, bought, bartered, or gained
within his admiralty, the costs being first deducted.

"4. That he, or his lieutenant, should be the sole judge in all causes
and disputes arising out of traffic between those countries and Spain,
provided the high admiral of Castile had similar jurisdiction in his
district.

"5. That he might then, and at all after times, contribute an eighth
part of the expense in fitting out vessels to sail on this enterprise,
and receive an eighth part of the profits."[508]

[Footnote 508: I cite this version from Irving's _Columbus_,
vol. i. p. 142, making a slight amendment in the rendering; the
original text is in Navarrete, tom. ii. p. 7. A few days later
the title of "Don" was granted to Columbus and made hereditary
in his family along with the offices of viceroy and
governor-general.]

Columbus was not long in finding friends to advance or promise on his
account an eighth part of the sum immediately required. A considerable
amount was assessed upon the town of Palos in punishment for certain
misdeeds or delinquencies on the part of its people or some of them.
Castile assumed the rest of the burden, though Santangel may have
advanced a million maravedis out of the treasury of Aragon, or out of
the funds of the _Hermandad_,[509] or perhaps more likely on his own
account.[510] In any case it was a loan to the treasury of Castile
simply. It was always distinctly understood that Ferdinand as king of
Aragon had no share in the enterprise, and that the Spanish Indies were
an appurtenance to the crown of Castile. The agreement was signed April
17, 1492, and with tears of joy Columbus vowed to devote every maravedi
that should come to him to the rescue of the Holy Sepulchre.

[Footnote 509: A police organization formed in 1476 for
suppressing highway robbery.]

[Footnote 510: It is not easy to give an accurate account of
the cost of this most epoch-making voyage in all history.
Conflicting statements by different authorities combine with
the fluctuating values of different kinds of money to puzzle
and mislead us. According to M. Harrisse 1,000,000 maravedis
would be equivalent to 295,175 francs, or about 59,000 gold
dollars of United States money at present values. Las Casas
(tom. i. p. 256) says that the eighth part, raised by Columbus,
was 500,000