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COLUMBUS. 



mean time, endeavoured to convince his sovereigns 

 that he had abused his power, and that his plan was to 

 make himself independent, till, at last, even Isabella 

 yielded to the wishes of Ferdinand, who had previ- 

 ously become convinced of the truth of the slanders. 

 Francisco de Bobadilla was sent to Hispaniola, with 

 extensive powers, to call the viceroy to account. As 

 soon as he reached the island, he summoned Colum- 

 bus to appear before him, and put him in irons. 

 His brothers were treated in the same manner. 

 All three were sent to Spain, accompanied by a num- 

 ber of written cliarges, drawn up from the statements 

 of the bitterest enemies of Columbus. Columbus 

 endured this outrage with noble equanimity, and 

 wrote, as soon as lie had arrived in Cadiz, Nov. 23, 

 1500, to a lady of the court, vindicating his conduct, 

 and describing, in eloquent and touching language, 

 the treatment he had received. Orders were im- 

 mediately sent, directing him to be set at liberty, 

 and inviting him to court, where his sovereigns re- 

 ceived him with the same distinction as formerly. 

 Isabella was moved to tears, and Columbus, over- 

 come by his long-suppressed feelings, threw himself 

 upon his knees, and, for some time, could not utter a 

 word for the violence of his tears and sobbings. He 

 then defended himself by a simple account of his 

 conduct, and was reinstated in his dignities. Ferdi- 

 nand even consented to dismiss Bobadilla, which was 

 intended for the first step towards the promised restor- 

 ation of the great discoverer to his dignities. But 

 these dispositions in the monarchs were soon changed. 

 There was much talk of great expeditions, and, 

 in the mean time, Nicholo de Ovando y Lares was 

 sent as governor to Hispaniola. Columbus still urg- 

 ed the fulfilment of the promises solemnly made to 

 him ; but, after two years of delay, he became con- 

 vinced that there was no intention to do him justice. 

 But his noble mind had now learned how to suffer, 

 and he was principally desirous of completing his 

 work. Supposing the continent which he had seen 

 to be Asia, he did not doubt that he should find, 

 through the isthmus of Darien, a way to the East 

 Indies, from which the first fleet of the Portuguese 

 had just returned, richly laden. In four slender 

 vessels supplied by the court for this purpose, Colum- 

 bus sailed from Cadiz, in his fourth and last voyage. 

 March 9, 1502, with his brother Bartholomew and 

 his son Fernando ; arrived contrary to his wishes, 

 off St Domingo, June 29, and was denied permission 

 to enter the port, for the purpose of refitting his 

 vessels, and escaping an approaching storm. He 

 succeeded, however, in anchoring his small squadron 

 in a place of safety, and rode out the storm, whilst 

 eighteen vessels, which had put to sea in spite of his 

 warning, were almost entirely destroyed. He then 

 continued his voyage to Darien, but without finding 

 the expected passage. Two of his vessels were de- 

 stroyed by a gale ; the two others were wrecked off 

 Jamaica, where he was scarcely able to save him- 

 self and his companions. Here the severest trials 

 awaited the constancy of Columbus. Separated from 

 the other part of the world, his destruction seemed 

 to be certain. But he succeeded in procuring a few 

 canoes from the natives, and prevailed on some of his 

 boldest and best men to attempt a voyage to His- 

 paniola, in two canoes, in order to inform the go- 

 vernor of his situation. Several months elapsed 

 without a glimpse of hope. Part of his companions, 

 reduced to despair, rebelled, repeatedly threatened 

 his life, separated from him, and settled on another 

 part of the island. Here they alienated the minds 

 of the natives, by their cruel treatment, so much that 

 they ceased to bring them supplies. The death of 

 all seemed inevitable ; but Columbus, whose courage 

 rose with the ^danger, preserved his men in this cris- 



is. He had ascertained tliat a total eclipse of the 

 moon was about to take place, and threatened the 

 natives with the vengeance of his God if they should 

 persist in their enmity. As a proof of his assertion, 

 the moon, lie said, would lose its light, in token of 

 the chastisement which awaited them. When they 

 beheld his threat verified, they hastened to bring him 

 provisions, and implore his intercession with the 

 Deity. But hostilities now broke out between him 

 and the rebels, in which several of the latter were 

 killed, and their leader was taken prisoner. After 

 remaining a year on the island, relief at last appear- 

 ed. The two canoes liad reached Hispaniola in 

 safety, but the messengers could not prevail on the 

 governor to undertake the deliverance of the admi- 

 ral. They finally bought a vessel themselves, and it 

 was on board this ship that Columbus left Jamaica, 

 June 28, 1504. He went to St Domingo, but only 

 to repair his vessel, and then hastened back to Spain. 

 He arrived in Spain sick and exliausted. The death 

 of the queen soon followed, and he urged in vain on 

 Ferdinand the fulfilment of his contract. After two 

 years of illness, humiliations, and despondency, Co- 

 lumbus died at Valladolid, May 20, 1506, in the 

 seventieth year of his age. His remains were trans- 

 ported, according to his will, to the city of St Do- 

 mingo, but. in 1795, on the cession of Hispaniola to 

 the French, they were removed, with great pomp, 

 to the cathedral of Havannah, in Cuba. The chains 

 which he had worn, he kept hanging in his cabinet, 

 and requested that, when be died, they might be 

 buried in his grave. A splendid monument was 

 erected in honour of Kim, in a Carthusian convent at 

 Sevilla, where his body was first deposited. 



In the vigour of manhood, Columbus was of an 

 engaging presence, tall, well formed, and muscular, 

 and of an elevated and dignified demeanour. His 

 visage was long, his nose aquiline, his eyes light- 

 gray, and apt to enkindle. His whole countenance 

 had an air of authority. Care and trouble had turn- 

 ed his hair white at thirty years of age. He was 

 moderate and simple in diet and apparel, eloquent in 

 discourse, engaging and affable with strangers, and 

 of great amiabteness and suavity in domestic life. 

 His temper was naturally irritable, but he subdued it 

 by the benevolence and generosity of his heart. 

 Throughout his life, he was noted for a strict atten- 

 tion to the offices of religion ; nor did his piety con- 

 sist in mere forms, but partook of that lofty and so- 

 lemn enthusiasm, with which his whole character 

 was strongly tinctured. Of a great and inventive 

 genius, a lofty and noble ambition, his conduct was 

 characterized by the grandeur of his views and the 

 magnanimity of his spirit. The two men who have 

 probably done most, in modern times, to change the 

 face of the world have been Italians Columbus and 

 Napoleon. For further information respecting the 

 life of Columbus, we refer the reader to the life of 

 Columbus (in Italian), by Bossi (French translation, 

 Paris, 1824) ; Columbus and his Discoveries, by 

 Spotorno ; Memorials of Columbus (original writings 

 of Columbus, translated from the Spanish and Italian, 

 London, 1824); and Codice Diplomatico Colombo 

 Americano, Genoa, 1823, 4to. Navaretes Collec- 

 tion of the Voyages of Discovery made by the Span- 

 iards (collected from the archives), Madrid, 2 vols. 

 4to, and French, Paris, 1825, contains the journals 

 of Columbus, and many letters, then first printed. 

 The latest account of the great discoverer is Wash- 

 ington Irving's Life and Voyages of Columbus, 3 

 vois. 8vo, London, 1828, abridged by the same, 1 

 vol. 12mo, New York, 1829. 



COLUMBUS; a post-town of the United States, 

 the seat of the government of the state of Ohio, in 

 Franklin county, on the east bank of the Srioto 



