CHAPTER I-DISCOVERIES 1. Discovery of the New World (1492) Written in A 1493 by CHRISTO LUMBUS PHER CO(about 1440-1506), a the service of Spain. - For other letters by Colum Genoese in LETTER addressed to the noble Lord Raphael Sanchez, Treasurer to their most invincible Majesties, Ferdinand and Isabella, King and Queen of Spain, by Christopher Columbus, to whom our age is greatly indebted, treating of the islands of India recently discovered beyond the Ganges, to explore which he had been sent eight months before under the auspices and at the expense of their South Leafsaid Majesties. bus, see Old lets, No. 71; American History Leaflets, No. 1; Contemporaries, I, Nos. 17, 19. For -- an account, by his son, of the discovery of America, see Old South Leaflets, No. 29. Columbus supposed he had KNOWING that it will afford you pleasure to learn that I have brought my undertaking to a successful termination, I have decided upon writing you this letter to acquaint you with all the events which have occurred in my voyage, and the discoveries which have resulted from it. Thirty-three days after my departure from Cadiz I reached the Indian sea, where I discovered many islands, thickly peopled, of which I took possession without resistance in the name of our most illustrious Monarch, by public proclamation and with unfurled banners. To the first of these islands, which is called by the Indians Guanahani, I gave the name of the blessed Saviour (San Salvador), relying upon whose protec- Watkins tion I had reached this as well as the other islands... As Island. soon as we arrived at that, which as I have said was named Juana, I proceeded along its coast a short distance westward, Juana, now and found it to be so large and apparently without termination, that I could not suppose it to be an island, but the continental province of Cathay. . . . In the mean time I had learned from some Indians whom I had seized, that that country was certainly an island: and therefore I sailed neared Asia. Guanahani= probably Cuba. Now San ... ... towards the east, coasting to the distance of three hundred and twenty-two miles, which brought us to the extremity of it; from this point I saw lying eastwards another island, fifty-four miles distant from Juana, to which I gave the name of Española . . . All these islands are very beautiful, and distinguished by a diversity of scenery; they are filled with a great variety of trees of immense height, and which I believe to retain their foliage in all seasons; for when I saw them they were as verdant and luxuriant as they usually are in Spain in the month of May,—some of them were blossoming, some bearing fruit, and all flourishing in the greatest perfection, according to their respective stages of growth, and the nature and quality of each: yet the islands are not so thickly wooded as to be impassable. The nightingale and various birds were singing in countless numbers, and that in November, the month in which I arrived there. The inhabitants are very simple and honest, and exceedingly liberal with all they have; none of them refusing any thing he may possess when he is asked for it, but on the contrary inviting us to ask them. They exhibit great love towards all others in preference to themselves they also give objects of great value for trifles, and content themselves with very little or nothing in return. however forbad that these trifles and articles of no value (such as pieces of dishes, plates, and glass, keys, and leather straps) should be given to them, although if they could obtain them, they imagined themselves to be possessed of the most beautiful trinkets in the world. It even happened that a sailor received for a leather strap as much gold as was worth three golden nobles, and for things of more triabout $1.65. fling value offered by our men, especially-newly coined blancas, or any gold coins, the Indians would give whatever the seller required . . . On my arrival . . . I had taken some Indians by force from the first island that 1 came to, in order that they might learn our language Noble 6s. 8d. = Blanca, a small silver coin weighing about 47 grains. I These men are still travelling with me, and although they have been with us now a long time, they continue to entertain the idea that I have descended from heaven; and on our arrival at any new place they published this, crying out immediately with a loud voice to the other Indians, "Come, come and look upon beings of a celestial race": upon which both women and men, children and adults, young men and old, when they got rid of the fear they at first entertained, would come out in throngs, crowding the roads to see us, some bringing food, others drink, with astonishing affection and kindness. Although all I have related may appear to be wonderful and unheard of, yet the results of my voyage would have been more astonishing if I had had at my disposal such ships as I required. But these great and marvellous results are not to be attributed to any merit of mine, but to the holy Christian faith, and to the piety and religion of our Sovereigns; for that which the unaided intellect of Ferdinand man could not compass, the spirit of God has granted to human exertions, for God is wont to hear the prayers of his servants who love his precepts even to the performance of apparent impossibilities. Thus it has happened to me in the present instance, who have accomplished a task to which the powers of mortal men had never hitherto attained; for if there have been those who have anywhere written or spoken of these islands, they have done so with doubts and conjectures, and no one has ever asserted that he has seen For Norse them, on which account their writings have been looked upon as little else than fables. Therefore let the king and queen, our princes and their most happy kingdoms, and all the other provinces of Christendom, render thanks to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has granted us so great a victory and such prosperity. . . . Select Letters of Christopher Columbus (translated by R. H. Major, in Hakluyt Society, Works issued, London, 1847), 1-17 passim. and Isabella. discoveries see Old South other voy- Written in 1516 by PETER MARTYR D'ANGHIERA (1455-1526), a Milanese, resident at the Spanish court. The account is based on information Sebastian Cabot, at that time a pilot in the service of Spain, and is the first complete narrative of an age which we have. - For the Cabots, see Old South 37; American History 2. An English Voyage to North America (1497) HESE northe seas haue byn [have been] THE searched by one Sebastian Cabot a Venetian borne [born], whom beinge yet but in maner an infante, his parentes caryed [carried] with them into Englande hauyng [having] occasion to resorte thether [thither] for trade of given him by marchandies [merchandise], as is the maner of the Venetians too leaue [leave] no parte of the worlde vnsearched to obteyne [obtain] richesse [riches]. He therfore furnisshed two shippes in England at his owne charges: And fyrst [first] with three hundreth men, directed his course so farre toward the northe pole, that euen [even] in the mooneth [month] English voy- of Iuly he founde monstrous heapes of Ise [ice] swimming on the sea, and in maner continuall day lyght. Yet sawe he the lande in that tracte, free from Ise, whiche had byn [been] Leaflets, No. molten by heate of the sunne. Thus seyng [seeing] suche heapes of Ise before hym he was enforced to tourne [turn] his sayles and folowe the weste, so coastynge styll by the shore, that he was thereby broughte so farre into the southe by reason of the lande bendynge so muche southward that it was there almoste equall in latitude with the sea cauled [called] Fretum Herculeum, hauynge the north pole eleuate in maner in the same degree. He sayled lykewise in this tracte so farre towarde the weste, that he had the Ilande Fretum Her- of Cuba [on] his lefte hande in maner in the same degree of langitude. As he traueyled [travelled] by the coastes Gibraltar. of this greate lande (whiche he named Baccallaos) he sayth that he found the like course of the waters toward the west, but the same to runne more softely and gentelly [gently] then [than] the swifte waters whiche the Spanyardes found in their nauigations southeward. Leaflets, No. 9; Contemporaries, I, No. 26. 36° north latitude; about the latitude of Cape Hat teras. culeum = Straits of Baccallaos land? Wherefore, it is not onely [only] more lyke to bee vp As yet no there was a continent Europe and notion that between trewe [true], but ought also of necessitie to bee concluded, that betwene both the landes hetherto vnknowen, there shulde bee certeyne great open places wherby the waters shulde thus continually passe from the East into the weste: which waters I suppose to bee dryuen [driven] about the globe of the earth by the vncessaunt mouynge [moving] and impulsion of the heauens: and not to be swalowed Asia. [up] and cast owt [out] ageyne [again] by the breathynge of Demogorgon as sume [some] haue imagined bycause they An infernal see the seas by increase and decrease, to flowe and reflowe. Sebastian Cabot him selfe, named those landes Baccallaos, bycause that in the seas therabout he founde so great multitudes of certeyne [certain] bigge fysshes [fishes] much lyke vnto tunies [tunnies] (which th[e]inhabitantes caule [call] These were Baccallaos) that they sumtymes stayed his shippes. He founde also the people of those regions couered with beastes skynnes: yet not without th[e]use of reason. deity. the cod-fish. He saythe [saith] also that there is greate plentie of beares in those regions, whiche vse to eate fysshe. For plungeinge theym selues [themselves] into the water where they perceue [perceive] a multitude of these fysshes to lye, they fasten theyr [their] clawes in theyr scales, and so drawe them to lande and eate them. So that (as he saith) the beares beinge thus satisfied with fysshe, are not noysom to men. He declareth further, that in many places of these regions, he sawe great plentie of laton amonge th[e]inhabi- Copper ore. tantes. Cabot is my very frende, whom I vse famylierly, and delyte [delight] to haue hym sumtymes keepe mee company in myne owne house. For beinge cauled owte [out] of England by the commaundement of the catholyke kynge of Castile after the deathe of Henry kynge of Englande the seuenth of that name, he was made one of owre [our] counsayle and assystance as touchynge the affayres [affairs] of the newe Indies, lookynge dayely for shippes to bee furnysshed for hym to discouer this hyd secreate of nature. About 1512, of Spain. by Ferdinand |