Letter written by CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS to DON DIEGO, his Son, December 1, 1504.

“Very dear son,—­Since I received your letter of November 15 I have heard nothing from you.  I wish that you would write me more frequently.  I would like to receive a letter from you each hour.  Reason must tell you that now I have no other repose.  Many couriers come each day, and the news is of such a nature and so abundant that on hearing it all my hair stands on end; it is so contrary to what my soul desires.  May it please the Holy Trinity to give health to the Queen, our Lady, that she may settle what has already been placed under discussion.  I wrote you by another courier Thursday, eight days ago.  The courier must already be on his way back here.  I told you in that letter that my departure was certain, but that the hope of my arrival there, according to experience, was very uncertain, because my sickness is so bad, and the cold is so well suited to aggravate it, that I could not well avoid remaining in some inn on the road.  The litter and everything were ready.  The weather became so violent that it appeared impossible to every one to start when it was getting so bad, and that it was better for so well-known a person as myself to take care of myself and try to regain my health rather than place myself in danger.  I told you in those letters what I now say, that you decided well in remaining there (at such a time), and that it was right to commence occupying yourself with our affairs; and reason strongly urges this.  It appears to me that a good copy should be made of the chapter of that letter which their Highnesses wrote me where they say they will fulfil their promises to me and will place you in possession of everything:  and that this copy should be given to them with another writing telling of my sickness, and that it is now impossible for me to go and kiss their Royal feet and hands, and that the Indies are being lost, and are on fire in a thousand places, and that I have received nothing, and am receiving nothing, from the revenues derived from them, and that no one dares to accept or demand anything there for me, and I am living upon borrowed funds.  I spent the money which I got there in bringing those people who went with me back to their homes, for it would be a great burden upon my conscience to have left them there and to have abandoned them.  This must be made known to the Lord Bishop of Palencia, in whose favour I have so much confidence, and also to the Lord Chamberlain.  I believed that Carbajal and Jeronimo would be there at such a time.  Our Lord is there, and He will order everything as He knows it to be best for us.

“Carbajal reached here yesterday.  I wished to send him immediately with this same order, but he excused himself profusely, saying that his wife was at the point of death.  I shall see that he goes, because he knows a great deal