The Discoverers

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 21990, 14 January 1937, Page 4 (Supplement)

The Discoverers

CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS

What, was the nationality of Christopher Columbus? Where was he born? Here is a name that is so well known it-has become an exclamation; and yet, only one of six persons chosen at random in the last few days knew the answer tov one. of these questions. Two said he was Spanish and was born somewhere, in Spain; bne said he was Portuguese and was born in Lisbon; one said he was Spanish but was born in France; one said he was English and ’ was born in England. All wrong. The sixth said “he was Italian and was born in Genoa of poor but honest parents. And that is nearer to what the biographical dictionaries say. It is a queer thing that there can generally be found some' one who

will say that any odd famous man was, an Englishman. Some of the older sc.hoolbqoks ■ are to. .blame perhaps; they were discreetly unspecific, about .the nationality of such men-as Columbus and Pasteur and' were full of golden words about the birth ..place and parents of any; Englishmen/ ' : <■ The well-worn tag to our , Christopher is, this: Christopher' Columbus discovered America in 1492. But the quaint thing about it was that the. poor man didn’t’ even know that he discovered that very wealthy, and interesting land. He always believed that he had sailed from the Europe end of - Asia across the Atlantic until he had come to the other end-of Asia; he thought that the land mass of Asia stretched round until it faced Europe across the Atlantic. That is, he gave Asia credit for being a' much greater land mass than it is; though goodness knows it is already quite big enough. . .

About the time that Christopher Columbus was born (this'was probably in the year 1446), Genoa belonged to France. So Columbus was a Genoese which would, make him an Italian to-day; but at that time the Genoese were the Genoese and nothing else. From 1528 till 1792. Genoa was an. independent republic governed' by a »doge. Then, after years of trouble.it came under Italian influence, in 1815 became part of the kingdom of Sardinia, and later part of the kingdom of Italy. The poor,but honest parents of Christopher were Domenico Colombo and his wife, Suzanna Fontanarossa; they were cloth weavers or wool-combers and probably became moderately wealthy as time

went on. When he was a small boy, Christopher had to help in the work, but later was able to go to the university of Pavia. So it may be supposed that his father Domenico had made the trade prosper. In those days boys went to sea at an early age if they were going to sea at all. Christopher was adventurous and was away fighting in battles at the age of 14. At a very early age it seems he was in charge of a crew sent to bring back a captured galley at Tunis; and it is said that it was on this voyage that Christopher began his long life of deceiving his men. They showed signs of mutiny so he told them lies until they were willing to sail the ship, on thq course he wished. It was the only way he had of saving his ship and his life. In 1476 he sailed on a vovage •westwards from Genoa. His ship was accompanied by three others, But the trip was a failure for off

Cape St. Vincent a privateer attacked the ships of Columbus and took two. The other two got, a way and reached Lisbon. Christopher was one of the fortunate ones. He stayed a time in Lisbon and then went on with his two ships to England. This was early in 1477. According to his own stories, he visited the north seas at this time, going even so far north as Iceland. But his own stories are not to be trusted absolutely: first, he had the bad habit of telling lies forced on him by mutinous crews and next it was the fashion of the day to exaggerate exploits, especially those of wonderful voyages. . No one at that time believed the stories of Marco Polo, who had lived from 1256-1323, and who had travelled far across Europe and Asia from Venice. But it . has since been proved that many of Marco’s supposed fabrications were quite true; • so it is possible that all the words • Columbus had to tell were true also. Returning from England and from his possible voyage to the north, Christopher reached Lisbon in 1473 and married there a lady with a long name and many important uncles. Her shortest name was Felipa. Probably she cruised with Christopher in the pleasant Mediterranean waters. Certainly he did not go on any very long voyages for a few years, but contented himself with reading the works of the geographers and astronomers, so that he might know all that could be known of the world. Now the works of Marco Polo in particular suggested that the continent of Asia stretched far, far, round the world. Christopher was convinced the world was a sphere, but he thought it was much smaller than it actually is. He thought also, as has already been said, that the Asiatic continent was much bigger and imagined it extending round the sphere until it was so near Europe a CT ain that it would be quite simple to reach it by sailing westwards. Still, he did not know how long the voyage might take, but he did know that much money was needed to arrange it. He had plenty of ideas, but not enough money. So he had to go about seeking some wealthy king to finance the venture. First he went to King John 11, of Portugal. This king had recently come to the throne and was interested in the proposals Columbus made. But what did he do? He sent Christopher away, telling him he would try to make arrangements; and secretly he sent a fleet off on the very voyage Columbus had planned. Soon the sailors mutinied and returned? and Christopher discovered that he had been cheated by King John. So in 1488

he went to the court of Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella were at that time waging war on Granada, and bade Columbus wait till they could give the matter their attention; -A mere five years they kept the adventurous seaman waiting, i But. at last they gave him the support he wanted. Columbus had appealed to dukes and kings and queens during six or seven years. He must have been a very patient man. . ■ ■ ' On August 3, 1492 the fleet set sail—one decked ship with 50 meal and two caravels each with 18. j These were the ships from which! land was sighted on October 12.! 1492; when America was discovered to the,, western world. On the voyage Columbus • kept two records, one for himself (truth-■: ful) and one for the sailors (slightly | coloured); yet he had great diffl-, culty im keeping them to their pur-J pose. But on October 7 One of thol crew of a caravel saw a branch with berries “and with these signs all ■ of them breathed and ; were glad.” ■ • , i• ; Columbus, returned to Spain, and) rode at the king’s bridle. He w 33 served and saluted as a grandee of | Spain, arid a new expedition Waa| prepared. The rest .of his life was; full of strarige successes , and; strange failures. He made three* more voyages, fell ill on one, was captured and sent home in irons on; another, and was full of misery on. the third. .He died at Valladolid oh* May. 20, 1506. And after many re-; movals from place to place his ■ bones were buried in' a special tomb at Seville in 1902. NOTE:—A„ privateer • was an armed vessel owned by private persons holding a commission from- a Government authorising them to use the vessel against a hostile nation, especiallv for the capture of merchant shipping. A privateer; was a pirate with a license.

NURSERY RHYME

(By John McNamara)

A flame has been discovered so hot that it will melt its way through steel, brass, or indeed any substance that is used in engineering. _ Finely powdered aluminium is blown through a blow pipe and is met by a. swift stream of oxygen as it leaves the pipe. The flame is lighted with a match and gives such a terrific heat that it will cut us way through a bar of metal with the greatest of ease, „■ "