[Music] the letter of Columbus on the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus this is a librivox recording all librivox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit librivox.org the discovered islands letter of Christopher Columbus to whom our age owes much concerning the islands recently discovered in the Indian sea for a search of which eight months before he was sent under the auspicious and at the cost of the most invincible Ferdinand king of Spain addressed to the Magnificent Lord Rafael Sanchez treasurer of the same most illustrious King and which two noble and learn at Manly under the Costco has translated from the Spanish language into Latin on the 3rd of the Kellen's of may 1493 the first year of the pontificate of Alexander the sixth because my undertakings have attained success I know that it will be pleasing to you these are have determined to relate so that you may be made acquainted with everything done and discovered in this our voyage on the 33rd day after I departed from Cadiz I came to the Indian sea where I found many islands inhabited by men without number of all which I took possession for a most fortunate king with proclaiming heralds and flying standards no one objecting to the first of these I gave the name of the Blessed Saviour on whose aid relying I had reached this as well as the other islands but the Indians call it Gua Nahanni I also called each one of the others by a new name for I ordered one island to be called Santa Maria of the Concepcion another Ferdinand ah another Isabella another Juana and so on with the rest as soon as we had arrived at that island which I have just now said was called Juana I proceeded along its coast towards the west for some distance I found it so large and without perceptible end that I believed it to be not an island but the continental country of Caffe seeing however no towns or cities situated on the Seacoast but only some villages and root farms with whose inhabitants I was unable to converse because as soon as they saw us they took flight I proceeded father thinking that I would discover some city or large residences at length perceiving that we had gone far enough that nothing new appeared and that this way was leading us to the north which I wished to avoid because it was winter on the land and it was my intention to go to the south moreover the winds were becoming violent I therefore determined that no other plans were practicable and so going back I returned to a certain Bay that I had noticed from which I sent two of our men to the lands that they might find out whether there was a king in this country or any cities these men traveled for three days and they found people and houses without number but they were small and without any government therefore they returned now in the meantime I had learned from certain Indians whom I had seized there that this country was indeed an island and therefore I proceeded towards the east keeping all the time near the coast for 322 miles to the extreme ends of this island from this place I saw another island to the east distant from this wonna fifty-four miles which I called forth with Hispania and I sailed to it and I steered along the northern coast as a Twana towards the east five hundred sixty-four miles and the said wana in the other islands there appear very fertile this island is surrounded by many very safe and white harbors not excelled by any others that I have ever seen many great and salubrious rivers flow through it there are also many very high mountains there all these islands are very beautiful and distinguished by various qualities they are accessible and full of a great variety of trees stretching up to the stars the leaves of which I believe I never shed for I saw them a screen and flourishing as they are usually in Spain in the month of May some of them were blossoming some were bearing fruit somewhere in other conditions each one was thriving in its own way the nightingale and various other birds without number were singing in the month of November when I was exploring them there are besides in the CET island Juana seven or eight kinds of palm trees which for excel hours in height and beauty just as all the other tree's herbs and fruits do there are also excellent pine trees vast plains and meadows a variety of birds a variety of honey and a variety of metals excepting iron in the one which was called hispana as we said above there are great in beautiful mountains vast fields groves fertile plains very suitable for planting and cultivating and for the building of houses the convenience of the harbours in this island and the remarkable number of rivers contributing to the health fulness of men exceed belief unless one has seen them the trees pasturage and fruits of this island differ greatly from those of Juana this Hispania moreover abounds in different kinds of spices in gold and in metals on this island indeed and on all the others which I have seen and of which I have knowledge the inhabitants of both sexes go always naked just as they came into the world except some of the women who use a covering of a leaf or some foliage or a cotton cloth which they make themselves for that purpose all these people lack as I said above every kind of iron they are also without weapons which indeed are unknown nor are they competent to use them not an account of deformity of body for they are well formed but because they are timid and full of fear they carry four weapons however reads baked in the Sun on the lower ends of which they fast and some shafts of dry wood rub down to a point and indeed they do not venture to use these always for it frequently happened when I sent two or three of my men to some of the villages that they might speak with the natives a compact troupe of the Indians would march out and as soon as they saw our mine approaching they would quickly take flight children being pushed aside by their fathers and fathers by their children and this was not because any hurt or injury had been inflicted on any one of them for to everyone whom I visited and with whom I was able to converse I distributed whatever I had cloths and many other things no return being made to me but they are by nature fearful and timid yet when they perceive that they are safe putting aside all fear there are of simple manners and trustworthy and very liberal with everything they have refusing no one who asked for anything they may possess and even themselves inviting us to ask for things they show greater love for all others than for themselves they give valuable things for trifles being satisfied even with a very small return or with nothing however I've obeyed that thing so small and of no value should be given to them such as pieces of plates dishes and glass likewise keys and shoe straps although if they were able to obtain these it seemed to them like getting the most beautiful jewels in the world it happened indeed that a certain sailor obtained in exchange for a shoe strap as much worth of gold as would equal 3 golden coins and likewise other things for articles of very little value especially for new silver coins and for some gold coins to obtain which they gave whatever the seller desired is for instance an ounce and a half and two ounces of gold or thirty and forty pounds of cotton with which they were already acquainted they also traded cotton and gold for pieces of bows bottles jugs and jars like presents without reason which I forbade it was very wrong and I gave to them many beautiful and pleasing things that I had brought with me no value being taken in exchange in order that I might more easily make them friendly to me that they might be made worshippers of Christ and that they might be full of love towards our King Queen and Prince and the whole Spanish nation also that they might be zealous to search out and collect and deliver to us those things of which they had plenty in which we greatly needed these people practice know kind of idolatry on the contrary they firmly believed that all strength and power and in fact all good things are in heaven and that I had come down from vents with these ships and sailors and in this belief I was received thereafter they had put aside fear Nora they slower unskilled but of excellent and acute understanding and the man who have navigated that sea given account of everything in an admirable manner but they never saw people closed nor these kind of ships as soon as I reached at sea I seized by force several Indians on the first island in order that they might learn from us and in like manner tell us about those things in these lands of which they themselves had knowledge and the plan succeeded for in a short time we understood them and they us sometimes by gestures and signs sometimes by words and it was a great advantage to us they are coming with me now yet always believing that I descended from heaven although they have been living with us for a long time and are living with us today and these men were the first who announced it wherever we land it continually proclaiming to the others in the loud voice come come and you will see the celestial people were upon both women and men both children and adults both young men and old men laying aside the fear caused a little before visited us eagerly filling the road with a great crowd some bringing food and some drink with great love and extraordinary goodwill on every island there are many canoes of a single piece of wood and though narrow yet in length and shapes similar to our robots but swifter in movement they steer only by Wars some of these boats are large some small some of medium sized yet they row many of the larger row boats with 18 cross benches with which they cross to all those islands which are innumerable and with these boats to perform their trading and carry on Commerce among them I saw some of these robots or canoes which were carrying 70 and 80 rowers in all these islands there is no difference in the appearance of the people nor in the manners and language but all understand each other mutually a fact that is very important for the end which I supposed to be earnestly desired by a most illustrious King that is their conversion to the holy religion of Christ to which in truth as far as I can perceive they are very ready and favorably inclined I said before how I proceeded along the island Quanah in a straight line from west to east 322 miles according to which chorus sent the length of the way I am able to say that this Juana is larger than England and Scotland together for besides to set three hundred twenty two thousand paces there are two more provinces in that part which lies towards the west which I did not visit one of these the Indians call anon whose inhabitants are born with tails they extend to 180 miles in length as I have learned from those Indians I have with me who are all acquainted with these islands but the sircumference of Hispania is greater than all Spain from Colonia to Fond Arabia this is easily proved because its fourth side which I myself passed along in a straight line from west to east extends 540 miles this island is to be desired and is very desirable and not to be despised in which although as I have said I solemnly took possession of all the others for a most invincible King and their government is entirely committed to the said king yet I spare we took possession of a certain large town in a very convenient location and adapted to all kinds of gain and commerce to which we give the name of our Lord of the Nativity and I commanded a forge to be built there forthwith which must be completed by this time in which I left as many men as seemed necessary with all kinds of arms and plenty of food for more than a year likewise one Caravelle and for a construction of others men skilled in this trade and in other professions and also the extraordinary goodwill and friendship of the king of this island toward us for those people are very amiable and kind to such degree that the said King glory din calling me his brother and if they should change their minds and should wish to hurt those who remained in the fort they would not be able because they lack weapons they go naked and are too cowardly for that reason those who hold the set fort are at least able to resist easily this whole island without any imminent danger to themselves so long as they do not transgress the regulations and command which we gave in all these islands as I have understood each men is content with only one wife except the princes of Kings who are permitted to have twenty the women appeared to work more than the men I was not able to find out surely whether they have individual property for I saw that one man had the duty of distributing to the others especially refreshments food and things of that kind I found no monstrosities among them as very many supposed but men of great reverence and friendly nor are they black like the Ethiopians they have straight hair hanging down they do not remain where the solar rays sent out the heat for the strength of the Sun is very great here because it is distant from the equinoctial line as it seems only 26 degrees on the tops of the mountains to the cold is severe but the Indians however moderated partly by being accustomed to the place and partly by the help of very hot tools of which they eat frequently and immoderately and so I did not see any monstrosity nor did I have knowledge of them anywhere except the certain Islands named cherries which is the second in passing from Hispania to India this island is inhabited by a certain people who are considered very warlike by their neighbors these eat human flesh the said people have many kinds of robots in which they cross over to all the other Indian islands and seize and carry away everything that they can they differ in no way from the others only that they were along here like the women they use bows and darts made of reeds with sharp and shafts fastened to the larger end as we have described on this account they are considered warlike wherefore the other Indians are afflicted with continual fear but I regard them as of no more account than the others these are the people who visit certain women who alone inhabit the island methionine which is the first in passing from Hispania to India these women moreover perform no kind of work of their sex for they use bows and darts like those I have described of their husbands they protect themselves with sheets of copper of which there is great abundance among them they tell me of another island greater than therefore set Hispania whose inhabitants are without hair and which abounds in cold above all the others I am bringing with me men of this island and of the others that I have seen who give proof of the things that I have described finally that I may compress in few words the brief account of our departure and quick return and again I promise this that if I am supported by our most invincible sovereigns with a little of the help as much gold can be supplied as they will need indeed as much of spices of cotton of chewing-gum which is only found in chios also as much of a louis wood and as many slaves for the Navy as their Majesties will wish to demand likewise rhubarb and other kinds of spices which I suppose these men whom I left in the set fort have already found and will continue to find since I remained in no place longer than the winds forced me except in the town of the Nativity while I provided for the building of the fort and for the safety of all which things although they are very great and remarkable yet they would have been much greater if I had been aided by as many ships as the occasion required truly great and wonderful is this and not corresponding to our merits but to the holy Christian religion and to the piety and religion of our sovereigns because what the human understanding could not attain that the Divine Will has granted to human efforts for God is wanted to listen to his servants who love his precepts even in impossibilities as has happened to us on the present occasion who have attained that which hitherto mortal men have never reached for if anyone has written or said anything about these islands it was all with obscurities and conjectures no one claims that he had seen them from which they seemed like fables therefore lets the king and queen the princes and their most fortunate kingdoms and all other countries of Christendom gives thanks to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who has bestowed upon us so great a victory and gift let religious processions be solemnized let sacred festivals be given let the churches be covered with festive Garland's let Christ's rejoice on earth as he rejoices in heaven when he foresees coming to salvation so many souls of people here they're too lost let us be glad also as well on account of the exaltation of our faith as on account of the increase of our temporal affairs of which not only Spain but universal Christendom will be partaker these things that have been done are thus briefly related farewell Lisbon the day before the Ides of March Christopher Columbus Admiral of the ocean fleet epigram of our Elle Decor Berea bishop of Montebello so to the most invincible king of Spain no region now can add to Spain's great deeds to such men all the world is yet too small an orient land found far beyond the waves will add great petaca to thy renown then to Columbus the true finder gives you thanks but greater still to God on high who makes new kingdoms for himself and D both firm and pious let's die contact be end of the letter of Columbus on the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus read by avahi in December 2009