lumbus on the other part, were these: "That he, his heirs and successors, should hold the office of admiral in all those islands and continents which he should discover, that he should be viceroy and governor of the same, with power of nominating three associates, of whom their majesties should appoint one. That he should have one tenth part of the nett proceeds of all the gold and silver, precious stones, spice, and other merchandise which should be found; that he, or a deputy of his own appointing, should decide all controversies respecting the trade; that he should be at one eighth part of the expense of equip

have been fully delineated by Mr. Prescott in his History of Ferdinand and Isabella, and by Mr. Irving in his History of Columbus. We give a sketch of their personal appearance from Irving. "Ferdinand was of the middle stature, well proportioned, and hardy and active from athletic exercise. His carriage was free, erect, and majestic. He had a clear, serene forehead, which appeared more lofty from his head being partly bald. His eyebrows were large and parted, and, like his hair, of a bright chestnut; his eyes were clear and animated; his complexion somewhat ruddy; his mouth moderate, well formed, and gracious in its expression; his teeth white, though small and ir. regular; his voice sharp, his speech quick and fluent. Isabella was well formed and of the middle size. Her complexion was fair, her hair auburn, inclining to red; her eyes of a clear blue; and there was a singular modesty in her countenance, gracing as it did a wonderful firmness of purpose and earnestness of spirit."-H.]

ping the first fleet, and should receive one eighth part of the profits."*

The necessary preparations being made, and a year's provision laid in, on the 3d of August, 1492, Columbus sailed from Palos, a port of Spain, on the Mediterranean,† with three vessels, one of which was called a carrack, and the other two caravels,§ having

* [The conditions were mutually signed April 17, 1492. The dignity and privileges of viceroy and governor were secu, red to his descendants, and the title of Don an hereditary prefix to their name. Having thus reached the height of his ambition, Columbus returned once more, and in triumph, to the convent at Palos, where he had passed so many days of weariness, and disappointment, and sadness.-H.]

t [This port, as is now well known, does not lie on the Mediterranean, but on the Atlantic, in the western part of Andalusia. It is now a small village of about four hundred inhabitants.-H.]

[The largest, in which Columbus sailed, was called the Santa Maria. The others were named the Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonzo Pinzon, and the Niña, commanded by his brother, Vincente Yañez Pinzon. Without the aid of these brothers Columbus found it difficult to get any ships for the voyage, so great was the reluctance of the merchants and navigators to engage in this enterprise, even though urged by a royal order. The largest was actually impressed into the service by that order.-H.]

A carrack was a vessel with a deck; a caravel had none.*

* [The distinction mentioned here seems to be true, at least, of the ships of Columbus, though it has been questioned. We have the authority of Peter Martyr, a contemporary of Columbus, that, of the three vessels of his fleet, two had no decks,

on board the whole ninety men.* Having passed through the Straits of Gibraltar, he arrived at the Canaries on the 12th of the same month, where he was detained in refitting one of the caravels, and taking in wood and water, till the 6th of September, when he sailed westward on his voyage of discovery.

This voyage, which now is considered as an easy and pleasant run, between the latitudes of 20 and 30 degrees, with a trade-wind, was then the boldest attempt which had ever been made, and filled the minds of the best seamen with apprehension. They were going directly from home, and from all hope of relief if any accident should befall them. No friendly port nor human being was known to be in that direction. Every bird which flew in the

"Two of them," says Mr. Irving, i., 78, " were light barges, and called caravels, not superior to river and coasting craft of modern days. They are delineated (in old prints and paintings) as open, and without deck in the centre, but built up high at the prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for the accommodation of the crew." They were thought the best on voyaof discovery, on account of their slight draught. The word caravel is commonly used to designate a small kind of craft, and often, I suppose, without reference to its having a deck or not. See note to Irving's Columbus, ii., 278.-H.}

ges

* [The crew consisted of ninety persons. The whole number on board, including several private adventurers, servants, &c., was one hundred and twenty.-H.]

air, every fish which appeared in the sea, and every weed which floated on its surface, was regarded with the most minute attention, as if the fate of the voyage depended on it. A phenomenon which had never before been observed struck them with terror. The magnetic needle appeared to vary from the pole. They began to apprehend that their compass would prove an unfaithful guide; and the trade-wind, which wafted them along with its friendly wings, they feared would obstruct their return.

J

To be twenty days at sea, without sight of land, was what the boldest mariner had never before attempted. At the expiration of that time the impatient sailors began to talk of throwing their commander into the ocean and returning home. Their murmurs reached his ears; but his active mind was never at a loss for expedients, even in the greatest extremity. By soothing, flattery, and artifice, by inventing reasons for every uncommon appearance, by promising rewards to the obedient, and a gratuity to him who should first discover land, in addition to what the king had ordered, and by deceiving them in the ship's reckoning, he kept them on their

* [He kept two logbooks; one correct, for his own use, and

course for sixteen days longer. In the night of the 11th of October he himself saw a light, which seemed to be on shore, and in the morning of the 12th they had the joyful sight of land, which proved to be the island of Guanahana, one of the cluster called Bahamas, in the 25th degree of north latitude.*

Thus, in the space of thirty-six days,† and in the 45th year of his age, Columbus completed a voyage which he had spent twenty years in projecting and executing; a voyage which opened to the Europeans a new world; which gave a new turn to their thoughts, to their spirit of enterprise and of commerce; which enlarged the empire of Spain, and stamped with immortality the name of Columbus.

After spending several months in sailing from one island to another in that vast archipelago, which, from the mistakes of the age, received the name of the West Indies, Cothe other open to his men, in which a number of leagues were subtracted from the ship's daily distance.-H.]

* [This island was named by Columbus San Salvador, and, more recently, has been called by the English Cat Island. The original name was more properly Guanahani.-H.]

+ [Reckoning from the Canaries. The age of Columbus, following the date given by Mr. Irving, must have been fifty-six or fifty-seven.-H.]

[It ought to be added, to the honour of Columbus, that his atment of the natives was uniformly humane and gentle,