“My lord, because I know that you will take pleasure in the great victory which our Lord has granted me on this voyage, I write you this letter, by which you will learn how… I crossed to the Indies, where I found many islands populated with innumerable inhabitants; and I have taken possession of all of them…”
Part of the opening paragraph of a letter – sold for $620,000 (£462,000) in a Bonhams New York (25/20/12% buyer’s premium) sale of September 26 – that must be ranked among the more historically significant ever written.
In simple terms, this is Christopher Columbus telling his sponsors and backers, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, that he had found America.