And finally, he was authorized to send ships to any other
part, according as he saw proper or convenient.

While the admiral remained at Seville attending to the equipment of the
expedition, he received a letter from their majesties, directing him to
cause a sea chart to be drawn with all the rhumbs and other particulars
necessary for pointing out the voyage to the _West Indies_. Their
majesties pressed him to hasten his departure, making him great promises
of favour and reward, as the importance of his discovery seemed every day
the greater. This letter was dated from Barcelona on the 5th September, up
to which day nothing had been definitively settled with the king of
Portugal, respecting the proposed limits between the two nations in the
ocean. The admiral continued his exertions to get every thing ready, and
caused many kinds of useful plants to be shipped; likewise wheat, barley,
oats, rye, and all kinds of grain and seeds; cows, bricks, lime, and other
materials for building; and an infinite number of useful articles.

[1] Almost seven months and a half; or more precisely thirty-two weeks,
being seven kalendar months and twelve days.--E.

[2] In this bull, following the vague language of Columbus, the great
discoverer, the New World is called the _Indies_, slightly
distinguished, in grammatical number only, from _India_ in
south-eastern Asia.--E.

[3] In the bull, as reported by Herrera, all that should be discovered to
the west and _south_ of the meridianal line from pole to pole is
granted to the crown of Castile and Leon. It is hard to say what
portion of the globe was conceived to be _to the south_ of such a
demarcation. But it is obvious that in granting _all to the west_ of
this line to Spain, and _all to the east_ of it to Portugal, the pope
and cardinals granted the _whole circumference_ of the globe
reciprocally to both crowns. The sacred college had not hitherto
adopted the geographical heresy of Galileo, and still entertained
vague notions of the true figure of the earth.--E.

[4] This probably alludes to the _foul means_ then employed in Spain for
converting the Moors and Jews, by means of the _holy office_ of the
Inquisition.--E.

[5] Perhaps this expression mean knights, or _fidalgos_; men of family and
substance: yet it probably means nothing more than that twenty
volunteer cavalry formed part of the military force of the