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19]
I.—The first letter from Columbus.
[this letter was written on board ship, by
Columbus, March 14, 1493, ‘to the noble
Lord Raphael Sanchez, treasurer to their most invincible Majesties, Ferdinand and Isabella,
King and
Queen of
Spain.’
it was written in Spanish, but the original is supposed to be lost.
Latin translations of it were made and published in different cities; and a poetical translation was made in Italian, and was sung about the streets of
Italy.
Knowing that it will afford you pleasure to learn that I have brought my undertaking to a successful termination, I have decided upon writing you this letter to acquaint you with all the events which have occurred in my voyage, and the discoveries which have resulted from it. Thirty-three days after my departure from
Cadiz, I reached the
Indian Sea,
1 where I discovered many islands, thickly peopled, of which I took possession, without resistance, in the name of our most illustrious
Monarch, by public proclamation and with unfurled banners.
To the first of these islands, which
