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The discovery of America, 1492-1584

Philip F. Alexander · 1917 · Scanned text · Free in the US

62,185 words · about 4 h 21 min to read

Period artwork: Interior of the Bodleian Library, 1845
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About this book

Author
Philip F. Alexander
Language
English
Published
1917
Length
62,185 words · about 4 h 21 min
Sections
22 reader sections
Text
Scanned text, read from page scans by OCR; may contain errors
Rights
Public domain in the United States · PD-US by publication date

 

Contents (22)
  1. Preface about 1 min
  2. Contents about 1 min
  3. Introduction about 21 min
  4. II Extracts From The Journal Of The First Voyage Of Columbus about 1 h 37 min
  5. Chapter 1 about 8 min
  6. Chapter. 2 about 8 min
  7. Chapter 3 about 6 min
  8. Chapter 4 about 3 min
  9. Chapter 5 about 4 min
  10. Chapter 6 about 2 min
  11. Chapter 7 about 4 min
  12. Chapter 8 about 6 min
  13. Chapter 9 about 2 min
  14. Chapter. 10 about 7 min
  15. Chapter 12 about 2 min
  16. Chapter 13 about 4 min
  17. Chapter 15 about 2 min
  18. Chapter 16 about 1 min
  19. Chapter 17 about 4 min
  20. Chapter 18 about 2 min
  21. Chapter 19 about 2 min
  22. Chapter 20 about 1 h 13 min

Continue:

Preface

HE aim of the present series is to illustrate -the history of geographical discovery by means of select voyages and travels. These are usually written . by the discoverer himself, or by an eye-witness who accompanied him on his journey. Apart from the results achieved, they are full of interest, since they tell the story of man’s bravery in feeling his way over -an unknown world. 3

The English voyages of the sixteenth century (some of which will be given in this series) record; moreover, the deeds of the seamen who laid the foundation of Britain’s sea-power and of her Colonial Empire.

It is hoped that these books may be of service in schools, used either as Readers, or as an aid to the teaching of Geography. Spelling and punctuation have been modernized wherever necessary, though archaic words have been kept.

Paboa:

WALBERSWICE, May 1915.

The voyages chosen to illustrate the discovery of America can only cover a small part of so large a subject. Those of Columbus are the most important in this connection, as they are in the whole history of asd

Vill Preface exploration. He was the first seaman who had the courage to sail far out of sight of land, and his example not only led to the knowledge of a New World, and all the quickening this knowledge produced in the mind of man, but also pointed the way to discovery in other directions.

Of the remaining voyages, that of the Frenchman, Jacques Cartier, is given both for its actual results and because it led afterwards to the French colonization of Canada. Sir Humfrey Gilbert is one of the forerunners of English colonization, and his voyage of 1583, though externally a failure, has a notable place in the history of the expansion of Britain. The expedition of Amadas and Barlow was sent out by Sir Walter Ralegh, and took possession by his directions of the piece of land, called Virginia, where the first English colony in America was established the following year.

Pies DESOLATE BRENDON, June 1917.

Xv

Contents

PAGE . INTRODUCTION : 3 : : : ; ; i : xi Some Important DatEs In THE History oF DISCOVERY . XV CoLumBus: First VoyaGceE (1492-3) I.. A Letter. ; - : 4 A ’ : : 1 II. Extracts from the Journal . ; : ¥ 15 CoLumBus: SECOND VoyaceE (1493-6) . 3 : ‘ 39 CoLumBus: THIRD VoyAGE (1498-1500) . : , : 73 Camrrme: Sroonp Voracy (1535-6). =. we kB GILBERT’S VOYAGE (1583) . d ; : : ; a= #153 AMADAS AND BARLOW’S VoYAGE (1584) : : . 184

MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS

BUILDING A SHIP IN THE TIME OF COLUMBUS . . Frontispiece

Introduction

There is much doubt as to when the first discovery of America by Europeans took place. It is, however, generally believed that the Norsemen, sailing from Greenland, reached the coasts of Labrador, Newfoundland, and Nova Scotia about the year 1000. These

_ discoveries made no lasting impression on the mind of

Europe, and the real discovery of America was not made until neariy five hundred years later.

From early in the fifteenth century the Portuguese had been steadily pushing their way down the coast of Africa in their attempts to open up a sea-route to India, and Portugal had become pre-eminent in the knowledge of geography. About the year 1470 Christopher Columbus, a native of Genoa, and his brother Bartholomew, settled in Lisbon. Here, ignorant. of the existence of America and the Pacific Ocean, Columbus collected any information that was likely to help him in. his projected voyage across the Atlantic. In 1484 his scheme for reaching China and India by sailing westwards was rejected by the Portuguese king. He then went to Spain, where he had to wait until the final conquest of the Moors at Granada in 1492, before he obtained the necessary assistance for his journey from Ferdinand and Isabella. In August of that year he set sail with three ships and discovered a number of islands, including Cuba and Hayti (Hispaniola), which xii _ Introduction he believed were part of Asia, and which are still known as the West Indies (the Indies reached by the westward route). re

In 1493 he again started on a second voyage with a much larger fleet, and taking a more southerly course than before, arrived once more at the West Indies. In this voyage the chief additional discovery that was made was the island of Jamaica. On a third voyage, in 1498, he discovered Trinidad, and observed the strong current of fresh water which came from the River Orinoco. Moreover he caught sight of the coast of South America, though unaware that it was the mainland. He set out on a fourth and last voyage in 1502-4 with the intention of sailing through the islands already known to him and reaching Asia. He arrived ‘at the mainland of Central America, and followed the coast of Honduras as far south as the neighbourhood of Panama, but added little to his previous discoveries. Two years after his return to Spain he died, still ignorant apparently that he had opened up a New World. It was reserved for others to prove the existence of the great continent that blocked the way to the goal he sought.

One of Columbus’s immediate successors was Vicent2 Pinzon, who had sailed with him on his first voyage. On an expedition in 1499-1500 he reached the shores of Brazil, discovered the mouth of the Amazon, and surveyed 300 miles of the coast of South America. About three months later the coast of Brazil was also reached by Cabral, a Portuguese, who was making a voyage to the East by the Cape of Good Hope, and was blown out of his course. To this period belong also the voyages of the Florentine, Amerigo Vespucci, some in the service of Spain, and some in that of

Introduction : Xill

Portugal. There is now grave doubt as to the accuracy of his statements, and in any case he achieved a fame far beyond his merits, since the new continent was named after him, America. Other explorers followed and its outline became gradually known. The voyage of Ponce de Leon led to the acquisition of Florida in 1512 by the Spaniards—their first possession in North America. Next year another Spaniard, Balboa, crossed the Isthmus of Panama and saw the Pacific. Then followed the conquest of Mexico and Peru by the Spaniards, and the gradual penetration of a large part of South and Central America.

To return to exploration further north. In the reign of Henry VII, John Cabot (like Columbus, a Genoese), who had settled in Bristol, made an attempt to find a. north-west passage, and re-discovered in 1497 Newfoundland and part of the coast of North America. In 1500-1501 a Portugese, Cortereal, also reached Newfoundland, and these voyages opened up the famous ' fisheries, which attracted among others numbers of Frenchmen, especially Bretons. In 1524 Verazzano, a Florentine in the service of the King of France, started on a voyage in which he explored a considerable part of the coast of what afterwards became the United States. .

This voyage of Verazzano opened the way to a French settlement ip Florida, but the beginning of French colonization on a large szaie in America was due to the voyages of Jacques Cartier between 1534 and 1543, in which he explored the Gulf of St Lawrence and the River St Lawrence as far as Montreal; and the information he gathered led afterwards to the foundation of the French colony of Canada.

XIV Introduction

The first Englishman who sailed along the coast of the United Statés was Sir John Hawkins in 1565. The first English colonizing expedition was that of Sir Humfrey Gilbert in 1583. He sailed to Newfoundland, where he took possession of St Johns and the neighbourhood, but owing to various mishaps did nothing further, and was lost with his ship on the return voyage. His half-brother, Sir Walter Ralegh, who was keenly interested in schemes of colonization, sent another expedition under Amadas and Barlow in the following year, 1584, with directions to sail by the Southern route past the Canaries and to take possession of land between Florida and Newfoundland. ‘To this land (afterwards North Carolina) Queen Elizabeth gave the name of Virginia, and next year the first English colony in America was established here. This proved a failure, and it was not until the year 1607 that the first permanent colony was founded. It was named Jamestown, and was also in Virginia, but further north than the original settlement.

Notre. Columbus’s Voyages are taken from Major’s Select Letters of Columbus (Hakluyt Society, 1847), and the extracts from the journal are, by kind permission of the Hakluyt Society, from Markham’s Journal of the First Voyage of Columbus. This translation is made from Las Casas’ abridgment of Columbus’s Journal, which is no longer in existence. He frequently quotes, however, the exact words of the original. ‘The remaining voyages are from Hakluyt’s Principal Navigations, etc.

SOME IMPORTANT DATES IN THE HISTORY OF DISCOVERY

B.C.

327. Alexander the Great reaches India.

A.D.

861. The Vikings (under Naddod) discover Iceland.

877. Gunnbiorn discovers Greenland, which is colonized later by Eric the Red.

1260-1271. Niccolo and Maffeo Polo (Marco Polo’s father and uncle) go on a trading expedition through Asia to China.

1271-1295. Marco Polo goes with them on a second journey to the Court of Kublai Khan, and thence is sent as an envoy to Cochin China, India, etc.

1418-1460. Prince Henry of Portugal (Henry the Navigator) encourages discovery.

1420. Zarco discovers Madeira.

1455. Cadamosto reaches the Senegal and Cape Verde. 1484. Diego Cam discovers the Congo.

1486. Bartholomew Diaz rounds the Cape of Good Hope. 1492. Columbus discovers the West Indies. 1493. Columbus (2nd voyage) discovers Jamaica.

1497. Vasco da Gama reaches India by the Cape. On the way he sees Natal (Christmas Day), and Mozambique, and lands at Zanzibar.

1497. John Cabot re-discovers Newfoundland.

Xvi

1558. 1576.

Important Dates

Columbus (8rd voyage) discovers Trinidad and the Orinoco.

Amerigo Vespucci discovers Venezuela (though great doubt is now cast on the accuracy of his statements).

Pedro Cabral discovers Brazil.

Serrano reaches the Moluccas (the Spice Islands).

Balboa crosses the Isthmus of Panama, and sees the Pacific. -

Cortez conquers Mexico. .

Magellan starts on the first voyage round the world.

Magellan sails past Monte Video, Patagonia, and Tierra del Fuego, through his strait, and across the Pacific.

Magellan discovers the Ladrones, and is killed on the Philippines.

Sebastian del Cano, in Magellan’s ship, Victoria, reaches Spain.

Pizarro conquers Peru.

Cartier explores the St Lawrence.

Orellana explores the Amazon.

Sir Hugh Willoughby attempts the North-East Passage, and sees Novaya Zemlya.

Chancellor, Willoughby’s pilot, reaches Archangel, and travels thence to Moscow.

Jenkinson travels from Moscow to Bokhara.

Martin Frobisher discovers his bay.

1577-1580. Drake sails round the world—the first Englishman who does this.

1586-88. Cavendish sails round the world.

Davis sails through his strait.

Barents discovers Spitzbergen.

Torres discovers his strait.

Champlain discovers Lake Ontario.

Hudson sails through his strait into his bay.

Lemaire rounds Cape Horn (Hoorn, named after the town to which his ships belonged).

Important Dates xvii

1616. Baffin discovers his bay.

* 1699. Dampier discovers his strait.

1768-71. Cook (lst voyage) re-discovers New Zealand and discovers east coast of New Holland (Australia).

1770. Bruce discovers the source of the Blue Nile.

1776-79. Cook (3rd voyage) discovers the Sandwich Islands.

1785-88. La Pérouse explores N.E. coasts of Asia, the China and

- Japan Seas, and discovers Saghalien.

1789-93: Mackenzie discovers his river and British Columbia.

1792. Vancouver explores his island.

1797. Bass discovers his strait.

1799-1804. Humboldt explores South America.

1801-4. Flinders surveys the south coast of Australia.

1819-22. Franklin, Back and Richardson attempt the North-West Passage by land.

1819. Parry discovers Lancaster Sound.

1822. Denham and Clapperton discover Lake Tchad.

1829-33. Ross attempts the North-West Passage, and discovers Boothia.

1840-42. Ross explores the Antarctic, and discovers Victoria Land, and the volcanoes Erebus and Terror (named after his ships).

1845-47. Franklin’s last voyage.

1849-56. Livingstone explores the Zambesi, and discovers the Victoria Falls. .

1850-54. M’Clure succeeds in the North-West Passage.

1858. Burton and Speke discover Lake Tanganyika, and Speke discovers Victoria Nyanza,

1858-62, Stuart crosses Australia from south to north.

1858-64. Livingstone explores Lake Nyasa.

Xviil Important Dates

1867. Livingstone discovers Lake Moero.

1874-5. Cameron crosses equatorial Africa.

1876-7. Stanley explores the Congo River, and opens up Central Africa. Toon

1878-79. Nordenskidld succeeds in the North-East Passage.

1887-89. Stanley’s expedition to rescue Emin Pasha. He discovers the Pigmies, and the Ruwenzori (the Mountains of the Moon).

1893-97. Nansen’s voyage across the Arctic Ocean in the Fram. He reaches farthest north (86° 14’).

1909. Peary reaches the North Pole. 1911. Amundsen reaches the South Pole. 1912. Scott reaches the South Pole.

I

A 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 said Majesties.

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 protection I had reached this as well as the other islands ; to each of these I also gave a name, ordering that one should be called Santa Maria de la Concepcion, another aeetoe. 1 a Columbus. First Voyage

Fernandina, the third Isabella, the fourth Juana, and so with all the rest respectively. As soon as we arrived at that, which as I have said was named Juana, I proceeded along its coast a short distance westward, 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. Seeing, however, no towns or populous places on the sea coast, but only a few detached houses and cottages, with whose inhabitants I was unable to communicate, because they . fled as soon as they saw us, I went further on, thinking that in my progress I should certainly find some city. or village. At length, after proceeding a great way and finding that nothing new presented itself, and that the line of coast was leading us northwards (which I wished to avoid, because it was winter, and it was my intention to move southwards; and because moreover the winds were contrary), I resolved not to attempt any further progress, but rather to turn back and retrace my course to a certain bay that I had observed, and from which I afterwards dispatched two of our men to ascertain whether there were a king or any cities in that province. These men reconnoitred the country for three days, and found a most numerous population, and great numbers of houses, though small, and built without any regard to order: with which information they returned to us. 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 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

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I gave the name of Espafiola: I went thither, and steered my course eastward as I had done at Juana, even to the distance of five hundred and sixty-four miles along the north coast. This said island of Juana is exceedingly fertile, as indeed are all the others; it is surrounded with many bays, spacious, very secure, and surpassing any that I have ever seen; numerous large and healthful rivers intersect it, and it also contains many very lofty mountains. 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. There are besides in the same island of Juana seven or eight kinds of palm trees, which, like all the other trees, herbs, and fruits, considerably surpass ours in height and beauty. The pines also are very handsome, and there are very extensive fields and meadows, a variety of birds, different kinds of honey, and many sorts of metals, but no iron. In that island also which I have before said we named Espanola, there are mountains of very great size and beauty, vast plains, groves, and very fruitful fields, admirably adapted for tillage, pasture, and habitation. The convenience and excellence of the harbours in

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Sen 08 this island, and the abundance of the rivers, so indispensable to the health of man, surpass anything that would be believed by one who had not seen it. The trees, herbage, and fruits of Espafiola are very different from those of Juana, and moreover it abounds in various kinds of spices, gold, and other metals. ‘The inhabitants of both sexes in this island, and in all the others which I have seen, or of which I have received information, go always naked as they were born, with the exception of some of the women, who use the covering of a leaf, or small bough, or an apron of cotton which they prepare for that purpose. None of them, ‘as I have already said, are possessed of any iron, neither have they weapons, beirig unacquainted with, and indeed incompetent to use them, not from any deformity of body (for they are well-formed), but because they are timid and full of fear. They carry however in lieu of arms, canes dried in the sun, on the ends of which they fix heads of dried wood sharpened to a point, and even these they dare not use habitually ; for it has often occurred when I have sent two or three of my men to any of the villages to speak with the natives, that they have come out in a disorderly troop, and have fled in such haste at the approach of our men, that the fathers forsook their children and the children their fathers. This timidity did not arise from any loss or injury that they had received from us; for, on the contrary, I gave to all I approached whatever articles | had about me, such as cloth and many other things, taking nothing of theirs in return: but they are naturally timid and fearful. As soon however as they see that they are safe, and have laid aside all fear, they are very simple and honest, and exceedingly liberal

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Columbus landing in Hispaniola 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. I 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 trifling value offered by our men, especially newly-coined blancas, or any gold coins, the Indians would give whatever the seller required; as, for instance, an ounce and a half or two . ounces of gold, or thirty or forty pounds of cotton, | with which commodity they were already acquainted. Thus they bartered, like idiots, cotton and gold for fragments of bows, glasses, bottles, and jars; which I forbad as being unjust, and myself gave them many beautiful and acceptable articles which I had brought with me, taking nothing from them in return; I did this in order that I might the more easily conciliate them, that they might be led to become Christians, and be inclined to entertain a regard for the King and Queen, our Princes and all Spaniards, and that I might induce them to take an interest in seeking out, and collecting, and delivering to us such things as they possessed in abundance, but which we greatly needed.

They practise no kind of idolatry, but have a firm belief that all strength and power, and indeed all good things, are in heaven, and that I had descended from thence with these ships and sailors, and under thi§ impression was I received after they had thrown aside their fears. Nor are they slow or stupid, but of very clear understanding; and those men who have crossed to the neighbouring islands give an admirable description of everything they observed; but they never saw any people clothed, nor any ships like ours. On my arrival at that sea, I had taken some Indians by force from the first island that I came to, in order that they might learn our language, and communicate to us what they knew respecting the country; which plan succeeded excellently, and was a great advantage to us, for in a short time, either by gestures and signs, or by words, we were enabled to understand each other. 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.

Each of these islands has a great number of canoes, built of solid wood, narrow and not unlike our double-banked boats in length and shape, but swifter in their motion: they steer them only by the oar. These canoes are of various sizes, but the greater number are constructed with eighteen banks of oars, and with these they cross to the other islands, which are of countless number, to carry on traffic with the people. I saw some of these canoes that held as many as seventy-eight rowers. In all these islands there is no difference of physiognomy, of manners, or of language, but they all clearly understand each other, a circumstance very propitious for the realization of what I conceive to be the principal wish of our most serene King, namely, the conversion of these people to the holy faith of Christ, to which indeed, as far as I can judge, they are very favourable and well-disposed. I said before, that 1 went three hundred and twenty-two miles in a direct line from west to east, along the coast of the island of Juana; judging by which voyage, and the length of the passage, I can assert that it is larger than England and Scotland united ; for independent of the said three hundred and twenty-two miles, there are in the western part of the island two provinces which I did not visit; one of these is called by the Indians Anam, and its inhabitants are born with tails. These provinces extend to a hundred and fifty-three miles in length, as I have learnt from the Indians whom I have brought with me, and who are well acquainted with the country. But the extent of Espafiola is greater than all Spain from Catalonia to Fontarabia, which is easily proved, because one of its four sides which I myself coasted in a direct line, from west to east, measures five hundred and forty miles. This island is to be regarded with especial interest, and not to be slighted ; for although as I have said I took possession of all these islands in the name of our invincible King, and the government of them is unreservedly committed to his said Majesty, yet there was one large town in Espanola of which especially I

Columbus. First Voyage AcE took possession, situated in a remarkably favourable spot, and in every way convenient for the purposes of gain and commerce. ‘To this town I gave the name of Navidad del Sefior, and ordered a fortress to be built there, which must by this time be completed, in which I left as many men as I thought necessary, with all sorts of arms, and enough provisions for more than a year. I also left them one caravel, and skilful workmen both in ship-building and other arts, and engaged the favour and friendship of the King of the island in their behalf, to a degree that would not be believed, for these people are so amiable and friendly that even the King took a pride in calling me his brother. But supposing their feelings should become changed, and they should wish to injure those who have remained in the fortress, they could not do so, for they have no arms, they go naked, and are moreover too cowardly; so that those who hold the said fortress can easily keep the whole island in check, without any pressing danger to themselves, provided they do not transgress the directions and regulations which I have given them. As far as I have learned, every man throughout these islands is united to but one wife, with the exception ot the kings and princes, who are allowed to have twenty: the women seem to work more than the men. I could not clearly understand whether the people possess any private property, for I observed that one man had the charge of distributing various things to the rest, but especially meat and provisions and the like. I did not find, as some of us had expected, any cannibals amongst them, but on the contrary men of great deference and kindness. Neither are they black, like the Ethiopians: their hair is smooth and straight:

for they do not dwell where the rays of the sun strike most vividly,—and the sun has intense power there, the distance from the equinoctial line being, it appears, but six-and-twenty degrees. On the tops of the mountains the cold is very great, but the effect of this upon the Indians is lessened by their being accustomed to the climate, and by their frequently indulging in the use of very hot meats and drinks. Thus, as I have already said, I saw no cannibals, nor did I hear of any, except in a certain island called Charis, which is the second from Espajiola on the side towards India, where dwell a people who are considered by the neighbouring islanders as most ferocious: and these feed upon human flesh. The same people have many kinds. of canoes, in which they cross to all the surrounding islands and rob and plunder wherever they can; they are not different from the other islanders, except that they wear their hair long, like women, and make use of the bows and javelins of cane, with sharpened spearpoints fixed on the thickest end, which I have before described, and therefore they are looked upon as ferocious, and regarded by the other Indians with unbounded fear; but I think no more of them than of the rest. These are the men who form unions with certain women, who dwell alone in the island Matenin, which lies next to Espafiola on the side towards India ; these latter employ themselves in no labour suitable to their own sex, for they use bows and javelins like those I have already described, and for defensive armour have plates of brass, of which metal they possess great abundance.

‘They assure me that there is another island larger than Espafiola, whose inhabitants have no hair, and which abounds in gold more than any of the rest. I bring with me individuals of this island and of the others that I have seen, who are proots of the facts which I state. Finally, to compress into few words the entire summary of my voyage and speedy return, and of the advantages derivable therefrom, | promise, that with a little assistance afforded me by our most invincible sovereigns, I will procure them as much gold as they need, as great a quantity of spices, of cotton, and of mastic (which is only found in Chios), and as many men for the service of the navy as their Majesties may require. I promise also rhubarb and other sorts of drugs, which I am persuaded the men whom I have left in the aforesaid fortress have found already and will continue to find; for I myself have tarried nowhere longer than I was compelled to do by the winds, except in the city of Navidad, while I provided for the building of the fortress, and took the necessary precautions for the perfect security of the men I left there. 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 [ 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 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 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. Let processions be made, and sacred feasts be held, and the temples be adorned with festive boughs. Let Christ rejoice on earth, as he rejoices in heaven in the prospect of the salvation of the souls of so many nations hitherto lost. Let us also rejoice, as well on account of the exaltation of our faith, as on account of the increase of our temporal prosperity, of which not only Spain, but all Christendom will be partakers.

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