Authentic Lettf.rs of Columbus. 113 



Brazil, where the Portuguese had established a trading post. It was 

 at the conclusion of his second voyage, in September, 1504, that 

 Americus wrote the account of his discoveries, which three years 

 later, caused his name to be given to the New World ; but there is 

 no reason to believe that he anticipated or even hoped that his fame 

 would be so closely linked to the western hemisphere. Nor is there 

 any evidence of the slightest rivalry or jealousy between the two voy- 

 agers. On the contrary, on the 5th of February, 1504, Columbus 

 writes from the convent of Cartuja, at Seville, to his son, Diego, as 

 follows : 



"Diego Mendez left here on Monday, the 3d of the present month. 

 After he left I spoke with Amerigo Vespusze, the bearer of this 

 letter, who goes there, where he has been called on the business of 

 navigation. He always wanted to please me. He is a very honest man. 

 Fortune has been as adverse to him as to many others, and his labors 

 have not been so profitable to him as it was reasonable to expect. 

 He goes for my good and is very anxious to do everything that 

 may prove beneficial to me if it is within his power. I do not know of 

 any particular thing in which I might instruct him to my benefit, 

 because I do not know exactly what he is wanted for there. He goes 

 determined to do for me all that he may possibly do. You must see 

 what kind of service he may render to my advantage, and cooperate 

 with him in having it rendered. He will work and speak and do 

 everything suggested, but the suggestion must be made secretly, so 

 as to remove suspicion." 



After the death of his wife and his arrival in Spain, about i486, 

 Columbus fell in love with Beatriz Enriquez, a woman of good fam- 

 ily, of Cordova. She was the mother of his son Fernando, and sur- 

 vived him, although nothing is known of her whereabouts during the 

 time of his attendance at the court of Spain and while he was absent 

 on his voyages. In his will the admiral directs his son Diego "to 

 take care of Beatriz Enriquez, mother of Don Fernando, my son; 

 supply her with all that can enable her to live in an honorable man- 

 ner, she being a person to whom I am under such grave obligations ; 

 and do this to relieve my conscience, because it weighs heavily on 

 my soul." That the family of Beatriz found no fault with her rela- 

 tions with Columbus is inferred from the fact that her brother com- 

 manded one of his ships during the third voyage. 



Near the banks of the Guadalquiver river, on the outskirts of 

 the city of Seville, a magnificent tree marks the place where stood 

 the splendid abode of Fernando Columbus, This tree is said to 

 have grown from a shrub brought from the New World by 

 Christopher Columbus. 



The mansion was long known as " The House of the Admiral," 



