The Irish standard., 1892-02-27
HIS FIRST LETTER.
What Columbus Wrote Ferdinand
of His Discovery of
America.
AN INTERESTING DOCUMENT
A Forfeiture of the Islands AS
They Appeared to
Him.

| The following is the first letter of Co.
lumbus to Ferdinand after his discovery
of America in 1882 ..... .+
Sir: Because I know the grand sue
cess Our Lord has granted me on this
voyage will be pleasing to you, write to
say that in thirty three days crossed 10
the Indies with the fleet which the Illus
trious King and Queen, our sovereigns,
gave me. l found there very many
islands, with innumerable inhabitants.
OF all I took possession for their high
nesses, by proclamation and by unfurl-
ing the royal standard. The island first
discovered I named San Salvador--the Iu-
dians called it Guauahani. The second
called Santa Maria de Conception, the
third Fernandina, the fourth isabella,
the fifth Juana each one thus having a
new name. [ found Juana 80 large that
I thought 1t must be the mainland, the
province OF Cathay, and as l saw no
towns or villages on the coast, but only
triHing settlements with whose people
I could hold no conversation because
they all incontinently fed, I kept on
coasting in the expectation Of finding
some large cities Herein failing, Ire
turned to harbor I had observed and
sent two men ashore to inquire if there
was King or it there were towns of any
size They travelled for two days, found
numberless hamlets and untold people,
but no semblance of any government, 90
they returned. &.
Meantime | learned from Indians
whom seized that it was an island, SO /
followed the coast eastward for 800
miles until it ended in cape, whence I
saw another island fifty miles away.
This I named La Spanola, and followed
it's northern shore for $50 miles due east.
It is very fertile like the rest, and par
ticularly extensive, with wonderfully
safe and capacious harbors. The land is
high, with mountains loftier than Ten
eriffe, of lovely shapes, covered with
trees of thousand kinds, so tall that
they seemed to reach the sky, and they
are said never to lose there leaves. This
indeed I can well believe, for I saw them
as green as they might bs in Spanish
May.-some in bloom, some with fruit,
nightingales, and thousand other birds
singing and this IN November. There
are six or eight kinds of palms, of singu-
lar but beautiful forms, wonderful to
observe, as are the other trees, fruits
and vegetables. There are groves of
pine, extensive plains, honey, many kinds
of birds and fruits, many mines Of metals
and innumerable people. Espanola is a
wonder; the mountains. hi Is, plains,
meadows and fields are so beautiful to
plant and SOW, SO suited for raising cat
tie and for building towns and cities.
You must see the harbors to understand
how fine they are, and SO, too, with the
many large and excellent streams, many
of which carry gold. There are also
many spices and grand mines Of gold
and other metals. The trees and plants
with their fruits are quite different fr,m
those of Juana (Ouba).
The people Of this and of all the other
islands have discovered or heard of, all
20 as naked as when they were born
men and women alike, except that some
women screen themselves a little with a
single leaf or piece of cotton made for
the purpose. They possess no iron,
steel or arms, nor are they fit to use
them, but not that they are we'll built
and of handsome stature, but that they
are curiously timid. Their only weapons
are the flower stalks of reeds, to which
they fasten small bits of wood, and these
they dare not use, for have often sent
ashore two or three men to hold parley
at some village, when the people would
come out in countless numbers, but on
seeing our men approach they would run
away at such a manner that fathers
would not even look after their children.
This was not because we harmed anyone,
for on going ar where have q talk gave
them what si- cloth and many other
things without any return, but because
4 they are incurably timid. When, how
ever, they have been reassured they
never say no, but offer things before be-
ing asked, and show 50 much kindness
that they would give their very hearts
away, and are content to exchange things
Of great value for a very little stuff OF any
kind. I forbade giving them bits Of
/ broken crockery Of glass, and the ends Of
Iold straps, though whom they did get
such things il seemed q il they had The