"Given at Valentia de la Torre, 14th March 1502."
The occasion of this letter was, that the admiral had resolved to trouble
himself no farther with the affairs of the Indies, but to transfer his
employment upon my brother; for he said justly, that if the services he
had already performed were not sufficient to have those villanous people
punished who had rebelled against his lawful authority, all that he could
do for the future would never obtain justice. He had already performed the
grand object of his undertaking before he set out to discover the Indies;
which was to shew that there were islands and a continent to the westwards,
that the way was easy and navigable, the advantages great and manifest,
and the people gentle and unwarlike. As he had verified all this
personally, there only now remained for their highnesses to pursue what
was begun, by sending people to discover the secrets of these countries;
for now the way was opened up and made plain, and any one might follow out
the course, as some had done already who improperly arrogated the title of
discoverers; not considering that they had not discovered any new country,
but that all which they had done or could do in future was merely to
pursue and extend the first discovery, the admiral having already shewn
them the route to the islands and to the province of Paria, which was the
first discovered land of the new continent. Yet, having always a great
desire to serve their majesties, more especially the queen, he consented
to return to his ships and to undertake the proposed voyage to be now
related, for he was convinced that great wealth would be discovered, as he
formerly had written to their majesties in 1499. All of which has since
been verified by the discovery of Mexico and Peru, though at that time, as
generally happens to the conjectures of most men, nobody would give credit
to his assertions.
Having been well dispatched by their majesties, the admiral set out from
Granada for Seville in the year 1501; and so earnestly solicited the
fitting out of his squadron, that in a short time he rigged and
provisioned four vessels, the largest of 70 tons and the smallest 50, with
a complement of 140 men and boys, of whom I was one.
[1] Certainly alluding to D. Juan de Fonseca, archdeacon of Castile, and
bishop of Burgos, formerly mentioned as obstructing the equipment of
the admirals ship, and afterwards as the principal mover of the
injurious treatment experienced by the admiral. - E.
[2] This article is nowhere explained, but was said on a former occasion
to be made of very low or impure gold. - E.
[3] This reported produce is prodigious, and must have only been temporary
or accidental.
