Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. II.djvu/201

177 SECOND VOYAGE 177 of a conciliatory deportment, he was, in that case, chaptkh to assume a tone of remonstrance, and to demand ■ — a full explanation from king John, of his designs. The cautious prince, who had received, through his secret agents in Castile, intelligence of these latter instructions, managed matters so discreetly as to give no occasion for their exercise. He abandoned, or at least postponed his meditated expedition, in the hope of adjusting the dispute by negotiation, in which he excelled. In order to quiet the appre- hensions of the Spanish court, he engaged to fit out no fleet from his dominions within sixty days ; at the same time he sent a fresh mission to Barcelona, with directions to propose an amicable adjustment of the conflicting claims of the two nations, by making the parallel of the Canaries a line of par- tition between them ; the right of discovery to the north being reserved to the Spaniards, and that to the south to the Portuguese. ^^ While this game of diplomacy was going on, the second voy. Castilian court availed itself of the interval afforded ^"'n''"^- by its rival, to expedite preparations for the second voyage of discovery ; which, through the personal activity of the admiral, and the facilities every- where aflbrded him, were fully completed before the close of September. Instead of the reluctance, and indeed avowed disgust, which had been mani- fested by all classes to his former voyage, the only 25 Faria y Sousa, Europa Portu- lib. 4, sec. 27, 28. — Mariana, guesa, torn. ii. p. 463. — Herrera, Hist, de Espaiia, torn. ii. pp. 606, Indias Occidentales, loc. cit. — 607. — La Clede, Hist, de Portu- Muiloz, Hist, del Nuevo-Mundo, gal, torn. iv. pp. 53 - 58. VOL. II. 23