t88 Field Columbian Museum. 



XXXI. 



Letter of Columbus to Louis Santangel, giving an account of 

 HIS first voyage and the discovery of the New World. Sent 

 overland from Lisbon, February, 1493, and published in 

 March, 1493. Original probably destroyed by printer. 



t 



Sir : As I am sure you will be pleased at the great victory which 

 the Lord has given me in my voyage I write this to inform you that 

 in twenty days I arrived in the Indies with the squadron which their 

 Majesties had placed under my command. There I discovered many 

 islands, inhabited by a numerous population, and took possession of 

 them for their Highnesses, with public ceremony and the royal flag 

 displayed, without molestation. 



The first that I discovered I named San Salvador, in remem- 

 brance of that Almighty Power which had so miraculously bestowed 

 them. The Indians call it Guanahani, To the second I assigned 

 the name of Santa Marie de Conception; to the third that of Fer- 

 nandina; to the fourth that of Isabella; to the fifth Juana; and so on, 

 to every one a new name. 



When I arrived at Juana, I followed the coast to the westward 

 and found it so extensive that I considered it must be a continent 

 and a province of Cathay. And as I found no towns or villages by 

 the seaside, excepting some small settlements, with the people of 

 which I could not communicate because they all ran away, I con- 

 tinued my course to the westward, thinking I should not fail to find 

 some large town and cities. After having coasted many leagues 

 without finding any signs of them, and seeing that the coast took me 

 to the northward, where I did not wish to go, as the winter was 

 already set in, I considered it best to follow the coast to the south ; 

 and the wind being also scant, I determined to lose no more time, 

 and therefore returned to a certain port, from whence I sent two 

 messengers into the country to ascertain whether there was any king 

 there or any large city. 



They traveled for three days, finding an infinite number of small 

 settlements and an innumerable population, but nothing like a city : 

 on which account they returned, I had tolerably well ascertained 

 from some Indians whom I had taken that this land was only an 

 island, so I followed the coast of it to the east 107 leagues, to its 



