102 Field Columbian Museum. 



Kettell, in Boston, about 1832. What became of the ori.Qfinal of the 

 journal when Las Casas finished his work is unknown. It cannot be 

 traced any farther than his hands. 



Don Luis, the son of Diego Columbus, and the grandson of 

 Christopher, was a worthless fellow, and after a career of adventures 

 and dissipation was banished for bigamy to Africa, where he died, 

 and the male line of the great discoverer became extinct seventy years 

 after his death. Then began a series of law suits for the succession, 

 which continued for two himdred and fifteen years until 1790, when 

 the courts confirmed the claims of Don Mariano Colon de Toledo, tlie 

 grandfather of the present Duke of Veragtia, who was descended from 

 the second son of Luis. In the meantime the family archives, includ- 

 ing the precious papers that were exhibited at the World's Fair, were 

 passed from one branch of the family to another, and many of them 

 were lost. 



The defeated claimant, Don Carlos Fernando Fitz-James Stuart, 

 was a descendent of the youngest daughter of Luis Columbus. vSome 

 of his ancestors intermarried with the royal family of Stuarts of Scot- 

 land, and to him and to them the present Duke of Berwick-Alba 

 traces his line. Several interesting autographs which were not trans- 

 ferred with the rest to the successful contestant are still in the posses- 

 sion of the latter gentleman, and were loaned for exhibition at Chi- 

 cago. His wife, the present Duchess, a lady of rare accomplishments, 

 has written a vakiable history of the papers and published it at Madrid 

 for private circulation. They include a memorandum prepared in 1504 

 by Christopher Columbus in support of his claims under his contract 

 made with the sovereigns of Spain before the first voyage of discov- 

 ery was undertaken ; an autographic statement of the disposition of 

 the gold he brought with him from Hispaniola on that voyage, and 

 several drafts or orders for money which he desired paid to persons 

 with whom he had business. 



Both the Duke of Veragua and the Duke of Berwick- Alba have 

 a full appreciation of the value of the papers, and preserve them in 

 handsomely carved oaken chests. 



One of the letters in the Duke of Veragua's collection, which was 

 exhibited in La Rabida, is an original from the king of Portugal. It 

 is believed that Columbus left Lisbon after the death of his wife to 

 escape his creditors. The popular understanding, based upon his own 

 statements, is that his departure was due to indignation at the action 

 of the king in secretely sending an expedition into the western sea to 

 ascertain the truth of his theory. But there is a record of his appli- 

 cation to Prince John II, in 1488, two years later, for a passport to 



