Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/287

 Proof that Coiunibus zaas Born in 1^51 277 wrote his life maintains silence on this point ; and that Las Casas, who possessed all the family papers and who was personally ac- quainted with the principal members of the Columbus family, also refrains from saying a word upon the subject. The document discovered by ]I. Assereto also gives some new information upon Columbus. 'e find therein an authentic verifica- tion, the first we possess, that he was in Lisbon in July, 1478, and was having business transactions with that same Paulo di Negro who later appears in his will ; that at this period he made a commer- cial voyage to Madeira, a place it was not known for certain that he had visited ; that the following year he was at Genoa, whither it was not known he had returned, and where he was then still considered to be a citizen of that town, which leads to the supposition that he was still unmarried in August, 1479. ^"d had not yet in a perma- nent manner fixed himself in Portugal, for Las Casas tells us that his marriage and settling down in that country made him to be looked upon as a Portuguese. Henry 'igxaud. Appendix We give below the essential passages of the two deeds of 1470 and 1479. The other portions of these documents, which are both of considerable length, have no bearing on the question under dis- cussion. L Christopher Cohiiiibus, aged nineteen full years, Zi'ith the author- ization of his father Domenico admits that he is the debtor of Pietro Bellesio, Genoa, October 5/, 1470} In nomiije Domini, amen. Christofforus de Columbo nlius Dominici, major annis decemnovem, et in presentia, auctoritate. consilio et con- sensu dicti Dominici ejus patris presentis et autorizantis, sponte et ex ejus carta scientia et non per aiiquem errorem juris vel facti, confessus fuit et in veritate publice recognovit Petro Belexio de Portu Mauricio, filio Francisci, present!, se eidem dare et solvere debere libras quad- laginta octo, soldos tresdecim et denarios sex Janue : et sunt pro resto vinorum eidem Christoftoro et dicto Dominico venditorum et consigna- torum per dictum Petrum. IL Deposition made by Columbus in a lazcsuit brought by Ludovico Centurione against Paulo di Negro, Genoa, August 25, 1479.^ This deposition is preceded by a request made by Ludovico on August 23, 1479, for the hearing of his witnesses. Ludovico ex- ' From the Notarial Archives of Nicolo Raggio, file 2, a. 1470, n. go;. First published by Staglieno in Giornale Ligustico of 1887, p. 259, and reproduced in Documenti of the Raccoltii Colombiana, part II., vol. 1, no. 34. "Notarial Archives of Ventimiglia, file 2 (1474-1505), no. 266. Published by M. Ugo Assereto in Giornale Storico e Leiterario delta Liguria, January- February, 1904.