A legal document, he considers, will be better than a rod; "it will not be so much against the conscience of the chastiser, and will injure him (the chastised) more." Letter written by CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS to DON DIEGO, his Son, January 18, 1505.
"VERY DEAR SON,--I wrote you at length by the courier who will arrive there to-day, and sent you a letter for the Lord Chamberlain.
I intended to inclose in it a copy of that chapter of the letter from their Highnesses in which they say they will order you placed in possession; but I forgot to do it here.

Zamora, the courier, came.

I read your letter and also those of your uncle and brother and Carbajal, and felt great pleasure in learning that they had arrived well, as I had been very anxious about them.

Diego Mendez will leave here in three or four days with the order of payment prepared.

He will take a long statement of everything and I will write to Juan Velasquez.