mation we have concerning the "sighting" of the New World:

"THURSDAY, October 11, 1492.--_Navego al Ouesudueste, turvieron mucho
mar mas que en todo el viage habian tenido. Despues del sol puesto
navego a su primer Camino al Oueste; andarian doce millas cada hora. A
las dos horas despues de media noche parecio la tierra, de la cual
estarian dos leguas. Amainaron todas las velas y quedaron con el treo
que es la vela grande sin bonetas, y pusierouse a la corda temporizando
hasta el dia viernes que llegaron a una isleta de los Lucayos que se
llamaba en lengua de indios Guanahani._"

That is: "They steered west-southwest and experienced a much heavier sea
than they had had before in the whole voyage. After sunset they resumed
their former course west, and sailed twelve miles an hour. At 2 o'clock
in the morning the land appeared (was sighted), two leagues off. They
lowered all the sails and remained under the storm sail, which is the
main sail without bonnets, and hove to, waiting for daylight; and Friday
[found they had] arrived at a small island of the Lucayos which the
Indians called Guanahani."

It will be observed that these are the words of Las Casas, and they were
evidently written some years after the event.]

[Footnote 6: Helps refers to the island as "one of the Bahamas." It has
been variously identified with Turks Island, by Navarette (1825); with
Cat Island, by Irving (1828) and Humboldt (1836); with Mayaguara, by
Varnhagen (1864); and finally, with greatest show of probability, with
Watling Island, by Munoz (1798), supported by Becher (1856), Peschel
(1857), and Major (1871).]

[Footnote 7: See page 217, _post_.]

[Footnote 8: The greatest blot on the character of Columbus is contained
in this and a succeeding letter. Under the shallow pretense of
benefiting the souls of idolators, he suggested to the Spanish rulers
the advisability of shipping the natives to Spain as slaves. He appeals
to their cupidity by picturing the revenue to be derived therefrom, and
stands convicted in the light of history as the prime author of that
blood-drenched rule which exterminated millions of simple aborigines in
the West Indian Archipelago.]

[Footnote 9: The countries which he had discovered were considered as a
part of India. In consequence of this notion the name of Indies is given
to them by Ferdinand and Isabella in a ratification of their former
agreement, which was granted to Columbus after his return.--Robertson