Evening star., 1940-03-24

initially conferred on her husband
by the convention of 1892, ratified
April %, 1897 and confirmed by let
ter royal on March IA, 1902. The
long, bitter fight was taken up by
Columbus son, Don Diego after his
fathers death. Beginning. in 1903,
the suit lasted until 1927. The
Pleitos de Colon cover documentary
testimony in the case from 1912.
They were examined at one time by
Munoz, a celebrated Spanish 18th
century historian, and also by
Washington Irving in his studies for
the Life of Columbus"
Don Diego was destined to get
no satisfaction, however, beyond the
privilege of contending at law with
the fiscal minister of the crown and
Of giving occasion for all the latent
slander about the admiral to make
itself heard. The tribunal was the
Council of the Indies and the chief
defense of the crown was that the
original convention was against law
and public policy and that Colum-
bus, after all, did not discover terra
firma, and for such discovery alone
honors OF this kind should be the
reward.
Although Diego won the councils
vote, Ferdinand the King hesitated
to confirm their decision. Diego,
meanwhile, having married a niece
OF the Duke of Alva, the Kings
favorite, had got in this way royal
grant OF something like vice-royal
authority in the Indies, whittier he
went in 1909 with his bride, pre-
pared for the proper state and dis
play
Ferdinand soon began to encroacb
on Diego's domain, creating new
provinces out of it-New Andalusia
on the Isthmus of Darien, Castillo
del Orc, and the region about
Veragua. All in all Diego had to en-
dure vexatious factions, and in 1915
he returned to Spain to answer his
accusers.
Acknowledge Injustice.
After Ferdinand's death in JAN
uary, 1916, his successor, Charles v.
acknowledged the injustice of the
charges against Diego, and made
partial amends by giving him a
vlceroy's functions in all places dis
covered by his father. A supervisor
was appointed, however, to report
on his conduct, and in three years
he was recalled for examination.
In 1926 he died and some years
later, in 1856. his son, Don Luis.
who had succeeded him, exchanged
his rights of vice-royalty in the
indies for 10000 gold doubloons. the
title OF Duke de Veraguas, and a
grandeeship of the first rank.
His nephew Diego succeeded to
the rights, silencing those of the
daughter OF Don Luis by marrying
her. AS they were childless, upon
their death various claimants
brought suit for the succession,
which was finally given in 1903 to
the grandson of Isabella, grand
daughter of Columbus.
This suit also led to the accumu.
lation of large amount of docu-
mentary evidence. and the vexations
went on, the Duke of Berwick still
contesting. But a decision in 1870
confirmed the title in the present
line, and when the revolt of the
Spanish colonies threatened to de-
prive the Duke of Veraguas of his
income, the Spanish government
made it good by magnanimously
charging it upon the revenues of
Cuba and Puerto Rico.
1t Is more than likely that the
Harvard Columbus Expedition will
throw some light on these ancient
claims. Having retraced the exact
routes taken by the famed navi-
gator, they may be expected to
speak with new authority.
Prof. Morrison followed the route
of Columbia's first voyage along the
north coast of Haiti. tn January,
1889, identifying the first European
settlement in the New World. He
had already traced the admiral's
second course when, in 1897 and 1898.
he sailed among the Lesser Antilles
in yawl. It was left to the Har-
ward expedition to complete the
work. Their fleet on the current
expedition consisted of two vessels,
the 140-foot barkentine ketch Capis
tana and the 45-foot .ketch Mary
Otis.
From the Azores the expedition
set sail for Lisbon, where the men,
bers spent some time identifying
and photographing places associated
with Columbus. Thence they sailed
to Huelva and the seaport of Palos,
from which Columbus set forth on
his first voyage. Their next obiec.
tive was San Lucas de Barrameda.
where Columbus third voyage start
ed. The Mary Otis sailed up the
Guadalquivir River, the route Of the
Spanish treasure galleons to Seville.
In the Columbian Library at Se-
vile the historians of the expect-
ton studied Columbus marginal
comments in his books, and in tho
Archives of the Indies they came
upon their important discovery In
connection with the Pleitos. They
also visited Cordova, where Colum.
bus first met Ferdinand and Isabella
and also where his son Ferdinand
was born. s7a