“If Agostin Italian and Francisco de Grimaldo do not wish to give you the money you need, look for others there who are willing to give it to you.  On the arrival here of your signature I will at once pay them all that you have received:  for at present there is not a person here by whom I can send you money.

“Done to-day, Friday, December 13, 1504

“Your father who loves you more than himself.

.S.
.S.A.S. 
XMY
Xpo FERENS.”

Letter written by CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS to his Son, DON DIEGO, December 21, 1504.

“Very dear son, The Lord Adelantado and your brother and Carbajal left here sixteen days ago to go to the Court.  They have not written me since.  Don Ferdinand carried 150 ducats.  He must spend what is necessary, and he carries a letter, that the merchants may furnish you with money.  I have sent you another letter since, with the endorsement of Francisco de Ribarol, by Zamora, the courier, and told you that if you had made provision for yourself by means of my letter, not to use that of Francisco de Ribarol.  I say the same now in regard to another letter which I send you with this one, for Francisco Doria, which letter I send you for greater security that you may not fail to be provided with money.  I have already told you how necessary it is to be careful in the expenditure of the money, until their Highnesses give us law and justice.  I also told you that I had spent 1200 castellanos in bringing these people to Castile, of which his Highness owes me the greater part, and I wrote him in regard to it asking him to order the account settled.

“If possible I should like to receive letters here each day.  I complain of Diego Mendez and of Jeronimo, as they do not write me:  and then of the others who do not write when they arrive there.  We must strive to learn whether the Queen, whom God has in His keeping, said anything about me in her will, and we must hurry the Lord Bishop of Palencia, who caused the possession of the Indies by their Highnesses and my remaining in Castile, for I was already on my way to leave it.  And the Lord Chamberlain of his Highness must also be hurried.  If by chance the affair comes to discussion, you must strive to have them see the writing which is in the Book of Privileges, which shows the reason why the third, eighth, and tenth are owing me, as I told you in another letter.

“I have written to the Holy Father in regard to my voyage, as he complained of me because I did not write him.  I send you a copy of the letter.  I would like to have the King, our Lord, or the Lord Bishop of Palencia see it before I send the letter, in order to avoid false representations.

“Camacho has told a thousand falsehoods about me.  To my regret I ordered him arrested.  He is in the church.  He says that after the Holidays are past, he will go