* The Pope issued several bulls in the course of the year. In the most important of them, Inter coetera of 4 May, he established the line of demarcation between the territories assigned to Spain and Portugal on the meridian passing 100 leagues west of the Azores and the Cape Verde Islands, granting to the Castilians everything that might be discovered to the west of it. In 1494, in direct negotiations with Portugal, the line was shifted to 370 leagues to the west of the Cape Verde Islands. By this grant, the Portuguese were later able to colonize Brazil and, at least in theory, the English and French were debarred from the New World.

* In this document Columbus was appointed captain-general of the second fleet and given power to appoint any persons he might choose to the government of the Indies. A week before he had been given the highly prized right to wear a castle and Hon in his coat of arms. [Hernando Colon’s note.]