The record-union., 1895-09-21
Y. NJ. I.
Xpo FERENS.

- ~.
Y. Nj. Y
Xpo FERENS.
Some savants translate it as follows:
Sanctus Sancta Sanctus (Or Sanctus a men
Sanctus) Xristus Maria YOsefus Xristo-
1erenS.
The log of the first voyage april 3,
1892, to March ), 10, 1883 which appears In
the Raccolla, is a reprint of the Las Casas
autograph, preserved in the National
Library of Madrid and in that OF the Duke
of Ossuna; 1t takes up ll9 pages. he
MS, of the second voyage september %,
1888, to June II, 1866, Ferdinand Colum-
bus in his history claims TO have seen,
and Las Casas, too, appears to have had it
before him. NJ. de LOllis prints on oppo-
site pages the versions of Ferdinand CO.
ium bus and Las Casas, and then adds the
account of Peter the Martyr of Anghiera
and Bernaldez.
On his third voyage May 80 to August
81, 1888, Columbus left the brief account
which was sent to the King from His
panolia on October Is, 1888, and OF which
the Las Casas autograph Ms. is printed
in the first part OF the RaccOlta. Las
Casas must have had the original of this
log to avail himself of, or at least literal
copy of il. a reprint of the entries i'll
this lOg-book (abridged) fills the first
pages of the second volume of the Rae
Gotta.
a FOURTH VOYAGE.
The narrative OF the fourth voyage
Nav II. 1902, TO November I. 1503,) is
found in the copy OF letter which CO.
lum bus wrote to the King and Queen Of
Spain on July 7, 1903, and which Is pre-
served in the royal library OF Madrid.
This COPY is the only document coming
from the great discoYeTer himself that
makes any mention OF fourth voyage.
1t will be OF interest to present sum
mary Of the letter in which Columbus
proclaimed his great discovery. This
document the first by which the printing
press made known the existence of the
New " orld, is the letter which Colum-
bus wrote in duplicate in Spanish 10
Louis de SantangeI and Gabriel Sanchez,
officers OF the Treasury Of Aragon. NJ. de
LolIis has sought to prove that the text OF
these two letters was the same. The
one to De SantangeI Is dated teDru-
airy l5 1493 and was printed at BARGE
Iona in April OF that year; II was accom-
panied by map. The other, to sanchez,
was translated into Latin by Leandro de
Cosco and published at Rome IN 1883.
The same year an Italian version ap-
peared in verse.
appears from the Raccolta that the
civilized world at once seized upon this
great discovery. AS soon as Columbus
landed the news spread from Spain 10
Italy, where Hercules OF Este appears to
have learned 1t about the end OF April,
1893; into France, where bartholomew.
the brother Of Colum bus, was then LV-
ing, and into England, where Henry
VII. proclaimed the discovery divine
on the return voyage Columbus was
overtaken, on February 18th, by
furious storm, in which the Nina, the
last ca-avel remaining, narrowly escaped
submerSion. He mentions III his log
that. fearful lest if his ship went down
knowledge of his voyage might be
lost to the rulers OF Europe, he had
written an account Of Il on piece OF
parchment. sealed up the parchment In a
cask and thrown II overheard. However,
no trace was ever found OF such docu-
ment.
NJ. Harrisse thinks that his peril at this
time prompted Columbus 10 write the let
ter begun February 18th and finished on
March 4th. ". de Lollis thinks that navi-
cation from February 10Th TO March 4th
must have remained so difficult that 1t
left him no time 10 write anything except
his log: that consequently the letter III must
have been written before February 18th.
when navigation was easy. and that he
probably dated it when he again sighted
land for the first time off the Canary
Islands The letter is dated thus: "Eecha
en- la Caravela. sobre las NsIas lie Canaria,
XIV. de Febrero ano mil CCCCLAAA-
Kill"
The postscript is dated March 4th, whom
he was in sight of the coast of Portugal.
NAMED THE ISLANDS.
Columbus declares: After sailing
thirty days between the Canaries and
India, / discovered many islands and
took possession OF them all with colors
hyinp and without meeting any oppO-
sition. To the first island, which the
natives call Guanahani, l gave the name
of san Salvador, on others / bestowed
the names of st. Mary. Fernandlna, Isa-
bella and Juana. l could not discover
the limits of the coast of the last named
island; il had no cities, but many villages,
With whose inhabitants / did not. COM
municate; / concluded that 1t formed
part OF the continent OF Cathay.
"Fiftv-four miles 10 the east from that
coast we came upon another island,
which ! named Hispaniola. Ihe shores
Of Hispanlola and Juana have SAFE and
commodious harbors. The soil IS very
fertile. 1t is crossed by many water
courses. and there are lofty mountains as
high as the peak OF Ieneriie. Birds OF
ny-colOred plumage sing and hutter
among the trees, winch attain great
hioht and are blessed with continual
verdure- chiefly pines and seven or
eight varieties OF palm trees, lar higher
and better than any European species.
Honey or spices are found, AS well as
gold and other metals, except iron. Ma
ture displays her greatest wonders IN
Hispaniola. and revels In profuslon
that, unLI II ~ seeu' paSSoo ca bS'iO4'
'sIhe aborigines go naked, some OF
the women only wearing glfdle OF
leaves or cotton stuff, which they make
themselves. They carry no arms, OK
copt a reed with a wooden point. They
are timid, and fly on being approached,
but once accosted and their fears over
come. they arc found to be a frank and
hospitable race. Glass trInkets-small
presents of any kind-throw them into
ecstacies OF delight, and they give In re-
turn for the slightest favor great guam
ties of gold. l ordered my sailors not
TO carry on this barter, becaG.e L re-
garded it as kind of robbery, and
made gifts 10 the natives, persuadlng
them to become Christians and own al
legiance to Spain.
s,Several natives ! made prisoners In
order TO study their customs, and also