|
Christopher
Columbus
History
- His
Voyages
- Columbus
Announces His
Discovery
- Columbus
Death
|
Columbus
Announces His Discovery
1493
Sir:
As
I know you will be rejoiced at
the glorious success that our
Lord has given me in my voyage, I
write this to tell you how in
thirty-three days I sailed to the
Indies with the fleet that the
illustrious King and Queen, our
Sovereigns, gave me, where I
discovered a great many islands,
inhabited by numberless people;
and of all I have taken
possession for their Highnesses
by proclamation and display of
the Royal Standard without
opposition.
To
the first island I discovered I
gave the name of San Salvador
[an island in the
Bahamas], in commemoration of
His Divine Majesty, who
has
|
|
wonderfully granted all this. The
Indians call it Guanaham. The second I
named the Island of Santa Maria de
Concepcion; the third, Fernandina; the
fourth, Isabella; the fifth, Juana
[Cuba]; and thus to each one I
gave a new name. When I came to Juana, I
followed the coast of that isle toward the
west and found it so extensive that I
thought it might be the mainland, the
province of Cathay; and as I found no
towns nor villages on the sea-coast,
except a few small settlements, where it
was impossible to speak to the people,
because they fled at once, I continued the
said route, thinking I could not fail to
see some great cities or towns; and
finding at the end of many leagues that
nothing new appeared, and that the coast
led northward, contrary to my wish,
because the winter had already set in, I
decided to make for the south, and as the
wind also was against my proceeding, I
determined not to wait there longer, and
turned back to a certain harbor whence I
sent two men to find out whether there was
any king or large city. They explored for
three days, and found countless small
communities and people, without number,
but with no kind of government, so they
returned.
I
heard from other Indians I had already
taken that this land was an island, and
thus followed the eastern coast for one
hundred and seven leagues, until I came to
the end of it. From that point I saw
another isle to the eastward, at eighteen
leagues' distance, to which I gave the
name of Hispaniola [Dominican Republic
and Haiti]. I went thither and
followed its northern coast to the east,
as I had done in Juana, one hundred and
seventy-eight leagues eastward, as in
Juana. This island, like all the others,
is most extensive. It has many ports along
the sea-coast excelling any in
Christendom-and many fine, large, flowing
rivers. The land there is elevated, with
many mountains and peaks incomparably
higher than in the center isle. They are
most beautiful, of a thousand varied
forms, accessible, and full of trees of
endless varieties, so high that they seem
to touch the sky, and I have been told
that they never lose their foliage. I saw
them as green and lovely as trees are in
Spain in the month of May. Some of them
were covered with blossoms, some with
fruit, and some in other conditions,
according to their kind. The nightingale
and other small birds of a thousand kinds
were singing in the month of November when
I was there. There were palm trees of six
or eight varieties, the graceful
peculiarities of each one of them being
worthy of admiration as are the other
trees, fruits and grasses. There are
wonderful pine woods, and very extensive
ranges of meadow land. There is honey, and
there are many kinds of birds, and a great
variety of fruits. Inland there are
numerous mines of metals and innumerable
people.
Hispaniola
is a marvel. Its hills and mountains, fine
plains and open country, are rich and
fertile for planting and for pasturage,
and for building towns and villages. The
seaports there are incredibly fine, as
also the magnificent rivers, most of which
bear gold. The trees, fruits and grasses
differ widely from those in Juana. There
are many spices and vast mines of gold and
other metals in this island. They have no
iron, nor steel, nor weapons, nor are they
fit for them, because although they are
well-made men of commanding stature, they
appear extraordinarily timid. The only
arms they have are sticks of cane, cut
when in seed, with a sharpened stick at
the end, and they are afraid to use these.
Often I have sent two or three men ashore
to some town to converse with them, and
the natives came out in great numbers, and
as soon as they saw our men arrive, fled
without a moment's delay although I
protected them from all injury.
At
every point where I landed, and succeeded
in talking to them, I gave them some of
everything I had-cloth and many other
things-without receiving anything in
return, but they are a hopelessly timid
people. It is true that since they have
gained more confidence and are losing this
fear, they are so unsuspicious and so
generous with what they possess, that no
one who had not seen it would believe it.
They never refuse anything that is asked
for. They even offer it themselves, and
show so much love that they would give
their very hearts. Whether it be anything
of great or small value, with any trifle
of whatever kind, they are satisfied. I
forbade worthless things being given to
them, such as bits of broken bowls, pieces
of glass, and old straps, although they
were as much pleased to get them as if
they were the finest jewels in the world.
One sailor was found to have got for a
leather strap, gold of the weight of two
and a half castellanos, and others for
even more worthless things much more;
while for a new blancas they would give
all they had, were it two or three
castellanos of pure gold or an arroba or
two of spun cotton. Even bits of the
broken hoops of wine casks they accepted,
and gave in return what they had, like
fools, and it seemed wrong to me. I
forbade it, and gave a thousand good and
pretty things that I had to win their
love, and to induce them to become
Christians and to love and serve their
Highnesses and the whole Castilian nation,
and help to get for us things they have in
abundance, which are necessary to
us.
They
have no religion, nor idolatry, except
that they all believe power and goodness
to be in heaven. They firmly believed that
I, with my ships and men, came from heaven
and with this idea I have been received
everywhere since they lost fear of me.
They are, however, far from being
ignorant. They are most ingenious men, and
navigate these seas in a wonderful way,
and describe everything well, but they
never before saw people wearing clothes
nor vessels like ours.
Directly
I reached the Indies in the first isle I
discovered, I took by force some of the
natives, that from them we might gain some
information of what there was in these
parts; and so it was that we immediately
understood each other, either by words or
signs. They are still with me and still
believe that I come from heaven. They were
the first to declare this wherever I went,
and the others ran from house to house,
and to the towns around, crying out,
"Come! come! and see the man from heaven!"
Then all, both men and women, as soon as
they were reassured about us, came, both
small and great, all bringing something to
eat and to drink, which they presented
with marvelous kindness.
In
these isles there are a great many canoes,
something like rowing boats, of all sizes,
and most of them are larger than an
eighteen-oared galley. They are not so
broad, as they are made of a single plank,
but a galley could not keep up with them
in rowing, because they go with incredible
speed, and with these they row about among
all these islands, which are innumerable,
and carry on their commerce. I have seen
some of these canoes with seventy and
eighty men in them, and each had an
oar.
In
all the islands I observed little
difference in the appearance of the
people, or in their habits and language,
except that they understand each other,
which is remarkable. Therefore I hope that
their Highnesses will decide upon the
conversion of these people to our holy
faith, to which they seem much inclined. I
have already stated how I sailed one
hundred and seven leagues along the
sea-coast of Juana, in a straight line
from west to east. I can therefore assert
that this island is larger than England
and Scotland together, since beyond these
one hundred and seven leagues there
remained at the west point two provinces
where I did not go, one of which they call
Avan, the home of men with tails. These
provinces are computed to be fifty or
sixty leagues in length, as far as can be
gathered from the Indians with me, who are
acquainted with all these
islands.
This
other, Hispaniola, is larger in
circumference than all Spain from
Catalonia to Fuentarabia in Biscay, since
upon one of its four sides I sailed one
hundred and eighty-eight leagues from west
to east. This is worth having, and must on
no account be given up. I have taken
possession of all these islands, for their
Highnesses, and all may be more extensive
than I know, or can say, and I hold them
for their Highnesses, who can command them
as absolutely as the kingdoms of Castile.
In Hispaniola, in the most convenient
place, most accessible for the gold mines
and all commerce with the mainland on this
side or with that of the great Khan, on
the other, with which there would be great
trade and profit, I have taken possession
of a large town, which I have named the
City of Navidad. I began fortifications
there which should be completed by this
time, and I have left in it men enough to
hold it, with arms, artillery, and
provisions for more than a year; and a
boat with a master seaman skilled in the
arts necessary to make others; I am so
friendly with the king of that country
that he was proud to call me his brother
and hold me as such. Even should he change
his mind and wish to quarrel with my men,
neither he nor his subjects know what arms
are, nor wear clothes, as I have said.
They are the most timid people in the
world, so that only the men remaining
there could destroy the whole region, and
run no risk if they know how to behave
themselves properly.
In
all these islands the men seem to be
satisfied with one wife, except they allow
as many as twenty to their chief or king.
The women appear to me to work harder than
the men, and so far as I can hear they
have nothing of their own, for I think I
perceived that what one had others shared,
especially food. In the islands so far, I
have found no monsters, as some expected,
but, on the contrary, they are people of
very handsome appearance. They are not
black as in Guinea, though their hair is
straight and coarse, as it does not grow
where the sun's rays are too ardent. And
in truth the sun has extreme power here,
since it is within twenty-six degrees of
the equinoctial line. In these islands
there are mountains where the cold this
winter was very severe, but the people
endure it from habit, and with the aid of
the meat they eat with very hot
spices.
As
for monsters, I have found no trace of
them except at the point in the second
isle as one enters the Indies, which is
inhabited by a people considered in all
the isles as most ferocious, who eat human
flesh. They possess many canoes, with
which they overrun all the isles of India
stealing and seizing all they can. They
are not worse looking than the others,
except that they wear their hair long like
women, and use bows and arrows of the same
cane, with a sharp stick at the end for
want of iron, of which they have none.
They are ferocious compared to these other
races, who are extremely cowardly; but I
only hear this from the others. They are
said to make treaties of marriage with the
women in the first isle to be met with
coming from Spain to the Indies, where
there are no men. These women have no
feminine occupation, but use bows and
arrows of cane like those before
mentioned, and cover and arm themselves
with plates of copper, of which they have
a great quantity. Another island, I am
told, is larger than Hispaniola, where the
natives have no hair, and where there is
countless gold; and from them all I bring
Indians to testify to this.
To
speak, in conclusion, only of what has
been done during this hurried voyage,
their Highnesses will see that I can give
them as much gold as they desire if they
will give me a little assistance, spices,
cotton, as much as their Highnesses may
command to be shipped, and mastic as much
as their Highnesses choose to send for
which until now has only been found in
Greece, in the isle of Chios, and the
Signoria can get its own price for it; as
much lign-aloe as they command to be
shipped, and as many slaves as they choose
to send for, all heathens. I think I have
found rhubarb and cinnamon. Many other
things of value will be discovered by the
men I left behind me, as I stayed nowhere
when the wind allowed me to pursue my
voyage, except in the City of Navidad,
which I left fortified and
safe.
Indeed,
I might have accomplished much more, had
the crews served me as they ought to have
done. The eternal and almighty God, our
Lord, it is Who gives to all who walk in
His way victory over things apparently
impossible, and in this case signally so,
because although these lands had been
imagined and talked of before they were
seen, most men listened incredulously to
what was thought to be but an idle tale.
But our Redeemer has given victory to our
most illustrious King and Queen, and to
their kingdoms rendered famous by this
glorious event, at which all Christendom
should rejoice, celebrating it with great
festivities and solemn Thanksgivings to
the Holy Trinity, with fervent prayers for
the high distinction that will accrue to
them from turning so many peoples to our
holy faith; and also from the temporal
benefits that not only Spain but all
Christian nations will obtain. Thus I
record what has happened in a brief note
written on board the Caravel, off the
Canary Isles, on the 15th of February,
1493.
Yours
to command,
THE ADMIRAL
|
