- E. [3] In The Bull, As Reported By Herrera, All That Should Be Discovered To The West And South Of The Meridianal Line From Pole To Pole Is Granted To The Crown Of Castile And Leon.

It is hard to say what portion of the globe was conceived to be to the south of such a demarcation.

But it is obvious that in granting all to the west of this line to Spain, and all to the east of it to Portugal, the pope and cardinals granted the whole circumference of the globe reciprocally to both crowns. The sacred college had not hitherto adopted the geographical heresy of Galileo, and still entertained vague notions of the true figure of the earth. - E.

[4] This probably alludes to the foul means then employed in Spain for converting the Moors and Jews, by means of the holy office of the Inquisition. - E.

[5] Perhaps this expression mean knights, or fidalgos; men of family and substance: yet it probably means nothing more than that twenty volunteer cavalry formed part of the military force of the expedition. - E.

[6] I am apt to suspect the real sense of this passage ought to be, "requiring the court of Spain not to send off Columbus for sixty days." - E.

[7] One hundred leagues, at 17-1/2 to the degree, west from the Azores, would fix the boundary about Long. 42 deg. W. and would include within the Portuguese boundary a small portion of Brazil. By compact between the two crowns, this line was afterwards extended to 370 leagues west from the islands of Cabo Verde, giving considerably more of Brazil, then unknown, to Portugal: But the boundaries of that colony have been several times changed and regulated by treaties between the two crowns, without any rigid adherence to the papal grant. - E.

[8] This negociation, which is confusedly interspersed in the original among the transactions of Columbus, is here thrown together: But, as very indefinitely narrated, and exceedingly uninteresting, is somewhat compressed in this place. - E.

[9] This date is assuredly erroneous, as we afterwards learn that nothing had been finally settled with Portugal on the fifth of September. - E.

SECTION XII.

Second Voyage of Columbus to the West Indies, and establishment of Isabella, the first European colony in the New World.

Every thing being in readiness, the stores all shipped, and the men embarked, the fleet set sail from the bay of Cadiz on Wednesday the 25th of September 1493 before sunrise. The admiral directed his course to the south-west for the Canary islands. On Wednesday the 2d October the fleet came off the island of Gran Canaria, and on Friday the 5th came to anchor at Gomera, where the admiral remained two days taking in wood and water, and procuring cattle, sheep, goats, and swine, for the intended colony in Hispaniola. Among these he purchased eight sows for 70 maravedies each, from which all those which have since stocked the Indies have multiplied. He likewise took on board poultry, and other creatures, and garden seeds. At this place the admiral delivered sealed instructions to all the pilots of the fleet, directing them how to shape their course for the territory of Guacanagari in the island of Hispaniola; but these were on no account to be opened, unless in case of separation from him, as he wished as much as possible to prevent the course of the voyage from becoming known to the king of Portugal.

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