The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-09-26
Columbus Memorial, in front of Union Station

list today. including the one in the pos
session of this country. One went to
the republic of Genoa. Today it is
highly treasured by the municipality.
being contained in bronze bust of
Columbus in the municipal palace.
The other copy was misplaced after
1910. But in 1880 it turned up in
Paris. 1t is believed to have found
its way there when Napoleon ordered
all archives deposited in the French
capital in 1909, and documents were
sent from all parts of Europe. Res
titution was later made. but the COdex
apparently was overlooked. 1t Is in
Paris today.
The fourth copy, which is unac-
counted for. was on paper rather than
parchment. 1t went to Don AlonZo
Sanchez de Carvajal, who soon after
left for Hispaniola. The documents
disappeared and may have been de-
stroyed. for they have never yet been.
brought to light.
The story of how America came into
possession Of its copy of the Codex is
romantic one. In 1918 Edward
Everett. the gifted New England or
ator. was rummaging through an old
book shop in Florence, Italy, when he
came across the manuscript Of about
so pages in characters which APP
peared, to be those of Columbus time.
In 1923, the Codex at Geneva was pub
lich dicn0cnrnd 70 a
manuscript in his possession conceded
precisely with those in the Genoese
volume.
After Everett made this statement
in 1924 the manuscript again dropped
from public notice and apparently was
forgotten by all concerned. About
1890, Justin Winsor. engaged in his
monumental "I4ife of Columbus"
wrote to DIR. William Everett, whose
father, Edward Everett, had died, ask
ing whether he might inspect the relic.
Doctor Everett was unable to locate 1t
at that time, but in 1897 it came to
light in the locked lower part of
bookcase which had remained undis-
turbed after his fathers death.
Still its adventures before reaching
the safe custody of the American gov
eminent were not at an end. Once
after being sent to London for the in
spection Of experts it lay in its wrap
pings on table in the Everett home
when the room in which 1t was was
swept by flames from which. however,
the precious document was seemingly
miraculously spared. 1t was finally sold
to the Library of Congress by Doctor
Everett for a sum which was nominal
compared with what it would have
commanded in the open market.
But the Codex is not the only treas
ure of Columbiana owned by the
American people and preserved in
their great library in Washington.
Ancient books of only few crudely
printed pages which first told of his
great achievement are also included
in the collection. Columbus landed at
Lisbon upon his return from the first
voyage on March 4. 1903. and under
date of March IA he dispatched to
Gabriel, sometimes called Raphael,
Sanchez, or Sanxis. treasurer to Fer
dinand and Isabella, his famous letter.
written aboard his caravel, reporting
his discovery of the New world. The
Spanish ambassador to Rome at that
time was Cardinal Bernadin Carvajal.
and on July 10 his eminence deliv-
cred before Pope Alexander VI an ora
ton concerning this event which was
printed in Rome, presumably by Plan
nok, in that same year. This was the
first wide heralding of the momentous
discovery and a copy Of this rare book
is among the treasures of the library.
The library also owns the first print
ed biography of Columbus. This is
found in its copy Of the first polyglot
edition of the Scriptures. printed at
Genoa in 1915. The story of the life
of the discoverer appears in 1t as q
marginal note to the 10Th psalm.
s@ by Western Newspaper union.s