, 1869-03-07

The question Of Columbus' birthplace
has been almost a. hotly contested ~ that Of
Homer's. 4 auccession OF pamphleteers had
dispent ,ta.R n sisses 70 % Be- W ths Sista
place Of the great Navigator; but still archn-
ologists wero divided on tho subject when,
1t ! comparatively recent period, the dts.
coyery Of the Will Ii which Columbus be.
Genos. conciusisely settled The point In favor
OF that city. +" Thence came" be says1
j" and there was born" As to the date Of
(. his birth there II no such direct evidence
and copjcctu,ra and inltEences, founded On
various statements IN bis own writings, and
| twenty years from 1895 to LASS, In
| attempting to assign tho precise time Of
his appearance In the world. Mr.. Irving
adopts The earlier Of these two dates, upon
authority Of remark by De.ah1dez, the cu-
rato OF Los Paltcios, which speahs of the
good old age, being seventy years old, a Ill.
&c more or lesp.n But this statement has an
air Of vagueness, and Is, moreover, incousts-
tent with several pxfsagcs In Columbus' own
letters. And the evidence Of the ancient hu-
tnorities who seem most TO b relied on,
points rather to the year 1447 or 1913 As the
probable date. Els father was wool carder |;
but this fact does not necessarily imply, In
city Of traders like Genoa, that his family
was Of particularly humble origin: Al any
| D.
great nan'a birth Is thrown upon is records,
n:mes not altogether unworthy to
be inscribed among. the great mans
aucestou. Christopher was not, ,he
court, tie arst Admiral Of Is famly-refer.
ring, evidently, to TWO nayM commanders
be arinr his name, who had attained some
distinctlon In the maritime service Of Genoa
and France, and the younger Of whom, Col
squadron in the expedition undertaken BY
John Of Aniou against Naples for the recov
cry Of the Neapolltan crown. But hts rela.
tlonship with these coIombos, Ii ltraeeable 81
ali, was only very distant one, and his .on
being necessity TO borrow any from his an
.. cestors. Al very early age he became
/ student at the University Of paFIA, where b
J laid tho foundations Of thst knowledge o
! mathematics and natural sclcnce, which rtoo'
5 him In good stead throughout Ills Lift. Al Gt
! roR he would naturally regard the sea Is th
! great field Of enterprise which produced ha,
1 vests OF rich wnrts and epo3is OF glorious VIC
: tories and he may have heard, now m
then, news Of the latest conclusions Of th
explorations down the African coast, whlc
), would be sure 10 excite Interest among th
y maritime population Of his birthplace. It
!, not wonderful thAt, exposed to such InAs
!. euces, he preferred ltfe Of adventure on II
= Sea to the d1udgery OF his fathers trade /
Genoa. Accordingly, aflcr finishing b
!, academical courst At Pavia. be spent but
u few irkeome months Is carder Of wool IL
:. tor pannQ ard actually entered on b
1e nautical career before he WITS nftet
q a years old. Of his many voyages, which
be 1hrm took place before, sud which atter. b
Y coming 10 PcrtnR1l, ,wehhveno distinct recor
* bu& are SURG that he traYtssed a large part
u The known world, that be visited Euglan
=, that he made bis way 10 Iceland and Fri
10 land (where he may possibly have hea
na vague tales Of the discoveries by the Mort
lta men in North AmerIca}, that he had been
~ II Nina, on the coast Of Guines, and that
IN had seen The Islhrds Of the Gstcian Arrhip
sec ago. II have been seeking out the secrets
~ lse nature Tor forty yean," be says, "and VIII
" ever ship has sailed, there hare yoyages
a'a But bcJond few Ta9ue alluslons Of this I'll
We know Scarcely anything Of these Gu
voyages. However, ho mentions phrtt
latly his having been employed
King Rene Of Provence 10 Intercept . Fe'
tan Haniot. And this exploit furun
,ed illustrations both Of his bolanesa and
tact. During the voyage the news !
brought That the oalhot WIS conyoyed
- thrca other vasse1s. Thercupon the Ct
en oa- were unwilling to hazard an engagrmf
sne and inklsted that Columbus should return
OF Marsellle4 for reinforcement Colum
NC made fclut Of acquleaceoce, but cral
w arranged the compass 30 that It hppea
~! that theY were retul ming, while they +
M M.e1 really steering their original course, and
'u1 st1iSed at Caftha2eua on the next motnl
e!l- thinking Ill the while that they were In
LOT esil for Aa,seilies. ."-Reip's Ll(e Of Co9sH'a