a badly-disposed man, and
+extremely daring; who, if he were to find us in a dispirited
+condition and sick, might venture upon what he would not
+dare to do if we were well. The other evil consisted in the
+difficulty of carrying the gold; for, either we should have to
+carry it in small quantities, and go and return every day,
+and thus daily expose ourselves to the chance of sickness;
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_78">[78]</span>or we should have to send it under the escort of a party of
+our people, and equally run the risk of losing them.</p>
+
+<p><i>He has done well.</i></p>
+
+<p>These are the reasons, you will tell their Highnesses, why
+the departure of the expedition has not been delayed, and
+why only a sample of the gold is sent to them; but I trust
+in the mercy of God, who in all things and in every place
+has guided us hitherto, that all our men will be soon restored
+to health, as, indeed, they are already beginning to be; for
+they have but to try this country for a little time and they
+speedily recover their health. One thing is certain, that if
+they could have fresh meat, they would very quickly, by the
+help of God, be up and doing; and those who are most
+sickly, would speedily recover. I hope that they may be
+restored. The small number of those who continue well,
+are employed every day in barricading our dwelling, so as
+to put it in a state of defence, and in taking necessary
+measures for the safety of our ammunition; which will be
+finished now in a few days, for all our fortifications will consist
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_79">[79]</span>simply of stone walls.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_152" href="#Footnote_152" class="fnanchor">[152]</a> These precautions will be sufficient,
+as the Indians are not a people to be much afraid of;
+and, unless they should find us asleep, they would not dare
+to undertake any hostile movement against us, even if they
+should entertain the idea of so doing. The misfortune which
+happened to those who remained here, must be attributed
+to their want of vigilance; for however few they were in
+number, and however favourable the opportunities that the
+Indians may have had for doing what they did, they would
+never have ventured to do them any injury, if they had only
+seen that they took proper precautions against an attack.
+As soon as this object is gained, I will undertake to go in
+search of these rivers; either proceeding hence by land, and
+looking out for the best expedients that may offer, or else
+by sea, rounding the island until we come to the place which
+is described as being only six or seven leagues from where
+these rivers that I speak of are situated; so that we may
+collect the gold in safety, and put it in security against all
+attacks in some stronghold or tower, which may be quickly
+built for that purpose: and thus, when the two caravels shall
+return thither, the gold may be taken away and finally sent
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_80">[80]</span>home in safety at the first favourable season for making the
+voyage.</p>
+
+<p><i>This is well and exactly as he should do.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will inform their Highnesses (as indeed has
+been already said), that the cause of the sickness so general
+among us, is the change of air and water, for we find that all
+of us are affected, though few dangerously; consequently,
+the preservation of the health of the people will depend,
+under God, on their being provided with the same food
+that they are accustomed to in Spain: neither those who
+are here now, nor those that shall come, will be in a position
+to be of service to their Highnesses, unless they enjoy good
+health. We ought to have fresh supplies of provisions
+until the time that we may be able to gather a sufficient
+crop from what we shall have sown or planted here: I speak
+of wheat, barley, and grapes, towards the cultivation of
+which not much has been done this year, from our being
+unable earlier to choose a convenient settlement. When we
+had chosen it, the small number of labourers that were with
+us fell sick; and, even when they recovered, we had so few
+cattle, and those so lean and weak, that the utmost they
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_81">[81]</span>could do was very little; however, they have sown a few
+plots of ground, for the sake of trying the soil, which seems
+excellent, in the hope of thereby obtaining some relief in our
+necessities. We are very confident, from what we can see,
+that wheat and grapes will grow very well in this country.
+We must, however, wait for the fruit; and if it grows as
+quickly and well as the corn, in proportion to the number of
+vines that have been planted, we shall certainly not stand
+in need of Andalusia and Sicily here. There are also sugar-canes,
+of which the small quantity that we have planted has
+taken root. The beauty of the country in these islands,—the
+mountains, the valleys, the streams, the fields watered
+by broad rivers,—is such that there is no country on which
+the sun sheds his beams that can present a more charming
+appearance.</p>
+
+<p><i>Since the land is so fertile, it is desirable to sow of all kinds
+as much as possible; and Don Juan de Fonseca is instructed
+to send over immediately everything requisite for that purpose.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_82">[82]</span></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will say, that as a large portion of the wine
+that we brought with us has run away, in consequence, as
+most of the men say, of the bad cooperage of the butts made
+at Seville, the article that we stand most in need of now,
+and shall stand in need of, is wine; and although we have
+biscuit and corn for some time longer, it is nevertheless
+necessary that a reasonable quantity of these be sent to us,
+for the voyage is a long one, and it is impossible to make a
+calculation for every day; the same holds good with respect
+to pork and salt beef, which should be better than what we
+brought out with us on this voyage. Sheep, and still better,
+lambs and lambkins, more females than males, young calves
+and heifers, also are wanted, and should be sent by every
+caravel that may be dispatched hither; and at the same
+time some asses, both male and female, and mares for labour
+and tillage; for here there are no beasts that a man can turn
+to any use. As I fear that their Highnesses may not be at
+Seville, and that their officers or ministers will not, without
+their express instructions, make any movement towards the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_83">[83]</span>carrying out of the necessary arrangements for the return
+voyage; and that, in the interval between the report and the
+reply, the favourable moment for the departure of the vessels
+which are to return hither (and which should be in all the
+month of May) may elapse, you will tell their Highnesses,
+as I charged and ordered you, that I have given strict orders
+that the gold that you carry with you be placed in the hands
+of some merchant in Seville, in order that he may therefrom
+disburse the sums necessary for loading the two caravels
+with wine, corn, and other articles detailed in this memorial;
+and this merchant shall convey or send the said
+gold to their Highnesses, that they may see it, receive
+it, and from it cause to be defrayed the expenses that
+may arise from the fitting-up and loading of the said two
+caravels. It is necessary, for the encouragement of the men
+who remain here, and for the support of their spirits, that
+an effort should be made to let the expedition arrive in the
+course of the month of May, so that before summer they
+may have the fresh provisions, and other necessaries, especially
+against sickness. We particularly stand in need of
+raisins, sugar, almonds, honey, and rice, of which we ought
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_84">[84]</span>to have had a great quantity, but brought very little with
+us, and what we had is now consumed. The greater part of
+the medicines, also, that we brought from Spain are used
+up, so many of our number having been sick. For all
+these articles, both for those who are in good health and
+for the sick, you carry, as I have already said, memorials
+signed by my hand; you will execute my orders to the full,
+if there be sufficient money wherewith to do so, or you will
+at least procure what is more immediately necessary, and
+which ought, consequently, to come as speedily as possible
+by the two vessels. As to the remainder, you will obtain
+their Highnesses’ permission for their being sent by other
+vessels without loss of time.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses will give instructions to Don Juan de Fonseca
+to make immediate inquiry respecting the imposition in
+the matter of the casks, in order that those who supplied them
+shall at their own expense make good the loss occasioned by
+the waste of the wine, together with the costs. He will have to
+see that sugar-canes of good quality be sent, and will immediately
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_85">[85]</span>look to the despatch of the other articles herein required.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses, that as we have no
+interpreter through whom we can make these people acquainted
+with our holy faith, as their Highnesses and we
+ourselves desire, and as we will do so soon as we are able,
+we send by these two vessels some of these cannibal men
+and women, as well as some children, both male and female,
+whom their Highnesses might order to be placed under the
+care of the most competent persons to teach them the language.
+At the same time they might be employed in useful
+occupations, and by degrees through somewhat more care
+being bestowed upon them than upon other slaves, they
+would learn one from the other. By not seeing or speaking
+to each other for a long time, they will learn much sooner
+in Spain than they will here, and become much better interpreters.
+We will, however, not fail to do what we can;
+it is true, that as there is but little communication between
+one of these islands and another, there is some difference
+in their mode of expressing themselves, which mainly depends
+on the distance between them. But as amongst all
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_86">[86]</span>these islands, those inhabited by the cannibals are the
+largest and the most populous, it must be evident that
+nothing but good can come from sending to Spain men and
+women who may thus one day be led to abandon their barbarous
+custom of eating their fellow-creatures. By learning
+the Spanish language in Spain, they will much earlier receive
+baptism and advance the welfare of their souls; moreover,
+we shall gain great credit with the Indians who do not
+practise the above-mentioned cruel custom, when they see
+that we have seized and led captive those who injure them,
+and whose very name alone fills them with horror. You
+will assure their Highnesses, that our arrival in this country,
+and the sight of so fine a fleet, have produced the most imposing
+effect for the present, and promise great security
+hereafter; for all the inhabitants of this great island, and of
+the others, when they see the good treatment that we shall
+shew to those who do well, and the punishment that we
+shall inflict on those who do wrong, will hasten to submit,
+so that we shall be able to lay our commands on them as
+vassals of their Highnesses. And as even now they not only
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_87">[87]</span>readily comply with every wish that we express, but also of
+their own accord endeavour to do what they think will please
+us, I think that their Highnesses may feel assured that,
+on the other side also, the arrival of this fleet has, in many
+respects, secured for them, both for the present and the
+future, a wide renown amongst all Christian Princes; but
+they themselves will be able to form a much better judgment
+on this subject than it is in my power to give expression
+to.</p>
+
+<p><i>Let him be informed of what has transpired respecting the
+cannibals that came over to Spain. He has done well and
+let him do as he says; but let him endeavour by all possible
+means to convert them to our holy Catholic religion, and
+do the same with respect to the inhabitants of all the islands
+to which he may go.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses, that the welfare
+of the souls of the said cannibals, and of the inhabitants
+of this island also, has suggested the thought that the
+greater the number that are sent over to Spain the better,
+and thus good service may result to their Highnesses
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_88">[88]</span>in the following manner. Considering what great need
+we have of cattle and of beasts of burthen, both for food
+and to assist the settlers in this and all these islands,
+both for peopling the land and cultivating the soil, their
+Highnesses might authorize a suitable number of caravels to
+come here every year to bring over the said cattle, and provisions,
+and other articles; these cattle, etc., might be sold
+at moderate prices for account of the bearers, and the latter
+might be paid with slaves, taken from among the Caribbees,
+who are a wild people, fit for any work, well proportioned
+and very intelligent, and who, when they have got rid of the
+cruel habits to which they have become accustomed, will be
+better than any other kind of slaves. When they are out
+of their country, they will forget their cruel customs; and it
+will be easy to obtain plenty of these savages by means of
+row-boats that we propose to build. It is taken for granted,
+that each of the caravels sent by their Highnesses, will have
+on board a confidential man, who will take care that the
+vessels do not stop anywhere else than here, where they are
+to unload and reload their vessels. Their Highnesses might
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_89">[89]</span>fix duties on the slaves that may be taken over, upon their
+arrival in Spain. You will ask for a reply upon this point,
+and bring it to me, in order that I may be able to take the
+necessary measures, should the proposition merit the approbation
+of their Highnesses.</p>
+
+<p><i>The consideration of this subject has been suspended for a
+time, until fresh advices arrive from the other side: let the
+Admiral write what he thinks upon the subject.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will also tell their Highnesses, that freighting
+the ships by the ton, as the Flemish merchants do, will be
+more advantageous and less expensive than any other mode,
+and it is for this reason that I have given you instructions
+to freight in this manner the caravels that you have now to
+send off, and it will be well to adopt this plan with all the
+others that their Highnesses may send provided it meets
+their approbation; but I do not mean to say that this measure
+should be applied to the vessels that shall come over
+licensed for the traffic of slaves.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses have given directions to Don Juan de
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_90">[90]</span>Fonseca, to have the caravels freighted in the manner described,
+if it can be done.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses, that in order to
+save any extra expense, I have purchased the caravels mentioned
+in the memorial of which you are the bearer, in order
+to keep them here with the two vessels, the <i>Gallega</i> and the
+<i>Capitana</i>, of which, by advice of the pilot its commander, I
+purchased the three-eighths for the price declared in the said
+memorial, signed by my hand. These vessels will not only
+give authority and great security to those who will have to
+remain on shore and whose duty it will be to make arrangements
+with the Indians for collecting the gold; but they
+will be also very useful to ward off any attack that may be
+made upon them by strangers; moreover, the caravels will
+be required for the task of making the discovery of terra
+firma, and of the islands which lie scattered about in this
+vicinity. You will therefore beg their Highnesses to pay,
+at the term of credit arranged with the sellers, the sums
+which these vessels shall cost, for without doubt their Highnesses
+will be very soon reimbursed for what they may expend;
+at least, such is my belief and hope in the mercy of God.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_91">[91]</span></p>
+
+<p><i>The Admiral has done well. You will tell him that the sum
+mentioned has been paid to the seller of the vessels, and that
+Don Juan de Fonseca has been ordered to pay the cost of the
+caravels purchased by the Admiral.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will speak to their Highnesses, and beseech
+them on my behalf, in the most humble manner possible, to
+be pleased to give mature reflection to the observations I
+may make, in letters or more detailed statements, with reference
+to the peacefulness, harmony, and good feeling of
+those who come hither; in order that for their Highnesses
+service persons may be selected who will hold in view the
+purpose for which these men are sent, rather than their own
+interest; and since you yourself have seen and are acquainted
+with these matters, you will speak to their Highnesses upon
+this subject, and will tell them the truth on every point exactly
+as you have understood it; you will also take care that
+the orders which their Highnesses shall give on this point
+be put into effect, if possible, by the first vessels, in order
+that no further injury occur here in the matters that affect
+their service.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_92">[92]</span></p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses are well informed of all that takes place,
+and will see to it that everything is done as it should be.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will describe to their Highnesses the position
+of this city, the beauty of the province in which it is situated,
+as you have seen it, and as you can honestly speak of it; and
+you can inform them, that in virtue of the powers which I
+have received from them, I have made you governor of the
+said city; and you will tell them also that I humbly beseech
+them, out of consideration for your services, to receive your
+nomination favourably, which I sincerely hope they may do.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses are pleased to sanction your appointment
+as governor.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. As Messire Pedro Margarite, an officer of the household
+to their Highnesses, has done good service, and will, I
+hope, continue to do so for the future in all matters which
+may be entrusted to him, I have felt great pleasure in his
+continuing his stay in this country; and I have been much
+pleased to find that Gaspar and Beltran also remain: and as
+they are all three well known to their Highnesses as faithful
+servants, I shall place them in posts or employments of trust.
+You will beg their Highnesses especially to have regard to
+the situation of the said Messire Pedro Margarite, who is
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_93">[93]</span>married and the father of a family, and beseech them to give
+him some vacant command in the order of Santiago, of which
+he is a knight, in order that his wife and children may thus
+have a competence to live upon. You will also make mention
+of Juan Aguado, a servant of their Highnesses; you will inform
+them of the zeal and activity with which he has served
+them in all matters that have been entrusted to him; and
+also that I beseech their Highnesses on his behalf, as well as
+on behalf of those above mentioned, not to forget my recommendation,
+but to give it full consideration.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses grant an annual pension of thirty thousand
+maravedis to Messire Pedro Margarite, and pensions of
+fifteen thousand maravedis to Gaspard and Beltram, which
+will be reckoned from this day, the 15th of August 1494.
+They give orders that the said pensions be paid by the Admiral
+out of the sums to be paid in the Indies, and by Don
+Juan de Fonseca out of the sums to be paid in Spain. With
+respect to the matter of Juan Aguado, their Highnesses will
+not be forgetful.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will inform their Highnesses of the continual
+labour that Doctor Chanca has undergone, from the prodigious
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_94">[94]</span>number of sick and the scarcity of provisions: and
+that, in spite of all this, he exhibits the greatest zeal and
+kindness in everything that relates to his profession. As
+their highnesses have entrusted me with the charge of fixing
+the salary that is to be paid to him while out here (although
+it is certain that he neither receives, nor can receive anything
+from any one, and does not receive anything from his position,
+equal to what he did, and could still do in Spain,
+where he lived peaceably and at ease, in a very different style
+from what he does here; and, although he declares that he
+earned more in Spain, exclusive of the pay which he received
+from their Highnesses), I have, nevertheless, not ventured
+to place to the credit of his account more than fifty thousand
+maravedis per annum, as the sum which he is to receive for
+his yearly labour during the time of his stay in this country.
+I beg their Highnesses to give their sanction to this salary,
+exclusive of his maintenance while here; and I do so, because
+he asserts that all the medical men who attend their Highnesses
+in the royal yachts, or in any of their expeditions, are
+accustomed to receive by right the day’s pay out of the
+annual salary of each individual. Let this be as it may, I
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_95">[95]</span>am informed for certain, that on whatever service they are
+engaged, it is the custom to give them a certain fixed sum,
+settled at the will and by order of their Highnesses, as compensation
+for the said day’s pay. You will, therefore, beg
+their Highnesses to decide this matter, as well with respect
+to the annual pay as to the above-mentioned usage, so that
+the said doctor may be reasonably satisfied.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses acknowledge the justice of Doctor Chanca’s
+observations, and it is their wish that the Admiral shall pay
+him the sum which he has allowed him, exclusive of his fixed
+annual salary. With respect to the day’s pay allowed to
+medical men, it is not the custom to authorize them to receive
+it, except when they are in personal attendance upon our Lord
+the King.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses what great devotion
+Coronel has shown to the service in many respects, and
+what great proofs he has given of it in every important
+matter that has been trusted to him, and how much we feel
+his loss now that he is sick. You will represent to them
+how just it is that he should receive the recompense of such
+good and loyal services, not only in the favours which may
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_96">[96]</span>hereafter be shown to him, but also in his present pay, in
+order that he, and all those that are with us, may see what
+profit will accrue to them from their zeal in the service; for
+the importance and difficulty of exploring the mines should
+call for great consideration towards those to whom such extensive
+interests are entrusted; and, as the talents of the
+said Coronel have made me determine upon appointing him
+principal constable of this portion of the Indies, and, as his
+salary is left open, I beg their Highnesses to make it as
+liberal as may be in consideration of his services, and to
+confirm his nomination to the service which I have allotted
+to him, by giving him an official appointment thereto.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses grant him, besides his salary, an annual
+pension of fifteen thousand maravedis; the same to be paid
+him at the same time as the said salary.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will, at the same time, tell their Highnesses
+that the bachelor, Gil Garcia, came out here in quality of
+principal alcalde, without having any salary fixed or allowed
+to him: that he is a good man, well-informed, correct in his
+conduct, and very necessary to us; and that I beg their
+Highnesses to be pleased to appoint him a salary sufficient
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_97">[97]</span>for his support; and that it be remitted to him together
+with his pay from the other side.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses grant him an annual pension of twenty
+thousand maravedis during his stay in the Indies, and that over
+and above his fixed appointments; and it is their order that
+this pension be paid to him at the same time as his salary.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses, as I have already
+told them in writing, that I think it will be impossible to go
+this year to make discoveries until arrangements have been
+made to work the two rivers in which the gold has been found
+in the most profitable manner for their Highnesses’ interest;
+and this may be done more effectively hereafter, because it is
+not a thing that every one can do to my satisfaction, or with
+advantage to their Highnesses’ service, unless I be present;
+for whatever is to be done always turns out best under the
+eye of the party interested.</p>
+
+<p><i>It is the most necessary thing possible that he should strive
+to find the way to this gold.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses, that the horse-soldiers
+that came from Grenada to the review which took place
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_98">[98]</span>at Seville, offered good horses, but that at the time of their
+being sent on board, they took advantage of my absence (for
+I was somewhat indisposed), and changed them for others,
+the best of which does not seem worth two thousand maravedis,
+for they sold the first and bought these; and this deception
+on the part of the horse-soldiers, is very like what I
+have known to occur to many gentlemen in Seville of my
+acquaintance. It seems that Juan de Soria, after the price
+was paid, for some private interest of his own, put other
+horses in the place of those that I expected to find, and when
+I came to see them, there were horses there that had never
+been offered to me for sale. In all this the greatest dishonesty
+has been shown, so that I do not know whether I ought to
+complain of him alone, since these horse-soldiers have been
+paid their expenses up to the present day, besides their salary
+and the hire of their horses, and when they are ill, they will
+not allow their horses to be used, because they are not present.
+It is not their Highnesses’ wish that these horses
+should be purchased for anything but their Highnesses’ service,
+but these men think they are only to be employed on
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_99">[99]</span>work which requires them to ride on horse-back, which is
+not the case at present. All these considerations lead me
+to think, that it would be more convenient to buy their
+horses, which are worth but little, and thus avoid being exposed
+daily to new disputes; finally, their Highnesses will
+decide on what plan is best for their own interests.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses order Don Juan de Fonseca to make inquiries
+respecting the matter of the horses, and if it be true
+that such a deception has been practised, to send up the culprits
+to be punished as they deserve; also to gain information respecting
+the other people that the admiral speaks of, and to send
+the result of the information to their Highnesses. With respect
+to the horse soldiers, it is their Highnesses’ wish and command
+that they continue where they are, and remain in service, because
+they belong to the guards and to the class of their Highnesses’
+servants. Their Highnesses also command the said horse
+soldiers to give up their horses into the charge of the Admiral
+on all occasions when they shall be required, and if the use of
+the horses should occasion any loss, their Highnesses direct that
+compensation shall be made for the amount of the injury, through
+the medium of the Admiral.</i></p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_100">[100]</span></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will mention to their Highnesses, that more
+than two hundred persons have come here without fixed salaries,
+and that some of them are very useful to the service;
+and in order to preserve system and uniformity, the others
+have been ordered to imitate them. For the first three years,
+it is desirable that we should have here a thousand men, in
+order to keep a safeguard upon the island and upon the rivers
+that supply the gold: and even if we were able to mount
+a hundred men on horse-back, so far from being an evil, it
+will be a very necessary thing for us; but their Highnesses
+might pass by the question of the horse-men until gold shall
+be sent. In short, their Highnesses should give instructions
+as to whether the two hundred people who have come over
+without pay, should receive pay like the others, if they do
+their work well; for we certainly have great need of them to
+commence our labours, as I have already shown.</p>
+
+<p><i>It is their Highnesses’ wish and command, that the two
+hundred persons without pay shall replace such of those who are
+paid as have failed, or as shall hereafter fail, in their duty,
+provided they are fit for the service and please the Admiral;
+and their Highnesses order the Accomptant to enter their names
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_101">[101]</span>in the place of those who shall fail in their duty, as the Admiral
+shall determine.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. As there are means of diminishing the expenses
+that these people occasion, by employing them, as other
+Princes do, in industrial occupations, I think it would be
+well that all ships that come here should be ordered to bring,
+besides the ordinary stores and medicines, shoes, and leather
+for making shoes, shirts, both of common and superior
+quality, doublets, laces, some peasants’ clothing, breeches,
+and cloth for making clothes, all at moderate prices; they
+might also bring other articles, such as conserves, which do
+not enter into the daily ration, yet are good for preserving
+health. The Spaniards that are here would always be
+happy to receive such articles as these in lieu of part of
+their pay; and if they were purchased by men who were
+selected for their known loyalty, and who take an interest
+in the service of their Highnesses, considerable economy
+would result from this arrangement. Ascertain their
+Highnesses’ pleasure on this head, and if the plan be
+deemed expedient for the service, it should be put in practice
+at once.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_102">[102]</span></p>
+
+<p><i>This matter may rest for the present until the Admiral shall
+write more fully on the subject; meanwhile, Don Juan de
+Fonseca shall be ordered to instruct Don Ximenes de Bribiesca
+to make the necessary arrangements for the execution of the proposed
+plans.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses that, in a review that
+was holden yesterday, it was remarked that a great number
+of the people were without arms, which I think must be attributed
+partly to the exchange made at Seville, or in the harbour,
+when those who presented themselves armed were left
+for a while, and for a trifle exchanged their arms for others
+of an inferior quality. I think it would be desirable that two
+hundred cuirasses, a hundred arquebuses, a hundred arblasts,
+and many other articles of defensive armour, should be sent
+over to us; for we have great need of them to arm those
+who are at present without them.</p>
+
+<p><i>Don Juan de Fonseca has already been written to, to provide
+them.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. Inasmuch as many married persons have come
+over here, and are engaged in regular duties, such as masons
+and other tradesmen, who have left their wives in Spain,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_103">[103]</span>and wish that the pay that falls due to them may be paid to
+their wives, or whomsoever they may appoint, in order that
+they may purchase for them such articles as they may need,
+I therefore beseech their Highnesses to take such measures
+as they may deem expedient on this subject; for it is of
+importance to their interests that these people be well provided
+for.</p>
+
+<p><i>Their Highnesses have already ordered Don Juan de Fonseca
+to attend to this matter.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. Besides the other articles which I have begged from
+their Highnesses in the memorial which you bear, signed by
+my hand, and which articles consist of provisions and other
+stores, both for those who are well and for those who are sick,
+it would be very serviceable that fifty pipes of molasses should
+be sent hither from the island of Madeira; for it is the most
+nutritious food in the world, and the most wholesome. A
+pipe of it does not ordinarily cost more than two ducats,
+exclusive of the casks; and if their Highnesses would order
+one of the caravels to call at the said island on the return
+voyage, the purchase might be made, and they might, at the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_104">[104]</span>same time, buy ten casks of sugar, of which we stand greatly
+in need. It is the most favourable season of the year to obtain
+it at a cheap rate, that is to say, between this and the
+month of April. The necessary orders might be given, if
+their Highnesses think proper, and yet the place of destination
+be carefully concealed.</p>
+
+<p><i>Don Juan de Fonseca will see to it.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will tell their Highnesses that, although the
+rivers contain in their beds the quantity of gold described
+by those who have seen it, there is no doubt that the
+gold is produced not in the rivers but the earth; and that
+the water happening to come in contact with the mines,
+washes it away mingled with the sand. And as among the
+great number of rivers that have been already discovered
+there are some of considerable magnitude, there are also some
+so small that they might rather be called brooks than rivers,
+only two fingers’ breadth deep, and very short in their course;
+there will, therefore, be some men wanted to wash the gold
+from the sand, and others to dig it out of the earth. This
+latter operation will be the principal and the most productive;
+it will be expedient, therefore, that their Highnesses send
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_105">[105]</span>men both for the washing and for the mining, from among
+those who are employed in Spain in the mines at Almaden&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_153" href="#Footnote_153" class="fnanchor">[153]</a>,
+so that the work may be done in both manners. We shall
+not, however, wait for the arrival of these workmen, but
+hope, with the aid of God and with the washers that we
+have here with us, when they shall be restored to health, to
+send a good quantity of gold by the first caravels that shall
+leave for Spain.</p>
+
+<p><i>This shall be completely provided for in the next voyage out;
+meanwhile, Don Juan de Fonseca has their Highnesses’ orders
+to send as many miners as he can find. Their Highnesses
+write also to Almaden, with instructions to select the greatest
+number that can be procured, and to send them up.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. You will beseech their Highnesses very humbly in
+my name, to be pleased to pay regard to my strong recommendation
+of Villacorta, who, as their Highnesses are aware,
+has been extremely useful, and has shown the greatest possible
+zeal in this affair. As I know him to be a zealous
+man and well disposed to their Highnesses’ service, I shall
+take it as a favour if they will deign to grant him some
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_106">[106]</span>post of trust adapted to his qualifications, and in which
+he might give proof of his industry and warm desire to serve
+their Highnesses: and you will manage that Villacorta shall
+have practical evidence that the work which he has done for
+me, and in which I found him needful to me, has been of
+some profit to him.</p>
+
+<p><i>This shall be done as he wishes.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item. That the said Messire Pedro, Gaspar, Beltran, and
+others remaining here, came out in command of caravels
+which have now gone back, and are in receipt of no salary
+whatever; but as these are people who should be employed
+in the most important and confidential positions, their pay
+has not been fixed, because it ought to be different from that
+of the rest; you will beg their Highnesses, therefore, on
+my behalf, to settle what ought to be given them either yearly
+or monthly, for the advantage of their Highnesses’ service.</p>
+
+<p>Given in the City of Isabella, the thirtieth of January, in
+the year fourteen hundred and ninety-four.</p>
+
+<p><i>This point has been already replied to above; but as in
+the said clause he says that they should receive their pay,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_107">[107]</span>it is now their Highnesses’ command that their salary shall
+be paid to them from the time that they gave up their command.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="spanish">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="MEMORIAL-es">MEMORIAL</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Que para los Reyes Católicos dió el Almirante D. Cristobal Colon,
+en la ciudad Isabela, á 30 de Enero de 1494 á Antonio de
+Torres, sobre el suceso de su segundo viage á las Indias; y al
+final de cada capítulo la respuesta de sus Altezas.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Lo que vos Antonio de Torres, capitan de la nao <i>Marigalante</i>, é
+Alcaide de la ciudad Isabela, habeis de decir é suplicar de mi parte
+al Rey é la Reina nuestros Señores es lo siguiente:</p>
+
+<p>Primeramente, dadas las cartas de creencia que llevais de mí
+para sus Altezas, besareis por mi sus reales pies é manos, é me encomendareis
+en sus Altezas como á Rey é Reina mis Señores naturales,
+en cuyo servicio yo deseo fenecer mis dias, como esto mas
+largamente vos podreis decir á sus Altezas, segun lo que en mi vistes
+é supistes.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas se lo tienen en servicio.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Como quiera que por las cartas que á sus altezas escribo
+y aun el Padre Fray Buil y el Tesorero, podrán comprender todo
+lo que acá despues de nuestra llegada se fizo, y esto harto por menudo
+y extensamente; con todo direis á sus Altezas de mi parte,
+que á Dios ha placido darme tal gracia para en su servicio, que
+hasta aquí no hallo yo menos ni se ha hallado en cosa alguna de
+lo que yo escribí y dije, y afirmé á sus Altezas en los dias pasados,
+antes por gracia de Dios espero que aun muy mas claramente y
+muy presto por la obra parecerá, porque las cosas de especeria en
+solas las orillas de la mar, sin haber entrado dentro en la tierra, se
+halla tal rastro é principios della, que es razon que se esperen muy
+mejores fines, y esto mismo en las minas del oro, porque con solos
+dos que fueron á descubrir cada uno por su parte, sin detenerse
+allá porque era poca gente, se han descubierto tantos rios tan poblados
+de oro, que cualquier de los que lo vieron é cogieron, solamente
+con las manos por muestra, vinieron tan alegres, y dicen
+tantas cosas de la abundancia dello, que yo tengo empacho de las
+decir y escribir á sus altezas; pero porque allá vá Gorbalan, que
+fue uno de los descubridores, el dirá lo que vió, aunque acá queda
+otro que llaman Hojeda, criado del Duque de Medinaceli, muy
+discreto mozo y de muy gran recabdo, que sin duda y aun sin
+comparacion, descubrió mucho mas, segun el memorial de los rios
+que él trajo, diciendo que en cada uno de ellos hay cosa de no
+creella; por lo cual sus Altezas pueden dar gracias á Dios, pues
+tan favorablemente se ha en todas sus cosas.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas dan muchas gracias a Dios por esto, y tienen en muy
+senalado servicio al Almirante todo lo que en esto ha fecho y hace,
+porque conocen que despues de Dios á él son en cargo de todo lo que
+en esto han habido y hobieren; y porque cerca desto le escriben mas
+largo, á su carta se remiten.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Dieris á sus Altezas, como quier que ya se les escribe, que
+yo deseaba mucho en esta armada poderles enviar mayor cuantidad
+de oro del que acá se espera poder coger, si la gente que acá
+está nuestra, la mayor parte subitamente no cayera doliente; pero
+porque ya esta armada non so podia detener acá mas, siquiera por
+la costa grande que hace, siquiera porque el tiempo es este propio
+para ir y poder volver los que han de traer acá las cosas que aquí
+hacen mucha mengua, porque si tardasen de irse de aquí non
+podrian volverse para Mayo los que han de volver, y allende desto
+si con los sanos que acá se hallan, así en mar como en tierra en la
+poblacion, yo quisiera emprender de ir á las minas ó rios agora,
+habia muchas dificultades é aun peligros, porque de aquí á veinte
+y tres ó veinte y cuatro leguas, en donde hay puertos é rios para
+pasar y para tan largo camino, y para estar allá al tiempo que seria
+menester para coger el oro, habia menester llevar muchos mantenimientos,
+los cuales non podrian llevar á cuestas, ni hay bestias
+acá que á esto pudiesen suplir, ni los caminos é pasos non estan
+tan aparejados, como quier que se han comenzado á adobar para
+que se podiesen pasar; y tambien era grande inconveniente dejar
+acá los dolientes en lugar abierto y chozas, y las provisiones y
+mantenimientos que estan en tierra, que como quier que estos
+indios se hayan mostrado á los descubridores, y se muestran cada
+dia muy simples y sin malicia; con todo, porque cada dia vienen
+acá entre nosotros non pareció que fuera buen consejo meter á
+riesgo y á ventura de perderse esta gente y los mantenimientos,
+lo que un indio con un tizon podria hacer poniendo huego á las
+chozas, porque de noche y de dia siempre van y vienen; á causa
+dellos tenemos guardas en el campo mientras la poblacion está
+abierta y sin defension.</p>
+
+<p><i>Que lo hizo bien.</i></p>
+
+<p>Otrosí: Como habemos visto en los que fueron por tierra á
+descobrir que los mas cayeron dolientes despues de vueltos, y aun
+algunos se hobieron de volver del camino, era tambien razon de
+temer que otro tal conteciese a los que agora irian destos sanos
+que se hallan, y seguirse hian dos peligros de allí, el uno de adolecer
+allá en la misma obra dó no hay casa ni reparo alguno de
+aquel Cacique que llaman Caonabó que es hombre, segun relacion
+de todos, muy malo y muy mas atrevido, el cual viéndonos allá así
+desbaratados y dolientes, podria emprender lo que non osaria si
+fuesemos sanos: y con esto mismo se allega otra dificultad de
+traer acá lo que llegasemos de oro, porque ó habiamos de traer
+poco y ir y venir cada dia, y meterse en el riesgo de las dolencias,
+ó se habia de enviar con alguna parte de la gente con el mismo
+peligro de perderlo.</p>
+
+<p><i>Lo hizo bien.</i></p>
+
+<p>Así que, direis á sus Altezas, que estas son las cabsas porque de
+presente non se ha detenido el armada, ni se les envia oro mas de
+las muestras; pero confiando en la misericordia de Dios, que en
+todo y por todo nos ha guiado hasta aquí, esta gente convalescerá
+presto, como ya lo hace, porque solamente les prueba la tierra de
+algunas ceciones, y luego se levantan; y es cierto que si toviesen
+algunas carnes frescas para convalescer muy presto serian todos
+en pie con ayuda de Dios, é aun los mas estarian ya convalescidos
+en este tiempo, espero que ellos convalescerán: con estos pocos
+sanos que acá quedan, cada dia se entiende en cerrar la poblacion
+y meterla en alguna defensa, y los mantenimientos en seguro, que
+será fecho en breves dias, porque non ha de ser sino albarradas
+que non son gente los indios, que si dormiendo non nos fallasen
+para emprender cosa ninguna, aunque la toviesen pensada, que así
+hicieron á los otros que acá quedaron por su mal recabdo, los
+cuales por pocos que fuesen, y por mayores ocasiones que dieran
+á los indios de haber é de hacer lo que hicieron, nunca ellos osaran
+emprender de dañarles si los vieran á buen recabdo: y esto fecho
+luego se entenderá en ir á los dichos rios, ó desde acquí tomando
+el camino, y buscando los mejores expedientes que se puedan, ó
+por la mar rodeando la isla fasta aquella parte de donde se dice
+que no debe haber mas de seis ó siete leguas hasta los dichos rios;
+por forma que con seguridad se pueda cojer el oro y ponerlo en
+recabdo de alguna fortaleza ó torre que allí se haga luego, para
+tenerlo cogido al tiempo que las dos carabelas volverán acá, é para
+que luego con el primer tiempo que sea para navegar este camino
+se envie á buen recabdo.</p>
+
+<p><i>Que está bien, y así lo debe hacer.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas, como dicho es, que las causas de las
+dolencias tan general de todos es de mudamiento de aguas y aires,
+porque vemos que á todos arreo se extiende y peligran pocos; por
+consiguiente la conservacion de la sanidad, despues de Dios, está
+que esta gente sea proveida de los mantenimientos que en España
+acostumbraba, porque dellos, ni de otros que viniesen de nuevo
+sus Altezas se podrán servir si no estan sanos; y esta provision
+ha de durar hasta que acá se haya fecho cimiento de lo que acá
+se sembrare é plantare, digo de trigos y cebadas, é viñas, de lo
+cual para este año se ho fecho poco, porque no se pudo de antes
+tomar asiento, y luego que se tomó adolescieron aquellos poquitos
+labradores que acá estaban, los cuales aunque estovieran sanos
+tenian tan pocas bestias y tau magras y flacas, que poco es lo que
+pudieran hacer: con todo, alguna cosa han sembrado, mas para
+probar la tierra, que parece muy maravillosa, para que de alli se
+puede esperar remedio alguno en nuestras necesidades. Somos
+bien ciertos, como la obra lo muestra, que en esta tierra asi el trigo
+como el vino nacerá muy bien; pero hase de esperar el fruto, el
+cual si tal será como muestra la presteza del nacer del trigo, y de
+algunos poquitos de sarmientos que se pusieron, es cierto que
+non fará mengua el Andalucía ni Secilia aquí, ni en las cañas de
+azucar, segun unas poquitas que se pusieron han prendido; porque
+es cierto que la hermosura de la tierra de estas islas, así de montes
+é sierras y aguas, como de vegas donde hay rios cabdales, es tal
+la vista que ninguna otra tierra que sol escaliente puede ser mejor
+al parecer ni tan fermosa.</p>
+
+<p><i>Pues la tierra es tal, que debe procurar que se siembre lo mas que
+ser pudiere de todas cosas, y á D. Juan de Fonseca se escribe que envie
+de contino todo lo que fuere menester para esto.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis que á cabsa de haberse derramado mucho vino en
+este camino del que la flota traia, y esto, segun dicen los mas, á
+culpa de la mala obra que los toneleros ficieron en Sevilla, la mayor
+mengua que agora tenemos, aquí, ó esperamos por esto tener, es de
+vinos, y como quier que tengamos para mas tiempo así vizcocho
+como trigo, con todo es necesario que tambien se envie alguna
+cuantidad razonable, porque el camino es largo y cada dia no se
+puede proveer, é asimismo algunas canales, digo tocinos, y otra
+cecina que sea mejor que la que habemos traido este camino. De
+carneros vivos y aun antes corderos y cordericas, mas fembras que
+machos, y algunos becerros y becerras pequeños son menester, que
+cada vez vengan en cualquier carabela que acá se enviare, y algunas
+asnas y asnos, y yeguas para trabajo y simiente, que acá ninguna de
+estas animalias hay de que hombre se pueda ayudar ni valer. Y
+porque recelo que sus Altezas no se fallarán en Sevilla, ni los
+Oficiales ó Ministros suyos sin expreso mandamiento non proveerían
+en lo porque agora con este primero camino es necesario
+que venga, porque en la consulta y en la respuesta se pasaria la
+sazon del partir los navíos que acá por todo Mayo es necesario que
+sean; direis á sus Altezas, como yo vos dí cargo y mandé, que del
+oro que allá llevais empeñándolo, ó poniêndolo en poder de algun
+mercader en Sevilla, el cual distraya y ponga los maravedis que
+serán menester para cargar dos carabelas de víno y de trigo, y de
+las otras cosas que llevais por memorial, el cual mercader lleve ó
+envie el dicho oro para sus Altezas, que le vean, resciban y hagan
+pagar lo que hobiere distraido é puesto para el despacho y cargazon
+de las dichas dos carabelas, las cuales por consolar y esforzar
+esta gente que acá queda, cumple que fagan mas de poder de ser
+acá vueltas por todo el mes de Mayo, porque la gente antes de
+entrar en el verano vea é tengan algun refrescamiento destas
+cosas, en especial para las dolencias; de las cuales cosas acá ya
+tenemos gran mengua, como son pasas, azucar, almendras, miel é
+arroz, que debiera venir en gran cuantidad y vino muy poca, é
+aquello que vino es ya consumido é gastado, y aun la mayor
+parte de las medecinas que de allá trojieron, por la muchedumbre
+de los muchos dolientes; de las cuales cosas, como dicho es, vos
+llevais memoriales así para sanos, como para dolientes, firmados
+de mi mano, los cuales cumplidamente si el dinero bastare, ó
+á lo menos lo que mas necesario sea para agora despachar, es
+para que lo puedan luego traer los dichos dos navíos, y lo que
+quedare procurareis con sus Altezas que con otros navíos venga
+lo mas presto que ser pudiere.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas enviaron á mandar á D. Juan de Fonseca que luego
+haya informacion de los que hicieron ese engaño en los toneles, y de
+sus bienes haga que se cobre todo el daño que vino en el vino, con las
+costas; y en lo de las cañas vea como las que se enviaren sean buenas,
+y en las otras cosas que aquí dice que las provea luego.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas que á cabsa que acá no hay lengua
+por medio de la cual á esta gente se pueda dar á entender nuestra
+santa Fé, como sus Altezas desean, y aun los que acá estamos, como
+quier que se trabajará cuanto pudieren, se envian de presente
+con estos navíos así de los canibales, hombres y mugeres y niños y
+niñas, los cuales sus Altezas pueden mandar poner en poder de personas
+con quien puedan mejor aprender la lengua, ejercitándolos
+en cosas de servicio, y poco á poco mandando poner en ellos algun
+mas cuidado que en otros esclavos para que deprendan unos de
+otros, que no se hablen ni se vean sino muy tarde, que mas
+presto deprenderán allá que no acá, y serán mejores intérpretes,
+como quier que acá non se dejará de hacer lo que se pueda; es
+verdad que como esta gente platican poco los de la una isla con
+los de la otra, en las lenguas hay alguna diferencia entre ellos,
+segun como estan mas cerca ó mas lejos: y porque entre las otras
+islas las de los canibales son mucho grandes, y mucho bien
+pobladas, parecerá acá que tomar dellos y dellas y enviarlos allá
+á Castilla non seria sino bien, porque quitarse hian una vez de
+aquella inhumana costumbre que tienen de comer hombres, y
+allá en Castilla entendiendo la lengua muy mas presto rescibirian
+el Bautismo, y farian el provecho de sus animas: aun entre estos
+pueblos que non son de esas costumbres, se ganaria gran crédito
+por nosotros viendo que aquellos prendiesemos y cativasemos, de
+quien ellos suelen rescibir daños, y tienen tamaño miedo que del
+nombre solo se espantan; certificando á sus Altezas que la venida
+é vista de esta flota acá en esta tierra así junta y hermosa, ha
+dado muy grande autoridad á esto y muy grande seguridad para
+las cosas venideras, por que toda esta gente de esta grande isla
+y de las otras, viendo el buen tratamiento que á los buenos se
+fará, y el castigo que á los malos se dará, verná á obediencia
+prestament para poderlos mandar como vasallos de sus Altezas.
+Y como quier que ellos agora donde quier que hombre se halle
+non solo hacen de grado lo que hombre quiere que fagan, mas
+ellos de su voluntad se ponen á todo lo que entienden que nos
+puede placer, y tambien pueden ser ciertos sus Altezas que non
+menos allá, entre los cristianos Principes haber dado gran reputacion
+la venida desta armada por muchos respetos, así presentes
+como venideros, los cuales sus Altezas podrán mejor pensar y
+entender que non sabria decir.</p>
+
+<p><i>Decirle heis lo que acá ha habido en lo de dos canibales que acá
+vinieron.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>Que está muy bien, y así lo debe hacer; pero que procure allá,
+como si ser pudiere, se reduzgan á nuestra santa Fé católica, y asimismo
+lo procure con los de las islas donde está.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas, que el provecho de las almas de los
+dichos canibales, y aun destos de acá, ha traido el pensamiento que
+cuantos mas allá se llevasen seria mejor, y en ello podrian sus
+Altezas ser servidos desta manera: que visto cuanto son acá
+menester los ganados y bestias de trabajo para el sostenimiento
+de la gente que acá ha de estar, y bien de todas estas islas, sus
+Altezas podrán dar licencia é permiso á un número de carabelas
+suficiente que vengan acá cada año, y trayan de los dichos ganados
+y otros mantenimientos y cosas para poblar el campo y aprovechar
+la tierra, y esto en precios razonables á sus costas de los que las
+trugieren, las cuales cosas se les podrian pagar en esclavos de
+estos canibales, gente tan fiera y dispuesta, y bien proporcionada
+y de muy buen entendimiento, los cuales quitados de aquella inhumanidad
+creemos que serán mejores que otros ningunos
+esclavos, la cual luego perderán que sean fuera de su tierra, y de
+estos podrán haber muchos con las fustas de remos que acá se
+entienden de hacer, fecho empero presupuesto que cada una de
+las carabelas que viniesen de sus Altezas pusiesen una persona
+fiable, la cual defendiese las dichas carabelas que non descendiesen
+á ninguna otra parte ni isla salvo aquí, donde ha de estar la carga
+y descarga de toda la mercaduría; y aun destos esclavos que se
+llevaren, sus Altezas podrian haber sus derechos allá; y desto
+traereís ó enviareis respuesta, porque acá se hagan los aparejos
+que son menester con mas confianza, si á sus Altezas pareciere
+bien.</p>
+
+<p><i>En esto se ha suspendido por agora hasta que venga otro camino
+de allá, y escriba el Almirante lo que en esto le paresciere.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Tambien direis á sus Altezas que mas provechoso es, y
+menos costa, fletar los navíos como los fletan los mercaderes para
+Flandes por toneladas que non de otra manera; por ende que yo
+vos dí cargo de fletar á este respecto las dos carabelas que habeis
+luego de enviar: y así se podrá hacer de todas las otras que sus
+Altezas enviaren, si de aquella forma se ternán por servidos; pero
+non entiendo decir esto de las que han de venir con su licencia
+por la mercaduria de los esclavos.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas mandan á D. Juan de Fonseca que en el fletar de las
+carabelas tenga esta forma si ser pudiere.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas que á causa de escusar alguna mas
+costa, yo merqué estas carabelas que llevais por memorial para
+retenerlas acá con estos dos naos, conviene á saber, la Gallega y
+esa otra Capitana, de la cual merqué por semejante del Maestre
+della los tres ochavos por el precio que en el dicho memorial destas
+copias llevais firmado de mi mano, los cuales navíos non solo darán
+autoridad y gran seguridad á la gente que ha de estar dentro y
+conversar con los indios para cojer el oro, mas aun para otra
+cualquier cosa de peligro que de gente estraña pudiese acontescer,
+allende que las carabelas son necesarias para el descubrir de la
+tierra firme y otras islas que entre aquí é allá estan; y suplicareis
+á sus Altezas que los maravedis que estos navíos cuestan manden
+pagar en los tiempos que se les ha prometido, porque sin dubda
+ellos ganarán bien su costa, segun yo creo y espero en la misericordia
+de Dios.</p>
+
+<p><i>El Almirante lo hizo bien, y decirle heis como acá se pago al que
+vendió la nao, y mandaron á D. Juan de Fonseca que pague lo de las
+carabelas que el Almirante compró.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas y suplicareis de mi parte cuanto
+mas humilmente pueda, que les plega mucho mirar en lo que por
+las cartas y otras escripturas verán mas largamente tocante á la
+paz é sosiego e concordia de los que acá estan, y que para las cosas
+del servicio de sus Altezas escojan tales personas que non se tenga
+recelo dellas y que miren mas á lo por que se envian que non á
+sus propios intereses; y en esto, pues que todas las cosas vistes é
+supistes, hablareis é direis á sus Altezas la verdad de todas las
+cosas como las comprendistes, y que la provision de sus Altezas
+que sobre ello mandaren facer venga con los primeros navíos si
+posible fuere, á fin que acá non se hagan escándalos en cosa que
+tanto va en el servicio de sus Altezas.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas estan bien informados desto, y en todo se proveerá
+como conviene.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas el asiento de esta ciudad, é la fermosura
+de la provincia alderedor como lo vistes y compreendistes, y
+como yo vos hice Alcayde della por los poderes que de sus Altezas
+tengo para ello, á las cuales humilmente suplico que en alguna
+parte de satisfaccion de vuestros servicios tengan por bien la
+dicha provision, como de sus Altezas yo espero.</p>
+
+<p><i>A sus Altezas plaze que vos seais Alcayde.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Porque Mosen Pedro Margarité, criado de sus Altezas,
+há bien servido, y espero que así lo hara adelante en las cosas que
+le fueren encomendadas, he habido placer de su quedada aqui, y
+tambien de Gaspar y de Beltran por ser conocidos criados de sus
+Altezas para los poner en cosas de confianza: suplicareis á sus
+Altezas que especial al dicho Mosen Pedro, que es casado y tiene
+hijos le provean de alguna encomienda en la Orden de Santiago,
+de la cual él tiene el hábito, porque su muger é hijos tengan en
+que vivir. Asimismo hareis relacion de Juan Aguado, criado de
+sus Altezas, cuan bien é diligentemente ha servido en todo lo que
+le ha seido mandado; que suplico á sus Altezas á él é á los sobredichos
+los hayan por encomendados é por presentes.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas mandan asentar á Mosen Pedro 30000 maravedis cada
+ano, y á Gaspar y Beltran á cada uno 15000 maravedis cada año
+desde hoy 15 de Agosto de 94 en adelante, y así les haga pagar el
+Almirante en lo que allá se hobiere de pagar, y D. Juan de Fonseca
+en lo que acá se hobiere de pagar: y en lo de Juan Aguado sus
+Altezas habrān memoria de él.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas el trabajo que el Doctor Chanca tiene
+con el afruenta de tantos dolientes, y aun la estrechura de los mantenimientos,
+é aun con todo ello se dispone con gran diligencia y
+caridad en todo lo que cumple á su oficio, y porque sus Altezas remitieron
+á mí el salario que acá se le habia de dar, porque estando
+acá es cierto quel non toma ni puede haber nada de ninguno, ni
+ganar de su oficio como en Castilla ganaba, ó podria ganar estando
+á su reposo é viviendo de otra manera que acá no vive; y así que
+como quiera que él jura que es mas lo que allá ganaba allende el
+salario que sus Altezas le dan, y non me quise estender mas de
+cincuenta mil maravedis por el trabajo que acá pasa cada un año
+mientras acá estoviere; los cuales suplico á sus Altezas le manden
+librar con el sueldo de acá y eso mismo, porque él dice y afirma
+que todos los fisicos de vuestras Altezas, que andan en reales ó
+semejantes cosas que estas, suelen haber de derecho un dia de
+sueldo en todo el año de toda la gente: con todo he seido informado,
+y dicenme, que como quier que esto sea, la costumbre es
+de darles cierta suma tasada á voluntad y mandamiento de sus
+Altezas en compensa de aquel dia de sueldo. Suplicareis á sus
+Altezas que en ello manden proveer, así en lo del salario como de
+esta costumbre, por forma que el dicho Doctor tenga razon de
+ser contento.</p>
+
+<p><i>A sus Altezas place desto del Doctor Chanca, y que se le pague esto
+desde quel Almirante gelo asentó, y que gelos pague con lo del sueldo.</i></p>
+
+<p><i>En esto del dia del sueldo de los fisicos, non lo acostumbran haber
+sino donde el Rey nuestro Senor esté en persona.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas de Coronel cuanto es hombre para
+servir á sus Altezas en muchas cosas, y cuanto ha servido hasta
+aquí en todo lo mas necesario, y la mengua que dél sentimos
+agora que está doliente, y que sirviendo de tal manera es razon
+quel sienta el fruto de su servicio, non solo en las mercedes para
+despues mas en lo de su salario en lo presente, en manera quél é
+los que acá estan sientan que les aprovecha el servicio, porque
+segun el ejercicio que acá se ha de tener en cojer este oro, no son
+de tener en poco las personas en quien tanta diligencia hay:
+y porque por su habilidad se proveyó acá por mí del oficio de
+Alguacil mayor destas Indias, y en la provision va el salario en
+blanco, que suplico á sus Altezas gelo manden henchir como mas
+sea su servicio, mirando sus servicios, confirmándole la provision
+que acá se le dió, e proveyéndole de él de juro.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas mandan que le asienten quince mil maravedis cada año
+mas de su sueldo, é que se le paguen cuando le pagaren su sueldo.</i></p>
+
+<p>Asimismo direis á sus Altezas como aquí vino el Bachiller Gil
+García por Alcade mayor é non se le ha consignado ni nombrado
+salario, y es persona de bien y de buenas letras, é diligente, é es
+acá bien necesario; que suplico á sus Altezas le manden nombrar
+é consignar su salario, por manera que él se pueda sostener, é le
+sea librado con el dinero del sueldo de acá.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas le mandan asentar cada año viente mal maravedis en
+tanto que allá estoviere y mas su sueldo, y que gelo paguen cuando
+pagaren el sueldo.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas como quier que ya se lo escribo por
+las cartas, que para este año non entiendo que sea posible ir á descobrir
+hasta que esto destos rios que se hallaron de oro sea puesto
+en el asiento debido á servicio do sus Altezas, que despues mucho
+mejor se podrá facer, porque no es cosa que nadie la podiese facer
+sin mi presencia á mi grado, ni á servicio de sus Altezas, por muy
+bien que lo ficiese, como es en dubda segun lo que hombre vee
+por su presencia.</p>
+
+<p><i>Trabaje como lo mas preciso que ser pueda se sepa lo adito de ese oro.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas como los escuderos de caballo que
+vinieron de Granada, en el alarde que ficieron en Sevilla mostraron
+buenos caballos, é despues al embarcar, yo no lo ví porque estaba un
+poco doliente, y metiéronlos tales quel mejor dellos non parece que
+vale dos mil maravedis, porque vendieron los otros y compraron
+estos, y esto fue de la suerte que se hizo lo de mucha gente que allá
+en los alardes de Sevilla yo vi muy buena; parece que Juan de
+Soria, despues dea dado el dinero del sueldo, por algun interese suyo
+puso otros en lugar de aquellos que yo acá pensaba fallar, y fallo
+gente que yo nunca habia visto: en esto ha habido gran maldad, de
+tal manera que yo no sé si me queje dél solo: por esto, visto que
+á estos escuderos se ha fecho la costa hasta aquí, allende de sus
+sueldos y tambien á sus caballos, y se hace de presente y son
+personas que cuando ellos estan dolientes, ó non se les antoja, non
+quieren que sus caballos sirvan sin ellos mismos; sus Altezas no
+quieren que se les compren estos caballos sino que sirvan á sus
+Altezas, y esto mismo no les paresce que deban servir ni cosa
+ninguna sino á caballo; lo cual agora de presente non face mucho
+al caso, é por esto parece que seria mejor comprarles los caballos,
+pues que tan poco valen, y non estar cada dia con ellos en estas
+pendencias; por ende que sus Altezas determinen esto como fuere
+su servicio.</p>
+
+<p><i>Sus Altezas mandan á D. Juan de Fonseca, que se informe de esto
+de estos caballos, y si se hallare que es verdad que hicieron ese engaño,
+lo envien á sus Altezas porque lo mandarán castigar; y tambien se informe
+desto que dice de la otra gente, y envie la pesquisa á sus Altezas:
+y en lo destos escuderos sus Altezas mandan que esten allá y sirvan,
+pues son de las guardas y criados de sus Altezas; y á los escuderos
+mandan sus Altezas que den los caballos cada vez que fueren menester
+y el Almirante lo mandare, y si algun daño recibieren los caballos
+yendo otros en ellos, por medio del Almirante mandan sus Altezas que
+gelo paguen.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas como aquí han venido mas de doscientas
+personas sin sueldo, y hay algunos dellos que sirven bien, y
+aun los otros por semejante se mandan que lo hagan así y porque
+para estos primeros tres años será gran bien que aqui esten mil
+hombres para asentar y poner en muy gran seguridad esta Isla y
+rios de oro, y aunque hobiese ciento de caballo non se perderia
+nada, antes parece necesario, aunque en estos de caballo fasta que
+oro se envie sus Altezas podrán sobreceer: con todo á estas
+doscientas personas, que vienen sin sueldo, sus Altezas deben
+enviar á decir si se les pagará sueldo como á los otros sirviendo
+bien, porque cierto son necesarios como dicho tengo para este
+comienzo.</p>
+
+<p><i>De estas doscientas personas que aquî dice que fueron sin sueldo,
+mandan sus Altezas que entren en lugar de los que han faltado y faltaren
+de los que iban á sueldo, seyendo habiles y á contentamiento del
+Almirante, y sus Altezas mandan al Contador que los asiente en lugar
+de los que faltaren como el Almirante lo dijere.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Porque en algo la costa de esta gente se puede aliviar
+con industria y formas que otros Principes suelen tener en otras,
+lo gastado mejor que acá se podria escusar, paresce que seria
+bien mandar traer en los navíos que vinieren allende de las otras
+cosas que son para los mantenimientos comunes, y de la botica,
+zapatos y cueras para los mandar facer; camisas comunes y de
+otras, jubones, lienzo, sayos, calzas, paños para vestir en razonables
+precios; y otras cosas, como son conservas, que son fuera
+de racion, y para conservacion de la salud, las cuales cosas todas
+la gente de acá rescibiria de grado en descuento de su sueldo, y si
+allá esto se mercase por Ministros leales y que mirasen el servicio
+de sus Altezas, se ahorraria algo: por ende sabreis la voluntad
+de sus Altezas cerca desto, y si les pareciere ser su servicio luego
+se debe poner en obra.</p>
+
+<p><i>Por este camino se solia ser fasta que mas escriba el Almirante,
+y ya enviarán á mandar á D. Juan de Fonseca con Jimeno de
+Bribiesca que provea en esto.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Tambien direis á sus Altezas, que por cuanto ayer en el
+alarde que se tomó se falló la gente muy desarmada lo cual pienso
+que en parte contesció por aquel trocar que allá se fizo en
+Sevilla ó en el puerto cuando se dejaron los que se mostraron
+armados, y tomaron otros que daban algo á quien los trocaba,
+paresce que seria bien que se mandasen traer doscientas corazas,
+y cien espingardas y cien ballestas, y mucho almacen, que es la
+cosa que mas menester habemos, y de todas estas armas se podrán
+dar á los desarmados.</p>
+
+<p><i>Ya se escribe á D. Juan de Fonseca que provea en esto.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Por cuanto algunos oficiales que acá vinieron como son
+albañies y de otros oficios, que son casados y tienen sus mugeres
+allá, y querrian que allá lo que se les debe de su sueldo se diese á
+sus mugeres ó á las personas á quien ellos enviaren sus recabdos,
+para que les compren las cosas que acá han menester; que á sus
+Altezas suplico les mande librar, porque su servicio es que estos
+esten proveidos acá.</p>
+
+<p><i>Ya enviaron á mandar sus Altezas á D. Juan de Fonseca que
+provea en esto.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Porque allende las otras cosas que allá se envian á pedir
+por los memoriales que llevais de mi mano firmados, así para mantenimiento
+de los sanos como para los dolientes, seria muy bien
+que se hobiesen de la isla de la Madera cincuenta pipas de miel
+de azúcar, porque es el mejor mantenimiento del mundo y mas
+sano, y non suele costar cada pipa sino á dos ducados sin el casco,
+y si sus Altezas mandan que á la vuelta pase por allí alguna
+carabela las podrá mercar, y tambien diez cajas de azúcar que es
+mucho menester, que esta es la mejor sazon del año, digo entre
+aquí é el mes de Abril para fallarlo, é haber dello buena razon y
+podriase dar orden mandándolo sus Altezas, é que non supiesen
+allá para donde lo quieren.</p>
+
+<p><i>D. Juan de Fonseca que provea en esto.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Direis á sus Altezas, por cuanto aunque los rios tengan
+en la cuantidad que se dice por los que lo han visto, pero que lo
+cierto dello es quel oro non se engendra en los rios mas en la tierra,
+quel agua topando con las minas lo trae envuelto en las arenas, y
+porque en estos tantos rios se han descubierto, como quiera que
+hay algunos grandecitos hay otros tan pequeños que son mas
+fuentes que no rios, que non llevan de dos dedos de agua, y se
+falla luego el cabo doede nasce; para lo cual non solo serán provechosos
+los lavadores para cogerlo en el arena, mas los otros
+para cavarlo en la tierra, que será lo mas especial é de mayor
+cuantidad; é por esto será bien que sus Altezas envien lavadores,
+é de los que andan en las minas allá en Almaden, porque en la
+una manera y en la otra se faga el ejercicio, como quier que acá
+non esperaremos á ellos, que con los lavadores que aquí tenemos,
+esperamos con la ayuda de Dios, si una vez la gente está sana,
+allegar un buen golpe de oro para las primeras carabelas que
+fueren.</p>
+
+<p><i>A otro camino se proveerá en esto cumplidamente; en tanto mandan
+sus Altezas á D. Juan de Fonseca que envie luego los mas minadores
+que pudiere haber, y escriben al Almaden, que de allí tomen los que
+mas pudieren y los envien.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Suplicareis á sus Altezas de mi parte muy humildemente,
+que quieran tener por muy encomendado á Villacorta, el cual, como
+sus Altezas saben, ha mucho servido en esta negociacion, y con
+muy buena voluntad, y segun le conozco persona diligente y afecionada
+á su servicio; rescebiré merced que se le dé algun cargo de
+confianza, para lo cual él ser sufficiente, y pueda mostrar su deseo
+de servir y diligencia, y esto procurareis por forma que el Villacorta
+conozca por la obra que lo que ha trabajado por mi en lo
+que yo le hobe menester le aprovecha en esto.</p>
+
+<p><i>Así se hará.</i></p>
+
+<p>Item: Que los dichos Mosen Pedro y Gaspar y Beltran, y otros
+que han quedado acá, trajieron capítanias de carabelas, que son
+agora vueltas, y non gozan del sueldo; pero porque son tales personas,
+que se han de poner en cosas principales y de confianza, non
+se les ha determinado el sueldo que sea diferenciado de los otros:
+suplicareis de mi parte á sus Altezas determinen lo que se les ha de
+dar en cada un año, ó por meses, como mas fueren servidos. Fecho
+en la ciudad Isabela á treinta dias de Enero de mil cuatrocientos
+y noventa y cuatro años.</p>
+
+<p><i>Ya está respondido arriba, pero porque en el dicho capítulo que en
+esto habia dice que gozan del salario, desde agora mandan sus Altezas
+que se les cuenten á todos sus salarios desde que dejaron las capitanías.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_151" href="#FNanchor_151" class="label">[151]</a> In the original, the replies are affixed in the margin of each chapter.
+(Navarrete).</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_152" href="#FNanchor_152" class="label">[152]</a> <i>Albarrada</i>—an Arabic word implying a stone wall without mortar.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_153" href="#FNanchor_153" class="label">[153]</a> In La Mancha, New Castile, famous for mines of quicksilver.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="english">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_108">[108]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="THIRD_VOYAGE_OF_COLUMBUS">THIRD VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS.</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Narrative of the Voyage which Don Christopher Columbus
+made the third time that he came to the Indies, when he
+discovered terra firma, as he sent it to their Majesties from
+the Island of Hispaniola.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Most serene and most exalted and powerful Princes, the
+King and Queen, our Sovereigns: The Blessed Trinity
+moved your Highnesses to this enterprise of the Indies; and
+of His Infinite goodness has chosen me to proclaim it to
+you; wherefore as His ambassador I approached your royal
+presence, moved by the consideration that I was appealing
+to the most exalted monarchs in Christendom, who exercised
+so great an influence over the Christian faith, and its advancement
+in the world. Those who heard of it looked upon
+it as impossible, for they fixed all their hopes on the favours
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_109">[109]</span>of fortune, and pinned their faith solely upon chance. I
+gave to the subject six or seven years of great anxiety,
+explaining, to the best of my ability, how great service
+might be done to our Lord, by this undertaking, in promulgating
+His sacred name and our holy faith among so
+many nations;—an enterprise so exalted in itself, and so
+calculated to enhance the glory and immortalise the renown
+of great sovereigns. It was also requisite to refer
+to the temporal prosperity which was foretold in the writings
+of so many trustworthy and wise historians, who related
+that great riches were to be found in these parts. At
+the same time I thought it desirable to bring to bear upon
+the subject the sayings and opinions of those who have
+written upon the geography of the world, and finally, your
+Highnesses came to the determination that the undertaking
+should be entered upon. In this your Highnesses exhibited
+the noble spirit which has been always manifested by you on
+every great subject; for all others who had thought of the
+matter or heard it spoken of, unanimously treated it with
+contempt, with the exception of two friars,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_154" href="#Footnote_154" class="fnanchor">[154]</a> who always remained
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_110">[110]</span>constant in their belief of its practicability. I, myself,
+in spite of fatiguing opposition, felt sure that the enterprise
+would nevertheless prosper, and continue equally confident
+of it to this day, because it is a truth, that though
+everything will pass away, the Word of God will not, and
+everything that he has said will be fulfilled; who so clearly
+spoke of these lands, by the mouth of the prophet Isaiah,
+in so many places in Scripture, that from Spain the holy
+name of God was to be spread abroad. Thus I departed in
+the name of the Holy Trinity, and returned very soon,
+bringing with me an account of the practical fulfilment of
+everything I had said. Your Highnesses again sent me
+out, and in a short space of time, by God’s mercy, not by
+&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_155" href="#Footnote_155" class="fnanchor lacuna">[155]</a> I discovered three hundred and thirty-three
+leagues of terra firma on the eastern side, and seven hundred
+islands,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_156" href="#Footnote_156" class="fnanchor">[156]</a> besides those which I discovered on the first voyage;
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_111">[111]</span>I also succeeded in circumnavigating the island of Española,
+which is larger in circumference than all Spain, the inhabitants
+of which are countless, and all of whom may be
+laid under tribute. It was then that complaints arose, disparaging
+the enterprise that I had undertaken, because, forsooth,
+I had not immediately sent the ships home laden with
+gold,—no allowance being made for the shortness of the
+time, and all the other impediments of which I have already
+spoken. On this account (either as a punishment for my
+sins, or, as I trust, for my salvation), I was held in detestation,
+and had obstacles placed in the way of every thing I
+said, or for which I petitioned. I therefore resolved to apply
+to your Highnesses, to inform you of all the wonderful events
+that I had experienced, and to explain the reason of every
+proposition that I made, making reference to the nations
+that I had seen, among whom, and by whose instrumentality,
+many souls may be saved. I related how the natives of
+Española had been laid under tribute to your Highnesses,
+and regarded you as their sovereigns. And I laid before
+your Highnesses abundant samples of gold and copper,—proving
+the existence of extensive mines of those metals. I
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_112">[112]</span>also laid before your Highnesses many sorts of spices, too
+numerous to detail; and I spoke of the great quantity of
+brazil-wood, and numberless other articles found in those
+lands. All this was of no avail with some persons, who
+began, with determined hatred, to speak ill of the enterprise,
+not taking into account the service done to our Lord in the
+salvation of so many souls, nor the enhancement of your
+Highnesses’ greatness to a higher pitch than any earthly
+prince has yet enjoyed; nor considering, that from the exercise
+of your Highnesses’ goodness, and the expense incurred,
+both spiritual and temporal advantage was to be expected,
+and that Spain must in the process of time derive
+from thence, beyond all doubt, an unspeakable increase of
+wealth. This might be manifestly seen by the proofs given
+in the written descriptions of the voyages already made,
+showing that the fulfilment of every other hope may be reasonably
+expected. Nor were they affected by the consideration
+of what great princes throughout the world have done
+to increase their fame: as, for example, Solomon, who sent
+from Jerusalem, to the uttermost parts of the east, to see
+Mount Sopora [Σωφίρ, Ophir], in which expedition his ships
+were detained three years; and which mountain your Highnesses
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_113">[113]</span>now possess in the island of Española. Nor, as
+in the case of Alexander, who sent to observe the mode of
+government in the island of Taprobana,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_157" href="#Footnote_157" class="fnanchor">[157]</a> in India; and Cæsar
+Nero, to explore the sources of the Nile,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_158" href="#Footnote_158" class="fnanchor">[158]</a> and to learn the
+causes of its increase in the summer, when water is needed;
+and many other mighty deeds that princes have done, and
+which it is allotted to princes to achieve. Nor was it of any
+avail that no prince of Spain, as far as I have read, has ever
+hitherto gained possession of land out of Spain; and that
+the world of which I speak is different from that of which
+the Romans, and Alexander, and the Greeks made mighty
+efforts with great armies to gain possession. Nor have they
+been affected by the recent noble example of the kings of
+Portugal, who have had the courage to explore as far as
+Guinea, and to make the discovery of it, expending so much
+gold and so many lives in the undertaking, that a calculation
+of the population of the kingdom would show that one half
+of them have died in Guinea: and though it is now a long
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_114">[114]</span>time since they commenced these great exertions, the return
+for their labour and expense has hitherto been but trifling;
+this people has also dared to make conquests in Africa, and
+to carry on their exploits to Ceuta, Tangier, Argilla, and
+Alcazar, repeatedly giving battle to the Moors; and all this
+at great expense; simply because it was an exploit worthy
+of a prince, undertaken for the service of God, and to advance
+the enlargement of His kingdom. The more I said on the
+subject, the more two-fold was reproach cast upon it, even
+to the expression of abhorrence, no consideration being given
+to the honour and fame that accrued to your Highnesses
+throughout all Christendom from your Highnesses having
+undertaken this enterprise; so that there was neither great
+nor small who did not desire to hear tidings of it. Your
+Highnesses replied to me encouragingly, and desired that I
+should pay no regard to those who spoke ill of the undertaking,
+inasmuch as they had received no authority or
+countenance whatever from your Highnesses.</p>
+
+<p>I started from San Lucar, in the name of the most Holy
+Trinity, on Wednesday the 30th of May,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_159" href="#Footnote_159" class="fnanchor">[159]</a> much fatigued with
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_115">[115]</span>my voyage, for I had hoped, when I left the Indies, to find
+repose in Spain; whereas, on the contrary, I experienced
+nothing but opposition and vexation. I sailed to the island
+of Madeira by a circuitous route, in order to avoid any encounter
+with an armed fleet from France,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_160" href="#Footnote_160" class="fnanchor">[160]</a> which was on the
+look out for me off Cape St. Vincent. Thence I went to
+the Canaries,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_161" href="#Footnote_161" class="fnanchor">[161]</a> from which islands I sailed with but one ship
+and two caravels, having dispatched the other ships to Española
+by the direct road to the Indies;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_162" href="#Footnote_162" class="fnanchor">[162]</a> while I myself moved
+southward, with the view of reaching the equinoctial line,
+and of then proceeding westward, so as to leave the island of
+Española to the north. But having reached the Cape Verde
+islands&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_163" href="#Footnote_163" class="fnanchor">[163]</a> (an incorrect name&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_164" href="#Footnote_164" class="fnanchor">[164]</a>,
+    for they are so barren that nothing
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_116">[116]</span>green was to be seen there, and the people so sickly that I
+did not venture to remain among them), I sailed away four
+hundred and eighty miles, which is equivalent to a hundred
+and twenty leagues, towards the south-west, where, when it
+grew dark, I found the north star to be in the fifth degree.
+The wind then failed me, and I entered a climate where the
+intensity of the heat was such, that I thought both ships and
+men would have been burnt up, and everything suddenly got
+into such a state of confusion, that no man dared go below
+deck to attend to the securing of the water-cask and the provisions.
+This heat lasted eight days; on the first day the
+weather was fine, but on the seven other days it rained and
+was cloudy, yet we found no alleviation of our distress; so
+that I certainly believe, that if the sun had shone as on the
+first day, we should not have been able to escape in any way.</p>
+
+<p>I recollect, that in sailing towards the Indies, as soon as I
+passed a hundred leagues to the westward of the Azores, I
+found the temperature change: and this is so all along from
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_117">[117]</span>north to south. I determined, therefore, if it should please
+the Lord to give me a favourable wind and good weather, so
+that I might leave the part where I then was, that I would
+give up pursuing the southward course, yet not turn backwards,
+but sail towards the west, moving in that direction in
+the hope of finding the same temperature that I had experienced
+when I sailed in the parallel of the Canaries,—and
+then, if it proved so, I should still be able to proceed more
+to the south. At the end of these eight days it pleased our
+Lord to give me a favourable east wind, and I steered to the
+west, but did not venture to move lower down towards the
+south, because I discovered a very great change in the sky
+and the stars, although I found no alteration in the temperature.
+I resolved, therefore, to keep on the direct westward
+course, in a line from Sierra Leone, and not to change
+it until I reached the point where I had thought I should
+find land, where I would repair the vessels, and renew, if
+possible, our stock of provisions, and take in what water
+we wanted. At the end of seventeen days, during which
+our Lord gave me a propitious wind, we saw land at noon of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_118">[118]</span>Tuesday the 31st of July.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_165" href="#Footnote_165" class="fnanchor">[165]</a> This I had expected on the
+Monday before, and held that route up to this point; but
+as the sun’s strength increased, and our supply of water was
+failing, I resolved to make for the Caribee Islands, and set
+sail in that direction; when, by the mercy of God, which He
+has always extended to me, one of the sailors went up to
+the main-top and saw to the westward a range of three
+mountains. Upon this we repeated the “Salve Regina,”
+and other prayers, and all of us gave many thanks to our
+Lord. I then gave up our northward course, and put in for
+the land: at the hour of complines we reached a cape, which
+I called Cape Galea,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_166" href="#Footnote_166" class="fnanchor">[166]</a> having already given to the island the
+name of Trinidad, and here we found a harbour, which would
+have been excellent but there was no good anchorage. We
+saw houses and people on the spot, and the country around
+was very beautiful, and as fresh and green as the gardens
+of Valencia in the month of March. I was disappointed at
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_119">[119]</span>not being able to put into the harbour, and ran along the
+coast to the westward. After sailing five leagues I found
+very good bottom and anchored. The next day I set sail
+in the same direction, in search of a harbour where I might
+repair the vessels and take in water, as well as improve the
+stock of provisions which I had brought out with me. When
+we had taken in a pipe of water, we proceeded onwards till
+we reached the cape, and there finding good anchorage and
+protection from the east wind, I ordered the anchors to be
+dropped, the water-cask to be repaired, a supply of water
+and wood to be taken in, and the people to rest themselves
+from the fatigues which they had endured for so long a time.
+I gave to this point the name of Sandy Point (Punta del
+Arenal). All the ground in the neighbourhood was filled
+with foot-marks of animals, like the impression of the foot
+of a goat;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_167" href="#Footnote_167" class="fnanchor">[167]</a> but although it would have appeared from this
+circumstance that they were very numerous, only one was
+seen, and that was dead. On the following day a large
+canoe came from the eastward, containing twenty-four men,
+all in the prime of life, and well provided with arms, such
+as bows, arrows, and wooden shields; they were all, as I
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_120">[120]</span>have said, young, well-proportioned, and not dark black,
+but whiter than any other Indians that I had seen,—of
+very graceful gesture and handsome forms, wearing their
+hair long and straight, and cut in the Spanish style. Their
+heads were bound round with cotton scarfs elaborately worked
+in colours, which resembled the Moorish head-dresses.
+Some of these scarfs were worn round the body and used
+as a covering in lieu of trousers. The natives spoke to us
+from the canoe while it was yet at a considerable distance,
+but none of us could understand them; I made signs to,
+them, however, to come nearer to us, and more than two
+hours were spent in this manner,—but if by any chance they
+moved a little nearer, they soon pushed off again. I caused
+basins and other shining objects to be shown to them to
+tempt them to come near; and after a long time, they came
+somewhat nearer than they had hitherto done,—upon which,
+as I was very anxious to speak with them and had nothing
+else to show them to induce them to approach, I ordered
+a drum to be played upon the quarter-deck, and some of
+our young men to dance, believing the Indians would come
+to see the amusement. No sooner, however, did they perceive
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_121">[121]</span>the beating of the drum and the dancing, than they
+all left their oars, and strung their bows, and each man laying
+hold of his shield, they commenced discharging their
+arrows at us; upon this, the music and dancing soon ceased;
+and I ordered a charge to be made from some of our cross-bows;
+they then left us, and went rapidly to the other caravel,
+and placed themselves under its poop. The pilot of
+that vessel received them courteously, and gave to the man
+who appeared to be their chief, a coat and hat; and it was
+then arranged between them, that he should go to speak with
+him on shore. Upon this the Indians immediately went
+thither and waited for him; but as he would not go without
+my permission, he came to my ship in a boat, whereupon
+the Indians got into their canoe again and went away, and
+I never saw any more of them or of any of the other inhabitants
+of the island. When I reached the point of Arenal,
+I found that the island of Trinidad formed with the land of
+Gracia&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_168" href="#Footnote_168" class="fnanchor">[168]</a> a strait of two leagues’ width from west to east, and
+as we had to pass through it to go to the north, we found
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_122">[122]</span>some strong currents which crossed the strait, and which
+made a great roaring, so that I concluded there must be a
+reef of sand or rocks, which would preclude our entrance;
+and behind this current was another and another, all making
+a roaring noise like the sound of breakers against the rocks.
+I anchored there, under the said point of Arenal, outside of the
+strait, and found the water rush from east to west with as
+much impetuosity as that of the Guadalquivir at its conflux
+with the sea; and this continued constantly day and night,
+so that it appeared to be impossible to move backwards for
+the current or forwards for the shoals. In the dead of night,
+while I was on deck, I heard an awful roaring that came
+from the south towards the ship; I stopped to observe what
+it might be, and I saw the sea rolling from west to east like
+a mountain as high as the ship, and approaching by little and
+little; on the top of this rolling sea came a mighty wave
+roaring with a frightful noise and the same terrific uproar
+as the other currents, producing, as I have already said,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_123">[123]</span>a sound as of breakers upon the rocks.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_169" href="#Footnote_169" class="fnanchor">[169]</a> To this day I
+have a vivid recollection of the dread I then felt, lest the
+ship might founder under the force of that tremendous sea;
+but it passed by, and reached the mouth of the before-mentioned
+passage, where the uproar lasted for a considerable
+time. On the following day I sent out boats to take soundings,
+and found that in the strait, at the deepest part of the
+embouchure, there were six or seven fathoms of water, and
+that there were constant contrary currents, one running inwards,
+and the other outwards. It pleased the Lord, however,
+to give us a favourable wind, and I passed inwards through
+that strait, and soon came to still water. In fact some water
+which was drawn up from the sea, proved to be fresh. I
+then sailed northwards till I came to a very high mountain,
+at about twenty-six leagues from the Punta del Arenal; here
+two lofty headlands appeared, one towards the east, and
+forming part of the island of Trinidad,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_170" href="#Footnote_170" class="fnanchor">[170]</a> and the other, on
+the west, being part of the land which I have already called
+Gracia;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_171" href="#Footnote_171" class="fnanchor">[171]</a> we found here a channel still narrower than that of
+Arenal,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_172" href="#Footnote_172" class="fnanchor">[172]</a> with similar currents, and a tremendous roaring of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_124">[124]</span>water; the water here also was fresh. Hitherto I had held
+no communication with any of the people of this country,
+although I very earnestly desired it; I therefore sailed along
+the coast westwards, and the further I advanced, the fresher
+and more wholesome I found the water; and when I had
+proceeded a considerable distance, I reached a spot where the
+land appeared to be cultivated. There I anchored, and sent
+the boats ashore, and the men who went in them found the
+natives had recently left the place; they also observed
+that the mountain was covered with monkeys. They came
+back, and as the coast at that part presented nothing
+but a chain of mountains, I concluded that further west we
+should find the land flatter, and consequently in all probability
+inhabited. Actuated by this thought I weighed anchor,
+and ran along the coast until we came to the end of the cordillera;
+I then anchored at the mouth of a river, and we were
+soon visited by a great number of the inhabitants, who informed
+us, that the country was called Paria, and that further
+westward it was more fully peopled. I took four of these
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_125">[125]</span>natives, and proceeded on my westward voyage; and when I
+had gone eight leagues further, I found on the other side
+of a point which I called Punta de la Aguja (Needle Point)&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_173" href="#Footnote_173" class="fnanchor">[173]</a>
+one of the most lovely countries in the world, and very
+thickly peopled: it was three o’clock in the morning when
+I reached it, and seeing its verdure and beauty, I resolved
+to anchor there and communicate with the inhabitants. Some
+of the natives soon came out to the ship, in canoes, to beg
+me, in the name of their king, to go on shore; and when
+they saw that I paid no attention to them, they came to the
+ship in their canoes in countless numbers, many of them
+wearing pieces of gold on their breasts, and some with bracelets
+of pearls on their arms; on seeing which I was much
+delighted, and made many inquiries with the view of learning
+where they found them. They informed me, that they
+were to be procured in their own neighbourhood, and also
+northward of that country. I would have remained here,
+but the provisions of corn, and wine, and meats, which I
+had brought out with so much care for the people whom I
+had left behind, were nearly wasted, so that all my anxiety
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_126">[126]</span>was to get them into a place of safety, and not to stop for
+any thing. I wished, however, to get some of the pearls
+that I had seen, and with that view sent the boats on shore.
+The natives are very numerous, and all handsome in person,
+and of the same colour as the Indians we had already seen;
+they are, moreover, very affable, and received our men who
+went on shore most courteously, seeming very well disposed
+towards us. These men relate, that when the boats reached
+the shore, two of the chiefs, whom they took to be father and
+son, came forward in advance of the mass of the people, and
+conducted them to a very large house with façades, and not
+round and tent-shaped as the other houses were; in this
+house were many seats, on which they made our men sit
+down, they themselves sitting with them. They then caused
+bread to be brought, with many kinds of fruits, and various
+sorts of wine, both white and red, not made of grapes, but
+apparently produced from different fruits. The most reasonable
+inference is, that they use maize, which is a plant
+that bears an ear like that of wheat, some of which I took
+with me to Spain, where it now grows abundantly; the best
+of this they seemed to regard as most excellent, and set a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_127">[127]</span>great value upon it. The men remained together at one
+end of the house, and the women at the other. Great vexation
+was felt by both parties that they could not understand
+each other, for they were mutually anxious to make inquiries
+respecting each other’s country. After our men had been
+entertained at the house of the elder Indian, the younger
+took them to his house, and gave them an equally cordial
+reception; after which they returned to their boats and
+came on board. I weighed anchor forthwith, for I was
+hastened by my anxiety to save the provisions which were
+becoming spoiled, and which I had procured and preserved
+with so much care and trouble, as well as to attend to my
+own health, which had been affected by long watching;
+and although on my former voyage, when I went out to
+discover terra firma, I passed thirty-three days without natural
+rest, and was all that time without seeing it, yet
+never were my eyes so much affected with bleeding or so
+painful as at this period. These people, as I have already
+said, are very graceful in form,—tall, and lithe in their
+movements, and wear their hair very long and smooth. They
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_128">[128]</span>also bind their heads with handsome worked handkerchiefs,
+which from a distance look like silk or gauze; others use
+the same material in a longer form, wound round them so as
+to cover them like trousers, and this is done by both the
+men and the women. These people are of a whiter skin
+than any I have seen in the Indies. It is the fashion
+among all classes to wear something at the breast, and on
+the arms, and many wear pieces of gold hanging low on
+the bosom. Their canoes are larger, lighter, and of better
+build than those of the islands which I have hitherto seen,
+and in the middle of each they have a cabin or room, which
+I found was occupied by the chiefs and their wives. I
+called this place “Jardines,” that is “the Gardens,” for it
+corresponded to that appellation. I made many inquiries as
+to where they found the gold, in reply to which, all of them
+directed me to an elevated tract of land at no great distance,
+on the confines of their country, lying to the westward; but
+they all advised me not to go there, for fear of being eaten,
+and at the time, I imagined that by their description they
+wished to imply, that they were cannibals who dwelt there,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_129">[129]</span>but I have since thought it possible, that they meant merely
+to express, that the country was filled with beasts of prey.
+I also inquired of them where they obtained the pearls, and
+in reply to this question likewise, they directed me to the
+westward, and also to the north, behind the country they occupied.
+I did not put this information to the test, on account
+of the provisions, and the weakness of my eyes, and because
+the large ship that I had with me was not calculated for such
+an undertaking. The short time that I spent with them was
+all passed in putting questions; and at the hour of vespers
+[six <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span>], as I have already said, we returned to the ships,
+upon which I weighed anchor and sailed to the westward. I
+proceeded onwards on the following day, until I found that we
+were only in three fathoms water; at this time I was still under
+the idea that it was but an island, and that I should be able to
+make my exit by the north. With this view I sent a light
+caravel in advance of us, to see whether there was any exit,
+or whether the passage was closed. The caravel proceeded a
+great distance, until it reached a very large gulf, in which
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_130">[130]</span>there appeared to be four smaller gulfs, from one of which debouched
+a large river. They invariably found ground at five
+fathoms, and a great quantity of very fresh water, indeed, I
+never tasted any equal to it. I was very disappointed when I
+found that I could make no exit, either by the north, south, or
+west, but that I was enclosed on all three sides by land. I
+therefore weighed anchor, and sailed in a backward direction,
+with the hope of finding a passage to the north by the strait,
+which I have already described; but I could not return along
+the inhabited part where I had already been, on account of
+the currents, which drove me entirely out of my course. But
+constantly, at every headland, I found the water sweet and
+clear, and we were carried eastwards very powerfully towards
+the two straits already mentioned. I then conjectured, that
+the currents and the overwhelming mountains of water which
+rushed into these straits with such an awful roaring, arose
+from the contest between the fresh water and the sea. The
+fresh water struggled with the salt to oppose its entrance, and
+the salt contended against the fresh in its efforts to gain a passage
+outwards. I also formed the conjecture, that at one
+time there was a continuous neck of land from the island of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_131">[131]</span>Trinidad to the land of Gracia, where the two straits
+now are, as your Highnesses will see, by the drawing which
+accompanies this letter. I passed out by this northern strait,
+and found the fresh water come even there; and when, by the
+force of the wind, I was enabled to effect a passage, I remarked,
+while on one of the watery billows which I have
+described, that the water on the inner side of the current
+was fresh, and on the outside salt.</p>
+
+<p>When I sailed from Spain to the Indies, I found, that as
+soon as I had passed a hundred leagues westward of the
+Azores, there was a very great change in the sky and the
+stars, in the temperature of the air, and in the water of the
+sea; and I have been very diligent in observing these things.
+I remarked, that from north to south, in traversing these
+hundred leagues from the said islands, the needle of the
+compass, which hitherto had turned towards the north-east,
+turned a full quarter of the wind to the north-west, and this
+took place from the time when we reached that line. At the
+same time an appearance was presented, as if the sea shore
+had been transplanted thither, for we found the sea covered
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_132">[132]</span>all over with a sort of weed, resembling pine branches, and
+with fruits like that of the mastic tree, so thick, that on my
+first voyage I thought it was a reef, and that the ships could
+not avoid running aground; whereas until I reached this line,
+I did not meet with a single bough. I also observed, that at
+this point the sea was very smooth, and that though the wind
+was rough, the ships never rolled. I likewise found, that
+within the same line, towards the west, the temperature was
+always mild, and that it did not vary summer or winter.
+While there, I observed that the north star described a
+circle five degrees in diameter; that when its satellites&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_174" href="#Footnote_174" class="fnanchor">[174]</a> are
+on the right side, then the star was at its lowest point, and
+from this point it continues rising until it reaches the left
+side, where it is also at five degrees, and then again it sinks
+until it at length returns to the right side. In this voyage I
+proceeded immediately from Spain to the island of Madeira,
+thence to the Canaries, and then to the Cape Verde islands,
+and from the Cape Verde islands I sailed southwards, even
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_133">[133]</span>below the equinoctial line, as I have already described.
+When I reached the parallel of Sierra Leone, in Guinea, I
+found the heat so intense, and the rays of the sun so fierce,
+that I thought that we should have been burnt; and although
+it rained and the sky was heavy with clouds, I still suffered
+the same oppression, until our Lord was pleased to grant me
+a favourable wind, giving me an opportunity of sailing to the
+west, so that I reached a latitude where I experienced, as I
+have already said, a change in the temperature. Immediately
+upon my reaching this line, the temperature became very
+mild, and the more I advanced, the more this mildness increased;
+but I did not find the positions of the stars correspond
+with these effects. I remarked at this place, that when
+night came on, the polar star was five degrees high, and then
+the satellites were over head; afterwards, at midnight, I
+found that star elevated ten degrees, and when morning approached,
+the satellites were fifteen degrees below. I found
+the smoothness of the sea continue, but not so the weeds; as
+to the polar star, I watched it with great wonder, and devoted
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_134">[134]</span>many nights to a careful examination of it with the quadrant,
+and I always found that the lead and line fell to the same
+point. I look upon this as something new, and it will probably
+be admitted, that it is a short distance for so great a
+change to take place in the temperature. I have always read,
+that the world comprising the land and the water was spherical,
+and the recorded experiences of Ptolemy and all others,
+have proved this by the eclipses of the moon, and other observations
+made from east to west, as well as by the elevation of
+the pole from north to south. But as I have already described,
+I have now seen so much irregularity, that I have come to
+another conclusion respecting the earth, namely, that it is not
+round as they describe, but of the form of a pear, which is
+very round except where the stalk grows, at which part it is
+most prominent; or like a round ball, upon one part of which
+is a prominence like a woman’s nipple, this protrusion being
+the highest and nearest the sky, situated under the equinoctial
+line, and at the eastern extremity of this sea,—I call that the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_135">[135]</span>eastern extremity, where the land and the islands end. In
+confirmation of my opinion, I revert to the arguments which
+I have above detailed respecting the line, which passes from
+north to south, a hundred leagues westward of the Azores;
+for in sailing thence westward, the ships went on rising
+smoothly towards the sky, and then the weather was felt to
+be milder, on account of which mildness, the needle shifted
+one point of the compass; the further we went, the more the
+needle moved to the north-west, this elevation producing the
+variation of the circle, which the north star describes with its
+satellites; and the nearer I approached the equinoctial line,
+the more they rose, and the greater was the difference
+in these stars and in their circles. Ptolemy and the other
+philosophers, who have written upon the globe, thought that
+it was spherical, believing that this hemisphere was round as
+well as that in which they themselves dwelt, the centre of
+which was in the island of Arin,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_175" href="#Footnote_175" class="fnanchor">[175]</a> which is under the equinoctial
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_136">[136]</span>line between the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Persia;
+and the circle passes over Cape St. Vincent, in Portugal,
+westward, and eastward, by Cangara and the Seras,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_176" href="#Footnote_176" class="fnanchor">[176]</a> in which
+hemisphere I make no difficulty as to its being a perfect
+sphere as they describe; but this western half of the world,
+I maintain, is like the half of a very round pear, having a
+raised projection for the stalk, as I have already described, or
+like a woman’s nipple on a round ball. Ptolemy and the
+others who have written upon the globe, had no information
+respecting this part of the world, which was then unexplored;
+they only established their arguments with respect to their
+own hemisphere, which, as I have already said, is half of a
+perfect sphere. And now that your Highnesses have commissioned
+me to make this voyage of discovery, the truths
+which I have stated are evidently proved, because in this
+voyage, when I was off the island of Hargin,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_177" href="#Footnote_177" class="fnanchor">[177]</a> and its vicinity,
+which is twenty degrees to the north of the equinoctial line,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_137">[137]</span>I found the people are black, and the land very much burnt;
+and when after that I went to the Cape Verde islands, I
+found the people there much darker still, and the more
+southward we went, the more they approach the extreme of
+blackness; so that when I reached the parallel of Sierra
+Leone, where, as night came on, the north star rose five
+degrees, the people there were excessively black; and as I
+sailed westward, the heat became extreme. But after I had
+passed the meridian, or line which I have already described,
+I found the climate become gradually more temperate; so
+that when I reached the island of Trinidad, where the north
+star rose five degrees as night came on, there, and in the
+land of Gracia, I found the temperature exceedingly mild;
+the fields and the foliage likewise were remarkably fresh and
+green, and as beautiful as the gardens of Valencia in April.
+The people there are very graceful in form, less dark than
+those whom I had before seen in the Indies, and wear their
+hair long and smooth; they are also more shrewd, intelligent,
+and courageous. The sun was then in the sign of Virgo,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_138">[138]</span>over our heads and theirs; therefore, all this must proceed
+from the extreme blandness of the temperature, which arises,
+as I have said, from this country being the most elevated in
+the world, and the nearest to the sky. On these grounds,
+therefore, I affirm, that the globe is not spherical, but that
+there is the difference in its form which I have described;
+the which is to be found in this hemisphere, at the point
+where the Indies meet the ocean, the extremity of the
+hemisphere being below the equinoctial line. And a great
+confirmation of this is, that when our Lord made the sun,
+the first light appeared in the first point of the east, where
+the most elevated point of the globe is; and although it was
+the opinion of Aristotle, that the antarctic pole, or the land
+under it, was the highest part of the world, and the nearest
+to the heavens, other philosophers oppose him, and say, that
+the highest part was below the arctic pole, by which reasoning
+it appears, that they understood, that one part of the
+world must be loftier, and nearer the sky, than the other;
+but it never struck them that it might be under the equinoctial,
+in the way that I have said, which is not to be wondered
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_139">[139]</span>at, because they had no certain knowledge respecting
+this hemisphere, but merely vague suppositions, for no one
+has ever gone or been sent to investigate the matter, until
+now that your Highnesses have sent me to explore both the
+sea and the land. I found that between the two straits,
+which, as I have said, face each other in a line from north to
+south, is a distance of twenty-six leagues; and there can be
+no mistake in this calculation, because it was made with the
+quadrant. I also find, that from these two straits on the
+west up to the above-mentioned gulf, to which I gave the
+name of the Gulf of Pearls,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_178" href="#Footnote_178" class="fnanchor">[178]</a> there are sixty-eight leagues of
+four miles to the league, which is the reckoning we are
+accustomed to make at sea; from this gulf the water runs
+constantly with great impetuosity towards the east, and this
+is the cause why, in these two straits, there is so fierce a turmoil
+from the fresh water encountering the water of the sea.
+In the southern strait, which I named the Serpent’s Mouth,
+I found that towards evening the polar star was nearly at
+five degrees elevation; and in the northern, which I called
+the Dragon’s Mouth, it was at an elevation of nearly seven
+degrees. The before-mentioned Gulf of Pearls is to the west
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_140">[140]</span>of the &#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_179" href="#Footnote_179" class="fnanchor lacuna">[179]</a> of Ptolemy, nearly three thousand nine
+hundred miles, which make nearly seventy equinoctial degrees,
+reckoning fifty-six miles and two-thirds to a degree.
+The Holy Scriptures record, that our Lord made the earthly
+paradise, and planted in it the tree of life, and thence springs
+a fountain from which the four principal rivers in the world
+take their source; namely, the Ganges in India, the Tigris,
+and Euphrates in &#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_180" href="#Footnote_180" class="fnanchor lacuna">[180]</a> which rivers divide a chain of
+mountains, and forming Mesopotamia, flow thence into Persia,—and
+the Nile, which rises in Ethiopia, and falls into the
+sea at Alexandria.</p>
+
+<p>I do not find, nor have ever found, any account by the
+Romans or Greeks, which fixes in a positive manner the
+site of the terrestrial paradise, neither have I seen it given
+in any mappe-monde, laid down from authentic sources.
+Some placed it in Ethiopia, at the sources of the Nile, but
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_141">[141]</span>others, traversing all these countries, found neither the temperature
+nor the altitude of the sun correspond with their
+ideas respecting it; nor did it appear that the overwhelming
+waters of the deluge had been there. Some pagans
+pretended to adduce arguments to establish that it was in
+the Fortunate Islands, now called the Canaries, etc.</p>
+
+<p>St. Isidore, Bede, Strabo,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_181" href="#Footnote_181" class="fnanchor">[181]</a> and the Master of scholastic
+history,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_182" href="#Footnote_182" class="fnanchor">[182]</a> with St. Ambrose, and Scotus, and all the learned
+theologians, agree that the earthly paradise is in the east, etc.</p>
+
+<p>I have already described my ideas concerning this hemisphere
+and its form, and I have no doubt, that if I could
+pass below the equinoctial line, after reaching the highest
+point of which I have spoken, I should find a much milder
+temperature, and a variation in the stars and in the water;
+not that I suppose that elevated point to be navigable, nor
+even that there is water there; indeed, I believe it is impossible
+to ascend thither, because I am convinced that it is
+the spot of the earthly paradise, whither no one can go but
+by God’s permission; but this land which your Highnesses
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_142">[142]</span>have now sent me to explore, is very extensive, and I think
+there are many other countries in the south, of which the
+world has never had any knowledge.</p>
+
+<p>I do not suppose that the earthly paradise is in the form
+of a rugged mountain, as the descriptions of it have made it
+appear, but that it is on the summit of the spot, which I
+have described as being in the form of the stalk of a pear;
+the approach to it from a distance must be by a constant and
+gradual ascent; but I believe that, as I have already said,
+no one could ever reach the top; I think also, that the water
+I have described may proceed from it, though it be far off,
+and that stopping at the place which I have just left, it forms
+this lake. There are great indications of this being the terrestrial
+paradise, for its site coincides with the opinion of
+the holy and wise theologians whom I have mentioned; and
+moreover, the other evidences agree with the supposition, for
+I have never either read or heard of fresh water coming in
+so large a quantity, in close conjunction with the water of
+the sea; the idea is also corroborated by the blandness of
+the temperature; and if the water of which I speak, does
+not proceed from the earthly paradise, it seems to be a still
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_143">[143]</span>greater wonder, for I do not believe that there is any river
+in the world so large or so deep.</p>
+
+<p>When I left the Dragon’s Mouth, which is the northernmost
+of the two straits which I have described, and which I
+so named on the day of our Lady of August,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_183" href="#Footnote_183" class="fnanchor">[183]</a> I found that
+the sea ran so strongly to the westward, that between the
+hour of mass,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_184" href="#Footnote_184" class="fnanchor">[184]</a>
+    when I weighed anchor, and the hour of complines,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_185" href="#Footnote_185" class="fnanchor">[185]</a>
+I made sixty-five leagues of four miles each; and not
+only was the wind not violent, but on the contrary very
+gentle, which confirmed me in the conclusion, that in sailing
+southward, there is a continuous ascent, while there is a corresponding
+descent towards the north.</p>
+
+<p>I hold it for certain, that the waters of the sea move from
+east to west with the sky, and that in passing this track, they
+hold a more rapid course, and have thus eaten away large
+tracts of land, and hence has resulted this great number of
+islands; indeed, these islands themselves afford an additional
+proof of it, for on the one hand all those which lie west and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_144">[144]</span>east, or a little more obliquely north-west and south-east, are
+broad; while those which lie north and south, or north-east
+and south-west, that is, in a directly contrary direction to
+the said winds, are narrow; furthermore, that these islands
+should possess the most costly productions, is to be accounted
+for by the mild temperature, which comes to them from
+heaven, since these are the most elevated parts of the world.
+It is true, that in some parts, the waters do not appear to
+take this course, but this only occurs in certain spots, where
+they are obstructed by land, and hence they appear to take
+different directions.</p>
+
+<p>Pliny writes that the sea and land together form a sphere,
+but that the ocean forms the greatest mass, and lies uppermost,
+while the earth is below and supports the ocean, and
+that the two afford a mutual support to each other, as the
+kernel of a nut is confined by its shell. The Master of
+scholastic history, in commenting upon Genesis, says, that
+the waters are not very extensive; and that although when
+they were first created they covered the earth, they were yet
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_145">[145]</span>vaporous like a cloud, and that afterwards they became condensed,
+and occupied but small space, and in this notion
+Nicolas de Lira agrees. Aristotle says that the world is
+small, and the water very limited in extent, and that it is
+easy to pass from Spain to the Indies; and this is confirmed
+by Avenruyz,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_186" href="#Footnote_186" class="fnanchor">[186]</a> and by the Cardinal Pedro de Aliaco, who, in
+supporting this opinion, shows that it agrees with that of
+Seneca, and says that Aristotle had been enabled to gain
+information respecting the world by means of Alexander the
+Great, and Seneca by means of the Emperor Nero, and Pliny
+through the Romans; all of them having expended large
+sums of money, and employed a vast number of people, in
+diligent inquiry concerning the secrets of the world, and in
+spreading abroad the knowledge thus obtained. The said
+cardinal allows to these writers greater authority than to
+Ptolemy, and other Greeks and Arabs; and in confirmation
+of their opinion concerning the small quantity of water on
+the surface of the globe, and the limited amount of land
+covered by that water, in comparison of what had been related
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_146">[146]</span>on the authority of Ptolemy and his disciples, he finds
+a passage in the third book of Esdras, where that sacred
+writer says, that of seven parts of the world six are discovered,
+and the other is covered with water. The authority
+of the third and fourth books of Esdras is also confirmed by
+holy persons, such as St. Augustin, and St. Ambrose in his
+<i>Exameron</i>, where he says,—“Here my son Jesus shall first
+come, and here my son Christ shall die!” These holy men
+say that Esdras was a prophet as well as Zacharias, the
+father of St. John, and <i>El Braso</i>&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_187" href="#Footnote_187" class="fnanchor">[187]</a> Simon; authorities which
+are also quoted by Francis de Mairones.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_188" href="#Footnote_188" class="fnanchor">[188]</a> With respect to
+the dryness of the land, experience has shown that it is
+greater than is commonly believed; and this is no wonder,
+for the further one goes the more one learns.</p>
+
+<p>I now return to my subject of the land of Gracia, and of
+the river and lake found there, which latter might more properly
+be called a sea; for a lake is but a small expanse of
+water, which, when it becomes great, deserves the name of a
+sea, just as we speak of the Sea of Galilee and the Dead
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_147">[147]</span>Sea; and I think that if the river mentioned does not proceed
+from the terrestrial paradise, it comes from an immense
+tract of land situated in the south, of which no knowledge
+has been hitherto obtained. But the more I reason
+on the subject, the more satisfied I become that the terrestrial
+paradise is situated in the spot I have described; and
+I ground my opinion upon the arguments and authorities
+already quoted. May it please the Lord to grant your Highnesses
+a long life, and health and peace to follow out so noble
+an investigation; in which I think our Lord will receive
+great service, Spain considerable increase of its greatness,
+and all Christians much consolation and pleasure, because by
+this means the name of our Lord will be published abroad.</p>
+
+<p>In all the countries visited by your Highnesses’ ships, I
+have caused a high cross to be fixed upon every headland,
+and have proclaimed, to every nation that I have discovered,
+the lofty estate of your Highnesses, and of your court in
+Spain. I also tell them all I can respecting our holy faith
+and of the belief in the holy mother Church, which has its
+members in all the world; and I speak to them also of the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_148">[148]</span>courtesy and nobleness of all Christians, and of the faith
+they have in the Holy Trinity. May it please the Lord to
+forgive those who have calumniated and still calumniate this
+excellent enterprise, and oppose and have opposed its advancement,
+without considering how much glory and greatness
+will accrue from it to your Highnesses throughout all
+the world. They cannot state anything in disparagement
+of it, except its expense, and that I have not immediately
+sent back the ships loaded with gold. They speak this
+without considering the shortness of the time, and how
+many difficulties there are to contend with; and that every
+year there are individuals who singly earn by their deserts
+out of your Majesties’ own household, more revenue than
+would cover the whole of this expense. Nor do they take
+into consideration that the princes of Spain have never gained
+possession of any land out of their own country, until now that
+your Highnesses have become the masters of another world,
+where our holy faith may become so much increased, and
+whence such stores of wealth may be derived; for although
+we have not sent home ships laden with gold, we have,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_149">[149]</span>nevertheless, sent satisfactory samples, both of gold and of
+other valuable commodities, by which it may be judged that
+in a short time large profit may be derived. Neither do they
+take into consideration the noble spirit of the princes of
+Portugal, who so long ago carried into execution the exploration
+of Guinea, and still follow it up along the coast of
+Africa, in which one-half of the population of the country has
+been employed, and yet the King is more determined on the
+enterprise than ever. The Lord grant all that I have said,
+and lead them to think deeply upon what I have written;
+which is not the thousandth part of what might be written
+of the deeds of princes who have set their minds upon
+gaining knowledge, and upon obtaining territory and
+keeping it.</p>
+
+<p>I say all this, not because I doubt the inclination of your
+Highnesses to pursue the enterprise while you live,—for I
+rely confidently on the answers your Highnesses once gave
+me by word of mouth,—nor because I have seen any change
+in your Highnesses, but from the fear of what I have heard
+from those of whom I have been speaking; for I know that
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_150">[150]</span>water dropping on a stone will at length make a hole. Your
+Highnesses responded to me with that nobleness of feeling
+which all the world knows you to possess, and told me to pay
+no attention to these calumniations; for that your intention
+was to follow up and support the undertaking, even if nothing
+were gained by it but stones and sand. Your Highnesses
+also desired me to be in no way anxious about the expense,
+for that much greater cost had been incurred on much more
+trifling matters, and that you considered all the past and
+future expense as well laid out; for that your Highnesses
+believed that our holy faith would be increased, and your
+royal dignity enhanced, and that they were no friends of the
+royal estate who spoke ill of the enterprise.</p>
+
+<p>And now, during the despatch of the information respecting
+these lands which I have recently discovered, and where
+I believe in my soul that the earthly paradise is situated,
+the “Adelantado” will proceed with three ships, well stocked
+with provisions, on a further investigation, and will make all
+the discoveries he can about these parts. Meanwhile, I shall
+send your Highnesses this letter, accompanied by a map of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_151">[151]</span>the country, and your Majesties will determine on what is to
+be done, and give your orders as to how it is your pleasure
+that I should proceed: the which, by the aid of the Holy
+Trinity, shall be carried into execution with all possible diligence,
+in the faithful service and to the entire satisfaction of
+your Majesties. Thanks be to God.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="spanish">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="TERCER_VIAGE_DE_COLON">TERCER VIAGE DE COLON.</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>La historia del viage quel Almirante D. Cristobal Colon hizo la tercera
+vez que vino á las Indias cuando descubrió la tierra firme,
+como lo envió á los Reyes desde la Isla Española.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Serenísimos é muy altos é muy poderosos Príncipes Rey é Reina
+nuestros Señores: La Santa Trinidad movió á vuestras Altezas á
+esta empresa de las Indias, y por su infinita bondad hizo á mí
+mensagero dello, al cual vine con el embajada á su Real conspetu,
+movido como á los mas altos Príncipes de cristianos y que tanto
+se ejercisaban en la fé y acrecentamiento della; las personas que
+entendieron en ello lo tuvieron por imposible, y el caudal hacian
+sobre bienes de fortuna, y allí echaron el clavo. Puse en esto seis
+ó siete años de grave pena, amostrando lo mejor que yo sabia
+cuanto servicio se podia hacer á nuestro Señor en esto en divulgar
+su santo nombre y Fé á tantos pueblos; lo cual todo era cosa de
+tanta excelencia y buena fama y gran memoria para grandes
+Príncipes: fue tambien necesario de hablar del temporal adonde se
+les amostró el escrebir de tantos sabios dignos de fé, los cuales
+escribieron historias. Los cuales contaban que en estas partes
+habia muchas riquezas, y asimismo fue necesario traer á esto el
+decir é epinion de aquellos que escribieron é situaron el mundo:
+en fin vuestras Altezas determinaron questo se pusiese en obra.
+Aquí mostraron el grande corazon que siempre ficieron en toda
+cosa grande, porque todos los que habian entendido en ello y oido
+esta platica todos á una mano lo tenian á burla, salvo dos frailes
+que siempre fueron constantes. Yo, bien que llevase fatiga, estaba
+bien seguro que esto no vernia á menos, y estoy de contino, porque
+es verdad que todo pasará, y no la palabra de Dios, y se complirá
+todo lo que dijó; el cual tan claro habló de estas tierras por la
+boca de Isaías en tantos lugares de su Escriptura, afirmando que
+de España les seria divulgado su santo nombre. E partí en nombre
+de la Santa Trinidad, y volví muy presto con la experiencia de
+todo cuanto yo habia dicho en la mano: tornáronme á enviar
+vuestras Altezas, y en poco espacio digo, no de <a class="lacuna" href="#Footnote_155">[155]</a> le descubri
+por virtud divinal trescientas y treinta y tres leguas de la tierra
+firme, fin de Oriente, y setcentas [<i>sic</i>] islas de nombre, allende de
+lo descubierto en el primero víage, y le allané la Isla Española que
+boja mas que España, en que la gente della es sin cuento, y que
+todos le pagasen tributo. Nació allí mal decir y menosprecio de
+la empresa comenzada en ello, porque no habia yo enviado luego
+los navíos cargados de oro, sin considerar le brevedad del tiempo,
+y lo otro que yo dije de tantos inconvenientes; y en esto por mis
+pecados ó por mi salvacion creo que será, fue puesto en aborrecimiento
+y dado impedimento á cuanto yo decia y demandaba; por
+lo cual acordé de venir á vuestras Altezas, y maravillarme de todo,
+y mostrarles la razon que en todo habia, y les dige de los pneblos
+que yo habia visto, en qué ó de qué se podrian salvar muchas
+animas, y les truje las obligaciones de la gente de la Isla Española,
+de como se obligaban á pagar tributo é les tenian por sos Reyes
+y Señores, y les truje abastante muestra de oro, y que hay mineros
+y granos muy grandes, y asimismo de cobre; y les truje de muchas
+maneras de especerias, de que seria largo de escrebir, y les dije
+de la gran cantidad de brasil, y otras infinitas cosas. Todo no
+aprovechó para con algunas personas que tenian gana y dado
+comienzo á mal decir del negocio, ni entrar con fabla del servicio
+de nuestro Señor con se salvar tantas animas, ni á decir questo
+era grandeza de vuestras Altezas, de la mejor calidad que hasta
+hoy haya usado Príncipe, por quel ejercicio é gasto era para el
+espiritual y temporal, y que no podia ser que andando el tiempo
+no hobiese la España de aquí grandes provechos, pues que se
+veian las señales que escribieron de lo de estas partidas tan manifiestas;
+que tambien se llegaria á ver todo el otro complimiento,
+ni á decir cosas que usaron grandes Principes en el mundo para
+crecer su fama, así como de Salomon que envió desde Hierusalem
+en fin de Oriente á ver el monte Sopora, en que se detovieron los
+navíos tres años, el cual tienen vuestras Altezas agora en la Isla
+Española; ni de Alejandre, que envió á ver el regimiento de la
+Isla de Trapobana en India, y Nero Cesar á ver las fuentes del
+Nilo, y la razon porque crecian en el verano, cuando las aguas son
+pocas, y otras muchas grandezas que hicieron Príncipes, y que á
+Príncipes son estas cosas dadas de hacer; ni valia decir que yo
+nunca habia leido que Príncipes de Castilla jamas hobiesen ganado
+tierra fuera della, y que esta de acáes otro mundo en que se
+trabajaron Romanos y Alejandre y Griegos, para la haber con
+grandes ejercicios, ni decir del presente de los Reyes de Portugal,
+que tovieron corazon para sostener á Guinea, y del descobrir della,
+y que gastaron oro y gente á tanta, que quien contase toda la del
+Reino se hallaria que otra tanta como la mitad son muertos en
+Guinea, y todavia la continuaron hasta que les salió dello lo que
+parece, lo cual todo comenzaron de largo tiempo, y hay muy poco
+que les da renta; los cuales tambien osaron conquistar en Africa,
+y sostener la empresa á Cepta, Tanjar y Arcilla, é Alcazar, y
+de contino dar guerra á los moros, y todo esto con grande gasto,
+solo por hacer cosa de Príncipe servir á Dios y acrecentar su
+Señorío.</p>
+
+<p>Cuanto yo mas decia tanto mas se doblaba á poner esto á vituperio,
+amostrando en ello aborrecimiento, sin considerar cuánto
+bien parecio en todo el mundo, y cuánto bien se dijo en todos los
+cristianos de vuestras Altezas por haber tomado esta empresa,
+que no hobo grande ni pequeño que no quisiese dello carta.
+Respondiéronme vuestras Altezas riéndose y diciendo que yo no
+curase de nada porque no daban autoridad ni creencia á quien
+les mal decia de esta empresa.</p>
+
+<p>Partí en nombre de la Santísima Trinidad, Miercoles 30 de
+Mayo de la villa de S. Lúcar, bien fatigado de mi viage, que
+adonde esperaba descanso, cuando yo partí de estas Indias, se me
+dobló la pena, y navegué á la Isla de la Madera por camino no
+acostumbrado, por evitar escándalo que pudiera tener con un
+armada de Francia, que me aguardaba al Cabo de S. Vicente, y
+de allí á las Islas de Canaria, de adonde me partí con una nao y
+dos carabelas, y envié los otros navíos á derecho camino á las
+Indias á la Isla Española, y yo navegué al Austro con propósito
+de llegar á la línea equinocial, y de allí seguir al Poniente hasta
+que la Isla Española me quedase al Septentrion, y llegado á las
+Islas de Cabo Verde, falso nombre, porque son atan secas que no
+ví cosa verde en ellas, y toda la gente enferma, que no osé detenerme
+en ellas, y navegué al Sudueste cuatrocientas y ochenta
+millas, que son ciento y veinte leguas, adonde en anocheciendo
+tenia la estrella del norte en cinco grados; allí me desamparó el
+viento y entré en tanto ardor y tan grande que creí que se me
+quemasen los navíos y gente, que todo de un golpe vino á tan
+desordenado, que no habia persona que osase descender debajo
+de cubierta á remediar la vasija y mantenimientos; duró este
+ardor ocho dias; al primer dia fue claro, y los siete dias siguientes
+llovió é hizo ñumblado, y con todo no fallamos remedio, que cierto
+si así fuera de sol como el primero, yo creo que no pudiera escapar
+en ninguna manera.</p>
+
+<p>Acórdome que navegando á las Indias siempre que yo paso al
+Poniente de las Islas de los Azores cien leguas, allí fallo mudar la
+temperanza, y esto es todo de Septentrion en Austro, y determiné
+que si á nuestro Señor le pluguiese de me dar viento y buen
+tiempo que pudiese salir de adonde estaba, de dejar de ir mas al
+Austro, ni volver tampoco atrás, salvo de navegar al Poniente, á
+tanto que ya llegase á estar con esta raya con esperanza que yo
+fallaria allí así temperamiento, como habia fallado cuando yo
+navegaba en el paralelo de Canaria. E que si así fuese que entonces
+yo podria ir mas al Austro, y plugó á nuestro Señor que al
+cabo de estos ocho dias de me dar buen viento Levante, y yo
+seguí al Poniente, mas no osé declinar abajo al Austro porque
+fallé grandísimo mudamiento en el cielo y en las estrellas, mas
+non fallé mudamiento en la temperancia; así acordé de proseguir
+delante siempre justo al Poniente, en aquel derecho de la Sierra
+Lioa, con propósito de non mudar derrota fasta adonde yo habia
+pensado que fallaria tierra, y allí adobar los navíos, y remediar si
+pudiese los mantenimientos y tomar agua que no tenia; y al cabo
+de diez y siete dias, los cuales nuestro Señor me dió de próspero
+viento, Martes 31 de Julio á medio dia nos amostró tierra é yo la
+esperaba el Lunes antes, y tuve aquel camino fasta entonces, que
+en saliendo el sol, por defecto del agua que no tenia, determiné
+de andar á las Islas de los Caribales, y tomé esa vuelta; y como
+su alta Magestad haya siempre usado de misericordia conmigo,
+por acertamiento subió un marinero á la gavia, y vido al Poniente
+tres moñtanas juntas: dijimos la Salve Regina y otras prosas, y
+dimos todos muchas gracias á nuestro Señor, y despues dejé el
+camino de Septentrion, y volví hácia la tierra, adonde yo llegué á
+hora de completas á un Cabo á que dije de la Galea despues de
+haber nombrado á la Isla de la Trinidad, y allí hobiera muy buen
+puerto si fuera fondo, y habia casas y gente, y muy lindas tierras,
+atan fermosas y verdes come las huertas de Valencia en Marzo.
+Pesóme cuando no pude entrar en el puerto, y corri la costa de
+esta tierra del luengo fasta el poniente, y andadas cinco leguas
+fallé muy buen fondo y surgí, y en el otro dia dí la vela á este
+camino buscando puerto para adobar los navíos y tomar agua, y
+remediar el trigo y los bastimentos que llevaba solamente. Allí
+tomé una pipa de agua, y con ella anduve ansi hasta llegar al
+cabo, y allí fallé abrigo de Levante y buen fondo, y así mandé
+surgir y adobar la vasija y tomar agua y leña, y descendir la
+gente á descansar de tanto tiempo que andaban penando.</p>
+
+<p>A esta punta llamé del Arenal, y allí se falló toda la tierra follada
+de unas animalías que tenian la pata como de cabra, y bien
+que segun parece ser allí haya muchas, no se vido sino una
+muerta. El dia siguiente vino de hácia oriente una grande canoa
+con veinte y cuatro hombres, todos mancebos é muy ataviados
+de armas, arcos y flechas y tablachinas, y ellos, como dije, todos,
+mancebos, de buena disposicion y no negros, salvo mas blancos
+que otros que haya visto en las Indias, y de muy lindo gesto, y
+fermosos cuerpos, y los cabellos largos y llanos, cortados á la
+guisa Castilla, y traian la cabeza atada con un pañuelo de algodon
+tejido á labores y colores, el cual creia yo que era almaizar. Otro
+de estos pañuelos traían ceñido é se cobijaban con él en lugar de
+pañetes. Cuando llegó esta canoa habló de muy lejos, é yo ni
+otro ninguno no los entendiamos, salvo que yo les mandaba hacer
+señas que se allegasen, y en esto se pasó mas de dos horas, y si
+se llegaban un poco luego se desviaban. Yo les hacia mostrar
+bacines y otras cosas que lucian por enamorarlos porque viniesen,
+y á cabo de buen rato se allegaron mas que hasta entonces no
+habian, y yo deseaba mucho haber lengua, y no tenia ya cosa que
+me pareciese que era de mostrarles para que viniesen; salvo que
+hice sobir un tamborin en el castillo de popa que tañesen, é unos
+mancebos que danzasen, creyendo que se allegarian á ver la
+fiesta; y luego que vieron tañer y danzar todos dejaron los remos
+y echaron mano á los arcos y los encordaron, y embrazo cada uno
+su tablachina, y comenzaron á tirarnos flechas: cesó luego el
+tañer y danzar, y mandé luego sacar unas ballestas, y ellos dejáronme
+y fueren á mas andar á otra carabela y de golpe se
+fueron debajo la popa della, y el piloto entró con ellos, y dió un
+sayo é un bonete á un hombre principal que le pareció dellos, y
+quedó concertado que le iria hablar allí en la playa, adonde ellos
+luego fueron con la canoa esperándole, y él como no quiso ir sin mi
+licencia, como ellos le vieron venir á la nao con la barca, tornaron
+á entrar en la canoa é se fueron, é nunca mas los vide ni á otros
+de esta isla.</p>
+
+<p>Cuando yo llegué á esta punta del Arenal, allí se hace una boca
+grande de dos leguas de Poniente á Levante, la Isla de la Trinidad
+con la tierra de Gracia y que para haber de entrar dentro para
+pasar al Septentrion habia unos hileros de corrientes que atravesaban
+aquella boca y traían un rugir muy grande, y creí yo que
+sería un arrecife de bajos é peñas, por el cual no se ponria entrar
+dentro en ella, y detras de este hilero habia otro y otro que todos
+traian un rugir grande como ola de la mar que va á romper y dar
+en peñas. Surgí allí á la dicha punta del Arenal, fuera de la dicha
+boca, y fallé que venia el agua del Oriente fasta el Poniente con
+tanta furia como hace Guadalquivir en tiempo de avenida, y esto
+de contino noche y dia, que creí quo no podria volver atrás por la
+corriente, ni ir adelante por los bajos; y en la noche ya muy tarde,
+estando al bordo de la nao, oí un rugir muy terrible que venia de
+la parte del Austro hácia la nao, y me paré á mirar, y ví levantando
+la mar de Poniente á Levante, en manera de una loma tan
+alta como la nao, y todavia venia hácia mi poco á poco, y encima
+della venia un filero de corriente que venia rugiendo con muy
+grande estrépito con aquella furia de aquel rugir que de los otros
+hileros que yo dije que me parecian ondas de mar que daban en
+peñas, que hoy en dia tengo el miedo en el cuerpo que no me
+trabucasen la nao cuando llegasen debajo della, y passó y llegó
+fasta la boca adonde allí se detuvo grande espacio. Y el otro dia
+siguiente envié las barcas á sondar y fallé en el mas bajo de la
+boca, que habia seis ó siete brazas de fondo, y de contino andaban
+aquellos hileros unos por entrar y otros por salir, y plugo á
+nuestro Señor de me dar buen viento, y atravesé por esa boca
+adentro, y luego hallé tranquilidad, y por acertamiento se sacó del
+agua de la mar y la hallé dulce. Navegué al Septentrion fasta
+una sierra muy alta, adonde serian veinte y seis leguas de esta
+punta del Arenal, y allí habia dos cabos de tierra muy alta, el uno
+de la parte del Oriente, y era de la misma Isla de la Trinidad, y
+el otro del Occidente de la tierra que dije de Gracia, y allí hacia
+una boca muy angosta mas que aquella de la punta del Arenal, y
+allí habia los mismos hileros y aquel rugir fuerte del agua como
+era en la punta del Arenal, y asimismo allí la mar era agua dulce;
+y fasta entonces yo no habia habido lengua con ninguna gente de
+estas tierras, y lo deseaba en gran manera, y por esto navegué al
+luengo de la costa de esta tierra hácia el Poniente, y cuanto mas
+andaba hallaba el agua de la mar mas dulce y mas sabrosa, y
+andando una gran parte llegué á un lugar donde me parecian las
+tierras labradas y surgí y envié las barcas á tierra, y fallaron que
+de fresco se habia ido de allí gente, y fallaron todo el monte
+cubierto de gatos paules: volviéronse, y como esta fuese sierra
+me pareció que mas allá al Poniente las tierras eran mas llanas, y
+que allí seria poblado, y por esto seria poblado, y mandé levantar
+las anclas y corrí esta costa fasta el cabo de esta sierra, y allí á
+un rio surgi, y luego vino mucha gente, y me dijeron como
+llamaron á esta tierra Paria y que de allí mas al Poniente era mas
+poblada; tomé dellos cuatro, y despues navegué al Poniente, y
+andadas ocho leguas mas al Poniente allende una punta á que yo
+llamé del Aguja: hallé unas tierras las mas hermosas del mundo,
+y muy pobladas: llegué allí una mañana á hora de tercia, y por
+ver esta verdura y esta hermosura acordé surgir y ver esta gente,
+de los cuales luego vinieron en canoas á la nao á rogarme, de
+partes de su Rey, que descendiese en tierra; é cuando vieron que
+no curé dellos vinieron á la nao infinitísimos en canoas, y muchos
+traían piezas de oro al pescuezo, y algunos atados á los brazos
+algunas perlas: holgué mucho cuando las ví é procuré mucho de
+saber donde las hallaban, y me dijeron que allí, y de la parte del
+Norte de aquella tierra.</p>
+
+<p>Quisiera detenerme, mas estos bastimentos, que yo traía, trigo
+y vino é carne para esta gente que acá esta se me acababan de
+perder, los cuales hobe allá con tanta fatiga, y por esto yo no
+buscaba sino á mas andar á venir á poner en ellos cobro, y no me
+detener para cosa alguna: procuré de haber de aquellas perlas, y
+envié las barcas á tierra: esta gente es muy mucha, y toda de
+muy buen parecer, de la misma color que los otros de antes, y muy
+tratables: la gente nuestra que fue á tierra los hallaron tan convenibles,
+y los recibieron muy honradamente: dicen que luego
+que llegaron las barcas á tierra que vinieron dos personas principales
+cón todo el pueblo, creen que el uno el padre y el otro era
+su hijo, y los llevaron á una casa muy grande hecha á dos aguas,
+y no redonda, como tienda de campo, como son estas otras, y allí
+tenian muchas sillas á donde los ficieron asentar, y otras donde
+ellos se asentaron; y hicieron traer pan, y de muchas maneras
+frutas é vino de muchas maneras blanco é tinto, mas no de uvas:
+debe él de ser de diversas maneras uno de una fruta y otro de
+otra; y asimismo debe de ser dello de maiz, que es una simiente
+que hace una espiga como una mazorca de que llevé yo allá, y hay
+ya mucho en Castilla, y parece que aquel que lo tenia mejor lo
+traía por mayor excelencia, y lo daba en gran precio: los hombres
+todos estaban juntos á un cabo de la casa, y las mugeres en otro.
+Recibieron ambas las partes gran pena porque no se entendian,
+ellos para preguntar á los otros de nuestra patria, y los nuestros
+por saber de la suya. E despues que hobieron rescebido colacion
+allí en casa del mas viejo, los llevó el mozo á la suya, e fizo otro
+tanto, é despues se pusieron en las barcas é se vinieron á la nao,
+é yo luego levanté las anclas porque andaba mucho de priesa por
+remediar los mantenimientos que se me perdian que yo habia
+habido con tanta fatiga, y tambien por remediarme á mí que
+habia adolescido por el desvelar de los ojos, que bien quel viage
+que yo fuí á descubrir la tierra firme estuviese teinta y tres dias
+sin concebir sueño, y estoviese tanto tiempo sin vista, non se me
+deñaron los ojos, ni se me rompieron de sangre y con tantos
+dolores como agora.</p>
+
+<p>Esta gente, como ya dije, son todos de muy linda estatura, altos
+de cuerpos, é de muy lindos gestos, los cabellos muy largos é
+llanos, y traen las cabezas atadas con unos pañuelos labrados,
+como ya dije, hermosos, que parecen de lejos de seda y almaizares:
+otro traen ceñido mas largo que se cobijan con él en lugar de
+pañetes, ansi hombres como mugeres. La color de esta gente es
+mas blanca que otra que haya visto en las Indias; todos traían al
+pescuezo y á los brazos algo á la guisa de estas tierras, y muchos
+traían piezas de oro bajo colgado al pescuezo. Las canoas de
+ellos son muy grandes y de mejor hechura que no son estas otras,
+y mas livianas, y en el medio de cada una tienen un apartamiento
+como cámara en que ví que andaban los principales con sus
+mugeres. Llamé allí á este lugar Jardines, porque así conforman
+por el nombre. Procuré mucho de saber donde cogian aquel oro,
+y todos me aseñalaban una tierra frontera dellos al Poniente, que
+era muy alta, mas no lejos; mas todos me decian que no fuese
+allá porque allí comian los hombres, y entendí entonces que decian
+que eran hombres caribales, é que serian como los otros, y despues
+he pensado que podria ser que lo decian porque allí habria animalias.
+Tambien les pregunté adonde cogian las perlas, y me
+señalaron tambien que al Poniente, y al Norte detrás de esta
+tierra donde estaban. Dejélo de probar por esto de los mantenimientos,
+y del mal de mis ojos, y por una nao grande que traigo
+que no es para semejante hecho.</p>
+
+<p>Y como el tiempo fue breve se pasó todo en preguntas, y se
+volvieron á los navíos, que seria hora de visperas, como ya dije, y
+luego levanté las anclas y navegué al Poniente; y asimesmo el dia
+siguiente fasta que me fallé que no habia si non tres brazas de
+fondo, con creencia que todavía esta seria isla, y que yo podria
+salir al Norte; y así visto envié una carabela sotil adelante á ver
+si habia salida ó si estaba cerrado, y ansi anduvo mucho camino
+fasta un golfo muy grande en el cual parecia que habia otros
+cuatro medianos, y del uno salia un rio grandísimo: fallaron
+siempre cinco brazas de fondo y el agua muy dulce, en tanta
+cantidad que yo jamas bebíla pareja della. Fuí yo muy descontento
+della cuando ví que no podia salir al Norte ni podia andar
+ya al Austro ni al Poniente porque yo estaba cercado por todas
+partes de la tierra, y así levanté las anclas, y torne atrás para salir
+al Norte por la boca que yo arriba dije, y no pude volver por la
+poblacion adonde yo habia estado, por causa de las corrientes que
+me habian desviado della, y siempre en todo cabo hallaba el agua
+dulce y clara, y que me llevaba al Oriente muy recio fácia las dos
+bocas que arriba dije, y entonces conjeturé que los hilos de la
+corriente, y aquellas lomas que salian y entraban en estas bocas
+con aquel rugir tan fuerte que era pelea del agua dulce con la
+salada. La dulce empujaba á la otra porque no entrase, y la
+salada porque la otra no saliese; y conjeturé que allí donde son
+estas dos bocas que algun tiempo seria tierra continua á la Isla de
+la Trinidad con la tierra de Gracia, como podrán ver vuestras
+Altezas por la pintura de lo que con esta les envio. Salí yo por
+esta boca del Norte y hallé quel agua dulce siempre vencia, y
+cuando pasé, que fue con fuerza de viento, estando en una de
+aquellas lomas, hallé en aquellos hilos de la parte de dentro el
+agua dulce, y de fuera salada.</p>
+
+<p>Cuando yo navegué de España á las Indias fallo luego en
+pasando cien leguas á Poniente de los Azores grandísimo mudamiento
+en el cielo é en las estrellas, y en la temperancia del aire,
+y en las aguas de la mar, y en esto he tenido mucha diligencia en
+la experiencia.</p>
+
+<p>Fallo que de Septentrion en Austro, pasando las dichas cien leguas
+de las dichas islas, que luego en las agujas de marear, que
+fasta entonces nordesteaban, noruestean una cuarta de viento todo
+entero, y esto es en allegando allí á aquella línea, como quien
+traspone una cuesta, asimesmo fallo la mar toda llena de yerba de
+una calidad que parece ramitos de pino y muy cargada de fruta
+como de lantisco, y es tan espesa que al primer viage pensé que
+era bajo, y que daria en seco con los navíos, y hasta llegar con esta
+raya no se falla un solo ramito: fallo tambien en llegando allí la
+mar muy suave y llana, y bien que vente recio nunca se levanta.
+Asimismo hallo dentro de la dicha raya hácia Poniente la temperancia
+del cielo muy suave, y no discrepa de la cantidad quier
+sea invierno, quier sea en verano. Cuando allí estoy hallo que la
+estrella del Norte escribe un círculo el cualo tiene en el diámetro
+cinco grados, y estando las guardas en el brazo derecho estonces
+está la estrella en el mas bajo, y se vá alzando fasta que llega al
+brazo izquierdo, y estonces está cinco grados, y de allí se vá
+abajando fasta llegar á volver otra vez al brazo derecho.</p>
+
+<p>Yo allegué agora de España á la Isla de la Madera, y de allí á
+Canaria, y dende á las Islas de Cabo Verde, de adonde cometí el
+viage para navegar al Austro fasta debajo la linea equinocial, como
+ya dije: allegado á estar en derecho con el paralelo que pasa por
+la Sierra Leoa en Guinea, fallo tan grande ardor, y los rayos del
+sol tan calientes que pensaba de quemar, y bien que lloviese y el
+cielo fuese muy turbado siempre yo estaba en esta fatiga, fasta
+que nuestro Señor proveyó de buen viento y á mi puso en voluntad
+que yo navegase al Occidente con este esfuerzo, que en llegando á
+la raya de que yo dije que allí fallaria mudamiento en la temperancia.
+Despues que yo emparejé á estar en derecho de esta raya luego
+fallé la temperancia del cielo muy suave, y cuanto mas andaba
+adelante mas multiplicaba; mas no hallé conforme á esto las
+estrellas.</p>
+
+<p>Fallé allí que en anocheciendo tenia yo la estrella del Norte alta
+cinco grados, y estonces las guardas estaban encima de la cabeza,
+y despues á la media noche fallaba la estrella alta diez grados, y
+en amaneciendo que las guardas estaban en los pies quince.</p>
+
+<p>La suavelidad de la mar fallé conforme, mas no en la yerba: en
+esto de la estrella del Norte tomé grande admiracion, y por esto
+muchas noches con mucha diligencia tornaba yo á repricar la vista
+della con el cuadrante, y siempre fallé que caía el plomo y hilo á
+un punto.</p>
+
+<p>Por cosa nueva tengo yo esto, y podrá ser que será tenida que
+en poco espacio haga tanta diferencia el cielo.</p>
+
+<p>Yo siempre lei que el mundo, tierra é agua era esférico é las
+autoridades y esperiencias que Tolomeo y todos los otros escribieron
+de este sitio, daban é amostraban para ello así por eclipses
+de la luna y otras demostraciones que hacen de Oriente fasta
+Occidente, como de la elevacion del polo de Septentrion en Austro.
+Agora ví tanta disformidad, como ya dije, y por esto me puse á
+tener esto del mundo, y fallé que no era redondo en la forma que
+escriben; salvo que es de la forma de una pera que sea toda muy
+redonda, salvo allí donde tiene el pezon que allí tiene mas alto, ó
+como quien tiene una pelota muy redonda, y en un lugar della
+fuese como una teta de muger allí puesta, y que esta parte deste
+pezon sea la mas alta é mas propincua al cielo, y sea debajo la línea
+equinocial, y en esta mar Océana en fin del Oriente: llamo yo fin
+de Oriente, adonde acaba toda la tierra é islas, é para esto allego
+todas las razones sobre-escriptas de la raya que pasa al Occidente
+delas islas de los Azores cien leguas de Septentrion en Austro,
+que en pasando de allí al Poniente ya van los navíos alzándose
+hácia el cielo suavemente, y entonces se goza de mas suave temperancia
+y se muda el aguja del marear por causa de la suavidad
+desa cuarta de viento, y cuanto mas va adelante é alzándose mas
+noruestea, y esta altura causa el desvariar del circulo que escribe
+la estrella del Norte con las guardas, y cuanto mas pasare junto
+con la línea equinocial, mas se subirán en alto, y mas diferencia
+habrá en las dichas estrellas, y en los circulos dellas. Y Tolomeo
+y los otros sabios que escribieron de este mundo, creyeron que era
+esférico, creyendo queste hemisferio que fuese redondo como aquel
+de allá donde ellos estaban, el cual tiene el centro en la Isla de
+Arin, qués debajo la linea equinocial entre el sino Arabico y aquel
+de Persia, y el círculo pasa sobre el Cabo de S. Vicente en Portugal
+por el Poniente, y pasa en Oriente por Cangara y por las
+Seras, en el cual hemisferio no hago yo que hay ninguna dificultad,
+salvo que sea esférico redondo como ellos dicen: mas este otro
+digo que es como sería la mitad de la pera bien redonda, la cual
+toviese el pezon alto como y dije, ó como una teta de muger en
+una pelota redonda, así que desta media parte non hobo noticia
+Tolomeo ni los otros que escribieron del mundo por ser muy
+ignoto; solamente hicieron raiz sobre el hemisferio, adonde ellos
+estaban ques redondo esférico, como arriba dije. Y agora que
+vuestras Altezas lo han mandado navegar y buscar y descobrir, se
+amuestra evidentísimo, porque estando yo en este viage al Septentrion
+veinte grados de la línea equinocial, allí era en derecho de
+Hargin, é de aquellas tierras: é allí es la gente negra é la tierra
+muy quemada, y despues que fuí á las Islas de Cabo Verde, allí en
+aquellas tierras es la gente mucho mas negra, y cuanto mas bajo
+se van al Austro tanto mas llegan al extremo, en manera que allí
+en derecho donde yo estaba, qués la Sierra Leoa, adonde se me
+alzaba la estrella del Norte en anocheciendo cinco grados, allí es
+la gente negra en extrema cantidad, y despues que de allí navegué
+al Occidente tan extremos calores; y pasada la raya de que yo
+dije fallé multiplicar la temperancia, andando en tanta cantidad
+que cuando yo llegué á la isla de la Trinidad, adonde la estrella
+del Norte en anocheciendo tambien se me alzaba cinco grados, allí
+y en la tierra de Gracia hallé temperancia suavísima, y las tierras
+y árboles muy verdes, y tan hermosos como en Abril en las huertas
+de Valencia; y la gente de allí de muy linda estatura, y blancos
+mas que otros que haya visto en las Indias, é los cabellos muy largos
+é llanos, é gente mas astuta é de mayor ingenio, é no cobardes.
+Entonces era el sol en Virgen encima de nuestras cabezas é suyas,
+ansí que todo esto procede por la suavísima temperancia que allí
+es, la cual procede por estar mas alto en el mundo mas cerca del
+aire que cuento; y así me afirmo quel mundo no es esférico, salvo
+que tiene esta diferencia que ya dije: la cual es en este hemisferio
+adonde caen las Indias é la mar Oceana, y el extremo dello es debajo
+la línea equinocial, y ayuda mucho á esto que sea ansí, porque
+el sol cuando nuestro Señor lo hizo fue en el primer punto de
+Oriente, ó la primera luz fue aquí en Oriente, allí donde es el extremo
+de la altura deste mundo; y bien quel parecer de Aristotel
+fuese que el Polo antártico ó la tierra ques debajo dél sea la mas
+alta parte en el mundo, y mas propincua al cielo, otros sabios le
+impugnan diciendo que es esta ques debajo del ártico, por las
+cuales razones parece que entendian que una parte deste mundo
+debia de ser mas propincua y noble al cielo que otra, y no cayeron
+en esto que sea debajo del equinocial por la forma que yo dije, y
+no es maravilla porque deste hemisferio non se hobiese noticia
+cierta, salvo muy liviana y por argumento, porque nadie nunca lo
+ha andado ni enviado á buscar, hasta agora que vuestras Altezas
+le mandaron explorar é descubrir la mar y la tierra.</p>
+
+<p>Fallo que de allí de estas dos bocas, las cuales como yo dije estan
+frontero por línea de Septentrion en Austro, que haya de la
+una á la otra veinte y seis leguas, y no pudo haber en ello yerro
+porque se midieron con cuadrante, y destas dos bocas de accidente
+fasta el golfo que yo dije, al cual llamé de las Perlas, que son
+sesenta é ocho leguas de cuatro millas dada una como acostumbramos
+en la mar, y que de allá de este golfo corre de contino el
+agua muy fuerte hácia el oriente; y que por esto tienen aquel
+combate estas dos bocas con la salada. En esta boca de Austro
+á que yo llamé de la Sierpe, fallé en anocheciendo que yo tenia la
+estrella del Norte alta cuasi cinco grados, y en aquella del otra Septentrion,
+á que yo llamé del Drago, eran cuasi siete, y fallo queldicho
+Golfo de las Perlas está occidentalal Occidente de el <a class="lacuna" href="#Footnote_179">[179]</a> de
+Tolomeo cuasi tres mil é novecientas millas, que son cuasi setenta
+grados equinociales, contando por cada uno cincuenta y seis millas
+é dos tercios.</p>
+
+<p>La Sacra Escriptura testifica que nuestro Señor hizo al Paraiso
+terrenal, y en él puso el Arbol de la vida, y del sale una fuente de
+donde resultan en este mundo cuatro rios principales: Ganges en
+India, Tigris y Eufrates en <a class="lacuna" href="#Footnote_180">[180]</a> los cuales apartan la sierra y
+hacen la Mesopotamia y van à tener en Persia, y el Nilo que nace
+en Etiopia y va en la mar en Alejandría.</p>
+
+<p>Yo no hallo ni jamas he hallado escriptura de Latinos ni de
+Griegos que certificadamente diga el sitio en este mundo del
+Paraiso terrenal, ni visto en ningun mapamundo, salvo, situado
+con autoridad de argumento. Algunos le ponian allí donde son
+las fuentes del Nilo en Etiopia; mas otros anduvieron todas estas
+tierras y no hallaron conformidad dello en la temperancia del
+cielo, en la altura hácia el cielo, porque se pudiese comprehender
+que el era allí, ni que las aguas del diluvio hobiesen llegado allí,
+las cuales subieron encima, &amp;c. Algunos gentiles quisieron decir
+por argumentos, que el era en las islas Fortunatas que son las
+Canarias, &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p>S. Isidro y Beda y Strabo, y el Maestro de la historia escolástica,
+y San Ambrosio, y Scoto, y todos los sanos teólogos conciertan
+quel Paraiso terrenal es en el Oriente, &amp;c.</p>
+
+<p>Ya dije lo que yo hallaba deste hemisferio y de la hechura, y
+creo que si yo pasara por debajo de la línea equinocial que en
+llegando allí en esto mas alto que fallara muy mayor temperancia,
+y diversidad en las estrellas y en las aguas; no porque yo crea que
+allí donde es el altura del extremo sea navegable ni agua, ni que
+se pueda subir allá, porque creo que allí es el Paraiso terrenal
+adonde no puede llegar nadie, salvo por voluntad Divina; y creo
+que esta tierra que agora mandaron descubrir vuestras Altezas
+sea grandísima y haya otras muchas en el Austro de que jamas se
+hobo noticia.</p>
+
+<p>Yo no tomo quel Paraise terrenal sea en forma de montaña aspera
+como el escrebir dello nos amuestra, salvo quel sea en el
+colmo allí donde dije la figura del pezon de la pera, y que poco á
+poco andando hácía allí desde muy lejos se va subiendo á él; y
+creo que nadie no podria llegar al colmo como yo dije, y creo que
+pueda salir de allí esa agua, bien que sea lejos y venga á parar
+allí donde yo vengo, y faga este lago. Grandes indicios son estos
+del Paraiso terrenal, porquel sitio es conforme á la opinion de
+estos santos é sanos teólogos, y asimismo las señales son muy
+conformes, que yo jamas leí ni oí que tanta cantidad de agua dulce
+fuese así adentro é vecina con la salada; y en ello ayuda asimismo
+la suavísima temperancia, y si de allí del Paraiso no sale, parece aun
+mayor maravilla, porque no creo que se sepa en el mundo de rio
+tan grande y tan fondo.</p>
+
+<p>Despues que yo salí de la boca del Dragon, ques la una de las
+dos aquella del Septentrion, á la cual así puse nombre, el dia
+siguiente, que fue dia de Nuestra Señora de Agosto, fallé que
+corria tanto la mar al Poniente, que despues de hora de misa que
+entré en camino, anduve fasta hora de completas sesenta y cinco
+leguas de cuatro millas cada una, y el viento no era demasiado, salvo
+muy suave; y esto ayuda el cognoscimiento que de allí yendo al
+Austro se va mas alto, y andando hácia el Septentrion, como entonces,
+se va descendiendo.</p>
+
+<p>Muy conoscido tengo que las aguas de la mar llevan su curso
+de Oriente á Occidente con los cielos, y que allí en esta comarca
+cuando pasan llevan mas veloce camino, y por esto han comido
+tanta parte de la tierra, porque por eso son acá tantas islas, y
+ellas mismas hacen desto testimonio, porque todas á una mano
+son largas de Poniente á Levante, y Norueste é Sueste ques un
+poco mas alto é bajo, y angostas de Norte á Sur, y Nordeste
+Sudueste, que son en contrario de los otros dichos vientos, y aquí
+en ellas todas nascen cosas preciosas por la suave temperancia
+que les procede del cielo por estar hácia el mas alto del mundo.
+Verdad es que parece en algunos lugares que las aguas no hagan
+este curso; mas esto no es, salvo particularmente en algunos
+lugares donde alguna tierra le está al encuentro, y hace parecer
+que andan diversos caminos.</p>
+
+<p>Plinio escribe que la mar é la tierra hace todo una esfera, y
+pone questa mar Oceana sea la mayor cantidad del agua, y está
+hácia el cielo, y que la tierra sea debajo y que le sostenga, y
+mezclado es uno con otro como el amago de la nuez con una tela
+gorda que va abrazado en ello. El Maestro de la Historia escolástica
+sobre el Genesis dice que las aguas son muy pocas, que
+bien que cuando fueron criadas que cobijasen toda la tierra que
+entonces eran vaporables en manera de niebla, y que despues que
+fueron sólidas é juntadas que ocuparon muy poco lugar, y en
+esto concierta Nicolao de Lira. El Aristotel dice que este mundo
+es pequeño y es el agua muy poca, y que facilmente se puede
+pasar de España á las Indias, y esto confirma el Avenruyz y le
+alega el Cardenal Pedro de Aliaco, autorizando este decir y aquel
+de Séneca, el cual conforma con estos diciendo que Aristoteles
+pudo saber muchos secretos del mundo á causa de Alejandro
+Magno, y Séneca á causa de Cesar Nero y Plinio por respecto de
+los Romanos, los cuales todos gastaron dineros é gente, y pusieron
+mucha diligencia en saber los secretos del mundo y darlos á entender
+á los pueblos; el cual Cardenal da á estos grande autoridad
+mas que á Tolomeo ni á otros Griegos ni Arabes, y á confirmacion
+de decir quel agua sea poca y quel cubierto del mundo
+della sea poco, al respecto de lo que se decia por autoridad de
+Tolomeo y de sus secuaces: á esto trae una autoridad de Esdras
+del 3ᵒ. libro suyo, adonde dice que de siete partes del mundo las
+seis son descubiertas y la una es cubierta de agua, la cual autoridad
+es aprobada por Santos, los cuales dan autoridad al 3ᵒ. é 4ᵒ.
+libro de Esdras, ansí como es S. Agustin é S. Ambrosio en su
+<i>exameron</i>, adonde alega allí vendrá mi hijo Jesus é morira mi hijo
+Cristo, y dicen que Esdrás fue Profeta, y asimismo Zacarías, padre
+de S. Juan, y el braso Simon; las cuales autoridades tambien alega
+Francisco de Mairones: en cuanto en esto del enjuto de la tierra
+mucho se ha experimentado ques mucho mas de lo quel vulgo
+crea; y no es maravilla, porque andando mas mas se sabe.</p>
+
+<p>Torno á mi propósito de la tierra de Gracia y rio y lago que
+allí fallé, atan grande que mas se le puede llamar mar que lago,
+porque <i>lago</i> es lugar de agua, y en seyendo grande se dice <i>mar</i>,
+como se dijo á la mar de Galilea y al mar Muerto, y digo que sino
+procede del Paraiso terrenal que viene este rio y procede de tierra
+infinita, pues al Austro, de la cual fasta agora no se ha habido
+noticia, mas yo muy asentado tengo en el anima que allí adonde
+dije es el Paraiso terrenal, y descanso sobre las razones y autoridades
+sobre-escriptas.</p>
+
+<p>Plega á nuestro Señor de dar mucha vida y salud y descanso á
+vuestras Altezas para que puedan proseguir esta tan noble empresa,
+en la cual me parece que rescibe nuestro Señor mucho servicio,
+y la España crece de mucha grandeza, y todos los Cristianos
+mucha consolacion y placer, porque aquí se divulgará el nombre
+de nuestro Señor; y en todas las tierras adonde los navíos de
+vuestras Altezas van, y en todo cabo mando plantar una alta cruz,
+y á toda la gente que hallo notifico el estado de vuestras Altezas
+y como su asiento es en España, y les digo de nuestra santa fe
+todo lo que yo puedo, y de la creencia de la Santa Madre Iglesia,
+la cual tiene sus miembros en todo el mundo, y les digo la policía
+y nobleza de todos los Cristianos, y la fe que en la Santa Trinidad
+tienen; y plega á nuestro Señor de tirar de memoria á las personas
+que han impugnado y impugnan tan excelente empresa, y impiden
+y impidieron porque no vaya adelante, sin considerar cuanta honra
+y grandeza es del Real Estado da vuestras Altezas en todo el
+mundo; no saben que entreponer á maldecir de esto, salvo que se
+hace gasto en ello, y porque luego no enviaron los navíos cargados
+de oro sin considerar la brevedad del tiempo y tantos inconvenientes
+como acá se han habido, y no considerar que en Castilla en
+casa de vuestras Altezas salen cada año personas que por su
+merecimiento ganaron en ella mas de renta cada uno dellos mas
+de lo ques necesario que se gaste en esto; ansimesmo sin considerar
+que ningunos Príncipes de España jamas ganaron tierra
+alguna fuera della, salvo agora que vuestras Altezas tienen acá
+otro mundo, de adonde puede ser tan acrescentada nuestra santa
+fe, y de donde se podrán sacar tantos provechos, que bien que no
+se hayan enviado los navíos cargados de oro, se han enviado suficientes
+muestras dello y de otras cosas de valor, por donde se
+puede juzgar que en breve tiempo se podrá haber mucho provecho,
+y sin mirar el gran corazon de los Príncipes de Portugal que há
+tanto tiempo que prosiguen la impresa de Guinea, y prosiguen
+aquella de Africa, adonde han gastado la mitad de la gente de su
+Reino, y agora está el Rey mas determinado á ello que nunca.
+Nuestro Señor provea en esto como yo dije, y les ponga en
+memoria de considerar de todo esto que va escripto, que no es de
+mil partes la una de lo que yo podria escrebir de cosas de Príncipes
+que se ocuparon á saber y conquistar y sostener.</p>
+
+<p>Todo esto dije, y no porque crea que la voluntad de vuestras
+Altezas sea salvo proseguir en ello en cuanto vivan, y tengo por
+muy firme lo que me respondió vuestras Altezas una vez que por
+palabra le decir desto, no porque yo hobiese visto mudamiento
+ninguno en vuestras Altezas salvo por temor de lo que yo oia
+destos que yo digo, y tanto da una gotera de agua en una piedra
+que le hace un agujero; y vuestras Altezas me respondió con aquel
+corazon que se sabe en todo el mundo que tienen, y me dijo que
+no curase de nada de eso, porque su voluntad era de proseguir esta
+empresa y sostenerla, aunque no fuese sino piedras y peñas, y quel
+gasto que en ello se hacia que lo tenia en nada, que en otras cosas
+no tan grandes gastaban mucho mas, y que lo tenian todo por muy
+bien gastado lo del pasado y lo que se gastase en adelante, porque
+creian que nuestra santa fe sería acrecentada y su Real Señorío
+ensanchado, y que no eran amigos de su Real Estado aquellos que
+les maldecian de esta empresa: y agora entre tanto que vengan á
+noticia desto destas tierras que agora nuevamente he descubierto,
+en que tengo asentado en el ánima que allí es el Paraiso terrenal,
+irá el Adelantado con tres navíos bien ataviados para ello á ver mas
+adelante, y descubrirán todo lo que pudieren hacia aquellas partes.
+Entretanto yo enviaré á vuestras Altezas esta escriptura y la pintura
+de la tierra, y acordarán lo que en ello se deba facer, y me
+enviarán á mandar, y se cumplirá con ayuda de la Santa Trinidad
+con toda diligencia en manera que vuestras Altezas sean servidos
+y hayan placer. Deo gracias.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_154" href="#FNanchor_154" class="label">[154]</a> These were Fray Juan Perez de Marchena, a Franciscan, keeper of
+the Convent de la Rabida, and Fray Diejo de Deza, a Dominican, afterwards
+Archbishop of Seville.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_155" href="#FNanchor_155" class="label">[155]</a> A similar gap in the original.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_156" href="#FNanchor_156" class="label">[156]</a> He did not discover terra firma in the second voyage as he here says,
+but imagined the island of Cuba to be terra firma, because he was unable
+to explore it fully; nor was it ascertained to be an island till two years
+after his death, when, by order of the king, the Comendador Mayor
+Nicolas Ovando gave Sebastian de Ocampo a commission to circumnavigate
+the island, and he explored the whole coast in the year 1508.
+(See Herrera, Dec. i, lib. 7, cap. i.) Amongst the number of these
+islands, Columbus doubtless included many of those to the south of
+Cuba, lying in the part which he called the <i>Queen’s Gardens</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_157" href="#FNanchor_157" class="label">[157]</a> Ceylon.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_158" href="#FNanchor_158" class="label">[158]</a> These examples quoted by the admiral from ancient history, are commented
+upon very learnedly, and at considerable length, by his historian,
+Las Casas, in chapters 128 and 129 of his unpublished history. (Navarrete.)</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_159" href="#FNanchor_159" class="label">[159]</a> Of the year 1498.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_160" href="#FNanchor_160" class="label">[160]</a> Herrera says (Dec. i, lib. 3, cap. 9) that it was a Portuguese squadron;
+but Las Casas (cap. 30) distinctly states it to have been French.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_161" href="#FNanchor_161" class="label">[161]</a> Herrera and Don Ferdinand Columbus say that he reached the
+island of Puerto Santo on the seventh of June, from which island he
+sailed directly for Madeira, and thence to Gomera, which he reached on
+the nineteenth, and put to sea again on the twenty-first.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_162" href="#FNanchor_162" class="label">[162]</a> The commanders of the three ships which the admiral despatched to
+Española, were Pedro de Arana, native of Cordova, brother to the
+mother of Ferdinand Columbus; Alonzo Sanchez de Carabajal, magistrate
+of Baeza; and Juan Antonio Columbus, a relative of the admiral;
+all of whom were known to and are spoken of by F. Bartolomé de Las
+Casas, in chapter 130 of his unpublished history. (Navarrete.)</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_163" href="#FNanchor_163" class="label">[163]</a> This was on the twenty-seventh of June. He anchored in the
+island of Sal, and on the thirtieth proceeded to the island of Santiago,
+from whence he put to sea again on the fourth of July.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_164" href="#FNanchor_164" class="label">[164]</a> The islands took the name from the Cape itself, not from the verdure
+which had caused that name to be given to the Cape. The Cape
+Verde was discovered by Diniz Dias about 1445: the Cape Verde
+Islands were discovered in 1460 by Diogo Gomez, as shown for the first
+time in my <i>Prince Henry the Navigator</i>, pp. 297-298, and not by Antonio
+de Nolle in 1457, as incorrectly stated by Cadamosto.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_165" href="#FNanchor_165" class="label">[165]</a> It was first seen by a mariner of Huelva, a servant of the admiral,
+named Alonzo Perez. (Navarrete.)</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_166" href="#FNanchor_166" class="label">[166]</a> It is now called Cape Galeota, and is the most south-eastern point
+of the island of Trinidad.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_167" href="#FNanchor_167" class="label">[167]</a> In all probability deer.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_168" href="#FNanchor_168" class="label">[168]</a> Coast of Paria.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_169" href="#FNanchor_169" class="label">[169]</a> Produced by the confluence of the Oronoco with the sea. See
+Rapin, <i>Hist. Phil.</i>, vol. iv, p. 272.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_170" href="#FNanchor_170" class="label">[170]</a> Point Peña Blanca.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_171" href="#FNanchor_171" class="label">[171]</a> Point Peña.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_172" href="#FNanchor_172" class="label">[172]</a> Serpent’s Mouth.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_173" href="#FNanchor_173" class="label">[173]</a> It is now called Point Alcatraz, or Point Pelican.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_174" href="#FNanchor_174" class="label">[174]</a> The stars composing the constellation of Ursa Minor.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_175" href="#FNanchor_175" class="label">[175]</a> A misspelling, not infrequent in those days, for the sacred city
+(not island) of Odjein or Ougein in Malwa, whence the Indians reckoned
+their first meridian. The change of the name to Arin in Arabic
+is thus explained by M. Reinaud in his <i>Mémoire sur l’Inde</i>, p. 373.
+The dj of the Indians was sometimes rendered z by the Arabs, and thus
+the Arab translators wrote the word Ozein; but as in manuscripts the
+vowels were often omitted, the mass of readers to whom the name of
+Odjein was indifferent, would pronounce it Azin, and as the copyist
+would sometimes forget to insert the point which distinguished a z from
+an r, Azin would be read Arin.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_176" href="#FNanchor_176" class="label">[176]</a> Japan and China.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_177" href="#FNanchor_177" class="label">[177]</a> Arguin, off the west coast of Africa.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_178" href="#FNanchor_178" class="label">[178]</a> The innermost gulf within the Gulf of Paria.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_179" href="#FNanchor_179" class="label">[179]</a> A similar gap in the original. In all probability “first meridian”
+or some such words, are omitted.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_180" href="#FNanchor_180" class="label">[180]</a> A similar gap in the original, which would seem to want the words
+“Asiatic Turkey.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_181" href="#FNanchor_181" class="label">[181]</a> Walafried Strabus, Abbé of Reichenau in Baden.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_182" href="#FNanchor_182" class="label">[182]</a> Petrus Comestor, who wrote the “Historica Scholastica.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_183" href="#FNanchor_183" class="label">[183]</a> The feast of the Assumption.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_184" href="#FNanchor_184" class="label">[184]</a> Probably six <span class="allsmcap">A.M.</span></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_185" href="#FNanchor_185" class="label">[185]</a> Nine <span class="allsmcap">P.M.</span></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_186" href="#FNanchor_186" class="label">[186]</a> Averrhóes, an Arabian philosopher of the twelfth century.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_187" href="#FNanchor_187" class="label">[187]</a> This expression is described by the ancient copyist of the letter as
+being “badly written”; probably miscopied for “El beato”, “The
+blessed.”</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_188" href="#FNanchor_188" class="label">[188]</a> A Scotist of the fourteenth century, surnamed “Doctor illuminatus
+et acutus.”</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="english">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_152">[152]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="LETTER">LETTER</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Of the Admiral to the (quondam) nurse&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_189" href="#Footnote_189" class="fnanchor">[189]</a> of the Prince John,
+written near the end of the year 1500.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Most virtuous lady: Although it is a novelty for me to complain
+of the ill-usage of the world, it is, nevertheless, no
+novelty for the world to practise ill-usage. Innumerable are
+the contests which I have had with it, and I have resisted all
+its attacks until now, when I find, that neither strength nor
+prudence is of any avail to me: it has cruelly reduced me to
+the lowest ebb. Hope in Him who created us all is my
+support: His assistance I have always found near at hand.
+On one occasion, not long since, when I was extremely
+depressed, He raised me with His Divine arm, saying:
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_153">[153]</span>“O man of little faith, arise, it is I, be not afraid.”&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_190" href="#Footnote_190" class="fnanchor">[190]</a> I offered
+myself with such earnest devotion to the service of these
+princes, and I have served them with a fidelity hitherto unequalled
+and unheard of. God made me the messenger of
+the new heaven and the new earth, of which He spoke in
+the Apocalypse by St. John, after having spoken of it by the
+mouth of Isaiah; and He showed me the spot where to find
+it. All proved incredulous; except the Queen my mistress,
+to whom the Lord gave the spirit of intelligence and great
+courage, and made her the heiress of all, as a dear and well
+beloved daughter. I went to take possession of it in her
+royal name. All sought to cover the ignorance in which
+they were sunk, by dwelling on the inconveniences and
+expense of the proposed enterprise. Her Highness held
+the contrary opinion, and supported it with all her power.
+Seven years passed away in deliberations, and nine have
+been spent in accomplishing things truly memorable, and
+worthy of being preserved in the history of man. Never had
+such a thing been conceived.</p>
+
+<p>I have now reached that point, that there is no man so vile
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_154">[154]</span>but thinks it his right to insult me. The day will come
+when the world will reckon it a virtue to him who has not
+given his consent to their abuse. If I had plundered the
+Indies, even to the country where is the fabled altar of St.
+Peter’s, and had given them all to the Moors, they could
+not have shown towards me more bitter enmity than they
+have done in Spain. Who would believe such things of a
+country where there has always been so much nobility? I
+should much like to clear myself of this affair, if only it were
+consistent with etiquette to do so, face to face with my
+queen. The support which I have found in our Lord, and in
+her Highness, made me persevere, and, in order to relieve
+somewhat the griefs which death had occasioned her,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_191" href="#Footnote_191" class="fnanchor">[191]</a> I
+undertook another voyage to the new heavens and new
+earth, which had been hitherto concealed; and if these are
+not appreciated in Spain, like the other parts of the Indies,
+it is not at all wonderful, since it is to my labours that they
+are indebted for them. The Holy Spirit encompassed St.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_155">[155]</span>Peter, and the rest of the twelve, who all had conflicts here
+below; they wrought many works, they suffered great
+fatigues, but at last they obtained the victory. I believed
+that this voyage to Paria would produce a certain amount
+of contentment, because of the pearls and the discovery of
+gold in the island of Española. I left orders for the people
+to fish for pearls, and collect them together, and made an
+agreement with them that I should return for them; and I
+was given to understand that the supply would be abundant.</p>
+
+<p>If I have not written respecting this to their Highnesses,
+it is because I wished first to render an equally favourable
+account of the gold; but it has happened with this as with
+many other things; I should not have lost them, and with
+them my honour, if I had been only occupied about my own
+private interests, and had suffered Española to be lost, or
+even if they had respected my privileges and the treaties. I
+say the same with regard to the gold which I had then collected,
+and which I have brought in safety, by Divine grace,
+after so much loss of life and such excessive fatigues.</p>
+
+<p>In the voyage which I made by way of Paria, I found
+nearly half the colonists of Española in a state of revolt, and
+they have made war upon me until now as if I had been a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_156">[156]</span>Moor;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_192" href="#Footnote_192" class="fnanchor">[192]</a> while on the other side, I had to contend with the no
+less cruel Indians. Then arrived Hojeda,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_193" href="#Footnote_193" class="fnanchor">[193]</a> and he attempted
+to put the seal to all these disorders; he said that their
+Highnesses had sent him, with promises of presents, of immunities,
+and treaties; he collected a numerous band, for in
+the whole island of Española, there were few men who were
+not vagabonds, and there were none who had either wife or
+children. This Hojeda troubled me much, but he was
+obliged to retreat, and at his departure he said, that he would
+return with more ships and men, and reported also, that he
+had left the queen at the point of death.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_194" href="#Footnote_194" class="fnanchor">[194]</a> In the meanwhile,
+Vincent Yañez came with four caravels; and there were
+some tumults and suspicions, but no further evil. The
+Indians reported many other caravels to the cannibals, and
+in Paria; and afterwards spread the news of the arrival of
+six other caravels, commanded by a brother of the alcalde;
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_157">[157]</span>but this was from pure malice, and at a time when at
+length there remained but little hope that their Highnesses
+would send any more ships to the Indies, and
+we no longer expected them, and when it was said openly
+that her Highness (the queen) was dead. At this time,
+one Adrian attempted a new revolt, as he had done before;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_195" href="#Footnote_195" class="fnanchor">[195]</a>
+but our Lord did not permit his evil designs to succeed. I
+had determined not to inflict punishment on any person,
+but his ingratitude obliged me, however regretfully, to abandon
+this resolution, I should not have acted otherwise
+with my own brother, if he had sought to assassinate me,
+and to rob me of the lordship which my sovereigns had
+given to my keeping. This Adrian, as is now evident, had
+sent Don Ferdinand to Xaragua, to assemble some of his
+partisans, and had some discussions with the alcalde, which
+ended in violence, but all without any good. The alcalde
+seized him and a part of his band; and in fact, executed
+justice without my having ordered it. While they were in
+prison, they were expecting a caravel, in which they hoped
+to embark; but the news which I told them of what had
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_158">[158]</span>happened to Hojeda, deprived them of the hope that he
+would arrive in this ship. It is now six months that I have
+been ready to leave, to bring to their Highnesses the good
+news of the gold, and to give up the government of these
+dissolute people, who fear neither God nor their king nor
+queen, but are full of imbecility and malice. I should have
+been able to pay every one with six hundred thousand
+maravedis, and for this purpose there were four millions
+and more of the tithes, without reckoning the third part of
+the gold.</p>
+
+<p>Before my departure (from Spain) I have often entreated
+their Highnesses to send to these parts, at my expense, some
+one charged to administer justice; and since, when I found
+the alcalde in a state of revolt, I have besought them afresh
+to send at least one of their servants with letters, because I
+myself have had so strange a character given to me, that if
+I were to build churches or hospitals, they would call them
+caves for robbers. Their Highnesses provided for this at
+last, but in a manner quite unequal to the urgency of the
+circumstances; however, let that point rest, since such is
+their good pleasure. I remained two years in Spain without
+being able to obtain anything for myself, or those who came
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_159">[159]</span>with me,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_196" href="#Footnote_196" class="fnanchor">[196]</a> but this man has gained for himself a full purse:
+God knows if all will be employed for his service. Already,
+to begin with, there is a revenue for twenty years, which is,
+according to man’s calculation, an age; and they gather gold
+in such abundance, that there are people who, in four hours,
+have found the equivalent of five marks; but I will speak on
+this subject more fully hereafter. If their Highnesses would
+condescend to silence the popular rumours, which have gained
+credence among those who know what fatigues I have sustained,
+it would be a real charity; for calumny has done me
+more injury than the services which I have rendered to their
+Highnesses, and the care with which I have preserved their
+property and their government, have done me good. By
+their so doing, I should be re-established in reputation, and
+spoken of throughout the universe: for the matter is of a
+kind which must every day be more talked of and appreciated.</p>
+
+<p>In the meanwhile, the commander Bobadilla arrived at St.
+Domingo,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_197" href="#Footnote_197" class="fnanchor">[197]</a> at which time I was at La Vega, and the Adelantado
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_160">[160]</span>at Xaragua, where this Adrian had made his attempt;
+but by that time everything was quiet, the land was
+thriving, and the people at peace. The day after his arrival
+he declared himself governor, created magistrates, ordered
+executions, published immunities from the collection of gold
+and from the paying of tithes; and, in fine, announced a
+general franchise for twenty years, which is, as I have said,
+the calculation of an age. He also gave out that he was
+going to pay everyone, although they had not even done the
+service which was due up to that day; and he further proclaimed
+that he had to send me back loaded with chains, and
+my brother also (this he has done);&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_198" href="#Footnote_198" class="fnanchor">[198]</a> and that neither I, nor
+any of my family, should ever return to these lands: and, in
+addition, he made innumerable unjust and disgraceful
+charges against me. All this took place, as I have said, on
+the very day after his arrival, at which time I was absent at
+a distance, thinking neither of him nor of his coming. Some
+letters of their Highnesses, of which he brought a considerable
+number signed in blank, he filled up with exaggerated
+language, and sent round to the alcalde and his myrmidons,
+accompanying them with compliments and flattery. To me
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_161">[161]</span>he never sent either a letter or a messenger, nor has he done
+so to this day. Reflect upon this, madam! what could any
+man in my situation think? Could it be that honour and
+favour were to be conferred on him who had lent himself to
+plundering their Highnesses of their sovereignty, and who
+had done so much injury and mischief?—Could it be that he
+who had defended and preserved their cause through so
+many dangers, was to be dragged through the mire? When
+I heard this, I thought he must be like Hojeda, or one of the
+other rebels; but I held my peace, when I learned for certain,
+from the friars, that he had been sent by their Highnesses.
+I wrote to him, to salute him on his arrival, to let
+him know that I was ready to set out to go to court, and
+that I had put up to sale all that I possessed. I entreated
+him not to be in haste on the subject of the grants; and I
+assured him that I would shortly yield this, and everything
+else connected with the government, implicitly into his
+charge. I wrote the same thing to the ecclesiastics, but I
+received no answer either from the one or the other. On
+the contrary, he took a hostile position, and obliged those
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_162">[162]</span>who went to his residence to acknowledge him for governor,
+as I have been told, for twenty years. As soon as I knew
+what he had done with regard to the immunities, I proposed
+to repair this great mistake, and I thought he would himself
+be glad of it; for, without any reason or necessity, he had
+bestowed upon vagabonds privileges of such importance, that
+they would have been excessive even for men with wives and
+children. I published verbally, and in writing, that he
+could not make use of his credentials, because mine were of
+higher authority, and I showed the grants brought by Juan
+Aguado. All this I did for the purpose of gaining time,
+that their Highnesses might be informed as to the state of
+the country, and that they might have opportunity to give
+fresh orders upon everything touching their interests. It is
+useless to publish such grants in the Indies,—all is in favour
+of the settlers who have taken up their abode there, because
+the best lands are given up to them; and, at a low estimate,
+they are worth two hundred thousand maravedis a head for
+the four years, at which they are taken, without a single
+stroke of the mattock. I should not say so much if these
+people were married men; but there are not six among them
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_163">[163]</span>all, whose purpose is not to amass all they can, and then
+decamp with it. It would be well that people should come
+from Spain, but that only such should be sent as are well
+known, so that the country may be peopled with honest
+men. I had agreed with these settlers that they should
+pay the third of the gold and of the tithes; and this
+they not only assented to, but were very grateful to their
+Highnesses. I reproached them when I heard they had
+afterwards refused it; they expected, however, to deal
+with me on the same terms as with the commander, but
+I would not consent to it. He meanwhile irritated them
+against me, saying, that I wished to deprive them of that
+which their Highnesses had given them; and strove to
+make me appear their enemy, in which he succeeded to
+the full. He induced them to write to their Highnesses,
+that they should send me no more commissioned as governor
+(truly I do not desire it any more for myself, or for any who
+belong to me, while the people remain unchanged); and to
+conciliate them, he ordered inquiries to be made respecting
+me with reference to imputed misdeeds, such as were never
+invented in hell. But God is above, who with so much
+wisdom and power rescued Daniel and the three children,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_164">[164]</span>and who, if he please, can rescue me with a similar manifestation
+of his power, and to the advancement of his own cause.
+I should have known well enough how to find a remedy for
+the evils which I now describe and have been describing as
+having happened to me since I came to the Indies, if I had
+had the wish or had thought it decent, to busy myself about
+my personal interest; but now I find myself undone, because
+I have hitherto maintained the justice and augmented
+the territorial dominions of their Highnesses. Now that so
+much gold is found, these people stop to consider whether
+they can obtain the greatest quantity of it by theft, or by
+going to the mines. For one woman they give a hundred
+castellanos,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_199" href="#Footnote_199" class="fnanchor">[199]</a> as for a farm; and this sort of trading is very
+common, and there are already a great number of merchants
+who go in search of girls; there are at this moment from
+nine or ten on sale; they fetch a good price, let their age be
+what it will. I assert that when I said that the commander
+could not confer immunities, I did what he desired, although
+I told him that it was to gain time until their Highnesses
+had received information respecting the country, and had
+given their orders as to the regulations best calculated to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_165">[165]</span>advance their interest. I assert that the calumnies of injurious
+men have done me more harm, than my services have
+done me good: which is a bad example for the present as
+well as for the future. I declare solemnly that a great
+number of men have been to the Indies, who did not deserve
+baptism in the eyes of God or men, and who are now returning
+thither. The governor has made every one hostile to
+me; and it appears, from the manner of his acting, and the
+plans that he has adopted, that he was already my enemy,
+and very virulent against me when he arrived; and it is said,
+that he has been at great expense to obtain this office: but
+I know nothing about the matter except what I have heard.
+I never before heard of any one who was commissioned to
+make an inquiry, assembling the rebels, and taking, as
+evidence against their governor, wretches without faith, and
+who are unworthy of unbelief. If their Highnesses would
+cause a general inquiry to be made throughout the land, I
+assure you they would be astonished, that the island has not
+been swallowed up. I believe that you will recollect, that
+when I was driven by a tempest into the port of Lisbon (having
+lost my sails), I was falsely accused of having put in thither
+with the intention of giving the Indies to the sovereign of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_166">[166]</span>that country. Since then, their Highnesses have learned
+the contrary, and that it was all malice. Although I am an
+ignorant man, I do not imagine that any one supposed me
+so stupid as not to be aware, that even if the Indies had belonged
+to me, I could not support myself without the assistance
+of some prince. In such case where should I find better
+support, or more security against expulsion, than in the king
+and queen our sovereigns? who, from nothing, have raised
+me to so great an elevation, and who are the greatest princes
+of the world, on the land and on the sea. These princes
+know how I have served them, and they uphold my privileges
+and rewards; and if any one violates them, their
+Highnesses augment them by ordering great favour to be
+shown me, and ordain me many honours, as was shown in
+the affair of Juan Aguado. Yes, as I have said, their Highnesses
+have received some services from me, and have taken
+my sons into their household, which would not have happened
+with another prince, because where there is no attachment,
+all other considerations prove of little weight. If I have now
+spoken severely of a malicious slander, it is against my will,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_167">[167]</span>for it is a subject I would not willingly recall even in my
+dreams. The governor Bobadilla has maliciously exhibited
+in open day his character and conduct in this affair; but I
+will prove without difficulty, that his ignorance, his cowardice,
+and his inordinate cupidity, have frustrated all his undertakings.
+I have already said that I wrote to him, as well as
+to the monks, and I set out almost alone, all our people being
+with the Adelantado and elsewhere, to remove suspicion;
+when he heard this he seized Don Diego, and sent him on
+board a caravel, loaded with irons; on my arrival he did the
+same to me; and afterwards to the Adelantado when he
+came. I have never spoken with him, and to this day he
+has not permitted any one to hold converse with me, and I
+solemnly declare that I cannot think for what reason I was
+made prisoner. His first care was to take the gold that I
+had, and that without measuring or weighing it, although I
+was absent; he said he would pay those to whom it was
+owing, and if I am to believe what has been reported to me,
+he reserved to himself the greater part, and sent for
+strangers to make the bargains. I had put aside some
+samples of this gold, some as large as a goose’s or a hen’s
+egg, and of various sizes, which a few persons had collected
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_168">[168]</span>in a short space of time, that their Highnesses might be
+gratified and impressed with the importance of the affair,
+when they saw a quantity of large stones full of gold. This
+gold was the first that, after he had feathered his own nest
+(which he was in great haste to do), his malice suggested to
+give away, in order that their Highnesses might have a low
+opinion of the whole affair: the gold which required melting,
+diminished at the fire, and a chain weighing nearly twenty
+marks disappeared altogether. I have been yet more concerned
+respecting this matter of the gold than even about
+the affair of the pearls, that I have not been able to bring
+them to their Highnesses. In every thing that he thought
+could add to my annoyance, the governor has always shown
+himself ready to bestir himself. Thus, as I have said, with
+six hundred thousand maravedis, I should have paid every
+one, without injustice to any; and I had more than four
+millions of tithes and constabulary dues, without touching
+the gold. He made the most absurd gifts, although I believe
+he began with himself first; their Highnesses will be
+able to ascertain the truth on this subject when they demand
+the account to be rendered them, especially if I may assist
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_169">[169]</span>at the examination. He is continually saying, that there is
+a considerable sum owing, while it is only what I have already
+reported, and even less. I have been wounded extremely
+by the thought, that a man should have been sent
+out to make inquiry into my conduct, who knew, that if he
+sent home a very aggravated account of the result of his investigation,
+he would remain at the head of the government.
+Would to God, their Highnesses had sent either him or some
+other person two years ago, for then I know that I should
+have had no cause to fear either scandal or disgrace; they
+could not then have taken away my honour, and I could not
+have been in the position to have lost it. God is just, and
+He will in due time make known by whom and how it has
+been done. Let them judge me, as a governor who had
+been sent to Sicily or some province or city under regular
+government, and where the laws could be executed without
+fear of danger to the public weal or subjection to any enormous
+wrong. I ought to be judged as a captain sent from
+Spain to the Indies, to conquer a nation numerous and warlike,
+with customs and religion altogether different to ours;
+a people who dwell in the mountains, without regular habitations
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_170">[170]</span>for themselves or for us; and where, by the Divine
+will, I have subdued another world to the dominion of the
+King and Queen, our sovereigns; in consequence of which,
+Spain, that used to be called poor, is now the most wealthy
+of kingdoms. I ought to be judged as a captain, who for
+so many years has borne arms, never quitting them for an
+instant. I ought to be judged by cavaliers who have themselves
+won the meed of victory;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_200" href="#Footnote_200" class="fnanchor">[200]</a> by knights of the sword
+and not of title deeds; as least, so it would have been among
+the Greeks and Romans, or any modern nation in which
+exists so much nobility as in Spain; for under any other
+judgment I receive great injury, because in the Indies there
+is neither civil right nor judgment seat.</p>
+
+<p>Already the road is opened to the gold and pearls, and it
+may surely be hoped that precious stones, spices, and a thousand
+other things, will also be found. Would to God that
+it were as certain that I should suffer no greater wrongs than
+I have already experienced, as it is that I would, in the name
+of our Lord, again undertake my first voyage; and that I
+would undertake to go to Arabia Felix as far as Mecca, as I
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_171">[171]</span>have said in the letter that I sent to their Highnesses by
+Antonio de Torres, in answer to the division of the sea and
+land between Spain and the Portuguese; and I would go
+afterwards to the North Pole, as I have said and given in
+writing to the monastery of the Mejorada.</p>
+
+<p>The tidings of the gold which I said I would give, are,
+that on Christmas-day, being greatly afflicted and tormented
+by the wicked Spaniards and the Indians, when I was at
+the point of leaving all to save my life if possible, our Lord
+comforted me miraculously, saying to me, “<i>Take courage,
+be not dismayed nor fear, I will provide for all; the seven
+years, the term of the gold, are not yet passed; and in this,
+as in the rest, I will redress thee.</i>” I learned that same day,
+that there were twenty-four leagues of land where they found
+mines at every step, which appear now to form but one.
+Some of the people collected a hundred and twenty castellanos’
+worth in one day, others ninety; and there have been
+those who have gathered the equivalent of nearly two hundred
+and fifty castellanos. They consider it a good day’s
+work when they collect from fifty to seventy, or even from
+twenty to fifty, and many continue searching; the mean day’s
+work is from six to twelve, and those who get less are very
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_172">[172]</span>dissatisfied. It appears that these mines, like all others, do
+not yield equally every day; the mines are new, and those
+who collect their produce inexperienced. According to the
+judgment of everybody here, it seems that, if all Spain were
+to come over, every individual, however inexpert he might
+be, would gain the equivalent of at least one or two castellanos
+in a day; and so it is up to the present time. It is
+certain that any man who has an Indian to work for him,
+collects as much, but the management depends upon the
+Spaniard. See, now, what discernment was shown by
+Bobadilla when he gave up everything for nothing, and
+four millions of tithes without any reason, and even without
+being asked to do so, and without first giving notice to their
+Highnesses of his intention; and this is not the only evil
+which he has caused. I know, assuredly, that the errors
+which I may have fallen into, have been committed without
+any intention of doing wrong, and I think that their Highnesses
+will believe me when I say so; but I know and see
+that they show mercy towards those who intentionally do
+injury to their service. I, however, feel very certain that
+the day will come when they will treat me much better;
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_173">[173]</span>since, if I have been in error, it has been innocently and
+under the force of circumstances, as they will shortly understand
+beyond all doubt: I, who am their creature, and whose
+services and usefulness they will every day be more willing
+to acknowledge. They will weigh all in the balance, even
+as, according to the Holy Scripture, it will be with the evil
+and the good at the day of judgment. If, nevertheless, their
+Highnesses ordain me another judge, which I do not expect,
+and if my examination is to be holden in the Indies, I humbly
+beseech them to send over two conscientious and respectable
+persons at my expense, and they would readily acknowledge
+that, at this time, five marks of gold may be found in
+four hours: be it however as it may, it is highly necessary
+that their Highnesses should have this matter inquired into.
+The governor, on his arrival at St. Domingo, took up his
+abode in my house, and appropriated to himself all that was
+therein. Well and good; perhaps he was in want of it: but
+even a pirate does not behave in this manner towards the
+merchants that he plunders. That which grieves me most
+is the seizure of my papers, of which I have never been able
+to recover one; and those that would have been most useful
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_174">[174]</span>to me in proving my innocence, are precisely those which
+he has kept most carefully concealed. Behold the just and
+honest inquisitor! But whatever he may have done, they
+tell me that he has now bidden good bye to justice and is
+simply a despot. Our Lord God retains His power and wisdom
+as of old; and, above all things, He punishes injustice
+and ingratitude.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="spanish">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CARTA">CARTA</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Del Almirante al ama (que habia sido) del Principe D. Juan, escrita
+hacia fines del año 1500.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Muy virtuosa Señora: Si mi queja del mundo es nueva, su uso de
+maltratar es de muy antiguo. Mil combates me ha dado y á todos
+resistí fasta agora que no me aprovechó armas ni avisos. Con
+crueldad me tiene echado al fondo. La esperanza de aquel que crio
+á todos me sostiene: su socorro fue siempre muy presto. Otra vez,
+y no de lejos estando yo mas bajo, me levantó con su brazo divino,
+diciendo: <i>ó hombre de poca fe, levantate que yo soy, no hayas miedo</i>.
+Yo vine con amor tan entrañable á servir á estos Principes, y hé
+servido de servicio de que jamas se oyó ni vido. Del nuevo cielo
+y tierra que decia muestro Señor por S. Juan en el Apocalipse,
+despues de dicho por boca de Isaías, me hizo dello mensagero, y
+amostró en cual parte. En todos hobo incredulidad, y á la Reina
+mi Señor dió dello el espíritu de inteligencia y esfuerzo grande, y
+lo hizo de todo heredera como á cara y muy amada hija. La posesion
+de todo esto fuí yo á tomar en su Real nombre. La ignorancia
+en que habian estado todos quisieron enmendallo traspasando
+el poco saber á fablar en inconvenientes y gastos. Su Alteza lo
+aprobaba al contrario, y lo sostuvo fasta que pudo. Siete años se
+pasaron en la platica y nueve ejecutando cosas muy señaladas y
+dignas de memoria se pasaron en este tiempo: de todo no se fizo
+concepto. Llegué yo y estoy que non ha nadie tan vil que no piense
+de ultrajarme. Por virtud se contará en el mundo á quien
+puede no consentillo. Si yo robara las Indias ó tierra que san
+face&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_201" href="#Footnote_201" class="fnanchor">[201]</a> en ello de que agora es la fabla del altar de S. Pedro, y las
+diera á los moros, no pudieran en España amostrarme mayor
+enemiga. Quién creyera tal adonde hobo siempre tanta nobleza?
+Yo mucho quisiera despedir del negocio si fuera honesto para con
+mi Reina: el esfuerzo de nuestro Señor y de su Alteza fizo que yo
+continuase, y por aliviarle algo de los enojos en que á causa de la
+muerte estaba, cometí viaje nuevo al nuevo cielo é mundo, que
+fasta entonces estaba en oculto, y sino es tenido allí en estima,
+así como los otros de las Indias, no es maravilla porque salió á
+parecer de mi industria. A S. Pedro abrasó el Espíritu Santo y
+con él otros doce, y todos combatieron acá, y los trabajos y fatigas
+fueron muchas; en fin de todo llevaron la victoria. Este viaje de
+Paria creí que apaciguara algo por las perlas y la fallada del oro
+en la Española. Las perlas mandé yo ayuntar y pescar á la gente
+con quien quedó el concierto de mi vuelta por ellas, y á mi comprender
+á medida de fanega: si yo non lo escribí a SS. AA. fue
+porque así quisiera haber fecho del oro antes. Esto me salió como
+otras cosas muchas; no las perdiera ni mi honra si buscara yo mi
+bien propio y dejara perder la Española, ó se guardaran mis previlegios
+é asientos. Y otro tanto digo del oro que yo tenia agora
+junto, que con tantas muertés y trabajos, por virtud divinal, he
+llegado á perfecto. Cuando yo fuí á Paria fallé cuasi la mitad de
+la gente en la Española alzados, y me han guerreado fasta agora
+como á moro, y los indios por otro cabo gravemente. En esto
+vino Hojeda y probó á echar el sello, y dijo que sus Altezas lo
+enviaban con promesas de dádivas y franquezas y paga: allegó
+gran cuadrilla, que en toda la Española muy pocos hay, salvo
+vagabundos y ninguno con muger y fijos. Este Hojeda me
+trabajó harto y fuele necesario de se ir, y dejó dicho que luego
+seria de vuelta con mas navíos y gente, y que dejaba la Real
+persona de la Reina á la muerte. En esto llegó Viceinte Yañez
+con cuatro carabelas: hobo alboroto y sospechas, mas no daño.
+Los indios dijeron de otras muchas á los canibales y en Paria, y
+despues una nueva de seis otras carabelas que traía un hermano
+del Alcalde, mas fue con malicia, y esto fue ya á la postre cuando
+ya estaba muy rota la esperanza que sus Altezas hobiesen jamas
+de enviar navios á las Indias, ni nos esperarlos, y que vulgarmente
+decian que su Alteza era muerta. Un Adrian en este tiempo
+probó alzarse otra vez como de antes, mas nuestro Señor no quiso
+que llegase á efecto su mal propósito. Yo tenia propuesto en mi
+de no tocar el cabello á nadie, y á este por su ingratitud con
+lágrimas no se pudo guardar, así como yo lo tenia pensado. A mi
+hermano no hiciera menos si me quisiera matar y robar el señorío
+que mi Rey é Reina me tenian dado en guarda. Este Adrian,
+segun se muestra, tenia enviado á D. Fernando á Jaragua á allegar
+á algunos sus secuaces, y allá hobo debate con el Alcalde,
+adonde nació discordia de muerte; mas no llegó á efecto. El
+Alcalde le prendió y á parte de su cuadrilla: y el caso era que él
+los justiciaba sin que yo lo proveyere: estovieren presos esperando
+carabela en que se fuesen: las nuevas de Hojeda que yo dije
+ficieron perder la esperanza que ya no venia. Seis meses habia
+que yo estaba despachado para venir á sus Altezas con las buenas
+nuevas del oro y fuir de gobernar gente disoluta que no teme á
+Dios ni á su Rey ni Reina, llena de achaques y de malicias. A la
+gente acabara yo de pagar con seiscientos mil maravedises: y
+para ello habia cuatro cuentos de diezmos é alguno sin el tercio
+del oro. Antes de mi partida supliqué tantas veces á sus Altezas
+que enviasen allá á mi costa á quien tuviese cargo de la justicia,
+y despues que fallé alzado al Alcalde se lo supliqué de nuevo ó
+por alguna gente, ó al menos algun criado con cartas, porque mi
+fama es tal que aunque yo faga iglesias y hospitales siempre serán
+dichas espeluncas para latrones. Proveyeron ya al fin, y fue muy
+al contrario de lo que la negociacion demandaba: vaya en buena,
+hora, pues que es á su grado. Yo estuve allá dos años sin poder
+ganar una provision de favor para mí ni por los que allá fuesen,
+y este llevó una arca llena: si pararán todas á su servicio Dios lo
+sabe. Ya por comienzos hay franquezas por veinte años, que es
+la edad de un hombre, y se coge el oro, que hobo persona de cinco
+marcos en cuatro horas, de que diré despues mas largo. Si
+pluguiese á sus Altezas de desfacer un vulgo de los que saben mis
+fatigas, que mayor daño me ha hecho el mal decir de las gentes
+que no me ha aprovechado el mucho servir y guardar su facienda
+y senorío, seria limosna, é yo restituido en mi honra, é se fablaria
+dello en todo el mundo, porquel negocio es de calidad que cada
+dia ha de ser mas sonada y en alta estima. En esto vino el
+Comendador Bobadilla á Santo Domingo, yo estaba en la Vega y
+el Adelantado en Jaragua, donde este Adrian habia hecho cabeza,
+mas ya todo era llano y la tierra rica, y en paz toda. El segundo
+dia que llegó se crió Gobernador y fizo oficiales y ejecuciones, y
+apregonó franquezas del oro y diezmos, y generalmente de toda
+otra cosa por veinte años, que como digo es la edad de un hombre,
+y que venia para pagar á todos, bien que no habian servido llenamente
+hasta ese dia, y publicó que á mi me habia de enviar en
+fierros, y á mis hermanos, así como lo ha fecho, y que nunca yo
+volveria mas allí ni otro de mi linage, diciendo de mi mil deshonestidades
+y descorteses cosas. Esto todo fue el segundo dia
+quel llegó, como dije, y estando yo lejos absente sin saber dello ni
+de su venida. Unas cartas de sus Altezas firmadas en blanco, de
+que el llevaba una cantidad, hinchó y envió al Alcalde y á su
+compañía con favores y encomiendas. A mi nunca me envió carta
+ni mensagero, ni me ha dado fasta hoy. Piense vuestra merced
+qué pensaria quien tuviera mi cargo? honrar y favorecer á quien
+probó á robar á sus Altezas el señorío, y ha fecho tanto mal y daño!
+y arrastrar á quien con tantos peligros se lo sostuvo? Cuando
+supe esto, creí que esto seria como lo de Hojeda, ó uno de los
+otros: templóme que supe de los frailes de cierto que sus Altezas
+lo enviaban. Escrebile yo que su venida fuese en buena hora, y
+que yo estaba despachado para ir á la corte, y fecho almoneda de
+cuanto yo tenia, y que en esto de las franquezas que no se
+acelerase, que esto y el gobierno yo se lo daria luego tan llano
+como la palma, y así lo escribí a los religiosos. Ni él ni ellos me
+dieron respuesta, antes se puso él en son de guerra, y apremiaba á
+cuantos allí iban que le jurasen por Gobernador, dijeronme que
+por veinte años. Luego que yo supe de estas franquezas pensé
+de adobar un yerro tan grande, y que él seria contento, las cuales
+dió sin necesidad y causa de cosa tan gruesa y á gente vagabunda,
+que fuera demasiado para quien trujera muger y hijos. Publiqué
+por palabra y por cartas que él no podia usar de sus provisiones,
+porque las mias eran las mas fuertes, y les mostré las franquezas
+que llevó Juan Aguado. Todo esto que yo fice era por dilatar,
+porque sus Altezas fuesen sabidores del estado de la tierra, y
+hobiesen lugar de tornar á mandar en ello lo que fuese su servicio.
+Tales franquezas escusado es de las apregonar en las Indias. Los
+vecinos que han tomado vecindad es logro, porque se les dan las
+mejores tierras y á poco valer valerán docientos mil maravedis al
+cabo de los cuatro años que la vecindad se acaba, sin que den una
+azadonada en ellas. No diria yo así si los vecinos fuesen casados,
+mas no hay seis entre todos que no esten sobre el aviso de ayuntar
+lo que pudieren y se ir en buena hora. De Castilla seria bien que
+fuesen, y aun saber quién y cómo, y se poblase de gente honrada.
+Yo tenia asentado con estos vecinos que pagarian el tercio del oro
+y los diezmos, y esto á su ruego, y lo recibieron en grande merced
+de sus Altezas. Reprendiles cuando yo oí que se dejaban dello,
+y esperaban quél conmigo faria otro tanto, mas fue el contrario.
+Indignólos contra mí diciendo, que yo les queria quitar lo que sus
+Altezas les daban, y trabajo de me los echar acuestas, y lo hizo, y
+que escribiesen á sus Altezas que no me enviasen mas al cargo, y
+así se lo suplico yo por mí y por toda cosa mia, en cuanto no haya
+otro pueblo, y me ordenó él con ellos pesquisas de maldades que
+al infierno nunca se supo de las semejantes. Allí está nuestro
+Señor que escapó á Daniel y á los tres muchachos con tanto saber
+y fuerza como tenia, y con tanto aparejo si le pluguiere como con
+su gana. Supiera yo remediar todo esto y lo otro que está dicho
+y ha pasado despues que estoy en las Indias, si me consintiera la
+voluntad á procurar por mi bien propio y me fuera honesto. Mas
+el sostener de la justicia y acrecentar el señorío de sus Altezas
+fasta agora, me tiene al fondo. Hoy en dia que se falla tanto oro
+hay division en que haya mas ganancia, ir robando ó ir á las minas.
+Por una muger tambien se fallan cien castellanos como por una
+labranza, y es mucho en uso, y ha ya fartos mercaderes que andan
+buscando muchachas: de nueve á diez son agora en precio: de todas
+edades ha de tener un bueno. Digo que en decir yo que el
+Comendador no podia dar franquezas que hice yo lo que él
+deseaba; bien que yo á él dijese que era para dilatar fasta que sus
+Altezas toviesen el aviso de la tierra y tornasen á ver y mandar
+lo que fuese su servicio. Digo que la fuerza del maldecir de
+desconcertados me ha hecho mas daño que mis servicios fecho
+provecho: mal ejemplo es por lo presente y por lo futuro. Fago
+juramento que cantidad de hombres han ido á las Indias que no
+merescian el agua para con Dios y con el mundo, y agora vuelven
+allá. Enemistólos á ellos todos conmigo, y él parece, segun se
+hobo y segun sus formas, que ya lo venia y bien encendido, ó es
+que se dice que ha gastado mucho por venir á este negocio; no se
+dello mas de lo que oyo. Yo nunca oí que el pesquisidor allegase
+los rebeldes y los tomase por testigos contra aquel que gobierna á
+ellos y á otros sin fe, ni dignos della. Si sus Altezas mandasen
+hacer una pesquisa general allí vos digo yo que verian por gran
+maravilla como la isla no sé funde. Yo creo que se acordará
+vuestra merced cuando lo tormenta sin velas me echó en Lisbona,
+que fuí acusado falsamente que habia ido ya allá al Rey para darle
+las Indias. Despues supieron sus Altezas al contrario, y que todo
+fue con malicia. Bien que yo sepa poco: no sé quien me tenga
+por tan torpe que yo no conozca que aunque las Indias fuesen
+mias, que yo no me pudiera sostener sin ayuda de Príncipe. Si
+esto es así, adónde pudiera yo tener mejor arrimo y seguridad de
+no ser echado dellas del todo que en el Rey é Reina nuestros
+Señores, que de nada me han puesto en tanta honra y son los mas
+altos Príncipes por la mar y por la tierra del mundo? los cuales
+tienen que yo les haya servido, é me guardan mis privilegios y
+mercedes, y si alguien me los quebranta sus Altezas me los
+acrescientan con aventaja, como se vido en lo de Juan Aguado, y
+me mandar hacer mucha honra, y como dije ya sus Altezas rescibieron
+de mí servicios y tienen mis hijos sus criados, lo que en
+ninguna manera pudiera esto llegar con otro Príncipe, porque
+adonde no hay amor todo lo otro cesa. Dije yo agora ansi contra
+un maldecir con malicia y contra mi voluntad, porque es cosa que
+ni en sueños debiera allegar á memoria, porque las formas y fechos
+del Comendador Bobadilla, con malicia las quiere alumbrar en
+esto: mas yo le faré ver con el brazo izquierdo que su poco saber
+y gran cobardiá con desordenada cudicia le ha fecho caer en ello.
+Ya dije como yo le escrebí y á los frailes, y luego partí así como
+le dije muy solo, porque toda la gente estaba con el Adelantado, y
+tambien por le quitar de sospecha: él cuando lo supo echó á D.
+Diego preso en una carabela cargado de fierros, y á mi en llegando
+fizo otro tanto, y despues al Adelantado, cuando vino. Ni le fablé
+mas á él ni consintió que hasta hoy nadie me haya fablado, y fago
+juramento que no puedo pensar por qué sea yo preso. La primera
+diligencia que fizo fue á tomar el oro, el cual hobo sin medida ni
+peso, é yo absente dijo que queria él pagar dello á la gente, y
+segun oí para sí fizo la primera parte, y enviar por resgate resgatadores
+nuevos. Desto oro tenia yo apartado ciertas muestras,
+granos muy gruesos como huevos como de ánsar, de gallina y de
+pollas, y de otras muchas fechuras, que algunas personas tenian
+cogido en breve espacio, con que se alegrasen sus Altezas, y por
+ello comprendiesen el negocio con una cantidad de piedras grandes
+llenas de oro. Este fue el primero á se dar con malicia, porque
+sus Altezas no tuviesen este negocio en algo fasta quel tenga fecho
+el nido de que se dá buena priesa. El oro que está por fundir
+mengua al fuego: una cadena que pesaria fasta veinte marcos
+nunca se ha visto. Yo he sido muy agraviado en esto del oro mas
+aun que de las perlas, porque no las he traido á sus Altezas. El
+Comendador en todo lo que le pareció que me dañaria luego fue
+puesto en obra. Ya dije, con seiscientos mil maravedises pagara
+á todos sin robar á nadie y habia mas de cuatro cuentos de diezmos
+y alguacilazgo sin tocar en el oro. Hizo unas larguezas que
+son de risa, bien que creo que encomenzó en sí la primera parte:
+allá lo sabran sus Altezas cuando le mandaren tomar cuenta, en
+especial si yo estuviese á ella. El no face sino decir que se debe
+gran suma, y es la que yo dije y no tanto. Yo he sido muy mucho
+agraviado en que se haya enviado pesquisidor sobre mí, que sepa
+que si la pesquisa que él enviare fuere muy grave que él quedará
+en el gobierno.—Pluguiera á nuestro Señor que sus Altezas le
+enviaran á él ó á otro dos años ha, porque sé que yo fuera ya libre
+de escándalo y de infamia, y no se me quitara mi honra ni la perdiera:
+Dios es justo, y ha de hacer que se sepa por que y cómo.
+Allí me juzgan como Gobernador que fue á Cecilia ó ciudad ó villa
+puesta en regimiento y adonde las leyes se pueden guardar por
+entero sin temor de que se pierda todo, y rescibo grande agravio.
+Yo debo ser juzgado como Capitan que fue de España á conquistar
+fasta las Indias á gente belicosa y mucha, y de costumbres
+y seta á nos muy contraria: los cuales viven por sierras y montes,
+sin pueblo asentado ni nosotros; y adonde por voluntad Divina
+he puesto só el señorio del Rey é de la Reina nuestros Señores otro
+mundo; y por donde la España, que era dicha pobre, es la mas
+rica. Yo dobo ser juzgado como Capitan que de tanto tiempo
+fasta hoy trae las armas á cuestas sin las dejar una hora, y de
+Caballeros de conquistas y del uso, y no de letras, salvo si fuesen
+de Griegos ó de Romanos, ó de otros modernos de que hay tantos
+y tan nobles en España, ca de otra guisa rescibo grande agravio
+porque en las Indias no hay pueblo ni asiento. Del oro y perlas
+ya está abierta la puerta y cantidad de todo, piedras preciosas y
+especería, y de otras mil cosas se pueden esperar firmemente; y
+nunca mas mal me viniese como con el nombre de Nuestro Señor
+le daria el primer viage, así como diera la negociacion del Arabia
+feliz fasta la Meca, como yo escribí á sus Altezas con Antonio de
+Torres en la respuesta de la reparticion del mar é tierra con los
+Portogueses: y despues viniera á lo de polo artico, así coma lo
+dije y dí por escripto en el monesterio de la Mejorada. Las nuevas
+del oro que yo dije que daria son que dia de Navidad, estando yo
+muy afligido guerreado de los malos Cristianos y de Indios, en
+términos de dejar todo y escapar si pudiese la vida; me consoló
+nuestro Señor milagrosamente y dijo: “<i>Esfuerza, no desmayes
+mi temas: yo proveeré en todo; los siete años del término del oro
+no son pasados, y en ello y en lo otro te daré remedio.</i>” Ese dia
+supe que habia ochenta leguas de tierra, y en todo cabo dellas minas;
+el parecer agora es que sea toda una. Algunos han cogido
+ciento y veinte castellanos en un dia, otros noventa, y se ha llegado
+fasta docientos y cincuenta. De cincuenta fasta setenta, y otros
+muchos de veínte fasta cincuenta, es tenido por buen jornal y muchos
+lo continuaban: el comun es seis fasta doce, y quien de aquí
+abaja no es contento. Parece tambien que estas minas son como
+las otras que responden en los dias no igualmente: las minas son
+nuevas y los cogedores. El parecer de todos es que aunque vaya
+allá toda Castilla, que por torpe que sea la persona, que no abajará
+de un castellano ó dos cada dia, y agora es esto así en fresco. Es
+verdad que el que tiene algun indio coge esto, mas el negocio consiste
+en el Cristiano. Ved que discrecion fue de Bobadilla dar
+todo por ninguno y cuatro cuentos de diezmos sin causa ni ser
+requerido, sin primero lo notificar á sus Altezas; y el daño no es
+este solo. Yo sé que mis yerros no han sido con fin de facer mal,
+y creo que sus Altezas lo creen así como yo lo digo; y sé y veo
+que usan de misericordia con quien maliciosamente los desirve.
+Yo creo y tengo por muy cierto que muy mejor y mas piedad
+harán conmigo que caí en ello con inocencia y forzosamente, como
+sabran despues por entero, y el cual soy su fechura, y mirirán á
+mis servicíos, y cognoscerán de cada dia que son muy aventajados.
+Todo pornan en una balanza, así como nos cuenta la Santa Escriptura
+que será el bien con el mal en el dia del juicio. Si todavía
+mandan que otro me juzgue, lo cual no espero, y que sea por
+pesquisa de las Indias, humilmente les suplico que envien allá
+dos personas de consciencia y honrados á mi costa, los cuales fallaran
+de ligero agora que se halla el oro cinco marcos en cuatro
+horas, con esto é sin ello es muy necesario que lo provean. El
+Comendador, en llegando á Santo Domingo se aposentó en mi casa;
+así como la falló así dió todo por suyo: vaya en buena hora, quizá
+lo habia menester: cosario nunca tal usó con mercader. De mis
+escripturas tengo yo mayor queja que así me las haya tomado, que
+jamas se le pudo sacar una, y aquellas que mas me habian de
+aprovechar en mi disculpa esas tenia mas ocultas. Ved que justo
+y honesto pesquisidor. Cosa de cuantas él haya hecho me dicen
+que haya seido con término de justicia, salvo absolutamente.
+Dios nuestro Señor está con sus fuerzas y saber, como solia, y
+castiga en todo cabo, en especial la ingratitud de injurias.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_189" href="#FNanchor_189" class="label">[189]</a> Although Zuñiga says that Doña Maria de Guzman was appointed
+nurse by Queen Isabella at the birth of Prince John, it is nevertheless
+certain that this letter was addressed by Columbus to Doña Juana de la
+Torres, a great favourite of the queen, sister of Antonio de Torres, who
+was with the admiral in the second voyage, and who bore the memorial
+to their Highnesses.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_190" href="#FNanchor_190" class="label">[190]</a> This is related by his son Don Ferdinand, in cap. 84 of his history,
+and is more amply described in the letter addressed by Columbus to the
+sovereigns, describing his fourth voyage. It took place the day after
+Christmas day, 1499.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_191" href="#FNanchor_191" class="label">[191]</a> He refers to the death of Prince John, which occurred in Salamanca,
+on the fourth of October 1497.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_192" href="#FNanchor_192" class="label">[192]</a> After the admiral had discovered the island of Trinidad, he sailed
+along the coast of Paria, discovered the island of Margarita, and entered
+the harbour of San Domingo the thirtieth of August 1498, where he
+found the colony in rebellion, and the Spaniards embroiled in quarrels,
+both with each other and with the Indians.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_193" href="#FNanchor_193" class="label">[193]</a> Alonzo de Hojeda reached Española on the fifth of September 1498.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_194" href="#FNanchor_194" class="label">[194]</a> Roldan was by this time reconciled to the Admiral, and the rebellion
+was allayed, when Hojeda arrived, making great boast of his favour
+with bishop Fonseca, Columbus’ enemy, and endeavoured to excite fresh
+animosity against him; but he had to leave Española completely.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_195" href="#FNanchor_195" class="label">[195]</a> Adrian Mogica, who had been one of the rebels with Roldan.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_196" href="#FNanchor_196" class="label">[196]</a> Columbus returned to Cadiz from his second voyage, on the 11th of
+June, 1496. He was well received by the sovereigns, and they gave
+orders for preparing the requisites for a third voyage; but the fulfilment
+of these orders was delayed by Bishop Fonseca until the 30th of
+May, 1498.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_197" href="#FNanchor_197" class="label">[197]</a> Francesco de Bobadilla, commander of the order of Calatrava,
+reached San Domingo on the 23rd of August, 1500.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_198" href="#FNanchor_198" class="label">[198]</a> This expression of the Admiral’s, makes it appear that he wrote
+this letter when he was near reaching Cadiz, on the 25th of November,
+1500.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_199" href="#FNanchor_199" class="label">[199]</a> An ancient gold coin, varying in value under different kings.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_200" href="#FNanchor_200" class="label">[200]</a> The old Spaniards used to give the name of “<i>caballero de conquista</i>,”
+to each of the conquerors, among whom the conquered lands
+were divided.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_201" href="#FNanchor_201" class="label">[201]</a> There is no sense in this expression, nor as it is given in the “Codice
+Colombo Americano”, where it stands thus: “que jaz hase ellas de
+que”, etc. Perhaps “hase” is miscopied for “hacia” “towards.”</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="english">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_175">[175]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="FOURTH_VOYAGE_OF_COLUMBUS">FOURTH VOYAGE OF COLUMBUS.</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>A Letter written by Don Christopher Columbus, Viceroy and
+Admiral of the Indies, to the most Christian and mighty
+Sovereigns, the King and Queen of Spain, in which are
+described the events of his voyage, and the countries, provinces,
+cities, rivers, and other marvellous matters therein
+discovered, as well as the places where gold and other substances
+of great richness and value are to be found.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Most Serene, and very high and mighty Princes, the King
+and Queen our Sovereigns:—My passage from Cadiz to the
+Canary occupied four days, and thence to the Indies, from
+which I wrote, sixteen days. My intention was to expedite
+my voyage as much as possible while I had good vessels,
+good crews and stores, and because Jamaica was the place to
+which I was bound. I wrote this in Dominica.</p>
+
+<p>Up to the period of my reaching these shores I experienced
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_176">[176]</span>most excellent weather, but the night of my arrival
+came in with a dreadful tempest, and the same bad weather
+has continued ever since. On reaching the island of Española
+I despatched a packet of letters, by which I begged
+as a favour that a ship should be supplied me at my own cost
+in lieu of one of those that I had brought with me, and which
+had become unseaworthy, and could no longer carry sail.
+The letters were taken, and your Highnesses will know if a
+reply has been given to them. For my part I was forbidden
+to go on shore; the hearts of my people failed them lest I
+should take them further, and they said that if any danger
+were to befall them, they should receive no succour, but, on
+the contrary, in all probability have some great affront offered
+them. Moreover every man had it in his power to tell me
+that the new Governor would have the superintendence of
+the countries that I might acquire.</p>
+
+<p>The tempest was terrible throughout the night, all the
+ships were separated, and each one driven to the last extremity,
+without hope of anything but death; each of them
+also looked upon the loss of the rest as a matter of certainty.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_177">[177]</span>What man was ever born, not even excepting Job, who
+would not have been ready to die of despair at finding himself
+as I then was, in anxious fear for my own safety, and
+that of my son, my brother, and my friends, and yet refused
+permission either to land or to put into harbour on the
+shores which by God’s mercy I had gained for Spain with so
+much toil and danger?</p>
+
+<p>But to return to the ships: although the tempest had so
+completely separated them from me as to leave me single,
+yet the Lord restored them to me in his own good time.
+The ship which we had the greatest fear for, had put out to
+sea for safety, and reached the island of Gallega, having lost
+her boat and a great part of her provisions, which latter
+loss indeed all the ships suffered. The vessel in which I
+was, though dreadfully buffeted, was saved by our Lord’s
+mercy from any injury whatever; my brother went in the
+ship that was unsound, and he under God was the cause of
+its being saved. With this tempest I struggled on till I
+reached Jamaica, and there the sea became calm, but there
+was a strong current which carried me as far as the Queen’s
+Garden without seeing land. Hence as opportunity afforded
+I pushed on for terra firma, in spite of the wind and a fearful
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_178">[178]</span>contrary current, against which I contended for sixty
+days, and after all only made seventy leagues. All this
+time I was unable to get into harbour, nor was there any
+cessation of the tempest, which was one continuation of
+rain, thunder, and lightning; indeed it seemed as if it were
+the end of the world. I at length reached the Cape of Gracias
+a Dios, and after that the Lord granted me fair wind
+and tide; this was on the twelfth of September. Eighty-eight
+days did this fearful tempest continue, during which
+I was at sea, and saw neither sun nor stars; my ships lay
+exposed, with sails torn, and anchors, rigging, cables, boats,
+and a great quantity of provisions lost; my people were very
+weak and humbled in spirit, many of them promising to
+lead a religious life, and all making vows and promising to
+perform pilgrimages, while some of them would frequently
+go to their messmates to make confession. Other tempests
+have been experienced, but never of so long a duration or
+so fearful as this: many whom we looked upon as brave
+men, on several occasions showed considerable trepidation;
+but the distress of my son who was with me grieved me to
+the soul, and the more when I considered his tender age, for
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_179">[179]</span>he was but thirteen years old, and he enduring so much toil
+for so long a time. Our Lord, however, gave him strength
+even to enable him to encourage the rest, and he worked as if
+he had been eighty years at sea, and all this was a consolation
+to me. I myself had fallen sick, and was many times at the
+point of death, but from a little cabin that I had caused to
+be constructed on deck, I directed our course. My brother
+was in the ship that was in the worst condition and the most
+exposed to danger; and my grief on this account was the
+greater that I brought him with me against his will.</p>
+
+<p>Such is my fate, that the twenty years of service through
+which I have passed with so much toil and danger, have profited
+me nothing, and at this very day I do not possess a
+roof in Spain that I can call my own; if I wish to eat or
+sleep, I have nowhere to go but to the inn or tavern, and
+most times lack wherewith to pay the bill. Another anxiety
+wrung my very heartstrings, which was the thought of my
+son Diego, whom I had left an orphan in Spain, and stripped
+of the honour and property which were due to him on my
+account, although I had looked upon it as a certainty, that
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_180">[180]</span>your Majesties, as just and grateful Princes, would restore
+it to him in all respects with increase. I reached the land of
+Cariay, where I stopped to repair my vessels and take in provisions,
+as well as to afford relaxation to the men, who had
+become very weak. I myself (who, as I said before, had
+been several times at the point of death) gained information
+respecting the gold mines of which I was in search, in the
+province of Ciamba; and two Indians conducted me to Carambaru,
+where the people (who go naked) wear golden
+mirrors round their necks, which they will neither sell, give,
+nor part with for any consideration. They named to me
+many places on the sea-coast where there were both gold
+and mines. The last that they mentioned was Veragua,
+which was about five-and-twenty leagues distant from the
+place where we then were. I started with the intention of
+visiting all of them, but when I had reached the middle of
+my journey I learned that there were other mines at so short
+a distance that they might be reached in two days. I determined
+on sending to see them. It was on the eve of St.
+Simon and St. Jude, which was the day fixed for our departure;
+but that night there arose so violent a storm, that we
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_181">[181]</span>were forced to go wherever it drove us, and the Indian who
+was to conduct us to the mines was with us all the time. As
+I had found every thing true that had been told me in the
+different places which I had visited, I felt satisfied it would
+be the same with respect to Ciguare, which according to their
+account, is nine days’ journey across the country westward:
+they tell me there is a great quantity of gold there, and that
+the inhabitants wear coral ornaments on their heads, and
+very large coral bracelets and anklets, with which article
+also they adorn and inlay their seats, boxes, and tables.
+They also said that the women there wore necklaces hanging
+down to their shoulders. All the people agree in the
+report I now repeat, and their account is so favourable that
+I should be content with the tithe of the advantages that
+their description holds out. They are all likewise acquainted
+with the pepper-plant. According to the account of these
+people, the inhabitants of Ciguare are accustomed to hold
+fairs and markets for carrying on their commerce, and they
+showed me also the mode and form in which they transact
+their various exchanges. Others assert that their ships carry
+guns, and that the men go clothed and use bows and arrows,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_182">[182]</span>swords, and cuirasses, and that on shore they have horses
+which they use in battle, and that they wear rich clothes and
+have most excellent houses.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_202" href="#Footnote_202" class="fnanchor">[202]</a> They also say that the sea surrounds
+Ciguare, and that at ten days’ journey from thence is
+the river Ganges. These lands appear to have the same bearings
+with respect to Veragua, as Tortosa has to Fontarabia,
+or Pisa to Venice. When I left Carambaru and reached the
+places in its neighbourhood, which I have above-mentioned
+as being spoken of by the Indians, I found the customs of
+the people correspond with the accounts that had been given
+of them, except as regarded the golden mirrors: any man
+who had one of them would willingly part with it for three
+hawks’-bells, although they were equivalent in weight to
+ten or fifteen ducats. These people resemble the natives of
+Española in all their habits. They have various modes of
+collecting the gold, none of which will bear comparison with
+the plans adopted by the Christians.</p>
+
+<p>All that I have here stated is from hearsay. This, however,
+I know, that in the year ninety-four I sailed twenty-four
+degrees to the westward in nine hours, and there can
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_183">[183]</span>be no mistake upon the subject, because there was an eclipse;
+the sun was in Libra and the moon in Aries. What I had
+learned by the mouth of these people I already knew in detail
+from books. Ptolemy thought that he had satisfactorily
+corrected Marinus, and yet this latter appears to have come
+very near to the truth. Ptolemy places Catigara at a distance
+of twelve lines to the west of his meridian,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_203" href="#Footnote_203" class="fnanchor">[203]</a> which he fixes
+at two degrees and a third above Cape St. Vincent, in Portugal.
+Marinus comprises the earth and its limits in fifteen
+lines, and the same author describes the Indus in Ethiopia
+as being more than four-and-twenty degrees from the equinoctial
+line, and now that the Portuguese have sailed there
+they find it correct. Ptolemy says also that the most southern
+land is the first boundary, and that it does not go lower down
+than fifteen degrees and a third. The world is but small;
+out of seven divisions of it the dry part occupies six, and the
+seventh only is covered by water.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_204" href="#Footnote_204" class="fnanchor">[204]</a> Experience has shown
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_184">[184]</span>it, and I have written it with quotations from the Holy
+Scripture, in other letters, where I have treated of the
+situation of the terrestrial paradise, as approved by Holy
+Church; and I say that the world is not so large as vulgar
+opinion makes it, and that one degree from the equinoctial
+line measures fifty-six miles and two-thirds; and this may
+be proved to a nicety. But I leave this subject, which it is
+not my intention now to treat upon, but simply to give a
+narrative of my laborious and painful voyage, although of all
+my voyages it is the most honourable and advantageous. I
+have said that on the eve of St. Simon and St. Jude I ran
+before the wind wherever it took me, without power to resist
+it; at length I found shelter for ten days from the roughness
+of the sea and the tempest overhead, and resolved not
+to attempt to go back to the mines, which I regarded as
+already in our possession. When I started in pursuance of
+my voyage it was under a heavy rain, and reaching the
+harbour of Bastimentos I put in, though much against my
+will. The storm and a rapid current kept me in for fourteen
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_185">[185]</span>days, when I again set sail, but not with favourable weather.
+After I had made fifteen leagues with great exertions, the
+wind and the current drove me back again with great fury,
+but in again making for the port which I had quitted, I
+found on the way another port, which I named Retrete,
+where I put in for shelter with as much risk as regret, the
+ships being in sad condition, and my crews and myself exceedingly
+fatigued. I remained there fifteen days, kept in
+by stress of weather, and when I fancied my troubles were
+at an end, I found them only begun. It was then that I
+changed my resolution with respect to proceeding to the
+mines, and proposed doing something in the interim, until
+the weather should prove more favourable for my voyage.
+I had already made four leagues when the storm recommenced,
+and wearied me to such a degree that I absolutely
+knew not what to do; my wound reopened, and for nine
+days my life was despaired of. Never was the sea seen so
+high, so terrific, and so covered with foam; not only did the
+wind oppose our proceeding onward, but it also rendered it
+highly dangerous to run in for any headland, and kept me
+in that sea which seemed to me as a sea of blood, seething
+like a cauldron on a mighty fire. Never did the sky look
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_186">[186]</span>more fearful; during one day and one night it burned like a
+furnace, and emitted flashes in such fashion that each time I
+looked to see if my masts and my sails were not destroyed;
+these flashes came with such alarming fury that we all thought
+the ship must have been consumed. All this time the waters
+from heaven never ceased, not to say that it rained, for it
+was like a repetition of the deluge. The men were at this
+time so crushed in spirit, that they longed for death as a
+deliverance from so many martyrdoms. Twice already had
+the ships suffered loss in boats, anchors, and rigging, and
+were now lying bare without sails.</p>
+
+<p>When it pleased our Lord, I returned to Puerto Gordo,
+where I recruited my condition as well as I could. I then
+once more attempted the voyage towards Veragua, although
+I was by no means in a fit state to undertake it. The wind
+and currents were still contrary. I arrived at nearly the
+same spot as before, and there again the wind and currents
+still opposed my progress; once more I was compelled to
+put into harbour, not daring to encounter the opposition of
+Saturn&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_205" href="#Footnote_205" class="fnanchor">[205]</a> with such a boisterous sea, and on so formidable a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_187">[187]</span>coast; for it almost always brings on a tempest or severe
+weather. This was on Christmas-day, about the hour of
+mass. Thus, after all these fatigues, I had once more to return
+to the spot from whence I started; and when the new
+year had set in, I returned again to my task: but although
+I had fine weather for my voyage, the ships were no longer
+in a sailing condition, and my people were either dying
+or very sick. On the day of the Epiphany, I reached
+Veragua in a state of exhaustion; there, by our Lord’s goodness,
+I found a river and a safe harbour, although at the
+entrance there were only ten spans of water. I succeeded
+in making an entry, but with great difficulty; and on the
+following day the storm recommenced, and had I been still
+on the outside at that time, I should have been unable to
+enter on account of the bar. It rained without ceasing until
+the fourteenth of February, so that I could find no opportunity
+of penetrating into the interior, nor of recruiting my
+condition in any respect whatever; and on the twenty-fourth
+of January, when I considered myself in perfect safety,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_188">[188]</span>the river suddenly rose with great violence to a considerable
+height, breaking my cables and the supports&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_206" href="#Footnote_206" class="fnanchor">[206]</a> to which they
+were fastened, and nearly carrying away my ships altogether,
+which certainly appeared to me to be in greater danger than
+ever. Our Lord, however, brought a remedy as He has
+always done. I do not know if any one else ever suffered
+greater trials.</p>
+
+<p>On the sixth of February, while it was still raining, I sent
+seventy men on shore to go into the interior, and, at five
+leagues’ distance they found several mines. The Indians who
+went with them, conducted them to a very lofty mountain,
+and thence showing them the country all round, as far as the
+eye could reach, told them there was gold in every part, and
+that, towards the west, the mines extended twenty days’
+journey; they also recounted the names of the towns and
+villages where there was more or less of it. I afterwards
+learned that the cacique Quibian, who had lent these Indians,
+had ordered them to show the distant mines, and which belonged
+to an enemy of his; but that in his own territory,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_189">[189]</span>one man might, if he would, collect in ten days as much as
+a child could carry. I bring with me some Indians, his servants,
+who can bear witness to this fact. The boats went
+up to the spot where the dwellings of these people are
+situated; and, after four hours, my brother returned with
+the guides, all of them bringing back gold which they had
+collected at that place. The gold must therefore be abundant,
+and of good quality, for none of these men had ever seen
+mines before; very many of them had never seen pure gold,
+and most of them were seamen and lads. Having building
+materials in abundance, I established a settlement, and made
+many presents to Quibian, which is the name they gave to
+the lord of the country. I plainly saw that harmony would
+not last long, for the natives are of a very rough disposition,
+and the Spaniards very encroaching; and, moreover, I had
+taken possession of land belonging to Quibian. When he
+saw what we did, and found the traffic increasing, he resolved
+upon burning the houses, and putting us all to death; but
+his project did not succeed, for we took him prisoner, together
+with his wives, his children, and his servants. His
+captivity, it is true, lasted but a short time, for he eluded the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_190">[190]</span>custody of a trustworthy man, into whose charge he had
+been given, with a guard of men; and his sons escaped from
+a ship, in which they had been placed under the special
+charge of the master.</p>
+
+<p>In the month of January the mouth of the river was entirely
+closed up, and in April the vessels were so eaten with
+the teredo, that they could scarcely be kept above water.
+At this time the river forced a channel for itself, by which I
+managed, with great difficulty, to extricate three of them
+after I had unloaded them. The boats were then sent back
+into the river for water and salt, but the sea became so high
+and furious, that it afforded them no chance of exit; upon
+which the Indians collected themselves together in great
+numbers, and made an attack upon the boats, and at length
+massacred the men. My brother, and all the rest of our
+people, were in a ship which remained inside; I was alone,
+outside, upon that dangerous coast, suffering from a severe
+fever and worn with fatigue. All hope of escape was gone.
+I toiled up to the highest part of the ship, and, with a
+quivering voice and fast-falling tears, I called upon your
+Highnesses’ war-captains from each point of the compass to
+come to my succour, but there was no reply. At length,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_191">[191]</span>groaning with exhaustion, I fell asleep, and heard a compassionate
+voice address me thus:—“<i>O fool, and slow to
+believe and to serve thy God, the God of all! what did He
+do more for Moses, or for David his servant, than He has
+done for thee? From thine infancy He has kept thee under
+His constant and watchful care. When He saw thee arrived
+at an age which suited His designs respecting thee, He
+brought wonderful renown to thy name throughout all the
+land. He gave thee for thine own the Indies, which form so
+rich a portion of the world, and thou hast divided them as
+it pleased thee, for He gave thee power to do so. He gave
+thee also the keys of those barriers of the ocean sea which
+were closed with such mighty chains; and thou wast obeyed
+through many lands, and gained an honourable fame throughout
+Christendom. What did the Most High do for the
+people of Israel, when He brought them out of Egypt? or
+for David, whom from a shepherd He made to be king in
+Judæa? Turn to Him, and acknowledge thine error—His
+mercy is infinite. Thine old age shall not prevent thee from
+accomplishing any great undertaking. He holds under His
+sway the greatest possessions. Abraham had exceeded a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_192">[192]</span>hundred years of age when he begat Isaac; nor was Sarah
+young. Thou criest out for uncertain help: answer, who
+has afflicted thee so much and so often, God or the world?
+The privileges promised by God, He never fails in bestowing;
+nor does He ever declare, after a service has been rendered
+Him, that such was not agreeable with His intention, or that
+He had regarded the matter in another light; nor does He
+inflict suffering, in order to make a show of His power. His
+acts answer to His words; and He performs all His promises
+with interest. Is this the usual course? Thus I have told
+you what the Creator has done for thee, and what He does
+for all men. Even now He partially shows thee the reward
+of so many toils and dangers incurred by thee in the service
+of others.</i>”</p>
+
+<p>I heard all this, as it were, in a trance; but I had no
+answer to give in definite words, and could but weep for my
+errors. He who spoke to me, whoever he was, concluded by
+saying,—“<i>Fear not, but trust; all these tribulations are recorded
+on marble, and not without cause.</i>” I arose as soon
+as I could; and at the end of nine days there came fine
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_193">[193]</span>weather, but not sufficiently so to allow of drawing the
+vessels out of the river. I collected the men who were on
+land, and, in fact, all of them that I could, because there
+were not enough to admit of one party remaining on shore
+while another stayed on board to work the vessels. I myself
+should have remained with my men to defend the buildings
+I had constructed, had your Highnesses been cognizant of
+all the facts; but the doubt whether any ships would ever
+reach the spot where we were, as well as the thought, that
+while I was asking for succour I might bring succour to myself,
+made me decide upon leaving. I departed, in the name
+of the Holy Trinity, on Easter night, with the ships rotten,
+worm-eaten, and full of holes. One of them I left at Belem,
+with a supply of necessaries; I did the same at Belpuerto.
+I then had only two left, and they in the same state as the
+others. I was without boats or provisions, and in this condition
+I had to cross seven thousand miles of sea; or, as an
+alternative, to die on the passage with my son, my brother,
+and so many of my people. Let those who are in the habit
+of finding fault and censuring, ask, while they sit in security
+at home, “Why did you not do so and so under such circumstances?”
+I wish they now had this voyage to make.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_194">[194]</span>I verily believe that another journey of another kind awaits
+them, if there is any reliance to be placed upon our holy
+faith.</p>
+
+<p>On the thirteenth of May I reached the province of Mago,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_207" href="#Footnote_207" class="fnanchor">[207]</a>
+which is contiguous to that of Cathay, and thence I started
+for the island of Española. I sailed two days with a good
+wind, after which it became contrary. The route that I followed
+called forth all my care to avoid the numerous islands,
+that I might not be stranded on the shoals that lie in their
+neighbourhood. The sea was very tempestuous, and I was
+driven backward under bare poles. I anchored at an island,
+where I lost, at one stroke, three anchors; and, at midnight,
+when the weather was such that the world appeared to be
+coming to an end, the cables of the other ship broke, and
+it came down upon my vessel with such force that it was a
+wonder we were not dashed to pieces; the single anchor
+that remained to me, was, next to the Lord, our only preservation.
+After six days, when the weather became calm,
+I resumed my journey having already lost all my tackle; my
+ships were pierced with worm-holes, like a bee-hive, and the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_195">[195]</span>crew entirely paralysed with fear and in despair. I reached
+the island a little beyond the point at which I first arrived
+at it, and there I stayed to recover myself from the effects
+of the storm; but I afterwards put into a much safer port
+in the same island. After eight days I put to sea again, and
+reached Jamaica by the end of June; but always beating
+against contrary winds, and with the ships in the worst possible
+condition. With three pumps, and the use of pots and
+kettles, we could scarcely with all hands clear the water that
+came into the ship, there being no remedy but this for the
+mischief done by the ship-worm. I steered in such a manner
+as to come as near as possible to Española, from which we
+were twenty-eight leagues distant, but I afterwards wished
+I had not done so, for the other ship which was half under
+water was obliged to run in for a port. I determined on
+keeping the sea in spite of the weather, and my vessel was
+on the very point of sinking when our Lord miraculously
+brought us upon land. Who will believe what I now write?
+I assert that in this letter I have not related one hundredth
+part of the wonderful events that occurred in this voyage;
+those who were with the Admiral&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_208" href="#Footnote_208" class="fnanchor">[208]</a> can bear witness to it.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_196">[196]</span>If your Highnesses would be graciously pleased to send to
+my help a ship of above sixty-four tons, with two hundred
+quintals of biscuits and other provisions, there would then
+be sufficient to carry me and my crew from Española to
+Spain. I have already said that there are not twenty-eight
+leagues between Jamaica and Española; and I should not
+have gone there, even if the ships had been in a fit condition
+for so doing, because your Highnesses ordered me not to
+land there. God knows if this command has proved of any
+service. I send this letter by means of and by the hands of
+Indians; it will be a miracle if it reaches its destination.</p>
+
+<p>This is the account I have to give of my voyage. The men
+who accompanied me were a hundred and fifty in number,
+among whom were many calculated for pilots and good
+sailors, but none of them can explain whither I went nor
+whence I came. The reason is very simple. I started from
+a point above the port of Brazil, and while I was in Española,
+the storm prevented me from following my intended route,
+for I was obliged to go wherever the wind drove me; at the
+same time I fell very sick, and there was no one who had
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_197">[197]</span>navigated in these parts before. However, after some days,
+the wind and sea became tranquil, and the storm was succeeded
+by a calm, but accompanied with rapid currents. I
+put into harbour at an island called Isla de las Bocas, and
+then steered for terra firma; but it is impossible to give a
+correct account of all our movements, because I was carried
+away by the current so many days without seeing land. I
+ascertained, however, by the compass and by observation,
+that I moved parallel with the coast of terra firma. No one
+could tell under what part of the heavens we were, nor at
+what period I bent my course for the island of Española.
+The pilots thought we had come to the island of St. John,
+whereas it was the land of Mango, four hundred leagues to
+the westward of where they said. Let them answer and say
+if they know where Veragua is situated. I assert that they
+can give no other account than that they went to lands,
+where there was an abundance of gold, and this they can
+certify surely enough; but they do not know the way to return
+thither for such a purpose; they would be obliged to
+go on a voyage of discovery as much as if they had never
+been there before. There is a mode of reckoning derived
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_198">[198]</span>from astronomy which is sure and safe, and a sufficient guide
+to anyone who understands it. This resembles a prophetic
+vision. The Indian vessels do not sail except with the wind
+abaft, but this is not because they are badly built or clumsy,
+but because the strong currents in those parts, together with
+the wind, render it impossible to sail with the bowline,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_209" href="#Footnote_209" class="fnanchor">[209]</a> for
+in one day they would lose as much way as they might have
+made in seven; for the same reason I could make no use of
+caravels, even though they were Portuguese latteens. This
+is the cause that they do not sail unless with a regular
+breeze, and they will sometimes stay in harbour waiting for
+this seven or eight months at a time; nor is this anything
+wonderful, for the same very often occurs in Spain. The
+nation of which Pope Pius writes&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_210" href="#Footnote_210" class="fnanchor">[210]</a> has now been found,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_199">[199]</span>judging at least by the situation and other evidences, excepting
+the horses with the saddles and poitrels and bridles
+of gold; but this is not to be wondered at, for the lands on
+the sea-coast are only inhabited by fishermen, and moreover
+I made no stay there, because I was in haste to proceed on
+my voyage. In Cariay and the neighbouring country there
+are great enchanters of a very fearful character. They
+would have given the world to prevent my remaining there
+an hour. When I arrived they sent me immediately two
+girls very showily dressed; the eldest could not be more
+than eleven years of age and the other seven, and both exhibited
+so much immodesty, that more could not be expected
+from public women; they carried concealed about them a
+magic powder; when they came I gave them some articles
+to dress themselves out with, and directly sent them back
+to the shore. I saw here, built on a mountain, a sepulchre
+as large as a house, and elaborately sculptured, the body lay
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_200">[200]</span>uncovered and with the face downwards; they also spoke to
+me of other very excellent works of art. There are many
+species of animals both small and large, and very different
+from those of our country. I had at the time two
+boars, that an Irish dog would not dare to face. An
+archer had wounded an animal like an ape, except that it
+was larger, and had a face like a man’s; the arrow had
+pierced it from the neck to the tail, which made it so fierce
+that they were obliged to disable it by cutting off one of its
+arms and a leg; one of the boars grew wild on seeing this
+and fled; upon which I ordered the <i>begare</i> (as the inhabitants
+called him) to be thrown to the boar, and though the
+animal was nearly dead, and the arrow had passed quite
+through his body, yet he threw his tail round the snout of
+the boar, and then holding him firmly, seized him by the
+nape of the neck with his remaining hand, as if he were
+engaged with an enemy. This action was so novel and so
+extraordinary, that I have thought it worth while to describe
+it here. There is a great variety of animals here, but they
+all die of the barra.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_211" href="#Footnote_211" class="fnanchor">[211]</a> I saw some very large fowls (the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_201">[201]</span>feathers of which resemble wool), lions, stags, fallow-deer,
+and birds.</p>
+
+<p>When we were so harassed with our troubles at sea, some
+of our men imagined that we were under the influence of
+sorcery, and even to this day entertain the same notion.
+Some of the people whom I discovered were cannibals, as was
+evidenced by the brutality of their countenances. They say
+that there are great mines of copper in the country, of which
+they make hatchets and other elaborate articles, both cast
+and soldered; they also make of it forges, with all the apparatus
+of the goldsmith, and crucibles. The inhabitants go
+clothed; and in that province I saw some large sheets of
+cotton very elaborately and cleverly worked, and others very
+delicately pencilled in colours. They told me that more inland
+towards Cathay they have them interwoven with gold. For
+want of an interpreter we were able to learn but very little respecting
+these countries, or what they contain. Although the
+country is very thickly peopled, yet each nation has a very
+different language; indeed so much so, that they can no
+more understand each other than we understand the Arabs.
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_202">[202]</span>I think, however, that this applies to the barbarians on the
+sea-coast, and not to the people who live more inland. When
+I discovered the Indies, I said that they composed the richest
+lordship in the world; I spoke of gold and pearls and precious
+stones, of spices, and the traffic that might be carried on in
+them; and because all these things were not forthcoming at
+once I was abused. This punishment causes me to refrain
+from relating anything but what the natives tell me. One
+thing I can venture upon stating, because there are so many
+witnesses of it, viz., that in this land of Veragua I saw more
+signs of gold in the two first days than I saw in Española
+during four years, and that there is not a more fertile or
+better cultivated country in all the world, nor one whose inhabitants
+are more timid; added to which there is a good harbour,
+a beautiful river, and the whole place is capable of
+being easily put into a state of defence. All this tends to
+the security of the Christians, and the permanency of their
+sovereignty, while it affords the hope of great increase and
+honour to the Christian religion; moreover the road hither
+will be as short as that to Española, because there is a certainty
+of a fair wind for the passage. Your Highnesses are
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_203">[203]</span>as much lords of this country as of Xeres or Toledo, and your
+ships that may come here will do so with the same freedom
+as if they were going to your own royal palace. From
+hence they will obtain gold, and whereas if they should wish
+to become masters of the products of other lands, they will
+have to take them by force, or retire empty-handed, in this
+country they will simply have to trust their persons in the
+hands of a savage.</p>
+
+<p>I have already explained my reason for refraining to treat
+of other subjects respecting which I might speak. I do not
+state as certain, nor do I confirm even the sixth part of all
+that I have said or written, nor do I pretend to be at the
+fountain-head of the information. The Genoese, Venetians,
+and all other nations that possess pearls, precious stones, and
+other articles of value, take them to the ends of the world to
+exchange them for gold. Gold is the most precious of all
+commodities; gold constitutes treasure, and he who possesses
+it has all he needs in this world, as also the means of rescuing
+souls from purgatory, and restoring them to the enjoyment
+of paradise. They say that when one of the lords of the
+country of Veragua dies, they bury all the gold he possessed
+with his body. There were brought to Solomon at one journey
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_204">[204]</span>six hundred and sixty-six quintals of gold, besides what
+the merchants and sailors brought, and that which was paid
+in Arabia. Of this gold he made two hundred lances and three
+hundred shields, and the entablature which was above them
+was also of gold, and ornamented with precious stones: many
+other things he made likewise of gold, and a great number of
+vessels of great size, which he enriched with precious stones.
+This is related by Josephus in his Chronicle “de Antiquitatibus”;
+mention is also made of it in the Chronicles and in
+the Book of Kings. Josephus thinks that this gold was found
+in the Aurea; if it were so, I contend that these mines of
+the Aurea are identical with those of Veragua, which, as I
+have said before, extends westward twenty days’ journey, at
+an equal distance from the Pole and the Line. Solomon
+bought all of it,—gold, precious stones, and silver,—but your
+Majesties need only send to seek them to have them at your
+pleasure. David, in his will, left three thousand quintals of
+Indian gold to Solomon, to assist in building the Temple;
+and, according to Josephus, it came from these lands. Jerusalem
+and Mount Sion are to be rebuilt by the hands of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_205">[205]</span>Christians, as God has declared by the mouth of His prophet
+in the fourteenth Psalm. The Abbé Joaquim said that he
+who should do this was to come from Spain; Saint Jerome
+showed the holy woman the way to accomplish it; and the
+emperor of Cathay has, some time since, sent for wise men to
+instruct him in the faith of Christ. Who will offer himself
+for this work? Should any one do so, I pledge myself, in
+the name of God, to convey him safely thither, provided the
+Lord permits me to return to Spain. The people who have
+sailed with me have passed through incredible toil and danger,
+and I beseech your Highnesses, since they are poor, to pay
+them promptly, and to be gracious to each of them according
+to their respective merits; for I can safely assert, that to my
+belief they are the bearers of the best news that ever were
+carried to Spain. With respect to the gold which belongs to
+Quibian, the cacique of Veragua, and other chiefs in the
+neighbouring country, although it appears by the accounts
+we have received of it to be very abundant, I do not think it
+would be well or desirable, on the part of your Highnesses,
+to take possession of it in the way of plunder; by fair dealing,
+scandal and disrepute will be avoided, and all the gold will
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_206">[206]</span>thus reach your Highnesses’ treasury without the loss of a
+grain. With one month of fair weather I shall complete my
+voyage. As I was deficient in ships, I did not persist in delaying
+my course; but in everything that concerns your
+Highnesses’ service, I trust in Him who made me, and I hope
+also that my health will be re-established. I think your
+Highnesses will remember that I had intended to build some
+ships in a new manner, but the shortness of the time did not
+permit it. I had certainly foreseen how things would be. I
+think more of this opening for commerce, and of the lordship
+over such extensive mines, than of all that has been done in
+the Indies. This is not a child to be left to the care of a
+step-mother.</p>
+
+<p>I never think of Española, and Paria, and the other countries,
+without shedding tears. I thought that what had occurred
+there would have been an example for others; on
+the contrary, these settlements are now in a languid state,
+although not dead, and the malady is incurable, or at least
+very extensive: let him who brought the evil come now and
+cure it, if he knows the remedy, or how to apply it; but
+when a disturbance is on foot, every one is ready to take
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_207">[207]</span>the lead. It used to be the custom to give thanks and promotion
+to him who placed his person in jeopardy; but there
+is no justice in allowing the man who opposed this undertaking,
+to enjoy the fruits of it with his children. Those
+who left the Indies, avoiding the toils consequent upon the
+enterprise, and speaking evil of it and me, have since returned
+with official appointments,—such is the case now in
+Veragua: it is an evil example, and profitless both as regards
+the business in which we are embarked, and as respects
+the general maintenance of justice. The fear of this,
+with other sufficient considerations, which I clearly foresaw,
+caused me to beg your Highnesses, previously to my coming
+to discover these islands and terra firma, to grant me permission
+to govern in your royal name. Your Highnesses
+granted my request; and it was a privilege and treaty
+granted under the royal seal and oath, by which I was nominated
+viceroy, and admiral, and governor-general of all:
+and your Highnesses limited the extent of my government
+to a hundred leagues beyond the Azores and Cape Verde
+islands, by a line passing from one pole to the other, and
+gave me ample power over all that I might discover beyond
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_208">[208]</span>this line; all which is more fully described in the official
+document.</p>
+
+<p>But the most important affair of all, and that which cries
+most loudly for redress, remains inexplicable to this moment.
+For seven years was I at your royal court, where
+every one to whom the enterprise was mentioned, treated it
+as ridiculous; but now there is not a man, down to the
+very tailors, who does not beg to be allowed to become a
+discoverer. There is reason to believe, that they make the
+voyage only for plunder, and that they are permitted to do
+so, to the great disparagement of my honour, and the detriment
+of the undertaking itself. It is right to give God His
+due,—and to receive that which belongs to one’s self. This
+is a just sentiment, and proceeds from just feelings. The
+lands in this part of the world, which are now under your
+Highnesses’ sway, are richer and more extensive than those
+of any other Christian power, and yet, after that I had, by
+the Divine will, placed them under your high and royal
+sovereignty, and was on the point of bringing your majesties
+into the receipt of a very great and unexpected revenue;
+and while I was waiting for ships, to convey me in safety,
+and with a heart full of joy, to your royal presence, victoriously
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_209">[209]</span>to announce the news of the gold that I had discovered,
+I was arrested and thrown, with my two brothers,
+loaded with irons, into a ship, stripped, and very ill-treated,
+without being allowed any appeal to justice. Who could
+believe, that a poor foreigner would have risen against your
+Highnesses, in such a place, without any motive or argument
+on his side; without even the assistance of any other
+prince upon which to rely; but on the contrary, amongst
+your own vassals and natural subjects, and with my sons
+staying at your royal court? I was twenty-eight years old&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_212" href="#Footnote_212" class="fnanchor">[212]</a>
+when I came into your Highnesses’ service, and now I have
+not a hair upon me that is not grey; my body is infirm,
+and all that was left to me, as well as to my brothers, has
+been taken away and sold, even to the frock that I wore, to
+my great dishonour. I cannot but believe that this was
+done without your royal permission. The restitution of my
+honour, the reparation of my losses, and the punishment of
+those who have inflicted them, will redound to the honour
+of your royal character; a similar punishment also is due to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_210">[210]</span>those who plundered me of my pearls, and who have brought
+a disparagement upon the privileges of my admiralty. Great
+and unexampled will be the glory and fame of your Highnesses,
+if you do this, and the memory of your Highnesses,
+as just and grateful sovereigns, will survive as a bright example
+to Spain in future ages. The honest devotedness I
+have always shown to your majesties’ service, and the so unmerited
+outrage with which it has been repaid, will not allow
+my soul to keep silence, however much I may wish it: I
+implore your Highnesses to forgive my complaints. I am
+indeed in as ruined a condition as I have related; hitherto
+I have wept over others;—may Heaven now have mercy
+upon me, and may the earth weep for me. With regard to
+temporal things, I have not even a blanca for an offering;
+and in spiritual things, I have ceased here in the Indies
+from observing the prescribed forms of religion. Solitary
+in my trouble, sick, and in daily expectation of death, surrounded
+by millions of hostile savages full of cruelty, and
+thus separated from the blessed sacraments of our holy
+Church, how will my soul be forgotten if it be separated
+from the body in this foreign land? Weep for me, whoever
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_211">[211]</span>has charity, truth, and justice! I did not come out on this
+voyage to gain to myself honour or wealth; this is a certain
+fact, for at that time all hope of such a thing was dead. I
+do not lie when I say that I went to your Highnesses with
+honest purpose of heart, and sincere zeal in your cause. I
+humbly beseech your Highnesses, that if it please God to
+rescue me from this place, you will graciously sanction my
+pilgrimage to Rome and other holy places. May the Holy
+Trinity protect your Highnesses’ lives, and add to the prosperity
+of your exalted position.</p>
+
+<p>Done in the Indies, in the island of Jamaica, on the
+seventh of July, in the year one thousand five hundred and
+three.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="spanish">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="CUARTO_VIAGE_DE_COLON">CUARTO VIAGE DE COLON.</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Carta que escribió D. Cristóbal Colon, Virey y Almirante de las Indias,
+á los Cristianísimos y muy poderosos Rey y Reina de España,
+nuestros Señores, en que les notifica cuanto le ha acontecido en
+su viage; y las tierras, provincias, ciudades, rios y otras cosas
+maravillosas, y donde hay minas de oro en mucha cantidad, y
+otras cosas de gran riqueza y valor.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Serenísimos y muy altos y poderosos Príncipes Rey é Reina,
+nuestros Señores: De Caliz pasé á Canaria en cuatro dias, y dende
+á las Indias en diez y seis dias, donde escribia. Mi intencion era
+dar prisa á mi viage en cuanto yo tenia los navíos buenos, la
+gente y los bastimentos, y que mi derrota era en el Isla Jamaica;
+y en la Isla Dominica escribí esto: fasta allí truje el tiempo á
+pedir por la boca. Esa noche que alli entré fué con tormenta y
+grande, y me persiguió despues siempre. Cuando llegué sobre la
+Española invié el envoltorio de cartas, y á pedir por merced un
+navío por mis dineros, porque otro que yo llevaba era inavegable
+y no sufria velas. Las cartas tomaron, y sabrán si se las dieron
+la respuesta. Para mí fué mandarme de parte de ahí, que yo no
+pasase ni llegase á la tierra: cayó el corazon á la gente que iba
+conmigo, por temor de los llevar yo lejos, diciendo que si algun
+caso de peligro les viniese que no serian remediados allí, antes les
+sería fecha alguna grande afrenta. Tambien á quien plugo dijo
+que el Comendador habia de proveer las tierras que yo ganase.
+La tormenta era terrible, y en aquella noche me desmembró los
+navíos: á cada uno llevó por su cabo sin esperanzas, salvo de
+muerte: cada uno de ellos tenia por cierto que los otros eran perdidos.
+¿Quién nasció, sin quitar á Job, que no muriera desesperado?
+que por mi salvacion y de mi fijo, hermano y amigos me
+fuese en tal tiempo defendida la tierra y los puertos que yo, por la
+voluntad de Dios, gané á España sudando sangre? E torno á los
+navíos que así me habia llevado la tormenta y dejado á mí solo.
+Deparómelos nuestro Señor cuando le plugo. El navío Sospechoso
+habia echado á la mar, por escapar, fasta la isola la Gallega; perdió
+la barca, y todos gran parte de los bastimentos: en el que yo
+iba, abalumado á maravilla, nuestro Señor le salvó que no hubo
+daño de una paja. En el Sospechoso iba mi hermano; y él,
+despues de Dios, fue su remedio. E con esta tormenta, así a
+gatas, me llegué á Jamaica: allí se mudó de mar alta on calmería
+y grande corriente, y me llevó fasta el Jardin de la Reina sin ver
+tierra. De allí, cuando pude, navegué á la tierra firme; adonde
+me salió el viento y corriente terrible al opósito: combati con ellos
+sesenta dias, y en fin no le pude ganar mas de setenta leguas. En
+todo este tiempo no entré puerto, ni pude, ni me dejó tormenta del
+cielo, agua y trombones y relámpagos de continuo, que parecia el
+fin del mundo. Llegué al cabo de Gracias á Dios, y de allí me dió
+nuestro Señor próspero el viento y corriente. Esto fue á doce de
+Setiembre. Ochenta y ocho dias habia que no me habia dejado
+espantable tormenta, á tanto que no vide el sol ni estrellas por
+mar; que á los navíos tenia yo abiertos, á las velas rotas, y perdidas
+anclas y jarcia, cables, con las barcas y muchos bastimentos,
+la gento muy enferma, y todos contritos, y muchos con promesa
+de religion, y no ninguno sin otros votos y romerías. Muchas
+veces habian llegado á se confesar los unos á los otros. Otras
+tormentas se han visto, mas no durar tanto ni con tanto espanto.
+Muchos esmorecieron, harto y hartas veces, que teniamos por
+esforzados. El dolor del fijo que yo tenia allí me arrancaba el
+ánima, y mas por verle de tan nueva edad de trece años en tanta
+fatiga, y durar en ello tanto: nuestro Señor le dió tal esfuerzo que
+él avivaba á los otros, y en las obras hacia el como si hubiera
+navegado ochenta años, y él me consolaba. Yo habia adolescido
+y llegado fartas veces á la muerte. De una camarilla, que yo
+mandé facer sobre cubierta, mandaba la via. Mi hermano estaba
+en el peor navío y mas peligroso. Gran dolor era mio, y mayor
+porque lo truje contra su grado; porque por mi dicha, poco me
+han aprovechado veinte años de servicio que yo he servido con
+tantos trabajos y peligros, que hoy dia no tengo en Castilla una
+teja; si quiero comer ó dormir no tengo, salvo al meson ó taberna,
+y las mas de las veces falta parar pagar el escote. Otra lastima
+me arrancaba el corazon por las espaldas, y era D. Diego mi hijo,
+que yo dejé en España tan huérfano y desposesionado de mi honra
+é hacienda; bien que tenia por cierto que allá como justos y
+agradecidos Principes le restituirian con acrescentamiento en
+todo. Llegué á tierra de Cariay, adonde me detuve á remediar
+los navíos y bastimentos, y dar aliento á la gente, que venia muy
+enferma. Yo que, como dije, habia llegado muchas veces á la
+muerte, allí supe de las minas del oro de la provincia de Ciamba,
+que yo buscaba. Dos indios me llevaron á Carambaru, adonde la
+gente anda desnuda y al cuello un espejo de oro, mas no le querian
+vender ni dar á trueque. Nombraronme muchos lugares en la
+costa de la mar, adonde decian que habia oro y minas; el
+postrero era Veragua, y lejos de allí obra de veinte y cinco
+leguas: partí con intencion de los tentar á todos, y llegado ya el
+medio supe que habia minas á dos jornadas de andadura: acorde
+de inviarlas á ver vispera de San Simon y Judas, que habia de
+ser la partida: en esa noche se levantó tanta mar y viento, que
+fue necesario de correr hácia adonde él quiso; é el indio adalid
+de las minas siempre conmigo. En todos estos lugares, adonde
+yo habia estado, fallé verdad todo lo que yo habia oido: esto me
+certifico que es así de la provincia de Ciguare, que segun ellos, es
+descrita nueve jornadas de andadura por tierra al Poniente: allí
+dicen que hay infinito oro, y que traen corales en las cabezas, manillas
+á los pies y á los brazos dello, y bien gordas; y dél, sillas,
+arcas, y mesas las guarnecen y enforran. Tambien dijeron que
+las mugeres de allí traian collares colgados de la cabeza á las
+espaldas. En esto que yo dijo, la gente toda de estos lugares
+conciertan en ello, y dicen tanto que yo seria contento con el
+diezmo. Tambien todos conocieron la pimienta. En Ciguare
+usan tratar en ferias y mercaderías: esta gente así lo cuentan, y
+me amostraban el modo y forma que tienen en la barata. Otrosi
+dicen que las naos traen bombardas, arcos y fiechas, espadas y
+corazas, y andan vestidos, y en la tierra hay caballos, y usan la
+guerra, y traen ricas vestiduras, y tienen buenas cosas. Tambien
+dicen que la mar boxa á Ciguare, y de allí á diez jornadas es el
+rio de Gangnes. Parece que estas tierras estan con Veragua,
+como Tortosa con Fuenterabía, ó Pisa con Venecia. Cuando yo
+partí de Carambaru y llegué á esos lugares que dije, fallé la gente
+en aquel mismo uso, salvo que los espejos del oro: quien los tenia
+los daba por tres cascabeles de gabilan por el uno, bien que
+pesasan diez ó quince ducados de peso. En todos sus usos son
+como los de la Española. El oro cogen con otras artes, bien que
+todos son nada con los de los Cristianos. Esto que yo he dicho
+es lo que oyo. Lo que yo sé es que el año de noventa y cuatro
+navegué en veinte y cuatro grados al Poniente en término de
+nueve horas, y no pudo haber yerro porque hubo eclipses: el sol
+estaba en Libra y la luna en Ariete. Tambien esto que yo supe
+por palabra habialo yo sabido largo por escrito. Tolomeo creyó
+de haber bien remedado á Marino, y ahora se falla su escritura
+bien propincua al cierto. Tolomeo asienta Catigara á doce lineas
+lejos de su Occidente, que él asentó sobre el cabo de San Vicente
+en Portugal dos grados y un tercio. Marino en quince líneas
+constituyó la tierra é términos. Marino en Etiopia escribe al
+Indo la línea equinocial mas de veinte y cuatro grados, y ahora
+que los Portugueses le navegan le fallan cierto. Tolomeo diz que
+la tierra mas austral es el plazo primero, y que no abaja mas de
+quince grados y un tercio. E el mundo es poco: el enjuto de ello
+es seis partes, la séptima solamente cubierta de agua: la experiencia
+ya está vista, y la escribí por otras letras y con adornamiento
+de la Sacra Escriptura con el sitio del Paraiso terrenal, que la
+santa Iglesia aprueba: digo que el mundo no es tan grande como
+dice el vulgo, y que un grado de la equinoccial está cincuenta y
+seis millas y dos tercios: pero esto se tocará con el dedo. Dejo
+esto, por cuanto no es mi propósito de fablar en aquella materia,
+salvo de dar cuenta de mi duro y trabajoso viage, bien que él sea
+el mas noble y provechoso. Digo que víspera de San Simon y
+Judas corrí donde el viento me llevaba, sin poder resistirle. En
+un puerto excusé diez dias de gran fortuna de la mar y del cielo:
+allí acordé de no volver atras á las minas, y dejelas ya por
+ganadas. Partí, por seguir mi viage, lloviendo: llegué á puerto
+de Bastimentos, adonde entré y no de grado: la tormenta y gran
+corriente me entró allí catorce dias; y despues partí, y no con
+buen tiempo. Cuando yo hube andado quince leguas forzosamente,
+me reposó atras el viento y corriente con furia: volviendo
+yo al puerto de donde habia salido fallé en el camino al Retrete,
+adonde me retruje con harto peligro y enojo y bien fatigado yo y
+los navíos y la gente: detúveme allí quince dias, que así lo quiso
+el cruel tiempo; y cuando creí de haber acabado me fallé de
+comienzo: allí mudé de sentencia de volver á las minas, y hacer
+algo fasta que me viniese tiempo para mi viage y marear; y
+llegado con cuatro leguas revino la tormenta, y me fatigó tanto á
+tanto que ya no sabia de mi parte. Allí se me refrescó del mal la
+llaga: nueve dias anduve perdido sin esperanza de vida: ojos
+nunca vieron la mar tan alta, fea y hecha espuma. El viento no
+era para ir adelante, ni daba lugar para correr hácia algun cabo.
+Allí me detenia en aquella mar fecha sangre, herbiendo como
+caldera por gran fuego. El cielo jamas fue visto tan espantoso:
+un dia con la noche ardió como forno: y así echaba la llama con
+los rayos, que cada vez miraba yo si me habia llevado los masteles
+y velas; venian con tanta furia espantables que todos creiamos
+que me habian de fundir los navíos. En todo este tiempo jamas
+cesó agua del cielo, y no para decir que llovia, salvo que resegundaba
+otro diluvio. La gente estaba ya tan molida que deseaban
+la muerte para salir de tantos martirios. Los navíos ya habian
+perdido dos veces las barcas, anclas, cuerdas, y estaban abiertos,
+sin velas.</p>
+
+<p>Cuando plugo á nuestro Señor volví á Puerto Gordo, adonde
+reparé lo mejor que pude. Volví otra vez hácia Veragua para mi
+viage, aunque yo no estuviera para ello. Todavía era el viento y
+corrientes contrarios. Llegué casi adonde antes, y allí me salió
+otra vez el viento y corrientes al encuentro, y volví otra vez al
+puerto, que no osé esparar la oposicion de Saturno con mares tan
+desbaratados en costa brava, porque las mas de las veces trae
+tempestad ó fuerte tiempo. Esto fue dia de Navidad en horas
+de misa. Volví otra vez adonde yo habia salido con harta fatiga;
+y pasado año nuevo torné á la porfia, que aunque me hiciera buen
+tiempo para mi viage, ya tenia los navíos innavegables, y la gente
+muerta y enferma. Dia de la Epifania llegué á Veragua, ya sin
+aliento: allí me deparó nuestro Señor un rio y seguro puerto, bien
+que á la entrada no tenia salvo diez palmos de fondo: metíme en
+él con pena, y el dia siguiente recordó la fortuna: si me falla
+fuera, no pudiera entrar á causa del banco. Llovió sin cesar
+fasta catorce de Febrero, que nunca hubo lugar de entrar en la
+tierra, ni de me remediar en nada: y estando ya seguro á veinte
+y cuatro de Enero, de improviso vino el rio muy alto y fuerte;
+quebróme las amarras y proeses, y hubo de llevar los navíos, y
+cierto los ví en mayor peligro que nunca. Remedió nuestro
+Señor, como siempre hizo. No sé si hubo otro con mas martirios.</p>
+
+<p>A seis de Febrero, lloviendo, invié setenta hombres la tierra
+adentro; y á las cinco leguas fallaron muchas minas: los Indios
+que iban con ellos los llevaron á un cerro muy alto, y de allí les
+mostraron hácia toda parte cuanto los ojos alcanzaban, diciendo
+que en toda parte habia oro, y que hácia el Poniente llegaban las
+minas veinte jornadas, y nombraban las villas y lugares, y adonde
+habia de ello mas ó menos. Despues supe yo que el Quibian que
+habia dado estos Indios, les habia mandado que fuesen á mostrar
+las minas lejos y de otro su contrario; y que adentro de su pueblo
+cogian, cuando el queria, un hombre en diez dias una mozada de
+oro: los indios sus criados y testigos de esto traigo conmigo.
+Adonde él tiene el pueblo llegan las barcas. Volvió mi hermano
+con esa gente, y todos con oro que habian cogido en cuatro horas
+qué fué allá á la estada. La calidad es grande, porque ninguno de
+estos jamas habia visto minas, y los mas oro. Los mas eran gente
+de la mar, y casí todos grumetes. Yo tenia mucho aparejo para
+edificar y muchos bastimentos. Asenté pueblo, y dí muchas
+dádivas al Quibian, que así llaman al Señor de la tierra; y bien
+sabia que no habia de durar la concordia: ellos muy rústicos y
+nuestra gente muy importunos, y me aposesionaba en su término:
+despues que él vido las cosas fechas y el tráfago tan vivo acordó
+de las quemar y matarnos á todos: muy al reves salió su
+propósito: quedó preso él, mugeres y fijos y criados; bien que
+su prision duró poco: el Quibian se fuyo á un hombre honrado, á
+quien se habia entregado con guarda de hombres; é los hijos
+se fueron á un Maestre de navío, a quien se dieron en él á buen
+recaudo.</p>
+
+<p>En Enero se habia cerrado la boca del rio. En Abril los navíos
+estaban todos comidos de broma, y no los podia sostener sobre
+agua. En este tiempo hizo el rio una canal, por donde saqué tres
+dellos vacios con gran pena. Las barcas volvieron adentro por la
+sal y agua. La mar se puso alta y fea, y no les dejó salir fuera:
+los Indios fueron muchos y juntos y las combatieron, y en fin los
+mataron. Mi hermano y la otra gente toda estaban en un navío
+que quedo adentro: yo muy solo de fuera en tan brava costa, con
+fuerte fiebre, en tanta fatiga: la esperanza de escapar era muerta:
+subi así trabajando lo mas alto, llamando á voz temerosa, llorando
+y muy aprisa, los maestros de la guerra de vuestras Altezas, á todos
+cuatro los vientos, por socorro; mas nunca me respondieron.
+Cansado, me dormecí gimiendo: una voz muy piadosa oí, diciendo:
+“<i>¡O estulto y tardo á creer y servir á tu Dios, Dios de todos! ¿Que
+hizo él mas por Moysés ó por David su siervo? Desque nasciste,
+siempre él tuvo de tí muy grande cargo. Cuando te vido en edad
+de que él fue contento, maravillosamente hizo sonar tu nombre en la
+tierra. Las Indias, que son parte del mundo tam ricas, te las dió
+por tuyas: tu las repartiste adonde te plugo, y te dió poder para
+ello. De los atamientos de la mar océana, que estaban cerrados con
+cadenas tan fuertes, te dió las llaves; y fuiste obedescido en tantas
+tierras, y de los cristianos cobraste tan honrada fama. ¿Qué hizo el
+mas Alto [por el] pueblo de Israel cuando le sacó de Egipto? ¿Ni por
+David, que de pastor hizo Rey en Judea? Tórnate á el, y conoce ya
+tu yerro: su misericordia es infinita: tu vejez no impedirá á toda
+cosa grande: muchas heredades tiene él grandísimas. Abrahan
+pasaba de cien años cuando engendró á Isaac, ¿ni Sara era moza?
+Tú llamas por socorro incierto: responde, ¿quién te ha afligido tanto
+y tantas veces, Dios ó el mundo? Los privilegios y promesas que dá
+Dios, no las quebranta, ni dice despues de haber recibido el servicio,
+que su intencion no era este, y que se entiende de otra manera, ni dá
+martirios por dar color á la fuerza: él vá al pie de la letra: todo lo
+que él promete cumple con acrescentamiento: ¿esto es uso? Dicho
+tengo lo que tu Criador ha fecho por tí y hace con todos. Ahora
+medio muestra el galardon áe estos afanes y peligros que has pasado
+sirviendo á otros.</i>”</p>
+
+<p>Yo así amortecido oí todo; mas no tuve yo respuesta á palabras
+tan ciertas, salvo llorar por mis yerros. Acabó él de fablar, quien
+quiera que fuese, diciendo: “<i>No temas, confia: todas estas tribulaciones
+estan escritas en piedra mármol, y no sin causa.</i>”</p>
+
+<p>Levantéme cuando pude: y al cabo de nueve dias hizo bonanza,
+mas no para sacar navíos del rio. Recogí la gente que estaba en
+tierra, y todo el resto que puede, porque no bastaban para quedar
+y para navegar los navíos. Quedara yo á sostener el pueblo contodos,
+si vuestras Altezas supieran de ello. El temor que nunca
+aportarian allí navíos me determinó á esto, y la cuenta que cuando
+se haya de proveer de socorro se proveera de todo. Partí en nombre
+de la Santísima Trinidad, la noche de Pascua, con los navíos
+podridos, abrumados, todos fechos agujeros. Allí en Belen dejé
+uno, y hartas cosas. En Belpuerto hice otro tanto. No me quedaron
+salvo dos en el estado de los otros, y sin barcas y bastimentos,
+por haber de pasar siete mil millas de mar y de agua, ó morir en
+la via con fijo y hermano y tanta gente. Respondan ahora los que
+suelen tachar y reprender, diciendo allá de en salvo: ¿por qué no
+haciades esto allí? Los quisiera yo en esta jornada. Yo bien
+creo que otra de otro saber los aguarda: á nuestra fe es ninguna.
+Llegué á trece de Mayo en la provincia de Mago, que parte con
+aquella del Catayo, y de allí partí para la Española: navegué dos
+dias con buen tiempo, y despues fue contrario. El camino que yo
+llevaba era para desechar tanto número de islas, por no me embarazar
+en los bajos de ellas. La mar brava me hizo fuerza, y hube
+volver atras sin velas: surgí á una isla adonde de golpe perdí tres
+anclas, y á la media noche, que parecia que el mundo se ensolvia,
+se rompieron las amarras al otro navío, y vino sobre mí, que fue
+maravilla como no nos acabamos de se hacer rajas: el ancla, de
+forma que me quedó, fue ella despues de nuestro Señor, quien me
+sostuvo. Al cabo de seis dias que ya era bonanza, volví á mi camino:
+asi ya perdido del todo de aparejos y con los navíos horadados
+de gusanos mas que un panal de abejas, y la gente tan acobardada
+y perdida, pasé algo adelante de donde yo habia llegado denantes:
+allí me torné á reposar atras la fortuna: paré en la misma
+isla en mas seguro puerto: al cabo de ocho dias torné á la via y
+llegué á Jamaica en fin de Junio siempre con vientos punteros, y
+los navíos en peor estado: con tres bombas, tinas y calderas no
+podian con toda la gente vencer el agua que entraba en el navío,
+ni para este mal de broma hay otra cura. Cometí el camino
+para me acercar á lo mas cercar de la Española, que son veinte
+y ocho leguas, y no quisiera haber comenzado. El otro navío
+corrió á buscar puerto casi anegado. Yo porfié la vuelta de
+la mar con tormenta. El navio se me anegó, que milagrosamente
+me trujo nuestro Señor á tierra. ¿Quién creyera lo que yo aquí
+escribo? Digo que de cien partes no he dicho la una en esta letra.
+Los que fueron con el Almirante lo atestigüen. Si place á vuestras
+Altezas de me hacer merced de socorro un navío que pase de
+sesenta y cuatro, con ducientos quintales de bizcocho y algun otro
+bastimento, abastará para me llevar á mí y á esta gente á España
+de la Española. En Jamaica ya dije que no hay veinte y ocho leguas
+á la Española. No fuera yo, bien que los navíos estuvieran
+para ello. Ya dije que me fue mandado de parte de vuestras Altezas
+que no llegase á alla. Si este mandar ha aprovechado, Dios
+lo sabe. Esta carta invio por via y mano de Indios: grande maravilla
+será si allá llega. De mi viage digo: que fueron ciento y
+cincuenta personas conmigo, en que hay hartos suficientes para
+pilotos y grandes marineros: ninguno puede dar razon cierta por
+donde fuí yo ni vine: la razon es muy presta. Yo partí de sobre
+el puerto del Brasil: en la Española no me dejó la tormenta ir al
+camino que yo queria: fue por fuerza correr adonde el viento
+quiso. En ese dia caí yo muy enfermo: ninguno habia navegado
+hácia aquella parte: cesó el viento y mar dende á ciertos dias, y se
+mudó la tormenta en calmería y grandes corrientes. Fuí á aportar
+á una isla que se dijo de las Bocas, y de allí a Tierra firme. Ninguno
+puede dar cuenta verdadera de esto, porque no hay razon
+que abaste; porque fue ir con corriente sin ver tierra tanto número
+de dias. Seguí la costa de la Tierra firme: esta se asentó con compás
+y arte. Ninguno hay que diga debajo cuál parte del cielo ó
+cuándo yo partí de ella para venir á la Española. Los pilotos creian
+venir á parar á la isla de Sanct-Joan; y fue en tierra de Mango,
+cuatrocientas leguas mas al Poniente de adonde decian. Respondan,
+si saben, adónde es el sitio de Veragua. Digo que no
+pueden dar otra razon ni cuenta, salvo que fueron á unas tierras
+adonde hay mucho oro, y certificarle; mas para volver á ella el
+camino tienen ignoto: seria necesario para ir á ella descubrirla
+como de primero. Una cuenta hay y razon de astrología y cierta:
+quien la entiende esto le abasta. A vision profética se asemeja
+esto. Las naos de las Indias, si no navegan salvo á popa, no es
+por la mala fechura, ni por ser fuertes; las grandes corrientes que
+allí vienen; juntamente con el viento hacen que nadie porfie con
+bolina, porque en un dia perderian lo que hubiesen ganado en
+siete; ni saco carabela aunque sea latina portuguesa. Esta razon
+hace que no naveguen, salvo con colla, y por esperarle se detienen
+á las veces seis y ocho meses en puerto; ni es maravilla, pues que
+en España muchas veces acaece otro tanto. La gente de que
+escribe Papa Pio, segun el sitio y señas, se ha hallado, mas no los
+caballos, pretales y frenos de oro, ni es maravilla, porque allí las
+tierras de la costa de la mar no reuieren, salvo pescadores, ni yo
+me detuve porque andaba á prisa. En Cariay y en essas tierras de
+su comarca, son grandes fechiceros y muy medrosos. Dieran el
+mundo porque no me detuviera allí una hora. Cuando llegué allí
+luego me inviaron dos muchachas muy ataviadas: la mas vieja no
+seria de once años y la otra de siete; ambas con tanta desenvoltura
+que no serian mas unas putas: traian polvos de hechizos escondidos:
+en llegando las mandé adornar de nuestras cosas y las invié
+luego á tierra: allí vide una sepultura en el monte, grande como
+una casa y labrada, y el cuerpo descubierto y mirando en ella. De
+otras artes me dijeron y mas excelentes. Animalias menudas y
+grandes hay hartas y muy diversas de las nuestras. Dos puercos
+hube yo en presente, y un perro de Irlanda no osaba esperarlos.
+Un ballestero habia herido una animalia, que se parece á gato paul,
+salvo que es mucho mas grande, y el rostro de hombre: teniale
+atravesado con una saeta desde los pechos á la cola, y porque era
+feroz le hubo de cortar un brazo y una pierna: el puerco en viéndole
+se le encrespó y se fue huyendo: yo cuando esto ví mandé
+echarle <i>begare</i>, que así se llama adonde estaba: en llegando á él,
+así estando á la muerte y la saeta siempre en el cuerpo, le echó la
+cola por el hocico y se la amarró muy fuerte, y con la mano que le
+quedaba le arrebató por el copete como á enemigo. El auto tan
+nuevo y hermosa montería me hizo escribir esto. De muchas maneras
+de animalias se hubo, mas todas mueren de barra. Gallinas
+muy grandes y la pluma como lana vide hartas. Leones, ciervos,
+corzos otro tanto, y así aves.</p>
+
+<p>Cuando yo andaba por aquella mar en fatiga en algunos se puso
+heregía que estabamos enfechizados, que hoy dia estan en ello.
+Otra gente fallé que comian hombres: la desformidad de su gesto
+lo dice. Allí dicen qué hay grandes mineros de cobre: hachas
+de ello, otras cosas labradas, fundidas, soladas hube, y fraguas con
+todo su aparejo de platero y los crisoles. Allí van vestidos; y en
+aquella provincia vide sábanas grandes de algodon, labradas de
+muy sotiles labores; otras píntadas muy sútilmente á colores con
+pinceles. Dicen que en la tierra adentro hácia el Catayo las hay
+tejidas de oro. De todas estas tierras y de lo que hay en ellas,
+falta de lengua, no se saben tan presto. Los pueblos, bien que
+sean espesos, cada uno tiene diferenciada lengua, y es en tanto
+que no se entienden los unos con los otros, mas que nos con los
+de Arabia. Yo creo que esto sea en esta gente salvage de la costa
+de la mar, mas no en la tierra dentro. Cuando yo descubrí las
+Indias dije que eran el mayor señorío rico que hay en el mundo.
+Yo dije del oro, perlas, piedras preciosas, especerías, con los tratos
+y ferias, y porque no pareció todo tan presto fuí escandalizado.
+Este castigo me hace agora que no diga salvo lo que yo oigo de
+los naturales de la tierra. De una oso decir, porque hay tantos
+testigos, y es que yo vide en esta tierra de Veragua mayor señal
+de oro en dos dias primeros que en la Española en cuatro años,
+y que las tierras de la comarca no pueden ser mas fermosas, ni
+mas labradas, ni la gente mas cobarde, y buen puerto, y fermoso
+rio, y defensible al mundo. Todo esto es seguridad de los cristianos
+y certeza de señorío, con grande esperanza de la honra y
+acrescentamiento de la religion cristiana; y el camino, allí será
+tan breve como á la Española, porque ha de ser con viento. Tan
+señores son vuestras Altezas de esto como de Jerez ó Toledo: sus
+navíos que fueren allí van á su casa. De allí sacarán oro: en otras
+tierras, para haber de lo que hay en ellas, conviene que se lo
+lleven, ó se volverán vacíos; y en la tierra es necesario que fien
+sus personas de un salvage. Del otro que yo dejo de decir, ya
+dije por qué me encerré: no digo así, ni que yo me afirme en el
+tres doble en todo lo que yo haya jamas dicho ni escrito, y que yo
+estó a la fuente. Genoveses, Venecianos y toda gente que tenga
+perlas, piedras preciosas y otras cosas de valor, todos las llevan
+hasta el cabo del mundo para las trocar, convertir en oro: el oro
+es excelentísimo: del oro se hace tesoro, y con él, quien lo tiene,
+hace cuanto quiere en el mundo, y llega á que echa las animas al
+paraiso. Los señores de aquellas tierras de la comarca Veragua
+cuando mueren entierran el oro que tienen con el cuerpo, así lo
+dicen: á Salomon llevaron de un camino seiscientos y sesenta y
+seis quintales de oro, allende lo que llevaron los mercaderes y
+marineros, y allende lo que se pagó en Arabia. De este oro fizo
+doscientas lanzas y trescientos escudos, y fizo el tablado que habia
+de estar arriba dellas de oro y adornado de piedras preciosas, y fizo
+otras muchas cosas de oro, y vasos muchos y muy grandes y ricos
+de piedras preciosas. Josefo en su corónica de Antiquitatibus lo
+escribe. En el Paralipomenon y en el libro de los Reyes se cuenta
+de esto. Josefo quiere que este oro se hobiese en la Aurea: si
+así fuese digo que aquellas minas de la Aurea son unas y se convienen
+con estas de Veragua, que como yo dije arriba se alarga al
+Poniente veinte jornadas, y son en una distancia lejos del polo y
+de la línea. Salomon compró todo aquello, oro, piedras y plata, é
+allí le pueden mandar á coger si les aplace. David en su testamento
+dejó tres mil quintales de oro de las Indías á Salomon para
+ayuda de edificar el templo, y segun Josefo era el destas mismas
+tierras. Hierusalem y el monte Sion ha de ser reedificado por
+mano de cristianos: quien ha de ser, Dios por boca del Profeta en
+el décimo cuarto salmo lo dice. El Abad Joaquin dijo que este
+habia de salir de España. San Gerónimo á la santa muger le
+mostró el camino para ello. El Emperador del Catayo ha dias que
+mandó sabios que le enseñen en la fé de Cristo. ¿Quién será que
+se ofrezca á esto? Si nuestro Señor me lleva á España, yo me
+obligo de llevarle, con el nombre de Dios, en salvo. Esta gente
+que vino conmigo han pasado increibles peligros y trabajos. Suplico
+á V. A., porque son pobres, que les mande pagar luego, y
+les haga mercedes á cada uno segun la calidad de la persona, que
+les certifico que á mi creer les traen las mejores nuevas que nunca
+fueron á España. El oro que tiene el Quibian de Veragua y los
+otros de la comarca, bien que segun informacion él sea mucho, no
+me paresció bien ni servicio de vuestras Altezas de se le tomar
+por via de robo: lo buena orden evitará escándalo y mala fama,
+y hará que todo ello venga al tesoro, que no quede un grano. Con
+un mes de buen tiempo yo acabára todo mi viage: por falta de
+los navíos no porfié á esperarle para tornar á ello, y para toda cosa
+de su servicio espero en aquel que me hizo, y estaré bueno. Yo
+creo que V. A. se acordará que yo queria mandar hacer los navíos
+de nueva manera: la brevedad del tiempo no dió lugar á ello, y
+cierto yo habio caido en lo que cumplia. Yo tengo en mas esta
+negociacion y minas con esta escala y señorio, que todo lo otro
+que está hecho en las Indias. No es este hijo para dar á criar á
+madrastra. De la Española, de Paria y de las otras tierras no me
+acuerdo de ellas, que yo no llore: creia yo que el ejemplo dellas
+hobiese de ser por estotras al contrario: ellas estan boca á yuso,
+bien que no mueren: la enfermedad es incurable, ó muy larga:
+quien las llegó á esto venga agora con el remedio si puede ó sabe:
+al descomponer cada uno es maestro. Las gracias y acrescentamiento
+siempre fue uso de las dar á quien puso su cuerpo á peligro.
+No es razon que quien ha sido tan contrario á esta negociacion le
+goce ni sus fijos. Los que se fueron de las Indias fuyendo los
+trabajos y diciendo mal dellas y de mí, volvieron con cargos: así
+se ordenaba agora en Veragua: malo ejemplo, y sin provecho del
+negocio y para la justicia del mundo: este temor con otros casos
+hartos que yo veia claro, me hizo suplicar á V. A. antes que yo
+viniese á descubrir esas islas y tierra firme, que me las dejasen
+gobernar en su Real nombre: plúgoles: fue por privilegio y
+asiento, y con sello y juramento, y me intitularon de Viso-Rey y
+Almirante y Gobernador general de todo; y aseñalaron el término
+sobre las islas de los Azores cien leguas, y aquellas del Cabo Verde
+por línea que pasa de polo á polo, y desto y de todo que mas se
+descubriese, y me dieron poder largo: la escritura á mas largamente
+lo dice. El otro negocio famosísimo está con los brazos
+abiertos llamando: extrangero ha sido fasta ahora. Siete años
+estuve yo en su Real corte, que á cuantos se fabló de esta empresa
+todos á una dijeron que era burla: agora fasta los sastres suplican
+por descubrir. Es de creer que van á saltear, y se les otorga, que
+cobran con mucho perjuicio de mi honra y tanto daño del negocio.
+Bueno es de dar á Dios lo suyo y acetar lo que le pertenece. Esta
+es justa sentencia, y de justo. Las tierras que acá obedecen á V.
+A. son mas que todas las otras de cristianos y ricas. Despues
+que yo, por voluntad divina, las hube puestas debajo de su Real
+y alto señorío, y en filo para haber grandísima rénta, de improviso,
+esperando navíos para venir á su alto conspecto con victoria y
+grandes nuevas del oro, muy seguro y alegre, fuí preso y echado
+con dos hermanos en un navío, cargados de fierros, desnudo en
+cuerpo, con muy mal tratamiento, sin ser llamado ni vencido por
+justicia: ¿quién creerá que un pobre extrangero se hobiese de
+alzar en tal lugar contra V. A. sin causa, ni sin brazo de otro
+Príncipe, y estando solo entre sus vasallos y naturales, y teniendo
+todos mis fijos en su Real corte? Yo vine á servir de veinte y
+ocho años, y agora no tengo cabello en mi persona que no sea cano
+y el cuerpo enfermo, y gastado cuanto me quedó de aquellos, y me
+fue tomado y vendido, y á mis hermanos fasta el sayo, sin ser oido
+ni visto, con gran deshonor mio. Es de creer que esto no se hizo
+por su Real mandado. La restitucion de mi honra y daños, y el
+castigo en quien lo fizo, fará sonar su Real nobleza; y otro tanto
+en quien me robó las perlas, y de quien ha fecho daño en ese
+almirantado. Grandísima virtud, fama con ejemplo será si hacen
+esto, y quedará á la España gloriosa memoria con la de vuestras
+Altezas de agradecidos y justos Príncipes. La intencion tan sana
+que yo siempre tuve al servicio de vuestras Altezas, y la afrenta
+tan desigual, no da lugar al anima que calle, bíen que yo quiera:
+suplico á vuestras Altezas me perdonen. Yo estoy tan perdido
+como dije: yo he llorado fasta aquí á otros: haya misericordia
+agora el Cielo, y llore por mi la tierra. En el temporal no tengo
+solamente una blanca para el oferta: en el espiritual he parado
+aquí en las Indias de la forma que está dicho: aislado en esta
+pena, enfermo, aguardando cada dia por la muerte, y cercado de
+un cuento de salvages y llenos de crueldad y enemigos nuestros, y
+tan apartado de los Santos Sacramentos de la Santa Iglesia, que
+se olvidará desta anima si se aparta acá del cuerpo. Llore por
+mí quien tiene caridad, verdad y justicia. Yo no vine este viage
+á navegar por ganar honra ni hacienda: esto es cierto, porque
+estaba ya la esperanza de todo en ella muerta. Yo vine á V. A.
+con sana intencion y buen zelo, y no miento. Suplico humildemente
+á V. A. que si á Dios place de me sacar de aquí, que haya
+por bien mi ida á Roma y otras romerías. Cuya vida y alto
+estado la Santa Trinidad guarde y acresciente. Fecha en las
+Indias en la Isla de Jamaica á siete de Julio de mil quinientos y
+tres años.</p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_202" href="#FNanchor_202" class="label">[202]</a> The word “cosas” has been replaced on conjecture by “casas,”
+such being the idea entertained in the Italian translation, republished
+by Morelli.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_203" href="#FNanchor_203" class="label">[203]</a> The “line” of Columbus implies fifteen degrees, or one hour of
+longitude; and the twelve lines which describe the distance of Catigara
+from the meridian of Ptolemy, equal one hundred and eighty degrees.
+Marinus of Tyre, reckoned two hundred and twenty-five degrees to the
+same space, which is equivalent to the fifteen lines stated by Columbus.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_204" href="#FNanchor_204" class="label">[204]</a> Every one will immediately see the incorrectness of this notion,
+arising from the belief of Columbus that the country he had discovered
+was the east coast of Asia. Instead of the land bearing a proportion of
+six-sevenths to the water, the water bears a proportion of about two-thirds
+to the land.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_205" href="#FNanchor_205" class="label">[205]</a> Morelli has given this passage thus: “la opposizion de Saturno con
+Marte.” The adjective “desbarados,” however, sufficiently proves this
+reading to be incorrect. It would seem that Columbus meant the opposition
+of Saturn with the Sun.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_206" href="#FNanchor_206" class="label">[206]</a> The word <i>proeses</i> or <i>proizes</i>, answers to our English word bollards—or
+the posts to which cables are fastened.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_207" href="#FNanchor_207" class="label">[207]</a> Columbus, who now fancies himself in China, by this word “Mago,”
+means Mangi, the name given by Marco Polo, whose travels he had
+read, to Southern China, while Northern China was Cathay.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_208" href="#FNanchor_208" class="label">[208]</a> Of course he here speaks of himself.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_209" href="#FNanchor_209" class="label">[209]</a> Bow-lines are ropes employed to keep the windward edges of the
+principal sails steady, and are only used when the wind is so unfavourable
+that the sails must be all braced sideways, or close hauled to the
+wind.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_210" href="#FNanchor_210" class="label">[210]</a> In this remarkable notion, Columbus refers to a work of the learned
+Æneas Sylvius Piccolomini, entitled <i>Cosmographia Pape Pii</i>, printed
+in Venice in 1503. It is not paginated, but if the reader will count to
+the nineteenth and twentieth pages he will find the following passages:
+“Post Sacas ad septentrionem Messagetæ reperiuntur: ... Fæda gens
+et brutis simillima apud quam genus mortis optimum judicabatur ut
+senio confecti in frusta cœderentur et cum carnibus ovilis promiscue
+ederentur: eos qui morbo decederent ut impios abjicientes tamque dignos
+qui a feris devorarentur. Equites ac pedites inter eos optimi fuere
+arcu; gladio; thorace; ac securi æneâ utentes; aureas zonas; aurea
+equorum frena ac pectoralia habentes. Ferri parum apud eos fuit:
+argento carebant; ære et auro abundabant: insularum cultores herbarum
+radices edebant, et agrestes fructus: ex quibus pocula exprimebant.
+Vestis erat arborum cortex: qui paludes inhabitabant piscibus vescebantur:
+focarum coria e mari prodeuntium induebant,” etc. From
+Herodotus we gather an accurate idea of the situation of the Massagetæ,
+viz., in the immense plain to the east of the Caspian and on the east
+bank of the Jaxaretes. Strabo corroborates the account of Herodotus
+as to the repulsive habits of these old Mongolians.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_211" href="#FNanchor_211" class="label">[211]</a> This is a malady undefined in any dictionary.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_212" href="#FNanchor_212" class="label">[212]</a> This is most certainly a mistake; probably thirty-eight was originally
+written, which, supposing Columbus to have been born in 1446-7,
+would bring the date referred to to 1484, when Columbus really did escape
+from Portugal into Spain.</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="english">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_212">[212]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="A_NARRATIVE">A NARRATIVE</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Given by Diego Mendez [in his will] of some events that
+occurred in the last voyage of the Admiral Don
+Christopher Columbus.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Diego Mendez, citizen of St. Domingo, in the island of
+Española, being in the city of Valladolid, where the Court
+of their Majesties was at the time staying, made his will on
+the sixth day of June, of the year one thousand five hundred
+and thirty-six, before Fernando Perez, their Majesties’
+scrivener, and notary public in that their Court, and in all
+their Kingdoms and Lordships, the witnesses to the same
+being Diego de Arana, Juan Diez Miranda de la Cuadra,
+Martin de Orduña, Lucas Fernandez, Alonzo de Angulo,
+Francisco de Hinojosa and Diego de Aguilar, all servants of
+my Lady the Vicequeen of the Indies.&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_213" href="#Footnote_213" class="fnanchor">[213]</a> And among other
+chapters of the said will there is one which runs literally as
+follows:—</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_213">[213]</span></p>
+
+<p>Clause of the will, Item: The very illustrious gentlemen,
+the admiral Don Christopher Columbus, of glorious memory,
+and his son the admiral Don Diego Columbus, and his grandson
+the admiral Don Louis, (whom may God long preserve),
+and through them my Lady the Vicequeen, as tutress and
+guardian of the latter, are in debt to me, for many and great
+services that I have rendered them, in as much as I have
+spent and worn out the best part of my life even to its close
+in their service; especially did I serve the admiral Don
+Christopher, going with his Lordship to the discovery of the
+islands and terra firma, and often putting myself in danger
+of death in order to save his life and the lives of those who
+were with him, more particularly when we were shut in at
+the mouth of the river Belen or Yebra, through the violence
+of the sea and the winds which drove up the sand, and raised
+such a mountain of it as to close up the entrance of the port.
+His Lordship being there greatly afflicted, a multitude of
+Indians collected together on shore to burn the ships, and
+kill us all, pretending that they were going to make war
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_214">[214]</span>against other Indians of the province of Cabrava Aurira,
+with whom they were at enmity. Though many of them
+passed by that part where our ships were lying, none of the
+fleet took notice of the matter except myself, who went to
+the admiral and said to him, “Sir, these people who have
+passed by in order of battle, say that they go to unite themselves
+with the people of Veragua, to attack the people
+of Cobrava Aurira: I do not believe it, but, on the contrary,
+I think that they are collected together to burn our
+ships and kill all of us,”—as in fact was the case. The
+admiral then asked me what were the best means of preventing
+this, and I proposed to his Lordship that I should
+go with a boat along the coast towards Veragua, to see where
+the royal court sat. I had not proceeded on my errand half
+a league when I found nearly a thousand men of war with
+great stores of provisions of all kinds, and I went on shore
+alone amongst them, leaving my boat afloat; I then spoke
+with them, making them understand me as well as I could,
+and offered to go with them to the battle with that armed
+boat; but this they strongly refused, saying there was no
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_215">[215]</span>need of such a thing. After that I returned to the boat, and
+remained there in sight of them all that night, so that they
+could not go to the ships to burn or destroy them, according
+to their previous arrangements, without my seeing them,
+upon which they changed their plan, and on that same night
+they all returned to Veragua. I then went back to the
+ships, and related all this to his Lordship, who thought no
+little of what I had done, and upon his consulting me as to
+the best manner of proceeding so as clearly to ascertain what
+was the intention of the people, I offered to go to them with
+one single companion; and this task I undertook, though
+more certain of death than of life in the result.</p>
+
+<p>After journeying along the beach up to the river of Veragua,
+I found two canoes of strange Indians, who related
+to me more in detail, that these people were indeed collected
+together to burn our ships and kill us all, and that
+they had forsaken their purpose in consequence of the
+boat coming up to the spot, but that they intended to
+return after two days to make the attempt once more.
+I then asked them to carry me in their canoes to the upper
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_216">[216]</span>part of the river, offering to remunerate them if they would
+do so; but they excused themselves, and advised me by no
+means to go, for that both myself and my companion
+would certainly be killed. At length, in spite of their advice,
+I prevailed upon them to take me in their canoes to
+the upper part of the river, until I reached the villages of
+the Indians, whom I found in order of battle. They, however,
+would not, at first, allow me to go to the principal residence
+of the cacique, till I pretended that I was come as a surgeon
+to cure him of a wound that he had in his leg; then, after
+I had made them some presents, they suffered me to proceed
+to the seat of royalty, which was situated on the top of a hillock,
+surmounted by a plain, with a large square surrounded
+by three hundred heads of the enemies he had slain in
+battle. When I had passed through the square, and reached
+the royal house, there was a great clamour of women and
+children at the gate, who ran into the palace screaming.
+Upon this, one of the chief’s sons came out in a high
+passion, uttering angry words in his own language; and,
+laying hands upon me, with one push he thrust me far
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_217">[217]</span>away from him. In order to appease him, I told him that
+I was come to cure the wound in his father’s leg, and
+showed him an ointment that I had brought for that purpose;
+but he replied, that on no account whatever should I
+go in to the place where his father was. When I saw that
+I had no chance of appeasing him in that way, I took out a
+comb, a pair of scissors, and a mirror, and caused Escobar,
+my companion, to comb my hair and then cut it off. When
+the Indian, and those who were with him, saw this, they
+stood in astonishment; upon which I prevailed on him to
+suffer his own hair to be combed and cut by Escobar; I
+then made him a present of the scissors, with the comb and
+the mirror, and thus he became appeased. After this, I
+begged him to allow some food to be brought, which was
+soon done, and we ate and drank in love and good fellowship,
+like very good friends. I then left him and returned
+to the ships, and related all this to my lord the Admiral,
+who was not a little pleased when he heard all these circumstances,
+and the things that had happened to me. He
+ordered a large stock of provisions to be put into the ships,
+and into certain straw houses that we had built there, with
+a view that I should remain, with some of the men, to examine
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_218">[218]</span>and ascertain the secrets of the country. The next
+morning his lordship called me to take counsel with me as
+to what was to be done. My opinion was that we ought to
+seize that chief and all his captains; because, when they
+were taken, the common people would submit. His lordship
+was of the same opinion. I then submitted the stratagem
+and plan by which this might be accomplished;
+and his lordship ordered that the Adelantado, his brother,
+and I, accompanied by eighty men, should go to put it into
+execution. We went, and our Lord gave us such good
+fortune, that we took the cacique and most of his captains,
+his wives, sons, and grandsons, with all the princes of his
+race; but in sending them to the ships, thus captured, the
+cacique extricated himself from the too slight grasp of the
+man who held him, a circumstance which afterwards caused
+us much injury. At this moment it pleased God to cause
+it to rain very heavily, occasioning a great flood, by which
+the mouth of the harbour was opened and the Admiral enabled
+to draw out the ships to sea, in order to proceed to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_219">[219]</span>Spain; I, meanwhile, remaining on land as Accountant of
+his Highness, with seventy men, and the greater part of
+the provisions of biscuit, wine, oil, and vinegar being left
+with me.</p>
+
+<p>The Admiral had scarcely got to sea (while I stayed on
+shore with about twenty men, for the others had gone to
+assist the Admiral), when suddenly more than four hundred
+natives, armed with cross-bows and arrows, came
+down upon me, extending themselves along the face of the
+mountain; they then gave a shriek, then another, and
+another, and these repeated cries, by the goodness of God,
+gave me opportunity to prepare for the engagement. While
+I was on the shore among the huts which we had built, and
+they were collected on the mountain at about the distance
+of an arrow’s flight, they began to shoot their arrows and
+hurl their darts, as if they had been attacking a bull. The
+arrows and cross-bow shots came down thick as hail, and
+some of the Indians then separated themselves from the
+rest, for the purpose of attacking us with clubs; none of
+them, however, returned, for with our swords we cut off
+their arms and legs, and killed them on the spot; upon
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_220">[220]</span>which the rest took such fright, that they fled, after having
+killed in the contest seven out of twenty of our men; while,
+on their side, they lost nine or ten of those who advanced
+the most boldly towards us. This contest lasted three long
+hours, and our Lord gave us the victory in a marvellous
+manner, we being so few and they so numerous. After
+this fight was over, the captain, Diego Tristan, came with
+the boats from the ships to ascend the river, in order to
+take in water for the voyage; and, notwithstanding I advised
+and warned him not to go, he would not trust me,
+but, against my wish, went up the river with two boats and
+twelve men; upon which the natives attacked him, and
+killed him and all the men that he took with him, except
+one who escaped by swimming, and from whom we heard
+the news. The Indians then took the boats and broke
+them to pieces, which caused us great vexation; for the
+Admiral was at sea with his ships without boats, while we
+were on shore deprived of the means of going to him.
+Besides this, the Indians came continually to assail us;
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_221">[221]</span>every instant playing trumpets and kettle-drums, and uttering
+loud cries in the belief that they had conquered us. The
+only means of defending ourselves against these people,
+were two very good brass falconets and plenty of powder and
+ball, with which we frightened them so much that they did not
+dare approach us. This lasted for the space of four days,
+during which time I caused several bags to be made out of
+the sails of one of the vessels which we had remaining on
+shore, and into them I put all our biscuit. I then took two
+canoes, and secured them together with sticks across the
+tops, and, after loading them with the biscuit, the pipes of
+wine, and the oil and vinegar, I fastened them together
+with a rope, and had them towed along the sea while it was
+calm, so that in the seven trips we contrived to get all of it
+to the ships, and the people were also carried over by few
+at a time. Meanwhile I remained with five men to the
+last, and at night I put to sea with the last boatful. The
+Admiral thought very highly of this conduct of mine, and
+did not content himself with embracing me and kissing me
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_222">[222]</span>on the cheeks for having performed so great a service, but
+asked me to take the captaincy of the ship <i>Capitana</i>, with
+the government of all the crew, and, in fact, of the entire
+voyage; which I accepted in order to oblige him, as it was
+a service of great responsibility.</p>
+
+<p>On the last day of April, in the year fifteen hundred and
+three, we left Veragua, with three ships, intending to make
+our passage homeward to Spain, but as the ships were all
+pierced and eaten by the teredo, we could not keep them
+above water; we abandoned one of them after we had proceeded
+thirty leagues; the two which remained were even
+in a worse condition than that,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_214" href="#Footnote_214" class="fnanchor">[214]</a> so that all the hands were
+not sufficient with the use of pumps and kettles and pans to
+draw off the water that came through the holes made by the
+worms. In this state, with the utmost toil and danger, we
+sailed for thirty-five days, thinking to reach Spain, and at
+the end of this time we arrived at the lowest point of the
+island of Cuba, at the province of Homo, where the city of
+Trinidad now stands, so that we were three hundred leagues
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_223">[223]</span>further from Spain than when we left Veragua for the purpose
+of proceeding thither; and this, as I have said, with
+the vessels in very bad condition, unfit to encounter the
+sea, and our provisions nearly gone. It pleased God that
+we were enabled to reach the island of Jamaica, where we
+drove the two ships on shore, and made of them two cabins
+thatched with straw, in which we took up our dwelling, not
+however without considerable danger from the natives, who
+were not yet subdued, and who might easily set fire to our
+habitation in the night, in spite of the greatest watchfulness.
+It was there that I gave out the last ration of biscuit
+and wine; I then took a sword in my hand, three men only
+accompanying me, and advanced into the island; for no
+one else dared go to seek food for the Admiral and those
+who were with him. It pleased God that I found some
+people who were very gentle and did us no harm, but received
+us cheerfully, and gave us food with hearty good
+will. I then made a stipulation with the Indians, who
+lived in a village called Aguacadiba, and with their cacique,
+that they should make cassava bread, and that they should
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_224">[224]</span>hunt and fish to supply the Admiral every day with a
+sufficient quantity of provisions, which they were to bring
+to the ships, where I promised there should be a person
+ready to pay them in blue beads, combs and knives, hawks’-bells
+and fish-hooks, and other such articles which we had
+with us for that purpose. With this understanding, I
+despatched one of the Spaniards whom I had brought with
+me to the admiral, in order that he might send a person to
+pay for the provisions, and secure their being sent. From
+thence I went to another village, at three leagues distance
+from the former, and made a similar agreement with the
+natives and their cacique, and then despatched another
+Spaniard to the admiral, begging him to send another person
+with a similar object to this village. After this I went
+further on, and came to a great cacique named Huareo,
+living in a place which is now called Melilla, thirteen
+leagues from where the ships lay. I was very well received
+by him; he gave me plenty to eat, and ordered all his subjects
+to bring together in the course of three days a great
+quantity of provisions, which they did, and laid them
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_225">[225]</span>before him, whereupon I paid him for them to his full
+satisfaction. I stipulated with him that they should furnish
+a constant supply, and engaged that there should be a person
+appointed to pay them; having made this arrangement,
+I sent the other Spaniard to the admiral with the provisions
+they had given me, and then begged the cacique to allow
+me two Indians to go with me to the extremity of the
+island, one to carry the hammock in which I slept, and the
+other carrying the food.</p>
+
+<p>In this manner I journeyed eastward to the end of the
+island, and came to a cacique who was named Ameyro,
+with whom I entered into close friendship. I gave him my
+name and took his, which amongst these people is regarded
+as a pledge of brotherly attachment. I bought of him
+a very good canoe, and gave him in exchange an excellent
+brass helmet that I carried in a bag, a frock, and one of
+the two shirts that I had with me; I then put out to sea in
+this canoe, in search of the place that I had left, the cacique
+having given me six Indians to assist in guiding the canoe.
+When I reached the spot to which I had dispatched the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_226">[226]</span>provisions, I found there the Spaniards whom the admiral
+had sent, and I loaded them with the victuals that I had
+brought with me, and went myself to the admiral, who
+gave me a very cordial reception. He was not satisfied
+with seeing and embracing me, but asked me respecting
+everything that had occurred in the voyage, and offered up
+thanks to God for having delivered me in safety from so
+barbarous a people. The men rejoiced greatly at my arrival,
+for there was not a loaf left in the ships when I returned to
+them with the means of allaying their hunger; this, and
+every day after that, the Indians came to the ships loaded
+with provisions from the places where I had made the
+agreements; so that there was enough for the two hundred
+and thirty people who were with the admiral. Ten days
+after this, the admiral called me aside, and spoke to me of
+the great peril he was in, addressing me as follows:—“Diego
+Mendez, my son, not one of those whom I have
+here with me has any idea of the great danger in which we
+stand except myself and you; for we are but few in number,
+and these wild Indians are numerous and very fickle and
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_227">[227]</span>capricious: and whenever they may take it into their heads
+to come and burn us in our two ships, which we have made
+into straw-thatched cabins, they may easily do so by setting
+fire to them on the land side, and so destroy us all. The
+arrangement that you have made with them for the supply
+of food, to which they agreed with such good-will, may
+soon prove disagreeable to them; and it would not be surprising
+if, on the morrow, they were not to bring us anything
+at all: in such case we are not in a position to take
+it by main force, but shall be compelled to accede to their
+terms. I have thought of a remedy, if you consider it advisable;
+which is, that some one should go out in the
+canoe that you have purchased, and make his way in it to
+Española, to purchase a vessel with which we may escape
+from the extremely dangerous position in which we now
+are. Tell me your opinion.” To which I answered:—“My
+lord, I distinctly see the danger in which we stand, which
+is much greater than would be readily imagined. With
+respect to the passage from this island to Española in so
+small a vessel as a canoe, I look upon it not merely as
+difficult, but impossible; for I know not who would venture
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_228">[228]</span>to encounter so terrific a danger as to cross a gulf of forty
+leagues of sea, and amongst islands where the sea is most
+impetuous, and scarcely ever at rest.” His lordship did
+not agree with the opinion that I expressed, but adduced
+strong arguments to show that I was the person to undertake
+the enterprise. To which I replied:—“My lord, I
+have many times put my life in danger to save yours, and
+the lives of all those who are with you, and God has marvellously
+preserved me: in consequence of this, there have
+not been wanting murmurers who have said that your lordship
+entrusts every honourable undertaking to me, while
+there are others amongst them who would perform them as
+well as I. My opinion is, therefore, that your lordship
+would do well to summon all the men, and lay this business
+before them, to see if, amongst them all, there is one who
+will volunteer to undertake it, which I certainly doubt; and
+if all refuse, I will risk my life in your service, as I have
+done many times already.”</p>
+
+<p>On the following day his lordship caused all the men to
+appear together before him, and then opened the matter to
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_229">[229]</span>them in the same manner as he had done to me. When
+they heard it they were all silent, until some said that it
+was out of the question to speak of such a thing; for it was
+impossible, in so small a craft, to cross a boisterous and
+perilous gulf of forty leagues’ breadth, and to pass between
+those two islands, where very strong vessels had been lost
+in going to make discoveries, not being able to encounter
+the force and fury of the currents. I then arose, and said:—“My
+lord, I have but one life, and I am willing to hazard it
+in the service of your lordship, and for the welfare of all
+those who are here with us; for I trust in God, that in consideration
+of the motive which actuates me, he will give me
+deliverance, as he has already done on many other occasions.”
+When the admiral heard my determination, he arose and
+embraced me, and, kissing me on the cheek, said,—“Well
+did I know that there was no one here but yourself who
+would dare to undertake this enterprise: I trust in God,
+our Lord, that you will come out of it victoriously, as you
+have done in the others which you have undertaken.” On
+the following day I drew my canoe on to the shore; fixed a
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_230">[230]</span>false keel on it, and pitched and greased it; I then nailed
+some boards upon the poop and prow, to prevent the sea
+from coming in, as it was liable to do from the lowness of
+the gunwales; I also fixed a mast in it, set up a sail, and
+laid in the necessary provisions for myself, one Spaniard,
+and six Indians, making eight in all, which was as many as
+the canoe would hold. I then bade farewell to his lordship,
+and all the others, and proceeded along the coast of Jamaica,
+up to the extremity of the island,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_215" href="#Footnote_215" class="fnanchor">[215]</a> which was thirty-five
+leagues from the point whence we started. Even this distance
+was not traversed without considerable toil and danger;
+for on the passage I was taken prisoner by some Indian
+pirates, from whom God delivered me in a marvellous
+manner. When we had reached the end of the island, and
+were remaining there in the hope of the sea becoming
+sufficiently calm to allow us to continue our voyage across
+it, many of the natives collected together with the determination
+of killing me, and seizing the canoe with its contents,
+and they cast lots for my life, to see which of them should
+carry their design into execution.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_231">[231]</span></p>
+
+<p>As soon as I became aware of their project, I betook myself
+secretly to my canoe, which I had left at three leagues
+distance from where I then was, and set sail for the spot
+where the admiral was staying, and reached it after an interval
+of fifteen days from my departure. I related to him all
+that had happened, and how God had miraculously rescued
+me from the hands of those savages. His lordship was very
+joyful at my arrival, and asked me if I would recommence
+my voyage; I replied that I would, if I might be allowed to
+take some men, to be with me at the extremity of the
+island until I should find a fair opportunity of putting to
+sea to prosecute my voyage. The admiral gave me seventy
+men, and with them his brother the Adelantado, to stay
+with me until I put to sea, and to remain there for three
+days after my departure; with this arrangement I returned
+to the extremity of the island and waited there four days.
+Finding the sea become calm I parted from the rest of the
+men with much mutual sorrow; I then commended myself
+to God and our Lady of Antigua, and was at sea five days
+and four nights without laying down the oar from my hand,
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_232">[232]</span>but continued steering the canoe while my companions
+rowed. It pleased God that at the end of five days I reached
+the Island of Española at Cape San Miguel,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_216" href="#Footnote_216" class="fnanchor">[216]</a> having been
+two days without eating or drinking, for our provisions were
+exhausted. I brought my canoe up to a very beautiful part
+of the coast, to which many of the natives soon came, and
+brought with them many articles of food, so that I remained
+there two days to take rest. I took six Indians from this
+place, and leaving those that I had brought with me, I put
+off to sea again, moving along the coast of Española, for it
+was a hundred and thirty leagues from the spot where I
+landed to the city of St. Domingo, where the Governor dwelt,
+who was the Commander de Lares. When I had proceeded
+eighty leagues along the coast of the island (not without
+great toil and danger, for that part of the island was not yet
+brought into subjugation), I reached the province of Azoa,
+which is twenty-four leagues from San Domingo, and there
+I learned from the commander Gallego, that the governor
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_233">[233]</span>was gone out to subdue the province of Xuragoa, which was
+at fifty leagues distance. When I heard this I left my canoe
+and took the road for Xuragoa,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_217" href="#Footnote_217" class="fnanchor">[217]</a> where I found the governor,
+who kept me with him seven months, until he had burned
+and hanged eighty-four caciques, lords of vassals, and with
+them Nacaona, the sovereign mistress of the island, to whom
+all rendered service and obedience. When that expedition
+was finished I went on foot to San Domingo, a distance of
+seventy leagues, and waited in expectation of the arrival of
+ships from Spain, it being now more than a year since any
+had come. In this interval it pleased God that three ships
+arrived, one of which I bought, and loaded it with provisions,
+bread, wine, meat, hogs, sheep, and fruit, and despatched
+it to the place where the admiral was staying, in
+order that he might come over in it with all his people to
+San Domingo, and from thence sail for Spain. I myself
+went on in advance with the two other ships, in order to
+give an account to the king and queen of all that had occurred
+in this voyage.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_234">[234]</span></p>
+
+<p>I think I should now do well to say somewhat of the events
+which occurred to the admiral and to his family during the
+year that they were left on the island. A few days after my
+departure the Indians became refractory, and refused to
+bring food as they had hitherto done; the admiral therefore
+caused all the caciques to be summoned, and expressed to
+them his surprise that they should not send food as they
+were wont to do, knowing as they did, and as he had already
+told them, that he had come there by the command of God.
+He said that he perceived that God was angry with them,
+and that He would that very night give tokens of His displeasure
+by signs that He would cause to appear in the
+heavens; and as on that night there was to be an almost
+total eclipse of the moon, he told them that God caused that
+appearance to signify His anger against them for not bringing
+the food. The Indians, believing him, were very
+frightened, and promised that they would always bring him
+food in future; and so in fact they did until the arrival of
+the ship which I had sent loaded with provisions. The Admiral,
+and those who were with him, felt no small joy at the
+arrival of this ship; and his lordship afterwards informed me
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_235">[235]</span>in Spain, that in no part of his life did he ever experience
+so joyful a day, for he had never hoped to have left that place
+alive: and in that same ship he set sail,&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_218" href="#Footnote_218" class="fnanchor">[218]</a> and went to San
+Domingo, and thence to Spain.</p>
+
+<p>I have wished thus to give a succinct account of my
+troubles, and of my great and important services; which are
+such as no man in the world ever rendered to a master, or
+ever will again; and I do so in order that my sons may know
+these facts, and be encouraged to serve faithfully, and that,
+at the same time, his lordship may see that he is bound to
+make them a handsome return for such services. When his
+lordship came to the court, and while he was at Salamanca,
+confined to his bed with the gout, and I was left in sole
+charge of his affairs, endeavouring to obtain the restitution
+of his estate and government for his son Diego, I addressed
+him thus: “My lord, your lordship knows how much I have
+done in your service, and what trouble I am still taking,
+night and day, in the management of your affairs; I beseech
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_236">[236]</span>your lordship to grant me some recompense for what I have
+done.” He cheerfully replied that he would do for me whatever
+I asked, adding that there was very great reason for
+his so doing. I then specified my wish, and begged his
+lordship to do me the favour to grant me the office of principal
+Alguazil of the island of Española for life; to which his
+lordship assented most cordially, saying, that it was but a
+trifling remuneration for the great services I had rendered.
+He also desired me to communicate his wish to his son
+Diego, who was very glad to hear of the favour his father
+had shown me in appointing me to the said office; and said,
+that if his father gave it me with one hand, he, for his part,
+gave it with both hands. This promise holds good as much
+now as it did then; but when, after I had succeeded, with
+considerable difficulty, in securing the restitution of the
+government of the Indies to my lord the Admiral Don Diego,
+(his father being then dead), I asked him for the provision
+of the said office, his lordship replied that he had given it to
+his uncle, the Adelantado, saying, however, that he would
+give me another post equivalent to it. I told him that he
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_237">[237]</span>ought to make such a proposition to his uncle, and that he
+ought to give me that which his father, and he himself, had
+promised to me. But he did not do so; and thus I remained
+without any recompense for all my services: while my lord,
+the Adelantado, without having rendered any service at all,
+continued in the enjoyment of the dignity which belonged
+to me, and reaped the reward of all my exertions.</p>
+
+<p>When his lordship arrived at the city of San Domingo, he
+assumed the reins as governor, and gave the post which he
+had promised to me, to Francisco de Garay, a servant of the
+Adelantado, to hold it for him. This took place on the tenth
+day of July of the year fifteen hundred and ten, and the
+office was then worth at least a million per annum. My
+lady, the Vicequeen, as tutress and guardian of my lord the
+viceroy, and my lord the viceroy himself, are really chargeable
+to me for this loss, and are debtors to me for it in justice
+and on the score of conscience. The post had been given to
+me by way of recompense, and nothing has been done in my
+favour towards the accomplishment of the Admiral’s promise,
+since the day in which it was given, to this, the close of my
+life; if it had been given to me, I should have been the
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_238">[238]</span>richest and most honoured man in the island; whereas, I
+am now the poorest, and have not even a house of my own
+to live in, but am obliged to pay rent for the roof over my
+head. As it would be very difficult to refund the revenues
+which this office has produced, I will suggest an alternative,
+which is this: that his lordship grant the rank of principal
+Alguazil of the city of San Domingo, to one of my sons,
+for his life, and bestow upon the other the rank of Vice-Admiral
+in the same city: by the grant of these two offices
+to my sons in the manner I have said, and by appointing
+some one to hold them on their behalf until they come of age,
+his lordship will discharge the conscience of the Admiral his
+father, and I shall hold myself satisfied, as duly paid for my
+services. I shall say nothing further upon the subject, but
+leave it to the consciences of their lordships, and let them
+do whatever they think proper.</p>
+
+<p>Item. I leave as executors and administrators of my will
+here at the court, the bachelor Estrada and Diego de Arana,
+together with my lady the Vicequeen; and I beg his lordship
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_239">[239]</span>to undertake this charge, and to direct the others to
+undertake it likewise.</p>
+
+<p><i>Another clause.</i> Item. I order that my executors purchase
+a large stone, the best that they can find, and place it
+upon my grave, and that they write round the edge of it
+these words: “Here lies the honourable Chevalier Diego
+Mendez, who rendered great services to the royal crown of
+Spain, in the discovery and conquest of the Indies, in company
+with the discoverer of them, the Admiral Don Christopher
+Columbus, of glorious memory, and afterwards rendered
+other great services by himself, with his own ships, and at
+his own cost. He died, etc. He asks of your charity a
+Paternoster and an Ave Maria.”</p>
+
+<p>Item. In the middle of the said stone let there be the representation
+of a canoe, which is a hollowed tree, such as the
+Indians use for navigation; for in such a vessel did I cross
+three hundred leagues of sea; and let them engrave above it
+this word: “Canoa.”</p>
+
+<p>My dear and beloved sons, children of my very dear and
+beloved wife Doña Francisca de Ribera,—may the blessing
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_240">[240]</span>of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, descend
+upon you, together with my blessing, and protect you, and
+make you Catholic Christians, and give you grace always to
+love and fear Him. My sons, I earnestly recommend you to
+cultivate peace and harmony amongst yourselves, and that
+you be obliging, and not haughty, but very humble and
+courteous towards those with whom you have to do, so that
+all may love you. Serve loyally my lord the Admiral, and
+may his lordship grant you large recompense, considering
+who he is himself, and by what great services I have deserved
+his favours. Above all I charge you, my sons, to be
+very pious, and to hear very devoutly the divine offices, and
+in so doing, may the Lord grant you long life. May it
+please Him of His infinite goodness, to make you as good
+as I wish you to be, and guide you always with His hand.
+Amen.</p>
+
+<p>The books which I send to you are as follows:</p>
+
+<p><i>The Art of Well-dying</i>, by Erasmus; a <i>Sermon</i>, of Erasmus,
+in Spanish; <i>Josephus de Bello Judaico</i>; the <i>Moral Philosophy</i>,
+of Aristotle; the books called <i>Lingua Erasmi</i>; the book of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_241">[241]</span><i>The Holy Land</i>;&#x2060;<a id="FNanchor_219" href="#Footnote_219" class="fnanchor">[219]</a>
+<i>The conversations of Erasmus</i>; <i>A treatise
+on the Complaints of Peace</i>; <i>A book of Contemplation of the
+Passion of our Redeemer</i>; <i>A treatise on the Revenging of the
+Death of Agamemnon</i>; and other small tracts.</p>
+
+<p>I have already told you, my sons, that I leave you these
+books as heir-looms under the conditions described above in
+my will, and I wish them to be put together with my other
+documents, which will be found in the cedar box, at Seville,
+as I have already said; I wish also the marble mortar should
+be placed in it, which is now in the possession of Don Ferdinand,
+or of his major-domo.</p>
+
+<p>I, Diego Mendez, affirm that this document, contained in
+thirteen sheets, is my last will and testament, for I have
+dictated it and caused it to be written, and have signed it
+with my name; and by it I revoke and annul any other will
+or wills whatever made by me at any other time or place, and
+I desire that this only be considered valid. Made in the
+city of Valladolid, the nineteenth day of June, in the year of
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_242">[242]</span>our Redeemer one thousand five hundred and thirty-six.—<span class="smcap">Diego
+Mendez.</span> And I, the said Garcia de Vera, scrivener
+and notary public, was present at all which has been herein
+said; and it has all been set down by me by order of the
+said lord-lieutenant, and by request of the said Bachelor
+Estrada, forming the testament in these twenty-six leaves of
+folio paper, as is here seen. I caused it to be written as it
+was presented and laid before me, and have kept the original
+in my possession. And to this effect I have here placed this
+my seal (<i>here was placed the seal</i>), in testimony of the truth.—(<i>Signed</i>)
+<span class="smcap">Garcia de Vera</span>.</p>
+
+<p><i>This agrees literally with the clauses copied from a will
+sealed and signed by the said scrivener, Garcia de Vera, the
+original of which is in the archives of the most excellent the
+Admiral Duke of Veraguas, from which I copied it in Madrid
+on the twenty-eighth day of March, in the year eighteen hundred
+and twenty-five.—Thomas Gonzalez.</i></p>
+
+<p class="note"><i>Note.—The other clauses of this will of Diego Mendez, refer
+to his funeral arrangements, and the declaration of debts, due
+<span class="pagenum" id="Page_243">[243]</span>both to him and by him, in Spain and in the island of Hispaniola,
+as well as other matters purely personal, and relating
+to his family; but they bear no reference or allusion to the
+Admiral Columbus, or to his voyages and discoveries, and
+therefore have not been copied.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="spanish">
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="RELACION">RELACION</h2>
+
+<h3 class="hanging"><i>Hecha por Diego Mendez, de algunos acontecimientos del último viage
+del Almirante Don Cristóbal Colon.</i></h3>
+
+<p>Diego Mendez, vecino de la ciudad de Santo Domingo de la Isla
+Española, hallándose en la villa de Valladolid, donde á la sazon
+estaba la Corte de SS. MM., otorgó testamento en seis dias del
+mes de Junio del año de mil quinientos treinta y seis, por testimonio
+de Fernan Perez, escribano de SS. MM., y su notario público
+en la su Corte y en todos los sus Reinos y Señoríos; siendo
+testigos al otorgamiento Diego de Arana, Juan Diez Miranda de
+la Cuadra, Martin de Orduña, Lucas Fernandez, Alonso de
+Angulo, Francísco de Hinojosa y Diego de Aguilar, todos criados
+de la Señora Vireina de las Indias. Y entre otros capítulos del
+mencionado testamento hay uno que á la letra dice así.</p>
+
+<p>Cláusula del testamento. Item: Los muy ilustres Señores, el
+Almirante D. Cristobal Colon, de gloriosa memoria, y su hijo el
+Almirante D. Diego Colon, y su nieto el Almirante D. Luis, á
+quien Dios dé largos dias de vida, y por ellos la Vireina mi
+Señora, como su tutriz y curadora, me son en cargo de muchos y
+grandes servicios que yo les hice, en que consumí y gasté todo lo
+mejor de mi vida hasta acaballa en su servicio; especialmente
+serví al gran Almirante D. Cristóbal andando con su Señoria
+descubriendo Islas y Tierra firme, en que puse muchas veces mi
+persona á péligro de muerte por salvar su vida y de los que con
+él iban y estaban; mayormente cuando se nos cerró el puerto del
+rio de Belen ó Yebra donde estábamos con la fuerza de las tempestades
+de la mar y de los vientos que acarrearon y amontonaron
+la arena en cantidad con que cegaron la entrada del puerto. Y
+estando su Señoria allí muy congojado, juntóse gran multitud de
+Indios de la tierra para venir á quemarnos los navios y matarnos
+á todos, con color que decian que iban á hacer guerra a otros
+Indios de las provincias de Cobrava Aurira con quien tenian
+guerra: y como pasaron muchos dellos por aquel puerto en que
+teniamos nosotros las naos, ninguno de la armada caia en el
+negocio sino yo, que fuí al Almirante y le dije: “Señor, estas
+gentes que por aquí han pasado en orden de guerra dicen que se
+han de juntar con los de Veragoa para ir contra los de Cobrava
+Aurira: yo no lo creo sino el contrario, y es que se juntan para
+quemarnos los navíos y matarnos á todos,” como de hecho lo era.
+Y diciéndome el Almirante cómo se remediaria, yo dije á su
+Señoría que saldria con una barca é iría por la costa hácia Veragoa,
+para ver donde asentaban el real. Y no hube andado media
+legua cuando halle al pie de mil hombres de guerra con muchas
+vituallas y brevages, y salté en tierra solo entre ellos, dejando mi
+barca puesta en flota: y hablé con ellos segun pude entender, y
+ofrecíme que queria ir con ellos á la guerra con aquella barca armada,
+y ellos se escusaron reciamente diciendo que no le habian
+menester: y como yo me volviese á la barca y estuviese allí á
+vista dellos toda la noche, vieron que no podian ir á las naos para
+quemallas y destruillas, segun tenian acordado, sin que yo lo viese,
+y mudaron propósito: y aquella noche se volvieron todos á
+Veragoa, y yo me volví á las naos y hice relacion de todo á su
+Señoría, é no lo tuvo en poco. Y platicando conmigo sobrello
+sobre que manera se ternia para saber claramente el intento de
+aquella gente, yo me ofrecí de ir allá con un solo compañero, y
+lo puse por obra, yendo mas cierto de la muerte que dela vida: y
+habiendo caminado por la playa hasta el rio de Veragoa hallé dos
+canoas de Indios extrangeros que me contaron muy á la clara
+como aquellas gentes iban para quemar las naos y matarnos á
+todos, y que lo dejaron de hacer por la barca que allí sobrevino, y
+questaban todavia de propósito de volver á hacello dende á dos
+dias, é yo les rogué que me llevasen en sus canoas el rio arriba, y
+que gelo pagaria; y ellos se escusaban aconsejándome que en
+ninguna manera fuese, porque fuese cierto que en llegando me
+matarian á mí y al compañero que llevaba. E sin embargo de
+sus consejos hice que me llevasen en sus canaos el rio arriba
+hasta llegar á los pueblos de los Indios, los cuales hallé todos
+puestos en orden de guerra, que no me querian dejar ir al asiento
+principal del Cacique; y yo fingiendo que le iba á curar como
+cirujano de una llaga que tenia en una pierna, y con dádivas que
+les dí me dejaron ir hasta el asiento Real, que estaba encima de
+un cerro llano con una plaza grande, rodeada de trescientas
+cabezas de muertos que habian ellos muerto en una batalla: y
+como yo hubiese pasado toda la plaza y llegado á la Casa Real
+hubo grande alboroto de mugeres y muchachos que estaban á la
+puerta, que entraron gritando dentro en el palacio. Y salió de él
+un hijo del Señor muy enojado diciendo palabras recias en su
+lenguage, é puso las manos en mí y de un empellon me desvió
+muy lejos de sí: diciéndole yo por amansarle como iba á curar á
+su padre de la pierna, y mostrándole cierto unguento que para
+ello llevaba, dijo que en ninguna manera habia de entrar donde
+estaba su padre. Y visto por mí que por aquella via no podia
+amansarle, saqué un peine y unas tijeras y un espejo, y hice que
+Escobar mi compañero me peinase y cortase el cabello. Lo cual
+visto por él y por los que allí estaban quedaban espantados; y yo
+entonces hice que Escobar le peinase á él y le cortase el cabello
+con las tijeras, y díselas y el peine y el espejo, y con esto se
+amansó; y yo pedí que trajesen algo de comer, y luego lo trajeron,
+y comimos y bebimos en amor y compaña, y quedamos amigos; y
+despedime dél y vine á las naos, y hice relacion de todo esto al
+Almirante mi Señor, el cual no poco holgó en saber todas estas
+circumstancias y cosas acaecidas por mi; y mandó poner gran
+recabdo en las naos y en ciertas casas de paja, que teniamos hechas
+allí en la playa con intencion que habia yo de quedar allí con
+cierta gente para calar y saber los secretos de la tierra.</p>
+
+<p>Otro dia de mañana su Señoría me llamó para tomar parecer
+conmigo de lo que sobre ello se debia hacer, y fue mi parecer que
+debiamos prender aquel Señor y todos sus Capitanes, porque
+presos aquellos se sojuzgaria la gente menuda; y su Señoria fue
+del mismo parecer: é yo di el ardid y la manera con que se debia
+hacer, y su Señoría mandó que el Señor Adelantado, su hermano,
+y yo con él fuesemos á poner en efecto lo sobredicho con ochenta
+hombres. Y fuimos, y diónos Nuestro Señor tan buena dicha
+que prendimos el Cacique y los mas de sus Capitanes y mugeres
+y hijos y nietos con todos los principales de su generacion; y
+enviándolos á las naos ansí presos, soltóse el Cacique al que le
+llevaba por su mal recabdo, el cual despues nos hizo mucho daño.
+En este instante plugó á Dios que lovíó mucho, y con la gran
+avenida abriósenos el puerto, y el Almirante sacó los navíos á la
+mar para venirse á Castilla, quedando yo en tierra para haber de
+quedar en ella por Contador de su Alteza con setenta hombres, y
+quedábame allí la mayor parte de los mantenimientos de bizcocho
+y vino y aceite y vinagre.</p>
+
+<p>Acabado de salir el Almirante á la mar, y quedando yo en
+tierra con obra de veinte hombres porque los otros se habian
+salido con el Almirante á despedir, subitamente sobrevino sobre
+mi mucha gente de la tierra, que serian mas de cuatrocientos
+hombres armados con sus varas y flechas y tiraderos, y tendierónse
+por el monte en haz y dieron una grita y otra y luego otra,
+con las cuales plugo á Dios me apercibieron á la pelea y defensa
+de ellos: y estando yo en la playa entre los bohios que tenia
+hechos, y ellos en el monte á trecho de tíro de dardo, comenzaron
+á flechar y á garrochar como quien agarrocha toro, y eran las
+flechas y tiraderas tantas y tan continuas como granizo; y algunos
+dellos se desmandaban para venirnos á dar con las machadasnas;
+pero ninguno dellos volvian porque quedaban allí cortados
+brazos y piernas y muertos á espada: de lo cual cobraron
+tanto miedo que se retiraron atras, habiéndonos muerto siete
+hombres en la pelea de veinte que eramos, y de ellos murieron
+diez ó nueve de los que se venian á nosotros mas arriscados.
+Duró esta pelea tres horas grandes, y Nuestro Soñor nos dio la
+vitoria milagrosamente, siendo nosotros tan poquitos y ellos
+tanta muchedumbre.</p>
+
+<p>Acabada esta pelea vino de las naos el Capitan Diego Tristan
+con las barcas para subir el rio arriba á tomar agua para su viage;
+y no embargante que yo le aconsejé y amonesté que no subiese el
+rio arriba no me quiso creer, y contra mi grado subió con las dos
+barcas y doce hombres el rio arriba, donde le toparon aquella gente
+y pelearon con él, y le mataron á él y todos los que llavaba, que
+no escapó sino uno á nado que trujo la nueva; y tomaron las
+barcas y hiciéronlas pedazos, de que quedamos en gran fatiga, ansí
+el Almrante en la mar con sus naos sin barcas como nosotros en
+tierra sin tener con que poder ir á él. Y á todo esto no cesaban
+los Indios de venirnos á cometer cada rato tañiendo bocinas y
+atabales, y dando alaridos pensando que nos tenian vencidos. El
+remedio contra esta gente que teniamos eran dos tiros falconetes
+de fruslera, muy buenos, y mucha pólvora y pelotas con que los
+ojeábamos que no osaban llegar á nosotros. Y esto duró por
+espacio de cuatro dias, en los cuales yo hice cosar muchos costales
+de las velas de una nao que nos quedaba, y en aquellos puse todo
+el bizcocho que teniamos, y tomé dos canoas y até la una con la
+otra parejas, con unos palos atravesados por encima, y en estos
+cargué el bizcocho todo en viages, y las pipas de vino y azeite y vinagre
+atadas en una guindaleja y á jorno [<i>sic</i>, jorro] por la mar,
+tirando por ellas las canoas, abonanzando la mar, en siete caminos
+que hicieron lo llevaron todo á las naos, y la gente que conmigo estaba
+poco á poco la llevaron, é yo quedé con cinco hombres á la postre
+siendo de noche, y en la postrera barcada me embarqué: lo cual
+el Almirante tuvo á mucho, y no se hartaba de me abrazar y besar
+en los carrillos por tan gran servicio como allí le hice, y me rogó
+tomase la capitanía de la nao Capitana y el regimiento de toda la
+gente y del viage, lo cual yo acepté por le hacer servicio en ello
+por ser, como era, cosa de gran trabajo.</p>
+
+<p>Postrero de Abril de mil quinientos y tres partimos de Veragoa
+con tres navíos, pensando venir la vuelta de Castilla: y comō los
+navíos estaban todos abujerados y comidos de gusanos no los podiamos
+tener sobre agua; y andadas treinta leguas dejamos el
+uno, quedándonos otros dos peor acondicionados que aquel, que
+toda la gente no bastaba con las bombas y calderas y vasijas á
+sacar el agua que se nos entraba por los abujeros de la broma: y
+de esta manera, no sin grandísimo trabajo y peligro, pensando
+venir á Castilla navegamos treinta y cinco dias, y en cabo dellos
+llegamos á la isla de Cuba á lo mas bajo della, á la provincia de
+Homo, allá donde agora está el pueblo de la Trinidad; de manera
+que estábamos mas lejos de Castilla trescientas leguas que cuando
+partimos de Veragoa para ir á ella; y como digo los navíos mal
+acondicionados, innavegables, y las vituallas que se nos acababan.
+Plugo á Dios Nuestro Señor que pudimos llegar á la isla de
+Jamaica, donde zabordamos los dos navíos en tierra, y hicimos de
+ellos dos casas pajizas, en que estabamos no sin gran peligro de
+la gente de aquella isla, que no estaba domada ni conquistada, nos
+pusiesen fuego de noche, que fácilmente lo podian hacer por mas
+que nosotros velabamos.</p>
+
+<p>Aquí acabé de dar la postrera racion de bizcocho y vino, y tomé
+una espada en la mano y tres hombres conmigo, y fuíme por esa
+isla adelante, porque ninguno osaba ir á buscar de comer para el
+Almirante y los que con él estaban: y plugo á Dios que hallaba
+la gente tan mansa que no me hacian mal, antes se holgaban
+conmigo y me daban de comer de buena voluntad. Y en un
+pueblo que se llama Aguacadiba, concerté con los Indios y Cacique
+que harian pan cazabe, y que cazarian y pescarian, y que
+darian de todas las vituallas al Almirante cierta cuantía cada dia,
+y lo llevarian á las naos, con que estuviese allí persona que ge lo
+pagase en cuentas azules y peines y cuchillos y cascabeles, y anzuelos
+y otros rescates que para ello llevabamos: y con esto concierto
+despaché uno de los dos cristianos que conmigo traía al
+Almirante, para que enviase persona que tuviese cargo de pagar
+aquellas vituallas y enviarlas.</p>
+
+<p>Y de allí fuí á otro pueblo que estaba tres leguas de este y hice
+el mismo concierto con el Cacique y Indios, de él, y envié otro
+cristiano al Almirante para que enviase allí otra persona al mismo
+cargo.</p>
+
+<p>Y de allí pasé adelante y llegué á un gran Cacique que se llamaba
+Huareo, donde agora dicen Melilla, que es trece leguas de
+las naos, del cual fuí muy bien recebido, que me dió muy bien de
+comer, y mandó que todos sus vasallos trajiesen dende á tres dias
+muchas vituallas, que le presentaron, é yo ge las pagué de manera
+que fueron contentos: y concerté que ordinariamente las
+traerian, habiendo allí persona que ge las pagase, y con este concierto
+envié el otro cristiano con los mantenimientos que allá me
+dieron al Almirante, y pedí al Cacique que me diese dos Indios
+que fuesen conmigo fasta el cabo de la isla, que el uno me llevaba
+la hamaca en que dormia é el otro la comida. Y desta manera
+caminé hasta el cabo de la isla, á la parte del Oriente, y llegué á
+un Cacique que se llamaba Ameyro, é hice con él amistades de
+hermandad, y díle mi nombre y tomé el suyo, que entre ellos se
+tiene por grande hermandad. Y compréle una canoa muy buena
+que él tenia, y díle por ella una bacineta de laton muy buena que
+llevaba en la manga y el sayo y una camisa de dos que llevaba, y
+embarquéme en aquella canoa, y vine por la mar requiriendo las
+estancias que habia dejado con seis Indios que el Cacique me dió
+para que me la ayudasen á navegar, y venido á los lugares donde
+yo habia proveido, hallé en ellos los cristianos que el Almirante
+habia enviado, y cargué de todas las vituallas que les hallé, y
+fuime al Almirante, del cual fuí muy bien recebido, que no se
+hartaba de verme y abrazarme, y preguntar lo que me habia sucedido
+en el viage, dando gracias á Dios que me habia llevado y
+traido á salvamiento libre de tanta gente salvage. Y como el
+tiempo que yo llegué á las naos no habia en ellas un pan que comer,
+fueron todos muy alegres con mi venida, porque les maté la
+hambre en tiempo de tanta necesidad, y de allí adelante cada
+dia venian los Indios cargados de vituallas á las naos de aquellos
+lugares que yo habia concertado, que bastaban para doscientas y
+treinta personas que estaban con el Almirante. Dende á diez
+dias el Almirante me llamó á parte y me dijo el gran peligro en
+que estaba, diciéndome ansi: “Diego Mendez, hijo: ninguno de
+cuantos aquí yo tengo siente el gran peligro en que estamos sino
+yo y vos, porque somos muy poquitos, y estos indios salvages son
+muchos y muy mudables y antojadizos, y en la hora que se les
+antojare de venir y quemarnos aquí donde estamos en estos dos
+navioa hechos casas pajizas fácilmente pueden echar fuego dende
+tierra y abrasarnos aquí á todos: y el concierto que vos habeis
+hecho con ellos del traer los mantenimientos que traen de tan
+buena gana, mañana se les antojará otra cosa y no nos traerán
+nada, y nosotros no somos parte para tomargelo per fuerza si no
+estar á lo que ellos quisieren. Yo he pensado un remedio si á vos
+os parece: que en esta canoa que comprastes se aventurase alguno
+á pasar á la Isla Española á comprar una nao en que pudiesen
+salir de tan gran peligro como este en que estamos. Decidme
+vuestro parecer.” Yo le respondí: “Señor: el peligro en que
+estamos bien lo veo, que es muy mayor de lo que se puede pensar.
+El pasar desta Isla á la Isla Española en tan poca vasija como es
+la canoa, no solamente lo tengo por dificultoso, sino por imposible:
+porque haber de atravesar un golfo de cuarenta leguas de mar y
+entre islas donde la mar es mas impetuosa y de menos reposo,
+no sé quien se ose aventurar á peligro tan notorio”. Su Señoría no
+me replicó, persuadiendome reciamente que yo era el que lo habia
+de hacer, á lo cual yo respondí: “Señor: muchas veces he puesto
+mi vida á peligro de muerte por salvar la vuestra y de todos estos
+que aqui estan, y nuestro Señor milagrosamente me ha guardado
+y la vida; y con todo no han faltado murmuradores que dicen
+que vuestra Señoria me acomete á mí todas las cosas de honra,
+habiendo en la compañía otros que las harian tan bien como yo:
+y por tanto paréceme á mí que vuestra Señoría los haga llamar á
+todos y los proponga este negocio, para ver si entre todos ellos
+habrá alguno que lo quiera emprender, lo cual yo dudo; y cuando
+todos se echen de fuera, yo pondré mi vida á muerte por vuestro
+servicio, como muchas veces lo he hecho”.</p>
+
+<p>Luego el dia siguiente su Señoría los hizo juntar á todos delante
+sí, y les propuso el negocio de la manera que á mí: é oido, todos
+enmudecieron, y algunos dijeron que era por demas platicarse en
+semejante cosa, porque era imposible en tan pequeña vasija pasar
+tan impetuoso y peligroso golfo de cuarenta leguas como este,
+entre estas dos islas donde muy recias naos se habian perdido
+andando á descubrir, sin poder romper ni forzar el ímpetu y furia
+de las corrientes. Entonces yo me levanté y dije: “Señor: una
+vida tengo no mas, yo la quiero aventurar por servicio de vuestra
+Señoría y por el bien de todos los que aquí estan, porque tengo
+esperanza en Dios nuestro Señor que vista la intencion con que yo
+lo hago me librará, como otras muchas veces lo ha hecho.” Oida
+por el Almirante mi determinacion levantóse y abrazóme y besóme
+en el carrillo, diciendo: “Bien sabia yo que no habia aquí ninguno
+que osase tomar esta empresa sino vos: esperanza tengo en Dios
+nuestro Señor saldreis della con vitoria como de las otras que
+habeis emprendido.”</p>
+
+<p>El dia siguiente yo puse mi canoa á monte, y le eché una quilla
+postiza, y le dí su brea y sebo, y en la popa y proa clavéle algunas
+tablas para defensa de la mar que no se me entrase como hiciera
+siendo rasa; y púsele un mástil y su vela, y metí los mantenimientos
+que pude para mí y para un cristiano y para seis indios, que
+éramos ocho personas, y no cabian mas en la canoa: y despedíme
+de su Señoría y de todos, y fuime la costa arriba de la Isla de
+Jamaica, donde estábamos, que hay dende las naos hasta el cabo
+della treinta y cinco leguas, las cuales yo navegué con gran peligro
+y trabajo, porque fuí preso en el camino de Indios salteadores en
+la mar, de que Dios me libró milagrosamente. Y llegado al cabo
+de la isla, estando esperando que la mar se amansase para acometer
+mi viage, juntáronse muchos Indios y determinaron de matarme
+y tomar la canoa y lo que en ella llevaba; y así juntos jugaron
+mi vida á la pelota para ver á cual dellos cabria la ejecucion del
+negocio. Lo cual sentido por mí víneme ascondidamente á mi
+canoa, que tenia tres leguas de allí, y hícime á la vela y víneme
+donde estaba el Almirante, habiendo qnince dias que de allí habia
+partido: y contele todo lo sucedido, cómo Dios milagrosamente
+me habia librado de las manos de aquellos salvages. Su Señoría
+fue muy alegre de mi venida, y preguntóme si volveria al viage.
+Yo dije que sí, llevando gente que estuviese conmigo en el cabo de
+la isla hasta que yo entrase en la mar á proseguir mi viage. Su
+Señoría me dió setenta hombres y con ellos á su hermano le Adelantado,
+que fuesen y estuviesen conmigo hasta embarcarme, y
+tres dias despues. Y desta manera volví al cabo de la isla donde
+estuve cuatro dias. Viendo que la mar se amansaba me despedí
+dellos y ellos de mí, con hartas lágrimas; y encomendéme á Dios
+y á nuestra Señora del Antigua, y navegué cinco dias y cuatro
+noches que jamas perdí el remo de la mano gobernando la canoa
+y los compañeros remando. Plugo á Dios nuestro Señor que en
+cabo de cinco dias yo arribé á la Isla Española, al Cabo de S.
+Miguel, habiendo dos dias que no comiamos ni bebiamos por no
+tenello; y entré con mi canoa en una ribera muy hermosa, donde
+luego vino mucha gente de la tierra y trajeron muchas cosas de
+comer, y estuve allá dos dias descansando. Yo tomé seis Indios
+de allí, dejados los que llevaba, y comencé á navegar por la costa
+de la Isla Española, que hay dende allí hasta la Cibdad de Santo
+Domingo ciento y treinta leguas que yo habia de andar, porque
+estaba allí el Gobernador, que era el Comendador de Lares; y
+habiendo andado por la costa de la isla ochenta leguas, no sin
+grandes peligros y trabajos, porque la isla no estaba conquistada
+ni allanada, llegué á la Provincia de Azoa, que es veinte y cuatro
+leguas antes de Santo Domingo, y allí supe del Comendador
+Gallego como el Gobernador era partido á la Provincia de Xuragoa
+á allanarla; la cual estaba cincuenta leguas de allí. Y esto sabido
+dejé mi canoa y tomé el camino por tierra de Xuragoa, donde
+hallé el Gobernador, el cual me detuvo allí siete meses hasta que
+hizo quemar y ahorcar ochenta y cuatro Caciques, señores de
+vasallos, y con ellos á Nacaona la mayor señora de la isla, á
+quien todos ellos obedecian y servian. Y esto acabado vine de
+pie á tierra de Santo Domingo, que era setenta leguas de allí, y
+estuve esperando viniesen naos de Castilla, que habia mas de un
+año que no habian venido. Y en este comedio plugo á Dios que
+vinieron tres naos, de las cuales yo compré la una y la cargué de
+vituallas, de pan y vino y carne y puercos y carneros y frutas, y
+la envié adonde estaba el Almirante para en que viniesen él y toda
+la gente como vinieron allí á Santo Domingo y de allí á Castilla.
+E yo me vine delante en las otras dos naos á hacer relacion al Rey
+y á la Reina de todo lo sucedido en aquel viage.</p>
+
+<p>Paraceme que será bien que se diga algo de lo acaecido al Almirante
+y á su familiar en un año que estuvieron perdidos en aquesta
+isla: y es que dende á pocos dias que yo me partí los Indios se
+amotinaron y no le querian traer de comer como antes; y él los
+hizo llamar á todos los Caciques y les digo que se maravillaba
+dellos en no traerle la comida como solian, sabiendo como él les
+habia dicho, que habia venido allí por mandado de Dios, y que
+Dios estaba enojado dellos, y que él ge lo mostraria aquella noche
+por señales que haria en el cielo; y como aquella noche era el
+eclipse de la luna que casi toda se escureció, díjoles que Dios hacia
+aquello por enojo que tenia dellos porque no le traian de comer, y
+ellos lo creyeron y fueron muy espantados, y prometieron que le
+traerian siempre de comer, como de hecho lo hicieron, hasta que
+llegó la nao con los mantenimentos que yo envié, de que no pequeño
+gozo fue en el Almirante y en todos los que con él estaban: que
+despues en Castilla me dijo su Señoría que en toda su vida [nunca?]
+habia visto tan alegre dia, y que nunca pensó salir de allí vivo:
+y en esta nao se embarcó y vino á Santo Domingo y de allí á
+Castilla.</p>
+
+<p>He querido poner aquí esta breve suma de mis trabajos y
+grandes señalados servicios, cuales nunca hizo hombre á Señor,
+ni los hará de aquí adelante del mundo; y esto á fin que mis hijos
+lo sepan y se animen á servir, é su Señoria sepa que es obligado
+á hacerles muchas mercedes.</p>
+
+<p>Venido su Señoría á la Corte, y estando en Salamanca en la cama
+enfermo de gota, andando yo solo entendiendo en sus negocios y
+en la restitucion de su estado y de la gobernacion para su hijo D.
+Diego, yo le dije ansi: “Señor: ya vuestra Señoría sabe lo mucho
+que os he servido y lo mas que trabajo de noche y de dia en
+vuestros negocios: suplico á vuestra Señoria me señale algun
+galardon para en pago dello:” y él me respondió alegremente que
+yo lo señalase y él lo cumpliria, porque era mucha razon. Y
+entonces yo le señalé y supliqué á su Señoría me hiciese merced
+del oficio del Alguacilazgo mayor de la Isla Española para en toda
+mi vida: y su Señoría dijo que de muy buena voluntad, y que era
+poco para lo mucho que yo habia servido; y mandóme que lo
+dijese ansi al Sr. D. Diego, su hijo, el cual fue muy alegre de la
+merced á mí hecha de dicho oficio, y dijo que si su padre me lo
+daba con una mano, él con dos. Y esto es ansi la verdad para el
+siglo que á ellos tiene y á mi espera.</p>
+
+<p>Habiendo yo acabado, no sin grandes trabajos mios, de negociar
+la restitucion de la gobernacion de las Indias al Almirante D.
+Diego, mi Señor, siendo su padre fallecido, le pedí la provision del
+dicho oficio. Su Señoria me respondió que lo tenia dado al Adelantado
+su tio; pero que él me daria otra cosa equivalente á aquella.
+Yo dije que aquella diese él á su tio, y á mi me diese lo que su
+padre y él me habian prometido, lo cual no se hizo; y yo quedé
+cargado de servicios sin ningun galardon, y el Sr. Adelantado, sin
+haberlo servido, quedó con mi oficio y con el galardon de todos
+mis afanes.</p>
+
+<p>Llegado su Señoría á la Cibdad de Santo Domingo por Gobernador
+tomó las varas dió este oficio á Francisco de Garay, criado
+del Sr. Adelantado, que lo sirviese por él. Esto fue en diez dias
+del mes de Julio de mil quinientas diez años. Valia entonces el
+oficio á lo menos un cuento de renta, del cual la Vireina, mi Señora,
+como tutriz y curadora del Virey, mi Señor, y él me son en
+cargo realmente y me lo deben de justicia y <i>de foro conscientiæ</i>,
+porque me fue hecha la merced de él, y no se cumplió conmigo
+dende el dia que se dió al Adelantado hasta el postrero de mis dias,
+porque si se me diera yo fuera el mas rico hombre de la isla y mas
+honrado; y por no se me dar soy el mas pobre della, tanto que no
+tengo una casa en que more sin alquiler.</p>
+
+<p>Y porque haberseme de pagar lo que el oficio ha rentado seria
+muy dificultoso, yo quiero dar un medio y será este: que su Señoría
+haga merced del Alguacilazgo mayor de la Cibdad de Santo
+Domingo á uno de mis hijos para en toda su vida, y al otro le haga
+merced de su Teniente de Almirante en la dicha Cibdad: y con
+hacer merced destos dos oficios á mis hijos de la manera que he
+aquí dicho, y poniéndolos en cabeza de quien los serva por ellos
+hasta que sean de edad, su Señoría descargará la conciencia del
+Almirante su padre, y yo me satisfaré de la paga que se me debe
+de mis servicios: y en esto no diré mes de dejallo en sus conciencias
+de sus Señorías, y hagan en ello lo que mejor les pareciere.</p>
+
+<p>Item: Dejo por mis albaceas y ejecutores deste mi testamento,
+aquí en la corte, al Bachiller Estrada y á Diego de Arana, juntamente
+con la Vireina, mi Señora, y suplico yo á su Señoría lo
+acepte y les mande á ellos lo mismo.</p>
+
+<p><i>Otra cláusula.</i> Item: Mando que mis albaceas compren una
+piedra grande, la mejor que hallaren, y se ponga sobre mi sepultura,
+y se escriba en derredor della estas letras: “Aquí yace el
+honrado caballero Diego Mendez que sirvió mucho á la Corona
+Real de España en el descubrimiento y conquista de las Indias con
+el Almirante D. Cristobal Colon, de gloriosa memoria, que las
+descubrió, y despues por sí con naos suyas á su costa: falleció,
+etc. Pido de limosna un Pater noster y una Ave María.”</p>
+
+<p>Item: En medio de la dicha piedra se haga una canoa, que es
+un madero cavado en que los Indios navegan, porque en otra tal
+navegó trescientas leguas, y encima pongan unas letras que digan:
+“Canoa.”</p>
+
+<p>Caros y amados hijos mios, y de mi muy cara y amada muger
+Doña Francisca de Ribera, la bendicion de Dios Todopoderoso,
+Padre y Hijo y Espíritu Santo y la mia descienda sobre vos y vos
+cubra y os haga catolicos cristianos, y os dé gracia que siempre le
+ameis y temais. Hijos: encomiendoos mucho la paz y concordia,
+y que seais muy conformes y no soberbios, sino muy humildes y
+muy amigables á todos los que contratáredes, porque todos os
+tengan amor: servid lealmente al Almirante mi Señor, y su Señoría
+os hará muchas mercedes por quien él es, y porque mis grandes
+servicios lo merecen; y sobre todo os mando, hijos mios, seais
+muy devotos y oyais muy devotamente los Oficios Divinos, y
+haciéndolo ansi Dios nuestro Señor os dará largos dias de vida. A
+él plega por su infinita bondad haceros tan buenos como yo deseo
+que seais, y os tenga siempre de su mano. Amen.</p>
+
+<p>Los libros que de acá os envio son los siguientes:</p>
+
+<p>Arte de bien morir de Erasmo. Un sermon de Erasmo en romance.
+Josefo de Bello Judaico. La Filosofía moral de Aristóteles.
+Los libros que se dicen Lingua Erasmi. El libro de la
+Tierra santa. Los coloquios de Erasmo. Un tratado de las
+querellas de la Paz. Un libro de Contemplaciones de la Pasion
+de nuestro Redentor. Un tratado de le venganza de la muerte
+de Agamenon, y otros tratadillos.</p>
+
+<p>Ya dije, hijos mios, que estos libros os dejo por mayorazgo, con
+las condiciones que estan dichas de suso en el testamento, y quiero
+que vayan todos con algunas Escrituras mias, que se hallarán en
+el arca que está en Sevilla, que es de cedro, como ya está dicho:
+pongan tambien en esta el mortero de mármol que está en poder
+del Sr. D. Hernando, ó de su mayordomo.</p>
+
+<p>Digo yo Diego Mendez que esta Escritura contenida en trece
+hojas es mi testamento y postrimera voluntad, porque yo lo ordené
+é hice escribir, y lo firmé de mi nombre, y por él revoco y doy
+por ningunos otros cualesquier testamentos hechos en cualesquier
+otros tiempos ó lugar; y solo este quiero que valga, que es hecho
+en la villa de Valladolid en diez y nueve dias del mes de Junio,
+año de nuestro Redentor de mil quinientos treinta y seis años.
+Diego Mendez. E yo el dicho García de Vera, Escribano Notario
+público, presente fui á todo lo que dicho es, que de mi se hace
+mencion, é por mandado del dicho Sr. Teniente é pedimento del
+dicho Bachiller Estrada, este testamento en estas veinte é seis hojas
+de papel, pliego entero, como aquí parece, fice escrebir como ante
+mí se presentó é abrió, é ansi queda originalmente en mi poder.
+E por ende fice aquí este mi signo tal en (<i>está signado</i>) testimonio
+de verdad. García de Vera. (<i>Está firmado.</i>)</p>
+
+<p><i>Concuerda literalmente con las cláusulas copiadas de un testimonio
+signado y firmado por el expresado Escribano García de Vera, que
+obra originalmente en el Archivo del Excmo. Sr. Almirante Duque
+de Veraguas, de donde lo copié en Madrid á veinte y cinco dias del
+mes de Marzo de mil ochocientos veinte y cinco años.—Tomas
+Gonzalez.</i></p>
+
+</div>
+
+<div class="footnotes">
+
+<h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_213" href="#FNanchor_213" class="label">[213]</a> Donna Maria de Toledo, widow of Diego Columbus.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_214" href="#FNanchor_214" class="label">[214]</a> Possibly the ship they abandoned was inferior in size, or in some
+other respect.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_215" href="#FNanchor_215" class="label">[215]</a> Ferdinand Columbus says that the Indians called this eastern point
+of the island Aramaquique, and that it was thirty-four leagues from
+Maima, where the admiral was.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_216" href="#FNanchor_216" class="label">[216]</a> This cape is since called Cape Tiburon. Mendez does not speak of
+his arrival at the little island of Naraza, and other places spoken of by
+Ferdinand Columbus and Herrera.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_217" href="#FNanchor_217" class="label">[217]</a> This should be Xaragua.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_218" href="#FNanchor_218" class="label">[218]</a> On the twenty-eighth of June 1504; he entered the harbour of St.
+Domingo on the thirteenth of August, started for Spain on the twelfth
+of September, and arrived at San Lucar on Thursday, the seventh of
+November.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a id="Footnote_219" href="#FNanchor_219" class="label">[219]</a> By B. von Breydenbach.(?)</p></div>
+
+</div>
+
+<p class="titlepage">FINIS.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_244">[244]</span></p>
+
+<hr class="chap x-ebookmaker-drop">
+
+<div class="chapter">
+
+<p><span class="pagenum" id="Page_245">[245]</span></p>
+
+<h2 class="nobreak" id="INDEX">INDEX.</h2>
+
+</div>
+
+<ul>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Adda (Marquis d’), his reproduction of the printed text of the first letter, <a href="#Page_cxxv">cxxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Adelantado, <i>see</i> <a href="#Bartholomew_Columbus">Bartholomew Columbus</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Adelphus (John), his connection with St. Dié, <a href="#Page_lxxxvi">lxxxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ages, a kind of turnip used by the Indians, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aguacadiba, village in Jamaica, <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aguado (Juan), recommended to the notice of the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aguja (Punta de la), Needle Point, <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ailly (Cardinal Pierre d’), his Imago Mundi studied by Columbus, <a href="#Page_xlv">xlv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Alcatraz (Point), <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Alfragan, the Arab astronomer, his influence on Columbus, <a href="#Page_xlvii">xlvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aloes, found in Española, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ameyro (The Cacique), his friendship for Diego Mendez, <a href="#Page_225">225</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Animals in Española, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— of Cariay, <a href="#Page_200">200</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Antillia, supposed island of, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Appianus, his Mappe-monde bearing the name of America, <a href="#Page_lxxxvii">lxxxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arabian expedition to America, <a href="#Page_xix">xix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arana (Diego de), Governor of Española, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— (Pedro de), commander of one of the ships sent on by Columbus to Española in the third voyage, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arenal (Point of), <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arguin, called by Columbus Hargin, <a href="#Page_136">136</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arin, Island of, <a href="#Page_135">135</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arrows used by the Caribbees, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Astrolabe rendered useful for seamen, <a href="#Page_li">li</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Atlantis, spoken of by Plato, <a href="#Page_v">v</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Australia discovered by the Portuguese within one hundred years of the rounding of Cape Bojador by Prince Henry’s navigators, <a href="#Page_i">i</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Avan, a province of Juana, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ayala (Pedro de), on the supposed islands in the Atlantic, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ayay, one of the Caribbee Islands, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Axes made of stone used by the Indians, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Azoa, Province of Española, <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Bacon (Roger), his <i>Opus Majus</i> supplied the portion of the <i>Imago Mundi</i> which is supposed to have inspired Columbus with the idea of discovering America, <a href="#Page_xlvii">xlvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bardson (Heriulf), establishes himself at Heriulfsnes in Greenland, <a href="#Page_x">x</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Barrow (Sir John), his account of Cortereal’s expedition, <a href="#Page_xxvii">xxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bastimentos, harbour of, <a href="#Page_184">184</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Becher (Captain), agrees with Muñoz on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lx">lx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Behaim (Martin), on the supposed islands in the Atlantic, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">said to have discovered the Azores, <a href="#Page_xxx">xxx</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the evidence of his globe, <a href="#Page_xxxi">xxxi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">in conjunction with Roderigo and Josef, renders the astrolabe useful for seamen, <a href="#Page_li">li</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Belem and Belpuerto, disabled ships left there, <a href="#Page_193">193</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— or Yebra, river, <a href="#Page_213">213</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Beltran, recommended to the notice of the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bianco (Andrea), his map, on which is the word “Antillia,” <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bibliography, <a href="#Page_cviii">cviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Birds’ nests in Española at Christmas, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bobadilla (D. Francisco de), his infamous treatment of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxxi">lxxi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his death, <a href="#Page_lxxvi">lxxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— ——, Columbus’s account of his arrival in Española, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his conduct, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">arrests Columbus, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">seizes his house and papers, <a href="#Page_173">173</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bohio discovered, <a href="#Page_lxiii">lxiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_246">[246]</span>Bohio, a province of Española, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bojador (Cape), rounded by Prince Henry’s navigators in 1434, <a href="#Page_i">i</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bonacca, <i>see</i> <a href="#Guanaga">Guanaga</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Brazil, supposed island of, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bremen (Adam of), makes the earliest allusion (<i>printed</i>) to the colonization of America by the Scandinavians, <a href="#Page_viii">viii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Brerewood (Edward), derives the Americans from the Tartars, <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Burenquen (Porto Rico), discovered, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Cabot (John), his zeal for the discovery of the supposed islands in the Atlantic, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— (Sebastian), his discovery demonstrated, <a href="#Page_xxviii">xxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cabras, Goat Island, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Canaanites supposed to have peopled America, <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cannibals, Caribbee, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— in Cariay, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Canoes, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Caonabó, a chief in Española accused of having burned the Spanish settlement, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">gold mines in Niti belonging to him, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his bad disposition towards the Christians, <a href="#Page_77">77</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cape Gracias a Dios, <a href="#Page_178">178</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cape Honduras, <a href="#Page_lxxvii">lxxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cape Verde Islands discovered by Diego Gomez (see <i>Life of Prince Henry the Navigator</i>), <a href="#Page_115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_116">116</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Capitana ship, the captaincy given to Diego Mendez, <a href="#Page_222">222</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Carabajal, Alonzo Sanchez de, commanded one of the ships sent on by Columbus to Española in the third voyage, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Caracol, Bay of, in Española, <a href="#Page_47">47</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Caradoc of Llancarvan’s account of the Welsh expedition, <a href="#Page_xxi">xxi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Carambaru, golden mirrors worn by the Indians, <a href="#Page_180">180</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cariay, Columbus arrives there in his fourth voyage, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">enchanters, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">sepulchre, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">animals, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">cannibals, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">copper mines, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">cotton beautifully worked, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Caribbee Islands discovered, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Caseneuve (Guillaume de), his name confounded with that of Columbus, <a href="#Page_xxxviii">xxxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cathay, Northern China, <a href="#Page_194">194</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cazadilla, bishop of Ceuta, condemns the proposed enterprise of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lii">lii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Celts supposed to have peopled America, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ceyre, Cayre or Charis (Dominica), <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">said to abound in gold, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chanca’s (Dr.) letter, <a href="#Page_iii">iii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">history of, <a href="#Page_cxxxviii">cxxxviii</a>, <a href="#Page_cxl">cxl</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">physician to the fleet of Columbus, in his second voyage, his letter, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">mentioned in the memorial of Columbus, <a href="#Page_93">93</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chinese supposed to have reached America by the north, <a href="#Page_vii">vii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ciamba, province of, gold mines, <a href="#Page_180">180</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cibao, gold mines of, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ciguare, dress and customs of the people, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cladera (Don Cristóbal) refutes the statements respecting Behaim, <a href="#Page_xxx">xxx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cobrava Aurira, province, <a href="#Page_214">214</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx" id="Bartholomew_Columbus">Columbus (Bartholomew) sent by his brother to Henry VII, <a href="#Page_lvi">lvi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">arrested by Bobadilla, <a href="#Page_167">167</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Columbus (Christopher) derives the idea of explorations to the West from Prince Henry’s researches into the Atlantic, <a href="#Page_i">i</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the importance of his original letters, <a href="#Page_ii">ii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the pathos and dignity of his complaints, <a href="#Page_iii">iii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the evidence of European adventurers having visited America before his time, does not detract from his merit, <a href="#Page_xxxi">xxxi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">every previous discovery having been accidental, <a href="#Page_xxxii">xxxii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his parentage and date of birth, <a href="#Page_xxxii">xxxii</a>, <a href="#Page_xxxiv">xxxiv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">birthplace, <a href="#Page_xxxv">xxxv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">education, <a href="#Page_xxxv">xxxv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his connection with Guillaume de Caseneuve discussed, <a href="#Page_xxxvii">xxxvii</a>, <a href="#Page_xlii">xlii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his sojourn in Portugal, where he first receives the inspiration of his great discovery, his marriage with the daughter of Perestrello and consequent inheritance of his papers, etc., <a href="#Page_xlii">xlii</a>, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the facts and signs which convinced him there was land to the West, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a>, <a href="#Page_xliv">xliv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his studies, <a href="#Page_xlv">xlv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">influenced by al Fergani or Alfragan, <a href="#Page_xlvii">xlvii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville, <a href="#Page_xlviii">xlviii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his letter to Toscanelli and the answer, <a href="#Page_xlix">xlix</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his patience in biding his time for application to the King of Portugal, <a href="#Page_l">l</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his letters of 1477 quoted by his son, <a href="#Page_l">l</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his audience with the king, <a href="#Page_li">li</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his enterprise condemned by the Council, <a href="#Page_lii">lii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his unworthy treatment, <a href="#Page_lii">lii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">and departure, <a href="#Page_liii">liii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_247">[247]</span>conjectures respecting his subsequent history, <a href="#Page_liii">liii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his visit to the Convent of Rabida, <a href="#Page_liv">liv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his various fortune at the Court of Spain, <a href="#Page_liv">liv</a>, <a href="#Page_lvii">lvii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">sets out on his first great voyage, <a href="#Page_lvii">lvii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers the Island of San Salvador, etc., the true landfall discussed, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii-lxiii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">establishes a colony in Hispaniola, <a href="#Page_lxiii">lxiii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his stormy passage home, <a href="#Page_lxiv">lxiv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">reception at the Azores, <a href="#Page_lxiv">lxiv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">arrives at Lisbon, <a href="#Page_lxv">lxv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">and reaches Spain in safety, <a href="#Page_lxvi">lxvi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his triumph at Barcelona, <a href="#Page_lxvi">lxvi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the Papal bull obtained, <a href="#Page_lxvii">lxvii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his second voyage, <a href="#Page_lxviii">lxviii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">and return, <a href="#Page_lxix">lxix</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">third voyage, <a href="#Page_lxix">lxix</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his cruel treatment, <a href="#Page_lxxi">lxxi</a>, <a href="#Page_lxxii">lxxii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">arrives in Spain and is honourably received by the sovereigns, <a href="#Page_lxxiii">lxxiii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his fourth voyage, <a href="#Page_lxxiv">lxxiv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">and return, <a href="#Page_lxxix">lxxix</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his sufferings till death, <a href="#Page_lxxx">lxxx</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his first letter addressed to Raphael Sanchez, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers San Salvador, Santa Maria de Conception, Fernandina, Isabella and Juana, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">sees another island and names it Española, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">takes possession of Española and builds the fortress of Villa de Navidad, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes the benefits to be derived from his discoveries, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">leaves Cadiz for his second voyage, arrives at the Great Canary, Gomera, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Ferro, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers Dominica and Marigalante, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers Guadaloupe, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers Montserrat, Santa Maria la Redonda, Santa Maria la Antigua, and St. Martin, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers Santa Cruz and St. Ursula, <a href="#Page_38">38</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers Porto Rico, which he names St. John the Baptist, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">arrives at Española, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">receives a deputation from Guacamari, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">finds the settlement destroyed by fire, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">goes to visit Guacamari, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">selects Port Isabella for the new settlement, builds the City of Marta, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">sends two parties in search of gold mines, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his memorial to the King and Queen of the results of the second voyage, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">refers to Gorbalan and Hojeda for an account of the gold to be found, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes the difficulties and dangers to be encountered, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes the fertility of the country, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">asks for supplies, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">asks for the confirmation of Antonio de Torres as governor of the City of Isabella, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">recommends to the notice of the King and Queen Messire Pedro Margarite, Gaspar, Beltran, and Juan Aguado, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">also Dr. Chanca, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Coronel, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">also Gil Garcia, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">complains of the conduct of Juan de Soria, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">asks for further assistance and stores, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">recommends Villacorta, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his narrative of his third voyage, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his address to the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">sails from San Lucar, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovers Trinidad, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes Indians in a canoe near the point of Arenal, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">violent currents near the Point, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">beauty of the country at the Punta de la Aguja, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">conjectures respecting the violent currents, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the north star, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">form of the earth, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describe the Gulf of Pearls, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his conjectures as to the situation of Paradise, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">letter to the nurse of Prince John, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes his troubles on arriving at Española, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">conduct of Hojeda and Vincent Yañez, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Adrian Mogica and Don Ferdinand, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes Bobadilla’s arrival, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his arrest by Bobadilla, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his house and papers seized, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">letter to the King and Queen on his fourth voyage, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his reception in Española, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">dreadful storm, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his distress on account of his son and brother, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">arrives at Cariay, hears of gold mines in Ciamba, goes to Carambaru, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes the people of Ciguare, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his conjectures with regard to the earth, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">reaches the harbour of Bastimentos, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his suffering during an awful tempest, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">returns to Puerto Gordo, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">reaches Veragua, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">finds gold mines, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">deceit of the Cacique Quibian, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">establishes a settlement, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">takes the Cacique prisoner, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes pathetically his misfortunes on this coast, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his dream, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_248">[248]</span>supposes himself in China, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">reaches Jamaica, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">repeats the course of his voyage, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">describes the enchanters of Cariay, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">sculptured sepulchre, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">animals, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">products, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">abundance of gold in Veragua, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">conjectures concerning the gold of Solomon, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his distress for the condition of Española and Paria, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his touching complaint of cruel treatment, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his conference with Diego Mendez related by the latter, <a href="#Page_226">226</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Columbus (Diego), information given by him to Las Casas respecting his father, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">leaves Lisbon with his father, <a href="#Page_liii">liii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his father’s anxiety about him, <a href="#Page_179">179</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— (Juan Antonio), commanded one of the ships sent on by Columbus to Española in the third voyage, <a href="#Page_115">115</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— (Ferdinand), on the subject of his father’s parentage and date of birth, <a href="#Page_xxxii">xxxii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">on the subject of Caseneuve, <a href="#Page_xxxviii">xxxviii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">on the subject of his father’s first thoughts of his great discovery, <a href="#Page_xlii">xlii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">relates the facts and signs which led him on to the West, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">collects his father’s books and bequeaths them to the Cathedral of Seville, <a href="#Page_xlv">xlv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">speaks of the influence of Alfragan, <a href="#Page_xlvii">xlvii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">quotes a letter of his father’s, <a href="#Page_l">l</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his statement that his father went to Spain in 1484, <a href="#Page_liii">liii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Copper mines in Cariay, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Coral ornaments worn by the Indians of Ciguare, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cordeiro quoted by Sir John Barrow, <a href="#Page_xxvii">xxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Coronel recommended to the notice of the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_95">95</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Correa (Pedro), brother-in-law of Columbus, confirms his idea of land to the West, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cortereals, the Portuguese explorers, <a href="#Page_xxvii">xxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cosa (Juan de la), his map, <a href="#Page_lxi">lxi</a>, <a href="#Page_lxii">lxii</a>, <a href="#Page_lxxxix">lxxxix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cosmographiæ Introductio, of Waldseemüller, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cotton worn by the Indian women, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">great quantities in the islands, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">found in Guadaloupe, both spun and prepared for spinning, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">spun and woven into sheets by the Caribbees, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">worn in bands round the knee and ankle by the Caribbee women, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">hammock of, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">worn by the Indian women, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">trees of in Española, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">worked in colours and worn by Indians near Point Arenal, <a href="#Page_120">120</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">beautifully worked in Cariay, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Crantor confirms the story told by Plato, <a href="#Page_v">v</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cuba, <i>see</i> <a href="#Juana">Juana</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cubagua discovered, <a href="#Page_lxx">lxx</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Dati (Giuliano), his poem, <a href="#Page_xc">xc</a>, <a href="#Page_cvii">cvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dauphin (Port) in Española, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">De Murr, his evidence on the subject of Behaim, <a href="#Page_xxxi">xxxi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">De Guignes, states that the Chinese reached America by the north, <a href="#Page_vii">vii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his opinion on the Arabian expedition, <a href="#Page_xix">xix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Deza (Diego de), the faithful friend of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lv">lv</a>, <a href="#Page_lxxx">lxxx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Documents—Columbus’ letter on the first voyage, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Dr. Chanca’s on the second voyage, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Memorial of Columbus on the second voyage, <a href="#Page_72">72</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">letter of Columbus on the third voyage, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his letter to the nurse of Prince John, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his letter on the fourth voyage, <a href="#Page_175">175</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">narrative of Diego Mendez, <a href="#Page_212">212</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dogs in Española, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dominica, Island of, discovered, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">described in second voyage, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">report of gold there, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dragon’s mouth, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ducks found in Zuruquia, <a href="#Page_13">13</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Editio Princeps of first letter of Columbus, the rival claims discussed, <a href="#Page_cxxii">cxxii</a>, <a href="#Page_cxxxviii">cxxxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Edrisi on the Arabian expedition, <a href="#Page_xx">xx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Egyptians supposed to have colonised America, etc., <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">El Retrete, <a href="#Page_lxxviii">lxxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Engaño, Point, Española, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Eric the Red colonises Greenland, <a href="#Page_x">x</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Eric, Greenland Bishop, visits Vineland in 1121, <a href="#Page_xvii">xvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Escobar, companion of Diego Mendez, <a href="#Page_217">217</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Escobedo, Rodrigo de, lieutenant to the governor of Española, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx" id="Espanola">Española (St. Domingo), seen from Juana, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">scenery, harbours, vegetation, spices, gold and other metals, <a href="#Page_4">4-5</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_249">[249]</span>inhabitants, <a href="#Page_5">5-9</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">great size, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">town of Villa de Navidad, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">manners and customs, <a href="#Page_12">12-14</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">products, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">arrival of Columbus on his second voyage, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">its division into provinces, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">country described, birds and animals, <a href="#Page_42">42-43</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">harbour of Monte Cristi, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">river Yaque, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Bay of Caracol, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Port Dauphin, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Port Isabella, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">city of Marta, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">vegetation, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the people, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">gold mines, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">products, <a href="#Page_66">66-68</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">abundance of gold, <a href="#Page_69">69-70</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Columbus finds the colony in a state of revolt when he arrives there in his third voyage, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Bobadilla’s arrival, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">reception of Columbus on his fourth voyage, <a href="#Page_176">176</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx" id="Evangelista">Evangelista discovered, <a href="#Page_lxviii">lxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Exuma discovered, <a href="#Page_lxiii">lxiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Fernandina (Great Exuma) discovered, <a href="#Page_2">2</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fonseca (Juan Rodriguez), Bishop of Badajos, his enmity to Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxviii">lxviii</a> and <a href="#Page_156">156</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fortress built at Villa de Navidad, <a href="#Page_11">11-12</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Galea, Cape, now Cape Galeota, the south-east point of Trinidad, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gallardo (Don Bartolomé), the <i>Imago Mundi</i> not mentioned in his list of books in the Columbian library, <a href="#Page_xlvi">xlvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gallega Island, <a href="#Page_177">177</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Garcia, land of, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">violent currents between it and the I. of Trinidad, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Garcia (Gil), recommended to the notice of the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_96">96</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gardar, a Dane, discovers Iceland in 863, <a href="#Page_x">x</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gaspar recommended to the notice of the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Genoa, birthplace of Columbus according to his own assertion, <a href="#Page_xxxv">xxxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ghillany’s (Dr. F. W.) copy of Martin Behaim’s globe, <a href="#Page_xxxi">xxxi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gibbs (Mr.) confirms Navarrete on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Giocondi (Fra Giovanni) translated Vespucci’s letter into Latin, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Globus Mundi, <a href="#Page_lxxxv">lxxxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gold and other metals in Española, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_15">15</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">report of large quantities at Cayre, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">ear-rings and necklaces worn by the Indians, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">masks sent as presents by Guacamari, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">beaten into thin plates by the Indians, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">mines at Cibao and Niti, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">great quantities found by Gorbalan and Hojeda, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">ornaments of, worn by the Indians of Paria, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Indians direct Columbus where to find it, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">seizure of, by Bobadilla, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">gold mines of Ciamba, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">mirrors of, worn by the Indians of Carambaru, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">ornaments of worn by the Indians of Ciguare, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">mines of Veragua, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">abundance of, in Veragua, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Solomon, <a href="#Page_204">204</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gomara on the subject of the Polish pilot, <a href="#Page_xxix">xxix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gorbalan, his discovery of gold, <a href="#Page_74">74</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Greenland discovered and colonised, <a href="#Page_x">x</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Grotius (Hugo) describes America as peopled from Norway, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Grüninger (Johann) of Strasburg, his edition of the <i>Cosmographiæ Introductio</i>, <a href="#Page_lxxxv">lxxxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Guacamari sends a deputation to Columbus, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">sends his cousin with an account of the destruction of the Spanish settlement, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">receives Melchior and his party, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his interview with Columbus, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his hammock of cotton net-work, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his pretended wound, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his disappearance, <a href="#Page_60">60</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Guadaloupe, Island of, discovered, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">immense waterfall, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">deserted houses, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the inhabitants, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">their arts, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">manners and customs, <a href="#Page_30">30-32</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx" id="Guanaga">Guanaga Island discovered, <a href="#Page_lxxvii">lxxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Guanahani (San Salvador, now Watling’s Island) discovered, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_lxi">lxi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gunnbiorn discovers Greenland in 877, <a href="#Page_x">x</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gutierrez (Pedro), lieutenant to the governor of Española, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Hair, various ways of wearing among the Indians, <a href="#Page_37">37</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hammocks used in Española, <a href="#Page_56">56</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hatchets and axes made of stone, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— etc., made of copper in Cariay, <a href="#Page_201">201</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hayti, a province of Española, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Helgason (Adalbrand and Thorwald), Icelandic clergymen and explorers in 1285, <a href="#Page_xviii">xviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_250">[250]</span>Henry VII. willing to accept the services of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lvi">lvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Herrera on the signs which led Columbus to the West, <a href="#Page_xliv">xliv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his map, its evidence on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lx">lx</a>, <a href="#Page_lxii">lxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hispaniola, <i>see</i> <a href="#Espanola">Española</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hojeda (Alonzo de) sent by Columbus to examine gold mines, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">causes great trouble to Columbus in Española, <a href="#Page_156">156</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Homo, province of Cuba, <a href="#Page_222">222</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Honey found in Española, <a href="#Page_5">5</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hornius, his treatise “<i>De originibus Americanis</i>,” <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Huareo, Cacique, <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Humboldt’s answer to the theory of De Guignes, <a href="#Page_viii">viii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his assertion respecting Ortelius, <a href="#Page_viii">viii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his opinion on the Arabian expedition, <a href="#Page_xx">xx</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">on the subject of the Polish pilot, <a href="#Page_xxix">xxix-xxx</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">on the date of the <i>Imago Mundi</i>, <a href="#Page_xlvi">xlvi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">on Roger Bacon, <a href="#Page_xlvii">xlvii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his testimony to the glory of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxxxviii">lxxxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hylacomylus, <i>see</i> <a href="#Waldseemuller">Waldseemüller</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Iceland discovered and colonised, <a href="#Page_x">x</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Idolatry not practised by the Indians, <a href="#Page_8">8</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><i>Imago Mundi</i>, studied by Columbus, <a href="#Page_xlv">xlv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">dates assigned to the first edition, <a href="#Page_xlvi">xlvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Indians, their weapons, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">their want of courage, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">simple, honest and liberal, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">not idolaters, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">very intelligent, <a href="#Page_9">9</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">their canoes, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">manners and customs, <a href="#Page_13">13-14</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">deserted houses in Guadeloupe found to contain cotton and human bones, <a href="#Page_25">25</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Caribbee, their characteristics, <a href="#Page_29">29-30</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">their customs, <a href="#Page_31">31-32</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">dress, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">miserable hovels in Española, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">their manner of working gold, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">join readily with the Christians in their acts of worship, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">tools made of stone, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">their food, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Paria, description of, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">their houses, food, etc., <a href="#Page_126">126</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">dress, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">tell Columbus where to find gold, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Trinidad described, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Carambaru wear golden mirrors round their necks, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Ciguare, dress and customs, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Cariay, enchanters, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">of Veragua, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">conflict with, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">refuse to supply Columbus, but are frightened into obedience by the prediction of an eclipse, <a href="#Page_234">234</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ingolf, a Norwegian, colonises Iceland, <a href="#Page_x">x</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ires (William), native of Galway, one of the men left by Columbus in Española, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Iron not known by the Indians, <a href="#Page_6">6</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Isabella, her sympathy with Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxxiii">lxxiii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">her death, <a href="#Page_lxxx">lxxx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— (Saometo or Crooked Island) discovered, <a href="#Page_2">2</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— city, river, and port of Española, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Isle of Pines, <i>see</i> <a href="#Evangelista">Evangelista</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Isla de las Bocas, <a href="#Page_197">197</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Jamaica, letter on the fourth voyage dated from, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Diego Mendez treats with the natives, <a href="#Page_223">223</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">John, King of Portugal, grants an audience to Columbus, <a href="#Page_li">li</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">calls a council to consider his proposition, <a href="#Page_li">li</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">yields to the unworthy advice of his enemies, <a href="#Page_lii">lii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Josef and Roderigo, with the assistance of Behaim, render the astrolabe useful for seamen, <a href="#Page_li">li</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">condemn the proposed enterprise of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lii">lii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx" id="Juana">Juana (Cuba) discovered, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">its size, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">contained two provinces, <a href="#Page_10">10</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Karlsefne (Thorfinn), distinguished early discoverer, <a href="#Page_xiii">xiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">King’s Garden (The) discovered, <a href="#Page_lxiii">lxiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kircher (Athanasius), his conjectures concerning the colonisation of America, etc., <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Klaproth, his answer to the theory of De Guignes, <a href="#Page_vii">vii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kohl, on the Venetian expedition, <a href="#Page_xxv">xxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Lajes (Tallarte de), an Englishman, one of the men left by Columbus in Española, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lambinet on the date of the <i>Imago Mundi</i>, <a href="#Page_xlvi">xlvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Landfall of Columbus discussed, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii</a>, <a href="#Page_lxiii">lxiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Las Casas, his evidence respecting Columbus and Perestrello, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Launoy (Jean de), on the date of the <i>Imago Mundi</i>, <a href="#Page_xlvi">xlvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Leibnitz acknowledges that he had erroneously inserted the name of “Christophorus” into the letters supposed to refer to Columbus, <a href="#Page_xxxvii">xxxvii-xxxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_251">[251]</span>Lescarbot (Marc) derives the Americans from the Canaanites, <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lief, son of Eric the Red, discovers Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in the year 1000, <a href="#Page_xi">xi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">also New England, <a href="#Page_xii">xii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Li-Yen, Chinese historian quoted by De Guignes, <a href="#Page_vii">vii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lizards, an Indian luxury, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lud (Walter), canon of St. Dié, his college and printing press, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Macao (Point), Española, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mackenzie (Commander Alexander Slidell) on the route of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxii">lxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Malte Brun on the Arabian expedition, <a href="#Page_xx">xx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Manchineal, fruit of, <a href="#Page_24">24</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mandeville (Sir John), influence on Columbus, <a href="#Page_xlviii">xlviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mangi, name given to Southern China by Marco Polo, <a href="#Page_194">194</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Maps: by Nicolò Zeno, <a href="#Page_xxv">xxv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">anonymous, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">by Andrea Bianco, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the earliest MS. bearing the name of America, <a href="#Page_lxxxvii">lxxxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><i>Mappa Mundi</i>, by Pierre d’Ailly, treats of Alfragan, <a href="#Page_xlvii">xlvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mappe-monde, by Appianus, bearing the name of America, <a href="#Page_lxxxvii">lxxxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Marchena (Fray Juan Perez de), his interest in Columbus, <a href="#Page_liv">liv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Marco Polo, influence of his work on Columbus, <a href="#Page_xlviii">xlviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Marcolini (Francesco), his account of the Venetian expedition, <a href="#Page_xxii">xxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Margarita, Island, discovered, <a href="#Page_156">156</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Margarite, Messire Pedro, recommended to the notice of the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Margry (M.), his pretension founded on the fondness of Columbus for the works of Pierre d’Ailly, <a href="#Page_xlv">xlv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">disproved, <a href="#Page_xlv">xlv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Marigalante (Island of) discovered, <a href="#Page_22">22</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Marquez (Diego) and his party lost for four days, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_28">28</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Marta (City of), Española, <a href="#Page_62">62</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Martin (Andreas), his respectful treatment of Columbus in his trouble, <a href="#Page_lxxii">lxxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Martin (Fernam), his correspondence with Toscanelli, <a href="#Page_xlix">xlix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Masks of gold made by the Indians, <a href="#Page_55">55</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mastic found, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Matenino (Martinique), <a href="#Page_14">14</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mayaguana, supposed by Varnhagen to be the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lx">lx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mayreni, a chief in Española, accused of burning the Spanish settlement, <a href="#Page_48">48</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Medici (Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de’), letter to him from Vespucci, <a href="#Page_lxxxiii">lxxxiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Melchior and his party received by Guacamari, <a href="#Page_54">54</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Melilla, <a href="#Page_224">224</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Memorial of Columbus on the second voyage, <a href="#Page_72">72</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mendez (Diego), extract from his will, <a href="#Page_iii">iii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his devotion to Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxxviii">lxxviii</a>, <a href="#Page_lxxix">lxxix</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his narrative, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">renders assistance to Columbus at Veragua, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his reception by the Indians, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">conflict with, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">made captain of the ship <i>Capitana</i>, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">goes to treat with the natives of Jamaica for food, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">goes to Española and purchases a ship for Columbus, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his interview with Columbus and promised reward, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>, <a href="#Page_236">236</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his disappointment, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">directions respecting his grave, <a href="#Page_239">239</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mendoza, archbishop of Toledo, adopts the cause of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lv">lv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mogica (Adrian), one of the rebels in Española, <a href="#Page_157">157</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mona, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Monte Cristi, harbour in Española, <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Montserrat (Island of), discovered, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mundus Novus of Johann Ottmar, <a href="#Page_lxxxii">lxxxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Muñoz, his opinion that Columbus went to Genoa from Lisbon, <a href="#Page_liii">liii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his opinion on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mylius (Abraham) supposes America to have been peopled by the Celts, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Narrative by Diego Mendez, <a href="#Page_212">212</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Navarrete on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Navidad, villa de, town and fortress in Española, <a href="#Page_12">12</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">New England discovered, <a href="#Page_xii">xii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_252">[252]</span>Newfoundland discovered <span class="allsmcap">A.D.</span> 1000, <a href="#Page_xi">xi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nightingales and other birds singing in November in Española, <a href="#Page_4">4</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Niti, gold mines of, <a href="#Page_69">69</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Norwegians supposed to have peopled America, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nova Scotia discovered in the year 1000, <a href="#Page_xi">xi</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Odjein or Ougein, <a href="#Page_135">135</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><i>Opus Majus</i> of Roger Bacon supplied the portion of the <i>Imago Mundi</i> which is supposed to have given Columbus the idea of discovering America, <a href="#Page_xlvii">xlvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oronoco, confluence of the, with the sea, <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ortelius, <i>not</i> the first to recognize the discovery of America by the Northmen, <a href="#Page_viii">viii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ottmar (Johann), his <i>Mundus Novus</i>, <a href="#Page_lxxxii">lxxxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otto (Mr.) of New York, his assertion respecting Martin Behaim and the Azores, <a href="#Page_xxx">xxx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ovando (Nicolas de), the governor of St. Domingo after Bobadilla, <a href="#Page_lxxiii">lxxiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Palm-trees, very fine in Española, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_5">5</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Paracelsus, his statement of the peopling of the New World, <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Paradise, supposed situation of, <a href="#Page_141">141</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Paria, coast of, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Parrots found in deserted houses in Guadaloupe, <a href="#Page_25">25</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pearls, Gulf of, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pearls, bracelets of, worn by the Indians of Paria, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">Columbus leaves orders with the people in Española to fish for them, <a href="#Page_155">155</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pelicans show that land was near, <a href="#Page_40">40</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pelican (Point), <a href="#Page_125">125</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Peña Blanca (Point), <a href="#Page_123">123</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pepper plant, known to the people of Ciguare, <a href="#Page_181">181</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Perestrello (Felipe Moñiz de), wife of Columbus, and daughter of Bartollomeu Perestrello, <a href="#Page_xlii">xlii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— (Bartollomeu), received the commandership of Porto Santo from Prince Henry, his widow gives up his papers, etc., to Columbus, <a href="#Page_xlii">xlii</a>, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Perez (Alonzo), the first to see land in the third voyage, <a href="#Page_118">118</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Philesius, pseudonym of Ringmann, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pilot of the ship <i>Capitana</i> first to see land on the second voyage, <a href="#Page_21">21</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pinzon, his jealousy of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxvi">lxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Plato speaks of an island called Atlantis, <a href="#Page_v">v</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Polar star, observations of Columbus on, <a href="#Page_133">133</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><i>Pomponius Mela</i>, edited by Vadianus, <a href="#Page_lxxxvi">lxxxvi</a>, <a href="#Page_lxxxvii">lxxxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Porto Rico, named by Columbus St. John the Baptist, discovered, <a href="#Page_39">39</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Portuguese expedition to America, <a href="#Page_xxvii">xxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Prince Henry originates the researches into the Atlantic which led to the discoveries of Columbus, <a href="#Page_i">i</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Puerto Bello discovered, <a href="#Page_lxxviii">lxxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Puerto Gordo, <a href="#Page_186">186</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Queen’s Gardens discovered, <a href="#Page_lxviii">lxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Quibian, the Cacique, attempts to deceive Columbus, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">taken prisoner, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">advice of Columbus respecting him, <a href="#Page_205">205</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Rabida (Convent of Santa Maria de), Columbus’s visit there, <a href="#Page_liv">liv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rafn (Professor), his work <i>Antiquitates Americanæ</i>, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">his collection of MSS. on the discoveries of the Northmen, and his inferences, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a>, <a href="#Page_xviii">xviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Reeds used as Indian weapons, <a href="#Page_6">6</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">René II, Duke of Lorraine, patron of Walter Lud, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Reptiles eaten by the Indians, <a href="#Page_68">68</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rhubarb and other drugs in Española, <a href="#Page_15">15</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ringmann (Mathias), his admiration of Vespucci, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">suggests the name of America, <a href="#Page_lxxxv">lxxxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Roderigo and Josef, with the assistance of Behaim, render the astrolabe useful for seaman, <a href="#Page_li">li</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">condemn the proposed enterprise of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lii">lii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Roldan, the enemy of Columbus, perishes in a storm, <a href="#Page_lxxvi">lxxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Sais, priests of, their story of the Island of Atlantis, <a href="#Page_v">v</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sandy Point (Punta del Arenal), <a href="#Page_119">119</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">S. Brandan, supposed island of, <a href="#Page_xxvi">xxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">St. Catherine discovered, <a href="#Page_lxiii">lxiii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_253">[253]</span>St. Domingo, <i>see</i> <a href="#Espanola">Española</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">St. Martin (Island of) discovered, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">St. Ursula and the eleven thousand virgins (Islands of) discovered, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">San Miguel (Cape), <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— Salvador (Watling’s Island), name given by Columbus to Guanahani, <a href="#Page_2">2</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Santa Cruz (Island of) discovered, <a href="#Page_38">38</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— Maria la Antigua (Island of) discovered, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— Maria de Concepcion (Long Island) discovered, <a href="#Page_2">2</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— Maria la Redonda (Island of) discovered, <a href="#Page_34">34</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Santander (Serna) on the earliest date of the first edition of the <i>Imago Mundi</i>, <a href="#Page_xlvi">xlvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Scandinavians supposed to have peopled America, <a href="#Page_viii">viii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sepulchre in Cariay, <a href="#Page_199">199</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Serpent’s mouth, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Snakes in Española, <a href="#Page_42">42</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Soderini (Pietro), Vespucci’s schoolfellow, the letter intended for him, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Solon, remarkable story related to, <a href="#Page_v">v</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Soria (Juan de), the complaint of Columbus respecting his conduct, <a href="#Page_98">98</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sousa, Faria y, silent respecting the Cortereals, <a href="#Page_xxviii">xxviii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">supposed discovery of Newfoundland, <a href="#Page_xxviii">xxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spice in Española, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">trees, <a href="#Page_67">67</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spinning and weaving among the Caribbees, <a href="#Page_29">29</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sugar canes, <a href="#Page_81">81</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sumner (Mr. George), his search in the archives of Aragon and Barcelona for records of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxvi">lxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Szkolny (John), Polish pilot said to have discovered America in 1476, <a href="#Page_xxix">xxix</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Talavera, his opposition to the projects of Columbus, <a href="#Page_liv">liv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tartars supposed to have peopled America, <a href="#Page_vi">vi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Terra firma, note on the supposed discovery in the second voyage, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">discovered in the third voyage, <a href="#Page_121">121</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Theopompus, his story relating to the “New World”, <a href="#Page_iv">iv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Thorwald, Lief’s brother explores the coast of America, <a href="#Page_xii">xii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toinard (Nicolas), his correction of Leibnitz, <a href="#Page_xxxviii">xxxviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Torfæus (Thormodus), Norwegian historian, relates the discovery of America by the Northmen, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Torres (Antonio de), Columbus begs the King and Queen to confirm his appointment as governor of the city of Isabella, <a href="#Page_92">92</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">—— (Doña Juana de la), letter of Columbus to, <a href="#Page_lxxii">lxxii</a>, <a href="#Page_152">152</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toscanelli (Paolo), his correspondence with Martins and afterwards with Columbus, <a href="#Page_xlv">xlv</a>, <a href="#Page_xlviii">xlviii</a>, <a href="#Page_xlix">xlix</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Trinidad, Island of, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">violent currents between it and Garcia, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">city of, <a href="#Page_222">222</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tristan (Diego) killed by Indians, <a href="#Page_220">220</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Turk’s Island, supposed landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Turner’s (Sharon) curious surmise respecting Columbus, <a href="#Page_liii">liii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Turuqueira and Ayay, probably the two islands which form Guadaloupe, <a href="#Page_31">31</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tychsen’s opinion on the Arabian expedition, <a href="#Page_xx">xx</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst" id="Vadianus">Vadianus (Joachim) uses the name of America in 1512, <a href="#Page_lxxxvi">lxxxvi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Varnhagen (Señor de), his opinion on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lx">lx</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">proved to be mistaken, <a href="#Page_lxii">lxii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">referred to on the subject of the earliest edition of the first letter, <a href="#Page_cxxv">cxxv</a>, <a href="#Page_cxxvii">cxxvii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Venetian expedition to America, <a href="#Page_xxii">xxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Veragua, Columbus arrives there in his fourth voyage, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">gold mines, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">custom with regard to burial of the chiefs, <a href="#Page_203">203</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Vespucci (Amerigo), his letter addressed to Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de’ Medici, <a href="#Page_lxxxii">lxxxii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the question of his voyage discussed, <a href="#Page_lxxxiii">lxxxiii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">the way in which his name was given to America, <a href="#Page_lxxxv">lxxxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Vicente (Martin), Portuguese pilot, confirms Columbus in his idea of land to the West, <a href="#Page_xliii">xliii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Villacorta recommended to the notice of the King and Queen, <a href="#Page_105">105</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Vineland, New England, <a href="#Page_xii">xii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Vitalis (Ordericus) speaks of the country visited by the Scandinavians, <a href="#Page_ix">ix</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst" id="Waldseemuller"><span class="pagenum" id="Page_254">[254]</span>Waldseemüller (Martin), his <i>Cosmographiæ Introductio</i>, <a href="#Page_lxxxiv">lxxxiv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Washington Irving on the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lviii">lviii</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">disproved, <a href="#Page_lxii">lxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Watling’s Island proved to be the landfall of Columbus, <a href="#Page_lxi">lxi</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Watt (Joachim), <i>see</i> <a href="#Vadianus">Vadianus</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Welsh expedition to America, <a href="#Page_xx">xx</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Williams (Dr.) advocates the truth of the Welsh expedition, <a href="#Page_xxii">xxii</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Xamaná, a province of Española, <a href="#Page_41">41</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Xuragoa (Xaragua), <a href="#Page_232">232</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Yams in Española, <a href="#Page_63">63</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yañez (Vincent), helps the disaffected in Española, <a href="#Page_156">156</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yaque (River) in Española, <a href="#Page_45">45</a></li>
+
+<li class="ifrst">Zeno (Nicolò and Antonio), Venetian nobles, their expedition, <a href="#Page_xxii">xxii</a>, <a href="#Page_xxiv">xxiv</a>;</li>
+  <li class="isub1">map published by their descendant, <a href="#Page_xxv">xxv</a></li>
+
+<li class="indx">Zuruquia, ducks found there, <a href="#Page_43">43</a></li>
+
+</ul>
+
+<p class="titlepage">T. RICHARDS, 37, QUEEN STREET, W.C.</p>
+
+<figure class="figcenter illowp81" style="max-width: 18.75em;">
+  <img class="w100" src="images/victoria.jpg" alt="">
+</figure>
+
+<div style='text-align:center'>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 77820 ***</div>
+</body>
+</html>
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author	www-data <www-data@mail.pglaf.org>	2026-01-30 16:00:07 -0800
committer	www-data <www-data@mail.pglaf.org>	2026-01-30 16:00:07 -0800
commit	957ff9a85fbb5663bd0921a15687dd2ed5eee379 (patch)
tree	20e81f720f5980ae8c5b168a5b52b00daa8f454c /77820-h