Authentic Letters of Columbus. 121 



n. 



Letter from Columbus to Ferdinand and Isabella concerning 



SUPPLIES for and the GOVERNMENT OF THE InDIES. WiTHOUT 

 DATE, BUT PROBABLY WRITTEN BEFORE SECOND VOYAGE. ORIG- 

 INAL IN THE COLLECTION OF THE DuKE OF VeRAGUA, MaDRID. 



t 



Your Highnesses ordered a statement to be made of all the things 

 required for provisioning the Indies, and according to my opinion 

 what is needed is as follows : 



First of all six ships, which shall carry four or five hundred men, 

 which in my judgment are necessary to conquer the Hispaniola 

 Island. There are already in the said Island four vessels, two of 

 which belong to Your Highnesses, while the two others are owned by 

 halves, one named La Nina, by Your Highnesses and myself, and 

 the other, named La Vaquenos, by Your Highnesses and a widow 

 residing at Palos. The two vessels which are therefore required to 

 complete the total of six must be of one hundred and twenty tons 

 burden, each, so as to supply the deficiency of the four others, which 

 are small. And to purchase said vessels w411 prove cheaper than to 

 charter them; and the sailors must be engaged for certain fixed 

 wages, and not otherwase, so as to secure better and cheaper service. 



And for the fitting out and provisioning the vessels, and provid- 

 ing for the support of the people on board, things must be done in 

 this way, namely : One-third of the provisions must be hard tack, 

 of good quality and well seasoned, and not old, because otherwise 

 most of it will be lost. Another third must be salted flour, the salt 

 to be mixed with the flour at the time it is milled. The other third 

 must be wheat. But it is necessary to put also on board a provision 

 of wine, and bacon, and sweet oil, and vinegar, and cheese, and peas, 

 and lentils, and beans, and salted fish, and honey, and almonds and 

 raisins, and also some fishing nets and hoops. 



Pitch and oakum, and nails, and tallow, and iron, and hardware 

 are things which are also required for the proper repair of the ships; 

 and among the people on board the said ships there must be some 

 who are calkers, and some who are carpenters, and coopers, and saw- 

 yers, and blacksmiths, and it will be cheaper to carry saws. 



And it will be good for the ships sent there to carry sheep, and 

 cows and goats, especially if they are young, said animals to be got 

 at the Canary Islands, because those islands are nearer and the price 

 will be cheaper there than elsewhere. 



