Concerning the marginal notes by Columbus see Yule, _op.cit_., II, App.

H, p.558.The book is preserved in the Colombina at Seville.

I must, however, frankly admit that modern research, iconoclastic as ever, not content with white-washing Lucrezia Borgia and Catherine de Medicis, and with reducing Catherine of Siena to something near insignificance, is also making it appear more and more probable that Columbus originally set sail in 1492 to look for the islands of the Antilles, and that, although on his return after his great discovery in 1493 he maintained that his design had always been to reach Cipangu, this was a _post hoc_ story, the idea of searching for Cipangu having probably come from his partner, Martin Pinzon.

It is a pity that we do not know _when_ he made his notes in the edition (the probable date of publication of which was 1485) of Marco Polo's book, which might settle the matter.

On the whole question see Henry Vignaud, _Etudes critiques sur la vie de Colomb avant ses decouvertes_ (Paris, 1905) and _Histoire de la Grande Enterprise de 1492_, 2 vols.