Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/288

 2/8 H. Vignmid plains that he desires to prove by witnesses who are about to start on a long voyage that the preceding year Paulo di Negro, to whom he had supplied money for the purchase of a consignment of sugar at Madeira, had sent Columbus to that island for that purpose, but that Columbus did not receive the full remittance and consequently was unable to complete the purchase. This request was notified the same day to Paulo di Xegro, and the day but one following Christopher Columbus, a citizen of Genoa (Christofforus de Columbo civis janue), says the notary, appeared and was heard. He declared on oath that in the month of July of the preceding year he was at Lisbon with Paulo di Negro, who commissioned him to purchase on his account at ^Madeira 2,500 arrobas of sugar ; that Paulo handed him a portion of the funds necessary for this purchase and forwarded to him another portion at Madeira, where he (Columbus) had contracted to buy the re- quired amount of sugar, but that, the balance of the amount not having been remitted, when the Portuguese captain sent by Paulo di Negro to fetch the sugar arrived, the sellers who had sold for cash down refused to allow the goods to be shipped : Ejus juramento corporaliter tactis scripturis de veritate dicenda et testificanda dixit se tantum scire de contentis intitulo videlicet quod Veritas fuit et est quod cum anno proxime preterito de tnense Julii ipse testis et dictus Paulus assent in loco Ulisbone transmissus fuit ipse testis per eunidem Paulum ad insulam Amaderie cause emendi rubas duomilia quadringentas sucarorum in plus, cui quidem testi dacti ex tunc fuerunt per dictum Paulum vel alium pro eo occaxione predicta regales centum quindecim milia et inde dum ipse testis esset in dicta insula Amaderie, etiam transmissi fuerunt ipse testi per eumdem Paulum seu 'alium pro eo occaxione premissa usque ad summam regalium tre centum duodecim milia vel circa computatis dictis regalibus centum quindecim milia, et hoc usque ad illud tempus quo ad dictam insulam apulit navigium patron- isatum per Ferdinandum Palensium portugalensem in et super quo navigio onerari debetat dicta sucarorum quantitas, que tamen onerari tunc non potuit licet empta et incaparata antea fuisset per ipsum testem, licet tamen presentialiter proprie et ad punctum testificare non possit, que pars dictorum sucarorum tunc empta et per eumdem testem in- caparata fuisset quia non habet ejus librum in quo distincte omnia con- tinentur et scripta sunt et ad quern se reffert. Verum tempore apulsus dicti navigii sucara ipsa empta et incaparata per ipsum testem ut supra in totum habere non potuit defectu pecunie ipsi testi non transmisse per dictum Paulum pro ipsorum sucarorum solucione et ea pars que con- signata fuerat ipsi testi per venditores licet non solupta aplicato dicto navilio ab eis minabatur ut ilia vendi facerent danino et interesse ipsius testis attento quod eoruni debitum et solucionem non faciebat, quibus ex causis dicta sucarorum quantitas in ct super dicto navigio onerari non potuit.