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THE
LIFE AND VOYAGES
^
CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS.
WASHINGTON IRVING. ^^--
(abridged by the same.) -^ "^^
including the author's
VISIT TO PALOS.
A PORTRAIT, MAP, AND OTHER ILLUSTRATIONS.
BOSTON :
MARSH, CAPEN, LYON, AND WEBB.
18.39.
^\.N
£7///
7^
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1839, by
Marsh, Capen, Lyon, and Webb,
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of Massachusetts.
3) ^
EDUCATION PRESS.
INTRODUCTION.
Whether in old times, beyond the reach of history
or tradition, and at some remote period,when, as some
imagine, the arts may have flourished to a degree un-
known to those whom we term the ancients, there exist-
ed an intercourse between the opposite shores of the
Atlantic ; whether the Egyptian legend narrated by Plato,
respecting the island of Atlantis, was indeed no fable,
but the tradition of some country, engulfed by one of
those mighty convulsions of our globe, which have left
the traces of the ocean on the summits of lofty moun-
tains ; must ever remain matters of vague and visionary
speculation. As far as authenticated history extends,
nothing was known of terra-firma, and the islands of the
western hemisphere, until their discovery towards the
close of the fifteenth century. A wandering bark may
occasionally have lost sight of the landmarks of the old
continents, and been driven by tempests across the wil-
derness of waters, long before the invention of the com-
pass, but none ever returned to reveal the secrets of the
ocean ; and though, from time to time, some document
has floated to the old world, giving to its wondering
inhabitants indications of land far beyond their watery
horizon, yet no one ventured to spread a sail, and seek
that land, enveloped in mystery and peril. Or, if the
legends of the Scandinavian voyagers be correct, an^
their mysterious Vinland were the coast of Labrador
IV INTRODUCTION.
or the shore of Newfoundland, they had but transient
glimpses of the New World, leading to no permanent
knowledge, and in a little time lost again to mankind.
Certain it is, that at the beginning of the fifteenth century,
when the most intelligent minds were seeking in every
direction for the scattered lights of geographical knowl-
edge, a profound ignorance prevailed among the learned
as to the western regions of the Atlantic ; its vast waters
were regarded with awe and wonder, seeming to bound
the world as with a chaos, into which conjecture could
not penetrate, and enterprise feared to adventure. We
need no greater proof of this, than the description given
of the Atlantic by Xerif al Edrisi, surnamed the Nubian,
an eminent Arabian writer, whose countrymen possessed
all that was known of geography in the middle ages.
"The ocean," he observes, encircles the ultimate
bounds of the inhabited earth, and all beyond it is un-
known. No one has been able to verify any thing con-
cerning it, on account of its difficult and perilous navi-
gation, its great obscurity, its profound depth, and fre-
quent tempests ; through fear of its mighty fishes, and
its haughty winds ; yet there are many islands in it, some
of which are peopled, and others uninhabited. There
is no mariner who dares to enter into its deep waters ;
or if any have done so, they have merely kept along its
coasts, fearful of depai'ting from them. The waves of
this ocean, although they roll as high as mountains, yet
maintain themselves without breaking ; for if they broke,
it would be impossible for a ship to plough them."
It is the object of the following work, to relate the
deeds and fortunes of the mariner, who first had the
judgement to divine, and the intrepidity to brave, the
mysteries of this perilous deep ; and who, by his hardy
NOTE.
genius, his inflexible constancy, and his heroic courage,
brought the ends of the earth into communication with
each other. The narrative of his troubled life is the
link which connects the history of the old world with
that of the new.
NOTE.
• Since the first publication of this work, researches
made concerning the early voyages of the 'Northmen,'
have established the fact, to the conviction of most minds,
that ' Vinland,' the country accidentally discovered by
those wide-wandering navigators, about the year 1000,
was really a part of the continent of North America.
This fact, however, does not lessen the merit of the
great enterprise and achievement of Columbus. Nothing
grew out of this discovery of Vinland, nor does any idea
appear to have been entertained of the extent or impor-
tance of the region thus casually brought to light. Two
or three voyages were made to it, between the years 1000
and 1021 , after which it ceased to be an object of further
quest, and apparently faded from thought, as if it had
never been. At the time when Columbus visited Thule,
upwards of three centuries and a half had elapsed since
the last voyage to Vinland of which we have any record ;
and two centuries and a half since the sagas which men-
tion the country had been written. We see no reason
to believe that he heard any thing of these discoveries or
saw the sagas In question. Had he done so, he would
doubtless have cited them, among the various reports of
lands seen by mariners in the west, with which he sought
1*
VI NOTE.
to fortify his theory and win patronage to his enterprise
during years of weary and almost hopeless solicitation.
It is more than probable that, at the time of his visiting
Thule, the tradition concerning Vinland had long been
forgotten, and the sagas had been consigned to the dust
of libraries and archives ; thence to be drawn forth by
antiquarian research in after ages, when his own discov-
eries should have cast back a light to illuminate their ob-
scurity.
CONTENTS.
Page
Introduction, iii
Note to this Edition, v
CHAPTER I.
Birth, Parentage, Education, and Early Life of Co-
lumbus, 9
CHAPTER II.
Progress of Discovery under Prince Henry of Portu-
gal.— Residence of Columbus in Lisbon. — Ideas
concerning Islands in the Ocean, 13
CHAPTER III.
Grounds on which Columbus founded his Belief of the
Existence of Undiscovered Lands in the West, . 18
CHAPTER IV.
Events in Portugal relative to Discovery. — Proposi-
tions of Columbus to the Portuguese Court, . . 23
CHAPTER V.
First Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — Character of
the Spanish Sovereigns, 28
CHAPTER VI.
Propositions of Columbus to the Court of Castile, . 31
CHAPTER VII.
Columbus before the Council at Salamanca, ... 34
CHAPTER VIII.
Columbus seeks Patronage amongst the Spanish Gran-
dees.— ^Returns to the Convent of La Rabida. —
Vm CONTENTS.
Resumes his Negotiations with the Sovereigns,
(1491,) 41
CHAPTER IX.
Arrangement with the Spanish Sovei-eigns. — Prepara-
tions for the Expedition at the Port of Palos, (1492,) 46
CHAPTER X.
Events of the First Voyage. — Discovery of Land,
(1492,) 52
CHAPTER XI.
First Landing of Columbus in the New World. —
Cruise among the Bahama Islands. — Discovery of
Cuba and Hispaniola, (1492,) 61
CHAPTER XII.
Coasting of Hispaniola. — Shipwreck, and other Oc-
currences at the Island, (1492,) 71
CHAPTER XIII.
Return Voyage. — Violent Storms. — Arrival in Portu-
gal, (1493,) 80
CHAPTER XIV.
Visit of Columbus to the Court of Portugal. — Arrival
at Palos, (1493,) 86
CHAPTER XV.
Reception of Columbus by the Spanish Sovereigns at
Barcelona, (1493,) 92
CHAPTER XVI.
Papal Bull of Partition. — Preparations for a Second
Voyage of Discovery, (1493,) 96
CHAPTER XVII.
Departure of Columbus on his Second Voyage of Dis-
covery.— Arrival at Hispaniola, (1493,) . . . 102
CHAPTER XVIII.
Fate of the Fortress of La Navidad. — Transactions at
the Harbor, (1493,) 106
V
CONTENTS. IX
CHAPTER XIX.
Founding of the City of Isabella. — ^Discontents of the
People, (1493,) 112
CHAPTER XX.
Expedition of Columbus into the Interior of Hispan-
iola, (1494,) 117
CHAPTER XXI.
Customs and Characteristics of the Natives, . . 120
CHAPTER XXII.
Sickness and Discontent at the Settlement of Isabella.
— Preparations of Columbus for a Voyage to Cuba,
(1494,) 126
CHAPTER XXIII.
Cruise of Columbus along the Southern Coast of Cu-
ba, (1494,) 129
CHAPTER XXIV.
Return Voyage, (1494,) 134
CHAPTER XXV.
Events in the Island of Hispaniola. — Insurrections of
the Natives. — Expedition of Ojeda against Caona-
bo, (1494,) 138
CHAPTER XXVI.
Battle of the Vega. — Imposition of Tribute, (1494,) 148
CHAPTER XXVII.
Arrival of the Commissioner Aguado. — Discovery of
the Gold Mines of Hay na, (1495,) 153
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Return of Columbus to Spain. — Preparations for a
Third Voyage, (1496,) 159
CHAPTER XXIX.
Discovery of Trinidad, and the Coast of Paria. — Ar-
rival at San Domingo, (1498,) 166
X CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXX.
Admioistration of the Adelantado, 171
CHAPTER XXXI.
Rebellion of Roldan, (1498,) 181
CHAPTER XXXII.
Visit of Ojeda to the West End of the Island. — Con-
spiracy of Moxica. — His E.xecution, (1499,) . . 189
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Intrigues against Columbus in the Spanish Court. —
Appointment of Bobadilla as Commissioner. — His
Arrival at San Domingo, (1500,) 195
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Columbus arrested and sent to Spain, in Chains,
(1500,) 200
CHAPTER XXXV.
Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — His Interview with
the Sovereigns. — Appointment of Ovando to the
Government of Hispaniola, (1500,) 204
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Proposition of Columbus for a Crusade. — His Pre-
parations for a Fourth Voyage, (1500, 1501,) . 211
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Columbus sails on His Fourth Voyage. — Events at
the Island of Hispaniola. — His Search after an Im-
aginary Strait, (1502,) 214
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Return to the Coast of Veragua. — Contests with the
Natives, (1502,) 221
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Disasters of the Settlement, (1503,) 228
CHAPTER XL.
Voyage to Jamaica. — Transactions at that Island,
(1503,) 233
CONTENTS. Xi
CHAPTER XLI.
Mutiny of Porras. — Eclipse of the Moon. — Stratagem
of Columbus to procure Supplies of the Indians,
(1503,) 238
CHAPTER XLII.
Arrival of Diego de Escobar at the Harbor. — ^Battle
with the Rebels, (1504,) 243
CHAPTER XLIII.
Voyage of Diego Mendez to Hispaniola. — Deliver-
ance of Columbus from the Island of Jamaica,
(1504,) 247
CHAPTER XLIV.
Affairs at Hispaniola, during the Administration of
Ovando. — Return of Columbus to Spain, (1504,) 251
CHAPTER XLV.
Fruitless Application of Columbus to be reinstated in
His Government. — His Last Illness and Death,
(1504,) 257
CHAPTER XLVI.
Observations on the Character of Columbus, . . 265
A Visit to Palos, the Pinzons, 271
Appendix. — Obsequies of Columbus, 290
Note, Duke of Veraguas, 291
Glossary, 293
Index, ... 295
NOTICE OF THE PLATES,
The portrait of Columbus is from an Italian work, published in
Rome, in 1596, entitled ' Ritratti de cento capitani illustri, intagliati da
Alipraudo Capriolo.' It is considered by the Duke of Veraguas, the
lineal descendant of Columbus, and by other capable judges, to be the
most probable portrait extant of the discoverer. To face the title page.
■-^, The representation of a Spanish galley, in the title-page, is copied
from the tomb of Fernando Columbus, in the cathedral of Seville.
The terrestrial globe, of which a segment is given, was made at
Nuremburg, in the year 1492, the very year in which Columbus de-
parted on his first voyage of discovery. Martin Behem, the inventor,
was one of the most learned cosmographers of the time, and, having
resided at Lisbon in the employ of the King of Portugal, he had prob-
ably seen the map of Toscanelli, and the documents submitted by
Columbus to the consideration of the Portuguese government. His
globe may, therefore, be presumed illustrative of the idea entertained
by Columbus of the islands in the ocean near the extremity of Asia,
at the time he undertook his discovery. To face page 20.
The sketch of a galley coasting the island of Hispaniola is from an
illustration of a letter written by Columbus to Don Raphael Xansis,
treasurer of the King of Spain. An extremely rare edition of the
letter exists in the public library of Milan. The original sketch is
supposed to have been made with a pen by Columbus. To face page 72.
Town of Palos, whence Columbus set sail for the discovery of
America, with the Church of St. George. Page 271.
■ Country Seat of the Pinzons. Page 284.
- Old House, belonging to the Pinzon Family. Page 2S6.
CHAPTER I.
Birth, Parentage, Education, and Early Life of
Columbus.
Christopher Columbus, or Colombo, as the name
is written in Italian, was a native of Genoa, born about
the year 1435, of poor but reputable and meritorious
parentage. He was the son of Domenico Colombo, a wool-
comber, and Susanna Fontanarossa, his wife ; and his
ancestors seem to have followed the same trade for sev-
eral generations in Genoa. Attempts have been made to
prove him of illustrious descent, and several noble houses
have laid claim to him since his name has become so
renowned as to confer rather than receive distinction. It
is possible some of them may be in the right, for the feuds
in Italy in those ages had broken down and scattered many
of the noblest families, and while some branches remained
in the lordly heritage of castles and domains, others were
confounded with the humblest population of the cities.
The fact, however, is not material to his fame; and it is
a higher proof of merit to be the object of contention
among various noble families, than to be able to substan-
tiate the most illustrious lineage. His son Fernando had
a true feeling on the subject. "I am of opinion," says
he, "that I should derive less dignity from any nobility
of ancestry, than from being the son of such a father."
Columbus was the oldest of four children; having two
brothers, Bartholomew and Giacomo, or, as his name is
translated into Spanish, Diego, and one sister, of whom
nothing is known, excepting that she was married to a
person in obscure life, called Giacomo Bavarello.
While very young, Columbus was taught reading, wri-
ting, grammar, and arithmetic, and made some proficien-
cy in drawing. He soon evinced a strong passion for
1 I.
10 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
geographical knowledge, and an irresistible inclination
for the sea; and in afterhfe, when he looked back upon
his career with a solemn and superstitious feeling, he
regarded this early determination of his mind as an im-
pulse from the Deity, guiding him to the studies, and
inspiring him with the inclinations, proper to fit him for
the high decrees he was destined to accomplish. His
father, seeing the bent of his mind, endeavored to give
him an education suitable for maritime life. He sent him,
therefore, to the university of Pavia, where he was instruct-
ed in geometry, geography, astronomy, and navigation;
he acquired also a familiar knowledge of the Latin tongue,
which at that time was the medium of instruction, and
the language of the schools. He remained but a short
time at Pavia, barely sufficient to give him the rudiments
of the necessary sciences; the thorough acquaintance
with them which he displayed in afterlife, must have been
the result of diligent self-schooling, and of casual hours
of study, amidst the cares and vicissitudes of a rugged
and wandering life. He was one of those men of strong
natural genius, who appear to form themselves ; who,
from having to contend at their very outset with priva-
tions and impediments, acquire an intrepidity in braving
and a facility in vanquishing difficulties. Such men learn
to effect great purposes with small means, supplying the
deficiency of the latter by the resources of their own ener-
gy and invention. This is one of the remarkable fea-
tures in the history of Columbus. In every undertaking,
the scantiness and apparent insufficiency of his means
enhance the grandeur of his achievements.
Shortly after leaving the university, he entered into
nautical life, and, according to his own account, began to
navigate at fourteen years of age. A complete obscurity
resto upon this part of his history. It is supposed he
made his first voyages with one Colombo, a hardy captain
of the seas, who had risen to some distinction by his
bravery, and who was a distant connexion of his family.
This veteran is occasionally mentioned in old chronicles;
sometimes as commanding a squadron of his own, some-
times as being an admiral in the Genoese service. He
OF COLUMBUS. 1 I
appears to have been bold and adventurous, ready to fight
in any cause, and to seek quarrel wherever it might law-
fully be found.
The seafaring life in those days was pecuharly full of
hazard and enterprise. Even a commercial expedition
resembled a warlike cruise, and the maritime merchant
had often to fight his way from port to port. Piracy was
almost legalized. The frequent feuds between the Italian
states; the cruisings of the Catalonians; the armadas fit-
ted out by noblemen, who were petty sovereigns in their
own domains; the roving ships and squadrons of private
adventurers; and the holy wars waged with the Mohame-
dan powers, rendered the narrow seas, to which navigation
was principally confined, scenes of the most hardy encoun-
ters and trying reverses. Such was the rugged school in
which Columbus was reared, and such the rugged teacher
that first broke him in to naval discipline.
The first voyage in which we hear any account of his
being engaged, was in a naval expedition fitted out at
Genoa in 1459, by John of Anjou, Duke of Calabria, to
make a descent upon Naples, in the hope of recovering
that kingdom for his father. King Reinier or Renato,
otherwise called Rene, Count de Provence. In this
enterprise the republic of Genoa aided with ships and
money, and many private adventurers fitted out ships and
galleys, and engaged under the banners of Anjou. Among
the number was the hardy veteran Colombo, who had
command of a squadron, and with him sailed his youthful
relation.
The struggle of John of Anjou for the crown of Naples
lasted about four years, with varied fortune, and much
hard service. The naval part of the expedition distin-
guished itself by various acts of intrepidity, and when
the unfortunate duke was at length reduced to take refuge
in the island of Ischia, a handful of galleys loyally adhered
to him, guarded the island, and scoured and controlled
the whole bay of Naples. It is presumed that Columbus
served on board of this squadron. That he must have
distinguished himself in the course of the expedition, is
evident, from his having been at one time appointed to a
13 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
separate command, and sent on a daring enterprise to cut
out a galley from the port of Tunis, in the course of
which he exhibited great resolution and address.
There is an interval of several years, during which we
have but one or two shadowy traces of Columbus, who
is supposed to have been principally engaged in the Medi-
terranean, and up the Levant, sometimes in voyages of
commerce, sometimes in warlike contests between the
Italian states, sometimes in pious and predatory expedi-
tions against the Infidels, during which time he was often
under the perilous command of his old fighting relation,
the veteran Colombo.
The last anecdote we have of this obscure part of his
life is given by his son Fernando. He says that his
father sailed for some time with Colombo the younger, a
famous corsair, nephew to the old admiral just mentioned,
and apparently heir of his warlike propensities and prow-
ess, for Fernando afiirras that he was so terrible for his
deeds against the Infidels, that the Moorish mothers used
to frighten their unruly children with his name.
This bold rover waylaid four Venetian galleys, richly
laden, on their return voyage from Flanders, and attacked
them with his squadron on the Portuguese coast between
Lisbon and Cape St. Vincent. The battle lasted from
morning until evening, with great carnage on both sides.
The vessels grappled each other, and the crews fought
hand to hand, and from ship to ship. The vessel com-
manded by Columbus was engaged with a huge Venetian
galley. They threw hand grenades and other fiery mis-
siles, and the galley was wrapt in flames. The vessels
being fastened together by chains and iron grapplings,
could not be separated, and both became a mere blazing
mass, involved in one conflagration. The crews threw
themselves into the sea. Columbus seized an oar which
was floating near him, and being an expert swimmer,
attained the shore, though full two leagues distant. It
pleased God, adds his son Fernando, to give him strength,
that he might preserve him for greater things. After
recovering from his exhaustion, he repaired to Lisbon,
where he found many of his Genoese countrymen, and
was induced to take up his residence.
OF COLUMBUS. 13
Such is the account given by Fernando of his father's
first arrival in Portugal; and it has been currently adopt-
ed by modern historians; but on examining various his-
tories of the times, the battle here described appears to
have happened several years after the date of the arrival
of Columbus in that country. That he was engaged in
the contest is not improbable; but he had previously
resided for some time in Portugal. In fact, on referring
to the history of that kingdom, we shall find, in the great
maritime enterprises in which it was at that time engaged,
ample attractions for a person of his inclinations and pur-
suits; and we shall be led to conclude, that his first visit
to Lisbon was not the fortuitous result of a desperate
adventure, but was undertaken in a spirit of liberal curi-
osity, and in the pursuit of honorable fortune.
CHAPTER II
Progress of Discovery under Prince Henry of Portugal.
— Residence of Columbus in Lisbon. — Ideas concern-
ing Islands in the Ocean.
The career of modern discovery had commenced
shortly before the time of Columbus, and, at the period
of which we are treating, was prosecuted with great
activity by Portugal. The rediscovery of the Canary
Islands, in the fourteenth century, and the occasional
voyages made to them, and to the opposite shores of
Africa, had first turned the attention of mankind in that
direction. The grand impulse to discovery, however,
was given by Prince Henry of Portugal, son of John the
First, surnamed the Avenger, and Philippa of Lancaster,
sister of Henry the Fourth of England. Having accom-
panied his father into Africa, in an expedition against the
Moors, he received much information at Ceuta concern-
ing the coast of Guinea, and other regions entirely
2 I.
14 THE LIFE A^•D VOYAGES
unknown to Europeans ; and conceived an idea that
important discoveries were to be made, by navigating
along the western coast of Africa. On returning to Por-
tugal, he pursued the vein of inquiry thus accidentally
opened. Abandoning the court, he retired to a country
retreat in the Algarves, near to Sagres, in the neighbor-
hood of Cape St. Vincent, and in full view of the ocean.
Here he drew round him men eminent in science, and
gave himself up to those branches of study connected
with the maritime arts. He made himself master of all
the geographical knowledge of the ancients, and of the
astronomical science of the Arabians of Spain. The
result of his studies was a firm conviction that Africa was
circumnavigable, and that it was possible, by keeping
along its shores, to arrive at India.
For a long time past, the opulent trade of Asia had
been monopohzed by the Italians; who had their conmier-
cial establishments at Constantinople, and in the Black
Sea. Thither all the precious commodities of the East
were conveyed by a circuitous and expensive internal
route, to be thence distributed over Europe. The repub-
lics of Venice and Genoa had risen to power and opu-
lence, in consequence of this monopoly; their merchants
emulated the magnificence of princes, and held Europe,
in a manner, tributary to their commerce. It was the
grand idea of Prince Henry, by circumnavigating Africa,
to open an easier and less expensive route to the source
of this commerce, to turn it suddenly into a new and sim-
ple channel, and to pour it out in a golden tide upon his
country. He was before the age in thought, and had to
struggle hard against the ignorance and prejudices of
mankind in the prosecution of his design. Navigation
was yet in its infancy; mariners feared to venture far from
the coast, or out of sight of its landmarks; and they
looked with awe at the vast and unknown expanse of the
Atlantic; they cherished the old belief that the earth at
the equator was girdled by a torrid zone, separating the
hemispheres by a region of impassive heat; and they had
a superstitious belief, that whoever doubled Cape Bojador
would never return.
OF COLUMBUS. 15
Prince Henry called in the aid of science to dispel
these errors. He established a naval college and obser-
vatory at Sagres, and invited thither the most eminent
professors of the nautical faculties. The effects of this
establishment were soon apparent. A vast improvement
took place in maps and charts; the compass was brought
into more general use; the Portuguese marine became
signalized for its hardy enterprises; Cape Bojador was
doubled; the region of the tropics penetrated and divest-
ed of its fancied terrors; the greater part of the African
coast, from Cape Blanco to Cape de Verde, explored,
and the Cape de Verde and Azore Islands discovered.
To secure the full enjoyment of these territories, Henry
obtained a papal bull, investing the crown of Portugal
with sovereign authority over all the lands it might dis-
cover in the Atlantic, to India inclusive. Henry died on
the 13th of November, 1473, before he had accomplish-
ed the great object of his ambition; but he had lived long
enough to behold, through his means, his native country
in a grand career of prosperity. He has been well de-
scribed, as " full of thoughts of lofty enterprise, and acts
of generous spirit." He bore for his device the mag-
nanimous motto, "the talent to do good," the only talent
worthy the ambition of princes.
The fame of the Portuguese discoveries drew the
attention of the world, and the learned, the curious, and
the adventurous, resorted to Lisbon to engage in the
enterprises continually fitting out. Among the rest,
Columbus arrived there about the year 1470. He was
at that time in the full vigor of manhood, and of an engag-
ing presence; and here it may not be improper to draw
his portrait, according to the minute descriptions given of
him by his contemporaries. He was tall, well-formed,
and muscular, and of an elevated and dignified demeanor.
His visage was long, and neither full nor meager ; his
complexion fair and freckled, and inclined to ruddy; his
nose aquiline, his cheek bones were rather high, his eyes
light gray, and apt to enkindle ; his whole countenance
had an air of authority. His hair, in his youthful days,
was of a light color, but care and trouble soon turned it
16 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
gray, and at thirty years of age it was quite white. He
was moderate and simple in diet and apparel, eloquent in
discourse, engaging and affable with strangers, and of an
amiableness and suavity in domestic life, that strongly
attached his household to his person. His temper was
naturally irritable ; but he subdued it by the magnanimity
of his spirit, comporting himself with a courteous and
gentle gravity, and never indulging in any intemperance
of language. Throughout his life, he was noted for a
strict attention to the offices of religion ; nor did his piety
consist in mere forms, but partook of that lofty and sol-
emn enthusiasm with which his whole character was
strongly tinctured.
While at Lisbon, he was accustomed to attend religious
service at the chapel of the Convent of All Saints. Here
he became acquainted with a lady of rank, named Dona
Felipa, who resided in the convent. She was the daugh-
ter of Bartolomeo Mofiis de Palestrello, an Italian cava-
lier, lately deceased, who had been one of the most
distinguished navigators under Prince Plenry, and had
colonized and governed the island of Porto Santo. The
acquaintance soon ripened into attachment, and ended in
marriage. It appears to have been a match of mere
affection, as the lady had little or no fortune.
The newly-married couple resided with the mother of
the bride. The latter, perceiving the interest which her
son-in-law took in nautical affairs, used to relate to him
all she knew of the voyages and expeditions of her late
husband, and delivered to him all his charts, journals, and
other manuscripts. By these means, Columbus became
acquainted with the routes of the Portuguese, and their
plans and ideas; and, having by his marriage and residence
become naturalized in Portugal, he sailed occasionally in
the expeditions to the coast of Guinea. When at home,
he supported his family by making maps and charts ; and
though his means were scanty, he appropriated a part to
the education of his younger brothers, and the succor of
his aged father at Genoa. From Lisbon he removed for
a time to the recently discovered island of Porto Santo,
where his wife had inherited some property, and during
OF COLUMEUS. 17
his residence there she bore him a son, whom he named
Diego. His wife's sister was married to Pedro Correo,
a navigator of note, who had at one time been governor
of Porto Santo. In the famihar intercourse of domestic
life, their conversation frequently turned upon the discov-
eries of the Atlantic islands, and the African coasts, upon
the long-sought for route to India, and upon the possi-
bility of unknown lands existing in the west. It was a
period of general excitement, with all who were connect-
ed with maritime life, or who resided in the vicinity of
the ocean. The recent discoveries had inflamed their
imaginations, and had filled them with ideas of other islands
of greater wealth and beauty, yet to be discovered in the
boundless wastes of the Atlantic. The opinions and
fancies of the ancients were again put into circulation;
the island of Antilla, and Plato's imaginary Atlantis, once
more found firm believers; and a thousand rumors were
spread of unknown islands casually seen in the ocean.
Many of these were mere fables ; many of them had their
origin in the self-deception of voyagers, whose heated
fancies beheld islands in those summer clouds which lie
along the horizon, and often beguile the sailor with the
idea of distant land. The most singular instance of this
kind of self-deception, or rather of optical delusion, is
that recorded of the inhabitants of the Canaries. They
imagined that from time to time they beheld a vast island
to the westward, with lofty mountains and deep valleys.
Nor was it seen in cloudy or dubious weather, but with
all the distinctness with which distant objects may be
discerned in the transparent atmosphere of a tropical cli-
mate. It is true, it was only seen transiently, and at long
intervals; while at other times, and in the clearest weath-
er, not a vestige of it was visible ; but so persuaded were
the people of the Canaries of its reality, that they obtained
permission from the king of Portugal to fit out various
expeditions in search of it. The island, however, was
never to be found, though it still continued occasionally
to cheat the eye; many identified it with a legendary
island, said to have been discovered in the sixth century,
by a Scottish priest of the name of St. Brandan, and it
2*
18 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
was actually laid down in many maps of the times, by the
name of St. Brandan, or St. Borondon.
All these tales and rumors were noted down with
curious care by Columbus, and may have had some in-
fluence over his imagination ; but, though of a visionary
spirit, his penetrating genius sought in deeper sources for
the aliment of its meditations. The voyages he had
made to Guinea, and his frequent occupation in making
maps and charts, had led him more and more to specu-
late on the great object of geographical enterprise ; but
while others were slowly and painfully seeking a route to
India, by following up the coast of Africa, his daring
genius conceived the bold idea of turning his prow direct-
ly to the west, and seeking the desired land by a route
across the Atlantic. Having once conceived this idea,
it is interesting to notice from what a mass of acknow-
ledged facts, rational hypotheses, fanciful narrations, and
popular rumors, his grand project of discovery was
wrought out by the strong workings of his vigorous mind.
CHAPTER III.
Grounds on which Columbus founded his Belief of the
Existence of undiscovered Lands in the West.
We have a record of the determination of Columbus
to seek a western route to India, as early as the year
1474, in a correspondence which he held with Paulo
Toscanelli, a learned cosmographer of Florence; and he
had doubtless meditated it for a long time previous.
He was moved to this determination by a diligent study
of all the geographical theories of the ancients, aided by
his own experience, by the discoveries of the moderns,
and the advancement of astronomical science. He set
it down as a fundamental principle, that the earth was a ter-
raqueous globe, which might be travelled round from east
OF COLUMBUS. 19
to west, and that men stood foot to foot when on opposite
points. The circumference from east to west, at the
equator, he divided, according to Ptolemy, into twenty-
four hours, of fifteen degrees each, making three hun-
dred and sixty degrees. Of these he imagined, compar-
ing the globe of Ptolemy with the earlier map of Marinus
of Tyre, that fifteen hours had been known to the an-
cients, extending from the Canary or Fortunate Islands,
to the city of Thinae in Asia, the western and eastern
extremities of the known world. The Portuguese had
advanced the western frontier one hour more by the dis-
covery of the Azore and Cape de Verde Islands; still
about eight hours, or one third of the circumference of the
earth, remained to be explored. This space he imagin-
ed to be occupied in a great measure by the eastern
regions of Asia, which might extend so far as to approach
the western shores of Europe and Africa. A navigator,
therefore, by pursuing a direct course from east to west,
must arrive at the extremity of Asia, or discover any
intervening land. The great obstacle to be apprehend-
ed, was from the tract of ocean that might intervene;
but this could not be very wide, if the opinion of Alfra-
ganus the Arabian were admitted, who, by diminishing
the size of the degrees, gave to the earth a smaller cir-
cumference than was assigned to it by other cosmogra-
phers; a theory to which Columbus seems, generally, to
have given much faith. He was fortified, also, by the
opinion of Aristotle, Seneca, Pliny, and Strabo, who
considered the ocean as but of moderate breadth, so that
one might pass from Cadiz westward to the Indies in a
few days.
Columbus derived great support to his theory, also,
from a letter which he received in 1474 from Paulo
Toscanelli, the learned Florentine already mentioned,
who was considered one of the ablest cosmographers of
the day. This letter was made up from the narrative of
Marco Polo, a Venetian traveller, who, in the fourteenth
century, had penetrated the remote parts of Asia, far
beyond the regions laid down by Ptolemy. Toscanelli
encouraged Columbus in an intention which he had com-
20 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
municated to him, of seeking India by a western course,
assuring him that the distance could not be more than
four thousand miles in a direct line from Lisbon to the
province of Mangi, near Cathay, since ascertained to
be the northern coast of China. Of this country a
magnificent description was given according to Marco
Polo, who extols the power and grandeur of its sover-
eign, the Great Khan, the splendor and magnitude of his
capitals of Cambalu, and Quinsai, or Kinsay, and the
wonders of the island of Cipango, or Zipangi, supposed
to be Japan. This island he places opposite Cathay,
far in the ocean, and represents it as abounding in gold,
precious stones, and spices, and that the palace of the
king was covered with plates of gold, as edifices in other
countries are covered with sheets of lead.
The work of Marco Polo is deserving of this particu-
lar mention, from being a key to many of the ideas and
speculations of Columbus. The territories of the Grand
Khan, as described by the Venetian, were the objects
of his diligent search in all his voyages; and in his cruis-
ings among the Antilles, he was continually flattering
himself with the hopes of arriving at the opulent island of
Cipango, and the shores of Mangi and Cathay. The
letter of Paulo Toscanelli was accompanied by a map,
projected partly according to Ptolemy, and partly ac-
cording to the descriptions of Marco Polo. The east-
ern coast of Asia was depicted in front of the coasts of
Africa and Europe, with a moderate space of ocean be-
tween them, in which were placed, at convenient distances,
Cipango, Antilla and the other islands. By this conjec-
tural map Columbus governed himself in his first voyage.
Besides these learned authorities, Columbus was atten-
tive to every gleam of information bearing upon his the-
ory, that might be derived from veteran mariners, and the
inhabitants of the lately discovered islands, who were
placed, in a manner, on the frontier posts of geographical
knowledge. One Antonio Leone, an inhabitant of Ma-
deira, told him that in sailing westward one hundred
leagues, he had seen three islands at a distance. A
mariner of Port St. Mary, also, asserted, that in the
2> s;^ '=>T/„/io r'yrfp^jZ'i^^fT-''-
3 *- ~""3I«r^" ""^sStT "^""^
'^^j^os
Partrf a
or MAsrnrBjiHEM
nt tfv fhttiinbitii
OF COLUMBUS. gj
course of a voyage to Ireland, he had seen land to the
west, which the ship's company took for some extreme
part of Tartary. One Martin Vicenti, a pilot in the
service of the king of Portugal, assured Columbus that,
after sailing four hundred and fifty leagues to the west of
Cape St. Vincent, he had taken from the water a piece
of carved wood, evidently not labored with an iron instru-
ment. As the wind had drifted it from the west, it might
have come from some unknown land in that direction.
Pedro Correo, brother-in-law of Columbus, also in-
formed him, that he had seen a similar piece of wood,
on the island of Porto Santo, which had drifted from the
same quarter, and he had heard from the king of Portu-
gal that reeds of an immense size had floated to those
islands from the west, which Columbus supposed to be
the kind of reeds of enormous magnitude described by
Ptolemy as growing in India. Trunks of huge pine
trees, of a kind that did not grow upon any of the islands,
had been wafted to the Azores by westerly winds. The
inhabitants also informed him that the bodies of two dead
men had been cast upon the island of Flores, whose fea-
tures had caused great wonder and speculation, being
different from those of any known race of people.
Such are the principal grounds on which, according to
Fernando Columbus, his father proceeded from one po-
sition to another of his theory. It is evident, however,
that the grand argument which induced him to his enter-
prise, was the one first cited ; namely, that the most
eastern part of Asia known to the ancients could not be
separated from the Azores by more than a third of the
circumference of the globe; that the intervening space
must, in a great measure, be filled up by the unknown
residue of Asia ; and that, as the circumference of the
world was less than was generally supposed, the Asiatic
shores could easily be attained by a moderate V03^age to
the west. It is singular how much the success of this
great enterprise depended upon two happy errors, the
imaginary extent of Asia to the east, and the supposed
smallness of the earth ; both errors of the most learned
and profound philosophers, but without which Columbus
22 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
would hardly have ventured into the western regions of
the Atlantic, in whose unknown and perhaps immeasura-
ble waste of waters, he might perish before he could
reach a shore.
When Columbus had once formed his theory, it be-
came fixed in his mind with singular firmness. He never
spoke in doubt or hesitation, but with as much certainty
as if his eyes had beheld the Promised Land. A deep
religious sentiment mingled with his thoughts, and gave
them at times a tinge of superstition, but of a sublime
and lofty kind. He looked upon himself as standing in
the hand of heaven, chosen from among men for the
accomplishment of its high purpose; he read, as he sup-
posed, his contemplated discovery foretold in Holy Writ,
and shadowed forth darkly in the prophecies. The ends
of the earth were to be brought together, and all nations,
and tongues, and languages, united under the banners of
the Redeemer.
The enthusiastic nature of his conceptions gave an
elevation to his spirit, and a dignity and loftiness to his
whole demeanor. He conferred with sovereigns almost
with a feeling of equality. His proposed discovery was
of empires; his conditions were proportionally magnifi-
cent, nor would he ever, even after long delays, repeat-
ed disappointments, and when under the pressure of actu-
al penury, abate what appeared to others extravagant
demands. Those who could not conceive how an ardent
and comprehensive mind could arrive by presumptive
evidence at so firm a conviction, sought for other modes
of accounting for it; and gave countenance to an idle tale
of his having received previous information of the western
world, from a tempest-tost pilot, who had died in his house,
bequeathing him written accounts of an unknown land
in the west, upon which lie had been driven by adverse
winds. This, and other attempts to cast a shade upon
his fame, have been diligently examined and refuted;
and it appears evident that his great enterprise was the
bold conception of his genius, quickened by the impulse
of the age, and aided by those scattered gleams of know-
ledge, which fall ineffectually upon ordinary minds.
OF COLUMBUS. 23
CHAPTER IV.
Events in Portugal relative to Discovery. — Propositions
of Columbus to the Portuguese Court.
While the design of attempting the discovery in the
west was maturing in the mind of Columbus, he made a
voyage to the northern seas, to the island of Thule, to
which the English navigators, particularly those of Bris-
tol, were accustomed to resort on account of its fishery.
He even advanced, he says, one hundred leagues beyond,
penetrated the polar circle, and convinced himself of the
fallacy of the popular belief, that the frozen zone was
uninhabitable. The island thus mentioned by him as
Thule is generally supposed to have been Iceland, which
is far to the west of the Ultima Thule of the ancients, as
laid down on the map of Ptolemy. Nothing more is
known of this voyage, in which we discern indications
of that ardent and impatient desire to break away from
the limits of the old world, and launch into the unknown
regions of the ocean.
Several years elapsed without any decided effort on
the part of Columbus to carry his design into execution.
An enterprise of the kind required the patronage of some
sovereign power, which could furnish the necessary
means, could assume dominion over the lands to be dis-
covered, and could ensure suitable rewards and dignities
to the discoverer.
The cause of discovery had languished during the lat-
ter part of the reign of Alphonso of Portugal, who was
too much engrossed with his wars with Spain, to engage
in peaceful enterprises of great cost and doubtful result.
Navigation also was still too imperfect for so perilous an
undertaking as that proposed by Columbus. Discovery
advanced slowly along the coasts of Africa; and, though
the compass had been introduced into more general use,
24 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
yet mariners rarely ventured far out of sight of land;
they even feared to cruise far into the southern hemis-
phere, with the stars of which they were totally unac-
quainted. To such men, therefore, the project of a
voyage directly westward, in quest of some imagined
land in the boundless wastes of the ocean, appeared as
extravagant, as it would at the present day to launch forth
in a balloon into the regions of space, in quest of some
distant star.
The time, however, was at hand, that was to extend
the power of navigation. The era was propitious to the
quick advancement of knowledge. The recent inven-
tion of printing, enabled men to communicate rapidly
and extensively their ideas and discoveries. It multi-
plied and spread abroad, and placed in every hand, those
volumes of information, which had hitherto existed only
in costly manuscripts, treasured up in the libraries of
colleges and convents. At this juncture, John the Second
ascended the throne of Portugal. He had imbibed the
passion for discovery from his grand-uncle. Prince Hen-
ry, and with his reign all its activity revived. The recent
attempts to discover a route to India, had excited an
eager curiosity concerning the remote parts of the East,
and had revived all the accounts, true and fabulous, of
travellers. Among these, were the tales told of the
renowned Prester John, a Christian king, said to hold
sway in a remote part of the East, but whose kingdom
seemed to baffle research as effectually as the unsubstan-
tial island of St. Brandan. All the fables and dreamy
speculations, concerning this shadowy potentate, and his
oriental realm, were again put in circulation. It was
fancied that traces of his empire had been discerned in
the interior of Africa, to the east of Benin, where there
was a powerful prince, who used a cross among the insig-
nia of royalty; and John the Second, in the early part of
his reign, actually sent missions in quest of the visionary
Prester John.
Impatient of the tardiness with which his discoveries
advanced along the coast of Africa, and eager to realize
the splendid project of Prince Henry, and conduct the
OF COLUMBUS. 25
Portuguese flag into the Indian seas, John the Second call-
ed upon his men of science, to devise some means of giv-
ing greater scope and certainty to navigation. His two
physicians, Roderigo and Joseph, the latter a Jew, who
were the most able astronomers and cosmographers of
his kingdom, together with the celebrated Martin Behem,
entered into a consultation on the subject; and the result
of their conferences was, the application of the astrolabe
to navigation. This instrument has since been improved
and modified into the modern quadrant, of which, even
at its first introduction, it possessed all the essential ad-
vantages. This invention was one of those timely occur-
rences which seem to have something providential in
them. It was the one thing wanting to facilitate an inter-
course across the deep, and to cast navigation loose from
its long bondage to the land. Science had thus pre-
pared guides for discovery across the trackless ocean, and
had divested the enterprise of Columbus of that extreme-
ly hazardous character, which had been so great an ob-
stacle to its accomplishment. It was immediately after
this event that he solicited an audience of the king of Por-
tugal, to lay before him his great project of discovery.
This is the first proposition of which we have any clear
and indisputable record, although it has been strongly
asserted, and with probability, that he had made one at
an earlier period, to his native country, Genoa.
Columbus obtained a ready audience of King John,
who was extremely liberal in encouraging and rewarding
nautical enterprise. He explained to the monarch his
theory, and proposed, in case the king would furnish
him with ships and men, to conduct them by a shorter
route to the richest countries of the East, to touch at the
opulent island of Cipango, and to establish a communi-
cation with the territories of the Grand Khan, the most
splendid, powerful, and wealthy of oriential potentates.
King John listened attentively to the proposition of
Columbus, and referred it to a learned junto, composed
of Masters Roderigo and Joseph, and the king's confes-
sor, Diego Ortiz, bishop of Ceuta, a man greatly reputed
for his learning, a Castilian by birth, and generally called
3 I.
26 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
Cazadilla, from the name of his birthplace. This sci-
entific body treated the project as extravagant and vis-
ionary. Still the king was not satisfied, but convoked
his council, composed of persons of the greatest learning
in the kingdom, and asked their advice. In this assem-
bly, Cazadilla, the bishop of Ceuta, opposed the theory
of Columbus, as destitute of reason, and indeed evinced
a cold and narrow spirit, hostile to all discovery. The
decision of the council was equally unfavorable with that
of the junto, and the proposition of Columbus was re-
jected.
Certain of the counsellors, and particularly the bishop
Cazadilla, seeing that the king was dissatisfied with their
decision, and retained a lurking inclination for the enter-
prise, suggested a stratagem by which all its advanta-
ges might be secured, without committing the dignity of
the crown by entering into formal negotiations about a
scheme, which might prove a mere chimera. The king,
in an evil hour, departed from his usual justice and
generosity, and had the weakness to permit their strata-
gem. These crafty counsellors then procured from Co-
lumbus, as if to assist them in their deliberations, a
detailed plan of his proposed voyage, with the charts by
which he intended to shape his course. While they
held him in suspense, awaiting their decision, they
privately despatched a caravel to pursue the designated
route.
The caravel took its departure from the Cape de
Verde Islands, and stood westward for several days.
The weather grew stormy, and the pilots having no zeal
to stimulate them, and seeing nothing but an immeasura-
ble waste of wild tumbling waves, still extending before
them, lost all courage, and put back to the Cape de
Verde Islands, and thence to Lisbon, excusing their
own want of resolution, by ridiculing the project as
extravagant and irrational.
This unworthy attempt to defraud him of his enterprise
roused the indignation of Columbus, and, though King
John, it is said, showed a disposition to renew the nego-
tiation, he resolutely declined. His wife had been for
OF COLUMBUS. 27
some time dead ; the domestic tie which had bound him
to Portugal, therefore, being broken, he determined to
abandon a country where he had been treated with so
Httle faith. Like most projectors, while engaged in
schemes which held out promise of incalculable wealth,
he had suffered his affairs to run to ruin, and was in
danger of being arrested for debt. This has been given
as the reason for his leaving Portugal in a secret manner,
which he did towards the end of 1484, taking with him
his son Diego, as yet a mere child.
An interval now occurs of about a year, during which
the movements of Columbus are involved in uncertainty.
It has been asserted by a modern Spanish historian of
merit, that he departed immediately for Genoa, where
he repeated in person the proposition which he had for-
merly made to the government by letter. The republic
of Genoa, however, was languishing under a long decline,
and was embarrassed by ruinous wars. Her spirit was
broken with her fortunes; for with nations, as with indi-
viduals, enterprise is the child of prosperity, and is apt
to languish in evil days, when there is most need of its
exertion. Thus, Genoa, it would appear, disheartened
by reverses, rejected a proposition which would have
elevated the republic to tenfold splendor, and might for a
long time have perpetuated the golden wand of commerce
in the failing grasp of Italy.
From Genoa, it has been said, but equally without
positive proof, that Columbus carried his proposal to
Venice, but that it was declined in consequence of the
critical state of national affairs. Different authors agree,
that about this time he visited his aged father, and made
such arrangements for his comfort as his own poor means
afforded, and that having thus performed the duties of a
pious son, he departed once more to try his fortunes in
foreign courts. About this time, also, he engaged his
brother Bartholomew to sail for England, to lay his pro-
positions before Henry the Seventh, whom he had heard
extolled for his wisdom and munificence. For himself, he
sailed for Spain, where he appears to have arrived in great
poverty, for this course of fruitless solicitation had ex-
2S THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
hausled all his means ; nor is it one of the least extraor-
dinary circumstances in his eventful life, that he had, in
a manner, to beg his way from court to court, to offer to
princes the discovery of a world.
CHAPTER V.
First Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — Character of the
Spanish Sovereigns.
The first trace we have of Columbus in Spain, is
gathered from the manuscript documents of the celebrated
lawsuit, which took place a few years after his death,
between his son Don Diego and the crown. It is con-
tained in the deposition of one Garcia Fernandez, a
physician, resident in the little seaport of Palos de
Moguer, in Andalusia. About half a league from Palos,
on a solitary height overlooking the seacoast, and sur-
rounded by a forest of pine trees, there stood, and stands
at the present day, an ancient convent of Franciscan
friars, dedicated to Santa Maria de Rabida. A stranger
travelling on foot, accompanied by a young boy, stopped
one day at the gate of the convent, and asked of the
porter a little bread and water for his child. While
receiving this humble refreshment, the guardian of the
convent, Friar Juan Perez de Marchena, happening to
pass by, was struck with the appearance of the stranger,
and, observing from his air and accent that he was a
foreigner, entered into conversation with him. That
stranger was Columbus, accompanied by his young son
Diego. He was on his way to the neighboring town of
Huelva, to seek a brother-in-law, who had married a
sister of his deceased wife.
The guardian was an intelligent man, and acquainted
with geographical and nautical science. He was interest-
ed by the conversation of Columbus, and struck with the
OF COLU.MBUS. 29
grandeur of his plans. He detained him as his guest, and
being diffident of his own judgement, sent for a scientific
friend to converse with him. That friend was Garcia
Fernandez, the physician of Palos, the same who fur-
nishes this interesting testimony; and who became equally
convinced with the friar of the correctness of the theory
of Columbus. Several veteran pilots and mariners of
Palos, also, were consulted during the conferences at the
convent, who stated various facts observed in the course
of their experience, which seemed to corroborate the idea
of western lands in the Atlantic. But the conviction of
the friar was still more confirmed, by the hearty concur-
rence of an important personage in that maritime neigh-
borhood, one Martin Alonzo Pinzon, resident of the town
of Palos, one of the most intelligent sea captains of the
day, and the head of a family of wealthy and distinguished
navigators. Pinzon not only gave the project of Colum-
bus his decided approbation, but offered to engage in it
with purse and person.
Fray Juan Perez, being now fully persuaded of the
importance of the proposed enterprise, advised Columbus
to repair to court, and make his propositions to the
Spanish sovereigns, offering to give him a letter of recom-
mendation to his friend, Fernando de Talavera, prior of
the convent of Prado, and confessor to the queen, and a
man of great political influence, through whose means he
would, no doubt, immediately obtain royal audience and
favor. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, also, generously offered
to furnish bin) with money for the journey, and the friar
took charge of his youthful son, Diego, to maintain and
educate him in the convent. Thus aided and encouraged,
and elated with fresh hopes, Columbus took leave of the
little junto at La Rabida, and set out, in the spring of
1486, for the Castilian court, which had just assembled
at Cordova, where the sovereigns were fully occupied
with their chivalrous enterprise for the conquest of Grana-
da. And here it is proper to give a brief description of
these princes, who performed such an important part in
the events of this history.
It has been well observed of Ferdinand and Isabella,
3*
30 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
that they lived together, not like man and wife, whose
estates are in common, under the orders of the husband,
but like two monarchs, strictly allied. They had sepa-
rate claims to sovereignty, in virtue of their separate
kingdoms, and held separate councils. Yet they were so
happily united by common views, common interests, and
a great deference for each other, that this double admin-
istration never prevented a unity of purpose and action.
All acts of sovereignty were executed in both their names;
all public writings subscribed with both their signatures;
their likenesses were stamped together on the public
coin; and the royal seal displayed the united arms of
Castile and Arragon.
Ferdinand possessed a clear and comprehensive genius,
and great penetration. He was equable in temper, inde-
fatigable in business, a great observer of men, and is
extolled by Spanish writers as unparalleled in the science
of the cabinet. It has been maintained by writers of
other nations, however, and apparently with reason, that
he was bigoted in religion, and craving rather than mag-
nanimous in his ambition; that he made war less like a
paladin than a prince, less for glory than for mere domin-
ion; and that his policy was cold, selfish, and artful. He
was called the wise and prudent in Spain; in Italy, the
pious; in France and England, the ambitious and perfidi-
ous.
Contemporary writers have been enthusiastic in their
descriptions of Isabella, but time has sanctioned their
eulogies. She was of the middle size, and well formed;
with a fair complexion, auburn hair, and clear blue eyes.
There was a mingled gravity and sweetness in her coun-
tenance, and a singular modesty, gracing, as it did, great
firmness of purpose and earnestness of spirit. Though
strongly attached to her husband, and studious of his
fame, yet she always maintained her distinct rights as an
allied prince. She exceeded him in beauty, personal
dignity, acuteness of genius, and grandeur of soul. Com-
bining the active and resolute qualities of man, with the
softer charities of woman, she mingled in the warlike
councils of her husband, and, being inspired with a truer
OF COLUMBUS. 31
idea of glory, infused a more lofty and generous temper
into his subtle and calculating policy.
It is in the civil history of their reign, however, that
the character of Isabella shines most illustrious. Her
fostering and maternal care was continually directed to
reform the laws, and heal the ills engendered by a long
course of civil wars. She assembled round her the ablest
men in literature and science, and directed herself by
their counsels in encouraging literature and the arts. She
promoted the distribution of honors and rewards for the
promulgation of knowledge, fostered the recently invent-
ed art of printing, and through her patronage Salamanca
rose to that eminence which it assumed among the learned
institutions of the age. Such was the noble woman who
was destined to acquire immortal renown by her spirited
patronage of the discovery of the new world.
CHAPTER VI.
Propositions of Columbus to the Court of Castile.
When Columbus arrived at Cordova, he found it in all
the bustle of military preparation. The two rival Moor-
ish kings of Granada had formed a coalition, and the
Castilian sovereigns had summoned all their chivalry to
assemble for a grand campaign. Every day witnessed
the arrival of some Spanish noble, with a splendid reti-
nue, and a brilliant array of household troops. The court
was like a military camp; every avenue was crowded
by warlike grandees and hardy cavaliers, who had dis-
tinguished themselves in this Moorish war. This was an
unpropitious moment for an application like that of Co-
lumbus. Every body was engrossed by the opening
campaign. Even Fernando de Talavera, who was to
have been his great patron and protector, and his organ
of communication with the sovereigns, was completely
32 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
taken up with military concerns, being one of the clerical
advisers, who surrounded the queen in this, as it was
termed, holy war. The letter of recommendation from
the worthy Fray Juan Perez, which was to have secured
the powerful influence of Talavera, seems to have had
but little effect upon the prior, who listened coldly to
Columbus, and looked upon his plan as extravagant and
impossible.
So far, therefore, from receiving immediate patronage
from the sovereigns, Columbus found it impossible to
obtain even a hearing. It is a question even, whether,
for some time, his application reached their ears. If
Fernando de Talavera did mention it to them, it must
have been in disparaging terms, such as rather to destroy
than excite interest in its favor. The campaign opened
almost immediately; the king took the field in person;
the queen was fully occupied by the hurrying concerns
of the war, and was part of the time present in the camp;
it would have been in vain, therefore, at such a moment,
to expect attention to a scheme of foreign discovery,
founded on principles which required calm and learned
investigation.
During the summer and autumn of 1486, Columbus
remained at Cordova, waiting for a more favorable op-
portunity to urge his suit, and trusting to time and assi-
duity to gain him converts among the intelligent and
powerful. He was in indigent circumstances, and earned
a scanty support by making maps and charts. He had
to contend also against the ridicule of the light and the
supercilious, which is one of the greatest obstacles to
modest merit in a court. Some scoffed at him as a mere
dreamer, others stigmatized him as an adventurer; the
very children, it is said, pointed to their foreheads as he
passed, being taught to consider him a kind of madman.
Indeed, the slender interest on which he had founded his
hopes of royal patronage, and the humble garb in which
his poverty obliged him to appear, formed a preposterous
contrast, in the eyes of the courtiers, with the magnificence
of his speculations. " Because he was a foreigner,"
says Oviedo, "and went but in simple apparel, nor oth-
OF COLUMBUS. 33
erwise credited than by the letter of a gray friar, they
beheved him not, neither gave ear to his words, whereby
he was greatly tormented in his imagination."
While thus lingering in Cordova, he became attached
to Dona Beatrix Enriquez, a lady of that city, of a noble
family. Like most of the circumstances of this part of
his life, his connexion with this lady is wrapped in ob-
scurity, but appears never to have been sanctioned by
marriage. She was the mother of his second son Fer-
nando, who became his historian, and whom he always
treated on terms of perfect equality with his legitimate
son Diego.
By degrees, the theory of Columbus began to obtain
proselytes. The attention of men of reflection was
drawn to this solitary individual, who, almost unsupported,
was endeavoring to make his way, with so singular a
proposition, to the foot of the throne. Whoever con-
versed with him, was struck by the dignity of his man-
ners, the earnest sincerity of his discourse, and the force
of his reasoning. Alonzo de Quintanilla, comptroller of
the finances of Castile, became a warm advocate of his
theory, and received him as a guest into his house. He
was countenanced also by Antonio Geraldini, the pope's
nuncio, and his brother, Alexander Geraldini, preceptor
to the younger children of Ferdinand and Isabella. By
these friends he was introduced to the celebrated Pedro
Gonzalez de Mendoza, archbishop of Toledo, and grand
cardinal of Spain. This was the most important person-
age about the court; he was always with the king and
queen, who never took any measure of consequence
without consulting him, and was facetiously called the
third king of Spain. He was an elegant scholar, a man
of sound understanding, and of great quickness and ca-
pacity in business. The clear-headed cardinal was pleased
with the noble and earnest manner of Columbus; he lis-
tened to him with profound attention, felt the importance
of his project and the force of his arguments, and became
at once a firm and serviceable friend. Through his in-
tercession the royal audience was at length obtained.
Columbus appeared in the presence of the king with
34 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
modesty, yet self-possession, inspired by a consciousness
of the dignity and importance of his errand; for he felt
himself, as he afterwards declared in his letters, animated
as if by a sacred fire from above, and considered himself
an instrument in the hand of heaven to accomplish its
grand designs. Ferdinand was too keen a judge of men
not to appreciate the character of Columbus. He per-
ceived, also, that his scheme had scientific and practical
foundations; and his ambition was excited by the possi-
bility of discoveries far exceeding in importance those
which had shed such glory upon Portugal. Still, as
usual, he was cool and wary. He ordered Fernando de
Talavera, the prior of Prado, to assemble the most learned
astronomers and cosmographers of the kingdom, to hold
a conference with Columbus. They were to examine
him upon the grounds of his theory, and afterwards to
consult together, and report their opinion as to its merits.
Columbus now considered the day of success at hand ; he
had been deceived by courtiers, and scoffed at as a vis-
ionary by the vulgar and the ignorant; but he was now to
appear before a body of the most learned and enlightened
men, elevated, as he supposed, above all narrow prejudice
and selfish interest, and capable of comprehending the
full scope of his reasonings. From the dispassionate
examination of such a body of sages, he could not but
anticipate the most triumphant verdict.
CHAPTER VII.
Columbus before the Council at Salamanca.
The interesting conference took place at Salamanca,
the great seat of learning in Spain. It was held in the
Dominican convent of St. Stephen, the most scientific
college in the university, in which Columbus was lodged
and entertained with great hospitality during the course
OF COLUMBUS. 35
of the examination. The board of conference was com-
posed of professors of the university, together with vari-
ous dignitaries of the church, and learned friars. No
tribunal could bear a front of more imposing wisdom; yet
Columbus soon discovered that ignorance and illiberality
may sometimes lurk under the very robes of science.
The greater part of this learned junto, it would appear,
came prepossessed against him, as men in place and dig-
nity are apt to be against poor applicants. There is
always a proneness to consider a man under examination
as a kind of delinquent, or impostor, upon trial, who is
to be detected and exposed. Columbus, too, appeared
in a most unfavorable light before a scholastic body; an
obscure navigator, member of no learned institution, des-
titute of all the trappings and circumstances which some-
times give oracular authority to dulness, and depending
upon the mere force of natural genius. Some of the
assembly entertained the popular notion, that he was an
adventurer, or, at best, a visionary; and others had that
morbid impatience of any innovation upon established
doctrine, which is apt to grow upon dull and pedantic
men in cloistered hfe. The hall of the old convent pre-
sented a striking spectacle. A simple mariner standing
forth in the midst of an imposing array of clerical and
collegiate sages; maintaining his theory with natural elo-
quence, and, as it were, pleading the cause of the new
world. We are told, that when he began to state the
grounds of his theory, the friars of St. Stephen alone
paid attention to him. The others appeared to have in-
trenched themselves behind one dogged position, namely,
that, after so many profound philosophers had occupied
themselves in geographical investigations, and so many
able navigators had been voyaging about the world for
ages, it was a great presumption in an ordinary man to
suppose that there remained such a vast discovery for him
to make.
Several of the objections opposed by this learned body
have been handed down to us, and have provoked many
a sneer at the expense of the university of Salamanca;
but they are proofs rather of the imperfect state of sci-
36 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
ence at the time, and of the manner in which knowledge,
though rapidly advancing, was still impeded in its pro-
gress by monastic bigotry. Thus, at the very threshold
of the discussion, Columbus was assailed with citations
from the Bible, and the works of the early fathers of the
church, which were thought incompatible with his theo-
ry; doctrinal points were mixed up with philosophical dis-
cussions, and even a mathematical demonstration was
allowed no truth, if it appeared to clash with a text of
scripture, or a commentary of one of the fathers. Thus
the possibility of the existence of antipodes in the south-
ern hemisphere, thougli maintained by the wisest of the
ancients, was disputed by some of the sages of Salaman-
ca, on the authority of Lactantius and St. Augustine,
those two great luminaries of what has been called the
golden age of ecclesiastical learning. "Is there any one
so foolish," asks Lactantius, "as to believe that there
are antipodes with their feet opposite to ours ; people
who walk with their heels upward and their heads hang-
ing down ? That there is a part of the world in which
all things are topsy-turvy ; where the trees grow with
their branches downward, and where it rains, hails, and
snows upwards? The idea of the roundness of the
earth," he adds, " was the cause of inventing this fable;
for these philosophers, having once erred, go on in their
absurdities, defending one with another."
Objections of a graver nature, and more dignified
tone, were advanced on the authority of St. Augustine.
He pronounces the doctrine of antipodes incompatible
with the historical foundations of our faith; since, to as-
sert that there were inhabited lands on the opposite side
of the globe, would be to maintain that there were nations
not descended from Adam, it being impossible for them
to have passed the intervening ocean. This would be,
therefore, to discredit the Bible, which expressly de-
clares, that all men are descended from one common
parent.
Such were the unlooked-for prejudices which Colum-
bus had to encounter, at the very outset of his confer-
ence, and which certainly savor more of the convent than
OP COLUMBUS. 37
the university. To his simplest proposition, the spher-
ical form of the earth, were opposed figurative texts of
scripture. In the psalms, the heavens are said to be
extended over the earth like a hide, that is to say, hke
the covering of a tent,' which, among the ancient pasto-
ral nations, was formed of the hides of animals. St. Paul
also, in his epistle to the Hebrews, compares the heav-
ens to a tabernacle or tent spread over the earth; hence
these casuists maintained that the earth must be flat, like
the bottom of the tent. Others admitted the globular
form of the earth, and the possibility of an opposite and
inhabitable hemisphere, but maintained that it would be
impossible to arrive there, in consequence of the heat of
the torrid zone. As for steering to the west in search
of India, they observed that the circumference of the
earth must be so great as to require at least three years
to the voyage, and those who should undertake it must
perish of hunger and thirst, from the impossibility of
carrying provisions for so long a period. Not the least
absurd objection advanced, was, that should a ship even
succeed in reaching the extremity of India, she could
never get back again, for the rotundity of the globe would
present a kind of mountain, up which it would be impos-
sible for her to sail with the most favorable wind.
Such are specimens of the errors and prejudices, the
mingled error and erudition, with which Columbus had
to contend, throughout the examination of his theory.
Many of these objections, however, which appear so
glaringly absurd at the present day, were incident to the
imperfect state of knowledge at the time. The rotundity
of the earth was as yet a matter of mere speculation; no
one could tell whether the ocean were not of too vast
extent to be traversed; nor were the laws of specific
gravity, and of central gravitation, ascertained, by which,
granting the earth to be a sphere, the possibility of making
the tour of it would be manifest.
When Columbus took his stand before this learned
body, he had appeared the plain and simple navigator,
somewhat daunted, perhaps, by the greatness of his task,
and the august nature of his auditory ; but he had a degree
4 I.
38 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
of religious feeling, which gave him a confidence in ihe
execution of what he conceived his great errand, and he
was of an ardent temperament, that became heated in
action by its own generous fires. All the objections
drawn from ancient philosophers, he met boldly and upon
equal terms, for he was deeply studied on all points of
cosmography, and he disproved many by his own expe-
rience, gathered in the course of his extensive voyages,
in which he had penetrated both the torrid and the frozen
zone. Nor was he to be daunted by the scriptural diffi-
culties opposed to him, for here he was peculiarly at
home. His contemporaries have spoken of his command-
ing person, his elevated demeanor, his air of authority,
his kindling eye, and the persuasive intonations of his
voice. How must they have given majesty and force to
his words, as, casting aside his maps and charts, and
discarding, for a time, his practical and scientific lore,
his visionary spirit took fire, and he met his doctrinal
opponents upon their own ground, pouring forth those
magnificent texts of scripture, and those mysterious pre-
dictions of the prophets, which, in his enthusiastic mo-
ments, he considered as types and annunciations of the
sublime discovery which he proposed !
It is but justice to add, that many of his learned hear-
ers were convinced by his reasoning, and warmed by his
eloquence; among the number of these was Diego de
Deza, a worthy fiiar of the order of St. Dominic, at that
time professor of theology in the convent of St. Stephen,
but who became afterwards archbishop of Seville, the
second ecclesiastical dignity of Spain. He was an able
and erudite man, above the narrow bigotry of bookish
lore, and could appreciate the value of wisdom, even
when uttered by unlearned lips. He seconded Columbus
with all his powers and influence, and by their united
efforts, they brought over several of the most intelligent
men of the assembly. Still there was a preponderating
mass of inert bigotry, and learned pride, in the erudite
body, which refused to yield to the demonstrations of an
obscure foreigner, without fortune or connexions, or any
academic honors. After this celebrated examination of
OF COLUMBUS. 39
Columbus, the board held occasional conferences, but
without coming to any decision; Fernando de Talavera,
to whom the matter was especially intrusted, had too
little esteem for it, and was too much occupied by the
stir and bustle of public concerns, to press it to a con-
clusion; his departure with the court from Cordova, early
in the spring of 1487, put an end to the consultations,
and left Columbus in a state of the most tantalizing sus-
pense.
For several years he followed the movements of the
court, continually flattered with hopes of success. Con-
ferences were appointed at various places, but the tem-
pest of warlike affairs, which hurried the court from
place to place, and gave it the bustle and confusion of a
camp, continually swept away all matters of less imme-
diate importance. It has generally been supposed that
these years of irksome solicitation were spent by Colum-
bus in the drowsy attendance of antichambers; but, on
the contrary, they were passed amidst scenes of peril
and adventure, and, in following the court, he was led
into some of the most striking situations of this wild,
rugged and mountainous war. In one of the severest
campaigns, he is said to have distinguished himself by
his personal prowess. He was present at the sieges and
surrenders of Malaga and Baza, and beheld El Zagal,
the elder of the two rival kings of Granada, yield up his
crown and possessions to the Spanish sovereigns. During
the siege of Baza, two reverend friars, guardians of the
holy sepulchre at Jerusalem, arrived in the Spanish
camp, bearing a menace from the Grand Soldan of Egypt,
that he would put to death all the Christians in his
dominions, and destroy the sepulchre, if the sovereigns
did not desist from the war against the Moslems of
Granada. It is probable that the pious indignation ex-
cited by this threat in the bosom of Columbus, gave the
first rise to a resolution which he entertained to the day
of his death; this was, to devote the profits which he
anticipated from his discoveries, to a crusade for the
rescue of the holy sepulchre.
During this long course of application, Columbus
40 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
partly defrayed his expenses by making maps and charts.
He was occasionally assisted, also, by the purse of the
worthy Friar Diego de Deza, and was sometimes a guest
of Alonzo de Quintanilla. It is due to the sovereigns to
say, also, that he was attached to the royal suite, and
sums issued to defray his expenses, and lodgings pro-
vided for him, when summoned to follow this rambling
and warlike court. Whenever the sovereigns had an
interval of leisure, there seems to have been a disposi-
tion to attend to his proposition; but the hurry and tem-
pest of the war returned, and the question was again
swept away.
At length, in the winter of 14Q1, when the sovereigns
were preparing to depart on their final campaign in the
vega of Granada, Columbus, losing all patience, pressed
for a decisive reply, and Fernando de Talavera was
ordered, therefore, to hold a final conference, and to
report the decision of his learned brethren. He obeyed,
and informed their majesties that the majority of the junto
condemned the scheme as vain and impossible, and con-
sidered it unbecoming such great princes to engage in an
undertaking of the kind, on such weak grounds as had
been advanced.
A degree of consideration, however, -had gradually
grown up at court for the enterprise, and notwithstanding
this unfavorable report, the sovereigns were unwilling to
close the door on a project which might be of such
important advantages. They informed Columbus, there-
fore, that the great cares and expenses of the war ren-
dered it impossible for them to engage in any new enter-
prises for the present; but that, when the war should be
concluded, they would have leisure and inclination to
treat with him concerning his propositions.
This was but a starved reply to receive after so many
years of weary attendance; Columbus considered it a
mere evasion of the sovereigns to relieve themselves
from his importunity, and, giving up all hope of counte-
nance from the throne, he turned his back upon Seville,
filled with disappointment and indignation.
OF COLUMBUS. 41
CHAPTER VIII.
Columbus seeks Patronage amongst the Spanish Gran-
dees.— Returns to the Convent of La Rahida. — Resumes
his JVegotiations icith the Sovereigns. [1491.]
Columbus now looked round in search of some other
source of patronage. He had received favorable letters
both from the kings of England and of France; the king
of Portugal, also, had invited him to return to his court;
but he appears to have become attached to Spain, proba-
bly from its being the residence of Beatrix Enriquez,
and his children. He sought, therefore, to engage the
patronage of some one of those powerful Spanish gran-
dees, who had vast possessions, exercised feudal rights,
and were petty sovereigns in their domains. Among
these, were the dukes of Medina Sidonia, and Medina
Celi; both had principalities lying along the seaboard,
with armies of vassals, and ports and shipping at their
command. Columbus had many interviews with the
duke of Medina Sidonia, who was tempted for a time by
the splendid prospects held out; but their very splendor
threw a coloring of exaggeration over the enterprise,
and he finally rejected it as the dream of an Italian vis-
ionary.
The duke of Medina Celi was still more favorable,
and was actually on the point of granting him three or
four caravels which lay ready for sea, in his harbor of
Port St. Mary; but he suddenly changed his mind, fearing
to awaken the jealousy of the crown, and to be consid-
ered as interfering with the views of the sovereigns, who
he knew had been treating with Columbus. He advised
him, therefore, to return once more to court, and he
wrote a letter to the queen in favor of his project.
Columbus felt averse to the idea of subjecting himself
again to the tantalizing delays and disappointments of the
4*
42 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
court, and determined to repair to Paris. He departed,
therefore, for the convent of La Rabida, to seek his
oldest son Diego, and leave him with his other son at
Cordova.
When the worthy Friar Juan Perez de Marchena
beheld Columbus arrive once more at the gate of his
convent, after nearly seven years' fruitless solicitation at
the court, and saw, by the humility of his garb, the pov-
erty he had experienced, he was greatly moved; but when
he found that he was on the point of leaving Spain, and
carrying his prbposition to another country, his patriotism
took the alarm. He had been confessor to the queen,
and knew her to be always accessible to persons of his
sacred calling. He wrote a letter to her, therefore, ear-
nestly vindicating the proposed scheme, and conjuring
her not to turn a deaf ear to a matter of such vast impor-
tance; and he prevailed upon Columbus to delay his
journey until an answer should be received.
The ambassador chosen by the little junto of the con-
vent was one Sebastian Rodriguez, a pilot of Lepe, who
acquitted himself faithfully, expeditiously, and success-
fully, in his embassy. He found access to the benignant
princess in the royal camp at Santa Fe, before Granada,
and delivered the epistle of the friar. He returned in
fourteen days, with a letter from the queen, thanking
Juan Perez for his timely services, and requesting him
to repair immediately to the court, leaving Columbus in
confident hope of hearing farther from her. This royal
epistle caused great exultation in the convent. No sooner
did the warm-hearted friar receive it, than he procured a
mule, and departed instantly, before midnight, for the
court. His sacred office, and his former relation as
father confessor, gave him immediate admission to the
queen, and great freedom of counsel. It is probable
Isabella had never heard the proposition of Columbus
urged with such honest zeal and impressive eloquence.
She was naturally more sanguine and susceptible than
the king, and more open to warm and generous impulses.
Moved by the representations of .Tuan Perez, she re-
quested that Columbus might be again sent to her, and
OF COLUMBUS. 43
kindly bethinking herself of his poverty, and his humble
plight, ordered that a sufficient sum of money should be
forwarded to him to defray his travelling expenses, to
provide him with a mule for his journey, and to furnish
him with decent raiment, that he might make a respecta-
ble appearance at the court. Columbus lost no time in
complying with the commands of the queen. He ex-
changed his threadbare garment for one of more courtly
texture, and, purchasing a mule, set out once more,
reanimated by fresh hopes, for the camp before Granada.
He arrived in time to witness the memorable surrender
of that capital to the Spanish arms. He beheld Boabdil
el Chico, the last of the Moorish kings, sally forth from
the Alhambra, and yield up the keys of that favorite seat
of Moslem power; while the king and queen, with all the
chivalry and magnificence of Spain, moved forward in
proud and solemn procession, to receive this token of
submission. It was one of the most brilliant triumphs in
Spanish history. The air resounded with shouts of joy,
with songs of triumph and hymns of thanksgiving. On
every side were beheld military rejoicings and religious
oblations. The court was thronged by the most illustri-
ous of that warlike country, and stirring era; by the flow-
er of its nobihty, the most dignified of its prelacy, by
bards and minstrels, and all the retinue of a romantic and
picturesque age.
During this brilliant and triumphant scene, says an
elegant Spanish writer, " A man, obscure and but little
known, followed the court. Confounded in the crowd
of importunate applicants, and feeding his imagination, in
the corners of antichambers, with the pompous project
of discovering a world, he was melancholy and dejected
in the midst of the general rejoicing, and beheld with
indifTerence, almost with contempt, the conclusion of a
conquest which swelled all bosoms with jubilee, and
seemed to have reached the utmost bounds of desire.
That man was Christopher Columbus."
The moment had now arrived, however, when the
monarchs stood pledged to attend to his proposals. They
kept their word, and persons of confidence were appoint-
44 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
ed to negotiate with him, among whom was Fernando de
Talavera, who, by the recent conquest, had risen to be
archbishop of Granada. At the very outset of their ne-
gotiation, however, unexpected difficukies arose. The
principal stipulation of Columbus was, that he should be
invested with the titles and privileges of admiral and vice-
roy, over the countries he should discover, with one tenth
of all gains, either by trade or conquest. The courtiers
who treated with him, were indignant at such a demand
from one whom they had considered a needy adventurer.
One observed with a sneer, that it was a shrewd arrange-
ment which he proposed, whereby he was certain of the
profits and honors of a command, and had nothing to lose
in case of failure. To this Columbus promptly replied,
by offering to furnish one eighth of the cost, on condition
of enjoying an eighth of the profits. His terms, howev-
er, were pronounced inadmissible, and others were of-
fered, of more moderate nature, but he refused to cede
one point of his demands, and the negotiation was broken
off.
It is impossible not to admu'e the great constancy of
purpose, and loftiness of spirit, here displayed by Colum-
bus. Though so large a portion of life had worn away
in fruitless solicitings, during which he had experienced
the bitterness of poverty, neglect, ridicule, and disap-
pointment; though there was no certainty that he would
not have to enter upon the same career at any other court;
yet nothing could shake his perseverance, or make him
descend to terms which he considered beneath the dignity
of his enterprise. Indignant at the repeated disappoint-
ments he had experienced in Spain, he now determined
to abandon it forever, and mounting his mule, sallied forth
from Santa Fe, on his way to Cordova, with the intention
of immediately proceeding from thence to France.
When the few friends, who were zealous believers
in the theory of Columbus, saw him on the point of
abandoning the country, they were filled with distress.
Among the number was Luis de St. Angel, receiver of
the ecclesiastical revenues of Arragon, and Alonzo de
Quintanilla, who determined to make one bold effort to
OF COLUMBUS. 45
avert the evil. They hastened to the queen, and St.
Angel addressed her with a courage and eloquence in-
spired by the exigency of the moment. He did not
confine himself to entreaties, but almost mingled re-
proaches. He expressed his astonishment that a queen
who had evinced the spirit to undertake so many great
and perilous enterprises, should hesitate at one where the
loss could be but trifling, while the gain might be incal-
culable ; for all that was required for this great expedition
was but two vessels, and about thirty thousand crowns,
and Columbus himself had offered to bear an eighth of
the expense. He reminded her how much might be
done for the glory of God, the promotion of the Christian
faith, and the extension of her own power and dominion,
should this enterprise be adopted; but what cause of
regret it would be to herself, of sorrow to her friends, and
triumph to her enemies, should it be rejected by her, and
accomplished by some other power. He vindicated the
judgement of Columbus, and the soundness and practica-
bility of his plans, and observed, that even a failure would
reflect no disgrace upon the crown. It was worth the
trouble and expense to clear up even a doubt, upon a
matter of such importance, for it belonged to enlightened
and magnanimous princes, to investigate questions of the
kind, and to explore the wonders and secrets of the uni-
verse.
These, and many more arguments, were urged, with
that persuasive power which honest zeal imparts. The
generous spirit of Isabella was enkindled, and it seemed
as if the subject, for the first time, broke upon her mind
in its real grandeur. She declared her resolution to un-
dertake the enterprise, but paused for a moment, remem-
bering that King Ferdinand looked coldly on the affair,
and that the royal treasury was absolutely drained by the
war. Her suspense was but momentary. With an en-
thusiasm worthy of herself and of the cause, she exclaim-
ed, "I undertake the enterprise for my own crown of
Castile, and will pledge my jewels to raise the necessary
funds." This was the proudest moment in the life of
Isabella; it stamped her renown for ever as the patroness
of the discovery of the New World.
46 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
St. Angel, eager to secure this favorable resolution,
assured her majesty that there would be no need of pledg-
ing her jewels, as he was ready to advance the necessary
funds, as a loan, from the treasury of Arragon; his offer
was gladly accepted.
Columbus had proceeded on his solitary journey across
the vega of Granada, and had reached the bridge of Pinos,
about two leagues from that city, a pass famous for bloody
encounters during the Moorish wars. Here he was over-
taken by a courier sent after him in all speed by the queen,
requesting him to return to Santa Fe. He hesitated, for
a moment, to subject himself again to the delays and
equivocations of the court; but when he was informed
that Isabella had positively undertaken the enterprise,
and pledged her royal word, every doubt was dispelled,
he turned the reins of his mule, and hastened back joy-
fully to Santa Fe, confiding implicitly in the noble probity
of that princess.
CHAPTER IX.
Arrangement with the Spanish Sovereigns. — Preparations
for the Expedition at the Port of Palos. [1492.]
On arriving at Santa Fe, Columbus had an immediate
audience of the queen, and the benignity with which
she received him, atoned for all past neglect. Through
deference to the zeal she thus suddenly displayed, the
king yielded his tardy concurrence, but Isabella was the
soul of this grand enterprise. She was prompted by
lofty and generous enthusiasm, while the king remained
cold and calculating, in this as in all his other undertakings.
A perfect understanding being thus effected with the
sovereigns, articles of agreement were drawn out by Juan
de Coloma, the royal secretary. They were to the fol-
lowing effect: —
OF COLUMBUS. 47
1 . That Columbus should have, for himself, during
his life, and his heirs and successors for ever, the office
of high admiral in all the seas, lands, and continents, he
might discover, with similar honors and prerogatives to
those enjoyed by the high admiral of Castile in his dis-
trict.
2. That he should be viceroy and governor-general
over all the said lands and continents, with the privilege
of nominating three candidates for the government of each
island or province, one of whom should be selected by
the sovereigns.
3. That he should be entitled to one tenth of all free
profits, arising from the merchandise and productions of
the countries within his admiralty.
4. That he, or his lieutenant, should be the sole judge
of causes and disputes arising out of traffic between those
countries and Spain.
5. That he might then, and at all aftertimes, con-
tribute an eighth part of the expense of expeditions to
sail to the countries he expected to discover, and should
receiv^Jft-consequence an eighth part of the profits.
These capitulations were signed by Ferdinand and Isa-
bella, at the city of Santa Fe, in the vega or plain of
Granada, on the 17th of April, 1492. All the royal
documents, issued in consequence, bore equally the sig-
natures of Ferdinand and Isabella, but her separate crown
of Castile defrayed all the expense. As to the money
advanced by St. Angel out of the treasury of King Fer-
dinand, that prudent monarch indemnified himself, some
few years afterwards, by employing some of the first
gold brought by Columbus from the new world to gild
the vaults and ceilings of the grand saloon, in his royal
palace of Saragoza, in Arragon.
One of the great objects held out by Columbus in his
undertaking, was, the propagation of the Christian faith.
He expected to arrive at the extremity of Asia, or India,
as it was then generally termed, at the vast empire of the
Grand Khan, of whose maritime provinces of Mangi and
Cathay, and their dependent islands, since ascertained to
be a part of the kingdom, of China, the most magnificent
48 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
accounts had been given by Marco Polo. Various mis-
sions had been sent, in former times, by popes and pious
sovereigns, to instruct this oriental potentate, and his
subjects, in the doctrines of Christianity. Columbus
hoped to effect this grand work, and to spread the light
of the true faith among the barbarous countries and nations
that were to be discovered in the unknown parts of the
East. Isabella, from pious zeal, and Ferdinand from
mingled notions of bigotry and ambition, accorded with
his views, and when he afterwards departed on this voyage,
letters were actually given him, by the sovereigns, for the
Grand Khan of Tartary.
The ardent enthusiasm of Columbus did not stop herie.
Recollecting the insolent threat once made by the soldan
of Egypt, to destroy the holy sepulchre at Jerusalem,
he proposed that the profits which might arise from his
discoveries, should be consecrated to a crusade for the
rescue of the holy edifice from the power of the Infidels.
The sovereigns smiled at this sally of the miagination,
and expressed themselves well pleased with the idea;
but what they may have considered a mere momentary
thought, was a deep and cherished design of Columbus.
It is a curious and characteristic fact, which has never
been particularly noticed, that the recovery of the holy
sepulchre was the leading object of his ambition, meditated
throughout the remainder of his life, and solemnly provided
for in his will, and that he considered his great discovery
but as a preparatory dispensation of Providence, to fur-
nish means for its accomplishment.
The port of Palos de Moguer, in Andalusia, was fixed
upon as the place where the armament for the expedition
was to be fitted out, the community of the place being
obliged, in consequence of some misdemeanor, to serve
the crown for one year with two armed caravels. A
royal order was issued, commanding the authorities of
Palos to have these caravels ready for sea within ten
days, and to yield them and their crews to the command
of Columbus. The latter was likewise empowered to
fit out a third vessel; nor was any restriction put upon
his voyage, excepting that he should not go to the coast
OF COLUMBUS. 49
of Guinea, or any other of the lately discovered posses-
sions of Portugal. Orders were likewise issued by the
sovereigns, commanding the inhabitants of the seaboard
of Andalusia, to furnish supplies and assistance of all
kinds for the expedition, at a reasonable rate, and threat-
ening severe penalties to such as should cause any im-
pediment.
As a mark of particular favor to Columbus, Isabella,
before his departure from the court, appointed his son
Diego page to Prince Juan, the heir apparent, an honor
granted only to the sons of persons of distinguished rank.
Thus gratified in his dearest wishes, Columbus took leave
of the court on the 12th of May, and set out joyfully for
Palos. Let those who are disposed to faint under diffi-
culties, in the prosecution of any great and worthy under-
taking, remember that eighteen years elapsed after Colum-
bus conceived his enterprise, before he was enabled to
carry it into effect; that the most of that time was passed
in almost hopeless solicitation, amidst poverty, neglect,
and taunting ridicule; that the prime of his life had
wasted away in the struggle; and that when his persever-
ance was finally crowned with success, he was about
fifty-six years of age. His example should teach the
enterprising never to despair.
When Columbus arrived at Palos, and presented him-
self once more before the gates of the convent of La
Rabida, he was received with open arms by the worthy
Juan Perez, and again entertained as his guest. The
zealous friar accompanied him to the parochial church
of St. George, in Palos, where Columbus caused the
royal order for the caravels to be read by a notary public,
in presence of the authorities of the place. Nothing
could equal the astonishment and horror of the people
of this maritime community, when they heard of the
nature of the expedition, in which they were ordered to
engage. They considered the ships and crews demanded
of them, in the light of sacrifices devoted to destruction.
All the frightful tales and fables with which ignorance
and superstition are prone to people obscure and distant
regions, were conjured up concerning the unknown parts
5 I.
60 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
of the deep, and the boldest seamen shrunk from such
a wild and chimerical cruise into the wilderness of the
ocean.
Repeated mandates were issued by the sovereigns,
ordering the magistrates of Palos, and the neighboring
town of IMoguer, to press into the service any Spanish
vessels and crews they might think proper, and threaten-
ing severe punishments on all who should prove refrac-
tory. It was all in vain; the communities of those
places were thrown into complete confusion ; tumults and
altercations took place, but nothing of consequence was
effected.
At length, Martin Alonzo Pinzon, the weahhy and
enterprising navigator, who has already been mentioned,
came forward and engaged personally in the expedition.
He and his brother Vicente Yanez Pinzon, who was
likewise a navigator of great courage and ability, possessed
vessels, and had seamen in their employ. They were
related to many of the seafaring inhabitants of Palos and
Moguer, and had great influence throughout the neigh-
borhood. It is supposed that they furnished Columbus
with funds to pay the eighth share of the expense
which he had engaged to advance. They furnished two
of the vessels required, and determined to sail in the
expedition. Their example and persuasions had a won-
derful effect; a great many of their relations and friends
agreed to embark, and the vessels were ready for sea
within a month after they had engaged in their enter-
prise.
During the equipment of the armament, various diffi-
culties occurred. A third vessel, called the Pinta, had
been pressed into the service, with its crew. The
owners, Gomez Rascon, and Christoval Quintero, were
strongly repugnant to the voyage, as were most of the
mariners under them. These people, and their friends,
endeavored in various ways to retard or defeat the
voyage. The caulkers did their work in a careless man-
ner, and, on being ordered to do it over again, absconded;
several of the seamen who had enlisted willingly, repented
and deserted. Every thing had to be effected by harsh
OP COLUMBUS. 51
and arbitrary measures, and in defiance of popular oppo-
sition.
At length, by the beginning of August, every difficulty
was vanquished, and the vessels were ready for sea.
After all the objections made by various courts, to under-
take this expedition, it is surprising hovi^ inconsiderable
an armament was required. Two of the vessels were
light barques, called caravels, not superior to river and
coasting craft of modern days. They were built high
at the prow and stern, with forecastles and cabins for
the crew, but were without deck in the centre. Only
one of the three, called the Santa Maria, was completely
decked, on board of which Columbus hoisted his flag.
Martin Alonzo Pinzon commanded one of the caravels,
called the Pinta, and was accompanied by his brother,
Francisco Martin, as mate or pilot. The other, called
the Nina, had latine sails, and was commanded by Vi-
cente Yafiez Pinzon; on board of this vessel went Garcia
Fernandez, the physician of Palos, in the capacity of
steward. There were three other able pilots, Sancho
Ruiz, Pedro Alonzo Nino, and Bartholomew Roldan,
and the whole number of persons embarked was one
hundred and twenty.
The squadron being ready to put to sea, Columbus
confessed himself to the Friar Juan Perez, and partook
of the communion, and his example was followed by the
officers and crews, committing themselves, with the
most devout and affecting ceremonials, to the especial
guidance and protection of Heaven, in this perilous enter-
prise. A deep gloom was spread over the whole com-
munity of Palos, for almost every one had some relation
or friend on board of the squadron. The spirits of the
seamen, already depressed by their own fears, were still
more cast down, at beholding the affliction of those they
left behind, who took leave of them with tears and lamenta-
tions and dismal forebodings, as of men they were never
to behold again.
52 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
CHAPTER X.
Events of the first Voyage. — Discovery of Land. [1492.]
It was early in the morning of Friday, the 3d of Au-
gust, 1492, that Columbus set sail from the bar of Saltes,
a small island formed by the rivers Odiel and Tinto, in
front of Palos, steering for the Canary Islands, from
whence he intended to strike due west. As a guide by
which to sail, he had the conjectural map or chart, sent
him by Paolo Toscanelli of Florence. In this it is sup-
posed the coasts of Europe and Africa, from the south
of Ireland to the end of Guinea, were delineated as im-
mediately opposite to the extremity of Asia, while the
great island of Cipango, described by Marco Polo, lay
between them, fifteen hundred miles from the Asiatic
coast; at this island Columbus expected first to arrive.
On the third day after setting sail, the Pinta made
signal of distress, her rudder being broken and unhung.
This was suspected to have been done through the con-
trivance of the owners, Gomez Rascon and Christoval
Quintero, to disable the vessel, and cause her to be left
behind. Columbus was much disturbed at this occur-
rence. It gave him a foretaste of the difficulties to be
apprehended, from people partly enlisted on compulsion,
and full of doubt and foreboding. Trivial obstacles
might, in this early stage of the voyage, spread panic and
mutiny through his crews, and induce them to renounce
the prosecution of the enterprise.
Martin Alonzo Pinzon, who commanded the Pinta,
secured the rudder with cords, but these fastenings soon
gave way, and the caravel proving defective in other
respects, Columbus remained three weeks cruising among
the Canary Islands, in search of another vessel to replace
her. Not being able to find one, the Pinta was repaired,
and furnished with a new rudder. The latine sails of
OF COLUMBUS. 53
the Nina were also altered into square sails, that she
might work more steadily and securely. While making
these repairs, and taking in wood and water, Columbus
was informed that three Portuguese caravels had been
seen hovering off the island of Ferro. Dreading some
hostile stratagem, on the part of the king of Portugal, in
revenge for his having embarked in the service of Spain,
he put to sea early on the morning of the 6th of Septem-
ber, but for three days a profound calm detained the
vessels within a short distance of the land. This was a
tantahzing delay, for Columbus trembled lest something
should occur to defeat his expedition, and was impatient
to find himself far upon the ocean, out of sight of either
land or sail ; which, in the pure atmosphere of these lati-
tudes, may be descried at an immense distance.
On Sunday, the 9th of September, as day broke, he
beheld Ferro about nine leagues distant; he was in the
very neighborhood, therefore, where the Portuguese cara-
vels had been seen. Fortunately a breeze sprang up with
the sun, and in the course of the day the heights of Ferro
gradually faded from the horizon.
On losing sight of this last trace of land, the hearts of
the crews failed them, for they seemed to have taken
leave of the world. Behind them was every thing dear
to the heart of man — country, family, friends, life itself;
before them every thing was chaos, mystery, and peril.
In the perturbation of the moment, they despaired of ever
more seeing their homes. Many of the rugged seamen
shed tears, and some broke into loud lamentations. Co-
lumbus tried in every way to soothe their distress, de-
scribing the splendid countries to which he expected to
conduct them, and promising them land, riches, and every
thing that could arouse their cupidity or inflame their
imaginations; nor were these promises made for purposes
of deception, for he certainly believed he should realize
them all.
He now gave orders to the commanders of the other
vessels, in case they should be separated by any accident,
to continue directly westward ; but that after sailing seven
hundred leagues, they should lay by from midnight until
5*
54 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
daylight, as at about that distance he confidently expected
to find land. Foreseeing that the vague terrors already
awakened among the seamen would increase with the
space which intervened between them and their homes,
he commenced a stratagem which he continued through-
out the voyage. This was to keep two reckonings, one
private, in which the true way of the ship was noted, and
which he retained in secret for his own government; the
other public, for general inspection, in which a number
of leagues was daily subtracted from the sailing of the
ships, so as to keep the crews in ignorance of the real
distance they had advanced.
When about one hundred and fifty leagues west of
Ferro, they fell in with part of a mast of a large vessel,
and the crews, tremblingly alive to every portent, looked
with a rueful eye upon this fragment of a wreck, drifting
ominously at the entrance of these unknown seas.
On the 13th of September, in the evening, Columbus,
for the first time, noticed the variation of the needle, a
phenomenon which had never before been remarked. He
at first made no mention of it, lest his people should be
alarmed; but it soon attracted the attention of the pilots,
and filled them with consternation. It seemed as if the
very laws of Nature were changing as they advanced, and
that they were entering another world subject to unknown
influences. They apprehended that the compass was
about to lose its mysterious virtues, and, without this
guide, what was to become of them in a vast and track-
less ocean? Columbus tasked his science and ingenuity
for reasons with which to allay their terrors. He told
them that the direction of the needle was not to the polar
star, but to some fixed and invisible point. The varia-
tion, therefore, was not caused by any fallacy in the
compass, but by the movement of the north star itself,
which, like the other heavenly bodies, had its changes
and revolutions, and every day described a circle round
the pole. The high opinion they entertained of Colum-
bus as a profound astronomer, gave weight to his theory,
and their alarm subsided.
They had now arrived within the influence of the trade
OF COLUMBUS. 55
wind, which, following the sun, blows steadily from east
to west between the tropics, and sweeps over a few ad-
joining degrees of the ocean. With this propitious breeze
directly aft, they were wafted gently but speedily over a
tranquil sea, so that for many days they did not shift a
sail. Columbus in his journal perpetually recurs to the
bland and temperate serenity of the weather, and com-
pares the pure and balmy mornings to those of April in
Andalusia, observing, that the song of the nightingale was
alone wanting to complete the illusion.
They now began to see large patches of herbs and
weeds all drifting from the west. Some were such as
grow about rocks or in rivers, and as green as if recently
washed from the land. On one of the patches was a
live crab. They saw also a white tropical bird, of a
kind which never sleeps upon the sea; and tunny fish
played about the ships. Columbus now supposed himself
arrived in the weedy sea described by Aristotle, into
which certain ships of Cadiz had been driven by an im-
petuous east wind.
As he advanced, there were various other signs that
gave great animation to the crews ; many birds were seen
flying from the west; there was a cloudiness in the north,
such as often hangs over land; and at sunset the imagi-
nation of the seamen, aided by their desires, would shape
those clouds into distant islands. Every one was eager
to be the first to behold and announce the wished-for shore;
for the sovereigns had promised a pension of thirty crowns
to whomsoever should first discover land. Columbus
sounded occasionally with a line of two hundred fathoms,
but found no bottom. Martin Alonzo Pinzon, as well
as others of his officers, and many of the seamen, were
often solicitous for Columbus to alter his course, and
steer in the direction of these favorable signs; but he
persevered in steering to the westward, trusting that, by
keeping in one steady direction, he should reach the coast
of India, even if he should miss the intervening islands,
and might then seek them on his return.
Notwithstanding the precaution which had been taken
to keep the people ignorant of the distance they had sailed.
56 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
they gradually became uneasy at the length of the voyage.
The various indications of land which occasionally flat-
tered their hopes, passed away one after another, and
the same interminable expanse of sea and sky continued
to extend before them. They had advanced much far-
ther to the west than ever man had sailed before, and
though already beyond the reach of succor, were still
pressing onward and onw-ard into that apparently boundless
abyss. Even the favorable wind, which seemed as if
providentially sent to waft them to the New World with
such bland and gentle breezes, was conjured by their fears
into a source of alarm. They feared that the wind in
these seas always prevailed from the east, and if so, would
never permit their return to Spain. A few light breezes
from the west allayed for a time their last apprehension,
and several small birds, such as keep about groves and
orchards, came singing in the morning, and flew aw^ay at
night. Their song was wonderfully cheering to the hearts
of the poor mariners, who hailed it as the voice of land.
The birds they had hitherto seen had been large and
strong of wing, but such small birds, they observed, were
too feeble to fly far, and their singing showed that they
were not exhausted by their flight.
On the following day there was a profound calm, and
the sea, as far as the eye could reach, w-as covered with
weeds, so as to have the appearance of a vast inundated
meadow, a phenomenon attributed to the immense quan-
tities of submarine plants which are detached by the
currents from the bottom of the ocean. The seamen
now feared that the sea was growing shallow; they dreaded
lurking rocks, and shoals, and quicksands; and that their
vessels might run aground, as it were, in the midst of the
ocean, far out of the track of human aid, and with no
shore where the crews could take refuge. Columbus
proved the fallacy of this alarm, by sounding with a deep
sea-line, and finding no bottom.
For three days there was a continuance of light summer
airs, from the southward and westward, and the sea was
as smooth as a mirror. The crews now became uneasy
at the calmness of the weather. They observed that
OF COLUMBUS. 57
the contrary winds they experienced were transient and
unsteady, and so hght as not to ruffle the surface of the
sea; the only winds of constancy and force were from
the west, and even they had not power to disturb the
torpid stillness of the ocean; there was a risk, therefore,
either of perishing amidst stagnant and shoreless waters,
or of being prevented, by contrary winds, from ever
returning to their native country.
Columbus continued, with admirable patience, to reason
with these absurd fancies, but in vain; when fortunately
there came on a heavy swell of the sea, unaccompanied
by wind, a phenomenon that often occurs in the broad
ocean, caused by the impulse of some past gale, or dis-
tant current of wind. It was, nevertheless, regarded with
astonishment by the mariners, and dispelled the imaginary
terrors occasioned by the calm.
The situation of Columbus was daily becoming more
and more critical. The impatience of the seamen arose
to absolute mutiny. They gathered together in the re-
tired parts of the ships, at first in little knots of two and
three, which gradually increased and became formida-
ble, joining in murmurs and menaces against the admiral.
They exclaimed against him as an ambitious desperado,
who, in a mad phantasy, had determined to do something
extravagant to render himself notorious. What obliga-
tion bound them to persist, or when were the terms of
their agreement to be considered as fulfilled? They had
already penetrated into seas untraversed by a sail, and
where man had never before adventured. Were they to
sail on until they perished, or until all return with their
frail ships became impossible? Who would blame them
should they consult their safety and return? The admi-
ral was a foreigner, a man without friends or influence.
His scheme had been condemned by the learned as idle
and visionary, and discountenanced by people of all ranks.
There was, therefore, no party on his side, but rather a
large number who would be gratified by his failure.
Such are some of the reasonings by which these men
prepared themselves for open rebellion. Some even
proposed, as an effectual mode of silencing all after com-
68 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
plaints of the admiral, that they should throw him into
the sea, and give out that he had fallen overboard, while
contemplating the stars and signs of the heavens, with
his astronomical instruments.
Columbus was not ignorant of these secret cabals, but
he kept a serene and steady countenance, soothing some
with gentle words, stimulating the pride or the avarice
of others, and openly menacing the most refractory with
punishment. New hopes diverted them for a time. On
the 25th of September, Martin Alonzo Pinzon mounted
on the stern of his vessel, and shouted, "Land! land!
Sefior, I claim the reward!" There was, indeed, such
an appearance of land in the southwest, that Columbus
threw himself upon his knees, and returned thanks to God,
and all the crews joined in chanting Gloria in excelsis.
The ships altered their course, and stood all night to the
southwest, but the morning light put an end to all their
hopes as to a dream ; the fancied land proved to be noth-
ing but an evening cloud, and had vanished in the night.
For several days, they continued on with alternate
hopes and murmurs, until the various signs of land be-
came so numerous, that the seamen, from a state of de-
spondency, passed to one of high excitement. Eager to
obtain the promised pension, they were continually
giving the cry of land; until Columbus declared, that
should any one give a notice of the kind, and land not be
discovered within three days afterwards, he should
thenceforth forfeit all claim to the reward.
On the 7th of October, they had come seven hundred
and fifty leagues, the distance at which Columbus had
computed to find the island of Cipango. There were
great flights of small field birds to the southwest, which
seemed to indicate some neighboring land in that direc-
tion, where they were sure of food and a resting place.
Yielding to the solicitations of Martin Alonzo Pinzon
and his brothers, Columbus, on the evening of the 7th,
altered his course, therefore, to the west-southwest. As
he advanced, the signs of land increased; the birds came
singing about the ships; and herbage floated by as fresh
and green as if recently from shore. When, however,
OF COLUMBUS. 59
on the evening of the third clay of this new course, the
seamen beheld the sun go down upon a shoreless ho-
rizon, they again broke forth into loud clamors, and
insisted upon abandoning the voyage. Columbus en-
deavored to pacify them by gentle words and liberal
promises ; but finding these only increased their violence,
he assumed a different tone, and told them it was useless
to murmur; the expedition had been sent by the sover-
eigns to seek the Indies, and happen what might, he
was determined to persevere, until, by the blessing of
God, he should accomplish the enterprise.
He was now at open defiance with his crew, and his
situation would have been desperate, but, fortunately, the
manifestations of land on the following day were such
as no longer to admit of doubt. A green fish, such as
keeps about rocks, swam by the ships; and a bi-anch of
thorn, with berries on it, floated by; they picked up, also,
a reed, a small board, and, above all, a staff artificially
carved. All gloom and murmuring was now at an end,
and throughout the day each one was on the watch for
the long-sought land.
In the evening, when, according to custom, the mari-
ners had sung the salve regina, or vesper hymn to the
Virgin, Columbus made an impressive address to his
crew, pointing out the goodness of God in thus conduct-
ing them by soft and favoring breezes across a tran-
quil ocean to the promised land. He expressed a strong
confidence of making land that very night, and ordered
that a vigilant lookout should be kept from the forecastle,
promising to whomsoever should make the discovery, a
doublet of velvet, in addition to the pension to be given
by the sovereigns.
The breeze had been fresh all day, with more sea than
usual; at sunset they stood again to the west, and were
ploughing the waves at a rapid rate, the Pinta keeping
the lead from her superior sailing. The greatest ani-
mation prevailed throughout the ships ; not an eye was
closed that night. As the evening darkened, Columbus
took his station on the top of the castle or cabin on the
high poop of his vessel. However he might carry a
60 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
cheerful and confident countenance during the day, it
was to him a time of the most painful anxiety; and now
when he was wrapped from observation by the shades of
night, he maintained an intense and unremitting watch,
ranging his eye along the dusky horizon, in search of
the most vague indications of land. Suddenly, about
ten o'clock, he thought he beheld a light glimmering at
a distance. Fearing that his eager hopes might deceive
him, he called to Pedro Gutierrez, gentleman of the
king's bedchamber, and demanded whether he saw a
light in that direction ; the latter replied in the affirma-
tive. Columbus, yet doubtful whether it might not be
some delusion of the fancy, called Rodrigo Sanchez of
Segovia, and made the same inquiry. By the time the
latter had ascended the roundhouse, the light had dis-
appeared. They saw it once or twice afterwards in
sudden and passing gleams, as if it were a torch in the
bark of a fisherman, rising and sinking with the waves;
or in the hands of some person on shore, borne up and
down as he walked from house to house. So transient
and uncertain were these gleams, that few attached any
importance to them ; Columbus, however, considered
them as certain signs of land, and, moreover, that the
land was inhabited.
They continued on their course until two in the morn-
ing, when a gun from the Pinta gave the joyful signal of
land. It was first discovered by a mariner named Rod-
riguez Bermejo, resident of Triana, a suburb of Seville,
but native of Alcala de la Guadaira; but the reward was
afterwards adjudged to the Admiral, for having previous-
ly perceived the light. The land was now clearly seen
about two leagues distant, whereupon they took in sail,
and laid to, waiting impatiently for the dawn.
The thoughts and feelings of Columbus in this little
space of time must have been tumultuous and intense.
At length, in spite of every difficulty and danger, he had
accomplished his object. The great mystery of the
ocean was revealed; his theory, which had been the scoff
of sages, was triumphantly established; he had secured to
himself a glory which must be as durable as the world
itself.
OF COLUMBUS. 61
It is difficult even for the imagination to conceive the
feehngs of such a man, at the moment of so subhme a
discovery. What a bewildering crowd of conjectures
must have thronged upon his mind, as to the land which
lay before him, covered with darkness. That it was
fruitful was evident from the vegetables which floated
from its shores. He thought, too, that he perceived in
the balmy air the fragrance of aromatic groves. The
moving hght which he had beheld, proved that it was the
residence of man. But what were its inhabitants? Were
they like those of other parts of the globe ; or were they
some strange and monstrous race, such as the imagina-
tion in those times was prone to give to all remote and
unknown regions? Had he come upon some wild island,
far in the Indian seas; or was this the famed Cipango
itself, the object of his golden fancies? A thousand
speculations of the kind must have swarmed upon him,
as he watched for the night to pass away; wondering
whether the morning light would reveal a savage wilder-
ness, or dawn upon spicy groves, and glittering fanes, and
gilded cities, and all the splendors of oriental civiHzation.
CHAPTER XI.
First Landing of Columbus in the JSTew World. — Cruise
among the Bahama Islands. — Discovery of Cuba and
Hispaniola. [1492. J
When the day dawned, Columbus saw before him a
level and beautiful island, several leagues in extent, of
great freshness and verdure, and covered with trees like
a continual orchard. Though every thing appeared in
the wild luxuriance of untamed nature, yet the island was
evidently populous, for the inhabitants were seen issuing
from the woods, and running from all parts to the shore.
They were all perfectly naked, and from their attitudes
6 I.
62 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
and gestures, appeared lost in astonishment at the sight
of the ships. Columbus made signal to cast anchor, and
to man the boats. He entered his own boat, richly
attired in scarlet, and bearing the royal standard. Mar-
tin Alonzo Pinzon, and Vicente Yanez the brother,
likewise put off in their boats, each bearing the banner
of the enterprise, emblazoned with a green cross, having,
on each side, the letters F and Y, surmounted by crowns,
the Spanish initials of the Castilian monarchs, Fernando
and Ysabel.
As they approached the shores, they were delighted
by the beauty and grandeur of the forests ; the variety
of unknown fruits on the trees which overhung the shores;
the purity and suavity of the atmosphere, and the crystal
transparency of the seas which bathe these islands. On
landing, Columbus threw himself upon his knees, kissed
the earth, and returned thanks to God with tears of joy.
His example was followed by his companions, whose
breasts, indeed, were full to overflowing. Columbus,
then rising, drew his sword, displayed the royal standard,
and took possession, in the names of the Castilian sover-
eigns, giving the island the name of San Salvador. He
then called upon all present to take the oath of obedi-
ence to him, as admiral and viceroy, and representative
of the sovereigns.
His followers now burst forth into the most extrava-
gant transports. They thronged around him, some em-
bracing him, others kissing his hands. Those, who had
been most mutinous and turbulent during the voyage,
were now most devoted and enthusiastic. Some begged
favors of him, as of a man who had already wealth and
honors in his gift. Many abject spirits, who had outraged
him by their insolence, now crouched at his feet, begging
his forgiveness, and offering, for the future, the blindest
obedience to his commands.
The natives of the island, when, at the dawn of day,
they had beheld the ships hovering on the coast, had
supposed them some monsters, which had issued from
the deep during the night. Their veering about, with-
out any apparent effort, and the shifting and furling of
OF COLUMBUS. 63
their sails, resembling huge wings, filled them with aston-
ishment. When they beheld the boats approach the
shore, and a number of strange beings, clad in glittering
steel, or raiment of various colors, landing upon the
beach, they fled in affright to their woods. Finding,
however, that there was no attempt to pursue or molest
them, they gradually recovered from their terror, and
approached the Spaniards with great awe, frequently
prostrating themselves, and making signs of adoration.
During the ceremony of taking possession, they remain-
ed gazing, in timid admiration, at the complexion, the
beards, the shining armor, and splendid dress of the
Spaniards. The admiral particularly attracted their
attention, from his commanding height, his air of author-
ity, his scarlet dress, and the deference paid to him by
his companions; all which pointed him out to be the
commander. When they had still further recovered
from their fears, they approached the Spaniards, touched
their beards, and examined their hands and faces, admir-
ing their whiteness. Columbus, pleased with their sim-
plicity, their gentleness, and the confidence they reposed
in beings who must have appeared so strange and formi-
dable, submitted to their scrutiny with perfect acquies-
cence. The wondering savages were won by this benig-
nity; they now supposed that the ships had sailed out of
the crystal firmament which bounded their horizon, or
that they had descended from above, on their ample
wings, and that these marvellous beings were inhabitants
of the skies.
The natives of the island were no less objects of curi-
osity to the Spaniards, differing, as they did, from any
race of men they had ever seen. They were entirely
naked, and painted with a variety of colors and devices,
so as to have a wild and fantastic appearance. Their
natural complexion was of a tawny, or copper hue, and
they were entirely destitute of beards. Their hair was
not crisped, like the recently-discovered tribes of Africa,
under the same latitude, but straight and coarse, partly
cut above the ears, but some locks behind left long, and
falling upon their shoulders. Their features, though dis-
64 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
figured by paint, were agreeable; they had lofty foreheads,
and remarkably fine eyes. They were of moderate stat-
ure, and well shaped; most of them appeared to be under
thirty years of age. There was but one female with
them, quite young, naked like her companions, and
beautifully formed. They appeared to be a simple and
artless people, and of gentle and friendly dispositions.
Their only arms were lances, hardened at the end by
fire, or pointed with a flint or the bone of a fish. There
was no iron to be seen among them, nor did they know
its properties, for when a drawn sword was presented to
them, they unguardedly took it by the edge. Columbus
distributed among them colored caps, glass beads, hawk's
bells, and other trifles, which they received as inestima-
ble gifts, and decorating themselves with them, were
wonderfully delighted with their finery.
As Columbus supposed himself to have landed on an
island at the extremity of India, he called the natives by
the general appellation of Indians, which was universal-
ly adopted before the nature of his discovery was known,
and has since been extended to all the aboriginals of
the New World. The Spaniards remained all day on
shore, refreshing themselves, after their anxious voyage,
amidst the beautiful groves of the island, and they return-
ed to their ships late in the evening, delighted with all
they had seen.
The island where Columbus had thus, for the first
time, set his foot upon the new world, is one of the Lu-
cayos, or Bahama Islands, and was called by the natives
Guanahani; it still retains the name of San Salvador,
which he gave it, though called by the English, Cat Island.
The light which he had seen the evening previous to his
making land, may have been on Watling's Island, which
hes a few leagues to the east.
On the following morning, at daybreak, some of the
natives came swimming off" to the ships, and others came
in light barks, which they called canoes, formed of a
single tree, hollowed, and capable of holding from one
man to the number of forty or fifty. The Spaniards
soon discovered that they were destitute of wealth, and
OF COLUMBUS. 65
had little to offer in return for trinkets, except balls of cot-
ton yarn, and domesticated parrots. They brought cakes
of a kind of bread called cassava, made from the yuca
root, which constituted a principal part of their food.
The avarice of the discoverers was awakened by per-
ceiving small ornaments of gold in the noses of some of
the natives. On being asked where this precious metal
was procured, they answered by signs, pointing to the
south, and Columbus understood them to say, that a king
resided in that quarter, of such wealth that he was served
in great vessels of gold. He interpreted all their imper-
fect communications according to his previous ideas and
his cherished wishes. They spoke of a warlike people,
who often invaded their island from the northwest, and
carried off the inhabitants. These he concluded to be
the people of the mainland of Asia, subjects to the Grand
Khan, who, according to Marco Polo, were accustomed
to make war upon the islands, and make slaves of the
natives. The rich country to the south could be no
other than the island of Cipango, and the king who was
served out of golden vessels, must be the monarch whose
magnificent palace was said to be covered with plates of
gold.
Having explored the island of Guanahani, and taken
in a supply of wood and water, Columbus set sail in
quest of the opulent country to the south, taking seven
of the natives with him, to acquire the Spanish language,
and serve as interpreters and guides.
He now beheld a number of beautiful islands, green,
level, and fertile, and the Indians intimated by signs, that
they were innumerable; he supposed them to be a part
of the great archipelago described by Marco Polo as
stretching along the coast of Asia, and abounding with
spices and odoriferous trees. He visited three of them,
to which he gave the names of Santa Maria de la Con-
ception, Fernandina, and Isabella. The inhabitants
gave the same proofs as those of San Salvador of being
totally unaccustomed to the sight of civilized man. They
regarded the Spaniards as superhuman beings, approach-
ed them with propitiatory offerings, of whatever their
6*
66 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
poverty, or rather their simple and natural mode of life,
afforded ; the fruits of their fields and groves, their cot-
ton yarn, and their domesticated parrots. When the
Spaniards landed in search of water, they took them to
the coolest springs, the sweetest and freshest runs, filling
their casks, rolling them to the boats, and seeking in
every way to gratify their celestial visiters.
Columbus was enchanted by the lovely scenery of some
of these islands. "I know not," says he, "where first
to go, nor are my eyes ever weary of gazing on the beau-
tiful verdure. The singing of the birds is such, that
it seems as if one would never desire to depart hence.
There are flocks of parrots that obscure the sun, and
other birds of many kinds, large and small, entirely dif-
ferent from ours. Trees, also, of a thousand species,
each having its particular fruit, and all of marvellous
flavor. I believe there are many herbs and trees, which
would be of great value in Spain for tinctures, medicines,
and spices, but I know nothing of them, which gives me
great vexation."
The fish which abounded in these seas, partook of the
novelty which characterized most of the objects in this
new world. They rivalled the birds in the tropical
brilliancy of their colors, the scales of some of them
glanced back the rays of light like precious stones, and
as they sported about the ships they flashed gleams of
gold and silver through the crystal waves.
Columbus was disappointed in his hopes of finding any
gold or spices in these islands ; but the natives continued
to point to the south, as the region of wealth, and began
to speak of an island in that direction, called, Cuba,
which, the Spaniards understood them to say, abounded
in gold, pearls, and spices, carried on an extensive com-
merce, and that large merchant ships came to trade with
the mhabitants. Columbus concluded this to be the
desired Cipango, and the merchant ships to be those of
the Grand Khan. He set sail in search of it, and after
being delayed for several days, by contrary winds and
calms, among the small islands of the Bahama bank and
channel, he arrived in sight of it on the 28th of October.
OF COLUMBUS. 67
As he approached this noble island, he was struck with
its magnitude, the grandeur of its mountains, its fertile
valleys and long sweeping plains, covered by stately for-
ests, and watered by noble rivers. He anchored in a
beautiful river to the west of Nuevitas del Principe, and
taking formal possession of the island, gave it the name
of Juana, in honor of Prince Juan, and to the river the
name of San Salvador.
Columbus spent several days coasting this part of the
island and exploring the fine harbors and rivers with
which it abounds. From his continual remarks in his
journal on the beauty of the scenery, and from the pleas-
ure which he evidently derived from rural sounds and
objects, he appears to have been extremely open to those
delicious influences, exercised over some spirits by the
graces and wonders of nature. He was, in fact, in a mood
to see every thing through a fond and favoring medium,
for he was enjoying the fulfilment of his hopes, the hard-
earned but glorious reward of his toils and perils, and it
is difficult to conceive the rapturous state of his feelings,
while thus exploring the charms of a virgin world, won
by his enterprise and valor.
In the sweet smell of the woods, and the odor of the
flowers, he fancied he perceived the fragrance of oriental
spices, and along the shores he found shells of the oyster
which produces pearls. He frequently deceived himself,
in fancying that he heard the song of the nightingale, a
bird unknown in these countries. From the grass grow-
ing to the very edge of the water, he inferred the peace-
fulness of the ocean which bathes these islands, never
lashing the shores with angry surges. Ever since his
arrival among these Antilles, he had experienced nothing
but soft and gentle weather, and he concluded that a
perpetual serenity reigned over these seas, little suspi-
cious of the occasional bursts of fury to which they are
liable, and to the tremendous hurricanes which rend and
devastate the face of nature.
While coasting the island, he landed occasionally and
visited the villages, the inhalDitants of which fled to the
woods and mountains. The houses were constructed
68 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
of branches of palm trees, in the shape of pavihons, and
were scattered under the spreading trees, hke tents in a
camp. They were better buih than those he had hith-
erto visited, and extremely clean. He found in them
rude images, and wooden masks, carved with considera-
ble ingenuity. Finding implements for fishing in all the
cabins, he concluded that the coasts were inhabited
merely by fishermen, who supplied the cities in the inte-
rior.
After coasting to the northwest for some distance,
Columbus came in sight of a great headland, to which,
from the groves which covered it, he gave the name of
the Cape of Palms. Here he learnt that behind this
bay there was a river, from whence it was but four days'
journey to Cubanacan. By this name the natives desig-
nated a province in the centre of Cuba; nacan, in their
language signifying, in the midst. Columbus fancied,
however, that they were talking of Cublay Khan, the
Tartar sovereign, and understood them to say that Cuba
was not an island, but terra firma. He concluded that
this must be a part of the mainland of Asia, and that he
could be at no great distance from Mangi and Cathay,
the ultimate destination of his voyage. The prince said
to reign over the neighboring country might be some ori-
ental potentate of consequence; he determined, there-
fore, to send a present to him, and one of his letters of
recommendation from the Castilian sovereigns. For this
purpose he chose two Spaniards, one of whom was a
converted Jew, and knew Hebrew, Chaldaic, and a lit-
tle Arabic, one or other of which languages, it was
thought, must be known to this oriental prince. Two In-
dians were sent with them as guides ; they were furnished
with strings of beads, and various trinkets, for their trav-
elling expenses, and enjoined to inform themselves ac-
curately concerning the situation of certain provinces,
ports, and rivers of Asia, and to ascertain whether drugs
and spices abounded in the country. The ambassadors
penetrated twelve leagues into the interior, when they
came to a village of fifty houses, and at least a thousand
inhabitants. They were received with great kindness,
OF COLUMBUS. 69
conducted to the principal house, and provisions placed
before them, after which the Indians seated themselves
on the ground around their visiters, and waited to hear
what they had to communicate.
The Israelite found his Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Ara-
bic of no avail, and the Lucayan interpreter had to be
the orator. He made a regulai- speech after the Indian
manner, extolling the power, wealth, and munificence of
the white men. When he had finished, the Indians
crowded round the Spaniards, touched and examined
their skin and raiment, and kissed their hands and feet in
token of adoration. There was no appearance of gold, or
any other article of great value, among them; and when
they were shown specimens of various spices, they said
there was nothing of the kind to be found in the neigh-
borhood, but far off to the southwest.
Finding no traces of the city and court they had antici-
pated, the envoys returned to their ships; on the way
back they beheld several of the natives going about with
firebrands in their hands, and certain dried herbs, which
they rolled up in a leaf, and lighting one end, put the
other in their mouths, and continued inhaling and puffing
out the smoke. A roll of this kind they called a tobac-
co ; a name since transferred to the weed itself. The
Spaniards were struck with astonishment at this singular,
and apparently preposterous luxury, although prepared
to meet with wonders.
The report of the envoys put an end to many splendid
fancies of Columbus, about this barbaric prince and his
capital; all that they had seen betokened a primitive and
simple state of society; the country, though fertile and
beautiful, was wild, and but slightly and rudely cultivated;
the people were evidently strangers to civiHzed man, nor
could they hear of any inland city superior to the one
they had visited.
As fast as one illusion passed away, however, another
succeeded. Columbus now understood from the signs
of the Indians, that there was a country to the eastward
where the people collected gold along the river banks by
torch light, and afterwards wrought it into bars with
70 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
hammers. In speaking of this place, they frequently-
used the words Babeque and Bohio, which he supposed
to be the names of islands or provinces. As the season
was advancing, and the cool nights gave hints of ap-
proaching winter, he resolved not to proceed further to
the north, and turning eastward, sailed in quest of Ba-
beque, which he trusted might prove some rich and civ-
ihzed island.
After running along the coast for two or three days,
and passing a great cape, to which he gave the name of
Cape Cuba, he stood out to sea in the direction pointed
out by the Indians. The wind, however, came directly
ahead, and after various ineffectual attempts he had to
return to Cuba. What gave him great uneasiness was,
that the Pinta, commanded by Martin Alonzo Pinzon,
parted company with him during this attempt. She was
the best sailer, and had worked considerably to windward
of the other ships. Pinzon paid no attention to the sig-
nals of Columbus to turn back, though they were repeat-
ed at night by lights at the mast-head; when morning
dawned, the Pinta was no longer to be seen.
Columbus considered this a wilful desertion, and was
much troubled and perplexed by it. Martin Alonzo had
for some time shown impatience at the domination of the
admiral. He was a veteran navigator, of great abilities,
and accustomed from his wealth and standing to give the
law among his nautical associates. He had furnished
two of the ships, and much of the funds for the expedi-
tion, and thought himself entitled to an equal share in the
command; several disputes, therefore, had occurred be-
tween him and the admiral. Columbus feared he might
have departed to make an independent cruise, or might
have the intention to hasten back to Spain, and claim the
merit of the discovery. These thoughts distracted his
mind, and embarrassed him in the farther prosecution of
his discoveries.
For several days he continued exploring the coast of
Cuba, until he reached the eastern end, and to which,
from supposing it the extreme point of Asia, he gave the
name of Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
OF COLUMBUS. 71
While steering at large beyond this cape, undetermined
which course to take, he descried high mountains tower-
ing above the clear horizon to the southeast, and giving
evidence of an island of great extent. He immediately
stood for it, to the great consternation of his Indian guides,
who assured him by signs that the inhabitants had but one
eye, and were fierce and cruel cannibals.
In the transparent atmosphere of the tropics, objects
are descried at a great distance, and the purity of the air
and serenity of the deep blue sky, give a magical charm
to scenery. Under these advantages, the beautiful island
of Hayti revealed itself to the eye as they approached.
Its mountains were higher and more rocky than those of
the other islands, but the rocks rose Jrom among rich for-
ests. The mountains swept down into luxuriant plains
and green savannas, while the appearance of cultivated
fields, with the numerous fires at night, and the columns
of smoke which rose in various parts by day, all showed
it to be populous. It rose before them in all the splen-
dor of tropical vegetation, one of the most beautiful isl-
ands in the world, and doomed to be one of the most
unfortunate.
CHAPTER XII.
Coasting of Hispaniola. — Shipwreck^ and other OccW'
rences at the Island. [1492.]
On the evening of the 6th of December, Columbus
entered a harbor at the western end of the island, to which
he gave the name of St. Nicholas, by which it is called
at the present day. Not being able to meet with any of
the inhabitants, who had fled from their dwellings, he
coasted along the northern side of the island to another
harbor, which he called Conception. Here the sailors
caught several kinds of fish similar to those of their own
72 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
country; they heard also the notes of a bird which sings
in the night, and which they mistook for the nightingale,
and they fancied the features of the surrounding country
resembled those of the more beautiful provinces of Spain;
in consequence of this idea, the admiral named the island
Espanola, or, as it is commonly written, Hispaniola.
After various ineffectual attempts to obtain a communica-
tion with the natives, three sailors succeeded in overtaking
a young and handsome female, who was flying from them,
and brought their wild beauty in triumph to the ships.
She was treated with the greatest kindness, and dismissed
finely clothed, and loaded with presents of beads, hawk's
bells, and other baubles. Confident of the favorable
impression her account of her treatment, and the sight of
her presents, must produce, Columbus, on the following
day, sent nine men, well armed, to seek her village, ac-
companied by a native of Cuba as an Interpreter. The
village was situated in a fine valley, on the banks of a
beautiful river, and contained about a thousand houses.
The natives fled at first, but being reassured by the inter-
preter, they came back to the number of two thousand,
and approached the Spaniards with awe and trembling,
often pausing and putting their hands upon their heads in
token of reverence and submission.
The female also, who had been entertained on board
of the ships, came borne in triumph on the shoulders of
some of her countrymen, followed by a multitude, and
preceded by her husband, who was full of gratitude for
the kindness with which she had been treated. Having
recovered from their fears, the natives conducted the
Spaniards to their houses, and set before them cassava
bread, fish, roots, and fruits of various kinds; offering
them freely whatever they possessed, for a frank hospi-
tality '•eigned throughout the island, where as yet the
passion of avarice was unknown.
The Spaniards returned to the vessels enraptured with
the beauty of the country, surpassing, as they said, even
the luxuriant valley of Cordova; all that they complained
of was, that they saw no signs of riches among the na-
tives.
i
OF COLUMBUS. 73
Continuing along the coast, Columbus had farther in-
tercourse with the natives, some of whom had ornaments
of gold, which they readily exchanged for the merest
trifle of European manufacture. At one of the harbors
where he was detained by contrary winds, he was visited
by a young cacique, apparently of great importance, who
came borne on a litter by four men, and attended by two
hundred of his subjects. He entered the cabin where
Columbus was dining, and took his seat beside him, with
a frank, unembarrassed air, while two old men, who were
his counsellors, seated themselves at his feet, watching
his lips, as if to catch and communicate his ideas. If any
thing were given him to eat, he merely tasted it, and sent
it to his followers, maintaining an air of great gravity and
dignity. After dinner, he presented the admiral with a
belt curiously wrought, and two pieces of gold. Colum-
bus made him various presents in return; he showed him
a coin bearing the likenesses of Ferdinand and Isabella,
and endeavored to give him an idea of the power and
grandeur of those sovereigns. The cacique, however,
could not be made to believe that there was a region on
earth which produced such wonderful people and won-
derful things, but persisted in the idea that the Spaniards
were more than mortal, and that the country and sover-
eigns they spoke of, must exist somewhere in the skies.
On the 20th of December, Columbus anchored in a
fine harbor, to which he gave the name of St. Thomas,
supposed to be what at present is called the bay of Acul.
Here a large canoe visited the ships, bringing messengers
from a grand cacique named Guacanagari, who resided
on the coast a little farther to the eastward, and reigned
over all that part of the island. The messengers bore a
present of a broad belt, wrought ingeniously with colored
beads and bones, and a wooden mask, the eyes, nose and
tongue of which were of gold. They invited Columbus,
in the name of the cacique, to come with his ships oppo-
site to the village where he resided. Adverse winds
prevented an immediate compliance with this invitation;
he therefore sent a boat well armed, with the notary of
the squadron, to visit the chieftain. The latter returned
7 I.
74 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
with SO favorable an account of the appearance of the vil-
lage, and the hospitality of the cacique, that Columbus
determined to set sail for his residence as soon as the wind
would permit.
Early in the morning of the 24th of December, there-
fore, he weighed anchor, with a light wind that scarcely
filled the sails. By eleven o'clock at night, he was within
a league and a half of the residence of the cacique: the
sea was calm and smooth, and the ship almost motionless.
The admiral, having had no sleep the preceding night,
retired to take a little repose. No sooner had he left the
deck, than the steersman gave the helm in charge to one
of the ship boys, and went to sleep. This was in direct
violation of an invariable order of the admiral, never to
intrust the helm to the boys. The rest of the mariners
vi^ho had the watch, took like advantage of the absence of
Columbus, and in a little while the whole crew was buried
in sleep. While this security reigned over the ship, the
treacherous currents, which run swiftly along this coast,
carried her smoothly, but with great violence, upon a
sand bank. The heedless boy, feeling the rudder strike,
and hearing the rushing of the sea, cried out for aid.
Columbus was the first to take the alarm, and was soon
followed by the master of the ship, whose duty it was to
have been on watch, and by his delinquent companions.
The admiral ordered them to carry out an anchor astern,
that they might warp the vessel off. They sprang into
the boat, but being confused and seized with a panic, as
men are apt to be when suddenly awakened by an alarm,
instead of obeying the commands of Columbus, they
rowed off to the other caravel. Vicente Yanez Pinzon,
who commanded the latter, reproached them with their
pusillanimity, and refused to admit them on board; and,
mann'ng his boat, he hastened to the assistance of the
admiral.
In the mean time, the ship, swinging across the stream,
had been set more and more upon the bank. Efforts
were made to lighten her, by cutting away the mast, but
in vain. The keel was firmly bedded in the sand; the
seams opened, and the breakers beat against her, until
OF COLUMBUS. 75
she fell over on one side. Fortunately, the weather con-
tinued calm, otherwise both ship and crew must have
perished. The admiral abandoned the wreck, and took
refuge, with his men, on board of the caravel. Helaid-
to until daylight, sending messengers on shore to inform
the cacique Guacanagari of his disastrous shipwreck.
When the chieftain heard of the misfortune of his guest,
he was so much afflicted as to shed tears; and never, in
civilized country, were the vaunted rites of hospitality
more scupulously observed, than by this uncultured sav-
age. He assembled his people, and sent oiFall his canoes
to the assistance of the admiral, assuring him, at the same
time, that every thing he possessed was at his service.
The effects were landed from the wreck, and deposited
near the dwelling of the cacique, and a guard set over
them, until houses could be prepared, in which they could
be stored. There seemed, however, no disposition among
the natives to take advantage of the misfortune of the
strangers, or to plunder the treasures thus cast upon their
shores, though they must have been inestimable in their
eyes. Even in transporting the effects from the ship,
they did not attempt to pilfer or conceal the most trifling
article. On the contrary, they manifested as deep a con-
cern at the disaster of the Spaniards, as if it had happened
to themselves, and their only study was how they could
administer relief and consolation. Columbus was greatly
affected by this unexpected goodness. " These people,"
said he in his journal, intended for the perusal of the
sovereigns, "love their neighbors as themselves, their
discourse is ever sweet and gentle, and accompanied by
a smile. I swear to your majesties, there is not in the
world a better nation or a better land."
When the cacique first met widi Columbus, he was
much moved at beholding his dejection, and again offered
him every thing he possessed that could be of service to
him. He invited him on shore, where a banquet was
prepared for his entertainment, consisting of various kinds
of fish and fruit, and an animal called Utia by the natives,
which resembled a coney. After the collation, he con-
ducted Columbus to the beautiful groves which surrounded
76 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
his residence, where upwards of a thousand of the na-
tives were assembled, all perfectly naked, who performed
several of their national games and dances. Thus did
this generous cacique try, by every means in his power,
to cheer the melancholy of his guest, showing a warmth
of sympathy, a delicacy of attention, and an innate dignity
and refinement, which could not have been expected from
one in his savage state. He was treated with great defer-
ence by his subjects, and conducted himself towards them
with a gracious and prince-like majesty. His whole de-
portment, in the enthusiastic eyes of Columbus, betokened
the inborn grace and dignity of lofty lineage.
When the Indians had finished their games, Columbus
gave them an entertainment in return, calculated to im-
press them with a formidable opinion of the military
power of the Spaniards. A Castilian, who had served
in the wars of Granada, exhibited his skill in shooting
with a Moorish bow, to the great admiration of the ca-
cique. A cannon and an arquebuse were likewise dis-
charged; at the sound of which the Indians fell to the
ground, as though they had been struck by a thunderbolt.
When they saw the effect of the ball rending and shiver-
ing the trees, they were filled with dismay. On being
told, however, that the Spaniards would protect them
with these arms, against the invasions of their dreaded
enemies, the Caribs, their alarm was changed into con-
fident exultation, considering themselves under the pro-
tection of the sons of heaven, who had come from the
skies, armed with thunder and lightning. The cacique
placed a kind of coronet of gold on the head of Columbus,
and hung plates of the same metal round his neck, and
he dispensed liberal presents among his followers. What-
ever trifles Columbus gave in return, were regarded with
reverence, as celestial gifts, and were said by the Indians
to have come from Turey^ or heaven.
The extreme kindness of the cacique, the gentleness
of his people, and the quantities of gold daily brought by
the natives, and exchanged for trifles, contributed to con-
sole Columbus for his misfortunes. When Guacanagari
perceived the great value which the admiral attached to
OF COLUMBUS. 77
gold, he assured him, by signs, that there was a place,
not far off, among the mountains, where it abounded to
such a degree as to be regarded with indifference; and
he promised to procure him, from thence, as much as
he desired. Columbus gathered many other particulars
concerning this golden region. It was called Cibao, and
lay among high and rugged mountains. The cacique who
ruled over it owned many rich mines, and had banners of
wrought gold. Columbus fancied that the name of Cibao
must be a corruption of Cipango, and flattered himself,
that this was the very island productive of gold and spices,
mentioned by Marco Polo.
Three houses had been given to the shipwrecked crew
for their residence. Here, hving on shore, and mingling
freely with the natives, they became fascinated by their
easy and idle mode of life. They were governed by
their caciques with an absolute, but patriarchal and easy
rule, and existed in that state of primitive and savage
simplicity which some philosophers have fondly pictured
as the most enviable on earth. " It is certain," says old
Peter Martyr, " that the land among these people is as
common as the sun and water; and that ' mine and thine,'
the seeds of all mischief, have no place with them. They
are content with so little, that, in so large a country, they
have rather superfluity than scarceness; so that they seem
to live in a golden world, without toil, in open gardens,
neither intrenched, nor shut up by walls or hedges. They
deal truly with one another, without laws, or books, or
judges." In fact, they seemed to disquiet themselves
about nothing ; a few fields, cultivated almost without
labor, furnished roots and vegetables, their groves were
laden with dehcious fruit, and the coast and rivers abound-
ed with fish. Softened by the indulgence of nature, a
great part of the day was passed by them in indolent re-
pose, in that luxury of sensation inspired by a serene sky
and voluptuous climate, and in the evening they danced
in their fragrant groves, to their national songs, or the
rude sound of their silvan drums.
When the Spanish mariners looked back upon their
own toilsome and painful life, and reflected upon the
7*
78 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
cares and hardships that must still be their lot, should
they return to Europe, they regarded with a wistful eye
the easy and idle existence of these Indians, and many
of them, representing to the admiral the difficulty and
danger of embarking so many persons in one small caravel,
entreated permission to remain in the island. The request
immediately suggested to Columbus the idea of forming
the germ of a future colony. The wreck of the caravel
would furnish materials and arms for a fortress; and the
people who should remain in the island, could explore it,
learn the language of the natives, and collect gold, while
the admiral returned to Spain for reenforcements. Gua-
canagari was overjoyed at finding that some of these
wonderful strangers were to remain for the defence of
his island, and that the admiral intended to revisit it. He
readily gave permission to build the fort, and his subjects
eagerly aided in its construction, little dreaming that they
were assisting to place on their necks the galhng yoke of
perpetual and toilsome slavery.
While thus employed, a report was brought to Colum-
bus, by certain Indians, that another ship was at anchor
in a river at the eastern end of the island; he concluded
it of course to be the Pinta, and immediately despatched
a canoe in quest of it, with a letter for Pinzon, urging
him to rejoin him immediately. The canoe coasted the
island for thirty leagues, but returned without having
heard or seen any thing of the Pinta, and all the anxiety
of the admiral was revived; should that vessel be lost,
the whole success of his expedition would depend on the
return of his own crazy bark, across an immense expanse
of ocean, where the least accident might bury it in the
deep, and with it all record of his discovery. He dared
not therefore prolong his voyage, and explore those
magnificent regions, which seemed to invite on every
hand, but determined to return immediately to Spain.
So great was the activity of the Spaniards, and the
assistance of the natives, that in ten days the fortress
was completed. It consisted of a strong wooden tower,
with a vault beneath, and the whole surrounded by a
wide ditch. It was supplied with the ammunition, and
OF COLUMBUS. 79
mounted with the cannon saved from the wreck, and was
considered sufficient to overawe and repulse the whole
of this naked and unwarlike people. Columbus gave the
fortress and harbor the name of La Navidad, or the
Nativity, in memorial of having been preserved from the
wreck of his ship on Christmas day. From the number
of volunteers that offered to remain, he selected thirty-
nine of the most trust-worthy, putting them under the
command of Diego de Arana, notary and alguazil of the
armament. In case of his death, Pedro Gutierrez was
to take the command, and he, in like case, to be succeed-
ed by Rodrigo de Escobido. He charged the men, in
the most emphatic manner, to be obedient to their com-
manders, respectful to Guacanagari and his chieftains,
and circumspect and friendly in their intercourse with the
natives. He warned them not to scatter themselves
asunder, as their safety would depend upon their united
force, and not to stray beyond the territory of the friendly
cacique. He enjoined it upon Arana, and the other com-
manders, to employ themselves in gaining a knowledge
of the island, in amassing gold and spices, and in search-
ing for a more safe and convenient harbor for that settle-
ment.
Before his departure, he gave the natives another mili-
tary exhibition, to increase their awe of the prowess of
the white men. The Spaniards performed skirmishes,
and mock fights, with swords, bucklers, lances, cross-
bows, and fire-arms. The Indians were astonished at
the keenness of the steeled weapons, and the deadly
power of the crossbows and muskets; but nothing equal-
led their awe and admiration, when the cannon were dis-
charged from the fortress, wrapping it in smoke, shaking
the forests with their thunder, and shivering the stoutest
trees.
When Columbus took leave of Guacanagari, the kind-
hearted cacique shed many tears, for, while he had been
awed by the dignified demeanor of the admiral, and the
idea of his superhuman nature, he had been completely
won by the benignity of his manners. The seamen too
had made many pleasant connexions among the Indians,
80 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
and they parted with mutual regret. The sorest parting,
however, was with their comrades who remained behind,
from that habitual attachment formed by a companionship
in perils and adventures. When the signal gun was fired,
they gave a parting cheer to the gallant handful of volun-
teers thus left in the wilderness of an unknown world,
who echoed their cheering as they gazed wistfully after
them from the beach, but who were destined never to
welcome their return.
CHAPTER XIII.
Return Voyage. — Violent Storms. — Arrival at Portugal.
[1493.]
It was on the 4th of January, that Columbus set sail
from La Navidad,on his return to Spain. On the 6th, as
he was beating along the coast, with ahead wind, a sailor
at the mast-head cried out that there was a sail at a dis-
tance, standing towai'ds them. To their great joy, it
proved to be the Pinta, which came sweeping before the
wind with flowing canvass. On joining the admiral,
Pinzon endeavored to excuse his desertion, by saying
that he had been separated from him by stress of weath-
er, and had ever since been seeking him. Columbus
listened passively but incredulously to these excuses,
avoiding any words that might produce altercations, and
disturb the remainder of the voyage. He ascertained,
afterwards, that Pinzon had parted company intentionally,
and had steered directly east, in quest of a region where
the Indians on board of his vessel had assured him he
would find gold in abundance. They had guided him
to Hispaniola, where he had been for some time in a
river about fifteen leagues east of La Navidad, trading
with the natives. He had collected a large quantity of
gold, one half of which he retained as captain, the rest
OP COLUMBUS. 81
he divided among his men, to secure their secrecy and
fidelity. On leaving the river, he had carried off four
Indian men and two girls, to be sold in Spain.
Columbus sailed for this river, to which he gave the
name of Rio de Gracia, but it long continued to be known
as the river of Martin Alonzo. Here he ordered the
four men and two girls to be dismissed, well clothed and
with many presents, to atone for the wrong they had ex-
perienced, and to allay the hostile feeling it might have
caused among the natives. This restitution was not
made without great unwillingness, and many angry words,
on the part of Pinzon.
After standing for some distance further along the coast,
they anchored in a vast bay, or rather gulf, three leagues
in breadth, and extending so far inland that Columbus at
first supposed it to be an arm of the sea. Here he was
visited by the people of the mountains of Ciguay, a har-
dy and warlike race, quite different from the gentle and
peaceful people they had hitherto met with on this island.
They were of fierce aspect, and hideously painted, and
their heads were decorated with feathers. They had
bows and arrows, war clubs, and swords made of palm
wood, so hard and heavy that a blow from them would
cleave through a helmet to the very brain. At the first
sight of these ferocious-looking people, Columbus sup-
posed them to be the Caribs, so much dreaded throughout
these seas; but on asking for the Caribbean Islands, the
Indians still pointed to the eastward.
With these people the Spaniards had a skirmish, in
which several of the Indians were slain. This was the
first contest they had had with the inhabitants of the new
world, and the first time that native blood had been shed
by white men. From this skirmish Columbus called the
place El Golfo de las Fleches, or the gulf of Arrows;
but it is now known by the name of the gulf of Samana.
He lamented that all his exertions to maintain an amica-
ble intercourse had been ineffectual, and anticipated
further hostility on the part of the natives; but on the
following day, they approached the Spaniards as freely
and confidently as if nothing had happened; the cacique
82 THE LIFE AXD VOYAGES
came on board with only three attendants, and throughout
all their subsequent dealings they betrayed no signs of
lurking fear or enmity. This frank and confiding con-
duct, so indicative of a brave and generous nature, was
properly appreciated by Columbus; he entertained the
cacique with great distinction, and at parting made many
presents to him and his attendants. This cacique of
Ciguay was named Mayonabex, and in subsequent events
of this history, will be found to acquit himself with
valor and magnanimity, under the most trying circum-
stances.
Columbus, on leaving the bay, took four young Indians
to guide him to the Caribbean Islands, situated to the
east, of which they gave him very interesting accounts,
as well as of the island of Mantinino, said to be inhabited
by Amazons. A favorable breeze sprang up, however,
for the voyage homewards, and, seeing gloom and impa-
tience in the countenances of his men, at the idea of
diverging from their route, he gave up his intention of
visiting these islands for the present, and made all sail
for Spain.
The trade winds, which had been so propitious on the
outward voyage, were equally adverse to a return. The
favorable breeze soon died away; light winds from the
east, and frequent calms, succeeded, but they had inter-
vals of favorable weather, and by the 12th of February
they had made such progress as to begin to flatter them-
selves with the hopes of soon beholding land. The
wind now came on to blow violently; on the following
evening there were three flashes of lightning in the
north-northeast, from which signs Columbus predicted
an approaching tempest. It soon burst upon them with
frightful violence; their small and crazy vessels were
little fitted for the wild storms of the Atlantic; all night
they were obliged to scud under bare poles at the mercy
of the elements. As the morning dawned, there was a
transient pause, and they made a little sail, but the wind
rose with redoubled fury from the south, and increased
in the night, the vessels laboring terribly in a cross sea,
which threatened at each moment to overwhelm them,
OF COLUMBUS. 83
or dash them to pieces. The tempest still augmenting,
they were obliged again to scud before the wind. The
admiral made signal lights for the Pinta to keep in com-
pany; for some time she replied by similar signals, but
she was separated by the violence of the storm ; her
lights gleamed more and more distant, until they ceased
entirely. When the day dawned, the sea presented a
frightful waste of wild, broken waves, lashed into fury by
the gale; Columbus looked round anxiously for the Pinta,
but she was nowhere to be seen.
Throughout a dreary day the helpless bark \vas driven
along by the tempest. Seeing all human skill baffled
and confounded, Columbus endeavored to propitiate
Heaven by solemn vows. Lots were cast to perform
pilgrimages and penitences, most of which fell upon
Columbus; among other things, he was to perform a
solemn mass, and to watch and pray all night in the
chapel of the convent of Santa Clara, at Moguer. Vari-
ous private vows were made by the seamen, and one by
the admiral and the whole crew, that, if they were spared
to reach the land, they would walk in procession, bare-
footed, and in their shirts, to offer up thanksgivings in
some church dedicated to the virgin.
The heavens, however, seemed deaf to all their vows;
the storm grew still more furious, and every one gave
himself up for lost. During this long and awful conflict
of the elements, the mind of Columbus was a prey to the
most distressing anxiety. He was harassed by the
repinings of his crew, who cursed the hour of their leaving
their country, and their want of resolution in not com-
pelling him to abandon the voyage. He was afflicted,
also, when he thought of his two sons, who would be left
destitute by his death. But he had another source of
distress, more intolerable than death itself. It was highly
probable that the Pinta had foundered in the storm. In
such case, the history of his discovery would depend
upon his own feeble bark; one surge of the ocean might
bury it for ever in oblivion, and his name only remain as
that of a desperate adventurer, who had perished in pursuit
of a chimera.
84 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
In the midst of these gloomy reflections, an expedient
suggested itself, by which, though he and his ships might
perish, the glory of his achievement might survive to his
name, and its advantages be secured to his sovereigns.
He wrote on parchment a brief account of his discovery,
and of his having taken possession of the newly found
lands in the name of their catholic majesties. This he
sealed and directed to the king and queen, and super-
scribed a promise of a thousand ducats to whomsoever
should deliver the packet unopened. He then wrapped
it in a waxed cloth, which he placed in the centre of a
cake of wax, and enclosing the whole in a cask, threw it
into the sea. A copy of this memorial he enclosed in a
similar manner, and placed it upon the poop of his vessel,
so that, should the caravel sink, the cask might float off
and survive.
Happily, these precautions, though wise, were super-
fluous; at sunset, there was a streak of clear sky in the
west, the wind shifted to that quarter, and on the morning
of the 15th of February, they came in sight of land.
The transports of the crew at once more beholding the
old world, were almost equal to those they had experi-
enced on discovering the new. For two or three days,
however, the wind again became contrary, and they
remained hovering in sight of land, of which they only
caught ghmpses through the mist and rack. At length
they came to anchor, at the island of St. Mary's, the most
southern of the Azores, and a possession of the crown of
Portugal. An ungenerous reception, however, awaited
the poor tempest-tossed mariners, on their return to the
abode of civilized man, far different from the kindness
and hospitality they had experienced among the savages
of the new world. Columbus had sent one half of the
crew 0.1 shore, to fulfil the vow of a barefooted procession
to a hermitage or chapel of the virgin, which stood on a
solitary part of the coast, and awaited their return to
perform the same ceremony with the remainder of his
crew. Scarcely had they begun their prayers and thanks-
giving, when a party of horse and foot, headed by the
governor of the island, surrounded the hermitage and took
OF COLUMBUS. 85
them all prisoners. The real object of this outrage was
to get possession of the person of Columbus ; for the king
of Portugal, jealous lest his enterprise might interfere
with his own discoveries, had sent orders to his command-
ers of islands and distant ports, to seize and detain him
wherever he should be met with.
Having failed in this open attempt, the governor next
endeavored to get Columbus in his power by stratagem,
but was equally unsuccessful. A violent altercation took
place between them, and Columbus threatened him with
the vengeance of his sovereigns. At length, after two or
three days' detention, the sailors who had been captured
in the chapel were released; the governor pretended to
have acted through doubts of Columbus having a regular
commission, but that being now convinced of his being
in the service of the Spanish sovereigns, he was ready
to yield him every service in his power. The admiral
did not put his offers to the proof. The wind became
favorable for the continuation of his voyage, and he again
set sail, on the 24th of February. After two or three
days of pleasant sailing, there was a renewal of tem-
pestuous weather. About midnight of the 2d of March,
the caravel was struck by a squall, which rent all her sails,
and threatened instant destruction. The crew were again
reduced to despair, and made vows of fastings and pil-
grimages. The storm raged throughout the succeeding
day, during which, from various signs, they considered
themselves in the vicinity of land, which they supposed
must be the coast of Portugal. The turbulence of the
following night was dreadful. The sea was broken, wild,
and mountainous, the rain fell in torrents, and the light-
ning flashed, and the thunder pealed from various parts
of the heavens.
In the first watch of this fearful night, the seamen gave
the usually welcome cry of land, but it only increased
their alarm, for they were ignorant of their situation, and
dreaded being driven on shore, or dashed upon the rocks.
Taking in sail, therefore, they endeavored to keep to sea
as much as possible. At daybreak,on the 4th of March,
they found themselves off the rock of Cintra, at the
8 I.
86 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
mouth of the Tagus. Though distrustful of the good will
of Portugal, Columbus had no alternative but to run in for
shelter, and he accordingly anchored about three o'clock
in the river, opposite to Rastello. The inhabitants came
off from various parts of the shore, to congratulate him on
what they deemed a miraculous preservation, for they
had been watching the vessel the whole morning, with
great anxiety, and putting up prayers for her safety.
The oldest mariners of the place assured him, that they
had never known so tempestuous a winter. Such were
the difficulties and perils with which Columbus had to
contend on his return to Europe; had one tenth part of
them beset his outward voyage, his factious crew would
have risen in arms against the enterprise, and he never
would have discovered the New World.
CHAPTER XIV.
Visit of Columbus to the Court of Portugal. — Arrival
at Palos. [1493.]
Immediately on his arrival in the Tagus, Columbus
despatched a courier to the king and queen of Spain,
with tidings of his discovery. He wrote also to the
king of Portugal, entreating permission to go to Lisbon
with his vessel, as a report had got abroad that she was
laden with gold, and he felt himself insecure in the neigh-
borhood of a place like Rastello, inhabited by needy and
adventurous people. At the same time he stated the
route and events of his voyage, lest the king should sus-
pect him of having been in the route of the Portuguese
discoveries.
The tidings of this wonderful bark, freighted with the
people and productions of a newly discovered world,
filled all Lisbon with astonishment. For several days
the Tagus was covered with barges and boats going to
OF COLUMBUS. 87
and from it. Among the visiters were various officers
of the crown, and cavaHers of high distinction. All hung
with rapt attention upon the accounts of the voyage, and
gazed with insatiable curiosity upon the plants, and ani-
mals, and above all upon the inhabitants of the new world.
The enthusiasm of some, and the avarice of others, was
excited, while many repined at the increduHty of the king
and his counsellors, by which so grand a discovery had
been for ever lost to Portugal.
On the 8th of INIarch, Columbus received a message
from King John, congratulating him upon his arrival, and
inviting him to the court at Valparaiso, about nine leagues
from Lisbon. The king at the same time ordered, that
any thing which the admiral required for himself or his
vessel should be furnished free of cost.
Columbus distrusted the good faith of the king, and set
out reluctantly for the court ; but his reception was what
might have been expected from an enlightened and liberal
prince. On approaching the royal residence, he was met
by the principal personages of the king's household, and
conducted with great ceremony to the palace. The king
welcomed him to Portugal, and congratulated him on the
glorious result of his enterprise. He ordered him to seat
himself in his presence, an honor only granted to per-
sons of royal dignity, and assured him that every thing in
his kingdom was at the service of his sovereigns and
himself. They had repeated conversations about the
events of the voyage, and the king made minute inquiries
as to the soil, productions, and people of the newly dis-
covered countries, and the routes by which Columbus
had sailed. The king listened with seeming pleasure to
his replies, but was secretly grieved at the thoughts that
this splendid enterprise had been offered to him and re-
fused. He was uneasy, also, lest this undefined discov-
ery should in some way interfere with his own territories,
comprehended in the papal bull, which granted to the
crown of Portugal all the lands it should discover from
Cape Non to the Indies.
On suggesting these doubts to his counsellors, they
eagerly encouraged them, for some of them were the
88 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
very persons who had scoffed at Columbus as a dreamer,
and his success covered them with confusion. They
declared that the color, hair, and manners of the natives,
brought in the caravel, agreed exactly with the descrip-
tions given of the people of that part of India granted to
Portugal by the papal bull. Others observed that there
was but little distance between the Terceira Islands and
those which Columbus had discovered; the latter there-
fore clearly belonged to Portugal. Others endeavored
to awaken the anger of the king, by declaring that Co-
lumbus had talked in an arrogant and vain-glorious tone
of his discovery, merely to revenge himself upon the
monarch for having rejected his propositions.
Seeing the king deeply perturbed in spirit, some even
went so far as to propose, as an effectual means of im-
peding the prosecution of these enterprises, that Colum-
bus should be assassinated. It would be an easy matter
to take advantage of his lofty deportment, to pique his
pride, provoke him to an altercation, and suddenly de-
spatch him as if in casual and honorable encounter.
Happily, the king had too much magnanimity to adopt
such wicked and dastardly counsel. Though secretly
grieved and mortified that the rival power of Spain
should have won this triumph which he had rejected,
yet he did justice to the great merit of Columbus, and
honored him as a distinguished benefactor to mankind.
He felt it his duty, also, as a generous prince, to protect
all strangers driven by adverse fortune to his ports.
Others of his council advised that he should secretly
fit out a powerful armament, and despatch it, under
guidance of two Portuguese mariners who had sailed
with Columbus, to take possession of the newly discov-
ered country; he might then settle the question of right
with Spain by an appeal to arms. This counsel, in
which there was a mixture of courage and craft, was
more relished by the king, and he resolved to put it
promptly in execution.
In the mean time, Columbus, after being treated with
the most honorable attentions, was escorted back to his
ship by a numerous train of cavaliers of the court, and
OF COLUMBUS. 89
on the way paid a visit to the queen at a monastery of
San Antonio at Villa Franca, where he was listened to
with wonder, as he related the events of his voyage to
her majesty and the ladies of her court. The king had
offered him a free passage by land to Spain, at the royal
expense, but as the weather had moderated, he preferred
to return in his caravel. Putting to sea on the 13th of
March, therefore, he arrived safely at Palos on the 15th,
having taken not quite seven months and a half to
accomplish this most momentous of all maritime enter-
prises.
The triumphant return of Columbus was a prodigious
event in the little comnumity of Palos, every member of
which was more or less interested in the fate of the expe-
dition. Many had lamented their friends as lost, while
imagination had lent mysterious horrors to their fate.
When, therefore, they beheld one of the adventurous
vessels furling her sails in their harbor, from the dis-
covery of a world, the whole community broke forth
into a transport of joy, the bells were rung, the shops
shut, and all business suspended. Columbus landed, and
walked in procession to the church of St. George, to
return thanks to God for his safe arrival. Wherever
he passed, the air rang with acclamations, and he received
such honors as are paid to sovereigns. What a con-
trast was this to his departure a few months before,
followed by murmurs and execrations; or rather, what a
contrast to his first arrival at Palos, a poor pedestrian,
craving bread and water for his child at the gate of a
convent !
Understanding that the court was at Barcelona, he at
first felt disposed to proceed there in the caravel, but,
reflecting on the dangers and disasters of his recent
voyage, he gave up the idea, and despatched a letter to
the sovereigns, informing them of his arrival. He then
departed for Seville to await their reply. It arrived
within a few days, and was as gratifying as his heart
could have desired. The sovereigns were dazzled and
astonished by this sudden and easy acquisition of a new
empire of indefinite extent, and apparently boundless
8*
90 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
wealth. They addressed Columbus by his titles of
admiral and viceroy, promising him still greater rewards,
and urging him to repair immediately to court to con-
cert plans for a second and more extensive expedition.
It is fitting here to speak a word of the fate of Martin
Alonzo Pinzon. By a singular coincidence, which ap-
pears to be well authenticated, he anchored at Palos on
the evening of the same day that Columbus had arrived.
He had been driven by the storm into the bay of Biscay,
and had made the port of Bayonne. Doubting whether
Columbus had survived the tempest, he had immediately
written to the sovereigns, giving an account of the dis-
covery, and requesting permission to come to court and
relate the particulars in person. As soon as the weather
was favorable, he again set sail, anticipating a trium-
phant reception in his native port of Palos. When, on
entering the harbor, he beheld the vessel of the admiral
riding at anchor, and learned the enthusiasm with which he
had been received, his heart died within him. It is said
he feared to meet Columbus in this hour of his triumph,
lest he should put him under arrest for his desertion on
the coast of Cuba; but this is not likely, for he was a
man of too much resolution to yield to such a fear. It
is more probable that a consciousness of his misconduct
made him unwilling to appear before the public in the
midst of their enthusiasm for Columbus, and to witness
the honors heaped upon a man whose superiority he had
been so unwilling to acknowledge. Whatever may have
been his motive, it is said that he landed privately in his
boat, and kept out of sight until the departure of the
admiral, when he returned to his home, broken in health,
and deeply dejected, awaiting the reply of the sovereigns
to his letter. The reply at length arrived, forbidding
his coming to court, and severely reproaching him for
his conduct. This letter completed his humiliation; the
wounds of his feelings gave virulence to his bodily
malady, and in a few days he died, a victim to grief and
repentance.
Let no one, however, indulge in harsh censures over
the grave of Pinzon. His merits and services are en-
OF COLUMBUS. 91
titled to the highest praise ; his errors should be regarded
with indulgence. He was one of the first in Spain to
appreciate the project of Columbus, animating him by
his concurrence, and aiding him with his purse when
poor and unknown at Palos. He afterwards enabled
him to procure and fit out his ships, when even the
mandates of the sovereigns were ineffectual; and finally
he embarked in the expedition with his brothers and
friends, staking life, property, every thing, upon the
event. He had thus entitled himself to participate largely
in the glory of this immortal enterprise, when, unfor-
tunately, forgetting for a moment the grandeur of the
cause, and the implicit obedience due to his commander,
he yielded to the incitements of self-interest, and was
guilty of that act of insubordination which has cast a
shade upon his name. Much may be said, however, in
extenuation of his fault; his consciousness of having
rendered great services to the expedition, and of pos-
sessing property in the ships, and his habits of command,
which rendered him impatient of control. That he was
a man naturally of generous sentiments and honorable
ambition, is evident from the poignancy with which he
felt the disgrace drawn upon him by his conduct. A
mean man would not have fallen a victim to self-upbraid-
ing for having been convicted of a mean action. His
story shows how one lapse from duty may counterbalance
the merits of a thousand services ; how one moment of
weakness may mar the beauty of a whole hfe of virtue;
and how important it is for a man, under all circum-
stances, to be true, not merely to others, but to himself.
92 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
CHAPTER XV.
Reception of Columbus by the Spanish Sovereigns at Bar-
celona. [1493.]
The journey of Columbus to Barcelona, was like the
progress of a sovereign. Wherever he passed, the
surrounding country poured forth its inhabitants, who
lined the road, and thronged the villages, rending the
air with acclamations. In the large towns, the streets,
windows, and balconies were filled with spectators, eager
to gain a sight of him, and of the Indians whom he carried
with him, who were regarded with as much astonishment
as if they had been natives of another planet.
It was about the middle of April, that he arrived at
Barcelona, and the beauty and serenity of the weather,
in that genial season and favored climate, contributed
to give splendor to the memorable ceremony of his re-
ception. As he drew near the place, many of the youth-
ful courtiers and cavaliers, followed by a vast concourse
of the populace, came forth to meet him. His entrance
into this noble city has been compared to one of those
triumphs which the Romans were accustomed to decree
to conquerors. First were paraded the six Indians, paint-
ed according to their savage fashion, and decorated with
their ornaments of gold. After these were borne various
kinds of live parrots, together with stuffed birds and ani-
mals of unknown species, and rare plants supposed to be
of precious qualities; while especial care was taken to
display the Indian coronets, bracelets, and other decora-
tions of gold, which might give an idea of the wealth of the
newly-discovered regions. After this followed Columbus,
on horseback, surrounded by a brilliant cavalcade of Span-
ish chivalry. The streets were almost impassable from
the multitude; the houses, even to the very roofs, were
crowded with spectators. It seemed as if the public eye
OF COLUMBUS. 93
could not be sated with gazing at these trophies of an
unknown world ; or on the remarkable man by whom it
had been discovered. There was a sublimity in this event
that mingled a solemn feeling with the public joy. It was
considered a signal dispensation of Providence in reward
for the piety of the sovereigns ; and the majestic and
venerable appearance of the discoverer, so different from
the youth and buoyancy that generally accompany roving
enterprise, seemed in harmony with the grandeur and
dignity of the achievement.
To receive him with suitable distinction, the sovereigns
had ordered their throne to be placed in public, under a
rich canopy of brocade of gold, where they awaited his
arrival, seated in state, with Prince Juan beside them,
and surrounded by their principal nobility. Columbus
arrived in their presence, accompanied by a brilhant
crowd of cavaliers, among whom, we are told, he was
conspicuous for his stately and commanding person,
which, with his venerable gray hairs, gave him the august
appearance of a senator of Rome. A modest smile
hghted up his countenance, showing that he enjoyed the
state and glory in which he came; and certainly nothing
could be more deeply moving to a mind inflamed by noble
ambition, and conscious of having nobly deserved, than
these testimonials of the admiration and gratitude of a
nation, or rather of a world. On his approach, the
sovereigns rose, as if receiving a person of the highest
rank. Bending on his knees, he would have kissed their
hands in token of vassalage, but they raised him in the
most gracious manner, and ordered him to seat himself in
their presence; a rare honor in this proud and pmictihous
court.
He now gave an account of the most striking events
of his voyage, and displayed the various productions and
the native inhabitants which he had brought from the new
world. He assured their majesties that all these were
but harbingers of greater discoveries, which he had yet
to make, which would add realms of incalculable wealth
to their dominions, and whole nations of proselytes to
the true faith.
94 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
When Columbus had finished, the king and queen sank
on their knees, raised their hands to heaven, and, with
eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude, poured forth
thanks and praises to God. All present followed their
example ; a deep and solemn enthusiasm pervaded that
splendid assembly, and prevented all common acclama-
tions of triumph. The anthem of Te Deum laudamus,
chanted by the choir of the royal chapel, with the melodi-
ous accompaniments of instruments, rose up from the midst
in a full body of harmony, bearing up, as it were, the
feelings and thoughts of the auditors to heaven. Such
was the solemn and pious manner in which the brilliant
court of Spain celebrated this sublime event; offering up
a grateful tribute of melody and praise, and giving glory
to God for the discovery of another world.
While the mind of Columbus was excited by this tri-
umph, and teeming with splendid anticipations, his pious
scheme for the deliverance of the holy sepulchre was
not forgotten. Flushed with the idea of the vast wealth
that must accrue to himself from his discoveries, he made
a vow to furnish, within seven years, an army of four
thousand horse and fifty thousand foot, for a crusade to
the Holy Land, and a similar force within the five following
years. It is essential to a full knowledge of the character
and motives of this extraordinary man, that this visionary
project should be borne in recollection. It shows how
much his mind was elevated above selfish and mercenary
views, and filled with those devout and heroic schemes,
which, in the time of the crusades, had inflamed the
thoughts and directed the enterprises of the bravest war-
riors and most illustrious princes.
During his sojourn at Barcelona, the sovereigns took
every occasion to bestow on Columbus the highest marks
of pergonal consideration. He was admitted at all times
to the royal presence; appeared occasionally with the
king on horseback, riding on one side of him, while
Prince Juan rode on the other side; and the queen delight-
ed to converse familiarly with him on the subject of his
voyage. To perpetuate in his family the glory of his
achievement, a coat of arms was given him, in which he
OF COLUMBUS. 95
was allowed to quarter the royal arms, the castle and
hon, with those more peculiarly assigned him, which
were a group of islands surrounded by waves; to these
arms was afterwards annexed the motto:
A CASTILLA Y A LEON
NUEVO MUNDO DIO COLON.
(To Castile and Leon
Columbus gave a new world.)
The pension of thirty crowns, which had been decreed
by the sovereigns to whomsoever should first discover
land, was adjudged to Columbus, for having first seen
the fight on the shore. It is said that the seaman, who
first descried the land, was so incensed at being disap-
pointed of what he deemed his merited reward, that he
renounced his country and his faith, and, crossing into
Africa, turned Mussulman; an anecdote, however, which
rests on rather questionable authority.
The favor shown Columbus by the sovereigns, in-
sured him for a time the caresses of the nobility; for, in
a court, every one is eager to lavish attentions upon the
man " whom the king delighteth to honor." Atone
of the banquets which were given him, occurred the
wellknown circumstance of the egg. A shallow court-
ier present, impatient of the honors paid to Columbus,
and meanly jealous of him as a foreigner, abruptly asked
him, whether he thought that, in case he had not dis-
covered the Indies, there would have been wanting men
in Spain, capable of the enterprise. To this, Colum-
bus made no direct reply, but, taking an egg, invited
the company to make it stand upon one end. Every
one attempted it, but in vain; whereupon he struck it
upon the table, broke one end, and left it standing on
the broken part; illustrating, in this simple manner, that
when he had once shown the way to the new world,
nothing was easier than to follow it.
The joy occasioned by this great discovery was not
confined to Spain; the whole civilized world was filled
with wonder and delight. Every one rejoiced in it as an
96 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
event in which he was more or less interested, and which
opened a new and unbounded field for inquiry and enter-
prise. Men of learning and science shed tears of joy,
and those, of ardent imaginations indulged in the most
extravagant and delightful dreams. Notwithstanding all
this triumph, however, no one had an idea of the real
importance of the discovery. The opinion of Colum-
bus was universally adopted, that Cuba was the end of
the Asiatic continent, and that the adjacent islands were
in the Indian Seas. They were called, therefore, the
West Indies, and as the region thus discovered appeared
to be of vast and indefinite extent, and existing in a state
of nature, it received the comprehensive appellation of
"the New World."
CHAPTER XVI.
Papal Bull of Partition. — Preparations for a Second
Voyage of Discovery. [1493.]
In the midst of their rejoicings, the Spanish sovereigns
lost no time in taking every measure to secure their new
acquisitions. During the crusades, a doctrine had been
established among the Christian princes, according to
which, the pope, from his supreme authority over all
temporal things, as Christ's vicar on earth, was consid-
ered as empowered to dispose of all heathen lands to
such Christian potentates as would undertake to reduce
them to the dominion of the Church, and to introduce
into them the light of religion.
Alexander the Sixth, a native of Valencia, and born a
subject to the crown of Arragon, had recently been ele-
vated to the papal chair. He was a pontiff whom some
historians have stigmatized with every vice and crime that
could disgrace humanity, but whom all have represented
as eminently able and politic. Ferdinand was well
OF COLUMBUS. 97
aware of his worldly and perfidious character, and en-
deavored to manage him accordingly. He despatched
ambassadors to him, announcing the new discovery as an
extraordinary triumph of the faith, and a vast acquisition
of empire to the Church. He took care to state, that it
did not in the least interfere with the possessions ceded
by the holy chair to Portugal, all which had been sedu-
lously avoided; he supplicated his Hohness, therefore,
to issue a bull, granting to the crown of Castile dominion
over all those lands, and such others as might be discov-
ered in those parts, artfully intimating, at the same time,
his determination to maintain possession of them, how-
ever his Holiness might decide. No difficulty was made
in granting what was considered but a reasonable and
modest request, though it is probable that the acquies-
cence of the worldly-minded pontiff was quickened by
the insinuation of the politic monarch.
A bull was accordingly issued, dated May 2d, 1493,
investing the Spanish sovereigns with similar rights,
privileges, and indulgences, in respect to the newly-dis-
covered regions, to those granted to the Portuguese with
respect to their African discoveries, and under the same
condition of propagating the Catholic faith. To prevent
any conflicting claims, however, between the two pow-
ers, the famous hne of demarcation was established.
This was an ideal line drawn from the north to the south
pole, a hundred leagues west of the Azores and the Cape
de Verde Islands. All land discovered by the Spanish
navigators to the west of this line, was to belong to the
crown of Castile; all land discovered in the contrary di-
rection was to belong to Portugal. It seems never to
have occurred to the pontiff, that, by pushing their op-
posite discoveries, they might some day or other come
again in collision, and renew the question of territorial
right at the antipodes.
In the mean time, the utmost exertions were made to
fit out the second expedition of Columbus. To insure
regularity and despatch in the affairs relative to the new
world, they were placed under the superintendence of
Juan Rodriguez de Fonseca, archdeacon of Seville, who
9 I.
^8 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
successively was promoted to the sees of Badajoz, Pa-
lencia, and Burgos, and finally appointed patriarch of the
Indies. Francisco Pinelo was associated with him as
treasurer, and Juan de Soria as contador, or comptrol-
ler. Their office was fixed at Seville, and was the germ
of the Royal India house, which afterwards rose to such
great power and importance. No one was permitted to
embark for the newly-discovered lands, without express
license from either the sovereigns, Columbus, or Fon-
seca. The ignorance of the age as to enlarged princi-
ples of commerce, and the example of the Portuguese
in respect to their African possessions, have been cited
in excuse for the narrow and jealous spirit here mani-
fested; but it always, more or less, influenced the policy
of Spain in her colonial regulations.
Another instance of the despotic sway exercised by
the crown over commerce, is manifested in a royal order,
empowering Columbus and Fonseca to freight or pur-
chase any vessels in the ports of Andalusia, or to take
them by force, if refused, even though freighted by other
persons, paying what they should conceive a reasonable
compensation, and compelling their captains and crews to
serve in the expedition. Equally arbitrary powers were
given with respect to arms, ammunition, and naval stores.
As the conversion of the heathen was professed to be
the grand object of these discoveries, twelve ecclesiastics
were chosen to accompany the expedition, at the head
of whom was Bernardo Buyl, or Boyle, a Benedictine
monk, native of Catalonia, a man of talent and reputed
sanctity, but a subtle politician, of intriguing spirit. He
was appointed by the pope his apostolical vicar for the
new world. These monks were charged by Isabella with
the spiritual instruction of the Indians, and provided, by
her, Aith all things necessary for the dignified performance
of the rites and ceremonies of the Church. The queen
had taken a warm and compassionate interest in the wel-
fare of the natives, looking upon them as committed by
Heaven to her peculiar care. She gave general orders
that they should be treated with the utmost kindness, and
enjoined Columbus to inflict signal punishment on all
OF COLUMBUS. 99
Spaniards who should wrong them. The six Indians
brought by the admiral to Barcelona, were baptized with
great state and solemnity, the king, the queen and Prince
Juan officiating as sponsors, and were considered as an
offering to Heaven of the first fruits of these pagan nations.
The preparations for the expedition were quickened by
the proceedings of the court of Portugal. John the Sec-
ond, unfortunately for himself, had among his counsellors
certain politicians of that short-sighted class who mistake
craft for wisdom. By adopting their perfidious policy,
he had lost the new world when it was an object of hon-
orable enterprise; in compliance with their advice, he
now sought to retrieve it by subtle stratagem. A large
armament was fitting out, the avowed object of which
was an expedition to Africa, but its real destination to
seize upon the newly-discovered countries. To lull
suspicion, he sent ambassadors to the Spanish court, to
congratulate the sovereigns on the success of Columbus,
and to amuse them with negotiations respecting their dis-
coveries. Ferdinand had received early intelligence of
the naval preparations of Portugal, and perfectly under-
stood the real purpose of this mission. A keen diplo-
matic game ensued between the sovereigns, wherein the
parties were playing for a newly-discovered world. Ques-
tions and propositions were multiplied and entangled; the
object of each being merely to gain time to despatch his
expedition. Ferdinand was successful, and completely
foiled his adversary; for though John the Second was
able and intelligent, and had crafty counsellors to advise
him, yet, whenever deep and subtle policy was required,
Ferdinand was master of the game.
It may be as well to mention, in this place, that the
disputes between the two powers, on the subject of their
discoveries, was finally settled on June 4th, 1494, by
removing the imaginary line of partition, three hundred
and seventy leagues west of the Cape de Verde Islands,
an arrangement which ultimately gave to Portugal the
possession of the Brazils.
By the indefatigable exertions of Columbus, aided by
Fonseca and Soria, a fleet of seventeen sail, large and
100 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
small, were soon in a state of forwardness; laborers and
artificers of all kinds were engaged for the projected colo-
ny; and an ample supply was provided of whatever was
necessary for its subsistence and defence, for the cultiva-
tion of the soil, the working of the mines, and the traffic
with the natives.
The extraordinary excitement which prevailed respect-
ing this expedition, and the magnificent ideas which were
entertained concerning the new world, drew volunteers
of all kinds to Seville. It was a romantic and stirring
age, and the Moorish wars being over, the bold and rest-
less spirits of the nation were in want of suitable employ-
ment. Many hidalgos of high rank, officers of the royal
household, and Andalusian cavaliers, pressed into the
expedition, some in the royal service, others at their own
cost, fancying they were about to enter upon a glorious
career of arms, in the splendid countries, and among the
semi-barbarous nations of the East. No one had any
definite idea of the object or nature of the service in
which he was embarked, or the situation and character of
the region to which he was bound. Indeed, during this
fever of the imagination, had sober facts and cold realities
been presented, they would have been rejected with dis-
dain, for there is nothing of which the public is more
impatient, than of being disturbed in the indulgence of
any of its golden dreams.
Among the noted personages who engaged in the ex-
pedition, was a young cavalier of a good family, named
Don Alonzo de Ojeda, who deserves particular mention.
He was small, but well proportioned and muscular, of a
dark, but handsome and animated countenance, and pos-
sessed of incredible strength and agility. He was expert
at all kinds of weapons, accomplished in all manly and
warl'ke exercises, an admirable horseman, and a partisan
soldier of the highest order. Bold of heart, free of spirit,
open of hand; fierce in fight, quick in brawl, but ready
to forgive and prone to forget an injury; he was for a
long time the idol of the rash and roving youth who en-
gaged in the early expeditions to the new world, and
distinguished himself by many perilous enterprises and
OF COLUMBUS. 101
singular exploits. The very first notice we have of him,
is a harebrained feat which he performed in presence of
Queen Isabella, in the Giralda or Moorish tower of the
Cathedral of Seville. A great beam projected about
twenty feet from the tower, at an immense height from
the ground; along this beam Ojeda walked briskly with
as much confidence as if pacing his chamber. When
arrived at the end, he stood on one leg, with the other
elevated in the air; then turning nimbly, walked back to
the tower; placed one foot against it, and threw an orange
to the summit; which could only have been done by one
possessed of immense muscular strength. Throughout
all this exploit, the least giddiness, or false step, would
have precipitated him to the earth and dashed him to
pieces.
During the fitting out of the armament, various dis-
putes occurred between Columbus and the persons ap-
pointed by the crown to assist him. Juan de Soria, the
comptroller, demurred occasionally to the expenses,
which exceeded the amount originally calculated, and he
sometimes refused to sign the accounts of the admiral.
The archdeacon Fonseca, also, disputed the requisitions
of Columbus for footmen and domestics, suitable to his
state as viceroy. They both received reprimands from
the sovereigns, and were commanded to study, in every
thing, the wishes of Columbus. From this trifling cause
we may date the rise of an implacable hostility, ever after
manifested by Fonseca towards Columbus, which every
year increased in rancor, and which his official station
enabled him to gratify in the most invidious manner.
Enjoying the unmerited favor of the sovereigns, he main-
tained a control of Indian affairs for about thirty years.
He must undoubtedly have possessed talents for business,
to insure such perpetuity of office; but he was malignant
and vindictive, and, in the gratification of his private re-
sentments, often obstructed the national enterprises, and
heaped wrongs and sorrows on the heads of the most
illustrious of the early discoverers.
9*
102 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
CHAPTER XVII.
Departure of Columbus^ on his Second Voyage of Dis-
covery.— Arrival at Hispaniola. [1493.]
The departure of Columbus on his second voyage of
discovery presented a brilliant contrast to his gloomy
embarkation at Palos. On the 25th of September, at
the dawn of day, the bay of Cadiz was whitened by his
fleet. There were three large ships of heavy bui'den,
and fourteen caravels. The number of persons permitted
to embark had originally been limited to one thousand;
but many volunteers were allowed to enlist without pay,
others got on board of the ships by stealth, so that even-
tually about fifteen hundred set sail in the fleet. All were
full of animation, and took a gay leave of their friends,
anticipating a prosperous voyage and triumphant return.
Instead of being regarded by the populace as devoted
men, bound upon a dark and desperate enterprise, they
were contemplated with envy as favored mortals, destined
to golden regions and delightful climes, where nothing
but wealth and wonder and enjoyment awaited them.
Columbus moved among the throng, accompanied by his
sons, Diego and Fernando, the eldest but a stripling,
who had come to witness his departure. Wherever he
passed, every eye followed him with admiration, and
every tongue extolled and blessed him. Before sunrise
the whole fleet was under weigh; the weather was serene
and propitious, and as the populace watched their parting
sails brightening in the morning beams, they looked for-
ward to their joyful return, laden with the treasures of
tlie new world.
Columbus touched at the Canary Islands, where he
took in wood and water, and procured live stock, plants,
and seeds, to be propagated in Hispaniola. On the 13th
of October, he lost sight of the island of Ferro, and,
OF COLUMBUS. 103
favored by the trade winds, was borne pleasantly along,
shaping his course to the southwest, hoping to fall in with
the islands of the Caribs, of which he had received such
interesting accounts in his first voyage. At the dawn of
day of the 2d of November, a lofty island was descried
to the west, to which he gave the name of Dominica,
from having discovered it on Sunday. As the ships
moved gently onward, other islands rose to sight, one
after another, covered with forests, and enlivened by
flights of parrots and other tropical birds, while the whole
air was sweetened by the fragrance of the breezes which
passed over them. These were a part of that beautiful
cluster of islands called the Antilles, which sweep almost
in a semicircle from the eastern end of Porto Rico, to
the coast of Paria on the southern continent, forming a
kind of barrier between the main ocean and the Caribbean
Sea.
In one of those islands, to which they gave the name
of Guadaloupe, the Spaniards first met with the delicious
anana, or pineapple. They found also, to their surprise,
the sternpost of a European vessel, which caused much
speculation, but which, most probably, was the fragment
of some wreck, borne across the Atlantic by the constant
current which accompanies the trade winds. What most
struck their attention, however, and filled them with
horror, was, the sight of human limbs hanging in the
houses, as if curing for provisions, and others broiling or
roasting at the fire. Columbus now concluded that he
had arrived at the islands of the cannibals or Caribs, the
objects of his search, and he was confirmed in this belief
by several captives taken by his men. These Caribs
were the most ferocious people of these seas; making
roving expeditions in their canoes, to the distance of
one hundred and fifty leagues, invading the islands, ravag-
ing the villages, making slaves of the youngest and hand-
somest females, and carrying off the men to be killed
and eaten.
While at this island, a party of eight men, headed by
Diego Marque, captain of one of the caravels, strayed
into the woods, and did not return at night to the ships.
104 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
The admiral was extremely uneasy at their absence, fear-
ing some evil from the ferocious disposition of the island-
ers; on the following day, parties were sent in quest of
them, each with a trumpeter, to sound calls and signals,
and guns were fired from the ships, but all to no purpose.
The parties returned in the evening, wearied by a fruit-
less search, with many dismal stories of the traces of
cannibalism they had met with.
Alonzo de Ojeda, the daring young cavalier who has
already been mentioned, then set off with forty men, into
the interior of the island, beating up the forests, and
making the mountains and valleys resound with trumpets
and firearms, but with no better success. Their search
was rendered excessively toilsome by the closeness and
luxuriance of the forests, and by the windings and doub-
lings of the streams, which were so frequent, that Ojeda
declared he had waded through twenty-six rivers within
the distance of six leagues. He gave the most enthu-
siastic accounts of the country. The forests, he said,
were filled wMth aromatic trees and shrubs, which he
had no doubt would be found to produce precious gums
and spices.
Several days elapsed without tidings of the stragglers,
and Columbus, giving them up for lost, was on the point
of sailing, when they made their way back to the fleet,
haggard and exhausted. For several days, they had been
bewildered in the mazes of a forest so dense as almost
to exclude the day. Some of them had climbed trees in
hopes of getting a sight of the stars, by which to govern
their course, but the height of the branches shut out all
view of the heavens. They were almost reduced to
despair, when they fortunately arrived at the seashore,
and keeping along it, came to where the fleet was at
anchor.
After leaving Guadaloupe, Columbus touched at other
of the Caribbean Islands. At one of them, which he
named Santa Cruz, a ship's boat, sent on shore for water,
had an encounter with a canoe, in which were a few
Indians, two of whom were females. " The women fought
as desperately as the men, and plied their bows with
OF COLUMBUS. 105
such vigor, that one of them sent an arrow through a
Spanish buckler, and wounded the soldier who bore it.
The canoe being run down and overset, they continued
to fight while in the water, gathering themselves occa-
sionally on sunken rocks, and managing their weapons as
dexterously as if they had been on firm ground. It was
with the utmost difficulty they could be overpowered and
taken. When brought on board the ships, the Spaniards
could not but admire their untamed spirit and fierce de-
meanor. One of the females, from the reverence with
which the rest treated her, appeared to be their queen;
she was accompanied by her son, a young man strongly
made, with a haughty and frowning brow, who had been
wounded in the combat. One of the Indians had been
transpierced by a lance, and died of the wound; and one
of the Spaniards died a day or two afterwards, of a wound
received from a poisoned arrow.
Pursuing his voyage, Columbus passed by a cluster of
small islands, to which he gave the name of The Eleven
Thousand Virgins, and arrived one evening in sight of
a great island, covered with fine forests, and indented
with havens. It was called by the natives Boriquen, but
he named it San Juan Bautista ; it is the same since
known by the name of Porto Rico. After running for
a whole day along its beautiful coast, and touching at
a bay at the west end, he arrived, on the 22d of Novem-
ber, off the eastern extremity of Hayti, or Hispaniola.
The greatest animation prevailed throughout the armada
at the thoughts of soon arriving at the end of their voy-
age, while those who had accompanied Columbus in the
preceding expedition, looked forward to meeting with the
comrades they had left behind, and to a renewal of pleas-
ant scenes among the groves of Hayti. Passing by the
gulf of Las Fleches, where the skirmish had occurred
with the natives, Columbus set on shore one of the young
Indians who had been taken from the neighborhood, and
had accompanied him to Spain. He dismissed him finely
apparelled and loaded with trinkets, anticipating favorable
effects from the accounts he would be able to give to his
countrymen of the power and munificence of the Span-
106 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
iards, but he never heard any thing of him more. Only
one Indian, of those who had been to Spain, remained
in the fleet, a young Lucayan, native of the island of
Guanahani, who had been baptized at Barcelona, and
named after the admiral's brother, Diego Colon; he con-
tinued always faithful and devoted to the Spaniards.
Continuing along the coast, Columbus paused in the
neighborhood of Monte Christi, to fix upon a place for
a settlement, in the neighborhood of a stream said to
abound in gold, to which, in his first voyage, he had
given the name of Rio del Oro. Here, as the seamen
were ranging the shore, they found the bodies of three
men and a boy, one of whom had a rope of Spanish
grass about his neck, and another, from having a beard,
was evidently a European. The bodies were in a state
of decay, but bore the marks of violence. This spectacle
gave rise to many gloomy forebodings, and Columbus
hastened forward to La Navidad, full of apprehensions
that some disaster had befallen Diego de Arana and his
companions.
CHAPTER XVIII.
Fate of the Fortress of La JS'avidad. — Transactions at
the Harbor. [1493.]
On the evening of the 27th of November, Columbus
anchored opposite to the harbor of La Navidad, about a
league from the land. As it was too dark to distinguish
objects, he ordered two signal guns to be fired. The
report echoed along the shore, but there was no gun, or
light, or friendly shout in reply. Several hours passed
away in the most dismal suspense; about midnight, a
number of Indians came off in a canoe and inquired for
the admiral, refusing to come on board until they should
see him personally. Columbus showed himself at the
OF COLUMBUS. 107
side of his vessel, and a light being held up, his counte-
nance and commanding person were not to be mistaken.
The Indians now entered the ship without hesitation.
One of them was a cousin of the cacique Guacanagari,
and the bearer of a present from him. The first inquiry
of Columbus was concerning the garrison. He was in-
formed that several of the Spaniards had died of sickness,
others had fallen in a quarrel among themselves, and others
had removed to a different part of the island ; — that Gua-
canagari had been assailed by Caonabo, the fierce cacique
of the golden mountains of Cibao, who had wounded him
in combat, and burnt his village, and that he remained ill
of his wound, in a neighboring hamlet.
Melancholy as were these tidings, they relieved Co-
lumbus from the painful suspicion of treachery on the
part of the cacique and people in whom he had confided,
and gave him hopes of finding some of the scattered gar-
rison still alive. The Indians were well entertained, and
gratified with presents; on departing they promised to
return in the morning with Guacanagari. The morning,
however, dawned and passed away, and the day declined
without the promised visit from the chieftain. There
was a silence and an air of desertion about the whole
neighborhood. Not a canoe appeared in the harbor;
not an Indian hailed them from the land, nor was there
any smoke to be seen rising from among the groves.
Towards the evening, a boat was sent on shore to recon-
noiter. The crew hastened to the place where the
fortress had been erected. They found it burnt and de-
molished; the palisadoes beaten down, and the ground
strewed with broken chests, spoiled provisions, and the
fragments of European garments. Not an Indian ap-
proached them, and if they caught a sight of any lurking
among the trees, they vanished on finding themselves per-
ceived. Meeting no one from whom they could obtain
information concerning this melancholy scene, they re-
turned to the ships with dejected hearts.
Columbus, himself, landed on the following morning,
and repairing to the ruins of the foitress, caused diligent
search to be made for the dead bodies of the garrison.
108 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
Cannon and arquebuses were discharged to summon any
survivors that might be in the neighborhood, but none
made their appearance. Columbus had ordered Arana
and his fellow officers, in case of sudden danger, to bury
all the treasures they might possess, or throw it in the
well of the fortress. The well was therefore searched,
and excavations were made among the ruins, but no gold
was to be found. Not far from the fortress, the bodies
of eleven Europeans were found buried in different places,
and they appeared to have been for some time in the
ground. In the houses of a neighboring hamlet were
found several European articles, which could not have
been procured by barter. This gave suspicions that the
fortress had been plundered by the Indians in the vicinity;
while, on the other hand, the village of Guacanagari was
a mere heap of burnt ruins, which showed that he and
his people had been involved in the same disaster with
the garrison. Columbus was for some time perplexed
by these contradictory documents of a disastrous story.
At length a communication was effected with some of
the natives; their evident apprehensions were dispelled,
and by the aid of the interpreter the fate of the garrison
was more minutely ascertained.
It appeared that Columbus had scarcely set sail for
Spain, when all his counsels and commands faded from
the minds of those who remained behind. Instead of
cultivating the good will of the natives, they endeavored,
by all kinds of wrongful means, to get possession of their
golden ornaments and other articles of value, and seduced
from them their wives and daughters. Fierce brawls
occurred between themselves, about their ill-gotten spoils,
or the favors of the Indian women. In vain did Diego
de Arana interpose his authority; all order, all subordi-
nation, all unanimity, were at an end; factions broke out
among them, and at length ambition arose to complete
the destruction of this mimic empire. Pedro Gutierrez
and Rodrigo de Escobedo, whom Columbus had left as
lieutenants, to succeed Arana in case of accident, now
aspired to an equal share in the authority. In the quar-
rels which succeeded, a Spaniard was killed, and Guti-
OF COLUMBUS. 109
errez and Escobedo, having failed in their object, with-
drew from the fortress, with nine of their adherents, and
a number of women, and set off for the mountains of
Cibao, with the idea of procuring immense weahh from
its golden mines. These mountains were in the territo-
ries of the famous Caonabo, called by the Spaniards the
lord of the golden house. He was a Carib by birth, and
had come an adventurer to the island, but possessing the
fierceness and enterprise of his nation, had gained such
an ascendency over these simple and unwarlike people,
as to make himself their most powerful cacique. The
wonderful accounts of the white men had reached him
among his mountains, and he had the shrewdness to per-
ceive that his own consequence must dechne before such
formidable intruders. The departure of Columbus had
given him hopes that their intrusion would be but tem-
porary; the discords of those who remained increased
his confidence. No sooner, therefore, did Gutierrez and
Escobedo, with their companions, appear in his domin-
ions, than he seized them and put them to death. He
then assembled his subjects, and traversing the forests
with profound secrecy, arrived in the vicinity of La Na-
vidad without being discovered. But ten men remained
iu the fortress with Arana; the rest were living in care-
less security in the village. In the dead of the night,
Caonabo and his warriors burst upon the place with
frightful yells, and set fire to the fortress and village.
The Spaniards were completely taken by surprise.
Eight were driven to the seaside, and rushing into the
waves, were drowned; the rest were massacred. Guaca-
nagari and his subjects fought faithfully in defence of their
guests, but, not being of a warlike character, they were
easily routed. The cacique was wounded in the conflict,,
and his village burnt to the ground.
Such is the story of the first European establishment
in the new world. It presents in a diminutive compass
an epitome of the gross vices which degrade civilization,
and the grand political errors which sometimes subvert
the mightiest empires. All law and order were relaxed
by licentiousness ; public good was sacrificed to private
10 I.
110 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
interest and passion ; the community was convulsed by
divers factions, until the whole body politic was shaken
asunder by two aspiring demagogues, ambitious of the
command of a petty fortress in a wilderness, and the
supreme control of eight and thirty men !
This account of the catastrophe of the fortress satis-
fied Columbus of the good faith of Guacanagari ; but
circumstances concurred to keep alive the suspicions
entertained of him by the Spaniards. Columbus paid
i: visit to the chieftain, whom he found in a neighboring
village, suffering apparently from a bruise which he had
received in the leg, from a stone. Several of his sub-
jects, also, exhibited recent wounds, which had evidently
been made by Indian weapons. The cacique was greatly
agitated at seeing Columbus, and deplored with tears the
misfortunes of the garrison. At the request of the ad-
miral, his leg was examined by a Spanish surgeon, but
no sign of a wound was to be seen, though he shrunk
with pain whenever the leg was touched. As sometime
had elapsed since the battle, the external bruise might
have disappeared, while a tenderness might remain in the
part. Many of the Spaniards, however, who had not
V, itnessed the generous conduct of the cacique in the first
voyage, looked upon his lameness as feigned, and the
whole story of the battle a fabrication, to conceal his
perfidy. Columbus persisted in believing him innocent,
and invited him on board of his ships, where the cacique
was greatly astonished at the wonders of art and nature,
brought from the old world. What most amazed him
was the horses. He had never seen any but the most
diminutive quadrupeds, and gazed with awe at the gran-
deur of these noble animals, their great strength, terrific
appearance, yet perfect docility. The sight of the Carib
prisoners also increased his idea of the prowess of the
Spaniards, having the hardihood to invade these terrible
beings, even in their strong holds, while he could scarcely
look upon them without shuddering, though in chains.
Oa board the ship were several Indian women who
had been captives to the Caribs. Among them was one
distinguished above her companions by a certain loftiness
OF COLUMBUS. Ill
of demeanor; she had been much noticed and admired
by the Spaniards, who had given her the name of Cata-
Hna. She particularly attracted the attention of the
cacique, who is represented to have been of an amor-
ous complexion. He spoke to her repeatedly, with great
gentleness of tone and manner, pity in all probability
being mingled with his admiration, for, though rescued
from the hands of the Caribs, she and her companions
were still, in a manner, captives on board of the ship.
A collation was served up for the entertainment of
Guacanagari, and Columbus endeavored by kindness and
hospitality to revive their former cordial intercourse, but
it was all in vain; the cacique was evidently distrustful
and ill at ease. The suspicions of his guilt gained
ground among the Spaniards. Father Boyle, in particu-
lar, regarded him with an evil eye, and advised Colum-
bus, now that he had him securely on board of his ship,
to detain him prisoner ; but Columbus rejected the
counsel of the crafty friar, as contrary to sound policy
and honorable faith. The cacique, however, accustomed
in his former intercourse with the Spaniards to meet on
every side with faces beaming with gratitude and friend-
ship, could not but perceive the altered looks of cold sus-
picion and secret hostility; notwithstanding the frank and
cordial hospitality of the admiral, therefore, he soon
took leave and returned to land.
On the following day, there was a mysterious movement
and agitation among the natives on shore. The brother
of Guacanagari came on board, under pretext of barter-
ing a quantity of gold, but, as it afterwards proved, to
bear a message to Catalina, the Indian female, whose
beauty had captivated the heart of the cacique, and whom,
with a kind of native gallantry, he wished to deliver
from bondage.
At midnight, when the crew were buried in their first
sleep, Catalina awakened her female companions, and
proposed a bold attempt to gain their liberty. The ship
was anchored full three miles from the shore, and the
sea was rough; but these island women were accustomed
to buffet with the waves, and the water was, to them.
112 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
almost as their natural element. Letting themselves
down silently from the side of the vessel, they trusted to
the strength of their arms, and swam bravely for the
shore. They were overheard by the watch, the alarm
was given, the boats were manned and gave chase in the
direction of a light blazing on the shore, an evident
beacon for the fugitives. Such was the vigor of these
sea nymphs, however, that they reached the land before
they were overtaken. Four were captured on the beach,
but the heroic Catalina, with the rest of her companions,
escaped in safety to the forest. Guacanagari disappeared
on the same day with all his household and effects, and
it was supposed had taken refuge, with his island beauty,
in the interior. His desertion gave redoubled force to
the doubts heretofore entertained, and he was generally
stigmatized as the perfidious destroyer of the garrison.
CHAPTER XIX.
Founding of the City of Isabella. — Discontents of the
People. [1493.]
The misfortunes which had befallen the Spaniards,
both by sea and land, in the vicinity of this harbor, threw
a gloom over the place, and it was considered by the
superstitious mariners as under some baneful influence,
or malignant star. The situation, too, was low, moist,
and unhealthy, and there was no stone in the neighbor-
hood,for building. Columbus searched, therefore, for a
more favorable place for his projected colony, and fixed
upon a harbor about ten leagues east of Monte Christi,
protected on one side by a natural rampart of rocks, and
on the other by an impervious forest, with a fine plain
in the vicinity, watered by two rivers. A great induce-
ment, also, for settling here, was, that it was at no great
OF COLUMBUS. 113
distance from the mountains of Cibao, where the gold
mines were situated.
The troops and the various persons to be employed in
the colony were immediately disembarked, together with
the stores, arms, ammunition, and all the cattle and live
stock. An encampment was formed on the margin of
the plain, round a sheet of water, and the plan of a town
traced out, and the houses commenced. The public
edifices, such as a church, a storehouse, and a residence
for the admiral, were constructed of stone, the rest of
wood, plaster, reeds, and such other materials as could
be readily procured. Thus was founded the first Chris-
tian city of the new world, to which Columbus gave the
name of Isabella, in honor of his royal patroness.
For a time, every one exerted himself with zeal; but
maladies soon began to make their appearance. Many
had suffered from sea sickness, and the long confinement
on board of the ships; others, from the exposures on
the land, before houses could be built for their reception,
and from the exhalations of a hot and moist climate,
dense natural forests, and a new, rank soil, so trying to
constitutions accustomed to a dry climate, and open, cul-
tivated country. The important and hurried labors of
building the city and cultivating the earth, bore hard upon
the Spaniards, many of whom were unaccustomed to la-
bor, and needed repose and relaxation. The maladies of
the mind, also mingled with those of the body. Many, as
has been shown, had embarked in the enterprise with the
most visionary and romantic expectations. What, then,
was their surprise at finding themselves surrounded by
impracticable forests, doomed to toil painfully for mere
subsistence, and to attain every^ comfort by the severest
exertion! As to gold, which they had expected to find
readily and in abundance, it was to be procured only in
small quantities, and by patient and persevering labor.
All these disappointments sank deep into their hearts, their
spirits flagged as their golden dreams melted away, and
the gloom of despondency aided the ravages of disease.
Columbus, himself, was overcome by the fatigues, anxi-
eties, and exposures he had suffered, and for several
10*
114 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
weeks was confined to his bed by severe illness; but his
energetic mind rose superior to the maladies of the body,
and he continued to give directions about the building of
the city, and the general concerns of the expedition.
The greater part of the ships were ready to return to
Spain, but he had no treasure to send with them. The
destruction of the garrison had defeated all his hopes of
finding a quantity of gold, amassed and ready to be sent
to the sovereigns. It was necessary for him to do some-
thing, however, before the vessels sailed, to keep up the
reputation of his discoveries, and justify his own magnifi-
cent representations. The region of the mines lay at
a distance of but three or four days' journey, directly in
the interior; the very name of the cacique, Caonabo, sig-
nifying " the lord of the golden house," seemed to indi-
cate the wealth of his dominions. Columbus determined,
therefore, to send an expedition to explore them. If
the result should ansvv'er to the accounts given by the
Indians, he would be able to send home the fleet with
confidence, bearing tidings of the discovery of the golden
mountains of Cibao.
The person chosen for this enterprise was Alonzo de
Ojeda, who delighted in all service of an adventurous
nature. He set out from the harbor early in January,
1494, accompanied by a small number of well-armed
men, several of them young and spirited cavaliers like
himself. They crossed the first range of mountains by
a narrow and winding Indian path, and descended into
a vast plain, covered with noble forests, and studded
with villages and hamlets. The inhabitants overwhelmed
them with hospitality, and delayed them in their journey
by their kindness. They had to ford many rivers, also,
so that they were six days in reaching the chain of moun-
tains, which locked up, as it were, the golden region of
Cibao. Here they saw ample signs of natural wealth.
The sands of the mountain streams glittered with parti-
cles of gold; in some places they picked up large speci-
mens of virgin ore, and stones streaked and richly
impregnated with it. Ojeda, himself, found a mass of
rude gold in one of the brooks, weighing nine ounces.
OF COLUMBUS. 115
The Utile band returned to the harbor, with enthusiastic
accounts of the golden promise of these mountains. A
young cavalier, named Gorvalan, who had been sent to
explore a different tract of country, returned with simi-
lar reports. Encouraged by these good tidings, Columbus
lost no time in despatching twelve of the ships, under
the command of Antonio de Torres, retaining only five
for the service of the colony. By these ships he sent
home specimens of the gold found among the mountains
of Cibao, and of all fruits and plants of unknown and
valuable species, together with the Carib captives, to be
instructed in the Spanish language and the Christian
faith, that they might serve as interpreters, and aid in the
conversion of their countrymen. He wrote, also, a san-
guine account of the two expeditions into the interior,
and expressed a confident expectation, as soon as the
health of himself and his people would permit, of pro-
curing and making abundant shipments of gold, spices,
and valuable drugs. He extolled the fertility of the soil,
evinced in the luxuriant growth of the sugar cane, and of
various European grains and vegetables; but entreated
supplies of provisions for the immediate wants of the
colony, as their stores were nearly exhausted, and they
could not accustom themselves to the diet of the natives.
Among many sound and salutary suggestions in this
letter, there was one of a pernicious tendency. In his
anxiety to lighten the expenses of the colony, and pro-
cure revenue to the crown, he recommended that the
natives of the Caribbean Islands, being cannibals and
ferocious invaders of their peaceful neighbors, should
be captured and sold as slaves, or exchanged with mer-
chants for live stock and other necessary supplies. He
observed, that, by transmitting these infidels to Europe,
where they would have the benefits of Christian instruc-
tion, there would be so many souls snatched from perdi-
tion, and so many converts gained to the faith. Such is
the strange sophistry by which upright men may deceive
themselves, and think they are obeying the dictates of
their conscience, when, in fact, they are but listening to
the incitements of their interest. It is but just to add,
116 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
that the sovereigns did not accord with him in his ideas,
but ordered that the Caribs should be treated hke the
rest of the islanders; a command which emanated from
the merciful heart of Isabella, who ever showed herself
the benign protectress of the Indians.
When the fleet arrived in Europe, though it brought
no gold, yet the tidings from Columbus and his com-
panions kept up the popular excitement. The sordid
calculations of petty spirits were as yet overruled by the
enthusiasm of generous minds. There was something
wonderfully grand in the idea of introducing new races
of animals and plants, of building cities, extending colo-
nies and sowing the seeds of civilization and of en-
lightened empire in this beautiful but savage world. It
struck the minds of learned and classical men with admi-
ration, filling them with pleasant dreams and reveries,
and seeming to realize the poetical pictures of the olden
time; of Saturn, Ceres, and Triptolemus, travelling about
the earth to spread new inventions among mankind, and
of the colonizing enterprises of the Phenicians.
But while such sanguine anticipations were indulged
in Europe, murmuring and sedition began to prevail
among the colonists. Disappointed in their hopes of
wealth, disgusted with the labors imposed upon them,
and appalled by the prevalent maladies, they looked with
horror upon the surrounding wilderness, and became
impatient to return to Spain. Their discontents were
increased by one Firmin Cado, a wrong-headed and cap-
tious man, who had come out as assayer and purifier of
metals, but whose ignorance in his art equalled his obsti-
nacy of opinion. He pertinaciously insisted that there
was scarcely any gold in the island, and that all the speci-
mens brought by the natives, had been accumulated in
the course of several generations, and been handed dov/n
from father to son in their families.
At length a conspiracy was formed, headed by Bernal
Diaz de Pisa, the comptroller, to take advantage of the
illness of Columbus, to seize upon the ships remaining in
the harbor, and to return to Spain; where they thought
ii would be easy to justify their conduct, by accusing Co-
OF COLUMBUS. 117
lumbus of gross deceptions and exaggerations concerning
the countries he had discovered. Fortunately, Columbus
received information in time, and arrested the ring-lead-
ers of the conspiracy. Bernal Diaz was confined on
board of one of the ships, to be sent to Spain for trial;
and several of the inferior mutineers were punished, but
not with the severity their offence deserved. This was
the first time Columbus exercised the right of punishing
delinquents in his new government, and it immediately
caused a great clamor against him. Already the disad-
vantage of being a foreigner was clearly manifested. He
had no natural friends to rally round him; whereas the
mutineers had connexions in Spain, friends in the colony,
and met with sympathy in every discontented mind.
CHAPTER XX.
Expedition of Columbus into the Interior of Hispaniola.
[1494.]
As the surest means of quieting the murmurs and
rousing the spirits of his people, Columbus, as soon as
his health permitted, made preparations for an expedi-
tion to the mountains of Cibao, to explore the country,
and establish a post in the vicinity of the mines. Placing
his brother Diego in command at Isabella, during his ab-
sence, and taking with him every person in health that
could be spared from the settlement, and all the cavalry,
he departed, on the 12th of March, at the head of four
hundred men, armed with helmets and corselets, with
arquebuses, lances, swords, and crossbows, and followed
by laborers and miners, and a multitude of the neigh-
boring Indians. After traversing a plain, and fording
two rivers, they encamped in the evening at the foot of a
wild and rocky pass of the mountains.
The ascent of this defile presented formidable difficul-
118 THE LIFE AND VOVAGES
ties to the little army, which was encumbered with vari-
ous munitions, and with mining implements. There was
nothing but an Indian footpath, winding among rocks
and precipices, and the entangled vegetation of a tropical
forest. A number of high-spirited young cavaliers,
therefore, threw themselves in the advance, and aiding
the laborers and pioneers, and stimulating them with
promises of liberal reward, they soon constructed the first
road formed by Europeans in the new world, which, in
commemoration of their generous zeal, was called El
Puerto delos Hidalgos, or the Pass of the Hidalgos.
On the following day, the army toiled up this steep
defile, and arrived where the gorge of the mountain
opened into the interior. Here a glorious prospect burst
upon their view. Below lay a vast and delicious plain,
enamelled with all the rich variety of tropical vegetation.
The magnificent forests presented that mingled beauty
and majesty of vegetable forms, peculiar to these gener-
ous climates. Palms of prodigious height, and spread-
ing mahogany trees, towered from amid a wilderness of
variegated foliage. Universal freshness and verdure were
maintained by numerous streams which meandered gleam-
ing through the deep bosom of the woodland, while
various villages and hamlets seen among the trees, and
the smoke of others rising out of the forests, gave signs
of a numerous population. The luxuriant landscape ex-
tended as far as the eye could reach, until it appeared to
melt away and mingle with the horizon. The Spainards
gazed with rapture upon this soft, voluptuous country,
which seemed to realize their ideas of a terrestrial paradise,
and Columbus, struck with its vast extent, gave it the
name of Vega Real, or Royal Plain.
Having descended the rugged pass, the army issued
upon the plain, in military array, with great clangor of
warlike instruments. When the Indians beheld this band
of warriors, glittering in steel, emerging from the moun-
tains with prancing steeds and floating banners, and heard,
for the first time, their rocks and forests echoing to the
din of drum and trumpet, they were bewildered with as-
tonishment. The horses especially excited their terror
OF COLUMBUS. 119
and admiration. They at first supposed the rider and his
steed to be one animal, and nothing could exceed their
surprise on seeing the horsemen dismount.
On the approach of the army, the Indians generally fled
with terror, but their fears were soon dispelled; they then
absolutely retarded the march of the army by their kind-
ness and hospitahty, nor did they appear to have any idea
of receiving a recompense for the provisions they fur-
nished in abundance. The untutored savage, in almost
every part of the world, scorns to make a traffic of hos-
pitality.
For two or three days, they continued their march
across this noble plain, where every scene presented the
luxuriance of wild, uncivilized nature. They crossed
two large rivers; one, called the Yagui by the natives,
was named by the admiral the river of Reeds ; to the other
he gave the name of Rio Verde, or Green River, from
the verdure and freshness of its banks. At length, they
arrived at a chain of lofty and rugged mountains, which
formed a kind of barrier to the vega, and amidst which
lay the golden region of Cibao. On entering this vaunt-
ed country, the whole character of the scenery changed,
as if nature delighted in contrarieties, and displayed a
miser-like poverty of exterior when teeming with hidden
treasures. Instead of the soft, luxuriant landscape of the
vega, nothing was to be seen but chains of rocky and ster-
ile mountains, scantily clothed with pines. The very
name of the country bespoke the nature of the soil; Ci-
bao, in the language of the natives, signifying a stone.
But what consoled the Spaniards for the asperity of the
soil, was to observe particles of gold among the sands of
the streams, which they regarded as earnests of the wealth
locked up in the mountains.
Choosing a situation in a neighborhood that seemed to
abound in mines, Columbus began to build a fortress, to
which he gave the name of St. Thomas, intended as a
pleasant, though pious, reproof of Firmin Cado and his
doubting adherents, who had refused to believe that the
island contained gold, until they should behold it with
their eyes, and touch it with their hands.
120 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
While the admiral remained superintending the build-
ing of the fortress, he despatched a young cavalier of
Madrid, named Juan de Luxan, with a small band of
armed men, to explore the province. Luxan returned
after a few days, with the most satisfactory accounts.
He found many parts of Cibao more capable of cultiva-
tion than those that had been seen by the admiral. The
forests appeared to abound with spices; the trees were
overrun with vines bearing clusters of grapes of pleasant
flavor; while every valley and glen had its stream, yield-
ing more or less gold, and showing the universal preva-
lence of that precious metal.
The natives of the surrounding country likewise flocked
to the fortress of St. Thomas, bringing gold to exchange
for European trinkets. One old man brought two pieces
of virgin ore weighing an ounce, and thought himself
richly repaid on receiving a hawk's bell. On remarking
the admiration of the admiral at the size of these speci-
mens, he assured him that in his country, which lay at
half a day's distance, pieces were found as big as an
orange. Others spoke of masses of ore as large as the
head of a child, to be met with in their neighborhood.
As usual, however, these golden tracts were always in
some remote valley, or along some rugged and seques-
tered stream; and the wealthiest spot was sure to lie at
the greatest distance, — for the land of promise is ever
beyond the mountain.
CHAPTER XXI.
Customs and Characteristics of the JSTatives.
The fortress of St. Thomas being nearly completed,
Columbus left it in command of Pedro Margarite, a native
of Catalonia, and knight of the order of Santiago, with a
garrison of fifty-six men, and set out on his return to
OF COLUMBUS. 131"
Isabella. He paused for a time in the vega to establish
routes between the fortress and the harbor; during
which time he sojourned in the villages, that his men
might become accustomed to the food of the natives,
and that a mutual good-will might grow up between them.
Columbus had already discovered the error of one of
his opinions concerning these islanders, formed during
his first voyage. They were not so entirely pacific,
nor so ignorant of warlike arts, as he had imagined.
The casual descents of the Caribs had compelled the
inhabitants of the seacoast to acquaint themselves with
the use of arms; and Caonabo had introduced something
of his own warlike spirit into the centre of the island.
Yet, generally speaking, the habits of the people were
mild and gentle. Their religious creed was of a vague
yet simple nature. They believed in one Supreme Being,
who inhabited the sky, who was immortal, omnipotent,
and invisible; to whom they ascribed an origin, having
had a mother, but no father. They never addressed
their w^orship directly to him, but to inferior deities,
called zemes, a kind of messengers, or mediators. Each
cacique, each family, and each individual, had a particu-
lar zemi as a tutelary or protecting genius; whose image,
generally of a hideous form, was placed about their
houses, carved on their furniture, and sometimes bound
to their foreheads when they went to battle. They
believed their zemes to be transferable, with all their
beneficial powers; they, therefore, often stole them from
each other, and, when the Spaniards arrived, hid them
away, lest they should be taken by the strangers.
They believed that these zemes presided over every
object in nature. Some had sway over the elements,
causing sterile or abundant years, sending whirlwinds and
tempests of rain and thunder, or sweet and temperate
breezes, and prolific showers. Some governed the seas
and forests, the springs and fountains, like the nereids,
the dryads, and satyrs of antiquity. They gave success
in hunting and fishing; they guided the mountain streams
into safe channels, leading them to meander peacefully
through the plains; or, if incensed, they caused them to
11 1.
122 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
burst forth into floods and torrents, inundating and laying
waste tlie valleys.
The Indians were well acquainted with the medicinal
properties of trees and vegetables. Their butios, or
priests, acted as physicians, curing diseases with simples,
but making use of many mysterious rites; chanting and
burning a light in the chamber of the patient, and pretend-
ing to exorcise the malady, and to send it to the sea or to
the mountain. They practised also many deceptions,
making the idols to speak with oracular voice, to enforce
the orders of the caciques.
Once a year, each cacique held a festival in honor of
his zemi, when his subjects formed a procession to the
temple; the married men and women decorated with
their most precious ornaments; the young females entirely
naked, carrying baskets of cakes, ornamented with flow-
ers, and singing as they advanced, while the cacique beat
time on an Indian drum. After the cakes had been
offered to the zemi they were broken and distributed
among the people, to be preserved in their houses as
charms against all adverse accidents. The young females
then danced to the cadence of songs in praise of their
deities, and of the heroic actions of their ancient ca-
ciques; and the whole ceremony concluded by a grand
invocation to the zemi to watch over and protect the
nation.
The natives believed that their island of Hayti was
the earliest part of creation, and that the sun and moon
issued out of one of its caverns to give light to the uni-
verse. This cavern still exists near Cape Francois, and
the hole in the roof may still be seen from whence the
Indians believed the sun and moon had sallied forth to
take their places in the sky. It was consecrated as a
kind of temple; two idols were placed in it, and the
walls were decorated with green branches. In times of
great drought the natives made pilgrimages and processions
to it, with songs and dances, and ofi'erings of fruit and
flowers.
They ascribed to another cavern, the origin of the hu-
man race, beheving that the large men issued forth from
OF COLUMBUS. 123
a great aperture, but the little men from a little cranny.
For a long time they dared venture from the cavern only
in the night, for the sight of the sun was fatal to them,
producing wonderful transformations. One of their num-
ber, having lingered on a river's bank, where he was
fishing, until the sun had risen, was turned into a bird of
melodious note, which yearly, about the time of his trans-
formation, is heard singing plaintively in the night bewail-
ing his misfortune. This is the same bird which Colum-
bus mistook for a nightingale.
When the human race at length emerged from the
cave, they for some time wandered about disconsolately
without females, until, coming near a small lake, they
beheld certain animals among the branches of the trees,
which proved to be women. On attempting to catch
them, however, they were found to be as slippery as eels,
so that it was impossible to hold them, until they employed
certain men whose hands had been rendered rough by a
kind of leprosy. These succeeded in securing four of
them ; and from these slippery females the world was
peopled.
Like most savage nations, they had a tradition con-
cerning the deluge, equally fanciful with the preceding.
They said that there once lived in the island a mighty
cacique, whose only son conspiring against him, he slew
him. He afterwards preserved his bones in a gourd, as
w^as the custom of the natives with the remains of their
friends. On a subsequent day, the cacique and his wife
opened the gourd to contemplate the bones of their son,
when, to their surprise, several fish leaped out. Upon
this the discreet cacique closed the gourd, and placed it
on the top of his hut, boasting that he had the sea shut up
within it, and could have fish whenever he pleased. Four
brothers, however, children of the same birth, and curi-
ous intermeddlers, hearing of this gourd, came during the
absence of the cacique to peep into it. In their careless-
ness they suffered it to fall upon the ground, where it
was dashed to pieces; when, lo! to their astonishment
and dismay, there issued forth a mighty flood, with dol-
phins and sharks, and tumbling porpoises, and great
124 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
spouting whales ; and the water spread until it overflowed
the earth, and formed the ocean, leaving only the tops of
the mountains uncovered, which are the present islands.
They had singular modes of treating the dying and the
dead. When the life of a cacique was despaired of, they
strangled him, out of a principle of respect, rather than
suffer him to die like the vulgar. Common people, in
like situation, were extended in their hammocks, bread
and water placed beside them, and they were then aban-
doned to die in solitude. Sometimes they were carried
to the cacique, and if he permitted them the distinction,
they were strangled. The body of the deceased was
sometimes consumed with fire in his habitation; sometimes
the bones were retained, or the head, or a hmb, and
treasured up among the family relicks. After the death
of a cacique, his body was opened, dried at a fire, and
preserved.
They had confused notions of the existence of the
soul when separated from the body, and believed in ap-
paritions of the deceased. They had an idea that the
spirits of good men after death were reunited to the spir-
its of those they had most loved, and to those of their
ancestors; they were transported to a happy region, gen-
erally supposed to be near a lake, in the beautiful province
of Xaragua, in the western part of the island. Here they
lived in shady and blooming bowers, with lovely females,
and banqueted on delicious fruits.
The dances to which the natives were so addicted
were not mere idle pastimes, but were often ceremonials
of a religious and mystic nature. In these were typified
their historical events and their projected enterprises,
whether of war or hunting. They were performed to
the chant of certain metres and ballads handed down from
generation to generation; some of a sacred character,
containing their notions of theology and their religious
fables; others heroic and historic, rehearsing the deeds
of their ancestors. These rhymes they called areytos,
and sang them to the accompaniment of rude timbrels,
made from the shells of certain fishes, or to the sound of
a drum made from a hollow tree.
OF COLUMBUS. 125
The natives appeared to the Spaniards to be an idle
and improvident race, and indifferent to most of the ob-
jects of human anxiety and toil. They were impatient
of all kinds of labor, scarcely giving themselves the
trouble to cultivate the yuca root, the maize, and the
sweet potato, which formed their main articles of food.
They loitered away existence under the shade of their
trees, or amusing themselves occasionally with their games
and dances.
In fact, they were destitute of all powerful motives to
toil, being free from most of those wants which doom
mankind, in civilized life, and in less genial climes, to
incessant labor. In the soft region of the vega, the
circling seasons brought each its store of fruits, and
while some were gathered in full maturity, others were
ripening on the boughs, and buds and blossoms gave
promise of still succeeding abundance. What need was
there of garnering up and anxiously providing for coming
days, to men who lived amid a perpetual harvest.'' What
need, too, of toilfully spinning or laboring at the loom,
where a genial temperature prevailed throughout the year,
and neither nature nor custom prescribed the necessity of
clothing?
The hospitality which characterizes men in such a
simple and easy mode of existence, was evinced tov/ards
Columbus and his followers, during their sojourn in the
vega. Wherever they went, it was a continual scene of
festivity and rejoicing, and the natives hastened from all
parts to lay the treasures of their groves, and streams,
and mountains, at the feet of beings whom they still con-
sidered as descended from the skies, to bring blessings to
their island.
As we accompany Columbus, in imagination, on his
return to the harbor, over the rocky height from whence
the vega first broke upon the eye of the Spaniards, we
cannot help pausing, to cast back a look of mingled pity
and admiration, over this beautiful, but devoted region.
The dream of natural liberty and ignorant content, was
as yet unbroken, but the fiat had gone forth; the white
man had penetrated into the land; avarice, and pride, and
11*
126 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
ambition, and sordid care, and pining labor, were soon
to follow, and the indolent paradise of the Indian was
about to disappear for ever.
CHAPTER XXII.
Sickness and Discontent at the Settlement of Isabella. —
Preparations of Columbus for a Voyage to Cuba.
[1494.]
Columbus had scarcely returned to the harbor, when
a messenger arrived from Pedro Margarite, the com-
mander at Fort St. Thomas, informing him that the In-
dians of the vicinity had abandoned their villages, and
broken off all intercourse, and that he understood Cao-
nabo was assembling his warriors to attack the fortress.
From what the admiral had seen of the Indians in the
interior, and the awe in which they stood of the white
men and their horses, he felt little apprehensions from
their hostility, and contented himself with sending a re-
enforcement of twenty men to the fortress, and detaching
thirty more to open the road between it and the port.
What gave him most anxiety, was the distress which
continued to increase in the settlement. The heat and
humidity of the climate, which gave wonderful fecundity
to the soil, and rapid growth to all European vegetables,
were fatal to the people. The exhalations from undrain-
ed marshes, and a vast continuity of forest, and the action
of the sun upon a reeking vegetable soil, produced inter-
mittent fevers, and those other violent maladies so trying
to European constitutions in the uncultivated countries
of the tropics. The greater part of the colonists were
either confined by illness, or reduced to great debility.
The stock of medicines was exhausted; European pro-
visions began to fail, much having been spoiled and much
wasted. To avert an absolute famine, it was necessary
OF COLUMBUS. 127
to put the people upon allowance ; this immediately
caused loud murmurs, in which many in office, who ought
to have supported Columbus in his measures for the com-
mon safety, took a leading part. Among the number
was Friar Boyle, who was irritated at himself and his
household being put on the same allowance with the rest
of the community.
It was necessary, also, to construct a mill immediate-
ly, to grind the corn, as all the flour was exhausted.
Most of the workmen, however, were ill, and Columbus
was obliged to put every healthy person in requisition,
not even excepting cavaliers and gentlemen of rank.
As many of the latter refused to comply, he enforced
their obedience by compulsory measures. This was an-
other cause of the deep and lasting hostilities that sprang
up against him. He was inveighed against, both by the
cavaliers in the colony and their families in Spain, as an
upstart foreigner, inflated with sudden authority, and who,
in pursuit of his own profit and aggrandizement, trampled
upon the dignity of Spanish gentlemen, and insulted the
honor of the nation.
The fate, in truth, ofmany of the young cavaliers who
had come out in this expedition, deluded by romantic
dreams, was lamentable in the extreme. Some of them,
of noble and opulent connexions, had been brought up in
ease and indulgence, and were little calculated to endure
the hardships and privations of a new settlement in the
wilderness. When they fell ill, their case soon became
incurable. They suffered under the irritation of wound-
ed pride, and the morbid melancholy of disappointed
hope; their sick-bed was destitute of the tender care and
soothing attention to which they had been accustomed,
and they sank into the grave in all the sullenness of de-
spair, cursing the day that they had left their country.
So strong an effect had the untimely and dreary death
of these cavaliers upon the public mind, that, many
years afterwards, when the settlement of Isabella was
abandoned and had fallen to ruins, its deserted streets
were said to be haunted by their spectres, walking about
in ancient Spanish dresses, saluting the way-farer in
128 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
Stately and mournful silence, and vanishing on being ac-
costed. Their melancholy story was insidiously made
use of by the enemies of the admiral, for it was said
that they had been seduced from their homes by his de-
lusive promises, and sacrificed by him to his private inter-
ests.
Columbus was desirous of departing on a vo)^age to
explore the coast of Cuba, but it was indispensable, be-
fore sailing, to place the affairs of the island in such a
state as to insure tranquillity. For this purpose he de-
termined to send all the men that could be spared from
the concerns of the city, or the care of the sick, into the
interior, where they could be subsisted among the natives,
and become accustomed to their diet, while their force
would overawe the machinations of Caonabo, or any
other hostile cacique. A little army was accordingly
mustered of two hundred and fifty crossbow-men, one
hundred and ten arquebusiers, sixteen horsemen, and
twenty officers. These were to be commanded by Pedro
Margarite, while Ojeda was to succeed him in the com-
mand of Fort St. Thomas.
Columbus wrote a long and earnest letter of instruc-
tions to Margarite, desiring him to make a military tour,
and to explore the principal parts of the island; but en-
joining on him the strictest discipline of his army, and
the most vigilant care to protect the rights of the Indians,
and cultivate their friendship. Ojeda set off at the head
of the little army for the fortress; on his way he learnt
that three Spaniards had been robbed of their effects by
five Indians, at the ford of one of the rivers of the vega,
and that the delinquents had been sheltered by their
cacique, who had shared their booty. Ojeda was a quick
and impetuous soldier, whose ideas were all of a military
kind. He seized one of the thieves, ordered his ears to
be cut off in the public square of the village, and sent the
cacique, with his son and nephew, in chains to the admiral,
who, after terrifying them with preparations for a public
execution, pretended to yield to the tears and entreaties
of their friends, and set them at liberty.
Having thus distributed his forces about the island,
OF COLUMBUS. 129
and taken measures for its tranquillity, Columbus formed
a junta for its government, of which his brother Don
Diego was president, and Father Boyle, Pedro Fernan-
dez Coronal, Alonzo Sanchez Caravajal, and Juan de
Laxan, were counsellors. Leaving in the harbor two of
his largest ships, which drew too much water to explore
unknown coasts and rivers, he set sail on the 24th of
April, with the Nina or Santa Clara, the San Juan, and
the Cordera.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Cruise of Columbus along the Southern Coast of Cuba.
[1494.]
The plan of the present expedition of Columbus was,
to revisit Cuba at the point where he had abandoned it
on his first voyage, and thence to explore it on the
southern side. As has already been observed, he sup-
posed it to be a continent, and the extreme end of Asia;
and if so, by following its shores in the proposed direc-
tion, he trusted to arrive at Mangi, and Cathay, and other
rich and commercial, though semi-barbarous countries,
forming part of the territories of the Grand Khan, as
described by Mandeville and Marco Polo.
Having arrived, on the 29th of April, at the eastern
end of Cuba, to which in his preceding voyage he had
given the name of Alpha and Omega, but which is now
known as Cape Maysi, he sailed along the southern coast,
touching once or twice in the harbors. The natives
crowded to the shores, gazing with astonishment at the
ships as they glided gently along at no great distance.
They held up fruits and other provisions, to tempt the
Spaniards to land, while others came off in canoes, offer-
ing various refreshments, not in barter, but as free gifts.
On inquiring of them for gold, they uniformly pointed to
130 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
the south, intiiDating that a great island lay in that direc-
tion, where it was to be found in abundance. On the
3d of May, therefore, Columbus turned his prow directly
south, and abandoning the coast of Cuba for a time,
steered in quest of this reported island. He had not
sailed many leagues before the blue summits of Jamaica
began to rise above the horizon. It was two days and a
night, however, before he reached it, filled with admira-
tion as he gradually drew near, at its vast extent, the
beauty of its mountains, the majesty of its forests, and
the great number of villages which animated the whole
face of the country.
He coasted the island from about the centre to a port
at the western end, which he called the gulf of Buen-
tiempo. He found the natives more ingenious as well
as more warlike than those of Cuba and Hayti. Their
canoes were constructed with more art, and ornamented
at the bow and stern with carving and painting. Many
were of great size, though formed of the hollow trunks
of single trees, often a species of the mahogany. Colum-
bus measured one which proved to be ninety-six feet
long and eight broad ; it was hollowed out of one of
those magnificent trees which rise like verdant towers
amidst the rich forests of the tropics. Every cacique
possessed a large canoe of the kind, which he seemed
to regard as his galley of state. The Spaniards at first
were treated with hostility, and were compelled to skir-
mish with the natives, but a friendly intercourse suc-
ceeded.
Columbus being disappointed in his hopes of finding
gold in Jamaica, and the breeze being fair for Cuba, he
determined to return thither. Just as he was about to
sail, a young Indian came off to the ship, and begged
that the Spaniards would take him with them to their
country. He was followed by his relatives and friends,
supplicating him to abandon his purpose. For some time
he was distracted between concern for their distress, and
an ardent desire to see the home of the wonderful stran-
gers. Curiosity, and the youthful propensity to rove, at
length prevailed; he tore himself from the embraces of
OF COLUMBUS. 131
his friends, and took refuge in a secret part of the ship,
from the tears and entreaties of his sisters. Touched by
this scene of natural affection, and pleased with the con-
fiding spirit of the youth, Columbus ordered that he should
be treated with especial kindness.
It would have been interesting to have known some-
thing more of this curious savage, and of the effect which
the first sight of the land of the white men had upon his
mind; whether it equalled his hopes; or whether, as is
usual with savages, he pined, amidst the splendors of
cities, for his native forests; and whether he ever re-
turned to the arms of his family. The Spanish voyagers,
however, were indifferent to these matters; no further
mention is made in their narratives of this youthful ad-
venturer.
Having steered again for Cuba, Columbus, on the 18th
of May, arrived at a great cape, to which he gave the
name of Cabo de la Cruz, which it still retains. Coast-
ing to the west, he soon got entangled in a complete
labyrinth of small islands and keys; some of them were
low, naked and sandy, others covered with verdure, and
others tufted with lofty and beautiful forests. To this
archipelago, which extended as far as the eye could reach,
and, in a manner, enamelled the face of the ocean with
variegated verdure, he gave the name of the Queen's
Garden. He persuaded himself that these were the
islands mentioned by Sir John Mandeville and Marco
Polo, as fringing the coast of Asia; if so, he must soon
arrive at the dominions of the Grand Khan.
There was much in the character of the scenery to
favor the idea. As the ships glided along the smooth
and glassy channels which separated the islands, the mag-
nificence of their vegetation, the soft odors wafted from
flowers, and blossoms, and aromatic shrubs, the splendid
plumage of scarlet cranes, flamingoes, and other tropical
birds, and the gaudy clouds of butterflies, all resembled
what is described of oriental climes.
Emerging from the labyrinth of the Queen's Garden,
Columbus pursued his voyage with a prosperous breeze
along that part of the southern side of Cuba, where, for
132 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
nearly thirty-five leagues, the navigation is free from
banks and islands; to his left was the broad and open sea,
whose dark-blue color gave token of ample depth; to his
right extended a richly-wooded country, called Ornofay,
with noble mountains, frequent streams, and numerous
villages. The appearance of the ships spread wonder
and joy along the coast. The natives came off swim-
ming, or in canoes, to offer fruits and other presents.
After the usual evening shower, when the breeze blew
from the shore, and brought off the sweetness of the
land, it bore with it also the distant songs of the natives,
and the sound of their rude music, as they were proba-
bly celebrating, with their national chants and dances,
the arrival of these wonderful strangers on their coasts.
Animated by the delusions of his fancy, Columbus
continued to follow up this supposed continent of Asia;
plunging into another wilderness of keys and islets towards
the western end of Cuba, and exploring that perplexed
and lonely coast, whose intricate channels are seldom
visited, even at the present day, except by the lurking
bark of the smuggler and the pirate.
In this navigation he had to contend with almost in-
credible difficulties and perils; his vessels having to be
warped through narrow and shallow passages, where they
frequently ran aground. He was encouraged to proceed
by information which he received, or fancied he receiv-
ed, from the natives, concerning a country farther on
called Mangon, where the people wore clothing, and
which he supposed must be Mangi, the rich Asiatic prov-
ince described by Marco Polo. He also understood
from them, that among the mountains to the west there
was a powerful king, who reigned in great state over
many populous provinces; that he wore a white garment
which swept the ground, that he was called a saint, and
never spoke, but communicated his orders to his subjects
by signs. In all this, we see the busy imagination of
Columbus interpreting tJie imperfectly understood com-
munications of the Indians into unison with his precon-
ceived ideas. This fancied king with a saintly title was
probably conjured up in his mind by some descriptions
OF COLUMBUS. 133
which he thought accorded with what he had read of that
mysterious potentate Prester John, who had long figured,
sometimes as a monarch, sometimes as a priest, in the
narrations of all eastern travellers. His crews seem to
have partaken of his delusion. One day a party being
sent on shore for wood and water, while they were em-
ployed in cutting wood and filling their water casks, an
archer strayed into the forest, with his crossbow, in
search of game, but soon returned, flying in breathless
terror. He declared that he had seen through an open-
ing glade a man dressed in long white robes, followed by
two others in white tunics reaching to their knees, and
that they had complexions as fair as Europeans.
Columbus was rejoiced at this intelligence, hoping
that he had found the clothed inhabitants of Mangon.
Two parties were despatched, well armed, in quest of
these people in white: the first returned unsuccesful;
the other brought word of having tracked the footprints
of some large animal witii claws, supposed by them to
have been either a lion or a grifhn ; but which most
probably was an alligator. Dismayed at the sight, they
hastened back to the seaside. As no tribe of Indians
wearing clothing was ever discovered in Cuba, it is
probable the men in while were nothing else than a flock
of cranes, seen by the wandering archer. These birds,
like the flamingoes, feed in company, with one stationed
at a distance as a sentinel. When seen through an open-
ing of the woodlands, standing in rows in a shallow glassy
pool, their height and erectness give them, at first
glance, the semblance of human figures.
12 I.
134 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
CHAPTER XXIV.
Return Voyage. [1494.]
Columbus now hoped, by continuing on, to arrive
ultimately at the Aura Chersonesus of the ancients;
doubling which, he might make his way to the Red Sea,
thence to Joppa, and so by the Mediterranean to Spain;
or might circumnavigate Africa, pass triumphantly by
the Portuguese as they were groping along the coast of
Guinea, and after having thus circumnavigated the globe,
furl his adventurous sails at the Pillars of Hercules, the
ne plus ultra of the ancient world. But, though his fel-
low-voyagers shared his opinion that they were coasting
the continent of Asia, they were far from sharing his
enthusiasm, and shrunk from the increasing perils of the
voyage. The ships were strained and crazed by fre-
quently running aground. The cables and rigging were
much worn, the provisions nearly exhausted, and the
crews worn out and disheartened by incessant labor.
The admiral, therefore, was finally persuaded to abandon
all further prosecution of the voyage; but, before he
turned back, he obliged the whole of the officers and
seamen to sign a deposition, declaring their perfect con-
viction that Cuba was a continent, the beginning and the
end of India. This singular instrument was signed near
that deep bay called by some the bay of Philipina, by
others, of Cortes. At this very time, a ship-boy from
the mast-head might have overlooked the group of islands
to the south, and have beheld the open sea beyond.
Had Columbus continued on for two or three days long-
er, he would have passed round the extremity of Cuba;
his illusion would have been dispelled, and an entirely
different course might have been given to his subsequent
discoveries.
Returning now towards the east, the crews suffered
OF COLUMBUS. 135
excessively from fatigue, and a scarcity of provisions.
At length, on the 7th of July, they anchored at the
mouth of a fine river, in a genial and abundant country,
which they had previously visited, as they had come
down along the coast. Here the natives brought them
provisions of various kinds. It was a custom with Co-
lumbus to erect crosses in all remarkable places, to de-
note the discovery of the country, and its subjugation to
the true faith. This was done on the banks of this river,
on a Sunday morning, with great ceremony. Columbus
was attended by the cacique, and by his principal favor-
ite, a venerable Indian, fourscore years of age. While
mass was performed in a stately grove, the natives looked
on with awe and reverence. When it was ended,
the old man of fourscore made a speech to Columbus in
the Indian manner. " I am told," said he, "that thou
hast lately come to these lands with a mighty force, and
hast subdued many countries, spreading great fear among
the people; but be not therefore vain-glorious. Know
that, according to our belief, the souls of men have two
journeys to perform after they have departed from the
body; one to a place dismal, foul, and covered with
darkness, prepared for such as have been unjust and cruel
to their fellow men ; the other full of delight, for such
as have promoted peace on earth. If, then, thou art
mortal, and dost expect to die, beware that thou hurt no
man wrongfully, neither do harm to those who have done
no harm to thee."
When this speech was explained to Columbus by his
interpreter, he was greatly moved by the simple elo-
quence of this untutored savage, and rejoiced to hear his
doctrine of a future state of the soul, having supposed
that no belief of the kind existed among the inhabitants
of these countries. He assured the old man that he had
been sent by his sovereigns to teach them the true reli-
gion, to protect them from harm, and to subdue their
enemies the Caribs. The venerable Indian was exceed-
ingly astonished to learn that the admiral, whom he had
considered so great and powerful, was yet but a subject;
and when he was told by the interpreter, who had been
lot) TllK I.IKK .VM> \OY.Vi;V.S
ill Spain, of tlio gramlour of the Spanish nioiisirchi!, ami
of the woiuioi:? of ihoir kinj;ilom, a siuldoii desire seized
him to embark \vith the admiral, and aeeompanv him to
see lliis wonderful country, and it was with diiheulty the
tears and remonstrmiees of his wife and einldren could
dissuade him from his purpose.
After leaving this river, to which, from the solemn
mass performed on its banks, Columbus i::ave the name
of Uio de la Misa, he continued on to Cape Cruz, and
then stood over to Jamaica, to complete the circumnavi-
gation of that island. For nearly a month he continued
beating to the eastward along its southern coast, coming
to anchor every evening under the land, and making but
slow progress. Anchoring one evening in a great bav,
he was visited by a cacique with a numerous train, who
remained until a late hour conversing with the Lucayan
interpreter, who had been in Spain, about the Spaniards
and their country, mid theii* prowess in vanquishing the
Caribs.
On the following morning, when the ships were under
weigh, they beheld tlu-ee canoes issuing from an\ong the
ishuuls of the bay. The centre one was large, and
handsomely c:uved and painted. In it were seated the
cacique and his family, consisting of two daughters,
young and beautiful, two sons, and five brothers. They
were all arrayed in their jewels, and attended by the
othcers of the chieftain, decorated with plumes and man-
tles of variegated feathers. Tiie standard-bearer stood
in the prow with a fluttering white banner, while other
Indians, fancifully painted, beat upon tabors, or sounded
trumpets of hue black wood ingeniously carved. The
cacique, entering on board of the ship, distributed pres-
ents among the crew, and approaching the admiral, "' I
have heaixl," said he, ''of the irresistible power of thy
sovereigns, and of the many nations thou hast subdued
in tiieir name. Thou hast destroyed the ihveilings of the
Caribs, slaying their warriors, and carrying their wives
and children into captivity. All the islands are in dread
of thee, for who can withstand thee, now that thou
knowest the secrets of the land, and the weakness of the
OF COLUMBUS. 137
people? Rather, therefore, than thou slioijldst lake
away my (Joiniiiions, I will ernbark vvitli all rny Ijouse-
holfJ in thy ships, arul will j^o to render hoinajie to thy
king and (pietiii, and heliold thy country, of vvliieh 1 hear
such wonders."
When this speech was interpreted to Columbus, and
he beheld the wife, the sons, and daughters of the ca-
cique, and considered to what ills they would be exposed,
he was touched with compassion, and determined not to
take them from their native land. He received the ca-
cique under his protection, as a vassal of his sovereigns,
but informed him, that he had many lands yet to visit,
before he should return to his own country. He dis-
missed him, therefore, for the present, promising that at
some future time he would gratify his wishes.
On the 19th of August, Columbus lost sight of the
eastern extremity of .larnaira, and on the following day
made that long [jeninsula of llayti, since called Cape Ti-
huron, but to which he gave the name of San Miguel.
He coasted the whole of the southern side of the island,
and had to take refuge in the channel of Saona, from a
violent storm which raged for several days, during which
time he suffered great anxiety for the fate of the other
vessels, which remained at sea, exposed to the fury of
the tempest. Being rejoined by them, and the weather
having moderated, he set sail eastward with the intention
of completing the discovery of the Caribbee Islands, but
his physical strength did not correspond to the efforts of
his spirit. The extraordinary fatigues which he had suf-
fered both in mind and body, during this harassing voy-
age, which had lasted for five months, had secretly preyed
upon his health. He had shared in all the hardships and
privations of the common seamen, and he had cares and
trials from which they were exempt. When the sailor,
worn out with the labors of his watch, slept soundly, in
spite of the howling of the storms, the anxious com-
mander maintained his painful vigil, through long sleepless
nights, amidst the pelting of the tempest and the drench-
ing surges of the sea, for the safety of the ships depended
upon his watchfulness. During a great part of the voyage,
12*
138 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
he had oeen excited by the hope of soon arriving at the
known parts of India; he was afterwards stimulated by a
conflict with hardships and perils, as he made his way
back against contrary winds and currents. The moment
he was relieved from all solicitude, and found himself in
a tranquil sea, which he had already explored, the ex-
citement suddenly ceased, and mind and body sunk ex-
hausted by almost superhuman exertions. He fell into
a deep lethargy, resembling death itself. His crew feared
that death was really at hand. They abandoned, there-
fore, all farther prosecution of the voyage, and spreading
their sails to a favorable breeze from the east, bore Co-
lumbus back, in a state of complete insensibility, to the
harbor of Isabella.
CHAPTER XXV.
Events in the Island of Hispaniola. — Insurrections of
the J^atives. — Expedition of Ojeda against Caonaho.
[1494.]
A JOYFUL and heartfelt surprise awaited Columbus on
his arrival, in finding at his bedside his brother Bartho-
lomew, the companion of his youth, his zealous coad-
jutor, and, in a manner, his second self, from whom he
had been separated for several years. It will be recol-
lected, that about the time of the admiral's departure for
Portugal, he commissioned Bartholomew to repair to
England, and offer his project of discovery to Henry the
Seventh. Various circumstances occurred to delay this
application. There is reason to believe that, in the
interim, he accompanied Bartholomew Diaz in that cele-
brated voyage, in the course of which the Cape of Good
Hope was discovered. On his way to England, also,
Bartholomew Columbus was captured by a corsair, and
reduced to extreme poverty. It is but justice to the
OF COLUMBUS. 139
memory of Henry the Seventh to say, that when, after a
lapse of several years, the proposition was eventually made
to him, it met with a more prompt attention than it had
received from any other sovereign. An agreement was
actually made with Bartholomew, for the prosecution of
the enterprise, and the latter departed for Spain in search
of his brother. On reaching Paris, he received intel-
hgence that the discovery was already made, and that his
brother was actually at the Spanish court, enjoying his
triumph, and preparing to sail on a second expedition.
He hastened to rejoin him, and was furnished by the
French monarch, Charles the Eighth, with a hundred
crowns to defray the expenses of the journey. He reach-
ed Seville just as his brother had sailed; but being an ac-
complished navigator, the sovereigns gave him the com-
mand of three ships, freighted with supplies for the colony,
and sent him to aid his brother in his enterprises. He
again arrived too late, reaching the settlement of Isabella
just after the departure of the admiral for the coast of
Cuba.
The sight of this brother was an inexpressible relief
to Columbus, disabled as he was by sickness, over-
whelmed with cares, and surrounded by strangers. His
chief dependence had hitherto been upon his brother,
Don Diego; but the latter was of a mild and peaceable
disposition, with an inclination for a clerical life, and
was but little fitted to manage the affairs of a factious
colony. Bartholomew was of a different and more
efficient character. He w-as prompt, active, decided, and
of a fearless spirit; whatever he determined he carried
into instant execution, without regard to difficulty or
danger. His person corresponded to his mind; it was
tall, muscular, vigorous, and commanding. He had an
air of great authority, but somewhat stern, wanting that
sweetness and benignity which tempered the authoritative
demeanor of the admiral. Indeed, there was a certain
asperity in his temper, and a dryness and abruptness in
his manners, which made him many enemies; yet, not-
withstanding these external defects, he was of a generous
140 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
disposition, free from arrogance or malevolence, and as
placable as he was brave.
He was a thorough seaman, both in theory and prac-
tice, having been formed, in a great measure, under the
eye of the admiral, to whom he was but little inferior in
science. He was acquainted with Latin, but does not
appear to have been highly educated, his knowledge,
like that of his brother, being chiefly derived from a long
course of varied experience and attentive observation,
aided by the studies of maturer years. Equally vigorous
and penetrating in intellect with the admiral, but less en-
thusiastic in spirit and soaring in imagination, and with
less simplicity of heart, he surpassed him in the adroit
management of business, was more attentive to pecuniary
interests, and had more of that worldly wisdom which
is so important in the ordinary concerns of hfe. His
genius might never have excited him to the sublime
speculation which led to the discovery of a world, but his
practical sagacity was calculated to turn that discovery
to more advantage.
Anxious to relieve himself from the pressure of pub-
lic business during his present malady, Columbus imme-
diately invested his brother with the title and authority
of adelantado, an office equivalent to that of lieutenant
governor. He felt the importance of his assistance in
the present critical state of the colony, for, during the
few months that he had been absent, the whole island had
become a scene of violence and discord. A brief retro-
spect is here necessary, to explain the cause of this con-
fusion.
Pedro Margarite, to whom Columbus, on his depar-
ture, had given orders to make a military tour of the
island, set forth on his expedition with the greater part
of the forces, leaving Alonzo de Ojeda in command of
Fort St. Thomas. Instead, however, of proceeding on
his tour, Margarite lingered among the populous and
hospitable villages of the vega, where he and his sol-
diery, by their licentious and oppressive conduct, soon
roused the indignation and hatred of the natives. Ti-
dings of their excesses reached Don Diego Columbus,
OF COLUMBUS. 141
who, with the concurrence of the council, wrote to Mar-
garita, reprehending his conduct, and ordering him to
depart on his tour. Margarite repHed in a haughty and
arrogant tone, pretending to consider himself independ-
ent in his command, and above all responsibility to Don
Diego or his council. He was supported in his tone of
defiance by the kind of aristocratical party composed of
the idle cavaliers of the colony, who had been deeply
wounded in the pundonor, the proud punctilio so jealous-
ly guarded by a Spaniard, and affected to look down
with contempt upon the newly-coined nobility of Don
Diego, and to consider Columbus and his brothers mere
mercenary and upstart foreigners. In addition to these
partisans, Margarite had a powerful ally in his fellow
countryman. Friar Boyle, the apostolical vicar for the
new world, an intriguing man, who had conceived a
violent hostility against the admiral, and had become
disgusted with his mission to the wilderness. A cabal
was soon formed of most of those who were disaffected
to the admiral, and discontented with their abode in the
colony. Margarite and Friar Boyle acted as if possessed
of paramount authority; and, without consulting Don
Diego or the council, took possession of certain ships in
the harbor, and set sail for Spain, with their adherents.
They were both favorites of the king, and deemed it
would be an easy matter to justify their abandonment of
their military and religious commands, by a pretended
zeal for the public good, and a desire to represent to the
sovereigns the disastrous state of the colony, and the
tyranny and oppression of Columbus and his brothers.
Thus the first general and apostle of the new world set
the flagrant example of unauthorized abandonment of
their posts.
The departure of Margarite left the army without a
head; the soldiers now roved about in bands, or singly,
according to their caprice, indulging in all kinds of ex-
cesses. The natives, indignant at having their hospitali-
ty thus requited, refused any longer to furnish them with
food; the Spaniards, therefore, seized upon provisions
wherever they could be found, committing, at the same
142 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
time, many acts of wanton violence. At length the In-
dians were roused to resentment, and from confiding and
hospitable hosts, were converted into vindictive enemies.
They slew the Spaniards wherever they could surprise
them singly or in small parties; and Guatiguana, cacique
of a large town on the Grand River, put to death ten
soldiers who were quartered in his town, set fire to a
house in which forty sick Spaniards were lodged, and
even held a small fortress called Magdalena, recently
built in the vega, in a state of siege, insomuch, that the
commander had to shut himself up within his walls, until
relief should arrive from the settlement.
The most formidable enemy of the Spaniards was
Caonabo, the Carib cacique of the mountains. He had
natural talents for war, great sagacity, a proud and dar-
ing spirit to urge him on, three valiant brothers to assist
him, and a numerous tribe at his command. He had
been enraged at seeing the fortress of St. Thomas erect-
ed in the very centre of his dominions; and finding by
his spies that the garrison was reduced to but fifty men,
and the aiuny of INIargarite dismembered, he thought the
time had arrived to strike a signal blow, and to repeat
the horrors which he had wreaked upon La Na\ idad.
The wily cacique, however, had a different kind of
enemy to deal with in the commander of St. Thomas.
Alonzo de Ojeda deserves particular notice as a specimen
of the singular characters which arose among the Spanish
discoverers. He had been schooled in Moorish warfare,
and of course versed in all kinds of military stratagems.
Naturally of a rash and fiery spirit, his courage was
heightened by superstition. Having never received a
wound in his numerous quarrels and encounters, he con-
sidered himself under the special protection of the holy
Virgin, and that no weapon had power to harm him. He
had a small Flemish painting of the Virgin, which he
carried constantly with him; in his marches he bore it
in his knapsack, and would often take it out, fix it against
a tree, and address his prayers to his military patroness.
In a word, he swore by the Virgin; he invoked the Vir-
gin either in brawl or battle; and under favor of the
OF COLUMBUS. 143
Virgin he was ready for any enterprise or adventure.
Such was Alonzo de Ojeda, bigoted in devotion, reck-
less in life, fearless in spirit, like many of the roving
Spanish cavaliers of those days.
Having reconnoitered the fortress of St. Thomas,
Caonabo assembled ten thousand warriors, armed with
war clubs, bows and arrows, and lances, hardened in the
fire, and led them secretly through the forests, thinking
to surprise Ojeda, but found him warily drawn up within
his fortress, which was built upon a hill, and nearly sur-
rounded by a river. Caonabo then held the fortress in
siege for thirty days, and reduced it to great distress.
He lost many of his bravest warriors, however, by the
impetuous sallies of Ojeda; others grew weary of the siege
and returned home. He at length relinquished the at-
tempt, and retired, filled with admiration of the prowess
of Ojeda.
The restless chieftain now endeavored to form a
league of the principal caciques of the island to unite
their forces, surprise the settlement of Isabella, and
massacre the Spaniards wherever they could be found.
To explain this combination, it is necessary to state the
internal distribution of the island. It was divided into
five domains, each governed by a sovereign cacique of
absolute and hereditary powers, having many inferior
caciques tributary to him. The most important domain
comprised the middle part of the royal vega, and was
governed by Guarionex. The second was Marion, un-
der the sway of Guacanagari, on whose coast Columbus
had been wrecked. The third was Maguana, which in-
cluded the gold mines of Cibao, and was under the sway
of Caonabo. The fourth was Xaragua, at the western
end of the island, the most populous and extensive of
all. The sovereign was named Behechio. The fifth
domain was Higuey, and occupied the whole eastern
part of the island, but had not as yet been visited by the
Spaniards. The name of the cacique was Cotabanama.
Three of these sovereign caciques readily entered into
the league with Caonabo, for the profligate conduct of
the Spaniards had inspired hostility even in remote parts
144 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
of the island, which had never been visited by them.
The league, however, met with unexpected opposition
from the fifth cacique, Guacanagari. He not merely re-
fused to join the conspiracy, but entertained a hundred
Spaniards in his territory, supplying all their wants with
his accustomed generosity. This drew upon him the
odium and hostility of his fellow caciques, who inflicted
on him various injuries and indignities. Behechio killed
one of his wives, and Caonabo carried another away
captive. Nothing, however, could shake the devotion
of Guacanagari to the Spaniards; and as his dominions
lay immediately adjacent to the settlement, his refusal to
join in the conspiracy prevented it from being immedi-
ately carried into effect.
Such was the critical state to which the affairs of the
island had been reduced, and such the bitter hostility en-
gendered among its kind and gentle inhabitants, during
the absence of Columbus. Immediately on his return,
and while he was yet confined to his bed, Guacanagari
visited him, and revealed to him all the designs of the
confederate caciques, offering to lead his subjects to the
field, and to fight by the side of the Spaniards. Colum-
bus had always retained a deep sense of the ancient
kindness of Guacanagari, and was rejoiced to have all
suspicion of his good faith thus effectually dispelled.
Their former amicable intercourse was renewed, and the
chieftain ever continued to evince an affectionate rever-
ence for the admiral.
Columbus considered the confederacy of the caciques
as but imperfectly formed, and trusted that, from their
want of skill and experience in warfare, their plans
might easily be disconcerted. He was too ill to take the
field in person, his brother Diego was not of a military
character, and Bartholomew was yet a stranger among
the Spaniards, and regarded with jealousy. He deter-
mined, therefore, to proceed against the Indians in detail,
attacking some, conciliating others, and securing certain
of the most formidable by stratagem.
A small force was accordingly sent to relieve Fort
Magdalena, which was beleaguered by Guatiguana, the
OF COLUMBUS. 145
cacique of the Grand River, who had massacred the
Spaniards quartered in his town. He was driven from
before the fortress, his country laid waste, and many of
his warriors slain, but the chieftain made his escape.
As he was tributary to Guarionex, the sovereign of the
royal vega, care was taken to explain to that powerful
cacique, that this was an act of mere individual punish-
ment, not of general hostility. Guarionex was of a
quiet and placable disposition; he was easily soothed
and won to friendship; and, to link him in some degree
to the Spanish interest, Columbus prevailed upon him to
give his daughter in marriage to the converted Lucayan,
who had been baptized in Spain by the name of Diego
Colon, and who was devoted to the admiral. He gained
permission from him also to erect a fortress in the midst
of his territories, which he named Fort Conception.
The most formidable enemy remained to be disposed
of, which was Caonabo; to make war upon this fierce
and subtle chieftain in the depths of his wild woodland
territory, and among the fastnesses of his mountains,
would have been a work of time, peril, and uncertain
issue. In the mean while, the settlements would never
be safe from his secret combinations and daring enter-
prises, nor could the mines be worked with security, as
they lay in his neighborhood. While perplexed on this
subject, Columbus was relieved by a proposition of Alon-
zo de Ojeda, who undertook to bring the Carib chieftain
either a friend or captive to the settlement.
Choosing ten bold and hardy followers, well armed
and well mounted, and invoking the protection of his
patroness the Virgin, Ojeda plunged into the forest, and
making his way above sixty leagues into the wild territo-
ries of Caonabo, appeared fearlessly before the cacique
in one of his most populous towns, professing to come on
an amicable embassy from the admiral. He was well
received by Caonabo, who had tried him in battle, and
had conceived a warrior's admiration of him. The free,
dauntless deportment, great personal strength and agility,
and surprising adroitness of Ojeda in all manly and war-
like exercises, were calculated to charm a savage, and
13 I.
146 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
soon made him a favorite with Caonabo. He used all
his influence to prevail upon the cacique to repair to Isa-
bella, and enter into a treaty with Columbus, offering
him, it is said, as an inducement, the bell of the chapel
at the harbor. This bell was the wonder of the island.
When its melody sounded through the forestaj' as it rung
for mass, the Indians had noticed that the Spaniards hast-
ened from all parts to the chapel. At other times, when
it gave the vesper-peal, they beheld the Spaniards pause
in the midst of their labors or amusements, and, taking
off their hats, repeat a prayer with great devotion. They
imagined, therefore, that this bell had some mysterious
power; that it had come from "Turey,"or the skies,
and w^as the zemi of the white men; that it talked to
them, and they obeyed its orders. Caonabo had longed
to see this bell, and when it was proffered to him as a
present of peace, he found it impossible to resist the
temptation.
He agreed to visit the admiral at the harbor; but when
the time came to depart, Ojeda beheld with surprise a
powerful army ready to march. He remonstrated on
taking such a force on a mere friendly visit, to which the
cacique proudly replied, "that it was not befitting a great
prince like him to go forth scantily guarded." Ojeda
feared some sinister design, and, to outwit the cacique,
had resort to a stratagem which has the air of a romantic
fable, but is recorded by all the contemporary historians,
and accords with the adventurous and extravagant char-
acter of the man, and the wild stratagems incident to In-
dian warfare.
As the army had halted one day near the river Yegua,
Ojeda produced a set of manacles of polished steel, so
highly burnished that they looked like silver. These he
as'-ured Caonabo were ornaments worn by the Castilian
monarchs on high festivities, and were sent as a present
to him. He proposed that Caonabo should bathe in the
river, after which he should be decorated with these orna-
ments, mounted on the horse of Ojeda, and conducted
back in the state of a Spanish monarch to astonish his
subjects. The cacique was dazzled with the splendor of
or COLUMBUS. 147
the shackles, and pleased with the idea of bestriding one
of those tremendous animals so dreaded by his country-
men. He bathed in the river, mounted behind Ojeda,
and the shackles were adjusted. The Spaniards then
pranced among the astonished savages, and made a wide
sweep into the forest, until the trees concealed them from
sight. They then drew their swords, closed round Ca-
onabo, and threatened him with instant death, if he made
the least noise or resistance. They bound him with
cords to Ojeda, to prevent his falling or effecting an es-
cape; then putting spurs to their horses, they dashed
across the Yegua, made off through the woods with their
prize, and, after a long, rugged, and perilous journey,
entered Isabella in triumph; Ojeda bringing the wild In-
dian chieftain bound behind him a captive.
Columbus could not refrain from expressing his great
satisfaction when this dangerous foe was delivered into
his hands. The haughty Carib met him with a lofty
and unsubdued air, disdaining to conciliate him by sub-
mission, or to deprecate his vengeance for his massacre
of the garrison of La Navidad. He even boasted that he
had secretly reconnoitered Isabella, with the design of
wreaking on it the same destruction. He never evinced
the least animosity against Ojeda for the artifice by which
he had been captured. He looked upon it as the exploit
of a master spirit, to pounce upon him, and bear him off
in this hawk-like manner, from the very midst of his
fighting men, for there is nothing that an Indian more ad-
mires in warfare than a deep-laid and well-executed strata-
gem. Whenever Columbus entered the prison of Caona-
bo, all present rose according to custom, and paid him
reverence. The cacique alone remained sitting. On
the contrary, when Ojeda entered, though small in per-
son, and without external state, Caonabo immediately
rose and saluted him with profound respect. On being
asked the reason of this, the proud Carib replied that the
admiral had never dared to come personally to his domin-
ions and capture him; it was only through the valor of
Ojeda he was his prisoner; to the latter alone, therefore,
he should pay reverence.
148 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
Columbus, though struck with the natural heroism of
this savage, considered him too dangerous an enemy to
be left at large. He maintained him, therefore, a close
prisoner in a part of his own dwelling, until he could be
shipped to Spain, but treated him with great kindness
and respect. One of the brothers of the cacique assem-
bled an army in hopes of surprising the fortress of St.
Thomas, and capturing a number of Spaniards, for whom
he might obtain Caonabo in exchange; but Ojeda re-
ceived intelligence of his design, and coming upon him
suddenly, attacked him with his little troop of horse,
routed his army, killed many of his warriors, and took
him prisoner.
CHAPTER XXVI.
Battle of the Vega. — Imposition of Tribute. [1494.]
The arrival of four ships about this time, commanded
by Antonio Torres, bringing out a physician and apothe-
cary, various mechanics, millers, and husbandmen, and an
ample supply of provisions, diffused universal joy among
the suffering Spaniards. Columbus received a highly
flattering letter from his sovereigns, approving of all that
he had done, informing him that all differences with
Portugal had been amicably adjusted, and inviting him to
return to Spain, or to send some able person in his place,
furnished with maps and charts, to be present at a con-
vention for adjusting the dividing line of discovery be-
tween the two powers. Columbus hastened the return
of the ships, sending his brother Diego to attend the
convention, and to counteract the misrepresentations
which he was aware had been sent home of his conduct, and
which would be enforced by Margarite and Friar Boyle.
He remitted, by the ships, all the gold he could collect,
with specimens of fruits and valuable plants, and five
i
OF COLUMBUS. 149
hundred Indian captives, to be sold as slaves in Seville.
It is painful to find the glory of Columbus suUied by such
violations of the laws of humanity, but the customs of
the times must plead his apology. In the recent discov-
eries along the coast of Africa, the traffic in slaves had
formed one of the greatest sources of profit; and in the
wars with the enlightened and highly civilized Moors of
Granada, the Spaniards were accustomed to make slaves
of their prisoners. Columbus was goaded on, likewise,
by the misrepresentations of his enemies, to try every
means of indemnifying the sovereigns for the expenses of
his enterprises, and to produce them a revenue from the
countries he had discovered.
The admiral had now recovered his health, and the
colonists were, in some degree, refreshed and invigora-
ted by the supplies brought by the ships, when Guacana-
gari brought intelligence that the allied caciques, headed
by Manicaotex, brother and successor to Caonabo, had
assembled all their forces in the vega, within two days'
march of Isabella, with an intention of making a grand
assault upon the settlement. Columbus immediately de-
termined to carry the war into the territories of the ene-
my, rather than wait for it to be brought to his door.
The whole sound and effective force he could muster,
in the present sickly state of the colony, did not exceed
two hundred infantry, and twenty horse. There were
twenty blood-hounds also, animals scarcely less terrible
to the Indians than the horses, and infinitely more destruc-
tive. Guacanagari, also, brought his people into the
field, but both he and his subjects were of an unwarhke
character; the chief advantage of his cooperation was,
that it completely severed him from his fellow caciques,
and secured him as an ally.
It was on the 27th of March, 1495, that Columbus
issued forth from Isabella with his little army, accom-
panied by his brother, the adelantado, and advancing by
rapid marches, arrived in the neighborhood of the enemy,
who were assembled in the vega, near to where the town
of Santiago has since been built. The Indians were
confident in their number, which is said to have amounted
13*
150 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
to one hundred thousand; this is evidently an exaggera-
tion, but the number was undoubtedly very great. The
adelantado arranged the mode of attack. The infantry,
divided into small detachments, advanced suddenly from
various quarters, with great din of drums and trumpets,
and a destructive discharge of firearms. The Indians
were struck with panic. An army seemed pressing upon
them from every quarter. Many were slain by the balls
of the arquebuses, which seemed to burst with thunder
and lightning from the forests. In the height of their
confusion, Alonzo de Ojeda charged impetuously on their
main body with his cavalry, bearing down and tramphng
them under foot, and deling deadly blows with lance and
sword. The blood-hounds were, at the same time, let
loose, and rushed upon the naked savages, seizing them
by the throat, dragging them to the earth, and tearing
out their bowels. The battle, if such it might be called,
was of short duration. The Indians, overwhelmed, fled
in every direction, with yells and bowlings. Some clam-
bered to the tops of rocks and precipices, from whence
they made piteous supplications and promises of submis-
sion. Many were slain, many made prisoners, and the
confederacy was, for the time, completely broken up.
Guacanagari had accompanied the Spaniards into the
field, but he was little more than a spectator of the bat-
tle. His participation in the hostilities of the white men,
however, was never forgiven by the other caciques; and
he returned to his dominions, followed by the hatred and
execrations of his countrymen.
Columbus followed up his victory by making a mihtary
tour through various parts of the island, which were soon
reduced to subjection. He then exercised what he con-
sidered the right of a conqueror, and imposed tributes on
the vanquished provinces. In those which possessed
mines, each individual, above the age of fourteen years,
was obliged to render, every three months, the measure
of a Flemish hawk's bell of gold dust.* The caciques
had to pay a much larger amount for their personal trib-
* Equal in value to fifteen dollars of the present time.
OF COLUMBUS. 151
ute. Manicaotex, the brother of Caonabo, rendered in,
every three months, half a calabash of gold. In those
provinces which produced no gold, each individual was
obliged to furnish twenty-five pounds of cotton every three
months. A copper medal, suspended about the neck,
was a proof that an Indian had paid his tribute; any one
found without such a certificate was liable to arrest and
punishment. Various fortresses were erected in the
most important places, so as to keep the Indians in com-
plete subjection.
In this way the yoke of servitude was fixed upon the
island, and its thraldom completely insured. Deep
despair now fell upon the natives, for they found a per-
petual task inflicted upon them, enforced at stated and
frequently recurring periods. Weak and indolent by
nature, and brought up in the untasked idleness of their
soft climate, and their fruitful groves, death itself seemed
preferable to a life of toil and anxiety. They saw no
end to this harassing evil, which had so suddenly fallen
upon them; no prospect of return to that roving indepen-
dence and ample leisure, so dear to the wild inhabitant
of the forest. The pleasant life of the island was at an
end; — the dream in the shade by day; the slumber, dur-
ing the sultry noontide heat, by the fountain or the
stream, or under the spreading palm tree; and the song,
the dance, and the game in the mellow evening, when
summoned to their simple amusements by the rude Indian
drum. Or, if they occasionally indulged in a national
dance after a day of painful toil, the ballads to which they
kept time were of a melancholy and plaintive character.
They spoke of the times that were past, before the white
men had introduced sorrow, and slavery, and weary
labor among them; and they rehearsed prophecies pre-
tended to be handed down from their ancestors, fore-
telling that strangers should come into their island, clothed
in apparel, with swords capable of cleaving a man asunder
at a blow, under whose yoke their race should be sub-
dued and pass away. These ballads, or areytos, they
sang with mournful tunes and doleful voices, bewailing
the loss of their liberty and their painful servitude.
152 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
They had flattered themselves, for a time, that the
visit of the strangers would be but temporary, and that,
spreading their ample sails, their ships would soon waft
them back to their home in the sky. In their simplicity
they had repeatedly inquired of the Spaniards vvhen they
intended to return to Turey, or the heavens. All such
hope was now at an end; and, finding how vain was
every attempt to deliver themselves from their invaders
by warlike means, they now resorted to a forlorn and
desperate alternative. Knowing that the Spaniards de-
pended, in a great measure, for subsistence on the sup-
phes which they furnished them, they endeavored to
produce a fainine. For this purpose, they destroyed
their fields of maize, stripped the trees of their fruit,
pulled up the yuca and other roots, and then fled to the
mountains.
The Spaniards were indeed reduced to much distress,
but were partially relieved by supplies from Spain.
They pursued the natives to their mountain retreats,
hunting them from one dreary fastness to another, until
thousands perished in dens and caverns of famine and
sickness, and the survivors, yielding themselves up in
despair, submitted humbly to the yoke. So deep an awe
did they conceive of their conquerors, that it is said a
Spaniard might go singly and securely all over the island,
and the natives would even transport him from place to
place on their shoulders.
Before passing on to other events, it may be proper
here to notice the fate of Guacanagari, as he makes no
further appearance in the course of this history. His
friendship for the Spaniards severed him from his coun-
trymen, but it did not exonerate him from the general
woes of the island. At a time when Columbus was
absent, the Spaniards exacted a tribute from him, which
his people, with the common repugnance to labor, found
it difficult and distressing to pay. Unable to bear the
murmurs of his subjects, the hostilities of his fellow
caciques, the extortions of his ungrateful allies, and the
sight of the various miseries which he felt as if he had
OF COLUMBUS. 153
invoked upon his race, he retired to the mountains, where
it is said lie died obscurely and in misery.
An attempt has been made by a Spanish historian to
defame the character of this Indian prince; but it is not
for Spaniards to excuse their own ingratitude by casting
a stigma upon his name. He appears to have always
manifested towards them that true friendship which shines
brightest in the dark days of adversity. He might have
played a nobler part, in making a stand, with his brother
caciques, to drive those intruders from his native soil;
but he appears to have been blinded by his admiration
of them, and his personal attachment to Columbus.
He was bountiful, hospitable, affectionate, and kind-
hearted; competent to rule a gentle and unwarlike people
in the happier days of the island, but unfitted, through
the mildness of his nature, for the stern turmoil which
followed the arrival of the white men.
CHAPTER XXVII.
Jlrrival of the Commissioner Aguado. — Discovery of the
Gold Mines of Hayna. [1495.]
While Columbus was endeavoring to remedy the
evils produced by the misconduct of Margarite and his
followers, that recreant commander, and his politic coad-
jutor Friar Boyle, were busily undermining his reputa-
tion in the court of Spain. They accused him of deceiving
the sovereigns and the public by extravagant descriptions
of the countries he had discovered; and of tyranny and
oppression towards the colonists, compelling excessive
labor during a time of sickness and debility; inflicting
severe punishments for the most trifling offence, and
heaping indignities on Spanish gentlemen of rank. They
said nothing however, of the exigencies which had called
for unusual labor; nor of the idleness and profligacy of
154 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
the commonalty, which called for coercion and chas-
tisement; nor of the contumacy and cabals of the cava-
liers, who had been treated with indulgence rather than
severity. These representations, being supported by
many factious and discontented idlers who had returned
from the colony, and enforced by people of rank con-
nected with the cavaliers, had a baneful effect upon the
popularity of Columbus, and his favor with the sover-
eigns.
About this time a measure was adopted, which shows
the declining influence of the admiral. A proclamation
was made on the 10th of April, giving general permis-
sion to native-born subjects to settle in the island of
Hispaniola, and to go on private voyages of discovery
and traffic to the new world. They were to pay certain
proportions of their profits to the crown, and to be sub-
ject to certain regulations. The privilege of an eighth
part of the tonnage was likewise secured to Columbus, as
admiral; but he felt himself exceedingly aggrieved at this
permission being granted without his knowledge or con-
sent, considering it an infringement of his rights, and a
measure likely to disturb the course of regular discovery
by the licentious and predatory enterprises of reckless
adventurers.
The arrival of the ships commanded by Torres, bring-
ing accounts of the voyage along the southern coasts of
Cuba, supposed to be the continent of Asia, and speci-
mens of the gold, and the vegetable and animal produc-
tions of the country, counterbalanced in some degree
these unfavorable representations of Margarite and Boyle.
Still it was determined to send out a commissioner to
inquire into the alleged distress of the colony, and the
conduct of Columbus, and one Juan Aguado was ap-
pointed for the purpose. He had already been to
Hispaniola, and on returning had been strongly recom-
mended to royal favor by Columbus. In appointing a
person, therefore, for whom the admiral appeared to
have a regard, and who was under obligations to him, the
sovereigns thought, perhaps, to soften the harshness of
the measure.
OF COLUMBUS. 155
As to the five hundred slaves sent home in the ships
of Torres, Isabella ordered a consultation of pious theo-
logians to determine whether, having been taken in war-
fare, their sale as slaves would be justifiable in the sight
of God. Much difference of opinion arose among the
divines on this important question; whereupon the queen
decided it according to the dictates of her conscience
and her heart, and ordered that the Indians should be
taken back to their native country.
Juan de Aguado set sail from Spain towards the end
of August with four caravels freighted with supplies, and
Don Diego Columbus returned in this squadron to His-
paniola. Aguado was one of those weak men whose
heads are turned by the least elevation. Though under
obligations to Columbus, he forgot them all, and forgot
even the nature and extent of his own commission.
Finding Columbus absent in the interior of the island,
on his arrival, he acted as if the reins of government
had been transferred into his hands. He paid no respect
to Don Bartholemew, who had been placed in command
by his brother during his absence, but proclaiming his
letter of credence by sound of trumpet, he proceeded to
arrest various public officers, to call others to rigorous
account, and to invite every one, who had wrongs or
grievances to complain of, to come forward boldly and
make them known. He already regarded Columbus as
a criminal, and intimated, and perhaps thought, that he
was keeping at a distance through fear of his investiga-
tions. He even talked of setting off at the head of a
body of horse to arrest him. The whole community
was in confusion; the downfall of the family of Columbus
was considered as arrived, and some thought the admiral
would lose his head.
The news of the arrival and of the insolent conduct of
Aguado reached Columbus in the interior of the island,
and he immediately hastened to Isabella to give him a
meeting. As every one knew the lofty spirit of Colum-
bus, his high sense of his services, and his jealous mainte-
nance of his official dignity, a violent explosion was an-
ticipated at the impending interview. The natural heat
156 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
and impetuosity of Columbus, however, had been sub-
dued by a life of trials, and he had learnt to bring his
passions into subjection to his judgement; he had too true
an estimate of his own dignity to enter into a contest
with a shallow boaster like Aguado: above all, he had a
profound reverence for the authority of his sovereigns;
for, in his enthusiastic spirit, prone to deep feelings of
reverence, loyalty was inferior only to religion. He re-
ceived Aguado, therefore, with the most grave and punc-
tilious courtesy, ordered his letter of credence to be
again proclaimed by sound of trumpet, and assured him
of his readiness to acquiesce in whatever might be the
pleasure of his sovereigns.
The moderation of Columbus was regarded by many,
and by Aguado himself, as a proof of his loss of moral
courage. Every dastard spirit who had any lurking ill
will, any real or imaginary cause of complaint, now hast-
ened to give it utterance. It was a time of jubilee for
offenders : every culprit started up into an accuser: ever}^
one who by negligence or crime had incurred the whole-
some penalties of the laws was loud in his clamors of
oppression; and all the ills of the colony, however pro-
duced, were ascribed to the mal-administration of the
admiral.
Aguado listened to every accusation with ready cre-
dulity, and having collected information sufficient, as he
thought, to insure the ruin of the admiral and his brothers,
prepared to return to Spain. Columbus resolved to do
the same; for he felt that it was time to appear at court,
to vindicate his conduct from the misrepresentations of
his enemies, and to explain the causes of the distresses
of the colony, and of the disappointments with respect
to revenue, which he feared might discourage the prose-
cution of his discoveries.
When the ships were ready to depart, a terrible storm
swept the island; it was one of those awful whirlwinds
which occasionally rage within the tropics, and which
were called ' Uricans' by the Indians, a name which
they still retain. Three of the ships at anchor in the
harbor were sunk by it, with all who were on board;
OF COLUMBUS. 157
Others were dashed against each other, and driven mere
wrecks upon the shore. The Indians were overwhelmed
with astonishment and dismay, for never in their memory,
or in the traditions of their ancestors, had they known so
tremendous a storm. They beheved that the Deity had
sent it in punishment of the cruehies and crimes of the
white men, and declared that this people moved the very
air, the water, and the earth to disturb their tranquil life,
and to desolate their island.
The departure of Columbus, and of Aguado, was de-
layed until one of the shattered vessels, the Nina, could
be repaired, and another constructed out of the fragments
of the wrecks. In the mean time, information was re-
ceived of rich mines in the interior of the island. A
young Arragonian, named Miguel Diaz, in the service
of the adelantado, having wounded a companion in a
quarrel, fled from the settlement, accompanied by five
or six comrades, who had either been engaged in the
affray, or were personally attached to him. Wandering
about the island, they at length came to an Indian village,
on the banks of the Ozema, where the city of San Do-
mingo is at present situated; they were received with
kindness by the natives, and resided for some time among
them. The village was governed by a female cacique,
who soon conceived a strong affection for the young Ar-
ragonian. A connexion was formed between them, and
they lived for some time very happily together. At
length the remembrance of his country and his friends
began to haunt the mind of the Spaniard; he longed to
return to the settlement, but dreaded the austere justice
of the adelantado. His Indian bride, observing him fre-
quently lost in gloomy thought, drew from him the cause
of his melancholy. Fearful that he would abandon her,
and knowing the influence of gold over the white men,
she informed him of certain rich mines in the neighbor-
hood, and urged him to persuade his countrymen to aban-
don Isabella, and remove to that part of the island, to
the fertile banks of the Ozema, promising that they should
be hospitably received by her nation.
Diaz was rejoiced at this intelligence, and hastened
14 I.
158 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
with it to the settlement, flattering himself that it would
make his peace with the adelantado. He was not mis-
taken. No tidings could have come more opportunely,
for, if true, they would furnish the admiral with the most
effectual means of silencing the cavils of his enemies.
The adelantado immediately set out in company with
Diaz and his Indian guides. He was conducted to the
banks of a river called the Hayna, where he found gold
in greater quantities and larger particles than even in the
rich province of Cibao, and observed several excavations,
where it appeared as if mines had been worked in ancient
times. Columbus was overjoyed at the sight of these
specimens, brought back by the adelantado, and was
surprised to hear of the excavations, as the Indians pos-
sessed no knowledge of mining, and merely picked up
the gold from the surface of the soil, or the beds of the
rivers. The circumstance gave rise to one of his usual
veins of visionary speculation. He had already surmised
that Hispaniola might be the ancient Ophir; he now fan-
cied he had discovered the identical mines from whence
King Solomon had procured his great supplies of gold
for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. He gave
orders that a fortress should be immediately erected in
the vicinity of the mines, and that they should be dili-
gently worked; and he now looked forward with confi-
dence to his return to Spain, the bearer of such golden
tidings.
It may not be uninteresting to mention that Miguel
Diaz remained faithful to his Indian bride, who was bap-
tized by the name of Catalina. They were regularly
married and had two children.
OF COLUMBUS. 169
CHAPTER XXVIII.
Return of Columbus to Spain. — Preparations for a third
Voyage. [1496.]
The new caravel, the Santa Cruz, being finished, and
the Nina repaired, Columbus gave the command of the
island during his absence to his brother, Don Bartholo-
mew, with the title of adelantado. He then embarked
on board of one of the caravels, and Aguado in the oth-
er. The vessels were crowded with two hundred and
twenty-five passengers, the sick, the idle, the profligate
and factious of the colony. Never did a more misera-
ble and disappointed crew return from a land of promise.
There were thirty Indians also on board, and among
them the once redoubtable Caonabo, together with one
of his brothers, and a nephew. The admiral had prom-
ised to restore them to their country and their power,
after having presented them to the sovereigns ; trusting
by kind treatment, and a display of the wonders of
Spain, to conquer their hostility, and convert them into
important instruments for the quiet subjugation of the
island.
Being as yet but little experienced in the navigation
of these seas, Columbus, instead of working up to the
northward, so as to fall in with the tract of westerly
winds, took an easterly course on leaving the island.
His voyage, in consequence, became a toilsome and te-
dious struggle against the trade winds and calms which
prevail between the tropics. Though he sailed on the
10th of March, yet on the 6th of April he was still in
the vicinity of the Caribbee Islands, and had to touch at
Guadaloupe to procure provisions. Here skirmishes
occurred with the fierce natives, both male and female;
for the women were perfect amazons, of large and pow-
erful frame and great agility. Several of the latter were
160 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
taken prisoners; they were naked, and wore their hair
loose and flowing upon their shoulders, though some
decorated their heads with tufts of feathers. Their
weapons were bows and arrows. Among them was the
wife of a cacique, a woman of a proud and resolute spir-
it. On the approach of the Spaniards she had fled with
an agility that soon distanced all pursuers, excepting a
native of the Canary Islands, noted for sv/iftness of foot.
She would have escaped even from him, but perceiving
that he was alone, and far from his companions, she
suddenly turned upon him, seized him by the throat, and
would have strangled him, had not the Spaniards arrived
and taken her, entangled like a hawk with her prey.
When Columbus departed from the island, he dismiss-
ed all the prisoners with presents. The female cacique
alone refused to go on shore. She had conceived a
passion for Caonabo, having found out that he was a
Carib, and she had been won by the story, gathered
from the other Indians, of his great valor and his misfor-
tunes. In the course of the voyage, however, the unfor-
tunate Caonabo expired. He maintained his haughty
nature to the last, for his death is principally ascribed to
the morbid melancholy of a proud but broken spirit.
His fate furnishes, on a narrow scale, a picture of the fal-
lacy of human greatness. When the Spaniards first
arrived on the coast of Hayti, their imaginations were
inflamed with rumors of a magnificent prince among the
mountains, the lord of the golden house, the sovereign
of the mines of Cibao; but a short time had elapsed, and
he was a naked and moody prisoner on the deck of one
of their caravels, with none but one of his own wild na-
tive heroines to sympathize in his misfortunes. All his
importance vanished with his freedom; scarce any men-
tion is made of him during his captivity; and with innate
qualities of a high and heroic nature, he perished with
the obscurity of one of the vulgar.
Columbus left Guadalou{)e on the 20th of April, still
working his way against the whole current of the trade
winds. By the 20th of May but a portion of the voyage
was performed, yet the provisions were so much exhaust-
OF COLUMBUS. 161
ed that every one was put on an allowance of six ounces
of bread, and a pint and a half of water. By the begin-
ning of June there was an absolute famine on board of
the ships, and some proposed that they should kill and
eat their Indian prisoners, or throw them into the sea as
so many useless mouths. Nothing but the absolute
authority of Columbus prevented this last counsel from
being adopted. He represented that the Indians were
their fellow-beings, some of them Christians like them-
selves, and all entitled to similar treatment. He exhort-
ed them to a little patience, assuring them they would
soon make land, as, according to his reckoning, they
could not be far from Cape St. Vincent. They scoffed
at his words, for they beheved themselves as yet far from
their desired haven. The next morning, however, proved
the correctness of his calculations, for they made the
very land he had predicted.
On the 1 1 th of June the vessels anchored in the bay
of Cadiz. The populace crowded to witness the landing
of the gay and bold adventurers, who had sailed from this
very port animated by the most sanguine expectations.
Instead, however, of a joyous crew, bounding on shore,
Hushed with success, and rich with the spoils of the
golden Indies, a feeble train of wretched men crawled
forth, emaciated by the diseases of the colony and the
hardships of the voyage; who carried in their yellow
countenances, says an old writer, a mockery of that gold
which had been the object of their search; and who had
nothing to relate of the new world but tales of sickness,
poverty, and disappointment.
The appearance of Columbus himself was a kind of
comment on his fortunes. Either considering himself
in disgrace with the sovereigns, or having made some
penitential vow, he was clad in the habit of a Franciscan
monk, girded with a cord, and he had suffered his beard
to grow like the friars of that order. But however hum-
ble he might be in his own personal appearance, he
endeavored to keep alive the public interest in his dis-
coveries. On his way to Burgos to meet the sovereigns,
he made a studious display of the coronets, collars,
14*
162 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
bracelets and other ornaments of gold, which he had
brought from the new world. He carried with him,
also, several Indians, decorated with glittering orna-
ments, and among them the brother of Caonabo, on
whom he put a massive collar and chain of gold, weigh-
ing six hundred castillanos,* as being cacique of the
golden country of Cibao.
The reception of Columbus by the sovereigns was
different from what he had anticipated, for he was treated
with distinguished favor ; nor was any mention made
either of the complaints of Margarite and Boyle, or the
judicial inquiries conducted by Aguado. However these
may have had a transient effect upon the minds of the
sovereigns, they were too conscious of his great deserts,
and of the extraordinary dilBculties of his situation, not
to tolerate what they may have considered errors on his
part.
Encouraged by the interest with which the sovereigns
listened to his account of his recent voyage along the
coast of Cuba, bordering, as he supposed, on the rich
territories of the Grand Khan, and of his discovery of
the mines of Hayna, which he failed not to represent as
the Ophir of the ancients, Columbus now proposed a
further enterprise, by which he promised to make yet
more extensive discoveries, and to annex a vast and
unappropriated portion of the continent of Asia to their
dominions. All he asked was eight ships, two to be
despatched to Hispaniola with supplies, the remaining
six to be put under his command for the voyage.
The sovereigns readily promised to comply with his
request, and were probably sincere in their intentions to
do so; but in the performance of their promise Colum-
bus was doomed to meet with intolerable delay. The
resources of Spain at this moment were tasked to the
utmost by the ambition of Ferdinand, who lavished all
his revenues in warlike enterprises. While maintaining
a contest of deep and artful policy with France, with the
ultimate aim of grasping the sceptre of Naples, he was
* Equivalent to 3195 dollars of the present time.
OF COLUMBUS. 163
laying the foundation of a wide and powerful connexion,
by the marriages of the royal children, who were now
maturing in years. At this time rose that family alliance
which afterwards consolidated such an immense empire
under his grandson and successor, Charles the Fifth.
These widely extended operations both of war and
amity put all the land and naval forces into requisition,
drained the royal treasury, and engrossed the time and
thoughts of the sovereigns. It was not until the spring
of 1497, that Isabella could find leisure to enter fully
into the concerns of the new world. She then took
them up with a spirit that showed she was determined to
place them upon a substantial foundation, as well as
clearly to define the powers and reward the services of
Columbus. To her protecting zeal all the provisions in
favor of tlie latter must be attributed, for the king began
to look coldly on him, and Fonseca, who had most influ-
ence in the affairs of the Indies, was his implacable ene-
my. As the expenses of the expeditions had hitherto
exceeded the returns, Columbus was reheved of his eighth
part of the cost of the past enterprises and allowed an
eighth part of the gross proceeds for the next three years,
and a tenth of the net profits. He was allowed also to
establish a mayorazgo, or entailed estate, in his family,
of which he immediately availed himself, devising his
estates to his male descendants, with the express charge
that his successor should never use any other title in
signature than simply 'The Admiral.' As he had felt
aggrieved by the royal license for general discovery,
granted in 1495, it was annulled as far as it might be
prejudicial to his interests, or to the previous grants made
him by the crown. The titles and prerogatives of ade-
Inntado were likewise conferred upon Don Bartholomew,
though the king had at first been displeased with Colum-
bus for investing his brother with dignities which were
only in the gift of the sovereign.
While all these measures were taken for the immedi-
ate gratification of Columbus, others were adopted for
the good of the colony. The precise number of persons
was fixed, who were to be sent to Hispaniola, among
164 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
whom were several females ; and regulations were made
for their payment and support, and for the distribution
of lands among them to be diligently cultivated. The
greatest care was enjoined hkewise by Isabella in the
religious instruction of the natives, and the utmost lenity
in collecting the tributes imposed upon them. With
respect to the government of the colony, also, it was
generally recommended that, whenever the public safety
did not require stern measures, there should be manifest-
ed a disposition to indulgent and easy rule.
When every intention was thus shown on the part of
the crown to despatch the expedition, unexpected diffi-
culties arose on the part of the public. The charm was
dispelled which, in the preceding voyage, had made
every adventurer crowd into the service of Columbus ;
the new-found world, instead of a region of wealth and
enjoyment, was now considered a land of poverty and
disaster. To supply the want of voluntary recruits,
therefore, Columbus proposed to transport to Hispaniola,
for a limited term of years, all criminals condemned to
banishment or the galleys, excepting such as had com-
mitted crimes of an atrocious nature. This pernicious
measure shows the desperate alternative to which he
was reduced by the reaction of public sentiment. It
proved a fruitful source of misery and disaster to the
colony; and having frequently been adopted by various
nations, whose superior experience should have taught
them better, has proved the bane of many a rising set-
tlement.
Notwithstanding all these expedients, and the urgent
representations of Columbus, of the sufferings to which
the colony must be reduced for want of supplies, it was
not until the beginning of 1498, that the two ships were
despatched to Hispaniola, under the command of Pedro
Fernandez Coronal. A still further delay occurred in
fitting out the six ships that were to bear Columbus on
his voyage of discovery. His cold-blooded enemy Fon-
seca, who was now bishop of Badajoz, having the super-
intendence of Indian affairs, was enabled to impede and
retard all his plans. The various officers and agents
OF COLUMBUS. 165
employed in the concerns of the armament were most of
them dependents and minions of the bishop, and sought
to gratify him, by throwing all kinds of difficulties in the
way of Columbus, treating him with that arrogance which
petty and ignoble men in place are prone to exercise,
when they think they can do so with impunity. So
wearied and disheartened did he become by these delays,
and by the prejudices of the fickle public, that he at one
time thought of abandoning his discoveries altogether.
The insolence of these worthless men harassed him to
the last moment of his sojourn in Spain, and followed him
to the water's edge. One of the most noisy and presum-
ing was one Ximeno de Breviesca, treasurer of Fonseca,
a converted Jew or Moor, and a man of impudent front
and unbridled tongue, who, echoing the sentiment of his
patron the bishop, had been loud in his abuse of the ad-
miral and his enterprises.
At the very time that Columbus was on the point of
embarking, he was assailed by the insolence of this Xi-
meno. Forgetting, in the hurry and indignation of the
moment, his usual self-command, he struck the despica-
ble minion to the earth, and spurned him with his foot,
venting in this unguarded paroxysm the accumulated
griefs and vexations which had long rankled in his heart.
This transport of passion, so unusual in his well-governed
temper, was artfully made use of by Fonseca, and others
of his enemies, to injure him in the royal favor. The
personal castigation of a public officer was represented as
a flagrant instance of his vindictive temper, and a cor-
roboration of the charges of cruelty and oppression sent
home from the colony; and we are assured that certain
humiliating measures, shortly afterwards adopted towards
him, were in consequence of the effisct produced upon
the sovereigns by these misrepresentations. Columbus
himself deeply regretted his indiscretion, and foresaw the
invidious use that would be made of it. It would be
difficult to make, with equal brevity, a more direct and
affecting appeal than that contained in one of his letters,
wherein he alludes to this affair. He entreats the sover-
eigns not to let it be wrested to his injury in their opin-
166 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
ion; but to remember, when any thing should be said to
his disparagement, that he was "absent, envied, and a
stranger."
CHAPTER XXIX.
Discovery of Trinidad and the Coast of Paria. — Arrival
at San Domingo. [1498.]
On the 30th of May, 1498, Columbus set sail from the
port of San Lucar de Barrameda, with a squadron of six
vessels, on his third voyage of discovery. From various
considerations, he was induced to take a different route
from that pursued in his former expeditions. He had
been assured by persons who had traded to the East, that
the rarest objects of commerce, such as gold, precious
stones, drugs, and spices, were chiefly to be found in the
regions about the equator, where the inhabitants were
black or darkly colored; and that, until he arrived among
people of such complexions, it was not probable he would
find those articles in great abundance.
Columbus expected to find such people more to the
south and southeast. He recollected that the natives
of Hispaniola had spoken of black men who had once
come to their island from the south, the heads of whose
javelins were of guanin, or adulterated gold. The na-
tives of the Caribbee Islands, also, had informed him that
a great tract of the main land lay to the south; and in his
preceding voyage he had remarked that Cuba, which he
supposed to be the continent of Asia, swept off in that
direction. He proposed, therefore, to take his departure
from the Cape de Verde Islands, sailing to the southwest
until he should come under the equinoctial line, then to
steer directly westward, with the favor of the trade
winds.
Having touched at the islands of Porto Santo and Ma-
OF COLUMBUS. 167
deira, to take in wood and water, he continued his course
to the Canary Islands, from whence he despatched three
of his ships direct for Hispaniola, with suppHes for the
colony. With the remaining three he prosecuted his
voyage towards the Cape de Verde Islands. The ship
in which he sailed was decked, the other two were mer-
chant caravels. As he advanced within the tropics, the
change of climate, and the close and sultry weather,
brought on a severe attack of the gout, accompanied by
a violent fever; but he still enjoyed the full possession of
his faculties, and continued to keep his reckoning and
make his observations with his usual vigilance and minute-
ness.
On the 5th of July, he took his departure from the
Cape de Verde Islands, and steered to the southwest
until he arrived, according to his observations, in the fifth
degree of north latitude. Here the wind suddenly fell,
and a dead, sultry cahn succeeded. The air was like a
furnace, the tar melted from the sides of the ships, the
seams yawned, the salt meat became putrid, the wheat
was parched as if with fire, some of the wine and water
casks burst, and the heat in the holds of the vessels was
so suffocating that no one could remain below to prevent
the damage that was taking place among the sea stores.
The mariners lost all strength and spirits. It seemed as
if the old fable of the torrid zone was about to be realized,
and that they were approaching a fiery region, where
it would be impossible to exist. It is true, the heavens
became overcast, and there were drizzling showers, but
the atmosphere was close and stifling, and there was that
combination of heat and moisture which relaxes all the
energies of the human frame.
A continuation of this weather, together with the re-
monstrances of his crew, and his extreme suffering from
the gout, ultimately induced him to alter his route, and
stand to the northwest, in hopes of falling in with the
Caribbee Islands, where he might repair his ships, and
obtain water and provisions. After sailing some distance
in this direction, through an ordeal of heats and calms,
and murky, stifling atmosphere, the ships all at once
168 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
emerged into a genial region; a pleasant, cooling breeze
played over the sea, and gently filled their sails; the sky
became serene and clear, and the sun shone forth with all
its splendor, but no longer with a burning heat.
On the 31st of July, when there was not above a cask
of water remaining in each ship, a mariner, named Alon-
zo Perez, descried, from the mast-head, three mountains
rising above the horizon. As the ships drew nearer,
these mountains proved to be united at the base. Co-
lumbus, therefore, from a religious association of ideas,
gave this island the name of La Trinidad, which it con-
tinues to bear at the present day.
Shaping his course for this island, he approached its
eastern extremity, to which he gave the name of Punta
de Galera, from a rock in the sea which resembled a gal-
ley under sail. He then coasted along the southern
shore, between Trinidad and the main land, which he
beheld on the south, stretching to the distance of more
than twenty leagues. It was that low tract of coast inter-
sected by the numerous branches of the Orinoco; but the
admiral, supposing it to be an island, gave it the name of
La Isla Santa; little imagining that he now, for the first
time, beheld that continent, that Terra Firma, which had
been the object of his earnest search.
He was for several days coasting the island of Trini-
dad, and exploring the great gulf of Paria, which lies
behind it, fancying himself among islands, and that he
must find a passage to the open ocean by keeping to the
bottom of the gulf. During this time, he was nearly
swept from his anchors and thrown on shore by a sudden
rush and swell of the sea, near Point Arenal, between
Trinidad and the main land, caused, as is supposed, by
the swelling of one of the rivers which flow into the gulf.
He landed on the inside of the long promontory of Pa-
ria, which he mistook for an island, and had various inter-
views with the natives, from whom he procured great
quantities of pearls, many of a fine size and quality.
There were several phenomena that surprised and
perplexed Columbus in the course of his voyage along
this coast, and which gave rise to speculations, some in-
OF COLUMBUS. 169
genious and others fanciful. He was astonished at the
vast body of fresh water continually flowing into the gulf
of Paria, so as apparently to sweeten the whole surround-
ing sea, and at the constant current which set through it,
which he supposed to be produced by some great river.
He remarked, with wondering, also, the diflerence be-
tween the climate, vegetation, and people of these coasts,
and those of the same parallel in Africa. There the heat
was insupportable, and the land parched and sterile, the
inhabitants were black, with crisped wool, ill shapen, and
of dull and brutal natures. Here, on the contrary, al-
though the sun was in Leo, he found the noontide heat
moderate, the mornings and evenings fresh and cool, the
country green and fruitful, covered with beautiful forests,
and watered by innumerable streams and fountains; the
people fairer than even those in the lands he had discov-
ered further north, with long hair, well proportioned, and
graceful forms, lively minds, and courageous spirits. In
respect to the vast body of fresh water, he made one of
his simple and great conclusions. Such a mighty stream
could not be produced by an island; it must be the out-
pouring of a continent. He now supposed, that the va-
rious tracts of land which he had beheld about the gulf,
were connected together, and continued to an immense
distance to the south, far beyond the equator, into that
hemisphere hitherto unknown to civilized man. As to
the rnild temperature of the climate, the fresh verdure of
the country, and the comparative fairness of the inhabi-
tants, in a parallel so near to the equator, he attributed
it to the superior elevation of this part of the globe; for,
from a variety of circumstances, ingeniously but errone-
ously reasoned upon, he inferred, that philosophers had
been mistaken in the form of the earth, which, instead of
being a perfect sphere, he now concluded to be shaped
like a pear, one part more elevated than the rest, rising
into the purer regions of the air, above the heats, and
frosts, and storms of the lower parts of the earth. He
imagined this apex to be situated about the equinoctial
line, in the interior of this vast continent, which he con-
sidered the extremity of the East; that on this summit,
15 I.
170 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
as it were, of the earth, was situated the terrestrial para-
dise; and that the vast stream of fresh water, which
poured into the gulf of Paria, issued from the fountain
of the tree of hfe, in the midst of the garden of Eden.
Extravagant as this speculation may seem at the present
day, it was grounded on the writings of the most sage and
learned men of those times, among whom the situation of
the terrestrial paradise had long been a subject of dis-
cussion and controversy, and by several of whom it was
supposed to be on a vast mountain, in the remote parts
of the East.
The mind of Columbus was so possessed by these
theories, and he was so encouraged by the quantities of
pearls which he had met with, for the first time in the
new world, that he would gladly have followed up his
discovery, not doubting but that the country would in-
crease in the value of its productions as he approached
the equator. The sea stores of his ships, however, were
almost exhausted, and the various supplies with which
they were freighted for the colony, were in danger of
spoiling. He was suffering, also, extremely in his health.
Besides the gout, which had rendered him a cripple for
the greater part of the voyage, he was afflicted by a com-
plaint in his eyes, caused by fatigue and overwatching,
which almost deprived him of sight. He determined,
therefore, to hasten to Hispaniola, intending to repose
there from his fatigues, and recruit his health, while he
should send his brother, the adelantado, to complete this
important discovery.
On the 14th of August, therefore, he left the gulf, by
a narrow strait between the promontory of Paria and the
island of Trinidad. This strait is beset with small
islands, and the current which sets through the gulf is
so compressed between them as to cause a turbulent sea,
with great foaming and roaring, as if rushing over rocks
and shoals. The admiral conceived himself in imminent
danger of shipwreck when passing through this strait,
and gave it the name of La Boca del Drago, or the
Mouth of the Dragon. After reconnoitering the coast
to the westward, as far as the islands of Cubaga and
OF COLUMBUS. 171
Margarita, and convincing himself of its being a conti-
nent, he bore away for Hispaniola, for the river Ozema,
where he expected to find a new settlement, which he
had instiTicted his brother to form in the neighborhood
of the mines. He was borne far to the westward by the
currents, but at length reached his desired haven, where
he arrived, haggard, emaciated, and almost blind, and
was received with open arms by the adelantado. The
brothers were strongly attached to each other ; Don
Bartholomew had a great deference for the brilliant genius,
the enlarged mind, and the commanding reputation of
his brother; while the latter placed great reliance, in
times of difficulty, on the worldly knowledge, the inde-
fatigable activity, and the lion-hearted courage of the
adelantado. They had both, during their long separation,
experienced the need of each other's sympathy and sup-
port.
CHAPTER XXX.
^Administration of the Adelantado.
Columbus had anticipated a temporary repose from
his toils on arriving at Hispaniola; but a new scene of
trouble and anxiety opened upon him. Which was des-
tined to affect all his future fortunes. To explain this, it
is necessary to state the occurrences of the island during
his long detention in Spain.
When he sailed for Europe in March, 1496, his broth-
er, Don Bartholomew, immediately proceeded to execute
his instructions with respect to the gold mines of Hayna.
He built a fortress in the neighborhood, which he named
St. Christoval, and another fortress not far off, on the
eastern bank of the Ozema, in the vicinity of the village
inhabited by the female cacique who had first given intelli-
gence of the mines to Miguel Diaz. This fortress was
172 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
called San Domingo, and was the origin of the city which
still bears that name.
Having garrisoned these fortresses, and made arrange-
ments for working the mines, the indefatigable adelan-
tado set out to visit the dominions of Behechio, which
had not as yet been reduced to obedience. This cacique,
as has been mentioned, reigned over Xaragua, a province
comprising almost the whole of the west end of the
island, including Cape Tiburon. It was one of the most
populous and fertile districts. The inhabitants were
finely formed, had a noble air, a more agreeable elocu-
tion, and more soft and graceful manners, than the natives
of the other part of the island. The Indians of Hayti
generally placed their elysium, or paradise of happy spirits,
in the delightful valleys that bordered the great lake of
Xaragua.
With Behechio resided his sister Anacaona, wife of
the late formidable Caonabo, one of the most beautiful
females in the island, of great natural grace and dignity,
and superior intelligence; her name in the Indian language
signified Golden Flower. She had taken refuge with
her brother, after the capture and ruin of her husband,
but appears never to have entertained any vindictive
feelings against the Spaniards, whom she regarded with
great admiration as almost superhuman beings. On the
contrary, she counselled her brother, over whom she had
great influence, to take warning by the fate of her husband,
and to conciliate their friendship.
Don Bartholomew entered the province of Xaragua at
the head of an armed band, putting his cavalry in the
advance, and marching with banners displayed, and the
sound of drum and trumpet. Behechio met him with a
numerous force, but being assured that he came merely
on a friendly visit, he dismissed his army, and conducted
the adelantado to his residence in a large town, near the
deep bay called at present the bight of Leagon.
As they approached, thirty young females, of the ca-
cique's household, beautifully formed, came forth to meet
them, waving palm branches, and dancing and singing
their areytos or traditionary ballads. When they came
OF COLUMBUS. 173
before Don Bartholomew, they knelt and laid their
palm branches at his feet. After these came the beau-
tiful Anacaona, reclining on a litter, borne by six In-
dians. She was lightly clad in a robe of various col-
ored cotton, with a fragrant garland of red and white
flowers round her head, and wreaths of the same round
her neck and arms. She received the adelantado with
that natural grace and courtesy for which she was cele-
brated.
For several days Don Bartholomew remained in Xara-
gua, entertained by the cacique and his sister with ban-
quets, national games, and dances, and other festivities;
then having arranged for a periodical tribute to be paid
in cotton, hemp, and cassava bread, the productions of
the surrounding country, he took a friendly leave of his
hospitable entertainers, and set out with his little army for
Isabella.
He found the settlement in a sickly state, and suffering
from a scarcity of provisions; he distributed, therefore,
all that were too feeble to labor or bear arms into the
interior, where they might have better air and more abun-
dant food; and at the same time he established a chain
of fortresses between Isabella and San Domingo. Insur-
rections broke out among the natives of the vega, caused
by their impatience of tribute, by the outrages of some
of the Spaniards, and by a severe punishment inflicted
on certain Indians for the alleged violation of a chapel.
Guarionex, a man naturally moderate and pacific, was
persuaded by his brother caciques to take up arms, and a
combination was formed among them to rise suddenly
upon the Spaniards, massacre them, and destroy Fort
Conception, which was situated in the vega. By some
means the garrison received intimation of the conspiracy.
They immediately wrote a letter to the adelantado,
imploring prompt assistance. How to convey the letter
in safety was an anxious question, for the natives had
discovered that these letters had a wonderful powder of
communicating intelligence, and fancied that they could
talk. An Indian undertook to be the bearer of it. He
enclosed it in a staff, and set out on his journey. Being
15*
174 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
intercepted, he pretended to be dumb and lame, leaning
upon his staff for support. He was suffered to depart,
and limped forward until out of sight, when he resumed
his speed, and bore the letter safely and expeditiously to
San Domingo.
The adelantado, with his accustomed promptness, set
out with a body of troops for the fortress. By a rapid
and well-concerted stratagem, he surprised the leaders in
the night, in a village in which they were sleeping, and
carried them all off captive, seizing upon Guarionex with
his own hand. He completed his enterprise with spirit,
sagacity, and moderation. Informing himself of the
particulars of the conspiracy, he punished two caciques,
the principal movers of it, with death, and pardoned all
the rest. Finding, moreover, that Guarionex had been
chiefly incited to hostility by an outrage committed by a
Spaniard on his favorite wife, he inflicted punishment on
the offender. The heart of Guarionex was subdued by
the unexpected clemency of the adelantado, and he made
a speech to his subjects in praise of the Spaniards. They
listened to him with attention, and when he had concluded,
bore him off on their shoulders with songs and shouts of
joy, and for some time the tranquiUity of the vega was
restored.
About this time, receiving information from Behechio,
cacique of Xaragua, that his tribute in cotton and provis-
ions was ready for delivery, the adelantado marched there,
at the head of his forces, to receive it. So large a quan-
tity of cotton and cassava bread was collected together,
that Don Bartholomew had to send to the settlement of
Isabella for a caravel to be freighted with it. In the
mean-time, the utmost kindness was lavished upon their
guests by these gentle and generous people. The troubles
which distracted the other parts of devoted Hayti had not
yet reached this pleasant region; and when the Spaniards
regarded the fertility and sweetness of the country, bor-
dering on a tranquil sea, the kindness of the inhabitants,
and the beauty of the women, they pronounced it a per-
fect paradise.
When the caravel arrived on the coast, it was regard-
OF COLUMBUS. 175
ed by Anacaona and her brother with awe and wonder.
Behechio visited it with his canoes; but his sister, with
her female attendants, were conveyed on board in the
boat of the adelantado. As they approached, the cara-
vel fired a salute. At the sound of the cannon, and the
sight of volumes of smoke, bursting from the side of the
ship and rolling along the sea, Anacaona, overcome with
dismay, fell into the arms of the adelantado, and her
attendants would have leaped overboard, but were reas-
sured by the cheerful words of Don Bartholemew. As
they drew nearer the vessel, several instruments of mar-
tial music struck up, with which they were greatly de-
lighted. Their admiration increased, on entering on
board; but when the anchor was weighed, the sails filled
by a gentle breeze, and they beheld this vast mass veer-
ing from side to side, apparently by its own will, and
playing like a huge monster on the deep, the brother and
sister remained gazing at each other in mute astonishment.
Nothing seems ever to have filled the mind of the savage
with more wonder than that beautiful triumph of human
ingenuity — a ship under sail.
While the adelantado was thus absent quelling insur-
rections, and making skilful arrangements for the pros-
perity of the colony, and the advantage of the crown, new
mischiefs were fermenting in the factious settlement of
Isabella. The prime mover was Francisco Roldan, a
man who had been raised by Columbus from poverty and
obscurity, and promoted from one office to another, until
he had appointed him alcalde mayor, or chief judge of
the island. He was an uneducated man, but of strong
natural talents, great assiduity, and intrepid impudence.
He had seen his benefactor return to Spain, apparently
under a cloud of disgrace, and, considering him a fallen
man, began to devise how he might profit by his downfall.
He was intrusted with an office inferior only to that of
the adelantado; the brothers of Columbus were highly
unpopular; he imagined it possible to ruin them, both
with the colonists and v/ith the government at home, and
by dexterous management to work his way into a com-
mand of the colony. For this purpose he mingled among
176 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
the common people, threw out suggestions that the admi-
ral was in disgrace, and would never return; railed at the
adelantado and Don Diego as foreigners, who took no
interest in their welfare, but used them merely as slaves
to build houses and fortresses for them, or to swell their
state, and secure their power, as they marched about the
island, enriching themselves with the spoils of the ca-
ciques. By these seditious insinuations, he exasperated
their feehngs to such a degree, that they at one time
formed a conspiracy to assassinate the adelantado, but
it was happily disconcerted by accident.
When the caravel returned from Xaragua, laden with
provisions, it was dismantled by order of Don Diego,
and drawn upon the beach. Roldan immediately seized
upon this circumstance to awaken new suspicions. He
said the true reason for dismantling the caravel was to
prevent any of the colonists returning in it to Spain, to
represent the oppressions under which they suffered. He
advised them to launch and take possession of the vessel,
as the only means of regaining their independence. They
might then throw off the tyranny of these upstart for-
eigners, and might lead a life of ease and quiet, employ-
ing the Indians as slaves, and enjoying unlimited indul-
gence with respect to the Indian women.
Don Diego was informed of these seditious movements,
but he was of a mild, pacific nature, and deficient in
energy. Fearing to come to an open rupture in the
mutinous state of the colony, he thought to divert Rol-
dan from his schemes by giving him distant and active
employment. He detached him suddenly, therefore,
with a small force, to overawe the Indians of the vega,
who had shown a disposition to revolt. Roldan made
use of this opportunity to organize an armed faction.
He soon got seventy well-armed and resolute men at his
command, disposed to go all desperate lengths with him,
and he made friends and partisans among the discontented
caciques, promising to free them from tribute. He now
threw off the mask, and openly set the adelantado and
his brother at defiance, as men who had no authority
from the crown, but were appointed by Columbus, who
OF COLUMBUS. 177
was himself in disgrace. He pretended always to act in
his official capacity, and to do every thing from loyal
motives, and every act of open rebellion was accompanied
with shouts of "Long live the king!" Having endeav-
ored repeatedly to launch the caravel, but in vain, he
broke open the royal stores, and supplied his followers
with arms, clothing, and provisions, and then marched
off to the vega, and attempted to surprise and get pos-
session of Fort Conception, but was happily foiled by
its commander, Miguel Ballester, a stanch old soldier,
both resolute and wary, who kept the enemy at bay until
succor should arrive.
The conspiracy had attained a formidable head during
the absence of the adelantado, several persons of conse-
quence having joined it, among whom was Adrian de
Moxica, and Diego de Escobar, the latter being alcayde
of the fortress of La Madalena. Don Bartholemew was
perplexed at first, and could not act with his usual vigor
and decision, not knowing in whom he could confide, or
how far the conspiracy had extended. On receiving
tidings, however, from Miguel Ballester, of the danger
of Fort Conception, he threw himself, with what forces
he could collect, into that fortress, and held a parley with
Roldan from one of the windows, ordering him to sur-
render his staff of office as alcalde mayor, and submit
peaceably to superior authority. All threats and remon-
strances, however, were vain; Roldan persisted in his
rebeUion. He represented the adelantado as the tyrant
of the Spaniards, the oppressor of the Indians; and
himself as the redresser of wrongs and champion of the
injured. He sought, by crafty emissaries, to corrupt the
garrison of Fort Conception, and seduce them to desert,
and laid plans to surprise and seize upon the adelantado,
should he leave the fortress.
The affairs of the island were now in a lamentable sit-
uation. The Indians, perceiving the dissensions among
the Spaniards, and encouraged by the protection of Rol-
dan, ceased to send in their tributes, and threw off alle-
giance to the government. Roldan's band daily gained
strength, and ranged insolently and at lai-ge about the
178 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
country; while the Spaniards who remained loyal, fearing
conspiracies among the natives, had to keep under shel-
ter of the forts. Munitions of all kinds were rapidly
wasting, and the spirits of the well-affected were sinking
into despondency. The adelantado himself remained shut
up in Fort Conception, doubtful of the fidelity of his own
garrison, and secretly informed of the plots to capture or
destroy him, should he venture abroad. Such was the
desperate state to which the colony was reduced by the
long detention of Columbus in Spain, and the impediments
thrown in the way of all his endeavors to send out sup-
plies and reenforcements. Fortunately, at this critical
juncture, the arrival of two ships, under command of Pe-
dro Hernandez Coronal, at the port of San Domingo,
with troops and provisions, strengthened the hands of
Don Bartholomew. The royal confirmation of his title
and authority of adelantado at once put an end to all
question of the legitimacy of his power, and secured the
fidelity of his soldiers; and the tidings that the admiral
was in high favor at court, and on the point of coming
out with a powerful squadron, struck consternation into
the rebels, who had presumed upon his having fallen into
disgrace.
The adelantado immediately hastened to San Domin-
go, nor was there any attempt made to molest him on
his march. When he found himself once more secure,
his magnanimity prevailed over his indignation, and he
sent Pedro Hernandez Coronal, to offer Roldan and his
band amnesty for all offences, on condition of instant
obedience. Roldan feared to venture into his power,
and determined to prevent the emissary from communi-
cating with his followers, lest they should be induced to
return to their allegiance. When Coronal approached
the encampment of the rebels, therefore, he was opposed
in a narrow pass by a body of archers with their cross-
bows levelled. "Halt there, traitor!" cried Roldan;
" had you arrived eight days later, we should all have
been united."
It was in vain that Coronal endeavored to win this
turbulent man from his career. He professed to oppose
OF COLUMBUS. 179
only the tyranny and misrule of the adelantado, but to be
ready to submit to the admiral on his arrival, and he and
his principal confederates wrote letters to that effect to
their friends in San Domingo.
When Coronal returned with accounts of Roldan's
contumacy, the adelantado proclaimed him and his fol-
lowers traitors. That shrewd rebel, however, did not
suffer his men to remain within the reach either of prom-
ise or menace. He proposed to them to march off, and
establish themselves in the remote province of Xaragua.
The Spaniards who had been there, had given the most
alluring accounts of the country and its inhabitants, and
above all of the beauty of the women, for they had been
captivated by the naked charms of the dancing nymphs
of Xaragua. In this delightful region, emancipated from
the iron rule of the adelantado, and relieved from the
necessity of irksome labor, they might lead a life of per-
fect freedom and indulgence, with a world of beauty at
their command. In short, Roldan drew a picture of
loose sensual enjoyment, such as he knew to be irresisti-
ble with men of idle and dissolute habits. His followers
acceded with joy to his proposition; so, putting himself
at their head, he marched away for Xaragua.
Scarcely had the rebels departed, when fresh insur-
rections broke out among the Indians of the vega. The
cacique Guarionex, moved by the instigations of Rol-
dan, and forgetful of his gratitude to Don Bartholomew,
entered into a new league to destroy the Spaniards, and
surprise Fort Conception. The plot exploded before
its time, and was defeated; and Guarionex, hearing that
the adelantado was on the march for the vega, fled to
the mountains of Ciguay, with his family, and a small
band of faithful followers. The inhabitants of these
mountains were the most robust and hardy tribe of the
island, and the same who had skirmished with the Span-
iards in the gulf of Samana, in the course of the first
voyage of Columbus. The reader may remember the
frank and confiding faith with which their cacique trusted
himself on board of the caravel of the admiral, the day
after the skirmish. It was to this same cacique, named
180 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
Mayonabex, that the fugitive chieftain of the vega apphed
for refuge, and he received a promise of protection.
Indignant at finding his former clemency of no avail,
the adelantado pursued Guarionex to the mountains, at
the head of ninety men, a few cavalry, and a body of
Indians. It was a rugged and difficult enterprise ; the
troops had to climb rocks, wade rivers, and make their
way through tangled forests, almost impervious to men
in armor, encumbered with targets, crossbows, and
lances. They were continually exposed, also, to the
ambushes of the Indians, who would rush forth with fu-
rious yells, discharge their weapons, and then take refuge
again among rocks and thickets, where it was in vain to
follow them. Don Bartholomew arrived, at length, in
the neighborhood of Cape Cabron, the residence of
Mayonabex, and sent a messenger, demanding the sur-
render of Guarionex, promising friendship in case of
compliance, but threatening to lay waste his territory
with fire and sword, in case of refusal. " Tell the Span-
iards," said the cacique, in reply, "that they are tyrants,
usurpers, and shedders of innocent blood, and I desire
not their friendship. Guarionex is a good man, and my
friend. He has fled to me for refuge; I have promised
him protection, and I will keep my word."
The cacique, in fact, adhered to his promise with
admirable faith. His villages were burnt, his territories
were ravaged, himself and his family driven to dens and
caves of the mountains, and his subjects assailed him
with clamors, urging him to give up the fugitive, who
was bringing such ruin upon their tribe. It was all in
vain. He was ready, he declared, to abide all evils,
rather than it should ever be said Mayonabex betrayed
his guest.
For three months the adelantado hunted these caciques
among the mountains, during which time he and his sol-
diers were almost worn out with toil and hunger, and
exposures of all kind. The retreat of Mayonabex was
at length discovered. Twelve Spaniards, disguising
themselves as Indians, and wrapping their swords in
palm leaves, came upon him secretly, and surprised and
OF COLUMBUS. 181
captured him, with his wife and children and a few at-
tendants. The adelantado returned, with his prisoners,
to Fort Conception, where he afterwards released them
all, excepting the cacique, whom he detained as a hos-
tage for the submission of his tribe. The unfortunate
Guarionex still lurked among the caverns of the mountains,
but was driven, by hunger, to venture down occasionally
into the plain, in quest of food. His haunts were discov-
ered, he was waylaid and captured by a party of Spaniards,
and brought in chains to Fort Conception. After his
repeated insurrections, and the extraordinary zeal dis-
played in his pursuit, he anticipated death from the ven-
geance of the adelantado. Don Bartholomew, however,
though stern in his policy, was neither vindictive nor
cruel; he contented himself with detaining him a prison-
er, to insure the tranquillity of the vega; and then return-
ed to San Domingo, where, shortly afterwards, he had
the happiness of welcoming the arrival of his brother,
the admiral, after a separation of nearly two years and a
half.
CHAPTER XXXI.
Rebellion of Roldan. [1498.]
One of the first measures of Columbus, on his arrival,
was to issue a proclamation, approving of all that the
adelantado had done, and denouncing Roldan and his
associates. That turbulent man had proceeded to Xara-
5ua, where he had been kindly received by the natives.
A circumstance occurred to add to his party and his
resources. The three caravels detached by Columbus
from the Canary Islands, and freighted with supplies,
laving been carried far west of their reckoning by the
currents, arrived on the coast of Xaragua. The rebeJs
ivere at first alarmed lest there should be vessels de-
spatched in pursuit of them. Roldan, who was as saga-
16 I.
182 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
clous as he was bold, soon divined the truth. Enjoining
the utmost secrecy on his men, he went on board, and pre-
tending to be in command at that end of the island, suc-
ceeded in procuring a supply of arms and military stores,
and in making partisans among the crews, many of whom
were criminals and vagabonds from Spanish prisons,
shipped in compliance with the admiral's ill-judged prop-
osition. It was not until the third day that Alonzo
Sanchez de Carvajal, the most intelligent of the three
captains, discovered the real character of the guests he
had entertained, but the mischief was then effected.
As the ships were detained by contrary winds, it was
arranged among the captains that a large number of the
people should be conducted by land to San Domingo,
by Juan Antonio Colonbo, captain of one of the caravels,
and a relation of the admiral. He accordingly landed
with forty men, well armed, but was astonished to find
himself suddenly deserted by all his party excepting
eight. The deserters joined the rebels, who received
them with shouts of exultation. Juan Antonio, grieved
and disconcerted, returned on board with the few who
remained faithful. Fearing further desertions, the ships
immediately put to sea; but Carvajal, giving his vessel in
charge to his officers, landed and remained with the reb-
els, fancying he had perceived signs of wavering in Rol-
dan and some of his associates, and that, by earnest per-
suasion, he might induce them to return to their allegiance.
The certainty that Columbus was actually on the way to
the island, with additional forces, and augmented authori-
ty, had, in fact, operated strongly on their minds ; but
all attempts to produce immediate submission were in
vain. Roldan promised that the moment he heard of
the arrival of Columbus, he would repair to the neighbor-
hood of San Domingo, to be at hand to state his griev-
ances, and to enter into a negotiation for the adjustment
of all differences. He wrote a letter to the same pur-
port, to be delivered to the admiral. With this Carva-
jal departed, and was escorted to within six leagues of
San Domingo, by six of the rebels. On reaching that
place he found Columbus already arrived, and delivered
OF COLUMBUS. 183
to him the letter of Roldan, expressing at the same time
an opinion, that the Insurgents might easily be brought to
their allegiance by an assurance of amnesty. In fact, the
rebels soon began to assemble at the village of Bonao,
in a fine valley of the same name, about twenty leagues
from San Domingo, and ten from Fort Conception.
Here they made their headquarters at the house of
Pedro Reguelme, one of the ringleaders.
Columbus immediately wrote to Miguel Ballester, the
commander of Fort Conception, advising him to be on
his guard. He empowered him to have an interview
with Roldan, to offer him full pardon on condition of his
immediate return to duty, and to invite him to repair to
San Domingo to treat with the admiral, under a solemn,
and, if required, a written assurance of personal safety.
At the same time he issued a proclamation, offering free
passage to all who wished to return to Spain, in five ves-
sels about to be put to sea, hoping, by this means, to
relieve the colony from all the idle and disaffected.
Ballester was an old and venerable man, grayheaded,
and of a soldier-like demeanor; he was loyal, frank, and
virtuous, of a serious disposition, and great simplicity of
heart. His appearance and character commanded the
respect of the rebels ; but they treated the proffered
pardon with contempt, made many demands of an arro-
gant nature, and declared that in all further negotiations,
they would treat with no mediator but Carvajal, having
had proofs of his fairness and impartiality, in the course
of their late communications with him at Xaragua.
This insolent reply was totally different from what the
admiral had been taught to expect. He now ordered the
men of San Domingo to appear under arms, that he
might ascertain the force with which he could take the
field in case of necessity. A report was immediately
circulated, that they were to be led to Bonao, against the
rebels ; some of the inhabitants had relations, others
friends, among the followers of Roldan; almost all were
disaffected to the service ; not above seventy men ap-
peared under arms; one affected to be ill, another lame;
there were not forty to be relied upon.
1S4 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
Columbus saw that a resort to arms would only serve
to betray his own weakness, and the power of the rebels;
it was necessary to temporize, therefore, however humili-
ating such conduct might be deemed. His first care,
was to despatch the five ships which he had detained in
port, until he should receive the reply of Roldan. He
was anxious that as many as possible of the discontented
colonists should sail for Spain, before any commotion
should take place. He wrote to the sovereigns an ac-
count of his late voyage, giving an enthusiastic description
of the newly-discovered continent, accompanied by a chart
of the coast, and specimens of the pearls which he had
procured from the natives.
He informed the sovereigns, also, of the rebellion of
Roldan; and as the latter pretended it was only a quarrel
between him and the adelantado, he begged the matter
might be investigated by their majesties, or by persons
friendly to both parties. Among other judicious requests,
he entreated that a man learned and experienced in the
law, might be sent out to officiate as judge over the
island.
By this opportunity Roldan and his friends likewise
sent letters to Spain, endeavoring to justify their rebel-
lion, by charging Columbus and his brothers with oppres-
sion and injustice, and painting their whole conduct in
the blackest colors. It would naturally be supposed,
that the representations of such men would have little
weight in the balance against the tried merits and exalted
services of Columbus; but they had numerous friends and
relations in Spain to back them; Columbus was a for-
eigner, without influence in the court, and with active
enemies near the sovereigns, ever ready to place his
conduct in an unfavorable light.
The ships being despatched, the admiral resumed his
negotiation with the rebels. As the burden of their
complaint was the strict rule of his brother, who was ac-
cused of dealing out justice with a rigorous hand, he
resolved to try the alternative of extreme lenity, and wrote
a letter to Roldan, calling to mind past kindnesses, and
entreating him, for the sake of his own reputation, which
OF COLUMBUS. 186
Stood well with the sovereigns, not to persist in his pres-
ent insubordination. He again repeated his assurance,
that he and his companions might come to treat with him
at San Domingo, under the faith of his word, for the
inviolability of their persons.
There was a difficulty as to who should be the bearer
of this letter. The rebels had declared that they would
receive no mediator but Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal.
Strong suspicions existed in the minds of many as to the
integrity of that officer, from his transactions with the
rebels at Xaragua, and his standing so high in their favor.
Columbus, however, discarded all those suspicions, and
confided implicitly in Carvajal, nor had he ever any cause
to repent of his confidence.
A painful and humiliating negotiation was now carried
on for several days, in the course of which Roldan had
an interview with Columbus at San Domingo, and several
letters passed between them. The rebels felt their pow-
er, and presumed, in consequence, to demand the most
extravagant concessions. Miguel Ballester wrote at the
same time to the admiral, advising him to agree to what-
ever they might demand. He represented their forces
as continually augmenting, and that the soldiers of his
garrison were daily deserting to them, and gave it as his
opinion, that unless some compromise were speedily ef-
fected, and the rebels shipped off for Spain, not merely
the authority, but even the person of the admiral would
be in danger; for though the hidalgos and the immediate
officers and servants about him, would doubtless die in
his service, yet he feared that the common people were
but little to be depended upon.
Thus urged by veteran counsel, and compelled by
circumstances, Columbus at length made an arrangement
with the rebels, by which it was agreed, that Roldan and
his followers should embark for Spain, from the port of
Xaragua, in two ships which should be fitted out and
victualled within fifty days. That they should each re-
ceive from the admiral a certificate of good conduct, and
an order for the amount of their pay up to the actual date.
That slaves should be given them, as had been given to
16*
THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
colonists, in consideration of services performed; and
that such as had wives, natives of the island, might take
them with them in place of slaves. That satisfaction
should be made for property of some of the company,
which had been sequestrated, and for live stock which
had belonged to Francis Roldan.
It was a grievous circumstance to Columbus, that the
vessels which should have borne his brother to explore
the newly-discovered continent, had to be devoted to the
transportation of this turbulent and worthless rabble; but
he consoled himself with the idea that, the faction being
once shipped off, the island would again be restored to
tranquillity. The articles of arrangement being signed,
Roldan and his followers departed for Xaragua, to await
the arrival of the ships; and Columbus, putting his broth-
er Don Diego in temporary command, set oft' with the
adelantado on a tour to visit the various fortresses, and
restore every thing to order.
In the mean-while, unavoidable delays took place in
fitting out the ships, and they encountei'ed violent storms
in their voyage from San Domingo to Xaragua, so as to
arrive there long after the stipulated time, and that in a
damaged condition. The followers of Roldan seized
upon this as a pretext to refuse to embark, affirming that
the ships had been purposely delayed, and eventually sent
in a state not seaworthy, and short of provisions. New
negotiations were therefore set on foot, and new terms
demanded. It is probable that Roldan feared to return
to Spain, and his followers were loth to give up their
riotous and licentious life. In the midst of his perplexi-
ties, Columbus received a letter from Spain, in reply to
the earnest representations which he had made of the
distracted state of the colony, and of the outrages of these
licentious men. It was written by his invidious enemy
the Bishop Fonseca, superintendent of Indian affairs. It
informed him that his representations of the alleged rebel-
lion had been received, but that the matter must be suf-
fered to remain in suspense, as the sovereigns would in-
vestigate and remedy it presently.
This cold reply had the most disheartening effect upon
OF COLUMBUS. 187
Columbus, while it increased the insolence of the rebels,
who saw that his complaints had little weight with the
government. Full of zeal, however, for the prosecution
of his discoveries, and of fidelity to the interests of the
crown, he resolved, at any sacrifice of pride or comfort,
to put an end to the troubles of the island. He departed
therefore, in the latter part of August, with two caravels,
to the port of Azna, accompanied by several of the most
important personages of the colony, to give Roldan a
meeting. The latter, in this interview, conducted him-
self more like a conqueror exacting terms, than a delin-
quent seeking pardon. Among other things, he demand-
ed that such of his followers as chose to remain on the
island, should have lands assigned them, and that he should
be reinstated in his office of alcalde mayor, or chief judge.
The mind grows wearied and impatient with recording,
and the heart of the generous reader must burn with in-
dignation at perusing, this protracted and ineffectual
struggle, of a man of the exalted merits and matchless
services of Columbus, in the toils of such contemptible
miscreants. Surrounded by doubt and danger, a for-
eigner among a jealous people, an unpopular commander
in a mutinous island, distrusted and slighted by the gov-
ernment he was seeking to serve, and creating suspicions
by his very services, he knew not where to look for
faithful advice, efficient aid, or candid judgement. He
was alarmed too by symptoms of sedition among his own
people, who talked of following the example of the rebels,
and seizing upon the province of Higuey. Thus criti-
cally situated, he signed a humiliating capitulation with
the rebels, trusting he should afterwards be able to con-
vince the sovereigns it had been compulsory, and forced
from him by the perils that threatened himself and the
colony.
When Roldan resumed his office of alcalde mayor, he
displayed all the arrogance to be expected from one, who
had intruded himself into power by profligate means.
Columbus had a difficult and painful task in bearing with
the insolence of this man, and of the shameless rabble
that returned, under his auspices, to San Domingo. In
188 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
compliance with the terms of agreement, he assigned them
liberal portions of land, and numerous Indian slaves, taken
in the wars, and contrived to distribute them in various
places, some in Bonao, others in different parts of the
vega. He made an arrangement, also, by which the
caciques in their vicinity, instead of paying tribute, should
furnish parties of their subjects, at stated times, to assist
in the cultivation of their lands; a kind of feudal service,
which was the origin of the repartimientos, or distribu-
tions of free Indians among the colonists, afterwards gen-
erally adopted and shamefully abused throughout the
Spanish colonies, and which greatly contributed to exter-
minate the natives from the island of Hispaniola.
Having obtained such ample provisions for his follow-
ers, Roldan was not more modest in making demands for
himself. Besides certain lands in the vicinity of Isabella,
which he claimed, as having belonged to him before his
rebellion, he received a royal farm, called La Esperanza,
in the vega, and extensive tracts in Xaragua, with live
stock and repartimientos of Indians.
One of the first measures of Roldan as alcalde mayor,
was to appoint Pedro Reguelme, one of his most active
confederates, alcalde of Bonao, an appointment which
gave great displeasure to Columbus, being an assumption
of power not vested in the office of Roldan. The admi-
ral received private information, also, that Reguelme,
under pretext of erecting a farm-house, was building a
strong edifice on a hill, capable of being converted into a
fortress; this, it was whispered, was done in concert with
Roldan, by way of securing a strong-hold in case of need.
The admiral immediately sent peremptory orders for
Reguelme to desist from proceeding with the construction
of the edifice-
Columbus had proposed to return to Spain, having
experienced the inefficiency of letters in explaining the
affairs of the island; but the feverish state of the colony
obliged him to give up the intention. The two caravels
were despatched in October, taking such of the colonists
as chose to return, and among them several of the parti-
zans of Roldan, some of whom took Indian slaves with
OF COLUMBUS. 189
them, and others carried away the daughters of caciques,
whom they had beguiled from their homes and famihes.
Columbus wrote by this opportunity to the sovereigns,
giving it as his opinion, that the agreement he had made
with the rebels was by no means obligatory on the crown,
having been, in a manner, extorted by violence. He
repeated his request, that a learned man might be sent
out as judge, and desired, moreover, that discreet per-
sons might be appointed to form a council, and others for
certain fiscal employments, entreating, however, that
their powers might be so limited and defined as not to
interfere with his dignities and privileges. Finding age
and infirmity creeping upon him, he began to think of his
son Diego as an active coadjutor, being destined to suc-
ceed to his offices. He was still a page at court, but
grown to man's estate, and capable of entering into the
important concerns of life; he begged, therefore, that he
might be sent out to assist him.
CHAPTER XXXII.
Visit of Ojeda to the West End of the Island. — Con-
spiracy of Moxica. [1499.]
About this time, reports were brought to Columbus,
that four ships had anchored at the western part of the
island, a little below Jacquemel, apparently with the de-
sign of cutting dye woods and carrying off the natives
for slaves. They were commanded by Alonzo de Ojeda,
the same hot-headed and bold-hearted cavalier who had
distinguished himself by the capture of Caonabo. Know-
ing the daring and adventurous spirit of this man, the
admiral was disturbed at his visiting the island in this clan-
destine manner. To call him to account, however, re-
quired a man of spirit and address. No one seemed
fitter for the purpose than Roldan. He was as daring
190 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
as Ojeda, and of a more crafty character. An expedi-
tion of this kind would occupy the attention of himself
and his partisans, and divert them from any schemes of
mischief.
Roldan gladly undertook the enterprise. He had
nothing further to gain by sedition, and was anxious to
secure his ill-gotten possessions by public services, which
should atone for past offences. Departing from St. Do-
mingo, with two caravels, he arrived, on the 26th of
September, within two leagues of the harbor where the
vessels of Ojeda were anchored. Here, landing with
five and twenty resolute men, he intercepted Ojeda, who
was on an excursion several leagues from his ships, and
demanded his motives for landing on that remote and
lonely part of the island, without first reporting his arrival
to the admiral. Ojeda replied, that he had been on a
voyage of discovery, and had put in there in distress, to
repair his ships and obtain provisions. On further inqui-
ry it appeared, that Ojeda had happened to be in Spain
at the time that the letters arrived from Columbus, giving
an account of his discovery of the coast of Paria, accom-
panied by specimens of the pearls to be found there.
Ojeda was a favorite with Bishop Fonseca, and obtained
a sight of the letter, and the charts and maps of the route
of Columbus. He immediately conceived the idea of an
expedition to those parts, in which he was encouraged by
Fonseca, who furnished him with copies of the papers
and charts, and granted him a letter of license, signed by
himself, but not by the sovereigns. Ojeda fitted out four
ships at Seville, assisted by many eager and wealthy
speculators; and in this squadron sailed Amerigo Ves-
pucci, a Florentine merchant, well acquainted with geog-
raphy and navigation, who eventually gave his name to
tho whole of the new world. The expedition sailed in
May, 1499. The adventurers arrived on the southern
continent, and ranged along it, from two hundred leagues
east of the Orinoco to the gulf of Paria. Guided by the
charts of Columbus, they passed through this gulf, and
through the Boca del Drago, kept along westward to
Cape de la Vela, visiting the island of Margarita, and the
OF COLUMBUS. 191
adjacent continent, and discovering the gulf of Venezue-
la. They had subsequently touched at the Caribbee
Islands, where they had fought with the fierce natives,
and made many captives, with tlie design of selling them
in the slave markets of Seville. From thence, they had
sailed for Hispaniola, to procure supplies, having per-
formed the most extensive voyage hitherto made along
the shores of the new world.
Ojeda assured Roldanthat he intended, as soon as his
ships were ready, to go to San Domingo and pay his
homage to the admiral. Trusting to this assurance, and
satisfied with the information he had obtained, Roldan
sailed for San Domingo to make his report. Nothing,
however, was farther from the intention of Ojeda than to
keep his promise. As soon as his ships were ready for
sea, he sailed round to the coast of Xaragua. Here he
was well received by the Spaniards resident in that prov-
ince, among whom were many of the late comrades of
Roldan. Knowing the rash and fearless character of
Ojeda, and finding that there were jealousies between
him and the admiral, they made clamorous complaints
of the injustice of the latter, whom they accused of
withholding from them the arrears of their pay. Ojeda,
who knew the tottering state of the admiral's favor at
court, and felt secure in the powerful protection of
Fonseca, immediately proposed to put himself at their
head, march at once to San Domingo, and oblige the
admiral to satisfy their just demands. The proposition
was received with transport by some of the rebels;
but others demurred, and a furious brawl ensued, in
which several were killed and wounded on both sides;
the party for the expedition to San Domingo remained
triumphant.
Fortunately for the peace and safety of the admiral,
Roldan, who had received news of the movements of
Ojeda, arrived in the neighborhood at this critical junc-
ture, with a band of resolute followers, and wasreenforced
on the following day by his old confederate, Diego de
Escobar, with additional forces. Ojeda retired to his
ships; a long course of manoeuvring took place between
192 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
these well-matched adversaries, each striving to gain an
advantage of the other. Ojeda at length was obliged to
abandon the coast, and made sail for some other island,
to make up his cargo of Indian slaves.
The followers of Roldan took great merit to themselves
for their unwonted loyalty in driving Ojeda from the
island; and, like all reformed knaves, expected that
their good conduct would be amply rewarded. Look-
ing upon their leader as having every thing in his gift, they
requested him to share among them the fine province of
Cahay, adjoining to Xaragua. Roldan, who was now
anxious to establish a character of adherence to the law,
declined acceding to their wishes, until sanctioned by the
admiral; but, to soothe their impatient rapacity, he shared
among them the lands which had been granted to him in
Xaragua. While he was remaining in this neighborhood,
other troubles broke out, and from somewhat of a roman-
tic cause. A young cavalier of noble family, named
Hernando de Guevara, cousin to Adrian de Moxica, one
of the ringleaders of the late rebellion, was banished from
San Domingo for licentious conduct, and sent to Xaragua,
to embark in the ships of Ojeda, but arrived after their
departure. He was treated with indulgence by Roldan,
on account of his old comrade, Adrian de Moxica, and
was favorably received at the house of the female cacique,
Anacaona. That remarkable woman still retained her par-
tiality to the Spaniards, notwithstanding the disgraceful
scenes that had passed before her eyes. By lier late
husband, Caonabo, she had a daughter, named Higuena-
mota, just grown up, and greatly admired for her beauty.
Guevara became enamored of her. He possessed an
agreeable person, and winning manners, though he was
headstrong in his passions, and destitute of principle.
His endearments soon won the heart of the simple Indian
girl. Anacaona, the mother, pleased with the gallant
appearance and ingratiating manners of the youthful
cavalier, favored his attachment; especially as he sought
her daughter in marriage. Roldan was himself attached
to the young Indian beauty, and jealous of her preference
of his rival. He exerted his authority to separate the
OF COLUMBUS. 193
lovers, and banished Guevara to the province of Cahay.
The latter soon returned, and concealed himself in the
dwelling of Anacaona. Being discovered, and finding
Roldan implacable in his opposition to his passion, he
now meditated revenge. He soon made a party among
the old comrades of Roldan, who detested as a magis-
trate the man they had idolized as a leader. It was
concerted to rise suddenly upon him, and either to kill
him or put out his eyes. The plot was discovered;
Guevara was seized in the dwehing of Anacaona, in the
presence of his intended bride; seven of his accomphces
were likewise arrested, and the prisoners were sent to the
fortress of San Domingo.
When Adrian de Moxica heard that his cousin Guevara
was arrested, and that too by his former confederate
Roldan, he was highly exasperated. He hastened to the
old haunt of rebellion, at Bonao, and claimed the coopera-
tion of Pedro Reguelme, the newly-appointed alcalde.
It was readily yielded. They went round among their
late fellow-rebels who were settled in the vega, and had
soon a daring body of reckless men, ready with horse and
weapon, for any desperate enterprise. Moxica, in his
fury, meditated not merely the rescue of his cousin, but
the death of Roldan and the admiral.
Columbus was at Fort Conception, with an inconsid-
erable force, when he heard of this dangerous plot, con-
certed in his very neighborhood. He saw that his safety
depended upon prompt and vigorous measures. Taking
with him but six or seven trusty servants, and three
esquires, all well armed, he came suddenly upon the
conspirators in the night, seized Moxica and several of
his principal confederates, and bore them off to Fort Con-
ception. Resolving to set an example that should strike
terror into the factious, he ordered that Moxica should
be hanged on the top of the fortress. The latter entreated
to be allowed a confessor. A priest was sent for. The
miserable culprit, who had been so daring in rebellion,
lost all courage at the near approach of death. He de-
layed, and hesitated in his confession, as if hoping, by
whiling away time, to give a chance for rescue. Instead
17 I.
194 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
of confessing his own sins, he began to accuse others,
until Columbus, losing all patience, in his mingled indig-
nation and scorn, ordered the dastard wretch to be flung
from the battlements.
This sudden act of severity was promptly followed up.
Pedro Reguelme was taken, with several of his compeers,
in his ruffian-den at Bonao, and conveyed to the fortress
of San Domingo. The conspirators fled for the most
part to Xaragua, where they were pursued by the adelan-
tado, seconded by Roldan, and hunted out of all their old
retreats. Thus in a little while the power of faction was
completely subdued.
Columbus considered this happy event as brought
about by the especial intervention of Heaven, and gives
in proof of it an instance of one of those visionary fan-
cies by which he seems to have been visited at times
when his mind was distempered by illness or anxiety.
In the preceding winter, during the height of his cares
and troubles, he had sunk into a state of despondency.
In one of his gloomy moods, he heard, he says, a voice
which thus addressed him: "O man of little faith! fear
nothing, be not cast down. I will provide for thee.
The seven years of the term of gold are not expired.*
In that and in all other things I will take care of thee."
On that very day, he adds, he received intelligence of
the discovery of a number of gold mines. The ima-
ginary promise of Divine aid appeared to him still to be
performing. The troubles and dangers which had sur-
rounded him, were breaking away, and order was coming
out of confusion. He now looked forward to the pros-
ecution of his grand enterprises, the exploring the coast
of Paria, and the establishment of a pearl fishery in its
waters. How illusive were his hopes ! at this very
moment those events were maturing, that were to over-
whelm him with distress, strip him of his honors, and
render him comparatively a wreck for the remainder of
his days!
* Alluding to his vow, that within seven years he would furnish an
army for a crusade, from his share of the gold to be found in the new
world.
OF COLUMBUS. ] 95
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Intrigues against Columbus in the Spanish Court. —
appointment of Bobadilla as Commissioner. — His
Arrival at San Domingo. [1500.]
While Columbus had been involved in a series of
difficulties in the factious island of Hispaniola, his ene-
mies had been but too successful in undermining his
reputation in the court of Spain. Every vessel that
returned from the new world, came freighted with com-
plaints, representing the character and conduct of Co-
lumbus and his brothers in the most odious point of
view, and reiterating the illiberal, but mischievous, insin-
uation that they were foreigners, who had nothing but
their own interest and gratification in view. It was
even alleged that Columbus intended to cast off all alle-
giance to Spain, and either to make himself sovereign of
the countries he had discovered, or to yield them into
the hands of some other power; a slander which, however
extravagant, was calculated to startle the jealous mind of
Ferdinand. The bishop Fonseca, and other enemies of
Columbus who were about the court, having continual
access to the sovereigns, were enabled to place every
thing urged against him in the strongest point of view,
while they destroyed the force of his vindications. They
had a plausible logic by which to convict him of either
bad management or bad faith. There was an incessant
drain upon the mother country for the support of the
colony. Was this compatible, they asked, with the
extravagant pictures he had drawn of the wealth of the
•island, and its golden mountains, in which he had pre-
tended to find the Ophir of ancient days, the source of
the riches of King Solomon ? They inferred that he had
either deceived the sovereigns by exaggerations, or
196 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
grossly wronged them by malpractices, or that he was
totally incapable of the duties of government.
For the purpose of irritating the pride of 'the king,
every repining man who returned from the colony, was
encouraged to put in claims for arrears of pay withheld
by Columbus, or losses sustained in his sfervice. A gang
of the disorderly ruffians, who had been shipped off to
free the island from their seditions, found their way to
the court at Granada. They followed the king when he
rode out, filling the air with complaints, and clamoring
for their pay. About fifty of them assembled one day,
in the main court of the Alhambra, under the royal
apartments, holding up bunches of grapes, as the meager
diet to which they were reduced by their poverty, and
by the cruel deceits of Columbus. Seeing the two sons
of the admiral pass by, who were pages to the queen,
they followed them with imprecations. " There go,"
cried they, "the whelps of him who discovered the
land of vanity and delusion, the grave of Spanish hi-
dalgos!"
The incessant repetition of falsehood will gradually
wear its way into the most candid mind. Isabella her-
self began to entertain doubts respecting the conduct of
Columbus. If he and his brothers were upright, they
might be injudicious ; and mischief is oftener produced
in government through error of judgement than iniquity
of design. Isabella doubted, but the jealous Ferdinand
felt convinced. He had never regarded Columbus with
real cordiality, and ever since he had ascertained the
importance of his discoveries, had regretted the extensive
powers he had vested in his hands. He now resolved
to send out some person to investigate the affairs of the
colony, and, if necessary for its safety, to assume the
command. This measure had actually been decided
upon, and the papers drawn out, early in 1499; but, from
various reasons, had been postponed. It is probable
Isabella opposed so harsh a step against a man for whom
she entertained an ardent gratitude and high admiration.
The arrival of the ships with the late followers of Roldan,
brought matters to a crisis. The king listened entirely
OF COLUMBUS. 197
to the representations of the rebels, and a circumstance
took place, which, for a time, suspended the friendship
of Isabella, the great safeguard of Columbus.
The followers of Roldan brought with them a number
of slaves, some of which Columbus had been compelled
to grant them by the articles of capitulation, others had
been conveyed away clandestinely. Among them were
several daughters of caciques, who had been seduced
from their homes by these profligates. Some were in a
state of pregnancy, others had new-born infants. The
gifts and transfers of these unhappy beings were all rep-
resented as voluntary acts of Columbus. The sensibility
of Isabella as a woman, and her dignity as a queen, were
instantly in arms. "What right," exclaimed she, indig-
nantly, "has the admiral to give away my vassals.'"'
She immediately ordered all the Indians to be re-
stored to their homes; nay, more, she commanded that
those which had formerly been sent to Spain by the
admiral, should be sought out and reshipped to Hispani-
ola. Unfortunately for Columbus, at this very juncture,
in one of his letters, he advised the continuance of Indian
slavery for some time longer, as a measure important to
the welfare of the colony. This contributed to heighten
the indignation of Isabella, and induced her no longer to
oppose the sending out a commissioner to investigate his
conduct, and, if necessary, to supersede him in com-
mand.
The person chosen for this most momentous office,
was Don Francisco de Bobadilla, an officer of the royal
household, and a commander of the military and religious
order of Calatrava. He is represented by some as a
very honest and religious man ; by others, and with ap-
parent justice, as needy, passionate, and ambitious, three
powerful objections to his acting as judge in a case where
the utmost caution and candor were required, and where
he was to derive wealth and power from the conviction
of one of the parties.
Bobadilla arrived at San Domingo on the 23d of
August, 1500. Before entering the harbor, he learnt
from a canoe which came off from the shore, that the
17*
198 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
admiral and the adelantado were absent in the interior of
the island, and Don Diego in command. He was told
of the recent insurrection of Moxica, and the punishments
which had followed. Seven of the rebels had been
hanged that week, and five more were in the fortress of
San Domingo, condemned to suffer the same fate.
Among these were Pedro Reguelme, the factious alcalde
of Bonao, and Fernando de Guevara, the young cavalier
whose passion for the daughter of Anacaona, had been
the original cause of the rebellion. As the vessels en-
tered the river, Bobadilla beheld on either bank a gibbet,
with the body of a Spaniard hanging on it. He consid-
ered all these circumstances as conclusive proofs of the
alleged cruelty of Columbus.
The report had already circulated in the city, that a
commissioner had arrived to make inquisition into the
late troubles. Many hastened on board the ship to pay
early court to this public censor; and as those who sought
to secure his favor, were those who had most to fear
from his scrutiny, it is evident that the nature of their
communications was generally unfavorable to the admi-
ral. In fact, before Bobadilla landed, if not before he
arrived, the culpability of the admiral was decided in his
mind. He acted accordingly. He made proclamation
at the church door, in presence of Don Diego and the
other persons in authority, of his letters patent, author-
izing him to investigate the rebellion, and proceed against
delinquents; and in virtue of these, he demanded that
Guevara, Reguelme, and the other prisoners, should be
delivered up to him, with the depositions taken in their
cases.
Don Diego declared he could do nothing of the kind
without the authority of the admiral, and requested a
copy of the letters patent, that he might send it to his
brother. This Bobadilla refused, and added, that since
the office he proclaimed appeared to have no weight, he
would try what efficacy there was in the name of gov-
ernor. On the following day, therefore, he had another
royal patent read, investing him with the government of
the islands, and of Terra Firma ; an authority which he
OF COLUMBUS. 199
was only to have assumed- on absolute proof of the delin-
quency of Columbus. This letter being read, he again
demanded the prisoners, and was again refused ; Don
Diego observing, that they were held in obedience to the
admiral, to whom the sovereigns had granted letters of a
higher nature.
Bobadilla now produced a mandate from the crown,
ordering Columbus and his brothers to deliver up all for-
tresses, ships, and other royal property ; and another,
ordering that the arrears of wages due to all persons in the
royal service should be immediately paid, and the admiral
compelled to pay the arrears of those to whom he was
individually accountable.
This last document was received with shouts by the
multitude, to many of whom long arrears were due, in
consequence of the poverty of the treasury. Flushed
with his growing importance and popularity, Bobadilla
again demanded the prisoners, and receiving the same
reply, he proceeded to the fortress, and made a formal
demand of them of the alcayde Miguel Diaz. The lat-
ter refused to suri'ender them to any one but the admiral.
Upon this, the whole spirit of Bobadilla was aroused.
He assembled the sailors of the ships, and the rabble of
the place, marched them to the prison, broke open the
door, which readily gave way, while some of his myr-
midons put up ladders to scale the walls. The alcayde
Miguel Diaz, and Don Diego de Alvarado, appeared on
the battlements with drawn swords, but offered no re-
sistance. The fortress, having no garrison, was easily
carried, and the prisoners were borne off in triumph, and
given in custody to an alguazil.
Such was the entrance into office of Francisco de
Bobadilla, and he continued his career in the same spirit,
acting as if he had been sent out to degrade the admiral,
not to inquire into his conduct. He took up his resi-
dence in the house of Columbus, seized upon his arms,
gold, plate, jewels, horses, books, letters, and most se-
cret mansucripts, giving no account of the property thus
seized, paying out of it the wages of those to whom the
admiral was in arrears, and disposing of the rest as if
200 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
already confiscated to the crown. To increase his favor
with the people, he proclaimed a general license for
twenty years, to seek for gold, exacting merely one
eleventh for government, instead of a third as heretofore.
At the same time, he used the most unqualified language
in speaking of Columbus, hinted that he was empowered
to send him home in chains, and declared, that neither
he, nor any of his lineage, would ever again be permitted
to govern the Island.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
Columbus arrested and sent to Spain. [1500.]
When Columbus received tidings at Fort Conception
of the high-handed proceedings of Bobadilla, he consid-
ered them the unauthorized act of some rash adventurer;
but the proclamation of his letters patent, which imme-
diately took place throughout the Island, soon convinced
him he was acting under authority. He endeavored then
to persuade himself that Bobadilla was sent out to exer-
cise the functions of chief judge, in compliance with the
request contained in one of his own letters to the sov-
ereigns, and that he was perhaps intrusted with pro-
visional powers to inquire into the late troubles of the
island. All beyond these powers, he tried to believe
were mere assumptions, and exaggerations of authority,
as in the case of Aguado. His consciousness of his own
services and integrity, and his faith in the justice of the
sovereigns, forbade him to think otherwise. He pro-
ceeded to act on this idea ; writing temperate and con-
ciliatory letters to Bobadilla, cautioning him against his
precipitate measures, while he endeavored by counter
proclamations to prevent the mischief he was producing.
Messengers soon arrived, however, who delivered to him
a royal letter of credence, commanding him to give im-
OF COLUMBUS. 201
plicit faith and obedience to Bobadilla, and they gave him,
at the same time, a summons from the latter to appear
before him immediately at San Domingo. This laconic
letter from the sovereigns struck at once at the root of
his dignity and power; he made no longer any hesitation
or demur, but departed alone and almost unattended, to
obey the peremptory summons of Bobadilla. The lat-
ter, in the mean time, had made a bustle of preparation,
and mustered the troops, affecting to believe a vulgar
rumor, that Columbus had called on the caciques of the
vega, to aid him in resisting the commands of the gov-
ernment. He moreover arrested Don Diego, threw
him in irons, and confined him on board of a caravel,
without assigning any cause for his imprisonment.
No sooner did he hear of the arrival of Columbus, than
he gave orders to put him also in irons, and to confine
him in the fortress.
This outrage to a person of such dignified and venera-
ble appearance, and such eminent merit, seemed for a
time to shock even his enemies. When the irons were
brought, every one present shrunk from the task of put-
ting them on him, either out of a sentiment of compas-
sion at so great a reverse of fortune, or out of habitual
reverence for his person. To fill the measure of ingrati-
tude meted out to him, it was one of his own servants
that volunteered to rivet his fetters.
Columbus conducted himself with characteristic mag-
nanimity under the injuries heaped upon him. There is
a noble scorn which swells and supports the heart, and
silences the tongue of the truly great, when enduring the
insults of the unworthy. Columbus could not stoop to
deprecate the arrogance of a weak and violent man like
Bobadilla. He looked beyond this shallow agent, and
all his petty tyranny, to the sovereigns who had employed
him. It was their injustice and ingratitude alone that
could wound his spirit; and he felt assured that when the
truth came to be known, they would blush to find how
greatly they had wronged him. With this proud assur-
ance, he bore all present indignities in silence. He even
wrote, at the demand of Bobadilla, a letter to the adelan-
202 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
tado, who was still in Xaragua, at the head of an armed
force, exhorting him to submit quietly to the will of the
so\'ereigns. Don Bartholomew immediately complied.
Relinquishing his command, he hastened peacefully to
San Domingo, and on arriving, experienced the same
treatment with his brothers, being put in irons, and con-
fined on board of a caravel. They were kept separate
from each other, and no communication permitted between
them. Bobadilla did not see them himself, nor did he
allow others to visit them; and they were kept in total
ignorance of the crimes with which they were charged,
and the proceedings that were instituted against them.
The old scenes of the time of Aguado were now re-
newed, with tenfold virulence. All the old charges were
revived, and others added, still more extravagant in their
nature. Columbus was accused of having prevented the
conversion of the Indians, that they might be sold as
slaves. With having secreted pearls collected on the
coast of Paria, and kept the sovereigns in ignorance of
the nature of his discoveries there, in order to exact new
privileges from them. Even the late tumults were turned
into matters of accusation, and the rebels admitted as
evidence. The well-merited punishments inflicted upon
certain of the ringleaders were cited as proofs of a cruel
and revengeful disposition, and a secret hatred of Span-
iards. Guevara, Reguelme, and their fellow- convicts,
were discharged almost without the form of a trial. Rol-
dan, from the very first, had been treated with confidence
by Bobadilla; all the others, whose conduct had rendered
them liable to justice, received either a special acquittal
or a general pardon.
Bobadilla had now collected testimony sufficient, as he
thought, to insure the condemnation of the prisoners,
and his own continuance in command. He determined,
therefore, to send home the admiral and his brothers in
chains, in the vessels which were ready for sea, with the
inquest taken in their case, and private letters enforcing
the charges made against them.
San Domingo now swarmed with miscreants, just de-
livered from the dungeon and the gibbet. Every base
OF COLUMBUS. 203
spirit which had been overawed by Coluinbiis and his
brothers, when in power, now hastened to revenge itself
upon them when in chains. The most injurious slanders
were loudly proclaimed in the streets, pasquinades and
libels were posted up at the corners, and horns blown in
the neighborhood of their prisons, to taunt them with the
exultings of the rabble.
The charge of conducting the prisoners to Spain, was
given to Alonzo de Villejo, an officer who was in the
employ of Bishop Fonseca. He was instructed, on ar-
riving at Cadiz, to deliver his prisoners into the hands of
the bishop, which circumstance has caused a belief that
Fonseca was the secret instigator of all these violent
proceedings. Villejo, however, was a man of honorable
character, and generous feelings, and showed himself
superior to the low malignity of his patrons. When he
arrived with a guard to conduct the admiral from the
prison to the ship, he found him in chains in a state of
deep despondency. So violently had he been treated,
and so savage were the passions let loose against him,
he had begun to fear he should be sacrificed without an
opportunity of being heard, and that his name would go
down to posterity sullied with imputed crimes.
When the officer entered with the guard, he thought
it was to conduct him to the scaffold. "Villejo," said
he, mournfully, "whither are you taking me?" " To the
ship, your excellency, to embark," replied the other.
" To embark!" repeated the admiral, earnestly. " Vil-
lejo, do you speak the truth?" "By the life of your
excellency," replied the honest officer, "it is true!"
With these words the admiral was comforted, and felt as
one restored from death to life.
The caravels set sail early in October, bearing off Co-
lumbus, shackled like the vilest of culprits, amidst the
scoffs and shouts of a miscreant rabble, who took a bru-
tal joy in heaping insults on his venerable head, and sent
curses after him from the island he bad so recently added
to the civilized world. Fortunately the voyage was fa-
vorable and of moderate duration, and was rendered less
irksome to Columbus, by the conduct of those to whom
204 THE LIFE A^■D VOYAGES
he was given in custody. The worthy Villejo, as well
as Andreas Martin, the master of the caravel, felt deeply
grieved at his situation, and always treated him with pro-
found respect and assiduous attention. They would have
taken off his irons, but to this he would not consent.
"No," said he, proudly, "their majesties commanded
me by letter to submit to whatever Bobadilla should or-
der in their name ; by their authority he has put upon me
these chains; I will wear them until they shall order them
to be taken off, and I will afterwards preserve them as
relics and memorials of the reward of my services."
" He did so," adds his son Fernando, in his history;
" I saw them always hanging in his cabinet, and he
requested that when he died they might be buried with
him!"
CHAPTER XXXV
Arrival of Columbus in Spain. — His Interview with the
Sovereigns. — Appointment of Ovando to the Govern-
ment of Hispaniola. [1500.]
The arrival of Columbus at Cadiz, a prisoner, and in
chains, produced almost as great a sensation as his tri-
umphant return from his first voyage. A general burst of
indignation arose in Cadiz, and in the powerful and opu-
lent Seville, which was immediately echoed throughout
all Spain. No one stopped to reason on the subject. It
was sufEcient to be told that Columbus was brought home
in chains from the world he had discovered.
The tidings reached the court of Granada, and filled
the halls of the Alhambra with murmurs of astonishment.
On the arrival of the ships at Cadiz, Andreas Martin, the
captain, had permitted Columbus to send off letters pri-
vately by express. The admiral, full of his wrongs, but
OF COLUMBUS. 205
ignorant how far they had been authorized by the sover-
eigns, forbore to write to them. He sent a long letter,
however, to a lady of the court, high in favor with the
queen, and who had been nurse to Prince Juan. It con-
tained an ample vindication of his conduct, couched in
eloquent and dignified and touching language. When it
was read to the noble-minded Isabella, and she found how
grossly Columbus had been wronged, and the royal au-
thority abused, her heart was filled with mingled sympa-
thy and indignation.
However Ferdinand might have secretly felt disposed
against Columbus, the momentary tide of public sentiment
was not to be resisted. He joined with his generous
queen, in her reprobation of the treatment of the admiral.
Without waiting to receive any documents that might
arrive from Bobadilla, they sent orders to Cadiz that the
prisoners should be instantly set at liberty, and treated
with all distinction, and that two thousand ducats should
be advanced to Columbus to defray the expenses of his
journey to court. They wrote him a letter at the same
time, expressing their grief at all that he had suffered, and
inviting him to Granada.
The loyal heart of Columbus was cheered by this letter
from his sovereigns. He appeared at court, not as a man
ruined and disgraced, but richly dressed, and with an
honorable retinue. He was received by tlieir majesties
with unqualified favor and distinction. When the queen
beheld this venerable man approach, and thought on all
he had deserved, and all that he had suffered, she was
moved to tears. Columbus had borne up firmly against
the stern conflicts of the world ; he had endured with
lofty scorn the injuries and insults of ignoble men, but
he possessed strong and quick sensibility. When he
found himself thus kindly received, and beheld tears in
the benign eyes of Isabella, his long suppressed feelings
burst forth ; he threw himself upon his knees, and for
some time could not utter a word for the violence of his
tears and sobbings.
Ferdinand and Isabella raised him from the ground, and
endeavored to encourage him by the most gracious expres-
18 I.
206 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
sions. As soon as he regained his self-possession, he
entered into an eloquent and high-minded vindication of his
loyalty, and the zeal he had ever felt for the glory and ad-
vantage of the Spanish crown ; if, at any time, he had
erred, it had been, he said, through inexperience in the
art of governing, and through the extraordinary difficulties
by which he had been surrounded.
There was no need of vindication on his part. He
stood in the presence of his sovereigns a deeply-injured
man, and it remained for them to vindicate themselves to
the world, from the charge of ingratitude towards their
most deserving subject. They expressed their indigna-
tion at the proceedings of Bobadilla, which they disa-
vowed, as contrary to his instructions ; they promised
that he should be immediately dismissed from his com-
mand, and Columbus reinstated in all his privileges and
dignities, and indemnified for the losses he had sustained.
The latter expected, of course, to be immediately sent
back in triumph to San Domingo, as viceroy and admiral
of the Indies; but in this he was doomed to experience
a disappointment, which threw a gloom over the remain-
der of his days. The fact was, that Ferdinand, how-
ever he may have disapproved of the violence of Boba-
dilla, was secretly well pleased with its effects. It had
produced a temporary exclusion of Columbus from his
high offices, and the politic monarch determined, in his
heart, that he should never be restored to them. He
had long repented having vested such great powers and
prerogatives in any subject, particularly in a foreigner ;
but at the time of granting them, he had no idea of the
extent of the countries over which they would be exer-
cised. Recent discoveries, made by various individuals,
showed them to be almost boundless. Vicente Yanez
Pinzon, one of the brave and intelligent family of naviga-
tors that had sailed with Columbus in his first voyage, had
lately crossed the line, and explored the shores of the
southern continent, as far as Cape St. Augustine. Diego
Lepe, another bold navigator of Palos, had doubled that
cape, and beheld the continent stretching away out of
sight, to the southwest. The report of every discoverer
OF COLUMBUS. 207
put it beyond a doubt, that these countries must be
inexhaustible in wealth, as they appeared to be boundless
in extent. Yet over all these Columbus was to be vice-
roy, with a share in their productions, and the profits of
their trade, that must yield him an incalculable revenue.
The selfish monarch appeared almost to consider himself
outwitted in the arrangement he had made ; and every
new discovery, instead of increasing his feeling of grati-
tude to Columbus, seemed only to make him repine at
the growing magnitude of his reward.
Another grand consideration with the monarch was,
that Columbus was no longer indispensable to him. He
had made his great discovery ; he had struck out the
route to the new world, and now any one could follow
it. A number of able navigators had sprung up under
his auspices, who were daily besieging the throne with
offers to fit out expeditions at their own cost, and to yield
a share of the profits to the crown. Why should he,
therefore, confer princely dignities and prerogatives for
that, which men were daily offering to perform gratui-
tously?
Such, from his after conduct, appears to have been the
jealous and selfish policy which actuated Ferdinand in
forbearing to reinstate Columbus in those dignities and
privileges which had been solemnly granted to him by
treaty, and which it was acknowledged he had never
forfeited by misconduct. Plausible reasons, however,
were given for delaying his reappointment. It was ob-
served, that the elements of those factions, which had
recently been in arms, yet existed in the Island, and
might produce fresh troubles, should Columbus return
immediately. It was represented as advisable, therefore,
to send some officer of talent and discretion to supersede
Bobadilla, and to hold the government for two years, by
which time all angry passions would be allayed, and tur-
bulent individuals removed. Columbus might then resume
the command, with comfort to himself, and advantage to
the crown. With this arrangement the admiral was obliged
to content himself.
208 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
The person chosen to supersede Bobadilla, was Don
Nicholas de Ovando, commander of Lares, of the order
of Alcantara. He is described as being of the middle
size, with a fair complexion, a red beard, a modest look,
yet a tone of authority ; fluent in speech, courteous in
manners, prudent, just, temperate, and of great humility.
Such is the picture drawn of him by some of his con-
temporaries ; yet he appears, from his actions, to have
been plausible and subtle, as well as fluent and courteous;
his humility concealed a great love of command; he was
a merciless scourge to the Indians, and in his dealings
with Columbus he was both ungenerous and unjust.
While the departure of Ovando was delayed by vari-
ous circumstances, every arrival brought intelligence of
the disastrous state of the Island, under the administration
of Bobadilla. The latter was not so much a bad, as an
imprudent and a weak man. Imagining rigorous rule to
be the rock on which his predecessor had split, he had,
at the very outset, relaxed the reins of justice and mo-
rality, and, of course, had lost all command over the
community. In a little while such disorder and licen-
tiousness ensued, that many, even of the opponents of
Columbus, looked back with regret to the strict but
wholesome rule of himself and the adelantado.
One dangerous indulgence granted to the colonists
called for another, and each was ceded, in its turn, by
Bobadilla. He sold the farms and estates of the crown
at low prices, and granted universal permission to work
the mines, on paying only an eleventh of the produce to
government. To prevent any diminution in the revenues,
it became necessary to increase the quantity of gold col-
lected. He enforced, therefore, the repartimientos, by
which the caciques were obliged to furnish parties of their
subjects to work for the Spaniards in the field and in the
mine. To carry these into more complete effect, he
made an enumeration of the natives of the Island, reduced
them into classes, and distributed them, according to his
favor or caprice, among the colonists. His constant
exhortation to the Spaniards was, to produce large quan-
tities of gold. " Make the most of your time," he would
OF COLUMBUS. 209
say, " there is no knowing how long it will last;" alluding
to the possibility of his being speedily recalled. The
colonists acted up to his advice, and so hard did they
drive the poor natives, that the eleventh yielded more
revenue than had ever been produced by the third, under
the government of Columbus. In the mean time, the
unhappy Indians sunk under the toils imposed upon them,
and the severities by which they were enforced. A ca-
pricious tyranny was exercised over them by worthless
men, numbers of whom had been transported convicts
from the dungeons of Castile. These wretches assumed
the tone of grand cavaliers, and insisted upon being
attended by trains of servants; they took the daughters
and female relatives of caciques for their servants or
their concubines. In travelling, they obliged the natives
to transport them on their shoulders in litters or ham-
mocks, while others held umbrellas of palm leaves over
their heads, and cooled them with fans of feathers. Some-
times the backs and shoulders of the unfortunate Indians
who bore the litters were raw and bleeding from the task.
When these arrogant upstarts arrived at an Indian village,
they capriciously seized upon and lavished the provisions
of the inhabitants, and obliged the cacique and his subjects
to dance for their amusement. They never addressed
the natives but in the most degrading terms; and for the
least offence, or in a mere freak of ill humor, they would
inflict blows and lashes, and even death itself.
The tidings of these abuses, and of the wrongs of the
natives, grieved the spirit of Isabella, and induced her
to urge the departure of Ovando. He was empowered
to assume the command immediately on his arrival, and
to send home Bobadilla by the return fleet. Hispaniola
was to be the metropolis of the colonial government,
which was to extend over the islands and Terra Firma.
Ovando was to correct the late abuses, to revoke the
improper licenses granted by Bobadilla, to lighten the
burdens imposed upon the Indians, and to promote their
religious instruction. He was, at the same time, to as-
certain the injury sustained by Columbus in his late arrest
and imprisonment, and the arrears of revenue that were
18*
210 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
due to him, that he might receive ample redress and
compensation. The admiral was lo be allowed a resident
agent in the island, to attend to his affairs and guard his
interests, to which office Columbus immediately appointed
Alonzo Sanchez de Carvajal.
Among various decrees on this occasion, we find the
first trace of negro slavery in the new world. It was
permitted to transport to the colony negro slaves born in
Spain, the children and descendants of natives brought
from Guinea, where the slave trade had for some time
been carried on by the Spaniards and Portuguese. —
There are signal events in the course of history, which
sometimes bear the appearance of temporal judgements.
It is a fact worthy of observation, that Hispaniola, the
place where this flagrant sin against nature and humanity
was first introduced into the new world, has been the
first to exhibit an instance of awful retribution.
The fleet appointed to convey Ovando to his govern-
ment put to sea on the 13th of February, 1502. It was
the largest armament that had yet sailed to the new world,
consisting of thirty sail, of various sizes, provided with
all kinds of supplies for the colony. Twenty-five hun-
dred souls embarked in this -fleet, many of them persons
of rank, with their families. Ovando was allowed a bril-
liant retinue, a body guard of horsemen, and the use of
silks, brocades, and precious stones, at that time forbid-
den by the sumptuary laws of Spain. Such was the
style in which a favorite of Ferdinand, a native subject
of rank, was fitted out to enter upon the government with-
held from Columbus.
OF COLUMBUS. • 211
CHAPTER XXXVI.
Proposition of Columbus for a Crusade. — His Prepara-
tions for a fourth Voyage. [1500 — 1501.]
Columbus remained in the city of Granada upwards
of nine months, awaiting employment, and endeavoring
to retrieve his affairs from the confusion into which they
had been thrown. During this gloomy period, he called
to mind his vow to furnish, within seven years from the
time of his discovery of the new world, an ai-my of fifty
thousand foot and five thousand horse, for the recovery
of the holy sepulchre. The time had elapsed, the vow
remained unfulfilled, and the expected treasures that were
to pay the army had never been realized. Destitute,
therefore, of the means of accomplishing his pious pur-
pose, he considered it his duty to incite the sovereigns
to the enterprise; and he felt emboldened to do so, from
having originally proposed it as the great object to which
the profits of his discoveries should be directed. He
set to work, therefore, with his accustomed zeal, to pre-
pare arguments for the purpose. Aided by a Carthusian
friar, he collected into a manuscript volume all the pas-
sages in the Sacred Scriptures and in the writings of the
Fathers, which he conceived to contain mystic portents
and prophecies of the discovery of the new world, the
conversion of the Gentiles, and the recovery of the holy
sepulchre; three great events which he considered des-
tined to succeed each other, and to be accomplished
through his agency. He prepared, at the same time, a
long letter to the sovereigns, written with his usual fervor
of spirit and simplicity of heart, urging them to set on
foot a crusade for the conquest of Jerusalem. It is a
singular composition, which lays open the visionary part
of his character, and shows the mystic and speculative
212 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
reading with wliicli he was accustomed to nurture his
solemn and soaring imagination.*
It must be recollected that this was a scheme medi-
tated in melancholy and enthusiastic moods, in the courts
of the Alhambra, among the splendid remains of Moorish
grandeur, where, but a few years before, he had beheld
the standard of the faith deviated in triumph above the
symbols of infidelity. It was in unison with the temper
of the times, when the cross and sword frequently went
together, and religion was made the pretext for the most
desolating wars. Whether Columbus ever presented
this book to the sovereigns is uncertain; it is probable
that he did not, as his thoughts suddenly returned, with
renewed ardor, to their wonted channels, and he con-
ceived a leading object for another enterprise of discov-
ery.
Vasco de Gama had recently accomplished the long
attempted navigation to India by the Cape of Good
Hope, and Pedro Alvarez Cabral, following in his track,
had returned with his vessels laden with the precious
merchandise of the East. The riches of Calicut were
now the theme of every tongue. The discoveries of the
savage regions of the new world had as yet brought but
little revenue to Spain, but this route tp the East Indies
was pouring in immediate wealth upon Portugal.
Columbus was roused to emulation, and trusted he
could discover a route to those oriental regions more
easy and direct than that of Vasco de Gama. Accord-
ing to his own observations, and the reports of other
navigators, the coast of Terra Firma stretched far to the
westward. The southern coast of Cuba, which he con-
sidered a part of the Asiatic continent, stretched onward
towards the same point. The currents of the Caribbean
Sea must pass between these lands. He was persuaded,
tnerefore, that a strait must exist somewhere thereabout,
opening into the Indian Sea. The situation in which he
placed his conjectural strait was somewhere about what
*The manuscript volume, including the letter, still exists in the Co-
lumbian library of the cathedral of Seville, and has been inspected
with great interest by the writer of this history.
OF COLUMBUS. 213
is at present called the Isthmus of Darien. Could he
but discover such a passage, and thus link the new world
he had discovered, with the opulent oriental countries of
the old, he felt that he should make a magnificent close
to his labors.
He unfolded his plan to the sovereigns, and, though it
met with some narrow-minded opposition on the part of
certain of the royal counsellors, it was promptly adopted,
and he was empowered to fit out an armament to carry it
into effect. He accordingly departed for Seville in the
autumn of 1501, to make the necessary preparations; but
such were the delays caused by the artifices of Fonseca
and his agents, that it was not until the following month
of May that he was able to put to sea.
Before sailing, he took measures to provide against
any misfortune that might happen to himself in so distant
and perilous an expedition. He caused copies to be
made and authenticated, of all the royal letters patent of
his dignities and privileges; of his letter to the nurse of
Prince Juan, containing a vindication of his conduct; and
of two letters assigning to the Bank of St. George, at
Genoa, a tenth of his revenues, to be employed in dimin-
ishing the duties on provisions in his native city. These
two sets of documents he sent by different hands to his
friend. Doctor Nicolo Odorigo, who had been Genoese
ambassador to the court of Spain, requesting him to de-
posit them in some safe place at Genoa, and to apprize
his son Diego of the same.
He wrote also to Pope Alexander the Seventh, mention-
ing his vow to furnish an army for a crusade, but inform-
ing him of his being prevented from fulfilling it by being
divested of his government. He promised his Holiness,
however, on his return from his present voyage, to repair
immediately to Rome, and render him an account of all
his expeditions.
214 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
CHAPTER XXXVII.
Columbus sails on his fourth Voyage. — Events at the
Island of Ilispaniola. — His Search after an imaginary
Strait. [1502.]
Age was rapidly making its advances upon Columbus,
when he undertook his fourth voyage of discovery. He
was now about sixty-six years old. His constitution,
originally vigorous in the extreme, had been impaired by
hardships and exposures in every clime, and by the men-
tal sufferings he had undergone. His intellectual powers
alone retained their wonted energy, prompting him, at a
period of life when most men seek repose, to sally forth,
with youthful ardor, on the most toilsome and adventur-
ous of enterprises. In this arduous voyage, he was ac-
companied by his brother Don Bartholomew, w^ho com-
manded one of the vessels, and by his son Fernando,
then in his fourteenth year.
Columbus sailed from Cadiz on the 9th of May, 1502.
His squadron consisted of four caravels, the largest of
but seventy tons burden, the smallest of fifty; the crews
amounted in all to one hundred and fifty men. AVith
this little armament, and these slender barks, he under-
took the search after a strait, which, if found, must con-
duct him into the most remote seas, and lead to a com-
plete circumnavigation of the globe. After touching at
the Canaries, he had a prosperous voyage to the Caribbee
Islands, arriving on the 15th of June, at INIantinino, at
present called Martinique. He had originally intended
to steer to Jamaica, and from thence for the continent, in
search of the supposed strait; but one of his vessels prov-
ing a dull sailer, he bore away for Hispaniola, to ex-
change it for one of the fleet which had recently taken
out Ovando. This was contrary to his orders, which
had expressly forbidden him to touch at Hispaniola until
OF COLUMBUS. 215
his return homewards, lest his presence should cause
some agitation in the Island ; he trusted, however, the
circumstances of the case would plead his excuse.
Columbus arrived off the harbor of San Domingo at
an unpropitious moment. The place was filled with the
most virulent of his enemies, many of whom were in a
high state of exasperation from recent proceedings which
had taken place against them. The fleet which had
brought out Ovando lay in the harbor, ready to put to
sea; and was to take out Roldan, and many of his late
adherents, some of whom were under arrest, and to be
tried in Spain. Bobadiila was to embark in the princi-
pal ship, on board of which he had put an immense
amount of gold, the revenue collected for the government
during his administration, and which he confidently ex-
pected would atone for all his faults. Among the pres-
ents he intended for the sovereigns was one mass of
virgin gold, which is famous in the old Spanish chroni-
cles. It was said to weigh three thousand six hundred
castillanos. Large quantities of gold had also been
shipped in the fleet by the followers of Roldan, and other
adventurers; the wealth gained by the sufferings of the
unhappy natives.
It was on the 29th of June, that Columbus arrived at
the mouth of the river, and sent an officer on shore to
explain to the governor the purpose of his visit; he re-
quested permission, moreover, to shelter his squadron in
the river, as he apprehended an approaching storm. His
request was refused by Ovando, who probably had orders
from the sovereigns to that effect, and perhaps was fur-
ther swayed by prudent considerations. Columbus then
sent a second message, entreating that the sailing of the
fleet might be delayed, as there were indubitable signs of
an approaching tempest. This request was as fruitless
as the preceding; the weather, to an inexperienced eye,
was fair and tranquil, and the warning of the admiral
was treated with ridicule, as the prediction of a false
prophet.
Columbus retired from the river, indignant at being
denied relief, and refused shelter, in the very Island which
216 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
he liad discovered. His crew murmured loudly at being
excluded from a port of their own nation, where even
strangers, under similar circumstances, would be admit-
ted ; and tiioy repined at having embarked with a com-
mander who was liable to such treatment. Columbus,
feeling confident that a storm was at hand, kept his feeble
squadron close to shore, and sought for shelter in some
wild bay or river of the Island.
In the mean time, the fleet of Bobadilla set sail from
San Domingo, and stood out confidently to sea. Within
two days, the predictions of Columbus were verified.
One of those treiuendous storms which sometimes sweep
those latitudes, had gradually gathered up and begun to
blow. The little squadron of Columbus remained for a
time tolerably well sheltered by the land, but the tem-
pest increasing, and the night coming on, with unusual
darkness, the ships lost sight of each other, and were
separated. The admiral still kept close to the shore,
and sustained no damage. The three other vessels ran
out for searoom, and for several days were driven about
at the mercy of wind and wave, fearful each moment of
shipwreck, and giving up each other as lost. The ade-
lantado, who commanded the worst vessel of the squad-
ron, ran the most imminent hazard, and nothing but his
consummate seamanship enabled him to keep her afloat ;
he lost his longboat, and all the other vessels sustained
more or less injury. At length, after various vicissi-
tudes, they all arrived safe at Port Hermoso, to the west
of San Domingo.
A different fate befel the other armament. The ship
on board of which were Bobadilla, Roldan, and a number
of the most inveterate enemies of Columbus, was swal-
lowed up with all its crew, and with the celebrated mass
of gold, and the principal part of the ill-gotten treasure
gained by the miseries of the Indians. INIany of the other
ships were entirely lost, some returned to San Domingo
in shattered condition, and only one was enabled to con-
tinue her voyage to Spain. That one, it is said, was
the weakest of the fleet, and had on board of it four thou-
sand pieces of gold, the property of the admiral, remitted
OF COLUMBUS. 217
to Spain by his agent Carvajal. Both Fernando Colum-
bus, and the venerable historian Las Casas, looked upon
this event as one of those awful judgements which seem at
times to deal forth temporal retribution. They notice
the circumstance, that, while the enemies of the admiral
were thus, as it were, before his eyes, swallowed up in
the raging sea, the only ship enabled to pursue her voy-
age, was the frail bark freighted with his property. Many
of the superstitious seamen, who, from the sagacity dis-
played by Columbus, in judging of the signs of the ele-
ments, and his variety of scientific knowledge, looked
upon him as endowed with supernatural powers, fancied
he had conjured up this storm by magic spells, for the
destruction of his enemies. The evils in this, as in most
of the cases called temporaljudgements, overwhelmed the
innocent with the guilty. ]n the same ship with Boba-
dilla and Roldan, perished the captive Guarionex, the
unfortunate cacique of the vega.
After repairing the damages sustained by his ships in
the storm, Columbus steered for Terra Firma, but the
weather falling perfectly calm, he was swept away to the
northwest by the currents, until he arrived on the south-
ern coast of Cuba. The wind springing up fair, he re-
sumed his course, and standing to the southwest, was
enabled, on the 30ih of .July, to make the island of Gua-
naga, a few leagues distant from the coast of Honduras.
While the adelantado was on shore at this island, a canoe
arrived of an immense size, on board of which sat a
cacique with his wives and children, under an awning of
palm leaves. The canoe was paddled by twenty-five
Indians, and freighted with various merchandise, the rude
manufactures and natural productions of the adjacent
countries. There were hatchets and other utensils of
copper, with a kind of crucible for the melting of that
metal. Various vessels neatly formed of clay, marble,
and hard wood; mantles of cotton, worked and dyed with
various colors; and many other articles which indicated
a superior degree of art and civilization than had hitherto
been discovered in the new world.
19 I.
218 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
The Indians, as far as they could be understood, in-
formed the admiral that they had come from a country
rich, cultivated, and industrious, situated to the west, and
urged him to steer in that direction. Well would it have
been for Columbus had he followed their advice. Within
a day or two he would have arrived at Yucatan ; the dis-
covery of Mexico, and the other opulent countries of New
Spain, would have necessarily followed, the Southern
Ocean would have been disclosed to him, and a succes-
sion of splendid discoveries would have shed fresh glory
on his declining age, instead of its sinking amidst gloom,
neglect, and disappointment.
The admiral's whole mind, however, was at present
intent upon discovering the supposed strait, that was to
lead him to the Indian Ocean. He stood, therefore,
southwardly for some mountains which he descried not
many leagues distant, made Cape Honduras, and from
thence proceeded eastwardly, beating against contrary
winds, and struggling with the currents which sweep that
coast. There was an almost incessant tempest, with
heavy rain and awful thunder and lightning. His vessels
were strained so that their seams opened, the sails and
rigging were rent, and the provisions damaged by the
rain and the leakage. The sailors were exhausted with
fatigue, and harassed with terror. Several times they
confessed their sins to each other, and prepared for death.
During a great part of this time, Columbus suffered ex-
tremely from the gout, and his complaint was aggravated
by watchfulness and anxiety. His illness did not pre-
vent his attending to his duties; he had a small cabin or
roundhouse constructed on the stern, from whence,
even when confined to his bed, he could keep a look-
out, and regulate the sailing of the ships. Many times
he was so ill that he thought his end approaching, and
his anxious mind was distressed at the thoughts that his
brother Don Bartholomew, and his son Fernando, were
exposed to the same dangers and hardships. Often, too,
his thoughts reverted to his son Diego, and the cares
and misfortunes into which his death might plunge him.
At length, after struggling for upwards of forty days to
OF COLUMBUS. 219
make a distance of about seventy leagues, he arrived, on
the 14th of September, at a cape where the coast made
a sudden bend, and turned directly south. Doubling
this cape, he had immediately an easy wind, and swept
off with flowing sail, in consequence of which he gave it
the name of Gracias a Dios, or Thanks to God.
For three weeks he continued coasting what is at pres-
ent called the Mosquito shore, in the course of which a
boat with its crew was swallowed up by the sudden swell-
ing of a river. He had occasional interviews with the
natives, but a mutual distrust prevailed between them and
the Spaniards. The Indians were frightened at seeing
a notary of the fleet take out pen, ink, and paper, and
proceed to write down the information they were com-
municating; they supposed he was working some magic
spell, and to counteract it, they scattered a fragrant pow-
der in the air, and burnt it so that the smoke should be
borne towards the Spaniards. The superstitious seamen
looked upon these counter charms with equal distrust.
They suspected the people of this coast to be great en-
chanters, and that all the delays and hardships they had
experienced were in consequence of the ships being under
some evil spell, wrought by their magic arts. Even Co-
lumbus, and his son and historian Fernando, appear to have
been tinctured with this superstition, which indeed is
characteristic of the age.
On the 5th of October, Columbus arrived at what is at
present called Costa Rica, (or the Rich Coast,) from the
gold and silver mines found in after years among its moun-
tains. Here he began to find ornaments of pure gold
among the natives. These increased in quantity when
he came to what has since been called the coast of
Veragua, where he was assured that the richest mines
were to be found. In sailing along these coasts, he re-
ceived repeated accounts of a great kingdom in the
west, called Ciguare, at the distance of several days'
journey, where, as far as he could understand the imper-
fect explanations of his interpreters, the inhabitants wore
crowns and bracelets and anklets of gold, and employed
it in embroidering their garments, and ornamenting and
220 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
embossing their furniture. They were armed, also, like
the Spaniards, with swords, bucklers, and cuirasses, and
were mounted on horses. The country was described
also as being commercial, with seaports, in which ships
arrived armed with cannon. Above all, Columbus
understood that the sea continued round to this kingdom
of Ciguare, and that ten days beyond it was the Ganges.
These were evidently rumors of the distant kingdom
of Mexico, imperfectly interpreted to Columbus, and
shaped and colored by his imagination. He concluded
that this country must be some province belonging to the
Grand Khan, and must lie on the opposite side of a pen-
insula, and that he would soon arrive at a strait leading
into the Indian Sea, which washed its shores. The sup-
posed vicinity of the Ganges caused no surprise, as he
had adopted the opinion of certain ancient philosophers,
who gave the world a smaller circumference than was
generally imagined, and but fifty-six miles and two-thirds
to a degree of the equinoctial line.
With these erroneous but ingenious ideas, Columbus
continued to press forward in search of the imaginary
strait, contending with adverse winds and currents, and
meeting with great hostility from the natives ; for the
Indians of these coasts were fierce and warlike, and many
of the tribes are supposed to have been of Carib origin.
At sight of the ships, the forests would resound with
yells and war-whoops, with wooden drums, and the blasts
of conchs, and on landing the shores would be lined with
savage warriors, armed with clubs and lances, and swords
of palm wood.
At length, having discovered and named Puerto Bello,
and continued beyond Cape Nombre de Dios, Columbus
arrived at a small and narrow harbor, to which he gave
the name of El Retrete, or The Cabinet. Here he had
reached the point, to which Bastides, an enterprising
voyager, coasting from the eastward, had recently ex-
plored. Whether Columbus knew or not, of the voyage
of this discoverer, does not clearly appear, but here he
was induced to give up all further attempt to find the
strait. The seamen were disheartened by the constant
OF COLUMBUS. , 221
opposition of tlie winds and currents, and by the condition
of the ships, which were pierced in all parts by the
teredo or worm so destructive in the tropical seas. They
considered themselves still under an evil spell, worked
by the Indian sorcerers, and the commanders remon-
strated against forcing their way any farther in spite of the
elements, with ships so crazed and leaky. Columbus
yielded to their solicitations, and determined to return to
the coast of Veragua, and search for the mines which
were said to abound there.
Here, then, ended the lofty anticipations which had
elevated him above all mercenary views in his struggle
along these perilous coasts, and had given a heroic char-
acter to the early part of his voyage. It is true, he
had been in pursuit of a mere chimera, but it was the
chimera of a splendid imagination and a penetrating judge-
ment. The subsequent discovery of the Pacific Ocean
bathing the opposite shores of that narrow isthmus,
has proved that a great part of his theory was well-
founded.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
Return to the Coast of Veragua. — Contests with the J^a-
tives. [1502.]
On the 5th of December, Columbus sailed from El
Retrete, to return westward in search of the gold mines
of Veragua. He had not proceeded far, however, when
the wind suddenly veered to the west, the point from
whence, for three months, he had been wishing it to
blow, but from whence it now came only to contradict
him. In a little while it became so variable and furious
as to baffle all seamanship. For nine days, the vessels
were tossed about, at the mercy of a raging tempest, in
an unknown sea, and often exposed to the awful perils
19*
222 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
of a lee shore. The sea, according to the description
of Columbus, boiled at times like a caldron ; at other
times it ran in mountain waves, covered with foam. At
night, the raging billows sparkled with luminous particles
which made them resemble great surges of flame. For
a day and a night, the heavens glowed like a furnace,
with incessant flashes of lightning ; while the loud claps
of thunder were often mistaken by the mariners for
signal guns of distress from their foundering companions.
During the whole time, there was such a deluge of rain,
that the seamen were almost drowned in their open ves-
sels.
In the midst of this wild tumult of the elements, they
beheld a new object of alarm. The ocean in one place
became strangely agitated. The water was whirled up
into a kind of pyramid or cone, while a livid cloud,
tapering to a point, bent down to meet it. Joining to-
gether, they formed a column, which rapidly approached
the ships, spinning along the surface of the deep, and
drawing up the waters with a rushing sound. The
affrighted mariners, when they beheld this waterspout
advancing towards them, despaired of averting it by
human means, and began to repeat certain passages from
St. John the Evangelist. The waterspout passed close
by their ships, without injuring them, and they attributed
their escape to the miraculous efficacy of their quotations
from the Scriptures.
An interval of calm succeeded, but even this afforded
but little consolation to the tempest-tost mariners; they
looked upon it as deceitful, and beheld with alarm great
numbers of sharks, so abundant and ravenous in those
latitudes, roaming about the ships. Among the super-
stitions of the seas, is the belief that these voracious fish
have not only the faculty of smelling dead bodies at a
distance, but have a presentiment of their prey, and keep
about vessels which have sick persons on board, or which
are in danger of being wrecked.
For three weeks longer, they continued to be driven
to and fro, by changeable and tempestuous winds, en-
deavoring to make a distance of merely thirty leagues,
OF COLUMBUS. 223
insomuch that Columbus gave this hne of seaboard the
name of La Costa de los Contrastes, or the Coast of
Contradictions. At length, to his great joy, he arrived,
on the day of Epiphany, (the 6th of January,) on the coast
of Veragua, and anchored in a river, to which, in honor
of the day, he gave the name of Belen or Bethlehem.
The natives of the neighborhood manifested the same
fierce and warlike character that generally prevailed along
this coast. They were soon conciliated, however, and
brought many ornaments of fine gold to traffic ; but as-
sured the admiral that the mines lay near the river Veragua,
which was about two leagues distant. The adelantado
had an interview with Quibian, the cacique of Veragua,
who afterwards visited the ships. He was a stern war-
rior, of tall and powerful frame, and taciturn and cautious
character. A few days afterwards, the adelantado, at-
tended by sixty-eight men, well armed, proceeded to
explore the Veragua, and seek its reputed mines. They
ascended the river about a league and a half, to the village
of Quibian, which was situated on a hill. The cacique
descended with a numerous train of his subjects, unarmed,
and took his seat on a great stone, which one of his at-
tendants drew out of the river. He received his guests
with courtesy, for the lofty, vigorous, and iron form of the
adelantado, and his resolute demeanor, were calculated
to inspire awe and respect in an Indian warrior. Though
his jealousy was evidently awakened by the intrusion of
the Spaniards into his territories, yet he readily furnished
Don Bartholomew with guides, to conduct him to the
mines. These guides led the adelantado and his men
about six leagues into the interior, among thick forests
of lofty and magnificent trees, where they told them the
mines were situated. In fact, the whole soil appeared to
be impregnated with gold, and the Spaniards collected a
considerable quantity from the surface of the earth, and
from among the roots of the trees. From hence, the
adelantado was conducted to the summit of a high hill,
which overlooked an immense extent of country, with
various villages, and the guides assured him, that the
224 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
whole land, to the distance of twenty days' journey west-
ward, abounded in gold.
Another expedition of Don Bartholomew along the
coast, westward, was equally satisfactory; and the reports
which he brought of golden tracts of country, together
with the rumors of a rich and civilized kingdom in the
interior, and the erroneous idea with respect to the vicini-
ty of the Ganges, all concurred to produce a new illusion
in the ardent mind of Columbus. He fancied that he
had actually arrived at the Aurea Chersonesus, from
whence, according to Josephus, the gold had been pro-
cured for the building of the temple of Jerusalem. Here,
then, was a place, at which to found a colony and estab-
lish a mart, which should become an emporium of the
wealth of a vast region of mines. His brother, Don
Bartholomew, concurred with him in opinion, and agreed
to remain here with the greater part of the people, while
the admiral should return to Spain, for supplies and re-
enforcements.
They immediately proceeded to carry their plan into
operation. Eighty men were selected to remain. Houses
of wood, thatched with palm leaves, were erected on the
high bank of a creek, about a bowshot within the mouth
of the river Belen. A storehouse was built to receive
part of the ammunition, artillery, and stores ; the rest
was put on board of one of the caravels, which was to
be left for the use of the colony.
The houses being sufficiently finished to be habitable,
the admiral prepared for his departure, when he found,
to his surprise, that the river, which on his arrival had
been swollen by rain, had subsided to such a degree, that
there was not above half a fathom of water on the bar.
Though his vessels were small, it was impossible to
draw them over the sands at the mouth of the river, on
account of a heavy surf. He was obliged, therefore, to
wait until the rains should again swell the river.
In the mean time, Quibian beheld with secret indigna-
tion these strangers intruding themselves into his domin-
ions. Columbus had sought to secure his friendship by
various presents, but in vain. The cacique, ignorant of
OP COLUMBUS. 225
the vast superiority of the Europeans in the art of war,
thought it easy to overwhelm and destroy them. He
sent messengers around, and ordered all his fighting men
to assemble at his residence, under pretext of making
war upon a neighboring province. The movements of
the Indians awakened the suspicions of one Diego Men-
dez, chief notary of the armament. He was a man of
zeal and spirit, of a shrewd and prying character, and
entirely devoted to the admiral. He mingled among the
Indians, and observed circumstances which satisfied him
that they were meditating an attack. The admiral was
loath to believe it, and was desirous of clearer informa-
tion, before he took any step that might interrupt the
pacific intercourse that yet prevailed. The indefatigable
Mendez now undertook a service of life and death. Ac-
companied by a single companion, he penetrated as a
spy to the very residence of Quibian, who they heard
had been wounded in the leg by an arrow. Mendez
gave himself out as a surgeon come to cure the wound,
and made his way to the mansion of the grim warrior,
which was situated on the crest of a hill, and surrounded
by three hundred heads, on stakes ; dismal trophies of
the enemies he had vanquished in battle. Undismayed
by this sight, Mendez endeavored to enter, but was met
at the threshold by the son of the cacique, who repulsed
him with a violent blow, that made him recoil several
paces. He managed to pacify the furious young savage,
by taking out a box of ointment, and assuring him that
he only came for the purpose of curing his father's
wounds. He then made him presents of a comb, scis-
sors, and mirror, taught him and his Indians the use of
them in cutting and arranging their hair, and thus ingra-
tiated himself with them by administering to their vanity.
It was impossible, however, to gain admittance to the
cacique ; but Mendez saw enough to convince him that
the attack was about to be carried into effect, and that
it was merely delayed by the wound of the cacique ; he
hastened back, therefore, to Colunibus with the intelH-
gence.
An Indian interpreter, a native of the neighborhood,
226 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
corroborated the report of Mendez. He informed the
admiral that Quibian intended to come secretly, in the
dead of the night, with all his warriors, to set fire to
the ships and houses, and massacre the Spaniards.
When the adelantado heard of this plot, he conceived
a counterplot to defeat it, which he carried into effect
with his usual promptness and resolution. Taking with
him seventy-four men, well armed, among whom was
Diego Mendez, and being accompanied by the Indian
interpreter who had revealed the conspiracy, he set off"
in boats to the mouth of the Veragua, ascended it rapid-
ly, and landed in the night at the village of the cacique,
before the Indians could have notice of his approach.
Lest Quibian should take the alarm and fly, he ascended
to his house, accompanied only by Diego Mendez and
four other men, ordering the rest to come on gradually
and secretly, and at the discharge of an arquebuse to
rush up and surround the house, and suffer no one to
escape.
The cacique, hearing of his approach, came forth, and
seating himself in the portal, desired him to advance
singly. Don Bartholomew complied, ordering Diego
Mendez and his four companions to remain at a little
distance, but to rush to his aid at a concerted signal.
He then advanced, addressed the cacique by means of
the interpreter, inquired about his wound, and pretending
to examine it, took him by the arm. This was the sig-
nal, at which four of the Spaniards rushed forward; the
fifth discharged the arquebuse. A violent struggle en-
sued between Don Bartholomew and the cacique, who
were both men of great muscular force ; but, with the
assistance of Diego Mendez and his companions, Quibian
was overpowered, and bound hand and foot. In the
mean time the main body of the Spaniards surrounded
the house, and captured the wives and children of the
cacique, and several of his principal subjects. The pris-
oners were sent off to the ships, while the adelantado,
with a part of his men, remained on shore to pursue the
Indians who had escaped.
The cacique was conveyed to the boats by Juan San-
OF COLUMBUS. 227
chez, the principal pilot of the squadron, a powerful and
spirited man. The adelantado charged him to be on his
guard against any attempt at rescue or escape. The
sturdy pilot replied, that if the cacique escaped from his
clutches he would give them leave to pluck out his beard
hair by hair. On arriving at the boat, he secured his
prisoner by a strong cord to one of the benches. It was
a dark night; as the boat proceeded down the river, the
cacique complained piteously of the painfulness of his
bonds, until the rough heart of the pilot was touched
with compassion. He loosened the cord, therefore, by
which Quibian was tied to the bench, keeping the end
of it in his hand. The wily Indian now watched his
opportunity, and plunged suddenly into the water, with
such violence, that the pilot had to let go the cord, lest
he should be drawn in after him. The darkness of the
night, and the bustle which took place in preventing the
escape of the other prisoners, rendered it impossible to
pursue the cacique, or even to ascertain his fate. Juan
Sanchez hastened to the ships with the residue of the
captives, deeply mortified at being thus outwitted by a
savage.
The adelantado remained all night on shore, but on
the following morning, seeing the wild and rugged nature
of the country, he gave up all further pursuit of the In-
dians, and returned to the ships with the spoils of the
cacique's mansion, consisting of bracelets, anklets, and
massive plates of gold, and two golden coronets. One
fifth of the booty was set apart for the crown, the resi-
due was shared among those concerned in the enterprise,
and one of the coronets was assigned to the adelantado
as a trophy of his exploit.
228 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
CHAPTER XXXIX.
Disasters of the Settlement. [1503.]
Satisfied that the vigorous measure of the adelanta-
do had struck terror into the Indians, and crushed their
hostile designs, Columbus took advantage of a swelling
of the river, to pass the bar with three of his caravels,
leaving the fourth for the use of the settlement. He then
anchored within a league of the shore, until a favorable
wind should spring up for Hispaniola.
The cacique Quibian had not perished in the river, as
some had supposed. Plunging to the bottom, he swam
for some distance below the surface, and then emerging,
escaped to the shore. His home, however, was deso-
late, and to complete his despair, he saw the vessels
standing out to sea, bearing away his wives and children
captives. Furious for revenge, he gathered together a
great number of his warriors, and assailed the settlement
when the Spaniards were scattered and off their guard.
The Indians launched their javelins through the roofs of
the houses, which were of palm leaves, or hurled them
in at the windows, or thrust them between the logs which
composed the w^alls, and wounded several of the Span-
iards. On the first alarm, the adelantado seized a lance,
and sallied forth with seven or eight of his men; Diego
Mendez brought several others to his assistance. They
had a short skirmish; one Spaniard was killed, and eight
wounded; the adelantado received a thrust in the breast
with a javelin; but they succeeded in repulsing the In-
dians, with considerable loss, and driving them into the
forest.
During the skirmish, a boat came on shore from the
ships to procure wood and water. It was commanded
by Diego Tristan, a captain of one of the caravels.
When the Indians were put to flight, he proceeded up
OF COLUMBUS. 229
the river, in quest of fresh water, disregarding the warn-
ing counsels of those on shore.
The boat had ascended about a league above the vil-
lage, to a part of the river overshadowed by lofty banks
and spreading trees. Suddenly the forest resounded
with yells and war-whoops, and the blasts of conchs. A
shower of missiles was rained from the shores, and canoes
darted out from creeks and coves, filled with warriors,
brandishing their weapons. The Spaniards, losing all
presence of mind, neglected to use their firearms, and
only sought to shelter themselves with their bucklers.
The captain, Diego Tristan, though covered with wounds,
endeavored to animate his men, when a javehn pierced
his right eye, and struck him dead. The canoes now
closed upon the boat, and massacred the crew. One
Spaniard alone escaped, who, having fallen overboard,
dived to the bottom, swam under water, and escaped un-
perceived to shore, bearing tidings of the massacre to the
settlement. The Spaniards were so alarmed at the in-
telligence, and at the thoughts of the dangers that were
thickening around them, that, notwithstanding the remon-
strances of the adelantado, they determined to embark
in the caravel, and abandon the place altogether. On
making the attempt, however, they found that, the tor-
rents having subsided, the river was again shallow, and it
was impossible for the caravel to pass over the bar. A
high sea and boisterous surf also prevented their sending
off a boat to the admiral, with intelligence of their dan-
ger. While thus cut oft' from all retreat or succor, hor-
rors increased upon them. The mangled bodies of Diego
Tristan and his men came floating down the stream, and
drifting about the harbor, with flights of crows and other
carrion birds feeding on them, and hovering, and scream-
ing, and fighting about their prey.
In the mean time, the dismal sound of conchs and war
drums was heard in every direction in the bosom of the
surrounding forest, showing that the enemy was augment-
ing in number, and preparing for further hostilities. The
adelantado, therefore, deemed it unsafe to remain in the
village, which was adjacent to the woods. He chose an
20 I.
230 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
open place on the shore, where he caused a kind of bul-
wark to be made of the boat of the caravel, and of casks
and sea chests. Two places were left open as embra-
sures, in which were mounted a couple of falconets, or
small pieces of artillery. In this little fortress, the Span-
iards shut themselves up, and kept the Indians at a distance
by the terror of their firearms ; but they were exhausted
by watching and by incessant alarms, and looked forward
with despondency to the time when their ammunition
should be exhausted, or they should be driven forth by
hunger to seek for food.
While the Spaniards were exposed to such imminent
peril on shore, great anxiety prevailed on board of the
ships. Day after day elapsed without the return of Die-
go Tristan and his party, and it was feared that some
disaster had befallen them. But one boat remained for
the service of the ships, and they dared not risk it in the
rough sea and heavy surf, to send it on shore for intelli-
gence. A circumstance occurred to increase the anxiety
of the crews. The Indian prisoners were confined in
the forecastle of one of the caravels. In the night they
suddenly burst open the hatch, several flung themselves
into the sea, and swam to the shore ; the rest were se-
cured and forced back into the forecastle, but such was
their unconquerable spirit and their despair, that they
hanged or strangled themselves with ends of cords which
lay about in their prison, and in the morning were all
found dead.
The escape of some of the prisoners gave great unea-
siness to the admiral, fearing they would stimulate their
countrymen to some new act of vengeance. Still it was
impossible to send a boat on shore. At length, one
Pedro Ledesma, a man of great strength and resolution,
volunteered, if the boat would take him to the edge of
the surf, to plunge into the sea, swim to the shore, and
bring off intelligence. He succeeded, and on his return
informed the admiral of all the disasters of the settlement;
the attack by the Indians, and the massacre of Diego
Tristan and his boat's crew. He found the Spaniards
in their forlorn fortress, in a complete state of insubordi-
OF COLUMBUS. 231
nation. They were preparing canoes to take them to
tlie ships, when the weather should moderate. They
threatened that, if the admiral refused to take them on
board, they would embark in the remaining caravel, as
soon as it could be extricated from the river, and would
abandon themselves to the mercy of the seas, rather than
continue on that fatal coast.
The admiral was deeply afflicted at this intelligence,
but there appeared no alternative but to embark all the
people, abandon the settlement for the present, and re-
turn at a future day, with a force competent to take secure
possession of the country. The state of the weather
rendered the execution even of this plan doubtful. The
high wind and boisterous waves still prevented communi-
cation, and the situation of those at sea, in crazy and
feebly manned ships, on a lee shore, was scarcely less
perilous than that of their comrades on the land. Every
hour increased the anxiety of the admiral. Days of
constant perturbation, and nights of sleepless anguish,
preyed upon a constitution broken by age and hardships.
Amidst the acute maladies of the body, and the fever of
the mind, he appears to have been visited by partial de-
lirium. In a letter to the sovereigns, he gives an account
of a kind of vision, which comforted him when full of
despondency, and tossing upon a couch of pain. In the
silence of the night, when, wearied and sighing, he had
fallen into a slumber, he thought he heard a voice re-
proaching him with his want of confidence in God.
"Oh fool, and slow to believe thy God !" exclaimed the
voice ; " what did he more for Moses or for his servant
David ? From the time that thou wert born he has ever
taken care of thee. When he saw thee of a fitting age,
he made thy name to resound marvellously throughout
the world. The Indies, those rich parts of the earth,
he gave thee for thine own, and empowered thee to dis-
pose of them to others, according to thy pleasure. He
delivered thee the keys of the gates of the ocean sea,
shut up by such mighty chains, and thou wert obeyed in
many lands, and didst acquire honorable fame among
Christians. ****** Thou dost call despondingly for
232 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
succor. Answer ! who has afflicted thee ? God, or the
world ? The privileges and promises which God has
made thee, he has never broken. He fulfils all that he
promises, and with increase. Thy present troubles are
the reward of the toils and perils thou hast endured in
serving others." Amidst its reproaches the voice min-
gled promises of further protection, and assurances that
his age should be no impediment to any great under-
taking.
Such is the vision which Columbus circumstantially
relates in a letter to the sovereigns. The words here
spoken by a supposed voice, are truths which dwelt upon
his mind and agitated his spirit in his waking hours. It
is natural that they should recur vividly in his feverish
dreams. He had a solemn belief that he was a peculiar
instrument in the hands of Providence, which, together
with a deep tinge of superstition, common to the age,
made him prone to mistake every striking dream for a
revelation.
His error was probably confirmed by subsequent cir-
cumstances. Immediately after the supposed vision,
and after nine days of boisterous weather, the wind sub-
sided, the sea became calm, and the adelantado, and his
companions were happily rescued from their perilous
situation, and embarked on board of the ships. Every
thing of value was likewise brought on board, and noth-
ing remained but the hull of the caravel, which could
not be extricated from the river. Diego Mendez was
extremely efficient in bringing off the people and the
property ; and, in reward of his zeal and services, the
admiral gave him the command of the caravel, vacant by
the death of the unfortunate Diego Tristan.
OF COLUMBUS. 23^
CHAPTER XL.
Voyage to Jamaica. — Transactions at that Island.
[1503.]
Towards the end of April, Columbus set sail from
the disastrous coast of Veragua. The wretched con-
dition of his ships, the enfeebled state of his crews, and
the scarcity of provisions, determined him to make the
best of his way for Hispaniola ; but it was necessary,
before standing across for that island, to gain a consid-
erable distance to the east, to avoid being swept away
far below their destined port by the currents. The pi-
lots and mariners, who had not studied the navigation of
these seas with an equally experienced and observant
eye, fancied, when Columbus stood along the coast to
the east, that he intended to proceed immediately to
Spain, and murmured loudly at the madness of attempt-
ing so long a voyage, with ships destitute of stores and
consumed by the worms. The admiral did not impart
his reasons, for he was disposed to make a mystery of
his routes, seeing the number of private adventurers
daily crowding into his track.
Continuing along the coast eastward, he was obliged
to abandon one of the caravels in the harbor of Puerto
Bello, being so pierced by the teredo that it was impos-
sible to keep her afloat. He then proceeded about ten
leagues beyond Point Bias, near to what is at present
called the gulf of Darien, and which he supposed to be
the province of Mangi, in the territories of the Grand
Khan. Here he bade farewell to the main land, and
stood northward on the first of May, in quest of His-
paniola. Notwithstanding all his precautions, however,
he was carried so far west by the currents, as to arrive,
on the 30th of May, among the cluster of islands called
the Queen's Gardens, on the south side of Cuba. During
20*
234 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
this time, his crews had suffered excessively from hun-
ger and fatigue. They were crowded into two caravels,
little better than mere wrecks, and which were scarcely
kept afloat by incessant labor at the pump. They were
enfeebled by scanty diet, and dejected by a variety of
hardships. A violent storm, on the coast of Cuba, drove
the vessels upon each other, and shattered them to such
a degree, that the admiral, after struggling as far as Cape
Cruz, gave up all further attempt to navigate them to
Hispaniola, and stood over in search of a secure port
on the island of Jamaica. Here, on the 24th of June,
they anchored in a harbor, to which the admiral gave the
name of Port San Gloria.
Seeing that his ships were no longer capable of stand-
ing the sea, and were in danger of foundering even in
port, Columbus ran them aground, within bow-shot of
the shore, where they were fastened together side by
side. They soon filled with water. Thatched cabins
were then erected at the prow and stern to shelter the
crews, and the wreck was placed in the best possible
state of defence : thus castled in the sea, Columbus
trusted to be able to repel any sudden attack of the na-
tives, and at the same time to keep his men under prop-
er restraint. No one was permitted to go on shore
without especial license, and the utmost precaution was
taken to prevent any offence being given to the Indians,
who soon swarmed to the harbor with provisions, as any
exasperation of them might be fatal to the Spaniards in
their present forlorn situation. Two persons were ap-
pointed to superintend all bargains, and the provisions
thus obtained were divided every evening among the
people. As the immediate neighborhood, however,
might soon be exhausted, the zealous and intrepid Diego
Mendez made a tour in the interior, accompanied by
three men, and made arrangements for the caciques at a
distance to furnish daily supplies at the harbor, in ex-
change for European trinkets. He returned in triumph,
in a canoe which he had purchased from the Indians,
and which he had freighted with provisions, and through
his able arrangement the Spaniards were regularly sup-
plied.
OF COLUMBUS. 235
The immediate wants of his people being thus pro-
vided for, Columbus revolved, in his anxious mind, the
means of getting from this island. His ships were beyond
the possibiUty of repair; there was no hope of a chance
sail arriving to his relief, on the shores of a savage island,
in an unfrequented sea. At length, a mode of relief
occurred to him, through the means of this same Diego
Mendez, whose courage and loyalty he had so often
proved. He took him aside to sound him on the sub-
ject, and Mendez himself has written an account of this
interesting conversation, which is full of character.
" Diego Mendez, my son," said the venerable admi-
ral, " of all those who are here, you and I alone know
the great peril in which we are placed. We are few in
number, and these savage Indians are many, and of fickle
and irritable natures. On the least provocation, they may
throw firebrands from the shore, and consume us in our
straw-thatched cabins. The arrangement which you
have made for provisions, and which at present they
fulfil so cheerfully, they may capriciously break, to-mor-
row, and may refuse to bring us any thing ; nor have we
the means of compelling them. I have thought of a
remedy, if it meets your views. In this canoe which
you have purchased, some one may pass over to His-
paniola, and procure a ship, by which we shall all be
delivered from this great peril. Tell me your opinion
on the matter."
" Senor," replied Diego Mendez, " 1 well know our
danger to be far greater than is easily conceived ; but as
to passing to Hispaniola in so small a vessel as a canoe,
I hold it not merely difficult, but impossible, since it is
necessary to traverse a gulf of forty leagues, and between
islands where the sea is impetuous and seldom in repose.
I know not who there is would venture upon so extreme
a peril."
Columbus made no reply ; but from his looks, and the
nature of his silence, Mendez plainly perceived himself
to be the person whom the admiral had in view. Re-
suming, therefore, the conversation, " Senor," said he,
" I have many times put my life in peril to save you and
236 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
my comrades, and God has hitherto preserved me in a
miraculous manner. There are, nevertheless, murmur-
ers, who say that yom* excellency intrusts to me every
affair wherein honor is to be gained, while there are oth-
ers in company who would execute them as well as I.
I beg, therefore, that you would assemble the people,
and propose this enterprise, to see if any one will under-
take it, which I doubt. If all decline, I will then come
forward and risk my life in your service, as I have many
times done already."
The admiral willingly humored the wishes of the
worthy Mendez ; for never was simple vanity accom-
panied by more generous and devoted zeal.
On the following morning, the crew was accordingly
assembled, and the proposition made. Every one drew
back, pronouncing it the height of rashness. Upon this,
Diego Mendez stepped forward. " Senor," said he, " I
have but one life to lose, yet I am willing to venture it
for your service, and for the good of all here present ;
and I trust in the protection of God, which I have ex-
perienced on so many other occasions."
Columbus embraced this zealous follower, who im-
mediately set about preparing for the expedition. Draw-
ing his canoe on shore, he put on a false keel, and nailed
weatherboards along the bow and stern, to prevent the
sea from breaking over it. He then payed it with a
coat of tar, furnished it with a mast and sail, and put in
provisions for himself, a Spanish comrade, and six In-
dians.
In the mean while, Columbus wrote a letter to Oyando,
governor of Hispaniola, begging that a ship might imme-
diately be sent to bring him and his men to Hispaniola;
and he wrote another to the sovereigns, entreating for a
ship to convey them from Hispaniola to Spain. In this
letter, he gave a comprehensive account of his voyage,
and expressed his opinion that Veragua was the Aurea
Chersonesus of the ancients. He supposed himself to
have reached the confines of the dominions of the Grand
Khan, and offered, if he lived to return to Spain, to
conduct a mission thither to instruct that potentate in the
OF COLUMBUS. 237
Christian faith. What an instance of soaring enthusiasm
and irrepressible enterprise is here exhibited ! At the
time he was indulging these visions, and proposing new
and romantic enterprises, he was broken down by age
and infirmities, racked by pain, confined to his bed, and
shut up in a wreck on the coast of a remote and savage
island.
The despatches being ready, Diego Mendez embarked
with his Spanish comrade and his six Indians, and coast-
ed the island eastward. Their voyage was toilsome and
perilous. When arrived at the end of the island, they
were suddenly surrounded and taken prisoners by the
Indians, who carried them three leagues into the interior,
where they determined to kill them. A dispute arising
about the division of the spoils, they agreed to settle it,
after the Indian fashion, by a game of ball. While thus
engaged, Diego Mendez escaped, regained his canoe,
and made his way back to the harbor in it, alone, after
fifteen days' absence. Nothing daunted by the perils and
hardships he had undergone, he offered to depart imme-
diately, on a second attempt, provided he could be escort-
ed to the end of the island by an armed force. His
offer was accepted, and Bartholomew Fiesco, a Genoese,
who had commanded one of the caravels, and was strongly
attached to the admiral, was associated with him in this
second expedition. Each had a canoe, with six Span-
iards and ten Indians under his command. On reaching
Hispaniola, Fiesco was to return immediately to Ja-
maica, to bring tidings to the admiral of the safe arrival
of his messenger ; while Diego Mendez was to proceed
to San Domingo, and, after purchasing and despatching
a ship, was to depart for Spain with the letter to the
sovereigns.
All arrangements being made, the Indians placed in
the canoes a supply of cassava bread, and each his cala-
bash of water. The Spaniards, beside their provisions,
had each his sword and target. The adelantado, with
an armed band, kept pace with them along the coast,
until they reached the end of the island, where, waiting
for three days until the weather was perfectly serene.
238 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
they launched forth on the broad bosom of the sea. The
adelantado remained watching them, until they became
mere specks on the ocean, and the evening hid them from
his view, and then returned to the harbor.
CHAPTER XLI.
tMutiny of Porras. — Eclipse of the Moon. — Stratagem
of Columbus to procure Supplies from the Indians.
[1503.]
Months elapsed, and nothing was heard of Mendez
and Fiesco. The Spaniards, enfeebled by past sufferings,
crowded in close quarters, in a moist and sultry climate,
and reduced to a vegetable diet, to which they were un-
accustomed, became extremely sickly, and their maladies
were heightened by anxiety and suspense. Day after
day, and week after week, they kept a wistful look-out
upon the sea for the expected return of Fiesco, flattering
themselves that every Indian canoe, gliding at a distance,
might be the harbinger of deliverance. It was all in
vain ; and at length they began to fear that their messen-
gers had perished. Some gradually sank into despond-
ency ; others became peevish and impatient, and, in their
unreasonable heat, railed at their venerable and infirm
commander as the cause of all their misfortunes.
Among the officers of Columbus were two brothers,
Francisco and Diego Porras, relations of the royal treas-
urer Morales. To gratify the latter, the admiral had ap-
pointed one of them captain of a caravel, and the other
notary and accountant-general of the expedition. They
were vain and insolent men, and, like many others whom
Columbus had benefited, requited his kindness with the
blackest ingratitude. Mingling with the people, they
assured them that Columbus had no intention of returning
to Spain, having in reality been banished thence by the
OF COLUMBUS. 239
sovereigns. Hispaniola, they said, was equally closed
against him, and it was his design to remain in Jamaica,
until his friends could make interest at court to procure
his recall. As to Mendez and Fiesco, they had been sent
to Spain by Columbus on his own private concerns; if
this were not the case, why did not the promised ship
arrive ? or why did not Fiesco return ? Or, if the canoes
had really been sent for succor, the long time that had
elapsed, without tidings, gave reason to believe that they
had perished by the way. In such case, their only al-
ternative would be to take Indian canoes, and endeavor
to reach Hispaniola : but there was no hope of persuading
the admiral to do this ; he was too old, and too infirm, to
undertake such a voyage.
By these insidious suggestions, they gradually prepared
the people for revolt, assuring them of the protection of
their own relatives in Spain, and of the countenance of
Ovando and Fonseca, if not of the favor of the sovereigns
themselves, who had shown their ill-will towards Colum-
bus by stripping him of part of his dignities and privi-
leges.
On the 2d of January, 1504, the mutiny broke out.
Francisco Porras suddenly entered the cabin where Co-
lumbus was confined to his bed by the gout, reproached
him vehemently with keeping them in that desolate place
to perish, and accused him of having no intention to re-
turn to Spain. The admiral raised himself in bed, and,
maintaining his calmness, endeavored to reason with the
traitor ; but Porras was deaf to all argument. " Embark
immediately, or remain, in God's name !" cried he, with
a voice that resounded all over the wreck. "For my
part, I am for Castile ! those who choose, may follow
me !"
This was the signal. "For Castile ! for Castile !"
was heard on every side. The mutineers sprang upon
the most conspicuous parts of the vessel, brandishing
their weapons, and, amidst the uproar, the voices of some
desperadoes were heard menacing the life of the admiral.
Columbus, ill and infirm as he was, leaped out of bed,
and tottered forth to pacify the mutineers, but was forced
240 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
back into his cabin by some of his faithful adherents.
The adelantado salhed forth lance in hand, and planted
himself in a situation to take the whole brunt of the as-
sault. It was with the greatest difficulty that several of
the loyal part of the crew could restrain his fury, and
prevail upon him to relinquish his weapon, and retire to
the cabin of his brother.
The mutineers, being entirely unopposed, took ten
canoes, which the admiral had purchased from the In-
dians ; others, who had not been concerned in the mutiny,
joined them, through fear of remaining behind, when so
reduced in number ; in this way, forty-eight abandoned
the admiral. Many of the sick crawled forth from their
cabins, and beheld their departure with tears and lament-
ations, and would gladly have accompanied them, had
their strength permitted.
Porras coasted with his squadron of canoes to the
eastward, landing occasionally and robbing the natives,
pretending to act under the authority of Columbus, that
he might draw on him their hostility. Arrived at the
east end of the island, he procured several Indians to
manage the canoes, and then set out on his voyage across
the gulf. The Spaniards had scarcely proceeded four
leagues, when the wind came ahead, with a swell of the
sea that threatened to overwhelm the deeply laden canoes.
They immediately turned for land, and, in their alarm,
threw overboard the greater part of their effects. The
danger still continuing, they drew their swords, and com-
pelled most of the Indians to leap into the sea. The
latter were skilful swimmers, but the distance to land was
too great for their strength ; if, however, they at any time
took hold of the canoes to rest themselves and recover
breath, the Spaniards, fearful of their overturning the
slight barks, would stab them, or cut off their hands.
Some were thus slain by the sword ; others sunk exhaust-
ed beneath the waves; eighteen perished miserably ; and
none survived but a (ew who had been retained to man-
age the canoes.
Having reached the shore in safety, Porras and his
men waited until the weather became favorable, and then
OF COLUMBUS. 241
made another effort to cross to Hispaniola, but with no
better success. They then abandoned the attempt in
despair, and returned westward, towards the harbor, rov-
ing from village to village, living upon the provisions of
the Indians, which they took by force, if not readily
given, and conducting themselves in the most licentious
manner. If the natives remonstrated, they told them to
seek redress at the hands of the admiral, whom, at the
same time, they represented as the implacable foe of the
Indian race, and bent upon gaining a tyrannical sway over
their island.
In the mean time, Columbus, when abandoned by the
mutineers, and left in the wreck with a mere handful of
sick and desponding men, exerted himself to the utmost
to restore this remnant to an efficient state of health and
spirits. He ordered that the small stock of biscuit which
remained, and the most nourishing articles of the provis-
ions furnished by the Indians, should be appropriated to
the invalids : he visited them, individually, cheered them
with hopes of speedy deliverance, and promised that on
his return to Spain, he would intercede with the sover-
eigns, that their loyalty might be munificently rewarded.
In this way, by kind and careful treatment, and encour-
aging words, he succeeded in restoring them from a state
of sickness and despondency, and rendering them once
more fit for service.
Scarcely, however, had the little garrison of the wreck
recovered from the shock of the mutiny, when it was men-
aced by a new and appalling evil. The scanty number
of the Spaniards prevented them from foraging abroad
for provisions, and rendered them dependent on the vol-
untary supplies of the natives. The latter began to grow
negligent. The European trinkets, once so inestimable
in their eyes, by becoming common, had sunk in value,
and were almost treated with indifference. The arrange-
ments made by Diego Mendez were irregularly attended
to, and at length entirely disregarded. Many of the ca-
ciques had been incensed by the conduct of Porras and
his followers, which they supposed justified by the admi-
ral ; others had been secretly instigated by the rebels to
21 I.
242 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
withhold provisions, in hopes of starving Columbus and
his people, or of driving them from the island.
The horrors of famine began to threaten the terrified
crew, when a fortunate idea presented itself to Colum-
bus. From his knowledge of astronomy, he ascertained
that within three days, there would be a total eclipse of
the moon, in the early part of the night. He summoned,
therefore, the principal caciques to a grand conference,
appointing for it the day of the eclipse. When all were
assembled, he told them, by his interpreter, that he and
his followers were worshippers of a Deity, who lived in
the skies, and held them under his protection. That
this great Deity was incensed against the Indians, who
had refused or neglected to furnish his faithful worship-
pers with provisions, and intended to chastise them with
famine and pestilence. Lest they should disbelieve this
warning, a signal would be given that very night in the
heavens. They would behold the moon change its col-
or, and gradually lose its light ; a token of the fearful
punishment which awaited them.
Many of the Indians were alarmed at the solemnity of
this prediction, others treated it with derision ; all, how-
ever, awaited with solicitude the coming of the night.
When they beheld a black shadow stealing over the
moon, and a Inysterious gloom gradually covering the
whole face of nature, they were seized with the utmost
consternation. Hurrying with provisions to the ships,
and throwing themselves at the feet of Columbus, they
implored him to intercede with his God, to withhold the
threatened calamities, assuring him that thenceforth they
would bring him whatever he required. Columbus re-
tired to his cabin, under pretence of communing with
the Deity, the forests and shores all the while resound-
ing with the bowlings of the savages. He returned
shortly, and informed the natives that the Deity had
deigned to pardon them, on condition of their fulfilling
their promises ; in sign of which he would withdraw the
darkness from the moon. When the Indians saw that
planet restored presently to its brightness, and rolling in
all its beauty through the firmament, they overwhelmed
OF COLUMBUS. 243
the admiral with thanks for his intercession. They now
regarded him with awe and reverence, as one in pecidiar
favor and confidence of the Deity, since he knew upon
earth what was passing in the heavens. They hastened
to propitiate him with gifts ; suppHes again ari'ived daily
at the harbor, and from that time forward there was no
want of provisions.
CHAPTER XLII.
Arrival of Diego de Escobar at the Harbor. — Battle
with the Rebels. [1504.]
Eight months had now elapsed, since the departure
of Mendez and Fiesco, yet no tidings had been received
of their fate. The hopes of the most sanguine were
nearly extinct, and many, considering themselves aban-
doned and forgotten by the world, grew wild and despe-
rate in their plans. Another conspiracy, similar to that
of Porras, was on the point of breaking out, when, one
evening, towards dusk, a sail was seen standing towards
the harbor. It was a small caravel, which kept out at
sea, and sent its boat on shore. In this came Diego de
Escobar, one of the late confederates of Roldan, who
had been condemned to death under the administration
of Cokimbus, and pardoned by his successor, Bobadilla.
There was bad omen in such a messenger.
Escobar was the bearer of a mere letter of compli-
ment and condolence from Ovando, accompanied by a
barrel of wine and a side of bacon. The governor ex-
pressed great concern at his misfortunes, and regret at
not having in port a vessel of sufficient size to bring ofl'
himself and people, but promised to send one as soon as
possible. Escobar drew off with the boat, and kept at a
distance from the wreck, awaiting any letters the admiral
might have to send in reply, and holding no conversation
244 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
with any of the Spaniards. Columbus hastened to write
to Ovando, depicting the horrors of his situation, and
urging the promised relief. As soon as Escobar received
this letter, he returned on board of his caravel, which
made all sail, and disappeared in the gathering gloom of
the night.
The mysterious conduct of Escobar caused great
wonder and consternation among the people. Columbus
sought to dispel their uneasiness, assuring them that ves-
sels would soon arrive to take them away. In confidence
of this, he said, he had declined to depart with Escobar,
because his vessel was too small to take the whole, and
had despatched him in such haste, that no time might be
lost in sending the requisite ships. These assurances,
and the certainty that their situation was known in San
Domingo, cheered the hearts of the people, and put an
end to the conspiracy.
Columbus, however, was secretly indignant at the con-
duct of Ovando, believing that he had purposely delayed
sending relief, in the hopes that he would perish on the
island, being apprehensive that, should he return in safety,
he would be reinstated in the government of Hispaniola.
He considered Escobar merely as a spy, sent by the
governor to ascertain whether he and his crew were yet
in existence. Still he endeavored to turn the event to
some advantage with the rebels. He sent two of his peo-
ple to inform them of the promise of Ovando to send ships
for his relief, and he offered them a free pardon, and a
passage to Hispaniola, on condition of their immediate
return to obedience.
On the approach of the ambassadors, Porras came
forth to meet them, accompanied solely by a few of the
ringleaders of his party, and prevented their holding any
communication with the mass of his people. In reply
to the generous offer of the admiral, they refused to re-
turn to the wreck, but agreed to conduct themselves
peaceably and amicably, on receiving a solemn promise
that, should two vessels arrive, they should have one to
depart in ; should but one arrive, the half of it should be
granted to them : and that, in the mean time, the admiral
OF COLUMBUS. 245
should share with them the sea stores and articles of In-
dian traffic which remained in his possession. When it
was observed, that these demands were extravagant and
inadmissible, they replied, that if they were not peaceably
conceded, they would take them by force ; and with this
menace they dismissed the ambassadors.
The conference was not conducted so privately but
that the rest of the rebels learnt the whole purport of
the mission. Porras, seeing them moved by the offer of
pardon and deliverance, resorted to the most desperate
falsehoods to delude them. He told them that these of-
fers of the admiral were all deceitful ; and that he only
sought to get them into his power, that he might wreak
on them his vengeance. As to the pretended caravel
which had visited the harbor, he assured them that it was
a mere phantasm, conjured up by the admiral, who was
deeply versed in magic. In proof of this, he adverted
to its arriving in the dusk of the evening ; its holding
communication with no one but the admiral, and its sud-
den disappearance in the night. Had it been a real cara-
vel, the crew would have sought to converse with their
countrymen ; the admiral, his son, and brother, would have
eagerly embarked on board ; at any rate, it would have
remained a little while in port, and not have vanished so
suddenly and mysteriously.
By these and similar delusions, Porras succeeded in
working upon the feelings and credulity of his followers,
and persuaded them that, if they persisted in their rebel-
lion, they would ultimately triumph, and perhaps send
home the admiral in irons, as had once before been done
from Hispaniola. To involve them beyond hope of par-
don, he marched them one day towards the harbor, with
an intention of seizing upon the stores remaining in the
wreck, and getting the admiral in his power.
Columbus heard of their approach, but, being confined
by his infirmities, sent Don Bartholomew to reason with
them and endeavor to win them to obedience. The
adelantado, who was generally a man rather of deeds
than words, took with him fifty men, well armed. Ar-
riving near the rebels, he sent messengers to treat with
21*
246 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
them, but Porras forbade them to approach. The lat-
ter cheered his followers, by poiritmg, with derision, to
the pale countenances of their opponents, who were
emaciated by recent sickness and long confinement in
the wreck, whereas his men, for the most part, were
hardy sailors, rendered robust by living in the open air.
He assured them the followers of the adelantado were
mere household men, fair-weather troops, who could
never stand before them. He did not reflect, that, with
such men, pride and spirit often more than supply the
place of bodily force ; and that his adversaries had the
incalculable advantage of justice and law upon their side.
Deluded by his words into a transient glow of courage,
the rebels did not wait to be attacked, but rushed with
shouts upon the enemy. Six of them had made a league
to assault the adelantado, but were so well received that
he laid several of them dead at his feet, among whom
was Juan Sanchez, the same powerful mariner who had
carried off the cacique Quibian. In the midst of the
affray, the adelantado was assailed by Francisco Por-
ras, who, with a blow of his sword, cleft his buckler and
wounded the hand which grasped it. The sword re-
mained wedged in the shield ; and, before it could be with-
drawn, the adelantado closed upon Porras, grappled him,
and being assisted by others, succeeded in taking him
prisoner.
The rebels, seeing their leader a captive, fled*in con-
fusion, but were not pursued, through fear of an attack
from the Indians, who had remained drawn up in battle
array, gazing, with astonishment, at this fight between
white men, but without offering to aid either party. The
adelantado returned in triumph to the wreck, with Por-
ras and several other prisoners. Only two of his own
men had been wounded, one of whom died. On the fol-
lowing day, the rebels sent in a letter to the admiral, signed
by all their names, confessing all their misdeeds, implor-
ing pardon, and making a solemn oath of obedience, and
imprecating the most awful curses on their heads should
they break it. The admiral saw, by the abject nature
of the letter, how completely the spirit of these mis-
OF COLUMBUS. 247
guided men was broken ; with his wonted magnanimity-
he pardoned their offences, merely retaining their ring-
leader, Francisco Porras, a prisoner, to be tried in Spain
for his misdeeds.
CHAPTER XLIII.
Voyage of Diego JMendez to Hispaniola. — Deliverance
of Columbus from the Island of Jamaica. [1504.]
It is proper here to give some account of the mission
of Diego Mendez and Bartholomew Fiesco. When
they had taken leave of the adelantado, at the east end
of the. island of Jamaica, they continued all day in a
direct course ; there was no wind, the sky was without
a cloud, and the sea, like a mirror, reflected the burning
rays of the sun. The Indians, who paddled the canoes,
would often leap into the water, to cool their glowing
bodies, and refresh themselves from their toil. At the
going down of the sun, they lost sight of land. During
the night, the Indians took turns, one half to row while
the others slept. The Spaniards, in like manner, divided
their forces; while some took repose, the others sat with
their weapons in their hands, ready to defend themselves,
in case of any perfidy on the part of their savage com-
panions.
Watching and toiling in this way through the night,
they were excessively fatigued on the following day ;
and, to add to their distress, they began to experience
the torments of thirst : for the Indians, parched with heat,
had already drained the contents of their calabashes. In
proportion as the sun rose, their misery increased, and
was irritated by the prospect around them — nothing but
water, while they were perishing with thirst. About
mid-day, when their strength was failing them, the com-
manders produced two small kegs of water, which they
248 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
had probably reserved in secret for such an extremity.
Administering a cooling mouthful occasionally, they en-
abled the Indians to resume their toils. They held out
the hopes of soon arriving at a small island, called Na-
vasa, which lay directly in their way, about eight leagues
distant from Hispaniola. Here they would find water to
assuage their thirst, and would be able to take repose.
The night closed upon them, without any sight of the
island ; they feared that they had deviated from their
course ; if so, they should miss the island entirely, and
perish with thirst before they could reach Hispaniola.
One of the Indians died of the accumulated sufferings of
labor, heat, and raging thirst ; others lay panting and gasp-
ing at the bottom of the canoes. Their companions were
scarcely able to continue their toils. Sometimes they
endeavored to cool their parched palates by taking sea
water in their mouths ; but its briny bitterness only in-
creased their thirst. One after another gave up, and it
seemed impossible that they should live to reach His-
paniola.
The commanders, by admirable management, had
hitherto kept up this weary struggle with suffering and
despair; but they too began to despond. Diego Mendez
sat watching the horizon, which was gradually lighting up
with those faint rays which precede the rising of the
moon. As that planet arose, he perceived it to emerge
from behind a dark mass elevated above the level of the
ocean. It proved to be the island of Navasa, but so
low,and small, and distant, that, had it not been thus re-
vealed by the rising moon, he would never have discov-
ered it. He immediately gave the animating cry of
"land." His almost expiring companions were roused
to new life, and exerted themselves with feverish impa-
tience. By the dawn of day they sprang on shore, and
returned thanks to God for their deliverance. The isl-
and was a mere barren mass of rocks, but they found
abundance of rain-water in hollow places. The Span-
iards exercised some degree of caution in their draughts,
but the poor Indians, whose toils had increased the fever
of their thirst, gave way to a kind of frantic indulgence,
OF COLUMBUS. 249
of which several died upon the spot, and others fell dan-
gerously ill.
After reposing all day on the island, where they made
a grateful repast upon shellfish gathered along the shore,
they set off, in the evening, for Hispaniola, the mountains
of which were distinctly visible, and arrived at Cape
Tiburon on the following day, the fourth since their de-
parture from Jamaica. Fiesco would now have returned
to give the admiral assurance of the safe arrival of his
messenger, but both Spaniards and Indians refused to
encounter the perils of another voyage in the canoes.
Parting with his companions, Diego Mendez took six
Indians of the island, and set oft' for San Domingo.
After proceeding for eighty leagues against the currents,
he was informed that the governor had departed for Xa-
ragua, fifty leagues distant. Still undaunted by fatigues
and difficulties, he abandoned the canoe, and proceeded
alone, on foot, through forests and over mountains, until
he arrived at Xaragua, achieving one of the most perilous
expeditions ever undertaken by a devoted follower for
the safety of his commander.
He found Ovando completely engrossed by wars with
the natives. The governor expressed great concern at
the unfortunate situation of Columbus, and promised to
send him immediate relief; but Mendez remained for
seven months at Xaragua, vainly urging for that relief, or
for permission to go to San Domingo in quest of it. The
constant excuse of Ovando was, that there were not ships
of sufficient burden in the island to bring off" Columbus
and his men. At length, by daily importunity, Mendez
obtained permission to go to San Domingo, and await
the arrival of certain ships which were expected. He
immediately set out on foot ; the distance was seventy
leagues, and part of his toilsome journey lay through for-
ests and mountains, infested by hostile and exasperated
Indians. Immediately after his departure, Ovando de-
spatched from Xaragua the pardoned rebel, Escobar, on
that reconnoitering visit, which caused so much wonder
and suspicion among the companions of Columbus.
If the governor had really entertained hopes that, dur-
250 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
ing the delay of relief, Columbus might perish in the
island, the report brought back by Escobar must have
completely disappointed him. No time was now to be
lost, if he wished to claim any merit in his deliverance,
or to avoid the disgrace of having totally neglected him.
His long delay had already roused the public indignation,
insomuch that animadversions had been made upon his
conduct, even in the pulpits. Diego Mendez, also, had
hired and victualled a vessel at the expense of Colum-
bus, and was on the point of despatching it. The gov-
ernor, therefore, exerted himself, at the eleventh hour,
and fitted out a caravel, which he put under the command
of Diego de Salcedo, the agent employed by Columbus
to collect his rents in San Domingo. It was these two
vessels which arrived at Jamaica shortly after the battle
with Porras, and brought relief to the admiral and his
faithful adherents, after a long year of dismal confinement
to the wreck.*
On the 28th of June, all the Spaniards embarked,
friend and foe, on board of the vessels, and made sail
joyfully for San Domingo ; but, from adverse winds and
currents, they did not arrive there until the 13th of Au-
gust. Whatever lurking enmity there might be to Co-
lumbus in the place, it was overpowered by popular sym-
* Some brief notice of the further fortunes of Diego Mendez may be
interesting to the reader.
When King Ferdinand heard of his faithful services, he bestowed re-
wards upon him, and permitted him to bear a canoe in his coat of arms,
as a memento of his liardy enterprise. He continued devotedly attached
to the admiral, serving him zealously after his return to Spain, and dur-
ing his last illness. Columbus retained a grateful and affectionate sense
of his fidelity. On his death-bed, he promised Mendez that he should
be appointed principal aiguazil of the island of Ilispaniola. The prom-
ise, however, was not performed by the heirs of Columbus. Mendez
was afterwards engaged in various voyages of discovery, met with
many vicissitudes, and died poor. In his last will, he requested that his
arnjorial bearing of an Indian canoe should be engraved on his tomb-
stone, and under it the following words: "Here lies tlie honorable
Cavalier, Diego Mendez ; who served greatly the royal crown of Spain,
in the conquest of tiie Indies, with Admiral Christopher Columbus, of
glorious memory, who made the discovery ; and afterwards by himself,
in ships at his own cost. Bestow, in charity, a paternoster and an ave-
maria."
OF COLUMBUS. 251
pathy for his late disasters. Whatever had been denied
to his merits was granted to his misfortunes ; and even
the envious, appeased by his present reverses, seemed to
forgive him for having once been so triumphant.
The governor and the principal inhabitants came forth
to meet him, and received him with signal distinction.
He was lodged in the house of Ovando, who treated him
with the utmost courtesy and attention ; but there were
too deep causes of jealousy and distrust between them,
for their intercourse to be cordial. Their powers, too,
were so defined in their several patents, as to clash with
each other, and to cause questions of jurisdiction. Ovan-
do assumed a right to take cognizance of all transactions
at Jamaica, as happening within the limits of his gov-
ernment. He set at liberty the traitor Porras, and talked
of punishing the followers of Columbus for the deaths of
the mutineers whom they had slain in battle. Colum-
bus, on the other hand, asserted the absolute jurisdiction
given him by the sovereigns, in his letter of instructions,
over all persons who had sailed in his expedition, from
the time of their departure from Spain until their return.
The governor heard him with great courtesy and a smil-
ing countenance, but observed, that the letter gave him
no authority within the bounds of his government. He
relinquished the idea, however, of trying the faithful ad-
herents of Columbus, and sent Porras to Spain, to be
examined by the board which had charge of the affairs
of the Indies.
CHAPTER XLIV.
Affairs at Hispaniola^ during the ^ministration of
Ovando. — Return of Columbus to Spain. [1504.]
The sojourn of Columbus at San Domingo was but
little calculated to yield him satisfaction. He was grieved
252 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
at the desolation of the island, through the oppressive
treatment of the natives, and the horrible massacres which
had taken place under the administration of Ovando. And
here let us turn for a moment from pursuing the story
of the admiral, to notice some of the principal occur-
rences which had taken place in Hispaniola during his
absence.
A great crowd of adventurers, of various ranks, had
thronged the fleet of Ovando, all confidently expecting
to make sudden fortunes. They had scarcely landed,
when they all hurried off to the mines, which were about
eight leagues distant. The road swarmed like an ant-
hill. Every one had his knapsack of biscuit and flour,
and his mining implements on his shoulder. Those hi-
dalgos, or gentlemen, who had no servants to carry their
burdens, were fain to bear them on their own backs, and
lucky was he who had a horse for the expedition, for he
would be able to bring back the greater load of treasure.
They all set off in high spirits, eager who should first
reach the golden land ; thinking they had but to arrive at
the mines, and gather gold, as easily and readily as fruit
from the trees. When they arrived, however, they
found, to their dismay, that it required experience to dis-
cover the veins of ore ; that the whole process of mining
was exceedingly slow and toilsome, and its results pre-
carious.
They digged eagerly for a time, but found no ore ;
growing hungry, they threw by their implements, sat
down to eat, and then returned to work. It was all in
vain. "Their labor," says Las Casas, " gave them a
keen appetite and quick digestion, but no gold." They
soon exhausted their provisions and their patience, and
returned murmuring along the road they had lately trod
so exultingly. They arrived at San Domingo half fam-
ished, downcast, and despairing. Such is too often the
case of those who ignorantly engage in mining ; which, of
all objects of speculation, is the most brilliant, promising,
and fallacious. Poverty soon fell upon these misguided
men. Some wasted away, and died broken-hearted ;
others were hurried off by raging fevers ; so that there
soon perished upwards of a thousand men.
OF COLUMBUS. 253
Ovando was reputed a man of great prudence and sa-
gacity, and he certainly took several judicious measures
for the regulation of the island and the relief of the colo-
nists ; but his policy was fatal to the natives. When he had
been sent out to supersede Bobadilla, the queen, shocked
at the cruel bondage which had been inflicted on the In-
dians, had pronounced them all free. The consequence
was, they immediately refused to labor in the mines.
Ovando, in 1503, represented, that this entire liberty
granted to the natives was not merely ruinous to the colo-
ny, but detrimental to themselves, as it produced habits
of idleness, profligacy, and neglect of all rehgion. The
sovereigns permitted, therefore, that they should be
obliged to labor moderately, if essential to their well-
being, but that they should be paid regularly and fairly,
and instructed in religion on certain days, and that all
compulsory measures should be tempered with persua-
sion and kindness. Under cover of this hired labor, thus
intended for the health of soul and body, more intolera-
ble toil was exacted from them, and more horrible cru-
elties inflicted, than in the worst days of Bobadilla.
Many perished from hunger, or sank under the lash ;
many killed themselves in despair ; and even mothers
overcame the powerful instinct of nature, and destroyed
the infants at their breasts, to spare them a life of wretch-
edness. Even those who survived the exacted terms of
labor, and were permitted to return to their homes, which
were often sixty and eighty leagues distant, were dis-
missed so worn down by toil and hardship, and so scanti-
ly furnished with provisions, that they perished by the
way. Some sank down and died by the side of a brook,
others under the shade of a tree, where they had crawled
for shelter from the sun. "I have found many dead on
the road," says the venerable Bishop Las Casas ; " oth-
ers gasping under the trees, and others in the pangs of
death, faintly crying, hunger ! hunger !"
The wars of Ovando were equally desolating. To
punish a slight insurrection in the province of Higuey, at
the eastern end of the island, he sent his troops, who
ravaged the country with fire and sword, showed no nier-
22 I.
254 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
cy to age or sex, put many to death with the most wan-
ton, ingenious, and horrible tortures, and brought off the
brave Cotabanama, one of the five sovereign caciques of
the island, in chains to San Domingo, where he was igno-
rainiously hanged by Ovando for the crime of defending
his territory and his native soil against usurping strangers.
But the most atrocious act of Ovando, and one that
must heap odium on his name wherever the woes of the
gentle natives of Hayti create an interest, was the pun-
ishment he inflicted on the province of Xaragua for a
pretended conspiracy. The exactions of tribute, in this
once happy and hospitable province, had caused occasion-
al quarrels between the inferior caciques and the Span-
iards ; these were magnified by alarmists, and Ovando
was persuaded that there was a deep-laid plot among the
natives to rise upon their oppressors. He immediately
set out for Xaragua, at the head of nearly four hundred
wellarmed soldiers, seventy of whom were steel-clad
horsemen. He gave out that he was going on a visit of
friendship, to make arrangements about the payment of
tribute.
Behechio, the ancient cacique of the province, was
dead, and his sister, Anacaona, had succeeded to the
government. She came forth to meet Ovando, accord-
ing to the custom of her nation, attended by her most
distinguished subjects, and her train of damsels, waving
palm branches, and dancing to the cadence of their
popular areytos. All her principal caciques had been
assembled to do honor to her guests, who for several
days were entertained with banquets and national games
and dances. In return for these exhibitions, Ovando
invited Anacaona, with her beautiful daughter Higuena-
mota, and her principal subjects, to witness a tilting match
by the cavalry in the public square. When all were as-
sembled, the square crowded with unarmed Indians, Ovan-
do gave a signal, and instantly the horsemen rushed into
the midst of the naked and defenceless throng, trampling
them under foot, cutting them down with their swords,
transfixing them with their lances, and sparing neither
age nor sex. Above eighty caciques had been assembled
OF COLUMBUS. 255
in one of the principal houses. It was surrounded by
troops, the caciques were bound to the posts which sup-
ported the roof, and put to cruel tortures, until, in the
extremity of anguish, they were made to admit the truth
of the plot with which their queen and themselves had
been charged. When self-accusation had thus been tor-
tured from them, a horrible punishment was immediately
inflicted; fire was set to the house, and they all perished
miserably in the flames.
As to Anacaona, she was carried to San Domingo,
where the mockery of a trial was given her, in which she
was found guilty, on the confessions, wrung by torture
from her subjects, and on the testimony of their butchers,
and she was barbarously hanged, by the people whom
she had so long and so signally befriended.
After the massacre at Xaragua, the destruction of its
inhabitants still went on; they were hunted for six months
amidst the fastnesses of the mountains, and their country
ravaged by horse and foot, until, all being reduced to de-
plorable misery and abject submission, Ovando pro-
nounced the province restored to order, and, in com-
memoration of his triumph, founded a town near the lake,
which he called Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz, (St.
Mary of the True Peace.)
Such was the tragical fate of the beautiful Anacaona,
once extolled as the Golden Flower of Hayti ; and such
the story of the delightful region of Xaragua ; a place
which the Europeans, by their own account, found a per-
fect paradise, but which, by their vile passions, they filled
with horror and desolation.
These are but brief and scanty anecdotes of the ruth-
less system which had been pursued, during the absence
of the admiral, by the commander Ovando, this man of
boasted prudence and moderation, who had been sent to
reform the abuses of the island, and, above all, to redress
the wrongs of the natives. The system of Columbus
may have borne hard upon the Indians, born and brought
up as they were in untasked freedom, but it was never
cruel or sanguinary. He had fondly hoped, at one time,
to render them civilized, industrious, and tributary sub-
256 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
jects to the crown, zealous converts to the faith, and to
derive from their regular tributes a great and steady rev-
enue. How different had been the event ! The five
great tribes, which had peopled the mountains and the
valleys, at the time of the discovery, and had rendered
by their mingled villages and hamlets, and traqts of cul-
tivation, the rich levels of the vegas so many "painted
gardens," had almost all passed away, and the native prin-
ces had perished, chiefly by violent and ignominious deaths.
"I am informed," said he, in a letter to the sovereigns,
"that, since I left this island, six parts out of seven of
the natives are dead, all through ill-treatment and inhu-
manity ; some by the sword, others by blows and cruel
usage, others through hunger; the greater part have per-
ished in the mountains, whither they had fled, from not
being able to support the labor imposed upon them."
He found his own immediate concerns in great confu-
sion. His rents and arrears were either uncollected, or
he could not obtain a clear account and a full liquidation
of them ; and he complained that Ovando had impeded
his agents in their management of his concerns. The
continual misunderstandings which took place between
him and the governor, though always qualified on the part
of the latter with courtly complaisance, induced Colum-
bus to hasten his departure. He caused the ship in
which he had returned from Jamaica to be repaired and
fitted out, and another hired, in which he offered a pas-
sage to such of his late crew as chose to return. The
greater part preferred to remain in San Domingo : as
they were in great poverty, he relieved their necessities
from his own purse, and advanced money to those who
accompanied him, for the expenses of their voyage. All
the funds he could collect, were exhausted in these dis-
bursements, and many of the men, thus relieved by his
generosity, had been among the most violent of the
rebels.
On the 12th of September, he set sail; but had scarcely
left the harbor, when the mast of his ship was carried
away in a sudden squall. He embarked, therefore, with
his family, in the other vessel, commanded by the ade-
OF COLUMBUS. 257
lantado, and sent back the damaged ship to port. For-
tune continued to persecute him to the end of this his
last and most disastrous expedition. Throughout the voy-
age, he experienced tempestuous weather, suffering, at
the same time, the excruciating torments of the gout, until,
on the 7th of November, his crazy and shattered bark
anchored in the harbor of San Lucar. From thence he
proceeded to Seville, to enjoy a little tranquillity of mind
and body, and to recruit his health after his long series
of fatigues, anxieties, and hardships.
CHAPTER XLV.
Fruitless ^Application of Columbus to be reinstated in his
Government. — His last Illness and Death. [1504.]
The residence of Columbus, during the winter, at Se-
ville, has generally been represented as an interval of
repose : never was honorable repose more merited, more
desired, and less enjoyed. Care and sorrow were des-
tined to follow him, by sea and land ; and in varying the
scene, he but varied the nature of his afflictions. Ever
since his memorable arrest by Bobadilla, his affairs had
remained in confusion, and his rents and dues had been
but partially and irregularly collected, and were detained
in intermediate hands. The last voyage had exhausted
his finances, and involved him in embarrassments. All
that he had been able to collect of the money due to him
in Hispaniola, had been expended in bringing home many
of his late crew, and, for the greater part, the crown re-
mained his debtor. The world thought him possessed of
countless wealth, while in fact he was suffering a degree
of penury.
In letters, written at this time, to his son Diego, he re-
peatedly urges to him the necessity of practising extreme
economy until the arrears due to him should be paid.
22*
258 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
" I receive nothing of the revenue due to me," says he,
on another occasion, "but live by borrowing. Little
have I profited by twenty years of toils and perils, since
at present I do not own a roof in Spain. I have no resort,
but an inn; and, for the most times, have not wherewithal
to pay my bill."
Being unable, from his infirmities, to go to court, he
had to communicate with the sovereigns by letter, or
through the intervention of friends, and exerted himself
strenuously, but ineffectually, to draw their attention to
the disastrous state of Hispaniola under the administra-
tion of Ovando, to obtain the restitution of his honors,
and the payment of his arrears, and what seemed to lay
equally near his heart, to obtain relief for his unfortunate
seamen.
His letters were unregarded, or at least unanswered ;
his claims remained unsatisfied ; and a cold indifference
and neglect appeared to prevail towards him. All the
tidings from the court filled him with uneasiness. Porras,
the ringleader of the late faction, had been sent home by
Ovando to appear before the council of the Indies, but
the official documents in his cause had not arrived. He
went at large, and being related to Morales the royal
treasurer, had access to people in place, and an oppor-
tunity of enlisting their opinions and prejudices on his
side. Columbus began to fear that the violent scenes
in Jamaica might, by the perversity of his enemies and
the effrontery of the delinquents, be wrested into matters
of accusation against him, as had been the case with the
rebellion of Roldan. The faithful and indefatigable
Diego Mendez was at this time at court, and he trusted
to his honest representations to counteract the falsehoods
of Porras. Nothing can surpass the affecting earnestness
and simplicity with which, in one of his letters, he de-
clares his loyalty. " I have served their majesties,"
says he, " with as much zeal and diligence as if it had
been to gain Paradise, and if I have failed in any thing,
it has been because my knowledge and powers went no
further." Whilst reading this touching appeal, we can
scarcely realize the fact, that it should be written by Co-
OF COLUMBUS. 259
lumbus; the same extraordinary man, who, but a few years
before, had been idolized at this court as a benefactor,
and received with ahiiost royal honors.
His anxiety to have a personal interview with the sov-
ereigns became every day more intense; he felt the ineffi-
cacy of letter writing, and, indeed, even that resource
began to fail him, for the severity of his malady for a
great part of the time deprived him of the use of his
hands. He made repeated attempts to set off for the
court ; a litter was once actually at the door to convey
him thither, but his increasing infirmities, and the inclem-
ency of the season, obliged him to abandon the journey.
In the mean time, the intrigues of his enemies appeared
to be prevailing ; the cold-hearted Ferdinand treated all
his applications with indifference; on the justice and mag-
nanimity of Isabella, alone, he relied for the redress of his
grievances, but she lay dangerously ill. " May it please
the Holy Trinity," says he, "to restore our sovereign
queen to health ; for by her will every thing be adjusted
which is now in confusion." Alas ! while writing that
letter, his noble benefactress was a corpse !
The health of Isabella had long been undermined by
repeated shocks of domestic calamities. The death of
her only son, the Prince Juan ; of her beloved daughter,
and bosom friend, the Princess Isabella ; and of her grand-
son and prospective heir, the Prince Miguel, had been
three cruel wounds to her maternal heart. To these,
were added the constant grief caused by the infirmity of
intellect of her daughter Juana, and the domestic unhap-
piness of that princess with her husband the Archduke
Philip. The desolation which walks through palaces,
admits not the familiar sympathies and sweet consolations
which alleviate the sorrows of common hfe. Isabella
pined in state, amidst the obsequious homage of a court,
surrounded by the trophies of a glorious and successful
reign, and placed at the summit of earthly grandeur. A
deep and incurable melancholy settled upon her, which
undermined her constitution, and gave a fatal acuteness
to her bodily maladies. After four months of illness, she
died, on the 26th of November, 1504, at Medina del
260 THE LIFE AND VOyAGES
Campo, in the fifty-fourth year of her age; but long before
her eyes closed upon the world, her heart had closed
upon all its pomps and vanities. "Let my body," said
she, in her will, " be interred in the monastery of San
Francisco, in the Alhambra of the city of Granada, in a
low sepulchre, with no other monument than a plain
stone, and an inscription. But I desire and command,
that if the king, my lord, should choose a sepulchre in
any church or monastery, in any other part or place of
these my kingdoms, that my body be transported thither,
and buried beside the body of his highness ; so that the
union we have enjoyed while living, and which, through
the mercy of God, we hope our souls will experience
in heaven, may be represented by our bodies in the
earth."*
Such was one of several passages in the will of this
admirable woman, which bespoke the chastened humility
of her heart, and in which, as has been well observed,
the affections of conjugal love were delicately entwined
with fervent religion and the most tender melancholy.
She was one of the purest spirits that ever ruled over
the destinies of a nation. Had she been spared, her be-
nignant vigilance would have prevented many a scene of
horror in the colonization of the new world, and might
have softened the lot of its native inhabitants. As it is,
her fair name will ever shine with celestial radiance in
the early dawning of its history.
The news of the death of Isabella reached Columbus
while he was writing a letter to his son. He notices it
in a postscript or memorandum, written in the haste and
brevity of the moment, but in beautifully touching and
mournful terms. "A memorial'," he writes, "for thee,
my dear son Diego, of what is at present to be done.
The principal thing is to commend affectionately, and
* The dying command of Isabella has been obeyed. The author of
this work has seen her tomb in the royal chapel of the cathedral of
Granada, in which her remains are interred with those of Ferdinand.
Their effigies, sculptured in white marble, lie side by side, on a mag-
nificent sepulchre. The altar of the chapel is adorned with bas reliefs,
representing the conquest and surrender of Granada.
OF COLUMBUS. 261
with great devotion, the soul of the queen, our sovereign,
to God. Her life was always catholic and pious, and
prompt to all things in his holy service ; for this reason
we may rest assured that she is received into his glory,
and beyond the cares of this rough and weary world.
The next thing is, to watch and labor in all matters for
the service of our sovereign, the king, and to endeavor
to alleviate his grief. His majesty is the head of Chris-
tendom. Remember the proverb, which says, when the
head suffers, all the members suffer. Therefore all good
Christians should pray for his health and long life ; and
we, who are in his employ, ought more than others to do
this with all study and diligence."
It is impossible to read this letter without being moved
by the simply eloquent yet artless language in which Co-
lumbus expresses his tenderness for the memory of his
benefactress, his weariness under the gathering cares and
ills of life, and his persevering and enduring loyalty to-
wards the sovereign who was so ungratefully neglecting
him.
The death of Isabella was a fatal blow to his fortunes.
While she lived, he had every thing to anticipate from
her high sense of justice, her regard for her royal word,
her gratitude for his services, and her admiration of his
character. With her illness, however, his interests had
languished; arid when she died, he was left to the justice
and generosity of Ferdinand!
During the remainder of the winter, and a great part
of the spring, he remained at Seville, detained by pain-
ful illness. His brother, the adelantado, who supported
him with his accustomed fondness and devotion through
all his trials, proceeded to court to attend to his concerns,
taking with him the admiral's younger son, Fernando,
then aged about seventeen. The latter the affectionate
father repeatedly represents to his son Diego, as a man
in understanding and conduct, though but a stripling in
years, and inculcates the strongest fraternal attachment :
alluding to his own brethren with one of those warm and
affecting touches, which speak the kindness of his heart.
"To thy brother conduct thyself as the elder brother
262 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
should unto the younger. Thou hast no other, and I
praise God that this is such a one as thou dost need.
Ten brothers would not be too many for thee. Never
have I found a better friend, to right or left, than my
brothers."
Among the persons whom Columbus employed, at this
time, in his missions to the court, was Amerigo Ves-
pucci. He describes him as a worthy but unfortunate man,
who had not profited as much as he deserved by his un-
dertakings, and who had always been disposed to render
him service.
It was not until the month of May, that Columbus was
able to accomplish his journey to court, which was at
that time at Segovia. He, who but a few years before
had entered the city of Barcelona in triumph, attended
by the chivalry of Spain, and hailed with rapture by the
multitude, now arrived at the gates of Segovia, a way-
worn, melancholy, and neglected man ; oppressed even
more by sorrows than by his years and infirmities.
When he presented himself at court, he was made lam-
entably sensible of the loss of his protectress, the be-
nignant Isabella. He met with none of that distinguished
attention, that cordial kindness, that cherishing sympa-
thy, which his unparalleled services and his recent
sufferings had merited. Ferdinand, it is true, received
him with many professions of kindness ; but with those
cold, ineffectual smiles, which pass like wintry sunshine
over the countenance, and convey no warmth to the
heart.
Many months were passed by Columbus in painful and
humiliating solicitation. His main object was to obtain
the restitution of his high offices as viceroy and governor
of the Indies: as to the mere pecuniary claims for reve-
nues and arrears, he considered them of minor import-
ance, and nobly offered to leave them to the disposition
of the king ; but his official dignities belonged to his repu-
tation ; they had been granted, also, by solemn treaty, and
were not to be made a matter of arbitrament. As the
latter, however, were precisely the claims which the
jealous monarch was the least disposed to grant, they
OP COLUMBUS. 263
stood continually in the way of all arrangement. The
whole matter was at one time referred to a tribunal, called
the " Junta de Descargos," which had charge of the
settlement of the affairs of the late queen, but nothing
resulted from their deliberations; the wishes of the king
were too well known to be thwarted.
Columbus endeavored to bear these delays with pa-
tience ; but he had no longer the physical strength, and
the glorious anticipations, which had once sustained him
through his long application at this court. He was again
confined to his bed by a return of the gout, aggravated
by the irritations of his spirit. From this couch of an-
guish, he addressed one more appeal to the justice of the
king. He no longer petitioned for himself, but for his
son Diego. He entreated that he might be appointed in
his place to the government of which he had been so
wrongfully deprived. " This," said he, " is a matter
which concerns my honor ; as to all the rest, do as your
majesty thinks proper ; give or withhold, as may be most
for your interest, and I shall be content. I believe it is
the anxiety caused by the delay of this affair, which is the
principal cause of my ill health."
This petition was treated by Ferdinand with his usual
evasions ; he endeavored to prevail upon Columbus and
his son to waive their claims to paramount dignities in
the new world, and accept, in place thereof, titles and
estates in Castile. Columbus rejected all proposals of
the kind with indignation, as calculated to compromise
those titles which were the trophies of his achievements.
He saw, however, that all further hope of redress from
Ferdinand was vain. From the bed to which he was
confined, he addressed a letter to his constant friend,
Diego de Deza, then archbishop of Seville, expressive
of his despair. " It appears," said he, " that his majesty
does not think fit to fulfil that, which he, with the queen
who is now in glory, promised me by word and seal.
For me to contend to the contrary, would be to contend
with the wind. I have done all that I could do. I leave
the rest to God, whom I have ever found propitious to
me in my necessities."
264 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
In the midst of illness and despondency, when both
life and hope were expiring in the bosom of Columbus,
a new gleam was awakened, and blazed up for the moment
with characteristic fervor. He heard with joy of the
arrival from Flanders of King Philip and Queen Juana,
to take possession of their throne of Castile. In the
daughter of Isabella, he trusted to find a patroness and a
friend. King Ferdinand and all the court repaired to
Loredo, to receive the youthful sovereigns. Columbus
sent his brother, the adelantado, to represent him, and
wrote a letter to the king and queen, lamenting his being
prevented by illness from coming in person to manifest
his devotion. He expressed a hope, that he should re-
ceive at their hands a restitution of his honors and estates ;
and assured them that, though cruelly tortured at present
by disease, he would yet be able to render them services,
the like of which had never been witnessed.
Such was the last sally of his sanguine and unconquera-
ble spirit; which, disregarding age and infirmities, and all
past sorrows and disappointments, spoke from his dying
bed with all the confidence of youthful hope, and talked
of still greater enterprises, as if he had a long and vigor-
ous life before him. The adelantado took an affectionate
leave of his brother, whom he was never to behold again,
and set out on his mission to the new sovereigns. He
experienced the most gracious reception, and flattering
hopes were given him that the claims of the admiral would
speedily be satisfied.
In the mean-time, the cares and troubles of Columbus
were drawing to a close. The transient fire which had
recently reanimated him was soon quenched by accumu-
lating infirmities. Immediately after the departure of
the adelantado, his illness increased in violence. Find-
ing that his end was approaching, he arranged all bis
earthly affairs, for the benefit of his successors. In a
codicil made on the eve of his decease, he enforced his
original testament, constituting his son Diego his univer-
sal heir, entailing his honors and estates on the male line
of his family, and providing for his brothers Don Bar-
tholomew and Don Diego, and his natural son Don
OF COLUMBUS. 265
Fernando. In his will he enjoined that a portion of his
revenues should be annually deposited in the bank of St.
George, at Genoa, until a sufficient sum should be accu-
mulated to set on foot a crusade to the Holy Land ; for
the rescue of the holy sepulchre was, to the last, the great
object of his ambition, and he left a solemn charge upon
his heirs to aid personally in the pious enterprise. Other
provisions were made for the foundation of churches —
the support of Beatrix Enriquez, the mother of Fernando
— the relief of his poor relations, and the payment of the
most trivial debts.
Having thus scrupulously attended to all the claims of
affection, loyalty, and justice, upon earth, he turned his
thoughts to heaven, confessing himself, partaking of the
holy sacrament, and complying with the other ceremo-
nies of a devout Catholic. In his last moments, he was
attended by his son Diego, and a few faithful followers,
among whom was Bartholomew Fiesco, who had accom-
panied Diego Mendez in the perilous expedition from
Jamaica to Hispaniola. Surrounded by these devoted
friends, he expired, with great resignation, on the 20th
of May, 1506, being about seventy years of age. His
last words were, " In manus tuas, Domine, commendo
spiritual meum." " Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend
my spirit."
CHAPTER XLVI.
Observations on the Character of Columbus.
Columbus was a man of great and inventive genius.
The operations of his mind were energetic, but irregular,
bursting forth, at times, with that irresistible force which
characterizes intellects of such an order. His ambition
was lofty and noble, inspiring him with high thoughts, and
an anxiety to distinguish himself by great achievements.
23 I.
266 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
He aimed at dignity and wealth in the same elevated
spirit with which he sought renown ; they were to rise
from the territories he should discover, and be commen-
surate in importance. The vast gains that he anticipated
from his discoveries, he intended to appropriate to prince-
ly purposes ; to institutions for the relief of the poor of
bis native city, to the foundation of churches, and, above
all, to crusades for the recovery of the holy sepulchre.
He was tenacious of his rank and privileges, not
from a mere vulgar love of titles, but because he prized
them as testimonials and trophies of his illustrious deeds.
Every question of compromise concerning them, he re-
pulsed with disdain. "These things," said he, nobly,
"concern my honor." In his testament, he enjoined
on his son Diego, and whomsoever after him should in-
herit his estates, whatever other titles might be granted
by the king, always to sign himself, simply, " The Admi-
ral," by way of perpetuating in the family the source of
its real greatness.
His conduct was characterized by the grandeur of his
views, and the magnanimity of his spirit. Instead of
ravaging the newly-found countries, like many of his con-
temporary discoverers, who were intent only on imme-
diate gain, he regarded them with the eyes of a legisla-
tor; he sought to colonize and cultivate them, to civilize
the natives, to subject every thing to the control of law,
order, and religion, and thus to found regular and pros-
pei'ous empires. That he failed in this, was the fault of
the dissolute rabble which it was his misfortune to com-
mand, with whom all law was tyranny, and all order op-
pression.
He was naturally irritable and impetuous, and keenly
sensible to injury and injustice ; yet the quickness of his
temper was counteracted by the benevolence and gener-
osity of his heart. The magnanimity of his nature shone
forth through all the troubles of his stormy career.
Though continually outraged in his dignity, braved in his
authority, foiled in his plans, and endangered in his per-
son, by the seditions of turbulent and worthless men, and
that, too, at times when suffering under anguish of body
OF COLUMBUS. 267
and anxiety of mind, enough to exasperate the most pa-
tient, yet he restrained his valiant and indignant spirit,
and brought himself to forbear, and reason, and even to
supplicate. Nor should we fail to notice how free he
was from all feeling of revenge, how ready to forgive and
forget on the least signs of repentance and atonement.
He has been extolled for his skill in controlling others,
but far greater praise is due to him for the firmness he
displayed in governing himself.
His piety was genuine and fervent ; religion mingled
with the whole course of his thoughts and actions, and
shone forth in his most private and unstudied writings.
Whenever he made any great discovery, he devoutly
returned thanks to God. The voice of prayer and the
melody of praise rose from his ships on discovering the
new world, and his first action on landing was to pros-
trate himself upon the earth, and offer up thanksgivings.
Every evening, the Salve Regina, and other vesper
hymns, were chanted by his crew, and masses were per-
formed in the beautiful groves that bordered the wild
shores of this heathen land. All his great enterprises
were undertaken in the name of the Holy Trinity, and
he partook of the holy sacrament previous to embarka-
tion. He observed the festivals of the Church in the
wildest situations. The sabbath was to him a day of sa-
cred rest, on which he would never sail from a port un-
less in case of extreme necessity. The religion, thus
deeply seated in his soul, diffused a sober dignity, and a
benign composure, over his whole deportment ; his very
language was pure and guarded, and free from all gross
or irreverent expressions.
It cannot be denied, however, that his piety was min-
gled with superstition, and darkened by the bigotry of
the age. He evidently concurred in the opinion, that all
the nations who did not acknowledge the Christian faith
were destitute of natural rights ; and that the sternest
measures might be used for their conversion, and the se-
verest punishments inflicted upon them, if obstinate in
unbelief. In this spirit of bigotry he considered himself
justified in making captives of the Indians, and transport-
268 THE LIFE AND VOYAGES
ing them to Spain, to have them taught the doctrines of
Christianity, and in selling them for slaves if they pre-
tended to resist his invasions. In doing the latter, he
sinned against the natural goodness of his heart, and
against -the feelings he had originally entertained and ex-
pressed towards this gentle and hospitable people ; but
he was goaded on by the mercenary impatience of the
crown, and by the sneers of his enemies, at the unprof-
itable result of his enterprises. It is but justice to his
character to observe, that the enslavement of the Indians
thus taken in battle was at first openly countenanced by
the crown, and that, when the question of right came to
be discussed at the request of the queen, several of the
most distinguished jurists and theologians advocated the
practice ; so that the question was finally settled, in favor
of the Indians, solely by the humanity of Isabella. As
the venerable Bishop Las Casas observes, where the most
learned men have doubted, it is not surprising that an
unlearned mariner should err.
These remarks, in palliation of the conduct of Colum-
bus, are required by candor. It is proper to show him
in connexion with the age in which he lived, lest the er-
rors of the times should be considered his individual
faults. It is not intended, however, to justify him on a
point where it is inexcusable to err. Let it remain a
blot on his illustrious name, and let others derive a lesson
from it.
A peculiar trait in his rich and varied character remains
to be noticed; namely, that ardent and enthusiastic imagi-
nation, which threw a magnificence over his whole course
of thought. A poetical temperament is discernible
throughout all his writings and in all his actions. We
see it in all his descriptions of the beauties of the wild
lands he was discovering ; in the enthusiasm with which
he extols the verdure of the forests, the grandeur of the
mountains, and the crystal clearness of the running
streams ; the blandness of the temperature, the purity of
the atmosphere, and the fragrance of the air, "full of
dew and sweetness." It spread a golden and glorious
world around him, and tinged every thing with its own
OF COLUMBUS. 269
gorgeous colors. It betrayed him into visionary specula-
tions, which subjected him to the sneers and cavils of
men of cooler and safer, but more grovelling minds.
Such were the conjectures formed on the coast of Paria,
about the form of the earth, and the situation of the ter-
restrial Paradise; about the mines of Ophir, and the Aurea
Chersonesus of the ancients; and such was the heroic
scheme of a crusade, for the recovery of the holy sep-
ulchre. It filled his mind with solemn and visionary
meditations on mystic passages of the Scriptures, and on
the shadowy portents of the prophecies. It exalted his
own office in his eyes, and made him conceive himself
an agent sent forth upon a sublime and awful mission,
and subject to mysterious intimations from the Deity ;
such as the voice which he imagined spoke to him in
comfort amidst the troubles of Hispaniola, and in the si-
lence of the night on the disastrous coast of Veragua.
He was decidedly a visionary, but a visionary of an
uncommon kind, and successful in his dreams. The
manner in which his ardent imagination and mercurial
nature were controlled by a powerful judgement, and di-
rected by an acute sagacity, is the most extraordinary
feature in his character. Thus governed, his imagina-
tion, instead of exhausting itself in idle flights, lent aid to
his judgement, and enabled him to form conclusions at
which common minds could never have arrived, nay,
which they could not perceive when pointed out.
To his intellectual vision it was given to read the signs
of the times, and to trace in the conjectures and reveries
of past ages the indications of an unknown world, as
soothsayers were said to read predictions in the stars,
and to foretell events from the visions of the night. " His
soul," observes a Spanish writer, "was superior to the
age in which he lived. For him was reserved the great
enterprise of traversing a sea which had given rise to so
many fables, and of deciphering the mystery of his age."
With all the visionary fervor of his imagination, its
fondest dreams fell short of the reality. He died in ig-
norance of the real grandeur of his discovery ! Until his
last breath, he entertained the idea that he had merely
23*
270 LIFE AND VOYAGES OF COLUMBUS.
opened a new way to the old resorts of opulent commerce,
and had discovered some of the wild regions of the East.
He supposed Hispaniola to be the ancient Ophir, which
had been visited by the ships of King Solomon, and that
Cuba and Terra Firma were but remote parts of Asia.
What visions of glory would have broken upon his mind,
could he have known that he had indeed discovered a
new continent equal to the old world in magnitude, and
separated by two vast oceans from all the earth hitherto
known by civilized man ! and how would his magnanimous
spirit have been consoled, amidst the afflictions of age,
and the cares of penury, the neglect of a fickle public,
and the injustice of an ungrateful king, could he have an-
ticipated the splendid empires which would arise in the
beautiful world he had discovered ; and the nations and
tongues and languages which were to fill its lands with
his renown, and to revere and bless his name to the
latest posterity !
PALOS.
Whence Columbus set sail for the discovery of America.
A VISIT TO PALOS.
[The following narrative was actually commenced, by the author
of this work, as a letter to a friend, but unexpectedly swelled to its
present size. He has been induced to insert it here from the idea that
many will feel the same curiosity to know something of the present
state of Palos and its inhabitants that led him to make the journey.]
Seville. 1828.
Since I last wrote to you, I have made, what I may
term, an American Pilgrimage, to visit the little port of
Palos in Andalusia, where Columbus fitted out his ships,
and whence he sailed for the discovery of the new
world. Need I tell you how deeply interesting and
gratifying it has been to me.'' I had long meditated this
excursion, as a kind of pious, and, if I may so say, filial
duty of an American, and my intention was quickened
when I learnt that many of the edifices, mentioned in the
History of Columbus, still remained in nearly the same
state in which they existed at the time of his sojourn at
Palos, and that the descendants of the intrepid Pinzons,
who aided him with ships and money, and sailed with
272 A VISIT TO PALOS.
him in the great voyage of discovery, still flourished in
the neighborhood.
The very evening before my departure from Seville,
on the excursion, I heard that there was a young gentle-
man, of the Pinzon family, studying law in the city. I
got introduced to him, and found him of most prepos-
sessing appearance and manners. He gave me a letter
of introduction to his father, Don Juan Fernandez Pin-
zon, resident of Moguer, and the present head of the
family.
As it was in the middle of August, and the weather
intensely hot, I hired a calesa for the journey. This is
a two-wheeled carriage, resembling a cabriolet, but of
the most primitive and rude construction; the harness is
profusely ornamented with brass, and the horse's head
decorated with tufts and tassels and dangling bobs of scar-
let and yellow worsted. I had, for calasero, a tall, long-
legged Andalusian, in short jacket, little round-crowned
hat, breeches decorated with buttons from the hip to the
knees, and a pair of russet leather bottinas or spatter-
dashes. He was an active fellow, though uncommonly
taciturn for an Andalusian, and strode along beside his
horse, rousing him occasionally to greater speed by a
loud malediction or a hearty thwack of his cudgel.
In this style, I set off late in the day, to avoid the
noontide heat, and after ascending the lofty range of hills
that borders the great valley of the Guadalquiver, and
having a rough ride among their heights, I descended
about twilight into one of those vast, silent, melancholy
plains, frequent in Spain, where I beheld no other signs
of life than a roaming flock of bustards, and a distant herd
of cattle, guarded by a solitary herdsman, who, with a
long pike planted in the earth, stood motionless in the
midst of the dreary landscape, resembling an Arab of the
desert. The night had somewhat advanced, when we
stopped to repose, for a (ew hours, at a solitary venta or
inn, if it might so be called, being nothing more than a
vast low-roofed stable, divided into several compartments
for the reception of the troops of mules and arrieros (or
carriers) who carry on the internal trade of Spain. Ac-
A VISIT TO PALOS. 273
commodation for the traveller there was none — not even
for a traveller so easily accommodated as myself. The
landlord had no food to give me, and as to a bed, he had
none but a horse cloth, on which his only child, a boy
of eight years old, lay naked on the earthen floor. In-
deed, the heat of the weather and the fumes from the
stables made the interior of the hovel insupportable, so I
was fain to bivouac on my cloak on the pavement at the
door of the venta, where, on waking after two or three
hours of sound sleep, I found a contrabandista (or smug-
gler) snoring beside me, with his blunderbuss on his arm.
I resumed my journey before break of day, and had
made several leagues by ten o'clock, when we stopped
to breakfast, and to pass the sultry hours of mid-day, in
a large village, from whence we departed about four
o'clock, and after passing through the same kind of soli-
tary country, arrived just after sunset at Moguer. This
little city (for at present it is a city) is situated about a
league from Palos, of which place it has gradually ab-
sorbed all the respectable inhabitants, and, among the
number, the whole family of the Pinzons.
So remote is this little place from the stir and bustle
of travel, and so destitute of the show and vainglory of
this world, that my calesa, as it rattled and jingled along
the narrow and ill-paved streets, caused a great sensation;
the children shouted and scampered along by its side,
admiring its splendid trappings of brass and worsted, and
gazing with reverence at the important stranger who came
in so gorgeous an equipage.
I drove up to the principal posada, the landlord of
which was at the door. He was one of the very civilest
men in the world, and disposed to do every thing in his
power to make me comfortable; there was only one dif-
ficulty, he had neither bed nor bedroom in his house.
In fact it was a mere venta for muleteers, who are ac-
customed to sleep on the ground with their mule cloths
for beds and packsaddles for pillows. It was a hard
case, but there was no better posada in the place. Few
people travel for pleasure or curiosity in these out-of-the-
way parts of Spain, and those of any note are generally
274 A VISIT TO PALOS.
received into private houses. I had travelled sufficiently
in SjDain, to find out that a bed, after all, is not an arti-
cle of indispensable necessity, and was about to bespeak
some quiet corner where I might spread my cloak, when
fortunately the landlord's wife came forth. She could
not have a more obliging disposition than her husband,
but then — God bless the women ! — they always know
how to carry their good wishes into effect. In a little
while, a small room, about ten feet square, that had
formed a thoroughfare between the stables and a kind of
shop or bar room, was cleared of a variety of lumber,
and I was assured that a bed should be put up there for
me. From the consultations I saw my hostess holding
with some of her neighbor gossips, I fancied the bed was
to be a kind of piecemeal contribution among them for
the credit of the house.
As soon as I could change my dress, J commenced
the historical researches which were the object of my
journey, and inquired for the abode of Don Juan Fer-
nandez Pinzon. My obliging landlord himself volun-
teered to conduct me thither, and I set off full of anima-
tion at the thoughts of meeting with the lineal represen-
tative of one of the coadjutors of Columbus.
A short walk brought us to the house, which was most
respectable in its appearance, indicating easy, if not af-
fluent, circumstances. The door, as is customary in
Spanish villages, during summer, stood wide open. We
entered with the usual salutation, or rather summons,
"Ave Maria!" A trim Andalusian handmaid answered
to the call, and, on our inquiring for the master of the
house, led the way across a little patio or court, in the
centre of the edifice, cooled by a fountain surrounded by
shrubs and flowers, to a back court or terrace, likewise
sot out with flowers, where Don Juan Fernandez was
seated with his family, enjoying the serene evening in
the open air.
I was much pleased with his appearance. He was a
venerable old gentleman, tall, and somewhat thin, with
fair complexion and gray hair. He received me with
great urbanity, and on reading the letter from his son,
A VISIT TO PALOS. 275
ippeared struck with surprise to find 1 had come quite
o Moguer, merely to visit the scene ol the embarkation
5f Columbus ; and still more so on my telling him, that
)ne of my leading objects of curiosity was his own family
connexion ; for it would seem that the worthy cavalier
lad troubled his head but little about the enterprises of
lis ancestors.
I now took my seat in the domestic circle, and soon
elt myself quite at home, for there is generally a frank-
ness in the hospitality of the Spaniards, that soon puts a
stranger at his ease beneath their roof. The wife of
Don Juan Fernandez was extremely amiable and affable,
possessing much of that natural aptness for which the
Spanish women are remarkable. In the course of con-
versation with them, I learnt, that Don Juan Fernandez,
vho is seventy-two years of age, is the eldest of five
brothers, all of whom are married, have numerous off-
spring, and live in Moguer and its vicinity, in nearly the
same condition and rank of life as at the time of the dis-
covery. This agreed with what I had previously heard,
•especting the families of the discoverers. Of Colum-
)us, no lineal and direct descendant exists ; his was an
5xotic stock that never took deep and lasting root in the
country ; but the race of the Pinzons continues to thrive
md multiply in its native soil.
While I was yet conversing, a gentleman entered,
vho was introduced to me as Don Luis Fernandez Pin-
ion, the youngest of the brothers. He appeared to be
)etween fifty and sixty years of age, somewhat robust,
vith fair complexion and gray hair, and a frank and man-
y deportment. He is the only one of the present gen-
eration that has followed the ancient profession of the
amily ; having served with great applause as an officer
)f the royal navy, from which he retired, on his mar-
iage, about twenty-two years since. He is the one also,
vho takes the greatest interest and pride in the historical
lonors of his house, carefully preserving all the-'legends
md documents of the achievements and distinctions of
lis family, a manuscript volume of which he lent to me
or my inspection.
276 A VISIT TO PALOS.
Don Juan now expressed a wish that, during my resi-
dence in Moguer, I would make his house my home. I
endeavored to excuse myself, alleging, that the good
people at the posada had been at such extraordinary
trouble in preparing quarters for me, that I did not like
to disappoint them. The worthy old gentleman under-
took to arrange all this, and, while supper was preparing,
we walked together to the posada. I found that my
obliging host and hostess had indeed exerted themselves
to an uncommon degree. An old rickety table had been
spread out in a corner of the little room as a bedstead,
on top of which was propped up a grand cama de luxo,
or state bed, which appeared to be the admiration of the
house. I could not, for the soul of me, appear to under-
value what the poor people had prepared with such hear-
ty good-will, and considered such a triumph of art and
luxury ; so I again entreated Don Juan to dispense with
my sleeping at his house, promising most faithfully to
make my meals there whilst I should stay at Moguer ;
and as the old gentleman understood my motives for de-
clining his invitation, and felt a good-humored sympathy
in them, we readily arranged the matter. I returned,
therefore, with Don Juan to his house, and supped with
his family. During the repast, a plan was agreed upon
for my visit to Palos, and to the convent La Rabida, in
which Don Juan volunteered to accompany me and be
my guide, and the following day was allotted to the ex-
pedition. We were to breakfast at a hacienda, or coun-
try seat, which he possessed in the vicinity of Palos, in
the midst of his vineyards, and were to dine there on our
return from the convent. These arrangements being
made, we parted for the night ; I returned to the posada,
highly gratified with my visit, and slept soundly in the
extraordinary bed which, I may almost say, had been
invented for my accommodation.
On the following morning, bright and early, Don Juan
Fernandez and myself set off in the calesafor Palos. I
felt apprehensive, at first, that the kind-hearted old gen-
tleman, in his anxiety to oblige, had left his bed at too
early an hour, and was exposing himself to fatigues un-
A VISIT TO PALOS. 277
suited to his age. He laughed at the idea, and assured
me that he was an early riser, and accustomed to all kinds
of exercise on horse and foot, being a keen sportsman,
and frequently passing days together among the moun-
tains, on shooting expeditions, taking with him servants,
horses, and provisions, and living in a tent. He ap-
peared, in fact, to be of an active habit, and to possess
a youthful vivacity of spirit. His cheerful disposition
rendered our morning drive extremely agreeable ; his
urbanity was shown to every one whom we met on the
road ; even the common peasant was saluted by him with
the appellation of caballero^ a mark of respect ever grati-
fying to the poor but proud Spaniard, when yielded by
a superior.
As the tide was out, we drove along the flat grounds
bordering the Tinto. The river was on our right,
while on our left was a range of hills, jutting out into
promontories, one beyond the other, and covered with
vineyards and fig trees. The weather was serene, the
air soft and balmy, and the landscape of that gentle kind
calculated to put one in a quiet and happy humor. We
passed close by the skirts of Palos, and drove to the
hacienda, which is situated at some little distance from
the vihage, between it and the river. The house is a
low stone building, well whitewashed, and of great
length ; one end being fitted up as a summer residence,
with saloons, bedrooms, and a domestic chapel ; and the
other as a bodega or magazine for the reception of the
wine produced on the estate.
The house stands on a hill, amidst vineyards, which
are supposed to cover a part of the site of the ancient
town of Palos, now shrunk to a miserable village. Be-
yond these vineyards, on the crest of a distant hill, are
seen the white walls of the convent of La Rabida, rising
above a dark wood of pine trees.
Below the hacienda, flows the river Tinto, on which
Columbus embarked. It is divided by a low tongue of
land, or rather the sand bar of Saltes, from the river
Odiel, with which it soon mingles its waters, and flows
on to the ocean. Beside this sand bar, where the chan-
24 I.
273 A VISIT TO PALOS.
nel of the river runs deep, the squadron of Columbus
was anchored, and from hence he made sail on the morn-
ing of his departure.
The soft breeze that was blowing, scarcely ruffled the
surface of this beautiful river ; two or three picturesque
barks, called mysticks, with long latine sails, were glid-
ing down it. A little aid of the imagination might suf-
fice to picture them as the light caravels of Columbus,
sallying forth on their eventful expedition, while the dis-
tant bells of the town of Huelva, which were ringing
melodiously, might be supposed as cheering the voya-
gers with a farewell peal.
I cannot express to you what were my feelings, on
treading the shore which had once been animated by the
bustle of departure, and whose sands had been printed
by the last footstep, of Columbus. The solemn and sub-
lime nature of the event that had followed, together with
the fate and fortunes of those concerned in it, filled the
mind with vague yet melancholy ideas. It was like
viewing the silent and empty stage of some great drama,
when all the actors had departed. The very aspect of
the landscape, so tranquilly beautiful, had an effect upon
me ; and as I paced the deserted shore by the side of a
descendant of one of the discoverers, I felt my heart
swelling with emotions, and my eyes filling with tears.
What surprised me, was, to find no semblance of a
seaport ; there was neither wharf nor landing-place —
nothing but a naked river bank, with the hulk of a ferry-
boat, which I was told carried passengers to Huelva,
lying high and dry on the sands, deserted by the tide.
Palos, though it has doubtless dwindled away from its
former size, can never have been important as to extent
and population. Tf it possessed warehouses on the
beach, they have disappeared. It is at present a mere
village of the poorest kind, and lies nearly a quarter of
a mile from the river, in a hollow among hills. It con-
tains a few hundred inhabitants, who subsist principally
by laboring in the fields and vineyards. Its race of mer-
chants and mariners are extinct. There are no vessels
belonging to the place, nor any show of traffic, except-
A VISIT TO PALOS. 279
ing at the season of fruit and wine, when a fewmysticks
and other light barks anchor in the river to collect the
produce of the neighborhood. The people are totally
ignorant, and it is probable that the greater part of them
scarce know even the name of America. Such is the
place from whence sallied forth the enterprise for the dis-
covery of the western world !
We were now summoned to breakfast in a little saloon
of the hacienda. The table was covered with natural
luxuries produced upon the spot — fine purple and mus-
catel grapes from the adjacent vineyard, delicious melons
from the garden, and generous wines made on the estate.
The repast was heightened by the genial manners of my
hospitable host, who appeared to possess the most en-
viable cheerfulness of spirit and simplicity of heart.
After breakfast, we set off in the calesa, to visit the
convent of La Rabida, which is about half a league dis-
tant. The road, for a part of the way, lay through the vine-
yards, and was deep and sandy. The calasero had been
at his wit's end to conceive what motive a stranger like
myself, apparently travelling for mere amusement, could
have in coming so far to see so miserable a place as Pa-
les, which he set down as one of the very poorest places
in the whole world ; but this additional toil and struggle
through deep sand to visit the old convent of La Rabida,
completed his confusion. " Hombre !" exclaimed he,
" es una ruina! no hay mas que dos frailes!" — " Zounds!
why it's a ruin ! there are only two friars there !" Don
Juan laughed, and told him that I had come all the way
from Seville precisely to see that old ruin and those two
friars. The calasero made the Spaniard's last reply
when he is perplexed — he shrugged his shoulders and
crossed himself.
After ascending a hill, and passing through the skirts
of a straggling pine wood, we arrived in front of the con-
vent. It stands in a bleak and solitary situation, on the
brow of a rocky height or promontory, overlooking to
the west a wide range of sea and land, bounded by the
frontier mountains of Portugal, about eight leagues dis-
tant. The convent is shut out from a view of the vine-
280 A VISIT TO PALOS.
yard of Palos by the gloomy forest of pines which I have
mentioned, which cover the promontory to the east, and
darken the whole landscape in that direction.
There is nothing remarkable in the architecture of the
convent ; part of it is Gothic, but the edifice having
been frequently repaired, and being whitewashed, accord-
ing to a universal custom in Andalusia, inherited from
the Moors, it has not that venerable aspect which might
be expected from its antiquity.
We alighted at the gate where Columbus, when a poor
pedestrian, a stranger in the land, asked bread and water
for his child ! As long as the convent stands, this must
be a spot calculated to awaken the most thrilling inter-
est. The gate remains apparently in nearly the same
state as at the time of his visit, but there is no longer a
porter at hand to administer to the wants of the wayfarer.
The door stood wide open, and admitted us into a small
court-yard. From thence we passed through a Gothic
portal into the chapel, without seeing a human being.
We then traversed two interior cloisters, equally vacant
and silent, and bearing a look of neglect and dilapidation.
From an open window we had a peep at what had once
been a garden, but that had also gone to ruin ; the walls
were broken and thrown down ; a few shrubs, and a
scattered fig tree or two, were all the traces of cultivation
that remained. We passed through the long dormito-
ries, but the cells were shut up and abandoned ; we saw
no living thing except a soUtary cat stealing across a dis-
tant corridor, which fled in a panic at the vmusual sight
of strangers. At length, after patrolling nearly the whole
of the empty building to the echo of our own footsteps,
we came to where the door of a cell, being partly open,
gave us the sight of a monk within, seated at a table writ-
ing. He rose, and received us with much civility, and
conducted us to the superior, who was reading in an ad-
jacent cell. They were both rather young men, and,
together with a noviciate and a lay brother, who offi-
ciated as cook, formed the whole community of the con-
vent.
Don Juan Fernandez communicated to them the ob-
A VISIT TO PALOS. 281
ject of my visit, and my desire also to inspect the ar-
chives of the convent, to find if there was any record of
the sojourn of Columbus. They informed us that the
archives had been entirely destroyed by the French.
The younger monk, however, who had perused them,
had a vague recollection of various particulars concerning
the transactions of Columbus at Palos, his visit to the
convent, and the sailing of his expedition. From all
that he cited, however, it appeared to me that all the
information on the subject contained in the archives, had
been extracted from Herrera and other well-known au-
thors. The monk was talkative and eloquent, and soon
diverged from the subject of Columbus, to one which he
considered of infinitely greater importance — the miracu-
lous image of the Virgin possessed by their convent, and
known by the name of "Our Lady of La Rabida."
He gave us a history of the wonderful way in which the
image had been found buried in the earth, where it had
lain hidden for ages, since the time of the conquest of
Spain by the Moors ; the disputes between the convent
and different places in the neighborhood for the posses-
sion of it ; the marvellous protection it extended to the
adjacent country, especially in preventing all madness,
either in man or dog, for this malady was anciently so
prevalent in this place as to gain it the appellation of La
Rabia, by which it was originally called ; a name which,
thanks to the beneficent influence of the Virgin, it no
longer merited or retained. Such are the legends and
relics with which every convent in Spain is enriched,
which are zealously cried up by the monks, and devoutly
credited by the populace.
Twice a year, on the festival of Our Lady of La Ra-
bida, and on that of the patron saint of the order, the
solitude and silence of the convent are interrupted by the
intrusion of a swarming multitude, composed of the in-
habitants of Moguer, of Huelva, and the neighboring
plains and mountains. The open esplanade in front of
the edifice resembles a fair, the adjacent forest teems
with the motley throng, and the image of Our Lady of
La Rabida is borne forth in triumphant procession.
24*
282 A VISIT TO PALOS.
While the friar was thus dilating upon the merits and
renown of the image, I amused myself with those day-
dreams, or conjurings of the imagination, to which I am
a little given. As the internal arrangements of convents
are apt to be the same from age to age, I pictured to
myself this chamber as the same inhabited by the guar-
dian, Juan Perez de Marchena, at the time of the visit
of Columbus. Why might not the old and ponderous
table before me be the very one on which he displayed
his conjectural maps, and expounded his theory of a
western route to India ? It required but another stretch
of the imagination to assemble the little conclave around
the table; Juan Perez, the friar, Garcia Fernandez, the
physician, and Martin Alonzo Pinzon,the bold naviga-
tor, all listening with rapt attention to Columbus, or to
the tale of some old seaman of Palos, about islands seen
in the western parts of the ocean.
The friars, as far as their poor means and scanty
knowledge extended, were disposed to do every thing to
promote the object of my visit. They showed us all
parts of the convent, which, however, has little to boast
of, excepting the historical associations connected with
it. The library was reduced to a few volumes, chiefly
on ecclesiastical subjects, piled promiscuously in the
corner of a vaulted chamber, and covered with dust.
The chamber itself was curious, being the most ancient
part of the edifice, and supposed to have formed part of
a temple in the time of the Romans.
We ascended to the roof of the convent to enjoy the
extensive prospect it commands. Immediately below
the promontory on which it is situated, runs a narrow
but tolerably deep river, called the Domingo Rubio,
which empties itself into the Tinto. It is the opinion of
Don Luis Fernandez Pinzon, that the ships of Colum-
bus were careened and fitted out in this river, as it af-
fords better shelter than the Tinto, and its shores are
not so shallow. A lonely bark of a fisherman was lying
in this stream, and not far off, on a sandy point, were the
ruins of an ancient watchtower. From the roof of the
convent, all the windings of the Odiel and the Tinto
A VISIT TO PALOS. 283
were to be seen, and their junction into the main stream,
by which Columbus saUied forth to sea. In fact the
convent serves as a landmark, being, from its lofty and
solitary situation, visible for a considerable distance to
vessels coming on the coast. On the opposite side, I
looked down upon the lonely road, through the wood of
pine trees, by which the zealous guardian of the convent,
Fray Juan Perez, departed at midnight on his mule,
when he sought the camp of Ferdinand and Isabella, in
the vega of Granada, to plead the project of Columbus
before the queen.
Having finished our inspection of the convent, we
prepared to depart, and were accompanied to the outward
portal by the two friars. Our calasero brought his rat-
tling and rickety vehicle for us to mount ; at sight of
which one of the monks exclaimed, with a smile, " Santa
Maria ! only to think ! A calesa before the gate of the
convent of La Rabida !" And, indeed, so solitary and
remote is this ancient edifice, and so simple is the mode
of living of the people in this by-corner of Spain, that
the appearance of even a sorry calesa might well cause
astonishment. It is only singular, that in such a by-cor-
ner the scheme of Columbus should have found intelli-
gent listeners and coadjutors, after it had been discarded,
almost with scoffing and contempt, from learned univer-
sities and splendid courts.
On our way back to the hacienda, we met Don Rafael,
a younger son of Don Juan Fernandez, a fine young man,
about twenty-one years of age, and who, his father in-
formed me, was at present studying French and mathe-
matics. He was well-mounted on a spirited gray horse,
and dressed in the Andalusian style, with the little round
hat and jacket. He sat his horse gracefully, and man-
aged him well. I was pleased with the frank and easy
terms on which Don Juan appeared to live with his chil-
dren. This I was inclined to think his favorite son, as 1
understood he was the only one that partook of the old
gentleman's fondness for the chase, and that accompanied
him in his hunting excursions.
A dinner had been prepared for us at the hacienda, by
284
A VISIT TO PALOS.
the wife of the capitaz, or overseer, who, with her hus-
band, seemed to be wellpleased with this visit from Don
Juan, and to be confident of receiving a pleasant answer
from the good-humored old gentleman whenever they
addressed him. The dinner was served up about two
o'clock, and was a most agreeable meal. The fruits and
wines were from the estate, and were excellent ; the rest
of the provisions were from Moguer, for the adjacent
village of Palos is too poor to furnish any thing. A gen-
tle breeze from the sea played through the hall, and tem-
pered the summer heat. Indeed, I do not know when I
have seen a more enviable spot than this country retreat
of the Pinzons. Its situation on a breezy hill, at no great
distance from the sea, and in a soutliern climate, produces
a happy temperature, neither hot in summer nor cold in
winter. It commands a beautiful prospect, and is sur-
rounded by natural luxuries. The country abounds with
game, the adjacent river affords abundant sport in fish-
ing, both by day and night, and delightful excursions for
those fond of sailing. During the busy seasons of rural
life, and especially at the joyous period of vintage, the
family pass some time here, accompanied by numerous
guests, at which times, Don Juan assured me, there was
no lack of amusements, both by land and water.
When we had dined, and taken the siesta, or afternoon
nap, according to the Spanish custom in summer time,
we set out on our return to Moguer, visiting the village
A VISIT TO PALOS. 285
of Palos in the way. Don Gabriel had been sent in
advance to procure the keys of the village church, and to
apprize the curate of our wish to inspect the archives.
The village consists principally of two streets of low
whitewashed houses. Many of the inhabitants have
very dark complexions, betraying a mixture of African
blood.
On entering the village, we repaired to the lowly man-
sion of the curate. I had hoped to find him some such
personage as the curate in Don Quixote, possessed of
shrewdness and information in his limited sphere, and
that I might gain some anecdotes from him concerning
his parish, its worthies, its antiquities, and its historical
events. Perhaps I might have done so at any other
time, but, unfortunately, the curate was something of a
sportsman, and had heard of some game among the neigh-
boring hills. We met him just sallying forth from his
house, and, I must confess, his appearance was pictur-
esque. He was a short, broad, sturdy, little man, and
had doffed his cassock and broad clerical beaver, for a
short jacket and a little round Andalusian hat ; he had
his gun in hand, and was on the point of mounting a don-
key which had been led forth by an ancient withered
handmaid. Fearful of being detained from his foray, he
accosted my companion the moment he came in sight.
" God preserve you, Senior Don Juan ! I have re-
ceived your message, and have but one answer to make.
The archives have all been destroyed. We have no
trace of any thing you seek for — nothing — nothing. Don
Rafael has the keys of the church. You can examine it
at your leisure — Adios, caballero !" With these words,
the galliard little curate mounted his donkey, thumped
his ribs with the but-end of his gun, and trotted off to the
hills.
In our way to the church, we passed by the ruins of
what had once been a fair and spacious dwelling, greatly
superior to the other houses of the village. This, Don
Juan informed me, was an old family possession, but
since they had removed from Palos, it had fallen to de-
cay for want of a tenant. It was probably the family
286
A VISIT TO PALOS.
residence of Martin Alonzo or Vicente Yanez Pinzon,
in the time of Columbus.
We now arrived at the church of St. George, in the
porch of which Cohmibus first proclaimed to the inhabi-
tants of Palos the order of the sovereigns, that they
should furnish him with ships for his great voyage of dis-
covery. This edifice has lately been thoroughly repaired,
and, being of solid mason-work, promises to stand for
ages, a monument of the discoverers. It stands outside
of the village, on the brow of a hill, looking along a little
valley toward the river. The remains of a Moorish
arch prove it to have been a mosque in former times ;
just above it, on the crest of the hill, is the ruin of a
Moorish castle.
I paused in the porch, and endeavored to recall the
interesting scene that had taken place there, when Co-
lumbus, accompanied by the zealous friar Juan Perez,
caused the public notary to read the royal order in pres-
ence of the astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils ;
but it is difficult to conceive the consternation that must
have been struck into so remote a little community, by
this sudden apparition of an entire stranger among them,
bearing a command that they should put their persons
and ships at his disposal, and sail with him away into the
unknown wilderness of the ocean.
The interior of the church has nothing remarkable,
A VISIT TO PALOS. 287
excepting a wooden image of St. George vanquishing
the Dragon, which is erected over the high altar, and is
the admiration of the good jieople of Palos, who bear it
about the streets in grand procession on the anniversary
of the saint. This group existed in the time of Colum-
bus, and now flourishes in renovated youth and splen-
dor, having been newly painted and gilded, and the coun-
tenance of the saint rendered peculiarly blooming and
lustrous.
Having finished the examination of the church, we re-
sumed our seats in the calesa and returned to Moguer.
One thing only remained to fulfil the object of my pil-
grimage. This was to visit the chapel of the convent
of Santa Clara. When Columbus was in danger of be-
ing lost in a tempest on his way home from his great
voyage of discovery, be made a vow, that, should he be
spared, he would watch and pray one whole night in this
chapel ; a vow which he doubtless fulfilled immediately
after his arrival.
My kind and attentive friend, Don Juan, conducted
me to the convent. It is the wealthiest in Moguer, and
belongs to a sisterhood of Franciscan nuns. The chap-
el is large, and ornamented with some degree of rich-
ness, particularly the part about the high altar, which is
emballished by magnificent monuments of the brave
family of the Puerto Carreros, the ancient lords of Mo-
guer, and renowned in Moorish warfare. The alabaster
effigies of distinguished warriors of that house, and of
their wives and sisters, lie side by side, with folded
hands, on tombs immediately before the altar, while oth-
ers recline in deep niches on either side. The night
had closed in by the time I entered the church, which
made the scene more impressive. A few votive lamps
shed a dim light about the interior ; their beams were
feebly reflected by the gilded work of the high altar, and
the frames of the surrounding paintings, and rested upon
the marble figures of the warriors and dames lying in the
monumental repose of ages. The solemn pile must have
presented much the same appearance when the pious dis-
coverer performed his vigil, kneeling before this very
288 A VISIT TO PALOS.
altar, and praying and watching throughout the night, and
pouring forth heart-felt praises for having been spared to
accomplish his sublime discovery.
I had now completed the main purpose of my journey,
having visited the various places connected with the sto-
ry of Columbus. It was highly gratifying to find some
of them so little changed, though so great a space of time
had intervened ; but in this quiet nook of Spain, so far
removed from the main thoroughfares, the lapse of time
produces but few violent revolutions. Nothing, howev-
er, had surprised and gratified me more than the contin-
ued stability of the Pinzon ftimily. On the morning after
my excursion to Palos, chance gave me an opportunity
of seeing something of the interior of most of their house-
holds. Having a curiosity to visit the remains of a Moor-
ish castle, once the citadel of Moguer, Don Fernandez
undertook to show me a tower which served as a maga-
zine of wine to one of the Pinzon family. In seeking
for the key, we were sent from house to house of nearly
the whole connexion. All appeared to be living in that
golden mean equally removed from the wants and super-
fluities of life, and all to be happily interwoven by kind
and cordial habits of intimacy. We found the females
of the family generally seated in the patios, or central
courts of their dwellings, beneath the shade of awnings,
and among shrubs and flowers. Here the Andalusian
ladies are accustomed to pass their mornings at work,
surrounded by their handmaids, in the primitive, or, rath-
er, oriental style. In the porches of some of the houses,
I observed the coat of arms granted to the family by
Charles the Fifth, hung up like a picture in a frame. Over
the door of Don Luis, the naval officer, it was carved on
an escutcheon of stone, and colored. I had gathered many
particulars of the family also from conversation with Don
Juan, and from the family legend lent me by Don Luis.
From all that I could learn, it would appear that the
lapse of nearly three centuries and a half has made but
little change in the condition of the Pinzons. From gen-
eration to generation they have retained the same fair
standing and reputable name throughout the neighbor-
A VISIT TO PALOS. 289
hood, filling offices of public trust and dignity, and pos-
sessing great influence over their fellow-citizens by their
good sense and good conduct. How rare is it to see
such an instance of stability of fortune in this fluctuating
world, and how truly honorable is this hereditary respec-
tability, which has been secured by no titles or entails,
but perpetuated merely by the innate worth of the race !
I declare to you, that the most illustrious descents of
mere titled rank could never command the sincere re-
spect and cordial regard with which I contemplated this
stanch and enduring family, which for three centuries
and a half has stood merely upon its virtues.
As I was to set off on my return to Seville befoi'e two
o'clock, I partook of a farewell repast at the house of
Don Juan, between twelve and one, and then took leave
of his household with sincere regret. The good old
gentleman, with the courtesy, or rather the cordiality of
a true Spaniard, accompanied me to the posada, to see
me off. I had dispensed but little money in the posada —
thanks to the hospitahty of the Pinzons — yet the Span-
ish pride of my host and hostess seemed pleased that I
had preferred their humble chamber, and the scanty bed
they had provided me, to the spacious mansion of Don
Juan ; and when I expressed my thanks for their kind-
ness and attention, and regaled mine host with a few
choice cigars, the heart of the poor man was overcome.
He seized me by both hands and gave me a parting bene-
diction, and then ran after the calasero, to enjoin him to
take particular care of me during my journey.
Taking a hearty leave of my excellent friend Don
Juan, who had been unremitting in his attentions to me
to the last moment, I now set off on my wayfaring, grati-
fied to the utmost with my visit, and full of kind and
grateful feelings towards Moguer and its hospitable in-
habitants.
25 I.
APPENDIX.
Obsequies of Columbus.
The body of Columbus was deposited in the convent
of San Francisco, and his obsequies were celebrated with
funeral pomp in the parochial church of Santa Maria de
la Antigua, in Valladolid. His remains were transported,
in 1513, to the Carthusian convent of Las Cuevas, at
fe Seville, and deposited in the chapel of Santa Christo.
In the year 1536, they were removed to Hipsaniola,
and interred by the side of the grand altar of the cathe-
dral of the city of San Domingo. But even here they
did not rest in quiet. On the cession of Hispaniola to
the French, in 1795, it was determined by the Spaniards
to bear them off to the island of Cuba as precious relics,
connected with the most glorious epoch of Spanish his-
tory. Accordingly, on the 20th December, 1795, in the
presence of an august assemblage of the dignitaries of
the Church and the civil and military officers, the vault
was opened beside the high altar of the cathedral ; within
were found the fragments of a leaden coffin, a number of
bones, and a quantity of mould, evidently the remains of
a human body. These were carefully collected, and put
into a case of gilded lead, secured by an iron lock ; the
case was enclosed in a coffin covered with black velvet,
and the whole placed in a temporary mausoleum. On
the following day there was another grand convocation at
the cathedral : the vigils and masses for the dead were
chanted, and a funeral sermon was preached by the arch-
bishop. After these solemn ceremonials in the cathedral,
the coffin was transported to the ship, attended by a grand
civil, religious, and military procession. The banners
APPENDIX. 291
were covered with crape ; there were chants and re-
sponses, and discharges of artillery ; and the most dis-
tinguished persons of the several orders took turns to
support the coffin.
The reception of the body at Havana was equally
august. There was a splendid procession of boats to
conduct it from the ship to the shore. On passing the
vessels of war in the harbor, they all paid the honors due
to an admiral and captain-general of the navy. On ar-
riving at the mole, the remains were met by the governor
of the island, accompanied by the generals of the military
staff'. They were then conveyed in the utmost pomp
to the cathedral. Masses and the solemn ceremonies of
tlie dead were performed by the bishop, and the mortal
remains of Columbus were deposited in the wall, on the
right side of the grand altar, where they still remain.
It is with deep satisfaction that the author of this work
is able to close his history with the account of a ceremo-
nial so noble and affecting, and so honorable to the Span-
ish nation. When we read of the remains of Columbus
thus conveyed from the port of San Domingo, after an
interval of nearly three hundred years, as sacred national
relics, with civil and military pomp, and high religious
ceremonial, we cannot but reflect that it was from this
very port he was carried off" loaded with ignominious
chains, blasted apparently in fame and fortune, and taunt-
ed by the revilings of the rabble : such honors, it is true,
are nothing to the dead, nor can they atone to the heart,
now dust and ashes, for all the wrongs and sorrows it
may have suffered ; but they speak volumes of comfort
to the illustrious yet slandered and persecuted living,
encouraging them bravely to bear with present injuries,
by showing them how true merit outlives all calumny,
and receives its glorious reward in the admiration of after
ages.
Note. — While this abridgement was going to press, the author re-
ceived a letter from Madrid, mentioning a recent circumstance, which
may be of some interest to the reader of this work. The emancipation
of the Spanish colonies in America had stripped the heirs of Columbus
of all their property, insomuch that his last direct descendant and rep-
resentative, the Duke of Veraguas, a young nobleman of worth and
292 APPENDIX.
talent, was reduced to extreme poverty. He instituted a claim upon
the government for indemnification, wliich has just been allowed. A
pension of twenty-four thousand dollars has been assigned him on the
revenues of Cuba and Porto Rico. It is a circumstance highly to his
credit, that, in the time of his greatest distress, he refused sums that
were offered him for various documents in the archives of his family,
and particularly for autographs of his illustrious ancestor.
A GLOSSARY
OF THE LATIN, FRENCH, SPANISH, AND OTHER NOT-EASILY-
UNDERSTOOD WORDS AND PHRASES.
ALSO, A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THOSE PERSONS AND PLACES
SPOKEN OF, WHOSE HISTORY CONTAINS SOMETHING PECU-
LIAR, OR A KNOWLEDGE OF WHOM CANNOT BE OBTAINED
FROM SOURCES ORDINARILY WITHIN THE REACH OF THE
READER.
Adios, adieu, farewell.
Adelantado, lieutenant-governor.
Alcala de la Guadaira, a small Spanish town, situated six miles south-
east of Seville, on the river Guadaira.
Alcalde, (Spanish,) a justice of the peace, or judge who administers
justice in a town.
Alcantara, one of the three ancient Spanish orders of knighthood. It
assumed this name from the town of Alcantara, in the Spanish prov-
ince of Estreniadura, which was given to it, in 1207.
Alcayde, governor of a castle or fort.
Alguazil, (from the Spanish,) an inferior officer of justice, answer-
ing to our constable.
Alhambra, the red city, formerly the royal palace of the Moorish kings
of Granada, in Spain.
Alpha and Omega, names of the first and last letters of the Greek al-
phabet, hence often used to signify the beginning and end.
Amazons, a race of masculine women or female warriors.
Ajiani, pine-apple.
Anjou, an ancient province of France.
Apostolical Vicar, the Pope's representative in religious affairs.
Arabic, language of the inhabitants of Arabia, which is the most
westerly portion of Southern Asia, between the Red Sea and the
Persian Gulf
Archdeacon, an ecclesiastical officer, next in rank to a bishop, for
whom he acts on many occasions. He has a superintendence over
other clergymen in his district.
Archipelago, a sea interspersed with many islands ; the name gen-
erally applied to the ^Egean Sea, situated between Europe and Asia ;
but in this volume referring to the islands in the Caribbean Sea.
Aristotle, a distinguished Grecian philosopher, born three hundred and
eighty-four years before Christ, at Staglra, in Macedonia ; hence he
is sometimes called the Stagyrite.
Arrieros, carriers.
25* •
294 GLOSSARY.
Arquebusier, a soldier armed with an arquebuse, a kind of fire-arrns,
formerly in use, which was cocked with a wheel.
Atlantis. Many of the ancients supposed that there existed in the
Atlantic Ocean a large island, to which the above name was given.
Writers differ in tiieir description and location of it, and as no such
island is now known, the general opinion is that its existence wafi
imaginary. Some, however, conjecture that the original accounts
were true ; but that instead of au island, the early voyagers had
visited the American Continent.
Augustine, Saint, see Saint.
Aura or Aurea Chersonesus, the golden peninsula. There is much
difference of opinion among the learned, what place the ancients
intended to designate by this name. Dr. Rees considers there is
little reason to doubt that the Golden Chersonese is the southern
part of the former kingdom, now province, of Pegu, in Asia, wliich
may be considered as insulated.
Autograph, a person's own handwriting.
Ave Maria, the beginning of a Roman Catholic prayer to the Virgin
Mary, from which the whole prayer is called Ave Maria. It liter-
ally means. Hail, Mary ; and is the commencement of the saluta-
tion which the angel addressed to the Virgin, when announcing to
her that she should be the mother of our Saviour.
Avenger, a title given to King John the First, of Portugal, who reigned
from 1383 to 1433. He was inflexible in the punishment of crimes,
and rooted out the band of bravoes kept by the nobility to execute
private revenge. It was a saying of his that conversation was the
cheapest of all pleasures, as well as the most improving, and he
promoted a taste for letters among his people.
Areytos, sacred, heroic, and historic ballads of the natives of Ilispan-
iola, or Hayti, or Saint Domingo, as the island is variously called.
Benedictine, an order of monks, founded by St. Benedict. He was
born at Norcia, in Spoleto, (which lies north of Rome,) in the year
480. " In the 14th year of his age, he retired to a cavern, situated in
the desert of Subiaco, forty miles from Rome, and in 515, drew up a
rule for his monks, which was first introduced into the monastery
on Monte Cassino, in the neighborhood of Naples, founded by him
(in 529) in a grove of Apollo, after the temple had been demolish-
ed. With the intention of banishing idleness, he prescribed, in ad-
dition to the work of God, (as he called prayer and the reading of
religious writings,) the instruction of youth in reading, writing, and
ciphering, in the doctrines of Christianity, in manual labors, (in-
cluding mechanic arts of every kind,) and in the management of
.he monastery. With regard to dress and food, the rule was se-
vere, but not extravagant. He caused a library to be founded, for
which the aged and infirm brethren were obliged to copy manu-
scripts. By this means, he contributed to preserve the literary re-
mains of antiquity from ruin ; for, though he had in view only the
copying of religious writings, yet the practice was afterwards ex-
tended to classical works of every kind. The learned world is in-
debted for the preservation of great literary treasures to the order
of St. Benedict."
GLOSSARY. 295
Bight, a bend, or small bay between two points of land.
Bivouac, a military term, signifying to watch, or be on guard, or to
lie in the open air, remaining dressed, so as to be ready to march at
a moment's warning.
Bodega, a magazine, store-room, wine-cellar.
Bottinas, spatterdashes, or coverings for the legs.
Bustard, a common name of a species of waders, or birds that often
wade in the water for their food. The great bustard is the largest
of European land birds, averaging in weight twenty-five pounds.
They seldom fly, but employ their wings, as the ostrich does, to
aid them in running. They congregate in flocks, and are usually
found on open and level grounds. They feed on grain, herbs,
seeds, worms, and insects.
Butios, Indian priests.
Caballero, a knight, nobleman, cavalier.
Cabriolet, a light carriage or one-horse chair.
Cacique, a chief.
Calabash, a vessel made of a dried gourd-shell, or shell of the fruit of
the calabash tree, which resembles somewhat a squash or pumpkin
shell, but is much harder, and closer grained.
Calabria, a mountainous country forming the southern part of the
peninsula of Italy.
Calesa, a Spanish calash or chaise with two wheels.
Calesero, driver of a calash.
Calicut, a district of Hindostan, in Asia, on the Malabar coast.
Cama de luxo, (Spanish,) state bed.
Cape Bojador, on the western coast of Africa.
Cape JVon, on the west coast of the island of Ivica in the Mediterra-
nean Sea.
Cape of Good Hope, southern extremity of Africa.
Cape Tiburon, the southwest extremity of Hispaniola, or Saint Do-
mingo.
Capitaz, overseer.
Captain-general of the J\7ivy, in Spain, the commander-in-chief of a
fleet.
Caravel, a light, round, old-fashioned ship.
Caribs, inhabitants of the Caribbee Islands, as a part of the West In-
dia Islands are called. In the last century, they were almost entire-
ly expelled. They are of an olive-brown color, but paint themselves
with a red vegetable paint, called arnotto, as a defence against in-
sects. They voraciously devour the flesh of their enemies.
Carthusian, a religious order of monks, founded by St. Bruno, in
1086, who derived their name from the desert of Chartreuse, which
is about twelve or fifteen miles from the city of Grenoble, in the south-
east of France, and in which they built their first hermitages, which
were anciently called Chartreuses. They practised the greatest absti-
nence, wore coarse garments, and lived exclusively upon vegetables
and the coarsest bread. Their habit or dress was entirely white
within, covered with a black mantle. Their fifth general, who died
in 1137, "prescribed, besides their usual monastic vows, eternal
silence and solitude. Mechanical labors, copying of books and re-
296 GLOSSARY.
ligious worship, constituted their occupation. They observed a
strict temperance, and suliinitted to bleeding five times a year.
Excessive penance was forbidden, but tlieir laws were very severe
against disobedience. They were in general well informed, hos-
pitable, and remarkable for their neatness." The order is now abol-
ished, excepting in Sicily and Spain.
Cassava, a bread made of the root of the yuca ; which see.
Cassock, a robe or gown worn over the other garments, particularly
by the clergy.
Castillanos, a Spanish coin equal to five dollars thirty-two cents and
five mills.
Catalonians, inhabitants of Catalonia, a province of Spain.
Ceres, the fabled goddess of corn and of harvests, who is said to have
instructed mankind in the knowledge of agriculture, how to plough
the ground, sow and reap corn, and make bread. She is usually
represented with a garland of ears of corn on her head, holding in
one hand a lighted torch and in the other a poppy ; sometimes she
appears as a countrywoman sitting on the back of an ox, carrying a
basket on her left arm, and holding a hoe.
Ceuta, a city on the African coast of the Mediterranean.
Chaldaic,Xhe language of the inhabitants of Chaldea, one of the most
famous nations of Asia, in ancient times. Chaldea was the south-
erly part of Babylonia, towards Arabia and the Persian Gulf It
was formerly a fertile country, but is now barren.
Charles V., " emperor of Germany and king of Spain, (in the latter
capacity he is called Charles the First,)" was born at Ghent in the
Netherlands, February 24, 1500. He " had a noble air, and
refined manners ; spoke little and smiled seldom ; was firm of
purpose ; slow to decide ; prompt to execute ; equally rich in re-
sources, and sagacious in the choice of them ; gifted with a cool
judgement and always master of himself, he steadily pursued his
purposes, and easily triumphed over obstacles. Circumstances
developed his genius and made him great. An acute judge of men,
he knew how to use them for his purposes. In misfortune, he ap-
peared greater than in prosperity. He protected and encouraged
the arts and sciences, and is said to have picked up a brush which
had fallen from the hand of the celebrated painter Titian, with the
words, ' Titian is worthy of being served by an emperor.' " He is
looked upon as " one of the most remarkable characters in history.
He exhibited no talents in his youth, and in afterlife, when bis ar-
mies in Italy were winning battle after battle, lie remained quietly
in Spain, apparently not much interested in these victories ; but even
in his early youth, his motto was, {nondum,) not yet." But, from
his thirtieth year, to the time of abdicating his throne, he showed
himself a monarch. " No minister had a marked influence over
him ; he was indefatigable in business, weighing the reasons on both
sides of every case with great minuteness ; very slow in deciding ;
unchangeable of purpose. Wherever he was, he imitated the cus-
toms of the country, and won the favor of every people except the
Germans. He was slow in punishing, as well as in rewarding ; but,
when he did punish, it was with severity ; when he rewarded, it
GLOSSARY. 297
was with munificence." He relinquished his right to the Spanish
throne, in favor of his son Philip, January 15, 1556, and retired to
the monastery of Saint Justus, near Placensia, in the province of
Estremadura, in Spain. " Here he exchanged sovereignty, domin-
ion, and pomp, for the quiet and solitude of a cloister. His amuse-
ments were confined to short rides, to the cultivation of a garden,
and to mechanical labors. It is said that he made wooden clocks,
and being unable to make two of them go exactly alike, he was re-
minded of the folly of his efforts to bring a number of men to the
same sentiments. He attended religious services twice daily, read
books of devotion, and gradually fell into such dejection, that his
faculties seemed to suffer from it. He renounced the most inno-
cent pleasures, and observed the rules of the monastic life in all their
rigor. In order to perform an extraordinary act of piety, he cele-
brated his own obsequies. Wrapped in a shroud, and surrounded
by his retinue, he laid himself in a coffin, which was placed in the
middle of the church. The funeral service was performed, and
the monarch mingled his voice with those of the clergy who
prayed for him. After the last sprinkling, all withdrew, and the
doors were closed. He remained some time in the coffin, then
arose, threw himself before the altar, and returned to his cell, where
he spent the night in deep meditation. This ceremony hastened
his death," which occurred from a fever, September 21, 1558,
in the 59th year of his age.
Cibao, a district in the interior of Hispaniola, so named from its stony,
sterile appearance.
Clerical Beaver, clergyman's hat.
Coat of Arms, emblematic badge of a family ; originally worn on some
part of the person's armor, hence its name.
Confession, in the Roman Catholic Church, an acknowledgement of
sins and faults to a priest, to obtain a remission of them.
Contrabandista, a smuggler ; one who carries on a trade in goods,
the exporting or importing of which is prohibited by law.
Cubanacan, a name given by the natives to a province in the centre of
Cuba, nacan, in their language, signifying in the midst.
Darien, (isthmus of,) a narrow neck of land, which connects North and
South America.
Decked. Vessels, having planked floors which connect the sides together,
and serve as platforms to support the artillery, lodge the men, and
also to preserve the cargo from sea and rain, are said to be decked.
Desperado, a desperate fellow.
Dominican, an order of monks founded by St. Dominic de Guzman,
of Calahorra, in Old Castile, who was the inquisitor-general of the
first Inquisition. He was born in 1170, and died at Bologna, in 1221.
The principal object of this order of monks was to preach against
heretics, or those who held and taught opinions opposed to the Roman
Catholic faith. At one time, it extensively prevailed in Europe and
on the coasts of x\sia, Africa, and America. It now flourishes chiefly
in Spain, Portugal, and Sicily. The monks dress in black with white
mantles and veils, the nuns in white, with black mantles and veils.
See Franciscan.
298 GLOSSARY.
Don Quixote, (Adventures of,) a very celebrated work, written by
Cervantes, a distinguished Spanish writer, who was born in 1547, and
died in 1616, at Madrid, where he lies buried, without a stone to
indicate the spot. The object had in view by the author in this work
was, " to reform the taste and opinions of his countrymen. He wished
to ridicule that adventurous heroism with all its evil consequences,
the source of which was the innumerable novels on knight-errantry.
While he struggles against the prevailing false romance of the time, he
displays the most truly romantic spirit. The beginning of the work
was at first coldly received, but soon met with the greatest applause, in
which, at a later period, the whole of Europe joined," and it has
now been translated into every European language.
Dryads, wood-nymphs, fabled goddesses who were said to preside over
woods or forests.
Ducat, a coin used by several European nations, varying in value, but
wortli about two dollai-s and twenty-five cents.
East, (the.) The countries situated in Asia, being east of Europe, are
generally spoken of as the East, or the Eastern or Oriental world, as
America, being west of Europe, is denominated the Western world.
Eden, the place in which our first parents dwelt, previously to their
disobedience and fall. There is a great difference of opinion relative
to its precise situation. It is often termed Paradise, from a Greek
word signifying a park or garden.
Espanola, see Hispaniola.
Esplanade, as used in this volume, means a grass plat.
Falconets, small pieces of artillery.
False Keel, a strong, thick piece of timber, fastened with iron bolts to
the lower side of the keel or bottom of a ship, for the purpose of pre-
serving it.
Ferro, or Hiero, the most westerly of the Canary Islands. It was an-
ciently supposed to be the most western point of the old world, and
was employed by all geographers as their first meridian, or the point
from which they calculated longitude.
Flamingo, an aquatic bird, of which there are two species. The one re-
ferred to in this volume, is an inhabitant of the tropical parts of Amer-
ica, and migrates in the summer season to the Southern, and some-
times, though seldom, to tiie Middle States. It is from three to four
feet in height, of a deep red color with black quills. •' They live in
large flocks, frequenting desert sea-coasts and salt-marshes. They
are shy and watchful. While feeding they keep together, drawn up
artificially in lines, which, at a distance, resemble those of an army.
They employ some to act as sentinels, for the security of the rest.
On the approach of danger, these sentinels give warning by a loud
sound, like that of a trumpet, which may be heard at a great distance.
When flying, they form a triangle." They feed on shell-fish, insects,
and the spawn of fishes.
Flanders, see Flemish.
Flemish, relating to Flanders, a country situated partly in France and
partly in the Netherlands.
Florentine, an inhabitant of Florence, the capital of Tuscany.
Flores, one of the Azores or Western Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean.
GLOSSARY. 299
Foray, act of ravaging ; as used in this volume, a hunting excursion.
Franciscan, a religious order of monks, founded in 1208, by St. Francis,
of Assisi in Unibria. The order was originally distinguished by vows
of absolute poverty, and a renunciation of all the pleasures of the
world. Their common dress is a coarse woollen frock, with a cord
round the waist, to which is suspended a rope with a knotted scourge.
" An interesting comparison might be made between St. Franciscus,
and St. Dominic. The first labored all his life to relieve the poor and
persecuted, to propagate the gospel among the lower classes, who,
in those convulsed periods, were almost entirely excluded, in most
countries, from education and instruction in Christianity ; whilst St.
Dominicus strove to spread Christianity by persecution. The char-
acter of the two is deeply imprinted on the two orders — the humble
Franciscans and the zealous Dominicans."
Friar, a term derived from the Spanish, French, and Italian word for
brotiier, and applied to monks as associated, or bound together, in
brotherhood.
Furling, rolling up and fastening the sails of vessels.
Genoese, belonging or relating to Genoa.
George, St., see St. George.
Giralda, a Spanish name for a vane or weathercock in the form of a
statue ; derived from the statue of a woman put on the spire of the
cathedral church of Seville.
Gloria in e.vcclsis Deo, Glory to God in the highest, the commencing
words of a hymn of praise to the Almighty.
Grand or Great Khan, a title given in the north of Asia to the highest
royal dignitary.
Grand Soldan, Sultan, king.
Grapplings, iron instruments having four or five sharp-pointed flukes
or claws, and used in naval engagements to seize hold of and secure
an enemy's ship.
Gray Friar, a monk of the Franciscan order ; which see.
Guanin, adulterated gold.
Hacienda, country seat.
Hebrew, the language of the Jews or Israelites, the descendants of
Abraham.
Heir-apparent, one who has an absolute and exclusive right to succeed
to an estate or crown.
Herrera, a Spanish historian, who was born at Cuellar, in Segovia, in
1559, and died 1625.
Hidalgo, in Spain, a person of noble birth.
High Admiral, as used in this volume, admiral in chief, or highest
officer.
High Altar. In Roman Catholic churches, there are several altars ;
the principal one is elevated above the others, and is called the high
altar.
His Holiness, a title of the Pope.
Hispaniola, Hayti, or Saint Domingo, one of the largest and most
fertile of the West India Islands, named by Columbus, Espanola,
from a fancied resemblance to some of the beautiful provinces of
Spain.
300 GLOSSARY.
Holy Chair, a term frequently used for Pope, as " the crown" is often
used iustead of king.
Holy Sepulchre, tlie supposed tomb or burial-place of Christ, in Jeru-
salem.
Holy Writ, the Bible.
India, Indians, names given to this country and to its inhabitants, by
Columbus, on his discovery of America, under the impression that
it was the eastern coast of Asia, for which he was in search, that
he had reached. Subsequently, when the mistake was ascertained,
the name was retained with the word West prefixed, so as to distin-
guish the country from the other, or East Indies. At a later pe-
riod, the name West Indies was restricted to the islands, which
now retain it, lying between North and South America.
Indulgence, remission of punishment due to sins ; granted by the
Pope or Romish Church.
Infidels, disbelievers of Christianity.
Israelite, a Jew.
Junta, a high council of state.
Junto, a council.
Labrador, an extensive country of North America, seven hundred
miles long from north to south, and five hundred miles broad, situ-
ated between Hudson's Bay, the Atlantic Ocean, and Canada. It
belongs to Great Britain, and is annexed to the government of New-
foundland. The severity of the climate and the barrenness of the
region confining the visits of foreigners principally to the coasts, it
has never been fully explored.
Laclanlius, a celebrated orator and author, supposed to have been
an African. He was, at first, a teacher of rhetoric, and afterwards
the tutor of Crispus, the eldest son of Constanline the Great. On
account of the purity and eloquence of his language, he is frequently
styled the Christian Cicero. He died about 325.
Latine, or Lateen, a triangular sail, frequently used by vessels navi-
gating the Mediterranean Sea.
Lay-Brother, a pious, but illiterate person, who devotes himself in
some convent or monastery to the service of the religious, (as that
class, devoted exclusively to religious affairs, is termed ;) being too
ignorant to become a clerk, (or clergyman,) he applies himself
wholly to bodily labor.
Levant, from the Italian and French, signifying the east. In a gen-
eral sense, this name is used to designate the countries on the east-
ern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and in a more contracted
sense, the Asiatic coasts from Constantinople to Alexandria, in
Egypt.
Lucayan, an inhabitant of the Bahama Islands.
Lucayos, the Bahama Islands.
Martin Behem or Behuim, one of the most learned mathematicians
and astronomers of his age, born at Nuremberg, about 1430.
Master of the game, the winner.
Mayorazgo, an entailed estate.
Medina Celt, a Spanish town in Old Castile, eighty-four miles south-
west of Saragossa.
GLOSSARY. 301
Medina Sidonia, a Spanish town in Andalusia, twenty-two miles
southeast of Cadiz.
Mohammedan, a follower of, or believer in, the doctrines of Moham-
med, an individual born at Mecca, in Arabia, A. D. 569, and who
in tiie year 609 announced himself as an apostle of God. His re-
ligious code, written in Arabic, is contained in a book called the
Koran, or Al Koran, a word signifying the reading, or that which
is to be read ; his doctrines were promulgated as revelations of the
Divine will. " The first tenet of his creed was, 'Allah alone is
God, and Mohammed is his prophet.' Moses and Christ were
regarded, by him, as divinely-inspired teachers of former times ; he
did not deny the authenticity of the sacred histories and revela-
tions of Christianity," but believed them to have become corrupt-
ed ; he declared himself as sent to perfect the work of redemption
already commenced. The heaven he promised his followers was
one of sensual pleasures. " His morality was compiled from the
ancient Jewish and Christian systems. The chief points in it
are, the faithful adoration of Allah as the only God, unwavering
obedience to the commands of the prophet, (that is, himself,) the
necessity of prayer, charity to the poor, purifications, abstinence
from forbidden enjoj'ments, (especially from strong drinks, a pro-
hibition caused by the quarrels that arose among his adherents,)
bravery, upholding, even to death, the cause of God, and entire re-
signation to unavoidable fate." His doctrines were widely dissem-
inated by means of the sword and violence, and to this day exten-
sively prevail in Asia and Africa. It is unnecessary for us to draw
a comparison between him and the Founder of Christianity, who
preached peace on earth, good will to man. Mohammed died at
Medina, A. D. 632, and in the holy chapel there, is an urn, sur-
rounded with iron trellis-work, which constitutes his sepulchre.
Moors, a class of the inhabitants of Western Africa, particularly of
Fez and Morocco. The name was given to them by the Spanish
writers, who derived it from Mauritania, as that part of Africa
which they inhabited was called by the Romans. They held do-
minion in Spain for eight hundred years ; and were finally conquer-
ed, and their kingdom of Granada subdued, in 1491, by Ferdinand,
after a ten years' war. After their subjugation, a part of them
" went to Africa ; but most of them remained in Spain, where they
were industrious, peaceful subjects, and adopted generally the ex-
ternal forms of Christianity. The latter were called in Spain, Mo-
riscos. Philip H., in his ferocious zeal for Christianity, resolved
upon their entire destruction. His oppressions and persecutions
excited an insurrection of the Moriscos in Granada, (1571,) after
the suppression of which, over 100,000 of them were banished.
Philip III., in the same fanatic spirit, completed their expulsion, and
nearly a million of them emigrated to Africa. As they were the most
ingenious and industrious inhabitants of Spain, they were a great
loss to the country. Agriculture speedily fell into decay, and their
expulsion is regarded as one of the leading causes of the decline of
Spain.
Moorish, or Saracenic, Arch, in building, an arch which is sometimes
26 I.
302 GLOSSARY.
lancet-shaped or pointed, and sometimes either of a crescent or horse-
shoe form. It is supposed to have lieen introduced into Spain by
the Moors, and by tiiem first used in buildings there erected. An
explanation of different kinds of arches, with cuts, may be found in
Bigelow's ' Useful Arts,' published as vols. xi. and xii. of 'The
School Library.'
Moslem, a Mohammedan. Every one who acknowledges the unity
of God and the apostlesliip of Mohammed, is called a Jloslem ; that
is, one who has given himself up to the will of God, and is there-
fore in a state of salvation.
Muscatel, or Muscadel, from the Italian moscadello, a sweet wine,
so named from its flavor.
JVeplus ultra, a Latin phrase, literally meaning nothing more beyond ;
used in this volume to denote the extreme limit, or farthest point, of
discovery.
JVereids, sea-nymphs, named after Nereus, a fabled deity of the sea.
JVeivfo until and, an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, (separated
from the North American Continent by the Straits of Belle Isle and
the Gulf of St. Lawrence,) which was discovered in 1497, by Se-
bastian Cabot. See his Life in vol. v. of ' The School, Library.'
J\rew World, America.
JVorthmen, the inhabitants of Norway, Sweden, and Denmark, who
were so called, in early times.
JVubian, relating to Nubia, a country of Africa, south of Egypt, and
lying on each side of the River Nile. It is the northern part of an-
cient Ethiopia. Its inhabitants are perfectly black.
JSTuncio, the Pope's ambassador.
Ophir, a place frequently mentioned in Scripture, and supposed to
have been situated in the East Indies or on the eastern coast of
Africa. It was celebrated for its gold, ivory, spices, and other val-
wable productions, for which it was visited in the time of David and
Solomon.
Optical delusion, deception of the ej-e-sight.
Order of Santiago, or St. James, a Spanish military order, instituted
in 1170, by Ferdinand II., to stop the incursions of the Moors. The
battle cry of the Spaniards, when engaging the Moors, was Santiago.
" The knights were required to prove their descent from families
that have been noble on both sides, for four generations, and that
their ancestors have neither been Jews, Saracens, nor heretics, nor
called in question by the Inquisition. Their vows are those of pov-
erty, obedience, conjugal fidelity, and the defence of the immaculate
conception of the holy Virgin."
Our Lady, a name by which the Virgin Mary is sometimes called by
Roman Catholics.
Papal Bull, an instrument, ordinance, or decree of the Pope, relating
to matters of faith, or the affairs of the Romish Church, written on
parchment, and having a leaden or golden seal. The name, from
the Italian, bolla, was originally applied to the seal itself.
Papal Chair, the throne of the Pope.
Paienis, writings given by the proper authority and duly authenticated,
granting a privilege to some person or persons.
GLOSSARY. 303
Pater noster, the Lord's prayer ; so called from the first two Latin
words, signifying Our Father.
Patios, courts, or open spaces in front of, or behind, houses.
Patriarch, in the Church, a dignitary or officer superior to the arch-
bishop.
Payed, from pay, a nautical or sea phrase, implying to daub or anoint
the surface of any body in order to preserve it from injury by water
or weather.
Pe/n'ieraces, sufferings endured as an expression of repentance for sins.
Phantasy, freak, caprice.
Pheniciaris, inhabitants of Phenicia, a territory in Syria, on the eastern
coast of the Mediterranean, and northwest of Palestine, the prin-
cipal cities of which were Tyre and Sidon. The Phenicians were
early celebrated as adventurous mariners, and the invention of letters
is attributed to them. They planted colonies on the shores of the
Mediterranean, particularly Carthage, Hippo, Marseilles, and Utica,
and their manufactures acquired such a superiority over those of
other nations, that among the ancients whatever was elegant, great,
or pleasing, either in apparel or domestic utensils, was called Sido-
nian. In the time of Solomon, it is said, there were "none who
were skilled how to hew timber like the Sidonians."
Pillars of Hercules. According to some authors, two pillars are said
to have been erected by Hercules, a celebrated hero in ancient my-
thology, upon the mountains on each side of the strait, named after
him, (now known as the Straits of Gibraltar,) intended to point out
the limits of his wanderings to the west. By other authors the
mountains themselves are called the ' Pillars.' That on the Asiatic
side is called Abyla, that on the European side, Caipe. The latter
is now Gibraltar.
Plato, a celebrated Greek philosopher, born about 429 B. C. He
died on his eighty-second birthday. His name was given him,
(from a Greek word, signifying broad,) on account of the breadth
of his chest and forehead.
Pliny, a distinguished Roman scholar and historian. His best known
and most valued work is that entitled Natural History or History
of the World. He filled many public offices. All time not required
for official duties, he devoted to his literary pursuits. " He was a
very early riser even in winter ; often did not retire to bed at all ;
and used to read while at meals, and in the bath, or had some one to
read to him. He diligently noted down every thing of importance ;
and often said, that no book was so bad, but that something might
be learned from it." When not able to write, he dictated to others.
He fell a sacrifice to his spirit of inquiry, in the year 79 ; when
being near Vesuvius, during a terrible eruption of that volcano, he
was induced to approach it, in order to examine it the more closely,
and whilst engaged in his scientific investigations, on the second
day, " he perished by a suffocating vapor which spread over the
whole country."
Posada, a tavern or inn.
Promised Land, Palestine, anciently called Canaan. It received the
name oi Land of promise, (see Heb. xi. 9,) on account of having
304 GLOSSARY.
been promised to the posterity of Abraham. " It embraces the coast
of Syria on the Mediterranean, from Lebanon, south to the limits
of Egypt, and was one of the most fertile countries of the old world."
Ptolemy, a celebrated geographer, mathematician, and astronomer,
born in Egypt, in the year 70 ; who is considered the first astron-
omer of antiquity. He was the earliest writer who sought to fix the
situation of places by their latitude and longitude.
Pundonor , (Spanish,) point of honor.
Regidors, magistrates of a city.
Repartimientos, (Spanish,) partition, division, distribution.
Rover, pirate, freebooter.
Sagas, Icelandic heroic tales.
Saint Augustine, one of the most renowned fathers of the Christian
Church. He was born at Tagaste, a small city in Africa, November
13, 354 ; and died at Hippo, August 28, 403.
Saint George, " the holy knight ; according to ancient legends, a
prince of Cappadocia," which was formerly one of the most impor-
tant provinces of Asia. "His greatest achievement was the con-
quest of a dragon, by which he effected the deliverance of a king's
daughter. He is commonly represented on horseback, in full
armor, with the formidable dragon writhing at his feet. The
drawing is founded on the tradition that Aja, the daughter of an an-
cient monarch, was met by a dragon, which attacked and threat-
ened to devour her." The knight passing by, slew the dragon
and rescued the lady. The ancient Christian emperors bore a
representation of the knight upon their standards. To these sacred
banners, was attributed a miraculous power, and it was supposed
that those who fought under them were sure of conquering. Saint
George is called the protector and patron of the Englisli nation.
Saint Thomas, one of the Twelve Apostles, whose name has been
given to many places. The reason of its being given by Columbus,
to the place mentioned on page 119, is there stated ; and its ap-
propriateness may be judged of by reference to the Gospel of St.
John, chapter xx. verses 24 to 29, where the occurrence is recorded
that Columbus at the time had in mind.
Salve Regina, the natne of the vesper or evening hymn to the Virgin,
that is, to Mary, the mother of Christ.
San Antonio, St. Anthony, born in Lisbon, August 15, 1195, and
died at Padua, Italy, June 13, 1231. He was a disciple of St.
Francis, and a prominent advocate of the Franciscan order. He is,
by tradition, said to have been so eloquent, that the very fishes
were moved by his exhortations and preaching.
S%nta, (Spanish,) Saint.
Santa Maria, Holy Mary ; an exclamation of surprise or wonder.
Satyrs, wood gods, or f;ibulous deities who are said to have presided
over woods.
/Sftiwr?!, oneof the fabulous deities of the ancients, who is said to have
taught the people of Italy agriculture and the useful and liberal arts.
While he was king of Italy, his reign was so mild and popular, so
beneficent and virtuous, that it has been called the golden age, to
intimate the happiaess and tranquillity which the earth then enjoyed.
GLOSSARY. 305
Scandinavian, from Scandinavia, the ancient name of the northern
portion of Europe, embracing Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Iceland,
&c.
See, the jurisdiction of a bishop or archbishop.
Semi-barbarous, half savage; partially civilized.
Seneca, a philosopher, born in the first year of the Christian era, at
Corduba, in Spain. Most of his life was spent in Rome. He was
condemned to death upon suspicion of being engaged in a conspiracy.
Being allowed to choose the manner of his death, he caused his veins
to be opened ; but the blood not flowing rapidly, he swallowed
poison, and was subsequently drowned in a warm bath.
Senor, Sir or master.
Siesta, (Spanish,) the tiine for taking a nap after dinner, generally
from one to three o'clock. In this volume, it signifies the nap
itself.
Southern Ocean, the sea situated south of an imaginary line drawn
from Cape Horn, the southern extremity of the American continent,
to the Cape of Good Hope, and continuing east, around back again
to Cape Horn.
Staff, in military affairs, consists of a quarter-master general, adjutant
general, majors of brigade, aids-de-camp, &c. ; this term, therefore,
means generally, the officers whose command extends over several
bodies of troops, of which each has its particular officers. The
term is derived from the baton or stafl' which was formerly carried
by officers high in command.
Strabo, an eminent Greek geographer, born in Cappadocia, about the
19th year of the Christian era. He travelled extensively in Greece,
Italy, Egypt, and various parts of Asia. " His great geographical
work, in seventeen books, contains a full account of the manners
and governments of different people," and is deemed invaluable.
Superhuman, more than human ; divine.
Superior, the head or chief man of a monastery.
Te Deuni laudamus. We praise thee O Lord ! The commencing
words of a hymn of praise, frequently chanted on the occasion of
some great national event.
Teredo, a shell-fish of a tubular shape and about six inches long. It
is very destructive to ships, perforating their bottoms in all direc-
tions. One species of this animal, it is said, has more than once
threatened Holland with ruin, by the destruction of the dikes, which
are raised to prevent the sea from overflowing the country.
Terra Firma, literally, firm earth or solid land ; used in this volume,
as the mainland or continent.
Thomas, St., see St. Thomas.
Thule, a name given by the ancients to the most extreme land to the
north, with which they were acquainted. In this volume, Iceland
13 meant. Probably the name was not always applied to the same
place, by different writers, but varied with the progress of discov-
ery.
Tinto. This river is so called from its waters being tinged of a yel-
low color. It is situated in the Spanish province of Seville, and
empties into the Atlantic at the town of Huelva.
26*
306 GLOSSARY.
Triptolemus, an ancient king of Attica, who is said to iiave been
taught by Ceres, every thing which related to agriculture, and how
to plough the ground, to sow and reap the corn, to make bread,
and to take particular care of fruit-trees. He is also said to have
travelled over the earth distributing corn to all the inhabitants of the
world.
Tunis, one of the Barbary States, in Africa, situated on the Mediter-
ranean Sea, between Algiers and Tripoli.
Ultima T/iule, see Thule.
Variation of the needle, deviation of the magnetic needle of tlie
compass fronl the true north point, towards which it naturally turns.
Vasco de Gama, a Portuguese, born at the small sea-port of Sines,
of a noble family. " He discovered the route to the East Indies by
sea ; a discovery of the greatest importance, not only in regard to
commerce, but to the civilization and political relations of Europe,
and which laid the foundation of the commercial power of Portugal
in the Indian seas." He died in 1524, at Goa, in the East Indies.
Veering, changing the course of a vessel.
Vega, plain.
Venetian, belonging or relating to Venice.
Vcnta, an inn.
Vesper -peal, ihe. sound of the bell for evening religious service.
Vicar, representative.
Vinland, according to the recent investigations of the Royal Society
of Northern Antiquaries, at Copenhagen, this name was given by the
European voyagers, who are supposed to have visited America in
the 10th and 11th centuries, to that portion of the country now includ-
ed within the limits of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The name
was selected in consequence of the great abundance of grape-vines
that were met with ; vinland, vineland, land of vines.
Virgin ore, pure, unadulterated ore.
TVeather-hoards, boards placed in an inclined position to prevent the
sea from breaking in upon a vessel.
Vuca, Yucca, or Jticca, a name given by the natives of America and
the West India Islands to a shrub, which grows to the height of three
feet, and bears broad, shining, hand-shaped leaves, and beautiful
white and rose-colored flowers. It is the .Fatropha manihot of bota-
nists. Its roots are poisonous in their natural state, but when pre-
pared by heat are harmless and nutritive. The natives of this con-
tinent, and the adjacent islands, when first visited by the Europeans,
were in the practice of making a kind of bread of these roots, which
they called Cassava or Cassada.
Zemi, (plural Zcmes,) a name given by the natives of the island of Ilis-
paniola, to supposed inferior deities who acted as mediators or mes-
sengers between the Supreme Being and man.
INDEX.
A.
Aborigines of New World, 61.
Customs and characteristics of,
120, 121, 130. Difficulties with,
81, 104, 142, 149, 159, 173,
180, 227, 228, 229. Their sub-
jection, 151. Conspiracies of,
173. Extirpation of, 256.
Acvil, Bay of, supposed to be that
to which Columbus gave the
name St. Thomas, 73.
Adehintado, Columbus appoints his
brother Bartholomew, 140, 149,
158. Appointment confirmed by
the Sovereigns, 163.
Admiral and Viceroy, Columbus
demands to be appointed, 44.
Is appointed, 47. Directs his
heir never to use any other title
in his signature, than ' the Ad-
miral,' 163, 266.
Aguado, Juan, appointed commis-
sioner, 154. Sails from Spain,
155. His arrival at Hayti, and
his conduct, 155, 156. Depart-
ure for Spain, 159. Result of
his mission, 162.
Alcantara, order of, 208.
Alexander VI., Pope, his charac-
ter, 96. His bull dividing the
New World between Spain and
Portugal, 97.
Alhambra, 43, 196, 204, 212,
260.
Alpha and Omega, name given by
Columbus to eastern end of Cu-
ba, 70, 129.
Alphonso, of Portugal, cause of
discovery languishes under, 23.
Alvarado, Diego de, 199.
Amazons, 82, 159.
America, Scandinavian voyages to,
iii. iv. Knowledge of, lost to
mankind, iv.
Amerigo Vespucci, 190, 262.
x\nacaona, wife of Caonabo, 172,
175, 192, 193, 254, 255.
Anana or pine-apple, first met with,
103.
Ancients, geographical theories of,
17, 18, 19.
Andalusia, Palos in, see Pales.
Inhabitants of the seaboard or-
dered to furnish Columbus with
supplies, 49, 98.
Angel, Luis de St., receiver of the
ecclesiastical revenues of Arra-
gon, appeals to the Q,uecn in be-
half of Columbus, and is success-
ful, 45. Oflers to advance the
funds necessary, and his oft'er is
accepted, 46.
Anjou, John of, Duke of Calabria,
fits out a naval expedition, 11. ;■
Antilla, Island of, 17, 20.
Antilles, 20, 67, 103.
Arabian geographer's description of
the Atlantic, iv.
Arana, Diego de, notary and algu-
azil of the armament, left in
command at La Navidad, 79,
106, 108.
Archipelago, in Caribbean Sea,
131, 233.
Arenal, Point, 168.
Areytos, rhymes or ballads of the
Natives, 124, 151.
Aristotle's opinion of the ocean, 19.
Description of a weedy sea, 55.
Arragon, Ferdinand king of, 30.
308
INDEX.
Arrows, Gulf of, 81, 105.
Asia, Columbus thinks he has ar-
rived at, 96, 134, 270.
Assassination of Columbus, pro-
posed to King John of Portugal,
88.
Atlantic, description of, by Xerif
al Edresi, iv.
, mariners feared to em-
bark on, 14.
Atlantis, Island of, Egyptian legend
respecting, iii. 17.
Augustine, St., Cape, 206.
Aura Chersonesus, 131, 224, 236.
Azna, port c{, 187.
Azores, 21, 84, 97.
B.
Babeque, a word used by Natives,
and supposed by Columbus to
be the name of an island or
province, 70.
Badajoz, Fonseca Bishop of, 164.
Bahama Islands, Columbus first
lands on one of them, 61.
Eallester, Miguel, 177, 183.
Baptism of Indians, 99, 106.
Barcelona, court at, 89. Reception
of Columbus at, 92, 262.
Barranieda, San Lucar de, 166.
Bastides, 220.
Battles with Natives, 81, 104, 142,
149, 159, 173, 180, 227, 228,
229.
Bautista, San Juan, Island, 105.
Bayonne, 90.
Baza, Columbus at surrender of,
39. Menace from Grand Sol-
dan of Egypt brought to, 39.
Behechio, cacique, 143, 144, 172,
174, 254.
Beleu or Bethlehem, River, 223,
224.
Pell, the wonder of the Savages,
146.
Benin, a powerful kingdom said to
be east of it, 14.
Bermejo, Rodriguez, discovers
land, 60. His disappointment at
not receiving a reward, 95.
Bethlehem, River, 223, 224.
Birth and parentagcof Columbus, 9.
Biscav, Bay of, 90.
Bias, Point, 233.
Blood hounds, 149, 150.
Bobadilla, Fraucisco de, 197. Ap-
pointed commissioner, 197. Ar-
rests Columbus, and sends him
home in irons, 201. Indignation
of the Sovereigns, and his recall,
205, 206. Sails for Spain, 215.
Perishes in a tempest, 216.
Boca del Drago, 170, 190.
Bohio, a name used by the Natives,
and supposed by Columbus to
be the name of an island or
province, 70.
Bojador, Cape, belief that whoev-
er doubled it would never return,
14. Doubled under Prince Hen-
ry of Portugal, 15.
Bonao, village, 183, 188, 193,
194.
Boriquen, Island, 105.
Boyle, see Buyl.
Brandan, a Scottish priest, said to
have discovered an imaginary isl-
and in the Atlantic, 17.
Brazil, 99.
Breviesca, Ximeno de, 165.
Buentiempo, Gulf of, 130.
Bull, Papal, see Papal.
Burgos, Columbus meets the sov-
ereigns at, 162.
Buyl, or Boyle, Bernardo, the
Pope's vicar in New World, 98,
111, 127, 129, 141, 148, 153,
154, 162.
C.
Cabals, 57, 58, .59, 116, 127.
Cabinet, or El Retrete, 220.
Cabo de la Cruz, 131, 136.
Cabral, Pedro Alvarez, 212.
Cabron, Cape, 180.
Cacique visits Columbus, 73.
of Cibao or Maijuaua, sec
Caonabo, and ]\Ianicaote.\. Of
Ciguay, see Mayonabex. Of
Grand River, see Guatiguana.
Of Iliguey, see Cotabanama.
Of Marion, see Guacanagari.
Of Vega Real, or Royal Plain,
sec Guarionex. Of Veragua, see
INDEX.
509
Quibian. Of Xaragua, see Behe-
chio.
Cacique, female, married to Migu
el Diaz, 157, 171.
of Jamacia visits Colum
bus, 136.
Cadiz, Columbus sails from, 102,
214. Returns to, 161, 204.
Cado, Firmin, 116, 119.
Cahay, province of, 192, 193.
Calatrava, order of, 197.
Calicut, 212.
Cambalu, mentioned by Marco
Polo, 20.
Canary Islands, rediscovery of, 13
Optical delusion of inhabitants
of, 17. Columbus touches at,
52, 102.
Cannibals, 103.
Canoes of the natives, 64, 130.
Caonabo, cacique of Cibao, 77,
107, 109, 126, 128, 142, 143
144, 145, 146. Captured by Oje-
da, 147. His brother heads the
allied caciques, 149. Death of,
159, 160.
Cape Cruz, 131, 136, 234.
Cuba, name given by Colum-
bus, 70.
de la Vela, 190.
de Verde,15, 19, 26, 97, 99,
166, 167.
Francois, 122.
Gracios a Dios, 209.
Honduras, 218.
Maysi, 129.
Nombre de Dios, 220.
Non, 87.
of Good Hope, 138, 212.
of Palms, name given by Co-
lumbus to a headland in Cuba,
68.
St. Augustine, 206.
St. Vincent, 12, 21.
Tiburon, 137, 172, 249.
Carib, 76, 81, 103, 115, 142,
147.
Caribbean Islands, 81, 82, 103,
104, 137, 159, 166, 191, 214.
Sea, 103.
Carvajal, Alonzo Sanchez de, 129,
1S2, 183, 185. Columbus ap-
points him his agent in Hispani-
ola, 210, 217.
Castile, Isabella Queen of, 30.
Crown of, 97, see Spain, and Isa-
bella. Philip and Juana, King
and Queen of, 264.
Catalina, Indian captive, 111, 112,
114. Female cacique married to
Miguel Diaz, 158.
Cathay, mention of, 20, 21, 47,
68, 129.
Cat Island, name given to San
Salvador by the English, 64.
Cavern nearCape Francois, whence
the Natives suppose the sun and
moon to have emerged, 122.
Cazadilla, Bishop of Ceuta, op-
poses the plans of Columbus, 26.
Suggests a scheme to defraud
Columbus of the honor of his
enterprise, 26.
Centaurs — the inhabitants of His-
paniola at first suppose the rider
and horse to be one animal, ll'J.
Character of Columbus, 15, 22,
54, 94, 265. Of Martin Alonzo
Pinzon, see Pinzon.
Characteristics of the Natives, 120.
Chersonesus, Aura, 134, 224, 236.
Christian faith, Columbus anxious
to propagate, 47, 48.
Christoval, St., Fort, 171.
Cibao, mentioned by Guacanagari,
as a gold region, 77. Cacique
of, 107. Mountains of, 114,
115, 117, 119, 120, 143, 158,
160.
Ciguare, kingdom of, 219, 220.
Ciguay, mountains of, 81, 82,
179.
Cintra, rock of, Columbus arrives
at, 85.
Cipango, supposed island of, 20,
52, 65, 77.
Coast of Contradictions, 223.
Coasting of Hispaniola, 71.
Coat-of-arms of Columbus, 94.
Colombo, with whom Columbus
made his first voyages, 10, 1 1 , 12.
Colonbo, Juan .\iitonio, 182.
310
INDEX.
Columbus, birth, parentage, edu-
cation, and early life of, 9 ; sails
with Colombo, 10, 11, 12 ; en-
gaged in a desperate battle, 12 ;
providential escape, 12 ; first ar-
rival in Portugal, 12 ; his resi-
dence in Lisbon, 15 ; description
of his person, 15 ; his temper
and disposition, 16 ; his piety,
16, 24 ; his marriage, 16 ; in-
formation derived from his moth-
er-in-law, 16 ; naturalized in
Portugal, 16; sails to Guinea, 16;
makes maps and charts, 16; con-
ceives the idea of crossing the At-
lantic, 18 ; grounds of his belief
in existence of undiscovered lands
in the West, 18; his correspond-
ence with Toscanelli, 18 ; his
geographical and astronomical
knowledge, 18, 19 ; information
from Marco Polo, 19 ; encour-
aged by Toscanelli to seek India
by a western route, 19, 20 ; Mar-
co Polo's work a key to many
of the ideas of Columbus, 20 ;
conjectural map by which Co-
lumbus governed himself in his
first voyage, 20 ; his enterprise
aided by two happy errors, 21 ;
his deep religious sentiment, and
enthusiastic nature of his concep-
tions, 22, 48 ; voyage to Thule,
23 ; presents his views to King
John of Portugal, 25 ; subject re-
ferred to a junto of learned men,
25 ; they reject the project, 26 ;
subject referred to a council, who
also rejected it, 26 ; scheme of
Cazadilla to defraud Columbus,
26 ; his indignation and refusal
to negotiate again with King John,
26 ; death of his wife, 26 ; de-
parture from Portugal in a secret
manner, on account of being in
debt, 27 ; a year of his life in-
volved in uncertainty, 27 ; prop-
osition to Genoa, 27 ; rejected,
27 ; Venice, 27 ; piety to his
father, 27 ; sends his brother Bar-
tholomew to England, 27 ; goes
to Spain in great poverty, 27 ;
first tra'^e of him in Spain, 28 ;
manuscript documents of a law-
suit between his son Diego and
the crown, 28 ; deposition of
Fernandez, physician of Palos,
28 ; conversation with Friar Juaa
Perez, 28 ; with other inhabit-
ants of Palos, 29 ; his views ap-
proved, 29 ; concurrence of .Alar-
tin Alonzo Pinzon, 29 ; his offer
of assistance, 29 ; letter of Juan
Perez to Q,ueen's confessor, 29;
Columbus leaves his son Diego
at the convent, and departs for
the court, 29 ; finds it impossible
to obtain a hearing, 32 ; treated
as a dreamer and madman, 32 ;
supports himself by making maps
and charts, 32; becomes attach-
ed to Dona Beatrix Enriquez,
mother of his son Fernando, 33 ;
his theory gains proselytes, 33 ;
Q,uintanilla, comptroller of the
finances, the Geraldinis,and Men-
doza, countenance him, 33 ; ob-
tains a royal audience, 33 ; his
appearance in presence of the
King, 34 ; a council summoned
at Salamanca, 34 ; his appear-
ance there, 35 ; their objections,
35 ; some of the council are con-
vinced of the soundness of his
plans, 38 ; his attendance upon
the court, 39 ; engaged in some
of the severest campaigns, 39 ;
his personal prowess, 39 ; pres-
ent at the surrender of ^lalaga
and Baza, and beholds El Zagal
surrender his crown, 39 ; indig-
nation at threat of Soldan of
Egvpt, 39 ; devotes profits of his
discoveries to a crusade for res-
cue of holy sepulchre, 39; presses
for a final reply from the Sov-
ereigns, 40 ; council condemns
the scheme, and Columbus quits
the court, filled with disappoint-
ment and indignation, 40 ; re-
ceives favorable letters from kings
of England and France, 41 ; king
INDEX.
311
of Portugal invites him to return
to that court, 41 ; but he is at-
tached to Spain, 41 ; applies to
dukes of Medina Sidonia and Me-
dina Celi, but is disappointed,
41 ; the latter writes to the Queen
in favor of Columbus, 41 ; whore-
turns to La Rabida, 42 ; through
the influence of Juan Perez, he
is sent for by the Queen, 42 ;
arrives in time to witness the
surrender of Granada, 43 ; re-
marks of an elegant Spanish
writer on the occasion, 43 ; the
Spanisli monarchs now comply
with his requests', 44 ; difficulties
still in the way, 44; he demands
to be appointed admiral and vice-
roy, and have one tenth of the
profits of his discoveries, 44 ; of-
fers to furnish one eighth of the
cost, 44 ; all his proposals re-
jected, and he again retires in-
dignant at his treatment, 44 ; his
friends make a bold effort, and
prevail upon the Queen, 45 ; who
now, for the first time, views the
subject in its real grandeur, 45 ;
resolves to pledge her jewels to
raise the necessary funds, 45 ;
Columbus recalled, and returns
to the court, 46 ; has an audience
of the Queen, 46 ; her benignity
atones for past neglect, 46 ; ar-
ticles of agreement between Co-
lumbus and the Sovereigns, 47 ;
one great object of Columbus,
the propagation of the Christian
faith, 47 ; anxious to recover the
holy sepulchre from the Infidels,
48, 94 ; his son Diego appointed
page to Prince Juan, 49 ; leaves
the court and repairs to Palos,
eighteen years having elapsed
since he conceived his enterprise,
49 ; arrives at Palos, and receiv-
ed at the convent with open arms,
49 ; royal order for the caravels
read in the church, 49 ; horror
of the inhabitants, 49 ; difficul-
ties encountered, 50 ; embarks,
51 ; inconsiderable armament,
51 ; Columbus confesses him-
self, 51 ; gloom of inhabitants of
Palos at the embarcation, 51 ;
events of the first voyage — diffi-
culties, 52 ; cruising about the
Canary Islands in search of anoth-
er vessel, 52 ; three Portuguese
caravels seen off Ferro, 53 ;
hearts of crews fail on losing
sight of land, 53 ; stratagem of
keeping two reckonings, 54 ; falls
in with mast of a large vessel,
54; alarm of the crew, 54; varia-
tion of the needle first discovered,
54 ; high opinion entertained of
Columbus as an astronomer, by
his crew, 54 ; serenity of the
weather, 55 ; signs of land, 55 ;
Columbus urged to change his
course, 55 ; but refuses, 55 ;
birds seen, 55 ; sea covered with
weeds, 56 ; secret cabals, 58 ;
Pinzon thinks he discovers land,
and Gloria in excelsis Deo is
chanted, 58; disappointment, 58;
eager excitement, 58 ; course al-
tered, 58 ; complaints of crew,
59 ; open rupture, 59 ; new in-
dications of land, 59 ; Columbus
discovers a light, 60 ; Bermejo
sees land, 60 ; feelings of Co-
lumbus, 60 ; his first landing in
the New World, 61 ; his sensa-
tions, 62 ; he takes possession in
the name of the Castilian Sover-
eigns, and names the Island San
Salvador, 62 ; conduct of his fol-
lowers, 62 ; astonishment of the
Natives, 62 ; Columbus particu-
larly attracts their attention, 63 ;
supposes himself to have landed
in India, and calls the Natives In-
dians, 64; gold seen, 65; Colum-
bus interprets the signs of the Na-
tives according to his own cher-
ished wishes, 65 ; sails among
the islands, 65 ; enchanted by
their lovely scenery, 66; searches
for Cuba, 66 ; arrives there, 67 ;
his feelings, 67 ; sends envoys
312
INDEX.
to the interior of Cuba, fiS ; they
return, unsuccessful, 69 ; meet
with natives smoking tobacco,
69 ; illusions of Columbus, 69 ;
desertion of Martin Alonzo Pin-
zon, 70 ; discovery of Hayti, 71 ;
Columbus names it EspanoIa,or
Hispaniola, 72 ; capture of a fe-
male, who is kindly treated and
dismissed, 72 ; intercourse with
the Cacique of , 73 ;
with Guacanagari, Cacique of
Marion, 73, 74 ; shipwreck, 74 ;
efforts of Guacanagari, to con-
sole Columbus, 75 ; germ of a
colony, 78 ; fort built at La
Navidad, Hayti, 78 ; colony left
there, and Columbus embarks
for Spain, 80; Pinzon rejoins him,
80 ; visits and names the river
Rio Gracia, 81 ; visited by the
people of Ciguay, 81 ; skirmish
with them at the Gulf of Arrows,
or Salama, 81 ; their afterwards
friendly feelings, 82 ; Columbus
makes all sail for Spain, 82 ;
tempests, 82 ; Pinzon separated
from Columbus, S3 ; lots cast,
and vows of pilgrimages and
penitences made, S3 ; repinings
of the crew, 83 ; distress of Co-
lumbus, 83 ; writes an account
of the voyage on parchment, and
sealing it in a cask, throws it
into the sea, 84 ; calm, 84 ; in-
hospitable reception at St. Mary 's
Island, 84 ; part of liis crew cap-
tured, 84 ; apology of governor,
85 ; departure, 85 ; tempest, 85;
anchors at mouth of Tagus, 86 ;
visit to the court of Portugal, and
cordial reception, 87 ; uneasiness
of the King, 87 ; proposal to liini
to have Columbus assassinated,
rejected, 88 ; Columbus visits
the Q,ueen at Villa Franca, 89 ;
returns to Palos, 89 ; joy of in-
habitants, 89 ; Columbus writes
to the Sovereigns, and departs
for Seville, 89 ; reply of the
Sovereigns, 89 ; their joy and
astonishment, 89 ; honors of Co-
lumbus, 90 ; Martin Alonzo Fin-
zon's arrival at Palos, 90 ; re-
ception of Colun:bus by the Sov-
ereigns at Barcelona, 92 ; coat-
of-arms bestowed upon him, 94 ;
pension of thirty crowns award-
ed to him, 95 ; anecdote respect-
ing the egg, 95 ; preparations for
second voyage, 97, 99 ; difficul-
ties, 101 ; departure, 102 ; con-
trast between his first and second
departure, 102 ; enthusiasm of
people, 102 ; his sons, 102 ;
touches at Canary islands, 102 ;
discovers Dominica, 103 ; can-
nibalism, 103 ; men missing,
104 ; search for them, 104 ;
their return, 104 ; encounter with
Indians, 104 ; Islands named
Eleven Thousand Virgins, dis-
covered, 105 ; Porto Rico dis-
covered, 105 ; arrives at Hayti,
105 ; dismisses one of the In-
dians who accompanied him to
Spain, 105 ; finds dead bodies
on the shore, 106 ; arrives at
La Navidad, 106 ; finds it in
ruins, 107 ; visits Guacanagari,
110 ; founds city of Isabella,
113 ; ills sickness, 114 ; con-
spiracy formed by Diaz de Pisa,
116; Columbus arrests him, 1 17;
expedition to Cibao, 117 ; names
the Vega Real, 118 ; builds a
fortress, and calls it St. Thomas,
119 ; leaves Pedro Margarite in
conjmand, and returns to Isa-
bella, 120 ; difficulties at St.
Thomas, 126 ; at Isabella, 127 ;
letter to Margarite, 128 ; forms
junta for government of Hayti,
129 ; cruise along coast of Cuba,
129 ; discovers Jamaica, 130 ;
returns to Cuba, 130 ; discovers
Cabo de la Cruz, 131 ; Queen's
Garden, 131 ; delusions, 132 ;
thinks he has found the Aurea
('hersonesus, 134 ; vessels worn
out, 134 ; obliges his officers and
crew to sign a deposition that
INDEX.
313
Cuba was a continent, 134 ; at
the satne time this error could
have been dispelled by looking
from the mast head, 134 ; erects
a cross on the banks of" the Rio de
la Misa. in Cuba, 135 ; speech of
a venerable Indian, 135 ; names
the river, 136 ; sails for Jamaica,
136 ; visited by a cacique and
family, 136 ; speech of the ca-
cique, 136 ; arrives at llayti,
137 ; illness ; sinks into a leth-
argy, 138 ; vessel arrives with
him at Isabella, 133 ; finds his
brother Bartholomew, 138 ; re-
lation of Bartholomew's visit to
England, 138 ; Columbus ap-
points him Adelantado, 140 ;
further difficulties ; absconding of
Margarite and Boyle, 140, 141 ;
difficulties with natives, 142 ;
Ojeda's exploits, 142, 147 ; Gua-
canagari visits Columbus, 144 ;
elfects of the illness of Columbus,
144 ; his brothers, 144 ; Ojeda
captures Caonabo, 145 ; and
brings him to Isabella, 147 ; ar-
rival of ships from Spain, with
flattering letter from the Sov-
ereigns, and invitation to return
to Spain, 148 ; sends his brother
Diego in his stead, 148 ; sends
Indian captives to be sold as
slaves, 149 ; recovers his health,
149 ; new troubles with Indians,
149 ; Columbus marches against
them, 149 ; battle, in which the
Indians are routed, 150 ; erects
fortresses to keep the Indians in
subjection, 151 ; difficulties in
Spain ; accusations against Co-
lumbus, 153 ; his influence de-
clines, 154 ; interference with
his rights, 154 ; Agundo appoint-
ed commissioner, 154 ; he ar-
rives at Ilayti, 155 ; his conduct,
155 ; moderation of Columbus,
156 ; he prepares to sail for
Spain, 156 ; rich gold mines dis-
covered, 157 ; Columbus thinks
this the ancient Ophir, and the
27
mines whence Solomon procured
his gold, 158 ; leaves his brother
Bartholoniew governor, and sails
for Spain, 159 ; tedious voyage,
159 ; death of Caonabo, 160 ;
short allowance of food, 161 ;
arrival at Cadiz, 161 ; feeble ap-
pearance of the crews, 161 ; Co-
lumbus clothes himself as a Fran-
ciscan monk, 161 ; meets the Sov-
ereigns at Burgos, 162 ; his recep-
tion, 162 ; proposes a third voy-
age, 162 ; the Sovereigns promise
to comply with his requests, but a
long delay is experienced, 162 ;
Isabella enters into his plans with
spirit, but Ferdinand looks coldly
on him, 163 ; he is relieved from
his share of an eighth part of the
cost, 163 ; allovk'ed to establish
an entailed estate in his fami-
ly, 163 ; charges his successor
to use no other title than ' the
Admiral,' 163 ; title of Adelan-
tado confirmed to his brother,
163 ; difficulties in procuring vol-
untary recruits, 164 ; Columbus
proposes to transport criminals,
164 ; thwarted by Fonseca, 164 ;
insulted by Ximenes,and strikes
him, 165 ; sails on his third voy-
age, 166 ; sultry weather, 167 ;
discovers Trinidad, and the Ori-
noco, 16S ; explores the Gulf of
Paria, 168 ; surprise at phenom-
ena, 169 ; returns to Hispaniola,
171 ; administration of his broth-
er, 171, &c. ; Columbus ap-
proves it, 181 ; Roldan's rebel-
lion, 181 ; measures of Colum-
bus, 181 ; disafl'ection of his
men, 181 ; writes to the Sover-
eigns, 181 ; negotiations with the
rebels, 184, 185 ; obliged to
agree to their terms, 185, 187 ;
tour to the fortresses, 186 ; let-
ter from Fonseca, 186 ; further
difficulties, 187 ; sends for his
son Diego, 189 ; Ojeda's arrival
from Spain on an expedition of
his own, 189 ; Iloldan sent to
I.
314
INDEX.
call him to account ; 190 ; fur-
ther difficulties, 191, &c. ; pun-
ishment of the rebels, 193, 194 ;
Columbus considers the suppres-
sion of this faction owing to a
special interposition of Heaven,
194 ; supposes he sees a vision,
194 ; his former vov\', 194 ; in-
trigues against him at court, 195 ;
their success, 196 ; Bobadilla
sent out to supersede him, 197 ;
his arrival at Ilispauiola, 197 ;
his treatment of Columbus, 198,
&c. ; he arrests Columbus and
puts him in irons, 201 ; and sends
him to Spain, 203 ; arrival at
Cadiz, 204 ; indignation of peo-
ple at his treatment, 204 ; writes
to the nurse of Prince Juan, 205;
indignation of Isabella, 205 ;
Sovereigns send orders to have
him released, and treated with
distinction; also send him money,
and a letter expressing their grief,
205 ; Columbus appears at court,
and is kindly received, 205 ;
promised indemnification, 206 ;
Ferdinand's selfish policy, 206 ;
delays, 207 ; Ovando sent to su-
persede Bobadilla, 208 ; Colum-
bus allowed to send an agent to
attend to his afl^airs, 210 ; ap-
points Carvajal, 210 ; remains at
Granada, 211 ; prepares a book,
211 ; writes to the Pope, 213 ;
sails on his fourth voyage, 204 ;
his advanced age, 214 ; accom-
panied by his brother Bartholo-
mew and son Fernando, 214 ;
touches at St. Domingo, 215 ;
not permitted to land, 215 ; tem-
pest, in which many of his ene-
mies perish, 216 ; only vessel
saved that containing property
of Columbus, 216 ; Columbus
weathers the storm, and arrives
on the coast of Cuba, 217 ; visit
from a cacique and family, 217 ;
their advice, 218 ; unfortunately
not followed by Columbus, 218 ;
tempests, 218 ; illness of Colum-
bus, 218 ; arrives at Cape Dies,
219 ; interviews with Natives,
and their fright at the writing of
the Spaniards, 219 ; arrives at
Costa Rica, and finds gold, 219 ;
reports of the natives mislead Co-
lumbus, 220 ; discovers Puerto
Bello, 220 ; returns to Veragua,
221 ; tempests, 221 ; waterspout,
222 ; arrives at River Belen,
223 ; intercourse with natives,
223; apparent abundance of gold,
223 ; founds a settlement, 224 ;
difficulties with the Natives, 224;
captures the cacique, 226 ; who
afterwards escapes, 227 : disas-
ters, 228 ; illness and delirium
of Columbus, 231 ; sails to Ja-
maica, 234 ; forlorn condition,
234 ; persuades JMendez to go to
Hispaniola in a canoe, 235 ;
mutiny of Porras, 238 ; famine
threatened, 241 ; Columbus pre-
dicts an eclipse, which alarms the
Natives, and induces them to
furnish him with provisions, 242;
letter from Ovando, 243 ; trouble
with the rebels, 244 ; captures
Porras, 246 ; vessels from St.
Domingo, 250 ; Columbus em-
barks for that city, 250 ; his re-
ception, 251 ; his return to Spain,
256 ; fruitless appeals to the
court, 257 ; death of Isabella,
259 ; feelmgs of Columbus, 260;
his illness and death, 264, 265 ;
his character, 265 ; obsequies
of, 290, &c.
Columbus, Bartholomew, brotherof
Christopher, 9 ; sent by him on a
mission to England, 27 ; meets
him in Hayti, 138 ; notice of his
visit to England, &c., 138 : cap-
tured by a corsair, 138 ; char-
acter of, 139 ; appointed Ade-
lantado by his brother, 140,
144, 159 ; appointment con-
firmed by the sovereigns, 163 ;
administration of, 171 ; put iu
irons by Bobadilla, and sent to
Spain, 202 ; innnediately re-
INDEX.
315
leased by order of the sovereigns,
204 ; sails with Columbus on his
fourth voyage, 214.
Columbus, Diego, brother of Chris-
topher, 9 ; Indian named after
him, 106 ; left in command at
Isabella, 117 ; president of jun-
ta at Hayti, 129 ; reprehends
Margarite, 140 ; not a military
character, 144 ; sent to Spain,
148 ; returns, 155 ; put in irons
byr>obadilla,201 ; released, 204.
, Diego, son of Christo-
pher, birth of, 17 ; taken with
his father from Portugal, 27 ;
law-suit between him and the
crown, 28 ; his entrance into
Palos with his father, 28 ; left
in charge of Friar Juan Perez,
29 ; appointed page to Prince
Juan, 49 ; notice of, 102 ; Co-
lumbus sends for him to come
to Hispaniola, 189.
, Fernando, younger son
of Christopher, 9 ; his account
of his fiuher's adventures, 12,
13 ; mother never married to
Columbus, 33 ; becomes his
father's historian, 33 ; notice of,
102 ; accompanies his father on
his fourth voyage, 214, 217.
Conception, Santa Maria de la,
name given to an island by Co-
lumbus, 65 ; to a harbor in Hay-
ti, 71 ; Fort, 145, 173, 177,
178, 179, 181.
Coney, animals like, 75.
Conjectural map, by which Co-
lumbus governed himself in his
first voyage, 20, 52.
Conspiracies, 57, 59, 116, 127,
173.
Contradictions, Coast of, 223.
Contrast, between embarcation of
Columbus on his first and second
voyages, 102.
Contrastes, La Costa de los, 223.
Conversion of the heathen, 98.
Cordova, Spanish court at, 29, 31.
Columbus remains there a year,
32.
Coronal, Pedro Fernandez, 129,
164, 178.
Correo, Pedro, brother-in-law of
Columbus, 17. His information
to Columbus, 21.
Cortes, Bay of, 134.
Costa de los Contrastes, La, 223.
Costa Rica, 219.
Cotabanama, cacique of Higuey,
143, 254.
Council at Salamanca, delibera-
tions of, 34.
Criminals proposed to be sent to
Hispaniola, 164.
Cruise among the Bahama Islands,
65 ; along the coast of Cuba,
67, 129 ; Hispaniola, 71, 80 ;
among the Antilles, 103 ; Ja-
maica, 130.
Crusade for rescue of holy sepul-
chre, Columbus devotes his prof-
its to, 39, 48 ; leading object of
his ambition, 48, 210 ; his vow
to furnish money and army, 94,
211, 265.
Crusades, 96.
Cruz, Cape, 131, 136, 234.
Cuba, Island of, discovered by
Columbus, 67. Description of,
67. Cape so named by Colum-
bus, 70. Supposed to be the end
of the Asiatic continent, 96, 134,
270. Notices of, 129, 233, 234.
Cubanacan, province in interior of
Cuba, 68.
Cubaga, Island, 170.
Cublay Khan, 68.
Customs of the Natives, 120.
D.
Darien, Isthmus of, Columbus sup-
poses a strait in vicinity of, 212.
, Gulf of, 233.
Dead bodies cast upon Island of
Flores, 21.
Death of Columbus's wife, 26.
Of Martin Alonzo Pinzon, 90.
Deluge, notions of the Aborigines
respecting, 123.
Demarcation, ideal line of, be-
tween possessions of Spain and
Portugal, in New World, 97.
316
INDEX.
Deposition of officers and crew
that Cuba was a continent, 134.
Description of Columbus, 15, 24,
38. Of Ferdinand and Isabella,
29. Of Natives of New World ,
63.
Desertion of Martin Alonzo Pin-
zon, 70.
Despotic sway of the Crown, 98.
Destitution of Spaniards, 152.
Deza, Diego de, afterwards Arch-
bishop of Seville, seconds the
views of Columbus, 38. As-
sists him, 40. Letter of Colum-
bus to, 263.
Diaz, Bartholomew, 138.
, Miguel, 157, 158, 171, 199
Difficulties with Natives, 81, 104,
142.
Dios, Cape Gracios a, 219.
, Cape Nombre de, 220.
Disasters, 52, 54, 57, 70, 74, 81,
84, 85.
Discontents, 57, 58, 59, 116, 127.
Discovery, progress of, under
Prince Henry of Portugal, 13.
Events in Portugal relative to,
23. Of land by Columbus,
60. Of Cuba, 67. Of Hayti,
71.
Dispute between Spain and Portu-
gal, about the New World, 85,
87, 88, 97, 99.
Domingo Rubio, River, 282.
, St., Island, see Hispanio-
la or Hayti. City of, 172.
Dominica, discovered by Colum-
bus, 103.
Dragon, Mouth of, 170, 190.
E.
Early life of Columbus, 9.
Eclipse foretold by Columbus,
242.
Edresi, an Arabian geographer,
described the Atlantic, iv.
Education of Columbus, 9.
Egg, anecdote respecting, 95.
Egypt, Soldan of, his menace to
kill all the Christians in his do-
minions, 39. Columbus's feelings
on the subject, 39, 48.
Egyptian legend respecting Island
of Atlantis, iii. 17.
El Retrete, 220, 221.
Elysium, or Indian paradise, 172.
El Zagal, King of Granada, yields
his crown and possessions to
the Spanish sovereigns, 39.
Encounters with the Indians, 81,
104, 142, 149, 159, 173, 180,
227, 228, 229.
England, proposition of Columbus
to, 27, 138.
Enriquez, Dona Beatrix, mother
of Columbus's second son, Fer-
nando, 33, 265.
Entailed estate, Columbus allowed
to establish one in his family,
163.
Enthusiasm of Columbus, its effect,
22, 48.
Errors, two happy ones, which aid-
ed the success of Columbus, 21.
Escobar, Diego de, 177, 191, 243,
244, 249, 250.
Escobido, Rodrigo de, left third in
command at La Navidad, 79,
108.
Espanola, or Hispaniola, name giv-
en by Columbus to Hayti, 72.
Esperanza, La, 188.
Existence of undiscovered lands in
the West, grounds of the belief
in, by Columbus, 18.
F.
Fable of Island of Atlantis, iii. 17.
Felipa, Dona, wife of Columbus,
16. Death of, 26.
Female cacique, married to Miguel
Diaz, 157, 171.
Ferdinand, King of Arragon, de-
scription of, 29. Appreciates
the character of Columbus, 34.
Assembles a council to examine
his plans, 34, 40. His letter to
the Pope, 97. His craftiness,
99, 162. Unfriendly to Colum-
bus, 196, 206.
Ferdinand and Isabella, their
union, 30. Their agreement with
Columbus, 47. Patronage of
his plan, 47.
INDEX.
117
Fernandez, Garcia, physician of
Palos, his deposition, 28. His
conversation with Columbus,
29. Goes in tlie expedition as
steward, 51. Mention of, 282.
Fernandina, name given to an isl-
and by Columbus, 65.
Ferro, Island of, 53, 102.
Fiesco, Bartholomew, 237, 238,
239, 243, 247, 249. With Co-
lumbus when he died, 265.
First landing in the New World,
61.
First voyage of Columbus, 52.
Fleches, El Golfo de las, or Gulf
of Arrows, 81, 105.
Flores, Island of, dead men of un-
known race and features cast
upon, 21.
Fonseca, Juan Rodriguez de, arch-
deacon of Seville, 97. Patriarch
of the New World, 98. Has
the superintendence of Colum-
bus's second voyage, 97, 99,
101. Thwarts his exertions,
163, 164, 1S6, 190, 191, 195,
213, 239.
Fort built at LaNavidad, Hayti, 79
Fourth voyage, 213, 214.
G.
Galera, Punta de. Island, 168.
Gama, Vasco de, 212.
Ganges, Columbus supposes him-
self to be near it, 220, 224.
Genoa, birth-place of Columbus,
9. Propositions of Columbus to,
25, 27. Embarrassed by ruin
ous wars, &c., 27. Bank of
St. George at, 213, 265.
Geographical theories of the an
cients, 17, 18, 19.
Geraldini, Alexander, preceptor to
the younger children of Ferdi-
nand and Isabella, countenances
Columbus, 33.
, Antonio, the Pope's
nuncio, countenances Colum-
bus, 33.
Gloria in excelsis chanted, 58.
Gloria, Port San, 234.
Gold, Columbus in search of, 65,
27*
66, 69, 73, 76, SO, 106, 109,
113, 114, 115, 119, 120, 129,
130, 134, 150, 157, 158, 162,
170, 221, 252.
Gold, adulterated, or guanin, 166.
, large mass of, procured by
Bobadilla, 215.
Golden Flower of Hayti, a name
of Anacaona, 172, 255.
Golden House, Caonabo lord of,
109, 160.
Gold mines, see Cibao, Hayna,
and Veragua.
Gracios a Dios, Cape, 219.
Granada, coalition of rival Kings
of, against Spain, 31, 39. Final
campaign against, 40. Surren-
der of, 43. Court at, 196,
211.
Grand Khan, see Great Khan.
River, 142, 145.
Soldan of Egypt, his menace
to Spanish sovereigns, 39.
Great Khan, territories of, de-
scribed by Marco Polo, 20, 47.
Letters to, by sovereigns of
Spain, 48. Columbus supposes
he has discovered his country,
68, 129, 162, 220, 233.
Green River, 119.
Guacanagari, cacique of Marion,
sends to Columbus and invites
him to visit his village, 73 ; his
sorrow for Columbus's ship-
wreck, 75 ; his reception of
Columbus, 75 ; assists in build-
ing a fort, 78 ; sends to Colum-
bus on his return, 106 ; resists
Caonabo, 109 ; Columbus visits
him, 110 ; visits Columbus,
111 ; disappears, 112 ; contin-
ues friendly to the Spaniards,
143, 144 ; treatment of, by the
other caciques, 144 ; gives infor-
mation of a contemplated attack,
by allied caciques, on Isabella,
149, 150 ; his death, 152 ; his
character, 153.
Guadaloupe, 103, 104, 159, 160.
Guadalquiver, valley of, 272.
Guanaga, Island, 217.
318
INDEX.
Guanahani, native name of the isl-l
and on which Cohimbus fiistj
landed, 64. j
Guanin, or adulterated gold, jave-
lins made of, 166.
Guarionex, cacique, 143, 145, 173,
174, 179, 181, 217.
Guatiguana, cacique, 142, 144.
Guevera, Hernando de, 192, 193,
198, 202.
Gulf of Paria, 168, 170, 190.
of Venezuela, 191.
Gutierrez, Pedro, gentleman of
the king's bed-chamber, called
by Columbus to see the light
first discovered, 60. Left sec
end in command at La Navidad,
79, 108.
H.
Hawk's bells, 120, 150.
Hayna, River, and gold mines of,
158, 162, 170.
Hayti, or Hispaniola, discovered by
Columbus, 71. Description of,
71, 105. Natives of, 120, &c.
Columbus thinks it the ancient
Ophir, 158. Difficulties at, 171
Heat, excessive, experienced, 169
Heathen, conversion of, 98.
Heaven, Turey, Indian name for,
76.
Henry, Prince of Portugal, pro
ress of discovery under, 13 ; his
character, 14 ; his idea of cir-
cumnavigating Africa, 14 ; calls
in the aid of science to dispel the
errors of his countrvmen, 15 ;
establishes a naval college, 15 ;
obtains a papal bull, investing
the Crown of Portugal with sov-
ereign authority over lands it;
might discover, 15 ; dies before!
he accomplishes his purpose, 15;
his character, 15 ; his motto,
15.
Henry VIL, of England, extolled
for his wisdom and munificence,
27 ; propositions of Columbus to,'
27, 139.
Hercules, Pillars of, 134.
Hermoso, Port, 216.
Hidalgos, 100. Pass of, 118.
Higuenamota, 192, 254.
Higuey, province of, 143, 187,
253.
Hispaniola or Hayti, discovered by
Columbus, 71. Description of
it, 71,105. Natives of, 120, &c.
Columbus thinks it the ancient
Ophir, 158. Difficulties at, 171.
Holy Land, Crusade for, plan of
Columbus, 39, 48, 94, 210, 211,
265.
Holy Sepulchre, sec Jerusalem.
Honduras, Cape, 218.
Horses, wonder of aborigines at
seeing, 110, 119. They think
the horse and rider to be one
animal, 119.
Huelva, town of, 278.
L
Ideal line of demarcation between
possessions of Spain and Portu-
gal in New World, 97.
Ideas concerning islands in the
ocean, 17.
India, Columbus proposes to seek
it b)' a western route, 20. Thinks
he has found it, 96, 134.
India House, Royal, 98.
Indian, speech of, 135.
Ocean, 218, 220.
Indians, the name applied by Co-
lumbus to the natives of the New
World, and since extended to all
the aborigines, 64. Encounters
with, 81, 104. Extirpation of,
256.
Indies, New World so named, 96.
Fonseca patriarch of, 98.
Indignation of (^olumbns at his
treatment by King John of Por-
tugal, 26. Of Isabella and peo-
ple of Spain at treatment of Co-
lumbus by Bobadilla, 204.
Inhabitants of New W^orld, first
seen, 61.
Introduction, iii.
Irons, Columbus put in, 201. He
preserves them, 204.
Isabella, Q,ueen of Castile, descrip-
tion of, 29 ; character of, 30,
INDEX.
319
31 ; interests herself in the en-
terprise of Columbus, 42 ; ofFers
to pledge her jewels for the
funds necessary for the enter-
prise, 45 ; her confidence in Co-
lumbus, 163 ; begins to waver,
196 ; her indignation at report
of Roldan, 197 ; her indignation
at Bobadilia's treatment of Co-
lumbus, 205 ; her reception of
him at Court, 205 ; death of, 159.
Isabella, her name given to an isl-
and, by Columbus, 65. City
of, founded by Columbus, 113.
Diego Columbus left in command
at, 117. Sickness and discon-
tents at, 126. Difficulties with
the Natives, 143, 147.
, Princess, daughter of
Queen Isabella, death of, 259.
Island of Atlantis, legend respect-
ing, iii. 17.
Islands, discovery of, San Salva-
dor, 62 ; Cuba, 66 ; Hayti, 71 ;
Dominica, 103 ; Guadaloupe,
103 ; Santa Cruz, 104 ; Eleven
Thousand Virgins, 104 ; Porto
Rico, 105 ; Jamaica, 130 ; the
Queen's Garden, 131 ; Trini-
dad, 168.
, in the ocean, ideas re-
specting, 17. Visited by Co-
lumbus, 62, 65.
J.
Jacquemel, 189.
Jamaica, discovery of, 130. No-
tice of, 136, 234.
Jerusalem, Holy Sepulchre at, 89.
Columbus devotes the profits of
his discoveries to a crusade to
recover it, 39, 48. Leading ob-
ject of his ambition through life,
48. His vow to furnish a cru-
sade, 94, 210, 211, 265.
Jew, sent as interpreter to Indians,
68. Not understood by them, 69.
John II., King of Portugal, ascends
the throne, 24 ; sends missiona-
ries in quest of Prester John, 24 ;
calls upon his men of science to
aid navigation, 25 ; Columbus
obtains audience of, 25 ; the
King refers the subject to a junto,
25 ; and then to a council, who
reject the scheme, 26 ; the King
then assents to a project to de-
fraud Columbus, 26 ; his recep-
tion of Columbus on his retura
from his first voyage, 87 ; rejects
proposals for assassination of Co-
lumbus, 88 ; adopts plan to take
possession of the New World,
88, 99.
Joppa, Columbus thinks his discov-
ery has led him near, 134.
Joy at Columbus's discovery, 87,
89, 92. Not confined to Spain,
95.
Juan, Prince, son of Ferdinand and
Isabella, 49. Island of Cuba,
named in honor of him, 67. His
reception of Columbus, 93, 94.
Death of, 259.
Juana, name given to Cuba by Co-
lumbus, 67.
daughter of Queen Isabella,
259, 264.
Junta, formed by Columbus for
government of Hayti, 129.
de Descargos, claims of
Columbus referred to, 263.
Junto, propositions of Columbus to
King John, referred to, 25.
K.
Khan, Grand or Great, see Great
Khan.
L.
La Boca del Drago, 170, 190.
La Costa de los Contrastes, 223.
Lactantius, cited by the council at
Salamanca, against the views of
Columbus, 36.
La Esperanza, 188.
La Navidad, fortress at, 78, 106,
109, 142, 147.
Land, signs of, 55, 56 ; supposed
to be discovered, 58 ; certain
manifestations of, 59; discovered
by Columbus, 60 ; and by Ber-
mejo, 60.
Landing in the New World, first, 61.
La Rabida, see Rabida.
320
INDEX.
Lares, Ovando commander of, 208.
Las Casas, his opinion of the
judgements on enemies of Co-
lumbus, 217 ; on the search for
gold, 252, 253.
Leagon, Bight of, 172.
Ledesma, Pedro, 230.
Legend, respecting Island of At-
lantis, iii. 17.
Leone, Antonio, his information to
Columbus, 20.
Lepe, see Rodriguez.
, Diego, of Palos, 206.
Light discovered by Columbus, 60.
Line of demarcation, ideal, between
possessions of Spain and Portu-
gal, in New World, 97.
Lisbon, residence of Columbus in,
15. He leaves it, 27.
Loredo, Columbus sends his broth-
er to, to meet King Philip and
Queen Juana, 264.
Lucar, (San) de Barrameda, 166,
257.
Lucayos, or Bahama Islands, 64.
Luxan, Juan de, 120, 129.
M.
Magdalena, fortress, 142, 144,
177.
Magnetic needle, variation of,
first discovered by Columbus
54.
Maguana, province of, 143.
Malaga, Columbus at surrender of,
39.
Mangi, province of, 20, 47, 68,
129, 132, 233.
Mangon, 132, 133.
Manicaotex, cacique, 149, 151.
Mantinino, or Martinique, Island
of, 82, 214.
Map, conjectural, by which Colum-
bus governed himself in his first
voyage, 20.
Maps and charts, Columbus em
ployed in making, 16, 32.
Marchena, Friar Juan Perez de,
see Perez.
Marco Polo, his narrative, 19, 20,
the key to many of the ideas
of Columbus, 20.
Margarita, Island, 171, 190.
Margarite, Pedro, 120, 126, 128,
140, 141, 142, 148, 153, 154,
162.
Marion, province of, 143.
Marque, Diego, 103.
^Marriage of Columbus, 16.
Martin, Andreas, 204.
Martinique, 214.
Martyr, Peter, quotation from, 77.
Mayonabex, cacique of Ciguay, 82,
180.
Mayorazgo, or entailed estate, Co-
lumbus allowed to establish, 163.
Maysi, Cape, 129.
Medical skill of Aborigines, 122.
Medina Celi, Duke of, favorable
to Columbus, and intends to aid
him, but changes his mind, fear-
ing to awaken the jealousy of the
Crown, and writes a letter to the
Queen in favor of the plan, 41.
Medina del Canipo, where Queen
Isabella died, 259.
Medina Sidonia, Duke of, for a
time, entertains the plan of aiding
Columbus, but afterwards de-
clines, 41.
Mendez, Diego de, 225, 226, 232,
234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239,
241, 243, 247, 249, 250, 258.
Mendoza, Pedro Gonzalez de,
archbishop of Toledo, and grand
cardinal of Spain, facetiously
called the third king of Spain,
33; countenances Columbus, 33;
and procures for him a royal au-
dience, 33.
Mexico, 218, 220.
Miguel, Prince, death of, 259.
Misa, Rio de la, 136.
Moguer, near Palos, 28, 48. Chap-
el of Santa Clara at, Columbus
vows to watch and pray all night
in it, S3. Author's visit to, 272.
Monte Christi, 106, 112.
Moon, supposed to have issued
from a cavern near Cape Fran-
cois, 122.
Moorish war, Spanish Sovereigns
engaged in, 31, 39, 43, 100.
INDEX.
321
Morales, the royal treasurer, 23S,
258.
Moslems of Granada, Spanish war
against, 39.
Mosquito Shore, 219.
Motto on coat-of-arms of Coluin
bus, 9.5.
Mouth of the Dragon, 170.
Moxica, Adrian de, 177, 192, 193.
Executed, 194.
Mutiny threatened, 57. Open rup-
tures, 59, 116, 127.
N.
Naples, struggle of John of Anjou,
for crown of, 11.
Natives of New World, astonish
ment of, 62. Description of, 63.
Customs and characteristics of,
120, 121, 130. Difficulties with,
81, 104, 142, 149, 159, 173,
180, 227, 228, 229. Their sub-
jection, 151. Conspiraciesof,142,
143, 173. Extirpation of, 256
Naval College established by Prince
Henry of Portugal, 15.
Navasa, Island, 248.
Navidad, La, fortress at, 78, 106,
109, 142, 147.
Navigation in its infancy when
Columbus began his career, 14
Needle, magnetic, variation of dis-
covered by Columbus, 54.
Negro slavery in New World, first
traces of, 210.
New Spain, 218.
New World, Scandinavian voya-
gers had but faint glimpses of,
iv. Queen Isabella the patroness
of the discovery of, 45. Discov-
ered, 60. First landing of Colum
bus in, 61. Name given to, 96.
Nicholas, St., name given by Co
lumbus to a harbor in Hayti,71
Nina, one of the vessels of Colum-
bus, 51, 129. 157, 159.
Nombre de Dios, Cape, 220.
Non, Cape, 87.
Northmen visited America, iii. v.
Note to this edition, v.
O.
Object of this work, iv.
Obsequies of Columbus, 290.
Ocean, supposed islands in, 17.
Odiel, a river near Palos, 52, 277.
Odorigo, Doctor Nicolo, 213.
Ojeda, Alonzo de, 100, 102, 114,
128, 140, 142, 143, 145, 146.
His capture of Caonabo, 147.
His prowess, 150, 189. His
expedition, 189, 190.
Omega, Alpha and, name given by
Columbus to eastern end of Cu-
ba, 70.
Ophir, 158, 162, 270.
Orinoco, discovery of, 168.
Ornofay, 130.
Outrage on Columbus and his crew,
at St. Mary's Island, 84.
Ovando, Nicolas de, 208, 209, 210,
214, 236, 239, 243, 244, 249,
251, 252, 253, 254, 256, 268.
Oviedo, remarks of, respecting Co-
lumbus, 32.
Ozema, 157, 171.
P.
Palms, Cape of, name given by
Columbus to a headland in Cu-
ba, 68.
Palos, arrival of Columbus at, 28.
Conversations with sundry resi-
dents of the place, 29. Port of
his embarcation, 48. Town
obliged to furnish the Crown
with two armed caravels one
year, 48. Return to, 89. Au-
thor's Visit to, 271.
Papal bull, investing Crown of
Portugal with sovereign authori-
ty over all lands it might discov-
er, 15. Dividing the New
World between Spain and Por-
tugal, 97.
Paradise, Indian, 172.
Parentage of Columbus, 9.
Paria, 103, 190. Gulf of, 168,
170. Promontory, 168, 190.
Pass of the Hidalgos, 118.
Pavia, University of, Columbus at,
10.
Perez, Alonzo, discovers Trinidad,
168.
, Friar Juan de Marchena, his
322
INDEX.
conversation with Columbus,
28. Lays his plans before his
friends, 29. Gives Colunibu
a letter to the Queen's confes-
sor, 29. Takes charge of Co-
lumbus's son, 29. Again exerts
himself, has an audience of the
Queen, and is successful, 42.
Mention of, 282.
Philip, husband of .Tuana the
daughter of Isabella, 2.59, 264
Philipina, Bay of, 134.
Piety of Columbus, 16, 24, 267.
Pillars of Hercules, 134.
Pine-apple, first met with, 103.
Pinelo, Francisco, treasurer for sec-
ond voyage of Columbus, 9S.
Pinta, caravel which accompanied
Columbus on his first voyage,
51, 52, 59, 60, 70, 78, 80, 83,
90.
Pinzon, Don Juan Fernandez, 272,
&c.
, Don Louis Fernandez, 275.
family, 271, &c.
, Martin Alonzo, approves
the plans of Columbus, offers to
engage in them, 29. Furnishes
Columbus money for his jour-
ney to the Court, 29. Engages
personally in the expedition, 50.
Commands one of the caravels,
51. Lands in New VV^orld with
Columbus, 62. Deserts him,
70. Rejoins him, 80. Carries
off Natives, who are restored by
Columbus, 81. Separation
tempest, 83. His arrival at Pa-
los, 90. His chagrin and death,
90. His character, 90, 282
, Vicente Yanez, engages
Point Bias, 233.
Pope, submission to, 96.
Porras, Diego, 238, 240, 243.
, Francisco, 238, 239, 240,
in the expedition of Columbu
50. Commands one of the car-
avels, 51. Lands in New World
with Columbus, 62. His subse-
quent discoveries, 206.
Pisa, Bernal Diaz de, 116, 117.
Plato, legend respecting Atlantis,
narrated by, iii. 17.
Pliny, his opinion of the ocean,
19.
243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 251,
258.
Porto Rico, 103, 105.
Port San Gloria, 234.
Portugal, first arrival of Columbus
in, 12, 15. Exertions of Prince
Henry, 13, 14, 15. Fame of
Portuguese discoveries, 15.
Events in, relative to discovery,
23. Cause of discovery lan-
guishes under Alphonso, 23.
Propositions of Columbus to
King ,Tohn, 25, see John U.
Poverty of Columbus, 28, 42, 257,
258, 280.
Prester John, tales told of, 24.
Missions in quest of, 24, 133.
Progress of discovery under Prince
Henry of Portugal, 13.
Pundonor, 141.
Puerto Bello, 221, 233.
Puntade Galera, Island, 168.
a.
Queen's Garden, name given by
Columbus to archipelago in Ca-
ribbean Sea, 131, 233.
Quibian, cacique of Veragua, 223,
224, 226, 227, 228.
Quintanilla, Alonzo de, comptrol-
ler of the finances of Castile,
advocates the theory of Colum-
bus and receives him into his
house, 33. Assists him, 40.
Appeals to the Queen in his be-
half, and is successful, 45.
R.
Rabida, convent of, Columbus's
arrival at, 28. Guardian of the
convent enters warmly into his
views, 28. Columbus returns
to, disappointed, 42. Author's
visit to, 276.
Rastello, in Portugal, Columbus
anchors opposite to, 86. Char-
acter of inhabitants of, 86.
Reception of (Columbus by John,
King of Portugal, 25, 87. At
INDEX.
323
Convent ofPiilos, 28, 42, 49. At
Palos, 4!), 89. At Spanish
Court, 32, 33, 43, 46, 90, 92.
At council of Salamanca, 35. By
the natives of tlie New World,
62. By Portuguese governor
of St. Mary's Island, 84. By in-
habitants of Portugal, 86.
Red Sea, 134.
Reeds, River of, 119.
Reguehne, Pedro, 183, 184, 193,
194, 198, 202.
Religious notions of the Natives,
121, &c.
Repartimientos, claimed by Rol
dan, 188.
Residence of Columbus in Lisbon,
15.
Retrete, El, or the Cabinet, 220
221.
Return voyage of Columbus, (first,)
80. Second, 134. Third, 200.
Fourth, 257.
Rich coast, 219.
Rio del Oro, 106.
Rio de la Misa, 136.
Rio Verde, 119.
Rodriguez, Sebastian, a pilot of
Lepe, sent by the friends of
Columbus at La Rabida, to the
Queen, and acquits himself suc-
cessfully, 42.
Roldan, Francisco, 173, &c., 181,
182, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188,
189, &c., 202. Perishes in a
tempest, 216.
Royal India Mouse, 98.
Plain, 118.
Rubio, Domingo, river at Palos,
282.
Rumors of undiscovered countries,
18.
S.
St. Augustine, cited by the Coun-
cil at Salamanca, against the
theory of Columbus, 36.
, Cape, 206.
St. Christoval, Fort, 171.
St. Domingo, Island, see Ilayti or
Hispaniola, and Ozema. City
of, 172.
St. George, church of, at Palos,
49, 89. Author's visit to, 286.
Bank of, at Genoa, 213, 265.
St. Mary of the True Peace, town
of, 155.
St. Nicholas, name given by Co-
lumbus to a harbor at Hayti,
71.
St. Thomas, name given by Co-
lumbus to what is supposed to
be the Bay of Acul, 73. To a
fortress in Cibao, 119, 120, 126,
128, 140, 142, 143.
Salamanca, Columbus before the
council at, 34.
Salcedo, Diego de, 250.
Saltes, bar of, island whence Co-
lumbus set sail on his first voy-
age, 52, 277.
Salve regina, or vesper hymn,
sung, 59, 267.
Samana, Gulf of, 81, 179.
Sanchez, Juan, 226, 246.
, Rodriguez, of Segovia,
called by Columbus to witness
the light he discovered, 60.
San Gloria, Port, 234.
San Lucar de Barrameda, 164,
257.
San Miguel, 137.
San Salvador, name given by Co-
lumbus to the island on which
he first landed, 64 ; also to a
river in Cuba, 67.
Santa Clara, church of, at Moguer,
Columbus vows to watch and
pray all night in, 83. Author's
visit to, 287.
Santa Cruz, 104. Name of a new
caravel built by Columbus, 150.
Santa Fe, 42.
Santa, La Isla, 168.
Santa Maria, name of Columbus's
ship, 51.
Santa Maria de la Verdadera Paz,
255.
Santiago, 149.
Saona, channel of, 137.
Saragoza, in Arragon, royal pal-
ace at, 47.
Scandinavian voyagers to Ameri-
324
INDEX.
ca, iii. V. Knowledge of, lost to
mankind, iv.
Second voyage, 97, 102.
Segovia, Columbus at, 262.
Seneca, his opinion of the ocean,
19.
Sepulchre, Holy, see Jerusalem.
Seville, 38, 40, 89, 97, 98, 100.
Shipwrecks, 74, 156.
Sickness at settlements, 126.
Skirmishes with Indians, 81, 104,
142, 149, 159, 173, 180, 227,
228, 229.
Slaves, 115, 149, 155, 197, 210.
Slavery, negro, first traces of, in
New World, 210.
Soldan of Egypt, see Egypt.
Solomon, King, mines whence he
procured gold, 158.
Soria, Juan de, comptroller for
second voyage of Columbus, 98
99, 101.
Southern Ocean, 218.
Spain, Columbus arrives in, 27.
Strabo, his opinion of the ocean,
19.
Sultry weather, 169.
Sun, supposed to have issued from
a cavern, near Cape Francjois,
122.
Superstition of Columbus, 169.
T.
Tagus, Columbus arrives at mouth
of, 86.
Talavera, confessor to Queen Is-
abella, Juan Perez gives Colum
bus a letter to, 29. Too much
engaged to attend to him, 31, 32
Directed by the King to sunmion
a council to examine the views
of Columbus, 34.
Tales and rumors about undis-
covered countries, 18.
Te Deum laudamus, chanted on
account of success of Columbus,
94.
Tempests, 67, 82, 85, 156, 215
218, 221, 234, 256.
Terceira Islands, 88.
Terra Firma, nothing known re-
specting it, till 15th century, iii.
Tiiird Voyage, 164.
Thomas, St., see St. Thomas.'
Thule, visited by Columbus, v. 23.
ultima. 23.
Tiburon, Cape, 137, 172, 249.
Tinto, a river near Palos, 52, 277,
282.
Tobacco, used by the natives of
the New World, 69. Name of
the roll transferred to the weed,
69.
Torres, Antonio, 148, 154.
Toscanelli, correspondence with
Columbus, 18. Chart or map
furnished by him, 20, 52.
Trade winds, influence of, 55, 103.
Trinidad, discovery of, 168.
Tristan, Diego, 228, 229, 230.
Turcy, or heaven, 75, 146, 152.
U.
Ultima, Thule, 23.
Undiscovered lands in the W^est,
grounds of the belief of Colum-
bus in existence of, IS.
Uiihealthiness of climate, 126.
University of Salamanca, council
at, 34.
Uricans, 156.
Utia, animal like conev, 75.
V.
V'alparaiso, near Lisbon, Portu-
guese court at, 87.
Variation of the needle first dis-
covered by Columbus, 54.
Vega Ileal, or Royal Plain, 118.
Venezuela, Gulf of, discovered,
191.
Venice, proposition of Columbus
to, 27.
Verugua, 219, 221, 223, 233, 236.
V^eraguas, Duke of, 291.
Verde, Cape de, 15, 19, 26, 97.
Vesper hymn sung, 59.
Vespucci, Amerigo, sails with Oje-
da, 190 ; employed by Colum-
bus, 262.
Vicenli, Martin, his information to
Columbus, 21.
Viceroy and admiral, Columbus
demands to be, 44 ; is appoint-
ed, 47.
INDEX.
325
Villejo, Alonzo de, 203.
Vinland, visited by Scandinavians,
iii. V. Knowledge of the fact
lost, iv. vi.
Virgins, Eleven Thousand, Islands
of, 103.
Visionary projects of Columbus,
38, 48, 94, 194.
Vow of Columbus to furnish money
for a crusade, 94, 211.
Voyage, First, diliicultios in getting
ready, 49, 50. Return, 80.
, Second, 97, 102. Re-
turn, 134.
-, Third, 164, 166.
turn, 210.
-, Fourth, 213, 214.
R
Re-
turn, 257
W.
Waterspout, 222.
Watling's Island, that on whicl
Columbus first saw light, 64.
Weeds, sea covered with, 56.
Weedy sea, described by Aristotle,
55
West, undiscovered lands in,
grounds of belief of Columbus
in, 18.
Vv'^est Indies, name first given to
New World, 96.
Whirlwinds, 156.
Will, of Columbus, 163, 264.
Wrecks, 74, 103.
X.
Xaragaa, 124, 143, 172, 174, 179,
181, 249, 254, 255.
Xerif al Edresi, description of At-
lantic, iv.
Ximeno de Breviesca, 165.
Y.
Yagui, River, 119.
Yegua, River, 146, 147.
Ysabul, Spanish name of Isabella,
62.
Yucatan, 218.
Z.
Zemes, deities of the Aborigines,
121, 146.
23
I.
THE SCHOOL ADVERTISER NO. H.
AUGUST, 1839.
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THE SACRED PHILOSOPHY OF THE SEASONS,
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The great value and interesting nature of these volumes, to every
class of individuals, will be seen, at once, by a perusal of the following
Table of Contents. The work contains a paper for every day in the year.
VOL. I.— WINTER.
I. Sunday. — Goodness of God to his Rational Creatures. The Character im-
pressed on Nature — Compensation. Contrivance.
cosmical arrangements.
Globular Figure of the Earth. Circulation in the Atmosphere and Ocean.
The Atmosphere. Ignis Fatuus. ii. Sunday. — General Aspect of Winter.
Phosphorescence. Aurora Borealis. Meteoric Showers. Variety of Climates.
Practical Eft'ect of the Commercial Spirit produced by a Variety of Climates.
Adaptation of Organized Existences to Seasons and Climates, iii. Sunday. —
The Omnipresence of God. Adaptation of Organized Existences to the Tropical
Regions. Adaptation of Organized Existences to Temperate and Polar Climates.
The Balance Preserved in the Animal and Vegetable Creation. Night. — Its Al-
ternation with Day. Sleep. Dreaming, iv. Sunday. — The IVorld a State of
Discipline.
the starry heavens.
General Remarks. Gravitation and Inertia. The Planetary System. The
Sun as the Source of Light and Heat. Motions of the Planets. Resisting Me-
dium. V. Sunday. — Divine and Human Knowledge compared. The Satellites.
Relative Proportions of the Planetary System. Distance of the Fixed Stars.
Immensity of the Universe. Nebulae. Binary Stars.
the microscope.
VI. Sunday. — Discoveries of the Telescope and Microscope compared. Won-
ders of the Microscope. — Infusory Animalcules.
hybernation of plants.
Plants and Animals compared. Adjustment of the Constitution of Plants to
the Annual Cycle. Physiological Condition of Plants during Winter.
hybernation of insects.
Instinct, vii. Sunday. — On Seeing' God in his Works. Reason in the Lower
Animals. Eggs. Various States. Bees. The Snail. The Beetle, viii. Sun-
day.— Greatness of God even in the Smallest Things.
migrations of birds and quadrupeds during winter.
Birds. Birds which partially migrate. Quadrupeds.
Christmas-Day. No Season Unpleasant to the Cheerful Mind. ix.
Sunday. — Proofs of Divine Benevolence in the Works of Creation.
6
MIGRATION OF FISHES.
The Sturgeon, the Herring, the Cod, &c. Cetaceous Animals. Migration from
the Sea into Rivers. Migration of Eels.
New-Year's-Uay.
Migration of the Land-Crab. x. Sunday. — Winter an Emblem of Death.
HYBERNATION OF QUADRUPEDS.
Clothing. Storing Instincts. Torpidity.
HYBERNATION OF MAN.
Privation stimulates his Faculties. Provisions for his Comfort. Adaptation
of his Constitution to the Season, xi. Sunday. — The Unceasing and Universal
Providence of God.
INHABITANTS OF THE POLAR REGIONS.
The Esquimaux. Food and Clothing. Dwellings and Fire.
FROST.
Provision for causing Ice to Float on the Surface. The Expansive and Non-
conducting Power of Ice. Amusements connected with it. xii. Sunday. —
fVinter not Monotonous. — Boundless l^ariety of Nature. Effects of Frost in the
Northern Regions. Agency of Frost in Mountainous Regions. Hoar p'rost. —
Foliations on Window-Glass, <fec. Beneficent Contrivances relative to Snow.
Sagacity and Fidelity of the Dog in Snow.
GEOLOGY.
Its Phenomena consistent with the Mosaic Account of the Creation, xill.
Sunday.— 7'Ae Difflculti/ of Comprehending the Operations of Providence. Suc-
cessive Periods of Deposit. Successive Periods of Organized Existences. State
of the Antediluvian World. Indications of the Action of the Deluge at the Period
assigned to it in Scripture. Cuvler's Calculation respecting the Deluge. Effects
of the Deluge on the Present Surface of the Earth, xiv. Sunday. — The Deluge
a Divine Judgement.
VOL. 11.— SPRING.
COSMICAL ARRANGEMENTS.
General Character of Spring in temperate Climates. Increasing Temperature
of the Weather, and its Effects. Color and Figure of Bodies. Mountains. Rain.
Springs, i. Sunday. — Advantages of Vicissitude. Rivers.
REPRODUCTION OF VEGETABLES.
Vegetable Soil. Vegetation. Preservation and Distribution of Seeds. Long
Vitality of Seeds. Developement of Seeds and Plants, ii. Sunday Analogy
of Nature. The Vital Powers of Plants. Flowers. — Their Form, Color, and
Fragrance. Their Organs of Reproduction, and their Secretion of Honey. The
Violet.
REPRODUCTION OF ANIMALS.
The Animal Structure. — Cellular Texture — Membranes, Tendons, and Liga-
ments. Secretion, Digestion, and the Circulation of the Blood, in. Sunday.
" The Same Lord over All." The Animal Structure. Gastric Juice. Muscular
Power. Nature of the Proof of Creative Wisdom derived from the Animal Frame.
The Lower Orders of Animals. The Higher Orders of Animals.
INSTINCTS connected WITH THE REPRODUCTION OF ANIMALS.
General Remarks. Parental Affection. Insects. — Their Eggs. iv. Sunday.
—On the Uniformity or Sameness in the Natural and Moral If'orld. Insects. —
Care of their Offspring, exemplified in Bees and Wasps. The Moth. The Bury-
tng-Beetle. The Ant. Gall Flies. Deposition of Eggs in the Bodies of Animals,
and in Insects' Nests. Birds. — Their Eggs. Prospective Contrivances, v. Sun-
day.— On the Domestic Affections. Birds. — Relation of their Bodies to external
Nature. Pairing. Nest-buildlng. The Grossbeak. The Humming-bird. vi.
Sunday. — Regeneration. Birds. — Nests of Swallows. Hatching of Eggs, and
rearing the Brood. Quadrupeds.— The Lion. The Rabbit. Instinctsof the Young.
Man. — Effects of protracted Childhood on the Individual. Effects of protracted
Childhood on the Parents and on Society, vii. Sundav. — On Ckrislian Love.
AGRICULTURE.
The Difference between the Operations of Reason and Instinct, as affording
Arguments in Favor of tlie Divine Perfections. Origin of Agricultural Labor.
Origin of Property in the Soil, and the Division of Ranks. Effects of Property
in the Soil. Benelits derived fiom the Principles which Stimulate Agricultural
Improvement. The Blessings of Labor, viii. Sunday. — Spiritual Training by
Affliction. Nature of Soils. Formation of Soils. Management of Soils. — Drain-
ing. Irrigation. Blair-Drummond Moss. Products of the Soil. — Dissemination
of Plants. IX. Sunday. — The Sower. Dissemination of Plants. — The Cocoa-
Nut Tree. Mitigation of Seasons occasioned by Cultivation. The Labors of the
Husbandman wisely distributed over the Year. The Corn Plants. — Their Mys-
terious Origin. Their Distribution over the Globe. Wheat, x. Sunday. — Sab-
bath Morning-. The Corn-Plants. — Barley, Oats, Rice, Maize, and Millet.
Leguminous Plants. — Peas and Beans. Esculent Roots. — The Potato. Vegetable
Substances used for Weaving. The Flax Plant, xi. Sunday. — True Science the
Handmaid of Religion. Vegetable Substances used for Weaving. The Cotton
Plant. Vegetable Substances used for Cordage. — Hemp. Vegetable Substances
used for Paper.
anniversary of the death and resurrection of CHRIST.
The Sacrament of the Supper. The Crucifixion. The Grave, xii. Sunday.
— The Resurrection.
Enjoyment equally Distributed. The Enjoyments of the Poor in
Spring. The Woods.
retrospective view of the argument.
The Power and Intelligence of the Creator. The Goodness of the Creator.
The Use and Deficiency of Natural Religion.
VOL. III.— SUMMER.
COSMICAL arrangements.
I. Sunday. — Summer the Perfection of the Year. Increased Heat. Internal
Heat of the Earth. Increased Light. Electricity. Clouds. Dew. ii. Sun-
day.— Scriptural Allusions to the Deiv. Adaptations of the Faculties of Living
Beings to the Properties of Light and Air.
vegetables.
Growth of Vegetables. Principles on which Horticulture is founded. History
of Horticulture. The Turnip. Brassica or Cabbage, in. Sunday. — Spiritual
Light. Various Garden Vegetables. Flowers — The Rose. Fruits. Ingrafting.
The Gooseberry and Currant. The Orchard, iv. Sunday. — Spiritual Soil. Pro-
ductions of Warm Climates used for Human Food. — The Banana. The Date Palm.
Trees used for other Purposes than Fond. Vegetable Substances used in Tan-
ning. Vegetable Fixed Oils. Vegetable Oils — Essential and Empyreumatic.
Vegetable Tallow and Wax. v. Sunday. — Spiritual Culture. Vegetable Life
in the Polar Regions.
ANIMALS.
Connexion between the Vegetable and Animal Kingdoms. The Sensorial Or-
gans. Sensation and Perception. The Argonaut and Nautilus. The Coral In-
sect. VI. Sunday. — The Invisible Architect. Insect Transformations — Cocoons
— The Silk-Worm. Insects — Their Larva State. Their Pupa or Chrysalis State.
Their Imago or Perfect State. The Building Spider. Spider's Webb. vii. Sun-
day.— Spiritual Transformation. Insects — Legionary and Sanguine .\iit3. Th«
Lion Ant — The Queen-Bee. Physiological Character of Verlebrated Animals.
Reptiles — The Tortoise — The Serpent, viil. Sunday. — The Old Serpent. Rep-
tiles— The Saurian Tribes. Birds — Their Relative Position. The Bill. Their
Power of Flying. Their Power of Vision. Their Voice. Their Selection of
Food. IX. Sunday. — The Ascension of Christ. Birds— Their Gregaiious Habits.
Domestic Fowls — The Cock, the Turkey, and the Peacock. The Goose and the
Duck. Birds of Prey — The Vulture. The Eagle. Predaceous Animals— Their
Offices in Nature, x. Sunday. — Christ the Judsre of the World. Quadrupeds—
Tlieir Characteristics. Their Bodily Organs. The Bat. The Mouse. Ruminat-
ing— The Goat and Sheep. Sheep Sliearing. xi. Sunday. — Christ, the Good
Shepherd. Quadrupeds — The Sheiiheril's Dog. Ruminating — The Cow. Thicli-
skiuned— The Hog. The. Horse and Ass. The Elephant. Rellections on the
Domestic Animals, xn. Sunday. — The Destruction of the fVorld, and the
Renovation of the Human Frame in a Future State. Fishes. Man— His E.\-
ternal Structure. His Intellectual Powers. His Moral Powers. Physical Effects
of Climate. Moral Effects ol' Climate, xiii. Sunday. — The Confusion of
Tongues. Man — Human Language.
Haymaking — Pleasures of Rural Scenery.
The Variety, Beauty, and Utility of Organized Existences.
betrospective view of the argument.
Adaptation. Future Existence. Discipline.
XIV. Sunday. — The Day of Pentecost — One Language.
VOL. IV.— AUTUMN.
phenomena, produce, and labors of the season.
General Character of Autumn. Autumn in the City. Famine in the beginning
of Autumn. Autumnal Vegetation. Progress of Vegetation in the Corn Plants,
Harvest, i. Sunday. Stability of Nature. Gleaning. The Harvest Moon.
Harvest-Home. Storing of Corn. Birds. — Their State in Autumn.
the woods.
Their Autumnal Appearance. li. Sunday. — The Powers of the World to come.
The Woods. Their Uses. Various Kinds and Adaptations of Timber.
Origin of the Arts. — Food, Clothing, and Shelter.
HUMAN food.
Its Principle. The Moral Operation of the Principle. Its Supply not inad-
equate. III. Sunday. — Christians ^'■Members one of another." Provision for
the future. — Soil still uncultivated. Improved Cultivation. Means now in Ex-
istence. Vegetable and Animal Food. Fruits — Their (Qualities. Drink, iv.
SvsnxY.—'' The Bread of Life." Milk. Wine. Tea and Coffee. Sugar. The
Pleasures connected with Food. Comparison between the Food of Savage and
Civilized Man. v. Sunday. — " Give us this Day our daily Bread." Agriculture
of the Greeks.— Their Harvest. Agriculture of the Romans. Their Harvest.
Progress of British Agriculture. Modern Continental Agriculture.
HUMAN CLOTHING.
Its Principle. Its Primitive State, vi. Sunday. — The Emptiness of Human
Attainments. Its Ancient History. Commercial History of the Raw Material.
The Silk Manufacture. — Its Modern History. History of Mechanical Contrivances
connected with it. Rearing of the Cocoons, &c. The Cotton Manufacture. — Its
Foreign History, vii. Sunday. — The Intellectual and Moral Enjoyments of
Heaven. The Cotton Manufacture — Its British History. Improvement of Ma-
chinery. Its American History. — Introduction of Steam Power. The Woollen
Manufacture.— Its History. The Art of Bleaching. The Art of Dyeing.— Its
Origin and Ancient History, viii. Sunday. — The Social and Religious Enjoy-
ments of Heaven. The Art of Dyeing. — Its Modern History. Its Chemical
Principles.
ARCHITECTURE.
Its Principle. Its original State.— Materials employed. Tools employed. Its
Modifications by the Influence of Habit and Religion, ix. Sunday. — The Chil-
dren of the World wiser than the Children of Light. Architecture. — Ancient His-
tory aiid Practice. — Egypt. — Thebes. The Pyramids. India. — Excavated Temples.
Central Asia. — Tower of Babel, or Temple of Belus. Babylon. Nineveh. Pelra.
Greece, x. Sunday. — Divine Strength made perfect in Human Weakness. Rome.
The Gothic Style. Britain. Bridges. Aqueducts. Railways, xi. Sunday. — An
Autumnal Sabbath Evening. Prospective Improvement of Locomotive Power.
Lighthouses — The Eddystone Lighthouse. The Thames Tunnel.
CLOSE OF AUTUMN.
MisceHaneous Reflections on Autumnal Appearances. The Landscape at the
Close of Autumn, xii. Sunday. — The Fall of the Leaf.
GENERAL SUMMARY OF THE ARGUMENT.
Government of the World by General Laws. Government of the World by a
Particular Providence. Contrast between Savajje and Civilized Life, as regards
the Arts. As regards Domestic Comforts. As regards Commerce. As regards
Moral Cultivation, xiii. Sunday. — '■'■The Harvest is the End of the World."
The preceding ten volumes are now ready for delivery ;—
and they will be followed, with all due despatch, by the
subjoined, among others, provided they are approved by
the Board of Education.
LIFE OF WASHINGTON, (with a portrait, and nu-
merous engravings,) by the Rev. Chap..les W. Upham,
Author of ' the Lafe of Sir Henry Vane/
THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE UNDER DIF-
FICULTIES ; in two volumes, with Preface and Notes,
by Francis Wayland, D. D., President of Broivn Uni-
versity.
THE PURSUIT OF KNOWLEDGE UNDER DIF-
FICULTIES, illustrated by incidents in the Lives of
American Individuals ; in one volume, with Portraits.
HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY, in two volumes, with illustra-
tive wood cuts, by Robley Dunglison, M. D., Professor
of the Institutes of Medicine in the Jejferson Medical College,
Philadelphia ; Author of ' Elements qj^ Hygiene, ' ' The Medi-
cal Student,^ 'Principles of Medical Practice,' Sfc. Sfc.
CHEMISTRY, with illustrative wood cuts, by Benja-
min Silliman, M. D., LL. D., Professor of Chemistry,
Mineralogy, 8fc. in Yale College.
ASTRONOMY, by Dennison Olmsted, Professor of
Natural Philosophy and Astronomy in Yale College.
This work will be a Jjopular treatise on the Science ; it will also enter
fully into its history, and consider the subject of Natural Theology, so
far as it is related to Astronomy.
NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, by Professor Olmsted.
Both of these works will be very fully illustrated by diagrams and
wood engravings.
THE USEFUL ARTS, considered in connexion with
the Applications of Science; in two volumes, witii many
cuts, by Jacob Bigelow, M. D., Professor of Materia
Medica in Harvard University, Author of ' the Elements of
Technology,'' Sfc. ^c.
We subjoin a summary of the Topics discussed in the several chap-
ters of this Important Work, that its nature and objects may be the
more clearly understood.
CHAPTER I.
Outline of the History of the Arts in Ancient and Modern Times.
Arts of the Egyptians, Assyrians, Jews, Hindoos, Chinese, Greeks, Romans,
Dark Ages, Modern Times, Nineteenth Century.
CHAPTER 11.
Of the Materials used in the Arts.
Materials from the Mineral Kingdom — Stones and Earths — Marble, Granite,
Sienite, Freestone, Slate, Soapstone, Serpentine, Gypsum, Alabaster, Chalk,
Fluor Spar, Flint, Porphyry, IJuhrstone, Novaculite, Precious Stones, Emery,
Lead, Pumice, Tufa, Peperino, Tripoli, Clay, Asbestus, Cements, Limestone,
Puzzolana, Tarras. Other Cements — Maltha. Metals — Iron, Copper, Lead, Tin,
Mercury, Gold, Silver, Platina, Zinc, Antimony, Bismuth, Arsenic, Manganese,
Nickel. Combustibles, <fec — Bitumen, Amber, Coal, Anthracite, Graphite, Peat,
Sulphur. Materials from the Vegetable Kingdom. — Wood, Bark, Oak, Hickory,
Ash, Elm, Locust, Wild Cherry, Chestnut, Beech, Basswood,TLdip Tree, Maple,
Birch, Button Wood, Persimmon, Black Walnut, Tupelo, Pine, Spruce, Hemlock,
White Cedar, Cypress, Larch, Arbor VitEB, Red Cedar, Willow, Mahogany,
Boxwood, Lignum VitEB, Cork, Hemp, Flax, Cotton, Turpentine, Caoutchouc,
Oils, Resins, Starch, Gum. Materials from, the Animal Kingdom — Skins, Hair,
and Fur, Quills and Feathers, Wool, Silk, Bone and Ivory, Horn, Tortoise Shell,
Whale Bone, Glue, Oil, Wax, Phosphorus. Materials usedin Painting, Dyeing,
and Varnishing.
CHAPTER III.
Of the Form and Strength of Materials.
Modes of Estimation, Stress and Strain, Resistance, Extension, Compression,
Lateral Strain, Stiffness, Tubes, Strength, Place of Strain, Incipient Fracture,
Shape of Timber, Torsion, Limit of Bulk, Practical Remarks.
CHAPTER IV.
The Preservation of Materials.
Stones, Metals, Organic Substances, Temperature, Dryness, Wetness, Antisep-
tics. Timber — Felling, Seasoning. Preservation of Timber. — Preservation of
Animal Texture — Embalming, Tanning, Parchment, Catgut, Gold Beater's Skin.
Specimens in Natural History — Appert's Process.
CHAPTER V.
Of Dividing and Uniting Materials.
Cohesion. Modes of Division — Fracture, Cutting Machines, Penetration, Bor-
ing and Drilling, Turning, Attrition, Sawing, Saw Mill, Circubir Saw, Crushing,
Stamping Mill, Bark Mill, Oil Mill, Sugar Mill, Cider Mill, Grinding, Grist Mill,
Color Mill. Modes of Union — Insertion, Interposition, Binding, Locking, Ce-
menting, Glueing, Welding, Soldering, Casting, Fluxes, Moulds.
10
CHAPTER VI.
Of Changing the Color of Materials.
Of Applyins; Superficial Color — Painting, Colors, Preparation, Application,
Crayons, Water Colors, Distemper, Fresco, Euciiiistic Painting, Oil Painting,
Varnishing, Japanning, Polisliiiig, Lacquering, Gilding. Of Changing; Intrinsia
Color — Bleaching, Photogenic Drawing, Dyeing, Mordants, Dyes, Calico Printing.
CHAPTER VII.
The Arts of Writing and Printing.
Letters. Invention of Letters, Arrangement of Letters, Writing Materials,
Papyrus, Hercnlaneum, Manuscripts, Parchment, Paper, Instruments, Ink, Copy
ing Machines, Printing, Types, Cases, Sizes, Composing, Imposing, Signatures,
Correcting the Press, Press Work, Printing Press, Stereotyping, Machine Priut-
iug. History,
. CHAPTER VIII,
Arts of Designing and Painting.
Divisions, Perspective, Field of Vision, Distance and Foreshortening, Defini-
tions, Plate II — Problems, Instrumental, Perspective, Mechanical Perspective,
Perspectographs, Projections, Isometrical Persjiective, Chiaro Oscuro, Light and
Shade, Association, Direction of Light, Reflected Light, Expression of Shape,
Eyes of a Portrait — Shadows, Aerial Perspective, Coloring, Colors, Shades, Tone,
Harmony, Contrast, Remarks.
CHAPTER IX,
Arts of Engraving and Lithography.
Engraving, Origin, Materials, Instruments, Styles, Line, Engraving, Medal
Ruling, Stippling, Etching, Mezzo-tinto, Aqua Tinta, Copperplate Printing, Col-
ored Engravings, Steel Engraving, Wood Engraving. Lithography — Principles,
Origin, Lithographic Stones, Prejiaration, Lithograjihic Ink and Chalk, Mode of
Drawing, Etching the Stone, Printing, Printing Ink. Remarks,
CHAPTER X.
Of Sculpture, Modelling, and Casting.
Subjects — Modelling, Casting in Plaster, Bronze Casting, Practice of Sculpture,
Materials, Objects of Sculpture, Gem Engraving, Cameos, Intaglios, Mosaic,
Scagliola,
CHAPTER XI.
Of Architecture and Building.
Architecture — Elements, Foundations, Column, Wall, Lintel, Arch, Abutments,
Arcade, Vault, Dome, Plate I, Roof, Styles of Buililing, Definitions, Measures,
Drawings, Restorations, Es^i/ptian Style., The Chinexe Stijle, The Grecian Style,
Orders of Architecture — Doric Order, Ionic Order, Corinthian Order, Caryatides,
Grecian Temple, Grecian Theatre, Remarks, Plate IV, Roman Sti/le., Tuscan
Order, Roman Doric, Roman Ionic, Composite Order, Roman Structures. Re-
marks, Plate V, Greco-Gothic Style, Saracenic Style, Gothic Style, Definitions,
Plate VI, Plate VII, Application.
CHAPTER XII.
Arts of Heating and Ventilation.
Production of Heat — Fuel, Weight of Fuel, Combustible Matter of Fuel, Water
in Fuel, Charcoal, Communication of Heat, Radiated and Conducted Heat, Fire
in the Open Air, Fire Places, Admission of Cold Air, Open Fires, Franklin Stove,
Rumford Fire Place, Double Fire Place, Coal Grate, Anthracite Grate, Burns'
Grate, Building a Fire, Furnaces, Stoves, Russian Stove, Cockle, Cellar Stoves,
and Air Flues, Healing by Water, Heating by Steam, Retention of Heat, Causes
of Loss, Crevices, Chimneys, Entries and Sky Lights, Windows, f'entilation, Ob-
jects, Modes, Ventilators, Culverts, Smoky Rooms, Damp Chimneys, Large Fire
II
Places, Close Rooms. Contiguous Doors, Short Chimneys. Opposite Fire Places,
Neighboring Eminences, Turucap, <fec.. Contiguous Flues,' Burning of Smoke.
CHAPTER XIII.
Arts of Illumination.
Flame — Support of Flame, Torches anJ Candles, Lamps, Reservoirs, Astral
Lamp, Hydrostatic Lamps, Automaton Lamp, IMechanica! Lamps, Fountain Lamp,
Argand Lamp, Reflectors, Hanging of Pictures, Transparency of Flame, Glass
Shades, Sinumbral Lamp, Measurement of Liglit, Gas Lights, Coal Gas, Oil Gas,
Gasometer, Portable Gas Lights, Safety Lamp, Lamp without Flame, Modes of
procuring Light.
CHAPTER XIV.
Arts of Locomotion.
Motion of Animals, Inertia, Aids «o Locomotion, Wheel Cariage^. Wheels, Rol-
lers, Size of Wheels, Line of Traction, Broad Wh-els, ForiTi of Wheels, Axletrees,
Springs, Attaching of Horses, Highways, Roads, Pavements, McAdam Roads,
Bridsres, 1, Wooden Bridges, 2, Stone Bridges, 3, Cast Iron Bridges, 4, Suspen-
sion Bridges, 5, Floating Bridges, Rail Road.t, Edge Railway, Tram Road, Single
Rail, Passings, Propelling Power, Locomotive Engines, Canals., Embankments,
Aqueducts, Tunnels, Gates and Weirs, Locks, Boats,"Size of Canals, Sailing, Form
of a Ship, Keel and Rudder, Effect of the Wind, Stability of a Ship, Steam Boats,
Diving Bell, Submarine Navigation, Aerostation, Balloon, Parachute.
CHAPTER XV.
Elements of Machinery.
Machines, Motion, Rotary or Circular Motion, Band Wheels, Rag Wheels,
Toothed Wheels, Spiral Gear, Bevel Gear, Crown Wheel, Universal Joint, Per-
petual Screw, Brush Wheels, Ratchet Wheel, Distant Rotary Motion, Change of
Velocity, Fusee, Alternate or Reciprocntins; Motion, Cams, Crank, Parallel Mo-
tion, Sun and Planet Wheel, Inclined Wheel, Epicycloidal Wheel, Rack and Seg-
ment, Rack and Pinion, Belt and Segment, Scapements, Continued Rectilinear
Motion, Band, Rack, Universal Lever, Screw, Change of Direction, Toggle Joint,
Of Engaging and Disengaging Mackinery, Of Equalizing Motion, Governor,
Fly Wheel, Friction, Remarks.
CHAPTER XVI.
Of the Moving Forces used in the Arts.
Sources of Power, Vehicles of Power, Animal Power, Men, Horses, Water
Power, Overshot Wheel, Chain Wheel, Undershot Wheel, Back Water, Besant's
Wheel, Lambert's Wheel, Breast Wheel, Horizontal Wheel, Barker's Mill, Wind
Power, Vertical Windmill, Adjustment of Sails, Horizontal Windmill, Steam
Power, Steam, Applications of Sleam, By Condensation, By Generation, By Ex-
pansion, The Steam Engine, Boiler Appendages, Engine, Noncondensing Engine,
Condensing Engines, Description, Expansion, Engines, Valves, Pistons, Parallel
Motion, Historical Remarks, Projected Improvements, Rotative Engines, Use of
Steam at High Temperatures, Use of Vapors of Low Temperature, Gas Engines,
Steam Carriages, Steam Gun, Gunpowder, Manufacture, Detonation, Force, Pro-
perties of a Gun, Blasting.
CHAPTER XVII.
Arts of Conveying Water.
Of Conducting Water — Aqueducts, Water Pipes, Friction of Pipes, Obstruction
of Pipes, Syphon, Of Raising Water, Scoop Wheel, Persian Wheel, Noria, Rope
Pump, Hydreole, Archinie<les' Screw, Spiral Pump, Centrifugal Pump, Common
Pumps, Forcing Pumps, Plunger Pump, Delahire's Pump, Hydrostatic Press,
Lifting Pump, Bag Pump, Double Acting Pump, Rolling Pump, Eccentric Pump,
Arrangement of Pipes, Chain Pump, Srhemiiilz Vessels, or Hungarian Machine,
Hero's Fountain, Atmospheric Machines, Hydraulic Ram, Of Projecting Water.
Fountains, Fire Engines, Throwing Wheel.
12
CHAPTER XVIII.
Arts of Combining Flexible Fibres.
Theory of Twisting, Rope Makina;, Cotton Manufacture, Elementary Inven-
tions, Batting, Carding. Drawing, Roving, Spinning, Mule Spinning, Warping,
Dressing, Weaving, Twilling, Double Weaving, Cross Weaving, Lace, Carpeting,
Tapestry, Velvets, Linens, IVoolens, Felting, Paper Making.
CHAPTER XIX.
Arts of Horology.
Sun Dial, Clepsydra, Water Clock, Clock Work, Maintaining Power, Regulat-
ing Movement, Pendulum, Balance, Scapement, Description of a Clock, Striking
Part, Description of a Watch.
CHAPTER XX.
Arts of Metallurgy.
Extraction of Metals, Assaying, Alloys, Gold, Extraction, Cupellation, Parting,
Cementation, Alloy, Working, Gold Beating, Gilding on Metals, Gold Wire,
Silver, Extraction, Working, Coining, Plating, Copper, Extraction, Working,
Brass, Manufacture, Buttons, Pins, Bronze, ienrf, Extraction, Manufacture, Sheet
Lead, Lead Pipes, Leaden Shot, Tin, Block Tin, Tin Plates, Silvering of Mirrors,
Iron, Smelting, Crude Iron, Casting, Malleable Iron, Forging, Rolling and Slit-
ting, Wire Drawing, Nail Making, Gun Making, Steel, Alloys ol^ Steel, Case Hard-
ening, Tempering, Cutlery.
CHAPTER XXI.
Arts of Vitrification.
Glass, Materials, Crown Glass, Fritting, Melting, Blowing, Annealing, Broad
Glass, Flint Glass, Bottle Glass, Cylinder Glass, Plate Glass, Moulding, Pressing,
Cutting, Stained Glass, Enamelling, Artificial Gems, Devitriiicatian, Reaumur's
Porcelain, Crystallo-Ceraraie, Glass Thread, Remarks.
CHAPTER XXII.
Arts of Induration by Heat.
Bricks, Tiles, Terra Cotta, Crucibles, Pottery, Operations, Stone Ware, White
Ware, Throwing, Pressing, Casting, Burning, Printing, Glazing, China Ware,
European Porcelain, Etruscan Vases.
A FAMILIAR TREATISE ON THE CONSTITU-
TION OF THE UNITED STATES, by the Hon. Judge
Story, L L. D., Author of ' Commentaries on the Constitu-
tion,' Sfc.
LIFE OF DR. FRANKLIN.
SELECTIONS FROM THE WRITINGS OF
FRANKLIN, by Jared Sparks, LL. D., Professor of His-
tory in Harvard University, Author of ' the Life and Writings
of Washington,' ' the Life and Writings of Franklin,' Sfc .Sfc.
CHRISTIANITY AND KNOWLEDGE, by the Rev.
Royal Robbins.
The design of this Work is to show what Christianity has done for
the human intellect, and what that has done for Christianity.
13
THE LORD OF THE SOIL, OR, PICTURES OF
AGRICULTURAL LIFE ; by Rev. Warren Burton,
Jluthor of'' The District School as it Was,' Sfc. Sfc.
SCIENCE AND THE ARTS, by the Rev. Alonzo
Potter, D. D., Professor of Moral Philosophy and Rhetoric,
in Union College, Schenectady, JY. Y.
The design of this Work is to call attention to the fact that the Arts
are the result of intelligence — that they have, each one its principles
or theory — that these principles are furnished by Science, and that he,
therefore, who would understand the Arts, must know something of
Science ; while, on the other hand, he who would see the true power
and worth of Science ought to study it in its applications. The work
will be made up of fads, illustrating and enforcing these views — so ar-
ranged as to exhibit the invariable connexion between processes in Art,
and laws m JVature. The importance of such a work requires no
comment.
AGRICULTURE, by the Hon. Judge Buel, of Albany,
Editor of ' the Cultivator. '
This Work is intended as an aid to the Young Farmer, and from
the known character of the gentleman who has it in hand, there can be
no doubt but that it will be executed in a highly satisfactory manner.
The following, among other subjects, will be therein treated of, viz.
1. The Importance of Agriculture to a Nation.
2. Improvement in our Agriculture practicable and necessary.
3. Some of the principles of the new and improved Husbandry,
4. Agriculture considered as an Employment.
5. Earths and Soils.
6. Improvement of the Soil.
7. Analogy between Animal and Vegetable Nutrition.
8. Further Improvement of the Soil.
9. " " by Manures, Animal and Vegetable.
,10. " " by Mineral Manures.
11. Principles and Operations of Draining.
12. Principles of Tillage.
13 Operations of Tillage, <fec. &c.
Due notice will also be taken of alternating crops, root husbandry, mixed hus-
bandry, the management of pasture and meadow lands, the garden, orchard, &c.
Cuts, illustrative of the various operations spoken of and recommended, will
be given.
GEOLOGY AND MINERALOGY, by Charles T.
Jackson, M. D., Geological Surveyor of Maine and Rhode
Island.
STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES, by
George Tucker, Professor of Moral Philosophy in the Uni-
versity of Virginia, Author of * the Life of Jefferson, ' Sfc. Sfc.
14
AMERICAN TREES AND PLANTS, used for medi-
cinal and economical purposes and employed in the Arts,
with numerous engravings ; by Professor Jacob Bigelow,
Author of ' Plants of Boston/ ' Medical Botany,^ S)C. Sfc.
MORAL EFFECTS OF INTERNAL IMPROVE-
MENTS, by Robert Rantoul, Jr., Esq.
LIVES OF THE REFORMERS, by Rev. Romeo El-
ton, Professor of Languages in Brown University.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF DISTINGUISH-
ED FEMALES, by Mrs. Emma C. Embury, of: Brooklyn,
jy. Y.
SKETCHES OF AMERICAN CHARACTER, by
Mrs. Sarah J. Hale, Editor of ' the Ladies' Book,' Author
of the '■Ladies' Wreath,' ' Flora's Interpreter,' 6fc. &j-c.
DO RIGHT AND HAVE RIGHT, by Mrs. Almira
H. Lincoln Phelps, Principal of the Literary Department
of the Young Ladies' Seminary, at West Chester, Pa.,
formerly of the Troy Seminary, JY. Y., Author of 'Familiar
Lectures on Botany,' 'Female Student,' &i'c.
Tlie object of this Work may be gathered from the following re-
marks of Mrs. Phelps. " A popular work on the principles of law, with
stories illustrating these principles, might be very profitable to people
in common life, as well as to children. Tiie ward cheated by a guard-
ian, the widoiv imposed on by administrators or executors, the icife
abandoned by a husband, with whom she had trusted her paternal in-
heritance, the partner in business, overreached by his crafty associate,
for want of a knowledge of the operations of the law, — all these might
be exhibited in such a way as to teach the necessity of legal knowledge
to both sexes, and to all ages and classes."
SCENES IN THE LIFE OF JOANNA OF SICILY,
by Mrs. E. F. Ellet, of Columbia, S. C.
This is written with a view to young readers, and for the purpose of
illustrating important historical events.
The Publishers have also in preparation for this Series,
a History of the United States, and of other Countries, a
History of the Aborigines of our Country, a History of
Inventions, Works on Botany, Natural History, &.c. &c.
Many distinguished writers, not here mentioned, have been
engaged, whose names will be in due time announced,
although at present, we do not feel at liberty to make them
public.
15
Among the works prepared, and in a state of forward-
ness, for the Juvenile Series are the following, viz.
MEANS AND ENDS, OR SELF TRAINING, by Miss
Caroline Sedgwick, Author of ' The Poor Rich Man,
and Rich Poor Man,' ' Live and Let Live,' ' Home,' Sfc. Sfc.
NEW-ENGLAND HISTORICAL SKETCHES, by
N. Hawthorne, Author of' Twice Told Tales,' Sfc.
CONVERSATIONS AND STORIES BY THE
FIRE SIDE, by Mrs. Sarah J. Hale,
FAILURE NOT RUIN, by Horatio G. Hale, A. M.
TALES IN PROSE, blending instruction with amuse-
ment ; by Miss Mary E. Lee, of Charleston, S. C.
PICTURES OF EARLY LIFE :— Stories; each in-
culcating some moral lesson ; by Mrs. Emma C. Embury,
of Brooklyn, JY. Y.
FREDERICK HASKELL'S VOYAGE ROUND
THE WORLD, by H. G. Hale, A. M., Philologist to
the Exploring Expedition.
BIOGRAJPHY FOR THE YOUNG, by Miss E. Rob-
BiNs, Author of' American Popular Lessons,' Sequel to the
same, 6fc.
THE WONDERS OF NATURE, by A. J. Stansbury,
Esq., of Washington City ; illustrated by numerous cuts.
WORKS OF ART, by the same ; illustrated by numer-
ous cuts.
PLEASURES OF TASTE, and other Stories select-
ed from the Writings of Jane Taylor, with a sketch of her
life, (and a likeness,) by Mrs. S. J. Hale.
SELECTIONS FROM THE WORKS OF MRS.
BARBAULD, tcith a Life and Portrait.
SELECTIONS FROM THE WORKS OF MARIA
EDGEWORTH, luith a Life and Portrait.
SELECTIONS FROM THE WORKS OF MRS.
SHERWOOD, with a Life and Portrait.
SELECTIONS FROM THE WORKS OF DR.
AIKIN, h"j7/j. a Sketch of his Life, by Mrs. Hale.
CHEMISTRY FOR BEGINNERS, by Benjamin Sil-
liman, Jr., Assistant in the Department of Chemistry, Min-
eralogy, and Geology in Yale College ; aided by Professor
SiLLlMAN.
16
MY SCHOOLS AND MY TEACHERS, by Mrs. A.
H. Lincoln Phelps.
The author's design, in this work, is to describe the Common Schools
as they were in New-England at the begmning of the present century ;
to delineate the peculiar characters of different Teachers ; and to give
a sketch of her various school companions, with their progress in after
life, endeavoring thereby to show that the child, while at school, is
forming the future man, or woman.
It is not the intention of the Publishers to drive these
works through the Press with a railroad speed, in the hope
of securing the market, by the multiplicity of the publica-
tions cast upon the community; they rely for patronage,
upon the intrinsic merits of the works, and consequently
time must be allowed the writers to mature and systematize
them. The more surely to admit of this, the two Series
will be issued in sets of five and ten volumes at a time.
Besides the advantage above alluded to, that v/ill result
from such an arrangement, it will place The School Li-
brary within the reach of those Districts, which, from the
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THE ARTERIES.
271
carried into the reservoir, and they fill it half full of water,
C ; the mouth of the pipe, D, which is to convey away
the water, reaches into the water in the reservoir. As
the water rises, the air is compressed : so that, although
the pumps act alternately, the elasticity of the contained
air acts uninterruptedly in pressing on the surface of the
water, and raising it by the tube, D, in an equable stream.
The elasticity of the contained air, fills up the interval
Ijetween the actions of the pumps, and admits of no in-
terruption to the force with which the water is propelled
upwards.
Surely these are sufficient indications of the necessity
of three powers acting in propelling the blood from the
heart. The first, is a sudden and powerful action of
the ventricle : the second, is a contraction of the artery,
somewhat similar, excited by its distention : the third,
though a property independent of life, is a power permit-
ting no interval or alternation ; it is the elasticity of the
coats of the artery : and these three powers, duly adjust-
ed, keep up a continued stream in the blood-vessels. It
is tiTje, that when an artery is wounded, the blood flows
308
NATURAL THEOLOGV
The superior sagacity of animals wiiich hunt their
prey, and which, consequently, depend for their liveli-
hood upon their nose^ is well known in its use ; but not
at all known in the organization which produces it.
The external ears of beasts of prey, of hons, tigers,
wolves, have their trumpet-part, or concavity, standing
forward, to seize the sounds which are before them —
viz., the sounds of the animals which they pursue or
watch. The ears of animals of flight are turned back-
ward, to give notice of the approach of their enemy from
behind, whence he may steal upon them unseen. This
is a critical distinction, and is mechanical ; but it may be
suggested, and, I think, not without probability, that it
is the effect of continual habit.
[Heads of the hare and wolf, showing the different manner
in which the ears are turned. — Am. Ed.]
The eyes of animals which follow their prey by night,
as cats, owls, &c., possess a faculty not given to those
of other species, namely, of closing the pupil entirely.
OF COLUMBUS. 61
It is difficult even for the imagination to conceive the
feehngs of such a man, at the moment of so subhme a
discovery. What a bewildering crowd of conjectures
must have thronged upon his mind, as to the land which
lay before him, covered with darkness. That it was
fruitful was evident from the vegetables which floated
from its shores. He thought, too, that he perceived in
the balmy air the fragrance of aromatic groves. The
moving light which he had beheld, proved that it was the
residence of man. But what were its inhabitants? Were
they like those of other parts of the globe ; or were they
some strange and monstrous race, such as the imagina-
tion in those times was prone to give to all remote and
unknown regions? Had he come upon some wild island,
far in the Indian seas; or was this the famed Cipango
itself, the object of his golden fancies? A thousand
speculations of the kind must have swarmed upon him,
as he watched for the night to pass away; wondering
whether the morning light would reveal a savage wilder-
ness, or dawn upon spicy groves, and glittering fanes, and
gilded cities, and all the splendors of oriental civilization.
CHAPTER XI.
First Landing of Columbus in the JYew World. — Cruise
among the Bahama Islands. — Discovery of Cuba and
Hispaniola. [1492.]
When the day dawned, Columbus saw before him a
level and beautiful island, several leagues in extent, of
great freshness and verdure, and covered with trees like
a continual orchard. Though every thing appeared in
the wild luxuriance of untamed nature, yet the island was
evidently populous, for the inhabitants were seen issuing
from the woods, and running from all parts to the shore.
They were all perfectly naked, and from their attitudes
6 I.
286
A VISIT TO PALOS.
residence of Martin Alonzo or Vicente Yanez Pinzon,
in the time of Columbus.
We now arrived at the church of St. George, in the
porch of which Cohmibus first proclaimed to the inhabi-
tants of Palos the order of the sovereigns, that they
should furnish him with ships for his great voyage of dis-
covery. This edifice has lately been thoroughly repaired,
and, being of solid mason-work, promises to stand for
ages, a monument of the discoverers. It stands outside
of the village, on the brow of a hill, looking along a little
valley toward the river. The remains of a Moorish
arch prove it to have been a mosque in former times ;
just above it, on the crest of the hill, is the ruin of a
Moorish castle.
I paused in the porch, and endeavored to recall the
interesting scene that had taken place there, when Co-
lumbus, accompanied by the zealous friar Juan Perez,
caused the public notary to read the royal order in pres-
ence of the astonished alcaldes, regidors, and alguazils ;
but it is difficult to conceive the consternation tbat must
have been struck into so remote a little community, by
this sudden apparition of an entire stranger among them,
bearing a command that they should put their persons
and ships at his disposal, and sail with him away into the
unknown wilderness of the ocean.
The interior of the church has nothing remarkable,
THE COTTON PLANT. 335
work of creation and the work of grace revealed in the
word of God. Proofs corroborative of the authenticity
of the Bible, have been gathered from those very sources
which formerly were applied to by the skeptic for his
sharpest weapons ; and at this moment, (such is the secu-
rity with which Christianity may regard the progress of
knowledge,) there does not exist in our own country, nor,
so far as I am aware, in any other, one pliilosopher of
eminence who has ventured to confront Christianity and
philosophy, as manifestly contradictory. May we not
venture to hope that, in a very short time, the weak darts
of minor spirits, which from time to time are still permit-
ted to assail our bulwarks, will be also quenched, and the
glorious Gospel, set free from all the oppositions of sci-
ence falsely so called, shall walk hand in hand over the
earth with a philosophy always growing in humility, be-
cause every day becoming more genuine. C. J. C. D.
TWELFTH WEEK— MONDAY.
VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES USED FOR WEAVING, THE COTTON-
PLANT.
The cotton-plant, another vegetable substance, exten-
sively used in manufactures, differs materially from that
already described, in its properties, appearance, and hab-
its. Instead of being generally diffused over temperate
climates, it belongs more properly to the torrid zone, and
the regions bordering on it ; and instead of being chiefly
confined to one species, as to its peculiar and useful qual-
ities, its varieties seem scarcely to have any limit, extend-
ing from an herb* of a foot or two in height, to a treef
* Gossypium herbaceuin, or common herbaceous cotton-plant.
t Bombax ceiba, or American silk cotton-tree. — [The Baobab, or
Adansonia di^itata, an enormous and long-lived tree, also belongs to
this family. But it is incorrect to call these trees " varieties " of the
cotton plant. They are nearly allied to it, indeed, but they stand in dif-
ferent divisions of the great order of nialvace.p, or mallows ; and the
downy contents of their pods are of little use compared with true cotton.
— Am. Ed.]
378 GLOSSARY.
Coup de main, (French term,) a military expression, denoting an in-
stantaneous, sudden, unexpected attack upon an enemy.
Bulce et decorum est pro patria mori. It is delightful and glorious to
die for one's country.
Effigies Seb. Caboti Ajigli filii Jonnnis Caboti militis aurati. As
will be seen by the text, where this inscription occurs, (p. 121,)
there is an ambiguity in the application of the last two words. The
other part of the inscription, may be rendered, "the portrait (or
likeness) of Sebastian Cabot, of England, son of John Cabot."
Miles, or militis, means, literally, a warrior, or soldier, or officer
of the army ; and in the English law, sometimes indicates a knight.
AiLratus, or auruti, means gilt, gilded, or decked with gold. Eques
means a horseman, or knight, who was frequently called eques aura-
tus, because, anciently, none but knights were allowed to beautify
their armor, and other habiliments, with gold.
En masse, in a body, in the mass, altogether.
Eques, and Eques auratus. See Effigies.
Fascine, {p\. fascines,) a bundle of fagots, or small branches of trees,
or sticks of wood, bound together, for filling ditches, &c.
Formula, {p\. formula;,) a prescribed form or order.
Geodectic, relating to the art of measuring surfaces.
Graniina, grasses.
Green Mountain Boys, a term applied, during the Revolutionary War,
to the inhabitants of Vermont, (Green Mountain,) particularly those
who were in the army.
Gymnotus, the electric eel.
Habeas Corpus, "you may have the body." A writ, as it has been
aptly termed, of personal freedom ; which secures, to any individual,
who may be hnprisoned, the privilege of having his cause imme-
diately removed to the highest court, that the judges may decide
whether there is ground for his imprisonment or not.
Hipparchus, a celebrated mathematician and astronomer of Nicsea, in
Bithynia, who died 125 years before the Christian era. He was
the first after Thales and Sulpicius Callus, who found out the exact
time of eclipses, of which he made a calculation for 600 years. He is
supposed to have been the first, who reduced astronomy to a science,
and prosecuted the study of it systematically.
Loyalists, Royalists, Refugees, and Tories. In the times of the Revo-
lution, these terms were used as technical or party names, and were
sometimes applied indiscriminately. Strictly speaking, however.
Loyalists, were those whose feelings or opinions were in favor of
the mother country, but who declined taking part in the Revolu-
tion ; Royalists, were those who preferred or favored, a kingly gov-
ernment ; Refugees, were tliose who fled from the country and
sought the protection of the British ; and Tories, were those, who
actually opposed the war, and took part with the enemy, aiding
them by ail the means in their power.
Magnetic Variation, a deviation of the needle in the mariner's com-
pass, from an exact North and South direction.
Master-at-arms, an officer appointed to take charge of the small arms
in a ship of war, and to teach the otHcers and crew the exercise of
18mo. pages.
MARY BOND IN A SICK-ROOM. 129
ring it all the time. Of course I do not make it
every time it is wanted, for sometimes, when I
want it extra good, I boil and stir it a full hour,
and then I put it away in a close vessel and in a
cool place. For Raymond, or for any one get-
ting well, and free from fever, I put in a third
wheat flour, and half milk. You see it is a very
simple process, sir."
' ' Yes — simple enough. But it is to these
simple processes that people will not give their
attention."
Mary had the happiness of seeing Raymond
sitting up before their parents returned, and when
they drove into the great gate, and up the lane,
he was in his rocking-chair by the window, watch-
ing for them. They had heard of his illness, and
were most thankful to find him so far recovered.
The Doctor chanced to be present when they
arrived. " O, Doctor !" said Mrs. Bond, after
the first greetings were over, "how shall I ever
be grateful enough to you .''"
" I have done very little, Mrs. Bond," replied
the honest Doctor. " In Raymond's case, medi-
cine could do little or nothing. Nature had been
overtasked, and wanted rest and soothing. Under
God, Raymond owes his recovery to Mary."
"O, mother!" exclaimed Raymond, bursting
into tears, " she is the best sister in the world !"
" She is the best sister in the tioo worlds !"
cried little Grace Bond, a child of five years old.
A source of true comfort and happiness is such
a child and such a sister as Mary Bond ! — a light
138 THE LOST CHILDREN.
US, as soon as we are missed ; let us keep on
and perhaps we may find some other path."
The poor children proceeded on their course,
unconscious that every step was taking them deep-
er into the forest, until, completely bewildered by
the thick darkness, and overcome with fatigue, they
could go no further. " Let us pray to God, and
then we can lie down, and die in peace," said
George ; and the innocent children knelt down on
the fallen leaves, and lisped their simple prayers,
as they were accustomed to do at their mother's
side.
"We must try to find some shelter, George,"
said Kate, as they arose from their knees, " this
chill air will kill you, even if we escape the wild
beasts." As she spoke, the light of a young
moon which faintly illumined the depths of the
wood, enabled her to discover a hollow log lying
near. Tearing off some branches from the brittle
hemlock tree, she piled them around the log, in
such a manner, as to form a sort of penthouse ;
and, placing George within the more efiectual
shelter of the log, she lay down by his side. Worn
with fatigue, notwithstanding their fears, the chil-
dren soon fell into a profound sleep ; and the
beams of the morning sun, shining through the
branches which formed their covering, first awoke
them from their peaceful slumbers.
Their little hearts swelled with gratitude to the
merciful God, who had preserved them through
the perils of the night, and the morning hymn which
was wont to resound within the walls of their
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