commenced a marine life under him in this expedition against Naples; and long continued under his orders. We know little of the Admiral's history at this period, but what we know is characteristic of his adventurous spirit, and exhibits the same intrepidity, and the same readiness of expedient, which afterwards immortalized his name.

He was once sent from Marseilles to Tunis by René, in pursuit of an armed galley. Soon after they sailed, his crew learnt that the Barbary cruiser had other vessels in company with her, and insisted upon turning back for additional force. Columbus finding all open attempts to resist their wishes ineffectual, pretended to yield; but as nightfall came on, he secretly altered the points of the compass, so that his vessel continued her course, while the crew thought they were steering for Marseilles. Another exploit has been attributed to him with some probability, although the credit of it may possibly be due to his namesake. In 1475, as a Venetian squadron was cruising off Cyprus for the defence of the island, it met Columbus with ships and galleys;' and although the Venetian captain had recently twice attacked a Genoese ship, yet Columbus, by sailing boldly up, and crying 'Viva San Giorgio,' passed unmolested. Nothing more is known of this affair; nor is it possible to determine with certainty who this Columbus was; but as the Admiral was in those seas near that time, it is quite possible that he commanded the Genoese squadron.

Again, in 1477 we find him making a voyage to Frisland, the mysterious island so frequently mentioned by navigators, but now seemingly vanished from its place in the ocean.* He speaks of this voyage himself, as quoted by his son, calling the island as large as England, and saying that he sailed a hundred leagues beyond lat. 73°, its northernmost point. We know not the specific object of this voyage; but his purpose, as he intimates, in penetrating so far into the polar circle, was to prove the error of the ancient geographers, who represented the arctic zone as uninhabitable. Thus early does he appear to have been gaining correct notions of the structure of the earth.

Meantime, Domenico Colombo had, in 1470, removed his residence to Savona. Here, it may be, the Admiral lived whilst on shore; as a testament is produced, dated 1472, to which he subscribed his name as a witness. This would seem to be hardly enough to make him a citizen of Savona; although it gave the Savonese poet, Chiabrera, occasion to say, 'that he imitated the example of Christopher Columbus, his fellow citizen; that he wished to find a new world or to sink.' But the destiny of Columbus soon led him

* Belknap's Am. Biog. I. 67.

+ 'Diceva ch'egli seguia Cristoforo Colombo suo cittadino, ch'egli voleva trovar nuovo mondo o affogare.' Vita da lui Scritta, p. 33. Milan edit. Ital. Classics, Rime di Chiabrera, v. i. This poet holds up the same idea in his ode on Columbus, (Can

to fix his residence remote from Italy, and in a country where his thirst for geographical knowledge met immediately with the stimulus, and the satisfaction, which it required.

This change of residence was brought about in the following manner. After he returned from the North Sea, he served with the corsair Columbus the younger, on various marine expeditions. At length, receiving intelligence that a squadron of rich Venetian galleys were on their passage home from the Low Countries, Columbus sailed out of the Mediterranean to meet them, and falling in with them off cape St. Vincent, a desperate engagement ensued, which ended in the total defeat and capture of the Venetians. They fought ship to ship, from morning till night; and great numbers were killed on both sides; 'beating one another from vessel to vessel with the utmost rage,' says Ferdinand Columbus, making use not only of weapons, but of artificial fireworks.' His father's ship, he continues, which was fast grappled to a Venetian, taking fire in the very heat of the engagement, communicated the flames to her adversary. Nowhere is a conflagration more dreadful than of a ship at sea; and in the confusion occasioned by this appalling event, they could neither separate the vessels, nor extinguish the fire, which

ozon. Eroich. xii. Rime i, 25.) which is by no means his happiest effort.

finally raged so violently as to compel those, who would escape a fiery death, to leap into the ocean. Columbus being an expert swimmer, with the help of a floating oar barely succeeded in reaching the land, which was two leagues distant; and thus 'saved a life reserved for great undertakings.' He repaired as soon as might be to Lisbon; and the friendly welcome, which he received from his Genoese countrymen there, induced him to remain in Portugal.*

The court of Lisbon was at that period the favorite resort of Italian adventurers, expert in the arts of commerce and navigation. The Portuguese had already entered upon the magnificent career of discovery and conquest, which raised that little kingdom into wealth and weight, greatly disproportioned to its intrinsic consequence. Mariners distinguished for their skill and experience, learned geographers, and men acquainted with the construction of charts, readily found employment at Lisbon. Here then Columbus might enter upon a field of usefulness, precisely fitted to his genius. Here he would be likely to meet with far more

* This account, given by Ferdinand Columbus, and credited by writers in general, is disputed by Muñoz, (Prol. p. 12.) His only argument is, that such a seafight occurred in 1485, in which certain Venetian galleys were captured. Does it follow necessarily, supposing it were so, that there could not also have been one several years before? Although not fully credited, yet it is not absolutely denied by Mr. Irving. (Life of Col. v. i, p. 16).

auspicious opportunities for the improvement of his mind, than he could have possessed, whilst a mere Genoese corsair.

His brother Bartholomew already resided in Lisbon, devoted to the business of making charts, maps, spheres, and nautical instruments. Christopher was either well known already, or speedily ingratiated himself with those to whom he gained access; for not long after he settled in Portugal, he married Felipa Muñiz de Perestrelo, who died in a few years, leaving him one son, named Diego. This marriage was on many accounts exceedingly beneficial to Columbus. It connected him with several Portuguese families of great respectability, and thus gave him a certain standing in Lisbon. But it was serviceable to him and to the world in another respect. His wife's father, Bartolome de Perestrelo, had been an eminent navigator, and had established the first Portuguese settlement at Porto Santo, the government of which island was conferred on him for life, as the reward of his services. Among his papers were found, after his decease, many charts and manuscript accounts of voyages of discovery made by him, which were then invaluable. These were placed in the hands of Columbus, who had already conceived the idea of a western passage to the Indies; and served to inform and guide the curiosity, which they inflamed.