Gloucester County Democrat., 1891-09-03
CHAPTER l.
DEPARTURE OF COLUMBUS ON BIS FIRST
VOYAGE

When Columbu set sail on this men,
orable voyage he commenced a regular
journal intended for the inspection Of
the Spanish sovereigns Like ali his
other transactions, it evinces how deeply
he was impressed with the grandeur and
solemnity of his enterprise. He pro-
posed to keep it, as he afterward OBJ
served, in the manner of the Commenta-
ries Of Cesar. 1t opened with stately
prologue, wherein in the following
words were set forth the motives and
views which led to his expedition:
''In nomine d. N. Jesu Christi. Where
as most Christian, most high, most ex-
cellent and most powerful princes, king
and queen of the Spains, and of the
islands of the sea. our sovereigns, in the
present year Of 1892, after your high
nesses had put an end to the war with
tho Moors who ruled in Europe, and had
concluded that warfare in the great city
of Grenada, where on the Cd Of Jan
uary Of this present year saw the royal
banners Of your highnesses placed by
force Of arms on the towers Of the Al
hambra, which is the fortress of that
city, and beheld the Moorish king sally
forth from the gates of the city and
kiss the royal hands of your high
nesses and of the lord the prince, and
Immediately in that same month, in
consequence of the information which
| had given to your highnesses of the
lands Of India, and Of prince who is
called the grand khan, which is to say in
our language. king of kings; how that
many times he and his predecessors had
sent to Rome to entreat for doctors Of
our holy faith to instruct him in the
same; and that the holy father had never
provided him with them, and thus so
many people were lost. believing in idol
atries and imbibing doctrines of perdi-
ton; therefore, your highnesses, as Cath
Ole Christians and princes, lovers and
promoters of the holy Christian faith and
enemies Of the sect of Mohammed and
of all idolatries and heresies, determined
to send me, Christopher Columbus, to
the said parts Of India to see the said
princes and the people and lands and
discover the nature and disposition of
them all and the means to be taken for
the conversion of them to our holy faith,
and ordered that should not go by land
to the east, by which it is the custom to
60 but by a voyage to the west, by
which course. unto the present time. we
do not know for certain that any one
hath passed Your highnesses. there
fore, after having expelled all the Jews
from your kingdoms and territories.
commanded me in the same month o:
January TO proceed with sufficient
armament to the said parts of India; and
for this purpose bestowed great favors
ward might style myself Don, appoint
ing ne high admiral of the ocean sea
and perpetual viceroy and governor Of
all the islands and continents | should
discover and gain, and which hencefor-
ward may be discovered and gained in
the ocean sea. and that my eldest son
should succeed me. and SO on from gem
Grafton TO generation forever
4 departed therefore from the city OF
Granada on Saturday. the 18th of May,
- Wv 'i>fAS CceA l1Oss ~ = tlDS. Il SEAPORT,
where armed three ships. well calcu-
lated for such service. and sailed from
That port, well furnished with provisions
and with many seamen, on Friday. the
81 Of August, Of the same year, half an
hour before sunrise, and took the route
tor the Canary islands Of your highnesses
( 10 steer my course thence and navigate
until should arrive at the Indies, and
deliver the embassy of your highnesses
to those princes and accomplish that
which you had commanded For this
purpose intend to write during this
voyage very punetuaIly from day to day
all that may do and see and expert
ence, as viii hereafter be seen Also,
my sovereign princes, besides describing
each night az that has occurred in tho
day. and in the day the navigation OF
the night, l propose to make chart, in
which win set down the waters and