The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-09-20

uare, which ought to be some city or
province of the dominions belonging 10 the
Great Khan, and ten days journey from
there was the River Ganges; and. as one
OF tho provinces which the Indians ndi-
Gated as rich in gold was the province
I Of Veragua, the Admiral believed that those
, countries were situated in relation to Vera
qua as Tortosa Ia to Fuenterrabia, as II
he understood that the one was on one sea
! and the other on another. Thus 1t appears
that the Admiral imagined that there was
another sea, which we now call the South
Sea, in which he was not deceived, although
he was in all the other things That Is to
say. in the Admiral's opinion Ciguare
was situated in relation to Veragua as
Fuenterrabia, on the Bay of Biscay is situated
with reference to Tortosa, near the shore
OF the Mediterranean. or as Pisa, near the
Ligurian Sea, is to Venice, on the Adriatio
Sea In Columbus's mind Ciguare was
part. TO wit, the western coast, OF the con-
tinental land he had discovered. II, then.
he should march nine days overland west
wardly from Veragua on the northern
coast Of the Central American isthmus.
| he would reach the eastern shore OF another
sea. and that sea in ten days would bear
him to the neighborhood Of the Ganges
In India or to the shores Of China.
This assumption on Columbus's part
bears out Mr.. Thacher's conjecture, to which
we shall presently refer. that the Admiral
did not then believe himself to be on the
coast OF China-Marco Polo's China, Ptol
emy's China. or the China Of Pomponius
Mela-but that he knew those countries to
be at considerable distance still to the
westward Of him. Specializing on the ques-
ton Of longitude, the Admiral remarks
that Ptolemy has located Catigara at a
distance Of twelve lines (lsO degrees) west Of
, the Fortunate or Canary Isles. Marinus Of
Tyre made the distance 225 degrees reckon
Ing from the same point As Columbus
gave to each degree the value Of SO % Italian
miles, he would seem to have computed the
circumference Of the earth at Il, 400 Italian
miles, equivalent to about 1874 English
! sta tute miles. Thus he considerably UNDER
estimated the earth's circumference. Mr..
Thatcher holds that this calculation, made
quate as it is, suffices to relieve Columbus's
memory from the charge of unnecessary
Ignorance in supposing that he had reached
China or India. Whatever he may have
thought, or said he thought, when he was
at Cuba on his second voyage; what
ever he thought, or said he thought,
when in a half crazed condition on the
island Of Jamaica, he now during his
fourth voyage knew that he really had
discovered continental land and that 1t
was separated from Catigars, or the Land
of the East. by goodly stretch of sea.
Mr.. Thatcher holds that it may be posi-
lively averred that Columbus never saw
the Gulf Of Darien nor the headland Of
Cartagena. He had knowledge Of the
Darien shore, however derived from a
member of somew hat earlier expedition
to the 80 called Pearl Coast. In the Let
terra Rarissima,' addressed to the Spanish
sovereigns, Columbus says that he arrived
May 10, 1903, in the Province of Mage, which
adjoins Catayo, and which some called
Southern Cathay. If this was the real view
Of Columbus, it would mean that on the
date just named, as he was leaving the
American Continent to return TO Espahola.
he thought he was leaving the mainland OF
Asia He does not say this In his Journal
as reported by either Ferdinand. his son. or
Las Casas, the historian 1t Ia contrary to
his declaration that he had discovered a
new world for subjugation to the Spanish
monarchs and for the glory Of the Lord.
II is contrary to the information received
from the Indians In Veragua, and which he
himself accepted as true, that from there
westwardly by land was a nine days jour-
ney to another sea- just as one might 20
from Tortosa, near the Mediterranean, to
Fuenterrabia. in the Bay OF Biscay; and that
this sea would carry him to Cathay or Cat
igara. 1t was contrary to his knowledge Of
the distances that had to be traversed on
the surface of the globe, both by land and
by water, Neither could the North American
mainland be identified with the descriptions
of Asiatic countries given by Marco Polo,
whose book was familiar to Columbus. If
the Admiral really believed that he had
landed on territory belonging to the Great
Khan, he would have sought for some civil
lied people. cities, temples and public works,
ports and harbors receiving and forward
ing commerce from and to the Lesser East.
Mr.. Thatcher believes that by his vague
references to Cathay the explorer was at
tempting to mystify the Spanish sovereigns
and through them the pilots and adventures
who were but too ready to sail to the New
World and profit by his discoveries. 1t is
pointed out that in all his letters and reports
Columbus communicated the details Of his
newly gained information with extreme
reserve He wrote much, but he parted
with very few data of geographical utility.
The fact was made the basis of serious &C.
cusation. There seems to be, in fine, no
doubt that Columbus guarded knowledge
Of the route to the New World and Of the
country itself for the benefit Of his sover-
eigns, and that. even to them. he was I'M
communicative. Our author deems this
caution characteristic of the man, and it
was entirely consistent with this caution
that he should introduce some confusing
elements into his account of the situation of
the new lands Nothing could be more
confusing than the suggestion that he had
gone such great distance to the west as
actually to be at the very threshold Of
China, In word, Mr. Thatcher believes that
he Is justified in asserting that Columbus
knew not only that he had found continental
land but that such land was separated from
China by another ocean. M. VII.
Beatrice d'Este and LOdOyic0 SfOrza.
We are indebted to Mrs. Henry Adv for
a study OF the Renaissance entitled Beat
rice d Este, Duchess of Milan Uondon.
j. NJ Dent 4 Coz. This book does not pro-