The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-05-19

SITS miscellaneous collections u document
until recently practically overlooked by
students, which is remarkable for It's
historical value. Besides n memorandum
OF two by Columbus, it is the first orig
inal description of America by an nc
tual observer. 1t is Il letter by DIR
Diego Alvarez Chanca. physician TO the
fleet of Columbus on his second voyage
of discovery TO America, dated at the
port Of Isabella, Santo Domingo, at the
end of January, 1894. The Translation
is by DR.. A. NJ. Fernandez dc Ybarra
a member of tho New York Academy
OF Sciences, who is thoroughly familiar
with the history of Columbus and his
timeSI
DR., Chanca, the author of the letter,
had been especially appointed by the
Spanish monarchS TO accompany that
expedition, not only on account Of its
great political and commercial impor-
tance, but also because among tho 1900
persons who came over from Europe to
America in that fleet were several dis
tinguished court pcrsonages and a large
number of young gentlemen belonging
TO aristocratlc families, restless and dar-
ing warriors, who had done excellent
military service in the war just sue
icessfully ended against the Moors of
Spain.
Minghng with the men of distinction,
says DR.. Ybarra, who came over TO
America In that expedition l may men
lion the following: Juan Ponce de Leon,
tho future conqueror of Porto Rico and
QateT on the discoverer Of Florida:
Alfonso de ojoda, the future discoverer
and explorer of the north coast Of South
America, with the Italian, Amer
lgo Vespucci, made his first trip
TO the new world, named after
him; Pietro Margarit, the subsequent
Hiscoverer of the archipelago to which
he gave the name of Marguerite isles;
Juan de Ia Oosa, the expert cosmograph-
er, author of the first map of America
In existence, drawn by him In the year
1900, and now in the Royal Naval mu-
scum at Madrid, and many other men
whose names are 1nseparably connected
with the very early history of America
b Is a Live Narrative.
The letter itself is live narrative of
personal happenings and observations
told with tho ready wit and quick per-
cePtlon OF the humorous side of events
of AndaluSlans or the peo-
piles Of southern Spain. 1t relates, with
now and then a deft descriptive touch,
the experiences Of that venturcsome
band In q search. among the cannibal
islands of the West Indies, for the hand
full of men Columbus had left the year
before. The expedition set sail from
Cadiz Sept. 25. 1893, and tho voyage
across consumed between FIVE and six
weeks. The following is from DR..
Cbanca's letter:
"On the first Sunday after All Saints
day, namely the 30tb of November,
about dawn, a pilot of the ship Capt.
tapa cried out: The rewardi I see
land' The joy Of the people was so
great that 1t was wonderful to hear
their exclamationS of pleasure; and they
had good reason TO be delighted, for
they had become so wearied of bad liv-
ing and of working the water out of
the leaky ships that all sighed most
anxiously for land
DR.. Chanca gives a vivid account of
their search for 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
cheeks became swollen and they suf-
1ered such great heat ard pain that
they seemed by their actions as if they
were crazy and felt obliged to resort
TO cooling applications to ease the pain
and the discomfort They immediately
sailed on IN search of new wonders.
which they found IN the form Of new
ISLAND.
Gas soon as We approached the IS
. nd the admiral ordered light cara
val 90 run along the coast TO search
FOR harbor. The captain of this small
vessel put into land In boat, and,
seeing some houses, leaped on shore and
went up to them, the inhabitants fee
ing at the sight of our men. He then
entered the houses and found therein
va1ous 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 great quantity
Of cotton, both spun and already pre-.
pared for Spinning, and provisions of
food, Of all Of which he brought along
with him portion. Besides those ar
tIcles of food, he likewise brought away
with him four or five bones Of human
arms and legs. When we saw those
bones we Immediately suspected that we
were among the Carribee islands, whose
lnha bltants eat human flesh, because tho
admiral, guided by the informatio he
had received from the Indians he had
discovered during his former voyage,
had directed the course of our ships
with view to finding them, both on
account of these Caribbee islands be.
ing nearest to Spain and also in the
direct track 70 the Island of Hispaniola,
,WHere ns n9u le1C some or his men VIII en-
he returned to Spain, Thither by the
grace of God and the wise management
of the admiral we came in as straight
a channel as If we had sailed by we'll
known and -frequented route.
Gin the morning several detachments
of our men under their respective cap
tains started in different directions.
One of the parties returned at the din
ner hour with boy about IA years of
age, who said he was one Of the pris.
oners taken by these people, Another
detachment brought in a little boy
whom a man was leading by the hand,
but he left him and fed. This boy
was sent on board Immediately with
some of our men. Other detachments
remained away longer and brought
along with them several women, natives
of this island, together with other
women from among the captive ones,
who came willingly and of their own
accord The captain of another dctach,
ment of SIX men, not knowing that we
already had information about tho in
habitants of this island, advanced far
ther away into the interior and all were
lost. They could not find their way
back to the coast until after four
daysD