The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-11-02
A FORGOTTEN PILOT.
Did He Tell Columbus About Ameri-

l
 ca?
 "No man can be called happy till he
 is dead" but even after centuries the
 glory assigned by posterity to the dead
 and the place occupied by them in his-
 tory, may be disputed. This would
 seem to be the lot of Columbus, if his
 fame were not such as to defy attacks.
 Henry Vignaud the American charge
 d'affaires here, an erudite and con-
 scientious student, whose 1nVestlga-
 tions have often lit up dark corners Of
 history, has just published by Ernest
 Leroux very interesting and, l should add, very strange volume, were 1t not
 based on the most painstaking and, in the authors view, conclusive re-
 searches. Columbus son, as is well known, undertook the task of pro-
 claiming and establishing his fathers renown, and he included in his evidence a letter from the Florentine astronomer | Toscanelli to his father encouraging him in his enterprise and lending his | influence to it. Some months ago statue of Toscanelli was erected, and among the facts adduced for reviving his almost forgotten reputation was the writing of this letter, which was said to render him an associate in the discov- cry of America MT. Vignaud, as an ardent antiquary set himself to inves- | tigate the relations between Toscanelli and Columbus, and after long and per- | severing research he was amazed to find that they never knew each other, so oJz hnu passed between them. He saw that it was a forgery, and asked himself for what purpose it had been fabricated. He discovered that after the death Of Columbus there was much talk of a pilot whose name was unknown, who, going to India, had been led into a false track and had then sailed toward America Later he turned back, reach ed India by the regular route, and on his return told Columbus of his having seen new continent. Columbus lis- tened attentively to his story, and, on reflection, came to the conclusion that the pilot had found the unknown con- tinent which had long been supposed exist.
 Mr. Vignaud has convinced himself that the forged letter was designed to destroy the legend of the pilot, and to hold up Columbus as the real and sole discovered of America. His book, writ ten in a brilliant style and backed by | a profusion of documents, tends, there | fore to prove that the glory of the dis | covery appertains to the unknown pilot | though doubtless to Columbus in | less degree as the Providential instru- ment for adding the great American | continent to the conquests of the Old | World Considering the arduous labors which have led MT. Vignaud to this conclusion, one asks what inducement he had to undertake them. Perhaps, as an American, and an American repre- senting this country in Europe, he does not like the discovery to be at tributed to Genoese navigator but prefers that Providence should have made use of an unknown pilot Doubt less his national pride makes him re- gret that some prehistoric American, some descendant of the Incas, did not discover Europe and make 1t an Ameri- can conquest. instead of having to sub init to the conquest of America by Eu- ropean science and enterprise How ever this may be, his book is full of new views, and shows that there is much perspicacity and culture behind the authors ardent patriotism.