a whale having been call afhoreinthe night nearHuelva,
inade fuch lamentable groans, and frightened the people
to fuch a degree, that they imagined thefe hideous yells
could only proceed from the bottom of hell, on which
the friars o f the convents Dslabella and Larabida at Palos
all ran to the ehurches, fearing every moment to be their
laft, however they were foOn convinced of their ignorance.
A defcription was afterwards publiihed of this
whale, from whence it appeared, that it was ninety feet
long and thirty feet high, a man could ftand upright in
its mouth, and there was eight feet diftance between its
eyes. But thefe are not objeas to perpetuate the memory
of Palos or the fryars of Larabida, more ftriking
events have handed down their name to pofterity ; even
the ignorant convent of Larabida was at one time governed
by one of the moft enlightened charaaers of the
age, and to whom the Spanifh monarchs had the greateft
obligations; this perfon was Juan- Perez, prior of Larabida,
the intimate friend of Columbus, who after that
great man had received his final anfwer O from court, ve•ntured
to write again to Queen Ifabella in his favour, and
by his intereft, and perfuafion, engaged that princefs
once more to confider his cafe ; the arguments of Perez
were drawn up with fuch ftrength of reafoning and ingenuity,
that he was ordered to attend the court to confer
with the miniftry on that fubjeft, the refult of which
was the final fettlement of his plan in behalf of his friend,
whofe
whofe children were at fchool under his tuition, and the
little port of Palos, as moft pleafing to them both, was
fixed upon for that "ever memorable expedition, from
whence Columbus failed in 1492, inqueft of a new world
for the crown of Caftile, verifying that enthufiaftic prediction
o f Seneca,
V e n i e n t a n n i s
S a e c u l a f e r i s , q u i b u s o c e a n i r s
V i n c u l a r e r u m l a x e t , e t i n g e n s
P a t e a t t e l l u s , T i p h y f q u e n o v o s
D e t e g a t o r b e s , n e c f i t t e r r i s
U l t i m a T h u l e !
S e n e c a e M e d e a . .
R r s L E T T E R.