Palos or its neighborhood, the men of the
Santa Maria were recruited from all parts of Spain, two from Santona
besides Juan de la Cosa, which was natural enough, and several others
from northern ports, likewise attracted, in all probability, by the fame
of the Santona pilot. Among these it is very interesting to find an
Englishman, who came from the little town of Lajes, near Coruna.

Our countryman is called in the list, "Tallarte de Lajes" (Ingles). It
is not unlikely that an English sailor, making voyages from Bristol or
from one of the Cinque Ports to Coruna, may have married and settled at
Lajes. But what can we make of "Tallarte"? Spaniards would be likely
enough to prefix a "T" to any English name beginning with a vowel, and
they would be pretty sure to give the word a vowel termination. So,
getting rid of these initial and terminal superfluities, there remains
Allart, or Alard. This was a famous name among the sailors of the Cinque
Ports. Gervaise Alard of Winchelsea in 1306 was the first English
admiral; and there were Alards of Winchelsea for several generations,
who were renowned as expert and daring sailors. One of them, I believe,
sailed with Columbus on his first voyage, and perished at Navidad.

Columbus took with him the map furnished by Toscanelli. It is
unfortunately lost. But the globe of Martin Behaim, drawn in 1492--the
very year of the sailing of Columbus--shows the state of knowledge on
the eve of the discovery of America. The lost map of Toscanelli must
have been very like it, with its islands in mid-Atlantic, and its
archipelago grouped round Cipango, near the coast of Cathay. This globe
deserves close attention, for its details must be impressed on the minds
of all who would understand what were the ideas and hopes of Columbus
when he sailed from Palos.

Friday, August 3, 1492, when the three little vessels sailed over the
bar of Saltes, was a memorable day in the world's history. It had been
prepared for by many years of study and labor, by long years of
disappointment and anxiety, rewarded at length by success. The proof was
to be made at last. To the incidents of that famous voyage nothing can
be added. But we may, at least, settle the long-disputed question of the
landfall of Columbus. It is certainly an important question. There are
the materials for a final decision, and we ought to know for certain on
what spot of land it was that the Admiral knelt when he sprang from the
boat on that