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Updated: May 28, 2025
Most of the leaders of the expedition lost their lives. Medina Sidonia reached Santander in October, and, as Philip for a moment believed, "with the greater part of the Armada," although the King soon discovered his mistake. Recalde, Diego Flores de Valdez, Oquendo, Maldonado, Bobadilla, Manriquez, either perished at sea, or died of exhaustion immediately after their return.
Their choice for the mission was unfortunate; it fell on Francisco Bobadilla, a spiteful, arrogant and tactless man. On arriving in Santo Domingo on August 23, 1500, he immediately began to annul dispositions made by Columbus and sent for the admiral who was in the interior.
Thereafter, he protested loudly that the piece was lead, and disrupted the intoning of the priests. "Very well," said I, "it is, in any case, a gift; if you don't want it, I will take it back": and he accepted it with bows and smiles, and allowed the weary priests to continue their intonings. But Bobadilla is the one place in southern Spain where money is never jingled upon marble.
A fourth letter, dated on the 26th of May, and addressed to Columbus, simply by the title of admiral, is a mere letter of credence, ordering him to give faith and obedience to whatever Bobadilla should impart.
After relating in indignant terms the conduct of Bobadilla, in seeking testimony respecting his administration from the very men who had rebelled against him, and throwing himself and his brothers in irons, without letting them know the offences with which they were charged, "I have been much aggrieved," he adds, "in that a person should be sent out to investigate my conduct, who knew that if the evidence which he could send home should appear to be of a serious nature, he would remain in the government."
For reply to this he received the Sovereigns' message to him which we have seen, commanding him to put himself under the direction of Bobadilla. There was no mistaking this; there was the order in plain words; and with I know not what sinkings of heart Columbus at last set out for San Domingo.
Up to this moment, Bobadilla had been sustained by the popular favor of those around him; but the indignity, of placing chains upon Columbus, seems to have made a change in the fickle impressions of the little town. Columbus, himself, behaved with magnanimity, and made no complaint. Bobadilla asked him to bid his brother return to San Domingo, and he complied.
The ship on which Columbus's enemies, Bobadilla and Roldan, sailed, was sunk with them and the gold accumulated for years. Of the whole fleet, only one vessel, called the weakest of all, reached Spain. This ship carried four thousand pieces of gold, which were the property of the Admiral.
Columbus sails from Cadiz the 9th of May, 1502, in command of four caravels Reaches Martinico, and steers for San Domingo to change one of his vessels finds Bobadilla about to sail Refused admission to the port Warns the Governor of an impending hurricane Keeps close in with the land Escapes Bobadilla's ship founders Only one with the treasure of Columbus reaches Spain Touching at Jamaica, stands across to Bonacca off the coast of Honduras Visited by a cacique in a large canoe laden with numerous articles Search for the supposed strait Goes on shore on the mainland The natives bring presents Sails along the coast Stormy weather continues Columbus suffers from illness Fine weather Off the Mosquito shore Natives offended at their presents not being accepted Hostages brought Frightened at seeing the notary write Natives carried off as guides Ships anchor in the Bay of Caribaro Large quantities of gold seen among the natives Reaches the coast of Veragua Hostility of natives Frightened into friendship Much gold obtained Columbus quits the gold region in search of the straits Hears of the gold region of Ciguere Anchors in Puerto Bello Passes Nombre de Dios Anchors in Cabinet Harbour The seamen insult the natives, who attack the ships Put to flight by the guns Columbus sails in search of the gold-mines of Veragua.
As for Bobadilla, he was no sooner come to Rome, than he fell sick of a continued fever; and it may be said, that his distemper was the hand of heaven, which had ordained another in his stead for the mission of the Indies.
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