They are all purely imaginary." For the purpose of the illustration of this volume, we have used that which is best known, and for many reasons most interesting.

It is preserved in the city of Florence, but neither the name of the artist nor the date of the picture is known.

It is generally spoken of as the "Florentine portrait." The engraving follows an excellent copy, made by the order of Thomas Jefferson, and now in the possession of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

We are indebted to the government of this society for permission to use it.( *) (*) The whole subject of the portraits of Columbus is carefully discussed in a learned paper presented to the Wisconsin Historical Society by Dr.James Davie Butler, and published in the Collections of that Society, Vol.

IX, pp.
79-96.
A picture ascribed to Titian, and engraved and circulated by the geographer, Jomard, resembles closely the portraits of Philip III.