Columbus, Christopher

[The Latinized form of the It. Colombo; Sp. Colon.] The discoverer of America, B. in Genoa, 1435 or 1436, (others say 1446.) It is said that his father followed the trade of wool-comber, but, in fact, we have no definite information about the family and early life of C. He went to sea at the age of 14. Little is known of him till we find him at Lisbon, in 1470. He was then about 35 years of age, tall, and well formed, of dignified carriage, and engaging manners (see fig. 103). Already his hair had become quite white; doubtle in consequence of the hardships and anxieties of his early days. About this time he married Felepé Mônis de Palestrello, daughter of a deceased Italian navigator. He now occupied himself in constructing maps and charts, made several voyages to the coast of Africa, visited the Canaries and Azores, and, eager to pa the bounds of existing knowledge, made a voyage, in 1477, to the northward of Iceland. Before this time, however, he had conceived the design of reaching India by a westward course. Judging from the latest and best accounts, he gave by far too great an extension to the east of Asia; and, on high authority, took the size of a degree considerably below the truth, thus greatly under-estimating the earth's size. It followed that the Atlantic might easily be traversed. The scheme was a magnificent one; but it is difficult for us now, in the advanced state of our knowledge, to look at it in all its grandeur and boldne . He supported his views by the authority of Aristotle and other ancient writers, who had suggested that India might be reached by going west from the Pillars of Hercules; and by traditions and rumors concerning land to the west, and objects seen floating in the Atlantic, or cast ashore by westerly winds. Copious memoranda of all the grounds of his persuasion were found among his papers. To reach India by sea was still the great problem of geography. C. offered to John II. of Portugal to solve it by sailing westwards; and would most probably have prevailed upon the king to send out an expedition, had it not been for the secret counterplotting of some of the council, whose duplicity, winked at by the monarch, so disgusted C., that he took his departure for Spain. This was in 1484 or 1485; his only companion was his son Diego, then about eleven years old, his wife having died some time previously. Though entering Spain in great poverty, he soon made friends, and got an introduction to the king and queen. They hesitated to undertake so great an enterprise, and several councils reported unfavorably; still C. persevered in new applications, and for seven years was kept in a painful state of suspense. At length, after a last trial, in February, 1492, he left the residence of the court, and set out on his way to France. Two of his friends got an immediate interview with the queen-overcame her scruples-and C. was brought back. Isabella had offered to pledge her jewels, but the king was afterwards prevailed upon to furnish the greater part of the funds, C. himself undertaking an eighth, and getting the same part of the profits. He was to have one-eighth of all metals, gems, and merchandise, the of fice of admiral, with descent of title, and to be viceroy and governor-general of the new lands. The articles of agreement were signed on April 17, 1492. On Friday, August 3, 1492, the expedition sailed from Palos, near Moguer on the Tinto; it consisted of three small ve els, two without decks (see fig. 104), and 120 men, who had been procured with the utmost difficulty, owing to the general dread of the voyage. The celebrated brothers Pinzon commanded the two smaller ve els, of about fifty tons each, named the Pinta and Nina; the admiral, the Santa Maria. The only difficulty encountered was the mutinous tendency of the crews, excited by their terrors. C. repre ed these with extraordinary tact; he was, besides, a skilful sailor, and had helps which a few years before did not exist. The compa had been receiving more attention, and the astrolabe, an instrument like our sextant, had been lately introduced.- Sitting on the high poop of his ve el, at 10 o'clock on the night of Oct. 11, 1492, gazing earnestly ahead, C. plainly saw moving lights upon some land. Four hours of most exciting suspense followed. At 2 A. M., Rodrigo Triana, a sailor in the Pinta, which was a little in advance, saw the land itself. Dawn revealed a lovely island-Guanahani, or San Salvador, one of the Bahamas. He afterwards discovered Cuba and Hayti; and deeming all these portions of Asia, - a delusion under which he labored till his latest hour, he called the inhabitants Indians; a name which became general before the truth was known. The discovery produced an extraordinary sensation in Europe; and C. was received by the sovereigns, and in every part of Spain, with the highest honor. On Sept. 25, 1493 he sailed from Cadiz with a fleet of ward Isles, Jamaica, Porto Rico, ., and founded a colony in Hispaniola. Disappointed in their hopes of making rapid fortunes, many of the adventurers who went out with him became discontented, and returning home, spread calumnies against the admiral. Leaving his brother Bartholomew governor, he returned home, was received with favor, and refuted all the charges preferred by his enemies. His third voyage, entered upon May 30, 1498, was rewarded by the discovery of Trinidad, the Orinoco, and the coast of Paria. He found the new colony in a disorganized state, and remained some time to restore order. Complaints, however, still reached Spain, and a commi ioner named Bobadilla was sent out to institute inquiries. He exceeded his powers, and sent C. home in irons, with his two brothers, Bartholomew and Diego. There was a general burst of indign a cogee co., on the E. bank of the Chattahoochee River, 90 m. W.S.W. of Macon, 128 W.S.W. of Milledgeville, and 290 W. of Savannah. The Chattahoochee is navigable hence to A pal a chi cola, on the Mexican Gulf, during 8 months of the year, and conveys vast quantities of cotton to that port for foreign shipment. C., as a city and nucleus of trade, ranks about third in the State; it is well and handsomely built, and the streets (of rectangular form) are pleasantly shaded by foliage. A fine bridge spans the river here, and connects the city with the village of Girard, on its opposite bank. C. contains some spacious and handsome public buildings, and has manufactures of cottons, woollens, paper, implements of farm husbandry, ., besides po e ing an active busine in iron-founding. Several railroads have their termini in this city. Pop . (1897) abt. 20,000. the Caribbean Sea into what was supposed to be the great Indian Sea, from which Vasco de Gama had recently returned laden with the richest treasure. The voyage was disastrous; and the constitution of C., on which the infirmities of age had already made inroads, never recovered from the shock which it sustained. In coasting Central America, he got a hint, which, if followed up, might have led to the discovery of Mexico and the Pacific, and shed new lustre on his declining years. He returned at the end of the year 1504, and renewed his appeals to the justice and generosity of the king. While urging them in person, or by means of his son, brother, and other friends, he was seized with a violent attack of gout, and expired on May 20, 1506, in full po e ion of his faculties, and in a very pious frame of mind. In his latter days, his connection with, and neglect of, Be at rice Enriquez, of Seville, mother of his natural son Fernando, "weighed heavily on his con Fig. 649. HOUSE IN WHICH COLUMBUS DIED, (at Seville.) science," and on his death-bed he made provision for her. Fernando was now eighteen years of age; he became the biographer of his father, by whom he had always been treated with the same affectionate regard as his other son. The latter, Don Diego, renewed the application for redre ; and, at length, commenced a law proce against the king, before the "high council of the Indies." This court decided against his majesty; and, about the same time, a mutual attachment having sprung up between the young admiral and the Donna Maria de Toledo, niece of the celebrated duke of Alva, who was cousin-german to Ferdinand, and high in his favor, such influence was brought to bear, that the king was obliged to yield; though not so far as to restore fully the dignities and privileges at first conferred. As vice queen of Hispaniola, this lady behaved with great dignity, propriety, and spirit, and did excellent service to her husband, who, like his father, was never free from the persecution of enemies. Her eldest son, Don Luis, resigned all claim to the former titles for a handsome pension, with the titles of Duke of Veragua and Marquis of Jamaica. His eldest daughter married Don Diego, her cousin; and they jointly enjoyed the honors and estates, but died without i ue; -and the legitimate male line became extinct. At length, in 1608, the property and titles pa ed into a branch of the house of Braganza, in the person of Don Nuñez de Portugallo, who was grandson of Isabella, third daughter of Don Diego C., by his wife, Donna Maria de Toledo. The remains of C. were taken in 1536 to Santo Domingo, and deposited in the cathedral of that city, whence they were conveyed with great pomp in 1798 to the cathedral of Havana. It has been, however, lately alleged that the bones conveyed to Havana are those of Diego, son of Christopher, and that the true remains of the great C. are those contained in a crypt discovered in 1877 in the S.W. of Muscatine, and about 3 m. W. of the Iowa river. -in Kansas , a city, cap. of Cherokee co., on the Mi ouri river, about 10 m. N.N.W. of St. Joseph, Mo. Pop . 2,400. -in Kentucky , a p.-v. and twp. of Hickman co., on the Mi i ippi river, about 300 m. W.S.W. of Frankfort. Columbus, in Michigan , a p.-v. and twp. of St. Clair co., on Belle river, about 40 m. N.N.E. of Detroit. -A village of Ingham co., on Grande river, about 12 m. S. by W. of Lansing. Columbus, in Minnesota , a village of Columbus twp., Anoka co., about 22 m. N. of St. Paul. Columbus, in Mi i ippi , a city, cap. of Lowndes county, on the Tombigbee river, about 140 m. N.E. of Jackson. Pop . (1897) abt. 5,500. Columbus, in Mi ouri , a post-village and township of Johnson county, about 106 m. N. by W. of Jefferson City. Pop . (1897) abt. 5,200. Columbus, in North Carolina , a S. co., bordering on S. Carolina; area , about 600 sq. miles. The Lumber river bounds it on the N.W., and it is also drained by the Waccamaw river. The surface is level, and in some parts marshy. Cap . Whitesville. Pop . (1890) 17,856. -A post-village, cap. of Polk co., about 90 m. W. of Charlotte. Columbus, in Nebraska , a city, cap. of Platte co., on the Loupe fork of Platte river, about 86 m. W. by N. of Omaha. Pop . (1897) abt. 4,500. Columbus, in Nevada , a P. O. of Esmeralda co. Columbus, in New Jersey, a post-village of Mans field township, Burlington co., about 12 m. S.S.E. of Trenton. Columbus, in New York , a post-township of Chenango county, on the Unadilla River, about 33 m. S.W. of the city of Utica. Columbus, the capital of Ohio , and seat of justice of Franklin co., is pleasantly located on the E. bank of the Scioto River, 90 m. from its outlet, 116 m. N.E. of Cincinnati, and 350 m. from Washington; Lat. 39° 57′ N., Lon. 83° 3′ W. C. may be deemed the third city of the State in point of size and importance, yielding only, in these e entials, to Cincinnati and Cleveland. It was laid out in 1812, and established as the seat of govt.; and in 1834 was incorporated as a city. It is built on the rectangular plan, and laid out with considerable taste and uniformity. Its finest public edifice is, undoubtedly, the State House, or Capitol. This is a noble structure, having dimensions of 304 ft. in length, by a width of 134, and covers an area of 55,936 sq. ft. It is reared of gray limestone, giving it the appearance of a marble structure, and presents a chaste and elegant outside appearance-a quality in no wise deteriorated from in the aspect and arrangements of its interior fittings and accommodations. Besides this, C. brings forward to notice the U.S. Barracks and her fine and extremely well-ordered Penitentiary. Asylums for the deaf and dumb, the blind, the idiotic, and the lunatic, are here conducted on the largest and most improved scale; while some 80 churches, the Starling Medical College, the State University, and an a ortment of literary, educational, and scientific institutions, attest the patriotic vigor and mental spirit of her citizens. C. keeps pace with her sister cities, requiring for her intelligent needs not fewer than 4 daily newspapers, 19 weeklies, and 9 monthly journals; besides being intersected by eleven different railroad lines. A branch of the great Ohio Canal also keeps this city in inter-communication with the major part of the State. C. as the center of a rich farming country, is naturally a place of active and prosperous busine operations. Her manufacturing interests are large and steadily increasing, and include blast-furnaces, rolling mills, terra-cotta pipe works, car works, wagon and carriage factories, . C. is a thriving city and rapidly growing. Pop . in 1897 abt. 100,000. Columbus, in Pennsylvania, a post-village and township of Warren co. on Coffeo Creek, about 33 m. E.S.E. of Erie. Columbus, in Tenne ee, a village of Jackson co. IMG:content-0284.jpg:[graphic] cathedral of San Domingo. The transference of the -A village of Polk co. on the Hi a was see river, about 170 remains in 1795 was made with so much caution and solemnity, that it would require overwhelming proof to conclude that a blunder was then made, and the wrong body carried away. Colum'bus, in Arkansas , a village of Hempstead co., about 10 m. W. of Washington, the county seat. Columbus, in Florida , a post-village of Columbia co., on the Suwanee River, about 80 m. E. of Tall a has see. m. E.S.E. of Nashville. Columbus, in Texas, a city, cap. of Colorado co., on the Colorado, 95 m. S.E. of Austin. Pop. 3,200. Columbus, in Wisconsin, a city of Columbia co., on Crawfish river, on the Chicago, Mil. and St. Paul R. R., about 30 m. N.E. of Madison. It is in a rich agricu tural district. Pop . (1897) abt. 3,000. Columbus City, in low a, a village and township of Louisa co.; also called COLUMBUS, q. v. Colum'bus Grove, in Ohio, a post-village of Putnam co., about 100 m. N.W. of Columbus.