Arizona republican., 1892-10-07
The First American Immigrant


Some people have been curious to
know when the first Irishman came to
America. They may or may not be sur
prised to find that the exact date, cor
rected to suit the modern style of
reckoning, was Oct. 81, l492. There
was an Irishman on board the Columbus
fleet that discovered the western world
1t will be 400 years this coming Oct. 81
when the first Irishman set foot in
America. Irish occupancy therefore
antedates both that of Knickerbocker
and Puritan. The Irish are our real old
families. IL may be mentioned that one
Of Columbus sailors was an English
man, There were two Italians besides
Columbus-Genoese sailors-but all the
rest were Spauiards. 1t is a curious
turn of fate that the nationalities that
were least represented in those ships of
discovery are now the ones, with their
descendants, that mainly own and peo-
pie North America.
Sept, IL will be the day, 400 years ago,
when the sailors of Columbus had
their last sight of land in Europe. Now
adays the trouble would have been to
keep the men back, and even the women
who want to go out and discover new
worlds, But it was not like that in the
day of Columbus. He could scarcely
get sailors at all TO man his three little
crafts, the largest, the flagship, being
only ninety feet long. The ninety sea
men who constituted the crew had been
secured partly by the amiable press gang
system in vogue in those days. Many of
them, too, were criminals who had been
pardOned on condition that they go on
the expedition. A jolly lot they must
have been. Columbus inaugurated
among them the original American plan
of doctoring the returns He dared not
let them know how far the ships sailed
during the voyage, or they would have
thrown him overheard and turned the
ships noses the other way. So he doc
tored the logbook and made it announce
that they had sailed $50 miles less than
they actually had done. Meantime he
kept up their spirits, this adroit "Ad-
miral Don Cristobal Colon" by scatter
ing among the sailors the following
proclamation:
When our beloved sovereigns honorod me
with iha on Of ADMIRAL nd oil
in those secret seas toward which we are now
steering, considered it as the most glorious
and joyful event Of my life, as | now consider
this moment, which seems painful 10 some of
you, as second to II only in Joy. The end of
our voyage is Cathay, a country known to lie
In the uppermost eastern extremity OF Asia,
whittier IL has been reached by Christian trav-
elers. Our voyage is different from all others
in the circumstance that we go west, not east.
| act 10 this on conviction that the earth is
round, whence II follows that tho Atlantic
must hcVc a western boundary Of land as well
as an eastern, and certain calculations make
IL certain that this western boundary, which
is Cathay, cannot be more than thirty days
sailing from us.
and silks aud merchandise more than any
land, however wealthy, In all Europe. or tho
advantages of reaching such country ye may
judge readily. Going not as invaders, but as
Christian friends, we will meet the most
friendly reception and be laden with presents.
lspeak now of the honor Of being the fret 10
carry the cross to the heather world Neither
the church nor It's great Master forgets the
servltor who advances the cross, and we may
count on blessings both now and hereafter.
A more striking mixture of shrewd-
ness, avarice, hypocrisy and piety can
scarcely be found in history than this
proclamation. To further keep up the
spirits of the crew they were reminded
of Queen lsabella's promise of pension
of 100000 maravedis' Sl2Wa year to the
man who should first see land. BY the
corrected chronology o'clock in the
morning, Oct 81, will DO the anniversary
Of the exact hour, 400 years ago, wher
the first actual land Of tho New World
was seen and by common sailor,
Rodriguez Triana, But poor Rodriguez