Letter written by CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS to DON DIEGO, his Son, December 3, 1504.

“Very dear son,—­I wrote you at length day before yesterday and sent it by Francisco Pinelo, and with this letter I send you a very full memorandum.  I am very much astonished not to receive a letter from you or from any one else, and this astonishment is shared by all who know me.  Every one here has letters, and I, who have more reason to expect them, have none.  Great care should be taken about this matter.  The memorandum of which I have spoken above says enough, and on this account I do not speak more at length here.  Your brother and your uncle and Carbajal are going yonder.  You will learn from them what is not said here.  May our Lord have you in His Holy keeping.

“Done in Seville, December 3.

“Your father who loves you more than himself.

.S.
.S.A.S. 
XMY
Xpo FERENS.”

Document of Columbus addressed to his Son, Diego, and intended to
accompany the preceding letter.

“A memorandum for you, my very dear son, Don Diego, of what occurs to me at the present time which must be done:—­The principal thing is, affectionately and with great devotion to commend the soul of the Queen, our Lady, to God.  Her life was always Catholic and Holy and ready for all the things of His holy service, and for this reason it must be believed that she is in His holy glory and beyond the desires of this rough and wearisome world.  Then the next thing is to be watchful and exert one’s self in the service of the King, our Lord, and to strive to keep him from being troubled.  His Highness is the head of Christendom.  See the proverb which says that when the head aches, all the members ache.  So that all good Christians should entreat that he may have long life and health:  and those of us who are obliged to serve him more than others must join in this supplication with great earnestness and diligence.  This reason prompts me now with my severe illness to write you what I am writing here, that his Highness may dispose matters for his service:  and for the better fulfilment I am sending your brother there, who, although he is a child in days, is not a child in understanding; and I am sending your uncle and Carbajal, so that if this, my writing, is not sufficient, they, together with yourself, can furnish verbal evidence.  In my opinion there is nothing so necessary for the service of his Highness as the disposition and remedying of the affair of the Indies.

“His Highness must now have there more than 40,000 or 50,000 gold pieces.  I learned when I was there that the Governor had no desire to send it to him.  It is believed among the other people as well that there will be 150,000 pesos more, and the mines are very rich and productive.  Most of the people there