[1] Ferdinand was hereditary king of Arragon; but, by marrying Isabella,
queen of Castile, had united the several monarchies of Spain, under
one government. Ferdinand had no share whatever in the honour of
sending out Columbus, the sole charge being defrayed by his consort,
Isabella, hereditary queen of Castile and Leon; and who had even to
borrow money for the purpose. The contemptuous notice of _one_
Christopher Columbus, must be pardoned to the patriotic rivalry of a
Portuguese. - E.
[2] Galvano is here inaccurate: It will be seen in the sequel, that
Bartholomew Columbus did not accompany his brother in this voyage,
being then in England. - E.
[3] It is certainly possible, that Columbus may have used that mode in his
course to the Canaries: But as his run across the Atlantic was nearly
on a parallel, he must have kept that part of his voyage by what is
called dead reckoning, or by the log. - E.
[4] The middle of Guanahana is in lat. 24 deg. 30' N. The centre of Jamaica in
18 deg. 10' N. The latitudes of Galvano are generally inaccurate; and he
never pretends to assign any longitudes whatever. The series, likewise,
in which he arranges the discoveries of Columbus is very inaccurate.
- E.
[5] Cape de Verd is in 14 deg. 30' N. Deseada in 16 deg. 30' N. a difference of
two degrees of latitude. Dominica, in 15 deg. 30' is the first land said
to have been discovered by Columbus in his _second_ voyage, in the
authentic original narrative by his son, which will be found in the
sequel. - E.
[6] Counting from Dominica to the north side of Cuba, between 15 deg. 30' and
23 deg. 15'. - E.
[7] The negociators of the two crowns, as here related, seem to have been
ignorant that this loose division of the globe gave the whole
reciprocally to each of the parties. - E.
[8] The apparent object seems to have been in search of a passage to the
East Indies by way of the north-west, a chimera long and anxiously
sought after. It is needless to make any observations on these
indistinct notices, as the voyage of Cabot will be afterwards given at
full length. - E.
[9] The centre of Trinidada is in 10 deg. 30'N. its S.W. point in 10 deg. 12', and
the N.E. cape in 10 45' N. - E.
[10] De Barros, Dec. I. 1. 4. c. 2. and to the end of ch. 11. - Hakl.
[11] Osorius says this voyage commenced on the 9th of July. - Clarke.
[12] This Panama seems a blunder of some ignorant copyist, for Panarame.
- E.
[13] The coast here is nearly N. and S. and their course must have been to
the north. - E.
[14] The Marannon and Amazons are the same river.
