TRINIDAD: THEN AND NOW. 



49 



with this decision. According to his historian 

 Vasconcellos, he convoked his council, composed of 

 prelates and persons of the greatest learning in the 

 kingdom, and it was decided by them to pursue the 

 route which they had already opened along the 

 coast of Africa ; this was accordingly prosecuted 

 with new ardour and eventually with triumphant 

 success. 



What was Columbus' next step is not quite cer- 

 tain, but it is said that he offered his project to his 

 native city, Genoa. That republic — Genoa was then 

 a republic — was, however, at that time in a languish- 

 ing decline and embarassed by a foreign war, and, 

 being disheartened by her reverses, shut her ears to 

 the proposition, which if they had listened to and 

 carried into effect would have undoubtedly revived 

 her waning splendour and enabled her to still hold 

 within her grasp the commerce which she was fast 

 losing. Anyway her crippled state of finance de- 

 terred her and the offer had to be declined. 



He next offered it to Venice where it was de- 

 clined also on account of the critical state of national 

 affairs. His next effort was with Spain, where he 

 had many interviews with the Duke of Medina 

 Sidonia, who was tempted for a time by the splendid 

 prospects held out ; but the very splendour threw a 

 colouring of improbability over the enterprise and he 

 finally rejected it as the dream of an Italian visionary. 

 The Duke of Medina Celi hearing that Columbus was 

 likely to apply to the King of France, and loth that 

 such an enterprise should be lost to Spain, wrote to 



D 



