anish reads, "Lo que yo se es que el ano de noventa y
cuatro en veinte y cuatros grados al Poniente en termino de nueve horas."
The translation in the text and that in Thacher (II. 687) of the Italian
makes nonsense. The translation should be "what I know is that in the
year '94 (1494) I sailed westward on the 24th parallel (lit. on 24
degrees) a total of nine hours (lit. to a limit of nine hours)." That is,
he reckoned that he had gone 9/24 round the world on the 24th parallel,
and he knew it because there was an eclipse by which he found out the
difference in time between Europe and where he was. The "termino" of nine
hours refers to the western limit of his exploration of the southern
coast of Cuba when he concluded it was a projection of the mainland of
Asia. After reaching the conclusion that this is the correct
interpretation of this passage, I discovered that it had been given by
Humboldt in his _Kritische Untersuchungen ueber die historische
Entwickelung der geographischen Kenntnisse von der Neuen Welt_, I. 553,
and by Peschel in his _Zeitalter der Entdeckungen_, p. 97, note 2. It may
be objected to this explanation that in reality Columbus had only gone
about 75 degrees west of Cape St. Vincent in Portugal. The accurate
calculation of longitude at that time, however, was impossible, and as
will be seen in the following note Columbus's calculation was biassed by
powerful preconceptions.

[396-2] In his _Libro de Profecias_ Columbus recorded the data of this
eclipse which took place February 29, 1494, from which he drew the
conclusion, "The difference between the middle of the island Jamaica in
the Indies and the island of Cadiz in Spain is seven hours and fifteen
minutes." Navarrete, _Viages_, II. 272.

[396-3] Reading _remendiado_ or _remendado_ instead of _remedado_.

[396-4] Catigara was in China on the east side of the Gulf of Tonquin.

[396-5] Marinus of Tyre divided the earth into 24 meridians, 15 degrees
or one hour apart. His first meridian passed the Fortunate Isles, which
he supposed to be 2-1/2 degrees west of Cape St. Vincent, and his
fifteenth through Catigara, southeastern China. The inhabited world
embraced fifteen of these lines, 225 degrees, and the unknown portion
east of India and west of Spain, nine lines, or hours, or 135 degrees.
_Cf._ Vignaud, _Toscanelli and Columbus_, p. 74; Bunbury, _History of
Ancient Geography_, II. 519 _et seqq._ Columbus, therefore, according to
his calculations,