The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1892-09-03
TO FOREsTALL COLUMBUS.
A Royal Attempt to Cheat the Great Dis.
e0veref.

Had Columbus persistently held out
to him the promise of immense domin-
ions, fabulous wealth, and far-reaching
empire, Dom John might have yielded
to the potent fascination. But the
sailor demanded two things, both in
compatible with the policy of Dom
Johe-a policy in thorough accord with
his nature and his life; he claimed
rich return, which was not tasteful to
the covetous king, and great power and
authority, incompatible with the royal
prelogative, which had risen to supreme
dominion and had become an articleso<
faith to be accepted Of all men. IL was
impossible to induce Dom John, who
had stripped the Lusitanian mobiles of .
large part of their revenues, to consent
to another's sharing in the profits Of
the territories to be discovered, and even
more impossible to win from him rec
ognition Of such perpetual governor
ship as Columbus asked; q copartner-
ship, as it were, with himself, who at
such cost and by such stern means had
set himself upon the backs Of his mobiles
after struggle 30 bitter that he had
perforce sought aid in it from the in
ternal powers of crime, to insure the
unity, the integrity, and the totality OF
his monarchy.
The indispensable acceptance of the
preliminary and preparatory scheme was
therefore frustrated by the same causes
that so nearly defeated it afterward.
namely, the excessive claims OF COM
mand and tribute for himself put for
ward by the same discoverer. The
king appointed commission to look
into the matter; and this commission
rendered an opinion in perfect conson-
ance with Lusitanian precedents, which
were all in favor Of seeking southern
Africa and the East Indies by shaping
longer courses toward the south. Two
learned doctors, Maestro Joseph and
Maestro Rodrigues, jointly with the
two prelates of Ceuta and Viseu, were
the members Of the commission which
was charged with that most difficult in
vestigation.
But Dom John could not have been
satisfied with the adverse report of the
wiseacres, for he called together the
high council of the crown. This body,
essentially political, composed in greater
part of those jurists TO whom the science
and knowledge of tho Roman law sug-
gested the modern idea OF absolute
power and the creation Of powerful
states, SGT aside the purely scientific
views Of the commission Of technical
cosmographers, and laid stress upon the
pretensions to authority and revenue
advanced by Columbus, deeming them
in conflict with the supreme rights OF
the monarchy and the absolute power
of the monarch. In truth, the tech
meal junta and the political council as
usual course Of the Portuguese voyages
and discoveries, and The recently e.
tablished principle of monarchicaiunity.
One report opposed the project itself,
the other opposed the reward demanded
by Columbus And now arose the de-
sign in the mind Of Dom John to ap-
propriate the Columbian achievement
and to get rid Of Columbus
By the detailed explanations OF the
project. by his frequent conferences
with the discoverer. by the consulta-
tions held with the wisest men Of the
century, by the data collected for draw
ing up the report, Dom John had learned
all that it was possible for him to learn;
and he straightwsy put it into practice.
He summoned the most expert among
the Portuguese pilots, Pero vazquez,
the school-fellow Of Dem Henry, and In
stealth and silence, with all secrecy and
caution, sent him, under pretense Of
provisioning the Cape Verde islands, tc
follow the course mapped by Columbus.
Then was it clearly apparent that me-
chanical and superficial knowledge,
mere calculation, the soldiers watch
word and the kings command, could
not take tho place of the effort, the
zeal, the research, the reasoning, and
above al, the sorrows Of true genius
The merely mechanical pilot was terri
| fed when he became entangled in the sea
of floating sargasso, whose rank growth
| chung to the keels and checked his pro
gress; he was more terrified when
struck by tempest and hurricane, and
vet more on sailing and sailing, day
| after day, without sighting land; and II
his terror he put about, steering homo
ward to Portugal, and excusing hi
failure by exaggerating tho peril. Thu
| secret became known. As soon as Col
umbus knew of it, his indignation, only
comparable in intensity to his protractet
| forbearance and the long trial OF hi
patience, moved him to rebel and qui
Portugal Emilio CASTELAR,, in Century
LIGHTNING BOLTS.
The Singular Erect They Have Upon I
Sand Bed.
ibid you ever see the diameter OF
lightning flash messured?" asked q
Qeologist. "Wsll, here is the cas-
which once enclosed q. flash Of light
ming, fitting it exactly, 30 that you cal
just see how big it was This is callet
. 'fulgurite,' or lightning hole ant
the material 1t Is made Of is glass.
will tell you how it was manufactured
though it took only fraction OF . sec
ond to turn it out
"When bolt Of lightning strikes {
bed of sand it plunges downward int
the sand for distance, less or greater
transforming simultaneously into glas
the silica In the material through which
IL passes. Thus, by its great heat. i
forms at once glass tube Of precisel,
its own size.
''Now and then such tube Is foun'
and dug. Fulgurites have been fol