The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-11-08

becoming the victim Of feverish haliucina-
ton. which. In Mr.. Winsor's opinion, was IN
disting ulshablo from insanity.
II is. OF course. well understood that the dis
covery OF the New World by Columbus was no
discovery at all In the scientific sense OF the
word. There was nothing calculated ana
expected: IL was n mere chance-fall. me
man who set forth from Palos did not ina
what he was searching for. but stumbled upon
something which he had not sought, 1t
would be preposterous to liken his stroke OF
luck to the achievements OF those astrono-
mers who, by persistently turning their tele-
scopes to u certain quarter OF the heavens.
have detected tho existence OF planet which
they knew must DO there. owing to certain
disturbances observed IN the orbits OF other
members OF tho solar system. Neither. live
regard IN exploit in maritime discovery az
problem distinctly formulated and worked out
to its solution. can the accidental success oil
Columbus be ranked with tho rounding OF the
Capc Of Good HOBO by Vnsco lie Gamn or with
Mhgollan's discovery of n passage from the
Atlantic TO the Pacific. But. although Column
bus's discovery was blunlcr tho blun,,cr rs
Mr. Winsor observes. tore tho veil from II new
world. and the New World Ia his mon
nment But while recognizing tho I'm
pershable foundation Of his fame. the author
OF the book before us. unlike most other biogrn-
piers Of Columbus. deplores the failure OF the
great nav igator to profit by his opportunities.
Tho discovercr OF tho New World might have
been It's father: Ito was its drspoileE Ho
might havc blessed It's young DAYS with be-
nightly such NJ ono likes to associate with u
creator: he did. in fact. hrQuchth to IL legacy
Of devastation and crime. He might have been
an unsclfsh promotcrof geographical science:
l..= u l.s Il fS.r Il IL
a vlceroyaIiy. He might. like Las CGsas.
hive rchuked tho ncndishness of his contem-
poraries: no set them IN example OF merci!css
rapacitv and perverted beliof And so II came
to pass TINT the triumph Of Barcelona led down
to the ignominy OF vallaioid with every step
In the process of degradation rGlratle. re-
suitant. predictnbe
vi.
If Columbus figures among the heroes Of
Prescott aud Irving. Isabella OF CASTLE Is their
chief heroine She also has Jared but i'll under
the cold aud searching light of modern criti-
cism Beneath her cultivated sweetness Of
manners and an air OF outward bcnsnity that
comported we'll with auburn tresscs and blue
eyes. historical research has detected an
amount Of pcridy and deceit which not even
the habits Of her time could palliate Indeed.
Mr. Winsor finds himself rs Il student forced
to acknowledge that In those respects Queen
Isabella. whose splendid soul" we used to
hear extoled. was more culpable oven than
her husband. the VIGOROUSLY frig!d and re-
morseless Ferdinand OF Aragon. The docu
nentary Investigations OF Bcrgenroth have ir
repnrabIy lowered hcr in the destinations Of
historians 1t Is now possible to read in
archives her most secret opinions and
intentions and to gauge the innermost wishes
of queen who was carefully posed
before her contemporaries. At the best She
was an unlovely woman. an INSTRUCTOR Of
Christian charity. who by her wiles. however.
had ailured Columbus to a belief in her loyal
recognition Of his claims. The conventional
view OF her character accented In the cloying
descriptions Of Prescott is such rs fatterers
drew in her own time: it is not verified under
the thousand revealing lenses Of historical re-
search 1t was with hcr much rs with Column
bus: she was too largely Il creature Of her own
age to be judged by the criteria applicable to
all ages. as sterling and lofty characters
can be.
No comptr rpndu OF Mr. Wnsor's book would
have any prstensions to adequacy which over
looked the appendix Of 40 pages. in which the
author has set forth the geographical results
OF Columbus's discovery. We have here a
concise. consecutive. and authoritative record
OF maritime explorations from the arrival of
the Santa Maria at Watling's Island to the dis
covery Of the northwest passage in our time.
n. W. H