Replies

MEMO

From: Queen Isabella
To: Mr. Christopher Columbus

RE: New Route to India

Chris, we've been considering your offer to find a new route to the spice merchants in India, and we're having second thoughts about funding the effort. We mean, there are a number of established roads and waterways that we can use to get there, so we don't see the need to develop new ones. Besides, spice consumption should remain level for the foreseeable future, and we seem to have enough to go around. It sure seems like a lot of danger to take on for such a small result.

Certainly, there couldn't be anything new to learn from such a voyage anyway, as Europe has already mapped the whole world, we're quite sure. This particular indisputable fact brings me to a suggestion for you: Perhaps you could map the coastlines of Europe for us. You know, travel back and forth along the shores for a few decades and really record the details.

We wish you excellent luck in whatever you do, Chris.

Royally Yours,

The Queen

"Chris, we've been considering your offer to find a new route to the spice merchants in India, and we're having second thoughts about funding the effort."

But she DID fund it, because she stood to make money. Was it funded from her own wealth, or was there an income tax back in Spain for such things?

Secondly, even if Columbus had not gotten her funding, there is no evidence that other efforts would not have led to the development of the Americas. The market would have taken care of it.