AN ABSURD REPORT. 



285 



ridiculous and impracticable. "When/' says the son, "this scandalous underhand dealing 

 came to my father's ears, he took a great aversion to Lisbon and the Portuguese nation." 

 Little wonder, one would think ! His wife was now dead, and he resolved to repair to 

 Castile with his little son. Lest, however, the Spanish sovereign might not consent to 

 his proposals, he determined to send his brother, Bartholomew Columbus, from Lisbon, 

 to make similar proposals to the King of England. Bartholomew was experienced in 

 seamanship, and understood the construction of charts, globes, and nautical instruments. 

 On the voyage he had the misfortune to be taken by pirates, who stripped him and the 

 rest of the ship's company of everything of value. Poor Bartholomew arrived in England 

 in poverty and sickness. Undaunted by his misfortunes, he commenced making and 

 selling charts, in order to recruit his finances. After 

 much loss of time, he, in February, 1480, presented 

 a map of his own construction, and the proposals 

 of his brother, to the king, who became very favour- 

 ably inclined towards the project ; and ordered an 

 invitation to be sent to Columbus, desiring him to 

 come to England forthwith. But, alas ! England 

 was fated not to have the services of this great 

 navigator. " Providence," says Ferdinand, " had 

 determined that the advantage of this great dis- 

 covery should belong to Castile ; and by this time 

 my father had gone upon his first voyage." 



About the end of the year 1484 the admiral 

 stole away privately from Lisbon, as he was afraid 

 of detention. The king had by this time come 

 somewhat to his senses, and it is asserted that he 

 was desirous of renewing the conferences with Colum- 

 bus. But he did not use much diligence, and thereby 

 missed his last grand opportunity. Columbus next 



addressed himself to their Catholic Majesties of Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, then at 

 Cordova. His affable manners and evident knowledge soon gained him a hearing ; but as 

 their Majesties considered that a matter of such importance required to be learnedly 

 investigated, it was referred to the prior of Prado, afterwards Archbishop of Granada, 

 who was to obtain the assistance of some cosmographers, and report on its practicability. 

 The report they presented was unfavourable to the enterprise. Some thought Columbus 

 presumptuous in expecting to accomplish that which skilful sailors of all nations had not 

 done, although several thousand years had elapsed since the creation of the world. Others 

 said that the world was of such prodigious size, that they questioned whether he would 

 reach the Indies that way in three years. Others used the powerful argument that if 

 they sailed round the world down from Spain, they would never get up again ! No ship 

 could climb up-hill ! The ecclesiastics quoted St. Augustine, to the effect that the antipodes 

 were an impossibility, and that no one could go from one hemisphere to another. Ignorance 

 and credulity triumphed for the time, but not for long. 



CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 



( After a Portrait in the Gallery of Vicenza. ) 



