LETTER FROM CHRISTOPHER COLUM- | northward, where I did not wish to go, as BUS.* DESPATCHED FROM LISBON TO FERDINAND AND ISA BELLA. IR: As I am sure you will be pleased at the great victory which the Lord has given me in my voyage, I write this to inform you that in twenty days I arrived in the Indies with the squadron which Their Majesties had placed under my command. There I discovered many islands, inhabited by a numerous population, and took possession of them for Their Highnesses, with public ceremony and the royal flag displayed, without molestation. The first that I discovered I named San Salvador, in remembrance of that almighty Power which had so miraculously bestowed them. The Indians call it Guanahani. To the second I assigned the name of Santa Maria de Concepcion; to the third, that of Fernandina; to the fourth, that of Isabella; to the fifth, Juana; and so on-to every one a new name. When I arrived at Juana, I followed the coast to the westward, and found it so extensive that I considered it must be a continent, and a province of Cathay. And, as I found no towns or villages by the seaside excepting some small settlements-with the people of which I could not communicate, because they all ran away-I continued my course to the westward, thinking I should not fail to find some large towns and cities. After having coasted many leagues without finding any signs of them, and seeing that the coast took me to the *Of this letter there are only three original MS. copies in existence. The Astor Library copy-to which we are indebted for a transcript of the Latin of Columbuswas purchased by and presented to the library by a member of the Astor family. the winter was already set in, I considered it best to follow the coast to the south; and, the wind being also scant, I determined to lose no more time, and therefore returned to a certain port, from whence I sent two messengers into the country to ascertain whether there was any king there, or any large city. They travelled for three days, finding an infinite number of small settlements and an innumerable population, but nothing like a city; on which account they returned. I had tolerably well ascertained from some Indians whom I had taken that this land was only an island, so I followed the coast of it to the east for one hundred and seven leagues to its termination. And about eighteen leagues from this cape, to the east, there was another island, to which I shortly gave the name of Española. I went to it, and followed the north coast of it, as I had done that of Juana, for one hundred and seventyeight long leagues due east. This island is very fertile as well, indeed, as all the rest. It possesses numerous harbors far superior to any I know in Europe, and, what is remarkable, plenty of large inlets. The land is high and contains many lofty ridges and some very high mountains, without comparison of the island of Cetrefrey, all of them very handsome and of different forms, all of them accessible and abounding in trees of a thousand kinds, high, and appearing as if they would reach the skies. And I am assured that the latter never lose their foliage, as far as I can understand, for I saw them as fresh and flourishing as those of Spain in the month of May. Some were in blossom, some bearing fruit, and others in other states, accord ing to their nature. The nightingale and a thousand kinds of birds enlivened the woods with their song in the month of November wherever I went. There are seven or eight kinds of palms of various elegant forms, besides various other trees, fruits and herbs. The pines of this island are magnificent. It has also extensive plains, honey and a great variety of birds and fruits. It has many metal-mines and a population innumerable.. Española is a wonderful island with mountains, groves, plains, and the country generally beautiful and rich for planting and sowing, for rearing sheep and cattle of all kinds, and ready for towns and cities. The harbors must be seen to be appreciated; rivers are plentiful and large and of excellent water; the greater part of them contain gold. There is great difference between the trees, fruits and herbs of this island and those of Juana. In this island there are many spices and large mines of gold and other metals. The people of this island, and of all the others which I have discovered or heard of, both men and women, go naked as they were born, although some of the women wear leaves of herbs or a cotton covering made on purpose. They have no iron nor steel, nor any weapons; not that they are not a well-disposed people and of a fine stature, but they are timid to a degree. They have no other arms excepting spears made of cane, to which they fix at the end a sharp piece of wood, and then dare not use even these. Frequently I had occasion to send two or three of my men on shore to some settlement for information where there would be multitudes of them, and as soon as they saw our people they would run away, every soul, the father leaving his child; and this was not because any one had done them harm-for rather at every cape where I landed and been able to communicate with them I have made them presents of cloth and many other things without receiving anything in return but because they are so timid. Certainly, where they have confidence and forget their fears, they are so open-hearted and liberal with all they possess that it is scarcely to be believed without seeing it. If anything that they have is asked of them, they never deny it; on the contrary, they will offer it. Their generosity is so great that they would give anything, whether it is costly or not, for anything of any kind that is offered them, and be contented with it. I was obliged to prevent such worthless things being given them as pieces of broken basins, broken glass, and bits of shoe-latchets, although, when they obtained them, they esteemed them as if they had been the greatest of treasures. One of the seamen for a latchet received a piece of gold weighing two dollars and a half, and others for other things of much less value obtained more. Again, for a new silver coin they would give everything they possessed, whether it was worth two or three doubloons or one or two balls. of cotton. Even for pieces of broken pipetubes they would take them and give anything for them, until, when I thought it wrong, I prevented it. And I made them presents of thousands of things which I had, that I might win their esteem, and also that they might be made good Christians and be disposed to the service of Your Majesties and the whole Spanish nation, and help us to obtain the things which we require and of which there is abundance in their country. And these people appear to have neither religion nor idolatry, except that they believe that good and evil come from the skies; and they firmly believed that our ships and their crews, with myself, came from the skies, and with this persuasion, after having lost their fears, they always received us. And yet this does not proceed from ignorancefor they are very ingenious, and some of them navigate their seas in a wonderful manner and give good accounts of thingsbut because they never saw people dressed or ships like ours. And as soon as I arrived in the Indies, at the first island at which I touched, I captured some of them, that we might learn from them and obtain intelligence of what there was in those parts. And as soon as we understood each other they were of great service to us; but yet, from frequent conversation which I have had with them, they still believe we came from the skies. These were the first to express that idea, and others ran from house to house and to the neighboring villages, crying out, "Come and see the people from the skies!" And thus all of them, men and women, after having satisfied themselves of their safety, came to us without reserve, great and small, bringing us something to eat and drink, and which they gave us most affectionately. They have many canoes in those islands propelled by oars, some of them large and others small, and many of them with eight or ten paddles of a side-not very wide, but all of one trunk; and a boat cannot keep way with them by oars, for they are incredibly fast; and with these they navigate all the islands, which are innumerable, and obtain their articles of traffic. I have seen some of these canoes with sixty or eighty men in them, and each with a paddle. Among the islands I did not find much diversity of formation in the people, nor in their customs nor their language. They all understand each other, which is remarkable: and I trust Your Highnesses will determine on their being converted to our faith, for which they are very well disposed. I have already said that I went one hundred and seven leagues along the coast of Juana, from east to west. Thus, according to my track, it is larger than England and Scotland together, for, besides these one hundred and seven leagues, there were farther west two provinces to which I did not go, one of which is called Cibau, the people of which are born with tails; which provinces must be about fifty or sixty leagues long, according to what I can make out from the Indians I have with me, who know all the islands. The other island (Española) is larger in circuit than the whole of Spain from the Straits of Gibraltar (the Columns) to Fuentarabia, in Biscay, as I sailed one hundred and thirty-eight long leagues in a direct line from west to east. Once known it must be desired, and once seen one desires never to leave it; and which being taken possession of for Their Highnesses, and the people being at present in a condition lower than I can possibly describe, the sovereigns of Castile may dispose of it in any manner they please. In the most convenient places in this Española, and the best district, there are gold-mines, and, on the other hand, from thence to terra firma, as well as from thence to Great Khan, where everything is on a splendid scale. I have taken possession of a large town. |