poems, plays, prophecies, letters, and narratives written by the men of Columbus' day, dealing with the great navigator's achievement. Another scholar, Justin Winsor, notes over sixty existing authentic writings of Columbus himself. The "Capitulation," or terms of agreement between Columbus and the Spanish sovereigns, signed at Granada, April 17, 1492, were as follows:

The things supplicated which your Highnesses give and declare to Christopher Columbus in some satisfaction for what he is to discover in the oceans, and for the voyage which now, with the aid of God, he is about to make therein in the service of your Highnesses, are as follows:

First, that your Highnesses as Lords that are of the said oceans make from this time the said Don Christopher Columbus your Admiral in all those islands and mainlands which by his hand and industry shall be discovered or acquired in the said oceans during his life, and after his death his heirs and successors, from one to another perpetually. . . .

Likewise, that your Highnesses make the said Don Christopher your Viceroy and Governor General in all the said islands and mainlands, . . . and that for the government of each one and of any one of them, he may make selection of three persons for each office, and that your Highnesses may choose and select the one who may be most serviceable to you. . . .

Item, that all and whatever merchandise, whether it be pearls, precious stones, gold, silver, spices, and other things whatsoever... which may be bought, bartered, discovered, acquired, or obtained within the limits of the said Admiralty, your Highnesses grant henceforth to said Don Christopher, and will that he may have and take for himself the tenth part of all of them ... the other nine parts remaining for your Highnesses. . . .

Item, that in all the vessels which may be equipped for the said traffic. . . the said Admiral may if he wishes contribute and pay the eighth part of all that may be expended in the equipment; and also that he may have and take of the profit the eighth part of all which may result from such equipment. . . .

These are executed and despatched with the responses of your Highnesses at the end of each article in the town of Santa Fé de la Vega de Granada, on the 17th day of April, in the year of the nativity of our Savior Jesus Christ 1492. I, the King. I, the Queen. By order of the King and of the Queen. John de Coloma. Registered, Calçena.

letter to Luis

The first official account of the immortal voyage of 3. Columbus' 1492 is contained in a letter written by Columbus on de Santangel, February 15, 1493, when he was off one of the Azores February 15, in his tiny caravel, the Niña, on his way back to Spain. The letter was addressed to Luis de Santangel, one of King Ferdinand's courtiers.

SIR: As I know that you will have pleasure from the great victory which our Lord hath given me in my voyage, I write you this by which you shall know that in thirty-three days I passed over to the Indies with the fleet which the most illustrious King and Queen, our Lords, gave me; where I found very many islands peopled with inhabitants beyond number. And of them all I have taken possession for their Highnesses, with proclamation and the royal standard displayed; and I was not gainsaid. To the first which I found I gave the name Sant Salvador, in commemoration of His High Majesty who hath marvelously given all this: the Indians call it Guanaham. The second I named the Island of Santa Maria de Concepcion, the third Ferrandina, the fourth Isabella, the fifth La Isla Juana.1... When I reached Juana, I followed its coast westwardly and found it so large that I thought it might be mainland, the province of Cathay: And as I did not thus find any towns or villages on the sea-coast, save small hamlets with the people of which I could not get speech, because they all fled away forthwith, I went on further in the same direction, thinking I should not miss of great cities or towns. . . . I sent two men into the country to learn if there were a king or any great cities. They 1 Cuba.

1493

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poems, plays, prophecies. the men of Columbus' igator's achievement. notes over sixty existin himself. The "Capit between Columbus and Granada, April 17, 14

The things supplicat clare to Christopher C is to discover in the with the aid of God, 1 of your Highnesses, are First, that your Hi oceans make from this your Admiral in all t hand and industry sh oceans during his life sors, from one to and

Likewise, that you pher your Viceroy a and mainlands, .. and of any one of sons for each office select the one who

Item, that all an precious stones, g ever... which m or obtained within nesses grant henc he may have and ... the other nin Item, that in said traffic

and pay t equipmen eighth P

"weapsing
ends Even
sippened

Ne parley,
tesses i besoon as

the wise that even

a father would not because
any hurt had ever been diet-the con-
trary, at every headland where I have been able to hold
speech with them, I gave them everything that I had, as well
dth as many other things, without aping aught therefore;
but such they are, incurably timid... They are straight-
ways content with whatsoever trifle of whatsoever kind be given
them in return for it [their gold and cotton). And I forbade
r anything so worthless as fragments of broken platters and

of broken glass and strap buckles should be given them.
They believed very firmly that I, with these ships and
came from the sky.... Wherever I arrived they went
from house to house and to the neighboring villages, with
"Comel come to see the people from Heaven!"
and to be desired-and once seen, never to be
which in a place most suitable and best for
the mines and for traffic with the mainland

this side [Europe] and with that yonder belonging to
Can [China], I took possession of a large town, which
the city of Navidad. And I have made fortification
and I have left therein men enough, with arms and
nd provisions for more than a year . . . and a great
with the king of that land, to such a degree that
J himself on calling and holding me as his brother. . . .
.*r island, which they assure me is larger than Española,
le have no hair. In this there is incalculable gold; and
ng this and the rest I bring Indians with me as wit-
.. And I believe that I have discovered rhubarb and
, and I shall find that the men whom I am leaving
il have discovered a thousand other things of value. . . .
truth I should have done much more if the ships had
me as well as might reasonably have been expected. . . .
us our Redeemer has given to our most illustrious King
ueen, and to their famous kingdoms, this victory in so
matter, Christendom should have rejoicing therein, and
great festivals and give solemn thanks to the Holy Trinity
e great exaltation they shall have by the conversion of
iny peoples to our holy faith; and next for the tempo-
enefit which will bring hither refreshment and profit, not
to Spain but to all Christians. This briefly, in accord-
with the facts. Dated on the caravel off the Canary
ds, the 15 February of the year 1493

At your command

The Admiral

4. Columbus complains to his son

The last years of Columbus' life were clouded with dispointment, poverty, and sickness. He was greedy of both ime and gold. He had written to his sovereigns on the Diego, December 1,1504 return from his fourth and last voyage to the Indies (1503)

praising

his so

and

tr

h

e a miser. Now, a year later, he writes to
s at the court. His revenues of "tenths
ot been given him (No. 2, p. 6); the
been seized by covetous rivals. He
"the Queen our Lady" to remedy

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travelled for three days and found innumerable small villages and a numberless population but nought of ruling authority. . . . I followed the coast eastwardly for a hundred and seven leagues as far as where it terminated; from which headland I saw another island to the east. . . to which I at once gave the name La Spañola.1 . . . The lands are all most beautiful... and full of trees of a thousand kinds, so lofty that they seem to reach the sky. And I am assured that they never lose their foliage; as may be imagined, since I saw them as green and as beautiful as they are in Spain during May. . . . And the nightingale was singing, and other birds of a thousand sorts, in the month of November. . . . In the earth are many mines of metals; and there is a population of incalculable number. . . . The people have no other weapons than the stems of reeds in their seeding state, on the end of which they fix little sharpened stakes. Even these they dare not use; for many times has it happened that I sent two or three men ashore to some village to parley, and countless numbers of them sallied forth, but as soon as they saw those approach they fled away in such wise that even a father would not wait for his son. And this was not because any hurt had ever been done to any of them: -on the contrary, at every headland where I have . . . been able to hold speech with them, I gave them everything that I had, as well cloth as many other things, without accepting aught therefore; -but such they are, incurably timid. . . . They are straightways content with whatsoever trifle of whatsoever kind be given them in return for it [their gold and cotton]. And I forbade that anything so worthless as fragments of broken platters and pieces of broken glass and strap buckles should be given them.

They believed very firmly that I, with these ships and crews, came from the sky.... Wherever I arrived they went running from house to house and to the neighboring villages, with loud cries of "Come! come to see the people from Heaven!" ... This is a land to be desired,— and once seen, never to be relinquished, in which, in a place most suitable and best for its proximity to the gold mines and for traffic with the mainland

1 Hispaniola or Hayti.