The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-11-13

/ AcuHa, Ine captain OF large Portuguese
man-of-war, stationed at Rastello, sum.
moned Columbus on board his ship to
4 give an account of himself and his yes.
sci. The latter asserted his rights and
! dignities as admiral of the Castilian SOW.
ereigns, and refused to leave his vessel,
or to send any one in his place. No
sooner, however, did the commander
learn his rank and the extraordinary ma
ture of his voyage than he came to the
caravel with great sound of drums, fifes,
and trumpets, manifesting the courtesy
of brave and generous spirit, and max.
ing the fullest offer of his services.
When the tidings reached Lisbon Of
! this wonderful bark anchored in the
! Tagus, freighted with the people and
| productions of o newly discovered world,
the effect may be mere easily conceived
than described. Lisbon for nearly a
century had derived it's chief glory from
its maritime discoveries but here was
an achievement that eclipsed them all.
Curiosity could scarcely have been more
excited had the vessel come freighted
with the wonders of another planet.
For several days the Tagus presented a
| gay and moving picture, covered with
barges and boats Of every kind. swarm
| ing round the caravel. From morning
till night the vessel was thronged with
visitors, among whom were cavaliers Of
high distinction and various officers of
| the crown.
All hung with rapt attention upon the
accounts given by Columbus and his
crew, of the events of their voyage and
Of the New World they had discovered,
and gazed with Unsuitable curiosity upon
the specimens of unknown plants and
animals, but above all upon the In
dians, SO different from any race of men
hitherto known. Some were filed with
generous enthusiasm at the idea of dis
covery SO sublime and SO beneficial to
mankind; the avarice of others was in
famed by the description of wild, unap.
propriated regions teeming with gold,
with pearls and spices, while others re-
pined at the incredulity of the king and
his councillors, by which SO immense an
acquisition had been forever lost to
Portugal
On the 9Th of March cavalier called
Don Martin de Norona came with let
ter from King John congratulating Co
lumbus ON his arrival and inviting him
to court, which was then at Valparaiso,
about nine leagues from Lisbon. The
king, with his usual magnifcence, issued
orders at the same time that everything
which the admiral required for himself,
his crew or his vessel should be fur
nished promptly and abundantly, with
out cost,
Columbus would gladly have declined
the royal invitation, feeling distrust of
the good faith of the king; but tcmpestu-
Gus weather had placed him in his power,
and he thought it prudent to avoid all
appearance of suspicion. He set forth,
therefore, that very evening for Val
paraiso, accompanied by his pilot. The
first night he slept at Sacamben, where
preparations had been made for his hon.
orable entertainments The weather be-
ing rainy, he did not reach Valparaiso
until the following night On approach
ing the royal residence, the principal
cavaliers of the kings household came
forth to meet him, and attended him
with great ceremony to the palace. His
reception by the monarch was worthy of
an enlightened prince. He ordered him
to seat himself in his presence, an honor
only granted to persons of royal dignity;
and after many congratulations on the
result Of his enterprise, assured him that
everything in his kingdom that could be
of service to his sovereigns or himself
was at his command
A long conversation ensued, in which
Columbus gave an account of his voy-
age and OF the countries he had discov-
cred. The king listened with much
seeming pleasure, but with secret grief
and modification, rejecting that this
splendid enterprise had once been offered
to himself and had been rejected. A
casual observation showed what was
passing in his thoughts. He expressed
q doubt whether the discovery did not
really appertain to the crown of Rortu-
gal, accoIding to the capitulations of the
treaty of 1879 with the Castilian SOW
ereigns. Columbus replied that he had
never seen those capitulations, nor knew
anything of their nature; his orders had
been not to go to La Nina, ner the coast
Of Guinea, which orders he had care
fully observed The king made gra-
cious reply, expressing himself satisfied
that he had acted correctly, and per-
suaded that these matters would be
readily adjusted between the two pow
ers without the need of umpires. On
dismissing Columbus for the night he
gave him in charge as guest to the prior
Of Crato, the principal parsonage present,
by whom he was honorably and hospita-
bly, entertained.
On the following day the king made
many minute inquiries as to the soil, pro.
auctions and people Of the newly a.,
covered countries, and ther3ute taken in
the vaFaae, to all = :, nich Columbus gave
siie II, .-ssl'replies. endeavoring to show
in the clearest manner that these were
regions heretofore undiscovered and un-
appropriated by any Christian power.
Still the king was uneasy lest this vast
and underlined discovery should in some
way interfere with his own newly ac-
quired territories. He doubted whether
Columbus had not found short way
to those very countries which were the
object Of his own expeditions, and which
were comprehended in the papal bull,
granting to the crown of Portugal all
the lands which it should discover from
Cape Non to the Indies.
On suggesting these doubts to his
councillors they eagerly confirmed them.
Some of these were the very persons