receive from this city
aid in favor of the things of his service; because from that city I came
forth and in that city I was born." This clause became the subject of
much litigation as the century went on.

Another clause which was much contested was his direction to his son
Diego to take care of Beatriz Enriquez, the mother of Fernando. Diego
is instructed to provide for her an honorable subsistence "as being a
person to whom I have great obligation. What I do in this matter is to
relieve my conscience, for this weighs much upon my mind. The reason of
this cannot be written here."

The history of the litigation which followed upon this will and upon
other documents which bear upon the fortunes of Columbus is curious,
but scarcely interesting. The present representative of Columbus is Don
Cristobal Colon de la Cerda, Duke of Veragua and of La Vega, a grandee
of Spain of the first class, Marquis of Jamaica, Admiral and Seneschal
Major of the Indies, who lives at Madrid.

Two days after the authentication of the will he died, on the twenty
first of May, 1506, which was the day of Ascension. His last words were
those of his Saviour, expressed in the language of the Latin Testament,
"In manus tuas, Pater, commendo spiritum meum,"--"Father, into thy hands
I commend my spirit." The absence of the court from Valladolid took with
it, perhaps, the historians and annalists. For this or for some other
reason, there is no mention whatever of Columbus's funeral in any of the
documents of the time.

The body was laid in the convent of San Francisco at Valladolid. Such
at least is the supposition of Navarrete, who has collected the original
documents relating to Columbus. He supposes that the funeral services
were conducted in the church of the parish of Santa Maria de la Antigua.
From the church of Saint Francis, not many months after, the body was
removed to Seville. A new chapel had lately been built there, called
Santa Maria de las Cuevas. In this chapel was the body of Columbus
entombed. In a curious discussion of the subject, which has occupied
much more space than it is worth, it is supposed that this was in the
year 1513, but Mr. Harrisse has proved that this date is not accurate.

For at least twenty-eight years, the body was permitted to remain under
the vaults of this chapel. Then a petition was sent to Charles V, for
leave to carry the coffin and the body to San Domingo, that it might be
buried in the larger chapel o