The San Francisco call., 1898-10-09

ly that the site of the admiraTs resting place had no mark whatever and was known only by tradition.
 When, in 17S3 and again in 17S7, the celebrated French historian, Moreau de St. Mery, endeavored to determine the exact location of the grave, he eX- pressed his disappointment in these el oQuent words: What a subject for the reflection of the philosopher! Scarcely are three hundred years past since the discovery of the new world and already we hardly know what are become of the precious remains of the Sagacious enterpriSing and intrepid discoverer. We see him expressing an anxious solicitude that his ashes may repose in the capital of the immense is land which first established the truth of his opinion with respect to the ex- istence of a western hemisphere: they are transported hither posterior to the construction of the principal edifice, the cathedral, and yet-oh supine in difference for all that is truly noble,- not a mausoleum, not monument, not even an inscription to tell where they lie."
 4 few years after the French writer's visit, in 1795 Spain was compelled by the treaty of Basic to cede San Do- mingO to France. The Duke OfsEera- qua, a descendant of the Columbus family, now remembered the ashes of the great admiral. Arguing that it would be unworthy to Spain that the bones of it's greatest admiral should rest under a foreign flag, he requested the removal of the remains to the ca thedral at Havana. AS the treaty of Basic gave to Spain the right to remove from San Domingo such property as she might desire, on December 20, 1795, the Spanish Lieutenant General Aris- a ? hal p9red NT7f the island with a group of distinguished Spaniards in the cathedral, to receive the remains. On the right or gospel side of the altar, where, according to traditions, Christo- pher Columbus had been laid to rest, a small vault was found The official document written at the same day states:
 A vault was opened, which is in the sanctuary on the gospel side, main wall and platform of the high altar, one cubic yard in size, and therein were found some thin pieces of lead about third of yard wide, showing that there had been a box of said metal and pieces of bones, as it were of shin bones or other parts of some deceased person; these were collected in a salver. into which was filled also the dust, which from the fragments of some small bones and it's color was seen to belong to that corpse The whole was placed in
 
 After a high mass had been cele- brated with great ceremony, the re- mains were taken to Havana and de- posited in a niche onened in the wall of the presbytery of the cathedral. Later the niche was closed with a slab showing an entirely imaginary portrait of Columbus, and beneath the inscrip- ton in Spanish:
 "Oh, remains and image of
 the great Columbus, for
 thousand ages rest secured
 in this urn, and in the re-
 membrance of our nation"
 
 Efghty-one years nassed by Then the conviction that the ashes of Co., lumbus were at rest in Havana sud- denly was shaken. In the year 1STT some repairs and changes were under taken in the sanctuary of the cathe- dral at San Domingo. During the prog ress of this work on the left or epistle side of the sanctuary small vault was discovered containing the remains of a leaden case with an inscription indisat- ing that the human bones inclosed by the casket were those of Don Luis Co., lon, the grandson of Christopher Co., lumbus.
 This discovery invited the authorities of the church to extend investigations over the whole ground of the sanctu- ary. On September g, at the right or presbytery side, the vault was found which had been emptied by the Span iards in I795. The next day the space between that vault and the wall or the cathedral was sounded and resulted in the discovery of another somewhat larger vault, covered by large, rough stone slab. After breaking away a piece of that slab an object could be seen in the box like a square box.
 At this stage Archbishop Cocchia,
 
 tions had been prosecuted, was notified. and by introducing his arm into the opening he discovered that the object in the vault was leaden case having an inscription upon its top. Not all lowing any one to go further, the Arch bishop summoned the President and Cabinet of the Dominican Republic, as well as all foreign Consuls and civic and ecclesiastic dignitaries. h the