Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-05-31
DISCOVERING AMERICA.


The Real Friends of Col umbus Mt tho
Court of Spain.
The statement is sometimes made that
Queen Isabella of Spain pawned her
jewels in order to provide funds for fit
ting out the expedition for the discovery
OF America This is very old story told
first not long after the death of Column
bus, and though it is not true its origin
is not difficult to discover. AS every
fact about the great voyage is of inter-
est to Americans, especially now that
we are soon to celebrate its four hum
dredth anniversary, the facts about the
raising of the money are of special iu-
terest.
Columbus went to the Spanish court
to lay his ambitious project before the
king and queen just as the last great
stronghold of the Moors, Grenada had
surrendered to the forces of Ferdinand
and Isabella.
In some respects it was an inopportuno
time The country was exhausted by
the war which had just closed with this
splendid success, ana the joint mOnarchs
were not inclined to embark upon any
new and uncertain adventure and,
what was more important, the treasures
of both Aragon and CASTLE were nearly
empty. Queen Isabella, in fact, had
been compelled to pledge her jewels to
get money for the prosecution of the
war against the Moors.
The Genoese navigator pleaded his
cause in vain. Both king and queen
listened coldly to his enthusiastic plans,
in which the recovery of the Holy Sep
ulchre from the Turks was strangely
mingled. They refused to assist his en-
terprise, and Columbus, in despair, left
Grenada, intendin. to make u final eff
fort for assistance at the French court.
At his audience with the Spanish
monarchs, however, there We're two per-
sons who were convinced of the truth of
his daring theories, or at least of the
wisdom of attempting to prove them to
be true They We're, singularly, the
finance mini i.r5 OF the two crowns, 81.
Angel, for Al. ,Un, and Quintanilla, for
CASTLE.
st. Angel obtained an audience as
soon as possible with the queen, and 50
warm was his advocacy OF the theories
of the Genoese stranger, 50 convincing
his arguments for assisting him, that
Isabella, fired by enthusiasm, exclaimed,
81 undertake the enterprise tor my own
crown OF CASTLE, and will ledge my
private jewels to raise the necessary
funds.
The minister assured her that this gem
crous measure would be unnecessary,
and fastened from the royal presence
to send messenger after Columbus,
who speedily returned to Granada. The
arrangements for the expedition were
speedily made st. Angel supplied
about II 900 tlorins from the treasury of
Aragon.
The three Pinzon brothers, shipbuild-
ers at Palos de Mosuer, loaned Column
bus one-eghth of the necessary money.
he having assumed this share of the ex-
pense in consideration of his receiving
one-eighlh of the profits. They also
furnished additional money and two OF
the vessels, and all three of the brothers
went upon the expedition, two as cap
taIns of the caravals La Nina and La
Pinta, the other as a pilot. The third
vessel, La Pinta, was impressed, to the
great terror of the owner and the crew.
1t may be we'll to add that Columbus
repaid the loan made by st. Angel with
the gold which he brought back from
the New World on his first voyage. A
portion of this gold was employed in
gliding the vaults and ceilings of the
royal saloon of King Ferdinand's grand
palace at Zaragoza, OF Saragossa, the
Aljaferia, where possibly it may still be
visible to the American pilgrim.