The morning call., 1892-11-20

covery of America and paying honor to the
memory OF Columbus the GenOeSe the little
town OF Calvi. in Corsica, was reyering
columbus the Corsican. A few steps from
Inc otrada del Flo, where, in 1441, tradition
says that Columbus saw the light of day.
was laid the foundation of monument to
be raised by public subscription to the
| memory of the great discoverer. A Presj-
dental decree of 1882 approved the erection
of this monument. because of the siege
Calvi sustained in 1884 against the Eng
lish. Then the national convention gave to
CalvI tricolor flag bearing this device:
"a La Fidee Vile de Cavi-La Patrie Re
cOnnaissante." a century later France ex-
presses her gratitude to the town that at
the price OF blood obtained the right to keep
upon her walls the motto "Ciyitas Calvi
Sem per Fideis!"
The town OF Calyi maintains its claim to
christopher Columbus by tradition and
substantial proof for that tradition, the
family Colombo lived in Calvi and in the
Rue Colombo. This Rue Colombo dates
from the earliest times and in the fifteenth
century was called Strada del Flo. that is
street OF thread or OF weavers. Everybody
knows that Dominique Columbus, father of
christopher. was carder of wool, but all
do not know that many Inhabitants of Calvi
accompanied Columbus to America, and
some OF these had high positions under the
dlScOverer. In his first voyage the admiral
was surrounded by CoIsicans and i'm his
second no had with him many Franciscans.
lie wished his fleet to be commanded by
Michel Angelo BOttaglini and by the pilot
Morgana, 0oth from the town of Calvi.
1t Is said that Napoleon had a guard of
400 COrsicans in the island of Elba and that
often he talked with them of his famous
compatriot, Christopher Columbus. He
even suggested that the discoveries history
De written with reference to his COrsiean
origin. True, Christopher Columbus did
call himself a Gen0ese, but Caiyi belonged
to the republic of Genoa. At Saint Domingo
has been found inscribed in the Spanish
language on rough stone this inscription.
Cursed be the Corsican WHO brought me
mere! PERHAPS the author of this inscrip-
ton was one of Columbus thirty-eight com
panions who were left to the mercy of
CaOnabo.
Two or three years ago the Able Peretti,
a Corsican priest, member OF many scien-
tine and historical societies, sent me most
wonderful work. called "Christopher CO.
lumbus-Frenchman, Corsican and Native
or Calvi." The able asked me to read and
acknow ledge that the fundamental prinri-
pies Of my education were incorrect, ana
that America was discovered not by Chris
TOPPER Columbus, the Genoese, but by
Christopher Columbus, the COrsirau. After
reading the work | felt that If Christopher
Columbus were not born in the Strada del
w.
Calvi, Corsica, he was never born any,
where. In the first part of the book there
are critical analyses of the writings of
Giustiniani, Gallo and F0glietta, all con-
temporary with Columbus These all said
the dis 'overer was bonn in Genoa, bat
Able Peretti informs us that these writers
were all GenOese, land wished for the glory
OF their town. Besides. they spoke of
man whom personally they had never
known, of a man who from earliest infancy
led 1n hO vnH cd
in foreign country" The next witnesses
cited by the Able are Don Ferdinand, Chris
tCpheT's son. and Barthelemy de las Casas,
his friend. The son tells where his father
was not born, without giving the name of
his birthplace. and tells who were not his
| ancestors, without stating who they WERE
! The friend, Las Casas, knew but one fact
| respecting the navigator-he was born in
| country connected In some way with Genoa,
| but in what country he does not state.
| In CasoGi'S ANNALS Of Genoa" we find
| the complete history OF Christopher Column
| bus, and evidently Casoni is the originator
| of the tradition that Columbus was born at
| Genoa. But Casoni was Genoese and wrote
| his annals in the eighteenth century for the
| Qualification of Genoa, By his contradic-
tions and vague references to public writ
ings." neither cited nor produced. Casoni
| inspires little or no con fidenee in the mind
of a thoughtful reader.
From The writings OF contemporaries and
| followers Of Christopher Columbus the
| able makes these deductions:
| FirSt-That Christopher Columbus, ac-
| cording TO the testimony of all these authors
| was "Genoese"
Seccnd-According to their unanimous
| testimony his father was a woolcarder and
| weaver.
| Third-That not writer before Casoni
| gives the name of his ancestors; his son.
| Don Fernand, however, says that Chris
| topher was the son of Dominica.
| Fourth-Ihas CBSoni is partial to Genoa
and his statements repose on no foundation.
| Fifth-Casoni is not exact enough. His
| deception is too perceptible for belief In his
word. Besides, the Genoese authors have
not accepted Casoni's work as serious.
Sixth-The one point on which the
| authors agree is that Christopher Columbus
| had two brothers -Bartolomeo and Gia-
| como-and that at the age OF IA years
Christopher was apprenticed to his uncle
| Christopher, nephew himself of another
| CHRISTOPHER. both captains Of renown.
AT the time of Columbus birth Genoa
| was city and republic; the word ''GenoeSe"
| therefore might mean a citizen of the city
| of Genoa, or citizen Of the republic of
| Genoa. AS Calvi belonged to the Genoese
| republic, native of Calvi was Gepoese. and
| more than that, Calvi was considered one
with the city of Genoa. and the inhabitants
| OF Calvl possessed especial privileges. No
documents relating to the Columbus family
| at Calvi are lacking from the sixteenth to
the eighteenth century, but in 1882 the
| archives OF tho fifteenth century were
burned; that Is one reason why nothing re-
lating to the family of Columbus before
| that date can be found at Calvi.
In Strada del Flo, now called Columbus
street. Caivl, are the ruins Of a house occu-
pied until the end Of the eighteenth CEN
| tury by family Columbus. The house was
| destroyed in 1894 by an English shell and
| now it is ruin-a confused heap of earth
| and stones, without preteDson to architect
urai form. In 1882. while searching among
these ruins, workmen found the stone that
surmounted the entrance door. Under the
| lime and sand were discovered the follow
| ing carvings: In the center was revolv-
ing compass; at the right tower, a sphere
and the polar star; at the left another
| tower. surmounted by colombo (dove), a
cross and second sphere. July IA.
| 1884, some Italians nearly DESTROYED
| these carvings, but some portions may
still be seen at the City Hail,
| Calvi. After the siege in 1894 there re-,
| manned only 133 inhabitants In Calyi. and
| to-day In the town there are not more than
| four or i've OF the original families of Calyi
| Perhaps this accounts for the delay In un-
earthing the ruins of Columbus house.
| Possibly foreign writer's have not spoken of
| Corsica as the birthplace OF Columbus be-
| cause the navigator was continually chang
| ing his country. he was a cosmopolitan,
| belonging to all nations and seeming to pos
| sess none. Corsican historians hated Geno-
! csc tyranny, and, In their minds, Calyi and
| Genoa were son and mother; that may ex-
| plain their silence as TO the birthplace
| of Columbus. Another reason is this:
| Corsica had few archives, because the
| Genaese destroyed them or changed
| them to suit their own purposes. Genoese
| writer's even tried to conceal the date when
| the republic of Genoa took possession OF
| Corsica. The authors, who did not hesitate
| to disfgure history in order to exalt their
| own country, are the ones who tell us that
| the admiral of the ocean was GenOese.
| Both Able Peretti and Able Casanova.
| another partisan of Calvi, cite traditions
| that have been transmitted from century to