Christopher Columbus’ Profit Report to Queen Isabella
Copyright © William Stong 2010
To King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
~March 23, 1493
I have shown you the treasures we found in the Indies. Our first expedition but touched upon several islands…presumably on the outer perimeter of the main Indian continent. From Marco Polo we know that there are many more and much larger lands—presumably not far beyond the islands we visited.
The cost of the expedition was covered by my Italian investors and your Majesties. The local inhabitants we brought back have been well-received in Spain; as I am sure they will be when they visit our other investors. And, as their jewelry shows, the new lands are rich in gold and silver.
Your Majesties. Your investment in this first expedition yielded a small profit. More importantly, I claimed all the new lands for Spain and I estimate that your realm has increased by at least 25%.
But that is only the beginning. With a second expedition, consisting of more ships, perhaps a half dozen?; I anticipate finding much more of the Indies to bring under the sovereignty of your Majesties. With more lands, there will be much more wealth. By loading our ships with cheap goods unknown to the inhabitants of the Indies, they will readily trade their gold and silver.
So far, of course, we don’t know the source of their gold. May I suggest we augment the expedition with a few settlers? Perhaps a few clergymen. Both could help us find the mines. Securing land for colonists will be relatively inexpensive since the inhabitants appear to lack a knowledge of metal-working. Their weapons are primitive. The most formidable that came against us were crude arrows. A few soldiers accompanying the colonists will be more than enough. Perhaps another half dozen ships for these, shall we say, civilizing travelers?
There is a large benefit for having the next expedition consist of more ships, many of which will be carrying people we will be leaving in these new lands: there will be more holds for bringing riches back to Spain.
Even better, since I have already made the journey, we know the route. Which currents will get us there in the shortest period of time. We hope to find the best currents to bring us back. The time to make these journeys will shorten as we gain experience. Not only will your lands grow vastly larger, your subjects will increase, and your wealth expand. All of these will happen in shorter and shorter time periods.
May I respectfully inquiry how soon you will allow us to begin bringing these benefits to your Majesties?
Viajes de Colon
Bill
William A. Stong
Email: william.a.stong@gmail.com
Telephone: 925-202-6244
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Blog # 8-16-0607 © 2010
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