Portugal. It is believed that Columbus left Lisbon after the death of his wife to escape his creditors. The popular understanding, however, based upon his own statements, is that his departure was due to indignation because the King secretly sent an expedition into the western seas to ascertain the truth of his theory. But there is a record of his application to Prince John II in 1488, two years later, for a passport to visit Lisbon to see his brother Bartholomew, who had just returned from an expedition to the Cape of Good Hope. This passport or safe conduct was necessary to protect him from arrest, and it will be seen from the text, written by the hand of the King himself with very good feeling, that Columbus feared both civil and criminal prosecution. This letter is as follows:

We, Don Juan, by the grace of God, King of Portugal and the Algarbes, of the sea this side and the other of Af: ica, and of Guinea, do hereby send you a hearty greeting:

We have read your letter which made us acquai te! with the good will and attachment you show through the whole of it toward us and for our service, and we are very grateful to you for your feelings. In regard to yor coming here we say, owing to what you indicate, and for other reasons, as well as for the desire of judging for ourselves of your industry and good talent, we shall thereby rejoic· and be much pleased. And we say further, as far as we are concerned, all things will be fixed in such a way as to give you full satisfaction. In order to avoid trouble when you reach, whether by virtue of circumstances or otherwise, any port or place under our jurisdiction, we give you by these presents free admission to all the said ports and places, and permission to stay or leave, assuring you that you will not be molested in any way, or sun oned, or sued, whether civilly or criminally for any cause whatever. And by means of this our royal letter we do command all our tribunals and authorities to do as herein directed. Whereupon we pray you to come promptly and have no fear or apprehension whatever.

The Genoa autographs are perhaps the most interesting of all the relics of Columbus that remain. Before starting upon his third and last voyage, in the spring of 1502, infirm in health and with impaired confidence in his sovereigns and the Council of the Indies, Columbus had copies of all his contracts, privileges, and commissions made and certified by the royal notary, and forwarded them to Nicolo de Oderigo, the Genoese ambassador to the Spanish court, to be deposited with and to be held in trust for the benefit of his heirs by the Bank of St. George at Genoa, which was then to the commercial world

what the Bank of England is to-day. He addressed the governors of that institution the following characteristic letter:

Although my body is here my heart is always with you. Our Lord has bestowed upon me the greatest favor that He has ever granted to anyone except David. The results of my undertaking are already being seen, and would shine considerably if the darkness of the Government did not conceal them. I shall go again to the Indies in the name of the Holy Trinity and shall soon return. But as I am mortal, I have ordered my son Don Diego to give you every year, forever, the tenth of all the revenues obtained in payment of the taxes on wheat, wine, and other provisions. If this tenth amounts to anything, please take it; if not, take my will for my deed. I ask you as a favor to attend to my said son Don Diego. Nicolo de Oderigo knows all about my letters of concession and privileges, and I have asked him to take good care of them. I wish you would see them. The King and Queen, my sovereigns, wish to honor me more now than The Holy Trinity guard your noble persons in its keeping and increase the importance of your magnificent offices.

ever.

He signs himself "The Great Admiral of the Ocean Sea, and the Viceroy and Governor of the Islands and Mainland of Asia and the Indies belonging to the King and Queen, my sovereigns, The Captain-General of the Sea, and a member of their Council."

Upon his return to Spain in 1504, having heard nothing from the bank or from Oderigo about these documents, he writes an indignant letter, which he signs "The Great Admiral of the Ocean, Viceroy and Governor-General of the Indies, etc.":

At about the same time of my departure from here I sent to you by Francisco de Ribarol a book containing copies of several letters and another in which all the grants and privileges were also copied, the whole inclosed in a red morocco case with a silver lock. I also sent with the same man two letters to the St. George gentlemen, in which I assigned to them one-tenth of my revenues in consideration of and compensation for the reduction made on wheat and other supplies. To nothing of this have I had any reply. Micer Francisco says that everything arrived safely. If this is the case the failure of the St. George gentlemen to answer my letters is an act of discourtesy for which the treasury is by no means better off. This is the reason why it is generally said that to serve the common people is to serve no one.

Another book of my privileges similar to the one above mentioned was left by me at Cadiz with Francisco Catanio (who is the bearer of this letter), with instructions to send it to you, in order that you may keep it, together with the other, in some safe place, at your discretion.

The letters and documents sent by Columbus to the Bank of St. George were, however, duly entered upon the records of that institution, and the original entry may be seen in the handwriting of the chancellor on pages 256 and 257 of the man

ual for 1502. After the bank went into liquidation the precious documents, which are now referred to as the "Codice Diplomatico," were transferred to the custody of the city authorities of Genoa, and are still preserved in what is called the "Custodia," a marble shaft surmounted by a bust of Columbus. There has recently been made, under the direction of the city government of Genoa, a beautiful facsimile of the entire collection of papers.

The duplicate book which Columbus refers to as "My privileges similar to the one above mentioned," which was left with Francisco Catanio, with instructions to send it to Nicolo Oderigo, in order that he might keep it with the first copy in some safe place, was taken by Napoleon I from the municipal palace in Genoa when he captured that city in 1808. It was carried to Paris and deposited in the office of the minister of foreign affairs, where it remains until this day. Mr. Benjamin Franklin Stevens, the well-known American bookseller of London, has recently reproduced this historical volume with wonderful accuracy and with copious and valuable historical notes.

In the Colombina Library, as it is called, at Seville, which formerly belonged to Fernando Columbus, are a number of books which were carried by Christopher Columbus on his various voyages, and which contain copious marginal notes in his handwriting. These books, in order of their ages, are:

First. A copy of the Historia Rerum Ubique Gestarum, by Enea Silvio Piccolomini, afterwards Pope Pius II. A smallvolume folio printed at Colonia in the year 1477.

Second. The astromical and cosmographical treatise of Cardinal Pedro de Alliaco, entitled Imago Mundi, a gothic edition in folio, without date or imprint, but supposed to have been printed by Juan de Westphalia at Lovaina between the years 1480 and 1483.

Third. The works of Marco Polo. Latin edition of 1484.

Fourth. Historia Naturale de C. Plinio Secondo, Tradocta di lingua Latina in Fiorentina per Christophoro Landino, Fiorentino, al Serenissimo Ferdinando, Re di Napoli. Published at Venice September 11, 1489.

Fifth. Alamach Perpetuus Cuius Radix est Annum 1473, by Abraham Zacuth, astronomer to King Don Manuel of Portugal. Printed in Leiria in 1496. It was this very book that Columbus used to predict the eclipse of the moon which so H. Mis. 91-29

terrified the Indians in Jamaica that they became obedient to him and furnished his party food. On the margin are calculations in his penmanship which were doubtless made to verify those of Zacuth.

Sixth. Vidas de los Illustres Varones, by Plutarch, translated into Spanish by Alfonso de Palencia. Two large folio volumes, printed in Seville in 1491 by Paolo de Colonia. They contain frequent marginal notes.

Seventh. Concordantiæ Biblia Cardinalis S. P. A manuscript of the fifteenth century containing 112 parchment leaves. It is evident that Columbus consulted this manuscript frequently while preparing his Libro de las Proficias, for on the margins are frequent cross-references in his handwriting, various lines are underscored, and indexed fingers point to passages which were considered by him of peculiar significance. It is claimed by some that this concordance was prepared by Columbus himself, but there is no evidence of the fact, and if so, the existing copy was made by an amanuensis. The four volumes last named have been discovered only recently among the books of Don Fernando Columbus by Dr. Simon de la Rosa y Lopez, the librarian of the Colombina Library, and are considered of the highest importance.

The Libro de las Proficias is a volume of manuscript containing 70 leaves of vellum, although there appear originally to have been 84. Fourteen seem to have been cut out of the center. It was prepared in the years 1504-5, and scarcely completed at the time of the death of Columbus, its object being to demonstrate that his discoveries were predicted by the Holy Scriptures. It is a collection of various papers and memoranda, often incoherent, including a collection of texts from both the Old and the New Testament that in his opinion refer to the existence of the lands he discovered and their future conversion to Christianity. There are many marginal notes, which would indicate that the manuscript is unfinished or at least that Columbus obtained additional material after completing it.

The first leaf begins with the usual pious invocation that precedes all of his manuscripts, and the sign of the cross. This is followed by a letter addressed by him from Granada to his friend, Father Garricio, at the convent of Las Cuevas on the 13th of September, 1501, concerning references by sacred and profane writers to the regions he had discovered, and also to the

probability of the recovery of the Holy Land from the infidels. The answer of the monk, dated at the monastery of Las Cuevas, 23d of March, 1502, is also inserted. Then follow various memoranda relating to the same subject, part of it in the handwriting of Columbus, but the greater portion being written by several different amanuenses. The penmanship of his brother, Bartholomew, and his son Fernando are identified in several different places.

The signature or rubric of Columbus, which appears at the end of all his communications, as the sign of the cross appears at the beginning, has never been satisfactorily interpreted. It was the custom of men of importance in his time to adopt manuals of a singular sort, as they adopted mottoes for their escutcheons, which had some apparent or concealed signifiThe signs used by Columbus

cance.

S.
S. A. S.

X. M. Y.
Xpo Ferens.

are generally interpreted to mean "Servus Suplex Altissimi Salvatoris Christus Maria Yosef," which in English reads, "The humble servant of Christ, the Supreme Saviour, Mary, and Joseph, Christ-bearer." Others render it in Spanish, "Servidor Sus Altezas, Secras Christo Maria, Ysabel," which means, "I am the servant of their three Highnesses, the Sacred Christ, Mary, and Isabella, Christ-bearer." The last line was. often written, "Christo Ferens," and several signatures appear without it, and with "El Almirante" (the admiral) instead. These were written after his appointment as admiral in the Spanish navy. The most plausible rendering of the signs seems to be, "Salvo Sanctum Supulcrum Xriste Maria Yesus Xristo Ferens."

The following translations, made by Señor Dr. José Ignacio Rodriguez, Spanish secretary of the Bureau of the American Republics, at Washington, include all of the manuscripts of Columbus existing, arranged in the order of the dates at which they are supposed to have been written: