Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-12-03
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
AS A TRAVEL WRITER
Fame as Explorer Overshadows
Wonderful Narrative of Trip

Ask your friends to name a few
of the great travel writer's of all
times and you will get many names
Marco Polo, Richard Kakluyt,
Henry NJ. Stan1ey-probably none
will mention Columbus.
If he did and you inquired which
Columbus" he would conclude you
were asking a trick question.
THE fame of Christopher Column
bus as the ~discoverer of America has
both overshadowed his own remark
ably observant account of what he
found among the indies and the bio
graphical narrative of his son, Fer
dinand Columbus" says a bulletin
from the National Geographic So
ciety.
Both documents are accessible
and known to geographers and his
torians, indeed the latter's author
ship has aroused considerable con-
troversy. yet they + not read so
popularity as are many other travel
classics"
An example of the descriptive
style of Columbus is quoted from his
remarks about Cuba. which he called
Juana, and at first believed to be a
part of the China coast. Columbus
wrote.
"This island is surrounded by
many very safe and wide harbors,
not excelled by any others that l
have ever seen. Many great ana
%salubrious rivers flow through 1t.
There are also many very nlgh
mountains there.
"All these islands are very beau
tiful, and distinguished by various
qualities; they are accessible, and
full of a great variety of trees stretch
ing up to the stars; the leaves OF
which l believe are never shed, for
1 saw them as green and flourish
ing as they are usually in Spain in
the month of May; some of then
were poisoning, some were bearing
fruit. some were in other conditions;
each one was thriving in its w
way. The nightingale and various
other birds without number were
singing in the month of November,
when [ was exploring them. There
are besides in the said island Juana
seven or eight kinds of palm-trees.
which far excel ours in heights and
beauty, just as all h other Trees
herbs. and fruits do"
OF the natives of the islands Col
umbus wrote: :.
'sThese people practice nj kind OF
idolatry; on the contrary they firmly
believe that all strength and power
and in fact all good things are In
heaven, and that 1 had come down
from thence with these ships and
sailors; and in this belief | was re-
ceived there after they had put ASIDE
fear. Nor are they slow or unsklll-
ed. but of excellent and acute un-
derstanding; and the men who nave
nayigated that e give an
of everything in an admirable man
ner; but they W. saw people
clothed, nor this kind of ships
one island which Columbus called
Mateunin, probably Martinique, he
believed to be inhabited only by wo-
men.
''These women" he said, per
form no kind of work of their sex,
for they use bows and darts tney
protect themselves with sheets OF
copper. They tell me of another
island. whose inhabitants are with
out hair. and which III soio
above all others" 49,,
The explorers summary or the
commercial advantages of the is
lands said:
II promise this. that IL I am sup
norted by our most inVincible SOW
ereigns with a little of their help,
as much gold can be suppied as
fhey will need, indeed as much as
snices. of cotton. of cheWlng-gufh
(which is only found in Chios), also
as much of aloes-wood, and as
many slaves for the navy, as their
ma iesties will wish to demand.
Interesting sidelights on the hrst
transatlantic voyage abound IN tne
biography of Ferdinand columbus
based on his illustrious fathers loe.
This journal contained a SURPRISING
AMOUNT of data telling what Wlhas
blew, how far he sailed WIN eacn
particular wind, what currents are
found. and everything that was
seen by the way whether plros'
fishes, or any other thing.
Every school child knows that the
birds gave the mariners their hrst
inkling of their approach TO ianoi
he lobster has scarcely had his uue
for confirming the portent oil the
birds. Ferdinand Columbus writes:
Next day (S~eptember I'D the
seaweed was seer in much greater
quantity. and a small live lobster
vas observed among the weeds;
from this circumstance many ANN
cd hat they were certainly near Ihe
land
In addition to his duties as nail
err and his task of keeping a VOL
luminous journal Columbus trequene-
" had to keep his men from turn
ing back by shrewd and ingenious
appeals. Following the excitement
of his men over the irregularities OF
the compass, the narrator says tlla'
columbus, "alleged that 1t was DC
casioned by the polar star makinSS
a circuit round the pole by WHEN
thew were not a little satisfied