Columbus Or The Discovery Of America Classic Reprint PDF Download

Excerpt from Columbus and the Spanish Discovery of America It is, however, wholly aside from my purpose to enter into any controversy over Columbus. It is enough to say that the part he played in the great drama of the discovery and subsequent development of America was no less important than it was dramatic; but, as it is my purpose to show, the real impor tance of his part in the discovery was due not to the man him self, but to those he represented, the company, so to speak, he carried with him to America. Himself a Genoese adven turer, just as ready to sail in the service of France or England as of Portugal or Spain, it so chanced he did sail in the service of Spain, with results for Spain, Europe, the New World, and indeed for the whole human race, to some of which I now propose to refer. It is necessary to say only one word more in regard to the discovery of America. Before doing so I want to repeat and emphasize the belief that nothing which scholars can unearth or critics suggest can, or in my judgment should, detract from the brilliancy of the exploit of Columbus, or the admiration it exacts. He sailed due West into the unknown in order to reach the East. He did it; and he alone did it. The fact that the Norsemen had five centuries before done what he now did in no wise detracts from the splendor of the achievement. The scientific result was his he is entitled to all credit for it. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.