Columbus now continued to follow the seas, making several voyages to the coast of Guinea, in Africa. But at length he removed to the island of Porto Santo, in the vicinity of the island of Madeira. Porto Santo had then recently been discovered. This island lies about 700 miles south-west from Lisbon. For some years before Columbus removed to Porto Santo, much had been said about lands to the west. No such lands were known to exist; but many thought it probable that they did. Columbus heard what was said, read what was written, and his thoughts were fixed upon the subject. After his removal, he still dwelt upon it. At this time, the most western lands known were a group of islands called the Azores. These islands lie in the Atlantic Ocean, about half way between the eastern and western continents. They were discovered about the year 1450. It was a question, and one of great interest, what lay beyond the Azores, to the west. Was it water only, or was there land? And by taking a westerly course could not a passage be found to India? Columbus, as I said, dwelt long upon the subject, and at length became convinced that there must be land. In this opinion he was strengthened by certain discoveries which had been made by vessels which had sailed some distance westward into the Atlantic Ocean. These discoveries consisted in one case of a piece of carved wood, and in another of trunks of pine trees, unlike any which grew upon the Azores――but more than all, of two dead men’s bodies, cast upon Flores, one of the Azore islands, after a westerly wind, which differed in their appearance from any race of people then known. These, and several other circumstances, about which I have not time to be more particular, satisfied Columbus that there were lands to the west of the Azores. Thus, having formed his opinion, his next object was to contrive some plan to ascertain the truth of his conjectures. As he was now near to the king of Portugal, he first made application to him. He had strong reasons to hope for success, chiefly on account of the spirit of enterprise which prevailed at that time in Portugal, on the subject of discoveries. King John listened to the views of Columbus with interest. He was himself nearly ready to patronize the project, but some of his chief advisers thought the plan a wild one. King John, however, was not satisfied. His council, therefore, advised him to get Columbus to reveal his views and his plans, and to keep him in doubt, while a vessel was dispatched for the purpose of discovering the land which Columbus was so sure existed to the west.