The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-05-19
EARLY ACCOUNT OF AMERICA
NEWLY PUBLISHED LETTER or A
T0YAGER WITH COLUM
DR.. Cfianca Accompanied the Explorer on
the second Journey and Left n De.
scrlptIon OF Porto Rico. santo Domingo
and Other Islands Pound CannIbals.

pr. Cftanca Accompanied the Explorer on
the Second Journey and Left q De
scrlptIOn OF Porto Rico. SantO Domingo
and Other islands Pound CannIbals.
The Smithsonian Institution at Washing
ION has just published as a part Of lis mis-
cellaneous collections a document until
recently practically overlooked by students,
Besides a memorandum or W by Column
bus. it is the first original description Of
America by an actual observer. It Is a
ierer by Or. Diego Alvarez Chanca, physi-
en- = the feet of Columbus on his second
voyage OF discovery to America, dated at
the Port Of Isabella, Santo Domingo, at
the end Of January. 14el. The translation
ia by Dr.. A. NJ. Fernandez de Ybarra, a
member of the New York. Academy Of
Sciences,
The letter is a live narrative Of personal
happenings and observations told with
ready wit and quick perception. It'relates
the experiences OF that ~venturesome band
in a search among islands of the West
Indies for the handful Of men Columbus
had left the year before.
The expedition set sail from Cadiz Sep
tember 70, 1893. and the voyage across
consumed between five and six weeks.
The following is from DR.. Chanca's letter:
"On the first Sunday after All Saints
Day. namely. the Sd OF November, about
dawn, a pilot of the ship Capitana cried
ont: The reward! see land!'
THE joy of the people was 30 great that
it was wonderful TO hear their EXPLANATIONS
Of pleasure, and they had good reason to
he delighted, for they had become 80
wearied Of bad living and OF working the
water out of the leaky ships hat all sighed
most an&iously for land"
DR.. Chanca gives an account of their
search for a harbor, of their first landing
upon an uninhabited shore, the new fruits
they found and pictures OF the towering
mountains and fresh streams. Some Of the
men. he says, not very ~prudently tasted
Of some Of the wild fruit and upon only
touching themto their tongues their mouths
and cheeks became swollen. and they suf-
fered such great heat and pain that they
seemed by their actions as il they were
crazy and felt obliged to resort to cooling
applications to ease the pain and the dis
comfort
They Immediately sailed on in search OF
new wonders, which they found in the form
Of a new island.
AS soon as we approached the island
the Admiral ordered a light caravel TO run
along the coast to search for a harbor. The
captain Of this small vessel put in to land
in a boat. and seeing some houses leaped
on shore and went up to them, the inhabi-
tants fleeing at the sight Of our men. He
then entered the houses and found therein
various household articles that had been
left unremoved. from among which he
took two parrots. very large and quite
different from the parrots we had before
seen. He found also a great quantity Of
cotton, both spun and already prepared for
spinning. and provisions OF food. Of all
Of which he brought along with him a por-
ton. Besides these articles of food he
likewise brought away with him four or
five bones Of human arms and legs When
We saw those bones we Immediately sus-
peoted that we were among the Caribbee
whose inhabitants eat human
flesh, because the Admiral. guided by the
Information he had received from the In
he had discovered during his former
had directed the course Of our
ships with a view to finding them, both
on account OF these Caribbee islands being
to Spain and also In the direct track
10 the island OF Hispaniola. where he had
left some of his men when he returned to
Thither by the grace OF God and
he wise management Of the Admiral, we
came in as straight a channel as il We had
sailed by a we'll known and much freQuented
route.
In the morning several attachments Of
our men under their respective captains
started in different directions. One OF the
parties returned at the dinner hour with
/ boy about fourteen years Of age who said
he was one Of the prisoners taken by these
people. Another detachment brought in a
title boy whom a man was leading by the
hand, but he left him and fed. This boy
Tas sent on board Immediately with some
" our men. Other detaohments remained
way longer and brought along with them
several women. natives. OF this island, to-
with other women from among the
aptive ones, who came willingly and Of
own accord. The captain Of another
Of six men, not knowing that
re already had information about the in
Of this island, advanced further
way into the interior and all were lost.
They could not find their way back TO tho
cast until after four days
DR.. Chanca explains the customs OF the
natives among whom his party was lost
which caused friends of the party
many an anxious moment.
Such Of their male enemies" he says,
as they can take away alive they bring
to their homes to make a feast Of them
nd those who are killed in battle they eat
after the fighting is over. They claim
hat the flesh Of man is 30 good 70 eat that
like il can be compared to il in
he world; and this is pretty evident. for Of
he human bones we found in their houses
verything that could be .gnawed had
lready been gnawed, so that nothing else
OF them but what was too hard
. he eaten. In one of the houses we found
he neck OF a man undergoing the process
] cooking in a pot preparatory for eat
The difference between these Caribbees
nd the other Indians. with respect TO
ress. consists In their wearing their hair
cry long, while the others have IL clipped
regularly: also because they engrave
n their heads innumerable crosslike marks
nd different devices, each according to
Is fancy. and they. make these lasting
isrks with sharpened bamboo sticks.
u OF them. both the Caribbee and other
adams, are beardlees, so that IL Ia ar unusual
mig TO find one Of these men with a beard.
CaTibbees whom we ave taken pris-
ners have their eyes md eyebrows stained
around, which I think they do
" ostentation and also because IL gives !
a ierocioue appearance
III. Chanea's letter In interesting when
; speaks OF Porto Rico, which he terms {
borinquen," He says: /
We proceeded along the coast the greater
IN OF That day, and on the evening OF the