Professor Hex

The Kansas City Star, May 8, 1924

COLUMBUS HAD THE DATA?

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Explorer Didn't Make Blind Voyage To Find America

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Documents Indicate He Knew of Existence of Islands to the West After Someone From This Side Visited Europe

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New York, May 8. - Two significant historical facts were revealed today with publication by Albert and Charles Boni of "The Journal of First Voyage to America," by Christopher Columbus, based on documents found in 1820 in the archives in Madrid.

One is that long before Columbus discovered America, someone from the western hemisphere visited Europe. The second is that Columbus was definitely informed of this, as well of the existence of "islands" in the west - long mooted question among American historians. It has been believed Columbus sailed to discover the wealth and jewels and mysteries of "the Indies" on mere guesswork.

LETTER CONTAINS EVIDENCE

The new historical evidence is contained in a subjoined letter which Paul Toscanelli, a Florentine physician and celebrated astronomer, wrote to Columbus in 1474 - eighteen years before the journey of discovery to America was made.

This letter, according to Don Fernando Columbus, in his biography of his father, had a great effect in causing Columbus to undertake the voyage.

Although Toscanelli refers to the islands in the west as Cathay, he gives the distance due west from Lisbon as 3,900 miles.

He said, in the letter, an ambassador from the Great Can (King of Kings) came to see Pope Eugenius IV, and that he himself was a great deal in his company.

GAVE DESCRIPTION OF HIS KINGDOM

"He gave me descriptions of the magnificence of his kingdom," he wrote, "and of immense rivers in that territory, which contained, as he said, two hundred cities with marble bridges, on the bank of a single stream. this is a noble country and ought to be explored by us, on account of its great riches and the quantity of gold, silver and precious stones which might be obtained there."

Later, he refers to Quisay, or City of Heaven, containing "ten marble bridges built upon immense columns, of singular magnificence." Another island, he said, contained such abundance of precious stones and metals that the temples and royal palaces were "covered with plates of gold."

Many entries made by Columbus in his record are pointed to by students of that period as proving he had definite knowledge of the existence of land where he finally found it, since he remarked many times his determination not to vary his course even when other and more expert navigators with him thought it advisable as a result of their observations and reckonings.

posted by Prof. Hex at 8:30 AM

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