COOK THE COCONUT PALM IN AMEBIC A. 281 



Markham's translation of the clause relating to the coconuts in 

 Cuba is not altogether satisfactory. The Spanish version says that 

 large nuts (nueces grandes) were found, rather than a single nut. 

 The statement that the nuts were of the kind belonging to India 

 (nueces grandes de las de India) is followed by a parenthetical idio- 

 matic expression (creo que dice), as though to remind the reader that 

 this was the opinion of Columbus, for which the editor of the journal, 

 Las Casas, did not wish to be considered responsible. Las Casas added 

 a footnote (Eutias debian de ser, "They must have been agoutis") to 

 indicate that the animals taken for rats by Columbus were agoutis, 

 the large tailless rodents of Cuba. Having learned that the agoutis 

 were not rats, the identity of the nuts might also be questioned, but 

 no other nut has been found in Cuba large enough to be mistaken 

 for a coconut. Knowing that Columbus had not in reality reached 

 the East Indies, Las Casas was inclined to pass lightly over the 

 evidences that had deceived the Admiral. 



TVe are left with no positive assurance that the large nuts came 

 from the very tall palms, but botanical science affords us no ground 

 for refusing to believe that the statement relates to the coconut, as 

 Colmeiro has declared in opposition to a Spanish historian who con- 

 sidered the large nuts as walnuts. a 



Markham's translation also omits a statement regarding the palms, 

 that they were taller than any that Columbus had seen thus far, 

 which may have reference to a previous mention of great numbers 

 of palms (injinitas palmas) three days before at a location identified 

 by Markham as Puerto de Taxamo, Cuba. If we include these 

 emendations, the reference to the large nuts and its immediate con- 

 text may be translated as follows : 



There was a very beautiful meadow, and many very tall palms, taller than those 

 seen before; he found large Indian nuts, as he would say, and large rats, also like 

 those of India, and very large crabs. & 



Though the presence of natives is not stated, the mention of the 

 meadow indicates that the place had been cleared by human inhabi- 

 tants. It appears unlikely that the native palms, even if they had 



a Vio Colon ' ' muchas y altisimas palmas, ' ' asi como algunos pinos (Pinus occiden- 

 tals Sw. et. P. cubensis Griseb.),y despues deaquellas menciono las " nueces grandes 

 de las de India," que no es admisible perteneciesen a un nogal, como presumio el 

 historiador Munoz, siendo lo creible que fuesen cocos, porque no es improbable que 

 el cocotero (Cocos nucifera L.) existiese en las regiones intertropicales del Nuevo 

 Mundo antes de su descubrimiento, y asi parece demostrarlo tan significativa indi- 

 cacion. — Colmeiro, Miguel, Primeras Noticias acerca de la Vegetacion Americana, 

 p. 13. (Madrid, 1892.) 



&The Spanish text of Navarrete is as follows: 



"... habia un prado muy Undo y palmas muchas y altisimas mas que las que 

 habia visto: hallo nueces grandes de las de India, creo que dice, y ratones grandes 

 de los de India tambien, y cangrejos grandisimos. (Navarrete, Coleccion de los 

 Viages y Descubrimientos, etc., p. 60, Madrid, 1825.) 



