Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/137

113 HIS APPLICATION AT THE COURT. 113 masters of one of the smallest of the group of islands, chapter . XVI. supposed to be the Fortunate Isles of the ancients, since known as the Canaries. Other private ad- venturers from Seville extended their conquests over these islands in the beginning of the following century. These were completed in behalf of the crown under Ferdinand and Isabella, who equipped several fleets for their reduction, which at length terminated in 1495 with that of Teneriffe. ^ From the commencement of their reign, Ferdinand and Isabella had shown an earnest solicitude for the en- couragement of commerce and nautical science, as is evinced by a variety of regulations which, how- ever imperfect, from the misconception of the true principles of trade in that day, are sufficiently in- dicative of the dispositions of the government. ^ Under them, and indeed under their predecessors as far back as Henry the Third, a considerable 3 Four of the islands were con- ^ Among the provisions of the quered on behalf of private adven- sovereigns enacted previous to the turers chiefly from Andalusia, be- present date, may be noted those fore the accession of Ferdinand for regulating the coin and weights ; and Isabella, and under their reign for opening a free trade between were held as the property of a no- Castile and Aragon ; for security ble Castilian family, named Peraza. to Genoese and Venetian trading The sovereigns sent a considerable vessels ; for safe conduct to mari- armament from Seville in 1480, ners and fishermen ; for privileges which subdued the great island of to the seamen of Palos ; for pro- Canary on behalf of the crown, and hibiting the plunder of vessels another in 1493, which effected the wrecked on the coast ; and an or- reduction of Palma and Teneriffe dinance of the very last year, re-. after a sturdy resistance from the quiring foreigners to take their natives. Bernaldez postpones the return cargoes in the products of last conquest to 1495. Salazar de the country. See these laws as Mendoza, Monarquia, tom. i. p. 347 extracted from the Ordenangas -349. — Pulgar, Reyes Catolicos, Reales and the various public ar- pp. 136, 203. — Bernaldez, Reyes chives, in Mem. de la Acad, de Catolicos, MS., cap. 64, 65, 66, Hist., tom. vi. Ilust. 11. 133. — Navarrete, Coleccion de Vi- ages, tom. i. introd., sec. 28. VOL. II. 15