Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-16

| ssSo-0ke O0sWccu AUOOu 8uQ NeW IOfk. 10 Dc
sure, the report Of the society, which was given
early this spring. was unfAvorable 10 the pro-
| posed line OF steamers, bat solely on the ground
81 the lack OF Portuguese capital and bushes,
fortitude. The natural advantages are thought
TO be great-the relatively shorter distance. the
decreased resistance Of the gulf stream, the
freedom Of this route from icebergs, not to
mention the stop for fruit and water or in case
| Of accident in the harbor of Fayal. With the
possibility Of . scamper on land, il only for two
hours four days after leaving New York. the
most timid and seasick subjects would be willing
to tempt the sec. Now that the American flag
u again TO be seen at the masts Of at least one
Hne Of fAst transatlantic steamers why should
net American capital make possible steamship
line which the Portuguese have been alert
During this year Of Columbus enthusiasm IL
y beginning to be remembered how near Por-
tu6al came to sending out Columbus before
spain bad taken him up, and that Lisbon was
the first port entered by Columbus on his re-
turn from the discovery Of the new world.
Why Columbus did this instead Of making
straight for Spanish port, O. he should have
done, is question which caused Columbus
himself some difficulty to explain TO the Span
ish kings He says that he was driven in by a
storm, but he certainly cannot have been
driven by that storm 10 seek an interview with
the Portuguese king. Perhaps IL was partly
Tor . sentimental reason that he made q stop at
Lisbon. for his first wife was buried here and
hef family, the Perestrellos, still exists.
ooLuMBus' FIRST WIFE.
| have been promised sight Of the family
tree, and ontil then must content myself with
| the details furnished by Donna Maria Eugenia
de 6ouza Perestrello. owe this to the kind
ness OF Mrs. Regina Nancy, q Virginia lady,
long resident in Lisbon, and who has been
womsn's department of the Portuguese ex-
hibit at the Chicago fair. may say in passing
that her relations with Portuguese society
| would greatly help her to this end if she were
properly encouraged by the authorities Of the
exposition. But perhaps this is hoping too
much. CHANGED one day to enter into one Of
the large shops in her company and found in
side no less . parsonage than the Dowager
Queen Maria Pia, daughter of Victor Emanuel.
This sweet-faced royal lady, who, in spite Of be-
ing the mother Of the present king, Is scarcely
vet past carly middle age, at once turned cor
daily and gave her hand to my companion. 1
will simply add that whatever work Of any kind
in the interest Of the worlds fair has been done
insPortugal up to the present writing has been
done entirely and without remuneration by
| Mrs. Nancy. Now for the story Of Columbus
and Donna Philippe as given in the family
legends OF the Perestrellos:
christopher Columbus when in Lisbon had
the habit Of going every morning to mass at
the church Of convent Of nuns, where he saw
Donna Philippe Moniz Perestrello. the daughter
Of Donna label Moniz Perestreno, who was the
third wife and now widow Of Bartholomew
Perestrello, ON whom had been bestowed the
island Of Porto Santo, which he discovered
| After the death Of the husband and father
these two women had retired to this convent
Donna Philippe was very young and without
| fortune, - her brother had ruined himself bv
expenses made to found colony in the isle Of
Porto Santo. Columbus fell in love with this
young lady and married her in the year 147l
The only dowry which his bride brought him
l h<Hv asv~s~,
papers Of navigation and cosmography. which
| had belonged to her father. Some time after
his marriage Columbus established himself in
the isle Of Santo Porto, with his wife and
mother-in-lav, and It was here that his son
Diego was born. During the time he lived at
Porto 6anto Columbus undertook voyages to
Madeira, the Azores and the coast Of Africa
His wife was already dead when he went into
Spain with Diego in the year 1854. Diego Co.
lumbus declared in his will that his mother was
buried In Lisbon, in the chapel of a monastery
| Of Carmelitee."
Columbus himself went from Lisbon along
the coast to Huelva and the port of Palos, in
| SPAIN where his brother-in-law was living and
where he finally set out for the discovery of
the Indies / have spent some time there re-
Gently and have been greatly interested in the
preparations made for celebrating his expedi-
| ton.
| THE COMING CELEBRATION AT PALos.
/ W. "-S AA6ns VI Ao6uos - AoSS, uiOo Will Uo
in fine state Of agitation. Palos is now Door
village Of thousand inhabitants, but the whole
district, from which the greater number of the
adnirars assistants and crew were taken looks
| on the fourth centenary of the event as its
| own especial property. Accordingly great
efforts are being made, with the help Of the
Spanish government, to draw many people
are to be held in this little corner of Spain on
the Atlantic coast from August g. the date of
the first departure of Columbus, until the
month OF October, the time Of the discovery of
| land in America.
| Three towns here, Palos. Huelva and Moguer,
share with each other the glory Of having built,
equipped and manned the caravels Together
they furnished twenty-six Of the mariners
| forming the greater part of the crews of the
Nina and the Pinta, commanded by the Pinzon
brothers, who were also natives of Palos
Maestro Alonsa, the physician on board the
Santa Maria, was from Moguer, while among
| the seventy-one Spaniards who persisted in His
pamela at the hands of the Indians In one Of the
later expeditions Of Columbus the greater part
were Of Palos and Moguer. Lastly, It should not
be forgotten that despite the touching anecdote
OF Isabella pawning her jewels, which is known
to be untrue, two Of the caravels were mainly
equipped at the expense Of private citizens Of
Pslos.
! Prizes have been offered by the Columbian
Society for competitions, both musical and liter
|
the union Of Spain and Spanish America, a
hymn to the discoverers Of the new world, an
epic poem on the discovery Of the new world
historic study Of the peopiing of America, BIZ
ographicl notice OF Columbus chief friend,
Marchena; critical study of the Spanish sys-
tenn Of colonization In America, and a chrono-
logical photography Of works relating to Co
lumbus and the discovery Of the new world.
THE TOWN OF HuKLvA.
Huelva has recently sprung into consider
able Importance through the operations of the
Rio Nnto Mining Company, an extremely rich
English German concern. Its copper. lead.
| tin and silver mines are several hours distant
in the interior, but Huelva is the shipping port.
They have partly disfgured the port with
their great docks and iron pier, but in return
have built what is without doubt the best hotel
in Spain. There was a time during the life of
the late King Alfonso when q concession was
expected to run great gambling establishment
at Huelva, In the style Of that at Monte Carlo,
The great building Of the Hotel Colon was
erected as o casino. But Alfonso died and the
plan went to pieces. The next best thing was
to make II hotel. It is q good one, though
ridiculously too large and fine for such an out
of-the-wsy place % Huelva.
Apart from its connection with Columbus
expedition, this little district lying as it does
| at the confluence of two large rivers lust be-