Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-11-03

under the confinement, and he resolved to
strike out from the old parental rut. and
determined on his choice Of life and be-
came sailor. OF his apprenticeship and
| the first years Of his career the truth seems
doubtful and copjectural, founded, as 1t
| Is, on the half dozen chapters devoted by
his son and biographer, Ferdinando, to the
half century of his fathers times.
| 1t seems strange that the incidents con-
nected with the early life of Columbus,
who in six short months had risen from
the reputation of noted crank, to be
petted by royalty, and applauded by the
| populace, as the most famous man of his
day, should be left shrouded in vague un-
certainly. Had his life been encircled by
the spirit and atmosphere of this age of
Yankee inquistiveness, every drop of his
| blood would have been traced to its origin,
and every detail of his early career would
| have been garnered into the store house Of
! literature as priceless gems. OF these un-
/ known years il seems certain that they
were stormy and eventful. and that his
life as sailor was interspersed with many
rough and thrilling experiences, calculated
to fit him for the daring mission before
him.
| He writes "Wherever ship has sailed
there have | journeyed." Among other
| places he visited England. Iceland, the
| Guinea coast. and the Greek Isles, and he
| seems to have been in the service Of Rene
| of Provence, for whom he captured a
Venetian galley with great bravery and
/ audaCity,
/ He sailed too with Columbo ell Moza, a
bold captain and privateer, and sea fight
under this commander was the means o.
bringing him ashore in Portugal
/ Meanwhile he was fitting himself for
| greater achievements by studying and mas
terlng all the sciences essential to his call
ing He learned 10 construct spheres and
draw charts. In 1870 he arrived at Lis
hon after being wrecked In a sea fight
which began of Cape St. Vincent and es-
Gaping to land on plank. In Portugal he
:
service of King Henry and the first govern
or of Porto Santo, an island of Madeira
He visited the island where he made map.
and charts for living while he pored over
the logs and charts of his deceased father
! in-law and talked with old seameu OF
their voyages and the mysteries Of the
western seas About this time he seems
to have imblbed the idea that by sailing
west he could reach the distant continent
Of Asia and open up shorter line OF com
merce with its rich markets
1t was a time of great activity in Europe
The superstitious dreamings Of medieval
and form to mems bodily vision. The air
was thick with exciting rum0rs from the
world of waters. and the great mass
seemed to be growing into an instructive
belief that beyond the ocean lay unds-
covered lands aud unknown peoples. Mar
tin Vincent, Portuguese pilot. had found,
400 leagues to the westward, and after
westerly gale OF many days duration.
with iron. Pedro Corea his own brother
in-law, had seen another such waif at Porto
Santo. with great canes capable of hold
ing four gallons between joint and joint,
upon the Flores, very broad-faced. and
different from christians.
West of the Azores now and then hove
in sight the distant islands of St. Bran
dom. All these We're hints to the bold
mariner to sail westward, aud this he de-
termined to do. The aid of some power
was necessary to carry out this design
with success. He first appealed to the
Senate of Genoa, but help was denied. He
then applied to King John of Portugal,
who referred his proposition to a commit
tee Oh geographical affairs. The commit
tees report was decidedly adverse, they
prOnouncing his scheme visionary and i'm
practicable. The king himself, however,
was favorably impressed with Columbus
views, and by artful device he got access
to the charts and plans of Columbus, and
decided that the plans should be carried
out in secret, by means of a caravel or
light frigate. The caravel was fitted out,
manned and sent forth on its voyage. but
the crew, too timid to venture far out on
the unknown sea, lost heart and returned
to ridicule the bold scheme of Columbus.
Columbus was SO disgusted and indignant
at the subtle treachery of the king that he
sent his brother Bartholomew to England
with letters to Henry VII to whom he un-
folded his views.
He himself left Lisbon for Spain in 1854,
taking with him his only son Diego, his
mother having died. He left secretly as
some say, to give the slip to King John,
Others say TO escape his creditors. Three
years later. the king sent letters TO Chris
topher inviting him to return, assuring him
against any proceedings against him. but
it was too late. Columbus departed to the
south of Spain, first to the Duke of Medina
at Sidonia, who first favored, but finally
denounced his plan. He next applied
to the Duke of Cell, who was deeply i'm
pressed with Columbus project, and enter
tanned him for two years, determined to
furnish him with three or four caravels.
Finally the Duke thought the enterprise
too great for subject, and made applica-
tion to the court of Spain by writing on
his own behalf to Queen Isabella, and
Columbus repaired to the Court Of Cordova
at her bidding. The scheme of Columbus
was referred to jury of cosmographers
and astronomers, who were most Of them
ecclesiastics, who knew no science outside
the bible, who when Columbus presented
his great project, and the arguments on
which he based it's feasibility, showered
him with biblical quotations. and two
years later this blgoted court gave their
judgment that his project was vain and
impracticable, and in short time was ad-
journed. Columbus was now disheartened,
but not broken in spirit or courage.
He at once betook himself to Huelva,
where his brother-in-law resided, with the
intention of taking ship to France. He
halted, however, at Palos, q little mari
time town In Andalusia. At the monastery
La Rabida, he Knocked and asked for
bread and water for himself and son. He
was kindly received and asked to take up
his quarters there. He fell into converse