Oviedo y Valdes

Oviedo y Valdes, GONZALO FERNANDEZ DE, born at Madrid in 1478, was sent by Ferdinand to St Domingo, in the West Indies, in 1514, as inspector-general of the gold-mines, and subsequently was appointed historiographer of the Indies. After his return to Spain he published a history thereof (1526). Of a second edition (21 vols. 1535) an English translation was made by Eden in 1555; a complete edition of the entire work appeared at Madrid in 4 vols. 1851-55. Oviedo died at Valladolid in 1557. He likewise wrote Las Quincuagenas, a valuable gossiping account of the principal personages of Spain in his time.